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Friday, October 31, 2008

Turn Down Service: Total Beauty Style

Beauty's SPOT returns to the weekly web tour with a hot salt scrub body treatment at Bliss San Francisco. You must try - DIY instructions included.
Viva Woman shares with you three ways to counter UV damage on your skin.
Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog finds jeans for real women who eat!

Beauty411 introduces you to the stunning Chanel Holiday 2008 Makeup Collection

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Fabulous Over Forty discusses the importance of winterizing your skin .
Smashbox Cosmetics backstage at Caroline D'Amore Spring 2009 Fashion Show-Talking Makeup!
The Makeup Divas reviews Smashbox's Limited Edition Ultimate Beauty Palette.
Boutique Flair offers Sephora-inspired Bootiful Tricks For A Haute Halloween!
Frappelattes gives her review of NARS Lip Gloss in Female Trouble, a beautiful dusty pink lip gloss for the season!
CaliforniaCosmetics gives you a close up view to MAC Passions Of Red.
Beauty Anonymous reviews Shiseido's Majolica Majorca Trick On Eyeshadow Palette .
Glossypink brings you some old Hollywood glamour with one of the most beautiful actresses of the time!
Alison of the Advice Sisters is blogging about Spa Magazine's 11th Annual Media Event Massages, Makeup and more!
Head on over to Beauty in Real Life and find out more about Avon's Beauty Breakthrough Tour. While you're there, enter the giveaway with Avon (valued at $100!).
Beauty Junkies Unite asks you-- What is pink, pretty, and has your name all over it? Hint: It's NEW!

AHS shares how she uses Evian Moisture Mist & it's not how you are expecting!


This Gloss is IT! Beauty Blvd. shows off her new favorite lip gloss! Bet you can't guess the brand!


Yellow is THE Color! I Heart Heels brings you the latest yellow hues seen on your favorite celebs! Check out who’s wearing it!


Hot Beauty Health says to stay beautiful with This Works Travel Kit while flying this holiday season.

Holiday Airfares on Sale

If you’ve been holding off on booking your tickets for a December getaway—or your trip home for Thanksgiving or Christmas, book now. Most major airlines cut fares by up to 25 percent. Our dream trip? Miami for Art Basel with a side trip to the newly opened Canyon Ranch.

On Our Radar: Jet Set Guys

Since Halloween is about debauchery and fun, we thought we'd find those things our Jet Set Guy counterparts might be doing this Halloween. Here's a couple of options we came up with:


Las Vegas- The girls of the Spearmint Rhino Gentlemen's Club host a Halloween party at the Playboy Club at the Palms. While they're supposedly "dressing up" in costume, would that imply they're actually wearing clothes? If you catch up with us off line sometime, ask about our night at Spearmint Rhino. Really, everyone's got to go at least once...

For more Vegas ideas, check out the LA Times story, 10 Reasons to Ditch L.A. and go to Vegas for Halloween.

Though if you decide to stay put in LA- The Kandy Halloween Party at the Playboy Mansion costs a mere $1000 and includes body painted Kandy girls, 100 actors playing ghouls and goblins, playboy playmates, and (of course) a buffet.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

New Spa Products

bath products
Well, at least they're new to us. One of our favorite things about traveling is perusing the hotel and/or spa's gift shop. We love these the Get Fresh line that we discovered on our recent trip to the Stowe Mountain Lodge.

Get Fresh has a travel themed Memories Of collection. While we can't figure out why NYC's scent is lemongrass, especially as we can't get Pad Thai in our new Manhattan neighborhood, we do love the fresh scents and adorable packaging. Also available are: Paris (white fleurs); Positano (orange blossom) and Kyoto (black currant plum). The products are available online and possibly at a spa near you.

candle

While shopping for our new home at NYC's ABC Carpet & Home, we came across Scent of Scandal Candles. These tongue-in-cheek soy candles make the perfect hostess gift. A few of our faves are: Rehab (freshly cleaned clothes); D Cups (voluptuous melons) and, um, Santa's Pole (candy cane). Available online at Candle Delirium.

Vegas: The Best Time Part 2

Here's the rest of Samara's and Erin's guide to Vegas. Go girls!

5) Sometimes, Less is More.
Vegas’ cavernous clubs can be a little overwhelming at times. Crowded dance floors, long bar lines and pounding music go with the territory at places like Tao and Lavo. It can be exactly what you need -- or a scene you need to be rescued from.

Don’t forget that Vegas lounges are just as amazing as the clubs -- but are smaller and more manageable. You’ll get your dancing fix, but with less drink spillage and fewer run-ins with errant stilettos.

Our personal recommendation: Ghost Bar at The Palms , or Blush Lounge at the Wynn.


6) Get Lucky at Mr. Lucky’s!
There’s no shortage of amazing food in Vegas, but the best spot for late night nosh is Mr. Lucky’s. Located on the casino level at the Hard Rock, Mr. Lucky’s has an extensive menu, quick service, and good food at a reasonable price. Chili cheese fries and milkshakes saved us on many post-partying occasions.

An added bonus: according to the waitstaff, “everyone” goes there...which means you could be grabbing a snack with your favorite celeb in the next booth.


7) Don’t forget the essentials.
If you’re going to Vegas, you’ve got to play like a champ. Be sure to pack: sunscreen (face, lip, and body -- that sun is hot!), Aleve, Pepto tablets, Visine, B-12 vitamins, 1 pair of your highest, hottest heels (Vegas is not the place to try out those new Tory Burch flats!), Band-Aids, and at least 1 dress so daring you would never wear it at home. Don’t forget your camera -- because what happens in Vegas belongs on Kodak Gallery to make all your other friends jealou

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Vegas: How to Have the Best Time!


We followed Samara's adventures in Vegas on Twitter; but that was just a tease. We asked her to guest post this week on how to have an awesome girls' trip to Vegas. She and her friend Erin gave it up and we LOVE their suggestions and are sure you will too! Better yet, shoot us your faves...
Stay tuned tomorrow for Part 2.
That's Samara and Erin at Blush above looking every part the Vegas vixens.

How to Win Big in Vegas (and we're not talking about gambling!)

Vegas is the ultimate girls’ getaway -- fabulous weather, pools that rival a getaway on a Caribbean beach, elegant spas, and a party scene like no other. We have had such legendary adventures in Vegas, we’ve made a pact to hit Sin City every year. Here are our lucky 7 tips for making the most of your trip!

1) Choose vacation dates carefully.
If you plan on hitting the pools, keep in mind that they close from approximately November - March. The days of the week you choose for your vacation also will influence your nights out in Vegas: many of the hottest clubs are only open Thursday-Sunday.

Monday seems to be the biggest “industry night”, when many of the people who live and work in Vegas head out to the few clubs that are open. (We found this out the hard way last year!) While you may get a more authentic taste of local flavor, you’ll also spend more time and energy trying to get into Jet or Rum Jungle.

Our personal reco: September in Vegas is fabulous. It’s not too hot, but there’s still a strong summer party vibe. And if experiencing Vegas nightlife is at the top of your “to-do” list, plan your trip to include Thursday - Sunday nights.

2) Take advantage of your hotel spa.
Las Vegas offers an unparalleled range of unique spa services you won’t find anywhere else. But even if hot stone massages aren’t your thing, there’s still a reason to keep Vegas spas in mind.

Hotel check-out times seem to get earlier and earlier. So what to do if you need to be out of your hotel room by 11:00 a.m., but your plane doesn't take off until 6 p.m.? Spend $20 (hotels may vary) for a day pass for the spa at your hotel. You can spend the day at the pool, then take a shower and get ready for your flight. There's nothing worse than getting on a plane full of sand and chlorine. We headed to RockSpa at The Hard Rock Hotel after a day at the Rehab pool party. It was the best $20 spent on the entire trip!

3) Don't pay covers!
The male-female ratio in Vegas is obscenely unequal. Clubs want to attract women so that all the packs of men running around the city will come, too.

Translation: Don’t pay cover to get into a club.

There are people whose jobs are centered around making sure you have a good time in Vegas, and that doesn’t include shelling out $30 to get past a velvet rope. Club promoters are paid to pack the clubs -- especially with women. There are services that will text you where the hottest parties are that night, and even get you on the guest list.

Even if you’re not Paris Hilton, you can still find a way to get in for free...which brings us to Tip #4....

4) See...And Be Seen…
Even if you have the most delicious hotel room on earth, aside from disco naps or crashing at night, you shouldn’t be there. Toss on a dress and a smile, and walk through your hotel’s casino -- and see where it gets you. The odds that you’ll score VIP passes to a club are better than the odds of winning with $20 on red. Room service rocks, but take in your meals at restaurants or poolside. You can’t take advantage of Vegas spoils if no one sees you.

Case in point: We were having breakfast one morning at the pool on our last Vegas trip, and were approached by a club promoter, offering free VIP access to a party at Body English that night. The magic of Vegas – you never know what will happen if you put yourself out there.

Clinique Bonus!

Ladies, we don't get keyed up about many bonus gifts- usually we have to spend big bucks to get a couple of things in tiny sizes that don't work for us; but this Clinique giveaway is special. Here's the scoop: you only have to spend $21.50 to get this cute wristlet filled with 6 very usable, very fun fall products. You can choose from Professional Polish or Evening Drama (the Weekend Casual is already sold out!). We're going for the Evening Drama since neither of us subscribes to the office grind; but see what works for you.
Hurry, looks like the word's already out!
Update: This was a popular giveaway. The only set available now is Professional Polish. Here's what's included:
High Impact Mascara in Black .14oz/4g
Long Last Lipstick in Honey Nut 4g
Blushing Blush Powder Blush in Sunset Glow with brush .06oz/1.8g
Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Butter Pecan .07oz/2g
All About Eyes 5ml
Eye Lash Curler
White and silver floral wristlet

Details at Clinique.com. Free shipping for purchases of $50. No code to use, just add the gift to your cart. Happy shopping!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Jet Set Girls on Glamour.com's Daily Beauty Blog

Thank you, Fab Women at Glamour.com's Daily Beauty Blog for asking us to dish about our travels together.

We love The Girls in the Beauty Dept. for all their insight (especially Beth for working with us this week). Thanks for inviting us over, we'll return the favor soon!

Check us out at Glamour!

Richie Rich Celebutante

Richie Rich Celebutante
We're so super-proud of our friend (and ideal travel companion) Stephanie, who created the new Richie Rich Celebutante CD. It's a compilation of Richie's favorite dance and party songs including Lily Allen's Take What You Take; Mya's Whatever Bitch and Scissor Sisters Filthy Gorgeous plus Richie's own Celebutante--a tune that will stick in your head for days (in a good way). We're always a sucker for a good compilation and this one is no exception. Put this on at midnight, when you're party's really starting to take off: It's an insta-DJ that will make your fete Legend-ary! Celebutante is available at Target.comand Amazon.com. Go buy it today!

Richie Rich Celebutante
One of the many benefits of being friends with Stephanie is that she invited us to the launch party for the CD last Thursday night at NYC's Citrine, a club that only officially opened a day later (and Samantha Ronson is DJing tonight!). The party was a blast. The DJ, Lina Bradford, nailed it. Richie performed Celebutante. And a dancing pig stole the show. That's Richie and friends, Andre J and a pal from Tokyo.



And our group of friends, Felissa, Susan, Elizabeth and JSG's Annie who are just a little less colorful.

Lilyette In-Motion Sports Bra

Boy do we need to work out! We have three big trips on our horizon: to Austin to visit college girlfriends, on a cruise (bikini time, oh yes), and the S.O.'s high school reunion in Chicago. We don't have many hangups but three trips in as many weeks with people we'd like to see us at our best makes us want to strap on the sneeks. Truth is we could use some fresh support too. Enter Lilyette with their In-Motion Sports Bras which come in three styles: Gentle motion for yoga and the like, Power motion for stationary bike-type exercise, and Active motion for running and strenuous exercise. We're partial to the Gentle motion bra pictured above, the underwire and separated cups would give us the best silhouette under our tanks. (We realize this might not be the most practical approach; but the rubber tire boob look is so ugly!)



Last week the very accomplished and beautiful ladies of the U.S. Gymnastic team appeared at the Women in Sports Gifting Suite at the Waldorf Astoria. That's Nastia Luikin above and Sean Johnson below.



If you're interested in winning your own Lilyette In-Motion Sports Bra, send us your email to jetsetgirls@gmail.com, your address, your cup size (up to 40DDD) and which In-Motion bra you prefer. Please put Lilyette in the subject line.

Lilyette In-Motion sports bras are available at Macy's and JCPenney.

Editor's note: Please send your entries by Friday, October 31st, 2008 and include your mailing address. Thanks!

Monday, October 27, 2008

B. Kamins Lash Fortifier Winners!

Congratulations to Elyse from Fox River Grove, Il., Sonya from Atlanta, and Venus from Waipahu, Hi. for winning the Lash Fortifier from B. Kamins! Thank you for all your enthusiastic entries and many thanks for reading. Look for our Lilyette In-Motion sports bra giveaway this week!

Packing Tips

One of the questions we are asked most frequently is how to pack for a weekend trip. JSG's Annie left for Newport, RI yesterday, and while it's not technically a weekend, she still needed outfits for three days and two nights. She wanted to pack light, because she still hasn't figured out which new wheelie luggage to buy. Here's what made the cut:


pack for a weekendMy first step was to check the weather. It's expected to be warmer than I thought--lows in the 40s and highs near 60. I'm notoriously bad about packing for the weather, so I packed two of my favorite cashmere Vince Sweaters that are easy to layer. I'm bringing two pairs of jeans, a dressy trouser-style pair and my Earnest Sewn black pair. They're so soft and comfy, even when sitting for hours in an airport. The striped top is from the Alice Temperley collection for Target. Like most of you, I mix high and low end pieces together.

Pack for a weekend
For nighttime, I needed one dressy outfit and one more casual one. To keep my bag light, I'll wear the jeans for night time, too. The trouser jeans are elegant and slimming (even though they don't look like it in the photo!). I'm pairing them with my disco DKNY batwing top and trusty Rebecca Norman bangles. I wish I had more tops as versatile as this one: I bought it for $50 at the DKNY outlet near Palm Springs four years back. It never seems to go out of style and I love that it has longer sleeves.

My other outfit is a day to night look. I picked my H&M tank because my color scheme needed some livening up. The little metallic appliqué bird makes the top going-out ready. I may take the sweater off in the evening, depending on the restaurant we go to and the temperature.

I brought my bigger Melie Bianco cocktail bag because it can fit my Blackberry, lipstick and camera--essential when traveling so I have shots for the blog or my Facebook page.

For shoes I brought black zip up booties that are easy to get in and out of at airport security and gray patent leather pumps that are super comfy to walk in. Rounding out my bag are: yoga clothes, a nightie and of course my makeup and toiletries. For my jacket, I'm bringing my Burberry trench, which I'm hoping will be warm enough with those sweaters!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Vote for Kristen!


Kristen Nelson Thibeault, our fearless leader at TotalBeauty.com (she's a vice president there) and dear friend, shared her story about her recent diagnosis of breast cancer and subsequent double mastectomy for the Share a Survival Story, Inspire the World. Vote for her entry, please, so she can win some much needed TLC.

For a longer version of Kristen's truly inspirational courage, read her profile on A Girl's Gotta Spa. You won't get through it dry eyed.

Friday, October 24, 2008

On Our Radar: Newport, Rhode Island

Newport Harbor

This weekend we're headed to Newport, Rhode Island. We have fond memories of the town--the summer after we graduated college we went for a few debaucherous weekends, where we danced and smooched the night away. It has been a few years since then, so we're excited to hop a flight at JFK to nearby Providence and check it out.


We'll be staying at Hotel Viking. The hotel was originally built in the 1920s by the good people of Newport so their friends had a place to stay. (What? They didn't have enough room in those mansions up on Cliff Walk. JSG plans to investigate this tidbit of info). The hotel recently underwent $6.2 million of renovations. More importantly--as far as we're concerned--it's home to SpaTerre, which features Balinese and Thai-inspired treatments.



Other pluses: One Belleveue, the hotel's restaurant features local seafood like lobster (which we hear is at bargain prices these days), oysters and cod, plus 25 wines served by the glass and the hotel is within walking distance from downtown.

Our friend Amber over at BeautyBloggingJunkie who was there a few weeks ago recommends the Black Pearl for its outdoor lunch with fab Champagne and Thai crab cakes. Now if only we knew where to shop...

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Grey Goose Pear Vodka

Grey Goose Pear VodkaWe discovered Grey Goose Pear Vodka on our trip to Stowe a few weeks ago and haven’t been able to get enough of it since. It all started when the bartender at the Hourglass Bar at the Stowe Mountain Lodge told us he had created a concoction of Grey Goose Pear mixed with cranberry juice and a splash of local apple cider with an apple slice as a garnish. It sounded like the perfect way to carry on our buzz post-lunch, so we went with it. It was sweet, delicious and essentially fall in a mouthful.

The pear flavor is realistic without being sugary. (Pear must be an easy flavor to fake—remember pear Jelly Belly’s? You would swear you’re eating the fruit instead of bad for you candy.)
Since Vermont, we’ve sampled it mixed in a Champagne Cocktail at NYC’s Royalton and in a Pear Martini (with vanilla vodka mixed in) at the Empire Hotel. (We enjoy a good hotel bar any day—even in our hometown.)
We’ve also heard it’s good mixed with our other favorite liquor, St. Germain Elderflower and we think a cranberry and seltzer blend would be an obvious choice.
Cheers!

Fringe Is (Still) In

When we were in Charleston last month, Heidi picked up some peep toe cut-out booties like these; but even after some serious peer pressure; we couldn't commit to a pair for ourselves.



Yesterday we found some heels of our own that are a stretch for us. Sure we could have spent $600 on a Paul and Joe version; but this pair is so trendy we don't see it lasting more than a season or two. This is the Steven Bijoux on sale now for $99. When we tried it on the man and woman standing next to us, gave us the "Ooh, those are hot!" comment, so we knew we had to get them. Not to be cliche about fringe in Texas; but aren't these going to be perfect for our trip to Austin in a couple of weeks?


Just to reinforce fringe is in through spring 2009, here's the Hermes collection with enough western influence to make Ralph Lauren smile (picture courtesy of Style.com). That's Stephanie Seymour looking gorgeous in a fringed skirt.


Wednesday, October 22, 2008

NARS Holiday Collection 2008

The NARS Holiday Collection 2008 is available now. We've already seen, worn, and shared with our girlfriends the Super Orgasm (boy that sounds strange!) blush. NARS perennial best seller is their Orgasm blush -and a Best of Sephora winner for the past 5 years- because it looks great on everyone. Funny thing, we always thought it looked too peachy for our complexion; but how could a million people be wrong? This season NARS introduced the Super Orgasm which steps it up with more intense color and larger gold flecks. Okay, they've hooked us--we're suckers for gold sparkles. It's hot, our date noticed ("Baby, you're sparkling tonight!). So yes, we'll be wearing it to our holiday parties...Available at NARS and Sephora for $25. Why wait for a Super Orgasm when it's ready for you?

B. Kamins Lash Fortifier Review and Giveaway


JSG will do just about anything to get long lush lashes--we wear fake eyelashes more regularly than drag queens and have even had eyelash extensions (love 'em, but the upkeep is a ridonk-u-lous--and we color our hair once a month!). So when asked if we would like to test out the new B. Kamins Eyelash Foritifier we said yes faster than tickets sell out to a MGMT show.


According to the B. Kamins website, the product is: enriched with peptide growth substances, natural plant extracts and multi-vitamins, which help to boost micro-circulation at the hair follicles, as well as condition and protect delicate lashes and is free of prostaglandins, a controversial ingredient that was in earlier versions of lash grow products. And according to the press release, you see an average of 58% growth in lashes in 4-8 weeks. Sign us up!

The product is designed to be used nightly, everyday for four weeks. It's a gel that you apply to your lash line. We gently rubbed it in figuring that would help get it where it need to go (i.e. the roots of our eyelashes). It doesn't sting your eyes or have any other adverse affects that we're aware of. At first it was hard to remember to use it nightly, but we got the hang of it after a week.

And..

By week 3, our lashes actually were noticeably longer! By week 4 the results were even better. Now, we're not sure if they're exactly 58 percent longer, but they're long enough that our SO noticed and that they hit the lens of our sunglasses when we blink. Now, it doesn't give the same effect as fake lashes, while our lashes are longer, they're not denser. But for an everyday look with no hassle, it fits the bill, especially when we top our new, longer lashes with Estée Lauder Turbo Lash Mascara.

As for maintenance after the first four weeks, according to Ben Kaminsky, the chemist behind the product and family owner of B. Kamins, once you see the desired results, you can stop using the product and “wean” yourself off of it for about a month or so… then after that you can use the product for 3 days on and 3 days off for maintenance of the results every few weeks.

If short lashes are something you struggle with, this is definitely the product for you. B. Kamins Eyelash Fortifier works, justifying its $90 price tag. Our tube seems to be going strong after a month and you need less for upkeep.

B. Kamins Lash Fortifier is available at Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salons (those in D.C. will definitely want to check out the new branch at the Willard, which opens next week, Bliss, Coldwater Creek The Spas, Cos Bar or Zitomers Pharmacy.

Still with us? Three lucky JSG reader will win a free Lash Fortifier! Simply email us at jetsetgirls@gmail.com by midnight PST this Sunday, October 26 with the subject line: Lash Fortifier.

Available on line at bkamins.com, skinstore.com, and beauty.com.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

MAC Ungaro See Thru Lip Color

MAC See Thru Lip color
The first item we picked up from MAC's supper-pretty, super-wearable collection was the See Thru Lip Color in Not So Shy. It looks dark in the bottle, but goes on sheer and gives lips that perfect "I just ate a handful of raspberries" look that you frequently hear makeup artists waxing poetic about.

Only problem: while we LOVE the color, it lasted about 10 minutes before disappearing. We tried using it with a lip liner, which made our lips uncomfortably dry. Next we tried it over nude lipstick, but this made our lips too creamy and the stain had nothing to grab onto. Time to call in the big guns!

We checked in with MAC Senior Artist Keri Blair for her professional advice:

"To increase wearability...ensure your lips are hydrated but dry to the touch by tissuing off any lip balm or gloss on lips before applying the See Thru Color. Apply a few thin coats of the See Thru Color blotting in between coats with a tissue. For a final touch you could dust the lips with a light powder and a soft brush, then blot powder to maintain wearability!"

We gave this a shot--and it worked, reasonably well. It's not going to be the product to choose if you need it to last all day or through a meal. But at least now it lasts between our visits to the powder room.

It's currently sold out on MAC's website, so sounds like MAC's Not So Shy already has its fan base!

Anniversary Giveaway Winner

Thank you for your entries. The winner of the Bruno Jamais Restaurant gift certificate and the Sothys skin care set is Sherry B. from Pittsburgh, Pa. Congratulations!

Happy travels!

In Search of the Perfect Luggage

Ever since the unfortunate incident last August when our luggage was stolen off the street, we've been in need of a new wheelie bag. We weren't too crazy about the particular bag (a promotional piece from Royal Caribbean) and had been on the hunt for a new piece of wheeled luggage for a few months prior. (Our new Marc Jacobs bikini is another story.) In the meantime, we've been making do with a Coach leather trimmed duffel--a gorgeous bag--but our shoulders are starting to feel the pain. (We're sure we don't need to tell you about the benefits of a wheeled bag that's small enough to carry on.) And with three trips in the next month, it's time for JSG to take the plunge. Care to help us chose?

We're still eying this piece from Halsea's Boat Canyon Collection, that we were thinking about last June.
halsea luggage
We also adore Halsea's Little Harbor Collection, which is more versatile for those cosmopolitan trips.
halsea luggage

Then there's always the gold standard, Tumi. As luck would have it, our SO's brother works there and gets a substantial discount, making the Ducati bag within our reach. How can you not love a luggage line named after the motorcycle favored by Brad Pitt?

Ducati
Of course, we are girlie girls and this pink bag from Titan is calling our name. Even better 10% of the sale goes to fight breast cancer.
Pink Titan

And if money were no object, the J.Crew Globe-Trotter Centenary Collection this bag would be it. It retails for a cool $1,800, so the search continues. Care to weigh in?
J. Crew luggage

Monday, October 20, 2008

Breast Cancer Illuminations

It's October 20 and Total Beauty, Total Cure is still going strong--today's giveaway is a $250 Benefit Cosmetics gift card and Clairisonic Yours and Mine set over at Spoiled Pretty. Be sure to enter!

One of our favorite parts of the month is the Estee Lauder Global Landmarks Illuminations where landmarks around the world are bathed in pink lights. The program launched in 2000 with 26 landmarks in 22 countries. Last year more than 200 landmarks in 60 countries were illuminated.

Leave it to Elizabeth Hurley to steal the scene at last week's lighting of the Tower of London. Her form-fitting, some might say, too-tight, Giambattista Valli dress, made it nearly impossible to notice anything else. We'll give the girl credit--she knows how to get attention and can even upstage a nearly 1,000 year old building!
Elizabeth Hurley Tower of London
Here are a few of our favorites landmark's from last year's event. The Arena, Verona, Italy:



Arena Verona Pink
China Millenia Monument, Beijing:

Millenia Monument PinkBelvedere Castle, Vienna Austria:

Belvedere Castle Vienna PinkTo find an illumination in your country, checkout Clinique for a calendar.

Gossip Girl Jewelry

Gossip Girl
Miss the Rachel Leigh sample sale on Gilt.com on Friday? We did--and we were pretty bummed about it. Her flirtie, girlie pieces add the right punch of color to many a JSG outfit. This fall, we've been wearing our custom made ribbon wrapped bangles in gold, brown, red and black that were a gift from Clairol back in our beauty editor days (Get it? Each bangle represents a hair color.) Her Audrey enamel bracelet was featured on Gossip Girl--of course Audrey Hepburn-fanatic Blair wore it.
Audrey Bangle
Alas, we were on our way to a lunch date on Friday and not near a computer at the noon-time start time. When we got home post-lunch, we looked over the offerings and were depressed that nearly every piece of her funky, wearable jewelry was sold out. Fortunately, JSG is not that easily deterred when we want something.

Instead of lamenting about what could have been: Rooster charm necklace,



jet and crystal square pendant

and chain bangle

We googled Ms. Leigh and were happy to find she's having a sample sale on her very own site. And some of the prices are even better! Compare $35 for the chain resin bracelet (above) on Rachelleigh.com to the $65 it sold for on Gilt.com. You could almost buy two for the price of one. Which is exactly what we did. See, everything really does happen for a reason.

Now get yourself on over to the Rachel Leigh site and find out what goodies await! And remember, it always pays to shop around!

Looking for a black lace bangle? We found the prefect one--and it only costs $20!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Booty Pop Padded Panties


We're not entirely convinced there's value to adding padding to our rears, but apparently that's exactly what a lot of you out there are doing. WWD reported last week that L.A.'s uber-boutique Kitson has been selling 25 to 30 pairs of Booty Pop panties a week where it was called "the sleeper hit of the summer." The idea is that the padding in these panties will make your booty pop to fill out a pair of jeans. Co-Creator Susan Bloomstone came up with the idea for them after reading about young girls getting butt implants. If you try them out, let us know how they work!

Friday, October 17, 2008

that's why it's called THE PRESENT

As you may recall, I was overcome recently with Boneyard Fever. Well, the potential deliciousness of a film starring Phyllis Diller, Zombie Phyllis Diller, Norman Fell, and a Giant Zombie Poodle gnawed and gnawed at my brain until I finally broke down and sought out a copy to call my own and to clutch to my bosoms. I found one on Half.com for cheaper than the price of a rental, so I made my dream come true by ordering one. It arrived yesterday and the seller was kind enough to include a bonus gift, as if the very existence of The Boneyard isn't gift enough. Behold, the gift, labeled as such so I know exactly why it was included in the package:

All I can really say about it is ??

In related news, I now own The Boneyard. If I weren't so busy, I'm sure I would've watched it 50 times by now. Believe me, I'll be sharing the goodness with you the moment I finally see it.

All About the Pretty on Washingtonian.com


Julia Coney is beautiful and brilliant and this week she was featured on Washingtonian.com. She spends her professional life in a law office and her free time (at least a good part of it) helping the rest of us look better on her blog All About the Pretty. Many thanks to her for naming the Jet Set Girls as one of her fave local blogs. Julia, you're the best!

Calvin Klein's Secret Obsession

We aren't big perfume girls and we definitely don't wear perfume every day making last night a very pleasant surprise. We had a date with the SO to see Love Muffin and not much time to get ready. We threw on some dark liner, an extra coat of mascara, and grabbed Calvin Klein's Secret Obsession which has been sitting on the counter for a couple of weeks. We'd smelled the bottle; but weren't convinced we wanted to wear it. Well, you've heard over and over that perfumes change with your body and this is one of those. It really needs to be worn to be appreciated. It's not as musky as the original Obsession (literally designed in the 80's to mimic some lurv making smell); and it's lighter than the original too. There is still a slight muskiness enough to make the SO say how sexy we smelled. Try it out yourself, and not just on one of those skinny strips of paper. This perfume begs to be worn. If your chemistry is similar to ours, you won't be disappointed!

We're so impressed, we'd like to give away one full size bottle. Send us your email address with Secret Obsession in the subject line by Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 to jetsetgirls@gmail.com.

Available at Macy's.
Editor's note: The winner of our giveaway is Becky S. from Springfield, Va.! Thanks for your entries!

On Our Radar: Canyon Ranch Miami Beach

We wouldn't be writing a blog on women's travel if it weren't a true passion of ours. The opening of the new Canyon Ranch Miami Beach is just what keeps us going and a spot we can't wait to visit. The all-suite hotel is opening on the site of the former Carillon Hotel, on Collins Avenue about 10 minutes north of South Beach. Yes, we normally like to stay at one of the trendy places along the few blocks that encompass the Shore Club, Setai, the Sagamore, etc. so that we can walk between nightspots; but this hotel would be worth cabbing it.



The Canyon Ranch Miami Beach sits oceanfront with multiple pools, wellness centers and healthy restaurants. Each one or two bedroom suite offers a big balcony, a sitting area and even a kitchenette. There are physicians on staff (presumably to evaluate your health and design a program for your stay, not prescribe meds for a bad hangover), as well as nutritionists, life coaches, and fitness instructors. They have classes ranging from yoga and cardio to meditation.



The Canyon Ranch Miami Beach opens next month (November 2008) and rates start at only $300 per night. If you split that with a couple of girlfriends, it's totally reasonable! We just hope they'll be patient with us staying out all night dancing and sleeping late. Maybe the Canyon Ranch would be a good influence on us after all.




Photo courtesy of the NY Times.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Total Beauty Total Cure Giveaway Winners


The winners of the Frankie and Johnny Think Peek sleepwear set from Sleepyheads (pictured above) are: Grand Prize Hayley G. from Providence, R.I. and Runner Up Chrysa Duran from Cambridge, MN. Many thanks for your generous support!

A Peek Inside Daily Obsession's Carry On

One of our favorite bloggers, Connie one-half of The Daily Obsession (we heart Carolyn, too), is headed to NYC from L.A. in a week and graciously allowed us to peek inside her carry on bag:

The most important thing is to find a great bag that will fit all my
in-flight needs! I adore Pallie's James Tote in the shiny chocolate patent
lizard leather, which is both functional and glam. Mine is chocolate brown.



Crocodile tote
I'm also never without a thin silk-cashmere wrap. It works as a blanket
during the flight, but doubles as a scarf at my destination. J. Crew has
some luxurious, but affordable versions.




I keep a slim travel wallet with me. It houses my ID, some cash, tickets
and all other travel documents in it. It saves me the hassle of rummaging
through my bag and wallet for everything I need at the airport. I'm dying
to upgrade to a Smythson of Bond Street version!
I can't travel without magazines and a good book (and I read quickly), so I
stock up on a couple fun reads at a bookstore before I leave. I usually
pick a couple of my faves like Lucky and Domino - both are super great plane reads since they're not 300 pages and heavy to tote. As for plane
books...I'm always up for a Sophie Kinsella read!

The electronics are also important! I take an iPod with me, which helps me
zone out in-flight. I prefer music that is super low-key like
James Blunt (photo courtesy of People.com), Sara Bareilles or Rachael Yamagata.


Finally beauty products...I put this all into a tiny flat makeup bag: A
small bottle of moisturizer to keep my skin hydrated in-flight. (Right now,
I'm obsessed with Jo Malone's Orange Blossom lotion, so I decant it into one
of those travel bottles you can pick up at Target or any other drugstore.)
A tiny bottle of Kai perfume is the perfect touch up for after I de-plane.
Who wants to smell like airplane? Also a quick coat of lip gloss/ lipstick
helps me look refreshed and awake after a long flight.


Lastly, can anyone travel without hand sanitizer? Sorry, but all I can
imagine are germs when I think about how many people have sat in my seat,
etc. A tiny bottle of Purell is a total must.