I suppose red lips have never really been out of fashion, though nude glosses seem to have been more popular for some time now. I was really excited to see Makeup Move Of The Moment: Really Red Lips! on Refinery29 because I’ve been a longtime fan of red lips. In my makeup case now are Heat Wave (Nars Semi-Matte $24) – a hot, coral-y red that looks great with a tan – and Red Revival (Maybelline Color Sensational $5-$7) – a richer, more classic red that glams up any outfit. I used to wear a dark purpley red in college, but I think it scared people away so I stopped wearing it.
Don’t forget to get a hold of a neutral or similarly-shaded red lip liner. The reds are not forgiving of unsteady hands so it’s probably best to outline before trying to color, much like the coloring books of our childhoods.
Filed under: Do, Eat, Go, Shop, Watch | Tags: Foursquare, How to Make it in America, restaurants, shopping
This Sunday at 10 pm, you can watch episode two of the new HBO series How To Make It In America. The first episode reminded me of a toned-down Entourage, which is not that surprising considering Mark Walhberg is an exec producer. They’ve teamed up with the folks at Foursquare to create a Foursquare badge that you can unlock at the following NYC restaurants and retailers, which I guess may be set to appear in future episodes of the show or simply exude the attitude of the show’s characters. Make HTMIIA your Foursquare friend, then check into any 3 of 20 possible New York nightlife or dining destinations. List courtesy of Eater.com.
If you’ve found yourself here wondering what Japanese restaurant Rachel told Ben he needed to move on with his life at in Episode 2, my best guess is Shima Japanese Restaurant, a 2nd Ave mainstay. The only clue I have besides the vague description “that sake place on 2nd Ave” and my understanding of the HTMIIA as a downtown kind of crew are the interior shots of the restaurant, and while I haven’t been to Shima, it seems the most likely fit since none of the Japanese restos below are actually on 2nd Ave.
If you’re looking for the Mexican restaurant where Rachel had her birthday party, it was La Esquina in SoHo.
| Restaurants | Shopping |
| Diner | A.P.C. |
| Momofuku Ssam Bar | Apple Store |
| Momofuku Milk Bar | Barney’s |
| Little Owl | Beacon’s Closet |
| Spotted Pig | Bird |
| Aldea | Built By Wendy |
| Minetta Tavern | Fred Flare |
| Public | John Varvatos |
| Cosmo’s Diner | Muji |
| Peasant | Oak |
| La Esquina | Odin |
| Blue Ribbon | Opening Ceremony |
| Locanda Verde | Prada |
| Roberta’s | Scoop |
| Fette Sau | Steven Alan |
| Balthazar | Tokio 7 |
| Freeman’s Restaurant | Top Shop |
| Motorino | Uniqlo |
| Al Di La | |
| Frankie’s 457 | |
| Marea | |
| Vinegar Hill House |
BlackBookMag has also teamed up with the aspirationally driven folks at HBO’s How to Make It in America, and they are proud to offer you the chance to achieve a personal gold standard by unlocking the exclusive BlackBook Nightlife badge on Foursquare. Make HTMIIA your Foursquare friend, then check into any 3 of 20 possible New York nightlife or dining destinations (restaurants are the new nightlife, you know), and you’ll get the shiny new Foursquare badge pictured here. Frankly, eating or having a drink at the impressive list of venues is reward enough! But playas play on.
Eligible Check-ins:
I’m super excited about heading over to the Szeki moving sale at 16 Clinton St. This is her final weekend at this location, and starting Feb. 15 she will be on Rivington between Clinton and Norfolk, next to Honey in the Rough. Because she didn’t want to move everything, she’s having a moving sale. Sale dresses $99 and sale tops $59. I’ll be there around 6:30 or so, hoarding as many hangers as I possibly can.
Filed under: Shop | Tags: cheap, Dolce & Gabbana, eBay, fashion, online shopping, shoes
Another awesome eBay score. That’s right, ladies. You are permitted to seethe with jealousy. I just bought Dolce & Gabbana boots for $67.66 (plus shipping).
Congratulations, Melody, the item is yours!
DOLCE GABBANA BROWN LEATHER BOOTS SZ 36/US 6
They may be used, but based on the pics, you wouldn’t know they’d actually been worn outdoors. Considering Dolce & Gabbana (not D&G) leather boots retail regularly around $895 to $1495, I think I did pretty well for myself. I am counting down until I get these babies delivered and on my feetsies. Woohoo! I can’t find this exact pair online; it’s definitely past season. Anyone know the name of the boot or what season it’s from? Prithee tell.
Okay, okay. So rather than just gloating about my purchase, let me clue you in on another excellent eBay find, a pair of boots I desperately want but am reluctant to buy since they are a 6.5 instead of a 6… New Studio Pollini tall black grommet boots (although I don’t see any grommets, so I think it’s mislabeled) in size 6.5. I like these because the leather is thick and pebbled, the heel is high and sexy but thick enough to be nice and sturdy, and the soles have treads so as to avoid any slippage while walking through the snowy streets of NYC. They’re at $49 now, and retail around $625. You have 4 days before the auction ends.
Filed under: Shop, Think | Tags: health care, healthy, John Mackey, Whole Foods
Whole Foods CEO John Mackey recently sent out a letter to employees outlining a voluntary program whereby Whole Foods employees who don’t smoke, have low blood pressure and cholesterol, and maintain a BMI under 30 (a BMI above 30 is considered obese) would be eligible for discounts above and beyond the 20% already afforded to employees on groceries purchased at Whole Foods.
Of course, smokers eager to protect their lifestyle, folks genetically predisposed to high cholesterol or obesity, and those who can’t control their blood pressure are up in arms. They argue that the program is discriminatory. As for the public? The average Jane on the street is offended by what she deems an attack on fat people, a group to which she fears she belongs. The bleeding heart liberals in favor of universal health care are already riled up as it is after Mackey’s libertarian op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal. Smokers are probably pissed, but they already know smoking is bad for their health, and they’re also too cool to complain.
Why demonize Whole Foods for offering steeper discounts to employees who make an effort to be healthy? Let’s review the facts:
- All employees are still entitled to a 20% discount on their groceries. No one is taking that discount away from them, so it’s really remaining status quo.
- Employees who choose to enroll in the incentive program submit to biometric health screenings and can become eligible for steeper discounts based on their health: “platinum” level employees get 30% discounts; “gold” level employees get 27% off, silver level employees get 25%, and “bronze” level employees get 22% off. Those employees who choose not to enroll or do not meet the requirements even for the “bronze” level – they still get 20% off.
- It does not mean Whole Foods is going to stop hiring smokers, fat people, or those with clogged arteries.
This is an incentive program; if it works, then employees will try to make better choices in their lives (what they eat, how often they exercise, to quit smoking) that will allow them to move up from one health level to the next, saving money on groceries and, hopefully, also on health care. This doesn’t take money out of anyone’s pocket. It gives employees a reason to think twice about their decisions. (more…)
Filed under: Shop | Tags: cheap, copyright infringement, fashion, fast fashion, Forever 21, shoes, SoHo, YSL, Yves Saint Laurent
Forever 21 Jocelyn Pump
I stopped by Forever 21 yesterday after work to blow off a little steam. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine. I know the clothes are offensively trendy, poorly made, and therefore disposable, and I know that many of Forever 21′s business practices (copying designs, running sweatshops) are less than admirable. Still, I find myself shopping there from time to time because I like experimenting with new trends on the cheap, taking them for a test drive of sorts because I’m not yet ready to commit to buying the investment piece. I mean, fur and feather vests and studded leather shorts might be fashionable now, but I’m not about to drop $500 for a high-quality designer version that will sit in my closet gathering dust a year from now. Sure, fashion repeats itself, runs in cycles, blah blah blah, but do I really want to be wearing sequined hotpants when I’m 50? I think not.
YSL T-Strap Tribute Pump
What I found during my recent visit to the Forever 21 on Broadway at Prince (SoHo) were a slew of high heel platforms that reeked of Yves Saint Laurent: same towering heel and generously stacked platform, same velvet (albeit much shoddier than the real thing, obvs), right down to the vertically overlapping F21 logo on the insole of the shoe that is a blatant rip-off of the vertically overlapping YSL logo on Yves Saint Laurent shoes. Were it not for the F21 logo, I would have shrugged off the very-similar design as one that simply followed the trend of the sky-high platform heel that we’ve been seeing on the runways over the last year or two, but that logo is just too much! (more…)
Filed under: Shop | Tags: 80s, cheapish, designer collaboration, fashion, Target, Zac Posen
I am a little ashamed to admit that I kind of like the comeback of the 80s. It’s a more refined reinterpretation: the strong shoulders are less clunky, the neon brights less obnoxious, and the miniskirts less trashy this time around. Designers have been using a more careful hand in creating volume and strength with slightly rounder and more feminine silhouettes, exercising restraint with pops of color and modesty with opaque tights.
The Zac Posen designer collaboration for Target is a good example of the 80s runway trend made wearable and affordable for the average American woman. Unfussy and fun. Click here for images and prices from the lookbook.
Not everything is a winner, but I especially like the tuxedo bodysuit and skirt paired with the red leather jacket, high heeled t-strap maryjanes, and scrunched down knee socks. The brocade tie dress is sweet (though for $75, I’ll save my pennies so I can buy real Zac Posen at a sample sale). I would pair the dress with a pair of brown high heeled lace up boots or oxford flats and a short denim jacket for a prairie feel. I also think the maxidress would be perfect for a sexy summer date, and the tuxedo jacket would look adorable over a wifebeater and skinny jeans.
I almost didn’t post this entry because I’m not sure if I should even share my American Apparel secret with you. I don’t know if I want all of you American Apparel loving hipsters snatching up the goodies that could easily be mine, so long as I don’t tell you what I have, reluctantly, decided to share with you now.
American Apparel on eBay. It’s the only way to go.
American Apparel sells many of its products wholesale to t-shirt and apparel printers, and some of the less-scrupulous printers will re-sell the AA goods (brand spankin’ new) on eBay at lower prices than the AA stores themselves. It is via eBay that I have purchased some 7 deep V neck shirts, a romper, 5 tri-blend racerback tanks, and a miniskirt, all for 20-50% off of the retail price. I’ve seen disco pants, track jackets, and dresses galore, too.
If you know what you want (go try it on at the store), you have the patience to bid, and you’re not in any rush to receive the product, go the eBay route. It’s totally worth it.
Filed under: Shop | Tags: designer collaboration, fashion, Jean Paul Gaultier, Target
After reading the Racked.com overview on the Jean Paul Gaultier for Target collection to be released on March 6, I feel thoroughly let down. It’s sad to see that there is no sexy hosiery or anything that really defines JPG. The only piece I’d consider wearing is the leather jacket, but then who wants to pay $199 for a jacket from Target? Seriously?!
If you’re like me and your idea of home decorating means painting one wall (partly because you’re too cheap and too lazy to paint all of the walls, and partly because you like the “accent wall” look) and putting up some shelves and pictures, Pip & Estrella might be able to help you create the perfect boho chic look rather inexpensively and with relative ease.
You’ll need to have the basic furniture yourself: a table, chairs, sofa, etc. But all of the little details? All in one place. The concept is that you can buy the items featured in each “Buy The House” offering together for a discount, or separately for a premium (I am a fan of the framed hand-printed Batik textile). At $145 to “Buy The House,” you can get a lot of decorating done in a hurry.
Then again, you won’t have the joy of wandering around dusty antique shops and flea markets and carefully selecting your own look. Of course, you could always get it from Pip & Estrella and just say you did.
