BY KYM DOUGLAS

It’s always the right time of year for romance.  Here’s some fun and interesting tips that won’t cost a bundle.

Secret Agent

Forget the Chanel #5, the Dior and the Jo Malone.  If you really want to turn on your guy bake a pizza or cook a roast in your kitchen. The Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation (yes, it’s real and located in Chicago in case you were wondering) conducted a study in which they tested male arousal responses to 30 different aromas by tracking male organs blood flow. Cheese pizza and roasting meat ranked the highest arousal response in men. Rose and fruity fragrances were the lowest. Is it wrong to rub little pizza on your wrists? Just wondering.

Lip service

As everyone knows, having soft and kissable lips is part and parcel of romance. What many people don’t know is how harmful petroleum-based products can be on your lips. I tried out almost every organic lip product on the market in the last few months and have found that Eco Lips organic lip care products tops my list as the perfect lip balm. Cruelty free, non-GMO and petroleum-free, they are packaged in a convenient small stick form.  Some are even available with an eco-clip so it’s handy during the day or for sports. My personal favorite is their vegan Lemon-Lime Bee-Free 70% Certified Organic Balm. Eco Lips products can be found at Whole Foods in Sherman Oaks. For more information, go to www.Ecolips.com

Winning budget tips

Did you know that an avocado is a winner for shiny hair? It contains natural oils and vitamins, giving your hair a healthy dose of all natural moisture.

Who knew vinegar is great for removing buildup of styling products – the same ones that have also been said to help make your hair shiny?

Two denture tablets in water are great for whitening your fingernails in case you don’t have time to get a manicure before a night out with that special someone. It’s also ideal as a relaxing foot soak and will whiten your toenails as an added benefit.

Vaseline will not only soften any rough knees and elbows, but it can also shine your shoes. No kidding.

Use toupee double stick tape to keep your clothes in place - especially if you’re planning on wearing a revealing low cut top or dress.  Think the likes of Mariah Carey and that infamous J Lo dress a couple years back.

Kym Douglas is the co-author of The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets, The Black Book of Hollywood Diet Secrets and The Black Book of Hollywood Pregnancy Secrets. She guests on E!, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Fox’s  Good Day LA. Contact her www.kymdouglas.com

It’s mid-summer, so what better time to think about ways to keep eating in check while staying fashionably chic for the season.  Here’s some fun tidbits from my book, The Black Book of Hollywood Diet Secrets.

BURGER BONANZA

Gorgeous British export and film star Sienna Miller tells me she has cellulite. I didn’t see it and I still don’t believe it, but Sienna did say that she loves burgers. I’m not sure how she eats her burgers, but here is a little trick a Hollywood nutritionist revealed to help cut calories and, how shall we say…. keep things moving?

This food expert advises her star clients to combine prunes with meat because it cuts the fat by 40 percent and makes you feel fuller. Mix about five small pitted prunes with one pound of meat. Using a  food processor is preferable. This should make four small patties and you won’t even taste the prunes.  Secret Black Book extra: Always throw your bun on the grill for a second – forget the quest for Martha Stewart-esque burn strips, it really burns sugar off the bread.

SNEAKY SLIMMING TRICKS

Here’s a  few super-simple calorie slashers:

1. Chew gum. Sugarless gum gives your mouth a burst of sweet sensation for very few calories. Studies have shown that gum chewing can also help [you] relieve stress, mentally focus on tasks, satisfy a sweet tooth, overcome the urge to eat candy, and help manage hunger pangs.

2. Move the candy jar.   If you have to get up to get a piece of candy, it is not always worth the effort, whereas when the candy is convenient, consumption is higher.

3. Count the empty wrappers. It’s so easy to succumb to fun-size candy that you can lose track of how quickly the calories add up. If you keep the wrappers on your desk, it will remind you of how many you ate and stop after one or two…and if all else fails, exercise!

Kym Douglas is the co-author of The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets, The Black Book of Hollywood Diet Secrets and The Black Book of Hollywood Pregnancy Secrets. She guests on E!, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Fox’s Good Day LA. www.kymdouglas.com

HEALTHY DIET TIPS

Jackie Keller is a nutrition and wellness coach, educator and culinary expert who works with some of Hollywood’s biggest names.  As the founder and creator of NutriFit, she delivers fresh, customized meals to the from doors of many celebrities, including Angelina Jolie, Uma Thurman, Reese Witherspoon, Charlize Theron, Penelope Cruz, Susan Sarandon, Hilary Duff and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Here’s three of her best diet tips:  One, make food your friend.  Most of us think of it as an enemy. (Food makes us fat!) Successful dieters change their mindset and befriend favorable food. Two, eat well to lose. There’s not a fruit or vegetable that can hurt you. Whenever you can, reach for something in that category-at least five times a day. Three, say good-bye to butter, bacon and white bread.

Keller shares that one mistake that people make when starting a new weight loss program is that they stop eating or cut back too drastically on overall intake.  As Susan Sarandon once told her, “It’s not about eating less, it’s about eating right.”

WORK IT OUT

Richard Girola’s Valley Village based Cardio Barre workout studio is hopping with mere mortals as well as devoted celeb clients such as Jami Gertz, Melissa Gilbert, Katherine Kelly Lang, Jennie Garth and Melissa Joan Hart.   Girola shares an important exercise tip – add strength training to your workout. The real cause of flabby muscles is lack of exercise, not aging. Muscle mass does decline between the ages of 30 and 70, but isotonic strengthening two to three times a week can reverse the decline and increase strength by changing the ratio of muscle to fat.

Do the kitchen workout: heel rises while washing dishes, pushups ant the counter, use a can of soup as a weight for tricep lifts while waiting for your healthy meal to cook! www.cardiobarre.com

GET NUTS, GET THIN
Just eat a few nuts 30 minutes before your dinner. You won’t be as hungry. By the way, the nuts are easy to bring in your purse or car if you’re on the run before eating at The Ivy with your publicist.

GET MINTY
Eat a piece of licorice, a strong breath mint or even a Listerine breath strip when you’re hungry. It might be enough to stop you from eating something that will derail your diet. Plus the minty taste on your tongue will numb your taste buds and then you will say, “Pizza? I don’t think so. I’ll pass. Cake. Um, my taste buds are telling me no.”

Kym Douglas is the co-author of The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets, The Black Book of Hollywood Diet Secrets and The Black Book of Hollywood Pregnancy Secrets. She guests on E!, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Fox’s Good Day LA. www.kymdouglas.com

Summer’s here and you know what that means – reunions, weddings, a first date or just out to dinner with friends, significant other or spouse. Here are some insider celebrity secrets to help you look your very red carpet best!

BATHE AWAY THE POUNDS

Let’s say you’re in one of those bloated moods. And you’ve got that special event to attend tonight – big yikes.  Have no fear, bloat relief is here – and in the form of a quick inexpensive Epsom salt bath. The magnesium sulfate draws fluid out of your body and literally bathes away some of the bloat. Normal body swelling will also decrease allowing you to look more toned. Add two cups of salt in a warm tub, mix it into the water with your hand until it’s completely dissolved, then soak away for 20 minutes. Don’t forget to turn on the shower at the end and rinse the salt off your skin. You’ll also want to moisturize when you’re done because this salt bath is drying.

THINK AHEAD AND SAY ‘NO’

Here are some tips about a few things you should NOT eat before a big event. Pasta causes bloating; sushi makes you puffy (sayonara soy sauce); milk can make you look chalky white; soy milk can extend your stomach.

A RESOUNDING YES
What to eat before a big red carpet event when you are over 25? Enjoy salmon and your skin will glow; Acai juice can make you look more youthful; dark chocolate is a great anti-oxidant; Matcha green tea will make you appear well rested (and help your memory so you remember where you are going).
HI-HO CHERRY-0

I just found out about this new insider Hollywood trick – cherry juice. Celebs such as Courtney Cox and Kate Bosworth say they are fighting aging all the way – the natural way that is. Their solution is to drink Cherry Pharm, an all-natural cherry juice filled with antioxidants. According to dermatologists, the concentrated tart drink improves the skin’s texture and helps to reduce inflammation and age spots. Cherry picking, here I come!

Kym Douglas is the co-author of The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets, The Black Book of Hollywood Diet Secrets and The Black Book of Hollywood Pregnancy Secrets. She guests on E!, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Fox’s Good Day LA. www.kymdouglas.com