Archive for November, 2011

By Jessica Dang

Vodka has long been the drink of choice for a night out on the town, but at the dinner table? At a Russian Standard Vodka tasting this month, we learned from Igor Galburt, the company’s global brand ambassador, that, not only is straight vodka becoming more commonly paired with food, it’s also considered a celebratory spirit. If your goal is to have a festive holiday cocktail party with family and friends this season, vodka should be right up there on the list along with champagne! (more…)

It’d been far, far too long since I’d visited a spa for some pampering, so when the chance came to try out Ona Spa in Los Angeles, a place I’d always been curious about, I jumped at the chance.  Originally, I was just going to go in for a facial, but strangely enough, the week before my appointment was scheduled, I started to get this weird shooting pain in one of my arms.  Being a semi-hypochondriac, I of course panicked and became convinced that I was dying, but then my friend suggested that it might be from stress since I could feel how tight my muscles were.  She sounded like she knew what she was talking about, so I decided to add a massage to my day in the hopes that it would help and luckily, they were able to accommodate me.

I showed up for my appointment bright and early on a Saturday (okay, fine, it was noon, but that counts as bright and early on the weekend after a long week of work).  The space is cozy and welcoming, and once you’re inside, you’d never know that busy Los Angeles traffic is waiting for you just out the door.  I snuggled into a big, comfy robe and lounged in a chair sipping a delicious coconut tea and reading fashion magazines (so relaxing!) until I was called in for my massage.  (more…)

MAKE UP FOR EVER doesn’t have a ton of gift sets out for the holidays, but one of them deserves a shout out because it’s one of my favorite kind of sets.  The Wild & Chic Best of MAKE UP FOR EVER Kit is a collection of six different MAKE UP FOR EVER favorites.  I love these sets because they’re an economical way to build up your product collection, but they’re also a great way to try products you’ve heard a lot about but never tested too.

The set has six items in it – a Smoky Lash Extra Black Mascara, an HD Microfinish Powder, a travel Aqua Eyes liner in Mat Black, an HD Microperfecting Primer, a Lab Shine gloss in a pearly pink beige shade, and an Aqua Cream in Warm Beige, a champagne shimmer.  I’ve tried all of the products in here and they’re all great, so it’s a fabulous deal to take them all home for $55.  I especially love the Aqua Cream (I’m obsessed with them and have every single shade) and the HD Microfinish Powder, which makes skin look practically poreless.  Why can’t ever brand do a “Best of” set?  It would make my life so much easier!

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For a beauty blogger, I’m surprisingly eyeshadow incompetent at all eye looks EXCEPT for a smoky eye. It sounds surprising, but a smoky eye is actually one of the easiest to master because it’s not meant to look too perfect or done–it needs a little smudging to have that sexy, slept-in look. Great for me, since that’s the way I like my look. The secret to my easy, smoky, grungy eye is a quality, washed out black shadow and a liquid eyeliner (that also grows your eyelashes–yes, for real.) Read on for my two favorite products:

1. Charlotte Ronson epitomizes that grungy, sleek look favored by models off duty. Sea salt sprayed hair  and casual smoky eyes are her signature and her new collection from Sephora brings this look to the masses, with products named for her famous friends such as Dani Stahl, Nicole Richie, and Rashida Jones. My favorite of the eyeshadows is the Drea compact (named for brown eyed Drea de Matteo) with four basic but beautiful neutrals in nude, bronze, silver, and black. All of the colors are lovely, with the bronze especially great for on-camera highlighting, but the black is best because it’s  already naturally smoked out and requires minimal blending. Using an eyeshadow brush or my fingers (if I’m lazy), I sweep this black up to my eyeshadow creases and then lightly blend past the edges. It doesn’t crease or migrate and the color stays dense throughout the night. It’s perfect for dark, mysterious nights out or when you just want to look nice for cleaning the living room (what? I can’t be the only one that does this.) (more…)

How much do we love Benefit product names?  So much, right?  They’re all so damn cute and catchy!  I’m Glam… Therefore I Am is one of their new holiday palettes and it’s chock full of products you can use to glam up for a big night out.  In the kit, you’ll find four different shadows, in shades of pinks, purples and grays, a face powder with a mixture of peach and rose shades, a miniature Girl Meets Pearl highlighter, a mini Bad Gal Lash, and a travel-sized gloss in a bubble gum pink shade. The thing I love about Benefit’s sets is they’re always so complete – you can pack this palette in your bag and have enough products to create an entire look, which always makes things easier.  It’s also great how coordinated the colors all are – they go together perfectly on my fair skin with green eyes complexion.  Plus, you can always slip the mini products out of the kit and throw them into your bag individually, always nice when you travel.  I love getting glammed up with this fun palette!

Benefit also has a new highlighter, Watt’s Up, out for the holidays.  (Well, technically it came out a little while ago, but I’m just now getting around to trying it, so it’s new to me!)  It’s a cream to powder highlighter in a champagne shade that conveniently comes in a tube with the highlighter in stick form at one end and a blending sponge at the other.  (Ingenius packaging, by the way).  I like using it underneath my brows as a highlighter on my eyes or on the top of my cheekbones to let them stand out a little.  It’s a fun way to glimmer a little or add a little glow to your look, especially at night.  Also, I just love that it’s a highlighter called Watt’s Up.  Adorable!  In my next life, I really want to come back as the person who names Benefit’s products.  How fun would that be?

Last night, I caught a glimpse of the always-gorgeous Jamie-Lynn Sigler with Joe Jonas, as well as Dominic Monaghan, while sipping champagne at the ultra-chic, intimate Sayers Club in Hollywood. The occasion: a private celebration of the GQ November music issue and the new GUESS online miniseries with the fashionable, Brooklyn-hip-hop-style-inspired Theophilus London, who gave a special live performance. Also in attendance were TV stars and hosts galore, such as 90210′s Shenae Grimes, and of course GQ Luxury Advertising Director Brendan Coolidge Monaghan.

Check out the miniseries exclusively on the GUESS Facebook page. And thanks to GUESS for inviting us to this amazing event!

This year’s holiday collections are my downfall because so far, I haven’t seen a single one that I don’t love.  I’ve spent WAY too much money already picking up one more thing that I “need” and it’s not even December yet.  This does not bode well for my Christmas present budget (sorry, family!)  The latest collection to get my seal of approval is NARS’ Holiday 2011 collection.  I got a chance to test out a few of the products and they’re all fabulous. (more…)