Archive for June, 2009

I am a silent, but avid reader of this fabulous well-read shoe blog that many of you might know called Sea of Shoes.  Jane Aldridge, the blogger, has a personal shoe collection that will make grown women envious. (Yes, that includes me. I’ve seriously been coveting her Emanuel Ungaro branch heels since she’s posted about them.)  And can you believe she’s only in high school? Her overall style is so undeniably cool and it’s one that I would never be able to pull off, but admire greatly.

Well, I was reading her blog last night and she’s doing a small collection for Urban Outfitters!  The three designs are very reflective of her style and personally, I’m looking forward to seeing them in person (especially the black heel). The shoes hit stores on July 1 and I think it will be worth your while to swing by to check them out. You can bet I will.

After a fabulous five days in Santorini, it was time for us to proceed to our next Greek island, Naxos. Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades, and I chose it because of its unique history, picturesque beaches, and withstanding tradition and culture.

After a two hour ferry ride from Santorini, we arrived in Naxos at a not-to-be-named hotel, where our one and only trip failure took place. We realized that due to a variety of reasons, we could not stay there and thankfully quickly found different accommodations at the Nissaki Beach Hotel, a beautiful boutique and family run place located on St. George Beach, an inlet about a five minute walk from Hora (downtown Naxos).  Nissaki Beach Hotel was easily one of the nicest hotels I’ve stayed at; the decor, location, service, AMAZING breakfast buffet, and even their hydro-massage shower made our stay absolutely fabulous. (more…)

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It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of Rosena Sammi’s jewelry over here at TDO. We’re among good company; Rihanna was just spotted wearing one of their rings a couple weeks ago.  (Of course, they have a ton of other celeb fans too – like Blake Lively and Jessica Alba.)

The latest piece from their line we’re drooling over?  It’s the Jamanthi Earrings from the Cochin collection. Inspired by their floral namesake, these delicate studs are subtle enough for everyday wear, but glam enough for more formal occasions.  We love how the crystal plays off the 14K gold -fill, making the floral design really pop.

Guess what? Even though they’re totally luxurious-looking, these are a pair of earrings you can actually afford to indulge in since they’re a total steal at only $66. Get yourself a pair at ShopRosenaSammi.com.

I once said in an earlier post that there were only two reasons why I would ever get up early on a weekend: to fix an urgent color correction problem and to wait in line at the DMV.  That wasn’t an entirely true statement, as there is one additional reason I would ever wake up early, and that is for the pancakes from Clinton Street Bakery Company.

Ask any of my friends and they will tell you I dearly value my weekend sleep-in time.  I’m not kidding, I consider anything before 12:30 pm on a weekend to be “early.”  But, every once in a while, I will drag myself up earlier than 10 am, to wait among the throngs of people for early morning brunch. (more…)

If you’ve been a long time reader of TDO, you might have noticed that anything that is “health” or “fitness” related is usually written by me.  It’s because my desire to get fitter, healthier, and leaner has been on going for many years.  I’ll try anything (except pills and products promoted in shady commercials).  But a new workout class? I’m in.  Binging on green tea?  Yep.   Some of you may even remember that last year to gear up for Fashion Week,  I even tried…not eating.  Of course, one of Madonna’s stylists threw me that tip soooo….

At any rate, I recently documented my Master Cleanse experience for Health.com.   If you’ve ever entertained the idea of doing a lenghty “cleanse,” make sure to read up on my experience!

Let me just start off by confessing that up until last week, I had never had a bikini wax. A few weeks back TDO editor Carolyn recommended I give Shobha a try. Because I will be going back to Nashville in a few weeks, where summer life seems to involve wearing a bathing suit constantly, I decided it was time to give the waxing gig a shot.  So I put away my razor and shaving cream and tried to pump myself up for the big day.

Prior to the referral to Shobha, I had always justified why I didn’t wax.

1. Pain - The thought of having that hair violently ripped out was enough to make me run the other way. Of my friends who had the procedure done, only one girl went back. The others said it hurt so bad they actually cried.

2. Embarrassment - Does anyone really like to be completely naked in front of a stranger? This factor coupled with the pain percentage was more than off-putting for a girl like me.

3. Hygiene - I had heard about so many spas that practiced shoddy hygiene. Wax not stored properly, double dipping, unsanitary spa conditions, and more sufficiently scared me away.

4. Cost - An old fashioned razor could do the trick at half the cost, never mind the unsightly side effects. (more…)

Since taking up the design helm at Liz Claiborne a few months ago, Isaac Mizrahi has reinvigorated the outdated sportswear brand with fresher, updated 50′s inspired silhouettes in the signature Isaac joyful, bright hues, while staying true to making clothes that career women of any age would want to wear.  From browsing his most recent designs for the Spring season, it appears that he was heavily influenced by today’s most famous career woman: Michelle Obama, designing a series of ladylike and chic dresses that wouldn’t look out of place at a presidential luncheon or reading at an elementary school. (more…)

I use a lot of Physicians Formula.  I like their products a lot and even more importantly with the state of the economy, they’re a great value.  Every time I stop at the drugstore, I check out their section to see what’s new just in case I’m missing something.  This week, the new products include The Bronze Collection Shimmer Strips and Eyeliner, Eye Shadow & Highlighter. (more…)

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