Fuchsia: Nail Color Trend

Last fall we couldn't get enough of purple, especially on our nails. We were hooked on "Don't Go There" which is one of the Sephora by OPI colors. It's no wonder then, that this spring our interest has turned to fuchsia. It's brighter but in the same family as purple, but not a red or pink. Our favorite shade and one that we've used on the past couple of manis is "Flashbulb Fuchsia" in The Brights Collection by OPI. We're planning on sporting it on our beach trip this weekend at least on our fingers, our toes are getting gold polish.

Lost Luggage

Ever since our friend Paul over at Daily Makeover told us about Is This Your Luggage, we've become obsessed with the site. Photographer Luna Laboo buys luggage that is lost and never claimed. She then photographs the luggage with all its contents in tact in the hopes of finding the rightful owner.

While she has yet to reunite a bag with its owner, it is ridiculously fun to look at the contents of the lost luggage and wonder about the person who packed a particular bag. For instance, why did this guy need eight pairs of blue jeans? And what is that red outfit? It reminds us of the uniform Zach Braff had to wear in Garden State at the pseudo Indian restaurant he worked at in L.A.

Ever lost a bag? Check out Is This Your Luggage and maybe you'll see it again--along with the rest of the world!

once again, i am just saying...

...there are movies out there in the world that seem as if they were made for me and for me alone. This is one of them. I MUST SEE IT.

In tangentially related news: holy fucking shit, I had no idea that Chuck Norris is so huge. Apparently the camera adds ten pounds but takes away 250 feet.

Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronze Collection

TheIlluminating Bronze Collection by Bobbi Brown will jumpstart your summer glow. Available now on line or in stores on June 1st. Try the All Over Gel with SPF 15 if you're still too pale to feel comfortable in your kini.

We're always suckers for Bobbi's Shimmer Bricks and this one is designed for the body.

Use it with the All Over Body Brush to make your shoulders and decollete look like you've just returned from vacay.

Grand Cayman - On Our Radar- Grand Cayman

By the time you read this, we'll be on our way to Grand Cayman. Planning this girls' trip was more challenging than most--after Hope finally convinced Annie that Mexico was a better idea than L.A. for the trip, up came the swine flu. We debated for a few weeks in early May about if we should reschedule our trip to Cancun. The decision not to go was ultimately made for us when Hope's flight was canceled.

After a bit of back and forth (Miami! Turks and Caicos! L.A.!) and research into destinations we could fly to easily and relatively inexpensively when booking tickets two weeks out, we decided on Grand Cayman. It's reasonably easy to get to--our flight left at 8:30 this morning from NYC and after a stop in Charlotte, we land at 1 CST in Grand Cayman--with any luck we'll be checked in and in our bikinis in time to catch the late afternoon rays. Had we booked our tickets further in advance, we would have been able to score seats on Cayman Airways, which has non-stops from NYC.

Our next consideration was where to stay. Since we were booked at the Ritz Carlton in Cancun, our first choice was obviously the Ritz Carlton in Grand Cayman. We know the service will be impeccable, its restaurant is by Eric Ripert and the spa is La Prairie.

Beyond that, about all we have planned is working on our killer tans and drinking banana daiquiris. We won't be posting on our trip while on the road, but check back later next week for photos and a full report!

The Model as Muse Exhibit at The Met

The highlight of our Memorial Day Staycation was meeting our friends Amber, Dina and Felicia at The Met for The Model as Muse Exhibit. We drooled over the Balenciaga gowns, laughed at the 60's dress with cut out for your boobies and were nostalgic for our favorite semi-retired models, including Shalom Harlow and Alek Welk. If you can make it to the Met before August 9, we say do it! The café is worth a visit too--just get the lemon blueberry tart, not the profiteroles!

If you can't make it, the video is just like the real thing, minus the crowd!

Girls' Night Out Sagamore Hotel

Don’t let the recession fool you into thinking you can’t still get away with your girls without breaking the bank. The Sagamore Hotel in Miami is offering a very affordable vacation package called the Girls’ Night Out. For a minimum of two nights, you and three other girls will enjoy a Sagamore Suite, continental breakfast, morning-after Mimosas or Bloody Marys poolside, a manicure at the Rikrak Beauty Bungalow, and VIP entrance and a complimentary cocktail at Aero Bar. All of this for the low rate of $69 per person per night during the week and $99 per person per night during the weekend.

The promotion is from June 1, 2009 through October 15, 2009, but you must book by June 30th! This is a great idea for anyone planning a birthday or bachelorette party on a limited group budget. Plus, if you go in September or October, you can maintain your summer glow!

Celebrate World Oceans Day 2009 with La Mer and Oceana

La Mer and Oceana have teamed up to celebrate World Oceans Day 2009 on June 8th to recognize the importance of the ocean in the viability of our ecosystem. Oceana exists to support environmental and research efforts regarding the sea. La Mer is offering a special edition World Oceans Day Creme available at Saks Fifth Avenue and on the La Mer site through June of which 100% of the net proceeds go to Oceana.

LUDLOW something something

I made this while I was dumping footage onto my computer. Working on a painting of the same image for...whatever reason.

It's so Dawn of the Dead-y, although that wasn't my intention going in. I don't even know if I had any intentions going in- it was just for fun. As was this painting, which is now sitting over in the corner:

So...I don't know. If anyone out there wants to buy a Gill-Man (The Creature Waves Hello!) or commission something else entirely, hit me up with an email. You can check out more over at the gallery on my website. Paintings make great gifts!

I assume. I mean, no one's ever bought me one, so I wouldn't really know.

*tear*

Go see Drag Me To Hell this weekend!!

Beyonce at the Airport

The hardest outfit to plan for a trip isn't what to wear at the beach or even for a night out--it's what to wear on the plane. You want to look stylish, but comfort is the name of the game. We're thinking about wearing something similar to Beyoncé's outfit above, on our flight to Grand Cayman on Friday. We love how she tops off her cool, casual white outfit with an oversized cardi and wedges.

For more Stars' Airport Styles, check out People.com

Stila Indian Summer

We just received word that Stila released their “Indian Summer” line and trust us, it looks beautiful! Check it out on their website. It consists of a smudge pot, lip gloss, color palette for the eyes, powder bronzer, tinted moisturizer, mascara, lip glosses and blush. The collection has a golden base to it, so it will bring out your natural summertime complexion. It looks exotic and sexy yet minimal. They boast that this collection will make you look youthful and add a glisten to your skin. Oh, and did we mention that it is infused with 24k gold…You will look like a million bucks, literally!

It seems like this collection is flying off the shelf, so we recommend grabbing it before everyone else does. We can’t wait to try it out for both the day and the night.

I'll be back...

...but in the meantime...

Healthy Snacks for the Plane

While we appreciate an excuse to eat M&M's and Aunt Anne's pretzels, we're always on the lookout for healthy snacks for the plane. Spa Week filled us in on these grown up lunchables. They do need to be refrigerated, but if you dive in right after takeoff, you're most likely on the safe side. We could go for a Manhattan one right now!

Free Blowouts

Burnt, dyed, teased, chopped, shredded, and dried out – you name it, we’ve done it. No, we’re not reliving last night’s dinner, that’s our hair we’re talking about. We are always searching for a product to rejuvenate our lovely locks, to give it that extra something it had before we started tampering with our natural texture and color. During the summer our hair becomes even drier from the sun, chlorine, and saltwater, which is why we couldn’t ask for a better time for Aveeno to launch their Nourish Collection.

If any of our readers live in Boston, Minneapolis or Seattle, Aveeno is offering free wash and blow-outs, tips, and product samples to over 100 women in each city (first come, first serve) next Wednesday, May 27th from 10:00 am – 7:00 pm (5:00 pm in Boston). Boston is at the James Joseph Salon, Minneapolis is at Level and Seattle is at Haven.

If you don’t reside in those cities, don’t fret because you can log on onto http://www.blogger.com/www.hairwithlife.com and register for a free sample of the AVEENO® NOURISH+ products.

Want beach-y waves? Read our tips!

Asheville Girls' Getaway

A few weeks ago, we filled you in on our upcoming girls' getaway to Asheville with our mom for Mother's Day. Asheville was everything we were hoping it would be and more. It was artsy, which we expected, with sophisticated galleries on just about every block. What surprised us was the live music scene--we had just missed Blue October--and the cultural--the local playhouse was putting on "Baby with the Bathwater", written by one of our all time fave playwrights, the eternally hysterical Christoper Durang. The downtown area is walkable and filled with art deco buildings. We stayed at the newly opened Grand Bohemian Asheville, which provided a comfortable base from which to explore the town and the nearby Biltmore house and grounds. As they say, a picture is worth 1,000 words, so check out our slideshow for all the fun we had:

Tuesday Deals from Hotels.com

Every Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. hotels.com releases 100 great deals that are available for 24 hours only. Savings are 40% off hotels.com's regular rates. Example: Recently, Dallas' luxury Stoneleigh Hotel and Spa (pictured above) discounted rate was $108, regular hotels.com rate was $169. Thanks to Travel & Leisure for bringing this to our attention.

Ginnifer Goodwin's 30th Birthday Girls' Trip

In the June issue of W, Ginnifer Goodwin shares how she punked her friends on her 30th birthday last year. She had them all thinking she had sold out, a la Vincent Chase on Entourage, and was having a Vegas blowout sponsored by a celebrity weekly and a liquor company and everything. In reality, she kidnapped her five girlfriends and took them to a bed a breakfast where "we did mud baths, learned how to make perfume and lazed by the pool and drank way too much wine." Way to go Ginnifer!

Clinique Trina Turk Bonus at Nordstrom

While you're out shopping the Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale this weekend, be sure to stop by the Clinique counter to pick up the adorable Trina Turk designed bonus filled with summer essentials.

Trina says: "I've created a vibrant, floral cosmetic bag and paired it with must-have skin care and makeup essentials from Clinique in one great gift. The shades go great with just about any daytime outfit and together it makes the perfect summer-time accessory."

Included in the Clinique bonus--a $65 value that is yours with any purchase of $25 or more:

• Trina Turk designed cosmetic bag
• Lash Doubling Mascara in black
• Different lipstick in Tenerheart
• Blushwear cream stick in Rosy blush
• Superfit Makeup (your choice of 3 shades)
• Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion
• Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Starburst
• Take the Day Off Makeup Remover

Not sure what to get? Our pick would be our new favorite sunscreen. Available until June 6 or when supplies run out.

Louis Vuitton Fall '09 Preview and Louis Vuitton in Hong Kong

We love that Louis Vuitton is more than just about the clothes--Louis Vuitton is a lifestyle and an aesthetic. Those who are traveling to Hong Kong this summer should definitely stop by the Hong Kong Museum of Art to check out the exhibit "Louis Vuitton: A Passion for Creation." While the exhibit runs until August 9, you don't even have to step inside to get a feel for it. The museum is wrapped in prints from artist Richard Prince's "After Dark" series, shown above and below.

But, of course, we love the clothes, too. JSG was honored to be invited to preview a small selection of the Louis Vuitton fall '09 line, along with a select group of bloggers as part of Louis Vuitton's outreach to social media. Some of our favorite pieces are below:

Glowelle Review - Not Worth the Money - Glowelle Review

We've now tried Glowelle on two separate occasions and our reaction was the same each time: We saw zero results. Save your funds fellow JSGers!

Glowelle claims to be a "Beauty drink dietary supplement that helps fight the signs of aging from within." It contains high levels of vitamins A, C and E along with goji berry and green and white tea extract. You mix it in 16 oz. of water and drink up. Besides not seeing any results, the stuff tastes pretty terrible. While we're fans of pomegranates and lychees in real life, the pomegranate-lychee mix was near undrinkable. We had to keep adding water and still basically shot it like it was tequila. We had the best results when we put it in a water bottle and shook it for a minute. Even still, the powder still go clumpy, so we wasted some of it.

The packaging is silly. With the week's supply, you get 7 individually wrapped packages of the powder, along with a "limited edition beauty clutch". The clutch is a small zip up pouch that you're supposed to carry your Glowelle around in. It has since become our tampon case. A smarter inclusion would be a shaker so you can mix the stuff without having to buy a bottle of Poland Spring.

So, save your $40! The only supplement we've ever taken that gave our skin a noticeable difference is Omega-3 pills. They seriously do make our hair grow faster and our nails grow stronger. You can find them at your local health food store for a fraction of the cost of Glowelle. Plus they help your heart, too!

so i made a movie, part six

I'm, like, totally in "post-production" on Ludlow. Since I went way overboard with the info sharing regarding the shoot, I figured, you know, why not indulge myself and share way too much info during the entire process of putting this movie together? It's what The Internet is for. Well, it's for sharing too much information and it's for LOLcats.

So, WARNING: this is all about me and my big ideas for Ludlow and seriously, it’s so boring, I’m falling asleep whilst typing ittttttttttwiooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Oh, if you have no idea what the fuck a "Ludlow" is, click here and catch up. Or don't and remain clueless. Whatever, man, that's totes your beeswax.

During filming, Shannon Lark looked far into the future and yawned upon reading this boring post.

If you’ve watched any of my previous…uh, let’s call them “films” for lack of a better term, shall we?…then you may or may not be surprised to find out that they’re all edited on l’il ol’ iMovie5. See, I’m always about 6 or 8 steps behind the curve when it comes to computers due to the fact that I’m not a millionaire. It’s true! Though I exude exquisite class and glamour all over The Internet, I am little more than a humble pauper.

Another example of exquisite class and glamour.

As such, I plod along all humble pauper-style working with programs from 5 years ago and everything’s generally cool; I’m a big proponent of the idea that your equipment doesn’t entirely matter, but rather it’s all about what you can do with it. *sexual innuendo, wakka wakka* The point is, geez… the first three episodes of Ghostella’s Haunted Tomb were shot on VHS, and they’re…largely coherent, at least.

SHANNON LARK: Stacie never gives herself enough credit. "Lack of a better term?" Her movies are wonderful! And they actually make sense. Especially her latest with that wedding dress-thing.

In related news, did you know that NOBODY uses VHS anymore? Weird, right? I just don’t understand this modern world! VHS is so cool. Why I remember the day I stepped up to VHS from using this thing. Oh, what a day that was. Electric Youth!

I’ll readily admit that top of the line equipment would be swell to own- after all, there’s no arguing that stuff shot on the Red One (fancy, expensive) looks better than stuff shot on VHS (not fancy, obsolete). But again, I’m not a millionaire and thus I make do. Sometimes, though, you just gotta bite the bullet and upgrade your crap to crap plus.

Sorry, VHS. I mean, you don't look THAT bad and I still love you and all...

Sometimes, upgrading is all about ease. After those first three episodes of Ghostella, I dumped my VHS camera for a cheap (but kick ASS) mini-DV camera. In addition to superior picture quality, this meant I could simply import footage directly from the camera into iMovie rather than burning a DVD from the VHS tapes, extracting the footage from the DVDs, converting the file types, and THEN importing to iMovie. I still make out with my little camera every night as my perverted way of thanking it for saving me so much time and hassle. The making out is also my way of letting it know that I think it’s pretty.

...but this is a little sharper...and widescreenier...and insanier.

SHANNON LARK: I agree that you should make out with your equipment. It makes it function better (as long as no saliva hits the mother board) as the good vibes permeate its mechanical consciousness.

I’m trying to make a…well, a GOOD MOVIE here with Ludlow. Relatively speaking, natch. I want it to look beautiful, and I want as much as possible to avoid the deadliest of pitfalls that frequently lay waste to no-budget movies: shitty audio. Whether or not I’ll achieve these goals remains to be seen, but to give myself a leg up I used Shannon’s fancy-pants camera to shoot the film (although not wanting to neglect my own beloved camera, I brought it with me to capture behind the scenes shenanigans and, you know, to make out with). The second part of this mathemagical equation involves post-production and my decision to…dun dun dunnnnn…upgrade from iMovie 5 to Final Cut Express 4. This is roughly the equivalent of upgrading from sitting on your ass all day to going all nutcake and doing the Ironman Triathlon in under an hour.

I don’t know if that makes any sense, or whether doing the Triathlon in under an hour would indeed indicate a level of nutcakedness, but perhaps you get the point.

What? No, I’ve never done the Ironman Triathlon. BIG DEAL. It’s not like I’ve never done ANYTHING. I mean, this one time I stayed up for two days straight and lemme tell ya, it broke my fucking brain! It was during a road trip with my friend Jim, and the highlight of the trip was probably the moment when my mind completely melted and I couldn’t remember the name of the restaurant where we’d had breakfast. The restaurant was called Country Pride (gross, awesome), but the closest I could get to calling it that was to blurt out “Purity Face”.

SHANNON LARK: Hahaha! I went to a place like that recently. It had a giant pig in front of it, which I rode.

"Purity Face" is clearly not even close.

Anyway.

Look, I’m not trying to knock iMovie Version From 5 Years Ago, believe me. I’ve done some cool stuff with it, if I do say so myself (and clearly I do say so myself). However, the program is largely aimed at people who want to make a “movie” of their kids pooping at the beach and Ken Burns-style photo montages set to the tune of Jim Croce’s “Time In A Bottle” to give as a gift to Nana and Pap Pap for their 60th wedding anniversary- and that’s…you know, mega-cool. But for Ludlow, I want more control than iMovie can provide; I want to filter audio and correct colors and all that deluxe good-time jazz. Lo, I say unto thee, this is a story about control. Control of what I say, control of what I do- and this time, I’m gonna do it MY way. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. Are we ready? I am- ‘cause it’s all about control…and I’ve got lots of it.

NnnngaaaahhhhhJANET JACKSON GET OUT OF MY HEAD.

"I will fuck up your dreams!"

Sorry, wait…mmm. Err, where the fuck am I going with this?

Oh yeah- so I upgraded my computer and now my stupid big fat scanner is no longer compatible with my system (it sits, useless and mocking) which means I can no longer scan in…you know…STUFF FOR MY LIFE which includes COMICS and I’ve got Final Cut Express but it’s super complicated and I don’t know what I’m doing and I hate not knowing what I’m doing and I feel my self-imposed deadline looming and I’m totally freaking out.

SHANNON LARK: Girl, you are gonna get the freakin' stupid editing system BLAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Just keep working at it. You are super smart and you do things and you have the BESTEST blog on the intarweb where people send you fanmail and some of them even try to look up pictures of me naked just because you have let me go blablabla on your blog about masturbation and Ludlow. This is just Ludlow trying to bring you down, man. Fuck Ludlow. Fuck it with an iron fist and conquer this program till you hit yourself in the face cause your fist goes right through it, all transparency-like.

SWEET MERCIFUL CRAP did I really write all this just to bitch about how my new editing program is OH SO HARD and WAH WAH WAHH and IT’S GOING TO TAKE ME SO LONG TO LEARRRRRRRRNNNN? Hmm. I guess I did.

Well, I SAID it was boring…and YOU read it anyway! SUCKER!

Sorry, that’s not very nice at all. I’m going to go make an iMovie video featuring a Ken Burns-style montage of all our favorite Final Girl pictures from over the years, and I’ll set it to the tune of Icy Spicy Leoncie’s “Man! Let’s Have Fun” as my way of apologizing.

Actually, that video sounds pretty cool. Wow, I should be a jerk more often!

And please don’t remind me that I’m bitching about editing movies on my computer while the world is riddled with people who have no homes or clothes or perhaps not even eyes, because I feel guilty enough about my meager entitlements already. I BID YOU GOOD DAY.

Old Navy $1 Flip Flops Saturday Only

At Old Navy this Saturday, May 23rd only, stock up on your favorite colors of adults' and children's solid color flip flops for $1/pair. Sorry, there's a limit of 6 pairs per person. Happy shopping and flopping!

Air New Zealand: On Our Radar Air New Zealand's Matchmaking Flight

For those of us who are single, it is sometimes difficult to go on vacation or wander the streets of a foreign city watching couples walking affectionately hand in hand. However, our single prayers have been answered! Air New Zealand has created a flight called the Matchmaking Flight – exactly what it sounds like!

It’s an easy concept; you sign up and pick who you want; an American, a kiwi, or a Canadian. You are paired with a partner either on the flight over to New Zealand or when you land. You can create a profile of yourself on the Matchmaking Flight website to connect with the travelers six months before your trip. There is a pre-flight gate party, in-flight games and entertainment, and not to mention that you might be sitting next to your soul mate. Who wouldn’t mind rubbing elbows with a Rusell Crowe look-a-like for a long flight?



Flights leave from Los Angeles on October 13, 2009 and cost $780. All you have to do is de-plane, freshen up, and explore New Zealand with a new date! Get ready to share your peanuts…

and now for a musical interlude...

...courtesy of the sensational 1976 film Track of the Moonbeast.



By "sensational", of course, I mean "craptacular". But it's borne of a craptacular ilk of which everyone should partake once in his or her lifetime- I really only recommend once, as this movie is really, really bad. But still.

I also recommend traveling back in time so you can watch it when you're about 8 years old; when I was about 8 years old and I saw Track of the Moonbeast, I was oblivious to its atrociousness. As such, the scene where the dude hears a noise outside and he goes to check it out and the dude's wife is all "Noooo!" because duh, the noise is coming from the Moonbeast, but the dude goes anyway and he totally gets killed outside and we know because his blood comes oozing in under the door totally scared the mental pants right off of me. I still think about that scene and how it moonrocked my face off like a lunar Mount Rushmore.

Now I like to pretend that "California Lady" was written just for ME!

Summer Totebags on Sale

We just got back from Nordstroms' half yearly sale where we were doing "research" for JSG. What tempted us the most were the piles of totebags from Tory Burch, Kate Spade and more that had been marked down just in time for Memorial Day and our first beach trip of the year.

Because we've never passed up sequins for a girls' trip, we picked this Marc by Marc Jacobs Party Girl Shopper that's on sale for $148.90 from $298 at Nordstroms. The Kate Spade Tortola Kei handheld shopper that we featured in "How to Pack for Your Honeymoon" is on sale for $223.30 from $425 on the Kate Spade website (be advised the extra 30% off is applied at checkout plus free shipping).
This blue and yellow print would suit any trip from the ocean to the lake: Printed Tory Tote from the Tory Burch site is on sale for $150 originally $250.


Our favorite is the Della Fonte Beach Tote from Milly at Shopbop for $191 from $382.

How to Pack for a Weekend Getaway

Headed out of town for a weekend getaway? Here's how to pack your carry on bag:

On Our Radar: Beach Paradises

Our post today comes from guest blogger Jamie Stone from Queen of the Quarter Life Crisis. Jamie volunteered to go to the Destination Wedding and Honeymoons event for us when we were out of town. Here are the destinations that impress her the most--they sure have us dying to grab our passport and head to the nearest airport!


Fiji- A country composed of over 300 islands in the South Pacific that also boasts “the friendliest people in the world.” There’s something so alluring to us about the secluded beaches, clear, crystal blue water and the fact that Jacques Cousteau named Fiji “soft coral capital of the world.” Fiji is a fabulous island destination whether you and your girlfriends want some adventure or want to relax on the beach. I’m not gonna lie to you, I’ve wanted to check out Fiji since I found out that Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey went there on their honeymoon…yes, I said it. In my opinion, we can all use a little more “bula” in our lives…


Turks & Caicos – Known as the “light of the Caribbean,” this set of islands is only one hour from Miami, making it the perfect destination for a long girlfriend’s weekend. Each island has something different to offer…Parrot Cay being the most exclusive and luxurious. West Caicos, known for its fabulous diving and East Caicos, for glorious stretch of private beach. And then there’s Providenciales or “Provo,” which is the most popular island and home to many ultra luxury resorts and spas lining the 12 mile Grace Bay Beach – frequently voted one of the world’s best beaches by Conde Nast Traveler magazine. JSG's pick for best hotel for a girls' getaway is the Gansevoort in Turks & Caicos (shown above).



Riviera Maya –The award winning Asian hospitality brand Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts has made its way to Mexico with the Banyan Tree Mayakoba resort. Located on Mexico’s pristine Riviera Maya amidst the exclusive and ecologically-sensitive Mayakoba development, this exclusive all-pool villa resort is the perfect blend of nature and luxury. With 16 spa pavilions and an extensive range of Asian-inspired massages, beauty and body treatments, the spa presents a truly holistic and rejuvenating wellness experience. On top of that, every guest has their own private swimming pool set in a secluded landscaped garden. Perfect for a girlfriend-bonding weekend…all only 30 minutes from the Cancun airport. (Note: the CDC lifted its travel advisory to Mexico on May 15.)