Harney & Sons Opening A NYC Tea Store

It's interesting but hardly surprising that many perfume lovers are also interested in high-quality tea. Let's see: bergamot, jasmine, lavender, osmanthus, smoky notes... we can drink as well as wear them, not to mention my favorite vanilla-flavored black tea.

One of my favorite fall trips is driving up north to Millerton, NY (rt. 22, right on the New York-Connecticut border) and visit Harney & Sons Tasting Room. I usually order their teas online, but it's still a fun ritual and the adjacent store has all kinds of tea paraphernalia, including home fragrances.

The nice people of Harney & Sons are about to open a tea store and tasting bar in NYC. The address is 433 Broome St. (SoHo) and the opening is mid-November according to this WSJ article.

Photo: harney.com

Harney & Sons Opening A NYC Tea Store

It's interesting but hardly surprising that many perfume lovers are also interested in high-quality tea. Let's see: bergamot, jasmine, lavender, osmanthus, smoky notes... we can drink as well as wear them, not to mention my favorite vanilla-flavored black tea.

One of my favorite fall trips is driving up north to Millerton, NY (rt. 22, right on the New York-Connecticut border) and visit Harney & Sons Tasting Room. I usually order their teas online, but it's still a fun ritual and the adjacent store has all kinds of tea paraphernalia, including home fragrances.

The nice people of Harney & Sons are about to open a tea store and tasting bar in NYC. The address is 433 Broome St. (SoHo) and the opening is mid-November according to this WSJ article.

Photo: harney.com

Harney & Sons Opening A NYC Tea Store

It's interesting but hardly surprising that many perfume lovers are also interested in high-quality tea. Let's see: bergamot, jasmine, lavender, osmanthus, smoky notes... we can drink as well as wear them, not to mention my favorite vanilla-flavored black tea.

One of my favorite fall trips is driving up north to Millerton, NY (rt. 22, right on the New York-Connecticut border) and visit Harney & Sons Tasting Room. I usually order their teas online, but it's still a fun ritual and the adjacent store has all kinds of tea paraphernalia, including home fragrances.

The nice people of Harney & Sons are about to open a tea store and tasting bar in NYC. The address is 433 Broome St. (SoHo) and the opening is mid-November according to this WSJ article.

Photo: harney.com

Jasper Gallery & Gifts- Vintage Shopping In New Jersey

I found this cute vintage cuff bracelet at Jasper Gallery & Gifts in Midland Park, New Jersey. It's a new store, barely opened, actually, their official opening is this coming Saturday (they're having a little reception that afternoon). They took a restored little stone cottage (not many of those in our area) and turned it into an art gallery (one of the owners is an artist) and a carefully-edited vintage shop. It hosts all kinds of interesting one-of-a-kind items- pottery, fashion accessories, jewelry. No perfume, sadly, but I'm simply happy to see more unique places opening. The last couple of years have been absolutely terrible to independent businesses and too many antique and vintage stores in the Tri-State area closed down. Let's hope for more new stores like this and less mass-produced mall crap.

Jasper Gallery & Gifts, 26 Goffle Road, Midland Park, New Jersey. Hours: 11AM to 6PM Tuesday- Saturday.

All photos are mine.

Jasper Gallery & Gifts- Vintage Shopping In New Jersey

I found this cute vintage cuff bracelet at Jasper Gallery & Gifts in Midland Park, New Jersey. It's a new store, barely opened, actually, their official opening is this coming Saturday (they're having a little reception that afternoon). They took a restored little stone cottage (not many of those in our area) and turned it into an art gallery (one of the owners is an artist) and a carefully-edited vintage shop. It hosts all kinds of interesting one-of-a-kind items- pottery, fashion accessories, jewelry. No perfume, sadly, but I'm simply happy to see more unique places opening. The last couple of years have been absolutely terrible to independent businesses and too many antique and vintage stores in the Tri-State area closed down. Let's hope for more new stores like this and less mass-produced mall crap.

Jasper Gallery & Gifts, 26 Goffle Road, Midland Park, New Jersey. Hours: 11AM to 6PM Tuesday- Saturday.

All photos are mine.

Jasper Gallery & Gifts- Vintage Shopping In New Jersey

I found this cute vintage cuff bracelet at Jasper Gallery & Gifts in Midland Park, New Jersey. It's a new store, barely opened, actually, their official opening is this coming Saturday (they're having a little reception that afternoon). They took a restored little stone cottage (not many of those in our area) and turned it into an art gallery (one of the owners is an artist) and a carefully-edited vintage shop. It hosts all kinds of interesting one-of-a-kind items- pottery, fashion accessories, jewelry. No perfume, sadly, but I'm simply happy to see more unique places opening. The last couple of years have been absolutely terrible to independent businesses and too many antique and vintage stores in the Tri-State area closed down. Let's hope for more new stores like this and less mass-produced mall crap.

Jasper Gallery & Gifts, 26 Goffle Road, Midland Park, New Jersey. Hours: 11AM to 6PM Tuesday- Saturday.

All photos are mine.

An Early Fall Day In NYC

It's an old cliche, but there's nothing like fall in New York. Even this early in the season, before the leaves start turning. It's something in the air, a change in the light over the buildings in Midtown and the way it reflects in windows and puddles. Then there's hot chocolate with Nutella at François Chocolate Bar (714 Madison Ave., 4th floor of Mauboussin), which made me think I must have done something really good in a previous life to deserve it. I headed back to Barneys so I could rectify this little issue. All is well now and Bas de Soie has joined its siblings in my cabinet and I'm well-marinated in iris goodness. Here are some bits and observations from today's adventure:

I had a look at Chanel Holiday 2010 collection at Henri Bendel. It's pretty, especially the eye shadow quad, but the sparkle level is much above my comfort level.

I don't mind so much the change of the Setge Lutens logo and packaging, but I'd hope that if they were already messing with stuff they'd make the boxes friendlier for those of us who keep them. They didn't and you still need to perform some cardboard surgery after inserting the sprayer into the bottle if you want to be able to close the box back.

The main fragrance counter at Barneys is becoming a favorite place to hang out. Sometimes a change in personnel does a world of good.

Speaking of that, the wonderful Giuseppe is no longer at Henri Bendel. This is not a good thing, at least for Bendel. There aren't that many passionate and knowledgeable people in perfume retail.

Back to Barneys. I always knew the Chanel specialists there are the best in the city. Seriously, Barneys, at least in NYC, is my favorite place to buy Chanel makeup and get a good advice on the collections, application and anything Chanel. Apparently the guys are this good even when they get stuck helping clients with YSL products.

Gilberto, the Chanel guy who did my makeup today smelled divine. It was something deliciously incense-like but not too dark. I couldn't quite place it. I quickly scanned my memory to figure out if it was something from CdG Incense series but I knew it wasn't. I could also tell it wasn't Heeley Cardinal. When I asked, Gilberto said it was Bleu de Chanel. Yes, the same one that was an utter dud, bordering on unpleasant on me, on the husband and didn't impress my scent twin, either. Skin chemistry, go figure.

Photo: October in Midtown by Catcing Flies on Flickr, 2005

An Early Fall Day In NYC

It's an old cliche, but there's nothing like fall in New York. Even this early in the season, before the leaves start turning. It's something in the air, a change in the light over the buildings in Midtown and the way it reflects in windows and puddles. Then there's hot chocolate with Nutella at François Chocolate Bar (714 Madison Ave., 4th floor of Mauboussin), which made me think I must have done something really good in a previous life to deserve it. I headed back to Barneys so I could rectify this little issue. All is well now and Bas de Soie has joined its siblings in my cabinet and I'm well-marinated in iris goodness. Here are some bits and observations from today's adventure:

I had a look at Chanel Holiday 2010 collection at Henri Bendel. It's pretty, especially the eye shadow quad, but the sparkle level is much above my comfort level.

I don't mind so much the change of the Setge Lutens logo and packaging, but I'd hope that if they were already messing with stuff they'd make the boxes friendlier for those of us who keep them. They didn't and you still need to perform some cardboard surgery after inserting the sprayer into the bottle if you want to be able to close the box back.

The main fragrance counter at Barneys is becoming a favorite place to hang out. Sometimes a change in personnel does a world of good.

Speaking of that, the wonderful Giuseppe is no longer at Henri Bendel. This is not a good thing, at least for Bendel. There aren't that many passionate and knowledgeable people in perfume retail.

Back to Barneys. I always knew the Chanel specialists there are the best in the city. Seriously, Barneys, at least in NYC, is my favorite place to buy Chanel makeup and get a good advice on the collections, application and anything Chanel. Apparently the guys are this good even when they get stuck helping clients with YSL products.

Gilberto, the Chanel guy who did my makeup today smelled divine. It was something deliciously incense-like but not too dark. I couldn't quite place it. I quickly scanned my memory to figure out if it was something from CdG Incense series but I knew it wasn't. I could also tell it wasn't Heeley Cardinal. When I asked, Gilberto said it was Bleu de Chanel. Yes, the same one that was an utter dud, bordering on unpleasant on me, on the husband and didn't impress my scent twin, either. Skin chemistry, go figure.

Photo: October in Midtown by Catcing Flies on Flickr, 2005

An Early Fall Day In NYC

It's an old cliche, but there's nothing like fall in New York. Even this early in the season, before the leaves start turning. It's something in the air, a change in the light over the buildings in Midtown and the way it reflects in windows and puddles. Then there's hot chocolate with Nutella at François Chocolate Bar (714 Madison Ave., 4th floor of Mauboussin), which made me think I must have done something really good in a previous life to deserve it. I headed back to Barneys so I could rectify this little issue. All is well now and Bas de Soie has joined its siblings in my cabinet and I'm well-marinated in iris goodness. Here are some bits and observations from today's adventure:

I had a look at Chanel Holiday 2010 collection at Henri Bendel. It's pretty, especially the eye shadow quad, but the sparkle level is much above my comfort level.

I don't mind so much the change of the Setge Lutens logo and packaging, but I'd hope that if they were already messing with stuff they'd make the boxes friendlier for those of us who keep them. They didn't and you still need to perform some cardboard surgery after inserting the sprayer into the bottle if you want to be able to close the box back.

The main fragrance counter at Barneys is becoming a favorite place to hang out. Sometimes a change in personnel does a world of good.

Speaking of that, the wonderful Giuseppe is no longer at Henri Bendel. This is not a good thing, at least for Bendel. There aren't that many passionate and knowledgeable people in perfume retail.

Back to Barneys. I always knew the Chanel specialists there are the best in the city. Seriously, Barneys, at least in NYC, is my favorite place to buy Chanel makeup and get a good advice on the collections, application and anything Chanel. Apparently the guys are this good even when they get stuck helping clients with YSL products.

Gilberto, the Chanel guy who did my makeup today smelled divine. It was something deliciously incense-like but not too dark. I couldn't quite place it. I quickly scanned my memory to figure out if it was something from CdG Incense series but I knew it wasn't. I could also tell it wasn't Heeley Cardinal. When I asked, Gilberto said it was Bleu de Chanel. Yes, the same one that was an utter dud, bordering on unpleasant on me, on the husband and didn't impress my scent twin, either. Skin chemistry, go figure.

Photo: October in Midtown by Catcing Flies on Flickr, 2005

A Day And A Night Out On The Town

The Blond and I have been hermiting it since we came back from vacation, but today we broke the spell. We had tickets to see Patrick Stewart and T.R. Knight in David Mamet's A Life In The Theater. I'm perfectly happy to watch Sir Patrick just stand there and read the NYC phonebook, but an actual play, with a dialog and everything is even better.

Grandaisy Bakery and dinner at Cafe Blossom, but I know you're not here for the cake. Obviously, in between noshing and admiring Sir Patrick's accent there was some serious perfume sniffing and shopping.

Aedes has the newest Serge Lutens export, Bas de Soie. I didn't expect to love it, but I sprayed it before the show and by the time we were done applauding I was head-over-heels. Uncle Serge knows his iris, but this isn't that rooty carrot and damp dark soil of Iris Silver Mist. Instead, this is dry and piercing with its hyacinth note. Bas de Soie is a lot more sophisticated than it seems at first sniff and proves our favorite uncle hasn't lost his touch just yet. Have I said love already?

The Blond played happily with some CdGs, wasn't too impressed with Diptyque Duelle, but he's just not a vanilla person. I actually liked it, but it reminded me of Le Labo's Paris exclusive, Vanille 44. Well, maybe Vanille 44 on a diet, but still. It's not very tenacious, which is a problem I'm having with most of the newer Diptyque perfumes.

We headed uptown for the Triple B tour (Bergdorf, Barneys and Bendel). A couple of the brands formerly found across the street at Takashimaya have migrated to Henri Bendel, so we can still get our fix of Ineke and Histoires de Parfums. The newest Bendel private label scent, Wild Fig, did nothing for me, and I'm a fig freak, so you know something is amiss there.

The L'Artisan boutique there has one of the two new scents,Traversée du Bosphore. I don’t know if the Blond didn’t spray enough or what, but I could barely smell anything. I’ll have to seriously test again before making judgment, but at this point I was going to give up on L’Artisan. It’s a good thing the day wasn’t over (spoiler alert!).

I never payed much attention to the Profumi del Forte line, but that's probably because the samples I had were of the masculines, which I've found boring, at least from casual sniffing. This time something compelled me to look further and I absentmindedly sprayed my wrist with By Night (White). Oh.

By Night, the feminine version, is a gorgeous orange blossom and vanilla over a sensual wood-musk base. Not the most innovative idea, but it works for me. Added to the wishlist. Because, really, I need more vanilla perfumes.

Speaking of which, Bergdorf will be getting the new limited Edition Shalimar Ode A La Vanille on October 23rd. I'm ridiculously excited, but then again, I've never met a Shalimar I didn't like. Sadly, this is the only exciting perfume thing going on at Bergdorf these days. They don't have the new Serge yet and it looks like they're stocking less perfume brands than ever. The young ladies ready to spray you with Balenciaga don't contribute much to the atmosphere, either. But the other aspects of the beauty level are still as fabulous as ever and maybe more. Le Metier de Beaute will have some new and exciting items soon, and if you haven't seen the latest Cle de Peau eye palettes yet I highly recommend them (a review of Malachite is coming as soon as I give mine an adequate testing).

Barneys has both Bas de Soie and Coeur de Vetiver Sacre, the other new L’Artisan. We both tried it on and were stunned to realize how much we liked it. Of course, one can never have too many vetivers (or leather scents, or dirty musks), but this was different and intriguing enough neither one of us felt it was redundant.

We came back to Barneys after the show and before heading west for dinner to buy our newest loves. Or tried to. The L'Artisan is peacefully resting in our cabinet now, but somehow the SA and I didn’t notice, but he grabbed Ambre Sultan instead of Bas de Soie. I didn’t realize it until we got home, so there’s an emergency  trip to Madison Avenue in my immediate future. Like most Serge groupies, I love Ambre Sultan, but I don’t need a backup bottle just yet. But I do need my iris fix, so there.

All in all and wrong Serge aside, it was a great day.
How did you spend your weekend?

Image: The Swinging Sixties Blog.

A Day And A Night Out On The Town

The Blond and I have been hermiting it since we came back from vacation, but today we broke the spell. We had tickets to see Patrick Stewart and T.R. Knight in David Mamet's A Life In The Theater. I'm perfectly happy to watch Sir Patrick just stand there and read the NYC phonebook, but an actual play, with a dialog and everything is even better.

Grandaisy Bakery and dinner at Cafe Blossom, but I know you're not here for the cake. Obviously, in between noshing and admiring Sir Patrick's accent there was some serious perfume sniffing and shopping.

Aedes has the newest Serge Lutens export, Bas de Soie. I didn't expect to love it, but I sprayed it before the show and by the time we were done applauding I was head-over-heels. Uncle Serge knows his iris, but this isn't that rooty carrot and damp dark soil of Iris Silver Mist. Instead, this is dry and piercing with its hyacinth note. Bas de Soie is a lot more sophisticated than it seems at first sniff and proves our favorite uncle hasn't lost his touch just yet. Have I said love already?

The Blond played happily with some CdGs, wasn't too impressed with Diptyque Duelle, but he's just not a vanilla person. I actually liked it, but it reminded me of Le Labo's Paris exclusive, Vanille 44. Well, maybe Vanille 44 on a diet, but still. It's not very tenacious, which is a problem I'm having with most of the newer Diptyque perfumes.

We headed uptown for the Triple B tour (Bergdorf, Barneys and Bendel). A couple of the brands formerly found across the street at Takashimaya have migrated to Henri Bendel, so we can still get our fix of Ineke and Histoires de Parfums. The newest Bendel private label scent, Wild Fig, did nothing for me, and I'm a fig freak, so you know something is amiss there.

The L'Artisan boutique there has one of the two new scents,Traversée du Bosphore. I don’t know if the Blond didn’t spray enough or what, but I could barely smell anything. I’ll have to seriously test again before making judgment, but at this point I was going to give up on L’Artisan. It’s a good thing the day wasn’t over (spoiler alert!).

I never payed much attention to the Profumi del Forte line, but that's probably because the samples I had were of the masculines, which I've found boring, at least from casual sniffing. This time something compelled me to look further and I absentmindedly sprayed my wrist with By Night (White). Oh.

By Night, the feminine version, is a gorgeous orange blossom and vanilla over a sensual wood-musk base. Not the most innovative idea, but it works for me. Added to the wishlist. Because, really, I need more vanilla perfumes.

Speaking of which, Bergdorf will be getting the new limited Edition Shalimar Ode A La Vanille on October 23rd. I'm ridiculously excited, but then again, I've never met a Shalimar I didn't like. Sadly, this is the only exciting perfume thing going on at Bergdorf these days. They don't have the new Serge yet and it looks like they're stocking less perfume brands than ever. The young ladies ready to spray you with Balenciaga don't contribute much to the atmosphere, either. But the other aspects of the beauty level are still as fabulous as ever and maybe more. Le Metier de Beaute will have some new and exciting items soon, and if you haven't seen the latest Cle de Peau eye palettes yet I highly recommend them (a review of Malachite is coming as soon as I give mine an adequate testing).

Barneys has both Bas de Soie and Coeur de Vetiver Sacre, the other new L’Artisan. We both tried it on and were stunned to realize how much we liked it. Of course, one can never have too many vetivers (or leather scents, or dirty musks), but this was different and intriguing enough neither one of us felt it was redundant.

We came back to Barneys after the show and before heading west for dinner to buy our newest loves. Or tried to. The L'Artisan is peacefully resting in our cabinet now, but somehow the SA and I didn’t notice, but he grabbed Ambre Sultan instead of Bas de Soie. I didn’t realize it until we got home, so there’s an emergency  trip to Madison Avenue in my immediate future. Like most Serge groupies, I love Ambre Sultan, but I don’t need a backup bottle just yet. But I do need my iris fix, so there.

All in all and wrong Serge aside, it was a great day.
How did you spend your weekend?

Image: The Swinging Sixties Blog.

A Day And A Night Out On The Town

The Blond and I have been hermiting it since we came back from vacation, but today we broke the spell. We had tickets to see Patrick Stewart and T.R. Knight in David Mamet's A Life In The Theater. I'm perfectly happy to watch Sir Patrick just stand there and read the NYC phonebook, but an actual play, with a dialog and everything is even better.

Grandaisy Bakery and dinner at Cafe Blossom, but I know you're not here for the cake. Obviously, in between noshing and admiring Sir Patrick's accent there was some serious perfume sniffing and shopping.

Aedes has the newest Serge Lutens export, Bas de Soie. I didn't expect to love it, but I sprayed it before the show and by the time we were done applauding I was head-over-heels. Uncle Serge knows his iris, but this isn't that rooty carrot and damp dark soil of Iris Silver Mist. Instead, this is dry and piercing with its hyacinth note. Bas de Soie is a lot more sophisticated than it seems at first sniff and proves our favorite uncle hasn't lost his touch just yet. Have I said love already?

The Blond played happily with some CdGs, wasn't too impressed with Diptyque Duelle, but he's just not a vanilla person. I actually liked it, but it reminded me of Le Labo's Paris exclusive, Vanille 44. Well, maybe Vanille 44 on a diet, but still. It's not very tenacious, which is a problem I'm having with most of the newer Diptyque perfumes.

We headed uptown for the Triple B tour (Bergdorf, Barneys and Bendel). A couple of the brands formerly found across the street at Takashimaya have migrated to Henri Bendel, so we can still get our fix of Ineke and Histoires de Parfums. The newest Bendel private label scent, Wild Fig, did nothing for me, and I'm a fig freak, so you know something is amiss there.

The L'Artisan boutique there has one of the two new scents,Traversée du Bosphore. I don’t know if the Blond didn’t spray enough or what, but I could barely smell anything. I’ll have to seriously test again before making judgment, but at this point I was going to give up on L’Artisan. It’s a good thing the day wasn’t over (spoiler alert!).

I never payed much attention to the Profumi del Forte line, but that's probably because the samples I had were of the masculines, which I've found boring, at least from casual sniffing. This time something compelled me to look further and I absentmindedly sprayed my wrist with By Night (White). Oh.

By Night, the feminine version, is a gorgeous orange blossom and vanilla over a sensual wood-musk base. Not the most innovative idea, but it works for me. Added to the wishlist. Because, really, I need more vanilla perfumes.

Speaking of which, Bergdorf will be getting the new limited Edition Shalimar Ode A La Vanille on October 23rd. I'm ridiculously excited, but then again, I've never met a Shalimar I didn't like. Sadly, this is the only exciting perfume thing going on at Bergdorf these days. They don't have the new Serge yet and it looks like they're stocking less perfume brands than ever. The young ladies ready to spray you with Balenciaga don't contribute much to the atmosphere, either. But the other aspects of the beauty level are still as fabulous as ever and maybe more. Le Metier de Beaute will have some new and exciting items soon, and if you haven't seen the latest Cle de Peau eye palettes yet I highly recommend them (a review of Malachite is coming as soon as I give mine an adequate testing).

Barneys has both Bas de Soie and Coeur de Vetiver Sacre, the other new L’Artisan. We both tried it on and were stunned to realize how much we liked it. Of course, one can never have too many vetivers (or leather scents, or dirty musks), but this was different and intriguing enough neither one of us felt it was redundant.

We came back to Barneys after the show and before heading west for dinner to buy our newest loves. Or tried to. The L'Artisan is peacefully resting in our cabinet now, but somehow the SA and I didn’t notice, but he grabbed Ambre Sultan instead of Bas de Soie. I didn’t realize it until we got home, so there’s an emergency  trip to Madison Avenue in my immediate future. Like most Serge groupies, I love Ambre Sultan, but I don’t need a backup bottle just yet. But I do need my iris fix, so there.

All in all and wrong Serge aside, it was a great day.
How did you spend your weekend?

Image: The Swinging Sixties Blog.

Anya Ponorovskaya- Fashion On Elizabeth Street

I love NYC's Elizabeth Street and not just because of Le Labo. It's full of indie designers and retro stores and I always manage to find something special to wear. Last weekend it was a gorgeous dress by Anya Ponorovskaya. The tiny boutique feels like Wonderland for those of us who likes exquisitely cut feminine dresses. There's a vintage vibe there, but Ponorovskaya's designs are timeless and very sexy and the fabrics- cotton and silk- are modern and crisp.

There are also shoes and accessories, but it were the dresses that mesmerized me. They are so well-made and have no other purpose than to make you feel pretty. The dress I got has a similar shape to the one above, but is made of a lace overlay and a red silk slip. It's figure-friendly and made me feel like I just stepped out of the Mad Men set.

Just call me Joanie.

Anya Ponorovskaya has four boutiques- the one on 235 Elizabeth street as well as a bridal store on 167 Elizabeth (there's a gorgeous white version of my dress), and two other locations: in Brooklyn and in Miami. If you're in the area, check out Caffe Falai on  265 Lafayette Street. It's a great Italian place, as authentic as they come. I love their poached pigs with ricotta cheese and their crepe cake is dreamy- layers of thin delicate crepes with perfect creme patissier. Seriously- don't miss the desserts.

Photos:
examiner.com
cherrypatter.com

Anya Ponorovskaya- Fashion On Elizabeth Street

I love NYC's Elizabeth Street and not just because of Le Labo. It's full of indie designers and retro stores and I always manage to find something special to wear. Last weekend it was a gorgeous dress by Anya Ponorovskaya. The tiny boutique feels like Wonderland for those of us who likes exquisitely cut feminine dresses. There's a vintage vibe there, but Ponorovskaya's designs are timeless and very sexy and the fabrics- cotton and silk- are modern and crisp.

There are also shoes and accessories, but it were the dresses that mesmerized me. They are so well-made and have no other purpose than to make you feel pretty. The dress I got has a similar shape to the one above, but is made of a lace overlay and a red silk slip. It's figure-friendly and made me feel like I just stepped out of the Mad Men set.

Just call me Joanie.

Anya Ponorovskaya has four boutiques- the one on 235 Elizabeth street as well as a bridal store on 167 Elizabeth (there's a gorgeous white version of my dress), and two other locations: in Brooklyn and in Miami. If you're in the area, check out Caffe Falai on  265 Lafayette Street. It's a great Italian place, as authentic as they come. I love their poached pigs with ricotta cheese and their crepe cake is dreamy- layers of thin delicate crepes with perfect creme patissier. Seriously- don't miss the desserts.

Photos:
examiner.com
cherrypatter.com

Anya Ponorovskaya- Fashion On Elizabeth Street

I love NYC's Elizabeth Street and not just because of Le Labo. It's full of indie designers and retro stores and I always manage to find something special to wear. Last weekend it was a gorgeous dress by Anya Ponorovskaya. The tiny boutique feels like Wonderland for those of us who likes exquisitely cut feminine dresses. There's a vintage vibe there, but Ponorovskaya's designs are timeless and very sexy and the fabrics- cotton and silk- are modern and crisp.

There are also shoes and accessories, but it were the dresses that mesmerized me. They are so well-made and have no other purpose than to make you feel pretty. The dress I got has a similar shape to the one above, but is made of a lace overlay and a red silk slip. It's figure-friendly and made me feel like I just stepped out of the Mad Men set.

Just call me Joanie.

Anya Ponorovskaya has four boutiques- the one on 235 Elizabeth street as well as a bridal store on 167 Elizabeth (there's a gorgeous white version of my dress), and two other locations: in Brooklyn and in Miami. If you're in the area, check out Caffe Falai on  265 Lafayette Street. It's a great Italian place, as authentic as they come. I love their poached pigs with ricotta cheese and their crepe cake is dreamy- layers of thin delicate crepes with perfect creme patissier. Seriously- don't miss the desserts.

Photos:
examiner.com
cherrypatter.com

Polished In The 'Burbs

The other day I was sorting my makeup brushes, mentally going over what I need for upcoming travel. The result was a quick visit to Ulta. The store is five minutes from my house, right next to Whole Foods. Nothing like getting your Urban Decay primer and organic broccoli in the same outing. I found the brushes I needed from Smashbox- not exactly Chanel, but efficient enough. Then it was time to look around. I wanted to see Urban Decay's Naked Palette, just to confirm that I didn't need it. They had the palettes in stock, but no tester. A well-meaning SA showed me the single eye shadows that also appear in the palette. They're ok, but the amount of shimmer and shine is not my thing, and I have so many nicer neutrals, so it was easy to move on.

The thing I love best about Ulta is the huge selection of nail polish. Essie, OPI and the occasional China Glaze among many others. I wanted a good look at the Swiss collection, which is really beautiful. The problem is that I'm not really a nail polish collector. I buy them, I wear them and I stare at the pretty colors, but my version of OCD doesn't include a burning need to own every special release and limited edition if I already have enough version of the colors in question. OPI's Swiss collection is beautiful. The jewel tones, the reds, the cremes and shimmers- all are gorgeous and I could get lost in the blue shades. But I don't really wear blue polish, I have enough reds already and as much as I loved the pale gold glitter of Glitzerland it was just too much. Instead, I went back to the Hong Kong collection (spring/summer 2010) and picked Meet Me On The Star Ferry, a shimmery medium purple that won my heart right away. I don't know why I skipped this collection when it first came out, but Meet Me On The Star Ferry is a great color for transition  into fall. Swatches and review coming soon.

Next was Essie. The fall collection really hit the spot for me and I love the packages of four minis.This season's set includes Merino Cool (taupe/mauve), Limited Addiction (dark blood red), Little Brown Dress (espresso coffee) and Sew Psyched (sage? celadon? smoky jade?). I also picked a full size bottle of In stitches, the kind of dark rose I love. It's not that Essie has reinvented the wheel here or anything, but the colors are beautiful, wearable and I don't own too many similar shades. Officially this collection isn't supposed to be out until September, but it's already available online from Nordstrom and obviously Ulta in Paramus has it.

A shopping report from NYC will have to wait another day or so. There's quite a bit to talk about, from the new By Killian (MiN New York on Crosby street already got the tester) to a fashion designer on Elizabeth street that makes Joan Holloway worthy dresses. Stay tuned.

Photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1942, life.com

Polished In The 'Burbs

The other day I was sorting my makeup brushes, mentally going over what I need for upcoming travel. The result was a quick visit to Ulta. The store is five minutes from my house, right next to Whole Foods. Nothing like getting your Urban Decay primer and organic broccoli in the same outing. I found the brushes I needed from Smashbox- not exactly Chanel, but efficient enough. Then it was time to look around. I wanted to see Urban Decay's Naked Palette, just to confirm that I didn't need it. They had the palettes in stock, but no tester. A well-meaning SA showed me the single eye shadows that also appear in the palette. They're ok, but the amount of shimmer and shine is not my thing, and I have so many nicer neutrals, so it was easy to move on.

The thing I love best about Ulta is the huge selection of nail polish. Essie, OPI and the occasional China Glaze among many others. I wanted a good look at the Swiss collection, which is really beautiful. The problem is that I'm not really a nail polish collector. I buy them, I wear them and I stare at the pretty colors, but my version of OCD doesn't include a burning need to own every special release and limited edition if I already have enough version of the colors in question. OPI's Swiss collection is beautiful. The jewel tones, the reds, the cremes and shimmers- all are gorgeous and I could get lost in the blue shades. But I don't really wear blue polish, I have enough reds already and as much as I loved the pale gold glitter of Glitzerland it was just too much. Instead, I went back to the Hong Kong collection (spring/summer 2010) and picked Meet Me On The Star Ferry, a shimmery medium purple that won my heart right away. I don't know why I skipped this collection when it first came out, but Meet Me On The Star Ferry is a great color for transition  into fall. Swatches and review coming soon.

Next was Essie. The fall collection really hit the spot for me and I love the packages of four minis.This season's set includes Merino Cool (taupe/mauve), Limited Addiction (dark blood red), Little Brown Dress (espresso coffee) and Sew Psyched (sage? celadon? smoky jade?). I also picked a full size bottle of In stitches, the kind of dark rose I love. It's not that Essie has reinvented the wheel here or anything, but the colors are beautiful, wearable and I don't own too many similar shades. Officially this collection isn't supposed to be out until September, but it's already available online from Nordstrom and obviously Ulta in Paramus has it.

A shopping report from NYC will have to wait another day or so. There's quite a bit to talk about, from the new By Killian (MiN New York on Crosby street already got the tester) to a fashion designer on Elizabeth street that makes Joan Holloway worthy dresses. Stay tuned.

Photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1942, life.com

Polished In The 'Burbs

The other day I was sorting my makeup brushes, mentally going over what I need for upcoming travel. The result was a quick visit to Ulta. The store is five minutes from my house, right next to Whole Foods. Nothing like getting your Urban Decay primer and organic broccoli in the same outing. I found the brushes I needed from Smashbox- not exactly Chanel, but efficient enough. Then it was time to look around. I wanted to see Urban Decay's Naked Palette, just to confirm that I didn't need it. They had the palettes in stock, but no tester. A well-meaning SA showed me the single eye shadows that also appear in the palette. They're ok, but the amount of shimmer and shine is not my thing, and I have so many nicer neutrals, so it was easy to move on.

The thing I love best about Ulta is the huge selection of nail polish. Essie, OPI and the occasional China Glaze among many others. I wanted a good look at the Swiss collection, which is really beautiful. The problem is that I'm not really a nail polish collector. I buy them, I wear them and I stare at the pretty colors, but my version of OCD doesn't include a burning need to own every special release and limited edition if I already have enough version of the colors in question. OPI's Swiss collection is beautiful. The jewel tones, the reds, the cremes and shimmers- all are gorgeous and I could get lost in the blue shades. But I don't really wear blue polish, I have enough reds already and as much as I loved the pale gold glitter of Glitzerland it was just too much. Instead, I went back to the Hong Kong collection (spring/summer 2010) and picked Meet Me On The Star Ferry, a shimmery medium purple that won my heart right away. I don't know why I skipped this collection when it first came out, but Meet Me On The Star Ferry is a great color for transition  into fall. Swatches and review coming soon.

Next was Essie. The fall collection really hit the spot for me and I love the packages of four minis.This season's set includes Merino Cool (taupe/mauve), Limited Addiction (dark blood red), Little Brown Dress (espresso coffee) and Sew Psyched (sage? celadon? smoky jade?). I also picked a full size bottle of In stitches, the kind of dark rose I love. It's not that Essie has reinvented the wheel here or anything, but the colors are beautiful, wearable and I don't own too many similar shades. Officially this collection isn't supposed to be out until September, but it's already available online from Nordstrom and obviously Ulta in Paramus has it.

A shopping report from NYC will have to wait another day or so. There's quite a bit to talk about, from the new By Killian (MiN New York on Crosby street already got the tester) to a fashion designer on Elizabeth street that makes Joan Holloway worthy dresses. Stay tuned.

Photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1942, life.com

Scenes From The Mall

Unable to contain my curiosity and not entirely satisfied with the swatches I've seen online so far, I headed to Nordstrom to check out the new Burberry makeup collection. It meant going to the Garden State Plaza, a place I try to avoid at all costs, but the promise of fabulous lipsticks and gorgeous packaging was too much to resist. Since the Paramus store is one of the few locations that actually carry Burberry, I went there full of Jersey pride. Except that the launch date has been pushed back to August 10th. They're doing a pre-sale but there are no testers or any information about the makeup other than a handful of items in one of those display cubes you can't open.

Since the place was cheerful and abuzz with brand reps, makeup artists and the general anniversary sale fun I stayed for a while to see what's new and pretty. I'm glad to report that the Dior counter still has the Nordsrom exclusive palette, so if it's already sold out at your location you might want to give this store a call. At the Armani counter, a young SA whose misfortune was to have me as a customer tried to convince me the summer collection was actually the new stuff for fall. I didn't even bother to argue.

I decided to head towards Neiman Marcus. The place was eerily empty and silent. The fashion floor was in that limbo stage between seasons, when there's absolutely nothing interesting and/or in my size. The beauty department was equally ghostly (to be fair it was still early-ish, about 11:30 am), and most counters were empty of SAs. A couple of employees and the floor manager were running from counter to counter just behind the handful of customers who walked around.

The good news is that the Le Metier de Beaute counter already has a tester of  the fall Kaleidoscope eye Kit (no other fall testers, though, and the products only go on sale September 10th), so if you're in the area that alone is worth the visit. At the Guerlain counter I was assisted by the Lancome specialist who was awesome, helped me play with the testers and rang my purchase:

These are two of the gorgeous eye shadow palettes for fall. Review and swatches are coming as soon, of course.

The previous scene from Armani was repeated at the Nars counter. An overly made up SA tried to insist that the dirty and abused testers of the summer collection were of the newest items. I know that several locations, including some Sephora stores, already have all the fall items, but apparently Paramus isn't one of them (our Sephora didn't have them, either, but I wasn't surprised. This store is always behind).

A quick stroll through the mall made it clear it was time to run for my life. The crowd has thickened and the nasty aroma of the food court reminded me why I haven't set foot in the Plaza in the last 10 months or so. I went home and did some highly satisfying online shopping.

Top photo of the Garden State Plaza in its previous 1960s incarnation from mallsofamerica.blogspot.com
Guerlain palettes: photograph by me.

Scenes From The Mall

Unable to contain my curiosity and not entirely satisfied with the swatches I've seen online so far, I headed to Nordstrom to check out the new Burberry makeup collection. It meant going to the Garden State Plaza, a place I try to avoid at all costs, but the promise of fabulous lipsticks and gorgeous packaging was too much to resist. Since the Paramus store is one of the few locations that actually carry Burberry, I went there full of Jersey pride. Except that the launch date has been pushed back to August 10th. They're doing a pre-sale but there are no testers or any information about the makeup other than a handful of items in one of those display cubes you can't open.

Since the place was cheerful and abuzz with brand reps, makeup artists and the general anniversary sale fun I stayed for a while to see what's new and pretty. I'm glad to report that the Dior counter still has the Nordsrom exclusive palette, so if it's already sold out at your location you might want to give this store a call. At the Armani counter, a young SA whose misfortune was to have me as a customer tried to convince me the summer collection was actually the new stuff for fall. I didn't even bother to argue.

I decided to head towards Neiman Marcus. The place was eerily empty and silent. The fashion floor was in that limbo stage between seasons, when there's absolutely nothing interesting and/or in my size. The beauty department was equally ghostly (to be fair it was still early-ish, about 11:30 am), and most counters were empty of SAs. A couple of employees and the floor manager were running from counter to counter just behind the handful of customers who walked around.

The good news is that the Le Metier de Beaute counter already has a tester of  the fall Kaleidoscope eye Kit (no other fall testers, though, and the products only go on sale September 10th), so if you're in the area that alone is worth the visit. At the Guerlain counter I was assisted by the Lancome specialist who was awesome, helped me play with the testers and rang my purchase:

These are two of the gorgeous eye shadow palettes for fall. Review and swatches are coming as soon, of course.

The previous scene from Armani was repeated at the Nars counter. An overly made up SA tried to insist that the dirty and abused testers of the summer collection were of the newest items. I know that several locations, including some Sephora stores, already have all the fall items, but apparently Paramus isn't one of them (our Sephora didn't have them, either, but I wasn't surprised. This store is always behind).

A quick stroll through the mall made it clear it was time to run for my life. The crowd has thickened and the nasty aroma of the food court reminded me why I haven't set foot in the Plaza in the last 10 months or so. I went home and did some highly satisfying online shopping.

Top photo of the Garden State Plaza in its previous 1960s incarnation from mallsofamerica.blogspot.com
Guerlain palettes: photograph by me.