GIGI SAFFRON & EVER

Something sparkling new for GS&E! A GS&E-NSPIRATION piece of art of the week! 

This is one of my favorites….

WILSON PHILLIPS new album is all about family and the good times and the good tunes. It is an album that makes you happy and nostalgic but also makes you remember and embrace that perfect harmony of the 90′s, listening to the angelic sound of Wilson Phillips. This band made history. Their voices are a quick passport to the 90′s and remind us that some popular bands actually are popular because of talent and charisma. Wilson Phillips is the valentine of the 90′s. Truly talented, always beautiful to hear and never thrown away. This month, they released the album “Dedicated,” which is an album  featuring cover tunes of their famous parents, The Mamas and the Papas and The Beach Boys. Hearing the beautiful Chynna sing “California Dreamin’” is both sweet and exciting. These fantastic women definitely chose a gorgeous array of their parents’ music and their magical voices together bring a new life to these classics.

GS&E spoke to gorgeous CHYNNA PHILLIPS about the release:

WHAT SONG ON THE ALBUM MEANS THE MOST TO YOU?

The fabulous Emily Post said “Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners.” GS&E’s latest beauty subject has an amazing gift of tapping into that awareness. ALEXIS BELLINO of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” is a beautiful example of a woman, mother, wife and friend who can do it all..and while she does it all, still finds time to wand-twirl her hair to perfection and keeps her lips perfectly glossed. Alexis has the most amazing way of staying sunny through stress, objective in battle and focused on what really matters at the end of the day, which to her, is family and equally being a deeply good person. I believe goodness is the best makeup and that is why this woman truly sparkles, with or without makeup.

So happy to share this new year, new start 2012 beauty interview with Alexis in advance of her new season starting February 7th on Bravo:

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR RESOLUTIONS FOR 2012?

One of my NY resolutions is the boring ole “get back in the gym!!” I took about 2 1/2 months off for my sinus surgery, so I am ready to get back in shape! Another resolution of mine is to add some extra romance this year to my marriage! We are coming up on year 7…and we all know what that means, so I am going to make an EXTRA effort this year! One more is to take a BIG FAMILY TRIP!! Which means actually flying somewhere! I haven’t had the nerve to take three toddlers on a plane yet, but 2012 is the year!!

DOES YOUR BEAUTY ROUTINE CHANGE AT ALL IN THE WINTER?

Yes, I definitely do more of my peels, or deep facials in the winter! My everyday beauty regimen doesn’t change though. I feel that no matter what season it is, you must drink plenty of water, use your clarisonic regularly, and use your same daily cleansing regimen.

WHAT MAKEUP BRANDS AND SHADES ARE YOU CURRENTLY WEARING ON YOUR LIPS? EYES?

This winter I’ve been wearing a lot more holiday red shades on my lips! My eyes have been golden shades and some deep plums when I am not wearing a red lip.

WHAT IS A FAVORITE ITEM YOU HAVE BOUGHT SO FAR THIS WINTER?

I LOVE my purple Louboutin pumps that I just bought. I also love these little furry cuffs I wear with a long sleeve t-shirt and jeans. Oh! And I LOVE my floppy red hat!

WHAT NAIL POLISH COLOR ARE YOU WEARING THIS WINTER?

I change my nail polish frequently, but one of my favorite shades was a deep plum with a golden glitter over it.

WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF LAST YEAR? AND WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2012?

The best part of last year was launching my dress lines, Alexis Couture by me and Alexis by Tal Sheyn. After all the hard work and hours of tears, sweat and late nights, it paid off and it felt so good to see it come to fruition! However, over the past week I have to say another best part of the year is having my children really understand the meaning of Christmas and the holiday season. There is so much energy and excitement in my home right now that I don’t want Christmas to end! The best part of 2012 will be my husband and I launching a NEW endeavor and taking a family trip somewhere tropical…hopefully Hawaii!

LAST TIME WE NEVER DISCUSSED YOUR INSANE BODY! WHAT ARE A COUPLE TIPS FOR HOW YOU MAINTAIN SUCH A PERFECT BODY?

I’d hardly say my body is perfect! But thank you for the compliment! My biggest two mottos are “everything in moderation” and you have to exercise! I don’t deprive myself of treats when I want them, however, if I eat pizza for lunch I may eat a light dinner like a salad or a small piece of fish. I think having three little ones to chase after, clean up after and run everywhere sure helps too! I’m not a crazy gym fanatic anymore, I just don’t have the time. I may run around the neighborhood or do a yoga class, but I consistently keep exercise and activity a part of my life.

WHAT IS AN EVERY YEAR HOLIDAY INDULGENCE OF YOURS?

I LOVE pecan pie and the good old sugar christmas cookies with lots of icing! My Grandma Fellows and my Aunt Jane always used to spoil us over the holidays with containers of christmas cookies, complete with sugar cookies, peanut butter kiss cookies, marshmallow treats…aaah to be back in Missouri for the holidays again! Here in my home, we stick to pumpkin pie!

“The most courageous act is to think for yourself. Aloud.” – Coco Chanel

XOXO

GS&E

What could be more fun than kicking off 2012 with a brand new year/winter beauty interview with the amazingly stunning JACQUELINE LAURITA? The gorgeous star of the wildly popular hit show “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” on Bravo is brimming with positivity, winter beauty tips and her amazing thoughts on starting this new year!

GS&E is so proud to share this exclusive new interview with her:

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR RESOLUTIONS FOR THIS NEW YEAR?

I have a LOT of New Years resolutions besides the normal,”I want me and my family  to be fit and healthy.” I am really focused on letting go of past hurt and resentment towards people that have hurt me and disappointed me where my hurt has turned to anger. Holding on to resentment is bad for the soul and it is a negative trap that I won’t allow myself to get stuck in. I can’t control what people do to me or say about me but I CAN control how I react to it. I ended the year with apologizing to the people who, somehow, felt hurt by me. I never intentionally set out to hurt anybody. That’s not what I’m about. I always try to do the right  thing. I am always open to resolution but that doesn’t always mean that others are (or even that I) want to continue a relationship with that person. It sometimes means just letting go of any ill will and moving on in peace. When I’ve been hurt, I lash out at the person who has hurt me and I say things that are hard to take back. I don’t like the way it makes me feel afterward. I want to control that and learn to just let things go once I’ve realized there can be no resolution to the situation. I want to focus on positive things. Great things. Beautiful things. Things that will only help me and help others. It’s the “don’t sweat the small stuff” year for me. I’m moving on and up! I have a lot of great things that I’m working on right now. I’ll fill you in later. I will just tell you that I recently signed with a consulting firm called EN V Consultants.WWW.ENVCONSULTING.ORG and I am VERY happy with them. My passion was, is, and always will be, in the beauty industry. That is a part of me that people never got to see on the Bravo hit international reality TV show that I’m on, “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”

WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF THIS PAST YEAR FOR YOU?

 My beauty routine doesn’t change a whole lot in the winter. I still go through the every day cleansing, gentle exfoliation, toner, specific serums to suit my specific skin’s needs, eye cream, moisturizer and a sunscreen. Some people don’t realize that it is just as important to wear a sunscreen in the winter as it is in the summer. Always use a sunscreen! Choose one that is at least a 30 SPF and has Avobenzone also called Parsol 1789, or containing Mexoryl SX. In my opinion, from what I have learned, I don’t think a sunscreen over 30 is really necessary. You need a sunscreen with both UVA/UVB protection. Waterproof or water-resistant are best. Look for Zinc or titanium minerals in your sunscreen.  AVOID sunscreens with ingredients such as  oxybenzone, retinyl palmitate, or retinol. La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL tinted creme SPF 50 for the face makes an excellent sunscreen. So does Lancôme. I am also a big fan of Clarin’s sunscreen. Clarin’s make a sunscreen especially for the eyes that I always keep in my purse. Laura Mercier makes the best tinted moisturizer I have ever used! I also use one I love that I get from Dr. William Song at Omni Health Spa in Oakland, NJ called “Sun Silk Moisturizer SPF 30″.

     I mask every few days too. Moisturizing and hydrating masks are great for dry winter skin.You can even make your own at home. There are many “do it yourself” (DIY) masks you can make at home with fresh ingredients. Here’s one for you…1/2 banana mashed, 1 tsp honey, then add half and half. to desired consistency. Mix together, apply, leave on for 15-20 minutes then rinse. Avocado’s are great for masks too, with some lemon.  I also love my peel-off masks. They are so fun to use. When it dries, you peel it off, and then you can see all the dead skin it takes off with it. I use Freemans Facial cucumber peel-off mask that you can get at most drugstores or try Amazon.com . A lip balm comes in handy when the dry winter lip sets in. You have to be careful though. I think some lip balms actually make your lips worse. Keep away from petroleum in your lip balm. Try using something with natural oils like shea and cocoa butter. Gently exfoliate your lips with a little mix of olive oil, honey, granulated sugar and lemon juice on a toothbrush to get rid of flakiness. Try just plain old olive oil on your lips or add a little honey to it. A little goes a long way. Put it in your own little travel size container to keep with you.

WHAT MAKEUP / SHADES ARE YOU WEARING THIS WINTER?

I usually go with a little smokier look on my eye make-up over the winter, especially during the holidays. I do smokey eye with different eyeshadow combinations like black/off-white, smokey gray/off-white, dark forest green/champagne gold, deep burgundy or plum/ beige or champagne color, Dark shimmery brown/beigey taupe. I mix it up using a shimmer and/or a matte color. Sometimes the shimmer is only on my lid and sometimes the highlight under my brow has the shimmer.  I love Bellapierre’s mineral eyeshadow colors. I also love Chanel, Lancôme, Mac, and Tarte. I recently bought  puttin’ on the glitz limited-edition color collection & clutch by Tarte and I’m really enjoying playing with it.

     I use Make-up Forever HD foundation. I use a color called “Starshine” by a mineral makeup brand called “Bellapierre” for an all over face glow bronzer to give me a little color because I’m so pale. I love their face powders. It’s the best mineral make-up I have ever used and the coverage is beautiful, flawless and never cakey. I still love “Orgasm” blush by Nars.

     On my lips I’ve just been keeping it nude. I use Lancômes “IDEAL” lip liner with various nude lipsticks and pinkish glosses like Lancômes , “Beige Cashmere,” Mally’s “Tokyo Glow” lipstick and Tartes, PureOptic lip gloss in “Love That Nude” or their Vitamin infused lipgloss powered by Borba in “OM” which is an iridescent pink pearl. Nars always makes a good gloss too. Try “Turkish Delight”.

WHAT COLOR HAVE YOU BEEN USING ON YOUR NAILS THIS WINTER?

On my nails, lately, I’ve been using Essie and OPI colors that are deep, dark shades of gray, blue and purple. “Bobbing For Baubles” by Essie is the shade I have on my nails right now. It’s like a deep dark Sapphire blue where it almost can look gray, purple or a denim color. It goes with just about anything. I recently saw a cool magnetic nail lacquer by  Nails Inc. London that Sephora is carrying that creates 3D nail art designs in cool metallic shades. “Trafalgar Square” Chrome color was the one I liked.

HOW HAVE YOU KEPT YOUR GORGEOUS FIGURE OVER THE HOLIDAYS??

 For health and fitness for me and my family I am trying to go to a more Gluten-free living. In some cases we are even cutting out casein. I’m learning a lot about it now. It’s basically unprocessed food like meat, fish, poultry, potatoes (I prefer sweet potatoes), rice (I prefer brown rice), fresh fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts and legumes. We eat a lot of lean meat, steam a lot of vegetables and eat a lot of salads. I don’t think we can give up mozzarella, ricotta,parmesan reggiano, romano or piave cheese just yet but we are working on eliminating other things. Sundays are my free day. If I’m good all week I can reward myself.

     For exercise I have a personal trainer coming to my house 2 days a week (www.JoleneMatthews.com and @addictfitness on Twitter) and take health and fitness advice from my West coast trainer and dear friend, Jill. You can follow her @Jillfitness on Twitter or on my website www.Jacquelinelaurita.com where they both give great health and fitness advice.  I also do my at home fitness video’s 2 or 3 days a week which consist of “The Bar Method”, “Physique 57″ and “Turbo Fire”. I also have P90X. I enjoy yoga, pilates and kickboxing. I try to switch it up so I don’t get bored. Chris and I are trying to make it a habit to get up early together to stretch and get on the treadmill and elliptical for a total of 30 minutes to jump start our day.

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY INDULGENCES?

I LOVE the holidays and all the traditional holiday baking that comes along with it so it is pretty hard for me to refrain and maintain during these times. You’ve got to live a little, right? This too shall pass and I know I will get right back on track. I’m not worrying about it at all right now. I choose to worry about it later. There are some things for me that are just not worth giving up. I enjoy my eggnog and I’m enjoying my Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte right now as I type…and I’m happy! Best wishes to all for an enjoyable,  healthy, prosperous New Year! XOXO!

Jacqueline’s sparkling optimism and beautiful spirit is contagious and she continues to be a GS&E favorite. Check out her GORGEOUS newly-launched website at: www.jacquelinelaurita.com! Wishing and hoping for a beauty book written by her…I have told her that it is a MUST and I am patiently waiting…along with all of you!

“Hold onto your breath, hold onto your heart, hold onto your hope….” – Wizard of Oz

XOXO

GS&E

Remember those books from years ago where page by page you could “choose your own adventure”? The book and beautiful woman I am spotlighting now is the adventure, I, and many other girlie girls, would love to choose. The book is a fascinating, truly visually detailed, and emotionally sparkling stunner. “Come to the Edge,” by the amazing actress and author CHRISTINA HAAG, is a chance to dive into that special “adventure” time in NYC where a late-night jaunt in Central Park wasn’t scary but necessary and treasured, a whole life change could be felt walking a few blocks and special spots in the city felt like personal monuments. NYC truly belonged to those who lived it in the 70′s and 80′s and I feel we now visit it, crushing theater tickets with our UGG’s and eating pizza on the sidewalk to celebrate when it was free and glittering. While NYC is still glittering and free, “Come to the Edge” speaks in a way I wish I could jump into the then-NYC, just like the adventure books.

Christina Haag documents and remembers her long-time passionate relationship and true friendship with John F. Kennedy Jr. in such a beautiful way in this memoir. Both being in the same prep school upper east side Manhattan circle in their childhood and teen years, Christina shows the most beautiful anatomy of a relationship that she actually lived. Both having graduated from Brown University, her recollection of their transformative relationship is stunning, sweet and sad. Her interactions and memories with Jackie Kennedy are insanely amazingly detailed. She lived a life that we all look at through windows and paper book pages and her version is so real and heart-felt that it reminds us that the “adventure” is actually truly within ourselves.

“Come to the Edge” was released this year and is a New York Times Bestseller and is so fantastic that it was excerpted in VANITY FAIR in April 2011. Christina Haag studied at Julliard and is a successful actress today. She is a truly enchanted woman who leaves nothing but glitter and enchantment behind her.

So proud to share this beauty interview with this amazing woman:

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE MEMORIES OF NYC BEAUTY?

The early  morning light on the buildings as you come over the 59th Street Bridge. New York is a city of possibilities and that is the visual definition. Bold, brave and unapologetic, it has always moved me.

ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOMENTS OF YOUR LIFE?

The beautiful moments in my life now are when I feel content. That’s usually walking on the beach in the Hamptons where I spent summers growing up and where I moved to write my book. I can be alone or with a friend, but I feel a great sense of peace on those beaches. But contentment can happen anywhere. If you asked me 20 years ago, my answer might have been different, but being at peace, being in balance – that is beautiful.

DESCRIBE SOMETHING YOU HAVE WORN IN THE PAST AND STILL LOVE AND SWOON OVER TODAY?

A plum-colored silk velvet dress that I got to go to the Gold and Silver Ball at the Waldorf Astoria when I was 16. It was from the 30′s and cut on the bias; a sensual, rather than an overtly sexy dress. I loved how I felt wearing it. Back then, no one wore vintage to those fancy parties, and I believe I pinned a small gardenia in my hair.  I haven’t worn the dress since my early 20′s, but I keep it because it reminds me who I was then. Finding and following my own style have always been important to me.  What I wear is an expression of who I am.

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR TREASURED MEMORIES WITH JACKIE KENNEDY?

There are so many. What comes to mind is a boat trip we took. She and I were alone in the back of the boat, and we laughed and told each other stories about our families, about growing up and traveling, and books we loved. I remember her smile that day. She was a great storyteller and a wonderful listener. It’s a happy memory.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN THAT STILL RESONATES TODAY GROWING UP IN SUCH A SPARKLING NYC LIFESTYLE?

Good manners are never wrong.

WHAT IS SOMETHING IN YOUR CLOSET THAT WILL FOREVER BE CHIC?

A fabulous Alaia jacket that John gave me in the 80′s. Charcoal grey, very fitted, of that great stretchy wool. I had put it away for many years, but the silhouette has come back. The other day I wore it to the theater and my friend thought it was new. It might even look better now!

WHAT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU HAVE EVER READ?

Ann Morrow Lindbergh’s “A Gift from the Sea.” It’s a timeless read, a jewel of a book. I’m also partial to anything Edith Wharton.

Christina’s gorgeous book is being released in paperback tomorrow, January 10th- here is the link to buy her beautiful book…which you must:

http://amzn.com/0385523181

Follow her on twitter: @christina__haag

“Despite all the things we experience, like heartbreak and pain, it takes being able to get through it to recognize the beauty of life. All the negative makes you realize the things that matter. It puts the petty things in perspective.” – Jason Peters

XOXO

GS&E