Hostess Gift: Map Plates

We've never actually bought anything from SkyMall, but we're kinda tempted to get these Map Serving Plates. Our guests will be so impressed when we serve spaghetti Bolognese on Italy, weiner schnitzel on Germany or a spread of cheeses on France. Each country measures from 6-10" wide, 10-15" long and costs $14.95.

Need other hostess gift ideas?

Nightlife Concierge New York

Not sure where to go with the girls this Thursday night? Check out Deluxe Experiences, a new, complimentary service that helps you narrow down all the myriad NYC nightlife options and even helps get you past the velvet ropes faster.

You tell Deluxe Experiences what you're looking for--a club, lounge restaurant, etc.; what part of town you want to be in, what night you're going out and how many people you're hitting the town with. Based off of your preferences, the site suggests a handful of bars or clubs that fit your criteria, like the Hudson Sky Terrace (above) at the Hudson Hotel. The site also gives helpful info like how hard the door is and what you can expect to spend.

Deluxe Experiences is expanding to cover the Hamptons and Atlantic City later this summer.

Need advice on getting past the velvet ropes? Read our post on how to get into a club.

A Peek Inside MakeupBag's Carry On

One of the first bloggers we met was Erika from Makeup Bag. Ever since, she has been one of our favorite. She's motivated by her undying passion for lip gloss, nail polish, mascara and more and is also one of the nicest girls you could ever hope to meet. We were dying to know what she had in her carry on when she took off for Hawaii for an extended trip.

The carryon I use is a Briggs & Riley garment bag. It's a few inches wider than most airlines allow, but so far I haven't had any issues sneaking it on. Turned sideways, it fits perfectly in an overhead bin, and it's the perfect size for a 2-3 day business trip.




Packing for me is a complete nightmare. I always wait until the last minute and then waste time obsessing over my toiletries for hours, organizing tubes and bottles and transferring lotions and creams into travel-size containers (my biggest fear is being stuck without an essential beauty product). Then I freak out because when it comes time to throw my clothes in the bag (usually 46 minutes before my plane takes off!). I then realize that all my clothes are in the dirty laundry. And then I cry. (I'm so predictable.)

In my carry-on, I always bring a scarf. My favorite of late is this White + Warren cashmere travel wrap that I got as a gift:



Hand cream and lip balm are also a must. My favorite hand cream of all time is Jurlique Citrus and I almost always have a Cherry Chapstick on hand. (Cherry is the flavor my middle daughter insists on having, so to make things easy, it's the only one I buy anymore!) I am also obsessed with MAC Tendertones but I ran out a few months ago. I'm hoping they'll be back this summer!


Lately I realized I need essential nail tools in my carry on. A stray cuticle or snagged nail without the tools to take care of it will pretty much make me crazy the entire flight! For this reason, I bring along my Mehaz cuticle nippers and a Tweezerman file.


I'm also not without a thick face cream and a facial mist. I'm sure my fellow passengers think I'm ridiculous, but I try to avoid being too obnoxious by misting the facial spray into my (sanitized) hands and pressing my hands to my face (Clinique has a great facial spray, as does Caudalie). After I spritz (or press) I apply my thick face cream. Creme de la Mer is a tried and true favorite and a teeny sample size jar lasts me 2 or 3 flights.


As a beauty blogger, I never leave home without my Nikon D50, Blackberry and MacBook Pro. Along with these come essential cords, wires and chargers. It's quite cumbersome but I wouldn't have it any other way. If I couldn't connect to my virtual world, I might really go CRA crazy.

Tomorrow I leave for Kauai, where I will be spending most of the summer, and I am prepared to beat myself at my own game this time. I'm headed to Fed Ex this morning where I will ship myself a refrigerator-size box of beauty products (what? is that too much?), which alleviates my need to obsess over serums and eye creams and will hopefully allow me to focus on packing the right outfits. I might not even cry.

We hope you're having a great time, Erika! And that you haven't run out of beauty products! If you do, let us know, and we'll send reinforcements!

ChapStick True Shimmer-Product Review - ChapStick True Shimmer

We have been wearing ChapStick’s new True Shimmer lip balm for the past few days and are converts! The best part is the smell/taste. It is available in Botanical Berry, Tropical, Peppermint Rush, and Blended Fruit Sherbert. The Fruit Sherbert is the best smelling one by far! It goes on very smooth, softens and moisturizes lips, and keeps them looking healthy when the summer sun tends to dry out skin.
Our only complaint is that it adds a shine, which ordinarily we like, but this is glitterier. If you put it on without a mirror, you might be walking around all day with random sparkles all over your face. This is also bad for whoever you might be kissing!

NadaDada Motel

We always redecorate when we get into a hotel room, stashing room service menus, clearing the desk pad and moving the Kleenex box to make room on the bathroom counter. However, we've never gone as far as the artists in Reno's NadaDada Motel's instillation do. For the third year in a row, artists have moved into the Town House Motor Lodge and El Cortez Hotel, cleared out the room and made art happen.

That's Cindy Gunn, above, who transformed her room into a garden of sea anemones to draw attention to global warming.

To read more about the NadaDada Motel, check out today's NYTimes.

Airline Fees

Confused about which airlines are charging fees to check bags and score that coveted exit row seat? Or how much it will cost you to book that awards ticket you thought was free? So are we! Thanks to USA Today for compiling this handy and up-to-date list of airline fees. We hear it took an intrepid reporter a week to compile!

Hotel Missoni Edinburgh

Combine one of cities we adore the most with one of our favorite designers and no surprise: The Hotel Missoni in Edinburgh is top on our list of must-visit locales. The 136-room hotel is on the corner of George IV Bridge and the Royal Mile, just steps from Edinburgh Castle in what is already one of the most walkable cities we've ever visited. With the Missoni designed rooms, bathrobes and toiletries, we wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to leave your hotel room at all. But then you would miss all those adorable Celtic boys, some even pulling a "Real Scotsman" in a kilt.


The hotel promises "the warmth and passion of an Italian home." And no Italian home would be complete without a fab restaurant. The Cuccina and Bar Missoni serves Italian specialties on Missoni flatware so gorge, you'll want to slip a bread plate into your purse (We would NEVER advocate you try that.)


Hot on the heels of the Hotel Missoni Edinburgh are the Hotel Missoni Capetown, scheduled to open in 2010 and Hotel Missoni Jebel Sifah, scheduled to open in Oman in 2012. See you there!