TEST DRIVE: New Products

Packaged in compact ampuls (ever so much smaller than a toothbrush), these babies are sleek , like something Apple might design if it branched into the market of breath freshening and smile whitening. You unholster each applicator from its sleeve, squeeze the plastic tube to break it and mix the ingredients (cetylpyridinium chloride and hydrogen peroxide), then rub your teeth with it. The touch-ups take some of the superficial stain off your teeth after a tarry cup of coffee -- the white applicator turns any shade of brownish, depending on your level of transitory tooth scum -- and there is a faint chemical aftertaste that sanitizes, if not freshens, the breath. But this is no substitute, cosmetically or hygienically, for a good brush-'n'-floss. Packs come in mint, pear or peach flavor. They taste, respectively, like mint, sour apple and bug spray.

-- Dan Zak

$8 for five ampuls at Sephora stores and http://www.gosmile.com/ .

Buttercream Body Cream

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I covet lotions and potions as much as the next girl, and most nights I could skip dinner and go straight for dessert. But when it comes to combining these two passions, I had my doubts about Jaqua Beauty's Buttercream Frosting Sinfully Rich Body Butter. At first whiff, I channeled Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines -- not exactly my grooming icons. But after just one use, I was a convert. The scent is truly delicious; long-lasting yet subtle enough to wear to work. And the shea butter ingredient left my skin smooth and soft. The boyfriend verdict: "almost as good as CakeLove."

-- Holly E. Thomas

$20-$22 at Bath & Body Works flagship stores (Fair Oaks Mall, 11750 Fair Oaks, Fairfax, 703-385-1950; Tysons Corner Center, 1961 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean, 703-442-3904) and http://www.jaquabeauty.com/ .

Buttercream Body Cream

---

I covet lotions and potions as much as the next girl, and most nights I could skip dinner and go straight for dessert. But when it comes to combining these two passions, I had my doubts about Jaqua Beauty's Buttercream Frosting Sinfully Rich Body Butter. At first whiff, I channeled Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines -- not exactly my grooming icons. But after just one use, I was a convert. The scent is truly delicious; long-lasting yet subtle enough to wear to work. And the shea butter ingredient left my skin smooth and soft. The boyfriend verdict: "almost as good as CakeLove."

-- Holly E. Thomas

$20-$22 at Bath & Body Works flagship stores (Fair Oaks Mall, 11750 Fair Oaks, Fairfax, 703-385-1950; Tysons Corner Center, 1961 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean, 703-442-3904) and http://www.jaquabeauty.com/ .