June 28, 2013
There are so many factors that influence women’s fashion: bloggers, designers, magazine editors, celebrities, art, even the economy…LollieShopping polled several women about which male icons most influenced their style, and one of the gals included was…me! Read on at LollieShopping to see who I identify with (the answer may surprise you!), as well as from several other fabulous ladies!
June 27, 2013
There are some AMAZING perks to what I do, namely, getting the opportunity to try out an incredibly new nail spot as part of the gig!
Courtesy of my friends at BlueSky PR and SPANAIL, I was able to watch the talented nail artist Maki at work at the sparkling new SPANAIL by Nail Quick location in New York City’s Soho neighborhood. The nail art craze has certainly become a global phenomenon, however Japanese nail artists are touted as the best, and now that the chain of upscale salons by Nail Quick have hit stateside, I was excited to try the experience and learn about the techniques, check out the salon, and learn about some of the cultural differences in the realm of nails and beauty.
The wall of polishes was well-edited with a nice selection of shades from O.P.I. and essie, as well as a bunch of gel options to choose from at SPANAIL. Not quite sure how I wanted to use them, I couldn’t decide between these two essie shades (pictured above), so I nabbed them both of the wall. While enjoying my pedicure, I grabbed a Wall Street Journal that had been floating around in my purse for some time, and was given a delicious cup of tea while my tootsies soaked in the warm bath.
As you can probably tell just by looking at this pedicure stations (pictured above) the salon is impeccably designed, melding Japanese design within the signature elements of SoHo, such as exposed brick and lofted ceilings. I had such a gentle, yet thorough pedicure, that I was almost too relaxed to read or talk! It was absolutely wonderful, and although I picked out the essie polish, I let my nail tech, Maki, decide on the design. She chose some delicate stones and carefully placed them into pyramid design at the base of my big toe nails.
While chatting with the team at SPANAIL, who had all come to the USA from Japan, I learned that the company trains their nail artists, who go through a rigorous process to be certified and up to par with the high quality standards. I also found out that regular polish as we know it doesn’t really exist anymore in Japan; it’s all about the gel polish, and pretty much everyone gets gel for it’s long lasting effects, especially when nail art is concerned. Since the special nail add-ons is what SPANAIL does best, you can choose on its menu from everything from a funky French, marble or graduation design, to the addition of stones, hand drawn designs, and more.
The salon has a selection of nail art to choose from (see above), but you can always advise on something specific that you’d like and may not see. Maki told me she has done everything from write names on nails to even freestyle a bird design. Speaking of designs…
I again gave Maki free reign on my digits, and the final result was this mix of half and half color and stones – just lovely! It was a wonderfully relaxing and luxurious experience at SPANAIL, which I certainly plan to return to soon and highly recommend for NYC dwellers and visitors alike. Prices start at $30 for a manicure and $45 for a pedicure, with treatments such as paraffin at $10 and nail art from $10.
SPANAIL by Nail Quick is located at 120 Sullivan Street (bet. Prince & Spring), from Mon.−Sat. 11am−9pm and Sun and holidays. 11am−7pm; call ahead to make an appointment at 646.476.3271.
June 24, 2013
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!
June 21, 2013
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, skyn Iceleand 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…
