Brring. Brring. Brring.

You: Hello?

I was half listening to NPR on my commute home from work yesterday. Then, my interest was piqued when I heard the word "soap" -- as a beauty editor, I'm like Pavlov's dog when I hear anything related to beauty products (a tad pathetic, I know). Anyhoo, here's what caught my attention … Monterey County officials say about 166 inmates are on a hunger strike because of a new policy that limits their toiletries to one bottle of shampoo, one tube of toothpaste and one bar of soap per week (now they really better not drop it … badum-ching).

We've been prepping you for the new season with our Fall Beauty Guide for the last couple of weeks, but now that Labor Day has come and gone and all linen clothing at the GAP is officially 70 percent off, there's no more denying that summer is O.V.E.R. Gentle nudging will no longer suffice so I'll be blunt and say, "Ladies, grab that nail polish remover and get those nails in order."

We've been prepping you for the new season with our Fall Beauty Guide for the last couple of weeks, but now that Labor Day has come and gone and all linen clothing at the GAP is officially 70 percent off, there's no more denying that summer is O.V.E.R. Gentle nudging will no longer suffice so I'll be blunt and say, "Ladies, grab that nail polish remover and get those nails in order."

Summer is coming to a screeching halt (cue sound effect), but that doesn't mean you should necessarily stow your sunscreen in the back of your medicine cabinet. If you think you only need the 'screen when you're beach- or pool- bound -- you might be the victim of one of these sunscreen mistakes. Read the following skin care tips from expert dermatologists Dr. Linda Evans and Dr. Debra Jailman to find out how not to be a repeat offender of sunscreen slip-ups:

Dear Celebrity,

Congratulations. You're rich. You're famous. You probably have a super hot boyfriend/husband/lover. Good for you.

I watched a segment on 20/20 last night (I had TiVo'd it, so I'm not sure when it aired) called "Albinism: Caught Between Dark and Light." It really pulled at my heart strings -- especially the story of 15-year-old Angel Stillman, a girl with albinism who has had to transfer in and out of eight different schools since preschool due to being teased. All she desperately wants is to fit in and have at least one friend. Sniff.

Whether you're new to the "mommy" club or hoping to get cast in the next TLC reality show documenting the birth of your 27th child, you're well aware that having a baby is a seriously exhausting business. You might get a few moments here or there to, oh, I don't know, do something totally self-indulgent like shower … but that's about it. Your daily M.O. is bottles, binkies and bassinets, not beauty.

Did our Emmy makeup and hairstyle predictions come true? Are you over hearing about who was a fashion hit or total miss? While this post is somewhat Emmy-related -- don't worry -- it's very tangential.

On Friday, I hit the Bella Style Garden Beauty Suite in Beverly Hills, Calif. for a little pre-Emmy celebration. Amid C- and D-list celebrities, wannabe starlets and overly-enhanced women who looked 25 but were actually 60, were booths filled with a vast array of products and services. Here are the three hairstyling and hair removal tools that piqued my interest:

As you might have guessed, this isn’t your typical office here at TotalBeauty.com. When award shows come up, there is no office poll concerning who will take home Best Actor in a Comedy for 50 bucks or a Subway sandwich gift card. The banter around our Sparkletts cooler is all about beauty -- who will take home the golden gal for the best celebrity hairstyle and makeup look and who's most likely to show up looking like a hot mess (check out the best and worst Emmy makeup looks of all time). Not to brag, but we usually nail it.