Friday, October 31, 2008

Trick or Treat?

Mariah threw a Halloween bash last night in NYC. Mimi and hubby Nick arrived first as fire fighters and later changed into cute Milk N Cookies costumes. The two did it big, of course, pulling up to the party on a fire truck! I think they look too cute.

Kim Kardashian showed up as Wonder Woman:


Here are some Halloween pics of a few celebs from previous years so you can get in the mood to play dress up:






Friday Fun.

Happy Friday and Happy Halloween Ladies!

A friend sent this and I had to share. As Alicia so eloquently put it:
"OMG... Yo he killed that... it's as if he choreographed the entire dance and taught it to her.. he is pretty much putting me to shame right now! Damn!"
Haha - agreed!

Enjoy!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Dylan's Candy Bar introduces Re-Treat.



Like Carrie Bradshaw, shopping may be my cardio. But when I got to Bloomingdales any calories I may have lost come right back to me, because I cant help going across the street to Dylan's Candy Bar.
Dylan Lauren (Daughter of Ralph) has built her own Willy Wonka like sweet emporium and when there's a chill in the air her "Central Park Zoo Hot Chocolate" is irresistible. mmm...animal crackers.
Anyways, Dylan may have finally taken pity on my waistline because she has introduced a line of bath and body products based on the delicious sweets carried at her stores.
I know there are a ton of food and candy smelling bath products out already, but the claim is that these are made with top-of-the-line ingredients and that the fragrances are not synthetic smelling. You know when your strawberry lotion smells more like a bottle of Vicks 44 cough and cold? Well this line is not supposed to be that way. It's being sold at Sephora so check it out either in stores or buy it online

Teeth Whitening.

Last week I made a life altering decision that I am still coming to grips with. I quit coffee! Now some of you may not realize the significance of this, but let me be clear: this is huge for me. Coffee is to Puerto Ricans what rice is to .... um, well, most cultures ... aw you know what I mean! Coffee is more than just a jolt in the morning; it is tradition, culture, comfort, it's going with my sister to Lady Bird in Park Slope, it's chatting with my mom in the kitchen, and most important its yummy!!! Unfortunately, in addition to all of those wonderful things, coffee = yellow teeth. The fact is that if you want whiter teeth then you have to cut out the things that are causing them to stain, and the main culprits are: coffee, smoking, and red wine. So I kicked the bucket and I am on a quest for whiter teeth. I have been using good ol' Crest White Strips and have seen some very subtle results already, but was happy to see an email from Sally at the Brazil Bronze Glow Bar. I have posted about her amazing spray tans and the faux lashes that she does every Thursday before, but hear this: they are whitening teeth this Saturday!

Here is the email she sent:

Greetings!

Special offer $199 this Saturday Nov 1st only

A gentle and revolutionary teeth whitening system, hugely popular in Europe, has landed in the US. In one hour it is possible to undergo three sessions of whitening and walk out of the salon with teeth that are clean, white and gleaming. On Saturday Nov 1st one of the experts, Mr Ben Long, will be in our salon offering the treatments to our clients. This is a great introductory offer - tell your friends and call (212) 431- 0077 for details. Spots are available from noon on Saturday. Hey! And if you didn't book your tan for Halloween - hurry up - there are hardly any spots left. Jane is also in doing lashes on Thursday Oct 30th.....be the cutest partier this Halloween!

Sally Blenkey-Tchassova

Brazil Bronze Glow Bar


email: sally@brazilbronze.com

phone: (212) 431-0077

web: http://www.brazilbronze.com.


Call ASAP if you want an appointment!

Clinique Happy To Go Perfume Pencils



Clinique has just come out with these cool little perfume pencils based around their Classic fragrance, Clinique Happy. They come in a set designed for layering, so you can mix and match 1,2, or all 3 depending on your mood. I was never a fan of Happy, I'm a complete snob when it comes to perfume. Yes, this has mixed results, but always unique, so it's rare that I would want any perfume sold at a Macy's. However this idea is so cute, and so convenient for travel, that I might be tempted to grab a set. It would also be a great gift for the holidays.
Buy it here.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

"That Guy From Roswell"



The other day I was pleasantly surprised to learn that one of the coolest girls I know comes by to visit us here at SGHI from time to time. So Colleen, this one's for you!
Back in school days, Colleen and I totally thought the guy from Roswell was sooooo cute! Our "thang" for Brendan Fehr was probably due more to his character's bad-boy-with-a-tender-heart persona than anything else. Oh yes, we are those special girls who can tame, train and mold naughty men! Even at 15.
If you were a fan of Roswell, or if you're just curious to see the storyline that set our young hearts a flutter, you can watch Roswell from the first episode. Just click here


Looking at him now he resembles Andy Samberg from SNL, who is kinda cute just cause he's funny. Personality goes a long way...

Loreal Elnett


The contents within this bottle have been the "Gold Standard" of the biggest names in hairstyling for decades.
According to a who's who of hair experts this is like the best hairspray ever.
Unfortunately, due to one pesky little chemical not approved for use in the U.S. Loreal Elnett has been extremely hard to come by for American women.
But now, with a slight reformulation, it is finally available in the U.S., and this fabulous hairspray is being exclusively sold at....TARGET! Yeah, so go get you some it's recession proof baby! Actually, at $13.99 it's not the cheapest hairspray ever. but it's do-able, right?
Buy Loreal Elnett

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

More From Elizabeth And James






All available @ Shopbop.com

Just because theyre having a damn good showing this season. Bravo!
Can you tell I like to wear black? :)

Tom Ford - Hawkings Sunglasses




Two pairs of fabulous aviators are always better than one- especially when they're designed by Tom Ford. Use the rimless colored lenses for classic aviator style or the plastic-rimmed tinted lenses for a wildly creative take on the original. Gold metal edging and a gold-trimmed cutout on the bridge add rock star flash to both versions.

>Black or Rose Gold Havana plastic frames
>Gold metal edging with gold-trimmed cutout on bridge
>Interchangeable lenses create dramatically different looks; one pair of colored rimless lenses and one pair of plastic-rimmed tinted lenses
>Comfortable nosepieces
>Tom Ford logo plate inlaid on both ends (front and back)
>Tom Ford logo etched on top left-hand side of frame
>100% UV/UVB protection
>Made in Italy


Buy them @ Eluxury.com

Who doesn't like 2 for 1 deals? I know I do! While I don't think the "2 looks" are as dramatically different as Tom Ford might have you believe, they really may not need to be, when they're sitting front and center on your face.
I mean, if you like them anyway, where's the bad?

Christina Aguilera - Keeps Gettin' Better

Christina Aguilera on iLike - Get updates inside iTunes

Mariah Carey - I Stay In Love

Monday, October 27, 2008

"Red" She Said Collection - MAC.

Check out MAC's new "Red" She Said Collection which features some very interesting mineralized eyeshadow shades. The entire collection looks like its extra glamorous and will definitely lead to some serious gorgeousness. The names are great too, that must be a fun job. If you order online from Macy's then you get free shipping on any MAC purchase of $50.

Here are the mineralized eye shadow trios:

Persuasive

Word-of-Mouth

Outspoken

Danger Zone

Threesome


Inter-view


These are the lip shades:

"Red" She Said

Crazeee

Pomposity

Soft Pause

Quiet, Please

Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs

Hello darlings,

We are all busy ladies right? Whether you work full time, are a full time mom, are in school or all three; we all have hectic lives which leads to stress, fatigue, and anxiety. My life is no different. My day starts at 5:30 AM and ends at 11 PM. Between my commute of 4 hours a day, work and school, I barely have time to do school work and eat let alone sleep or have any time for play. This is why I decided to make an appointment at Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs. Now I realize that people do acupuncture all the time for back pain and sports related injuries; but I am a needle phobe and the thought of actually being stuck with needles gave me the heebie jeebies. Of course I was assured that acupuncture is painless so I went for it. Acupuncture is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine which says that our health relies on the free flow of Qi in our bodies. Qi is energy, you can't see it but its there, and it flows through channels in our bodies. If there is blockage in any of these channels then the Qi cannot flow and therefore becomes stagnant, and that is what leads to various illnesses, pain, discomfort, allergies, depression, etc.
Acupuncture unblocks our channels if you will. Sterilized disposable needles are placed in the areas of stagnant Qi in order to disperse the energy and allow the energy to flow freely again. Western doctors typically do not support a holistic approach to medicine and even though some doctors do claim to do acupuncture, trust me when I tell you, your experience with a TCM doctor is far from typical. Western medicine looks to treat what ails you while TCM looks to find what the root cause is and cure it.

Here is how it went down:
Aiyana is located in Union Square. I walked into the building that looked more residential than commercial and took the elevator up to the 5th floor - I was nervous. When I walked in the receptionist was very friendly, the wait area played soothing music and it looked like a cross between a spa and someones spiritual den. I was so exhausted that I began to have regrets about coming because I started fantasizing about my warm bed and a nice nap; but that's the reason I was there so I waited. It wasn't long before the acupuncturist came for me. She escorted me down the hall to another "room". She asked me what my top concerns were, and I told her: stress, fatigue, and anxiety. She then asked me to lie down, I thought I would have to get naked, but I was relieved that all I had to do was roll up my pants. She swabbed the points where she would be placing the needles with alcohol. She began inserting the needles and I didn't even feel anything. I had one in my forehead, one in each hand, each ear, each leg and each foot. I have to admit the one in my left foot did hurt a little bit but it was more like a really quick pinch. She covered my eyes and placed my hand on some sort of walkie talkie so that I could give her a buzz if I needed anything while she was gone. She shut off the lights and I just laid there, listening to the soothing sounds that filled the room. Laying there was very similar to when an Esthetician leaves you in the room to relax while you are getting a facial. The acupuncturist said that most patients would be knocked out and snoring in no time, however, I couldn't stop thinking about work and school and what I had to do that weekend for class, etc. As the time went on I surely thought that this was a waist since I hadn't fallen asleep. After the allotted time, the acupuncturist returned and removed all of the needles and that was that. It wasn't until I left that I realized that I wasn't sleepy anymore! It was bizarre because I was beyond fatigued just an hour before. I went home and started cleaning and tackling projects that I had been putting off all week. I ended up staying up until 12 midnight [which is late for me] and waking up at 7 AM. Waking up at 5:30 AM has become a lot easier. I am not as cranky as I was before and although I am still very busy, the exhaustion has definitely diminished significantly. I can only imagine what would happen if I did acupuncture consistently.TCM works for everything form weight loss or acne to helping Cancer patients; everything is interconnected and TCM works to heal you entirely. Now it may seem a little pricey at $225 for your first visit, but I believe it is worth it. [Think of how much you spend at the spa.] If you are a student you get a discount, and some insurance covers acupuncture so that is something to look into. The first session is an hour and a half and they take this time to do a thorough analysis of you. Things that you never thought to pay attention to can be a root cause of why you have had bad allergies, why you have been breaking out or perhaps something far more serious; this is why it is important to tell them everything. This will only be to your benefit, remember, they are like doctors. The regimen that they develop is specific to you and to you only. Everything is everything ya'll.

Here is some info from the Aiyana Website:

At Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs, we form a compassionate and healing partnership with our patients through in-office treatments, herbal therapy, dietary therapy and patient education.

Chinese Medicine directs that we must treat the root and branch of disease because symptoms tend to reoccur if underlying health issues are ignored. Rather than simply treating symptoms, we base treatments on an individual's presentation of energetic disharmony.

Throughout treatment, your body's energy will evolve and change; therefore, the guiding treatment principles will also change. That dynamic progression of energetic evolution manifests as healthy balance in body, mind and spirit.

As Deng Ming-Dao says in his book "The Scholar Warrior":

"The ancients felt that life has to be considered in its entirety and that separating it into different categories was an intellectual effort that could not ultimately help the understanding of the Tao. Life was to be understood by inquiry into the living. Life was to be understood as an eternally changing process."

Read What People are Saying About Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs:

"When I met Jessica Silver, L.Ac., I had been having a tightness in my chest which seemed like a big ball of stress, worry and anxiety stuck there. Her approach was gentle and calming, and the acupuncture treatment made that disturbing presence in my body disappear. After experiencing so much relief from the first problem, I returned to Jessica for treatment of my foot pain which had started 4 months before. After the first treatment it felt 80% better, and by the second treatment the pain was gone. Thanks Jessica - I'm a believer!"
- R. Albanese

LaRok Stud Me Up Skirt




I love this skirt. But Ive only ever bought one thing from LaRok, and the fit of the garment was so atrocious that I didn't think I would ever go back there again.
Oh...But I am tempted.

Available at Singer22 and selling out fast.

Andrea Brueckner


Jessica Alba with the Tierney City Bag


Lindsay Lohan with the Luxembourg Satchel in Cracked Patent Black

How does a handbag line coveted by celebrities and fashion editors alike, manage to stay under the radar? I haven't the foggiest, but I think I need to get my hands on either this Cobalt Aspen Lock Satchel




Or the Luxembourg Satchel in Cracked Patent Clay as shown in the above pic next to Lindsay Lohan, before this line blows up.

All of the handbags are made in NYC. For a multitude of reasons, you gotta love that! Sweatshop free is the way to be!
Shop Andrea Brueckner online.