This week’s tip and picks is inspired by the mental block I have in regards to exercise, henceforth illustrated by my work chair: A stability ball. Looking quite odd, and slightly pervy, and forever eliciting curious stares and comments, sitting on one of these during my work week, according to research and a friend’s personal trainer, keeps my waist shaped and my posture straight because your body is constantly having to make small adjustments in order to balance itself on the ball, which has the same effect as a constant low impact pilates workout. Sitting on a stability ball is an easy and mindless way to workout your core muscles (see diagram below) including your abs, and strengthens your back.

TIP: Works especially well while watching TV and when working on a computer.

*These balls come in different sizes, so for optimal results, use your height to determine what size ball will work best for you, e.g. larger balls for taller people, etc., and if you want to move beyond your sitting stability ball workout, check out these recommended stability ball exercises, from Fitness Magazine. (more…)

Target, or Tar-Jaaaay as we like to call it, is one of my favorite places to go, and for various reasons. From their designer clothing collaborations, to cleverly designed cleaning products (Method), to home organizing solutions, Target supplies a plethora of affordable and smartly designed products, whose reach even extends to the realm of beauty, seen in this week’s pick, Sonia Kashuk’s Perfectly Neutral Eye Palette, yet another impressive Tar-jaaay product.
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Finally, a fashion read with a sense of humor! A couple weeks ago, I attended the Barneys book signing of Eccentric Glamour, written by the store’s fabulously eccentric Creative Director, Simon Doonan.

Simon Doonan’s Eccentric Glamour is written as a guide from a fashion insider’s perspective to help one cultivate his or her own sense of personal style. He classifies eccentrically glamorous persons into three categories: The Gypsy, the Socialite, and the Existentialist, all having the ability to share overlapping characteristics, quite like the principles of the Ayurvedic dosha, the classification system based on body types, personality traits, and lifestyle preferences. Simon can help you discover your long lost fashion dosha, so it’s well worth the read.

Part self-help, part autobiography, the book not only includes incredibly valuable style, fashion, and beauty tips, and living and past examples of glamorous eccentrics, but is delightfully funny as well, and most importantly, is bluntly honest about what works and what does not work in the world of good eccentric fashion. His candor and general concern for the future of fashion is inspiring and most respected. I met Simon briefly at the Barneys book signing and was impressed with his ease; he didn’t seem stuffy or pretentious like some other fashion folks, and I was smitten cause he liked my glasses.

“Call me crazy, but I believe that there just might be more to being a woman than prancing around dressed like a Stepford blow-up doll. Non? In my experience you girls are highly idiosyncratic creatures whose true essence is riddled with subtlety and nuance. Your sizzling sexuality is only one aspect of a complex and intriguing picture.”

Simon said it. And I agree. So now go find your eccentrically beautiful self and get Eccentric Glamour!

REVIEW:
Price: $16.32 - $24.00
Value: Moderate
Accessibility: Moderate
Where to buy: Barneys Stores, Barneys.com, Amazon.com

Enjoy and stay posted for more beauty tips and picks to come next week!

Years ago, one of my best friends, an esthetician, gave me a wooden brush made with natural hair and short nubby rubber bristles. She told me to use it on my skin before I showered and that I would like it cause it would “help my poor circulation”. I’m not at all discriminatory, especially when it comes to health and beauty alternatives, so I did what she instructed, and lo and behold, I was hooked because it feels really good. Some years later, after further research into natural beauty regimens, I realized what I was actually doing had a name for it. Turns out it is called, dry skin brushing, which has the additional health benefits of removing dead skin cells and stimulating the lymphatic system, thus flushing toxins from the body. It also makes your skin incredibly smooth and soft. And shoot, I’ve had no complaints! Anyhow, this week’s tip is how to do it.

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The holidays are always the busiest, and the most fun time of the year for me. Parties, dinners, shopping, last minute shopping, cooking, eating, drinking, and staying out late has me pretty much exhausted by the end of December. Yet somehow I make it thorough the festivities of the winter holiday, thanks to this week’s picks, a.k.a Santa’s Little Helpers, which keep me looking cool, calm, and collected, and best of all: jolly.

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The holidays are a dangerous time for an open-minded person like myself. It’s when I’m shopping for a specific person, looking for that perfect Christmas gift with them in mind, that I also happen to find many a perfect gift for myself, as I am a true optimist; inspired by all the wonderful things out there, seeing the hidden potential in each item I pass. You might think I’m crazy, but I’m serious; it’s the pleasure principle, and this week’s picks are great gifts to give and keep.

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The smokey eye. It’s sexy, it’s sultry and I’m not gonna lie, it’s the wearing all black of cosmetics, granting an instant ten pound weight loss to its wearer as visually, a larger eye means a smaller surface area of the face. This week’s pick, Sephora’s Smokey Eye Kit, is intended to help one master the smokey eye, and includes step by step how to instructions, 5 very well made specialty brushes, and a mascara conveniently packaged in a gunmetal vinyl travel case. (more…)

Whereas clothing styles are ever-changing, red lipstick is forever. Sure there are times in fashion when nudes or pink glosses prevail, however these beauty trends don’t even come close to the power of the painted red lip. Red lipstick is classic. Like a pair of 501s, it’s the pearl strand of cosmetics. It’s chic. When your red lips are the only ones in a sea of pink glosses, you’ve earned the mystique of a French girl. Red lipstick is elegant. Pair it with a chignon and lots of lash, and you’re ready for an evening out. With this said, you’ve red my mind….So this week’s picks are dedicated to my top 3 favorite red lipsticks of the year. (more…)

Winter is by far my favorite season, and for so many reasons. I love winter fashion; the wool coats, cuddly sweaters, boots, mittens, gloves. I love the winter holidays; the comfort foods, the delicious holiday smells, the smiles and all the eating, but what I do not like about winter is this: Its physical toll on my body; the aches and pains from the cold and damp weather, the upset stomachs from all the overindulging. Yet somehow every year I’m able to bear with the discomforts of the season, and I owe the secret of my success to this week’s tip: My Magical D.I.Y. Chinese Cure All Soup. Now unlike the snake oil peddlers of the 1800’s, my cure all contains no alcohol whatsoever, and is actually quite beneficial when treating a hangover (add a 7Up here). In addition, this soup, which is really just ginger infused chicken broth, also helps cramps, diarrhea, winter chills, colds, indigestion and nausea. Ginger is a very common ingredient in Chinese medicine and cooking, and my family has been making a variation of this very simple recipe for years (my Great-Grandfather was a Chinese Herbalist). And as a matter of fact, I had to drink some of this concoction this morning. (more…)

I’m very loyal bordering on co-dependent when it comes to my make-up color selections, so there are times when I force myself to think outside of the box by buying a myriad of colors inside a box; or what we all know as make-up palettes.

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