Archive for August, 2011

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For the overthreaded, the overwaxed, the overplucked, Sania’s Brow Bar is here to take in your huddled masses. She is the Florence Nightingale to your poor, much-harassed brows. A former brow specialist at Bergdorf Goodman, Sania is the specialist for those who are over every-three-week maintenance, and want easy to maintain, natural arches.

I myself am not even that crazy of an eyebrow threader, compared to some of my friends who have longstanding appointments set in stone every month.  It’s partially due to laziness and because I find it really them really hard to maintain post appointment. The hairs that grow in post-appointment migrate all over and in different directions so I can’t get them back to their perfect shape. I don’t love waxing, because I feel like the skin around my brows is really sensitive afterwards and stretches the skin out. It was a relief to come to Sania who pressed the reset button on my much maligned brows. (more…)

Poor bras–for all their lace and finery, they emerge scraggly and twisted versions of their better selves from the washing machine. We all know by now that washing bras in the machine is a no-no, but let’s be honest–they’ve crept in there every once in a while.  The Berry Ball is here to make sure that when that urge arises, your precious bras are protected from the wash and rinse cycle.  It’s a hinged plastic ball that opens to fit one or two of your delicates, with small slats throughout for detergent to filter through.  A little scrubbing ball with soft rubber spikes goes into the ball to gently roll back and forth to scrub your goodies once you throw it into the washing machine alongside your other washables.

Warning, the ball does err slightly on the larger side so it doesn’t fit in small washing machines, but medium to large ones fit perfectly fine. I used it on two occasions and loved it–even my laciest bras didn’t show signs of wear and tear and remain unchanged. The only thing I wish is that it could fit more than one or two bras since it’s so convenient.  The Berry Ball also comes with a small mesh Berry Perry bag for washing delicate underwear that you can throw it alongside.  The Berry Ball retails for $14.

I’ve totally been bitten by the travel bug again lately- but sadly have been grounded in NYC.  So I invited my jet setting friend Andria Mitsakos, otherwise known as the Wanderlista, to share her recent travels to Milan with us.  Read carefully and take notes for her chic tips on where to go and what to do in this fashionable Italian city.  We’re dying to go already!

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Most people don’t fall for Milan. I’m one of the exceptions, drawn to its nexus of style.

On a recent weeklong trip to work on the Spring/Summer 2012 collection for Dea Rosa, I visited two hotels, The Gray and Hotel Straf. Both are precisely central, with the Duomo at the end of the street, La Scala and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele round the corner. My favorite gelateria, Grom, is a stone’s throw away, and, the central location of both properties affords you the opportunity to fall through the front door of the city’s top department store, Rinascente. I had met my perfect accommodations.

The Gray hotel looks glossy, with a solid, mirrored rectangle as an awning. On the left as you enter is a small cocktail lounge, boudoirish, with velvet banquettes; the reception area is replete with a giant fuchsia-upholstered swing. My suite was a triplex and twice the size of my TriBeCa apartment. The foyer featured a sauna, the mid-level was the bedroom, sitting area and desk, and the loft was home to the walk-in closet and bathroom. This place could easily doubly as my Milanese pied-à-terre. Beds were super comfortable, lighting perfect and the staff lovely and gracious.   (more…)

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As the dress designer of choice for the GMA dubbed American Royal Wedding (yes, a bit much I agree), Vera Wang’s name has been on everyone’s lips for the past few weeks. Meanwhile, her new fragrance has been all over my wrists. On Wednesday, I went to the James Hotel to  fête Vera Wang, Lovestruck, and Leighton Meester, the lovely spokesmodel of the fragrance.

The idea of romance is nothing new for a world-class wedding dress designer, but Lovestruck, as Vera told us, is not a wedding fragrance. It is romantic, inspired by a modern day take on Romeo and Juliet, but it’s about that butterflies-in-your-stomach thrill and Christmas Eve jitters you have when you are starting to really like someone. “ Lovestruck is about the emotion and rush you feel when you are falling in love and going for it…those heart-pounding moments of spontaneity,” says Vera.

She interpreted these feelings with a fragrance mix of slight tropical sweetness mixed with spicy florals, with top notes of pink guava and heady angelica flowers. Its tuberose base is tempered by musky woods, leaving a lasting and lingering scent. Evoking the R&J inspiration of the fragrance, Leighton Meester starred in the video and ad campaign, shot waiting for her beau on a Pretty Woman-inspired fire escape in SoHo.

Lovestruck retails for $48 and can be found at Sephora and Macy’s. Check out their Tumblr, where Shenae Grimes and Becka Diamond took the Lovestruck quiz and talks about what movies, music, food, and cities that have them Lovestruck (hint: someone has a thing for the movie Great Expectations).

Below, a few more snaps of the beautiful event planned by Celadon and Celery, who had a gorgeous set-up (love the roses, bookmarking those arrangements for my own apartment): (more…)

I might be the last editor at TDO to jump on the iPad bandwagon, but I finally took the plunge and can only ask myself, “Why didn’t I do this earlier?” And now that I have this $500 device, you better believe I’m going to do everything in my power to prevent anything from happening to it! I’ve stocked up on some protective iPad gear, that still manages to be professional, classic and stylish. (more…)

When I get stressed and start sleeping less, the first thing to show it is my face.  My skin gets dry and just looks generally… haggard.  So I was really excited to try the new Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins Mineral-enriched oil-free renewal cream.  (Try saying that five times fast!)  The moisturizer was specially formulated to help recharge your skin as you sleep so that you’ll wake up to brighter, healthier skin in the morning.  (I love when I can get results and sleep at the same time.  If only I could make that happen at the gym…)  (more…)

In New York, if you’re looking for a nice pampering facial- there are tons of luxurious options to choose from. But if you’re looking for a highly effective, science and results driven experience, then you must check out Cecilia Wong.

Tucked away in Union Square, Cecilia Wong’s holistic practice is a true hidden gem. Her space is ultra private, quiet and stress free. Each treatment is performed by Cecilia herself and the experience is very one-on-one. Her philosophy is that healthy skin starts from within the body so she mixes her own custom skincare solutions through a combination of organic products, herbs and botanicals. To increase the efficacy of her products, Cecilia also uses the latest cutting edge technology such as LED , microcurrent, and oxygen systems to complement her treatments. (more…)