• WorldWide

    Fall Skincare Tips

    Going, going, gone; yes, summer is officially over and there’s a new but familiar and wonderful season that you should not welcome unprepared. You may have already made some changes and just as there are new colors and fabrics sitting in your closet, your skincare cabinet is also due for a transformation. This is a very important transition and one that should be done with thoughtfulness and care because you’re not only upgrading your skincare game for the fall but also eradicating some of summer’s less than welcome souvenirs. In order to welcome the golden season in style, attention must be paid and steps must be taken, so let’s just jump right into it.

    Stop dryness in its tracks

    As soon as temperatures drop you’ll notice two things you certainly didn’t sign up for – dry and flaky skin. This is unacceptable and should be nipped in the bud. While heavier moisturizers might have been unwanted during the summer as they do tend to be a bit greasier, they are more than welcome as soon as seasons change. Heavy moisturizer is great but for fall, your best choice is an oil-based moisturizer, and while you’re upgrading, you might want to introduce serum into your skincare routine. The serum is as close to a magic nourishing potion for the skin and we’re all missing out if we’re not using one.

    Step up your game

    You probably already own a high SPF sunscreen, after all, summer is about fun in the sun, but it’s also about protecting the skin from the harms of UVA and UVB rays. You may, however, still be unaware that skin protection is an all-year-round job as those harmful rays never rest. That is why you need to step up your game, and go for broad or even better, full-spectrum sunscreen that will protect you from both these rays.

    Exfoliation ruling the nation

    While regular and proper exfoliation, as well as quality purifying face masks, are your friend and ally all year long, you need to ‘hang out’ with them even more as summer fades away. The harsher weather can and is harsh on the skin, so if you want to keep it healthy and plump, those dead cells and flakiness need to go away. Don’t use abrasive exfoliators but go with gentle ones as these won’t cause inflammation and irritation but simply leave your skin cleansed and rejuvenated – with tenderness. Call upon your masks every so often (2-3 times a week) for deep cleansing and pore unclogging. As Japanese gals know skincare best, one of your best mask options is definitely the Detox & Defense Clay Massage & Wash by Pola Skincare, particularly because it can be used as a mask as well as a wash, so you kill two birds with one stone. Your skin will thank you for summoning these friends.

    Cut all ties

    Yes, you need to cut all ties with summer and that means saying goodbye to some of the less pleasant ‘remains’ of the season. You simply have to admit that, during this carefree time, your dedication to skin care takes a back seat as the fun takes the wheel and more often than not you’re left with the damage. So, take care of those freckles with amazing products designed for fighting them and definitely make sure to find a great non-invasive melasma treatment as you don’t want to put off dealing with this condition. Telltale signs of aging will only get more prominent if ignored, so make sure to undo summer’s doing as soon as it walks out the door.

    Last but not least

    We need to talk about the lips. They’re often overlooked and in order for them to be plump and kissable (and matte lipstick-ready), they need some love and devotion. While you could purchase a lip exfoliator you’re actually better off making your own. A bit of honey and sugar will do the trick and leave the lips soft and smooth. For everyday care always have a great protective balm with you, and if you have a tendency to switch bags often, keep a balm in every one of them. Harsh weather should not stand in the way of soft kisses.

  • New York,  WorldWide

    MELISSA + BAJA EAST make NYFW Debut with Karlie Kloss

    Melissa unveils its newest designer collaboration with downtown – favorited fashion brand, BAJA EAST. The aesthetic belonging to BAJA EAST designers Scott Studenberg and John Targon seamlessly unifies with Melissa, the ever-innovative plastic accessories brand, to produce bold, punchy accessories designed to accompany BAJA EAST’s collection of “loose luxury”: a fashion and lifestyle concept blending the duo’s native laid-back California cool with a city street edge. The collaboration will make its public debut during the fashion house’s New York Fashion Week runway show on September 12th, which will be held in Melissa’s new experiential ‘Galeria’ in SoHo, and will then be available for purchase in store later that afternoon.

    The collection consists of 4 footwear styles: a flat slide, a flat sandal, a chunky high-heeled mule, and a closed-toe,
    lace-up ankle “Desert” boot, as well as 1 drawstring bucket bag. True to Melissa’s 35+ years of innovation and high design, the MELISSA + BAJA EAST collaboration boasts the brand’s key raw material: recyclable PVC (100% cruelty-
    free!). The collection will be offered in metallic gold, powder pink and black, accented by the addition of a plastic python-embossed texture.

    The MELISSA + BAJA EAST collaboration brings with it a transformation to Melissa’s new American flagship, an
    expanded Broadway space architecturally developed by Muti Randolph and designed to celebrate and connect the city’s young art scene. The store will be converted into a proper NYFW runway for the first time ever with a full,
    multimedia set build-out to visually transport the audience into BAJA EAST’s world. The iconic SoHo location at 500
    Broadway is a concept store that will function to align Melissa more closely with NYC’s emerging artists, supporting
    young, local talent.

    “We’re excited to be partnering with Melissa – right away we were awed by the caliber of the brand’s innovation over
    several decades,” said BAJA EAST designer, John Targon. “As a company, their approach to design is so complementary to our spirit and how we play with fashion. The whole MELISSA + BAJA EAST collaboration is a
    totally fresh way to approach a new category for us, and using Galeria Melissa as our show venue is going to elevate
    the NYFW experience dramatically.”

    Designer Scott Studenberg adds, “We love the idea of making exotics accessible, and worked with Melissa to create
    a super-realistic 100% cruelty-free plastic python that we used throughout the collection. We also incorporated our
    PSYCHEDELIC TIGER print and our THRIVING message to edge out the collection.”

    “Melissa prides itself on collaborating with the best design talent across the world, and our new partnership with
    BAJA EAST perfectly aligns with Melissa’s current brand direction,” adds Raquel Metz Scherer, Marketing Director for
    the brand. “There is a great synergy of lifestyle between Melissa collectors and the in-the-know fashion crowd that
    follows Scott and John’s growingly-iconic ‘loose lifestyle’ approach to streetwear.”

    The re-envisioned Galeria space was born from a futuristic eye, exceptionally innovated with the latest technology to
    create a multi-sensory experience that surpasses the typical shopping experience.

    Melissa + BAJA EAST collaboration will be available for purchase beginning September 12th at all three Galeria
    Melissa locations around the world, including Galeria Melissa NYC (500 Broadway between Spring and Broome
    Streets), Galeria Melissa London and Galeria Melissa São Paulo. The shoes will retail between $105 and $150, USD
    and the bag for $170 USD. Additionally, all three Galeria Melissa stores will receive art installations to celebrate the
    Melissa + BAJA EAST collaboration.

  • New York,  WorldWide

    End Summer With These Products In A Right Way!

    How to end the summer in a right way? Here are three products you might would like to consider for having a beautiful end of summer.

    •  SkinKICK
    •  Boudoir Hair by Gregg Giannillo
    •  Beautiful Bodies – a memoir by best selling author Kimberly Rae Miller
    SkinKICK is all natural and loaded with exotic Amazonian botanicals including Cat’s Claw extract, dragons blood resin and black willow bark extract to clear the appearances of blemishes and soothe problemed skin.
    The lotion’s tropical Haven Complex renews the skin at the same time. These clinically proven botanicals from acai, andiroba, camu-camu, copaiba oil  and pequi oil — deliver high concentrations of omega fatty acids, vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants to improve the skin’s appearance and leave skin looking and feeling healthier, clear and glowing.
    This subscription service is delivered right to your door. It’s more important than ever that people worry about the chemicals in their beauty products. SkinKICK is all about the science and the results are amazing. This two-step daily processes eliminates acne & rosacea and provides general skin wellness. SkinKick is a subscription service.

    Celebrity hair stylist Gregg Giannillo presents Boudoir Hair’s Satin Slip.This the first product we’re rolling out under the Boudoir Hair care line. SATIN SLIP glides through hair with an indulgent blend of five nourishing featherweight oils and a frizz-repelling gel for dazzling luster and elegant control. No more frizz or flyaway hair! Gregg’s celebrity clients use it daily including Lara Spencer & Vanessa Williams.

    For your reading list:
    Beautiful Bodies by best selling author Kimberly Rae Miller.
    A brave and witty examination of how and why we try to control our bodies with food.

    Like most people, Kimberly Rae Miller does not have the perfect body, but that hasn’t stopped her from trying. And trying. And trying some more. Her first attempt to use food to change her body came at age four, when she learned that the Inuit ate fat to stay warm in the winter. If this diet worked in the Arctic, she reasoned, why not in Long Island? Post-college, after a brief stint as a diet-pill model, she became a health-and-fitness writer and editor working on celebrities’ bestselling bios—sugarcoating the trials and tribulations celebs endure to stay thin.

    But what is the ideal body? Knowing she’s far from alone in this struggle, Kim sets out to find the objective definition of this seemingly unattainable level of perfection. While on a fascinating and hilarious journey through time that takes her from obese Paleolithic cavewomen, to the bland menus that Drs. Graham and Kellogg prescribed to promote good morals in addition to good health, to the binge-drinking-prone regimen that caused William the Conqueror’s body to explode at his own funeral, Kim ends up discovering a lot about her relationship with her own body.

    Warm, funny, and brutally honest, Beautiful Bodies is a blend of memoir and social history that will speak to anyone who’s ever been caught in a power struggle with his or her own body…in other words, just about everyone.

     

  • New York,  WorldWide

    China Institute Gallery Presents Dreams of the Kings

    A rare shroud of precious stones designed to protect and glorify a king in the afterlife is on view at China Institute Gallery’s new exhibition, Dreams of the Kings: A Jade Suit for Eternity, Treasures of the Han Dynasty from Xuzhou through November 12, 2017. More than 76 objects originating from royal tombs dating from the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 8 CE) are being exhibited in the U.S. for the first time. Ranging from terracotta performers to carved stone animal sculptures, the objects are extraordinary testimony to customs and beliefs surrounding life and death during the Western Han Dynasty, one of China’s golden eras. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated bilingual catalogue.

    “People during the Han Dynasty regarded death as birth and longed for immortality,” said Willow Weilan Hai, Director, China Institute Gallery. “To prepare for the afterlife, they constructed their tombs to be eternal residences” Dreams of the Kings: A Jade Suit for Eternity, Treasures of the Han Dynasty from Xuzhou is curated by Li Yinde, Director Emeritus of the Xuzhou Museum, and directed by Willow Weilan Hai, Director of China Institute Gallery. The exhibition will travel to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, from December 2017 – April 2018.

    EXHIBITION OVERVIEW

    Dreams of the Kings: A Jade Suit for Eternity, Treasures of the Han Dynasty from Xuzhou is divided into four sections.

    • The King’s Guards explores the sculptures of the guardians of the kings, including soldiers and a warrior on horseback that were made to protect the kings in their afterlife.
    • Dreams of Eternity focuses on the jade burial suit, which fully covers the body with jade tiles. Excavated in 1994–95, the suit consists of 4,248 tiles, more than any other jade suit discovered to date. One of the earliest ever made (ca. 175 BCE), it is bound with a rare gold thread, a signifier of the highest rank.
    • Rapt by Jade surveys the importance of jade during the Han Dynasty. A carved jade pendant of a dragon with a hole below its eye may have been used to tie the piece on the body to protect its owner. During the Han Dynasty, jade was also ground into a power to be used as medicine.
    • Life in the Afterlife focuses on the many everyday objects used in the afterlife including bronze vessels and belt buckles.

    EXHIBITION PUBLICATION

    The exhibition’s 216-page catalogue in English and Chinese is edited by Willow Weilan Hai, Director of China Institute Gallery. It includes several essays by Li Yinde, Director Emeritus and Senior Researcher, Xuzhou Museum; Colin Mackenzie, Senior Curator of East Asian Art, Nelson- Atkins Museum of Art; and Wang Zijin, Professor of Beijing People’s University.

    EXHIBITION-RELATED PROGRAMS

    Fall Lecture Series: The Glories of the Han Dynasty Wednesdays, September 20, 27; October 4, 11, 18, 6:30–8:00 p.m. With topics elaborating on themes touched upon by China Institute’s exhibition Dreams of the Kings: A Jade Suit for Eternity, Treasures of the Han Dynasty from Xuzhou, this five-week lecture series will explore the culture of the Han Dynasty through its history, literature, economy, politics, scholarship, and visual arts. Each lecture will be delivered by a prominent scholar covering a crucial aspect of Han Dynasty civilization, including the growth of the Silk Road, the role of Confucianism, and the writing of Sima Qian’s Records of the Grand Historian. Lecturers include Yu Renqiu, Professor of History, SUNY Purchase; Michael Nylan, Professor of History, University of California, Berkeley; Susan Beningson, Assistant Curator of Asian Art, Brooklyn Museum; Lillian Tseng, Associate Professor of East Asian Art and Archaeology, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University; and Valerie Hansen, Professor of History, Yale University.
    Individual Tickets: $10 Members/$15 Non-Members
    Full Series Tickets: $40 Members/$60 Non-Members
    For more information and registration, visit www.chinainstitute.org, or contact 212-744- 8181.

    UPCOMING EXHIBITION 

    Art of the Mountain: Through the Chinese Photographer’s Lens
    February 8 – December 2, 2018
    Mountains, in Chinese legends, are the pillars that hold up the sky. Mountains were seen as places that nurture life. Their veneration took the form of rituals, retreat from social society, and aesthetic appreciation through the art of their vast beauty – some of the many ways that nature played and continues to play a defining role in Chinese culture. The exhibition — with over 70 photographs by more than 20 contemporary photographers — will present the geography, history, culture, life, and art that is associated with or derived from mountains.

    ABOUT CHINA INSTITUTE

    China Institute advances a deeper understanding of China through programs in education, culture, business, and art in the belief that cross-cultural understanding strengthens our global community. In 2016, China Institute celebrated both its 90 th  anniversary and the 50 th  anniversary of China Institute Gallery. Founded in 1926 by a group of American and Chinese educators, China Institute in America is the oldest bicultural non-profit organization in the U.S. to focus exclusively on China.

    The organization promotes the appreciation of Chinese heritage and provides the historical context for understanding contemporary China. Programs, activities, courses, and seminars are offered on the visual and performing arts, culture, history, music, philosophy, language, and literature for the general public, children, and teachers, as well as for business.

    ABOUT CHINA INSTITUTE GALLERY

    China Institute Gallery, established in 1966, is distinct among the museums of New York City. It was the first in the United States to showcase Chinese art exclusively on a regular basis. Today, China Institute Gallery is New York's only non-commercial exhibition space solely dedicated to Chinese art and is known for its innovative thematic and scholarly exhibitions, publications, and related art education programs. China Institute is located at 100 Washington Street, New York, NY 10006, with a temporary entrance at 40 Rector Street. During exhibitions, China Institute Gallery is open Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, free for members and children under 16, and free on Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. For more information, call 212-744- 8181 or visit chinainstitute.org, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

    ABOUT THE XUZHOU MUSEUM

    The Xuzhou Museum, established in 1959, is located at the northern foot of Yunlongshan (Cloudy Dragon Mountain) on the old site of the temporary palace used by the Qianlong emperor (r. 1736–95) during his southern inspection tours. Expanded three times over the years, the museum now consists of four parts: the main exhibition hall; the Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) quarry site; the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220) mausoleum of the King of Pengcheng in Tushan (Soil Mountain); and the Qing dynasty (1644–1911) temporary palace of Gaozong, the Qianlong
    emperor, and its corridor of steles. The museum’s rich collection of artwork spans the Neolithic period to the last imperial dynasties of the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911), and extend to the contemporary period. Its outstanding collection of Han dynasty artifacts uniquely illustrates the characteristic Han culture of Xuzhou.

  • Asian,  Austin,  Australia,  Baltimore,  Bitty,  Chicago,  Gaming,  Las Vegas,  London,  Los Angeles,  Miami,  New York,  Technology,  Toronto,  Vancouver,  WorldWide

    Emmy Looks for Less From Azazie

    Television’s elite rocked the red carpet to celebrate the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards and a rainbow of fashion frocks took center stage.  If you want to sport a similar style, but not sure you can handle the price tag, don’t fear!  Azazie.com – an online bridal wear retailer that boasts made-to-measure dresses at a fraction of industry costs – has an array of stunning styles to make sure you look like a million dollars, without spending it. For some style inspiration, highlights of the night include:

     

    Wonderful in White – With summer wedding season barely in the rearview mirror, many celebrities – such as Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black) and Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld) – opted to wear white for television’s big night.  Trying to extend her newlywed status a little longer, Sofia Vergara joined the club, donning a beautiful strapless white Marx Zunino mermaid gown that showed off her amazing figure. For a similarly stunning look, Azazie’s Misty ($249) gown is a flattering sweetheart tulle strapless gown with a full pleated bodice and corset back that is sure to fit you like a glove, without breaking the bank.

     

    Red Carpet Ready  – Red is always a sizzling color that ensures you’ll stand out in a crowd. Helping her to do just that, Edie Falco wore a beautiful one-shouldered red gown that accentuated her curves in all the right places.  Similarly stunning, Azazie’s Carissa floor-length one-shoulder chiffon dress boasts a trumpet/mermaid silhouette, twisted flare in the back and one-sided ruching at the hip, all for the incredible cost of $129.

     

    Orange is the New Black – Color dresses were abundant at the award show and Viola Davis is always one to embrace a bold hue. Tonight was no exception, as she wore a bright orange Zac Posen gown with thick straps and front detailing. Azazie carries several similar styles that offer a ton of bang for your buck.  The floor-length Melinda dress (shown in Tangerine; $129) features spaghetti straps leading up to a halter neckline, pleating throughout the top of the bodice and pockets to stash some money and your favorite shade of lip-gloss.  Kaitlynn (shown in papaya; $119) is a floor-length, empire style dress with a heavily pleated bodice that is sure to flatter any figure.

    Back to the Basics – Celebrities were looking to make their mark at the Emmys and did so with interesting necklines (plunging galore!), embellishments and back detailing.  Shailene Woodley showed off her sexy side, wearing a green spaghetti strap dress with double back strap detailing for a little edge.  Azazie’s floor-length Kailyn ($119) dress boasts a similar strappy look, featuring an overlay of chiffon for an illusion halter neckline and back straps held together with a jewel button.

    All Azazie.com dresses range in size from 0-30, as well as custom sizing and come in over 60 colors.

  • New York,  WorldWide

    IT Cosmetics CEO Calls Out Beauty Industry, Calls for Change

    Last Friday, IT Cosmetics founder and CEO, Jamie Kern Lima, accepted the CEW Achiever Award and took her acceptance speech as an opportunity to call for change within the beauty industry. Since then, the speech has gone viral and the video has already reached 1 million views!!!

    In her speech, Jamie challenged the industry with important questions about the images of beauty that are being put out into the world today. “How will these images impact your mothers, and your sisters, and how will they impact your daughters?” In closing her speech she asks, “What will you do with the power that is you?”

    Jamie Kern Lima, Co-Founder and CEO of IT Cosmetics, calls for change and rallies industry leaders to rethink the images of beauty they put out to the world, while being honored today by Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) with the prestigious Achiever Award at the Hilton Midtown in New York City.

    Watch now: http://bit.ly/2xGX19c

    “We did something at IT Cosmetics that has never been done before in luxury beauty—we became a top-selling brand by using real women of all shapes, sizes, skin tones and skin issues,” says Kern Lima. “Our success is proof to the beauty industry that you don’t need to use unattainable images of aspiration for women to buy your products. I think women are tired of seeing images that don’t look like them. When it comes to the images of beauty that we see as women, I believe IT Cosmetics is proof that the power of the people is greater than the people in power! It’s time for change.”

    Kern Lima started IT Cosmetics™, a luxe makeup and skincare company, in her living room and recently sold the company to L’Oréal. The purchase was L’Oréal’s largest acquisition to date and made Kern Lima the first female CEO in L’Oréal’s 100+ year history.

    Prior to launching IT Cosmetics™, Kern Lima was an award-winning TV News anchor with beauty challenges including sparse brows and sensitive skin, and could never find products that truly worked. She felt there must be other women out there like her, who want clinically proven, skin-loving, problem-solving makeup and skincare products that truly work! And that’s when IT Cosmetics™ was born. Two years after launching the brand, Kern Lima went on air at QVC with Bye Bye Under Eye™ Concealer and in 10 minutes, it sold out completely. Today IT is QVC’s top-selling makeup line, and a top selling brand in ULTA Beauty and Sephora. IT Cosmetics™ has received more than 30 QVC Customer Choice Beauty Awards, and was also honored with the WWD Beauty Inc. Prestige Brand of the Year.

    Kern Lima graduated valedictorian from Washington State University, and received her MBA from Columbia University. She was recently named on the 2017 Forbes Magazine’s Most Successful Self-Made Women List, the Goldman Sachs’ 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs, WWD’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Beauty and is part of the Harvard Women’s Leadership Forum. She also received the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women Award. Kern Lima is energized by an unremitting passion to inspire and empower women and has been featured on Good Morning America, TODAY Show, CBS This Morning, NIGHTLINE, Joel Osteen and in The New York Times, Marie Claire, SHAPE, WWD, GLAMOUR, COSMOPOLITAN, New York Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and many more.

    When Kern Lima’s not appearing live on QVC in many of IT Cosmetics 200+ shows annually, she works passionately with many philanthropic partners including Look Good Feel Better®, where IT Cosmetics has donated over $27 million in product to date to help women face the effects of cancer with confidence.

    CEW is the premier organization for cosmetic industry professionals and the Achiever Awards ceremony is held annually to celebrate the accomplishments of women leaders in the cosmetics industry, and serve as inspiration for future leaders and companies to support women’s advancement. This year’s other CEW Achiever Award honorees include Barbara Calcagni, President, NARS Cosmetics; Maureen Kelly, CEO and Founder, Tarte Cosmetics; Gemma Lionello, Executive Vice President, GMM, Accessories and Beauty, Nordstrom; Loretta Miraglia, Corporate Senior Vice President, Global Brand Product Development and Innovation, La Mer; and Kelly Vanasse, Vice President, Communications, P&G Global Business Units.

    About IT Cosmetics™ 
    Developed with plastic surgeons, IT Cosmetics™ creates clinically tested, innovative, problem-solving makeup and skincare products that harness cutting edge anti-aging technologies and high-performance skin-loving ingredients to provide you with serious beauty solutions that help you look and feel your most beautiful! IT Cosmetics™ is a top beauty brand sold at ULTA Beauty, QVC, Sephora, itcosmetics.com and Selfridges. Discover it. Love it. Believe it.™
    For more information on IT Cosmetics™, visit itcosmetics.com.