Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day, friends! As you read this, I'm chilling at the Jersey shore with my gals Andrea and Andrea. I always enjoy the deathrattle of summer that is Labor Day because it's the harbinger of fall, my favorite time of year in NYC, tweed, Fashion Week and no longer having to do "roll call" every weekend to see who's in town.

Here, some great reads to tide you over until we resume talking beauty on Tuesday.

10 Ways to Have Better Sex (College Candy)

Was summer 2010 your worst summer ever (Lemondrop)

The worst dating advice from movies (All Women Stalk)

Would you wear these? (College Fashion)

Can your shoes clean the floor? (Fashion Pulse Daily)

Fall's hottest trends (Hot Beauty Health)

8 ways to transform his style (YourTango)

Fictionary: Nail Fail resulting from a cocktail (Beauty Blogging Junkie)

Jerry Lewis wants to smack WHO in the face? (The Frisky)

Fall fashion tips for curvy girls (Fa(s)t Fashion)

Can you be smart and sexy? (Already Pretty)

Forget beach reads and focus on fall books (Tressugar)

Who wore it best? (Styleite)

An open letter to my friends...who are always wrong (Crushable)

September fashion bloggers to watch (Stylecaster)

The safe sex fashion show (video) (The Gloss)

Chanel wants to tattoo you (What's Haute)


Image: someecards.com
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Lancome Gift With Purchase at Macy's

Lancôme is offering their Fall in Love Gift with purchase. Exclusive to Macy’s, the deal lasts until Monday, September 6. Here's how to take advantage of the deal:

·         Spend $32.50 on any combination of Lancôme products.

·         Select your favorite makeup bag (in red, white or black).

·         Choose six out of 11 Lancôme favorites in deluxe sample sizes.

 Learn more here. 

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Jonathan Adler Giraffe

I just bought this simply adorbs Jonathan Adler giraffe ($120) for Carol as a belated birthday present. Upon seeing it, my brother pointed out that it reminds him of the Directv commercial:


Um! I have a new favorite advertisement of all time. That teacup-giraffe is fucking magical. How I wish one existed. Carol pointed out that it is to giraffes what bonsai is to trees. So true! Also, that dude's apartment is uncannily similar to that of Joan Rivers per her documentary A Piece of Work.

Opulence! I has it.

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Destination: Procrastination

 In homage to 90210 Day, a flashback of the outfits of West Bev
[The Frisky]

Anne Hathaway cuts it all off
[College Candy]

Iconic high school  movie boyfriends
[TresSugar]

Fist-pump your way through ELLE's 25 moments in pop culture
[ELLE.com]

Kristen tries out a self-tanner with SPF from Victoria's Secret
[Beauty Addict]

Lanvin for H&M!
[Fashion Binge]

College Fashion challenges you to rock a dress with pants
[College Fashion ]

[Redacted] Guy answers your letters
[lemondrop]

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Fictionary: Nail Fail Resulting From a Cocktail

Fictionary is a column showcasing beauty-related words that don't exist, but should.

I don't have a recent photo of exactly what Nail Fail Resulting from a Cocktail looks like, and I'm glad about it.

Nail Fail Resulting from a Cocktail happens when, after an evening of drinks, vertical lines marble through my fresh polish application most unwelcomed. It's most visible on pale pink polish--usually when I've invested in a professional mani with Essie Sugar Daddy with the "genius" idea that a light pink polish will boast more bang for the buck, as chips are more discreet. But Nail Fail Resulting from a Cocktail renders my careful planning moot (or "moo," as Joey Tribbiani once said) because SOMEHOW the vertical "cracks" in my nails are much darker than simple chips. They're most akin to the grey lines within an Etch-a-Sketch.

It's sinisterly magical--I've never experienced the immediacy of this type of marred mani from anything other than a night of alcoholic indulgence. This is why when I know a wedding or other such booze-soaked affair is coming up, I invest in a "shot" of Shellac.

Have you experienced Nail Fail Resulting from a Cocktail?

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Jemma Kidd Makeup School Hi-Shine Hydrating Gloss Stick Review

Happy September, friends! This time of year always feels like the real "new year" (perhaps it's the Jewish new year, or the fact that even eight years out of college, I still feel like I want to buy some Lisa Frank school supplies.) Sometimes you just have to be schooled so that you don't fall into a makeup rut and no one does twists on old faves like Jemma Kidd. That's one school at which I'm dying to matriculate.

You can always bet on her colors to be pure, popping and bright. Jemma Kidd Makeup School recently released Hi-Shine Hydrating Gloss Sticks, which are sold at Space.NK.

The lite-brite-esque colors are briskly refreshing and inspired by Jemma's childhood in beachy Barbados. They're quite wearable  They've got the solid, easy application of a lipstick with the glossy finish of a gloss. I'm especially enamored of the "chisel bullet" design of the stick itself and its lack of scent or flavor.

The packaging is futuristically chic. The sleek, flower-adorned tube boasts a satisfying click when you close it, like clicking a pen. To open it, you also click the end and about a 1/2 inch of the tube for you to grab and pull free.

At $25 a pop, they are a bit spendy and I do wish they'd stay on my lips a bit longer. I find I have to reapply every couple hours or so. But that said, the sheer, yet plasticky shiny consistency this glossy stick yields is the gorgeness.

In short, save some dollies first, but do get involved.

Disclosure: Samples of this item were provided for editorial consideration.

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Travel Blogging Junkie: Anara Spa at The Grand Hyatt Kauai

You'll love this week's Travel Blogging Junkie feature. The scintillatingly relaxing lobby you see at the left is the real, live lobby of the Anara Spa at the Grand Hyatt on Kauai, Hawaii. It's OUTSIDE. Can you even? I sat on one of those very chairs pre-treatment sipping on spa water reading magazines and having the time of my damn lifestyle. The treatment room where I enjoyed a glamazing facial (see photo below on right of the room, here used for a couples' massage) is also al fresco.

I had the opportunity to indulge in the Signature Anara Facial ($165 for 50 minutes) in this outdoor treatment room where I relaxed to the whir of wind while my face was exfoliated and treated by Laola, my aesthetician. Laola and I chatted about her glamazing lash-tinting procedure she'd just had done on the mainland a couple weeks prior to my visit. The experience was deeply rejuvenating thanks to an included arm massage and tailored-to-my-skin Epicuren and Eminence products. My one gripe is that for $165, I wish it had included extractions, but even without them, my face did feel sublimely smooth and fresh. Natural facials such as this one typically do not include a major pore clean-out in favor of more pure, physical exfoliants.

And I daresay that I learned I loved an outdoor spa as much as Neil Kellerman loved the pechanga.

Book a spa treatment at Anara:

Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa
1571 Poipu Road, Koloa, Hawaii, USA 96756
 (808) 742-1234

Disclosure: Spa service provided free for editorial consideration.

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Check out My Makeup-Free Monday on The Beauty Bean!

Gals, I took it all off--makeupwise, anyway--for my girl Alexis Wolfer, Editor-in-Chief of The Beauty Bean. 

Check out the photo and the feature here.





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