Eve Salon-Rainforest Mani/Pedi Salon/Spa Review

Hey guys,

Before we get back to my scheduled post, I’d like to thank all of you readers from the bottom of my heart. I have never received so many emails, and words of encouragement from so many people. I still have not been able to read through all the emails that you guys have sent but you’re all wonderful, and if I could give each and every one of you a big hug, I would. Anyway, let’s talk beauty.

The Saturday before I delivered Lil Man (unexpectedly), I needed to get a mani/pedi STAT. You girls know how I feel about taking care of yourself. It’s a must! Don’t ever feel guilty about it. You deserve it. Eve Salon located on 8^th street in Manhattan invited me to indulge in their summer Rainforest Renewal mani/pedicure, and woohoo, that’s just what I needed. First off, I was really impressed with Eve’s décor.

A gorgeous salon, with so many natural products, and they only carry two of my favorite nail polish brands, Zoya and Essie. 

Eve had all of the latest collections in stock too from Zoya’s Flash and Sparkle to Essie’s resort collection.  The salon is pretty well-known for their wax jobs but I had never gotten a mani/pedi done here.  My manicurist was this wonderful lady named Irina. I walked in, and the first thing I was offered was a Passion Fruit Margarita. Yum! Unfortunately since lil man was still inside me, I had to decline, but the margarita is included with all  rainforest mani/pedi services. The pedi begins like any standard pedi with cutting the nails, cuticles, etc.  But then Irina whipped out the Rainforest Restoration Passion Fruit Guava Scrub and that’s when the real fun began. 

She began rubbing my aching feet with it.  This scrub was definitely not abrasive, but it was strong enough so that as she was rubbing my foot with it, I felt as if I was in heaven. This was one of the best smelling scrubs ever. The delish fruity scent of this scrub permeated throughout the entire salon. I actually ended up ordering the scrub for myself online when I got home. 

After she washed off the scrub, she whipped out this delicious Acai Antioxidant Body crème, and gave me a gentle foot reflexology massage. I loved how knowledgeable Irina was about pregnant women. She knew that because I'm pregnant, I am not supposed to get very hard foot massages-that in itself can be dangerous to an unborn fetus.   Although she was gentle, the massage was incredibly refreshing for my 8 ½ month pregnant self and the stress that my feet had been feeling from carrying around my own extra weight and a seven pound human in me, was completely gone.  I ended up choosing Zoya’s Nefertiti on my feet, a stunning red, that even today, a week later, is still on my toes looking like I just got the pedicure done.  After she finished, the bottoms of my feet were soft and smooth as a baby's behind, my toes looked beautiful with Zoya’s Neferti, and I couldn’t wait for the mani.

  

The manicure began and when Irina began using the passion fruit scrub on my hands, I was in bliss. Since I type constantly, my hands carry a lot of pain especially in between my thumb and index finger. Irina really massaged that area using the Passion Fruit Scrub and Acai Creme and with her magic hands,  all of the stress from the months before melted away.

Is it just me, or is there something about a hand massage that can turn your whole life around? Lol, After she was done with the luxurious massage, I chose Zoya Happi for the color.

Zoya Happi is from Zoya's current Flash collection, and it's probably one of my favorite pinks.  Who knew two days later, one of the happiest days of my life would come to pass.

All in all, I would definitely recommend Eve Salon’s Rainforest Mani/pedi. This is a limited time summer offer so I suggest you girls grab it! The pedi is $40.00 and the mani is $20.00.

Eve Salon

55 West 8th Street
New York, NY 10011
(212) 807-8054

Hugs,

DE

I'm back but I was gone for a good Reason

Hey loves,

On Sunday, I celebrated my last day of work
before maternity leave.  
It was wonderful.
My job threw me a cute little party
With a delish Crumbs cake and cupcakes to boot.

That was a great day.
I walked out of work that Sunday night
excited about the next two weeks
before Lil Man was supposed to come.
I had so many plans.
So many dinners, and get together with friends
scheduled for those weeks.
I couldn't wait.
Monday Morning
Around 7:00AM
Watching TV
Holy Crap
Pain that couldn't be denied.
picture the worst pain of your life,
now double that and then times it by twenty.
that's how I felt.
after a couple of minutes.
the pain subsided.
And I got back to watching TV
It came back.
And kept coming back
I started timing them. 
Every 4 minutes.
I got nervous.
Called Doc
Who wasn't worried,
Told me it was probably "fake contractions."
He had just checked me last week
and I didn't look nearly ready. 
Told me to take a cab to his office.
I did.
Got to his office in 15 minutes.
He examined me,
after he was done,
panic clearly on his face.
his exact words were.
"you can literally have this baby at any second."
He told me to jump in a cab,
his partner would meet me at the hospital.
The drive to the hospital was excruciating.
Pressure, mounted with fear was making me nervous
and my damn cab driver kept panicking,
screaming at me,
that he didn't know how to deliver a baby.
Got to the Hospital.
Could barely walk.
Crawled to the labor room,
doctors and nurses were waiting for me.
Pain was so intense
that I literally begged them to
either kill me or drug me.
Yes those were my exact words
Thank God they did the latter.
Lil Man came twenty minutes  later.
I'll be back blogging beauty and baby soon.
stay tuned.
oh by the way
say hello to my lil friend.


Hugs,

DE

Book Rec Daisy Fuentes Unforgettable You

Ah it’s the summer time, and it’s also my maternity leave, which means, until little man is born, I’m doing serious prenatal yoga, lounging by the pool, and reading good books.

Recently, I was sent Daisy Fuentes new book Unforgettabe You to review, and this adorable little book is just what I needed. The book talks about Daisy’s life. How she became a model, MTV VJ, and pretty much what led to all her success. But, the book also gives women advice on life in general from the most simple things to “How to set a table.”  To “How to deflect yourself from an uncomfortable conversation” to even "Cell Phone Etiquette." (which a lot of us need to read) to the importance of making sure you have good friends in your life and to dealing in relationships. I loved her little list at the end of each chapter: One that I thought was cute was:

Every woman should own

1)    "A set of personalized stationery" (oops need that)

2)    "An umbrella that she isn’t embarrassed to be seen with" (check)

3)    "A great clutch/evening purse" (check)

4)    "A kick-ass pair of stilettos" (check )

5)   " A cashmere sweater or wrap" (check)

6)    "Real jewelry" (that she bought for herself) check

7)   " A great blazer"(check)

8)    "A quality set of pots and pans" (check)

9)    "A fantastic yet practical piece of luggage" (check)

10) "Her style" (check)

I also loved how she talks about relationships, and how she reflects on her own relationships and the mistakes she made and how she learned from them and how we can learn from them too This book is such a fabulous summer time read. Excellent to ready when lounging by the pool (which is where I read it)  or hanging out in the park.

Order it Here

I need good book rec’s while I’m on maternity leave.

Please Email me some or leave a comment.

Thanks,

DE

Duri 2010 Paparazzi Collection

Spring and summer are my absolute favorite part of the year. I love the warm weather, the bright clothes we can wear, and the gorgeous polish colors that are released this time of year. Duri’s 2010 Paparazzi collection delivers some beautiful shades this time around. With this collection, they wanted to break away from traditional spring pastels and red. This collection includes opalescent purples, metallic oranges,  green and magenta shades. Here are three shades from the collection:

Duri Divas Only

This reminds me a lot of Zoya’s Adina. A gorgeous duochrome purple.

Duri Limo Ride

Probably my favorite color, on tan skinned, looks radiant. A really pretty copper/orange mix.

Duri Oscar Party

This is definitely a bright green. If you’re into green polishes, (I am sometimes) this one is for you.

My fave color is definitely Limo Ride.   Duri polishes are Phthalate free. (STAY AWAY FROM PHTHALATES IF YOU ARE PREGNANT.)

What's your fave color in this collection?

Hugs,

De

**product provided by company for editorial review. 

Beauty Product You Can't Live Without-Clarisonic Mia

Since I"m a beauty blogger, my house is loaded with beauty products. I love being a guinea pig for new products. However, there is 1 skincare product that I can't ever part with. I tried to stop using her before so that I could try other items,  and my skin never forgave me.  After getting a little depressed with how horrible my skin was looking during pregnancy, I remembered the Clarisonic. I had given mine to my bestest and decided my skin needed it again STAT so I purchased one (a purple one too).After I added the Clarisonic mia to my regimen again, my skin is now finally showing me some love!

My Clarisonic Mia (in purple)

I truly believe that you should invest in your skin. It kills me when I see women who invest so much money in fashion, yet have a horrible skin care regime. To me, The Clarisonic  is an investment that everyone should make. I've blogged about it before. It removes every single trace of makeup on your face so your skincare products absorb better, and your pores look so much smaller, and after starting to use it again, my skin is finally in control.

What is 1 beauty product you can't live without?

Any skincare product that has saved your skin?

Hugs,

DE

#I paid for this product, and after looking at my face this morning, and seeing how much better it looked, I had to write about it.

PS: Winner of Ila Alarm is Valerie. Valerie please contact me within 2 days or I must give this to someone else. 

Big Things Coming

Hey loves,

In exactly a month, I will be celebrating:
1) My birthday
2) The three year anniversary of this blog
3) My lil boy will be two weeks old

Guess what that means;Huge giveaways!
I'm working with friends of beautylogic to bring you the best giveaways.
I'll hope you'll stay tuned.

Hugs,

DE

Maternity Photo Rec-Jessica Lavoie NYC

                                                   My Maternity Photo

Throughout my pregnancy, I’ve gotten many maternity photos taken of Mr. De and I. None of them have really wowed me... until now. (I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to pics.)   Jessica Lavoie is a photographer who has been a plus size model for over thirteen years, but photography is her passion and she is now pursuing it full force. I read about her on a blog that I read a lot http://www.georgiegirlnyc.com/ and decided that I wanted to contact her. Photography can be very nerve-racking. If you’re not comfortable with your photographer, your pics will come out looking crappy. Jessica has this calm, and sweet presence about her. You instantly love her, and as she was photographing me, I’d never felt so comfortable. I also noticed what an amazing eye she had. She was asking me to do so many poses and things that other photographers hadn’t asked me to do before. She knows what works!  (I guess that’s from being a model herself.) Anyway the finished product was great and I was really pleased with her work.

.

I've only posted two of the pics. But, if you’re looking for a great maternity photographer, please contact Jessica Lavoie, she is beyond amazing.  I will also be using her for my baby pics and can't wait to post them as well.

http://www.jessicalavoie.com/

http://www.jessicalavoiephotography.com/

Hugs,

DE

Shine on- Jason Natural Apricot Conditioner

Since I’ve been pregnant, all of my body parts have betrayed me except one. My feet have become swollen. My skin hasn’t looked this bad since I was a teenager. My nose has become so big, it should have it’s own zip code, but my hair has never looked better.  I credit the pregnancy hormones, but I also credit the fact that I made sure my shampoos/conditioners were on the natural side. I didn’t want parabens near my hair. One conditioner that I’ve been using for the last two  weeks, and I  actually really like is  Jason’s Natural Apricot Shine. 

This is a pretty thick conditioner. It contains nourishing oils like apricot and jojoba. When I first applied, I noticed that it didn’t detangle my hair as well as I wanted it too. I like conditioners that leave my hair tangle free, and this didn’t do that. However, when I rinsed  it out, the shine my hair emitted was ridiculous. It was practically gleaming. Since I’ve taken to swimming every morning, I apply this before I get in the pool. (If you are going into the pool, make sure you apply a  conditioner before hand so that the chlorine doesn’t penetrate ino your hair) and my hair still has its mojo! Seriously the shine to my hair is no joke and I love the fact that this product contains no parabens.

Update: I just noticed that this contains Retinal Palmitate towards the end of the ingredients so if you in the early stages of pregnancy, you may want to ask your doc about this.

#product was provided by pr for editorial review.

ILA DUSK PERSONAL ALARM Protect Yourself!

This is a pretty serious topic girlies, but  this is a product that I think all women should be aware of. Yesterday I found out that a woman had been attacked in Central Park. I live two blocks away from Central Park and when the night is beautiful, I like to walk through the park to get home. Not safe especially since I get out of work after 10:30pm, but usually the park is still  packed with people. However, after finding out about this attack, I may not ever walk through the park again at night. Anyway, I was sent something called the Ila Dusk a few months ago. I never thought about it, until yesterday, and now I’m carrying it as well as ordering one for my mom. This is a stylish alarm that you can carry with you on your bag or tote, and if you feel that you are in danger, you pull out the chain. Once the chain is pulled out, HOLY CRAP, the woman's scream that emits out of this itty bitty device, is unbelievably loud and scary. It’s designed to disorient an attacker, and believe me, this will not only disorient an attacker, but will scare the heck out of them too.

I tested it yesterday in Central Park. (Hey I wanted to make sure it worked!) And the scream was deafening, but it caught the attention of many people who ran to see what was going on, and a police man, who was not amused when I told him that I had to personally test this product out in order to post it on my site. After screaming at me for 5 minutes, I began to tell him that pregnancy kind of made me forgetful, and all was forgiven. Here is my only gripe with the product, you have to pull the pin back in it to stop the sound but if you lose the pin, the scream will go on for 10 minutes. Believe me, you don’t want to hear this scream for 10 minutes.

Anyway, I’m giving one away on this site.

Just send an email saying “DE, I need the Ila Dusk to Protect myself.”

Winner gets announced on Wed.

Anyway, for more info on this product visit http://www.ilasecurity.com/

Brunch at Sarabeth's NYC Dining

Brunch is an essential part of my Sundays and everyone knows, that New York has the best Sunday Brunch. There are so many amazing places to eat in New York City for Brunch and a place that I adore is Sarabeth's. The restaurant has two great locations. One of them being on the Upper East Side and the other on the Upper West Side. Sarabeth's is famous for their brunch menu and has the most delicious morning drink ever called the Four Flowers Juice. It's a blend of fresh orange juice, pineapple and pomegranate juice. You have not lived until you've tasted this drink.

When I go to Sarabeth's I usually order their yummy fluffy pancakes, but last week, I got their Open-faced Omelette of Tomatoes, Sauteed Onions, Mozzarella and Spinach. This was one of the best omelette's I've ever tasted, and after having it, I had to let you girls know about it. It literally melted in my mouth and after tasting it, I wanted more and more of it. (I was going to order a second one, but my friend was in a rush, yes it was that good.)

The food is so fresh, and Sarabeth's even has their own bakeshop. I love this place.

If you're in NY, you must come to Sarabeth's either their East Side or Upper West Side Location.

You will not be dissapointed.

Hugs,

DE

Bloomingdales Taking Care of Your Man!

Guest Review: Miss Jessie's Super Sweet Back Treatment & Curly Pudding

                                                              Cassie Relaxed Hair

Cassandra is a really good friend of mine. Recently, she shot a movie in Africa called Kinyarwanda where she plays a Ruandan Heroine  Lt. Rose.
For the role, Cassie had to transition her hair from relaxed to natural. Since she hadn't  been natural for years, she's  been trying various hair treatments for months and thinks she finally may have found something that works for her.  Here's her guest review:

"It's been around 7 months since I decided to go natural. Now,  I usually just wear my hair as a fro.  I spray natural olive oil  on my hair when needed. However, I noticed that even after the application of oilive oil, my hair still looked dry. I have been pushed by so many people to try Miss Jessies. In the past  I had been a little dissapointed with Miss Jessie's Sweet Back Treatment.  After using it, although my hair was left incredibly soft, after it dried, it still looked  dry and dull. However, after using it  alongside Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding, all I have to say is CHA CHING. My hair looked so different. 

                                            Cassie Natural Hair                       

I apply Miss Jessie's Sweet Back Treatment on my hair and leave it on for about 15 minutes. It really does make my hair easy to comb through and soft.  After that, I apply a dollop amount of Miss Jessie's Curly pudding, and apply it thoroughly in my hair. The curly pudding really loosens the curl, and adds a shine and depth to my hair like no other product I've used before.  Give the curly pudding some time to absorb though because it leaves a white substance on your hair, that takes about 15 minutes to absorb.
The strands that are usually dull and dry are now ridiculously shiny and my curls have more of defined spiral look. I think this hair pudding is a must for all of us who wear fros because it makes the hair or at least my hair look more neat and pulled together.  My curls are much more defined and longer which is huge plus for me because usually I have to pull on my fro all day to keep the curls looking longer but no more.

So I give the curly pudding and the Sweet Back Treatment  5 stars.

Have you tried Miss Jessie's Products?

What other products do you think are worth talking about?

Cassie will be starting her own blog soon too, until then, please check her website out at
www.cassiefreeman.com

Thanks Cassie,

Hugs,

DE

Purple Lab Look Book

Around two months ago, I posted about an amazing experience I had with Purple Lab Cosmetics. The beauty brand invited lil ol' me and seven other bloggers/models to be a part of their new look book. The look book was created to showcase the different beauty looks that can be created using their new collection. You can access the look book here.  With each click the page will turn showcasing a different look  and the products that were used to achieve the look. Purple lab creatrix and my shero Karen Robinovitz felt it was important to teach customers how to use the products effectively, while displaying the wide array of looks that can be achieved.

Here’s the behind the scenes video

Here are the different looks I modeled

Nubian Princess

Makeup Artist: Stacie Ford, http://www.stacieford.com/

Photographer: Ana Schecter, http://www.anaphoto.net/

Get the Look:

*Skin- Pearlesque Show Primer. Two shades of Silk Sheets to create a 3D effect

*Eyes- Luxury Squared, Luvah in Rich Jerk and Lashionista Modelista in After Dark

*Cheeks- Cheek Implants in Backstage Pass

*Lips- Huge Lips Skinny Hips in Kitty Pole Dancer

Dark Angel

Makeup Artist: Ani Hovhannisyan

Photographer: Ana Schecter, http://www.anaphoto.net/

Get the Look:

* Skin- Apply Pearlesque Show Primer followed by Silk Sheets mixed with Luxury Squared

* Eyes- Lashionista Modelista in After Dark, Luxury Squared

* Cheeks- Cheek Implants in Backstage Pass

* Lips- Huge Lips Skinny Hips in No Panty Lines

It was such an amazinge experience to be turned into a Nubian Princess and a Dark Angel. I was amazed at how creative the make up artist were, using lip gloss for my eyes, and it looking so fabulous.

Make sure you check out the Purple Lab Look Book featuring me and 7 other bloggers  including Homerun Ballerina's Audrey, Lovely 20’s Virginia, My Style Pill's Christine, The Owls Are Not What They Seem's Joelle and Noel, The Jet Set Girls' Anne, and Where Did U Get That’s Karen. 

To celebrate the Look Book launch, Purple Lab™ is offering consumers free shipping for one week only on all products. Consumers are invited to recreate and upload looks inspired by the Look Book, on Purple Lab's™ Facebook fan page for a chance to win Purple Lab beauty products.

Hugs,

DE

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion Kicks Pimples to the Curb!

As you girls know, due to my pregnancy, my skin has been acting up badly. (Recently i finally got it in control, I'll reveal how, soon.)
Anyway, last week, a pimple erupted on my face that looked like it belonged in the  Guiness Book of World Records.
I'd heard great things about Mario Badescu products from many people, and decided to give one of their most popular products-Mario Badescu Dying lotion a try.
It's a pink color, very runny, -looks a lot like calamine lotion but when I looked at the ingredients it said that it included sulfur which I know is great for skin care.
Anyway, I applied it Monday night, by Tuesday morning, my pinple wasn't gone, but man, it was a lot smaller than it had been the night before.
The next night I applied again, and next morning, it was barely there.
Words can't express how impressed I am with this.
My only problem with this is the scent.
It reminds me a lot of Vick's Vapo Rub.
Other than that, this will be my secret weapon against pimples.
No wonder it has a cult following.

This get's beautylogic's stamp of approval.

It's even featured on Mario Badescu's Pregnancy Page here.


Have you tried Mario Badescu's products?

What are your favorites?

**this product was provided to beautylogic for editorial review**

Senna Cosmetics Lip Brights

How did you mamas spend your holiday weekend?

Can you believe I worked. 

I am so looking forward to my maternity leave.

I’ll have two weeks off before little man arrives so I’ve decided to pamper myself during those two weeks.

Anyway, let’s talk beauty.

During the makeup show, I was introduced to Senna’s Cosmetics lip glosses. I’d never tried anything from Senna, but had heard great things about their brushes, and their glosses, so I was happy to see a sample of  five of them in my bag. These 5 glosses came in an adorable quilted kit. I loved the miniature size of these. The fact that I can hold five of them in my bag without taking up a lot of room is great. Now, the colors are beautiful. This kit is called their Brights Kit. These are definitely sheer but the shades are stil visible when applied to the lips.  I love how long these last. Although my hair  doesn't stick to my lips when the wind blows, they are a little thicker than most glosses I've tried. I believe that's why they last so long (even after I drink my water).

Here are some swatches:

Siren is a beautiful peach shimmer.
Shiver is probably my favorite shade. It's a beautiful sparkly  muave sheer shade.
Blaze is a pinky shimmer
Awake a gorgeous apricot shimmer,
Mimosa-my second fave, a beautiful pinkish peach shimmer. Reflects beautifully in light.

                                 Shiver

All in all I would highly recommend these because
1) these colors are only available in the kit
2) 5 gorgeous minature glosses in a cute little bag, what else can you ask for?
3) All these colors rock my world.
My only quam is 5 miniature glosses for $35.00 is a bit much, but the fact that you don't have to constantly reapply is a huge plus.

For more info visit www.sennacosmeics.com

BeautyLogic gives this an A-