Tag Archives: Nancy Weinberg Simon

Flower Girl!

A few weeks ago, my brother Stephen and his wife Laurie brought me a beautiful gardenia plant. I love everything about it from its shiny leaves to that sweet scent when in bloom. I’m still waiting for it to blossom though and hope it happens soon so I can tuck a gorgeous, white flower behind my ear or pin it in my hair for a laid-back, carefree summer look.

If it doesn’t happen soon I do have a backup plan. I can always head to my favortie trim store, Tinsel Trading at 1 West 37th Street, NYC for a huge selection of vintage, reproduction or contemporary flowers. If you live too far away or are more of an online shopper check out www.tinseltrading.com. You won’t be disappointed!

 

(photo courtesy of bohomarketblog.com)

Doctor’s Orders: What you Should Be Doing Every Day

The Location:  Club Metropolitan, NYC.

The Topic:  Anti-aging.

The Mood:  Relaxed, cocktail party-ish vibe.

While sipping wine and enjoying apps and bite-size desserts I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Jeannette Graf, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. She was there to talk about anti-aging, specifically on how we can stop the aging process. She’s a big believer in diet and lifestyle but says “the right skin care plays a crucial role to stop aging now.”

Dr. Graf explained how our cells are hard-wired to function differently during the day when they’re in protective mode vs. the night when our bodies are at rest and our cells are renewing and repairing damage. Our pH levels,  sebum, antioxidant production and more support this. “We can help this process along with the right products,” says Graf. “The bare minimum you should be doing is applying sunscreen during the day and a retinol product at night.”

MORNING: According to Dr. Graf the number one daytime anti-aging product to use is broad spectrum sun protection. It’s the most important thing you can do for your skin.

  • Use it each and every day. Incorporate it into your morning routine, the way you brush your teeth.
  • Use an SPF50 or greater in late spring through early fall since the sun’s UVB rays are stronger then. In late fall through early spring you can stick with an SPF30.
  • Apply 30 minutes prior to sun exposure and reapply every 40 minutes.
  • Sunscreens with added antioxidants like Vitamin C and E will further enhance protection from environmental pollutants.
  • Apply it even if you’ll be in the shade or it’s cloudy out.

Try: Glytone Suncare Block Sunscreen Lotion, $37 at dermshop.com or Neutrogena Age Shield Sunblock, $9.99 at target.com.

EVENING: While you rest, your cells are in renewal mode. Dr. Graf believes “no matter what your age, complexion or skin type, retinol (Vitamin A) is the most important  skin care ingredient to help your skin renew itself.”  Retinol has been clinically proven to regulate skin repair on a molecular level. It will decrease fine lines and wrinkles, improve collagen production, enhance elasticity, improve tone and texture and target hyperpigmentation.  There are multiple forms of retinol available in prescription and over-the-counter strength. Look for retinol, retinaldehyde and retinyl palmitate.

  • Only apply your retinol product at night.
  • Don’t apply on damp skin. It will absorb unevenly, increasing your chance of sensitivity.
  • To avoid irritation, use every other day and start with the lowest percentage retinol cream and increase up from there as you find your skin tolerating it well.
  • When using a retinol product, always apply sunscreen during the day.
  • Continue using to maintain your results.

Try: Glytone Enhance Night Renewal Cream, $72 at dermstore.com, Eau Thermale Avene Retrinol+0.1 Cream, $69 at dermstore.com or SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.5, $55 at skinceuticals.com.

 

All-American!!!

Nothing like a little red, white and blue to show your star-spangled-pride. Today, I’m loving Pure Ice’s appropriately named “Freedom” nail lacquer with red and blue sparkles plus silver stars twinkling up my toes. It looks great layered over red polish.

Catch a Wave!

Eavesdrop on any conversation between friends and if they’re of the female persuasion chances are good that they’ll start talking (or complaining!) about their hair. Girls with fine straight hair want it thicker with more body or curls and girls with lots of curl are looking for a little less so. Anyone with frizz wants it banished. Thanks to LASIO Waves to Curls we can all finally be satisfied with what we have.

I recently attended an event at Lasio Studios salon in NYC. While live demonstrations were going on, Nadine Ramos, the founder and CEO of Lasio, Inc. filled me in on the details. This is what I learned:

  • Waves to Curls temporarily gives you perfect waves or curls, lasting about 3 months.
  • It works on all hair types–from super straight girls to the curly haired–and can give you beachy waves, big glam ones or tighter ringlets. You call the shots!
  • It eliminates 100% of your frizz and makes hair super shiny.
  • It’s safe for all hair types including processed hair.
  • Prices start at $150 and go up from there depending on hair length and thickness.

Waves to Curls is available at  Lasio Studios located at 39 W. 38th in NYC as well as salons across the United States. Click here for more information.

(photo of miranda kerr courtesy of pinterest)

The Bar Scene

Product Review: Lather Vanilla Bean & Shea Soap, $8, available at lather.com.

My name is Nancy and I’m an addict…addicted to soap that is. I’ve yet to meet a bar that didn’t make me want to put it right up to my nose and sniff it. Or immediately rush home, rip off my clothes and step into the shower with it. Over the years, I’m sure I’ve had well over a thousand bars of soap in my stash, some used to freshen drawers and closets, some used as party favors, and of course the majority used to shower and bathe. I just can’t help myself and really, do I need to?

Lately I’d been eyeing one sitting near the top of the pile. Lather Vanilla Bean & Shea Soap is said to work well for all skin types, but is ideal for normal to dry skin thanks to an olive oil base with added shea butter to soothe and soften.  It also contains organic vanilla bean powder to gently exfoliate skin as well as vanilla and lemon essential oils for a warm, happy scent.

Lather Vanilla Bean & Shea Soap  is even better than I expected! After wetting it under the warm spray, it lathered nicely and smelled delicious, but what really got my attention was the vanilla bean powder which you could actually feel–it was grainy to the touch. I rubbed it all over my body, being gentle on the more sensitive areas and using a more vigorous approach on others.

This soap smells amazing and my skin feels fresh, clean, soft, smooth and moisturized. I highly recommend it! Treat yourself, help the world! For every olive oil soap sold, LATHER with donate the equivalent of five bars of soap to Clean The World, a non-profit organization that recycles and distributes soap around the world to people in need.

 

 

Before & After: From Junk Room to Home Office

As I previously posted  in “I’ve Got a Secret…” (read here) I love my home…all except the room I’ve had pegged for my home office. With good southern light and decent wood floors it had the potential to be stylish, but it was greatly hampered by extreme clutter and baby blue walls. I knew if I wanted to use it as a home office I’d need to practice some crowd control and ruthless editing.

My first order of business? Declutter! I made three piles: Donate, Put Away and Yard Sale. Because I started feeling nostalgic while going through it all, it took a lot longer than I anticipated. So many of my things have memories attached–for me, it’s what makes a house a home–but I realized if I was going to make any progress and use this room for its intended purposed I’d need to get moving. I bought large bins and stored the things I wasn’t ready to part with (and maybe never would be). I tucked away beautiful drawings my children made when they were small, sentimental letters and cards I’ve received over the years from loved ones, magazines with stories I’ve written and/or been a part of. I took lamps, mirrors and other accessories and stored them in the attic because periodically I like to switch up my rooms and certain items are keepers. The ones that didn’t tug at my heart will be in my upcoming yard sale.

The only two items from the room that made the cut were my desk from West Elm (for its practicality) and a stained glass window I bought off-season in the Hamptons when my husband and I were dating (because it makes me happy). I pushed them to the center of the room and covered them with some sheets before painting the room in Benjamin Moore’s Calm, a wonderful shade of white that makes me feel at home. To furnish the rest of the room on a budget, I brought in an Ikea bookcase as well as a cozy, charcoal corner chair, creamy white shag rug and green storage baskets, all from Home Goods.

I added a few personal touches like  a family heirloom art deco clock for my desk and some favorite family photos atop the bookshelves…and because I realize the importance of all our senses and I love candles I placed a new favorite, Bath & Body Works Candle in First Bloom. When lit, it fills the whole room with this delicious, “I could be standing in a garden” scent. Amazing!!!

blogshot-candle1

I couldn’t be happier. My home office is clean, organized and best of all, it’s a room I can be productive in. I’m still looking for a few special items to complete the look:

  • a proper pillow for the chair. I’m thinking a green or bright pink.
  • curtains to frame the window. Most likely smoky grey linen panels that hang just shy of the floor.
  • an over-sized, vintage chalkboard for my to-do lists.
  • a comfortable, lived-in looking chair for the desk.

 

Sephora Artist Color Box

Quality and quantity coexist in this latest collection from Sephora: 24 waterproof eye shadows, 6 lipglosses, 5 eye pencils, in colors you’ll actually want to wear and all for only $34 ($145 value).

Sephora Collection Artist Color Box Makeup Palette, $34, available at www.sephora.com.

The Best Body Scrub!

My best body scrub experience ever was at Grand Lido Sans Souci Hotel in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I was led down a winding, flower-filled path to a private cabana on the cliffs where an expert therapist was waiting. It was sense overload in the best way possible. I could hear the sound of the ocean below, smell the tropical blooms and feel the gentle breeze on my skin…all while being massaged and scrubbed from head to toe. Perfection!

Since a flight to Jamaica isn’t on my schedule anytime soon, it looks like I’ll have to do the dirty work myself. After being covered up for most of fall and winter I have extra dry elbows, knees, heels and even my shins look like they could use a good scrubbing. Obviously, I haven’t been exfoliating as religiously as I should be (2-3 times per week is recommended) and I’ve paid the price. But, softer, more radiant skin is just a scrub away. Here, some of my favorite picks:

  1. My absolute favorite is Lamas Botanicals Pumpkin Spice Polish, $17.99. I discovered it over 10 years ago and never plan on switching. I keep it in the shower and use it on my face but it’s great on the body, too.There’s just something so special about the delicious scent and the texture of the grainy buffing beads.
  2. Origins Incredible Spreadable Smoothing Ginger Body Scrub, $28, has an irresistible ginger fragrance that lingers.
  3. Bliss Lemon+Sage Body Scrub, $36, is a spa-strength scrub that smoothes even the roughest elbows and knees.

*Always follow with a rich body cream.

How to Get Perfect Brows: Q&A with Ramy Gafni

The perfect brow is possible when you have brow guru, Ramy Gafni, in your corner. Since we can’t all get to Ramy, I thought I’d bring Ramy to you.

What are the beauty benefits of having the right eyebrow shape? The right brow shape is like makeup that you don’t wash off. It can lift your eyes, make you look younger or more sophisticated. It’s the easiest way to improve your appearance dramatically without plastic surgery.
Right now, what’s trending in brows? I’m happy to report that for the past several years we’ve seen the trend toward fuller, bolder eyebrows. I’ve always advocated what I call the “fully actualized eyebrow” which is a well groomed brow that’s as full as possible, not too short, not too far apart, with an arch that follows one’s bone structure.
How can a woman find the right brow shape for her face shape? It’s ideal to have your brows shaped at least once by a well recommended expert because its difficult to be objective with your own face. If you don’t have the opportunity to see an expert, look at famous actresses that you might resemble to see what your brows should look like.
If someone has over-plucked or sparse brows, can she fake a fuller brow and still have it look natural?
Yes! You can fake it til you make it! Fill in a sparse or thin brow with a wax based pen, pencil or pomade. Choose a shade that’s two shades lighter than your hair color. If in doubt, choose a universally flattering taupe. Fill the entire brow, not just the sparse area. The brow should look uniform. Apply product directly on the brow hairs, not above or below the brows. After applying, it’s very important to brush through the product. This removes the excess product and blends what’s left behind so you end up with great looking eyebrows, not made up looking brows.
What products are necessary to get and maintain a good brow? good tweezers, safety scissors, a small brush, brow filler if necessary. From RAMY Cosmetics, I use the Ramy Tweezers by Tweezerman ($25), the Ramy Scissor by Tweezerman ($18), the Perfect Brow Wand ($28), Miracle Brow ($28), the Browtility Brush ($21), all available at www.Ramy.com.
*Ramy’s long list of celebrity clients includes Michelle Williams and Taylor Swift.

 

Something to Hide…

I need to give a shout-out to my favorite beauty product of all time! Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage can’t be beat–it completely covers dark circles, blemishes, neutralizes redness and lasts all day. Two shades per compact lets you customize your color for a perfect match every time.

Even when I’m having a “makeup-free” day, I use this to even out my skin-tone–a little under the eyes (always layered on top of eye cream) and around the nose area (where I’m prone to a bit of redness) and I can face the day. When wearing foundation, apply the concealer afterwards to see where you really need it. A little goes a long way and one compact will last you a very long time. Mine lasts 6 – 9 months and I wear it every day!

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage, $30 at www.lauramericer.com.

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