BECKY SHER | Hype Flat pencils shape up eyes, lips

We applaud anyone who tries to make the basics a little more interesting, so right now we love Flat Pencil, an attempt to shake up the world of eye and lip pencils. The name isn't particularly mysterious, so you can probably guess what's going on -- it's a makeup pencil that looks like it's been run over by a truck. But the new, smooshed shape is more than a gimmick; it's designed to make lining and shading a lot easier. (And anyone who's tried to exactly match a liner to her lipstick understands how important that is.)
We're already anticipating your next question: & quot;If this new pencil is so revolutionary, how am I supposed to sharpen it? & quot; Luckily, somebody's one step ahead of you -- there's a specially designed Flat Pencil sharpener just for that purpose. And the pencils come in dozens of colors, all named after places you'd love to visit, like London, Buenos Aires, Monte Carlo and Tokyo. (Or, olive, tan, plum and brown, in layman's terms.)
Look for Flat Pencils at your local drugstore or beauty boutique, or buy online ($8 each for the pencils, $4 for the sharpener) at www.styli-style.com.
Fruit with flair
There's something really cool about being the first person you know to try something new - the first to see a new movie, download a new song or try a new flavor of potato chips. Now you can be the first of your friends to try two new flavors of Juicy Fruit gum.
Yep, the old favorite is getting a new lease on life with two crazy flavor combos -- Strappleberry and Grapermelon. (A bit of a change from the original flavor, which we would identify as just & quot;fruit. & quot;) Instead of the tired old sticks, the new flavors come in brightly colored candy-coated pieces. (Not that chewing-gum beige color -- ick.) The new flavors hit stores this fall for about a dollar a pack, making them a perfect addition to your back-to-school stash.
XBecky Sher writes Hype for Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. You can write to her at bsher@krtinfo.com.