Archive for April, 2010

As the designer of Gemma Redux, Rachel Dooley knows a thing or two about the concept of cool. An almost lawyer, Rachel decided to take a break from studying for the bar by making her first mixed metal necklace from vintage and industrial materials, and thus, launching her line.  Today, her designs have graced the necks of celebs like Cameron Diaz, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jessica Alba and Molly Sims, and have spawned devoted fans (like one of our TDO editors)! Check out what Rachel is obsessing over behind the cut. (more…)

I love the entire look of Estee Lauder’s Bronze Goddess Summer Collection, but the minute I saw it, the product that I most wanted to try was the Liquid Eyeshadow.  It just looks so fun and summery and not what I typically picture when I think of Estee Lauder.  It’s available in four colors – Aqua Flash, Sand Shimmer, Molten Bronze, and Ultra Violet – and I got my hands on the two brightest shades, Aqua Flash and Ultra Violet.

They’re both absolutely gorgeous – Aqua Flash is a bold, sparkling aqua and Ultra Violet is a shimmery, dramatic violet.  (I figured if I was going to try them, I wanted to get the two brightest shades, but I’m definitely going to be picking up the other two before they go away).  They’re really easy to apply – they come with a sponge-tipped wand applicator that you just swipe across your eyelid.  You can be either really precise or apply it and then smudge it a little more to your liking.  Totally fast and simple, but they add a dramatic pop of color to your look that I’m totally in love with.  (From the picture online, it seems like Sand Shimmer could add a shimmery neutral color, which would be perfect for a more subtle look).  They’re a limited edition, so I suggest hurrying out to your nearest Estee Lauder counter as soon as you can if you’d like to try them.  You don’t want to miss out!

(more…)

In attempt to immerse myself in as much of “Portland life” as possible during my most recent visit to the City of Roses, I attended a class at barre3, an exercise studio in Portland’s Pearl District. Through a combination of  ballet, pilates, and yoga, barre3 focuses on improving physical balance, strength, and flexibility during intimate 60-minute training sessions utilizing the ballet barre as well as pilates belts and balls. I am not a dancer by nature, nor do I typically practice pilates and yoga, but after reading about barre3 in various Portland publications, I was intrigued!

I soon learned that barre3 is much more intense practice of yoga or pilates than I’ve ever taken. The integration of balance, flexibility, and tiny movements made my muscles ache more than any form of exercise I’ve participated in in a while. What was great is that the class attendance is limited, so everyone’s form was corrected, ensuring an optimal workout. I’d also never practiced yoga with music before, but really enjoyed the musical aspect of the lesson. By the end of the class, I was sweaty, incredibly limber, and within ten minutes, super sore.

I encourage all Portlandites who are interested in yoga, pilates, dance, or just staying fit to give barre3 a try. They offer single session passes, as well as a variety of packages, from single session to monthly unlimited. There are two locations, one in the Pearl District, another in Portland Southeast.

A few weekends ago, one of my lovely girlfriends got married in San Francisco and had an amazingly beautiful wedding. (Congratulations, Emily!) She was the first of in our group of gals to get hitched, so we all planned for an unforgettable weekend in California. That included a side trip to Sonoma for wine tasting, which I was, of course, super excited for! We gathered recommendations from friends and did some research of our own to start planning our wine country tour. Although not all the ladies could make it, with our group size, it turned out to be only slightly more expensive to book a private limo than to do a shuttle bus tour. The flexibility to choose wineries and schedules was definitely worth it for us, and armed with a list of wineries we wanted to check out, we began our trip… (more…)

One of the best things about Chicago is its amazing restaurant scene. There are so many fantastic chefs here and not nearly enough time to explore! A La Card Chicago makes it a lot easier by making decks of $10 gift certificates to 52 different chef-driven, owner-operated restaurants. The participating restaurants are awesome and even include some of my personal favorites, like Floriole, Hot Chocolate, Salpicon, and Takashi, and a whole bunch that I can’t wait to try. The $520 worth of gift certificates are handily packaged like a deck of cards… and will only cost you $30! So the next time that you’re thinking of a new place to eat, take out your A La Card Chicago deck, draw a card, and save $10 every time. For the full list of restaurants or to purchase, visit alacardchicago.com.

After a particularly long and stressful few months at work, I knew that my skin needed some serious attention to get it back to looking like its normal self.  I was sort of mulling over my options, trying to figure out what would be the best course of action to give it some TLC, but when I heard that Dermalogica was offering a special Spring Cleaning Treatment, I knew I’d found my answer.

Dermalogica is one of my favorite skin care destinations in Los Angeles.  (You can read about one of my earlier treatments here).  It’s located on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, which is a great street for shopping and lunch (or even just a walk with some people watching thrown in).  Dermalogica has a big, welcoming space there – it’s all open windows and sunshine even when you’re inside, which just makes me happy.  I hadn’t been there in awhile, so I had a few cups of their special brand of tea (it’s so popular that you can even buy some to take home and make yourself!) while I filled out a questionnaire about my skin and the specific concerns I had for it.  As usual, you can pick your own kind of music for the treatment and I went for some acoustic tunes.  (Tori Amos is actually a really relaxing person to listen to while you’re getting a treatment.  Who knew?) (more…)

During the fall and winter, I’m all about the dark shades on my nails – reds, browns, greys… I can’t get enough of them.  But once the warmer weather comes back around, I can’t wait to bust out the colorful colors (especially on my toes).  This summer, Zoya introduces two new color collections – Sparkle and Flash – that are bright and cheerful and perfect for the season. (more…)

Happy Earth Day everybody! This year we haven’t done extensive Earth Day related product coverage in April because we believe that sustainable beauty isn’t just a trend anymore- it’s year ’round and we love that more and more of our favorite beauty brands are now taking small steps to make their products more environmentally friendly.  So even though today’s post is focused on a very “green” product, we would’ve written about it anyway today (or any other day!) because we love what the brand stands for and we love the actual product!

Ever since I started color treating my hair, I’ve had a difficult time finding shampoos and conditioners that actually work for me- without risking brassiness- and that gives me clean, soft results.  I had received a sample of Ojon’s Shine & Protect shampoo and conditioner ages ago, and recently pulled it out of my beauty closet (ok box) thinking that i was going to try yet another shampoo that I don’t love. Boy, was I wrong!  All it took was one wash for me to notice how much better Ojon performed than many of the other shampoos I’d been using before.  Many shampoos without sodium laureth sulfate (key to preserving the vibrancy of your colored hair) do not lather well, thus leaving the shampooing experience feeling more lackluster than luxurious. Ojon, on the other hand, suds up like in a shampoo commercial, without containing any harmful ingredients that may fade your color.  The Ojon conditioner is just as great- instantly detangling and leaving your hair soft and smooth after just the first rinse.  I was also impressed with how shiny and touchable my hair was once it was dry. Needless to say, Ojon is now my shampoo of choice- in April and every other month!

Now that the season is changing for the warmer, I finally got a chance to try a new addition to the Acqua di Parma Blu Meditteraneo fragrance line: Bergamotto di Calabria. The Blu Meditteraneo line aims at capturing the sparkling beauty of the Italian Mediterranean, and Bergamotto really does so perfectly! It’s a citrus blend inspired by the bergamot fruit that grows in the lands around the Mediterranean.

Acqua di Parma sent me small samples to try a few weeks ago, but I held off as the weather here was way too wintry. I finally got a chance to wear the scent while I was out in sunny California and totally fell in love. Bergamotto di Calabria is really fresh and vivacious at first with the bergamot notes, and then softens a bit with floral aspects. The dry down is warm and rich. I don’t usually go for citrus scents, but this one is just so vibrant. Keep reading for the note breakdown and be sure to check it out for yourself! (more…)