In lieu of teeth whitening treatments that stars like Gabrielle Union must get on the regular (how else could they keep their smiles so bright???), there's a new lip gloss from Benefit called california kissin' ($16, benefit.com) a sheer lip gloss with, I know it sounds weird, the twinge of blue. It's not enough to color your lips like a punk princess, but the tint in the gloss, which you can wear alone, under, or over your lipstick, makes your teeth look extra white and brightens your smile. Oh, and it also has a minty taste and scent that acts as a breath freshener, too.

Father's Day gifts often revolve around barbecue tools, golfing accessories, and neckties, but why ignore the metrosexual inherent in all men? Why, for example, begrudge your father the opportunity to preserve his sexy on his special holiday? If your dad is the type to appreciate it, you might consider a Sean John Unforgivable limited edition box set. It won a major award, so it must smell good. Check out the details after the jump.

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Microdermabrasion doesn't necessarily seem like something a person would voluntarily do to themselves, but the $40 at-home kit from Neutrogena (drugstores) will smooth your skin and improve the uniformity of its tone. And it's really not an unpleasant process, I promise.

As Stereohyped beauty expert Tia Williams explains, brown skin is naturally prone to hyperpigmentation (dark spots) and hypopigmentation (light spots), not to mention dark scarring from acne. The microdermabrasion sloughs off dead skin cells and fades discoloration for skin that's smoother and more uniformly colored than Kerry Washington's — post red carpet makeover.

As hard as it is to envision Jay Z slathering SPF 50 on his back before he and Beyonce go on their widely publicized beach vacations, I hope he does, for his sake. I grew up thinking that black skin was impervious to UV rays and that we, unlike whites, didn't have to worry about sun damage. But why would I think differently? I've never seen a sunscreen commercial or ad or skin cancer pamphlet with a black face on it.

I learned my lesson the hard way when I got burned by the Jamaican sun a few years back and the skin on my shoulders started peeling off in ribbons. Not a good look. It is true that whites are more likely to get skin cancer, but, surprise surprise, blacks and Hispanics are more likely to die from it when we do get it. Readers, if Stereohyped has taught you anything, it should be that if there is a disease out there, we're not the ones who are surviving it.

So, now that the sun is shining here on east coast (you west siders should be practicing safe-skin year round), it's good to have a bottle laying around. Tia Williams, author of It Chicks and Shake Your Beauty, says that, although any drug store brand such as Coppertone or Neutrogena will do, sensitive skin sufferers or product junkies should try Apitiva Propoline Face & Body Milk, $23, or Keihl's Vital Sun Protection Lotion, $18.50. And for extra protection, look for everyday facial moisturizers and lip balms with a bit of SPF protection in them.

My love-hate relationship with my curls began in 2003, when a really, really, really bad experience with a home highlighting kit damaged my hair beyond repair. I decided to grow out the relaxer that I had been relying on for all of my hair-straightening needs for the previous 10 years and go au natural. Skipping over the hellish year that it took for my natural hair to grow long enough that I felt comfortable cutting off the straight parts (I didn't take my hair out of a bun for 14 months, give or take), by late 2004 I had a short, curly bob that I loved in theory, but not practice. Meaning, I loved having my natural hair but had no earthly idea what to do with it.

So what did I do? I straightened it. All the time. And really, what's the point of not chemically straightening your hair if you are just going to straighten it with heat all the time? It wasn't until I came across a tub of over-priced, oddly named curl creme and got a haircut at an over-priced, oddly named salon that I saw the light.

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Black people and shea butter go way back. No, really. Way back. Shea butter, the skin cure-all that we've known about for years but is now becoming "trendy", is derived from the magnifolia tree, which is indigenous to Central and Western Africa. And serious fans think of it as a miracle elixer — it's purported to fade scars, clear acne, smooth wrinkles, strengthen hair, prevent in-growns, and of course, de-ashify elbows, knees and heels. I can't say I've ever used it for more than a moisturizer, and I've often found it to be very hard, a bit greasy, and smell a little too earthy.

For those who like their skin to be smooth and smell amazing, Lickadoodles has introduced a line of delicious-smelling shea butter creams ($24, www.lickadoodles.com), which our beauty expert, It Chicks and Shake Your Beauty author Tia Williams, says are softer, easier to apply than pure shea butter, and "definitely more spa treatment than health food store." My favorite flavor? Peaches and Cream, and not just because it makes me think of 112.

Unfortunately, it's less a genetic certainty and more a myth that all black people are endowed the the bee stung lips and booties that are supposed to be our ancestral right. So what's a black girl to do when she's born with lips that are thinner than Nicole Richie? For the rich and often ill-advised, the solution is frequently one of the plastic surgery variety and results in swollen lips that resemble the painted-on mouth of a UniverSoul Circus clown.

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