Opal

There are certain statements or questions that simply do not warrant an answer under any circumstances. My all-time favorite is when people tell you how tired you look. How do you even respond to that? “Thanks?!” One of the telltale signs of fatigue is under eye bagginess/puffiness. It’s a quick indicator that for some reason or another overstretched with responsibilities and under indexed on tlc. The beauty of beauty? (Catchy, huh?) We always have a fun, techy gadget or product to save the day.

Just off their blockbuster launch of the Sonic Care Cleansing Systems, Clarisonic has introduced a new offering but this time for your eyes. The Opal, cleverly shaped like a luxurious stone begging for you to touch it, is comprised of two parts. The top, if you will, contains their proprietary Anti-Aging Sea Serum and is applied first to the eye area. The bottom contains a small round head that when turned on gently vibrates as you move it around the eye bag area. Helping the serum penetrate into the skin, the sonic massage helps boost circulation to reduce puffiness while giving your eyes a pampering soothing experience. Think of it as a massage for the eye area. Between the serum and the sonic head, the eye area is hydrated, firmer and depuffed. Is it worth the $245 price tag (by the way? I’m not so sure…you can buy one of the many eye rollers on the market for a fraction of the price and get the same benefit. But I will say the micro vibrations were quite a treat for my eyes, it was a calming pre-sleeping treat (and I got the most skeptical person to agree)!

Usage tip: Try on clean eyes before applying your eye cream. Be careful to not use it around the eye socket, a vibrating eye ball is good only for the horror or sci-fi books. Follow with an eye cream. It’s not emollient enough to hydrate the eye area.

The result: Bags be gone! Take that Ms. You Look So Tired!

Eavesdropping

I'm all about respecting people's privacy and allowing for personal space, a trait that has been groomed by my time as a New Yorker where space is a rare commodity and rude/unaware people seem to be abundant (please note it is not ok to jam your yoga mat on top of others just cause you showed up late!). But every so often something salacious happens that you simply cannot help yourself and you end up succumbing to the eavesdropping temptation. Case in point as I walked home from my jog yesterday a couple were walking their dogs and the wife was letting her husband have it..."Why don't you help a bit more? You know I haven't gotten more than 5 hours of sleep since Monday! And frankly it's making me look any younger so if I look old it's all your fault!"

While I found her ease to publicly display her martial problems on a busy intersection a bit interesting, I understand where she's coming from (side note: I'm known to be a bit of a sleeper myself. Read: don't try to deal with me unless I've gotten my 8.5 hours of sleep), there's a significant amount of validity to what she's saying. It is during the sleeping hours that your body has a change to repair, recover and regenerate. That's why it's called beauty sleep. While you're off dreaming about Mr. Right and the beautiful kids you will have your body is repairing sun (photo) induced DNA damage, synthesizing essential proteins such as elastin and collagen and treating any inflammation (ie. breakouts). And in case you haven't heard you need between 7-8 hours of zzz's nightly no ifs, ands or butts. Have trouble sleeping? Try spraying some lavender essential oil on your pillow (my go to choice) or lull your body into sleep mode with a relaxing bath or a cup of warm milk and honey (it really works). If plump, smooth, wrinkle-free skin isn't enough of an inspiration to hit the sack, studies show that when you get less than 7 hours of sleep your body produces more of the stress hormone, cortisol, which encourages your body to store fat leading to weight gain...do I see you heading to bed?

Usage tip: There's nothing more unattractive than pillow lines that can cause collagen and elastin breakdown leading to wrinkles. Opt for silk pillowcases that help skin retain moisture, leave hair tangle free and skin lineless!

The result: Look in the mirror the next time you get a good nights rest...your skin is plump, radiant and youthful! This is the cheapest tool in your anti-aging regimen!

Flawless Inspiration

There are certain rituals, end of the day destressors if you will, that we eagerly look forward to. Regardless of how many times your boss says "we should do this" instead of what she really means ("you need to take care of this") you count on these self-soothing acts. For me it's the few moments I spend lovingly admiring my new orchid plant. With 8 blooms and 5 on the way, I watch mesmerized by the pristine white petals glistening like fresh snow and the perfect asymmetry right down to its reproductive organs (no smirking!). The truth of the matter is we are a society obsessed and appreciative of flawless perfection. We want our faces plump like a babies, smooth like silk and radiantly even toned like the orchid petal.

Here's the reality: a funny thing called aging and environmental/lifestyle aggressors makes this a daunting task. Any cellular facial injury from photodamage (sun exposure) to a breakout can leave spots or hyperpigmentation on your skin. The cruel irony? Studies have shown that these skin discolorations can add up to 10 years on your perceived age. So the moral of the story is skin needs to be luminously uniform. Up until recently there weren't too many safe efficacious options. The gold standard was bleaching products with hydroquinone, an ingredient linked to cancer. This is until Skinceutical developed their Pigment Regulator. Working three ways, this treatment lightens existing hyperpigmentation while shielding skin from future spots. Now these discolorations are a result of melanin, skin pigmentation molecules, clusters so the Regulator blocks your skin from producing excess melanin (preventative), prohibits it from travelling to skin surface (preventative) and breaks up clusters (corrective). Clinically tested against the derm lightening choice (4% hydroquinone) this miracle worker was found to be as effective in reducing hyperpigmentation. Now that's results! With kojic acid, emblica (otherwise known as Indian Gooseberry) and an exfoliating blend; discolorations are corrected, skin radiates with even luminosity.

Usage tip: Use nightly after you cleanse and tone but before you moisturize. Remember the layering rule: apply products in order of viscosity from the thinnest to the thickest consistency. If you have a lot of discolorations target just those areas otherwise you can apply all over the face for an overall brightening effect.

The result: 10 years younger and as flawless as an orchid!

Blow

The two most amazing things about a vacation are: one the selfish opportunity to pamper oneself and two the unique ability to uncover new things. From new foods to adventurous experiences the things you can come across during your time off can be endless. On a recent trip to LA my resourceful sis decided our morning bonding time could consist more than just brunch and girl chat. She upped the ante and took me to what can only be described as heaven…for my hair!

Dry Bar new to the Brentwood area is a one stop blowout haven. Don’t get confused, this sleek white, trendy yet comfortable salon doesn’t offer cuts, colors or anything in between. They only do one thing and they do it right…long lasting, movie quality blowouts! Chose your blowout style from one of the five enticing bar options: Straight Up (the signature), Mai Tai (messy and beachy), Southern Comfort (lots of volume), Cosmopolitan (loose curls) and Manhattan (sleek and smooth). Then sit back as your hair is washed, expertly styled in under 30 minutes! And oh did I mention it’s only $35?! Yes you read that right! So as you sip the cucumber infused water and catch up on your emails or sinfully take a mental break with the latest US magazine issue your hair is transformed from so-so to head turning, "I just appeared in the latest Kerastase ad!" The best part is the blowouts last 3 days so it’s one less thing for you to worry about. All I can tell you is if I lived in LA I would be there for a standing weekly appointment (afterall a girl has gotta pamper herself). Other major cities have similar concept salons. In NYC check out the original, Blow. Downside: price varies from $40-60 based on length or texture. In SF take advantage of the newly opened Blo (cost is around $33).

Usage tip: Book in advance. This place is more popular than the local Peet’s Coffee!

The result: Perfect for date night or just cause, this quickie will take your hair to the next level.

M Day!

Ladies and gents it's a very important day. Today we celebrate, acknowledge and give thanks to a pivotal and most important figure in our lives...our mothers. These unsung heroes wiped our tears and kissed our scrapes when we fell. They cheered from the sidelines as we scored the goal. They believed in us and fought for us when we had lost your way. They give us peace when all is in turmoil. They feed our bellies, celebrate our success as if their own and love us unconditionally. To all the mothers out there thank you not only today but everyday.

Having established the importance of mom it is a challenge to find the right token of our appreciation. Afterall this woman who gave us life is more deserving of anything that could be wrapped up in a bow but we can try. Cookie cutter, generic, played out and thoughtless simply won't do. We need to find something as unique, as classic and as sophisticated as this woman. What better than a custom blended, uniquely designed fragrance! Boutiques like Le Labo in NYC or Memoire Liquide at Henri Bendel and Studio Beautymix in Santa Monica whip up a one of a kind perfume, bottle and label it to your own specifications. These matchless scents are composed based off of your desires. Does your mom like sweet floral notes? Let them help you choose from a bar with all the flower essences your heart can dream of! Is your mom a bit more boho, mysterious? Let the experts walk you through the oriental, musky notes available. For the mother-in-chef design a gourmand fragrance with notes of caramel and pepper. Point is you will design every last note for as limited edition, one of a kind as it gets...a fragrance no one else has or can dream of. A unique scent for a memorable woman.

Usage tip: Before designing your fragrance be prepared with some guidelines to help you and the mixologist. Know what family of fragrance (citrus, fruity, oriental, green, gourmand, etc) your mom likes or come with benchmarks of her favorite fragrance so you have something to work off of.

The result: A special gift to capture the essence of a very special woman!

So Fresh & So Clean

Have you ever noticed how a certain behavioral habit or practice can become so overdone that just the mere thought of doing it one more time evokes feelings of nausea? Case in point the emergence of boyfriend jeans. The only way I can begin to fathom the popularity of these shapeless clunkers, more reminiscent of the baggy jean, derrier flaunting 90's highschool boys rather than the sexy Brooke Shields in her Calvin's, is that it is a countermovement and backlash to the played out skinny jeans.

On Monday as I went for my bi-weekly mani/pedi I found myself struggling to grab Springs requisite mushroom, chalky brown polish. My eyes were simply tired and bored of the overplayed color. I needed a fresh change which would nod to the blooming tulips, bright blue sky and warm breeze. I needed a pink but not just any pink...I needed "the one!" After surveying the nail polish bar I realized that I would have to create this unrealized color as my "it" shade didn't seem to exist! Instead I found pinks that were so muted they read neutral or fuschia's so intense it screamed Jersey Shore! Sonia (my go to nail tech) and I set to work to conceive the perfect pink shade. After countless mixing and matching we found it! A hybrid blend of baby pink and marshmallow this shade has the right sophisticated pop. So are you ready for this insider secret on how to create this lustful hue? Listen carefully and guard this secret! After the base coat apply OPI Bubble Bath followed by OPI's new Panda-Monium Pink then seal with a top coat. Et voila! You're starting a polish revolution...can you hear people throwing out their Chanel Particulière and OPI You Don't Know Jacques as they scramble to adorn their nails with this exclusive shade?

Usage tip: For a softer, more neutral hue reverse the order of the polishes to subdue the pink. Nail 101- always allow a minute of drying time between application of each coat to avoid the nasty bubbling effect.

The result: A fresh of breath air for your eyes and hands!

Cooling Down

The title of this post is a bit introspective and clairvoyant. First off I have a confession...I've been slacking! I was getting almost religiously good in posting 3 times a week and lately I haven't been keeping up with my batting average. Totally inexcusable. My apologies. You, my loyal readers, deserve consistency so please don't give up of me I will make you a promise...3 posts a week no if ands or buts about it (even if it means a few nights of 5-6 hours of sleep versus the 8 my body craves and is endorsed by docs but frankly you're worth it!).

Moving on! Was it me or were there a few fellow Manhattanites walking around today looking a bit redder than normal? Yes I know the weather was unseasonably gorgeous (over 90 degrees all weekend long) and judging by the difficulty to snag some lounging real estate in Central Park it was clear that everyone was out and about. Girls were frolicking in their bikini's looking for the sun kissed glow or perhaps just trying to pick up a new play date. The boys were of course shirtless, throwing the balls around and trying to respond to the ladies mating call. The most fascinating part was there was not a sunscreen bottle in sight! Now there were a ton of tanning oils and even baby oils (didn't we learn from the previous generation that this is the fast lane to wrinkles and sun damage?). So while I will skip my normal SPF, sunscreen, protection soap box; I will share with you a skin soothing remedy I recently discovered.

What was reinforced to me during my recent vacation is that some skin types can handle the sun better than others. My Mediterranean complexion took the scorching Belizean sun much better than poor J who's part Irish blood made him a blazing target. Each afternoon we would return from the beach only to find him scorched (mind you this is after he spent the whole day in the shade and reapplied one of the best SPF's I know of every 2 hours!). Luckily I had brought along a bag of goodies to test and among them was the new Korres Yoghurt Cooling Gel. It's goes without saying that Greek yogurt is just packed with tummy rubbing goodness (confession my morning breakfast is always Fage yogurt, granola and blueberries) so it should be no surprise that this Korres product leverages the benefits of the Greek art of yogurt for some fine skin soothing relief. As you apply the instant freshness hits your skin like a cooling breeze. With each rub the irritation and inflammation is immediately reduced by fennel and something called Epilobium Angustifolium (uhh?). Yogurt, naturally rich in lactose, proteins, minerals and vitamins helps boost skin's water content to rehydrate and relieve of UV-induced redness and burning. Skin is soothed and comforted...you can just hear it say "ahh" as it drinks this treatment. Just ask my birthday girl Cam (Happy Birthday my love!) who may have let the birthday festivities interfere with her sun smartness and is now nursing her Cooling Gel!

Usage tip: For added relief and turbo charged cooling place the gel in the fridge beforehand for a double dose of chilly comfort. The sensorial icy experience will envelope sun burned skin with a wave of sustenance.

The result: All I can tell you is that my fridge is stocked up not only with my Fage yogurt but with an equally important Greek essential. It's going to be a long summer!