A quick update about my new hair care purchase. I do not love it. I have to be honest. It smells nice, sort of like honeysuckles, but it really didn’t do anything special for my hair. I shampooed, conditioned, and used the primer product which was exactly like a mousse. My hair was actually less shiny and healthy than when I use my Redken All Soft. I would even choose classic old Pantene over this. Honestly, I wouldn’t bother with this hair care line.

These days, the media allow Hollywood actresses to set the trends. They follow them relentlessly and track their every jean and t-shirt choice. One thing that irks me about this celebrity-obsessiveness is that these women, for the most part, are dressed by stylists and given freebies all the time. Of course they are voted best-dressed. They are dressed by stylists who offer them the best of everything. Rather than focussing on Hollywood, I look to New York City for my fashion inspiration. There are so many fashion originals here, women who have true, amazing style that is 100% their own. I love the style of Margherita Missoni. She is absolutely adorable with an imaginative and chic style. Sure, she is from the Missoni family and great fashion runs in her blood, but I love her originality and would kill for some of her modern bohemian dresses.

It is so cold in New York that I simply cannot bear to wear anything outside aside from my huge, fluffy, puffy Land’s End down coat. This coat is massive. It basically doubles my body size, but I love it because it is ultimately the warmest coat I have ever owned. While all snuggly and bundly in my unfashionable coat, I cannot help but feel dumpy when I pass a woman in a fabulous winter coat on the street (and let me assure you that there are hundreds of women in fabulous coats on the streets of NYC.) I was walking home from work today and was instantly attracted to this amazing turquoise plaid coat on the street. It was streamed with shots of pink, orange, and yellow in the plaid, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. Its owner, equally fabulous, was clearly European, my guess was Italian. Also, she was wearing jeans and sneakers, hip sneakers, but sneakers nonetheless. It was so obvious that she just knew her coat did the job of creating the perfect winter outfit. She didn’t even have to try to be ultra fashionable beneath it. I resigned myself to pull a chic-er coat out of the depths of my closet and try a bit harder to be fabulous tomorrow.

Furthering my obsessive love for this drugstore, I was scanning the haircare aisles in my favorite location in the Empire State Building and found a new line of Sally Hershberger hair care, exclusive to Walgreens. This woman is like the ultimate Hollywood hairstylist. Her cuts cost $800. She also consulted with John Frieda when he started his line for blonde hair. (My favorite product from this era was Funky Chunky, this clear, thick liquid that smoothed my curls and made them lay perfectly.) That being said, I quickly snapped up her Shampoo and Conditioner for thick hair as well as her styling primer. I will be using these tonight. I cannot wait! Check out Sally and her products here.

I had been trying to save my little Sephora gift card that I received for Christmas, mainly because I know that as soon as Spring arrives, I will be desperate for all the new seasonal makeup palettes. It is so sad that I literally cannot avoid spending money in Sephora or save a gift card.  Sephora called while I attempted to quickly walk by it as if with blinders on.  I simply had to answer the call. I used my little card on a perfect Dior plum eyeliner and a new lipstick that totally surprised me. I usually completely overlook the Clinique section in my local Sephora. However, for some reason during this recent store visit, I happened upon their display case and was immediately drawn to their Long Last Bamboo Pink lipstick. It is a shimmery, mauve-y, brownie, pink. It is not too pale, not too dark. A perfect neutral with a hint of shimmer that looks great with taupe lipliner. I am sure this color has been in the Clinique stable for ages but I am new fan. It also looks excellent with the plum liner. Check out this perfect shade here.

Back when I worked in advertising, one of my favorite clients was Revlon. I absolutely loved working on cosmetics advertising, and I learned a lot about the industry which did nothing but fuel my burning love of cosmetics. One thing that interested me when I was working on Revlon was finding out that Revlon’s “sister” brand is Almay. I would walk by the Almay offices, peek at their inspiration boards, and shop for Almay product at the Revlon “store” in their offices which sold super discounted Revlon products. I have always liked Almay products because they really are clean, simple, and hypoallergenic. I picked up their new-ish Smart Shade bronzer which promises to match your perfect sunkissed shade, and I have to say it works. I am kind of over the cakey powder bronze look I have been sporting for a while and wanted to give this gel-like product a try. I really loved the look. It was a perfect bronze, very sheer and natural. Check out the Almay site here.

For me, 2007 was the year of Pinkberry. The deliciously different frozen treat, which has apparently taken over LA before hitting the NYC, landed first in Koreatown by my office, then in Chelsea and then even closer to my house on Bleecker Street. Pinkberry is sort of an acquired taste. It is not what you expect from ice cream or yogurt because it isn’t overly sweet. I liken it to a sort of frozen Dannon yogurt taste. The Pinkberry store offers super-healthy toppings as well, like blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries. My favorite topping is mochi, a thin rice cake that adds this awesome marshmallowy chewiness to every bite. While walking the city, I happened to notice that while Pinkberries were sprouting everywhere, so was Pinkberry look-alike Red Mango. For each Pinkberry, a Red Mango was popping up literally across the street. Apparently the froyo feud is on in the streets of Manhattan! I sampled Red Mango last week and loved it also, possibly more than the original. The Red Mango yogurt was creamier and richer and apparently has extra cultures in it that legitimize it as yogurt. (Pinkberry’s lack of these cultures place the treat in some sort of nebulous frozen dessert classification.) So, it looks like Red Mango is the new Pinkberry as far as I am concerned.

A little beauty secret that I share with all my friends visiting New York is eyebrow threading. It costs a mere $7 and you emerge from a quick, albeit slightly painful session, with the perfect eyebrows. I cannot explain how the ladies at “Eyebrows R Us” on the corner of 6th Avenue and Greenwich Ave. create the perfect arch, but they do. Before I was a faithful threader, I had slightly uneven brows from years of plucking myself. I really needed someone to guide my brows into shape. Also, because the threading method literally removes hairs using a thin thread, you get none of the bruising and redness associated with waxing the eyebrow area. I highly recommend threading for anyone with problem brows. Plus, the ease of being able to pop into the little storefront at any given time without an appointment means there is no excuse for unruly brows.

I have some thoughts on a new makeup look that is worthy of sporting during these cold and blustery days of winter. It is sort of that perfect Snow White look. First, I matte out my skin with foundation. If you don’t need foundation, I am totally jealous because this is such a necessity for me right now. I also apply powder but no blush and no bronzer, just a natural cheek. Follow with a sweep of cream or off-white shadow. I am using Bobbi Brown cream shadow in the stick right now, and it literally lasts all day and into the night. I sweep black mascara on my eyes and leave it at that. I finish with a matte maroonish/nude lipstick and nude lip liner. I am loving Bobbi Brown “Brownie Pink” lipstick right now. It is a great deep nude that also lasts all day and sort of stains your lips this perfect bitten color. Just step outside and let the winter chill make your cheeks all rosy to match the lipstick. It is the perfect look right now. 

Last February I was lucky enough to spend a month in Paris with my family. From home base, a rented apartment in the 6th, we strolled the streets of beautiful Paris, shopped all the boutiques, grabbed baguettes for dinner, sipped espresso, and ate loads of macaroons. I developed such a taste for these treats when I was in Paris. They are light as air while at the same time rich and decadent. They are the perfect little pastry. I went on a macaroon hunt this weekend in Manhattan and bee-lined for La Maison du Chocolat on Madison and 76th. An outpost of the famed parisian chocolate purveyor, their macaroons were as delicious as the best in Paris, which are from L’Adure, in my opinion. At any rate, they are absolutely worth $2 a pop, especially the vanilla with rich chocolate centers. Amazing!