Sunscreen variety pack is fun to use

Even though I have pale skin that starts to burn as soon as I hit sunlight, applying sunscreen is one of my least favorite things to do. But with tiny tubes of pleasantly scented lotions, powders and gels, Sephora’s annual Sun Safety Kit makes it much more enjoyable. This year’s sunscreen set features 12 different trial-sized sun protectors, an application brush and a reusable beach tote for $25. And with the travel season upon us, the tiny tubes are great for packing. I bought two and I’m all set for summer. — Donica Kaneshiro

Honor among thieves

My favorite thieves are back on Sunday. Can’t wait to welcome them into my living room.

“Leverage” is a TNT show about a team of con artists who have learned to play nice together and turn their criminal tendencies toward helping innocent victims of big business, big medicine, big government or big bullies in general. Every episode is a different con, a different bad guy brought down.

The star is Timothy Hutton as Nate, who learned to mastermind a con in his former life as an insurance investigator. He is paired with Sophie (Gina Bellman), the grifter, who can set up a con in six languages. The best characters, though, are the other three: computer hacker Hardison (Aldis Hodge), cat burglar Parker (Beth Reisgraf), and Eliot (Christian Kane), who can break any bone in any body (but hates guns).

“Leverage” is not deep television. It’s an amusing confection with twisty plots and snappy dialogue. The new season begins at 6 p.m. Sunday, repeating at 8 on TNT. If you’d like to jump in, all you need to know is what I just told you. There is some ongoing thread about an international villain named Moreau, but I don’t pay attention to that much. It’s more fun just to enjoy the thievery. — Betty Shimabukuro

Foster care for kitties

I fell in love with the Hawaiian Humane Society as a critter-crazy child. But I have a newfound love for its animal foster program and the staff members who support foster families.

My husband and I went to an informational session last month and came home with three underage, underweight kittens. The folks at the Humane Society have made it so easy to help. They provide food, vet care and medications. Our first batch of orphans is healthy, happy and on the way to permanent homes, and that feels great.

Visit www.hawaiianhumane.org. — Stephanie Kendrick

Figs make a fine filling

Fig Newtons are among the great cookies of all time. According to that series of tubes called the Internet, fig paste rolled in dough dates back to the ancient Egyptians and a century ago were regularly prescribed by doctors to help elderly folks with tummy aches. In the 1890s, an East Coast baker invented an automated process of creating the cookie and named them after the nearby town of Newton, Mass. They are now a Nabisco product.

Nabisco may own the name but not the concept. Taste is in the buds of the consumer, after all. I’ve become addicted to Safeway Select Whole Wheat Fig Bars, which just seem, well, figgier and more flavorful. Fewer bars seem more filling.

Checking nutrition information against the standard Nabisco product bears this out. The Safeway product has more of everything per cookie: calories, fat, protein, fiber (carbohydrates are identical). That’s why the Safeway product seems to have more moxie. Either way, we’re relying on the advice of 19th-century doctors and self-medicating with fig cookies. — Burl Burlingame

Superhero plug-ins

The next best thing to owning your very own Green Lantern power ring could be these movie tie-in USB flash drives by Mimobot. In addition to DC Comics superheroes, the company also features “Star Wars,” Transformers and Hello Kitty characters. The cool-looking GL versions include Hal Jordan, Tomar-Re, Kilowog and Sinestro and are preloaded with character-specific content, including wallpapers, avatars and screensavers.

Depending on capacity (2GB to 16GB), they sell for $22.95 to $69.95 at mimoco.com, amazon.com and other online and real-world stores. — Gary Chun