HOT TIPS : FOR DRINKING AND DUNKING, TEA'S REALLY IN.

Byline: Barbara De Witt

Too many double shots of espresso giving you diarrhea of the mouth? Keeping you awake at night?

Try beauty's newest brew: tea.

Long known for its healing properties for both body and soul, tea is no longer associated with wimps and fancy tea cups. If you're trying to wean yourself off caffeine, think of tea as the calm after the storm and take a gander at all the trendy new products.

On a recent trip to Bristol Farms, that upscale new market in Westlake Village, there's an entire aisle devoted to tea, with names to indicate the mood they'll put you in. Oh, sure, they've got classics like chamomile and Earl Grey (and even one with extra oil of bergamot), but the buzz is about mood-inducing herbs to rev up your love life, lower your stress level or keep you going like the Energizer Bunny when you have a heavy workload.

Lest you doubt the rising popularity of tea, consider that Starbucks carries its own flavor-boosted line of teas, or that Celestial Seasonings is coming out with new flavors every month. The latest is Sugar Plum Spice, made with natural plum, roasted carob, chicory root and cinnamon. And over at the local convenience store you'll find bottled Arizona Ice Tea drinks with ginseng.

But tea isn't just for sipping. There are tub teas to soak in, tea-based perfumes, tea-scented candles and green tea-based skin treatments from little health food stores and big-name designer boutiques. For instance, Bulgari started the big-time tea fragrance fad back in '93 with Bulgari Eau Parfumee, and followers include Calvin Klein with CK One and Donna Karan with Chaos cologne and tea-scented skin-care products and candles.

For a bathtub tea party, light the candles and scent the water with products from Waterleaf, Epoch by NuSkin and H2O or Bulgari's new tea bags for the bath, which may hit stores in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, Sebastian International has launched its new line of green tea lotions, masks and scrubs to rejuvenate your skin and maybe your mental outlook.

While you're steeping in all that steamy herbal ecstasy, you could cool off with a green tea ice cream  cone. That longtime fave of the Benihana restaurant in Encino, green tea ice cream also is available at Asian supermarkets, including Megu Japanese Food Mart, 22330 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, where it's priced at $2.29 a pint.

Of course, Miz Hot Tips knows not everybody is a tea-totaler. And for them, she suggests unwinding with Cabarnet by the Glass, a new wine-scented candle from Origins designed to give you a glow without the sulfite headache.

Traveling in style: Just the thing for those cell phone fanatics (Miz Hot Tips sees plenty impolitely yakking away during the movie at the Mann theaters in Agoura Hills) is a cool leather carrier that unzips with a place to hold credit cards and cash - even your sunglasses. The sleek little case is $65 at Brookstone stores.

Book it: No more excuses about being rejected by publishers. In this age of virtual reality games and talking mice, anybody can publish a book with style. One of the most stylin' software kits Miz Hot Tips has seen is Print Paks Create-A-Book Kit that starts at $20 and includes artsy stuff like handcrafted buttons, textured book spines and predrilled paper. The company is pushing it as a child-friendly, but it would be great for binding your own poetry or journal.

Out of this world: The Mississippi River runs through which states? What countries border the Czech Republic? Sure, you could look on a map, but the new GeoSafari Talking Globe makes geography a blast. It's an electronic toy priced at $100 that features a fast-paced geography quiz game using digital voice technology that has already won several awards, including Family Fun Magazine's Toy of the Year Award. You can find it at toy stores, including Inteliplay in Woodland Hills. For more information, call the company at [phone].

It's a guy thing: While Dad is spritzing his Michael Jordan cologne at $35 a bottle, pint-size sports fans have Dennis Rodman temporary tattoos for maximum macho effects. Rodman's ``The Worm'' tattoos come in a package of eight, featuring Rodman's personally defined personas and corresponding hair styles, including the Worm and the Intimidator, priced at $2.99 at toy stores.

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Photo: Famous for coffee, Starbucks also sells its own line of teas.