What women in their 30s want

Cheryl Reid, founder of Spa Week and owner of SPA MEDIA LLC, launched the first Spa Week in October 2004 as a way to educate New Yorkers about the benefits of spa services while providing an affordable way to enjoy them. Spa Week gained such industry hype it quickly expanded nationally and caught the attention of major corporate sponsors. (Saab, Allure, etc.) Now Cheryl aims to introduce a new generation of spa goers to wellness benefits they can take part in, at least bi-annually. Maybe it’s for “wellness benefits” or maybe Spa Week is just a genius marketing idea. After all, Reid formerly owned a New York City public relations firm. Either way, Spa Week allows the average Josephine great treatments for just half a hundo – AKA $50.
How to participate? Visit http://www.spaweek.com. Register your name, email and other optional information. Then click on your respective territory. An index of results will appear with – at least for New Yorkers – an overwhelming amount of spa participants. Here it helps to have a specific spa in mind. Ask rich friends which spas they frequent. Each spa lists the Spa Week services they are offering. For instance, Completely Bare offers laser hair removal for bikini or underarm, Fresh in Soho offers a 60 minute Balance and Nourish Face Treatment, and the Salon & Spa at Saks Fifth Avenue offers a 60 minute Therapeutic Massage amongst other services.

How to book? Fall Spa Week runs October 12-18th – as in next week. Make a list the spa/services you intend to book complete with back ups as services do fill up during Spa Week. Try for days when your schedule is more flexible as you want to maximize the benefits of your relaxing services by pairing them with a relaxing day.  Call individual spas to book. Spa Week does not book through their website, but if you sign up on their email list, they do provide spa specials throughout the year.
Emma Dinzebach

Bright colored lips, structured up do’s, and smoky eyes graced model’s faces as they swaggered down the runways during Fashion Week. It might be a bit early for statistical calculations – we’re still lacquering our nails in varying vampy shades – but for those of us who plan ahead, we need to know which beauty trends will stay and will likely fade away.

Designers have two main views on make-up during runway shows: A lot – use it to play up your collection or None – keep the model blank so the clothes are the main view. (See also: expressionless runway models.) After the Spring 2010 shows, bloggers were rushing out to tell everyone Marc Jacobs says natural save your pout! ADAM says sun-kissed! Tibi mixes color on eyes, cheeks and lips! When you read about runway shows baring the minimum in regards to make-up, it’s likely the designers attempt to draw your attention away from the face. Other shows, like L.A.M.B. and Versace, sported thick eye make-up – a nod to their edgier designs. Make-up for creative sake, likely won’t last. There is no point in wasting time and money on pounds of shadow for elaborate eye make-up.

But smoky eyes will stay. (They are pretty much a staple of evening sex appeal. Plus, Sephora has it’s own kit dedicated to achieving the perfect smoky eye.) Red lipstick will stay. Bright cheeks will go. And colored eyeshadow will remain for Manhattan’s 19 year olds who can pull it off. Fierce up do’s like the severe twists we saw might re emerge depending on Spring’s mood. While apparel requires designing, production and other time conscious practices, make-up can change with the wind. So you can like Spring 2010’s runway make-up, but wait a bit before you marry any one trend.

Emma Dinzebach

Riding the green wave are restaurants screaming from their bamboo surfboards, “Eat local, Dude! Buy local, man! Cowabunga.” Tasting Table toots that it’s been suggesting local since it’s launch. Dude, wasn’t that like last year? Okay true, shoring the gap between what we eat and where it is grown lends to sustainable restaurant practices, supports local businesses and reduces heavy carbon emissions created from distant transports. In fact, eating locally has been a goal of many area restaurants way before green was the new black. Furthermore, choosing local produce is a better, more earth-conscious approach than choosing organically. (For more information on how eating locally as opposed to organically helps our planet and your health, click here.)

Restaurants like Mas Farmhouse, Five Points, and Blue Hill have been serving local ingredients for nearly a decade. These pioneers use seasonal ingredients, and talent, to achieve culinary artistry that tickles our tastebuds and touches our hearts. New Yorkers – and surrounding area farmers – realize that out of everything bad, comes something good, and are happy that the alarming state of our planet has at least awoken minds to the joy of eating locally.

How can you celebrate? Several area chefs are celebrating September by highlighting where their food came from. You can find a detailed PDF of how area chefs are celebrating this month at Tasting Table. Or, cook something yourself. You’re long overdue to host a dinner party, right? Hit up Union Square Market, New Amsterdam or the 77th Street Sunday Flea & Green Market and pick up some local ingredients to cook up some splendor of your own…dude.

Emma Dinzebach

We can spend hours reading about products and obsessing over new wrinkle erasers and skin softeners, but truly knowing our skin should is the first step towards a achieving beauty. Clearing your skin and evening your skin tone allow for a better palate for make up and, more importantly, allows you to use less. Online I found several skin surveys asking you determine whether your skin is oily, normal or combination, wrinkle prone, tan, pigmented, etc. Short surveys don’t capture the different facets of your skin while lenghty surveys because of the their, er, length discourage users.

The solution: your dermatologist. For the cost of a co-pay ($25-$50 on average), you can have your skin analyzed by an expert. In New York, dermatologists seem as ubiquitous as sporadic pigeon flocks. Actually, dermatology residency are amongst the hardest to land in medicine and with three of the top 25 residences at universities in the city (NYU, Columbia and Cornell, respectively), New Yorkers have access to the best of the best. Obvi.

If it is your first time visiting a dermatologist, request a full body check to be sure there are no signs of cancer. If you’re main goal is beauty-centered skin care, your dermatologist will assess your skin and advise on morning and evening routines. Don’t be shocked if it’s a lot easier and less complicated than you expect. Marketers make us think that we need everything under the sun to achieve glowing skin. In most cases, you simply need to use the right products.

At my last appointment, my doctor told me to wash with plain Dove soap in the mornings only, use toner around my hairline where products may build and use wrinkle-preventing night cream at night. I don’t need any daytime lotion save sunscreen. I don’t even need to wash my face in the morning! The thought of such simplicity frightened me, but after two weeks, my skin was soft and clear. More even, pure skin requires less clog-poring make-up and feels lighter. Plus, it’s healthier. For a list of dermatologists contact your health insurer or visit the Skin Cancer Foundation’s physician directory. And start glowing.
Emma Dinzebach