A New York City Health and Beauty Blog

Little Valentine’s Day Luxuries at Daffy’s

Shopping at Daffy's

I was tasked with finding a few Valentine’s Day goodies and perhaps a little something for myself with a $50 budget. I had about 20 minutes shopping time (I ran in during my lunch break) at Daffy’s with a mission and a gift card in hand. I knew with a little savvy shopping I could probably pick up at least 3 items valued at under $50. Since Valentine’s Day is less than two weeks away, what a perfect opportunity to get a few things for a romantic evening.

Since I did not have much time to shop I went straight for the candles, because what romantic evening doesn’t include candles? I love scented candles because they add to the evening ambiance by making the room smell delicious. I picked out a set of four pink square votive candles from Chesapeake Bay. They were beautifully scented and pink (my favorite color), perfect.

Now on to something sexy. I’m a big fan or red because it’s sexy and symbolizes passion, plus is synonymous with Valentines Day. So when I saw a pair of red satin thongs I quickly grabbed them. Besides what woman couldn’t use an extra pair of thongs?

Now on to something practical, foundation garments. I saw that Daffy’s was having a clearance sale on brassieres so I wandered over to the sale section to check it out. I quickly found a black Wacoal bra with white lace embellishment, it was marked down from $52 to $13.32. Score. I was pleasantly surprised to find a bra in my size, especially one that I liked so I tossed it over my arm and headed to the cash register.

My grand total including tax was $24.32, now that’s a bargain. Now I have a few items to get my romantic evening started and I didn’t even spend half of my budget. I’ll be heading back to Daffy’s to pick up a few more candles. They were so irresistable that I couldn’t wait until Valentine’s Day. Have you found any little luxuries at Daffy’s?

 

Disclosure: The products featured in this review were provided for editorial consideration. Receipt of this product did not guarantee review and all opinions are my own. For further information, please see my disclosure policy.

Concrete Runway: NYC

NYC is one of the fashion capitals of the world and known to house some of the best runway shows in the world. Many people are not aware that in the streets of New York is where you see what New York fashion is all about.  I will give you a rundown of the best place to see and shop for fashion in NYC. Today I will talk about the stellar shopping in Union Square and the fashion forward  look in Harlem, NYC. Welcome to a sneak peek at NYC Concrete Runway!

Union Square


Manhattan is full of great places to see some fabulous fashion. Though I love Fashion week, I can see some serious style at several places in Manhattan. One of my favorite places to check out some style is Union Square. Union square is full of fashion and style. From the Uptown diva to the downtown diva, Union Square is one of my favorite picks to see some serious style. Fashion around Union Square is a snap shot of the style of NYC. Union Square is the best place to find a kaleidoscope of style and fashion. The best place to see fashion is at Greenmarket farmers in market Union Square. Some of the best fashions can be seen there.  Who knew that buying veggies could be so stylish.

There are also some great stores in the Union Square area you that need to be seen in order to embrace the style of NYC. One of my favorite fashion havens is Nordstrom Rack in Union Square! This is the best place to brand names on a knockoff budget. Everyone is having money issue with this recession so this is great for all my L&L divas and divos. So if you love great clothes and designer labels but you more is a bit short, than Nordstrom Rack in Union Square is it. Yeah Nordstrom Rack!

I love Vintage shops and Union square is filled with great vintage shops! If your look is vintage than high fashion than go to the fabulous Shareen Vintage in NYC. This shop is full of fashion goodies. You can find fashion gold in the racks of Shareen Vintage. They hold some of the best designer names and classic apparel than any huge department store. When you buy vintage, you buy a piece of fashion history. There are tons of vintage shops all over Union Square, make sure you explore Union Square for all it fashion treats.

Harlem


From the runway to the Boulevard, Harlem NYC has been an inspiration to many fashion designers and stylist. Many designers in the industry use the style and essence of Harlem as a muse to their collection. There are tons of places to go in Harlem to find fashion gold but nothing compares to 125th street! 125th is home to the legendary Apollo and some of the best fashions the city. From urban to chic, Harlem has it all. Just take the A train up town, get off at 125th street and look at all the different styles, looks, and up and coming trends that Harlem has to offer. Many do not realize that Harlem is the place where many fashion trends start.

There are tons of stores that are a must when visiting Harlem. First make sure you stop by House of Hoops by Foot Lockers. This store has the most exclusive sneakers on the market. If you are a sneaker head than this is you one and only stop you will want to make.if you are a lover of urban inspired fashion than definitely check out Atmos NYC, Dj Jays, and Jimmy Jazz. These stores have a great selection of apparel.

For all my cosmetic diva out there make sure you stop by two stores on 125th street, M·A·C cosmetics and Carol’s Daughter. Both of these stores has everything you need to get your makeup tight and you hair and skin look right. There are also many great mainstream and boutique on 125th, which makes shopping a breeze. I would suggest visiting all shops along 125th. There are some huge labels that call Harlem home like American Apparel and H&M. While the shopping at all the stores in Harlem is great, some the best items you can find are on the tables of the dozens of street vendors that lines 125th. I found some chic and reasonable accessories street side. You can get just about anything from the street vendors, from hoop earring to great novels. Harlem is a shoppers dream.

Well my L&L readers, this is the conclusion of the Concrete Runway: NYC  – Union Square and Harlem edition. Later on this week I will give you a look at the infamous Madison Ave in NYC and Soho!

Photo Courtesy

Review: THEFACESHOP Collagen Mask Sheets

TheFaceShop Collagen Mask

Manufacturer ‘s Description: What is Collagen? An essential factor in the strength and elasticity of skin, collagen constitutes over 90% of deeper dermal layers and is responsible for keeping skin firm and hydrated resulting in smoother facial contours.

The concentrations of Collagen in this gentle mask sheet are effectively absorbed into skin to leave it firm and hydrated.

THEFACESHOP mask is an individually packaged and single use cotton soaked mask that form fits to your face. When I opened the package the mask was  dripping wet (almost too wet). I applied the mask to my face and I had hoped that during the 15 minute waiting period that it dry out a bit but it didn’t. The liquid from the mask ran down my face so I had to put a towel around my neck to prevent the drip from falling onto my clothes.

After the waiting period I removed the mask and gently dabbed my face dry as directed. My skin was soft but slightly filmy, almost like it needed to be washed again.

Overall there was no significant result that I can mention and the treatment was a bit messy so I won’t use it again. The mask was gentle enough for my sensitive skin so there was no issue with irritation but the results were less than stellar. The mask may be beneficial for those that have extremely dry skin but for me there was little improvement.

NYX Celebrates Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As you know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and NYX cosmetics is giving back in a beautiful way. NYX is offering a discount on their makeup and they will also donate 10% of all sales tot he Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

I lost my aunt to breast cancer and 3 of my aunts have been diagnosed with breast cancer so this is a cause that really hits home for me. I encourage everyone to purchase NYX cosmetics during the month of October to give to a cause that helps so many women around the world.

NYX Breast Cancer Awareness Month Discount