Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York & Los Angeles

As the spa lifestyle is woven more prominently into mainstream culture, several newsworthy trends are actually becoming expectations for spa-goers. As the respected voice of the spa industry, the International SPA Association keeps a pulse on current and future trends through its network of 2,500 members in 73 countries.

“As the spa industry is the fourth largest leisure industry in the United States, the spa experience is increasingly being highlighted in movies, television shows, ads and numerous articles,” said ISPA President Lynne Walker McNees. “The attention that’s being paid to the benefits of the spa experience is helping consumers incorporate spa into their everyday lives.”

Key Spa Industry Trends:
Spa at home – From cooking classes, to lessons on balance and managing stress, lifestyle classes at spas teach guests how to take the healthy lessons of the spa home with them. Additionally – spa décor – including tubs, showers, products and massage tables as well as clothing and candles is mainstream. Plus, home spa parties are popular for bridal/baby showers and birthday celebrations.

The Riu Palace Riviera Maya, a luxury all-inclusive beachfront resort, will open its doors today. Riu Hotels & Resorts, the premier vacation hotel chain in the world, just announced a Grand Opening All Inclusive Special at the new Riu Palace Riviera Maya, from $185 per person/night, double occupancy, for stays from February 3 through April 16, 2006.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has announced it will open a new luxury resort on the island of St Lucia in the West Indies.

The 232-room property will be operated under Starwood’s Westin brand and will be built in phases.

The first phase, expected to open in August 2007, will include an 18-hole golf course, a casino and a 9,125sq ft (847sq m) spa with 16 treatment rooms.

Further phases will include an additional 234 hotel rooms and the expansion of the spa to 26 treatment rooms.

An increased demand in tourism interest from European and Far Eastern visitors will soon see a greater number of cruise ships transiting through Dubai. SNTTA Emir Tours braces for increase in visitor influx as travelers explore UAE's developed tourism infrastructure Pointing this out, a senior official of SNTTA Emir Tours, a member of the Dubai based Liberty Investment Company, said that world-class facilities, liberal environment and a diversity of attractions have all helped in positioning Dubai in the European market as a leading port of call for major cruise liners operating out of Europe.

'Tourists are extremely keen about enhancing their cruise ship experience by seeking destinations that are exceptionally safe, warm & friendly and offer a good mix of culture and heritage,' explained Jyoti Panchmatia, General Manager of SNTTA Emir Tours. 'Dubai has all those elements and more. At the same time, it offers a blend of modernity and tradition, making it an exotic destination for international travelers.'

I love it how these big business tycoons toting their enormous, obnoxious umbrellas feel the need to dominate the sidewalk leaving us more fashionably oriented umbrella handlers squirming around trying to avoid collision. Is there some umbrella hierarchy that I’ve failed to learn about? Feeling inferior to the finance men in black with huge umbrellas big enough to fit the pre-gastric Star Jones walking steadily in the middle of the sidewalk, I move to the side holding my fab Louis umbrella and hope that I don’t get side swiped by the big men in black.

Speaking of Louis, since it seems like the rain will never go away, more and more New Yorkers are turning to designer umbrellas as their final attempt to never be caught out of style. From Prada to Louis Vuitton, our desire to be fashionable has taken over every aspect of our lives. Seems like the trend is bigger is better—just make sure that whatever you do, you follow New York City umbrella etiquette.

Pros offer advice to help your greenery survive summer

When temperatures exceed 100 degrees, most of us stay in the shade or air-conditioned confines of home, office or car. Our landscape plants don't have that luxury. They must cope with the sun and heat day in and day out.

It isn't unusual for plants to die, turn crispy or droop as temperatures rise. However, just because we live in the desert doesn't mean our landscapes have to look barren. And it doesn't mean your water bill needs to exceed an extra $100, either.

Gardeners at Valley resorts and hotels face the same challenges as your neighbors, but the gardeners' business is to keep the grounds looking fabulous for weddings, banquets, meetings and guests. Replacing dead plants on a daily basis isn't good for the bottom line, so gardeners plant what they know will grow well, look great and enhance the landscape.

I have recently been in the market for a new messenger bag. Since my time has been limited, I decided I would browse online to see what brands I liked and where I could buy them. Don’t get my wrong, I love my Tumi, but it can be too large for my needs. I wanted something smaller and more casual. I prefer a designer bag (or at least “designed”), a good price (around $300 for a designer label –OUCH, I KNOW – and under $100 for a non-designer brand), highly functional and of good quality (it MUST last).

It’s been a couple of years since I shopped online. I remember it used to be easy to shop with sites full of functionality and images. I’d simply point, click and be done… but not anymore. I went through many sites and found very few that had decent stock, site functionality, product details or even an option buy them! I visited: Bloomingdales.com, LouisVuitton.com, Prada.com, Macys.com, Barneys.com, SaksFifthAvenue.com, JackSpade.com, ManhattanPortage.com, Bluefly.com, Gucci.com and Diesel.com.

Imagine…you step into the club, and all eyes are on you. Black Opal beat your face into gorgeous submission, JOICO has your weave bouncy and shiny, your Perazzi jeans accent your curves perfectly and your Tara heels mean you can dance all night. Then, as you float through the crowd, you spy the most gorgeous man you’ve ever seen. The two of you exchange information, and as you part ways you wonder if your children will have your lips or his eyes. Before you start picking out names, though, you might want to look him up on dontdatehimgirl.com.

It’s an online blacklist, where women post warnings about the men who have done them wrong. While there’s plenty of room for improvement on the site, and there are way too many ignorant posts, the concept is impressive. If potential employers and creditors can check references, why can’t potential girlfriends? Now, someone should start a boyfriend referral site, where gals can post info on good guys who just weren’t right for them. It’s not fair for bad boys to get all the publicity.

Healthy Eating And Exercise May Be Just The Cure

They say babies are born with only two intrinsic fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud objects.

Especially around this time of year, many women swear there may be one more source of anxiety that scientists simply haven't recognized yet: the fear of trying on, and wearing, a bathing suit.

From the pasty skin-enhancing mirrors to the equally unflattering lighting, dressing rooms can liquefy any woman's self-esteem faster than a Popsicle on a hot summer day. But there is hope. Losing post-winter weight through a combination of nutritious eating and physical activity can make putting on a bathing suit manageable-if not downright enjoyable.

"As we replace bulkier sweaters and pants with less concealing blouses and shorts, it's natural to feel self-conscious about the extra pounds that may have crept on during the colder months," says Lisa Talamini, RD-Chief Nutritionist and Program Director for Jenny Craig, Inc. "The important thing is to not let this get you down, but to use it as a springboard for making lifestyle changes that can positively impact your health."

Hectic summer schedules can distract even the most dedicated exerciser, while backyard barbeques tempt Americans with high-calorie foods and snacks. Since it's the time of year to start trading winter wraps for warm-weather clothes, many are trying to slim down for summer and find healthy ways to improve their lifestyles.

According to a recent survey by Wrigley, nearly 85 percent of Americans believe a key to losing weight is to consume fewer calories. Most experts agree that combining physical activity while watching calorie intake is important in the quest for weight management and a healthier lifestyle.

"There is no need for a total diet makeover; taking small steps to enjoy a variety of foods and being more active can go a long way for Americans trying to lose some weight for the summer," says Molly Gee, registered dietitian at Baylor College of Medicine.

The rumors have been put to an end. Are Oprah Winfrey and long time best friend Gayle King gay? “Absolutely not!” says the talk show host in the August issue of O, The Oprah Magazine.

When approached for the 100th time, Oprah finally opened up and spoke about her relationship with Gayle. "I understand why people think we're gay," she says. "There isn't a definition in our culture for this kind of bond between women. So I get why people have to label it - how can you be this close without it being sexual?"

In past interviews, Oprah has spoken about her and Gayle’s 30 year relationship as friends. Their friendship consisted of four times a day phone calls, living together at one point and eventually Oprah making Gayle her Editor in Chief at the magazine.

Oprah and Gayle have both stated they wouldn’t have problem letting the public know if they were in a sexual relationship. "The truth is, if we were gay, we would tell you, because there's nothing wrong with being gay," says King.

Winfrey ends the article by saying “Something about this relationship feels otherworldly to me, like it was designed by a power and a hand greater than my own. Whatever this friendship is, it's been a very fun ride."

With the popular show Weeds now a nationwide hit, we have seen the return of Hemp to retail in more ways than one. I have actually been seeing more and more products pop up again. I remember a couple of years ago when Hemp was big in accessories-remember those chokers that caused massive “ichiness” and left your neck red and disturbed? I don’t know what was worse, the trend over all or the fact that once it was tied on, it was almost impossible to remove without cutting it!

Anyway, I have actually been working with a line called Hemp—it is a hair care line, a not to toot my own clients horn, it is actually pretty fabulous. The packaging is great and it smells pretty good. I ended up sending the sets to the cast of Weeds to celebrate season 2—don’t miss it! Not only does beauty have Hemp lines, but I saw on MTV.com today that interior designer Jessica Helgerson has opted to use hemp, in her designs (along with other environmentally friendly materials.) She says she has been inspired by all of the scary environmental truths that have come about lately (i.e. Al Gore’s book) I think this concept is great—not only is hemp a pop culture favorite but it can also help save the Earth! What do you think about that Mr. President?

There is no need to waste time and money trying to get into the Tropicana Bar or Hyde this summer. The party has changed locations. Hollywood hipsters are making the hike up the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu. The costal town in California is the place where all the cool kids hang out. It is the geographical equivalent to the back of the school bus. Malibu is the coolest new club, making the Polaroid Beach House the VIP section.

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Here is the first segment of the Fashion and Beauty Bloggers Event. Unfortunately we had to brake it up into a ten-pack, 10 min segments because of the YouTube file size requierments. If you want to automatically be notified when we post the rest of the segments just subscribe to our YouTube channel. In this segment you will find:

- Introduction to Host and guest speakers - How did the the fashion and beauty blog community of 180 industry blogs start? - Who are the bloggers in the community? - Treating bloggers with the same respect as journalists and editors and what bloggers should do to earn that respect when a blogger has no formal journalism training or experience working with publicists. - The basics, fact checking - RSS feeds make it hard to retract bad facts in posts - The value to a blogger working with a publicist

We invite you to join the discussion on the site and participate in educating bloggers and publicists on how to work together professionally, ethically and effectively in this "new" publishing platform. Get more information at on the Public Relations Roundtable website.

Other links: Flickr | Myspace | YouTube |

Like many women, shopping is my cardio. I feel a personal connection to every item I purchase and a pain in my heart anytime I happen to pass by a boutique or shoe store that has closed its doors forever. That said, imagine the agony I felt this morning as reports of Shop, Etc.’s closing rolled in. Apparently, an adoring readership and praise in focus groups isn’t enough. Advertisers are the lifeblood of most publications, and a circulation of 675,000 simply wasn’t impressive enough to the advertisers that would have kept them afloat.

For me, this closing is a double-pronged stab. First, as a shopper and confessed shoe-holic, the pages of Shop, Etc. provided me with eye candy even when I couldn’t leave my desk to go on a shoe binge. Secondly, as a beauty publicist who has to compete with advertisers for page space, the more mag pages out there, the better. Every time a publication shuts its doors, it lessens the opportunities for placements. I know what you’re thinking… how dare I lament the loss of placement space when there are people losing office space and very likely gaining more empty space in their bank accounts? My response: the space I occupy in my office is directly related to the amount page space I am able to acquire. Plus, the staff at Shop is so talented that I’m sure it won’t be long until I’m calling and bugging all the beauty girls at some other publication.

Independent writers, editors, thinkers and stylemakers, the voice of bloggers is loud and recognized by mainstream media. It's about time!

people.com, the online source for celebrity breaking news and gossip has added a blog to the StyleWatch section, complete with readers’ posts, a “Hot Finds” column and topics like “Can We Talk About Last Night’s Project Runway” to tear into. CNN launched a new blog like feature called "i report" where you can post your story, upload video and photos which then are boradcast live on CNN.

Bloggers the world over can give themselves a pat on the back, as they are in-part responsible for this leak into the mainstream. Those “in the mainstream” are finally getting the hint that the majority of the online community responds and interacts well with blogs, getting their news, fashion tips, recipes and other information from the open and honest posts of bloggers.

The people.com blog brings about an interesting complexity: unlike most blogs, this one is backed and funded by Time Inc. How honest and transparent can it be? How will readers relate? Will it be a trusted source for beauty news and fashion tips? Only Time will tell.

So go ahead, leave a comment to this post, share your favorite "obscure" blogs, or head over to one of the new mainstream blogs, we know you’re dying to let people.com know what you think of Cameron’s New Look.

Interesting interview with Cathy Horyn of the New York Times. Cathy shares Julie Fredrickson's viewpoint on the need to take bloggers seriosly. Also discussed, Cathy's take on personally blogging and the "imaginary" conflict that some luxury brands feel when it comes to blogging about luxury. I'm sure if Billy Daily was still working at KCD he would have let Julie from Coutorure Media in to see the Mark Jacobs show at the Spring collections fashion week. Other sources for coverage are: New York Magazine, Fashion Week Live website, with coverage by Lauren Ezersky

Click On Pink Tab To Download Registration Form

ISPA Knowledge Networks are a venue for spa professionals to openly discuss current circumstances and to create practical solutions for business. Expert speakers; Mary Bemis, Rona Berg & Pierce Mattie will address pertinent industry-related topics, while also providing time for in-depth group discussion. Regardless of your level of experience, the education offered at the ISPA Knowledge Networks will be invaluable. Each Knowledge Network includes a Marketplace on the first evening providing an opportunity to network and learn about the latest products.

The ultimate goal of the Knowledge Networks is to provide spa industry professionals with the opportunity to build relationships in a one-on-one environment with their peers. View Invite">We encourage you to join us for the final 2006 ISPA Knowledge Network & Marketplace.

We already use bacteria to inject under the skin to get rid of laff-lines. Why do we love these wrinkel creating viral videos so much? "Ugly" men get "hot chicks" when they have a good sense of humor. The message, subliminal or viral, does seem to go down easyer with humor as a chaser. Viral videos are everywhere. It’s hard to escape the swarm of links I get from friends, family and colleges. These free, interesting and sometimes amusing videos spread over the Internet in almost pandemic speed. I have to admit, I've been guilty of forwarding them on to others when the clip makes me giggle (like a school girl) or those I find clever enough. Not all videos are truly viral marketing. In fact, most clips are just creative expressions, which entertain. Obviosly where ever you have an audience and peer-to-peer networks your going to find marketers trying to relate and persuade and advertise.

Here are a few videos, can you spot which one is viral and which are just entertaining?

Treadmill Fitness Equiptment Viral Or Music Video?

Pierce Mattie PR is now working with the Arabian designer Areej Turki on the launch of her fashion debut in the US. Areej Creations is a new clothing and sportswear line that features the art of Areej Turki. Entitled Brushstrokes, the collection consists of elegant, comfortable lounge wear with bold motifs from Turki's personal oil paintings. Because of the artistic influence, the collection is available in three different color palettes: blue, green and purple.

Ideal for the customer that doesn't want to wear a logo, but wants to add character to their wardrobe. The soft cotton pieces are ideal for exercise including pilates and yoga, as well as mixing and matching with jeans and skirts for a fresh look that is sophisticated and eye catching.

"Esquire's Big Black Book: An Advertising Party With a Velvet Rope Around It" Esquire magazine, which has struggled for a few years to find a comfortable market niche to call home, is scheduled to launch a new elite coffee-table-book, magazine hybrid, called Esquire's Big Black Book--designed as a luxury style manual for men."

In an interesting twist, Nobody can just advertise. To advertise in the book, marketers had to receive an invitation from Hearst, and each advertiser could purchase only one of the 74 ad pages. Advertising Age reports that all 74 have been sold to advertisers which include Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Bombardier, IWC Watches, Hugo Boss and Louis Vuitton.

Our Current Top Luxury Publications
(1). Luxury Spa Finder
(2). Harper's Bazaar
(3). Robb Report
(4). Vanity Fair
(5). Visionaire
(6). Genlux

BL Ochman's WhatsNextBlog is a daily read for me. Unfortunatly she has been dealing with a detached retna (ouch) and not posting as frequently as usual. I've been seeing the same Bazooka viral post since the 25th of September.

In agreement with her post headline Doing a Viral Campaign Right Ain't Cheap, or Easy but confused about the details of her post I decided to comment. Here is her post. I'm curios if anyone on the Bazooka campaign cares to respond.

Something about these projects (I've seen a few over the years) that always grabs me. I know, many people think it's lame. Perhaps it's the voyeur in me. Here is your unique advertising opportunity Baxter Of California! How about a travel site? I want to see him on a beach, or visiting famous places around the world, it’s a little melancholy that all his recorded images are inside- he needs a tan, (product placement opportunity) how about some new threads? He obviously gets around as a photographer. I can see the big budget version of this. A big name beauty product. Ten year time laps and the female talent actually looks better at the end, because of the product of course! Would work best for a mid-sized privately owned cosmetic line like Jane Iredale. That way the owner could do the real time laps "herself". Definitely a back burner concept.

If there is one thing that America loves as a culture it is scandal. Celebrity culture is such a pervasive force that it substitutes for small talk just as well as the weather nowadays. High minded individuals may take offense to these subjects, but in truth we are all attracted to the destructive flames of perversion and excess. Many disdain the hoi polloi for their distractions, but I would contend that we all benefit from whiffs of scandal now and again.

Cathartic acts can heal , and now we can all engage in these sorts of behaviors without any of the consequences. The popularity of shows like Desperate Housewives takes all of us inside these dens of inequity that bubble away hidden in suburban utopia, confirming and arousing suspicions that we all secretly harbor. Of course no one really wants crazy murderous neighbors or philandering husbands in their actual lives, but some of us wouldn't mind a little "fake" drama now and again. Actually, we would all be better off because of it.

Thus, even if you are a New Yorker reading, Economist quoting, graduate degreed snob you could still use a little Wisteria Lane in your life. Isn't that why we all love Bree so much? Deep down below the perfect surface we are all a complete mess. That is why even when I find myself experiencing some revulsion at the mere notion of Desperate Housewives I still see a little value in immersing myself once in awhile. That is why I predict that the Desperate Housewives game will be a huge success - all of the scandal and perversion with none of the consequences. So when can I log on?

Many savvy shoppers rely on magazines to help guide their purchases. We often assume that editors know best when it comes finding dazzling new products in beauty, fashion, and perfume. Thus it isn't surprising that one of the newest trends to show up on the frenzied Manhattan shopping scene is the curated magazine sponsored shopping event.

Yesterday New York Magazine hosted a Best Bets Shopping Event. Women lined up to shop discounts from vendors who had been labeled "best bets" by New York Magazine.

It was a hodge podge of potential shopping targets with high end hand bags next to Method soap.

Admittedly it felt like an event where advertisers were given a chance to hawk their wares to unsuspecting women who had actually paid for the privilege rather than a truly editorial driven event. The event surely generated its fair share of controversy as New York Magazine is not the only one to host a shopping event.

Next month shopping bible Lucky Magazine will host its own Lucky Shops event which is going to be quite a bit bigger and hopefully better. After all it is easier to trust a magazine with one proven vertical, fashion, than a magazine like New York Magazine that plays host to many sections.

When I first saw these Ads I thought they were exploratory portfolio comps. Some of the most edgy stuff never makes it out into the public sector.

Hindu clothing chain High-Style The Fashion World creates relevant "shock-and-awe" advertising campaign that will definitely appeal to the younger audience. If you think about trends, this is nothing new, we've been incorporating more and more gore in our entertainment for years. Cobranding big name brands in goreiffic video games is old news. From my experience the more edgy and subtle the integration into the game the better it is received. Clients never like o hear this of course, they want blatant obvious placement which is not accepted as well as modest "easter-egg" style placement. Has anyone seen Michael C. Hall in Showtime’s new drama DEXTER? I'm not advocating that this is appropriate advertising for everyone. I do think you can take things too far, remember the Sandra Burnhard Mac cosmetics spot?

The gore is not from physical violence, just fashion descriptions supported by graphic images. It gets my attention, seems appropriate for the target market and the ads are "executed" well. Although I no longer fit the 18-34 demographic, I actually love first person shooters! I have several girlfriends who love them and UFC fights as well-go figure. Most of us worked in advertising or marketing which taints the demographics a little. So I understand that it takes "more" edge or shock-and-awe to reach an over stimulated generation of shoppers. Trends to keep in mind: Shock-&-Shop, Multicultural-Must-Haves and Gore-iffic.

It's been a few weeks since Good magazine launched. For those who are not in the know, Good magazine encourages and inspires conscious global citizens to band together and "give a damn." I was following up on the LA and NY launch parties via posts on GOOD magazines own blog (the site is integrated into a blog) and ran head first into a truckload of published spam comments.

I'm not talking about Astroturfing, or shameless plugs that help the cause. The really offensive stuff! It's like nobody has been on watch at Good for the last 15 days, and that isn't so Good after all. On September 25th Good's blog spambot sold out to the bankers, sex industry and drug companies! They all should make a large contibution todoy.

The Goods on Good Magazine: Clean website design, nice magazine layout. Both are easy to navigate/read –stimulating mix of content that will reach several demographics. Good Magazine Departments:

Cover, an arresting visual and verbal statement that presents insight and/or commentary on a current focal point of our culture.

Graphic Statement, a visual interpretation of the issue theme

Look, A bold visual tour of creative ideas around the world

jane iredale-The Skin Care Makeup is pleased to launch GLOBAL BEAUTY, an extension of their global palette to accommodate woman of all ethnicity's. From rich olive to golden brown and deep mahogany, GLOBAL BEAUTY is for women; all women. This is the first time that mineral cosmetics will be available in such a wide palette with true tones. With the help of three influential celebrity makeup artists, GLOBAL BEAUTY is the culmination of years of testing. CEO and Founder, Jane Iredale noted "This is seriously lacking from the cosmetics industry. Every woman deserves a healthy skin." Like all of jane iredale's cosmetics, GLOBAL BEAUTY will be free of preservatives, dyes and harmful fillers such as talc. It is so beneficial to the skin that plastic surgeons and dermatologists worldwide recommend it!

In honor of the launch, Pierce Mattie Public Relations is hosting a cocktail party in her honor. In a true celebration of beauty, grace and style, jane iredale's GLOBAL BEAUTY event will highlight style influences from Cleopatra to Beyonce in the event of the year! We invite you to share in this iconic celebration. To RSVP, please contact Lauren Branche or Ivy Cartagena at 212/243.1431 by October 13th.

Last week I was out for cocktails with a few other business owners in the service industry. One was a skin care manufacturer, the second was a clothing line designer and the third was the owner of a large fitness chain of health clubs.

We got into an in depth discussion about managing client relationships

We were discussing how to repair a client relationship where things have gone wrong, for example clients whose expectations are unrealistic, clients who are abusive towards the staff and those clients who for whatever reason have become dissatisfied with their service.

The Wall Street Journal had run an article on entrepreneurs a few years back where I was quoted by saying “My New Year’s resolution as a business owner is to only work with people, places and things I really care about and that respect my team, work and over-all business ethics.”

1. Choose clients carefully

4. Live Up To Your Own Standards. Give What You Expect, Set The Example.

If you have done all your work working with your clients and have defined what you can achieve and there are still insurmountable problems, then it is time to re-evaluate whether that client is appropriate to have.

About a month ago we had a client call the office and demand that I get on a conference call. The brand was new to the market, had very little distribution (only one salon in New York) and the consumer awareness was simply not there (she refused to do salon events with us). The owner had worked with two other PR firms before us (our biggest competitors) for about two years who both did not secure the regional and national glossy press that the client was looking for. We were given about 3 months to change her entire media platform and correct the damage that the other PR firms had done during the course of two years. Naturally I slipped off my dress shoes, undid my tie, sat back in my chair practiced my breathing exercises and then took her call.

As you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We will see a lot on this in the media over the next few weeks to come. I have witnesses many brands jump on the big pink ribbon band wagon. Our staff at Pierce Mattie PR encourages all of our beauty and lifestyle accounts to get active and donate. We walked last year in the Revlon Walk and raised some cash for the cause. And sure some perceive the pink movement as a gimmick that has become almost like Christmas and used as just another way for beauty brands to make money.

Increasingly the fashion industry is starting to acknowledge their complicity in a host of ecological ills. And while any industry has a responsibility for making the world a better place while adding to the bottom line, fashion has the potential to steer us towards not only a more beautiful future but a more sustainable one.

Excitingly there are many people already steering us in that direction. Fashion Blog Fiftyrx3 points fashion consumers towards some of the most exciting trends and designers in eco-fashion land.

Increasingly this blog will focus on trends in eco-fashion as we wish to show our commitment to a better and more beautiful future. We will explore innovative brands like prAna who use reusable energy powered by wind mills and and work to incorporate organic cotton, PET and hemp fabrics. Trendy denim line Bread Denim contributes with its environmentally conscious non toxic dyes at the wash house.

There are so many facets to living a more sustainable and conscious life. Little changes add up even while there are trade offs from one fabric choice to another. There are no clear cut answers on how to live consciously but exploring the many possibilities for a brighter future is a responsibility shared by us all.

It seems these days that celebs across all industries are teaming up for a good cause. Whether they’re simply donating massive amounts of excess income or using their celebrity status to draw attention to a cause, a large number of celebrities are reaching out to the public in hopes of making a difference. Recently, some have even gone so far as to adopt children in incredibly impoverished countries (Madonna in Malawi, Angelina in Cambodia and Ethiopia).

In recent news, two of the biggest household names have teamed up to raise money to fight AIDS in Africa. Bono, the U2 frontman and ultimate philanthropist (it seems like his name is somehow connected to every charity in this country), and Oprah, the talk show host we all know and love, have combined forces to promote the Product Red campaign. As part of the effort, proceeds from products sold at various retailers, including The Gap, Apple, Converse, Armani, and Motorola, will go to The Global Fund, an organization that fights AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The Gap will be debuting their Red Line of clothing this week, where half of the profits will go to The Global Fund. Apple has created a new red-colored iPod nano, and will donate $10 from the sale of each item to the cause. The effort has attracted the attention of many other celebrities (several of them posing in Gap ads) hoping to make a difference, including Kanye West and Penelope Cruz.

In explaining the idea of getting consumers involved, Bono posted on his blog: “‘Product Red’ is the consumer battalion gathering in the shopping malls. You buy the jeans, phones, iPods, shoes, sunglasses, and someone - somebody's mother, father, daughter or son - will live instead of dying in the poorest part of the world. It's a different kind of fashion statement.” Good job, Bono- the Product Red Campaign began last spring in the UK and has already raised more than $12 million for African AIDS programs.

David Dean, a former account executive for a breast implant manufacturer, witnessed his mother suffer at the hands of two unqualified plastic surgeons, including one who painfully misplaced an implant after her breast cancer reconstruction and another who severed a major facial nerve. After his mother’s tragic experience, David became inspired to create a web-based destination that would hold plastic surgeons to a higher standard, as well as act as an unbiased educational resource for women considering breast augmentation and reconstruction.

This is when he began www.Breastimplants411.com. Breastimplants411.com was designed to help consumers make informed decisions about plastic surgery as well as find and research only those plastic surgeons who have achieved the highest level of certification – Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Everyone wants to know what is going to be the "next" big thing. The idea that you will somehow be in the know before the guy sitting next to you is an incredibly tantalizing prospect. Fashion and beauty live for the thrill of the "next."

Of course, plenty of people claim to have their pulse on exactly what is happening in the here and now. Whole sites are dedicated to scoping out what is cool and happening. But in a world saturated by information it isn't surprising that it is nearly impossible for one individual person to keep up, no matter how good their taste.

One of the many intriguing realizations to come out of the Web 2.0 phenomenon is that we can harness the wisdom of many people such that we all derive benefit from our collective wisdom. Now us girls are certainly familiar with leveraging the wisdom of our girlfriends, mothers, and shopping buddies to make better style decisions so it should come as no surprise that we are equally willing to seek guidance from like minds no matter what their geographic origin.

Thus let me introduce you to ThisNext. Have a look at the ThisNext blog after you check out the site.

ThisNext is a shopcasting network where you can recommend, share and discover great products. ThisNext believes that better buying means better living. Great products can help us do, be and experience the things that make us happy. Our goal is to help people discover great and deeply gratifying products.

Spa Week is upon is in New York City and that means I will be a little more relaxed than average. And while treatments at hundreds of Saps in the city are reduced to a mere fifty dollars I still want to scour the best deal I can. If your not in the city, I recommend Spa Finder, it consistently offers the best to offer in global spa search. Dial in what you are looking for on the easy to navigate website and you'll find somthing that fits your price range, taste and expectations. The gift certicates come in a gorgious box! Check out Susie's blog on all things spa.

One trick to making Spa Week work for you is deciding what you wish to gain from Spa Week. Decide what your priorities are ahead of time to gain the most from the experience.

Is it to explore a new spa? Get relaxed? Improve your skin quality? Or try out a new treatment you wouldn't have dared at full price? Assessing your priorities can help you map out the perfect Spa Week experience.

If you are looking for relaxation try massages, salt scrubs, or aromatherapy. You can get a Mango brown sugar scrub and a Swedish massage at the Finesse Day Spa.

If you are looking to try something new explore new types of therapies like Qi-Gong Tui-Na Deep Tissue Massage or Hot Stone therapies. Graceful Spa is offering both during an extended Spa Week.

You can even try out pricey cellulite treatments on the cheap during Spa Week.

My personal pick? I want to get in both a relaxing massage and a facial. I plan to head to the Clarins for both.

I have received fully six invitations to the Maja Ferme "Nymph" Fashion Show.

Normally I am pleased to have a publicist follow up on a subject. As a blogger and online fashion editor it helps to be reminded of new and interesting subjects as we new media types are often inundated with information making it quite possible that things slip through the cracks. In fact, more often than not publicists ignore the new media altogether.

But I admit I reached a certain point where I felt I had too much information on the Slovenian designer. I received email invitations, personal invitations, and invitations in the mail. Everyday it felt like I was being subtly reminded that I simply must RSVP to the "Nymph" showing. I have actually gotten to the point where I feel slightly guilty that I haven't followed up. Disregarding the fact that it said opportunity to buy clothing after the show in small type at the bottom of the invite as opposed to cocktail reception afterwards which is a sure way to turn off any editor, is it wise to so constantly assert your client to the press? When does it become too much?

I am sure there are many schools of thought on the issue and few publicists would argue that gaining maximum visibility for a client is a bad thing, but is there an ideal level of communication? In this particular case, Maja Ferme may have gotten her wish. I feel I simply must attend the event if her publicist made such an extreme effort to gain my attention. I only hope that there are cocktails afterward.

Celebrities have long used their clout and visibility to promote products that they love just as marketers and publicists have leveraged star power to help promote their products. Suzanne Summers could be considered the ur-marketer of the stars from the Thigh Master to protein shakes. But her current project, a book about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy has more than a few people worried.

The book, though, has raised the hormone levels of at least seven medical doctors. The doctors — three of whom are quoted in the book — generally support the concept of bioidentical hormone therapies but say that too little research has been done to assure that they are safe.

Further, they are outraged that Ms. Somers endorses a treatment plan created by T. S. Wiley, a former actress with no formal medical training.

They continued, “The so-called ‘protocols’ endorsed and promulgated throughout the book may expose women to serious health dangers.”

This all raises plenty of medical questions certainly but more urgently it questions how we as consumers should trust and interact with celebrity spokespeople. While we can all agree that Ms Summers looks just as good as always do we attribute this to her "juice of youth" or to her new makeup artist? There are so many factors that go into our perception of celebrities from our thoughts on their most recent relationship to our idea how how one should conduct oneself in public that all ultimately influence whether or not we take their advice. And when this perception comes up against troubling medical evidence then it is worth questioning our motives indeed.

Beauty Bloggers are welcome, space is limited! Bloggers outside of of the NYC area can register for advanced media kit to be sent day after the event.

In honor of the launch, Pierce Mattie Public Relations is hosting a cocktail party in her honor. In a true celebration of beauty, grace and style, Jane Iredale's GLOBAL BEAUTY event will highlight style influences from Cleopatra to Beyonce in the event of the year! We invite you to share in this iconic celebration. To RSVP, please contact Lauren Branche or Ivy Cartagena at 212/243.1431

I'm a geek who daily works on a PC and a Mac. While I'm very comfortable on a PC I'm a Mac lover and ashamed I didn't immediately recognize the model in the new Apple ad. Perhaps had I viewed the ad on TV I would have noticed, unless your watching HD quicktime clips you always miss a little detail in the compression. Thanks to Meg Wilson for the link to the model's career "mash-up" video.

View all the Apple ads here

Few decisions weigh more heavily on a young consumer than that of a watch purchase. We want something trendy, stylish, and edgy but equally we want something that is high quality. We don't need watches that will set us back as much as a down payment on a house, we just want something that fits our fashion or mod that day. Fom men it is a key accessory. And finally they have many affordable option to dress up that pair of jeans and t shirt. Please let me introduce you to STORM Watches.

All STORM timepieces are made with high grade stainless steel in matte, brushed or polished finishes. Models feature Japanese or Swiss movements, are anti-allergenic and use scratch resistant mineral glass.

They have quite the celebrity following as well with a storied brand history starting in the UK.

Don't like the life you have now? Get a second one! Perhaps you always wanted to be a Supermodel, beauty editor, the next Oprah with a twist. We've all been playing simulation games around the office lately with the recent October launch of Desperate Housewives: The game. A company called Second Life, has created something different, it's social networking in that familiar 3D simulated environment that is fun, but can be profitable as well. Users can create, design, own virtual land, meet people, engage in real business opportunities, convert virtual cash into real currency, own IP rights and much more.

More than 900,000 users have signed up to build homes, form neighborhoods and live out alternative versions of their lives in the 3-D, computer-generated world. This is not just for Generation L (liquid generation) audience/demographic, Second Life is sure to attract anyone who was labled a Generation Xer (1961-1981) to todays new Silent Generation (S 2001-). Players spend around $350,000 a day on average or a rate of $13 million a year. I'm sure we'll be hearing more about Second Life in the real world as advertisers and marketers are sure jump at ways to reach out to those who choose to build a second life for themselves online.

Do you ever find yourself watching infomercials from guthy renker or mesmerized at the celebrities launching there own line on QVC? I haven't made a purchase from any of the television shopping networks and yet I'll still watch 10-20, 30 minutes of the show observing the strong production and presentation skills in the program segment. Is it just me?

Have you noticed national advertising campaigns are starting to mimic the formats of the successful television shopping networks? The numbers don't lie, they're reaching a lot of people and putting quality consumer goods at a good value in the homes of millions via a convenient familiar medium. The television. Out of all of them, QVC is one of the best and If you're like me, a confessed infomercial voyeur, beauty addict or hair care / skin care blogger you may want to set your Tivo to record the WORLDWIDE LAUNCH OF OJON's NEW PRODUCT. Monday, October 23rd. To see the launch tune into QVC on October 23rd at 1am, 11am (2 hr show) and 10pm.

Ojon's worldwide launch of it's exclusive, brand new Ojon ‘Rare Harvest’ TAWAKA Ancient Tribal Rejuvenating Cream – the ultimate rejuvenating treatment for dry, aging skin and hair. Ojon will also be launching a new limited edition Holiday 5 - piece Ojon Hair Ritual Kits, they make the perfect gift for anyone on your list (or yourself)!

If you are like me, you hold onto that favorite shirt, skirt or pants that are geared more towards hotter temperatures than they are for the approaching 40 degree weather. Sometimes Fall can be tricky, warm in the 70's one day and somehow plunging down to the 40's the next as you stand there watching snow flurries out your window. Here in the Northeast, it is always a guessing game.

I have a very bad habit of just keeping those warmer weather clothes in my closet "just in case," and often still leave my sandals lying around holding out a glimmer of hope that I will be able to wear them one last time before the weather takes it's final plunge into the lower digits and remains there for the next few months. Can you relate?

Jane Iredale recently launched Global Beauty; mineral makeup colors that are geared towards ethnic skin tones. The above video, exclusively from Jane Iredale, gives step by step instructions on how to apply her products, and the benefits, for an African American woman.

Today I had the chance to get some input regarding the obstacles that African American women face when it comes to makeup and representation in the marketplace. You can read my post with Patrice from the blog Afrobella and Lianne from The Makeup Girl exclusively on Makeup Minute.

Spa-nyc.com is celebrating their 4th year online this November. Instead of receiving gifts, they are giving a gift to you. Spa-nyc.com and many New York City spa's are offering Spa Services at 50% off all November long.

As I am sure you know, a relaxing massage or just pampering yourself in general is great for your overall well being. So why not take advantage of some wonderful Spa Treatments while they are 50% off?

Spa-nyc.com has a calendar on their promotional page listing all of the Spa's participating and which treatments they are offering each day at 50% off. Why not get pamper yourself a little? You'll surely need to be rejuvenated in time for the Holidays (and maybe even after).

For our readers who cant get to New York to take part in this offer, punch up Spa Finder or if your a Mac user download the Spa Finder Widget to find great deals at spas near you!

"Antonio was seen as more of an alpha male. The brand was more keen to have a personality which meant more to US audiences."

Strike Two for Edelman PR as Their Second Fake Wal-mart Blog is Revealed, via B.L. Ochman's What's Next blog

WallStrip, via Repliqa is a RocketBoom format web-show that profiles a different public company on the stock exchange every day .

Sofia Speaks The face (errrr cartoon illustration) of the Holy Mud Company rants about beauty, fashion, art, pop culture and...Politics!

Next Generation Insights (Young Adult Panel) The panel itself is informative, the technology (video tag) is cool too.

I cannot believe that it is almost Halloween. Fall seems to be flying by. My children announced to me today what characters they are going to be to go out trick or treating. My 2 year old wants to be Superman, my 4 year old is going to be Buzz Lightyear and my 7 year old is going to be a Power Ranger.

Power Ranger? Are they even still around? I thought that was ancient history, so I inquired further why he would want to be a Power Ranger this year. I was surprised at his answer. You see, the Blue Power Ranger has “built in” muscles in the costume. My son, fully aware that there are a few girls at school that have a crush on him, wants to have muscles.

Ever since the new initiative in schools to keep kids healthy and fit across the US, I’ve noticed my two older sons wanting to exercise more and eat, “Sports Candy.” For those of you who are not familiar with the fitness superhero on Nickelodeon keenly named “Sportacus,” Sports Candy is fruits and vegetables. The school no longer allows parents to send any type of junk food in with their child for snack, the lunch menu is a healthy one and all children are required to run 26 miles before the end of the school year.

With all of these new programs in place to get kids back on the right track of being healthy and fit and carrying that over into the teens years and through adulthood, one would begin to wonder why beauty and fashion magazines still continue to create flawless superficial images of fit bodies and beautiful faces in their pages. Why continue to create this image of beauty that is unattainable (and sometimes the reason behind many eating disorders)? Some companies are catching on and understanding the issue.

The new commercial being seen in Canada by Dove is a real eye opener. I surely hope that it will be seen here for all teen and pre-teens to see. I've been noticing more and more commercials by Dove with their Campaign for Real Beauty to show not just underweight beauty queens, but real normal average women. Have you noticed this, as well?

While I fully support the new school initiative in my school district to get kids healthy and fit, I hope that beauty and fashion magazines can put Photoshop to rest, showing us that a true healthy and fit person of beauty needs no airbrushing. I realize that this may never go away, but certainly it would be nice to tone it down a bit. In fact, in their October and November issue, Marie Claire has an article called Beauty Road Show. It's where they photograph women of all ages and races, cross-country, and ask them what they love about themself. The photo's are fabulous, representing real women everywhere.

What are your thoughts on body image and the media and the new healthy schools initiative?

Growing up an athlete, or what most might call a tomboy, I never had much time for beauty, my face cleansing regiment consisted of soap and water. As I have gotten older, I find myself experimenting with many different types of skincare products. As a result, I have discovered that my skin is very sensitive to most products on the market.

What really appeals to me about Skingenic is the infusion of the lychee extract, which the company has patented. Lychee fruit, which is indigenous to Southeast Asia, is rich in anti-oxidants, vitamin C and potassium, which are all essential for health.

A fantastic site by Ford Models. I've been wanting to give praise to Ford Models for a long time. This weekend I have the chance, and wanted to point out some of the rich features that sets them apart from the rest. The site is "sticky" complete with "sisomo" options that inform, engage and help the aspiring model, or someone looking for a Ford Model. If you haven't looked at it's VLOG Ford 360 also all on Google Video, take some time to do so.

We have been doing more than our fair share of casting calls for Models lately. Most big modeling agencies are out of our clients price range, as we generally host events, or publicity stunts, not expensive national print or television work that is backed by big money.

So if you currently are a model, looking for some freelance work send us your head shot or comment here with a link to your book! We constantly have need for all type of looks. If your a casting agent, or know of a good one please comment here or tell us

Today's "exposure" was brought to you by Brown Harris Stevens Brown Harris Stevens is a New York institution older than the City itself. In 1873 when Charles S. Brown opened his real estate appraisal business in Lower Manhattan, New York City was still just one borough surrounded by four other places called Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island and Brooklyn, It was not until 1898 that New York annexed the other boroughs, giving shape to the City we know today.

“It was luxuries like air conditioning that brought down the Roman Empire. With air conditioning their windows were shut, they couldn't hear the barbarians coming.” -Garrison Keillor

In the past twenty years there has been a change occurring when it comes to Halloween. Back when I was growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, Halloween was a specific children’s holiday. Then in the mid-eighties things began to change and Haunted Houses and adult costume parties began to take off.

Adult costume parties and Haunted Houses continue to increase in popularity every year. What has gone from a one night event, now becomes an entire weekend of parties solely reserved for the young at heart and a month-long event for Haunted Houses and Haunted Hayrides. Even farmers have cashed in by offering haunted labyrinths through a corn maze.

From around the blogosphere, here's what everyone is talking about:

Fashion: From The Blogosphere's "Best" Fashion Blogs

+ Fashiontribes offers offers tips on how to create Antonio Berardi’s Fall Runway Show for less.

+ She Finds talks about the latest trend; leggings.

+ The Manolo offers a reader a recommendation on which boots would look best with her sexy witch costume.

+ Almost Girl reports on Fashion Group International Night of Stars. In attendance: James LaForce of Laforce and Stevens, Constance White Style Director of ebay, Valerie Steel and Linda Fargo of Bergdorf Goodman

Beauty: From Bloggers Who Are Passionate About Beauty

+ A Girl's Gotta Spa! reviews Joico's K-Pak Liquid Reconstruction.

+ Dorit Baxter New York Day Spa Blog tells you how to create your own Pumpkin Beautifying Mask.

+ Bon Bons in the Bath gives you step by step instructions on how to achieve the No Makeup--Makeup Look.

Jewelry: Jewelry Industry Posts

+ The Bling Blog talks about the lucky vacationer who found a Canary Yellow Diamond.

+ The Jewelry Weblog wants to know what you think of the new Ethnic Collection from Ethos.

+ The Jewelry Blog talks bracelets.

Wearing denim has always been in style, but celebrities can’t seem to get enough of it. Skinny jeans are all the rage, and if you are a celebrity and have all the means to hire a personal trainer, why not show off your body in the hottest brands?

Lindsay Lohan has been known to strut her stuff in J Brand Jeans, as does Angelina Jolie, showing the world that not every mom has to wear “Mom Jeans.”

Kate Moss is the queen of denim and is known to love Bread Denim. Not familiar with Bread Denim? Come get introduced here.

While the guys love to wear denim, they seem to love designing them even more. Justin Timberlake just launched William Rast, a new denim clothing line he co-created with best friend/business partner Trace Ayala. While Tommy Lee’s tattoo’s were the inspiration for People’s Liberation September launch of “PL for TL” collection at Bloomingdale’s.

Do you have a love affair with denim? Which celebrity do you feel has the best taste in denim?

Women search and search for that perfect mascara; one that will thicken, one that won’t clump, one that lengthens. Women will spend so much money in search of the Holy Grail, not realizing there are other alternatives.

The eyelash extensions of today are certainly not the same ultra thick, extremely obvious lashes of the past. Eyelash Extensions today are made to look just like your natural lashes. Extensions like the ones made by Xtreme Lashes, are applied one lash at a time to your own natural lashes, making it practically impossible for anyone to know that you weren’t born with the most gorgeous lashes in town.

In fact, there is no need to search for that perfect mascara when you use lash extensions. Lash extensions do all the work for you, making your lashes appear longer and fuller than anything you could ever achieve from a $10 bottle of disappointment.

Have you ever used eyelash extensions? What are your thoughts on them?

It's always hard when a client leaves your agency, especially ones that have been with you for a very long time. For those of you who have felt the hit this year as budgets get crunched in the fourth quarter, keep in mind that nothing - and I mean nothing is as bad as having a client of 20 years say "good-bye" - especially if that client is Wal-Mart and your name is Omnicom. I do wonder though with all of the changes going on at the low cost leader - if PR is something that they are tossing around? Not just any kind of PR, I am talking market placement editorial PR. Could they also be on the search for a new PR firm? Rumors that Metro 7 - their new fashion line was being cutand its distribution dropped have sent Wal-Mart watchers into a state of 'what's next?'

Did they really think the 'get skinny pant' would sell to their customers? I doubt the Barney's customer can barely fit into them. Seriously though, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is severing ties with another longtime ad agency as it struggles to communicate its new image of being both a trend purveyor and a low-price operator.

Ralph Falon Builders: At first glance, Fallonbuilders.com looks like a typical offering of Who We Are and What We Do. But instead of a copy-intensive approach it, like many architectural sites, relies on photography to tell the story of this builder’s work. The focus of the site is a 172-image gallery of notable projects. It’s an easy to update, XML-driven and -tagged compilation of photos with a related hierarchical format that connects project attributes. Because the result is the creation of unique, on-the-fly galleries (similar to Flikr and del.icio.us) it offers an interesting and engaging way for visitors to browse. And, because the content is easily updatable, it consistently offers an accurate representation of the company and its craft.

With its gallery-like presence, it’s neither superfluous nor trendy. It’s a great example of how to use simple and contemporary technology to create a unique experience for a small, niche business.

Dan Coe, creative director
Dave Snowball, interface designer
Mark Potnick, Flash developer
Coexist, site design and development

We all hear about the richest and most powerful people in the country, but one of them always seems to stand out. Not only is Oprah Winfrey one of the most powerful people in the entertainment industry, but she’s also one of the most generous. Always finding a way to share her wealth with others, she has just given away over $300,000 to her audience in what she calls her “favorite giveaway ever.”

Every year around Christmas, Oprah does a “favorite things” show in which she gives her lucky audience members hundreds of dollars worth of items that she’s fond of at the moment- goodies from last year’s show included Burberry coats and purses, iPods, UGG boots, Ralph Lauren sweaters, watches, and blackberries, as well as her favorite croissants, popcorn and cookie dough. In other shows, Oprah has given away cars, homes, vacations, eliminated debt, and paid medical bills for those who are less fortunate.

However, this most recent giveaway is unlike anything she’s done before. On Monday’s show, Oprah gave more than 300 audience members $1,000 debit cards sponsored by Bank of America for them to donate to a charitable cause of their choice. The surprised recipients have the choice of either giving the entire sum to one person (relatives not included) or splitting the money amongst several charitable causes.

On the show, Oprah said “You're going to open your hearts, you're going to be really creative, and you're going to spend it all at once on one stranger or spend a dollar on every person. Imagine the love and kindness you can spread with $1,000”. What a great message to spread, Oprah- using your wealth and influence to help others in need is one of the kindest things you can do.

Here are some of the issues I have that I continually have to work on everyday:

* My hair—It can dry out easily or become overly moisturized, it is always a fine line of balancing. When the balance is out of wack, it contributes to its frizziness, and frizz is always an issue with me.

* My face—During the winter my forehead and between my eyebrows tend to get dry and need extra attention, otherwise all year round I have a t-zone that won’t let up. Ever since I can remember, I have always only gotten acne on my chin and being pregnant just makes it worse.

* My skin—I have Keratosis Pilaris on my arms and legs. It is a skin problem that was passed down to me through genetics and which seems to worsen being pregnant, but also if my skin gets dry. Winter is obviously the worst months for my skin, summer is not so bad since I am always slapping on my sunscreen.

* My body—My chest is a big issue with me, both size and their appearance. Now being pregnant with baby #4, stretchmarks are another issue I have to contend with.

It sounds very cliche, but while all of these are truly issues that I have to work on everyday, I don’t let it get me down. I absolutely believe 100% that my beauty is not only on the outside, but that once people get to know me, they will see it radiates from the inside out.

On a weekly basis, I will share my reviews with you of products I have been using or have tried out to resolve some of the above issues. Hopefully you may find a solution to your problem too.

How much do you know about your friends? Better yet, have you ever snooped through their bathroom cabinets or somewhere in their house? I have been guilty of this on a few occasions, mainly at my mother’s house. She is always one to buy the latest trends in makeup and beauty products and I always like checking it out.

I’m sure most of us have been snooped on, as well. I remember this one time when I was listening to the radio on my drive home from working the second shift. The radio DJ was having a party at his home and broadcasting live. Some of his co-workers went into his bathroom and began announcing the contents of his bathroom cabinet to the listeners. Much to his dismay (and probably that of his wife), they announced quite a few interesting items. It told me more about this guy than I needed to know. So when having friends over, be sure to keep your cabinets organized and void of any embarrassing products.

Here is the bathroom cabinet of a young, gay French man versus mine (an American 30-something, married, pregnant mother of 3). What can you tell about us by snooping through our cabinets?

The Pet Care industry has been growing rapidly in recent years. The way we treat our pets is mirrored through celebrities such as Paris Hilton, among others, who clothe and pamper their precious pets. No more sleeping on the floor, it’s a posh doggie bed for Fido.

Pets are beginning to be treated more like people then ever before, bringing true meaning to “Man’s best friend.” It seems as we change over to a more healthy lifestyle with better diet and eating habits, so has the way we feed our pets changed. Simple dog food like Pedigree is no longer the only way, but instead it is being replaced with healthier nutritious brands like Beneful or Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance. My two Parson Russell’s (formerly called Jack Russell’s), it’s the Raw Food Diet.

It doesn't stop at dog food. Whiskers, a holistic pet care retail store makes deliveries of formaldehyde free rawhide chews, toys, bedding and vitamins. That's just the beginning. As you want to look your best each day, you also want to take pride in your pet’s appearance. Trips to Petco for your pet’s grooming is no longer just considered a luxury, but now a lifestyle.

How many of you have purchased something that was a knock off? I admit it, I purchased knock off Chanel sunglasses this past summer from a vendor next to me at a local fair. Imagine my surprise when I came across this blog and the video it shows.

The buying and selling of counterfeit products is costing American businesses $200-$250 Billion dollars a year and the loss of 750,000 jobs according to The U.S. Chamber of Commerce. This is not only the knock off of sunglasses, purses and watches you can find on any New York City street corner, but it also carries over into cosmetics, movies, music and even clothing and footwear like Air Jordans.

I have been in the beauty industry for about 12 years and doing beauty pr for about 7 years. And in all of my years of experience with press releases especially those that that go out on the wire I have never ever seen one as damaging as the one that Russ Fons PR in Las Vegas ran today about their client; National Toxic Encephalopathy Foundation (NTEF) and their opinion on Clarins Cosmetics. You can view the horrific release here.

In this release the NTEF states in great detail on the extensive damage and misleading labels of the Clarins brand, so they claim.

What’s odd though is that John Sheppard the director of the foundation states that you are putting your health at risk if you use these products. I don’t know about you but I see a huge lawsuit taking place from Clarins. I am sure executives at Clairns are beyond miffed about this release. What’s even odder is that all of the ingredients used by Clarins are found in most other top selling brands. One would assume that NTEF is crucifying Clarins based on a personal agenda and not on logic.

However was John Sheppard not aware that Clarins recently acquired Kibio an organic skin care manufacture who has gone into negotiations on creating new products together? I posted about this on my other blog a few weeks back. You can view that post here.

Life Clever (tips fro design & life) by Chanpory Rith: 5 Writing Tips That Don't Suck (via) Copyblogger

A PR Guru's Musings: Q&A on innovations in public relations

John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing "Longs for a good publicity stunt"

BusinessWeek.com: Wal-Mart: A "Reputation Crises" The giant retailer has been trying hard to improve its image and reignite sales

Idea Grove: Introducing Spin Thicket: Media Orchard "Easier way to keep up with the news"

Eric Eggertson:
Mutually Inclusive PR and Strumpette: Backlash Against Crayon's Second Life Launch

For a long while celebrities have been pretty vocal about their political beliefs. They are not strangers to being used by both political parties to taunt their positions or to help in raising money for their party through their celebrity clout.

Some say that celebrities and politics don’t mix. After reading a recent article by Jeff Davidson on TMZ.com, 90% of me agrees. Many celebrities put their faces in commercials or join a campaign to tell people to vote. Yet, one celebrity in the 2004 Vote or Die campaign turned out to be all lip service. Or there are those who threaten leaving the country if a political figure is re-elected; remember Alec Baldwin? That is what bothers me the most. Celebrities who talk and talk and won’t shut up (and then make money off of their chattering) or those who take a punch during a concert, but quite honestly don’t do a darn thing to help foster change. Am I alone in this annoyance?

In a previous post, I mentioned being all for the healthy kids initiatives being launched into schools. However, I also think that sometimes good intentions can turn into scaring parents.

Take this new ad from Birdseye, for example, that I found on Adrants. The ad documents a child growing in waist size each year instead of height. Their point is taken and in the fine print they let you know what they have been doing to make their microwavable dinners more “healthy.”

Instead of more positive ads, like showing healthy kids exercising or eating healthy as a model for children to mimic, it seems to becoming more the trend to scare parents into getting their kids “healthy.”

Pearls Of Joy is considering an update of it's header. I can relate to this as I am in need of some updating on my other blogs. Which header do you like best and why? (Vote by commenting)

Here is a larger image of version one of pearlsofjoy.com. I like that it's simple and clean, not too "glossy," but I do favor version two, I think it reads better upon quick scanning of the header. They could move that burst in my opinion, perhaps all together and have the 800 number in the blue bar top left, but what do I know?

Don't get me started about pearls, young and old, most of the female population shares the endearment with pearls (men, listen up). I believe it is a right of passage when you are a little girl and get into your mother’s jewelry during dress up. The thing most girls want to wear is a set of pearls. Pearls are classic and refined, but exhume simplicity.

On my wedding day, my mother gave me a set of pearls to wear with my wedding dress. Somehow those pearls just added to the elegance of my dress and made me feel like the little girl playing dress up had now grown up.

As we are now going into Holiday mode, the one thing that comes to mind for dressing up for Holiday parties, is wearing pearls with my outfit. It will take me from my normally casual mom look to an upgrade in style.

Still warming up to Second Life? I am asked about it almost daily and wanted to get some basic info posted for those friends who read our blog consistently. Backstory is here. Follow the links.

New World Notes

From April 2003 to February 2006, I was a contract writer for Linden Lab, creators of Second Life, primarily hired by the company to cover SL as an embedded journalist in an emerging society-- its controversies, its personalities, its innovations and ambitions, along with larger themes of identity, social norms and organization, and cultural expression important to online worlds in general.

That contractual relationship has ended, but the story continues here. -Wagner James Au

Second Thoughts Do's and Dont's for Big Business.

"Every human being is interested in two kinds of worlds: the Primary, everyday world which he knows through his senses, and a Secondary world or worlds which he not only can create in his imagination, but which he cannot stop himself creating." W.H. Auden

Second Life Herald The Second Life Herald was founded on October 23, 2003, by philosophy professor Peter Ludlow. Its mission, as described the next day, was to observe, record and study "the legal, social, and economic implications" of life in the virtual world. Originally established as the Alphaville Herald and reporting for the most part on life on the Alphaville server of The Sims Online, the Herald soon branched out into coverage of other massively multiplayer online games and virtual worlds -- helped along by the murder of Herald publisher Urizenus (Ludlow's avatar) after Electronic Arts got wind of the stories the newspaper was printing about the scams and cyber-prostitution that were taking place within its game, and the company's indifference to reports of real-world violence.

As evidenced by the men in the Wonderbra ad below and the prevalence of super-sized products in the US, Americans often believe that bigger is better. I think at some point all women have thought about breast augmentation, even it was a momentary thought. There are many different breast procedures. Some women only want breast implants while others are looking for a reduction or a breast lift that will create a youthful appearance. Some women consider breast implants to be a necessity and not a matter of enhancing natural given assets.

Back when I was in high school, I toyed with the idea of a breast reduction. Kids often made fun of me in high school, which lowered my self-esteem. A few seniors called me out by one of my nicknames, “Twin Peaks,” in my high school yearbook. Funny how something that happened 14 years ago can still affect you.

While I never went through with a breast reduction, a few women in my family did. They were inherently unhappy with the way they looked and it affected them emotionally for years. Once they had their augmentation, it was as if their real self was revealed. They no longer lived in the shadow of their chest size. Their burden was lifted once and for all.

No matter the reason for a reduction or implant, you hear stories from women far and wide about their experience with their surgeons. While there are success stories, it is the disastrous, life-altering surgeries gone wrong that seem to have the greatest impact.

David Dean began BreastImplants411.com (you can read more about David’s story here) because of two unsuccessful breast augmentation procedures performed on his mother. He started his site to help women find qualified surgeons and make informed decisions about their breast surgery. This site has now become the #1 source for women looking to learn more about breast augmentation.

When was the last time you went on a vacation? A vacation from your vacation does not count. For my family and me it was in July of 2001, which seems like ages ago. We went to Nova Scotia, which was phenomenal, but a little exhausting from planning all of our own activities.

Another vacation of sorts that brings back memories is my honeymoon to the Pocono Mountains. It was a disaster in the making when the hotel did not have our room ready, our “all-inclusive” activities no longer existed and they wanted to downgrade us to a different suite when we wouldn’t accept our reserved room the way it was (they obviously forgot about housekeeping that day). After many tears from this new bride, they gave us our own chalet, but we needed to find all of our activities on our own. This made, what was supposed to be the beginning of our newly married life, a very stressful occasion.

Now with three kids and another on the way, we all yearn for some fun time. Lately we have talking about going on vacation, but were at a loss as to where to go that was kid-friendly, yet all-inclusive. Today I found AMResorts, who are leading the way in all-inclusive luxury vacations.

AMResorts basically saw what was lacking in the vacation industry, listened to what consumers wanted and then implemented them to create a vacation where you will find no need for extra time off to vacation from your vacation. AMResorts wants to provide you with the most fun, yet relaxing vacation you have ever experienced.

AMResorts has three brands; Secrets Resorts & Spa’s (did someone say spa?), Dreams Resorts & Spa’s and Sunscape Resorts & Spa’s. All work around the theme of unlimited luxury, unlimited fun. What’s better than having a ready-made vacation for you, where all you have to focus on is the fun?

I’m definitely ready for it, are you?

My first encounter with Joico hair products came this past July when it was one of the many gifts my friend Elke gave to me as an early birthday present. I honestly had never heard of Joico before, but knew that if Elke felt the products were good enough to give to me as a gift, then they must be something really special.

I received the K-Pak Smoothing Balm, K-Pak Liquid Reconstruct, Deep Penetrating Reconstructor and Daily Hair Care Shampoo. Can I just say? My hair has never been the same and I am a girl who takes great pride in her hair as evidenced in a picture you can find here of my bathroom cabinet. Honestly, I don’t know any woman who says, “Frizz? Yes, please.”

While I love all of the products, the Smoothing Balm has got to be my favorite. My hair tends to break, split and frizz easily (photo not me!). The Smoothing Balm is light and silky with a very light scent. It wasn’t weighty and didn’t make my hair greasy. It simply reigned in the frizz and added shine from the Mica in their balm. My hair is just past my shoulders and I only need to use a dime size amount. It’s 3 and a half months later and the bottle feels as if it’s barely been used. This is a product I simply cannot live without.

If you're like me, you start planning your Friday nights several weeks out. Well if you are lucky enough to be in the San Francisco area on Friday, November 17th, the place to see and be seen is at The World Is Just Enough event.

Club Sportiva, Mitra, and On The Fly host the shopping event of the holiday season: a benefit for City of Dreams, a San Francisco non-profit dedicated mentoring at-risk youth.

Tickets are $75 per person, and are redeemable for $75 in gifts & merchandise the night of the event. Attendance is limited to 400 guests.

At 9pm sharp, a raffle will take place for the following prizes:

Angara will be auctioning off a $5,000 diamond.
Two Gold Memberships to Club Sportiva valued at $3,700 each.
Mitra will be raffling off a turnkey home theater system valued at $4,000.
A "Box O' Testosterone" from On The Fly valued at $6,000.
Raffle tickets will be sold for $20 each, or 6 for $100. Must be present to win.

Finally, the after-party will be hosted at Fluid Ultra Lounge from 11pm-2am. For Booth Reservations & Bottle Service, please call 415.370.1804.

If you can't make it to the west coast, but you have a modern who needs a holiday gift, log on to www.onthefly.com and start your shopping.

From around the blogosphere, here is what everyone is talking about:

From those who live for Fashion:

Kristopher Dukes is talking about the Christian Louboutin Ankle Boot (that seem vaguely familiar from that of my youth).

The Bag Snob shows you a great little black dress for the Holiday's.

The Budget Fashionista exposes Isaac Mizrahi's Holiday 2006 line at Target.

From those who live for Beauty:

The Mineral Makeup Blog reviews Monave Mineral Cosmetics.

Hello Dollface discusses her review of Scott Barnes Beauty.

Beautiful Makeup Search lets you know that Covergirl Outlast, outlasts them all.

From those who live for all things perfume:

The Scented Salamander talks about Eau D'Italie Le Sirenuse Positano's Italian land and history's inspired scents.

Perfume Critic reviews Tom Ford's Black Orchid.

Indie Perfumes discusses the upcoming movie "Perfume, the Story of a Murderer."

Do you know of a great beauty, fashion, jewelry or perfume blog that deserves a little attention in the Weekend Pulse? Post me a comment so I can check them out!

There are all sorts of buy/sell sites out there these days, but none as unique as Ruby Lane. While many buy/sell sites offer a wide variety of products to choose from, Ruby Lane is very specific to those who love Antiques, fine art, collectibles and jewelry, thus making sure that their site not only offers high quality products, but gives the advantage of having high quality sellers as well.

Purchasing products online from an individual can be tricky and involves a lot of trust. Ruby Lane insures nothing but trustworthy sellers by having a rigorous Quality Assurance program in place. Each seller who wants to set up a shop on Ruby Lane is pre-screened by their in-house arts and antiques professionals and must meet specific quality and professional standards before they can open their shop, unlike other sites where anyone can simply give themselves a screen name and start selling products.

This year about 564,830 people are expected to die from cancer. That is 1500 people per day. I can confidently say that I am sure anyone reading this has been affected by cancer in some way, shape or form. Cancer has been a destructive force in my and my husband’s family. My husband lost his sister to Liver Cancer 6 weeks after being diagnosed in her senior year in high school. Recently his aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. For me, it was my Great Grandfather passing away from Lung Cancer and my friend Maureen from Sarcoma. There are many other people between the two of us who have either battled or passed away from cancer, but it’s just too many to list.

I was recently able to speak with Kim Erikson, President of the Board of Directors for the Wayne County unit of the American Cancer Society for whom I am coordinating Shop for a Cure with. Ms. Erikson, whose mother is a volunteer for the Look Good, Feel Better Program for the ACS in Wayne County, shocked me when she told me that my local area of Northeast Pennsylvania was in the top ten for the highest cancer rates in the country. In fact, when I looked up the information on the American Cancer Society’s website, it appears that PA is in the top 5, with a projection of 73,630 new cancer cases for 2006. Other states in this top 5 are California, who ranked the highest for projected cancer rates, followed by Florida, New York and Texas.

I love Diamonds. Whether or not Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, I'll leave that up to you. I'd take a true best friend over a diamond any day, but diamonds are "cravable" so it is important to be choosy and educated when picking out a diamond when you are ready to take that big step in your relationship. When my husband and I got engaged, he let me come with him to the jeweler to pick out my diamond. I had never purchased a diamond before, so I didn’t know what to expect and I certainly didn’t have any idea about color or even the terms used for clarity. I just knew I wanted a Princess Cut diamond that wasn’t cloudy looking.

For those reading this at the 2006 ISPA Conference & Expo, be sure to stop in the Professional Development Sessions at 2PM.

INDUSTRY TRENDS - Press Tactics & Topics for 2007 - Magazine Editors & PR Professionals Unite – Rona Berg & Pierce Mattie

I know this isn't exactly breaking news for everyone. However, for those who have lives and don't live and shop online exclusively, this may be news to you, it was to me. Many "recommendation" sites are popping up all over the Internet, yesterday a Fashion blogger referred me to one that is getting kudos in the New York Times; ThisNext.com. I was impressed just how organized this site was and even more impressed to find fashion and beauty bloggers I know doing Shopcasts there, such as Kristopher Dukes, The Jewelry Weblog, and Lola is Beauty.

What's a Shopcast? It's basically shopping and broadcasting combined. It's a playlist of products you recommend and you run them on a badge on your site and they also run on the ThisNext site, as well. You can create wishlists and also make recommendations by downloading a few buttons for your browser.

There are some really great recommendations just waiting for you to discover them, or if you feel so inclined, for you to make them at ThisNext.com

I'm currently reading The Ten Faces Of Innovation (Tom Kelly) and thought Trekinetic’s K-2 All Terrain Wheelchair must have come from the cross-pollinator (a face of innovation identified in Kelly's book). It's part dirt bike and wheelchair, Makes me want to take it for a spin. It offers a design and beauty inspired departure from conventional manual wheelchairs.

• Front wheel driven with a singular rear trailing castor for stability
• The seat is of carbon fiber,
• A dynamic braking system for slowing down and steering
• Weather equipment is in the form of an attachable automatic umbrella

Professional trendwatchers are saying this falls under the Beauvalanche trend or could have easily been filed under Innovation Overload as well. Regardless, it does prove that everything can be beautified and reinvented! FYI, Trendwatching.com just released the Transumers briefing which is free to everyone.

Yup, we have a new "dealer" of premium coffee, and they want you to sample the goods. If you are lucky enough to live in the Northeast, then you are well aware of the freebie McDonald’s is offering coffee lovers. If you are not aware of this fabulous promotion, then wake up and smell the free coffee!

McDonald’s has struck up a deal with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. to create a special blend under the Newman's Own Organic Blend brand. This free deal is only available until November 11th and only available in 7 states in the Northeast.

Artwork by Ashley, The Painting Journalist

McDonald’s is trying to get an edge on the coffee competition such as Dunkin Donuts (which is HUGE in the Northeast) and Starbucks. I can completely attest to the celebrity status of Dunkin Donuts in New England as a native Rhode Islander. There is a Dunkin Donuts on practically every block in the state. So how can McDonald’s compete?

"Because there are things women need to know about breast implants and augmentation." For more information, please visit www.Breastimplants411.com

Cast Your Vote
(1). Size: 32 A
(2). Size: 32 B
(3). Size: 34 B
(4). Size: 34 C
(5). Size: 36 C
(6). Size: 36 D

You may have noticed more companies that cater to lifestyle industry are listening to customers by repackaging and redesigning ingredients in products as they watch consumer trends change, and I say it’s about time! Grocery store shoppers should be aware that you don’t need to pay higher prices for premium national brand names when they may be identical to the less expensive (generic) store-brand. 20 years ago generic store brands screamed for attention as they were all yellow, void of any branding and made you feel like a loser at the check out counter.

KNOW THE FACTS: If you're considering changing your packaging to make it "prettier" on the store shelf, then get ready for a marketing disaster. Packaging redesign is not a beautification project. It's about:

* Meeting the ever-changing needs of your target consumer group. For example, your target group may be aging. Also, younger and more affluent shoppers are entering the marketplace.

* Reviewing competitive products, new product launches and your category.

* Monitoring shifts in distribution channels, retailer formats and economic conditions.

* Optimizing both the graphic and structural elements of your packaging.

* Revitalizing a brand and product sales, maintaining or growing market reach.

Skinny jean advertisements for woman are visible on every New York City street corner, men's denim companies are taking a much looser and subtler approach this season. Nonami Premium, a new line of men's high-end denim is focusing on an "American" fit, which is looser in the thighs giving men that breathing room they oh so desire. Even famous designers like Viktor & Rolf are focusing on the "relaxed" fit for their launch in H&M stores.

I guess unlike women's clothing companies, the men's designers realize that only small fraction of Nicole Richie's can actually fit into or adequately rock a pair of skinny jeans. I personally am not interested in seeing Rubin Studdard sport the skinny jean - so thank you Nonami Premium for recognizing somethings just won't work for both sexes.

I don't own a Mac, however I had been enjoying the Mac Guy/PC Guy commercials Apple was putting out there. Had been--yes past tense, as Justin Long the Mac Guy, was fired yesterday. It was fun while it lasted. I've been a Justin Long fan since his days on the sitcom, "Ed." I thought the Mac commercials were witty, unique and simply did what they were intended to do: show that a Mac had advantages over a PC. Who will step in and fill Justins shoes...Gisele Bundcnhen?

Alas, I am alone in this thinking since Justin Long was fired today due to the public's keeness for PC Guy. Justin's firing got me thinking of commercial "characters" that have disappeared once the public got bored with them such as the Dell dude, and it appears I am not the only one thinking about this today.

What did you think of the "Get a Mac" commercials with PC Guy and Mac Guy?

Do you seem to be losing customers lately? Is your customer base and sales simply not increasing? Consumers are telling you all of the time what they want, but are you paying attention? Do you genuinely listen to what they want? Or do you feel comfortable with the way things are?

Here are five things that consumers want from a business both online and offline:

Any woman can tell you the color and scent of a Victoria’s Secret store. Branding a business by color has been around forever, branding a business by scent deliberately is a rather new practice.

We have become inundated with never ending commercials, advertisements, pop-ups and infomercials, smart, progressive businesses realize that the use of scent is another way to make their business or brand not only stand out, but be remembered and associated with a certain positive experience or product.

While color may be an easy branding tool and will surely distinguish you from your competitors, such as that yummy, chocolate brown trademarked as "UPS Brown", scent can be a little touchier. Scent can either turn someone away or reel them in. It's a scientific fact that women are attracted to an ever so slight smell of skunk. Too much, and they are repulsed. Repulsion can be a good thing if your an international airport and you need to clear a building fast. Scents of danger need no interpretation. The scent of coffee can calm people, the new car smell increases sales of vehicles, Victoria’s Secret puts you in the mood the minute you walk into their store with the scent of a woman (or a man in drag) that remind you of romance and desire. Pierce Mattie's Media Oasis has a branded scent, complete with a high tech scent delivery system. Scents that relax you and put you in the mood to shop can increase a businesses bottom line.

Funny when I was in Las Vegas this week for the ISPA show the taxi driver that picked me up was complaining on how the town was blowing things up. Little did I realize that it was the famous Stardust. The home of my favorite cheesy movie; Showgirls! As most hotels turn into resorts and expand their spas like Caesars Palace did this month with their new spa tower, the old players cannot keep up.

The Stardust, the neon-wrapped casino with a mobbed-up past whose 1,065 rooms once set the standard for size on the Las Vegas Strip, witnessed its last roll of the dice Wednesday.

Wistful longtime employees and loyal gamblers gathered for a last farewell to the iconic 48-year-old institution, which is to be razed early next year to make way for Boyd Gaming Corp.'s planned $4 billion Echelon Place resort.

The Stardust opened July 2, 1958, as the world's largest hotel and catered to middle America with $6-a-night rooms and low-minimum stakes gambling.

But as bigger, classier casinos sprung up around it in the late 1980s and '90s and patrons began shelling out more for rooms, food and drinks, its luster began to fade.

"I'm really going to miss this place," said Jimmy Kunihiro, a 60-year-old Honolulu resident, as he took a last pass at the craps table. "It's a home away from home."

Three cheers for men who know what it is a woman wants...and then delivers.

I found an article today about a straightening iron set up like a vending machine, and found in public bathrooms. You pay a small fee and can then defrizz your hair with the straightening iron, basically saving women everywhere from a bad hair day.

This product is called the Straight Up Vending Machine and is made by Beautiful Vending Company. However, this item can only be found in the United Kingdom right now. Still, this just shows that people respond when you deliver a product that provides a solution to a problem. In this case, it is women who want perfect hair all of the time, no matter where they are.

Wal-Mart has gotten itself embroiled in yet another Nazi-connected scandal, selling T-shirts depicting a skull that had been used, according to this Bent Corner post, by the Nazi 3rd SS Division Totenkopf during World War II. (You may remember other incidents such as the book-burning (sub req'd) incident last year.)

What's interesting about this story is the pace that it gathered, and the speed of Wal-Mart's (via Edelman) response. It's clear that Consumerist, the Gawker-family consumer affairs blog that helped the Bent Corner story gain visibility, is a site that Edelman is checking every minute, and while there have been previous spats between the two (summarized in part here) one does see the necessity of keeping your friends close, but your enemies closer. Get the whole scoop on PRWeek or the Consumerist

A well planned exit without the use of a publicist? Atoosa Rubenstein, Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen magazine announced last week that she’ll be leaving the publication. Her next move is to launch several teen-centered projects including a web business, a book and a consulting firm.

She told the New York Post, “I’m a risk taker. I don’t play the game in a safe way. I’ve never been driven by power or money. I’ve always had a very strong relationship with our audience, and I hope to develop that in a more immediate and visceral way.”

Before her announcement to leave Seventeen, Rubenstein already started branching out of her Editor-in-Chief post positioning herself as an advocate for teens by appearing on MTV’s Miss Seventeen reality show and also as a guest judge on America’s Next Top Model, a favorite show among Seventeen readers.

Is Rubenstein leaving Seventeen another sign in the decline of teen publications? In the last two years, YM, Teen People, and Elle Girl have been shut down. Teen People and Elle Girl are still online – a good move since most teens are tech-savvy. At least we’ve still got COSMOgirl! and Teen Vogue! We’ll have to wait and see who will take over the EIC post at Seventeen.

Read more about her decision to leave Seventeen on her MySpace page and some speculations from Jossip.

• Beyond VC, By Ed Sim: Consumers want instant gratification, Google ran a user test where users wanted more search results. Surprisingly, traffic and revenue dropped by 20% and what Marissa discovered was that load times for less searches was .4 seconds and load times with more searches was .9 seconds. Despite the fact that users really wanted more results, in the end, according to Marissa and Greg, speed matters.

• Cool Hunting, a well known Trend site has had it's 4th site redesign: Here are a few new features we hope you’ll find useful:

* Added lots of date-based navigation, including an all thumbnail month view
* Improved the display of related stories
* Added a keyword navigator on the left side of the screen where you can view common, recent and random keywords
* Added individual author pages
* Brought back weekly Cool Hunting emails in addition to daily emails

• Media 2.0: Media+Marketing Business Trend Links. He has a nice collection of posts and a freaky "fleshtalker" Sitepal that I'm sure Scott over at Media Orchard would approve of. It blinks it's eyes! Creepy... but the links are a must read!

• Brand Autopsy, by John Moor. Bad Profits Dissected

Most Americans think Europeans, especially the Italians "dress up." The way Italians dress is getting more and more relaxed as the years progress, but they definitely look better dressed than most of us stateside. If you've traveled abroad you have noticed how business casual is not in vogue, in fact it's been said that westerners dress like cowboys. Do fashion labels in Italy know how to fit their people better then Americans? Is there a worse feeling in the world than slipping into a new garment in a fitting room and finding it just slightly off? Nothing kills the buzz of finding a fantastic item of clothing that you are just dying to own more than realizing that you are not just any "body" but have unique bumps, curves, and "fiddly" bits!

You see as much as we live in a world of "ready to wear" clothing, few of us have ready to wear bodies. Thus, I have to ask, why is it that we are so reticent to simply have clothing tailored?

We have no problem acknowledging that our personalities are unique, but when it comes to admitting that our bodies don't fit one given standard we get a little upset.

"Why it must be a fault in me that I can't fit into this blouse I picked up off the rack" we tell ourselves. But in truth few of us are ever going to have bodies that fit exactly into a given garment. I faced just that reality today when I realized it was better to spend a little bit more on a few quality pieces of clothing and have them refitted to my own body than to hopelessly buy tons of disposable fashion that only just "kinda" fits.

With the help of the Superfuture forums I found myself an incredible tailor on Mott Street named Ramone who not only helped me fit two dresses and a coat but he helped me refit my attitude as well. And you know what? Those clothes are going to fit me to a "T," making them actually "ready to wear."

Women vary from men greatly. That's a good thing! This includes our shopping habits: our shoe shopping habits online, to be exact. Choosing a shoe is like choosing that perfect sports car, you need to visualize yourself in the shoe.

I know what I look for when browsing websites in search of the perfect shoe, but I decided to go to the experts at SheFinds.com to see what they felt women looked for when it came to shoe shopping online.

When I asked Michelle, owner of She Finds, to rank what she felt was most important to women when purchasing shoes, she told me that first and foremost women look at fashion/style appeal, comfort, and then price. Michelle stated, “If you love 'em and they fit (or even sometimes if they almost fit) your price threshold goes up.” When someone recommends a comfortable shoe that has style, we all race to go find it.

According to The Blog Herald and the timeline on W3.org, the web turns sweet 16 today!The first web server was nxoc01.cern.ch, later called info.cern.ch, and the first world wide web page http://nxoc01.cern.ch/ hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html Unfortunately CERN no longer supports the historical site. Note from this era too, the least recently modified web page Blog Herald knew of, last changed Tue, 13 Nov 1990 15:17:00 GMT (though the URI changed.)

According to the paper of note, fashion's most outlandish designer John Galliano will be the guest editor for French Vogue's December Issue.

After Kate Moss, Sofia Coppola and Catherine Deneuve, Dior designer John Galliano is the next guest editor to do his thing for Paris Vogue's December issue. The title, edited by Carine Roitfeld, traditionally invites a personality to tweak the holiday book by playing a hand in everything from styling shoots and choosing photographers to sharing their personal proclivities.

Such big news should surely warrant a bigger write-up, but alas there are no details to be found about how the funky fashion troll's influence will be found at the chicest book on the planet.

We can only hope he makes it out of this world!

Time Magazine has teamed up with the Geek Squad to list its "Best Of" inventions list for 2006. We will see many more of these lists as the end of the year approaches. Time lists best inventions for transportation, the home, meals and cooking, clothing, toys, medicine, safty, the military, and as well as using light category. Readers can then vote for what they think is this year's best of TIME magazine's best.

Other "Best Of" List for 2006: Best Books Of 2006 from Amazon.com. Best Colleges For 2007 from U.S. News & World Report. Best of New York City by The Village Voice.

• Edelman Public Relations Disclosure Follies (Raving Lunacy) Edelman to Fund a Second Life Business screams the headline over at Micro Persuasion.

• $6 Billion For MySpace? (The Blog Herald) Rupert Murdock, CEO of News Corp., told Australian investors that MySpace would sell for $6 billion.

• Users Respond To The Dove Evolution Viral I find the user created responses to Dove fascinating, it is as if through retouching themselves, and manipulating their own digital representation, users can reaffirm their feeling in their true body, and experience an apparent sense of liberation through mutating themselves, looking at it and being able to recognise how ridiculous and distorted standards have become.(Marketing Babylon)

• Pepsi goes organic with new product lines at Whole Foods Market (SpinThicket)

• B.L. Ochman Yawns At Big PR Firms Getting Into "Social Media" (B.L. Ochman)

Pervert place ... Jennings hid in a cavity under girl's bed

A paedophile seduced a girl of 12 — then lived in her bedroom for three months without her mother finding out. Scott Jennings, 22, cut a giant hole in the bottom of the youngster’s divan bed, then used it as a secret den to evade detection if somebody came into the room. This stuff actually happens! It's time to think Design=safety! I've listed one of my favorite sites below that is sure to help keep pervs, or the idea of the boogie man out of mind and out of reach.

Designer Abad Diseño Design Group From Design Within Reach
Most conventional leather beds, like their sofa counterparts, suffer from overstyling and excessive padding in order to denote luxury or comfort. Taking a more restrained approach is the Loja Leather Bed (2004), distinctive in its pared-down, sleigh bed form. Skillfully produced in Spain, the bed features light padding over the entire frame to create a soft, cushioned surface that surrounds the user. Large panels of silky, oil-tanned leather the warmest and most supple of cowhide leathers are used to upholster the frame and are neatly stitched with welted perimeter seams. The headrest features a slight pitch to accommodate comfortable reading or TV viewing. An inset wood-slat platform enables the mattress to nestle snugly in the frame and sit just slightly below the footboard. Inset metal legs prevent toe stubbing. Platform is delivered in pieces for easy maneuvering through doors and hallways. Compatible with the Sonno Mattress. Made in Spain.

Seasonal weather changes effect everyone differently. I wake up early and walk my dogs when it's still dark out most mornings. Today we had a heavy fog that made the entire city sound less like itself. Almost an eerie silence. I noticed I could hear the dogs pawsteps... I can never hear that on a regular day. They have nails longer then a drag queen! It's time for a trim. It made me think how getting out of our everyday routines is imperative to experiencing more, seeing things differently, getting another perspective and discovering new solutions to opportunities.

"Focus 90% of your time on solutions and only 10% of your time on problems." - Anthony J. D'Angelo

" All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Today's PRO-file is with Lianne Farbes, a former Model, current Makeup Artist and blog owner of The Makeup Girl.

Your bio says you got your start as a model. What made you decide you wanted to be a model and how long did you model for?

Actually I didn’t decide! My mother sent my photos around everywhere. I grew up in St. Louis and I don’t really remember how it happened, but before I knew it I was modeling for Stix Baer and Fuller (now Dillard’s) and Venture (like Target) everyday after school. When I moved to New York for college, someone saw me at a club and I started doing runway shows, and later moved on to catalog work. In all total, I think I modeled for about 12 years.

What was the first job that you finally felt like you were a makeup artist?

Oh that one is easy, when I started working as a custom blender for Prescriptives. I was able to really get the colors perfect and build looks around that.

Who are some of the makeup companies you are worked for?

Clarins, Prescriptives, Princess Marcella Borghese and Lancome.

Like most girls err.... women (nothing but grownup sentiment here) I value my bathroom time. I am lucky if I make it out of the shower in thirty minutes between scrubbing, shaving, buffing, exfoliating, and other tub activities and that doesn't even include the time I am willing to commit to an actual bath.

Thus when I say that bathroom time is sacred you can see that I spend a lot of time "in prayer" on a given day. Thus when fellow blogger Sophia turned me on to her Holy Mud I had a real chuckle at just how appropro the name is for those of us that consider the bathroom a sacred space

Fresh from the Holy Land, this concentration of carefully sifted Dead Sea Mud is rich in highly absorbent minerals that draw impurities out of your skin's tissue like a magnet. Despite all of the incredible scientific advancements and the millions of dollars the cosmetic industry spends on research and development, few products have been able to cleanse the skin, remove excess oils and help people achieve a divine complexion the way an all-natural Dead Sea Mud Mask is able to do. There are roughly 6-8 professional quality facial mask treatments per jar.

Let me tell you this mud really does sucks all the nasty out and the feeling it leaves behind is nothing short of "divine." And yes I realize I am extending this metaphor a little far but come on this mud is like a little piece of heaven.

THIS JUST IN FROM THE MEDIA OASIS: Which Pore-Yanker Ad Campaign Came First?

Check out this "unholy" plagiarism of a "pore-yank-er" brand campaign. Who came up with the idea first? Oasis annalist dont know. If you do, please comment here or send us your comment via email at info @ Piercemattie com.

If your a true foodie then you're well aware of the brand name Viking, one of the original all stainless steel (I still prefer stainless steal finish to the new trendy bronze finish ) professional line of stoves, ovens and refrigerators. Viking has been around long before Chefs were rock-stars, the food network and it was trendy to have professional food industry preparation stoves in your home kitchen.

While they may have lead the trend in the early 90's, Viking might need to make a few new changes to the classic design if they're going to continue to be a leader. Viking is not the only choice anymore. I have cooked on many different Viking stoves and encountered this same flaw, you cant read the knobs, you have to get a leg workout squatting down to look at the flame and adjust the knob. It's true, it's not like the knob has detailed data on it, your looking at the flame and most Pros only need to calibrate by sight of the flame. However, the weighted line printed on the knobs IS NOT VISABLE. Why put any data on at all if you have an obstructed view? While I have many good things to say about Viking stoves, I share in Hayman's frustration.

Other "elite" prosumer kitchen stove brands are well designed and Viking would be smart to listen to loyal customers. If they don't, shame on them. In today's competitive market even mega status brands like Viking can't afford to ignore good design. I would choose and recommend another brand (I know many interior designers who would agree with me) if Viking chooses to ignore prosumers. Please check out Aza Rashkins Get Humanized blog where he discusses stove knob placement design.

It's Friday, time to peep the New York Times Personal Shopper for ideas on how to stash, aheem, organize your stuff for winter.

Up to 30 pairs of shoes can be stored in the Shoe Wheel, which tucks into a closet and then rolls out easily; $65 at rakkudesigns.com or (800) 517-2558.

I've been a Rocketboom viewer since the beginning (and persecuted for my advocacy of the lighthearted daily news by friends and colleages): I think I tuned in on her 3rd podcast on iTunes. Not a iTunes subscriber? Check your Tivo; Rocketboom is now available to most Tivo subscribers. Like many loyal followers of "citizen journalism," it was sad to see her leave Rocketboom. The good news is now everyone can see her on the boob-tube; watch for Amanda on ABC, maybe even prime time! Again, congratulations. Yesterday's headline read:

Amanda Congdon, the former host of the Rocketboom video blog, has been hired by US TV network ABC.

Congdon is also in the process of developing a show with US cable channel Home Box Office (HBO).

The Back-story: Congdon left Rocketboom in June this year claiming that she was fired, but Baron alleges that she quit to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles.

Baron apparently gave Congdon a 49 per cent share of Rocketboom. The two are currently in a dispute as to whether the agreement still stands.

In true Congdon spirit, here is an interpretation of perky quirky "news babe" memorable highlights. You may get a kick out of it if you watched Rocketboom since the beginning.

"I am going to be video blogging for Disney ABC, specifically ABC News," Congdon said in a video message on her Amanda Across America blog.

"I'll be the first person to fulfill that role for the network. Because ABC is continually pushing ahead and innovating, I'm super excited to be a part of their team.

"I'll also be appearing on ABC's News Now from time to time and occasionally I'll pop up on Good Morning America, Nightline and 20/20 to serve as an Internet correspondent."

Seems the Chinese are going to stop taking over the world for a few days and enjoy some American entertainment! Chinese censors have cleared "Casino Royale" to be shown in the country without asking for any changes, a movie executive said Friday. "The film has been approved and no cuts or changes have been requested," Li Chow, general manager at Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International and Sony Pictures Entertainment, said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "Casino Royale," starring Daniel Craig as suave British spy James Bond, will open in China on Jan. 30, Li said. China usually only imports 20 foreign films a year and censors them carefully. "Memoirs of a Geisha," which starred Chinese actresses Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li as Japanese geisha escorts, wasn't shown in China amid speculation of concerns that it might fan anti-Japanese sentiment.

There were also concerns about scenes set in Shanghai showing tattered underwear hanging from laundry lines in "Mission: Impossible III," starring Tom Cruise. Chinese censors eventually approved the movie. The Hollywood trade magazine Variety reported earlier this week that "Casino Royale" is the first Bond movie to screen in China, although pirated copies of past installments are available in the country. "Casino Royale" opened Friday in the United States.

Unrelated News: I have been made aware that Danial Craig (James Bond) has his birthday suit flashed all over the web, as early as February 2006. No, it was not a publicity stunt or lack of discretion. Apparently he is not ashamed of his secret weapon or true identity. Everyone in the office plans to see him in action at the movies this long weekend.

• Personal Care Appliances - Global Strategic Business Report : This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Personal Care Appliances in Thousands of Units.

• Spinduggery, The Flack: Peter Himler posts about Jeff Jarvis' snarky comment insinuating PR professionals have dishonesty in their DNA. Jeff Jarvis, being the 'spin'-ster he is, should love the quote "you can’t polish a turd."

• KFC Logo Relaunch - From Space, Near Area 51: I know all of you are saying "I thought of that months ago." Ever since Google launched satellite imagery on its maps, I've wanted to pitch this idea to a client. While not the first, KFC is doing it on a grand scale; a nice publicity stunt. For those of you who know my New York address, you can see me on the roof of my apartment building with my dogs, frozen in time from space.

• Loyalty VS. Advocacy CRM Lowdown: Most companies think that their job is done when they manage to convert a regular customer into a loyal customer. They tend to forget the guy because now ‘he can take care of himself.' Wrong! Once you’ve converted a customer, your job becomes even more difficult.

• Link Karma From The Copyblogger: 21 Surefire tips for a successful blog launch, 10 things to consider when choosing a site meter, and the five W's of great content.

• Hotels offer lots of freebies during winter (just not in New York City), The Mercury News: Winter travelers can take advantage of a number of hotel deals. Properties are offering free nights, free gift cards, special rates and other perks.

• How To Stop Comment Spam Without Lifting a Finger, Tubetorial: If you're a wordpress user, you have to visit tubetorial. Quick, easy-to-understand flash video - enjoy.

• The European Newspaper Design & Concept Awards Europe‘s most innovative newspaper 2006: Look and learn. This year, Europe’s best designed newspapers come from Belgium, Norway, Finland, Portugal and Spain. 287 newspapers from 26 countries participated in the eighth European Newspaper Award.

Like many women, I am a huge fan of shoes. For reasons almost inexplicable to your average man, shoes have a kind of emotional resonance that speaks to us deeply. One shoe that has just this power is the Bernardo "Miami" sandal.

Beloved by the jet set and regular women alike, this revolutionary shoe took the world by storm in the forties and fifties and has remained a style icon through several generations. But, in the seventies and eighties, the brand was nearly destroyed. Thankfully, the license was purchased by Dennis and Lynne Comeau and the line has been restored to its former glory.

I thought my client was very relaxed, until after the treatment I realized she died on the table during our session, and I thought to myself...were those moans of joy or pain!

Sometime blackheads aren't the only thing extracted at spas. A few souls have been extracted as well. While some of us have had wonderful experiences at a day spa, there are some out there that snap us back to reality that you really do need to heed warnings and pay attention to the reputation of spa's.

Some stories lingering around the internet:

Gut Feelings: A Kuwaiti woman tells of her awful experience at Al-Corniche Club Spa in Kuwait. Always go with your gut, if customer service is bad just from a telephone call, you must know it is going to be just as bad at the spa itself.

The Roach Treatment: What would your reaction be if you signed in at Eo Inn Spa with a roach crawling across the clipboard?

Sawful! Edges Salon and Spa get a pretty bad review from this spa patron. No shower available after an oily massage and waiting in the parking lot while the spa opened 30 minutes late are just some of the complaints.

About.com reminds you how important it is to tell a spa your medical history before having any spa treatments done, a story not for the faint of heart, but a message worth heeding.

If you've never experienced a spa before, but would like to, be sure to check out Spa Finder. You can really break down your search for the type of spa you are looking for to provide you with as much detail as you need to make an informed decision.

Have you had a bad experience at a spa? Let us know in the comments.

Here is our first public service announcement. Car owners be advised, static charge or a "shock" can set off an explosion at the gas pump! I thought Mythbusters busted this myth a long time ago? However the Los Angele's Fire Department asks you to be aware of the danger. They posted this gas station footage on it's blog. Poor girl gets the shock, then slight explosion of her life at the filling station. Perhaps someone should design grounded gas pumps or at least a metal poll shoved in the cement (grounded) next to each pump that's says "touch me, I might save your life." Perhaps a car company could pay for it and capitalize on the issue, in exchange for a little positive press?

As if you need another excuse to book that long-overdue Hawaiian vacation, SELF Magazine, the premier well-being lifestyle magazine for women, has named Honolulu, HI the nation's healthiest city for women in its "7th Annual America's Healthiest Places" survey. This is the most comprehensive examination of its kind, distinguished for its broad scope and profound revelations about life-improving health secrets specifically for women in the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.

Whether your hometown is riding Honolulu's wave of good health or stuck in nutritional-neutral like the Motor City (Detroit brings up the rear as number 100 on the list), SELF will help all American women embark on a journey of health, happiness, and fitness.

I can think of many difficult inconvenient grocery shopping scenarios. If you live in the New York metro area and are a parent, it can easily become an three hour event. Most moms are amazingly efficient at these basic, but difficult tasks. However some days, and you know we all have them, something goes wrong in our system and when that happens it's choas. Trudging down from your apartment, taking the kids on the subway or in a cab... will it be snowing out?...yuck! You do know there is an easier way don’t you? It's celebrity endorsed and used by Spike Lee, Chef Bobby Flay, Chef Tom Collocchio, Paullna Porizokova and Cynthia Nixon to name a few.

Meet FreshDirect, I have got to say, they have saved the sanity of many families in NYC for the last few years. FreshDirect lets you shop online all from the convenience of your computer…so who cares if your rugrats are running around screaming? This is something you can do without worrying about entertaining your kids while you shop so that they behave and not cause chaos in the aisles. It can save you from episodes of knocking over soda cans or grabbing boatloads of candy yelling, “Mommy can we buy this?” (Not that this has ever happened to me of course.)

Ideas on how to take advantage of Fresh Direct:

(1). Order a weeks worth of fresh ready to eat meals for convenience. Just heat and eat- nothing fresher or with higher quality ingredients.

(2). Fast organic food. Sick and tired of the long lines at WHOLE FOODS? Have almost all of the same local organic products & brands delivered to you at the specific time when you get home from work.

(3). Zoned Out? Want a change from the food trucked around from a Zone Diet delivery service? Order from FreshDirect low calorie ready to eat meals.

(4). Party Pooper? Have Fresh direct deliver wine, soda, water, party platters and finger foods to the event location the day of the event, save time & $$ for the main course.

(5). Mans best friend. Order treats and dog food for your pets when your in a pinch

Today as I was window shopping through Ruby Lane, I came upon a blast from my own past; an antique Fire Opal diamond ring. It caught my attention right away, as the memories flooded back to the day I bought it with several paychecks I saved up in my late teens. Unfortunately, from moving around throughout the years, I lost that beloved ring I worked so hard to purchase in my youth. So to find this ring today on Ruby Lane and that it is even in my size, it must be fate!

Window shopping can be fun, as it gave me many great gift ideas for the Holidays. I loved not only the variety of the jewelry sold, but also that it wasn’t soley retail. Many of the jewelry sellers were crafters and designers themselves. I really like the collection by Israeli jewelry designer Yifat Aharoni. Her jewelry has such a different flare to it, yet its not too eccentric. Then there’s the beautiful beadwork by Tracey Pettingill. I came across a beautiful set of Peridot earrings, which happen to be my birthstone. Have a love for vintage European jewelry? I found that too with Jewels at Cellarum.

It’s amazing what you can find when you really look through the various sellers on Ruby Lane and don’t forget for you skeptics out there of buy/sell sites, Ruby Lane is unique with an exemplary selling policy and guarantee.

If you’ve shopped at Ruby Lane, I’d love to hear about your experience. Please be sure to post it in the comments!

As a woman I can certainly tell you what I think about men’s underwear. I like a man in a fresh pair of clean, crisp white underwear. I prefer boxer briefs over anything else and my man better not be wearing silly underwear or outrageously colored, or else I will have to ask him to put his pants back on. I like to be the one wearing all the colors! I often wondered if guy’s thought of their underwear as an important piece of fashion. I know my very first boyfriend did not, as evidenced by some animal print silk bikini number he used to wear..."eww!" Laughing when you see someone's underwear is a sure fire way to ruin the mood…just FYI.

So in order to find out what men really think, I asked a few fashionable men at Pierce Mattie their thoughts. I was surprised at some of their answers. I've included 3 of the 8 full interviews for your review. Here is a summary of my findings:

• Pierce Mattie men prefer briefs over boxers.

• They wont spend more then $35 for a pair of underwear

• Sex played a role in purchasing first pair of fashionable underwear

• They say marketing and packaging doesn't play a big role in what underwear they choose, however the industry data all says marketing & packaging plays a huge role and influences what girlfriends / boyfriends say they like on a man.

• The office leading brands: Old Navy, 2Xist & Calvin Klein

So you want to have a secret nuclear weapons program? Fine, we are taking away your iPod—now go to your room! The iPod won’t get you to change your behavior? Even better, no plasma TV for you!

This seems to be the new idea in sanctions presented by the Bush Administration, which is backed and coordinated by the United Nations: luxury sanctions. Since the other sanctions imposed on Kim Jong I1 hasn’t persuaded him to stop the testing of nuclear weapons, the Bush Administration has decided to hit him where it hurts…his love for luxury items. It seems he likes to live it up with cognac, a ride on a Harley, watching his favorite movie “The Bodyguard” starring Whitney Houston (what???) on his plasma, listening to his favorite tunes on his iPod, riding around North Korea on his Segway personal scooter and the list goes on and on.

I think this is a very interesting angel indeed. Obviously the previous sanctions imposed hit the North Koreans where it hurt and had little effect on Kim, but sanctions that directly affect the lifestyle he is accustomed to? Priceless.

What do you think of this out of the box idea?

I’m not sure how some athletes, like celebrities, can have such a keen eye to fashion while others obviously are still working on trends from yesteryear (I mean they all have Publicists who should be able to help them, right?)

Here is a short list of some amazingly fashionable athletes:

David Beckham—Without a doubt, not only gorgeous, but he has yet to make a bad fashion move.

Derek Jeter—Definitely a well-dressed guy, but I still think his best fashion statement was Mariah Carey on his arm.

Alex Rodriguez—Great fashion and great hair.

Serena Williams—So fashionable, she own her own clothing line called Aneres.

Anna Kournikova—With a body like hers, how can any clothing look bad on her?

Michelle Kwan—Her style is simple yet classy.

When The Sims first came out, I was an addict. You could find me completely absorbed into creating families, neighbors, homes and watching everything interact. So when I was told there was the same type of game online except that instead of just random characters, they are real people, I knew I had to go check it out.

It’s called Second Life and it’s a virtual 3-D world of real people role playing their second life. This is a place just for fun or to create a real money making business, but it is entirely created and owned by its residents. Sign up was easy and you have a few options of how you want to be involved. You can have a basic account, which is free, or a Premium account for a monthly payment of $9.95 which grants you more access to things like owning land, building, entertaining, being given a weekly stipend and also the ability to create your own business on Second Life.

My sign up time was about 5 minutes, just filling out basic information. The fun part was picking my Second Life name. You can give yourself any first name you want and then you pick from a list of pre-determined last names. Download time was about 10 minutes with a cable modem and approximately 1 minute to install. Make sure your computer is set to 32-bit color or Second Life won’t let you connect. Once you connect, there are a few must-reads you need to go through, such as terms of service and behavioral don’ts.

My first time connecting was a little frustrating, as my computer kept freezing. After 20 minutes of freezing and then unfreezing, I gave up. My second try (the next day) was a little easier and I was able to make it through changing my appearance (although some things I couldn’t figure out) and moving throughout Help Island. About 30 minutes into playing, things started to slow down again and my screen would freeze and unfreeze for about 10 seconds each time.

Joanna Roche is the Senior Managing VP of Pierce Mattie Public Relations. She has a proven track record of success and corporate experience. She is high energy and passionate about her work, which makes her direct, up front, realistic approach with Pierce Mattie PR clients what makes her a true asset.

Joanna is a married mother of a 2-year-old son, who loves to run, cook and travel. The best way to describe her is balanced. She loves to dive into her work, yet still maintain the proper balance of her hobbies and family life. Joanna is goal oriented and believes that nothing is impossible.

Tell readers about a typical day as VP of Pierce Mattie.

There is nothing typical about being a VP at Pierce Mattie PR! Every day is different and it is one of the things I love about my job. Most days include working on new business, coming up with creative ideas to promote our brands, meeting with clients, nurturing the staff and helping them develop pitches and reach editors, and keeping abreast of trends and happenings in the PR world.

As the Holidays are fast approaching, the one item most girls wish for are diamonds. Diamond jewelers know this and you can see it through the increase in commercials as gift giving season quickly falls upon us.

While most men give the basic colorless diamond (which if my husband is reading, I would not mind at all), why not be unique and set yourself apart from the status quo with a Natural Color Diamond? A Natural Color Diamond is one that contains color and its value is not placed on its carat weight, shape or clarity, but in the richness of its hues. The deeper the color, the rarer the stone. When you give a Natural Color Diamond you are making a statement to your giftee that she herself is a find.

These diamonds have been made popular in recent years by celebrities trying to impress their counterparts. Two that stand out are when Ben Affleck gave Jennifer Lopez a yellow canary diamond and Kobe Bryant gave his wife a purple fancy diamond.

Color in your diamonds can also have a different effect on your giftee (besides complete giddiness) when it comes to the color you chose:

Red, which in a diamond is the rarest of all colors, also conveys passion, optimism, vitality and self confidence.

Blue, second rarest in color, conveys serenity, calming and harmony.

Pink exudes femininity, comfort and relaxation.

Which color best describes the person you intend to give the diamond to? It is something to consider when making such a purchase. To shop for one, be sure to visit Angara.com or visit Fantasy Diamond online or ask your local jeweler to see fantasy diamonds or endless diamonds.

Eco-Fashion is an idea that has always been around, but really begun to take steam in February of 2005 at New York’s Fashion Week when Earth Pledge teamed up with 28 designers to create a special runway event called FutureFashion. This past Spring Oscar de la Renta, Halston and Elisa Jimenez showed off their echo-fashion designs at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) 2006 Conference. The response was overwhelming and the designs were again shown over the summer at the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing, where Stephen Burrows and Heatherette also added dresses to the collection of designs to be shown. With such great designers coming to understand that fashion can be earth friendly and design friendly, it is sure to increase in popularity among the world of fashion designers.

Eco-Fashion is clothing that takes into account the environment, the health of consumers and the working conditions of people in the fashion industry. You may not have know the exact term for this industry, but we have all heard and been up in arms over, the stories of big name celebrities having their clothing made in sweat shops only to sell them for top dollar. Taking into account the working conditions of the people who actually put the products together to get you what you purchase at the store is a part of Eco-Fashion.

How many of us have that one person on our list that is always the hardest to buy for? They are the "already have everything" people and there are quite a few of those in my family. So today while scouring the internet for an item to purchase those hard to get for people, I found DNA art on FreshTrend.

DNA11 creates one of a kind art pieces from your (or your giftee's) DNA. You can choose from DNA portraits to fingerprint portraits. Since your DNA is unique, chances of someone having the same artwork is zero.

I have to admit, this is a very cool idea and very tastefully done. Now the only issue would be that my giftee would have to be sure to stay out of criminal mischief or else when law enforcement comes to do a search, the writing will be on the wall.

On The Fly is a great resource for Men of style who are hard to shop for. One recommendation. If your man seems to have everything, why not improve on something he already has. For example, if he owns a decent razor from the Art of Shaving, why not improve on it with a real work of art from Hommage. The monaco groom center with humidor has a big price tag $1,500.00, but it is original and something he will use almost everyday.

Another great gift idea for that wine enthusiast is the Grande Copper Wine Enhancer from Catania Wine Enhancer. This copper wine enhancer not only looks beautiful, but it also is functional. It reduces tannins, enhances wine flavor, refreshes opened wine and can bring back wine from that 1-7 day old deadness. This Wine Enhancer works great with White Wine, Beer, Sake, Fine Cognac, Single Malt Scotch and can even be used to enhance coffee.

For the foodie in your life, KitchenAid products are always welcomed. Their Artisan Mixer is always a hit, but if your giftee already has this must-have appliance, then their 10 piece Gourmet Essentials is an essential for the cook on your list. I bought this for my mother for Christmas and gave it to her early and she was ecstatic.

Have any other unique gift ideas? Please add them in the comments!

Sometimes there are products I get excited about and then there are the products I want to shout from the rooftops about. Some products I got to try out for review from Earth Therapeutics have me wanting to shout from the rooftops without a doubt.

Purifying Salt Scrub Detox Formula: Out of the three products, this is the one that I was most excited to try. I know the benefits of using Salt Scrub, especially those made with Dead Sea Salts. Earth Therapeutics Salt Scrub also contains organic Tea Tree Oil, which enhances cleansing and detoxification, and moisturizing essential oils. While the oils feel slick in the shower, once you get out and dry off, you feel nothing but baby soft skin. Using this once a week has given me fabulously soft skin, which has helped solved my winter-skin dilemma.

Soothing Leg Lotion: The scent of this lotion is heavenly. This lotion has Rosemary, Wild Mint and Aloe Vera. The consistency is almost like a silky shower gel. It spreads easily and absorbs nicely. It made my legs feel wonderfully soft and I loved the scent so much, that I put it on my hands before bed. I found the scent to be so relaxing, that it helped me fall to sleep.

Nail & Cuticle Care: If you are someone whose nails are brittle and whose cuticles crack easily, this is surely the nail conditioner for you. When I rubbed it on my nails and over my cuticles I could almost hear them saying, “ahhh,” in relief. The scent was a nice citrus scent, which I love. It contains Sesame Oil to moisturize, Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil to protect your nails from infection and an Organic Nutrient Matrix to nourish and deep condition your nail bed and cuticles.

Have you used any Earth Therapeutics products? Let me know what you thought in the comments.

I’ve honestly never paid much attention to products that were celebrity endorsed, in high school, maybe a little, however there have been plenty of my friends who live by what products “Celebrity A List” says are the best. There was a time, back when I was very young, that I did follow what my favorite celebrities endorsed. One such product was Pepsi, simply because I was a very big Michael Jackson fan. Luckily, I wised up.

So when I saw one of my favorite fashion designers, Isaac Mizrahi, pitching StriVectin-SD in a commercial the other day I felt such utter disappointment. Strivectin-SD, which claims to be an anti-stretchmark cream turned anti-wrinkle cream, is trying to pitch their product to men through Mizrahi's popularity. Isaac is a talk show host and thus a "lifestyle advocate" however, as a person who admires Mr. Mizrahi for his outstanding fashion, I wonder why he had to go this route. Seeing him in a commercial promoting an anti-wrinkle cream made me lose a little bit of respect for him and I didn't want too. I'm sure I am not alone.

I believe there was a time when celebrity endorsements held clout, but the times have been changing, most especially as blogs have become more and more popular. There are so many blogs out there that review products and I am more apt to listen to the average Joe tell me their likes and dislikes over a product than to run out to buy a product because Mischa Barton has been using it. According to a survey done by Allure and Essence, the same holds true for many of their readers.

Microdermabrasion is a nonsurgical cosmetic procedure that has been increasing in popularity in recent years. While many over the counter brands are now offering their products for the purpose of Microdermabrasion, it is still best to have the treatment done by a skincare professional and/or using the products developed by one.

While simply exfoliating your skin is something you should be doing on a weekly basis, Microdermabrasion is a more effective treatment to treat fine lines, crow’s feet and acne scars. It’s use of a polishing your skin with crystals to resurface your skin is a safe alternative to chemical procedures and can be successfully done on all skin types. This resurfacing of the top layer of skin removes the dead skin cells and helps with the regenerating of new skin cells. With this top layer of dead skin cells removed, application of lotions and creams are more effective at moisturizing your skin. Most treatments can be done in 30-60 minutes and do require several follow up treatments. To maintain that healthy glow, maintenance treatments should also be done.

Dermalogica on Montana offers exfoliating treatments like Microdermabrasion. As with any skin treatment you are considering, you should first be seen by a skin care professional to ensure that this is the correct treatment for you. Dermalogica offers Face Mapping in which licensed Dermalogica skin therapists analyze your skin from forehead to collarbone, identifying potential problems, unique needs, and how to treat them professionally. Face Mapping only takes 10 minutes and is free.

Take an inside look into a Skin Treatment Pod at Dermalogica on Montana (the brands flagship store):

The move does not affect the online operation of the magazine, which will continue to operate at fhmus.com.

Most of the 47 staff working on FHM US will lose their jobs. Emap has no other business in the US apart from the New York office of its fashion trade website Worth Global Style Network.

Although Blogging has been around for years, approaching Bloggers to review or pitch your products is fairly new and growing in momentum. If you are thinking of approaching a Blogger to review your products, there is a protocol that sometimes many companies do not invest their time to understand and follow.

As a beauty Blogger, I receive many emails on a weekly basis from companies and PR firms big and small to find out if I am interested in reviewing their products on my two beauty blogs. There are some that exude professionalism both in the way they approach me through their emails, through the way the package is sent and in their follow up. Then there are the mass emails, lack of PR materials with the product, presentation of the product and lack of follow up. The difference between the two potentially means your emails go in my trash folder.

Things you should not do when you approach a Blogger:

Send out a mass email, most notably saying “Dear Bloggers” or having no greeting at all. While some newer Bloggers may respond to this, many seasoned Bloggers won’t. It is the sign of a company simply harvesting your contact information and not taking the time to personally contact you, as they want you to personally review their product. It is a two way street.

Have the expectation that the Blogger will want to review your product simply because you offered it for free. Bloggers know their readers and most will only review products that are 1. Related to their blog and 2. Something that would be of interest to their readers.

Insincerely attempt to flatter them. So many companies do it and many times I receive the same email to each of my accounts for my blogs when the company doesn’t even realize they are sending it to the same person. Bloggers can read between the lines.

Nothing brings in the holiday cheer more than high heels, short dresses, and tons of whiskey. On a recent trip to LA, I got to celebrate the holidays with socialite Kim Kardashian, who brought her Olympian step father, Bruce Jenner along for the shenanigans.

Avery Cardoza planned a classy event as usual with high end services for all party goers. At the entryway, guests were invited to enjoy free cigars and whiskey tasting. The main room featured shoe shines compliments of Michael Toschi and complimentary shaves provided by The Shave of Beverly Hills. Finally the bar region was equipt with decanters and wine aroma tests provided by OnTheFly.com. Sterling Steakhouse created elegant appetizers and tasteful martinis that the beautiful crowd enjoy all throughout the evening.

And as if this wasn’t enough, OnTheFly.com provided giftboxes worth hundreds of dollars for the guests, as well as VIPs received snowboards, and the first chapter of the $4,000 NFL Champions Book. Avery certainly set a pretty high standard for his holiday party.