BECKY SHER | Hype Delux makeup is the star

We'd love to be Reese Witherspoon for a day. She's got it all: cute guy, great wardrobe, cool job. Plus, she's absolutely gorgeous.
We're psyched to see her new flick, "Sweet Home Alabama," which hits theaters today. Witherspoon co-stars with major cutie Patrick Dempsey, and since she plays a fashion designer, we're pretty sure the clothes are going to be ultra-enviable.
But it's not just the clothes we're excited to see -- it's the makeup. See, Dempsey is married to Jillian Fink-Dempsey, the uber-talented makeup artist who created the Delux Beauty cosmetics line. (Talk about a power couple!)
So in the film, Witherspoon wears Delux's supersmooth lip gloss in raspberry-gold (a color known as "Norris" in the Delux world). We're guessing Patrick pulled a few strings behind the scenes.
Delux's starring role in "Sweet Home Alabama" isn't its only brush with Hollywood fame. The line is popular with trendy starlets like Heather Graham, Drew Barrymore and Kirsten Dunst. You can tell we're fans of Delux, but you probably want to see for yourself.
Head to www.deluxbeauty.com to browse the collection and find out where to buy (most products cost anywhere from $11 to $20.) And then head to the megaplex to see Delux (and Witherspoon) in action.
Powerful pencil
We wouldn't believe it if we hadn't seen it with our own eyes: It's the newest thing in school supplies -- a pen that's a pencil. Or a pencil that's a pen, depending on how you look at it. The Liquid-Lead Ballpoint Pencil flows like a pen, but writes like a No. 2 pencil.
And it's the real thing -- you could use this baby when you take the SAT; it's that good. (Though, frankly, we're skeptical that test proctors are going to go for it. But the pen(cil) does have that crucial No. 2 printed right on it.)
Still, the ballpoint pencil is a pretty cool concept. You'll feel like you're writing with a pen, but you get the erasability that a pencil provides. (Because let's face it, the erasable pen never really caught on.)
Stylus, the company that created this little marvel, calls it "the first major advancement in pencil innovation in almost a century."
Look for the pencils (pens?) in packs of three ($2), five ($3) or eight ($4) wherever you buy school supplies.
XBecky Sher writes Hype for Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. You can write to her at bsher@krtinfo.com.