Archive for May, 2009

Who: Elizabeth and the other master aestheticians  at Eve Salon

What: Eve Salon

Where: 55 West 8th Street (near 6th Avenue) New York, NY

When: Open Monday-Friday, 11-7pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 10-6 pm

Why: Nestled unassumingly among the busy college foodshops and knick-knack stores on 8th Street, Eve Salon is a relaxing haven for stressed students and young professionals.  With a simple chocolate brown storefront, the salon offers a multitude of services including waxing, manicures/pedicures, and facials. (more…)

There are razors, the Pedegg, callus softening balm, all of which are the traditional methods for making your feet feel super smooth for the summer season.  But on a recent trip to Taiwan with my parents, I had the chance to experience the latest in pedicure treatments : carp fish.

Sounds fishy and suspect (and possibly gross)?  Well, I had a similar reaction upon reading reports of the treatment being offered in the DC area, especially after reading some articles that said that the little fish feasting on your toes would be baby piranhas (can you say yikes?)  But during my stay at Hotel Royal Chiao Hsi, I convinced my whole family (including my dad, whose toes you see in the above picture–can you tell by the swarm of fish overtaking his feet that he hasn’t had a pedicure in a while?) to take the plunge with me and we all tried it together. (more…)

I wore out my last pair of Coach shoes (it took a good three years and lots of walking), so I’d love to invest in a new pair. The Brendy Sandal might just be the perfect choice.

The Brendy Sandal is done is a gorgeous lightweight tan leather that is super luxurious and soft. It is lined in metallic gold and has a 3.5 inch heel.  It’s a fabulous balance between country casual and city chic. I’m super into the asymmetrical strap lately, so this fits right in with that trend. I think this shoe would look wonderful with a pair of bright white shorts or a flowy floral dress.

Available at Coach.com for $188.

Everyone loves a good, comfy t-shirt (my drawers are full of them!) and I’ve recently discovered a new brand that make some of the cutest I’ve seen in a long time.  Based in Los Angeles, Kowboys was started by Ethan and Mitchell Rose.  The brothers wanted to bring a fresh perspective to fashion and created their line with specific goals in mind.  They wanted their clothes to have clean lines, sophisticated designs and high quality fabrics, all with a unique flair that would make them stand out from other clothes on the market.   They got their inspiration from the poker tables in Las Vegas, which I love because the only thing the poker tables have ever given me is an empty wallet.  The company became an overnight success when celebrities like Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Ryan Seacrest were seen wearing their poker themed tees, which led to a full menswear collection. 

Now, after a recent partnership with J Brand, Kowboys has introduced a women’s collection of tops and dresses that are totally chic and stylish.  I’m loving the Malibu dress, which would look great paired with a light jacket and sandals for a casual dinner, and the Wallpaper Tank in Sunshine would go perfectly with jeans and flip flops for a day out with friends.  The prices range from $52 to $150, so the pieces are totally affordable, especially when you consider how much use you’ll get out of their designs, which you can dress up or down depending on your mood.

The Kowboys line can be found at Bloomingdales, Nordstrom and Kowboys.net.

I love, love, love to be tan, but besides the fact that I hate to lay out, I’m a freak about skin care and wearing a high SPF every day, so even if I did like the actual process of tanning, I still wouldn’t do it.  I’ve tried a lot of self-tanners – some of them great, some of them awful – but I’ve always wanted to see what it would be like to get self tanner professionally applied at a spa or salon.  (No matter how much I pride myself on being good at putting it on in my bathroom, it’s just not the same thing).  So when I got the chance to try the new bronzing experience at Kinara, I jumped at the opportunity and booked an appointment right away.

The first time you go to Kinara for the spray tan, they recommend that you start the process with a Bora Bora scrub for exfoliation.  This helps to prep your body by getting rid of all the dead skin and smoothing over the dry patches that most people have.  It’s also a totally relaxing and luxurious experience – it’s sort of like a massage, but with a delicious sugar scrub instead of lotion.  Once the scrub is applied, it’s rinsed off with a warm water spray that comes from above the table you’re relaxing on.  It was beyond relaxing – I could’ve happily stayed in that room for an hour or two, especially once the scrub was finished and I realized how soft it had left my skin.  It definitely made me realize the importance of exfoliation and I’m determined to make it a more regular part of my routine from now on. (more…)

I’m completely intrigued. Are you?

Get a taste of May flowers, without the showers with this series of exhuberantly colored  flower pop cards from children’s book creators Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart.  These cards are the perfect mix of cute, without being childish, and I love these bright surprise cheer of these pop-up floral bouquets.  I used to love pop-up books as a child (I have fond memories of Fairy Places ), and these cards took me back to memories of chilly air-conditioned summers in the public library, where I used to sit for hours reading. 

Each box comes with 8 pop up cards with 4 different colors, making them reasonably priced at $21.95 a box, and are perfect for some snail mail Springtime notes to send to a friend.

About a year ago, Louis Vuitton became the one of the first ultra luxury brands to reach out to select online editors and throughout the year, we’ve brought you reports of the brand’s launches, collections, and parties.

This morning, I received an announcement from Louis Vuitton that they’ve launched their first online exclusive product, the Totally Monogram tote, (seen here) only available on louisvuitton.com until June 1st.

And just to prove that the brand has really embraced the Internet, the release also said “Louis Vuitton Joins Social Media Platform Twitter.com” (Doesn’t the use of .com in that statement makes it so old school meets new school?)

The Louis Vuitton Twitter username will be louisvuitton_US. This will be Louis Vuitton’s first official presence on any social media site.  However, their Facebook.com site has over 130,000 fans.

I’ve had long hair for years now and even though I often fantasize about chopping it all off for a chic, Reese Witherspoon-esque bob, I chicken out every time I’m at the salon.  I do get bored with my straight, boring locks on a weekly basis though, so I’m always looking for a way to liven up my look, especially when I’m going out at night.  I recently discovered ban.do after seeing a picture of one of their headbands on Taylor Swift and now I’m hooked on their whimsical creations. (more…)