A little over a week ago I ran out of conditioner and had to run to the pharmacy to pick up another bottle. Routine errand, yes – only this time, I was in New Delhi, India so… same, same but different.
All over Southeast Asia and India there are souvenir stores and tourist traps that sell the same t-shirts, trinkets and tchotchkes. When you wonder aloud what the difference is between all of these shops, the hawkers always say, “same same but different.” I found this to be true in a number of different ways during my last trip to India and particularly with consumer beauty culture.
While there, I couldn’t help but pay attention to ads for beauty products seen on billboards, in magazines or in the daily newspaper. While most of the brands were quite familiar, the RTB or benefit messaging (okay, I’m not your average consumer) was totally lost on me. What’s “hair fall control” anyway?
After coming across the beauty section of the Hindustan Times (runs every Thursday!) and diving into Indian issues of Elle, Vogue and Cosmo, I determined that what women want all over the globe is the same same but different. We desire to feel beautiful (and have others agree), we enjoy the process of beautification and we have fun with products (well, maybe not all of us), and we are continually seeking the latest and greatest beauty solutions. The difference lies in what exactly it is that we’re seeking, or more likely, how we define it and where it falls on our scale of beauty priorities.
A product that promises “hair fall control” wouldn’t likely catch the attention of an American woman – but one that promises thickness, strength or volume most definitely would. It’s the same same but different, no?
I got my wings this weekend with a few friends from the office. I’m feeling pretty sore; I can feel it in my back, legs and definitely my arms. On Sunday we took flight and soared into the new decade thanks to Crunch gym’s Antigravity Yoga “Wings” class.
Have you tried this hybrid of yoga and cirque du soleil? The Antigravity Hammock becomes your wings and it allows you to attempt positions only thought to be done by skilled circus performers. A straddle 5 feet in the air? No… But yes!
The class started off slow with a warm up for my muscles and a chance to get familiar with the hammock. But soon enough I found myself upside down (head rush!) practicing my inversions and backward flips.
But the class wasn’t all tricks, as traditional yoga postures are modified to take shape with the hammock. Downward facing dog, warrior one, cobra – all found with the antigravity hammock. While it won’t replace my regular vinyasa, savasana in antigravity yoga took me to a different place. The hammock becomes a cocoon and it cradles you until all tensions are let go.
For a new experience in 2010 try the Antigravity Yoga “Wings” class at Crunch. Watch a class here.
New York Fashion Week showed a renewed spirit this season after last February’s Fashion Week when the economy had the industry on edge. Last February, designers were pulling out of the tents, scaling back shows and canceling after parties (the horror!). But the fashionistas are back this season, and in a new way!
NY Fashion Week kicked off with Fashions Night Out (#fno or #fno09 if you’re on twitter), a night where retailers stayed open late, celebrities became bartenders and one model even showed off her Irish step dancing skills. FNO got people back into the stores and jazzed about the industry, but the jury’s still out on if it invoked a significant rise in sales.
Regardless, FNO kicked off an electric Fashion Week that was only made more exciting with MTV’s Video Music Awards thrown into the mix (Kanye, please don’t interrupt my blog post, even if there are some that have been better). What’s great about Fashion Week is that we can participate professionally, personally and virtually!
For COVERGIRL, we went backstage to introduce the beauty looks and upcoming trends created by legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath and we participated in the CVS Reinventing Beauty Lounge at Robert Verdi’s Luxe Lab, by providing COVERGIRL makeovers throughout the week. There were pop-up stores, elbow-rubbing parties, and lots of free champagne! And if you felt like a night off, Twitter feeds offered real-time updates so you were always in the know.
Even though Fashion Week’s focus is on the upcoming season, it’s never before been more about right now. Nothing waits, there are no lead times and by next season it’s already “so last year.”
Today’s the last day of New York Fashion Week
buzz, buzz, buzz goes the city until next season!
Some friends and I started a book club almost a year ago now
(BCers, we better get started planning that posh one year anniversary event!) We rotate the professor position, the one who introduces four picks and then we all cast our vote, while enjoying a few bottles of wine and a delicious meal. Some might say it’s a dinner & drinks club dressed up as a book club.
The literary choices are quite diverse in this book club; some selections include Hemmingway’s A Moveable Feast, Twilight and most currently the Sir Richard Burton’s translation of The Arabian Nights. We typically organize gatherings at restaurants (new ones and old favorites) where we discuss the week’s reading assignment and propose our predictions for future chapters.
With all of us in somewhat similar industries, the club is an opportunity for us to stop talking “shop,” stop all that friendly gossip and dive into topics we might never have ordinarily thought about. And these discussions can get heated! This weekend was especially hot since book club took a road trip to the Jersey Shore.
This weekend we chatted about The Arabian Nights over hummus and delicious Middle Eastern inspired cocktails, while burying our feet in the sand. It was the perfect escape from the city and the usual. Book Club has inspired an old group of friends to keep things new again and depart from the norm; it’s also our excuse to make a point of getting together regularly even when life becomes hectic. What do you do to escape from the day-to-day norms?
Recessionista Chic we’ve all heard the term by now. Brands are capitalizing on consumers “trading down” and consumers are rejoicing over some incredible economic finds. (Restaurant Week has never tasted so good.)
This summer I’ve found myself either braving the $15 round trip casino bus to the shore, en route to my family’s beach house (ACES, even with the discount Greyhound still has you beat) or enjoying some recession-chic activities in the city. For some great ideas check out Elisa’s “Summer in the City” post.
I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy the scene at the Carrera Summer Escape at the Cooper Square Hotel; and at 21 floors above the streets of Manhattan, it truly is an escape. 10am Yoga from David Barton Gym completed with Fuze smoothies kicks off the day that winds lazily through the afternoon with spa treatments, Bustelo Cool coffee, sun bathing on comfy West Elm furniture, 360 degree views, Hasbro board games, cocktails and a sunset that makes you forget that you’ll end the evening in your tiny New York apartment. It truly is a product placement playground and the city’s answer to the Malibu Beach House, so I eagerly played the role of key influencer, told all my friends and enjoyed the time well spent with each brand. I now have great beach house gift ideas (thank you, Hasbro), my parents are hooked on Bustelo Cool and I now know how to mix a great Fuze cocktail (after 12pm of course).
This weekend marks the second Summer Escape weekend of three this summer and VanityFair.com tips off to an all-star lineup of indie rockers. Who needs traffic, 15 people to a house, crazy cover charges and the crowds escaping the city? I can escape too, just 21 stories up and with some of my new favorite brands!
When we arrived at The Grafton Hotel on Sunset and Amber was told that she had been placed in the Urban Suite, which was distinguished with graffiti and metallic décor, I figured that was a fitting start to what was to come.
CoverGirl Queen Collection threw Queen Latifah an A-List birthday party this past Saturday at SIR Studios in Los Angeles, so my colleague Amber and I went out to coordinate media on behalf of the brand (and take in some great celeb sightings to boot). And wow, what a night! The press pit was packed, capturing each boldface name and celebrity arrival. Queen put on a performance featuring hits off her upcoming album and cover songs from some of her own hip hop inspirations ~ heavy hitters like Lil’ Kim, Missy Elliot and MC Lyte. Friends like Quincy Jones, Vivica Fox, Harvey Weinstein, Patricia Field and Paris Hilton were all in attendance to watch Queen blow out her birthday candles.
But what made the night really special was that it was a celebration of a true artist. CoverGirl Queen Latifah can go from rapper to Oscar nominee in a blink; she breaks barriers as a woman, as a black woman, as a plus-size woman all by just being herself. I’m proud that CoverGirl was there to celebrate Queen’s birthday and that I could be there too. I’m proud that as a brand, CoverGirl speaks to every woman, or, the everywoman such as Queen.
I love the fact that in just one week, CoverGirl can inspire and entertain women through so many diverse media conversation channels: Ellen DeGeneres discusses the technology and beauty benefits of Simply Ageless Foundation on her show, legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath shares her inspiration to create runway trends using CoverGirl cosmetics with beauty editors and bloggers, and Queen Latifah celebrates her birthday with the co-creators of her CoverGirl Queen Collection and her closest celeb friends. CoverGirl goes from daytime talk show, to haute couture, to hip hop heavyweights in a blink. And that keeps things interesting!
Check out Queen’s interview with Entertainment Tonight here:
Queen Latifah’s Birthday Bash Performance.
