Jet Set Girls

NARS Lipstick: Two Shades for Summer

2008-07-25T13:27:00.001-04:00

We read a lot about gloss this time of year, for good reason, no one wants a $30 tube of lipstick to melt in her purse. Here's a couple of colors from Nars that are worth wearing (and protecting from the heat) this summer: Nouba and Masai. Both have a bronze base, Nouba has more ginger undertones, Masai is more rose quartz. We found they had staying power without drying out your lips, complements of Vitamin E. They're particularly flattering with a tan face (self-tanner, please) and give you a sultry Sofia Loren Italian goddess look. Pair it with a sexy cat eye and you'll be ready for the Riviera!

If you're on the lookout for fall lip colors, check out Senorita, a "sheer shimmering cherry blossom." (pictured above)

Nars is currently offering free 3-day shipping on orders over $60.

On Our Radar: Hula Girl Getaway

2008-07-25T07:19:00.000-04:00

We love the idea of jetting to Hawaii with a couple of our closest friends and spending a few days soaking in the tropics.

The Fairmont Orchid, located on the northwestern coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, is offering a Hula Girls Package which includes daily hula lessons, two rooms for the price of one, breakfast, snorkeling gear and surfing lessons.

While you're there don't miss the Spa Without Walls which has 10 spa hale (huts) nestled within the waterfalls, streams and lily ponds and oceanfront massage cabanas.

Hawaii makes for a long trip for Eastcoaters; but wouldn't this be a dream bachelorette getaway? For more information, go to the Fairmont Orchid website.

Aloha!

Call Voice Mail Directly

2008-07-24T12:01:00.000-04:00

The NY Post featured a story yesterday "Dial-a-Breakup Made Easy" about a number you can call that will put you directly into the person's you are calling voice mail. Here's how it works: You dial 267-SLY-DIAL then dial the cell number you are calling at the prompt. You'll listen to a short ad, then be put into the other person's voice mail. Now the story suggests this is a good way to breakup with a person, which we would NEVER do! Having been broken up with over voice mail, we can tell you first hand it's a really crappy and wimpy way to end things.

However, we see this coming in handy when you need to take a mental health day at the beach and don't want to speak directly with your boss or if you want to check in at home while you're away and don't want the drama of speaking to your SO directly.

Amanda Seyfried's Hair in Mama Mia

2008-07-24T07:22:00.002-04:00

If you can't beat the humidity, may as well have it work for you and go for the full on beach-y look, whether you're on vacation or stuck in the city. For tips, we checked in with the fabulous and talented Edris of NYC's Edris Salon. Being a island lady herself (she hails from St. Vincent and now lives on the island of Manhattan, which is about as steamy as any Carribbean Isle these days), Edris has more than a few tricks up her elegant sleeves.

Her secret weapon? Aloe vera. She uses it in place of gel, because it dries soft. To get beachy waves like Amanda Seyfried's, Edris recommends a leave-in conditioner, followed by a dab of aloe finger-combed through wet hair (the amount depends on the thickness of your hair and the length). Then braid your hair. The key--Edris made us stop typing notes into our Blackberry to make sure we were listening and watching, so we know this step is important--is to braid the hair flat and close to your head. She says this eliminates frizz because it flattens the shaft. She braids hair in five sections, three in the center from the forehead to the nape of your neck and one on each side.

Need somewhere to wear that beach-y hair? How about the island where Mamma Mia was filmed?

Fish Pedicure: Hope's First Hand Experience

2008-07-23T14:24:00.011-04:00

Okay, it's done. Hope's been to Yvonne Salon to have a school of little fish nibble at her feet. Sounds creepy, right? She thought so too, especially when they went after the tender skin between her toes or congregated under the bridge of her foot. If you ever swam in a lake as a kid and had a blue gill nip at you, it's like that times ten.

It was a family affair: once Hope's girls got wind of the fish pedicure, they had to try it out. That's their feet sharing a tank. They giggled at how ticklish it was and enjoyed themselves immensely. Apparently, they didn't see the fish poop floating around.

We expected the salon to smell like a pet store; but it didn't, it was spotless. The three women in charge were friendly and informative. Shannon explained how Yvonne had learned about the garra rufa fish (or doctor fish) from a client. From Turkey originally, they're used in Asia to treat skin ailments like psoriasis and eczema, as well as in spas for manis and pedis. Yvonne traveled to China where she learned about the fish biz (she even experienced the full body tank) and brought the fish home. She's looking to open a couple of more stores in the D.C. area, as well as open franchises, and supply other spas with fish. By the never ending telephone ring, we'd say she's onto something hot.

The results are mixed: while our feet look great and feel smoother than ever; we still feel squeamish. It's doubtful we'd return, though it's worth a try if you're adventurous. We'd try anything for a good pedicure. And tonight, no sushi for us.

A Peek Inside the StoreAdore Girls Carry On

2008-07-23T07:34:00.001-04:00

We've looked inside Annie's and Hope's carry ons, now we're peeking inside the carry ons of StoreAdore.com founders Christina Miller (left) and Meredith Barnett (right). Here's what they have to say:

With Store Adore currently covering boutique shopping in New York, Washington, DC, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Philadelphia (newly launched!), we are constantly jetting from one city to the next in order to keep our booties on the ground regarding the shopping scene. (We know Annie and Hope can relate.)

After too many lost luggage experiences – not to mention the ridiculous new airline policies ($25 per bag? Come on!) – we’ve pretty much abandoned the idea of checking our bags. We’ve got carry-on bag packing down to a science. In fact, we now permanently keep our beauty products in Ziploc bags. Here’s what you’ll find in our carry-on bags:

1. The origami wrap from Lilla P is one of the most genius clothing items we’ve encountered. You can wear it over and over again in an infinite number of ways—a shawl, a layering top, a cardigan, a tunic—so versatile and casually chic. Store Adore shoppers can score them for 20% off. Click here for the code.

2. A pair of cute lightweight flip flops packs easily and is good for plodding around hotel rooms (especially for germaphobes like Cristina!), giving swollen feet a break on the plane, and wearing out to dinner if you’re lucky enough to be traveling somewhere warm. We like these by from Pedro Garcia at Los Angeles-based boutique Heist where Store Adore shoppers get 25% off. Click here for the code.

3. Travel can be a nightmare for your skin: Airplanes are notoriously drying, and more time outside means additional sun exposure. This lip gloss from Nuxe is an all-in-one: a pretty pink shade, SPF 15, and an uber-moisturizer.

4. We seem to travel with three to five lingerie bags each. We use them for dirty clothes, socks, bras, and underwear. This one from celebrity trend resource Intuition is meant for swimsuits, but we use it for everything. Store Adore shoppers get 20% off here.

5. The best kind of jewelry for travel is the kind that you don’t have to remove. Meredith just bought this bracelet from Covet (using my Store Adore 20% discount!) and I’ve yet to take it off. The leather just gets softer the more you wear it, and I love the chic meets glam appeal. No need to stuff my carry-on even more!

6. A roomy totebag functions as a handbag, a laptop bag, and a carry-on. This Hayden Harnett bag (shown top) weighs practically nothing. It has a padded pocket for laptops, can be worn under your arm, and also expands so that if you shop while you travel (and who doesn’t?) you have room for all your goods. Look for an exclusive Store Adore discount on Hayden Harnett soon.

Click here for a complete list of StoreAdore discounts.

Update: We just read in WWD that Hayden Harnett is slated to create a line for Target in spring 2009. Love it!

Dual Shower Head at the Westin

2008-07-22T16:02:00.003-04:00

Given that we're about to become first time home owners, we're paying more attention to all those little details in a hotel room that we used to overlook, like the Westin Heavenly Shower Head. We've experienced all kinds of showers--spa showers that shoot at you from all sides (we plan on installing one in our dream home); overhead rain showers (soothing, but a bitch for keeping your blowout safe) and outdoor showers (a must for our dream beach house). We liked this dual shower head so much because it hits your upper and lower body at the same time, which really keeps you warm, especially important in San Francisco in July! You can buy the shower head online, along with the famous Westin Bed.

Fish Pedicure

2008-07-22T13:00:00.004-04:00

Have you heard about this yet? These poor fish were imported from China for the sole (ha!) purpose of nibbling the calluses off your feet- the new "fish pedicure." JSG's Hope is equally disgusted and curious about the idea, so in the interest of beauty has decided to be a guinea pig for you. (That and Anne is making her do it!) Check back tomorrow for the review.

Bobbi Brown Makeover in San Francisco

2008-07-22T08:07:00.000-04:00

JSG's Anne and Hope love to get their makeup done while on vacation- especially if it's as convenient as the Saks was, next door to our hotel in Union Square. Convincing ShallowGal to come along was another thing. She hemmed and hawed and wouldn't get out of bed until the very last minute. (Peer pressure works wonders!) When all was said and done, she looked awesome, see for yourself that's her on the right.

We were fortunate to get three appointments together before the BlogHer party on Saturday night. The lovely Dominique at the Bobbi Brown counter at Saks kept us laughing the whole time. Hope bought the new Heather Mauve lipstick for fall (works awesome with her new Mauve Face Palette) and Anne bought the lip gloss in Buff. Amy went home with gel liner in Mahogany Ink. All products are available on Bobbi Brown's website.

Click here to see a video of Bobbi discussing her new mauve collection.

Traveling with TripIt.com

2008-07-21T13:55:00.000-04:00

On our trip to San Fran for BlogHer we tried out TripIt.com's free itinerary service to keep track of our flights and hotel. Here's what we learned:
•It was very handy to have the flights and hotel arrangements on one easy to print form. TripIt keeps track of all the confirmation numbers, so no need to search for them at every turn.
•One of the features we love is that it automatically tells you the weather in your destination city. Perhaps if we had taken it more seriously or better understood what 65 degrees feels like in the middle of July, we wouldn't have frozen our butts off in San Fran over the weekend. (The Italian woman who took our photo was surprised that we weren't cold given how lightly we were dressed. We assured her we were freezing!)
•It helps if everyone participate (Ahem, Hope!) and it helps to remember that you've actually done it. We did call each other to ask info about our flights and the hotel, only to remember it was easily accessible to all online.

Ojon Rub Out Dry Cleanser

2008-07-21T06:40:00.001-04:00

We gave the Ojon Rub-Out Dry Cleanser a run this weekend and we were impressed how effective it was. This helped our blow out last that we had done before leaving for our trip and it was a hit with both members of JSG. Add this to our secrets for making a blowout last.

Here's how we used it: flip your head over and spray the Ojon towards your roots (it's totally cool and refreshing), then use your fingers to massage it into your scalp, next flip your head back and brush it through. Afterwards, your hair will have more body than before, no greasy shine, and will smell fresh too. You can find Ojon products at Sephora.

Botkier for Target is Here!

2008-07-19T12:58:00.003-04:00

Back in March we told you that Botkier was doing a bargain-priced line for Target. Listen up ladies: It's in stores and online now.

Here are our two favorite pieces. Annie likes the gold hobo bag since it's roomie and she hasn't gotten over her metallic addiction.

Hope has moved on to her purple/pink/fuschia phase and also has a thing for tassels so this clutch is her top pick.

BlogHer Girls' Weekend

2008-07-18T06:07:00.001-04:00

We've arrived in Hope's favorite city, San Francisco, along with 1,000 other wacky women bloggers. We spent the afternoon in the Richmond, first eating tons of dim sum at Tom Kiang, then taking a strenuous stroll through the Presidio where we took a gratuitous shot with our pal ShallowGal in front of the Golden Gate. Love ourselves a landmark! More to come...

Better Photos of Kimora Lee Simmon's for J.C. Penney's

2008-07-17T10:00:00.000-04:00

We were able to track down some better photos of Kimora Lee Simmons and her line for J.C. Penney's, Fabulosity.

Here's Kimora with that elusive hottie Djimon Hounsou and equally stunning Gabrielle Union.

Another piece from her Fabulousity line. We would like it save for the gold decal on the front.

And the band everyone adored.

Photos courtesy of Getty.

Kimora Lee Simmons for J.C. Penney's

2008-07-17T08:00:00.001-04:00

Tuesday night we went to the showing of Kimora Lee Simmons line for J.C. Penney's at the Hiro Ballroom. The event was fun--the DJ was rocking, the bubbly was flowing, the crowd was friendly and cute (we especially loved meeting Drew from MyItThings). We hardly noticed that Kimora showed up an hour late-Ha! Pulling another page out of Marc Jacob's playbook, she started the show with the Brooklyn High Marching Band (we may be making that name up.). The clothes were sexy scholastic--not our thing, but it is a juniors line.

Our apologies, but our pictures are pretty bad. We need to figure out how to improve the speed of our camera and you had the shorter of the two JSG girls working for you Tuesday night, which made picture taking even more challenging.

Kimora Lee Simmons, Miss Fabulousity herself. When someone asked to see her diamond ring, she joked that she's hoping for another one. Are you listening Djimon Hounsou?

The band was high energy and totally adorable.

Here's one of the models we were able to get. We actually kinda like her dress.

Not so sure about this sparkly pink top.

The models lined up on the stairs and danced while waiting for the grande finale walk through.

Here's the woman who was in front of me. Now do you see why our pictures suck? =)
We were lucky enough to get a peek at Djimon Hounsou on our way out and are happy to report he's even dreamier in person. We tried to take a photo, but you can guess how that went...

Rooftop Lounge mad46 Opening

2008-07-16T16:30:00.002-04:00

We've been looking for more rooftop bars and someone must have heard. The Roosevelt Hotel, on the corner of Madison Ave. and 46th St. is opening a new rooftop lounge, mad46. Perched on the 19th floor with views of Mid-town Manhattan, mad46 is catering to the happy hour crowd pre-Metro North ride. We're loving the sound of the Rooftop Mojito and the Poached Jumbo Shrimp with Absolut infused cocktail sauce. Come meet us for a cocktail!

A Peek Inside Hope's Carry On Bag

2008-07-16T09:56:00.006-04:00

Last week Annie showed you what's inside her carry on, now it's Hope's turn. Tomorrow we're leaving for San Francisco (and though she hasn't started packing yet), here's what will be in Hope's carry on:

A trip to Sephora is always in order before a girls' trip. We picked up the Ojon Rub-Out Dry Cleanser in the handy 2 oz. travel size. Since our flight leaves at 7 a.m. (why do we do this to ourselves!) we won't have time to coif before leaving and by the time we land our hair will need some pick up. The TSA website says aerosols are permitted in limited quantities for personal care. We'll let you know if it doesn't get through security.The new Bobbi Brown Mauve Face Palette: thanks to Julia at All About the Pretty for the heads up on this one. We love a good makeup set especially for travel and the Mauve Face Palette has 3 great eye colors, a blush, and 3 lip shades. Sorry, but we're not waiting until fall to use it!

Something groovy, like John Legend, for the iPod to relax.

Easy reading: especially love to scour shopping mags like Lucky and In Style, and the latest Travel and Leisure (of course), plus a stack of catalogs are fun, even if they're heavy to carry on the plane they can be tossed before getting off.

A Blackberry (off line): to go through all those emails you've been meaning to read and respond to but haven't had the time. Also, use it to jot down ideas that otherwise end up lost on scraps of paper at the bottom of your purse.

Put it all in this eco-friendly Stella McCartney for LeSportsac Bowling Bag (at the top): love the retro orange and brown with gold hardware. It's 50% off at LeSportsac.com.

More About Sunscreen Dos and Don'ts

2008-07-15T14:30:00.000-04:00

A few weeks back, we told you about our turning into the SPF police. Our crusade is never ending! This weekend during our NYC Staycation, we tried out the Kiehl's UV Protective Suncare, which has Mexoryl to protect against those pesky aging UVA rays. We give it a thumbs up! We didn't burn during two consecutive days of lying out on Manhattan's Pier 83. Remember, Kiehl's gives generous samples in their stores, so pick up a few before your next weekend getaway.

Have questions about applying your SPF properly? Check out Annie's Everyday Health story on Suncare Dos and Don'ts featuring tips from the fab Dr. Doris Day.

Musts for Checking In

2008-07-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

We can’t wait to get to San Fran for BlogHer and check into our hotel, the Westin St. Francis. We’ve stayed there before and know it’s a pretty fab hotel with a killer location, but we know from experience there are a few things we must do when checking in.

First off: Get extra keys made—at least 2 per girl. When you’re rushing out the door, late for your 8:30 dinner ressie this will prove unbelievably handy. Those key cards are also notoriously easy to deactivate, so this saves you from having to traipse back to reception for a new key. Next, double check everyone's name is on the reservation. There was a time in Miami when one of us couldn't get in the room because she didn't have a key or her name on the reservation.

If we’re not in a rush, we always let the bell hop help us with our bags. He knows the inside scoop on the hotel (i.e. if the bar is worth going to, if there are celebs under the same roof). Equally valuable, he knows the layout of your room, including the all important secret to adjusting the thermostat, which we inevitably need to know when we’re burrowed under the covers at 3 am in a 65 degree room. Always let him get you ice—unlimited ice is one of our small loves about hotel life. And don’t forget to tip—the old standard is $1-$2 per bag.

What’s the first thing you do when you get to your room? We hope you didn’t say unpack, because you’ll want to scope it out first and decide if you really want to be in that room for the weekend, week, whatever. Do you like the view? Can you hear the elevator? Is the room down a long dark hallway? Even if you think the problem is minor and will only bother you a little, request a room change immediately. Trust us on this one. The “minor” problem will be multiplied by 60,000 by day two. Call down and politely describe the problem and request a room change. If the hotel is booked, and you’re stuck where you are, ask for a discount. This is what we did on our trip to the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne. Our “Ocean View” room had a view of a black asphalt parking lot. With one phone call, management agreed to cut our rate—in half! Turns out we didn’t hate the view that much.

Annie's picks for Sephora's Beauty and the Blog

2008-07-14T13:16:00.003-04:00

Last week we shared Hope's fave Sephora products, this week, it's Annie's turn! Read her picks from everyone's favorite beauty emporium here.

Kate Moss + Longchamp + Café de Flore=A Winning Combo

2008-07-14T07:00:00.005-04:00

Back in the day, we went to Paris every year to fill our lust for mocha macarons, walks along the Seine, nights at the Buddha Bar (when it was still cool) and café society. We bought a new Longchamp bag on every trip. Mind you, this was back in early 2000, when the euro was new and the dollar still bought you something. We loved the sleek styling, colorful leather and playful fabrics--still do.

This shot from the Fall advertising campaign makes our heart ache. Shot at Café de Flore by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, Kate Moss looks so gorgeously chic with her blonde bangs that perfectly cover her eyes and her chapeau noir. That bag is to die for, too. The Cosmo tote bag comes in a gorgeous platinum leather and the size is perfect for sulking around Paris. Too bad it will set you back $1,065. Damn that euro!

Starting on Tuesday, click on Longchamp.com to get a behind the scenes looking at the photo shoot. If we can't go to Paris, at least we can visit it on our laptop.

Happy Bastille Day!

Photo courtesy of WWD.

Gap's Fall Looks in Glamour

2008-07-13T11:30:00.002-04:00

We were flipping through August issue of Glamour magazine yesterday as we sunned ourselves (with SPF 30) on a Manhattan Pier. One story in particular caught our eye, "The New Rules of Casual Chic" otherwise known as 6-pages devoted exclusively to Gap. It feels pretty similar to the brouhaha over Bazaar and Gwyneth Paltrow and the other faces of Sensuous from a few weeks back, if you ask us. Just as in that instance, there's no Gap advertising in this issue, but color us shocked if September doesn't turn up a few pages.

While many of the pieces are winners--we're seriously thinking about the above bag that folds over into a clutch, making it a natural for packing--typically when a mag features a designer, they'll at least mix it up or accessorize with pieces from other brands--like if Lucky features Milla Jovovich, the story will have clothes from Jovovich Hawk and other lines. Couldn't Glamour have even thrown in some Banana or Old Navy? Whatevs--we did enjoy the Q&A with new designer Patrick Robinson and the sneak peek at the Pierre Hardy shoes that aren't available online yet.

Private Jets and Beach Reads

2008-07-13T09:14:00.001-04:00

We're on a reading kick these days--something about the ability to finish a book in one or two sittings is totally irresistible. Another book we've knocked out recently is Plum Sykes' Bergdorf Blondes (2004). (It was published a few years back so we were able to score it off the bargain table.) We totally recommend it as a witty, fashionable way to lose an afternoon. Her lead character, AKA Moi, has a complete obsession with PJs (private jets). And in Candace Bushnell's 4 Blondes (A book we read when it came out in 2002 and didn't love), lead character Janey Wilcox trades sexual favors for a helicopter ride to the Hamptons.

Surely Plum and Candace deserved shout outs in today's NYTime's story, "Hey, Big Spender, Flying My Way?"

Summer Reading List

2008-07-12T09:12:00.003-04:00

We've been making our way through our summer reading list. Both members of JSG have laughed our way through Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea

by Chelsea Handler. She has some pretty crazy scenarios involving a gay dog, a promiscuous little person and a girls' trip to London that we can't do justice. Here's a quick snippet about travel that cracked us up and is now our motto if a friend ever asks us to drop them off at the airport:

"People in their thirties need to know that if they can't afford a taxi, then they don't deserve to go on a trip."

Chelsea, couldn't agree more! Go and buy the book today. There's a reason it has been on the NYTimes bestseller list for 11 weeks!

On Our Radar: BlogHer Conference in San Francisco

2008-07-11T08:08:00.007-04:00

Next week you'll find us in San Francisco for the annual BlogHer conference. We're not quite sure what to expect. We're going because our friend Erika at Makeup Bag said she had a fab time there last year hanging out with the political and mommy bloggers that we don't usually cross paths with. (Save for our friend Shallow Gal who is going with us.) And really, we don't need much of an excuse (or any) to take a girls' trip!

What we do know--one half of JSG will have her first Virgin experience. And in our spare time (Ha!) we hope to catch the Frieda Khalo exhibit and stop by the Louis Vuitton maison to check out the Teresita Fernández installation.

If you're at the conference, be sure to say hi! We'll be the ones giving away the pink pens.