I know I don’t make appearances in the gym often (I refer to myself as a “once-a-weeker”), much to the chagrin of my personal trainer fiancé. Once we are past the wedding and the honeymoon though, I PROMISE to be much better about it, which won’t be hard to do when I have stylish workout gear I can look forward to wearing. Courtesy of the brand Sweaty Betty, Britain’s ultra-cool active company for stylish, yet highly functional goods, I gave the Sweaty Betty Power Run Capri a good old test run, literally, in the gym this past weekend, and at the end of the workout hour, it’s performance certainly exceeded mine! This particular style has an inner key-size pocket, drawstrings, aerodynamic seaming, while being sweat-wicking and overall streamlining my look. I hiked up the hem a little, but for running outside on a brisk morning, having the ability to tug it down into a longer length is a plus.
After running on the elliptical, I did upper arm weights in a rowing-like motion, and finished off the session with some stretching and rolling out the tight spots in my legs on a foam ruler. Overall verdict? This pants are PERFECT for an intense, or mild workout! Although I opted for all-black ( I know, I can be boring sometimes!), other leggings, as well as practically every product category comes in memorable prints, neon hues, contrast stitching, and of-the-moment silhouettes for activities that range from yoga to surf and triathlons so that you can more easily blend your workout pieces into every day life.
P.S. – Sweaty Betty ships to the USA so go ahead and get to shopping…and then working out!
This week, I’ve got so many fashion and beauty gems to share with you, that it goes above and beyond the normal count for a “Fashion Pulse Flash” segment! I hope you enjoy what I have to share, and have a wonderful weekend and happy summer solstice; it’s FINALLY GORGEOUS OUTSIDE!!
Kmart Fashion has been hosting a Remix Series challenge, in which you can show the world how you styled an item from one of the store’s brands, while getting a chance to win a $500 Kmart gift card AND a trip to New York City in order to gain an exclusive look at the next photo shoot and Kmart’s Design Studio. For the third installment of this look, featuring a pencil skirt, Kmart fashion had one of my favorite designers, Rachel Antonoff,show how she would style it on four very different, but stylish women: her mom, grandma, work colleague, and herself. See the adorable video above, and enter via the Kmart Fashion Facebook page or by uploading their photos to either Twitter or Instagram with hashtag #MoneyCantBuyStyle and @KmartFashion. Hurry though — you’ve only got until June 24th to enter!! 🙂
P.S. – check out this super cool tee collab between Rachel and Kmart Fashion; available as a gift with purchase on rachelantonoff.com – and it’s soo true – money CAN’T buy style, right FPD readers?
Let’s talk Skyn Iceland! I recently attended the Slow Down & Cool Down event, a chance to relax and take in the skin care brand’s latest offerings hosted by my friend Lara of Pretty Connected at one of my absolute favorite stores in the city, Henri Bendel. If you’re unfamiliar with the brand, in a nutshell, skynIceleand Solutions for Stressed Skin (full tittle) does just that, as the first skincare line to identify and efficiently combat signs of stress on the skin, which deal with issues such as irritation, breakouts, redness, sensitivity, and premature aging.
In fact, at the event, there was a test given, similar to a thermometer, to give a number to your level of stress (I actually didn’t do that poorly, which SHOCKED me!). Use the brand’s products daily or as an add-in t your regular routine during times of intense stress. Some of my favorite products that I sampled from the event include the Arctic Face Mist ($29), which feels as good as it sounds as it restores, hydrates, and balances skin, and can be used in place of toner or as a makeup set mist, and the Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels, which cool, soothe, and depuff the eye area in 10 minutes.
AND, as an extra bonus, mention this blogger offer to Slow Down & Cool Down this summer at Henri Bendel, and receive an exclusive gift with any skyn ICELAND purchase at Henri Bendel (a $17 value; expires 7/31).
NYX Cosmetics‘ Parallel World’s Box , inspired by the sci-fi/teen film coming out this summer, The Mortal Instruments; City of Bones includes six full-sized products that devise two looks from the film. One, an “innocent day look” for the character Clary (Lily Collins), while the other, a dark and mysterious night look like Isabelle (Jemima West), will have you prepared for a much easier day to night transition, which won’t necessarily include hunting demons like the film’s protagonists. The NYX Cosmetics kit (pronounced “nicks” btw) which has a mascara, eye shadow palette, lip cream (my favorite), blush, eyeliner and eye pencil is stored in a cute jewel knob box, retails for $24.99 for a limited time at ulta.com and ULTA stores.
Aren’t these the most beautiful and complex iPhone cases you’ve ever laid your eyes on? It appears as if fashion designer Mara Hoffman‘s intricate and carefully engineered prints were always meant to make their way onto a phone, and thanks to the collab with Incase, six cases are available for iPhone 5 at goincase.com and select retailers for $39.95. I never thought I would upgrade to the iPhone 5 as I’m pretty content with the 4S, but dangit Mara Hoffman and Incase, now I will have to change my mind just so that I can have one of these beauties!
Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale is less than a month away (starts July 19th!!), so it’s high time you start compiling your beauty bucket list and items that are running low and you need to replenish. I was super duper lucky to attend the Nordstrom Beauty event at Treasure & Bond, owned by Nordstrom which donates 100% of profits to charities benefiting children in NYC– how cool is that? Continue reading…
Last night was the fabulous rooftop celebration of the Clinique Dramatically Different Lotion reboot. At 45 years old, the beloved moisturizer has been dermatologist reformulated as NEW Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+, which provides a 54% improvement in skin’s barrier strength in 8 weeks without changing the iconic yellow lotion’s texture, and also doubles the moisture without adding any oil. Shop this fab new formulation in the US for $26 starting in August.
Dove go Fresh Restore smells A.M.A.Z.I.N.G; and oh yeah, it works pretty wonderfully too! The newest fragrance to fold into the go fresh collection, this scent structure is a combo of blue fig and orange blossom, which, if you can imagine, it smells like an exhilarating, citrusy and tangy fresh shower aroma. available in body wash (12 oz for $4.49 otr 24 oz for $6.99), beauty bars ($3.59 for a two-pack), and Anti-Perspirant/Deodorant ($3.89-$4.88), you get Dove’s signature 1/4 moisturizing cream formula coupled with an incredible scent. The best part? You don’t have to wait to pick some up; shop the latest go fresh scent now at food, drug, club, and online retailers nationwide now!
The GAP’s summer shorts collection is here! In celebration, I attended the DIY #LifeisShorts event hosted by Jenni of ISPYDIY and got a pair of shorts that I could extol a little do-it-yourself spirit into! THE GAP’s new short styles include: Sunkissed Printed Shorts, $44.95; 1969 Splattered Sexy Boyfriend Shorts, $49.95; 1969 Printed Summer Cut-Offs, $49.95; and the Boyfriend Roll-Up Shorts $39.95, and as a bonus, they are on sale RIGHT now!
ModCloth hosted a pop-up shop in NYC last week, which was a TREMENDOUS success; there were hundreds of fashionistas eager to meet the ModCloth team and try on items from the site’s collection, which featured an incredible range of sizes that span from small-3X. I was so thrilled to see all of my buddies from the brand and do some perusing; cat leggings, anyone (count me in!)?
I’m stressed. Very very stressed. Wedding? Two weeks away? Check list of things to-do? About 11 pages long. Complications and issues arising? Constantly! While I’ve been trying to take a breather and step away from my computer as frequently as possible to quell the anxiety and mounting tension that can arise from things going awry at this point in the game, my skin has begun to take a beating from the stress. Trying to stay hyrdated helps, but also using some amazing products boosts the effects.
I certainly need to have wedding-perfect skin, so the items above have been coming to my rescue. Clinique is such an awesome go-to for me in a variety of categories, and lately I’ve been digging the Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus All-Smooth Makeup SPF 15 offers great, build-able foundation coverage, smooths away lines, and is perfect for dry skin, which tends to happen when under stress. The Clinique Even Better Concealer is a great creamy formula that brightens where I need it most, while concealing unwanted blemishes.
During my incredible facial last month at VMV (more to come on that later), my dry lips were satiated with the Grandma Minnie’s The Big Boo Boo Balm, which, although yes, it is for children, it also is divine for those of us that have sensitive skin or issues such as eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, general wounds, cuts, and more. It is coconut-oil derived, so you KNOW it’s gonna be good! I also had a gentle infusion of moisture put back into my skin thanks to the Hydra Balance Smart Moisturizer SPF 15 for Combination Skin since I can be dry in most areas, but break out in others (mainly my chin).
Now that I’ve got my skin in better check, I can focus on all of the work at hand!
How have you maintained your skin (and sanity) in stressful times?
