View From The Rooftop

My love affair with my beautiful city continues. Check out this view of the cityscape, as seen from the rooftop penthouse of the Thompson Hotel in Soho just this evening.

Ah NYC, how I love thee.

A Revolution in Cut with Ric Pipino at Bendels

Listen up, NYC beauties, for there is a fun beauty event on the horizon! Those who love having awesome hair should be especially excited, for hairstyling superstar Ric Pipino is coming to town!

Beginning Tuesday, June 8th, Ric Pipino and his team of expert stylists from Pipino Downtown and Spa Chakra will be on hand to offer blowouts, light styling and color consultations in celebration of Revolution In Cut.

Ric Pipino will be making a special appearance at the event on Tuesday, June 8th and Thursday, June 10th from 11am to 7pm, so try to stop by those dates for an extra special treat.

For more info, visit the Bendel Happenings site here, or call 1-800-hbendel.

Lab Series, Bloomingdales, Twitter, and Deals!

All of my NYC people take note, because from June 4th- June 10th there is something fun and exciting going on at Bloomingdales.

Lab Series for Men will be hosting complimentary grooming services- including aestheticians, shoe shiners and manicurists to get those men in your life prepped and pampered.

In addition, be sure to 'check in" to the Lab Series at Bloomingdale's Foursquare venue on June 4th. Simply show your 'check in' at counter, and you'll receive exclusive Lab Series samples. Plus, every 10th person who checks in will receive a complimentary full-sized product!

So go forth and get your Lab on.

Of Magical Meals and Buddakan NYC

There are two things of which I am absolutely certain. The first being that my name is Adina, the second being that I consider myself extremely lucky to have been born and raised in a city so rich with culture, opportunities, and gourmet food haunts that would make any connoisseur weep with joy. In this post, allow me to weave a tale of culinary delights of the Pan-Asian variety, come to life at Chelsea’s very own gem- Buddakan.

Having found myself in the city with my one-and-only, we embarked on a journey downtown to experience what can only go down in the record books as a legendary meal.

Upon entering the restaurant, one cannot help but be sucked into the lively atmosphere, thrumming with the pulse of the city. On this particular early Saturday evening, we admired some of the city’s most beautiful people just hanging out by the grand bar while sipping on designer cocktails and catching up with their favorites. My boyfriend and I checked in and were immediately led through the happening bar area on the first floor to the much quieter, more intimate sub-level. As we settled into the cushy seats in the beautiful, dimly lit dining area, we knew we were in for something special.

Our waiter, Tony warmly greeted us, and then proceeded to explain the restaurant’s culinary philosophy and influences. Perusing the menu, we were presented with more options than our hungry selves could handle. With Tony as our guide, we made several selections that were subsequently brought out not only quickly, but perfectly pleasing in the visual sense. Clearly, this is food meant to engage all the senses, even as the flavors so expertly put together made our palates sing.

Drinks
Sake for him, and a “Lush” for me, which was a blend of sake, gin, lychee, and rosemary. I have never had that combination before, but I rather did like it.

Appetizers:

Steamed Savory Vegetable Dumplings

With delicate wrappers and perfectly seasoned, crisp diced vegetables, these dumplings were perfection.

Sea Bass Roll, wrapped in Napa cabbage and topped with julienned ginger

Complimenting our dumplings, the cabbage wrapped sea bass roll was both tender and delectable. The julienned ginger slaw gracing the top gave the dish a bit of a zing.

Entrees

Charred Filet of Beef with Wonton Crisps and Mustard Sauce

Now I am not one to partake in red meat, but my boyfriend is most certainly a fan. As a trained chef, he has tasted the finest cuts of beef from Kobe to Filet Mignon. For him to be wowed by a filet says a lot, and wowed he was as he closed his eyes and savored the perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked fillet.

Dungeness Crab Stick Rice with x.o Sauce

There are no words for how insanely good this stick rice was. It was presented in an empty crab shell, with large chunks of Dungeness crab throughout.

Glazed Alaskan Black Cod with Eggplant and Black Bean Relish

The perfect portion of buttery, flaky fish had a deliciously sweet sear to it. The relish was OMG good.

Unfortunately, we were both so stuffed post-meal that we didn’t have any rooms in our distended abdomens for dessert. Ah, to have eyes bigger than one’s stomach.

All in all, Buddakan afforded us two foodies (one of us being a chef, no less!) with the most exceptional meal we can both remember having. With a chic and sexy atmosphere, vittles that are out-of-this-world delicious, and a staff that is so friendly and attentive that you want to instantly be-friend them all, Buddakan is a huge restaurant WIN.

If you are an out-of-towner looking for an amazing culinary experience, or a native who hasn’t yet been, you simply have to go to Buddakan, the end.

*This amazing meal at Buddakan was sponsored by Pantene.

A LEGENDARY Hair Experience at Davide Torchio

By now you all know that I am a master of disguise, and of reinvention. Approaching my very own quarter life crisis, I knew that it was time to pack away pre-25 Adina, and emerge anew. Towards that end,  imagine my excitement when Davide Torchio invited me to his salon for a bit of pre-birthday primping. This past Saturday, it was out with the old and IN with the new at the Davide Torchio Salon on the East Side.

Brazilian Triple Threat at Maria Bonita Spa and Salon

I am always and forever on the lookout for hidden gems of beauty spots in this great city of mine. With more salons, spas, and beauty atria than you could shake a well manicured stick at, finding places worth both your time and your money could be a daunting challenge indeed. Last week, I was offered the opportunity to try the Luck of The Irish Package at Maria Bonita Spa. The experience (and results) still fresh in my mind, I want to go ahead and share the experience with you.

Lady Gaga Takes on NYC- The Monster Ball Concert at Radio City

Those who follow me on twitter know, yesterday I had a life-altering experience in the form of Lady Gaga's first NYC concert on her Monster Ball Tour. Suffice it to say that the show blew my ever-loving mind, assaulting my senses with so much awesomeness that I left with no voice, and very little thought capacity. In other words, your krasey beauty's brain became a krasey pile of ooey gooey goodness. Of course I want to share the experience with you, so fasten your seatbelts kids, because tons of pictures lay ahead.

You know you wanna see more, so go ahead and take the jump.

Reminder! Meet Francois Nars at Barneys Today in NYC!!

I am so excited to announce that Francois Nars is back in town, and this time at Barneys!

The deets:

WHAT:           In celebration of NARS’ 15^th Anniversary, François Nars will make a special personal appearance at Barneys New York to sign copies of his new limited-edition book 15X15.  Barneys Creative Director, Simon Doonan, who will be hosting the signing, wrote the clever forward to this book.

15X15  features a collection of 15 celebrity portraits, each inspired by a NARS product shade and based on an iconic reference chosen by François Nars, who personally did the makeup and photographed each portrait. Fifty 15X15 books will be available at this signing with 100% of the sales being distributed equally among the 15 charities chosen by the participating celebrities. The 15 celebrity portraits will also be displayed throughout the Barneys cosmetic floor during the signing.

Additionally, in commemoration of the anniversary, NARS’ two limited-edition 15^th Anniversary Palettes, Wild At Heart and Everlasting Love, boasting ten best-selling shades will be available.  And, the NARS Loves New York Set, containing an assortment of four classic shades resurrected from the archives by François Nars specifically for the women of New York and re-named after iconic names in the city, will also be available for sale.

A talented team of NARS makeup artists will also be offering customers in-store consultations with the NARS Loves New York Set, 15^th anniversary palettes and Holiday collection.

WHERE:       BARNEYS NEW YORK

                       660 Madison Avenue at East 61^st Street

                       New York, NY‎

                       NARS Counter: 212.833.2008

                  

WHEN:        Thursday, December 10^th, 5:00-7:00pm

So... who's going?!

Zeno Hot Spot Launch Party at MTV Studios

When I first started Krasey Beauty, I vowed to make it my personal mission to bring to you all the latest and greatest from New York City. Resuming my role as the roving reporter, I went armed with my trusty Canon G10 tonight to the Zeno Hot Spot Launch Press event at MTV studios in Times Square.

*Doing my best Vanna White

Take the jump for more awesome pics!

Beautiful Holiday Shopping- The Plaza Beauty by Warren Tricomi

Holiday shopping is all about finding the perfect gifts, as quickly and painlessly as possible. For the beauty lovers on your list, The Plaza Beauty by Warren Tricomi is a one-stop beauty shop with a plethora of amazing brands and products. Here are some of the great exclusives that you can find there:

This adorable headband is by Lucia Tristao Hair Designs: With almost ten years of creating headbands, hats, hairpieces and scarves, Lucia Tristao's creations are available at The Plaza Beauty by Warren-Tricomi. Each piece is made with only the finest international materials, designed to be unique in every way. As a lover of fun headgear, I can definitely appreciate Lucia's designs.

Lisa Hoffman Beauty is an innovative skincare brand developed to meet the needs of women on the go who don’t want to sacrifice luxury for convenience. With packing in mind, Lisa originally created her line to include packettes of just the right amount of ten separate skincare products, containing airtight, single-use ampoules of each product to ensure that the active ingredients stayed potent and pure. The collection has since expanded to include full size versions of every product as well as complete Spa Bath, Spa Shower and Spa Facial lines that are available in Lisa’s signature packettes and full-size versions.

The cosmetics division of Italian-based beauty brand Davines S.P.A, Comfort Zone specializes in products that promote well-being and beauty with a gentle, natural approach. The line marries advanced research and classic Italian refinement for holistic beauty. Outside of spas, Comfort Zone is available only at The Plaza Beauty.

M-Lab has been formulating innovative skincare expressly for dermatologists and plastic surgeons for over 25 years. The successful action of the M LAB™ products results from an extraordinarily high number of clinically active ingredients designed to target every visible sign of aging, providing the greatest opportunity for positive skin response and corrective action. The Plaza Beauty is the only retail outlet in the United States that carries the brand.

For holiday shopping, definitely check out The Plaza Beauty by Warren-Tricomi, located at One West 58th Street at The Plaza Hotel. There are lots of amazing brands, just waiting to be discovered.

Fashion's Night Out- Return for 2010 Confirmed!

P.S.A for all my fellow NYC beauties.

Fashion's Night Out was a blast this past September, and I am super excited to announce that the party will be returning on September 9th, 2010!

After high demand, Fashion's Night Out is officially returning next year!  Mark your calendars for September 9, 2010 and get ready to shop!  You can sign up for updates at www.fashionsnightout.com and follow on Twitter (@ FNONYC) for all the latest details.

Fashion's Night Out (FNO) is an unprecedented global initiative created to celebrate fashion, restore consumer confidence, and boost the industry's economy. In the United States, the program is a collaboration between American Vogue, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, NYC & Company, and the City of New York. On September 9, 2010, Fashion's Night Out will return to New York City to put the fun back in shopping, with designer appearances, live windows, celebrity guests, and other special events. On the same night around the world, and led by twelve international Vogue editions (London, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Madrid, Moscow, Athens, Taipei, Tokyo, Beijing, Sao Paolo and New Delhi), each country will tailor its Fashion's Night Out celebration to appeal to its city's unique retail environment.

Join me in a collective heck yeah, as I am beyond thrilled. Who else shares my sentiments?

ShoeWoo for the Shoe OBSESSED

Source

Raise your pedicured, ankle boot covered feet if you have more pairs of shoes than items of food in your fridge. After all, who needs food when you have a closet full of beautiful shoes?

Fortunately, we are not alone in our minor obsessions. There is a new kind of destination coming to New York City that will set out shoe-loving hearts aflutter. Shoe Woo is an exciting new store opening on October 1st, at the corner of 59th and Lexington (in the heart of the city!). Designed for shoe lovers, by shoe lovers, Woo celebrates you and your passion for fabulous shoes. Something tells me that the shoe lovers in all of us will feel like kids in a candy store!

There will be lot of fun giveaways, so make sure you are following @ShoeWoo on Twitter.

And, not one to go on descriptions alone, here is a sneak peek into the new store via artist renderings. Looks like shoetopia to me. ;)

Stay tuned for more news on Shoe Woo. Until then, tell me how many pairs of shoes you have?

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week- The Recap

We covered a lot of stuff here on Krasey Beauty, so I figured I would provide this handy-dandy guide for all of you to navigate through.

Backstage:

Hair at Charlotte Ronson with Avon
Go Backstage with CND- Creative Nail Design
Makeup at Hayden Harnett with Tarte
Backstage at Gottex with CND, MAC, and Redken
Backstage at Vassilios Kostetsos with Mehron
Backstage at Twinkle with CND, MAC, and Redken
Backstage at BCBG with MAC

Runway

The look of Rebecca Taylor
The look of Ports 1961

The NYFW Scene

Fashion Week kicked off with Fashion's Night Out
The Hautelook Lounge provided bloggers with an escape from the insanity
Everyone in town for fashion week got together at the ultra-fabulous New York Fashion Week Blogger Mixer, pic taking, dancing, and fun ensued.
Nando interviews Ted Gibson, bloggers, and KraseyBeauty.

I cannot wait till fashion week again next year. I hope you all enjoyed my coverage as much as I enjoyed covering it. If there was a post you especially loved, please let me know!

Spend Fashion's Night Out with Benefit!

Here is another amazing event to check out if you are in town for Fashions Night Out!

Sephora has got the Benefit team offering up runway makeup lessons, samples and prizes. It is all happening at Old Sephora Times Square (43rd and Broadway), so stop by and join in on the fun.

R.S.V.P by calling 212-944-6789. You won't want to miss out, and I will see you there.

The Arrojo Salon Experience

Clearly, the original hair expert from the hit show What Not To Wear knows a thing or two about hair, right? Mane master Nick Arrojo brings New Yorkers cutting edge (get it?) haircare in his state of the art Arrojo Studio. With a space that is both modern and appealing, the Arrojo Studio is a house that holds the best and brightest in the world of hair.

Desperate to update my disastrous 'do, making an appointment with the skilled hands over at Arrojo was a virtual no-brainer. As soon as I walked into the space, I knew the experience would be something special. The salon itself is pristine and inviting; it was buzzing with activity, and full of beautiful people. With a training area, cut station, color station, cafe, and makeup area (complete with artist on the premesis); Arrojo Studio is a true lifestyle salon and one-stop beauty shop.

As I put on the Arrojo robes, I knew the fun was about to begin. I sat down with stylist Topher, discussing the steps we would take toward getting my hair picture perfect. Having decided that I wanted to keep the long length of my hair, Topher happily suggested we just trim the dead ends and go with lots of face-framing layers and a subtle side bang. The overall look would be chic and sleek, but versatile enough to go curly. After I voiced my approval of his vision (an enthusiastic heck yeah did the trick), I was led to the other side of the salon for a color consultation and color.

This is what we were working with, clearly my hair team had their work cut out for them (and there I go with the puns again).

Unfortunately, my previous dye job was so long ago that my haircolor was both muddy and dull. My colorist, Ashley is both talented and knowledgable; she answered all of my haircolor questions while she simultaneously lead me down the path to haircolor nirvana. After taking a look at both my current color and my complexion, she decided that a warm red would suit me the best. We opted for a deep auburn brown that will ultimately shine bright red in the sun. The end result would be a color that both brightens my face and warms up my skintone.

Sitting in that chair, I couldn't help but feel that Ashley was lovingly coating my hair in what looked like butterscotch pudding. YUM.

Post hairdye, it was time to shiny up my colorful new 'do with a semi-permanent red gloss to kick the color up a couple of notches (BAM). Essentially, the gloss set the tone of the hair and added lots of shine and depth. After an hour of color-filled fun, I was all ready for the nice man with the scissors and comb.Already feeling pretty fierce, I was led back to my awaiting stylist, Topher. As soon as I sat down in his chair and started chatting with him, I knew that I had made a talented new friend. A native Brooklynite with a passion for hair, Topher is both genuine and funny. Oh, and did I mention that any stylist who knows what a jew-fro is automatically goes up 1000 levels on the awesome scale?As he reverently choreographed the dance of the shears across my head, we each regaled the other with tales of growing up as native New Yorkers with quirky parents.

Before I knew it, I had a head full of face hugging layers, and four inches off the bottom. Topher then walked me through the products I would need to get the look I want, while offering up his advice on how to style my hair depending on the look I was going for. Post blowout, I was runway ready and absolutely loving it. The end result was both modern, and stylish.

With my new hair dream team, Topher and Ashley. How insanely green do my eyes look now?!

I am so thrilled with my hair, you can't even imagine. I cannot stop running my fingers through my locks while making 'mirror face'.

Arrojo Studio is conveniently located downtown by Houston St. To schedule an appointment with Topher or Ashley, give Arrojo Studio a call at 212.242.7786

Huge Lips, Skinny Hips, and Cocktails in The Hamptons

Listen up my NY beauties, here is your chance to get a little taste of the gloss I am so in love with:

What: Scoop Beach's Summer Event

Who: Mingle with Purple Lab creatrix Karen Robinovitz and discover why Huge Lips, Skinny Hips is a must-have this summer

Why: With every purchase of Huge Lips, Skinny Hips, you will receive a FREE cocktail voucher to be redeemed through Labor Day, 2009 at South Hampton hot spot "Day & Night"

Where: Scoop Beach

50 Newtown Lane, East Hampton

631.329.6800

When: Saturday, July 25th from 3-5pm

Hello Kitty Mania

The highly anticipated Mac for Hello Kitty collection has finally launched here in NYC, and this blogger couldn't be happier. On February 3rd, MAC in Soho held a special launch party to preview the collection to eager fans.

While the weather was a chilly 20*, the NYC snow and slush did not keep the Mac-heads away from the promise of cute new products with everyone's favorite kitty plastered all over. With names like Big Bow and She Likes Candy, who couldn't help but be excited?!

The store was set up runway style with Hello Kitty's male counterpart Daniel greeting at the door along with some friendly MAC Artists. There was no great shortage of balloons, cocktails, Hello Kitty Cookies, and attractive waiters offering up lox and tuna finger sandwiches.

The collection itself is fresh and fun, offering up a Nice & Naughty side to this massive collection.
Here is what I thought, with some swatches along the way:

General Thoughts:

The packaging on all of this rocks! This will definitely appeal to the MAC collector with amazing attention to detail, down to the imprint of Hello Kitty's head on the beauty powder's and lipstick

Standouts: Fashion Mews Lipstick, Nice to be Nice Lipglass, Lucky Tom Quad, Girl Groove Glitter Liner(like reflects transparent teal in liner form), Pretty Baby Beauty Powder, and Milk pigment.

Most Wearable: The most wearable pieces in this collection in my opinion were probably Cutester and Big Bow lipsticks, also she loves candy and sweet strawberry lipglasses, the lucky tom quad, and pretty baby beauty powder. Those wanting to go bolder can step out in Big Bow Lipstick, Fast Friends Lipglass, and the Too Dolly Quad. I love how you can go either way with the collection's offerings.

The lipsticks in general were fun colors, but I personally am not a fan of the sheerness of lustres and glazes. I will take a full color amplified cream or satin any day of the week! However if you are a fan of this formula then these will be right up your alley.

The lipglasses are said to be a new formula, and I definitely felt the difference. They applied almost like a jelly and had a superfine glittery/pearlescent quality to them. I would say with all confidence that these are a step up from the old lipglass formula.

The TLCs are adorable, and I could easily see the younger MAC set playing with these.

The Beauty Powder Blushes are everything I love: pigmented and finely milled with a fine glittery luminescence. The Beauty Powders are beautiful too, but call me biased because I must collect them all!

While the quads aren’t really new, I liked the color combos and I like the linear layout to them. The glitter liners are awesome in both color and payoff, the pigments aren’t new but they are ok too.

Lipstick

Fashion Mews – This one is a milky pink with just a hint of lavender. You really have to pile it on to see the lavender I think, but I like it!
Strayin' – A mild hot pink with apparent blue and pink microglitter.
Fresh Brew– Beigey Neutral, with pretty good payoff for a lustre

Big Bow – Another bright pink with glitter, kind of reminds me of stepping out dazzleglass
Cutester – Sheer peachy apricot. Like Fashion mews, I didn’t get much payoff
Most Popular – Sheer Berry color, kind of reminds me of happening gal lg from Barbie

Lipglass

Nice to Be Nice – Bright Orangey Coral, very pretty
Nice Kitty – Nothing more than you avg hot pink gloss
Mimmy – A light pearly coral/pink
Sweet Strawberry – Medium Pink with a tinge of berry
She Loves Candy – Milky medium pink
Fast Friends – More berry than purple on me im afraid.

Tinted Lip Conditioners

Pink Fish – Rich, creamy, and a lovely shade of hot pink
Popster – Same as pink fish only with a touch of coral

Eye Shadow Quads

Lucky Tom Palette- This was my fav out of the 2. Though the colors aren’t really new, they look great together. Blackened violet, creamey gold, bright peach and dark brown, what more do you need?

Too Dolly Palette

Yogurt is a creamey matte beige that makes a great base, too dolly reminds me of the robins egg blue/green in the heatherette trios, romping is a fun hot pink and stately black was your tradiditional chunky glittery shadow with crappy payoff

Pigments

Milk – Chunky glittery silvery pink. Sucky texture but great color!

Glitter Liners- Loved the payoff on these. So intensely pigmented and gorgeous!

Kitty Power – Like reflects very pink
Her Glitz – Reminds me of a brown black ore solar bits. A gorgeous brown with gold in it.
Glitterpuss – Bright orange/bronze glitter
Girl Groove- Reflects teal in liner form. Love!

Beauty Powder Blush

Tippy – Bright blue based pink. Beautiful color!
Fun & Games – Orangey/bronzey apricot. Not a fan of this one on me

Beauty Powders

Pretty Baby – Beautiful soft baby pink
Tahitian Sand – Hardly showed up on me, a beigey neutral color

Nail Lacquers

Sadly, I didn't pay these much attention. On quick glance they look like great colors, though I find MAC nail lacquers to be on the thin side in general.

The accessories deserve honorable mention, as I am sure these will appear to the avid Hello Kitty Fans. The brush set and plushy have me intrigued!

Now for some swatches!