Tired of Looking Tired
Under eye circles and puffiness are one of the most common beauty complaints and are usually genetically inherited, or accrued from late nights at the office, lack of sleep, and general stress. I have tried hundreds of products that promise to cover and hide the “sleepless night look” so many of us sport under our eyes. Here are some of my picks to combat and conceal- and help anyone who is tired of looking tired!
Frownies Eye Gels, Under Eye & Eye Lid Collagen Patches, $29.95
Frownies eye gels are the first step in achieving a deflated under eye area. The anti-wrinkle treatment contains strong anti-oxidants that not only help protect the sensitive skin, but in one thirty minute treatment 100% of women saw a reduction of fine lines, puff and dark circles. The weight of the patch soothes the under eye area and fights free radical damage. For optimal results, all you have to do is use the gel three nights in a row and then sporadically once a week from there on out! They’re also great to use before any special nights out or as a 30 minute treatment. Frownies are a tinseltown staple and a favorite of Raquel Welch, Rashida Jones and the entire Kardashian clan!
Fashion Websites You Should Know About
We all know how hard it is to find the time to go shopping. By the time you make it to the store to pick up this season’s must-have item, it’s sold out. To assist you, we are introducing you to our favorite new fashion e-commerce sites to make sure that you achieve your summer wardrobe for the best price with just a few clicks.
FOR THE CAN’T-SHOP-ALONE SHOPPER:
WingTipIt:
Everyone has such a demanding schedule these days that scheduling a shopping trip with friends is not as easy as it used to be. Thank goodness for WingTipIt, a site that allows us to virtually shop and connect with our friends, family, and other trendsetters. WingTipIt was founded by Columbia Business School graduates Kimberly Karpf Skelton and Carla Holtze, who wanted to create an improved way for shoppers to connect online and mimic the fun, social, in-store shopping experience. As Holtze says, “For many people shopping is very much about sharing and getting feedback from those you trust. Up until now, it has been challenging for online shoppers to get the second opinions that they need prior to purchase in a quick, simple and realistic way.” WingTipIt allows us to save and see any online product in our “closet” as well as view our friends’ “closets.” We can also share products, generate wish lists, and obtain shopping advice from friends and family. Best of all, once we get the approval from our friends we can effortlessly purchase the product, as the site has more than 100 affiliate retail partners, including Bloomingdale’s and Bluefly. WingTipIt brings your together online through a social shopping community.
FOR THE SAMPLE-SALE FANATIC:
MyNines
Online sample sales put the excitement back into shopping without aggressive crowds and fights over the last pair of size-7 shoes on the table. MyNines is a free service offering shoppers one convenient location to discover designer products from various sample sale sites. Instead of going to five different sites a day, you can log onto MyNines and see products collected from over 80 sites at 40-90 percent off during a time frame of 24-72 hours. Users can search and filter by designer, category, price range, sales ending soonest, most viewed items, deals under $100, and newly listed. Using MyNines will assure that you are always “dressed to the nines.”
FOR THE SHOE OBSESSED:
ShoeDazzle
Sole Society and ShoeDazzle are subscription-based shoe delivery services. Both are sites that provide quality and on-trend shoes. Members’ picks are based on in-depth questionnaires completed at registration.
On ShoeDazzle, once members complete their questionnaires stylists will create their first selections. On the first of every month members will receive a new style selection and can pick their shoes of choice. Subscribers can also request alternate selections and are under no obligation to purchase – simply select the Skip This Month Option and you won’t be charged the $39.95 monthly fee for that month.
Within 24 hours of completing their questionnaires, Sole Society members will begin receiving a selection of monthly recommendations, be able choose a pair of shoes for $49.95 a month, select alternatives, or even opt out. Similar to ShoeDazzle, there’s no obligation to purchase.
The main difference between the two sites is the price-per-month for ShoeDazzle and Sole Society. Likewise, with ShoeDazzle members get the impression they are working alongside glitzy Kim Kardashian and Los Angeles stylists.
FOR THE ACCESSORIES MAVEN:
JewelMint
If you have an affection for jewelry and shopping but dislike going to overwhelming department stores and sifting through all the merchandise, make sure to visit these three online retailers that bring personalization to fashion accessories. At Send the Trend, BaubleBar, and JewelMint, consumers can find the right selection, excellent customer service, and picture-perfect piece without hassle. Both Send the Trend and JewelMint additionally take each member through a style assessment to evaluate which trends would best fit him or her, then offer a monthly list of curated and personalized recommendations of items available for purchase.
Send the Trend, curated by “Project Runway” designer Christian Siriano, offers its customers affordable accessories, such as fashion jewelry, sunglasses, and scarves. At Send the Trend, fashion experts are able to answer any style inquiries, provide individual recommendations, and keep a woman on trend with must-have accessories.
BaubleBar prices pieces based on quality and materials, allowing consumers to splurge on certain trends and save on others. If a consumer is uncertain how to wear an item, he or she can go to BaubleBar’s Lookbook for general outfit and shoe recommendations.
JewelMint, created by Kate Bosworth and stylist Cher Coulter, is captivating many fashion trendsetters with its large selection of beautiful jewelry. The monthly members-only jewelry site offers custom-made, trendy jewel selections centered on your individual style.
FOR THE MID-SUMMER WARDROBE UPDATE:
StyleMint (launching in July 2011)
With its debut set for July, StyleMint will work in the same way as the other monthly membership sites. After taking a personality and style quiz, StyleMint will recommend purchase selections that a member can choose to either buy into or not every month. Founded by fashion icons Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the principal collection will consist of a variety of eight T-shirt styles in a choice of solids and stripes, selling for $29.99 each. As Ashley Olsen told WWD, “Online commerce is the perfect medium for us to create a brand that is as much about the clothing as it is about the customer experience.” StyleMint’s parent company, BeachMint (http://www.beachmint.com), plans to further develop its gamut of monthly clubs comprising of beauty, footwear, home, and wellness.
Beauty & Essex—The IT Place!
Do you want to feel like a celebrity or socialite in New York for a night? If your answer is no, you might want to change your mind. If you answered yes—I like your attitude—follow my instructions: check out Beauty & Essex, the new IT place for dining and drinks, from the owners of Stanton Social.
If you ask for a dinner reservation, you may be told the only opening is at 10:30 p.m. Take it! Just remember to eat a snack around 7:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m.to avoid starvation. Take your time choosing your outfit; you have to look the part. Break out a pair of your highest heels, sport that metallic dress, wear that hot new shade of red lipstick, and add a final touch with that sparkly clutch.
Once you get there,in the heart of the Lower East Side, it’s all about attitude. You’ll see a line at the door, but since you are a V.I.P. you’ll go straight to the host, who will check your name on an iPad and let you in. You’llenter the restaurant through a pawn shop—so cool! Once you get into the actual dining space, a big spiral staircase and a beautiful chandelier will welcome you. You’ll be seated in about 20 minutes, so in the meantime you’ll order a drink at the bar and maybe take a look upstairs. There, you’ll find a cozy, modern lounge and an amazing lamp made out of large pearl necklaces. I will not explain every detail of the decor, so you can find out for yourselves!
I do have to say that the ambiance of the place is amazing; you will feel like a celebrity and think everyone there is one too. The server told me that I looked familiar and asked me if I was famous, and of course I had to go along with it. I said that I was famous back home in Venezuela, where I did Latin soap operas, and those were my 15 minutes of fame. I actually did spot some celebrities the evening I visited Beauty & Essex. I saw John Mayer, who told my friend that it wasn’t a “flash-appropriate” night because he was hanging by himself. I also saw Vienna Girardi, the winner of The Bachelor Season 14, who was dressed with sexy knee-high boots and posing on the stairs like a real celeb. Other celebs that have stopped by Beauty & Essex include Ashley Olsen, Kim Kardashian, Kelly Rutherford, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Ali Fedotowsky.
The food was extraordinary; chef Chris Santos’s menu of tapas and small plates is designed for sharing at the table with friends and family. The food is multi-ethnic in inspiration and casually elegant. My favorites included the Tomato Tartare with a Sunny-Side-Up Quail Egg, the General Tso’s Monkfish, the Yellowtail Crudo, the Kobe Beef Carpaccio, the Branzino, and the Charred Shishito Peppers. Finger-licking good!
Follow my instructions and you’ll have a great time feeling like a celebrity for the night! —Daniela Apeloig
Beauty & Essex
146 Essex Street, New York, NY 10002
212.614.0146
