Archive for February, 2009

Now that Fashion Week is long over and I’m no longer subsiding on champagne and cupcakes, I have no excuse not to eat healthier.  That means I’ve replaced champers with Pelligrino and cupcakes with Keribars.  Created by renowned nutritionist Keri Glassman, the Keribar is the ultimate snack for an on-the-go individual that is high in fiber and proteins, low in fat and made entirely of all natural ingredients.  The idea behind the Keribar is aligned with Glassman’s approach to health and weight loss – by snacking healthy.  Let’s face it – regardless of what type of diet you’re on, you’re probably restricting yourself from entire flavors of things (i.e. sweet) and probably starving yourself in between meals to count calories.  Or alternatively, you may not be on a diet and just eating whatever you feel like, whenever.  Really, neither of those scenarios are healthy or sustainable ways to live and eat, so Glassman developed the Keribar as the solution to snacking when you’re hungry, but only on something that is nutritious, satisfying, and good for you! Keribars satiate hunger, while keeping you energized and blood sugar level constant so you can take your mind off of obsessing over eating and onto living your daily life.

So how good are Keribars really? Taste-wise, they may be the most satisfying bars I’ve had to date.  It’s a good consistency that is not dense like many raw food bars or (on the complete opposite end of the spectrum) Powerbars.  When I’m having a craving for chocolate, I reach for the Strawberry Chocolate Chip flavor (my favorite) instead of my hidden stash of milk chocolates in the drawer. Nutritionally speaking, Keribars are made with nutrient dense whole foods so you’re not consuming empty calories.  At 10-12 grams per serving, the sugar content in Keribars is much lower than many other bars and even lower than some fruits!  And the ingredients don’t contain weird things like 10 grams of “other carbs” (what is that really???) found on the label of Lunabars.

Keribars are now being carried in more and more grocery stores, but if you can’t find them, you can also order from the website.  More information can be found on Keribars.com.

True story: I had a stressful week at work. I bit my nails to the quick (a horrible, lingering bad habit). I forgot about a work event I had to go to as my boyfriend’s date. I didn’t have time for a manicure, and I have no nail polish application skills of my own for my bitten-down nails. What to do? Luckily, I had access to Kiss Express On Nails. Yes–they are press-on style nails, but put the pitchforks down… Give these a chance!

Let me explain a bit further. Kiss’ line of Express On Nails look natural to the naked eye and don’t involve applying any messy glue. Simply stick, and you’re all set. They are a cinch to use and are designed and priced for one night’s use. You can also easily file them down if you need a shorter length. Express On costs only about $5-$6, and you have a pretty set of nails to last you all night into any event, and just soak your fingers in warm water to remove. So the next time you’re in a bind without a manicure, go to kissusa.com to find out more info!

I love discovering funky, new brands of jewelry – especially when it’s from a local designer (I’m all about supporting the home team!).  Sand Jewelry was founded by Therese Nguyen, who resides here in Southern California, and is inspired by the nature in this area, as well as the vibrant colors of the Pacific Ocean.  The line features organic, nature-inspired earrings, rings and necklaces and uses semi-precious gemstones and freshwater pearls that have been picked out personally by Therese. (more…)

While my friends and I were in India, thanks to a combination of the extremely dusty air and the different compounds in the water, we were breaking out left and right as our skin struggled to adjust.  Luckily, I had in my makeup bag the Acne Defense Stick from my facialist, Shizuka Bernstein, which immediately suppressed any impending breakouts that we felt coming.

With a combination of 2% salicylic acid and other natural ingredients such as tea tree oil and ginger root extract, Shizuka purposely decided to use salicylic, instead of benzyl peroxide, because it is much gentler on the skin.  Benzyl has a tendency of harshly drying out the skin, which might get rid of the breakout, but leave patches of dry skin behind, that take longer to restore.  With the combination of salicylic acid and natural ingredients, the breakout is dried out naturally but not so severely that it takes a long time to heal.  The stick is extremely easy to use, with a sponge applicator on one side, so you can directly dab the affected area.

I find that if I dab a little bit of this stick on any bump the night before I feel I am going to break out, I wake up in the morning feel the bump visibly reduced and it normally takes about 1-2 days for it to fully go away.  I was glad to see that my friends had the same result upon using this stick, and raved about its quick acting, and easy results, that they all wanted to know where they could buy the stick upon returning back to the states.

The stick retails for $25.20 and can be found here.

When it comes to drinking tea, I’ll admit that I’ve never really done things the right way.  Unlike my dad, who is a true tea connoisseur, I usually just reach for the typical tea bag or when I’m back in Seattle, pay a visit to my old college haunt Shinka Tea.  But now since there are no nice tea houses within a 3 block radius of my New York apartment, I’m back to the occasional Tazo at work when the coffee machine breaks down.  Well, what a shame! As I recently learned, tea at home can be a really gourmet and elegant experience without a hassle or a ton of work thanks to Talbott Teas.

Talbott Teas come in a variety of decadent flavors that could give your favorite tea house a run for its money.  Some of its best sellers include names like Luscious Lemon Meringue and Chocolate Strawberry Temptation, which include a blend of premium tea and all natural flavors. Their Caramel Sundae Escape, for example, is mixed with a full leaf black tea, cacao nibs, caramel pieces & natural vanilla flavor.  The tea also comes loose in tin cans which you put into their unique T Filters and seep- just like how the pros do it.  The impeccable presentation makes this an elegant gift and something any hostess would be proud to show off.  A full list of flavors can be found on their website and be sure to check out their Recipes page which contain some really cool ideas, such as the Royal Tea cocktail which I’m dying to try.

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If you love the smell of lavender in its purest form, then EO products are for you.  EO stands for Essential Oils, and is a family owned and operated brand since 1995; it features all organic, natural and authentic natural care products that promise to be gentle, effective, dye-free, and free from animal testing.  Their signature product, essential oils, are distilled directly from nature’s finest without any adulteration or synthetic additives, thus producing no “fake scents” (meaning that any rose scents they have were extracted from actual roses and not conceived in a test tube in a smell lab). The result is delivering all the true benefits of aromatherapy. (more…)

A couple months ago, I touted 3Lab’s Perfect Mask as well…the most perfect mask I’ve tried.  Since then, I’ve been using another one of their signature products, the M Cream.  At $250, the cream is a bit on the pricier side, but nothing outrageous when prestige brands are now churning out products double or even triple that price.  The M Cream delivers exceptional results, keeping my skin smooth and supple with nary a breakout. Packed full of antioxidants, anti-aging complexes, minerals and vitamins, the M Cream feels more like an all-in-one product than simply a moisturizer.  I use it both morning and evening and it has really livened up my tired skin. In fact, the results really amaze me when I think about how little sleep I get and how much I mistreat my skin.  Thanks to this product I actually get compliments on my complexion!

This product treats wrinkles, sagging skin and hyper-pigmentation, but is not exclusively for the use of more mature skin.  In fact, 3Lab recommends that this product is suitable for sensitive or normal skin to de-stress the skin and to restore balance.  Like the 3Lab Mask, the Cream contains Nano-Claire GY, a bio-engineered growth hormone that actually slows down the skin’s aging process.  It also contains Osilift which relaxes muscle contractions (and therefore, wrinkles) while firming the skin.  Unlike with the Perfect Mask, I did not experience any tingling sensations while using the cream.

A little bit (or a lot) of anti-agining has never hurt anybody, but I prefer this cream because I feel like it really works to protect my skin from all the stress that I put it though. Thanks to the cream, I’m able to maintain the radient results in between my mask dates.

I’m a huge fan of the CLEAN fragrances, so whenever there’s a new release from them, I get super excited.  They have yet to put out a scent that I wouldn’t wear, and their new Simply Soap continues that streak. 

Like its name suggests, this fragrance goes back to the basics that CLEAN is known for with a scent that will remind you of a comforting hot shower or a long soak in a bathtub.  The scent opens with sweet citrus top notes of plum, apple and lemon.  The heart of Simply Soap is a blend of jasmine, rose, lilac, gardenia and violet, and the base has a subtle hint of musk and powder.  More than any of their other fragrances, I think this scent is the one that reminds me most of its name.  It smells exactly like the fresh scent when you open a bar of soap, but the citrus notes stop it from being too basic and give it a new and interesting twist that will definitely have people you come in contact with asking “What are you wearing?”  I also like that CLEAN scents are long-lasting (at least on me!)  I can spritz this on in the morning and still smell it when the night rolls around, which isn’t always the case with my fragrances. 

I like Simply Soap so much that I’m hoping they expand the scent and start making it in candles and linen spray too because I would be the first in line.  I hope someone at CLEAN is reading this! Simply Soap retails for $69 for 2.14 ounces and is available at Sephora.com.