What women in their 30s want

When the temperature heats up, skin kicks into overdrive, spewing out more technical problems than a 1989 Audi.  A perfectly temperate complexion may suddenly transform into a hot mess of oil spills, dry patches and irritation, leaving one to wonder if she needs to call her dermatologist or a mechanic for a fix.  While summer is welcome with open arms, problem skin is not.  A good face mask is like one-stop shopping for the skin, offering temporary relief from the throes of humidity and, with continued year-round use, the promise of more even skin tone, a subtle glow, and well-behaved pores.  I tested a few for the sake of The Vogue City readers’ inquiring minds (and even included a homemade favorite that costs pennies – literally) and budgets. 

Clay masks reign supreme in sopping up T-zone oil, and are goof-proof:  apply, let it dry, and wipe clean.  I like Best Bath Store’s Dead Sea mud mask for $19.95.  Its rich formula is chock full of minerals, nutrients and has a grainy, thick texture that feels glorious when swiped on the cheeks, chin and nose.  I use it about once a week, usually when I’m busy stalking, er, browsing, Facebook and sipping a cup of green tea.  Do-it-yourself relaxation, indeed. 

If your forehead is dryer than the Sahara and your chin might spontaneously combust from dead flakes, I recommend the Body Shop’s 3-in-1 Honey & Oat scrub mask for $16.50.  While my genetics have me destined for a lifetime of blotting paper and hand-held fans, I have friends with dry, sensitive skin who swear by this eco-friendly power product.  The option to apply twice a week is there – if your skin is sensitive, start with a once-a-week application and work your way up.  Kind of like the starter boyfriend you have mixed feelings about:  easy does it.

Now, if your skin is neither here nor there and is lost in the transit of being labeled (and what’s in a label, really?), look no further than your pantry for a cure.  Honey, that delicious sticky sap that sends my aforementioned tea into a tailspin, can be applied as is to dry skin for a tasty – and cheap – mask.  Honey is naturally moisturizing, but also zaps oil and provides a hit of natural antioxidants to calm even the sassiest skin.  Just be careful to wash, not lick, it off after about 10 minutes or so.

Masks:  summertime skin saviors or time sapping treatments better left for the birds?

-Karyn Polewaczyk

I unpacked my summer accessories last weekend – sayonara, North Face – and came across a bevy of lightweight, airy scarves that remain in my drawers year after year because I’m eternally lost on how to wear them in the middle of a 95 degree day.  Rumor has it that Miss Thing, Anna Wintour, always wears a Hermes scarf (or at least that’s what ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ would have us believe), whether it be around her neck, wrist, or interwoven through a purse or belt loop.  I figured, if my fairy godmother can pull it off, well, so can I.  (I hope.)

The first attempt was actually unintentional but highly successful.  I was headed to a fundraiser and stuck between two tube dresses that weren’t quite ‘cocktail attire’ friendly.  I folded a cotton muslin scarf that my uncle sent me from Paris (printed with a map of – you guessed it – Paris) around my waist, but it wasn’t quite right.  I moved it to my neck, but it competed with the statement necklace I wanted to wear.  And so it was settled:  I re-folded the scarf and wrapped around it my chest, bandeau-style, and created an entirely new dress in a single knot.  I was impressed with my creativity – and so were people who thought it came like that from the store.

A few weeks later, I had a lunch date downtown and a serious case of bedhead.  I threw a silk scarf into my hair, prairie girl-style, but it didn’t quite cut it – tufts of unruly hair poked out and were not consoled by even the strongest pomade.  I knew I needed to distract my man from the hot mess atop my head, and so I took the same scarf, rolled it into a twist, and beaded large, chunky cocktail rings between knots on the scarf, wrapping it back up and placing it around my neck as a choker.  The result?  He paid the tab and told me I looked beautiful.  Then again, it was his turn to pay.

What are your favorite ways to reinvent your scarves and breathe new life into tired accessories?

-Karyn Polewaczyk

I have a confession for TVC readers:  I was prom queen. 

That’s right.  Me, queen of satire, sweatpants and with glasses to boot, was once a high school glamazon.  In addition to preternatural bronzed skin thanks to the local tanning salon, a crown of highlights that I still wouldn’t replicate today in favor of my natural hair color and a plethora of rhinestone jewelry from Macy’s, I donned a $400 floor-length taffeta dress that was the very epitome of a Cinderalla story.  (I should also note that I begged and pleaded with my mother to buy me this dress, as my salary as a coffee-slinging counter girl didn’t exactly make the cut for such an extravagant purchase.  She obliged mostly to shut me up and to regain some “peace and quiet around here.”)  The dress, which was white, had a tight, corseted bodice encrusted with Swarovski crystals and flowed to the floor with twenty-something layers of mesh tulle.  When paired with clear resin heels and an attitude straight from a Janet Jackson music video, my 5’4” frame towered over my classmates and won over the reception hall staff, our “judges” for the evening.  (Take that, Perez Hilton.)

That was my story then.  Nine years later, my catwalk consists of the sidewalk; my competitors are the other rush hour commuters with bagels and briefcases in hand, not dreamy dates from the soccer team or a Bonne Bell lip gloss.  Our judges consist of the narrowed eyes on the seat next to us in the subway, which subtly glance up and down at the fashions du jour and make mental notes to avoid a trend at all costs or to fly like hell to the nearest H&M before it’s completely sold out.  And with prom season in full swing, memories of that floor-length dress flood my memory and force me to notice the flux of women in maxi length dresses on the streets of the city. 

Interestingly enough, some of these dresses – often printed with funky floral or geometric patterns – could be considered prom-worthy, if paired with the right heeled sandal and silky pashmina.  When paired with bejeweled flats and a pair of oversized sunglasses, though, the maxi dress is contemporary, cool, and a relief to women everywhere who want hemlines shorter than their nether regions.  As is the case with many styles that sit on the fence of being pushed to black tie or totally bohemian, the key is to accessorize wisely. 

The maxi dress:  a flashback to that special night of dancing to Boyz II Men and raucous in a limousine, or summertime’s newest “It” piece?

-Karyn Polewaczyk 
 

Browsing through this weeks random free and almost free publications, I noticed a variety of Mother’s Day spa specials. Doggie moms are moms too, right? And since my pooch don’t got no daddy, I treated myself to an early Mother’s Day present and booked a day of services Friday.

For $89 plus tip, I was promised a papaya mango body polish, a 30 minute massage and a mani/pedi. When I arrived at the spa, I was immediately turned off by the late 70’s style chairs they have at the manicure stands. My brain reminded my mind not to judge a book by the cover, and I moved swiftly past said chairs to check in. The staff were courteous and contained only a little of the New York edge I usually encounter at these spa special joints. I was offered a choice between a Deep Tissue, Swedish or Craniosacral Massage, which I thought sounded like only a doctor should perform. I chose door #1, then took my robed and slippers to change.

The body scrub was okay. This may sound petty, but I get weirded out when I don’t know the brand of products used. I’m fine going to Elizabeth Arden, Bliss or Aveda, but feel skeevy when random “papaya” lotion is lathered on my naked body. The woman scrubbed me all right. She damn near scrubbed this doggie mama raw; but afterward, I felt five pounds lighter and my skin soft like a baby’s. My deep tissue massage made me scream in pain. I request three times not sooooo deep, and eventually she lightened up. Word of warning: if you can’t take the heat, don’t go in the Deep Tissue Massage’s kitchen. Choose #2 or #3.

The mani/pedi concluded my treatment and was pretty standard with a little more scrubbing and massaging on my now nothing-but-bone calves. It was the same caliber you would get at a Bloomie’s but with uglier chairs. My overall rating for this service is a low B. I would probably give it a C if it weren’t so cheap and might even give it a low A if I knew the products used.

Is it worth it? If you need smoother skin and a massage, yes. But like everything these days, it depends on you budget. Should you give a Vada Spa for a gift for your mother? Probably not. But it is totally fine to get a friend or your brother’s wife. No, really.

Vada Spa 387 6th Avenue between Greenwich and Waverly Open 9a.m. to 10p.m. 7 days a week. 212-206-1572