We are coming into the season when we wear shoes barefoot.  This leads to some ugly blisters.  I found a great new product that stops those pesky blisters from forming.  It’s called Blistop.  It’s a spray that you apply to your feet, let dry, and voila, wear those sandals pain-free.  Blistop is available at most chain drugstores and costs about $8.00.  I found it at Walgreens. Let me know what you think of it.

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Project Runway’s Mondo Guerra

If your community is like Denver’s, you are probably seeing the demise of the locally owned women’s boutique.  The economy is playing havoc with these small businesses.  Thank goodness department stores like Macy’s are stepping up with private lines like INC to replace the boutique lines we have lost.  We in Denver are extra lucky in that Macy’s is increasing it’s emphasis on creative brands by inviting designer Mondo Guerra, the runner-up from Season 8 of “Project Runway,” to give us some style tips. We love Mondo, a Denver resident, BTW.

Macy’s invites you to be a part of the ultimate fashion face-off, hosted by Mondo to highlight Macy’s large variety of clothing lines. Two lucky contestants will be asked to create a head-to-toe look for a special occasion – from a dream job interview to a night out with the gals – to be showcased by our models! The winner will take home a $100 Macy’s Gift Card!

During the event, enjoy sweet treats from Rolling Pin Productions while Mondo shares his do’s and don’ts, and top style tips for Spring! Show your support!

After the show, the Colorado AIDS Project will be on hand to accept donations to benefit programs supporting the fight against HIV/AIDS! And, with any $75 purchase made during the event, get a limited edition t-shirt*
created by Mondo, which he will personally sign for you!

RSVP today at 1-800-786-2665

When
Saturday, April 30, 2pm

Where
Macy’s Park Meadows
8455 Park Meadows Center Drive
Littleton, CO 80124

To schedule an appointment for Macy’s complimentary personal shopping service, call 1.800.343.0121 or visit macys.com/personal shopping

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I recently received this news release from Dove.

“According to a new study 93% of women think their underarms are unattractive and over 50% women say the appearance affects their day-to-day wardrobe choices. 

Can you believe it? Women aren’t wearing what they want because they are embarrassed of the condition of their underarms! New Dove Ultimate go sleeveless Deodorant is helping make underarms softer and smoother in just 5 days. To put the fun back into sleeveless styles.”

Excuse me.  Who looks at their armpits.  What’s stopping me from wearing sleeveless are my bat wings! Sorry Dove!  My favorite deoderant that  really works, stop sweat in its tracks is Degree Clinical Protection.

http://www.degreewomen.com/Women/Women-Clinical-Protection.aspx

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For those who love shoes and handbags, join me at Neiman Marcus, Wednesday March 23, 5-7 p.m. at the shoe salon. I’ll be there to gab about the newest spring and summer styles. It’s the “Great Handbag and Shoe Debut” when Neiman’s will be displaying shoes and handbags from top designers. We get to ooh and ahh while sipping complimentary cocktails and light bites. What could be more fun!

Register to win that night for a pair of… wait for it … Manolo Blahnik shoes!

RSVP: 720-941-4508

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I pride myself in the faith I have in the cosmetic surgery field and have tried many a filler, but this newest “wrinkle” in the beauty industry has me gagging:  injecting you own blood into you face.  Here’s how the New York Times describes it:

 (I)t’s not surgery, but an in-office procedure that entails having blood drawn from your arm, then spun in a centrifuge to separate out the platelets. They are then injected into your face, with the hope of stimulating new collagen production. Selphyl, as the system is called, arrived on the booming facial-rejuvenation market in 2009, and is now used by roughly 300 doctors nationwide in the name of beauty

Ich and gross!  I’m down for fat transfer, that is taking fat from the tummy and injecting it in the face — this procedure solves two issues at once — but I put the kibosh on transferring blood.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/fashion/WEBSkin.html

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  One of the few winners of the evening.

Last night  I watched the Academy Awards with growing concern.  What a boring, emotionally cold production!  I hated almost everything about it from the inclusion of old movie clips (They have had their day.  Use the valuable time to promote current films.) to  Hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway:  Could you have picked two more callow, juvenile hosts than these two?  Franco’s performance was especially painful to watch.  He looked like he was backstage really sawing off his arm.  The only good thing about Hathaway was her gown changes.  She was one of the few actresses who made the right choices in dresses,  along with Reese Witherspoon and Scarlett Johansson.  Amy Adams wore a blue sequin gown with short sleeves that accentuated the largest parts of he arms.  Way to go.  Sandra Bullock wore an orange dress with a bustle in the back.  Yo, Sandra, that style ended in the 19th century!  At least she lost those horrible black bangs.  Many actresses chose dresses with long trains that dragged along the ground.  How will designers clean those up for re-sale? The pale  blush color that debuted at the Golden Globes took control at the Oscars. So many actresses chose this color which did no one a favor.  It washes out even the most gorgeous actress, see Halle Berry below.  

 Loved this Armani Prive gown Hathaway wore

All in all, a terribly disappointing night for fans made more so when Billy Crystal took the stage.  Now Tthere was a real host, funny and entertaining.  Had Franco and Hathaway miraculously disappeared (please oh please), Crystal could have taken over in a heartbeat and done a much better job.  Hell, this broadcast was so bad, it had me yearning nostalgically for Whoopie Goldberg!

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InStyle magazine recently surveyed its readers on some difficult etiquette questions.  Thought you might be interested in the responses.

 1.  Is it Ok to ask a friend how much she paid for something she’s wearing?
56 percent say you should never ask.  That’s all?  I would say you should never ask.

2.  Is it tacky to buy a gift on sale?
98 percent think its fine.  I disagree.  I worry that if the gift is returned, the friend will find out I bought it on sale.  That makes me feel uncomfortable.

3. Can you turn down a friend who wants you to donate to her charity?
67 percent have turned down a friends request for money. Instead, volunteer to work at the charity’s fundraiser or help spread the word via social networking.

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Men remember less news when they hear it from a women anchor who is polished, botoxed, bleached, with high definition make-up and short skirts. A recent study discovered this. Any female in America could have told the researchers that.  If we Americans want to get any better at current events, we need to tell the networks to nix the push-bras and bring on the dowdy, older woman who wouldn’t let a tube of Sculptra near them.  For more:

http://online.wsj.com/article/

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Subscribe to the Winter issue of ColoradoView with the cover art of a box of delectable chocolates.  I have two stories in the mag:  a profile of makeup artist Sonia Kashuk, who will be in Denver for a fundraising luncheon Feb. 16, and a story on the do’s and don’ts of second weddings. http://coloradoviewmagazine.com

Here’s the do’s and don’ts story:

Veteran event planner Sandy Tenenbaum, founder of catering company Occasions by Sandy, was a bit panicked when the judge didn’t show up on time at a client’s second wedding. Directing her staff to act natural and keep pouring the wine, by the time the judge did arrive, the couple was totally looped.

Not the way second weddings usually go. As opposed to the hoopla of a first wedding, second weddings tend to be more relaxed, more about family and more about what the couple wants. Event coordinator Faye Gardenswartz has planned many first weddings and is glad “I don’t have to do many seconds.” Her observations: “At the first wedding everyone is trying to follow the rules, the second time around, anything goes. Couples do it just the way they want it to be. It’s more family oriented. Children are included.”

The tension, anxiety and family diplomatic crises that so often characterize first weddings dissipate at the second. For one thing, the couple is usually footing the bill. Out go the 12 course menus, the forest of flowers and ostentatious table decorations. Judge Herb Galchinsky, the self-styled “Love Judge,” who in his 17 years on the bench has performed 1,500 to 2,000 weddings, finds that second weddings are less about the glitz and the glamor and more about the couple. “Make it about what is important in the marriage,” the judge advises. “Second weddings are much more successful when they are simpler than the first.”

Leslie Heins, owner/partner of Affair with Flair, planned her own second wedding with the help of her partner Lisa Cook. Heins pointed out some of the emotional pitfalls to avoid. Be sensitive to the significance of what a second wedding means to your children. “Second weddings mean that their parents aren’t getting back together, Heins said. “Don’t hurt or embarrass your children by insulting an ex-spouse and putting him or her down at the wedding. You want to make sure that you are sensitive to your kids feelings.”

Heins said that its important to remember there are no rules anymore. No one does a traditional Emily Post wedding. “There are no more ‘musts.’ Weddings have become much more creative.”

One tradition that hasn’t evaporated is the ceremonial kiss. Tenebaum has seen her share. “The second wedding kiss is passionate mixed with a bit of tranquility.” Perhaps that’s because by the time a couple marries for the second time, they have the maturity and insight to know what makes a marriage successful.

Do’s

Do include the bride and groom in the excitement of planning the wedding if it’s the first one for one of them and agree to incorporate some of the traditional features.

Do register for gifts. Etiquette once stated that gifts are not mandatory for a second wedding. But now gifts are common.

Do let the kids participate in the ceremony. If they are old enough, ask them how they would like to be involved.

Do rethink the number of bridesmaids and groomsmen. How many of them are you still friends with from your first wedding?

Do invite some friends of the children and the people who were important in supporting you through divorce or death of a spouse or who introduced you to your new spouse.

Do stay at the wedding until the bitter end. No more throwing rice as the couple leaves the party for the honeymoon. You paid for the party. Close the place down!

Don’ts

Don’t worry about trying to please or take the advice of parents and family. The first wedding was planned around them. The second is all about you.

Don’t feel the obligation to invite the distant great-aunt who did come to the first wedding. Trust me, she’ll recover and do you really need the gift of a second tea cozy?

Don’t wear a white gown with the long train (Who are you kidding?). Opt instead for an ivory or champagne color ensemble.

Don’t make toasts insulting the first marriage in front of your kids. Your ex is still their parent.

Don’t wear your old engagement and wedding rings. Do you really need this tip?

What Makes a Becoming Second Bride

Denise Snyder, owner of Mariel on Larimer, whose store carries a variety of dresses suitable for second weddings, recommends that brides stay away from formal gowns. Instead she steers them to short or tea length dresses and suits in ivory and champagne shades. The exception: “If the husband has never been married, he deserves the courtesy of asking him what he wants the bride to wear. He might want more of a traditional gown,” Snyder explained.

Unlike the traditional bridal gown, many of the outfits Snyder puts on her second brides can be worn again. “Formal dresses in ivory easily can be worn again to black tie events. The ivory color really stands out in a crowd of black dresses,” Snyder said. As for the moms of second brides, “they can wear whatever they want. They’ve already have paid their dues,”

If the bride has been married more than twice, anything goes. Why not take a page from that mistress of weddings, Elizabeth Taylor. Here’s what the Grande Dame wore at each of her weddings.

First: traditional bridal gown

Second: dove gray wool suit

Third: hydrangea-blue chiffon gown

Fourth: Green chiffon dress

Fifth: Empire-style chiffon gown in daffodil yellow

Sixth: Green lace with guinea fowl feathers hair piece

Seventh: Cashmere coat accented with silver fox, a turban and boots

Eighth: Pale lemon lace tiered gown

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Giving a talk on “High Style at Low Prices” to a group of women at the Mission Church this Tuesday.  The seminar covers tips on shopping for clothes on a budget, what looks best on different body types, figure flattering tips, components of a basic wardrobe, upcoming trends and more.  I would love to talk to your group.  Great way to kick up 2011.

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