Now that New York Fashion Week is well over, and I can process everything that happened and get back to a normal schedule, I wanted to share some of the things that I heavily relied upon to get me stylishly through the week. All of these can be used regularly too, so I hope that you explore my favorite go-tos as well!
I LITERALLY had a cold for the entire duration of New York Fashion Week, and braving the snow and cold didn’t make it any better, however, I miraculously managed to not get any worse, and soothed my congestion, stuffy nose, and taxed skin by using a cool mist humidifier. Courtesy of the brand, the Honeywell Designer Series Filter Free Cool Moisture Humidifier (HUT-300) has a cool, kettle-like design which looks right at home in our mix of vintage and modern décor, efficiently pumping out an adjustable amount of mist via ultrasonic technology. I’ve never had a cool mist humidifier before, but I can easily gauge that I was sleeping better and coughing less thanks to the added moisture in the air. Plus, not having to clean it and just merely refill the water tank every night was a HUGE plus!
Since I only had time to wash my hair every other day, my hair’s hero product was dry shampoo! I rotated between the Kérastase Powder Bluff and TRESememé’s Fresh Start Volumizing Dry Shampoo, since I could use an extra boost of oil absorption and volume! I’m so glad that practically every hair care brand has a version of dry shampoo, and I have dutifully tested a great majority of them. The sides of my head and “flat spot” by the crown seem to be oil magnets, so I need to make sure I spritz and brush through those particular areas; thank goodness a textured, matte hair look is all the rage now, so that no one can really tell that I’m sporting some serious “second day” hair! Immediately after fashion week, I started using the Kérastase Gelée Volumifique religiously, a gel conditioner that once you leave on for 2-3 minutes and rinse out, gives incredible volume, a much needed boost since I’ve been beating up my hair lately.
Infusing moisture into my skin during fashion week has been a challenge, but once achieved, is well worth the invested time in getting it there. Luckily, a highly efficient, quick fix is by way of the Dermalogica AGE Smart Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque, a highly concentrated formula including vitamins A, C, E, and F to help skin bounce back from trauma, up the elasticity and moisture,and shield from free radicals. Plus, it goes on pretty clear, so you can go about your business seamlessly, and not looking like a mud mask monster!
There are little things about myself that I may find to be troublesome, like my perma-dark circles, and sporadic broken capillaries and cherry angiomas, but realistically, I know that I can’t do much about it. The one thing, however that I can enhance is my smile, and largely by taking care of, and whitening up my teeth. Leading up to, and during fashion week I used the new Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant Whitening & Enamel Strengthening Toothpaste, which uses three main ingredients — baking soda, peroxids, and active calcium, to remove stains, smooth the surface of the teeth, while cleaning, whitening, and strengthening. Sounds likes a pretty good product, right? And the best part? It’s just $3.99 – WAY cheaper than other mass brands!
I applied it to the brand new Truly Radiant Deep Clean Battery Powered Spinbrush Toothbrush ($8.99), which lets me be a little more passive with my brushing, since it does all of the hard work for me! AND, last I saw my dentist, she recommended that I use an electronic toothbrush all of the time, so I’m whitening and listening to her at the same time – score!
The top image is comprised of the various products I used during New York Fashion Week, so as you can imagine, removal and repair was essential! I used the bliss fabulips foaming lip cleanser to get rid of the liner ring around my lips, after a loooong day of show-going, and then infused my lips with moisture, thanks to the petrolatum, shea Butter, palm tree butter, essential fatty acids complex and honey extract found in it. I apply it right before bed and after showering in the morning, and it is one of those products that I had no idea how I survived without it!
I’m really not too keen on tea, perhaps due in part to my excessive consumption of Lipton year ’round growing up, that I refuse to drink it unless I have a cold, or the tea is REALLY, REALLY good. Luckily, a Kusmi Tea location opened up by my office, and I purchased a “Green Tea Sampler,” originally for my husband, however I ended up being the one to use it the most! I’m not only heavily addicted to the delicious tea flavor, but also the very cool tin packaging, which makes an awesome gift. The majority of the time I was working on my fashion week write-ups, I was fueled my Kusmi, with the almond green tea as my absolute favorite!
My scent of New York Fashion Week this time around was the Olivine Atelier Amongst the Waves Eau de Parfum ($80), included in a sampler kit I had recently received from the company. While there were flurries galore and I was wearing TWO jackets on a daily basis, the scent, inspired by Hanalei, Hawaii, transported me to tranquil breezes and salty air, with a delectable array of ocean salt, black coconut, stargazer lily, waterlily, tiger lily, tonka bean, and Arabian sandalwood. It’s extremely clean and refreshing, yet sophisticated at the same time, certainly making it a fashion-week worthy fragrance.
Although I have told it many times NOT to do it, my skin still isn’t getting the memo that break-outs are a no no during New York Fashion Week. So, at least when it does happen, I can now quickly treat the blemish with Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel, a new 4-in-1 Clearing Complex ($17) that also prevents future breakouts. Luckily, it arrived right at the start of fashion week (available nationwide in March 2014), and went right to making my skin less rebellious, as it combines exfoliating and anti-blemish agents with sebum-controlling and anti-irritant ones, and is just as effective as other topical acne prescription drugs, with less hassle and an insurance copay to deal with! Per usual, way to go, Clinique!
I’m looking forward to keeping my phone reliably charged next fashion week with the Duracell Powermat GoPower Day Trip, which is compact and lightweight, allowing for up to a full charge while on the go. It has an option to use a micro USB and charge on a Powermat or through a USB cord. At just 3.36oz, it is EXTREMELY handbag friendly, and will certainly be a permanent staple in my bag, for fashion week and beyond. PLUS, if you want to get wirelessly charged too, get 20% off on any item at the DuracellPowermat website simply by using code “FASHION20.”