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I’ve always had a not-so-secret desire for a tattoo, just ask my family and they’ll remember the summer of ‘96 when I developed a fascination with temporary tattoos. To this day, I’m not really sure why, because a self-confessed book nerd and girly girl doesn’t really fit the expected biker chick/goth girl tattoo type. For whatever reason, that whole summer, I had some type of a temporary tattoo on myself at all times.  My 12 year old self must have been ahead of the trends, since Chanel recently got on the temporary tattoo trend via their jewelry inspired temporary tattoo designs seen on models at the Spring 2010 show (above).

Fortunately, I grew out of that stage, and although I don’t have any tattoos now, it’s mostly because I don’t know what to get. I wouldn’t want something that has a clear and visible expiration date, like the ying yang with two dolphins jumping overhead that my 9th grade Health teacher got (on her ankle no less); significant other initials (not even for you, Johnny Depp, no “WINO Forever” thank you very much); chinese symbols (a co-worker of mine got a tattoo that he thought said ‘See no evil,’ but when I asked my mom to translate, we really found out it said ‘Banish the prisoner’); or a tramp stamp (for obvious reasons) and I would want something with meaning or purpose.

That being said, choosing the right tattoo can be a slippery slope, so any decision I eventually make to get one shouldn’t be made lightly.  I plan to test out any future tattoo impulses with an initial test run using Temptu’s Adorn Temporary Tattoo Kit ; which generates grown up and fun temporary tattoos without any of the cheese factor. (more…)

Not all candles, let alone soy candles are created equal. I’ve fully embraced soy candles recently because I can’t stand the black soot/smoke and wick trimming that come with their less-green counterparts (and admittedly, after watching Avatar, I decided I need to be a little kinder to Mother Earth.)

Past soy candles I’ve purchased were of the cheaper variety, and while clean burning, sputtered weak flames and didn’t quite emanate scent very thoroughly through my apartment.  I like my candle scents to be enveloping, without being overpowering; luxurious but without a $65+ price tag; and was recently introduced to Linnea’s Lights, a line of luxurious soy candles with a reasonable price tag that have become my new favorite hostess gift. (more…)

The way that my eyes look are the first sign of how things are going in my life.  If I get only 4 hours of sleep the night before, I know I’ll instantly wake up with bloodshot eyes and what I swear is an extra wrinkle under my eyes.  Cried the day before? My eyes will be puffed up like a marshmallow in the morning, sometimes with a mysterious extra crease.  To mask to the world exactly how my night went, eyeliner has become one of the quintessential tools that I must have in my arsenal.  It took me a long time to learn to perfect pencil eyeliner and now I can perfect the line without even the aid of a mirror, but the ultimate goal is to eventually perfect the winged liquid liner, a la Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada.  One day!

For eyeliner newbies who aren’t quite skilled at either pencil or liquid liner, I recommend the Trish McEvoy Eye Definer, which I recently tried out and found so easy to apply that I wish I had started my eyeliner skills with this product first.   (more…)

It’s that time again to update my denim wardrobe and my new favorite brand is Black Orchid, creator of my new favorite skinny basic jean.  Yes, I still love my J Brand and my 7 Jeans, but wow, slipping into a pair of Black Orchid jeans is like throwing on my favorite pair of leggings or sweatpants; it’s just that comfortable.

Fortunately for everyone else around me, Black Orchid jeans also look better than my beloved schlumpy sweatpants that I wear to the gym.  The stretchy fit gently embraces my curves, doesn’t cause muffin top, and so it’s no surprise with this forgiving fit that recent mother, Jessica Alba has been wearing these jeans all over town.  The cut of the jean also sharply tapers at the knee, so you get a nice slimming effect in the thigh.

Most excitingly, I don’t have to alter or tailor my Black Orchid jeans!  As a petite girl, I can’t tell you how happy it makes me not to spent the requisite $20 at my local tailor to go through the whole re-attaching the original hem process and to actually be able to walk out of the house in an unaltered jeans.

You can find Black Orchid jeans at Saks where they retail for about $114+ dollars.  Black Orchid also offers their jeans in a number of finishes in addition to their basics like the paint splattered Black Jewel.

There’s no question that Brazil has got it going on.  They have beautiful beaches, one of the most fabulous parties in the world (Carnival–I hope to go someday!), the best flip flops in my opinion (Havianas) and seem to produce  an incredible crop of Victoria’s Secret supermodels who make shedding 9 month pregnancy weight look as easy as Tiger Woods appears to acquire mistresses.

Add  Zibba (“Creativity” in indigenous Brazilian), a new handbag brand, as further evidence with unique, finely made bags that are designed and handmade in Rio de Janeiro and crafted out of fine leather.  Something versatile, but special, is the shopping mantra I use when selecting a handbag, and Zibba’s Marie handbag completely fits this criteria, with a inimitable design that won it the Independent Handbag Designer of the Year Award, as bestowed by an illustrious panel of juges including Carlos Falchi and Devi Kroell.

I love its bohemian inspired slouchy look with its softly rounded edges that gently hugs the body, with slightly exposed contrasting zippers, that give it just a bit of edge.  I’m confident that this could be my new, everyday bag–an illustrious honor of my own that hasn’t been bestowed by me since my Foley and Corinna Mid-City bag as of 2 years ago.  The true test will be how much room in the bag is left after I stow a pair of Stuartz Weitzman heels inside.

Zibba is making its US debut at Saks Fifth Avenue, and is also available in black.  Even as a US import, it’s moderately priced for a luxury handbag at $650.

In my adolescent suburban upbringing, there were pretty much only 4 stores I frequented at the mall: Express, GAP, Abercrombie, and the Limited.  When I look at my clothes back home, these are the only labels in my closet. The whole Abercrombie phase was useful this year when I could reclaim the dozens of plaid shirts I bought circa 1999 and 2000.  Fond memories, I still remembered when I got carded for buying the racy Bruce Weber shot Abercrombie quarterly–who knew you had to be 18?

Since moving past adolescence, I’ve moved on past most of these labels style-wise; apart from some sporadic forays.  All of the above mentioned stores had some representation in NY, except for the Limited.  It wasn’t until I was invited to the Limited’s Pop Up Store in Soho, that I discovered that this wasn’t the Limited I remembered from 1998.  Revamped and updated, gone were the slightly boxy fit workwear and endless horiztonal striped sweters I remembered from my youth, but new, tailored and fitted workwear with polished, chic jewelry, and a purveyor of one of my favorite Winter accessories, the Infinity scarf. (more…)

Yesterday, December 1st was World AIDs Day, and continuing with its longstanding philanthropic support of charities, Kiehl’s created a Limited Edition version of its Ultimate Hand Salve, which donates 100% (yes, you read that right) of its net profits to amFAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research.

The word “salve” and not cream is apropos for this Kiehl’s product as it is truly a salvation.  I find that a lot of good hand creams do a great at temporarily fixing dry skin, and treat the problem more at the surface level.  True story:  during one of my first times skiing, I lost a ski glove somewhere on the mountain and had chapped, sandpaper type hands practically the rest of the weekend because freezing temperatures+bare skin=no good.  I went home and somewhere in the recesses of my mom’s beauty closet found this hand salve which was leftover from an old gift set.  I applied this salve overnight and religiously the rest of the day and poof, hands instantly restored.  I felt like the salve worked from the inside out, as my hands continued to stay moisturized despite frequent hand washing and some not so gentle violin practice.  This is also a great product for men since it has a clean scent, without a whiff of off putting femininity.  Since my original use, it’s become a favorite in my household, even by my dad who is a bare bones product user.

You can find Kiehl’s Hand Care for a Cure on their website, where it retails for $12.50.

I’m more of a tea person than coffee, and really find that I sleep better at night when I don’t have caffeine.  I’m always on a quest to find yummy tea varieties with fruit blends beyond what my office Flavia machines offer, and Village Tea Company has produced one of my favorites, Sassy Green Tea with Acai, which is a soothing green tea with a citrusy, spicy kick to it thanks to real peach pieces and chilies in the blend.  For me, the challenge in fruit teas has been to find one with just the right amount of sweetness–I like something with just a bit of a sweet taste, that doesn’t leave a cloying taste in my mouth.

To provide a true tea experience, Village Tea Company doesn’t use tea bags but uses loose full leaf tea. To brew your tea, each canister comes with an unbleached, white drawstring bag that you can steep your tea in.  The bag is washable is can be re-used multiple times.  I typically let it sink for about 5 minutes to get a bull bodied flavor.

Village Tea Co features 10 different varieties of tea, each offering different health properties and anti-oxidants, and sassed up with different additional ingredients like strawberry and lemongrass.  I especially like that I can read the ingredient label for the tea and it isn’t composed of multi-syllable chemical compounds I can’t pronouncem but simple all natural ingredients like actual orange peel and ginger.  Each canister retails for $13.95 and you can find out where to purchase it by visiting the website.

Philosophy has created some fantastic gift set options to choose from this Holiday season, that are of the edible and non-edible scent variety, and beautifully packaged for low maintenance gift options, none of which cost more than $40! Their theme this year is  old time Christmas movies, with packaging that is extremely evocative of the Holiday season, and vintage inspired pictures that remind me of TMC Christmas movies like A Christmas Story, containing home baked scents you would find in Grandma’s kitchen.  Below are my top picks:

1.  Philosophy Classic Cookbook - Great for gifting to a true Philosophy lover, this has 6 different versions of their luscious, signature 3 in 1 shower gel, bubble bath, and shampoo.  The 6 included scents are among their most delectable, with Pumpkin Spice Muffin, Red Velvet Cake, Double Rich Hot Cocoa, Warm Pear Cobbler, Gingerbread, and Cinnamon Buns.  I know from experience that the Pumpkin Spice Muffin and the Cinnamon Buns are some of their most scrumptious scents.  The set currently costs $35. (more…)

Sure, you could proclaim your love for Team Edward or Team Jacob in the usual way by simply wearing a t-shirt, but why not showcase your love in a more obvious way, with lifesize cutouts of your current favorite Bella paramour?

Whether you choose to go with Kristen Stewart’s supposed squeeze, Robert Pattinson, or rumored Taylor Swift boyfriend, Taylor Lautner, Nordstrom is exclusively selling 6 feet high foam core boards of each of these Twilight stars for $33, with minor assembly required.  Given that a recent shower curtain emblazoned with Robert Pattinson’s face went out of stock on Etsy, I would say that you need to click fast to get a hand on these.  I have to admit I’m having a little difficulty tagging this entry as I’m not sure whether to tag it as “Miscellaneous” since I don’t know if a life size cutout of Taylor counts as an “Accessory.”

What do you think?  Too much or a cute gift for a die hard Twi-hard?