Bloggers Corner at the DSS!

So if you're coming to the DSS and you're a blogger, please do the following:
-Get your ticket now, as they're going quickly!
-Email blogger@districtsamplesale.com with your full blog name, address, and a 25-word description of your blog, and we'll feature it in our Fashion & Events Blog page in the DSS program.
-Stop by the Bloggers Corner at the DSS and pick up your fabulous free goodie bag!

That is all. Carry on.

Nether Tasering

Sorry, busy as crap with the Sample Sale; this has been sitting in my drafts folder for a few...

So today, I had my second laser hair removal treatment. Or, as I like to call it, having my nethers tasered.

I "won" a spa silent auction package whilst a wee bit buzzed at an event (does every one of my posts involve drinking?*).

Anyhoo, turns out the package was a bit (a lot) of a bait and switch--it was for 2 of 5 necessary treatments (which they didn't inform me of until heading into appointment #2), combined with some random services that I didn't really need (and definitely don't need to drive a damn hour for). So to get optimal tasering results, I would have to buy a package of 5, which they offer at a volume discount, or the remaining 3 at regular price.

So the math: I spent $700 at the auction for something that was listed at a value of $1,400. But would have to spend another $900 to buy the remaining 3 treatments, or get a package of 5 for $675--so a minimum spend of $1,375 for something that they are currently selling for $675. Niiiiice.

So. Back to the tasering. In my two appointments, the first was using the standard laser, the second one was an upgrade using IPL.

First time out: took a lot of time, as you have to numb the whole area for about an hour, and then it still hurts somewhat. But after one treatment it was about 30% gone.

This time: no numbing, it took 15 minutes total (something about the IPL hitting far more follicles than with a normal laser), and same amount of pain (which isn't bad at all). As for results, we'll see what comes back.

As for the pain, it kind of feels like I went to Great Southern and asked for a tattoo that looks like chicken pox. But with about 40% less pain. It's just a quick sharp stinging, that really isn't that bad in most parts. You get used to it after the first few rounds.

If you're thinking about doing it, now is the time--tasered nethers cannot see the light of day at all, so I was the freak in the shorts at my pool all summer (with the farmer's tan to prove it).

And now that I've completely scarred you with way TMI (and you haven't read the postscript yet), I'm off to more DSS. Have a great weekend!

*Don't answer that. Though I JUST found out that I'm not preggers. But to backtrack, the initial thought (that I might be) occured around 10:00 this a.m. By 11:00 I was picking out guest room decor to convert it into a nursery, by 11:30 I was figuring out how to wittily tell my husband, by 2:00 I was buying a test, by 3:00..oh wait. Never mind. Not pregnant. Point is, tonight's post, if not about drinking, will defintely be sponsored by the concept. So back off.

Live Blogging: From the DSS War Room

If you're planning on getting a VIP ticket, do so quickly: there are only about 20 left!

We're Number, Um, FIVE!

So another fun fact from WWD: The DC Metro area has been ranked fifth in the nation in annual beauty spending, with an average annual spend of $453 (I don't believe procedures were included in the calculations--if they were, my group alone would add about $35 per capita...).

So I started doing the math (as really, when it comes down to it, I'm a number-crunching statistical analysis wonk more than anything else):
La Mer foundation, sold by pushy saleswoman, two shades too dark. Grrr. : $65
La Mer foundation, correct color (whitewhitewhite) sold by Jamie, the fantastic LaMer rep at Saks CC: $65
Laura Mercier Sunkissed (bought all left in stock as they were discontinuing it): $66
Nars Blush (Orgasm, but of course): $25
Too-Faced eyeshadow, George and Weezie: $17
Lipglosses: 8 colors, all in search of the perfect shade of tangerine that I don't think exists: $80 (approx)
Drunkypants Cosmetic Shopping at Random Department Store Beauty Event: $330 (the last one I went to, anyway).

That's $648 without really thinking about it. To achieve a fabulous level of...complete mediocrity. Damn. Guess maybe I should allocate that to the procedure side of that ledger. But that's another post entirely.

Sunday Toast

Happy Sunday!

I'm enjoying my Sunday a.m. routine: Snow Queen BM, Sunday Source, NYT front to back (front page first, weddings a close second, though the Mrs. Astor article by Bill Cunningham trumped both this week), and catching up on the WWD's I've skipped over the course of my busybusydamnbusy week.

...but I had to interrupt to share this bit of spectacular marketing prowess, from Friday's WWD...

Now I love me Barneys' shoe department more than just about anything else. But Saks' new shoe department at its NYC flagship: effing BRILLIANT:
-It's an entire floor (Eight). 50 vendors, 100,000 pairs (it is listed as "stockkeeping units" actually--but that's got to be pairs, right?).
-They lobbied for--and got--their own zipcode from the USPS:
10022-SHOE, which is incorporated into all their collateral.
-It features a shoe repair shop.
-They set it up so that the seating is arranged around tables--so while you're trying on Stuart Weitzmans, the person across from you is trying on Chanels--so you KNOW you're going to upgrade (though the real VIPs have their own luxe room, but of course).

So, CMO of Saks, whomever and wherever you are: I raise my glass of tomato-infused deliciousness and salute you. You are a marketing genius.

Ain't No Accident...

Blogger News:

So my editorial genius friend H just started a new blog: Accidental Chic.

The blog features great writeups (short, fact-filled, to the point: hoorah!) on beauty, home and fashion: a great place to stop by to catch up on store, product and event info. Me likey very much.

Next is Mom Stylist Joyce Neave, whose blog also just kicked off. She's featuring weekly interviews, style Q&A, and local recommendations for everything from tailors to makeup artists.

AND then, to top it all off, here's a little detail on the Blogger's Corner at the DSS: it will feature a place for all in ze blogosphere to meet and greet, plus goodies for all. We will also be featuring your blog and description in our program! Just email blogger@districtsamplesale.com with your blog name and writeup (the shorter the better, please!) and we'll hold a goodie bag for you! There is no additional fee, but you will need to buy your ticket (on sale 8/23!) to get access. See you there!

Another Sad Note

Dr. Adrian, one of Washington's best dermatologists (and the first to give me Botox) passed away suddenly of leukemia.

He was a great doctor, patient and kind, and a complete innovator in the field.

If you would like to contribute to the DC Chapter of the L&L Society, there's an opportunity to do so here.

Pour a Bit of Champagne on the Boxwoods

...and write a check to your favorite charity in honor of the grandest doyenne and hostess of them all, Brooke Astor. What an amazing example for all to follow, each in our own little way.

Of Crowds & Chaos (and Cup Sizes)

I'm just not a fan of huge crowds, lest it's the DSS or My Morning Jacket playing on a stage in front of me. Nor am I a fan of total disorganization, unless it's my closet (okay, fine. My house).

Route 123 is the DMZ for me, with the left side featuring Scary Tyson's, the right featuring Actual Tysons. Scary Tyson's because EVERY SINGLE TIME I've ever been there, it's the Perfect Storm, packed with heinous crowds of sketch people and nasty moms pushing their sneezing kid's stroller directly into my kneecaps no matter how far to the right I move and teens in horribly inappropriate clothing that make me just want to lecture them forming dense packs that you simply cannot walk around even though they're walking 0.000004 mph and lines at the register when you just want to buy one little thing and just stacks of messy crap in every store.*

I'll just pay the 30% markup and buy across the way. Thanks.

That is why, on the surface, H&M would be the bane of my total existence.

But I love to mix up a little throwaway with the rest of my wardrobe, so every now and again, I suck it up ("it" may or may not be a Xanax) and head on in.

While in NYC a few weeks ago with my Miami team, I was dragged into the H&M down by Rockefeller Plaza. There is no H&M in Miami, so our fabulous event be damned, H&M was the absolute highlight of our trip for them. It must be like when my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Cavanaugh, went to Russia back in the Eighties (okay, Seventies) with a suitcase full of pantyhose to give out as gifts because they were such a rare luxury and the maids in hotels cried when they received them. Well, I guess like the horribly spoiled American version of that.

I got a couple of things for fall (as well as the orange star underwear, etc. for Aquaman), and then, while doing a lap on floor 4, a huge wall of bras caught my eye.

The perfect bra has always seemed like the unattainable for me, save for one beautifully crafted lavender lace concoction I bought in Paris a few years ago, whose maker was never to be found again.

Lacy is okay, but not delicate (eg., won't fall apart after one wearing). Fitted around the back without looking like a tourniquet. Little to no padding but not see through. Supportive without looking like an 18-Hour Bra from Playtex (I'm turning into my mother in enough other ways, which is Just Awesome. See "Teenagers, Incessant Need to Scold About Clothing Choices" from above).

Chantelle has come close, but they just don't support all that well, certainly not for $70 a pop (though I keep going back and shelling out my money like a cheated-on spouse thinking that this time, they'll do me right. Definitely this time. I just know it.).

But these, here at H&M, looked like they actually might be worth a shot. So into the 20-person long dressing room line I went.

Perfection. Absolutely, complete perfection. I couldn't even believe it. And SEVENTEEN DOLLARS.

Downside: I bought two colors, but didn't look to make sure the tag on the other one matched the sizing on the hanger, which of course it didn't, being H&M and crowded and chaotic and all.

But even at $34 (because I will always mean to, but will never, ever return it), still perfection. So if you're a fan of crowds and chaos (or even if you're not), definitely give them a try.

I'll be the one outside wagging her finger at some 14-year old in a belly shirt.

*Fine, the new wing is better. But it's still Scary Tyson's to me.

District Sample Sale

As a rule, if I'm going out to the press with something big, I don't break it here--would rather give them the honors.

So now that the word is out, here's the whole official scoop!
The website is updated for full scoopage.

See you there!

I AM THE BEST WIFE EVER.

Actually, not so much.

But, for the first time in about, oh, six months, I cooked dinner last night. You would think I brought home an Oscar considering the huge deal I made of it. I asked my husband when the party was going to be held (in honor of me making dinner), and I wasn't entirely kidding.

Anyway, I googled the four things we happened to have in our house: chicken, cilantro, a mango and curry and landed here. It was awesome. I am genius fabulous chef, wife and mother.

On a side note, I need to find a small, funky space for a cocktail or luncheon this fall. Very VIP jetset, but they're looking for very funky as well. Any suggestions?

Hex In The City

Is it just me, or does SJP look pretty extra crazypants in her new ads?

Like she's possessed by some heinous otherworldly parfum demon who, with his evil olfactory-based powers, Photoshopped a ridiculously-sized bottle of Covet into her dainty little hands.

But, then again, maybe it's just me.

Three Words

There are days that you wake up, usually after a restless night, with a level of stress that you just can't shake. Days filled with frustration and tension and unanswered questions and no end in sight.

And then three simple words like, "Look, Mommy: butterfly."
...bring it all back into perspective.

Have a great weekend.

Lunch With D

Today, in between meetingsmeetingsmeetings, I met my very good friend and work partner for about 7 years, D. I miss having her in my life every day--we went through hell and back together, and have just such an amazing bond--but I'll take what I can get and today it was about 2-1/2 hours start to finish.

D always looks so incredibly demure and professional. But beneath that poised exterior is an completely uncensored mouth (beneath which is usually a perfectly tied Hermes scarf--today's was an extraordinary fuschia number) and a side-splitting sense of humor. We took a lap at an event at the convention center, then headed over to PS7. I've heard completely disparate reviews of the place--people seem to either really LOVE it or really HATE it, so I thought it was worth checking out for myself.

The verdict. Hmm. Well, parts I LOVED, parts I HATED.

The bread (I'm quite pro-carb): fantastic. Some of the best I've ever had. Hot, fresh and flaky. Perfection on a butter-smeared plate.

The menu: very interesting. But very pricy, especially for lunch. $14 for soup is kind of ridiculous.

Speaking of, the soup: we ordered one of each: one (tomato): great, one (chilled watermelon): horrible. Disappointing as watermelon and cilantro is one of the greatest flavor combinations ever, and they blew it.

Salad course: okay. Kind of pedestrian, though implemented well.

Server: I'll let this conversation sum it up:
D: Can I get this sandwich without the bacon? I'm a vegetarian.
Server: Absolutely. You can also get....hmm. I don't know what else. But you can get that.
One minute later...
D: Okay, instead of the non-bacon sandwich. I'll have the Sarah's Salad.
Server: Okay. Would you like chicken on that?

Our lunch somehow took an hour and a half for soup and salad, so I guess "very nice, but not very attentive in the least" would best sum it up.

So I guess you've just wasted two minutes of your time, as I've offered absolutely no guidance on this one whatsoever. Sorry.

Photo above: D, that one's for you.

Richard's Roof

Sant Antoni de Portmany is the section of Ibiza that is just packed with huge clubs, of which I'm generally not a big fan. Give me the quiet violin player at Firefly overlooking the Caribbean (see fantastic view to the left) with a Grenadine Suite at the Cotton House at which to crash at the end of the night (preferably the one with the plunge pool). Best. Vacation. Ever.

...but I digress. Last night I headed over to our own little Ibiza, the one on First Street, for a party thrown by Tony Cord and featuring DJ Neekola, who is about to go on air with her own show on XM.

The rooftop looks just like the one at Pure Las Vegas (less the amazing view at dusk as the sun dims and the city of Vegas lights up all around). It was for about 100 people, so it was far less crowded than Ibiza on a typical night--exactly my type of event.

The weather was just perfect. We sat in our banquette, discussing with the fabulous Tony Hudgins how amazing it is that on a Tuesday night such a diverse group of people were out and about--this is not Washington of five years ago. Dominique Dawes was on the guest list, but I didn't see her--good thing, as I probably would have turned into the Chris Farley bad interviewer character on the spot ("Do you, um, remember? In the Olympics? When you, um, stuck that landing? That...was...SO....cool").

While it is recommended that you subscribe the The Liquid Muse's Cocktail of the Week email as she's the true professional, here are the drinks we whipped up for the event:
Sant Antonitini: Vodka (Snow Queen, but of course!), Triple sec, blue curacao; orange slice garnish.
Richard’s Roof: Snow Queen, dry vermouth, muddled mint leaves and a "roof" of mint on top.
Queen Neekola On The Rocks: Snow Queen, muddled limes, about a tsp. of sugar (she was lovely--and so excited to have a drink named after her!).

I can't believe it's already August. But summer: so far, so good!