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Cupcakes, I just can’t seem to quit you. Last night, I chose them over Fashion Week by going to the NYC grand opening party of Georgetown Cupcake.  Putting their own twist on the adage, “If you make it in NYC, you can make it anywhere,” sisters Katherine Kallinis and Sophie LaMontagne of Georgetown Cupcake say, “If you can bake it here, you can bake it anywhere.” Throwing their hat into the crowded ring of cupcakeries, the duo and Kardashian favorite are opening their first store in SoHo (official opening day: Saturday, February 11th.)  Despite already being open for three plus years, block-long lines are still a mainstay at their already existing locations. When I visited their Georgetown outpost last week, I waited in line for 30 minutes and the tourist behind me asked, “Are the cupcakes worth it?”

Judging by the shoulder-to-shoulder crush of ladies and pink tutu-adorned girls (who sipped milk out of champagne glasses) at last night’s opening party, the answer is a resounding, “Yes.” Even when stacked against NYC favorites (Sprinkles, Billy’s Bakery, Sugar Sweet Sunshine), Georgetown Cupcake bring a little something different to the table. Georgetown Cupcakes are a little richer and decadent then their NYC cousins, with a focus on high-end ingredients (example: the specified usage of Valrhona, Callebaut chocolate and madagascar bourbon for flavoring.) Their everyday menu contains not just one, but three varieties of chocolate cupcakes  with a choice of either ganache, whipped, or vanilla frosting.  They also mix it up every month with an ever-changing variety of seasonal cupcakes. Snacking from amongst the minis offered at last night’s shindig, my favorites are the densely flavored Peanut Butter Fudge, salty and sweet Salted Caramel, and Vanilla Birthday Cake. Their heart-bedecked Red Velvet cupcakes are a perennial favorite for Valentine’s Day and many a DC bride. And yes, they deliver all over the U.S.

The sisters generously gave each party guest a half-dozen NYC customized cupcakes (pictured above) and a cookbook full of recipes I can’t wait to try out/create a fire in my kitchen. Georgetown Cupcakes are located at 111 Mercer Street (between Prince and Spring.) You can also catch a behind-the-scenes look with their show, DC Cupcakes, airing on TLC Fridays at 10 PM EST.

While getting ready to write this piece, I was reminded of an early Vanity Fair piece by Christopher Hitchens (R.I.P) in which he details his experience of getting waxed at the ultra hip, “inventor of the Brazilian” salon, J Sisters. He describes, “I was overwhelmed by a sudden access of lava-like agony, accompanied by the vertiginous sensation that there was no there there. ” “The combined effect was like being tortured for information that you do not possess, with intervals for a (incidentally very costly) sandpaper handjob.” After reading it, I smugly thought, “Sissy” and convinced that men for all their perceived machismo, lack the pain tolerance of women. Try getting that “sandpaper handjob” every single month, Mr. Hitchens and then we will talk.

But to Mr. Hitchen’s credit, the pain of getting waxed differs from salon to technician.  You’ve read before about our healthy love of Shobha, for their clean and super efficient experts. Another favorite to add to the list is European Wax Center, who are bringing the advent of the stripless wax to NYC, with their purple, patented wax. A painless Brazilian sounds like an oxymoron, sort of like a painless diet, popular Kardashian, or a faithful Newt Gingrich. But in truth, I had one of the least painful hair-removal procedures of my life at EWC. You start off the procedure by meeting with one of the efficient and friendly technicians, who take the time to walk you through the 4 step hair removal process. The first two steps, cleanse and protect, are to prep you for the removal process using a light pre-wax cleanser to remove any makeup, oil or lotion and a pre-wax oil to create a protective barrier between the skin and the wax. EWC’s exclusive Comfort Wax has a lower melting point than other traditional waxes so you don’t experience the “lava-like” temperatures Hitchens referenced. (more…)

If you’ve always wanted to keep a diary but are daunted by a blank page, Taschen’s Keel’s Simple Diary, Volume II is for you. Like a helpful  psychotherapist, Keel’s Simple Diary prompts you with easy, but unusual questions, to get to the heart of how you felt about your day. Except your therapist probably hasn’t ever asked you questions like, “Your day was 1. a schnitzel 2. baloney 3. catastrophe. Explain why.” The questions are quirky, but purposeful, designed to help you open up about your day because Phillip Keel (writer, artist) knows the three universal truths about trying to keep a journal:

1. Not every day is very eventful.
2. It actually takes a lot of discipline to write.
3. In retrospect, many find what they have written embarrassing.

The playful questions make the diary fun, without being intimidating to maintain,and help with the recording of life’s little moments. As Taschen says, “Simple Diary™ is Keel’s response to having too much information and not enough meaning, and needing to remember what made him smile. Three volumes and many pastrami sandwiches later, Keel finally had the answers to his own questions. Simple Diary™ is the culmination of his quest to gain insight into who we are, and why we do what we do.” The newest version of the diary is Volume Two (called The Ladybug edition), following the bestseller success of Volume one (the Cloverleaf Edition).  Aesthetically,  the diary also is a fine work of paper (an odd thing to say, but as someone who appreciate good paper stock, this is true) with lightly gold embossed pages and a glossy, leather hardware cover with 12 different color options. I chose vintage yellow, since I love its energizing color, but the robin’s egg blue and olive green are equally beautiful. The book retails at a list price of $15.

Remember when there used to be just one style of TOMS shoes and you could find them only online? Things have changed, in a good way, for founder Blake Mycoskie and his company. His signature Argentinian alpargatas are now spotted worldwide (I’ve seen them in Italy, Asia, Jamaica, you name it) and his company (and shoe selection) have grown into an incredible business. His recent collaboration links up runway models like Amber Valetta, Elettra Wiedemann (talk about good genes– per Wikipedia, she’s the offspring of Isabella Rossellini  and Jonathan Wiedemann, a Harvard educated Microsoft design manager and former model) to create three exclusive, limited-edited shoe styles.

The newest styles offer different finishes : jean-blue with with Japanese indigo, casual color with African tribal stripes, and a more dressy burlap with metallic finishes. In addition to TOMS’s one for one philosophy (for each pair of shoes purchased, another goes to benefit a child in need), each model is associated with a supported charity will also receive a split of the profits and $2.50 from Glamour for the sale of each pair. Check out the full listing of models and their very worthy causes:

- Amber Valletta, Charity Water, helping with the availability of clean drinking water in developing nations.

- Elettra Widemann, One Frickin’ Day, give one day of your time, one day of your salary, or one service to a project in need.

- Kyliegh Kuhn, The Roots of Peace Penny Campaign, an annual humanitarian mission which inspires youth to collect pennies and spare change to support the conversion of mine fields into soccer fields, playgrounds, and safe schools.

- Liya Kebede, The Liya Kebede Foundation, protecting the safety of mothers and children, by ensuring they have access to maternal health care.

- Tao Okamoto, Peace Winds Japan, an NGO dedicated to the support of people threatened by dispute or natural disasters.

Each pair of shoe retails for $54 and can be found on the Tom’s site.

One of the most common questions I get asked about eye creams is “How can I tell it’s working?” The truth is, like cellulite creams, it can be hard to see results. Wrinkles/dark eye circles? Any beauty editor will tell you that these things are notoriously hard to change. This doesn’t mean that your eye cream has zero benefit though–the best eye creams prevent additional wrinkles and lessen the appearance of dark eye circles. I choose those words carefully because I fully believe that again, like cellulite creams, eye creams that promise to ERASE flaws such as wrinkles and dark eye circles are a hoax. Once you have either of those, you’re stuck. This is all a very long introduction to tell you about an eye cream I do like, Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery.

 Kiehls Midnight Recovery is a lightweight, super moisturizing eye balm, partner to Kiehls Midnight Concentrate. Like all Kiehls products, it’s formulated with a lot of super-duper natural ingredients that I don’t completely understand but certainly work. Midnight Recovery contains ingredients like lavender oil, evening primrose, and two other mysterious ones called squalane (which is a lipid and thanks to high school Science class, I can identify as a moisturizing fat) and butcher’s broom (sounds like something Harry Potter used in a Potions class). I like the Kiehls moisturizer because it’s non-greasy, substantially thick (in a good way) and soaks into the skin. It doesn’t leave a sticky film and absorbs quickly, so that you can apply eye concealer immediately over it. In terms of moisturizing softness, it leaves the under-eye dewy and moist, to go from morning to night.  Unlike most eye balms, Midnight Recovery is offered in a slim tube. The product can be squeezed out in a thin line, which I like for its precision and non-messiness.

The cream retails for $36 and comes in a 0.5 tube. It’s almost sneakable past TSA (kind TSA agents like some of those I’ve encountered in the Southern airports might let this slip by in carry-on. But then again, after trying this, would you really want to take the chance that they might want to confiscate it for their own personal use? )

I’m a bit of an expert on surviving long haul flights, given that my first 17 hour one was at the tender age of 6 (we have a lot of relatives in Asia). Even as a young one, I distinctly recall thinking, “Man, this sucks” as I took in the plane’s stale air, questionable food, and roaring overhead noise while barfing into an air sickness bag. Since then, experience and technology have been great aids in reducing the airplane’s assault on the five senses so far that I even LIKE long haul flights (but capped at 17 hours tops). My tips at dealing with the pains of traveling:

1.    Feel:  As every travel-related site and dermatologist will tell you, airplane air is bad and dry, wreaking havoc on complexions (read: breakouts) and your throat. You have to stay moisturized.  I like to prepare first by stocking up on water after TSA frisks me. You may be thinking, “Why should I buy water when I get it for free on the plane?” True, but I can’t be the only one that gulps down their tiny airplane ration of water two minutes after receiving it. I also remain terrified by a story a friend’s father told me. He was stranded on the tarmac for 4 hours, parched and hungry, after the flight attendants ran out of provisions. I’d prefer for that not to be me.  Experts also tell you to avoid drinking on the plane as alcohol dehydrates, but if you are a nervous traveler, I don’t see the harm in slightly indulging. A friend of mine has a long time fear of flying and kind stewardesses routinely used to give her shots of tequila on the plane.  Worked for her, and she even did one with Flava Flav one time at 6 am. (more…)

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…)

About four months ago, I had the honor of dogsitting an adorable white English bulldog. Life changes when you have a dog (even temporarily)—you start to plan your lunch breaks and work quitting times around the dog’s schedule.  You can be persuaded to be dragged out of bed at 6 am when you hear puppy whining and scratching at the door. But apart from the adorableness, the other part of your life that changes is the smell of your apartment.

Puppies emit a kind of wet smell and I noticed it permeating throughout my small 3 bedroom after a few days. It’s not exactly a horrible scent, but you never want someone entering to think your apartment reeks of eau de animal. To combat the smell, I tried a few things: Febreeze, perfume, opening windows but nothing seemed to work, except for certain diffusers and candles. This worked out well since one of my roommates is a secret pyro anyway. My favorite 3 scents to de-dogify my apartment:

1.  Thymes Candles are some of my favorite because the scents are beautiful, without being too strong or cloying. I have a sensitive sense of smell, so even sitting next to an overly arduous cologne sprayer on the 6 train can make me nauseous.  Thymes’s newest scent, Bergamot Vert, was my favorite combatant to doggy smell. As you can tell from the name, Bergamot Vert is a citrus-based scent with lingering scents of jasmine, red currant, and white musk.  It’s zesty and fresh–like inhaling a bowl of fresh lemons. I imagine George Clooney’s villa in Capri smells much like this candle. Bergamot Vert also is available as a body wash, bar soap, hand lotion, and bubble bath. (more…)

Donatella Arpaia, that is. You may have visited one of her many numerous restaurants, seen her sitting next to Jeffrey Steingarten as one of the judges on Iron Chef America or recognize her as the winner of Meatball Madness, beating out chefs like Andrew Carmellini. She returns to the New York Food and Wine Festival September 29th to defend her title. We caught up with her before her meatball battle and next big project: the birth of her baby! Read on to see what pregnant chefs crave and her favorite munchies in New York City.

The Daily Obsession: Legend has it that you used to be a corporate lawyer before going into food. How did you decide to make the switch and why? Were you wrestled with indecision?

Donatella Arpaia: I grew up in the restaurant business and my father and brother are both restaurateurs so it’s in my DNA, but from early on I was encouraged to be a lawyer. I enjoyed the study of law but hated the practice of it. At the time I was living in a small studio above my brotherls restaurant, Cellini on 54th st. I was grabbing a bite at the bar when I saw my brother needed help because his hostess didn’t show up I got up and pitched in. That was it! I knew at that moment I needed to change directions. I struggled a bit because I studied so hard and a lot was invested in my education, but really, I had no doubt about the change of course I was about to embark on. I never looked back!

TDO: For many people, pursuing a career in food is a dream—what advice would you give to them for success?

DA: Food is a wonderful and exciting ride but many people have only a very limited idea of what the reality of this industry is like. It’s hard ! I recommend they work in area of food they are interested in to get a really good taste of the reality of this industry. You must be extremely committed and passionate to succeed. (more…)

Click to enlarge. What are your favorites?