Eva Longoria-Parker Travels in Style and Comfort

Here's one we haven't tried yet: the maxi dress as travel wear. Thanks to Instyle for spotting this trend. Maxi dresses are totally comfortable, not binding at all, look great with your fave cardigan, and double as chic once you get to your destination. We're loving that Eva Longoria-Parker brought her own pillow on board.

Jessica Simpson went with a brighter, "hey look at me" print. As if she goes anywhere without causing a commotion!

For more celeb travel styles, check out InStyle on-line.

Delta Doubles its Bag Fees

Delta airlines will start charging $50 to check a second bag on all tickets purchased on or after August 5, according to MSNBC.com. That's up from $25. Talk about inflation! All the more reason to be a smart packer!

Personal Bouncers

We took a stroll down memory lane as we read the hilarious "Security Breach" in the August issue of W. It's a primer of proper bodyguard etiquette and includes these tips:
1. Be important
2. Your bodyguard is not your friend.
3. Mind your manners
4. Know the dress code.

JSG has one more to add: Don't be too stringent about who can talk to you or you'll end up dancing alone.

We learned this the hard way a few years back at Light in Vegas. We were there for a friend's bachelorette and a bunch of us got a table, which came complete with our own security guard. Right off the bat, we were breaking W's rule #1--a $500 of Grey Goose Vodka does not an important person make.

The night started off well enough--we were ushered through the velvet ropes past the hundred person deep line. Our booth had an overview of the dance floor and the drinks were flowing. We started talking to a gent wearing sunglasses over the side of the banquette. Despite the fact he was wearing sunglasses in a night club, we invited him into our cordoned off area. After a while, the conversation turned down a dark alley and he got way out of line. We couldn't get rid of him fast enough. Eventually, sensing our discomfort, one of our ballsier friends asked him to leave.

When our personal bouncer, Chuck, got wind of this, he told us if anything like that were to happen again, let him know and he would take care of it for us. That's his job, after all. Wow! A big man to get rid of loser guys--what a dream!

That was, until we let the power go to our head. As guys approached our banquette, we just had to give Chuck a slight shake of our head and he would tell the guy to scram. Well, do this a few times and no guy is going to come talk to you, no matter how self important you are. We ended up having to leave our little booth in the sky to go trolling for guys around the club.

The lesson: Security is important for politicos and Angelina and Brad. Not so important for D-listers or a group of capable women in a club!

By the way, the Light Nightclub at the Bellagio is now closed. It was remodeled and is now called The Bank. It's only been open two months. If you go, let us know how it is!

Bobbi Brown Metallics and Free Gifts

Bobbi Brown's collection of metallic eye shadows are available now as individuals ranging from pastel to bold. We're loving Brown Stone, a silvery beige brown (picture above), as an everyday lid color with more pop. You can combine a number of these into Bobbi's custom palettes holding 3, 4, or 6 pans.

With a $100 order on the Bobbi Brown website, you'll receive a complimentary full size Gunmetal gel liner and mini fine eye liner brush with the code METAL and...
The Crystal Lip Gloss (above) 7 ml sample size, which is great alone or over lipstick. Free shipping on orders over $75. Hurry the Gunmetal giveaway is valid only from today through 7/31/2008.

Cute Dog Carriers

Last week, reader Leah Jill Leah issued us the following challenge:

Every time I fly, I take my dog, Lulu (Toy poodle/bischon) with me. This counts as 1 personal item (even though its $100.00 each way). I would like to be able to not check any bags when I fly home for Christmas this year. What do you feel is the best bag setup for me? I like my products and organization and to be airline approved. Oh and lets not forget Lulu and I must be cutie patooie :)

We did some searching and came up with the following options.



We love this Kwigy.Bo bag because it has inside and outside pockets. Try keeping your ID and airline ticket in the outside pockets so they're within easy reach and you don't have to disturb Lulu. And that camo will wear well, matches a lot and is pretty darn cute.



This Creature Couture bag is roomy enough for your belongings and your pooch. It fits under your seat and has all those pockets to keep you organized, too. Available at PetLife.com.

Since you're traveling over the holidays, you should consider shipping your presents ahead of time, too. It will save room and a whole lot of hassle as you go through security. The only time we screwed up the liquid restrictions was when we had a bottle of Tocca body lotion in our bag that was a Christmas gift.

Let us know how we did. Full disclosure, we don't travel with pets.

FHI Heat Platform SE Styling Iron and Brushes

We love our summer beach-y hair (it's the easiest way to go in the humidity); but we still like to smooth out our locks occasionally. It's a hard habit to break. Even when we're wearing a sexy beach pony, we'll use a flat iron to smooth out the front pieces of our hair so that the crown of our hair isn't too frizzy and curly when pulled back. We've had the same flat iron going on 8 years and while it's held up well, we were curious what else is out there. We've been using the FHI Heat Platform SE (JSG edit) and brushes for three weeks now. The styling iron is well balanced and sized, not too heavy or bulky. We like most that the edges are rounded which prevents your hair from snagging and lets you style your hair under or flip it out smoothly. When you pull the iron through your hair there aren't snags or creases from sharp edges.

The brushes are very light weight, which was disconcerting when we first picked them up. How could something this lightweight be quality? After using each (the paddle for apres shower and detangling and the round for blow drying), we can assure you that they are. The round brush works especially well because the boar bristles help grab your hair and smooth it out. The lightweight brushes also kept the weight of our carry on down on our trip to San Francisco. The only problem we've had is keeping track of them in the house, everyone wants a brush for themselves.

You can find FHI products at Ulta stores, FHI's website (where you can also learn more about the technology), and select salons.

This review was based on a press sample.

Carasol Parasols Discount

As any of our regular readers know, we're big proponents of sunscreen--mostly because we plan on saying we're 29 for as long as we can, but also because, as everyone knows, burns are unpleasant and unhealthy. That's why we're in love with this modern take on an old-fashioned concept: the Parasol.

Carasol Parasols was founded by Carol. She was given a gift of a parasol by an aunt who lives in Japan. She was initially self-concious about carrying a parasol around NYC, but got over it when she realized the sun-protection benefits. Once she started carrying it, women would stop her on the street to ask her where they could buy one and hence the idea of Carasol Parasols was born.

Each parasol blocks out 85%-99% of UV rays depending on the fabric. We see these parasols as a chic way to protect yourself while shopping, strolling on the beach or lunching with friends.

Best of all, from now until August 15, JSG readers get a 10% discount online at Carasol UV Parasols website using the code: JETSET08.

Coupons Texted to Your Phone in New York City

We're already addicted to the new 8coupons.com service, which we just read about it today in the NYPost--a boon for tourists and locals alike. It feautres some incredible discounts like 8-cents for a serving of Mac & Cheese at Supermac on July 29th, 20 percent off your tab at Zenith (a poor girl's version of Zen Palate), discounts for the upcoming Fringe Festival (off-off-off-off Broadway plays that are hit or miss, but always worth the effort) and Fuerzabruta (the water-filled show from the creators of De La Guarda, shown above).

Some of the options are a little questionable, like a $950 Persian kitten (Please rescue a kitten, folks and save the cash!); half-priced Botox (we're fans, but your results will only be as good as the person injecting you. Anywhere that advertises for half is a major red flag to us) or discounted glass tobacco pipes (um..what do you use those for?).

We love the thought behind the site:
We call ourselves 8coupons, but secretly, we want to be more than just coupons. We want to empower local businesses in our neighborhoods so that they have the opportunity to be discovered. We want to encourage you to check out that Cuban restaurant in the East Village, or the new sushi restaurant that just opened around the corner. We want to make it easy for you to explore, discover, and take full advantage of living in the greatest city in the world, one neighborhood at a time.

What's most brilliant about the site is that you can have the coupons texted directly to your phone. You don't have to remember to bring a coupon or print it out. We predict this is the wave of coupon futures!

NARS Lipstick: Two Shades for Summer

We read a lot about gloss this time of year, for good reason, no one wants a $30 tube of lipstick to melt in her purse. Here's a couple of colors from Nars that are worth wearing (and protecting from the heat) this summer: Nouba and Masai. Both have a bronze base, Nouba has more ginger undertones, Masai is more rose quartz. We found they had staying power without drying out your lips, complements of Vitamin E. They're particularly flattering with a tan face (self-tanner, please) and give you a sultry Sofia Loren Italian goddess look. Pair it with a sexy cat eye and you'll be ready for the Riviera!



If you're on the lookout for fall lip colors, check out Senorita, a "sheer shimmering cherry blossom." (pictured above)



Nars is currently offering free 3-day shipping on orders over $60.

On Our Radar: Hula Girl Getaway

We love the idea of jetting to Hawaii with a couple of our closest friends and spending a few days soaking in the tropics.

The Fairmont Orchid, located on the northwestern coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, is offering a Hula Girls Package which includes daily hula lessons, two rooms for the price of one, breakfast, snorkeling gear and surfing lessons.

While you're there don't miss the Spa Without Walls which has 10 spa hale (huts) nestled within the waterfalls, streams and lily ponds and oceanfront massage cabanas.

Hawaii makes for a long trip for Eastcoaters; but wouldn't this be a dream bachelorette getaway? For more information, go to the Fairmont Orchid website.

Aloha!

Call Voice Mail Directly

The NY Post featured a story yesterday "Dial-a-Breakup Made Easy" about a number you can call that will put you directly into the person's you are calling voice mail. Here's how it works: You dial 267-SLY-DIAL then dial the cell number you are calling at the prompt. You'll listen to a short ad, then be put into the other person's voice mail. Now the story suggests this is a good way to breakup with a person, which we would NEVER do! Having been broken up with over voice mail, we can tell you first hand it's a really crappy and wimpy way to end things.

However, we see this coming in handy when you need to take a mental health day at the beach and don't want to speak directly with your boss or if you want to check in at home while you're away and don't want the drama of speaking to your SO directly.

Amanda Seyfried's Hair in Mama Mia

If you can't beat the humidity, may as well have it work for you and go for the full on beach-y look, whether you're on vacation or stuck in the city. For tips, we checked in with the fabulous and talented Edris of NYC's Edris Salon. Being a island lady herself (she hails from St. Vincent and now lives on the island of Manhattan, which is about as steamy as any Carribbean Isle these days), Edris has more than a few tricks up her elegant sleeves.

Her secret weapon? Aloe vera. She uses it in place of gel, because it dries soft. To get beachy waves like Amanda Seyfried's, Edris recommends a leave-in conditioner, followed by a dab of aloe finger-combed through wet hair (the amount depends on the thickness of your hair and the length). Then braid your hair. The key--Edris made us stop typing notes into our Blackberry to make sure we were listening and watching, so we know this step is important--is to braid the hair flat and close to your head. She says this eliminates frizz because it flattens the shaft. She braids hair in five sections, three in the center from the forehead to the nape of your neck and one on each side.

Need somewhere to wear that beach-y hair? How about the island where Mamma Mia was filmed?

Fish Pedicure: Hope's First Hand Experience

Okay, it's done. Hope's been to Yvonne Salon to have a school of little fish nibble at her feet. Sounds creepy, right? She thought so too, especially when they went after the tender skin between her toes or congregated under the bridge of her foot. If you ever swam in a lake as a kid and had a blue gill nip at you, it's like that times ten.


It was a family affair: once Hope's girls got wind of the fish pedicure, they had to try it out. That's their feet sharing a tank. They giggled at how ticklish it was and enjoyed themselves immensely. Apparently, they didn't see the fish poop floating around.

We expected the salon to smell like a pet store; but it didn't, it was spotless. The three women in charge were friendly and informative. Shannon explained how Yvonne had learned about the garra rufa fish (or doctor fish) from a client. From Turkey originally, they're used in Asia to treat skin ailments like psoriasis and eczema, as well as in spas for manis and pedis. Yvonne traveled to China where she learned about the fish biz (she even experienced the full body tank) and brought the fish home. She's looking to open a couple of more stores in the D.C. area, as well as open franchises, and supply other spas with fish. By the never ending telephone ring, we'd say she's onto something hot.



The results are mixed: while our feet look great and feel smoother than ever; we still feel squeamish. It's doubtful we'd return, though it's worth a try if you're adventurous. We'd try anything for a good pedicure. And tonight, no sushi for us.

A Peek Inside the StoreAdore Girls Carry On

We've looked inside Annie's and Hope's carry ons, now we're peeking inside the carry ons of StoreAdore.com founders Christina Miller (left) and Meredith Barnett (right). Here's what they have to say:

With Store Adore currently covering boutique shopping in New York, Washington, DC, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Philadelphia (newly launched!), we are constantly jetting from one city to the next in order to keep our booties on the ground regarding the shopping scene. (We know Annie and Hope can relate.)



After too many lost luggage experiences – not to mention the ridiculous new airline policies ($25 per bag? Come on!) – we’ve pretty much abandoned the idea of checking our bags. We’ve got carry-on bag packing down to a science. In fact, we now permanently keep our beauty products in Ziploc bags. Here’s what you’ll find in our carry-on bags:


1. The origami wrap from Lilla P is one of the most genius clothing items we’ve encountered. You can wear it over and over again in an infinite number of ways—a shawl, a layering top, a cardigan, a tunic—so versatile and casually chic. Store Adore shoppers can score them for 20% off. Click here for the code.


2. A pair of cute lightweight flip flops packs easily and is good for plodding around hotel rooms (especially for germaphobes like Cristina!), giving swollen feet a break on the plane, and wearing out to dinner if you’re lucky enough to be traveling somewhere warm. We like these by from Pedro Garcia at Los Angeles-based boutique Heist where Store Adore shoppers get 25% off. Click here for the code.


3. Travel can be a nightmare for your skin: Airplanes are notoriously drying, and more time outside means additional sun exposure. This lip gloss from Nuxe is an all-in-one: a pretty pink shade, SPF 15, and an uber-moisturizer.




4. We seem to travel with three to five lingerie bags each. We use them for dirty clothes, socks, bras, and underwear. This one from celebrity trend resource Intuition is meant for swimsuits, but we use it for everything. Store Adore shoppers get 20% off here.

5. The best kind of jewelry for travel is the kind that you don’t have to remove. Meredith just bought this bracelet from Covet (using my Store Adore 20% discount!) and I’ve yet to take it off. The leather just gets softer the more you wear it, and I love the chic meets glam appeal. No need to stuff my carry-on even more!

6. A roomy totebag functions as a handbag, a laptop bag, and a carry-on. This Hayden Harnett bag (shown top) weighs practically nothing. It has a padded pocket for laptops, can be worn under your arm, and also expands so that if you shop while you travel (and who doesn’t?) you have room for all your goods. Look for an exclusive Store Adore discount on Hayden Harnett soon.

Click here for a complete list of StoreAdore discounts.

Update: We just read in WWD that Hayden Harnett is slated to create a line for Target in spring 2009. Love it!

Dual Shower Head at the Westin

Given that we're about to become first time home owners, we're paying more attention to all those little details in a hotel room that we used to overlook, like the Westin Heavenly Shower Head. We've experienced all kinds of showers--spa showers that shoot at you from all sides (we plan on installing one in our dream home); overhead rain showers (soothing, but a bitch for keeping your blowout safe) and outdoor showers (a must for our dream beach house). We liked this dual shower head so much because it hits your upper and lower body at the same time, which really keeps you warm, especially important in San Francisco in July! You can buy the shower head online, along with the famous Westin Bed.

Fish Pedicure

Have you heard about this yet? These poor fish were imported from China for the sole (ha!) purpose of nibbling the calluses off your feet- the new "fish pedicure." JSG's Hope is equally disgusted and curious about the idea, so in the interest of beauty has decided to be a guinea pig for you. (That and Anne is making her do it!) Check back tomorrow for the review.

Bobbi Brown Makeover in San Francisco

JSG's Anne and Hope love to get their makeup done while on vacation- especially if it's as convenient as the Saks was, next door to our hotel in Union Square. Convincing ShallowGal to come along was another thing. She hemmed and hawed and wouldn't get out of bed until the very last minute. (Peer pressure works wonders!) When all was said and done, she looked awesome, see for yourself that's her on the right.

We were fortunate to get three appointments together before the BlogHer party on Saturday night. The lovely Dominique at the Bobbi Brown counter at Saks kept us laughing the whole time. Hope bought the new Heather Mauve lipstick for fall (works awesome with her new Mauve Face Palette) and Anne bought the lip gloss in Buff. Amy went home with gel liner in Mahogany Ink. All products are available on Bobbi Brown's website.

Click here to see a video of Bobbi discussing her new mauve collection.

Traveling with TripIt.com

On our trip to San Fran for BlogHer we tried out TripIt.com's free itinerary service to keep track of our flights and hotel. Here's what we learned:
•It was very handy to have the flights and hotel arrangements on one easy to print form. TripIt keeps track of all the confirmation numbers, so no need to search for them at every turn.
•One of the features we love is that it automatically tells you the weather in your destination city. Perhaps if we had taken it more seriously or better understood what 65 degrees feels like in the middle of July, we wouldn't have frozen our butts off in San Fran over the weekend. (The Italian woman who took our photo was surprised that we weren't cold given how lightly we were dressed. We assured her we were freezing!)
•It helps if everyone participate (Ahem, Hope!) and it helps to remember that you've actually done it. We did call each other to ask info about our flights and the hotel, only to remember it was easily accessible to all online.

Ojon Rub Out Dry Cleanser

We gave the Ojon Rub-Out Dry Cleanser a run this weekend and we were impressed how effective it was. This helped our blow out last that we had done before leaving for our trip and it was a hit with both members of JSG. Add this to our secrets for making a blowout last.



Here's how we used it: flip your head over and spray the Ojon towards your roots (it's totally cool and refreshing), then use your fingers to massage it into your scalp, next flip your head back and brush it through. Afterwards, your hair will have more body than before, no greasy shine, and will smell fresh too. You can find Ojon products at Sephora.

Botkier for Target is Here!

Back in March we told you that Botkier was doing a bargain-priced line for Target. Listen up ladies: It's in stores and online now.



Here are our two favorite pieces. Annie likes the gold hobo bag since it's roomie and she hasn't gotten over her metallic addiction.


Hope has moved on to her purple/pink/fuschia phase and also has a thing for tassels so this clutch is her top pick.

(Editor's note) After checking the bags out first hand, JSG Hope chose the gold tote: it's the perfect size for a lap top and mags on the airplane. This picture does not do it justice! It has great looking metal brackets, the handles are twisted and the color is better in person. Also, of all the designer makes for Target, the texture of the Botkier and the liner are by FAR the most appealing. Happy shopping friends!

BlogHer Girls' Weekend

We've arrived in Hope's favorite city, San Francisco, along with 1,000 other wacky women bloggers. We spent the afternoon in the Richmond, first eating tons of dim sum at Tom Kiang, then taking a strenuous stroll through the Presidio where we took a gratuitous shot with our pal ShallowGal in front of the Golden Gate. Love ourselves a landmark! More to come...

Better Photos of Kimora Lee Simmon's for J.C. Penney's

We were able to track down some better photos of Kimora Lee Simmons and her line for J.C. Penney's, Fabulosity.


Here's Kimora with that elusive hottie Djimon Hounsou and equally stunning Gabrielle Union.

Another piece from her Fabulousity line. We would like it save for the gold decal on the front.

And the band everyone adored.

Photos courtesy of Getty.

Kimora Lee Simmons for J.C. Penney's

Tuesday night we went to the showing of Kimora Lee Simmons line for J.C. Penney's at the Hiro Ballroom. The event was fun--the DJ was rocking, the bubbly was flowing, the crowd was friendly and cute (we especially loved meeting Drew from MyItThings). We hardly noticed that Kimora showed up an hour late-Ha! Pulling another page out of Marc Jacob's playbook, she started the show with the Brooklyn High Marching Band (we may be making that name up.). The clothes were sexy scholastic--not our thing, but it is a juniors line.

Our apologies, but our pictures are pretty bad. We need to figure out how to improve the speed of our camera and you had the shorter of the two JSG girls working for you Tuesday night, which made picture taking even more challenging.


Kimora Lee Simmons, Miss Fabulousity herself. When someone asked to see her diamond ring, she joked that she's hoping for another one. Are you listening Djimon Hounsou?


The band was high energy and totally adorable.


Here's one of the models we were able to get. We actually kinda like her dress.


Not so sure about this sparkly pink top.



The models lined up on the stairs and danced while waiting for the grande finale walk through.


Here's the woman who was in front of me. Now do you see why our pictures suck? =)
We were lucky enough to get a peek at Djimon Hounsou on our way out and are happy to report he's even dreamier in person. We tried to take a photo, but you can guess how that went...

Rooftop Lounge mad46 Opening

We've been looking for more rooftop bars and someone must have heard. The Roosevelt Hotel, on the corner of Madison Ave. and 46th St. is opening a new rooftop lounge, mad46. Perched on the 19th floor with views of Mid-town Manhattan, mad46 is catering to the happy hour crowd pre-Metro North ride. We're loving the sound of the Rooftop Mojito and the Poached Jumbo Shrimp with Absolut infused cocktail sauce. Come meet us for a cocktail!

A Peek Inside Hope's Carry On Bag

Last week Annie showed you what's inside her carry on, now it's Hope's turn. Tomorrow we're leaving for San Francisco (and though she hasn't started packing yet), here's what will be in Hope's carry on:

A trip to Sephora is always in order before a girls' trip. We picked up the Ojon Rub-Out Dry Cleanser in the handy 2 oz. travel size. Since our flight leaves at 7 a.m. (why do we do this to ourselves!) we won't have time to coif before leaving and by the time we land our hair will need some pick up. The TSA website says aerosols are permitted in limited quantities for personal care. We'll let you know if it doesn't get through security.The new Bobbi Brown Mauve Face Palette: thanks to Julia at All About the Pretty for the heads up on this one. We love a good makeup set especially for travel and the Mauve Face Palette has 3 great eye colors, a blush, and 3 lip shades. Sorry, but we're not waiting until fall to use it!

Something groovy, like John Legend, for the iPod to relax.

Easy reading: especially love to scour shopping mags like Lucky and In Style, and the latest Travel and Leisure (of course), plus a stack of catalogs are fun, even if they're heavy to carry on the plane they can be tossed before getting off.

A Blackberry (off line): to go through all those emails you've been meaning to read and respond to but haven't had the time. Also, use it to jot down ideas that otherwise end up lost on scraps of paper at the bottom of your purse.

Put it all in this eco-friendly Stella McCartney for LeSportsac Bowling Bag (at the top): love the retro orange and brown with gold hardware. It's 50% off at LeSportsac.com.