Mona Moore Boots

This is the time of year to find great deals on boots. Our sis-in-law, Jen, turned us onto Mona Moore, the super chic Montreal designer shoe boutique with a huge selection. The advantage to using their website is there's no sales tax and all of our picks were 50% off.

These dark grey suede Jil Sander boots would look good with everything from dresses to jeans:

Jen bought these Marni boots :

Still looking for booties? These Dries Van Noten would be great for day or night.

On Our Radar: The Standard New York

We have fond memories of The Standard in West Hollywood. A few weeks before our 10th high school reunion we took a trip to L.A. simply for the sole purpose of having a glamorous answer when our former classmates asked what we had been up to recently. ("Oh, I just got back from a trip to the West Coast.") We laid out by the pool, which has a killer view of the city, drank apple martinis at lunch and flirted with boys from San Diego. If you haven't been to The Standard, we promise you've seen it: It's where Carrie and the gang stayed when SATC traveled to L.A.

Fast forward to now: The Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District, along the Highline, opened quietly last month. NY Mag reviewed its architecture and another lucky writer, Sarah Bernard, got to spend the night there. Her report: The views are spectacular, the staff is not only gorgeous, but helpful, too. The downsides: there's no restaurant or room service just yet and the rooms lack full length mirrors.

What we're curious about is the lobby. At the WeHo branch, one could happily curl up on the plush sectional sofa, pretending to read a book and people watch for hours. We'll make the trek over to the Hudson just as soon as the weather warms up and report back.

MAC, Stila, Two Faced and the 80's Character

Nostalgia is all over the makeup counters this month. Answer this: were you a Hello Kitty collector (we had a stationary set) or a Barbie enthusiast (you know who you are…) or even a Smurfette lover (Anne's Halloween costume)? Some of our favorite brands have collaborated to bring you a makeup flashback.

MAC has the most extensive collection with Hello Kitty which is available in February.

Stila has four different Barbie Loves Stila Paint Cans from 1959 Ponytail Barbie to the 2000 Jewel Doll. Our favorite sets are the Malibu and Foxy Dolls available now at Sephora and Stila.com.

And Two Faced is offering a Smurfy Illumination Face Powder which brightens your skin (let's assume it doesn't turn you blue).


Which is your favorite?

What to Wear in Florida When It's Cold...

A few weeks ago, we tackled the question of what to wear when traveling from a cold weather destination to a warm with the help of Smashing Darling.

Unfortunately we're not quite so lucky to have that problem as we head down to Tampa for Super Bowl festivities this weekend. We're looking at a high in the 60s and a low in the 30s!!! Brrr...If it weren't for the thought of all those free cocktails and the hope of scoring a ticket to the game, we might even stay home.

With our San Francisco debacle fresh in our mind, when we had to wear every item of clothing we brought with us in order not to freeze in the middle of summer, we set out to pack for our Super Bowl weekend. Adding another wrinkle to our packing dilemma, JSG is along for the ride on this trip so don't totally know what we'll be doing, though we were told to dress casual. While we pride ourselves on the ability not to overpack, we also want to be ready for every situation. Here's what we've come up with so far for our three evenings out:



All the tops can be worn with jeans and can go from day to night -- the blue sparkly shirt, too. (Keep in mind, we are founding members of the "Sequins for Day" club.) As for the dress, while it's not exactly casual, we couldn't help ourselves. We hardly ever get to wear it and we expect the sexy dominatrix vibe will win over Steelers and Cardinal fans alike.

To stay warm, we're bringing our fave brown Generra leather jacket, scarves and gloves. As for our daytime wear, well, it's a good thing we don't leave til Friday a.m!

Leggings Making a Comeback?

Or, more specifically, stirrup pants. It is a little scary when you're old enough to remember the first time a trend was really big. That's exactly the case with JSG and stirrup pants, but it's not stopping us from embracing them this time around. Hope already bought a pair of Vince stirrup pants at Neiman's post-Christmas blowout sale and has been wearing them ever since. Now we see that Sak's is giving a free pair of Kova & T leggings with any Louboutin purchase. Is it wrong that we kinda want them? They would be just the thing to wear with our pink Miu Mius.

Sally Hershberger Facial Review

We’ve experienced just about every type of facial out there: diamond, oxygen and budget, to name a few. But all that knowledge still didn’t prepare us for the utter wackiness—and wow-worthy results—of the Sally Hersberger Face Place facial with Tom Woodhouse.

He started out by layering our skin with cotton soaked in a yucca solution to soften skin and cleanse pores. On top of that, went a sort of facial tepee—a cone with an opening, which produces a dry heat and amplifies the softening and cleansing affect of the yucca. We soaked in our own personal sweat lodge for 15-ish minutes. We felt relatively comfortable with it despite our slight case of claustrophobia. Tom tells us some of his clients like to read or send emails on their Blackberries. We opted to chat with our adorable manicurist Erica Marton.

After our face was thoroughly cleansed, Tom put a Hannibal Lecter-type mask over our face. In Tom’s words:

The mask works to penetrate a water soluble vitamin and mineral solution deeply into the skin. It stimulates the cells to increase collagen production helping to firm the skin. At the same time it tightens the pores, minimizes bacterial growth in the skin and decreases inflammation.

We experienced a slight metallic taste in out mouth, but other than that it was perfectly pleasant.

The results: Our face was immediately glowing and our monster pimple was in retreat. Best of all—our skin was healthy and breakout free for weeks, despite a grueling travel schedule.

Palm Springs - a Hot Destination?

JSG has been to Palm Springs a surprising amount for an east coast girl--around four or five times. But still, we were pretty shocked to see the desert city landed the cover of February's Condé Nast Traveller. See, most of our trips were actually work related--we don't think we would head to this sleepy town by choice.

As author Adam Platt (also the food critic for NYMag) states in the story, "Sunny Daze":

Palm Springs is a refuge, a place for ultra-public personalities to disappear for days, weeks, or even years at a time, to realign their senses and get their heads screwed on straight.

Maybe that's our problem--we're not screwed up enough to appreciate the town as a refuge. Even though Palm Springs has breathtaking scenery (one of our trips was for a photo shoot), a gorgeous Viceroy Hotel (above), sister property to the Santa Monica branch, and the visually intriguing Parker Hotel (below), built on a former Merv Griffin estate, it's just too slow for our tastes. There's not much in the way of nightlife, shopping (unless you drive to the Desert Hills Premium Outlets) or even cuisine (a point Mr. Platt glazes over in his piece. Curious omission for a full time restaurant critic. Let's blame it on his editor.)




Is it just us, or are we missing something?

Lululemon Apres-Ski Yoga

After a hard day of skiing, we could use some stretch and healing. Lululemon, our pick for the best yoga attire, is offering up free apres-ski yoga classes in their Park City and Whistler stores. Even though we tend to hit happy hour (and some hit the hot tub), our bods would be better off from an hour of yoga.

By the way, yoga pants make a great base layer: they breath, the move well while we're skiing, and they look great when we take off our ski pants. If it's particularly cold, we'll put silk underwear underneath but otherwise our yoga pants are plenty warm.

Who knew two such different sports could benefit each other so?

ghd Travel Hair Dryer

We took to the slopes for a last minute ski trip this weekend. It's snowing outside, we've got a great place to stay; but we're missing one thing: our favorite travel hair dryer. Cold weather and high altitudes are great for our frizzy hair. There's no reason to straighten because there's no humidity. We have some of our best hair days ever with so little effort, unfortunately we have to wear a hat most of the time.

We didn't pack our ghd dryer because we knew the condo where we're staying supplies their own. Unfortunately, it's one of the short curly-corded attached to the wall varieties. Standing within two feet of the wall seriously hinders any styling and its low wattage means twice the drying time. Since last month we been using the ghd as our everyday dryer. It's lightweight, easy to grip and dries our hair just as quickly as our old full size dryer. It's not cheap, but neither was my ghd ceramic iron that I've had for years and has served me very well. Next time, we won't forget to pack it.

Available at Sephora as an introductory set including shampoo, conditioner, styling cream and thermal protector and (our fave!) two big, strong, salon quality hair clips.

Happy travels!

Inside J. Crew's Creative Director's suitcase

The February issue of Travel & Leisure gives us a peek inside Jenna Lyons's suitcase. Jenna is the creative director of suddenly smoking hot J. Crew.

We love the flat J. Crew gold sandals Jenna says were inspired by her frequent trips to Turks and Caicos.

We must have this sunny raffia hat which Jenna says is made to pack, but it's not on the website yet.
Check out Travel & Leisure for her complete list.

White Dress - Our Picks

We've resisted the trend as long as we can. But now that everyone from elegant Michelle Obama (in Jason Wu)

to edgy Chloe Sevigny (in Marios Schwab)



to down-to-earth America Ferrara (in Oscar de la Renta)



to perpetually flawless Anne Hathaway at last night's SAG Awards (in Azzaro) are rocking white, champagne and cream dresses:




it's high time JSG got on board. We may even try one for our upcoming Super Bowl weekend in Tampa -- right after we spend some quality time with our favorite self tanner. (Celeb photos courtesy of InStyle.com)

A few of our picks:

Strapless Ella Moss on sale at ShopBop for $135



One-shouldered Shoshanna dress on sale at ShopBop for $170



Michelle Obama herself would surely approve of this $225 J. Crew style.



A day-to-night Velvet style available at Cusp for $174

Air Force One

Want to know how Obama rolls? Check out National Geographic's On Board Air Force One, premiering tonight at 8 (and in repeats several times this week). Among the nifty facts we learned about this seriously sexy plane:

• The three level plane has a dining room, office areas and six bathrooms.
• The executive suite has a dressing room and a shower.
• The seat belts, pillows, blankets, napkins and shaving kits feature the presidential seal.
• A surgeon flies on board and there's a pharmacy, X-ray and operating table.
• It costs $40,000 an hour to run.
  

We never want to fly commercial again!

Win a Trip to L.A.

We're always on the lookout for free stuff, especially free vacations. On that note, here's a contest we plan on entering: Seven Daughters Ultimate Girls' Getaway contest. (Seven Daughters is a totally affordable blended wine that we drink on Saturday afternoons when we catch up with our DVR watching for the week. It's also tasty enough to serve at your next dinner party with pride.) The prize of the contest is a totally swank trip to L.A. for your plus three friends, including spa trips and a night on the town.

To enter, go to 7Daughters.com. There is a bit of homework involved: You must write a short essay about why you and your pals deserve the trip. You will be judged, so make it good!

We used to judge the Romantic Husband contest for a major woman's magazine. Based on that experience, here's a few words of advice: Under NO circumstances write an acrostic poem. Be original and heartfelt. Stick to the word count. Good luck!

For a trip to L.A. to meet Rachel Zoe, check out Piperlime.

On Our Radar: Las Vegas for the Super Bowl

If we weren't headed to Tampa to watch the Cardinals take on the Steelers next weekend, Vegas would be our next choice. Vegas.com is featuring some sick deals for the nights on January 30-Feb. 2. Last time we checked (Wednesday night), Mandalay Bay was an average of $130 for the three nights, Bellagio was $199 as was the brand new Palazzo. As it is during any major sporting event weekend, Vegas is boy central!

When we're in Vegas, we spend a little time and money at the Forum Shops at Caesar's which tempts us with a Jimmy Choo boutique (sigh), Ted Baker, and Scoop NYC. We love to grab lunch at Mon Ami Gabi, Paris Las Vegas' outdoor cafe which is a local fave and the best place to people watch. Order the croque monsieur, delish! Take a nap after carbo loading, then swing by the Sephora Eye Studio at the Venetian and get a new set of lashes and have them create the sexiest smoky eye ever. Afterwards, you can stay up all night at clubs like Tao, Pure, Lavo, and Ghost Bar. Check out Samara's advise on maxing out your fun in Vegas.

Back to that part about heading to the Super Bowl--JSG is beyond excited (and extremely lucky) to have a friend who is going and offered up a free place to stay. While we don't have tickets to the big game (yet!), we do have entree to several A-list parties. Check back next weekend for updates!

Bobbi Brown Brights Palette

Available this month, Bobbi Brown's Brights Palette is a collection of 35 shadows from pink to green to purple. Bobbi says you should use them any time you want to add some fun to your look. We want to use them because the temp is reaching into the upper 50's tomorrow, which is practically tropical this time of year.

We've already been wearing a couple shades of the Creamy Lip Color designed to work well with the palette. Our lips dry out in the winter which makes the Shea Butter in the lipstick so satisfying. Our fave is the Rose Brown.

Free Shipping until tomorrow, 1/23/09, with the code BEST1.

Unusual Gifts - Valentine's Day

We're all for reduce, reuse, recycle, but these gifts take it a little too far for our tastes:

These elephant dung roses from Uncommon Goods (yes, we said elephant dung!) may look pretty and last a long time, but do you really want your sweetie handing you over a bouquet of elephant poop on Valentine's Day? We would prefer the standard box of chocolates.



Somewhat less disturbing is the line of salmon skin purses from One October available at Bleu Clothing. Salmon is right up there with hot dogs and eggs as one of our least favorite foods and we're not really warm to the idea of touching its skin, either. (We know. We know. Salmon is one of nature's miracle foods. It's still not going past our lips!) Jennifer Aniston is a fan, but then again, she is dating John Mayer.

Hula Hoop and Michelle Obama

Apparently Marissa Tomei isn't the only celeb who likes to hula hoop, so does our newly inducted first lady. That's Michelle and Sasha spinning at a Fourth of July picnic last year, courtesy of the Washington Post. Another person who is getting hoop fever: JSG's Annie.

She says:
I was sent a Hoopnotica travel hoop and videos to test. I first tried it on Friday. It took me a few attempts to get it going, and I was very spastic at first, but now I can walk a few steps and do a 360. It's definitely a lot of fun and I find myself grabbing and spinning whenever I have a few free minutes. Something about the spinning motion is very soothing and I can keep it going for close to five minutes. Hula hooping is for sure a great ab workout and with any luck I'll be bikini ready next weekend when I head to Florida. I imagine as I graduate to disc 2 with chest hooping and thigh hooping I'll get even more of a full body workout.

My one complaint--the hoop is Big! Approximately 42" in diameter, which means I have to clear out the furniture when I want to use it. I checked in with the company spokesperson who said:

The hoop is an adult sized meaning it's easier for a grown up to keep the momentum of hooping going with a weighted hoop. Using one that’s lighter or smaller, say from a toy store would not work. The hoop is collapsible so you can take it apart after use, but yeah it does require some room to experiment with some of the more advanced moves.

We're guessing Michelle won't have these problems in the White House!

Daily Candy and the W

We recently stayed at a W hotel--specifically the one on 49th & Lex in New York City. While it was work-related, it did reignite our love affair with Daily Candy and Bliss. The room had a free Daily Candy 2009 New York City Pocket Guide with witty, mini reviews of the city's best dining, drinking, shopping, services and more. We swiped this little goodie, which lists everything from old school favorites like Cafe Gitane and Bendel's to places we've never heard of like The Blue Seats and Poppy. Move over Zagat!




Our other suprise treat was the W's Bliss amenities. We had forgotten the W carries the line and the stay reminded us how much we love the Bliss Lemon-Sage Body Butter. It has a fresh, sweet scent that's not so strong it will interfere with our own perfume. And can someone please tell us why W's are the only hotels (that we know of at least) to include a face wash along with the usual shampoo, conditioner and body wash? It makes life much easier in these liquid-restrictive flying days!

Clinique Turnaround Radiance Peel - Review

This is the time of year when, despite all our best efforts, our skin starts to look pasty and gray and gets kind of flaky. In an effort to put a halt to all that nonsense, we tested the new Clinique Turnaround Radiance Peel. You apply one vial of the peel once a week before bedtime for 8 weeks. The glycolic-based peel is recommended for Type 3 and 4 (oilier skins). We're a Type 2, but our skin responds well to peels so we figured it was worth a shot.

To use: apply the peel to a cotton pad and sweep it all over your face and neck. Then follow with the Calming Cream, which is included in the kit.


We tried it last night and were very pleased with the results. We had no tingling at all from the peel. When we woke up this morning, our skin was super-smooth, noticeably brighter and absorbed our moisturizer quickly. The flakiness? Gone.

The 8-week kit costs $55--A serious bargain when you consider that's about half the price of one average facial!

Rebecca Taylor Spring '09

Rebecca Taylor is always one of our faves. We can never resist her flirty ruffles, soft lines and gorgeous colors. When you take into account the attention to details and cuts of her pieces, her clothes are well-priced, if not exactly a bargain. A few of our faves from the Spring '09 line, in stores the first week of February:



The retro, hippie vibe of this peasant dress captures our mood about the upcoming spring. Pair it with a pair of tan suede boots or wear it barefoot through a meadow.

Only Rebecca would take our favorite color from fall and gives it a lilac twist for spring.

This frock is classic without being boring. It's got everything we look for in a dress: You could wear it day or night and winter, spring, summer or fall.

Inauguration Information

Washington is a city known for transplants. It's rare to meet someone in the city or the burbs that grew up and still lives here; but this week is one for the records. There are so many people here from all over the country and the world. See the crowd from Sunday's Inaugural concert? The city is jammed with energy, celebrity and enthusiasm. While we pride ourselves in being well traveled and thoughtful, the Inauguration ceremony snuck up on us. That's why we were so relieved to find the Washington Post's Inauguration Survival Guide. Check here to find which Metro stops are open (most around the Mall are exit only in the a.m.), what time the ceremony starts (that would be 11:30), where the jumbo-trons are located on the Mall (because if you don't have a ticket tonight, you're not getting close enough to see the new President Obama), where the porto potties are stationed, when the parade starts (2:30) and much more. Print out a map like the one below with all the details, dress warmly, and take a deep breath. It's going to be an exciting day!

Pictures and Map Washingtonpost.com

MAC Chill Collection

It was a high of 20 today which is the perfect climate to use our new Penultimate Liner in Rapidblack from the MAC Chill Collection. It looks like a felt tip pen and goes on in one super smooth line. You can make the line thicker and more dramatic (check out the Nordic queen above) or draw a thin line just at the edge of your upper lashes to give you definition and refinement without being overly dramatic (which is how we've been using the pen in the daytime). The only drawback we'd mention is that if you rub your eye absently, it'll smear easily, so it doesn't have a strong hold. On the flip side, it's easy to remove. The Penultimate liner would be excellent for creating a cat eye; or pair it with a light gloss, like Tinted Lipglass in Naked Frost, for a look like the one above; or try about a red lip for a Breakfast at Tiffany's look.

DJ Ruckus

We're always on the lookout for some new eye candy--here's our latest, DJ Ruckus (above). He just happens to be cousin to our all time favorite sugar fix, Lenny Kravitz (below). But DJ Ruckus is more that just a pretty face, he's also a talented--and very busy--DJ. His MySpace page lists a full schedule: He's spinning parties at Sundance tonight, headed to an inaugural bash in D.C. tomorrow, opening Diane Von Furstenberg's new Miami store next week then head to NYC for Fashion Week. Here's hoping our paths cross soon!

Rachel Zoe + Free Shoes = Sign Us Up!

We're a little reluctant to tell you about this one, because it means more competition for us: Piperlime is sponsoring "Win a Day in Rachel Zoe's Shoes". The winner gets a trip for two to L.A.; three nights at the Hollywood Roosevelt--once again hip now that Teddy's has re-opened; $2,000 each to spend at Rachel's favorite hot spots, a $500 credit each to spend at Piperlime and a one-on-one with the uber-stylist herself.

Who cares if you think Rachel Zoe really is more influential than Anna or blame her for the current lackluster state of celeb fashion: It's a free trip to L.A. where the weather is 83 sunny degrees today! Just promise you'll take us if you win!



We're crushing on the above Via Spiga pump from Rachel's Piperlime Picks.

Goodbye Bush!

We couldn't stop laughing when we got this offer from Bliss-- 20% off waxing services from 1/19/2009 to 2/1/2009. Be honest, girls, you've neglected the hedges haven't you? Even if you're not headed to the beach anytime soon, you'll thank yourself (and so will your partner) for this tlc.

Visit Blissworld and print out a coupon to use at Bliss spas is NYC, Dallas, LA, Scottsdale, Chicago, San Francisco and Atlanta, or use the code "BUSH" to purchase at-home waxing products on line.

On another blissful note, we been using the newly named Peeling Groovy Facial Serum for a few days now (it used to be known as Sleeping Peel Serum). It has a mild alternative to AHA that gently exfoliates and brightens your complexion. We can attest it tingles when you put it on (not as strong as a burn) and causes our skin to flush slightly. We haven't had any flaking yet which is good news, our face is smooth and void of dry patches. Bliss also recommends you use it on your hands and ours are terrible dry in the winter. It almost instantly got rid of the snake skin on the backs of our hands.

We'll need to use it longer to see changes in our fine lines. If you've tried it, we'd love to hear your feedback.

Show Your Spirit

If you're not coming in town for the inauguration but want to shout out how excited you are about the new administration, check out these (not too) kitschy t's and totes available at Runway to Change.



We prefer the DVF tote over the Tory Burch; but both would be great for hauling groceries.


The Zac Posen ladies t gets points for being sexy and sheer.


If you're feeling sentimental how about Rachel Roy's t--what's not to love?

On Our Radar: Inaugural Weekend

Wine bars are creeping up all over D.C.; but our favorite is Proof (pictured above) in Penn Quarter. We were there recently with our girlfriends and spent the evening grazing over the extra large charcuterie platter and many glasses of wine. They get credit for offering daily $12 lunches that include a generous glass of wine for those of us that don't want to sacrifice quality while doing right by our wallet.

Proof is celebrating the inauguration with a trifecta of events. Their Inaugural Eve dinner show on Monday, 1/19 features a 4 course tasting menu and performance by the talented young jazz singer Melody Gardot (at left); their Inaugural brunch at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 1/20 includes unlimited champagne and you can watch the parade and ceremony (in warmth!) on 4 flats screens; lastly the Inaugural After-Party starts at 11:30 p.m., with Dom, Krug, Christal and caviar and a repeat performance by Gardot.

Looking for something worthwhile in the afternoon? Go to the National Gallery of Art to see the "Oceans, Rivers and Skies: Ansel Adams, Robert Adams, and Alfred Stieglitz"; or the American History Museum to see the renovated flag and the first ladies' dresses; or the brand new Newseum (above) to see the "First Dogs: American Presidents and the Their Pets." While you're there vote on which breed the Obamas should adopt. Our money is on a labradoodle, because, well, everyone's getting one these days.

When you're done taking this mini-museum tour, head around the corner to Wolfgang Puck's restaurant, The Source, where you can sit downstairs in the lounge and snack on Prime Beef Sliders and chicken satay (skip the cheese tray). Here we are with our forever friend Amy on our first visit to The Source.

Be sure to check the museum and restaurant websites before you go for times and closings (all are open through the weekend, some may close on the 20th, updates are daily).

Look Good in Photos Part 2

Among the many cool things we've been fortunate enough to be invited to since we started JSG was a night with Carson Kressley to learn how to look good in photos. Not only did we get to pick Carson's brain about posing, we got a one on one with photographer Steve Simon who has photographed world events including the '08 Democrat and Republican conventions to name just a few. Annie and About.com's Felissa were beyond humbled when they learned his impressive resumé. Here Steve's explaining to us the value of a interesting background. For the resulting photos, be sure to check out the video at the end of the post.



We put Caron and Steve's advice to practice on our recent annual girls' getaway. Here we are in '06 with a boring background.



And in '09 with an interesting back drop--a little makeup and going out clothes don't hurt, either:


We asked Carson how to look good in a group photo, since we often end up all in a line or sitting on a sofa (witness above). He confessed to being an old pro at this since he rose to fame as part of the fab five on Queer Eye. His advice--it you're on the end, do something cute, like rest your hands on your friend's shoulder. If you're in the middle, do something outrageous. Annie (in white above) tried to be slightly risque by grabbing Shawn's thigh, but obviously she has a long way to go before she catches up with a master like Carson.



Here's the video so you can hear the tips from Carson himself:

New Kids on the Block Cruise V John Mayer Cruise

As any true New Kids on the Block fan knows, tickets for their May 15-18 cruise went on sale Wednesday am. As we write this on Wednesday night, it's close to being sold out! Guess Donnie, Jordan, Joe and the gang are more popular than John Mayer. Because while both cruises are on a Carnival ship--John's Mayercraft leaving from L.A. and NKOTB from Miami--thre are still some tickets left for John's cruise and they went on sale at least a month ago and his cruise is at the end of March. Bon voyage!

Bargain Shoes

Last night we attended an event for Pantene where the fabulous Stacy London from What Not to Wear was the surprise guest. Though she was there to talk about her gorge hair, all JSG could focus on were her stunning YSL sky high pumps. (Stacy confirmed they were YSL, we're pretty sure they were the platform pumps below.)




Even though Stacy was wearing a pair of $795 shoes, she extolled the virtues of bargain shoes, which in Stacy's world means under $200. A few of her favorite brands that have us itching to break out the plastic again:

Jeffrey Campbell, an L.A.-based brand. These $179 boots have rock n' roll sex kitten written all over them.



Seychelles, which were a standard on shoots back in our editorial days, because they truly are stylish shoes at great prices. These flirty pumps are at Zappos for $94.


Oh Deer! is a brand we've never heard of before, but if the vixen-y pump below is any indication, we're about to become really big fans. They're on sale at Zappos for $138.67.



Last but not least, Pour La Victoire, which offers Marc Jacobs' knock offs (Don't buy those. We believe in copyright protection and intellectual property. Besides, they're hard to walk in.) and these colorful booties, available for $212 at Zappos.



As for Stacy's hair--she confirmed that her gray stripe is the result of a childhood illness and is real; she has been a fan of Pantene since she was a teen and she is planning on donating her hair for Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program. Only remaining question: Will Oprah cut Stacy's hair, a la Hillary Swank?

D.C. Spas for Inauguration

If you're one of the million supporters coming in town next week to see the Inauguration, you may need help finding a stylist. Laura Bush gets her hair done at Toka, but a new administration calls for somewhere modern and fresh.

Our pick is the Erwin Gomez Salon in Georgetown with its fun, young, rock and roll vibe. It's not the spa we'd recommend for a relaxing massage; but its energizing atmosphere would be perfect before hitting Monday's Latino Inaugural Gala featuring J. Lo, Marc Anthony and Paulina Rubio. Erwin does the best brows in town, ask for Carrey to do your makeup or apply a set of lashes. Word has it Erwin is in the running to do Michelle Obama's hair.

Freida Pinto at the Golden Globes

It's always refreshing to have a new face in Hollywood. Sunday night we were happy to see Freida Pinto, star of Slumdog Millionaire, looking luminous in her saffron Christian Lacroix gown. The Mumbai model turned actress was radiant in part to Jeffrey Paul's look from Jouer. We love the pinks and champagnes that dominate the Jouer line and Paul used them on Pinto to bring out her natural beauty.

If you want to learn more about Freida, she'll be on the Ellen DeGeneres Show tomorrow (Wednesday, January 14th).

Gossip Girl Jewelry

Unlike the vast majority of celebs at Sunday's Golden Globes, our favorite social, Serena, isn't afraid of a statement necklace. On last night's episode of Gossip Girl, she topped off her outfit with a gorgeous piece from Gemma Redux. The Liz necklace is from the spring line, but if you put an order in before next Monday, designer Rachel Dooley will make it for you now. Because every true fashionista wants to be first.

To order the $424 necklace, email: sales@gemmaredux.com with the subject line: Spring Preview Liz Necklace.

For those who prefer Blair's preppy style--that blouse she had on last night is from Milly. And it's still available--on sale--in black at Bloomies in a size 4. 

And--her favorite headbands from Pas Commes les Moutons (and everything else on the site) are 30 percent off at Owl's Lab with coupon code HC08 through Thursday, January 15. You know you love me. XOXO

Press On Eyeshadow

One of the many things we love about a girls' trip is having many willing beauty guinea pigs at our disposal. On our annual girls' night in D.C. this past Saturday, we were able to talk, not one, but two of our friends into trying the new Color On Eye Envy press on eye shadows, available at Sephora.

The kits contain 5 sets of pre-mixed shadows that you actually press on your eye, blending powder and a brush. We had the holiday set for a few months, but had never worked up the nerve to try it. Fortunately, with a little gentle persuasion, Heidi and Amy volunteered.

To get started, Annie sampled one of the truly unwearable ones on her arm so we could get a feel for how the press on shadows work.

First you peel off the plastic backing:



Then you press it on:



And Voila--blue eyeshadow and snowflakes!



Heidi went next using a green version, sans flakes on her lids:

Then it was Amy's turn with silver:



It looked much softer after Heidi blended it with lavender shadow:

Our testers' takes:
Amy said the shadow was really tacky and hard to work with to blend. We're guessing that's because it is a long-wearing formula, which really isn't supposed to move once it's in place.

Heidi says it would be good for mornings when you're in a rush--especially because you can put them in the car (only when you're parked, please!)

Our 2 cents: for $25 a pop, we'll stick with doing our own smoky eye. Unless, of course, we ever do come up with a reason to do a camo eye (our next hunting trip or Halloween come to mind).

Washington D.C. Bus versus the Train

In an effort to be recession-era chic, both members of JSG recently and separately tested out the Vamoose bus service from New York to Rosslyn, VA (across the bridge from Georgetown). While the price is right: $25 one way, compared to $72 for the cheapest Amtrak train, the experience left a lot to be desired.

Annie:
I got to the bus stop 15 minutes in advance of my 2 pm Friday reservation to find a line so long I asked if there were two buses for all of us. Negative. Not helping matters, it was 20-something degrees outside and windy. Note to self: Only take the bus in decent weather.



By the time I got on, the only seats were in the back. Fortunately, I did score a window seat, which is probably the only thing that saved me from having a full blown panic attack on the ride. The seats are close together and when you’re sitting in the back, you can’t see anything through the front window. Not good for the claustrophobics amongst us. On top of this, in these cramped quarters, you either have to store your bag above or put it on the floor, which is not the place I like most of my bags to touch. Fortunately, I had my patent LAMB bag, which is easy to clean. Even still, every time I wanted to get something, I had to inconvenience my seatmate. Between that and my work-related phone calls, she was shooting daggers at me.

Making matters worse, my cost savings over the train was reduced by $20 as I was originally booked on a non-refundable ticket on Bolt Bus, which apparently flls up fast and doesn’t offer refunds or let you reschedule tickets. (Bolt is the line our friends Julia All About The Pretty and Tamar Fashion Binge recommend for its free internet service, though Julia reports the seats are also pretty tight.) I paid $50 total between the two tickets instead of $70 for the train. I took Amtrak home.

Hope:
My experience was much more positive. I was headed to NYC over the holidays with my mother and two daughters. Our trip was last minute, so plane tickets were definitely out of the question and Amtrak rates weren't much better.

To NY was a breeze, my dad dropped us off in Rosslyn, we immediately climbed onto the bus and found great seats, which weren't claustrophobic at all. The bus filled up and we left within 20 minutes. We stopped once at a rest area and landed at Penn Station 4 1/2 hours later.

The ride home was a little more tedious. We had to wait in line for half an hour and there was traffic leaving the city. Fortunately, our driver made up serious time on the highway and again we were home in good time. We paid $175 for the four of us roundtrip (we earned one free ride from the four tickets we bought on the way North), a savings of about $400, which we duly used for tea at the American Girl store, lunch at the Plaza, and some cheap plastic stuff at the M&M store. The train is more comfortable and keeps you blissfully out of traffic; but the bus served us well on this trip.

Brad Pitt in W

Like all of you, we were pretty taken with this photo of Brad Pitt from the February issue of W taken by Chuck Close. It's pretty brave of anyone, much less an A-list celebrity, to let anyone photograph them that closely. It also gave us deja vu...


That photo is from Martin Schoeller's Close Up and was taken in 2004. Schoeller is a photographer for the New Yorker, a contemporary of Close's and his book of tight portraits includes Brad's paramour, Angelina Jolie, Barrack Obama, Sting, A-Rod and more. Besides the facial hair, Brad is significantly more wrinkley four years later. Perhaps it's all those late nights with the twins?

The Best Flip Flops

Earlier this week, we featured our dream shoes to go along with our dream vacation. Now here's a hot pair of shoes we can all afford: the Slim Peacock Havianas for $24. We already have more Havies than we can count in our closet, but our menagerie won't be complete without this pair from the '09 collection. We're also partial to the $22 floral Summer pair--imagine how adorable your pedi will look when it's set off by those flowers.

Hawaii, Beach Week Day 5

All that coverage of Barack Obama’s Hawaiian vacation was such a tease or maybe it was that cougar-porn movie Flirting With Forty we watched last time we were down with a cold—JSG wants to go there, too.

For the uninitiated, Hawaii is more than a clichéd destination for honeymooners: The island of Oahu would be our choice for a girls’ getaway. Not only is it home to the famed North Beach, which is teeming with hot surfer dudes, practically every restaurant serves a version of Poke, our very favorite food (the Hawaiian version of ceviche), which we would happily eat by the bucket load morning, noon and night, it also has excellent shopping, including the world class Ala Moana Center, which along with the state, turns 50 this year.

As if that weren't enough, Hawaii is a bit of a bargain these days. Two of Waikiki's best boutique hotels are offering winter specials: Aqua Bamboo's rooms start at $110 a night and Waikiki's Wyland hotel has rooms starting at $129 a night. Now if only we could find ourselves a hot surf instructor a la Robert Buckley....

Mykonos Island: Beach Week Day 4

When it's dreary and cold at home, what more could you ask for than the bright skies and blue waters of Greece? We watched Mamma Mia! (again) on Christmas Day and couldn't help wishing we could be there. We'd love to gather our group of besties for a trip, whether to Skopelos where the movie was filmed or a more popular spot.

Mykonos tempts us with gorgeous beaches, white marble architecture, delish Mediterranean food, and resorts like the Palladium Hotel (pictured above)-- a small 5-star boutique hotel with views of the sea. Sure we'll spend most of our days at the beach; but we'd also rent a boat to explore the hidden coves around the island, do some shopping on the main street in town, and even go on a hike to catch the best views and take some great pictures.

When you go out, start your night at the Piano Bar in the "Little Venice" section of Montparnasse. Get there early enough to grab a good table.

Happy travels!

Living Proof No Frizz

When we head to beach we're never without a frizz control product. We love the heat; but our hair hates the humidity. Lately, we've been using a new line by Living Proof; but hadn't dished about it because it wasn't widely available.

The mad (MIT) scientists behind Living Proof found a new way to stop frizz without using silicone. While we can't lecture about the smaller molecular structure they used, we can tell you how well it works. We tested both the wave defining curl controlling cream (hello sexy beach hair) and the straight making no frizz cream (for a sleek look). Our hair was frizz free under both looks and remained so for a couple of days. No Frizz has a pleasant smell, which isn't strong at all. Both the wave defining and curl controlling formulas are available three ways: spray for fine hair, cream for medium to thick (perfect for us) and the treatment for thick to coarse hair.

Starting tomorrow (or maybe Friday...) the No Frizz line will be available on the Living Proof website. Sign up to receive information directly from Living Proof. On January 17th, Living Proof will be featured on QVC and by mid-February it will be at Sephora (information on Sephora's site already). Priced at $24.

Tulum - Beach Week Day 3

If you haven't been to the Mexican Riviera yet, book your ticket today. The area is easy to get to, just book yourself on a flight to Cancun, then hop in a taxi and start heading south. It's only an hour or so away from spring break hell, but worlds apart in terms of attitude. (BTW Jet Blue flies to Cancun and is having a fare sale through Jan. 14. Roundtrips from NYC start at $298.)

Were we heading down to Mexico, our destination would be Casa De Miel, a new eco-chic resort that's swank enough for A-listers (Charlize Theron and her main squeeze Stuart Townsend reportedly celebrated New Year's Eve here.) The resort touts its "Rustic Luxury" which translates into fresh seafood dishes and mango margaritas, candles in every room since the electricity cuts out at 11 pm and beachside cabanas that are cooled by ocean breezes (read: No a.c.).

Casa de Miel offers cleanses, which seem to be all the rage this week after New Year's. Included in the 6-night cleanse program is a 2-day fruit and vegetable fast, followed by four days of healthy meals that also include fish and chicken, daily yoga and meditation and 2 massages. If we were going to do a cleanse this would be the place we would do it. It's gotta be easier to eat healthfully while away from the demands of your real life.

Free workout for your iPod

Was it your resolution to finally lose those last 5 pounds this year? Ours too (especially if we do take the dream beach vacation). But as we all know, finding time to go to the gym can be hard (just ask Oprah) and personal trainers are expensive (not sure what Oprah's excuse is on that one).

PumpOne offers a workable solution: Workouts you download to your iPod, laptop, Blackberry or cell phone. The portable personal trainer guides you through a full workout, demonstrating proper form. You can chose from a range of exercises from traditional strength training to summer body (hello!) to Pilates and yoga.

JSG sampled the Pump Away-hotel room workout, which features exercises like step ups and dead lifts that you can do anywhere. It was a far better workout than we would ever do on our own and left us feeling toned. We love that the vid suggests using a suitcase as a substitute for free weights. No wonder PumpOne is the exclusive fitness partner for Aloft Hotels, the more affordable, sister hotel to the Ws.

We enjoyed our workout so much, in fact, that we're happy to offer Pump Away hotel room workout for F-R-E-E to all of you--a $19 value. Simply enter JetSetPump at checkout. Enjoy!

Costa Rica - Beach Week -Day 2

Costa Rica is one of those places we've always dream about going to but haven't been able to cross it off our list quite yet. Guest blogger Danae Danta recently vacationed there with her two besties from college Laurie and Tracy. (Shown above, Laurie, Tracy and Danae) Danae gives us the scoop on everything we need to know about traveling to Costa Rica.

Why did you pick Costa Rica for your trip?

My girlfriend Laurie went to Costa Rica 10 years ago and raved about it ever since. When it was time to choose a destination for our girls' getaway, we wanted to go somewhere tropical (and affordable) where we could experience both adventure and relaxation. Costa Rica fit all our criteria.

How did you plan your trip to Costa Rica? Did you stay in the same area the entire trip?

Luckily, Laurie had a lot of time on her hands so she was able to do research online and read trip reviews to plan our trip. She organized a great itinerary where we got to explore several parts of the country (with a personal driver taking us to each location). We flew into San Jose, then went to Arenal/La Fortuna , Monteverde, Tamarindo and finally Montezuma.

How did you pick your hotel? Was it word of mouth? Internet research? A travel agent?

We have several friends who had been to Costa Rica so we asked for recommendations, as well as researching reviews online. We also enlisted the help of a great FREE service called Anywhere Costa Rica. This was an amazing resource for organizing our transportation and activities, in addition to giving hotel advice.

Would you recommend the hotel to fellow travelers? Why or why not?
We visited several hotels during our trip and all were unique in their own way! While in Arenal we stayed at Los Lagos Resort & Spa. Located at the base of Arenal Volcano, we had breathtaking views of both the countryside and the volcano from our spacious, clean room. There were hot springs, pools and waterslides; not to mention an amazing buffet breakfast which was included.

In Monteverde we stayed at the Tree House Hotel. We actually ended up here because of a reservation mix-up, so it wasn’t what we expected. Let’s just say the room was so creepy that only one of us was willing to brave taking a shower; the other two decided not to risk catching an illness! On the bright side, the included breakfast made up for our sleepless night. The food was fresh and flavorful, and our pleasant waiter even made animal faces in our cappuccino foam.

Our hotel in Tamarindo, Tamarindo Diria, was by far the most touristy (and luxurious) of all the places we stayed. It was a beautiful resort right on the beach, that again boasted an amazing buffet breakfast & helpful staff.

Our last hotel in Montezuma was the Ylang Ylang Beach Resort , a hidden paradise only accessible by a 20 minute walk or 10 minute drive on the beach (literally). Surrounded by lush greenery, monkeys and birds, we felt totally secluded and completely relaxed in our seaside bungalow. Both breakfast and dinner were included - and these were 4-star meals we’d pay a fortune for in NYC! On top of everything, the hotel staff was incredibly accommodating and went above and beyond to make our trip special.

What activities did you do in Costa Rica?



While in Arenal we hiked to La Fortuna Waterfall (picture attached). As the only people swimming in the lagoon of this powerful, natural wonder, it was an experience that literally made our hearts jump out of our chests. In downtown La Fortuna the spa treatments were plentiful, so we indulged in a one - hour massage with a mud mask facial for only $30 US dollars. Possibly the best part of our stay in Arenal was the white water rafting. A half-day excursion, our rafting adventure included a break for fresh fruit and a hearty lunch. Our instructors were very friendly and eager to teach us about their country.



In Montverde we zip lined through the rainforest and even tried the “Tarzan Swing”. This was essentially a large bungee cord tied to a tree high above the rainforest canopy - it was both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. In Monteverde we also went on a 3.5 hour horseback riding tour with Sabinas Smiling Horses. A rugged trek through the beautiful countryside, this tour was physically and mentally challenging for even the brave at heart, but it was definitely worth it.

In the beach town of Tamarindo we all surfed for our first time (a 2 hour lesson from local surfers was $25). As a reward for actually getting up on our boards, we enjoyed frozen cocktails while taking in a breathtaking Pacific sunset.

Finally in the tiny, hippie, surfer town of Montezuma, we ended our trip with more low-key activities. We enjoyed morning yoga overlooking the beach and some self- guided hiking where we stumbled upon everything from an impressive waterfall to monkeys throwing branches at us from the trees above…it was perfect.

What was the nightlife like in Costa Rica? Did you meet cute boys?

We didn’t go out very much at night, with the exception of the beach towns. In Tamarindo, we went to a bar recommended by locals where we were shocked to witness some real Dancing with Stars moves on the dance floor. In Montezuma, we mingled with the locals at the main bar on the beach. And everyone we met treated us like their best friend, even the cute boys….

What are some must-pack items (clothing and toiletries)?

Sunscreen, bug spray - because you WILL get attacked - and motion sickness pills for the long, bumpy car rides. Also, a small calculator for figuring out the exchange rate (we didn’t have this, but it would have been nice). Definitely bring sneakers for hiking and a light jacket because it can get cool in the rainforest and at night.



Parting thoughts?

Every moment of our trip in Costa Rica was an adventure. We still can’t decide what we liked best because everything so wonderful. From the welcoming locals, picturesque scenery, exhilarating activities to the fresh cuisine- Costa Rica was the trip of a lifetime.

Marissa Tomei in The Wrestler

JSG saw The Wrestler over the weekend. Two things surprised us about the movie: Mickey Rourke really can act and Marissa Tomei still has a slamming bod, especially for a 44 year old. She plays a stripper in the movie so you get to see a lot of Marissa. We hear that Marissa likes to hula hoop and is a fan of the Hoopnotica videos. We're willing to give it a shot, if it means looking like her when we get to that age. Now, if only someone could tell us how her boobs stayed so perky...

Read about our other favorite hula hooper.

Jimmy Choo and Dior Sandals

As long as we're dreaming, here's a shoe we'd take to the Cayman Islands:

The Jimmy Choo Thong Sandal with its diamond cut-outs could be the gladiator's successor and would look great with all our flowy dresses and short-shorts.

Of course, nothing looks better than coral against tan legs, especially the Dior Klimt T-Strap Sandal. A girl needs more than one pair of shoes at the beach, no?

Beach Vacations - Cayman Islands

This is the time of year when Wanderlust settles in: the holidays are over, the dark, cold days of winter are starting to get to us and spring is still far too many days away. But we’re feeling the pinch of holiday bills and the recession, so a 5-star vacation isn’t exactly in the cards at the moment. Indulge with us in some vacation porn as we embark on “Beach Week". We’ll bring you a fantasy destination everyday this week.

If money wasn’t an issue, we would head on down to the Cayman Islands for the Cayman Cookout January 16-19. Held at the Ritz Carlton on Grand Cayman, the event is hosted by hottie chef and fish man extraordinaire Eric Ripert (shown below). Eric is the owner/chef at Manhattan's Le Bernadin and also runs the restaurant at the Ritz in Grand Cayman. If we were going to the cookout, we would definitely attend Laurent Tourondel's cooking demonstration (he of the Steak BLT, Fish BLT, etc. fame) and the Champagne tasting. But we would spend most of our time soaking up rays and sipping banana daquiris on the beach.

New Year's Resolutions 2009

Oh, yes! It's time to set our resolutions and sharing them with you makes us that much more committed to keeping them.

1. For the JSG blog: to do more and better videos.
2. No more typos!
3. To go to one major event that we haven't been to before (Sundance, Super Bowl, Miami's Winter Music Concert or SXSW in Austin).
4. Figure out how to get our nail polish to stay on for more than 2 days when we paint them ourselves. (This may involve purchasing a pair of rubber gloves for the sink. Not sexy!)
5. Find the perfect pair of nude heels.
6. Pay off the credit cards.
7. Get on a healthy sleep schedule (this will help with losing the pounds we gained over the holidays and lighten up our dark circles).
8. Organize our desktop.
9. Go to more places with the letter "L" in them.

On Our Radar: New York Hotels Offer Third Night for Free

Listen up fashionistas: New York Fashion Week is around the corner (February 13-20). Have you booked your hotel yet? Now's the time: Nine hotels, including The London, The Loews Regency, the New York Palace and the Plaza are offering a third night free when you book for two nights. The offer runs from January 9 to February 27 so if fashion week isn't your thing, you can still take advantage of it for those MLK Day sales, to possibly see the Giants repeat their phenomenal win in the Super Bowl (the next best thing to being in Tampa is watching it at any bar in NYC), Valentine's Day with your main squeeze or -- our favorite -- no reason at all.

Our pick is The London (shown above). Not only do the rooms suites start at $259 for a weekend (averaging out to $172 for the three nights), scenes from the Sex and the City movie were filmed here, it's within walking distance to the tents, Bergdorf's and Central Park and it has a rocking breakfast buffet with all the raspberries and salmon you can eat (not included in the room rate).

Foodies will want to take advantage of the hotel special during the super-sized restaurant week: January 18-23 and January 25-30. More than 250 restaurants are participating this year, offering 3 course lunches for $24.07 and dinners for $35. This is the first year the prix fixe menus are being offered on Sundays. Restaurant week starts taking reservations on Monday, January 5. Take our word on this: Book EARLY!

Free hotel rooms, discounted meals, New York is practically a bargain!

New Year's Resolutions

Oh yes--it's that time of year. Before we set our new ones, let's take a look to see how JSG did following last year's:

Never be hungover again! Not to mention no more flying drunk or shopping drunk: Big fat F! That was a lofty one to start with.

Eat more orange food: Does the OJ we're having with our breakfast count?

Visit more cities that have an A in them: Vail, Los Angeles, San Diego, Miami, Austin...we set ourselves up with an easy one.

Always take the stairs: Pretty good, believe it or not. Though it helps that we live on the second floor.

Wear metallic whenever possible: Annie is still championing the sequins for daytime movement as morning after chic.

Worry a little less if our outfit matches (a la Sienna, NOT Britney): We're still working on losing our fashion inhibitions.

Meet more bloggers: Rocked this one out! From Yuli and Drew at MyItThings to the Smashing Darlings to Johnny Jet all our friends at TotalBeauty, this is one resolution we were more than happy to keep.

Bring back better souvenirs for our friends and families. See ya, magnets! We did get our boyfriend jewelry. Does that count?

Learn to be a better flirt: Lord. We're as hopeless as ever!

Make some new playlists so we're not forever listening to the same songs on our iPod: Slacking on this one, too, and it's even an easy one.

Experiment with makeup more. We'll look to our friends at Makeupbag.net and All About the Pretty for advice: From mastering the smoky eye, learning how to do a cat eye to experimenting with gray nail polish, we nailed this one.

Delete e-mails after we read 'em. No more in-boxes that top 718 for us! We're at 184 as of today!

Use fewer napkins. We've been good about turning down plastic bags now for years, but still take a handful of napkins whenever we go to Starbucks or Pinkberry. Must save those trees! Doing ok on the napkins. Our new eco-enemy is plastic utensils with takeout or delivery. We always try to remember to say we don't need them and emailed Mayor Bloomberg to suggest he make it a law that restaurants have to ask before just dumping them in the bag.

Happy New Year!

We know we said it yesterday, but maybe if we say it again, it will actually stick!

A few of our fave images from midnight around the world:

Sydney, Australia


Athens, Greece:



and London, England: