Banana Republic's new Wildbloom Vert

I’m just saying…for someone who’s pretty accustomed to a 10AM-6PM schedule, waking up at 7 for Banana Republic’s new Wildbloom Vert fragrance launch was no easy feat. But once I stepped into the Gramercy Park Hotel terrace, which was flooded by sunlight, I instantly woke up. If only every morning can begin like this…

Gramery Park Hotel terrace

Table setting

Wasn't kidding about the sun...PS, for those of you asking about my updated ombre, here it is

To learn about the fragrance, we were in good company: we were joined by BR’s creative director, Simon Kneen, and world-renowned perfumer, Ilias Ermenidis, who helped develop the scent.

Simon Kneen

Breakfast!

The table setting and special menu all included elements of the perfume itself, with little magnolias and gardenias sweeping across the table, and crisp pear and pink lady apples in our salads.

Menu

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Salad

Potato frittata with fresh greens

Oatmeal

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Me and Simon Kneen

The ever stylish, BR's Tara McCollum

Simon Kneen and Ilias Ermenidis

BR girls! So effortlessly cute, no?

Over breakfast, Ermenidis talked about his passion for lively green fragrances like Wildbloom Vert. The idea, he said, was to develop something joyful and optimistic. What he came up with was a beautiful, lush scent with a mix of fruits and rich florals. The perfume has notes of peach, teak, green violet leaves, and sandalwood, and a few drops of silky musks.

Win Wildbloom Vert today!

I’m a stickler for scents, and with one spritz of this I was totally taken. It’s very spring, but also a wonderful scent to take you easily from day to night. It’s truly a really beautiful fragrance. A 50 ml bottle will be available for $48, and I’m so convinced you’ll love it, I’m giving you a chance to try it right now for today’s giveaway!

TO ENTER: There are two ways to enter and you can do either for a chance to win. Do both to increase your chances!

1) FOLLOW me on Twitter, and tweet: “@BeautyNDFeast I want to win @BananaRepublic’s new Wildbloom Vert perfume http://ow.ly/8PuKj #BRVertGiveaway”

2) LIKE BATF’s Facebook Page and leave a comment about Wildbloom Vert on its post!

Leave a comment below on how you entered! You won’t want to miss this one — the perfume smells divine! Winner will be announced on February 9th. Good luck!

x
Shy

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*All pictures by Joy Jacobs

Rice

Here’s the cliff notes version. 1) It was raining and cold that night and we walked a good 15 minutes out of our way to get here; 2) We were all starving and waited another 15 minutes to get seated…pretty standard but that feels way longer when you’re famished; 3) To add insult to injury, they took ONE HOUR to get our food out. The people next to us who came after us go their food before we did; 4) When the food did come out, the portions were pretty small. And you’d think being so hungry, anything would do, but my coconut thai curry dish was three-fourths rice and one-fourth curry. I guess to their credit, it’s not false advertising. But I was still starving after my meal!

Corn

Spinach rice balls

Chicken satay

Lentils and black rice

Granted, I also got the smaller dish (it comes in a small and large), but after waiting so long, I was afraid ordering anything else would take another five years.

The food was not bad, and not expensive. Just probably not worth all that trouble.

REPORT CARD
Meal: Dinner
Occasion: My birthday celebration goes on!
Price: $$
(Out of three stars)
Ambiance: *** The place and cute and cozy, I’ll give it that. Loved that they had a fireplace too.
Food: *
Service: *
Would I go back?: Nah..even though I’m pretty sure it might have been a one-off experience, it also wouldn’t be on the top of my lists to go back to!

Restaurant Info:
Rice
292 Elizabeth St,
btw Houston & Bleecker St.
New York, NY 10012
212-226-5775
Nolita

x
Shy

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An Agent Provocateur-clad model

Eau Provocateaur fragrance

L'Agent, Eau Provocateur, and Maitresse perfumes

Til now, the titillating brand (also known for some pretty racy videos…see their “Love Me Tender” Valentine’s video featuring Rosie Huntington-Whiteley for reference) had their two L’Agent and original Eau Provocateur perfumes. Both were meant to be ‘nighttime’ fragrances, and therefore, pretty dense and strong in their scents. These three new perfumes however are their new DAY fragrances — a little lighter with modern twists:

Fragrance dressings

Eau Provocateur Models at the fragrance launch party

Didn't mind helping myself to the themed macaroons!

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Maitresse is my personal favorite, but I’m into more floral perfumes so it totally makes sense. Check them out and let me know which one’s yours! But don’t run out the door yet — the trio will be available on April 15th for $70 each.

x
Shy

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But this time, I don’t think it’s my mascara. I’m starting to think the common denominator is a new eyelash curler I’ve been using. Way back when, I wrote a whole post on my fear of eyelash curlers, so some of you may be wondering what’s up with my change of heart. But here’s the thing — the one I use isn’t your normal clamp-it-down-on-your-lashes-and-hope-they’re-still-there kind. It’s more of an eyelash wand/comb…and get this: it’s HEATED.

Japonesque mini eyelash curler

I found Japonesque’s Pink Heated Mini Lash Curler ($16) on Bloom.com when I had one of those shopping binges (which also makes bloom.com so wonderful, because it rewards you pretty handsomely based on how much you spend..but that was a wholeeee other post).

Heat switch -- the little orange light shows that it's on

But back to this curler’s awesomeness — I love that you just turn on a switch to heat it up (it doesn’t get like scorching hot, of course…just warm enough) and you can just hold it up against your lashes to get a deep curl that stays. It’s battery operated, and you can either turn the switch off yourself or it automatically switches off when you put the cap back on. I personally like it better than traditional curlers because it doesn’t pinch or break your lashes either. I can’t even count the times people have asked me if I’m wearing fake lashes since I started using this.

To curl lashes just hold the wand up against your lashes.

My lashes already have a bit of a natural curl to them, so I’m curious to see how it works for people with straight lashes. One thing I also wonder about is if it works on people with shorter lashes as well. Hmm.

If you want to try it, I definitely suggest going through Bloom.com. You accumulate points with purchases and they give some pretty generous customized gifts with your orders (based on your beauty profile that you create when you join!). Oh, and PS…it also comes in black .

x
Shy

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Garnier's new Skin Renew BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector

But the good news is, Garnier has brought their own BB cream to the masses here with their new BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector.

The cream promises to even out skin tone, brighten complexion, renew radiance, deliver 24 hour hydration, and protection with its SPF 15. It’s also packed with Vitamin C — a powerful antioxidant and it comes in two shades (light/medium, and medium/dark) to provide a light coverage. It’s similar to a tinted moisturizer but it has more skin-perfecting and brightening benefits. I was sent one in medium/dark to review and have been using it as a quick pick-me-up before I apply my makeup and was impressed that it really added a fresh sheen to my skin without looking cakey (and it smells so good!). But don’t expect it to be as heavy duty as a concealer or foundation — it will minimize the appearance of dark spots but not totally cover them. That’s why it’s a good idea to layer on with a little color if you need it. Hence, it comes in only two shades and not multiple…it’s only meant for light coverage in that sense since it’s more for the skin’s benefit than anything.

The cream will be available at mass market retailers for $13 starting February 2012.

Have any of you used BB creams before? Which ones do you use and what do you think?

x
Shy

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