the good type of busy.

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To me, there are two types of being busy. There’s the bad - I’m-going-to-pull-my-hair-out - kind, and the good – why can’t every week be like this? - kind.

Thankfully, so far this week has been the latter.

Yesterday Jessi and I got a very special treat of a complimentary facial at Caudalie Spa thanks to Beauty Booked. It was a particularly welcome break in the day, to say the least.

Caudalie is hands down the most relaxing spa I’ve been to in the city. The moment you walk in the door it’s like you’ve entered an oasis, and the staff is extremely kind and helpful. They also have a lounge area with snacks and tea, where we spent some extra time to relax after our facials.

The facial itself was also great. Sometimes facials can be a less-than-comfortable treatment, but this one left me feeling so refreshed…and slightly out of it.

Later in the evening we met up with our friend Tim for the Movember launch event. FreelyBe is hosting a Movember wrap-up party later in November, so it was exciting to be able to attend the official launch.

The event was complete with shaving stations, plenty of au d’oeuvres, a a caricature station, and photo booth.

Afterward we headed downtown to the Many Hopes Breaking Ground launch event, for what ended up being a great night.

Side note – if you’re in NYC you should join us at FreakyBe tomorrow, also benefitting Many Hopes!

With work all day and an event almost every night, I don’t know if I could handle every week being like this. But I most definitely won’t complain! And hey, at least I’m still finding time (1am) to squeeze in blogging (from bed) and eat a nutritious (frozen meal) dinner…

Do you prefer busy days/weeks or the more low-key ones?

freelybeautiful, presented by paul mitchell and glamour magazine.

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Last night we celebrated about 25 women that were nominated by others to enjoy an evening of pampering by Paul Mitchell and Glamour magazine. These women were chosen for using their passions and talents to improve the lives of others, and they sure as heck deserved it. Learn more about them here!

We gathered at Raika Studio Salon in Midtown where each of the women enjoyed a one-on-one consultation and styling with a Paul Mitchell stylist as well as catering, cocktails, and gift bags from Glamour.

What an amazing event! It was so great to spend time with and meet some of the incredible women of New York. And I must say, we all left with some pretty rockin’ hair as well 😉

After the salon event we all headed to The Ainsworth for a fun night out to celebrate with a handful more of our closest friends.

Who is a woman in your life that deserves to be celebrated?
What would be your favorite way to enjoy a girls’ night out?

beauty booked.

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On Wednesday Jessi and I attended the launch event for Beauty Booked – a new website that allows you to search for and instantly book beauty appointments.

Jessi was invited through her blog As Good As Its Guests and I tagged along (we’re kind of a two-for-one blogger deal, clearly). The launch was at Caudalie Spa in the city’s landmark Plaza Hotel. It was an intimate event of about 50 guests, where we mingled, snacked, and watched a brief video introducing Beauty Booked.

In addition to learning more about Beauty Booked, guests were pampered with mini eye treatments, oxygen infusion treatments, and hand & foot massages.

…We went the massage route.

So, what’s Beauty Booked all about? From their website:

Beauty Booked provides members with insider access to discover and book the best salons and spas in NYC (more cities soon).Through Beauty Booked, you can:

  • Search a curated assortment of salon & spas by name, availability, service, location and/or price range
  • Book salon & spa appointments instantly, for free
  • Discover tips & tricks and read reviews from top beauty experts and other Beauty Booked users
  • Earn reward points that can be redeemed for future beauty services.

Love this concept! I’ve definitely become that person who prefers to book things online instead of calling, so this is right up my alley. I’ve already booked my first appointment – a complimentary facial at Caudalie Spa (courtesy of Beauty Booked) – and can see myself using it again in the future.

After the event we took the opportunity to roam The Plaza a bit since it was my first time there. Even though I’ve lived her for almost two years, I love still finding myself in those priceless New York City moments…
Do you think you’d use something like Beauty Booked to book your salon/spa appointments?

 

getting life in order.

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Don’t you love those days/weeks where you can get regular old life things in order? I’m talking – paying the bills, doing laundry, errands, cleaning, etc.

Those days have been few and far between for me over the past couple of months, so it’s felt good to get things in order over the last few days. In addition to general planning/organization/budgeting stuff, I’ve also been able to take care of the more important little things in life.

…like painting my nails, duh.

…and stocking up on groceries other than frozen meals.

…and organizing (sort of) the remnants of the FreelyBe launch party in my room.

One basic thing Jessi and I have always made it a point to do no matter how busy things are is find a day to just r-e-l-a-x. In other words, Sunday has become our traditional weekly movie marathon day.

(Check out that stud on the top left ;))

Getting life back in order apparently also means I’m reverting to some of my weird-yet-delicious old eating habits, like roasted sweet potato with vanilla Greek yogurt, peanut butter, and cinnamon.

Apparently getting life back in order also means getting a slightly late start on the work day, so off I go…

What’s your best tip for staying on top of basic life stuff?

she’s just being miley.

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Sooooo am I the only one who thinks Miley Cyrus’ new hair is pretty rad?

I wish I had the guts to go that short. I give her props for it. I’ve personally always had a slight obsession with short (more pixie-like) haircuts…

…however I’ve also had the scarring experience of being 8 years old and everyone thinking I was a little boy in Disney World. I begged and begged my mom for a super-short cut until she gave in. But I guess she had the last laugh when I was continuously referred to as my sister’s brother.

And that, my friends, is why I’ve had obnoxiously long hair ever since. There’s your fun fact for the day.

Anyone else like Miley’s hair?

Dove VisibleCare Toning Crème Body Wash + $500 spafinder giveaway.

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Growing up, I always thought it was strange when women talked about taking care of their skin. I thought – what is there to take care of? Because of that I spent way too much time in the sun and way too little time using products that left my skin feeling healthy and moisturized.

As I’ve gotten older, though, I began to realize how important it is to take care of my skin so I can look and feel my absolute best. That’s why I was excited when I was given a sample of premium body wash from Dove – their new Dove® VisibleCare Toning Crème Body Wash.

After just the first use, Dove® VisibleCare Toning Crème Body Wash left my skin feeling softer, more moisturized, and almost visibly more beautiful. I’m not surprised, considering it contains the highest concentration of NutriumMoisture technology across the Dove portfolio, which gives you visibly more beautiful skin in just one week! I’ll take it.

Also - as someone who lives an oftentimes chaotic lifestyle in New York City - I really value “me-time” and taking care of myself, so it’s great to have a body wash that leaves me feeling so refreshed after a long day. You can learn more about Dove’s new line of body wash by visiting the Dove website, and visit Dove® VisibleCare® to get a coupon for $1 off!

…and now that I’ve got you thinking about the health of your skin…

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