With Valentine’s Day right around the corner we are on the look out for some fun gift ideas and things to do.  Frank’s Chop Shop and the Valley both located on the lower east side of Manhattan, New York offer something both are sure to enjoy.

For him there’s Frank’s Chop Shop a full-service traditional barbershop and in their words “an innovative enivronment for gentlemen“.  A place of leisure for the hip and contemporary gentleman, where he will be able to read the latest issues of the Frank Book and chop it up with friends and associates. He’ll receive a high-quality cut in one of three original 1930’s barber chairs and pick up custom products on his way out.

For her there’s the Valley - a one-stop-shopping experience where she’ll indulge on a “facial for her nails” by nail techs who will work closely with her to create then produce unique nail art designs. A bikini wax using South American waxing techniques will leave her skin glowing and smooth. Lastly, she’ll enjoy a bowl of Acai which will give her the energy kick she needs to pick out an outfit to match her fabulous nails!After an afternoon of relaxation and primping both will be ready to meet up and enjoy a romantic night out on the town!

Can’t come in, not a problem gift certificates are always a great way to go! 

For more information please visit Frank’s Chop Chop – 19 Essex Street www.frankschopshop.com and Valley - 48 Orchard Street www.valleynyc.com.

Gift certificates are available at both locations!

Emjoi is making home hair coloring a breeze with their new professional product Colorjoi you can have beautiful hair color in minutes.  The way it works is as you brush your hair you can dispense color which can be used to color roots, cover grays, add streaks or full color to your hair. The Emjoi Colorjoi helps bring the salon home to you and works with any permanent and semi-permanent hair color. Battery operated and easy to use. For more information on this hot new product visit their website at www.emjoi.com

Great News for all those waiting for this amazing eyelash growth product.  Jan Marini has updated us that the Age Intervention Eyelash product will be ready for ship out to it’s retailers on Feb. 2.  After months of being on backorder my clients will be very happy to hear.  Spread the word!

I came across this product in my search for the continuous beautification of my eyelashes.  Givenchy Lash Pearls is a clear gel with a tiny brush that allows you to paint the liquid on and once it dries it sets into these tiny little sparkling jewels noticeable on the tips of your lashes.  You can use with or without mascara. I know this product is available in Europe and I’m trying to find it here.. if anyone knows where i can buy this please let me know!

Not too far from where i live in San Diego there’s this adorable little spa about 20 minutes north in Cardiff by the Sea called spaViolet. Miss Violet the owner (if you didn’t figure it out) has this motto: “While aging gracefully is nice, aging disgracefully is a lot more fun.” They’ve got really great skincare treatments like “Put a Little Sugar in My Bowl body scrub”, which gently polishes and nourishes the skin and the “Shrinking Violet”, an UltraViolet Infrared Wrap which can burn up to 1200 calories in one sitting, helping clients to get ready for that teeny weeny bikini. But what’s really cool is their “Brow Bar” where clients can “Brows by Anytime”.

spaViolet also specializes in cosmetic tattooing, aka permanent make-up, also permanent tattooing of eyebrows, eyeliner, and re-pigmentation of the skin. If you’re ever in town brows by and say hi. Website: www.spaviolet.com

I received a sample of this new hand & body lotion a few days ago from SkinMD.  It’s a lotion that actually has a shield that holds the moisture in and helps to heal dry skin.  With this cold winter weather my rough, dry legs would be the test.  When i first applied the SkinMd lotion i thought, it’s so light in consistency how in the world is it ever going to heal my poor scaley legs?   Well, within minutes of applying I was actually able to feel a real difference.  My legs felt softer and silkier… actually the lotion itself felt very silky going on.  The lotion seems to penetrate deep within and it seems to absorb so quickly that you don’t have that greasey feeling right after… the perfect hand lotion!  It’s been a few days now and I’m continuing to use this and amazed by how well it works.  My legs not only feel softer they look softer and shinier.  With regular moisturizers you have to keep applying the lotion because after a period of time the moisture is gone. With SkinMd a little goes a long way and it’s locked in.  Visit them at http://www.skinmdnatural.com/.  

I ordered this new mascara by FUSION BEAUTY™ called LashFusion™ that i just tried for the first time this morning.  LASHFUSION is the first-ever cosmeceutical protein lash plump that supposed to gives longer lashes with no clumping, flaking or smudging.  I’m always on the look out for great new mascara.  The one i was just using i really loved -Bad Gal Lash Mascara by Benefit.  I liked the fact that the brush was big and thick… this helps to give fuller looking lashes and it didn’t clump either.  LashFusion i was impressed with.  It went on extremely, extremely clean and it really lenghtened my lashes as well as made them look thicker without needing too much coating. It also didn’t require too many coats to achieve that volumous look. I give it a thumbs up.

Lash Fusion is exclusively available at Sephora for $39.

Need a colon cleanse but want to avoid the dreaded Colonic? I’ve never been one to go and have a colonic even though it’s probably something all of us should do every once in a while.  By keeping your colon healthy you keep your whole body healthy.  I guess the thought of having something shoved up…. well you know where I’m going with that.  Ok, my whole point of mentioning this was to let you know of these really amazing colonic pills that my friend turned me onto – she’s a health nut.  It’s a colon pill and colon cleanse combo from Jim’s Colon Cleanse.  It’s all herbal ingredients (barberry root, slippry elm, senna pods, aloes, turkey rhubarb…..too many too mention them all) and you take as many as you need for as long as you need.  I started with 2 colon pills and 1 colon cleanse pill each day. For some you may need more or maybe less in the beginning.  These are great if you are not regular and have constant bloating.  I used to have daily bloating from a lot of foods I ate and after taking these pills only once – the next day my bloating stopped and I haven’t had it since.  I feel very light and have even lost some of my stomach that occurs from build up in your colon. These pills help to basically flush everything out.  I only needed to use them for about 3 weeks but some need to use for as long as 6 months. Friends I’ve passed this onto are getting the same results. Check them out http://www.jimscolonpills.com/

We all know that meditation has many health benefits for the mind, body and soul.  It’s wonderful way for us to connect with our spiritual side but for some of us the hardest part is finding the time in our busy schedule to take the time and of course then there’s the quieting the mind part. We should all try to incorporate this into our lives though and Project Meditation is making it easy by offering a free meditiation course which will officially launch on January 26th.  This is a wonderful opportunity to bring meditation into your daily life.  Visit http://www.project-meditation.org/ to register for your free meditation course.  Namaste.