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After filming a video segment about engagement rings for the Fox News iMag, I was asked to follow it up with an article on finding the perfect ring for your style (or your girlfriend's!). Well, I'm so excited that it's up on FoxNews.com today...please click here to read the article, and watch the slideshow by clicking on the arrows above the ring photos...
Enjoy!
~ Alison
I have a big thing for big rings. The bigger the better. Door-knocker-sized prefered, and worn on your index finger is best. So I'm always looking for the next fun shape to rock on my right hand. And this week, I'm loving a domed, pave-d cocktail ring...yellow gold is my preference, but I've found some stunners in silver as well. And it doesn't have to be real...costume jewelry is a perfect way to try out new trends, silhouettes, and shapes without any real financial commitment!
This shape is a little retro, super glam, and adds just the right amount of sparkle or color (or both!) to any look. And (drumroll, please...) I've found three gorgeous ones, all for UNDER $50! Summer is the season to make great little purchases that have transformative powers...a shiny new ring, especially a big one, can change your day...and at these prices, you can lose them in the sand at the beach and never shed a tear. Of course, they're so cute, I have a feeling you would anyway...
I found these two at Overstock.com (just do a search for "cocktail ring" and you'll be amazed at the hundreds of options that come back!)...
And this lovely one is from Banana Republic, my very favorite hidden spot for fabulous, on-trend costume jewels (and turquoise is the BEST color in summer!)...
~ Alison
Recently I had the pleasure of trying out Sircuit(R) Skin's Suggah(TM) Anti-Aging Lip Treatment. A total lip indulgence, Suggah claims to 1.) increase the appearance of fullness in your lips, 2.) visibly reduce the appearance of fine lines around the lips, and 3.) instantly smooth and soften your lips. While I'm fortunate enough to not have any fine lines around my lips yet, I can certainly vouch for the fullness and softening!
Instantly upon application, my lips looked fantastic (if I do say so myself). They were plump and full, but still natural looking-- no duck lips here! And the treatment leaves a soft, dewy sheen to my lips that leaves me wanting to forgo my beloved lipgloss day after day. I already have a list of people that I know will live by this product. The geniuses at Sircuit(R) Skin instruct you to only use this twice a day (a.m. and p.m.), and state that this is not to be used as a lip balm. But with the results you'll get and the lovely scent (frosting-like, although not as sugary), you'll be tempted to ignore them!
- Cindy
It's official--this is the summer that I once again embrace shorts! This may not sound like a big deal, but for me it is. I mean, come on, it's opening up an entirely new clothing category for me to tap into! For the first time in years, I'm able to consider the idea of short shorts with heels without the uber-cheesy "we wear short shorts" song going through my head (yes, I'm psyched that nair has decided to create a contemporary version of the classic commercial from the '80s). I'm totally over that scarring mental image.
Let me tell you, nothing makes your legs look as fabulously long as a pair of itty bitty shorts paired with a sky-high heel does. I particularly love super-tailored shorts that look crisp and polished, like Alice + Olivia's Cuff Short. And your eyes do not deceive, they are indeed metallic and they are hot! Alison and I love pieces that can get a lot of mileage, and these are shorts that can easily go from brunch to cocktails. Now those little puffy balloon shorts that managed to make it down the runways last Fall are another story...*shudder*.
- Cindy
I'm not usually a ga-ga-over-Gucci girl, and I know they certainly don't need any extra press coverage. However, I had (had, had, had!) to post these new sunglasses from the bigger-than-life design house.
I am very picky about sunglasses...gold ones always seem too shiny and bright (read: cheap) to me, and sometimes the whole oversized thing is, well, too oversized (and therefore just plain silly). But these are both gold and oversized...and also somehow really beautiful, feminine, and boho-chic without being at all costume-y. They are available at Gucci stores and online at gucci.com (and at $325, they are certainly not inexpensive, but they are less than I thought they'd be!).
~ Alison
Dresses are what I wear in summer. By July in NYC, it's usually just too hot for jeans. And for some reason, I've never been a huge skirt girl. So I am permanently on the prowl for affordable but well-crafted dresses that I can wear out to lunch in the city as well as out on the town at night at my beach house (obviously, there is a huge discrepancy in formality between the two!). And this one, from MM Couture (and available on Intermixonline.com), totally fits the bill! It comes in two sophisticated color palettes and I totally want both. And with a $150 pricetag, it looks way more expensive then it really is (always a nice bonus!).
With my required strapless silhouette and a super-short-but-not-nearly-obscene length, the dress has a teeny-tiny print that isn't overwhelming for my small frame, and either color can be dressed up with gold platform stilettos and serious jewelry, or dressed down with metallic flats and some wood bangles. You could even wear this straight through fall over leggings and topped with a furry little shrug.
Really, it's okay to get both...isn't it?!
~ Alison
Calypso was always one of those stores I loved browsing in, but rarely bought from. The brand is so aspirational and represents a lifestyle so far removed from my reality, I always felt a bit like I was playing dress-up whenever I tried on anything. But something changed for me the last time I went into the boutique in my neighborhood (even since Alison's winter write-up on the
Tribeca store). I don't know if it was the particular summer collections in the store, my own personal style evolution, or a little of both, but I found myself obsessing over at least 10 things in the boutique that could easily serve as staples in my summer wardrobe.
One of my favorites is Calypso's Halter Neck Dress. An amazing dress for summer! It is 100% cotton, has beautiful hand-embroidered details at the neck, and a flattering ruched bodice. I honestly couldn't decide if I liked the dress better in navy or stone, they're both so fun and pretty! Hmmmm...maybe get both and wear the navy one until I'm a little less pale? Regardless, I'm so happy that I decided to pop in the boutique last week (my husband's maybe not quite as happy). It just goes to show that you should always keep an open mind when it comes to your personal style. If I had written off Calypso as a store I'd never ever buy anything in, I wouldn't have recently discovered so many gorgeous dresses and tops that I absolutely love. Never say never!
- Cindy
I like a little bohemian chic flavor now and then, but tend to draw the line with anything pronouncedly hippie. The fringed vests, the rainbow tie-dyes, the clothing and accessories made of hemp--it's just not my thing. So I was a little scared when I saw the return of true hippie trends. Fringe is everywhere, you can get anything in a dip-dye, and "gypsy" prints abound. Despite all of the headwear worn around the forehead (I'm sorry, it just looks
silly and costume-y to me), I've determined that my trepidation was unwarranted. Like many repeat-trend predecessors, the hippie trends came back but in more sophisticated and contemporary translations.
One hippie-influenced accessory that I've seen around is the scarf necklace. At first I didn't quite get it, but at the same time I found it totally compelling. I was riding that fine line of "I either love it or hate it". But the more I saw it, the more I loved it. It's not your archetypal necklace (and it certainly doesn't function as your standard scarf), but it's just darn cool. I found a great one online at shopbop.com, Victorian Hippie's Scarf Necklace, made of silver ball chains and leather strands in different lengths. Like a scarf, you can wear it hanging down loosely, or wrapped around the neck. Like a necklace it's capable of making anything you're wearing look that much better. So go ahead, embrace your inner hippie.
- Cindy
