Collecting NARS' Limited Edition Summer 2016 French Riviera Collection.They're An Instant Art Works Collection with Quick Usage.

By Laura Medina

All for this scribe's "Sex and the City" readers, this scribe is thrilled that Charleston finally got around to having a full-fledged Sephora on prime King Street real estate.  With Charleston's growing and diversifying and increasingly cosmopolitan populace, it'll do both Sephora and real-life Charleston women good with mutual benefits. 

For Charleston ladies, single or divorceed, living in their dream apartments, condos, or "she sheds," would it be nifty to be collecting art work that brightens up the room while making some use out of it?

NARS' limited edition illustrated artwork by Konstantin Kakanias, is a easily portable and growing art collection.

Inspired by the warm, breezily sexy, and casual French Riviera, something we all aspire to, during the Summer, there's more to NARS' Konstantin Kakanias' French Riviera Summer 2016 collection.

François Nars’ love of the lens meets the glamorous glare of the French Riviera. Inspired by the sensational whirl of an editorial photo shoot, each lush vignette captures the wit and wonder of his behind-the-scenes world. Original illustrations by contemporary artist Konstantin Kakanias bring each moment to life on covetable, limited-edition packaging. A total departure in every aperture.

For Summer 2016, NARS makes a getaway with this limited-edition collection—high-fashion moments steeped in exclusivity and ease. New, rich Lip Covers saturate lips with coastal color, while Dual-Intensity Eyeshadows transform sheer tones and glistening shades for eyes. Dual-Intensity Blush completes the look with a touch of the sun – an insatiable rush of blush. 

Don't you love that your "art collection" gives you tinted sheer-dry-then richer, deeper eyeshadow when wet? Or, that deep flush of warmth with a simple stroke of a fluffy brush?

Over in Santa Monica's Sephora, NARS' Konstantin Kakanias' French Riviera Summer 2016 collection has been selling like hot cakes, making it the true trend of Summer 2016.

Planning a Last Minute Get Away? Our Plan App.

By Laura Medina

 

 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ourplan/id1053891921?mt=8

Okay, work done and project finished or at least, tied up.

It's Memorial Day.  It's Summer.  Now, you finally got around to that trip you always been pondering about for a good three months..,but who do you really want to be with on this trip?

Meet-Up is for flakes who flake out on you.

Sure, we all love the "easy" convenience of Tinder swiping but the choices are terrible and adolescent.  A self-respecting adult will and are swiping left constantly because they can't find like-minded mature adults  for an impromptu yet proper date, much less a gate-way..;and texting isn't enough.

After hearing so many horror stories from mature adults who want a decent date or outing and are sick and tired of being stood up, Stav Vaisman made "Our Plan" app.

Inspired and troubled by a friend's lack of finding a decent dinner companion for an impromptu dinner, Stav developed "Our Plan,"  an activities app for grown-ups.

Social apps have grown leap and beyond Tinder's immature, STD-ridden, hook-up culture.

Yes, mature...and busy adults are okay with swiping but there's gotta be a better choice than lazy, horny teenagers.

"Our Plan" app is a decent, elegant and elegantly easy social app that any age group can use for decent activities, whether it be serious college students wanting a last-minute study group; an established lady or gentleman who needs a decent dinner date who is not an escort;  or there are people you genuinely want to carpool with on a get-away trip.

Sure, "Our Plan" may have a slight snobbish slant but remember, "Our Plan" app is about whom and the group you truly want to be, based on share interests and mutual agreements without anything shady or sleazy, that fits our busy, active society that we all live in, now.

 

Summer Shape-Up Guide Busting the Gym Rut.

By Laura Medina

 https://ygstudios.com/?city=los-angeles

Yes, everybody has been in a panic because "Bikini Season" is right around the corner with Memorial Day igniting the madness.  What should be a year-around lifestyle is really seasonal for most folks because the sun is beckoning our sun-starved skin to soak up the Vitamin D with the UV rays.

This means fit body. 

Here's a Summer Shape-Up that will break up the staleness of the same ole gym routine.

Former educational video game founder, Ntiedo Etuk, got into fitness after a health warning from his doctor.  Once he set foot in the fitness, he discovered all these fitness instructors scattered all over the place in New York.  Would it be great if all these fitness talent are under one roof at a fair price to break out of the exercise monotony? 

This is where YG Studios, https://ygstudios.com, comes in.

It's a program website that offers choices of locations, variety of fitness instructors, and fitness services that are available during that week.

It's not a gym or one particular studio that forces you trek across town or across the mountains or the freeway.  It's a fitness option site that shows what's available in your area during a time frame.

Since it's a site, you can specifically request a fitness specialist on your own term, from YG Studio's roster list.  Each fitness specialist comes a profile, a backstory on their specialty.

Https://ygstudios.com is a virtual fitness under one roof that tailor fit your needs on your time, schedule, and neighborhood.  It gives you options.

http://www.airfitnow.com/

The simplest looking thing is actual the most difficult thing to do.

Thanks to textile technology making satin fabric way stronger (holding up to 250 lb.s), aerial trapeze then aerial fitness following it, is a pretty recent but very popular phenomena.

Yes, it looks sexy.  It looks glamorously artistic.  It appears fun...but ain't easy.

However, if you're stuck in a yoga/floor mat pilates rut  but you need the mediation and the movement flow but you're ready to fly up to the next level.  Then, aerial yoga at Air Fit is for you.

If you can get over your fear of heights and discover your center of gravity, then you'll be like Cirque du Soliel of Fitness, swinging through the air like a kid you used to be.

This "Cirque du Soliel" of yoga is nothing to be scoff at.  The instructors are super-friendly and empathetic because they were once like you.  However, you still have to respect the inner-ear balance and locating that gravity center as you spin into yoga poses 360 degrees mid-air.  This is what makes aerial fitness so carefree, flight.

For those discovered a new level of yoga in aerial yoga.  Well, good for you.  You discovered a new talent to be an aerialist acrobatic.  Mere landlubbers admire your courage to sail through the air with grace.

Aerial Fitness will have you flying into tree pose mid-air at 8474 West 3rd St., West Hollywood, CA

 http://sandbox-fitness.com/#

Speaking of landlubbers.  Have you always dreamt of surfing, stuck in the MidWest or can't swim yet yearning for that long, lean but muscular surfer body or just plain having fun slicing through the waves?

Sandbox Fitness isn't sure about slicing through 30-ft. waves off Hawaii, but they can give you that toned surfer body without you drowning.

A fitness studio filled with soft sandbox to absorb falls and trips, Sandbox Fitness has real surfboards with three fitness balls underneath to mimic wobbliness of bobbing water rolls and waves.

Shaking while sucking in the abdominals is all the rage in Los Angeles.  It's called "Core Strength."  The shock of instability shocks your body out of its center-of-gravity rut by removing it underneath your feet then forcing you to rely on your abs to give you that center of gravity.  Your limbs are doing all the work.

That's how those surfers got those ripped abs.

But, don't sloppy and don't disrespect the board.

As Sandbox Fitness instructors say, you own the board or the board owns you.

Once said, let's go rip.

At Sandbox Fitness, they do variations on the surf board.

Once wobbly, beginners gravitate to simple squat and yoga balances on the surfboard.  Squeezing that ab keeps you from falling down.  Simple as that.  Sandbox Fitness calls this, Surfset 101 and Surfset Balance, focusing on the basics of balance, core strength, and form. Working extra on your stability works up a sweat while improving your sense of balance.

challenges your balance and stabilizer muscles to create a lean and strong physique. - See more at: http://sandbox-fitness.com/classes/#sthash.puwaI5V1.dpuf

SURFSET ® 101

SURFSET ® 101 - Intro to SURFSET ®

Once mastered, once plateau, they graduate to THX cables on the boards.  Again, you can't use gravity as crutch to cheat.  Wobbly exercises forces you to target the right muscles.

Sandbox Fitness is for all ages, from over-active tweens to aging Baby Boomers trying to hold onto their groove, aging gracefully.

 

Sure, Equinox is conquering Los Angeles like no other, catering to the more grown-up but no less fashionable segment of Los Angelenos, who grown out of Crunch's adolescent voyeurism.

For the truly weary seeking a recharge, trying to be healthy during an holiday, there is no better sanctuary than Equinox's biggest and most luxurious outpost, West Los Angeles Equinox.  What used to be Sports Club L.A.'s largest fitness club is now NY-headquartered Equinox's jewel in the crown.  Enough to give "The Donald" envy cramps.

Because privacy is a luxury in celeb-crazed LA, this scribe is only allowed to experience the wealth of fitness and the luxury of services and cuisine at West Los Angeles Equinox.

Equinox's largest outpost is a city unto itself, an Emerald City shielded from the public.

Once this city of a gym, it still retain what was and is great about Sports Club LA.  

Believe it or not, Equinox West Los Angeles has two eateries, a cafeteria offering wholesome, organic, hearty breakfast, lunch, and dinner for Hollywood Hunks busting their grooves to keep their grooves.  Across from the lobby is Oliver Lounge and Restaurant, a proper restaurant that kept it's Power Brokerage image and decor and it's filling yet light gourmet lunch and dinner.  This is where Hollywood Hunks' talent agents and managers break deals with producers to get these Hunks jobs.

Outlining the expansive lobby is an Equinox clothing boutique with sporty contempo that doubles as streetwear, athleisure; an hair salon, and full-service spa rings the lobby.

Yes, it has all the Equinox amenities of gym and work-out studios and a pilates studio.  But, 

this is the only location with a full-sized Olympic pool that for swimming lessons and classic and aqua fitness.  The pool deck is a secluded area where Baby Boomer clients cuddle up like sun-bathing babies, overlooking the traffic craziness.

This scribe has never really worked out at other smaller Equinoxes but this scribe was really impressed by the jacuzzis in the locker room and of course, the hearty, organic cafeteria and the spa chic cuisine at Oliver, that isn't Eighties stale.

If you want to get an hell away over this Memorial Day Weekend yet you really need to shape up for Summer, can't think of a more better location than Equinox West Los Angeles.

Think of the Equinox West Los Angeles as a sanctuary against the immature, anorexic, under-educated popularity contest.  It's an oasis of adult fitness with adult food, cushioned with mature pampering to soothe your weary soul.  The all-day pass is reasonable and far cheaper than any music festival and way more civilized.

 

 

 

 

 

The All-Natural Stand-Outs at Indie Beauty Expo Los Angeles.

By Laura Medina

The Indie Beauty Expo was smart in getting an head start in Los Angeles, natural beauty hot bed.  The leader in trendiness, innovation, and healthy living, all due to an enviable Mediterranean climate.

The expo was the newest and the best in all-natural under one roof, an ideal spot for natural beauty makers and natural beauty shoppers, like moi.

Pleasantly overwhelmed by the bounty of natural beauty, the following brands stood out because of quality-meets-price, innovative lifestyle items, and a lab that really makes your natural dream come true.  They lifted the veil and the curtain.

The Indie Beauty Expo was a smart place to shop for the educated beauty-ista.

 

 https://hanscc.com/

Yes and thank god, that was a cornucopia of high-tech, natural, effective makeup brands that deliver the goods and bring quick results.  Unfortunately like most effective, all-natural brands, most were expensive that it prohibits the practice of using natural makeup on daily basis.  Their pricing is best reserved for one-off special occasions, hampering natural beauty as an healthy habit.

Not with HAN Skincare Cosmetics.

The young lady behind HAN Skincare Cosmetics, Susan Wong saw there was a gaping hole in the affordable natural makeup.

Her HAN Skincare Cosmetics proved that you can still practice healthy, natural makeup on a daily basis without busting your bank account.

At $14 for a Cheek & Lip Tint Stick, $15 for traditional Pressed Powdered Blush, $14 Moisturizing Lip Gloss, and $13 for a pot of Eyeshadow, HAN Cosmetics is at the same price point as major drugstore brands that target burgeoning tweens and teens and their thrifty moms but with way better quality ingredients.

 

It's no wonder HAN Cosmetics' number one seller is the gateway, convenient multi-use $14
Cheek & Lip Tint Stick.  

Susan knows that the same pigment that gives fruits their color are flavonoids packed with antioxidants.

All of the colors in their cosmetic products are derived from plant, vegetable and fruit pigments and natural minerals rather than synthetic colorants or undesirable natural sources, such as carmine, the beetle bug that is crushed for its red dye. Moreover, no lakes or FD&C is ever used. The plant and food pigments in HAN Skin Care Cosmetics products have beneficial antioxidant properties providing skin care treatment in addition to imparting beautiful colors.  

Moms will like that the pigments are healthy to digest while wearing it on their kids' lips.

Their $14 Cheek and Lip Tint are made of a base of: shea butter, coconut cream, argan and acai oil for nourishing radiance. These multitaskers are compact in size for portability and pack a punch with vibrant pigment from antioxidant colors.

  

A creamy hydrating formula infused with shea butter, cupuacu butter, argan and acai oil and vitamins and tea extracts to benefit the skin.

Nutrient rich formula that delivers a beautiful flush of color from natural sources including fruits, vegetables and plants.

Versatile and easy to use 2 in 1 application for cheeks and lips.

Safe enough for Vegetarians, healthy and all natural.  Not bad for $14.

Both their $13 Eyeshadow and $15 Pressed Blush have a oil-absorbing Rice Powder base with Argan Oil, Acai Oil, Shea Butter, Cupuacu Butter, Grapefruit Seed Extract with Extract Blend  of Acai, Pomegranate, Blueberry, Cranberry, Green Tea, Black Tea, and Sea Kelp Extract.

Their $15 Pressed Blush can also doubles as eyeshadow.  Another bonus for thrifty, health and budget-conscious moms and daughters.

The $13 Eyeshadow has Cucumber to depuff puffy lids and Caffeine, Vitamin C, with Vitamin E to soothe and perk up weary eye lids while making them beautiful.

Put together, the blush and eyeshadow is just touching $30, saving you enough dough to...

  

  http://www.yunibeauty.com/no-rinse-body-cleansing-foam/

The lucky, organic but rich hippies who still have enough dough to go to Bottle Rock Napa Valley Music Festival, think "Sideways Meet Coachella" with rich hippies, "Bobos."

Not only can they darn well, pack their bedazzled satin hobos with HAN Cosmetics, they can save the environment and even more money with these water-saving brands.

Yuni's NO-RINSE BODY CLEANSING FOAM is a convenient and fast acting mousse that refreshes and purifies skin without water or a towel, and leaves no residue with 100% natural aromas.  

Use in place of a standard shower or bath. Pump foam directly onto skin and massage gently until absorbed. (if desired, towel off excess sweat before cleansing foam application).

Neem Leaf Extract calms skin and soothes inflammation while antioxidants protect cells and molecules from damage and signs of aging.

Aloe Vera cools and soothes dry and hot skin. Moisturizes and contains anti-inflammatory properties to heal wounds, calm skin irritation and reduce scarring.

 http://www.yunibeauty.com/shower-sheets/

For heavy workouts/camping/sailing, pair with instant shower sheets; this dynamic duo is all you need for water-free refreshing on-the-go!

Yuni's Shower Sheets are 20 Wipes, "Freshness On the Go."

Neem Leaf Extract calms skin and soothes inflammation while antioxidants protect cells and molecules from damage and signs of aging.

Peppermint Leaf Essential Oil acts as a mild antiseptic, reducing bacterial activity on the skin.

Between showers, whisk away dirt, sweat and odor with one luxuriously large, moist wipe. The thick sheet stays flat and doesn’t roll up, allowing larger coverage.

   

 http://www.yunibeauty.com/concentrated-body-cleansing-creme/

You heard of no-rinse cleansing conditioner for the hair.  Well, here's a no-rinse cleansing lotion for the body, Yuni's Concentrated Body Cleansing Creme.

Experience a pristine body with this rich crème cleanser combining fair trade turmeric and green tea extract. This rich formula contains less water than conventional body cleansers, for a more luxurious experience. A balancing aromatic blend of bergamot and patchouli essential oils enhances focus and equilibrium.

Gently lifts away impurities.Balances mental energy with 100% natural aromas. 

Fair trade Green Tea Extract reduces the formation of free radicals and also helps to reduce the activity of bacteria on the skin and prevent blemishes.
Fair trade Turmeric Root, when ground, cleanses, exfoliates, brightens dark spots, clears blemishes and stimulates skin elasticity.

   

  http://www.unwash.com/catalogue/bio-cleansing-conditioner_1/

To further dispel healthy, all-natural beauty-istas are dirty and smelly, in order to be "all-natural,"  "The Great Unwash" can get clean without destroying the water supply.

This anytime, de-grime, non-stripping BIO-CLEANSING CONDITIONER:  Replaces shampoo; Protects color-treated hair; Free of harsh sulfates & parabens; Moisturizing, non-strip cleanser; Ideal for color-treated hair; and for all hair types & textures.

Applying Emulsion Co-Wash Method™, this unique formula attracts and removes daily dirt and surface build-up without stripping hair of its healthy, natural oils. Essential moisture is locked in to restore balance and promote healthy, smooth hair. Nourishing oils and extracts leave hair softer, more manageable, free of frizz, and full of bounce, body and vibrant natural beauty. 

   

 http://www.unwash.com/catalogue/anti-residue-rinse_2/

 

The anytime, de-grime, non-strip cleansing conditioner, ANTI-RESIDUE RINSE, Gently removes build-up from styling aids & leave-ins; Free of harsh sulfates & parabens; and protects hair integrity.

 http://www.unwash.com/catalogue/dry-cleanser_7/

Unwash Dry Cleanser is:

Lightweight formula leaves no residue on strands

Volcanic ash absorbs excess oil

Vitamin E and panthenol condition & strengthen strands

Natural extracts nurture hair

Leaves hair bouncy, shiny, and voluminous

Safe for color-treated hair

Ideal for all hair types & texture

http://covalence.com/

How do you make your all-natural dreams come true? 

Grown beyond your kitchen and crafting table?

Give CoValence Labs a call and they can do it for you.

They lifted the curtain behind the green image and they're very nice and accommodating to all and every natural skincare and makeup.

They have the lab, the tools, the vials, the tubes, the centrifuges, and the jars.

For all you natural, high-end beauty boutique owners, it'll do you some good to shop Indie Beauty Expo to scoop the hottest all-natural beauty.

For those missed the LA edition, you'll have a Do-Over when they're in NY on August 24th to 25th, http://indiebeautyexpo.com/

All-Natural Beauty is here to stay and can and does coexist with conventional makeup, hopefully side-by-side in your neighborhood drugstore. 

"Pretty Little Lairs" Tammin Sursok's new mom blog, "Bottle & Heels" bangs with a bash by Pop Your Shop.

By Laura Medina

Forget brunch on Mother's Day.  Shoot!  Forget Mother's Day...as we know it.

The garden launch party for "Pretty Little Liar's" Tammin Sursok's new mommy blog, Bottles + Heels, http://www.bottleandheels.com/about/, was the best Mother's Day party there was...thanks to Harmonie Krieger's Pop Your Shop event and party planning outfit, https://www.facebook.com/PopYourShop.

That's what Tammin Sursok did.  She thanked Pop Your Shop for attracting then managing 52 different vendors to throw this awesome event.  Tammin informed the crowd it was an one-month long endeavor from idea to happening last Sunday afternoon in Bel Air.

 

It thanks that you're a television star in an hot tv series, "Pretty Little Liars," and have celebrity tv friends, such as Jaime King showing up then partying with their tots.  Yes, there were a lot of celebrity baby tots and toddlers running around.

Paleta's new gluten-free, organic food delivery plan catered the afternoon garden party for hot, young Hollywood moms to lose weight without going hungry.  Yes, the mini pizzas is gluten-free chickpea crust.

Gourmet CA Donuts spelling out, "Bottle and Heels," were displayed in tiers for the taking, especially by tiny and big tots.

 Blushington provided makeup pick-me-ups for weary moms.

Chivalrous gentlemen-for-hire, Man Servants, http://manservants.co/, were hired (fans to cool, umbrella to sun-shield and carry) to help properly-attired ladies in heels and Birkin Tote Bags, climb the precarious, pebble-laden steep steps up to the...

Hillside terrace second-half of Tammin's Bottle + Heels party where fruity-sweet California Fruit Wine provided yummy refreshers (these are the real wine coolers), The Golden Door massage tables, and tarot card reader awaits them.  Lovely vista view of the main pool garden party down below.

The real mission of the garden party waited at the last-minutes after the kids burn out their energy and ready for a nap.

That's when Tammin present her panel of Millennial Mommy Influencers and how different they're from their Baby Boom moms.

Gen-X moms can and did go with the flow of this Hollywood Glam Mom party.  We called it "Mother's Day Do-Over."

But boys, Tammin's savy, swanky mommy soiree can make Baby Boomer and Greatest Generation moms jealous...thanks with Pop Your Shop's help.

Jillian Rose Darlington of MomCo app and Rachel Pitzel's Club Momme (the coolest mom parties) talked how Millenial Moms are changing how today's young moms are changing the social landscape by taking technology by the horn and making it easier and fun for today's young moms to connect and support, much like Tammin's http://www.bottleandheels.com/

If Bottle+Heels is a lifestyle blog with insider Hollywood Celebrity Mom angle, then Rachel is proud to say she simply used her event party skills to hook up much-needed baby vendors with real moms who still want to party but with their babies and tots.  Her Club Momme parties were such an hit, she made a big profit selling her mommy parties company to a bigger corporation.

Jillian Rose Darlington honestly talked about being feral kid being raised alone by a single parent.  Now that she's a mom, she wanted and knew something better.  She invented http://momcoapp.com/, where cool moms, like her, can hook up and socialize.

 

These cool Millennial moms may had started as "Sex and the City" single ladies.  But just because they're now moms, it never means they're gonna to abandon what they enjoy when single.  They're taking those hip, fun things then adding a mom twist to it, Sunday's Tammin's Bottle+Heels blog premiere party proved that.

Whether it's Blushington for makeup touch-ups and California Fruit Wine for weary moms to...

Hip, cool fun activities for the tiny tots, like Au Fudge's cookie decorating table, trampoline, and a rock band for babies, "Doing the Hokey Pokey."

Tammin's Millenial Moms are doing motherhood their way.  They're not gonna let society push them around, like it did to their moms.

Long, Hot, Sultry Summer with NARS.

By Laura Medina

For those who aren't too thrilled with aquamarine teal lipstick and blush, much less eye shadow, NARS' "Long, Hot, Summer" Collection has come to the rescue with primary, vivid shades that most will love and covet to its very last drop.

NARS Long Hot Summer Collection, with two limited edition palettes, three iconic lip glosses, and two cult blushes, this seven piece collection will give anyone a perfectly bronzed look this summer.

For Summer 2016, NARS Cosmetics introduces the limited edition Long Hot Summer Collection created exclusively for NARS boutiques. 

The collection features two limited edition palettes as well as three iconic lip glosses and two blushes to give you a perfectly bronzed look this summer.  

Complete the look with the satin black Audacious Mascara and Minorque Kohliner. Long Hot Summer Eyeshadow Palette, $65 Long Hot Summer I - Shimmering cream Long Hot Summer II - Bronze taupe Bellissima II - Matte grey brown Long Hot Summer III - Shimmering cooper Long Hot Summer IV -Shimmering warm brown Bengali - Rich chocolate brown Laguna/Casino Bronzer Duo, $42 (L) Diffused brown powder with golden shimmer (R) A diffused deep brown powder with golden shimmer  

NARS 413 BLKR Cheek & Lip Palette

Inspired by the François Nars' first flagship address in New York City's West Village neighborhood, the 413 BLKR Cheek & Lip Palette is the latest piece to join the NARS-exclusive 413 BLKR Collection. The new palette features a glowing gradient of three limited edition sheer, blendable blushes, iconic Laguna Bronzer paired with the essential fuchsia 413 BLKR Velvet Matte Lip Pencil.  

Both are available on available June 1, 2016 exclusively at NARS boutiques and NARSCosmetics.com.