That’s the refrain I hear every December, when my clients are literally begging for color appointments so they are root-free at their holiday parties. I agree that it’s a good time for touch-ups and face-framing highlights, but we get sooo busy; I do my damndest to accommodate everyone I can possibly squeeze into the schedule.

As do lots of working women, I often find myself having to go straight from the office (salon) to holiday festivities without time to shower again, fuss, primp, and change. So I have a no-fail, seven-point strategy that always gets me glam in minutes:

1) Brush my teeth.

2) Transform my longish bob into a high, tight, wrapped ponytail. (A little Minardi Glisten is great for smoothing down stray hairs and adding some gleam to the look.)

3) Apply false eyelashes. The BEST. Such a huge difference in one easy maneuver.

It’s the season for entertaining, so I thought I’d offer up my award-winning (well, self-awarded) recipe for Spinach Dip. This stuff is luscious and addicting…and far better than that store-bought version they sell in plastic tubs.  Serve it, and your guests won’t leave ‘til the bowl is empty.

Beth’s Spinach Dip (makes about 4 cups)

- 2, 10-ounce packages frozen, chopped spinach (defrosted, and squeezed free of extra water)

- 2 ∏ cups very good grated parmesan cheese

- 1 very large white or yellow onion, chopped fine

- 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

A couple of weeks ago, I had the honor—and pleasure!—of sharing an intimate girlfriend-evening with actress Katrina Bowden and a few of my favorite beauty editors at New York’s A Voce restaurant. The mission? To celebrate the launch of my new Signature Shades line, enjoy great conversation, indulge in delicious Italian fare…and quaff vibrant martinis made to match the line’s lively color names (Raspberry Crush or Tangerine Dream, anyone?).

It should be, anyway. But nine times out of ten, I find that people aren’t shampooing the hair as well--and as thoroughly--as they should. Since great style begins at the shampoo bowl (or in the shower), I’d like to reveal my step-by-steps for the ideal wash:

· If you’re washing hair after a color application, do not apply any shampoo (I mean ANY shampoo—not even a smidge) until the water runs completely clear. You will get a much better cleansing of the scalp if you rinse out the gook completely.

My very favorite season is almost upon us…and there is no better place to spend it than in the Big Apple; this city is truly at its best in autumn. Everyone’s back from the beach and has an excited buzz about them. Spring, here, is about relaxation; but fall in NYC is pure energy.

There’s a crispness in the air; the leaves in Central Park are changing—a beautiful counterpoint to the color of the brilliant taxicabs zipping around.

It’s the return of the theater and opera season—those coveted tickets for new shows, productions, and exhibits. So much in the Arts to look forward to.

It wasn’t an award…it wasn’t an accolade…it wasn’t a spread in a national magazine. I had a client—a brilliant, famous, beautiful doctor--who was a cancer survivor and a dear friend; and when her hair came back in, the first thing she did was call me and say, “I want you to make me blonde!” I told her, “Get in the chair, baby! You have a blonde soul.” Those are the moments in life that really speak to me.

At the salon, I wash my hands a thousand times a day; so I’ve got a bit of a crush on the new long-lasting gel manicures. They’re brilliant and can take me through two weeks with no nail damage whatsoever. My salon of choice is a little neighborhood spa on the corner of 54th and 2nd Avenue in NYC, where a gal named Sonny lets me combine different nail colors to get just the right shade. (Figures, right? Once a colorist, always a colorist.)

Everyone knows how much I love great food, and living in NYC makes that oh-so-easy. I mean, really--I’ve got the finest restaurants and most interesting, well-stocked grocery stores literally at my feet in this town. And yet, I’m no food snob and firmly believe there’s no shame in serving a down-and-dirty dessert to your guests…something that isn’t fancy or fou fou and that everyone loves (whether they want to admit it or not).

Hard to believe, but fall is right around the corner and I’m starting to see quite a few of my younger clients getting ready to fly the nest and head off—or head back—to college. (This milestone, by the way, makes their parents go grey…which is why I’m seeing all their Moms in my chair, too.) It’s a great time to polish your looks, get your hair back into superb condition, and start the school year with a manageable, easy-to-care-for style that looks consistently good…even when you’re running ten minutes late to class.