Spa Toccare & Immersion Week
Posted by Kori Ellis in Beauty on May 18th, 2009
If you live in the New York / New Jersey area or are just visiting this week, it’s a great time to take advantage of these spa and hotel deals. This week (through May 22), Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa and The Water Club are offering a variety of specially priced spa treatments, exclusive events and hotel packages.
If you are looking for a fabulous spa deal, check out the Toccare Escape at Spa Toccare at Borgata. This signature spa package includes your choice of their 50 minute Complete Retreat Massage or Mimosa Body Scrub, plus a 50 minute Borgata Glow Facial and a Luxe Manicure for $240. They also have other deals on spa treatments.
There are also hotel deals available at both the Borgata Hotel Casino and The Water Club (A Signature Hotel by Borgata) that include your choice of spa treatments plus an overnight stay beginning at $210.
Visit theborgata.com to learn more about your options. With the new ACES express train from NYC to Atlanta City, this deal is a steal!
Herradura Cincorita for Cinco de Mayo
Posted by Kori Ellis in Life on May 4th, 2009
Are you getting ready to party for Cinco de Mayo and want something different than a traditional margarita or Mexican beer? Here’s a fabulous drink recipe for a Cincorita that I’m sure you will love, featuring Tequila Herradura Silver.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Tequila Herradura Silver
- .5 oz Cointreau
- .5 oz Chambord
- 1.5 oz agave nectar
- 1.5 oz fresh lime juice
Herradura Cincorita
Instructions:
- Mix Tequila Herradura Silver, Cointreau, agave nectar and fresh lime juice in a shaker with ice.
- Pour into a margarita glass rimmed with salt.
- Pour the Chambord on top, so as to create a crimson floater.
- Garnish with a lime wedge.
Cinco Facts About Cinco de Mayo
Uno: Cinco de Mayo commemorates the 1862 Battle of Puebla where Mexico defeated French troops that outnumbered them almost two-to-one – after only two hours of fighting! The holiday has been celebrated in California since 1863, as a symbol of solidarity in response to the French occupation of Mexico from 1863-1867.
Source: Encarta Encyclopedia and Center for the Study of Health and Culture, UCLA
Dos: Cinco de Mayo is the largest tequila consumption day in the U.S. In fact, Americans can’t get enough of Mexico’s native spirit. Since 2002, U.S. imports of tequila have grown 48% - an average rate of 6.7% per year. In 2008 alone, more than 10.6 million 9-liter cases were sold. Tequila volume continues to grow despite the current recession.
Source: Distilled Spirits Council of the United States
Tres: Cinco de Mayo is so popular in Texas, that the State Legislation only allows the sale of fireworks on New Year’s Eve, 4th of July, Texas’ Independence Day in June, and, in some border areas, for the Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
Source: Texas State Legislation
Quatro: The spirit of Cinco de Mayo can be seen across U.S. pop culture; in fact, War released a music hit from its 1982 Outlaw album titled “Cinco de Mayo” and in 1998, the U.S. Postal Service released a postage stamp to commemorate the holiday.
Cinco: During the French occupation, Mexico’s cuisine absorbed French culinary tradition leading to the creation of many delicacies still popular today. Some examples are the chiles en nogada (stuffed chilies in a walnut sauce), conejo en mostaza (rabbit in mustard sauce) and volovanes (puffy pastries based on the French vol-au-vent).
Source: Mexican Mercados and Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes
Image, recipe and other info courtesy of Tequila Herradura.
Wait List for Dolce & Gabbana Lipstick
Posted by Kori Ellis in Beauty on April 20th, 2009
Dolce & Gabbana The Make Up debuted at Milan Fashion Week and since then women around the world have be clamoring to get products from the new collection. One of the highly coveted cosmetics is the “Dahlia” color of their Classic Cream Lipstick. This red shade was featured on the Fall/Winter 2010 runway and was a big hit.
Dolce & Gabbana The Makeup
Dolce & Gabbana The Make Up is a multimillion dollar collaboration between the company and Procter & Gamble. The collection is set to release in the United States on April 24, 2009. It is Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s first makeup collection after 20 years in fashion. They worked with renowned makeup artist, Pat McGrath to infuse inspirations from their runway looks into the makeup line.
The cosmetics are flirty, feminine and sensual. Dahlia is one of 27 shades of the Classic Cream Lipstick.
Dolce & Gabbana The Make Up will launch exclusively in the U.S. at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City, and will release at Saks Fifth Avenue Beverly Hills and Saks.com by mid-May. If you are interested in the Dahlia lipstick, there’s a wait list. Yes, a wait list.
Nearly a month before the official launch a waiting list began at Saks Fifth Avenue for the coveted color.
What do you think? Have you wanted a lipstick (or any other makeup) enough that you put your name on a wait list?
Hot Spring Fashion Trends
Posted by Kori Ellis in Shopping, Style on March 6th, 2009
Spring is almost here! Though it hasn’t been that cold here in Texas this winter, many people around the country have been suffering through a very harsh, snowy season. But soon our days will be filled with sunshine.
With warmer weather comes a dramatic change in fashion, of course. So what’s hot for spring this year? Let me tell you about some of my favorite spring fashion trends.
Valentino Histoire Patent Satchel
Pink and yellow
Pink is always a fabulous color for spring and this year is no exception. Hot pink is a bold yet trendy choice in the form of shiny patent handbags and strappy sandals. Yellow is also at the forefront this season. If you don’t normally wear yellow, don’t be afraid to give it a try. From dark mustard yellow to bright school bus yellow, you are sure to find a shade that works well for you.
Ruffles, ruffles and more ruffles
If you love flirty, feminine looks, this season you will get plenty. From ruffled Prada bags to romantic white blouses, the ruffle trend is big for spring. Personally, I love the asymmetrical ruffled dresses and tops that are popping up everywhere right now. Whether you are looking for something bright and colorful or something a bit more subdued, you can certainly find it in a ruffled silhouette.
Aviator sunglasses
For both men and women, aviator sunglasses are oh so, cool. I love sunglasses because you don’t have to splurge on an expensive pair just to look good. I have one pricey pair of designer glasses and an array of cheaper sunglasses to change up my look. In addition to aviators, oversized Jackie O style shades as well as shield sunglasses make a big statement this season.
Photo credit: Nordstrom
Dedication to Blogging
Posted by Kori Ellis in Work, Writing on March 6th, 2009
Every single day I write hundreds (sometimes thousands) of words elsewhere. Yet when it comes to this personal blog, I can’t seem to find the time.
The past few weeks, I have had an excuse. At b5media, we have been working on some great things — namely, the re-launch of Splendicity.com. But after countless hours of projects and preparation, I love the result.
Splendicity.com (screenshot)
Splendicity is a property that encompasses 13 beauty and style blogs, along with a variety of related categories. The result is a destination where you can find everything and anything from the world of fashion and beauty. I continue to blog at both Shopaholics Daily and Shoe Blitz, while helping to manage Splendicity and other b5media properties. Time-consuming? Sure. Fun? Of course — otherwise I wouldn’t do it.
So back to (lack of) dedication to blogging. From now on, I’m going to treat this blog like the rest of my obligations. Put it on my spreadsheet and at least write five days a week. I’m sure sometimes it won’t be that insightful, but I’ll force myself into the habit. After all, if I’m dedicated to everyone else, I should certainly be dedicated to myself, right?
Staying Organized
Posted by Kori Ellis in Work, Writing on January 31st, 2009
The other day someone asked me “How do you stay organized?” It’s a fairly common question for people to ask me because I write for so many different publications - more than a handful of blogs, several websites, a newspaper and periodically, some magazines.
In general, I’m fairy organized by nature (though the messy condition of my house right now is not indicative of that) but not overly so. So to stay on track, I use a spreadsheet.
Every month, I label the columns with the names of my writing clients and then label the rows for each date of the month. In the corresponding boxes, I write what I need to do for each particular client on each day. If it’s something like two blog posts, then I just put two X’s in the box. If I have a hard deadline on certain day, I mark it in red. Throughout the day, I bold the items that I complete. At the end of the day, I move anything that I didn’t finish to the follow day. Archaic? Probably. Works for me? Definitely.
There are many programs available that can help you organize your life but the basic Excel spreadsheet works for me. Oh… and I shouldn’t forget that there are three additional rows after the final date of the month labeled, “Money,” “Invoiced” and “Paid.” The “Money” row indicates how much I’m expecting to be paid. The “Invoiced” line, I mark the date when I invoice the client (if necessary) and in the “Paid” row I indicate the date when I actually get paid.
Also, every night (actually morning) before I go to sleep, I write a to-do list for the following day in two-hour blocks that includes everything from what I should be writing to Spurs games to dinner.
So that’s about it. How do you keep track of what you need to get done?
Photo credit: stock.xchng
Worst Fashion Trends of 2008
Posted by Kori Ellis in Shopping, Style on December 20th, 2008
Don’t get me wrong, I loved some of the fashion trends from 2008, including ruffled blouses, skinny jeans and shooties. However, there are some trends that I don’t mind if I never see again.
High-waisted pants
Who decided these were attractive on anyone? If you wear high-waisted pants, you lose all your curves and femininity. Now, I’m not a fan of low-waisted jeans that create a muffin top and expose your crack when you lean over either. How about just “waisted” pants.
The maxi dress
Definitely Angelina Jolie’s fault for starting this trend but she had an excuse - she was pregnant. These billowy, long dresses are great if you want something comfy to lounge around in, but they shouldn’t be for every day wear. Fortunately, things are looking a lot more fitted for spring.
Knee-high gladiators
I’m not a big fan of gladiator sandals to begin with. So when they started getting higher and higher, I was disgusted. I hope was hoping they’d fade away as summer ended and we’d never see gladiators again. Unfortunately, many designers have churned out all new gladiator sandals for 2009.
Are you looking for hot fashions at discount prices? Check out redtagcrazy, where you will find deals up to 80% off on name brand clothing for women. They sell one product at a time, until it’s sold out or they are bored with it. From Victoria Beckham DvB jeans to Vince T-shirts, you’ll certainly find something that you love.
If you happen to love the high-waisted pants pictured here, you can get them now at Nordstrom.
Beauty Product of the Week: Perricone MD Firming Neck Therapy
Posted by Kori Ellis in Beauty on December 5th, 2008
One of the things I hate the most is when I see a woman with a beautiful tight face and a turkey neck. It’s usually women who have had too much plastic surgery and just forget that everyone can see their saggy neck wrinkles. But it does bring up a point - many women spend a lot of time (and money) preserving their face and neglect the skin on their neck.
Recently, I had the opportunity to try Perricone MD Firming Neck Therapy. This product is specifically designed for your neck. It fights premature wrinkles, smoothing and toning the appearance of your neck.
This fragrance-free cream is soothing and calming. I loved it because it wasn’t greasy at all, like some heavy face creams. It absorbed easily without much residue. Though I don’t have any turkey wrinkles yet, it did really help the appearance and texture of the skin on my neck. After a few days, it was noticeable smoother to the touch.
I used it nightly for a week, rubbing it in a circular motion on the neck (the massage is good for the circulation and skin too!). I also noticed that it’s great for the hands!
You can order the 1.7 oz jar Perricone MD Firming Neck Therapy on it’s own for $95 fromo Perricone MD directly, or various other retailers. But my suggestion is to go to Beauty Fix, where you can get it as part of the current package. With Beauty Fix, you get 8 fabulous products, plus a bonus product for only $50. Retail value is over $400! Check out Beauty Fix and sign up for your quarterly subscription.
Photo credit: Perricone MD
Blogging at Robust Cooking
Posted by Kori Ellis in Cooking on November 21st, 2008
As if I didn’t have enough to do, 
I am now blogging at Robust Cooking with Rachel Segal. It’s a fun b5media blog about cooking, healthy meals, family dishes and more.
Check out this week’s posts, where you will find some yummy recipes for a Cajun Thanksgiving and a fabulous giveaway. And be sure to check out Rachel’s recipe for Sausage and Mushroom Penne Gratin.
I now write five blogs with b5 (well, three sole blogs, plus two co-blogging situations), plus maybe a dozen more elsewhere. It’s funny because two years ago, I was so against this blogging thing. Ahh … how times change!
-Kori
Did You Think I was Going to Actually Blog Consistently?
Posted by Kori Ellis in Life on November 20th, 2008
I actually did. I thought this would be an awesome opportunity for me to just write about whatever I wanted every day. However, the “every” part hasn’t come easy. I was thinking that maybe this blog should have a niche. Then the more that I thought about it, the more I thought it shouldn’t have one. After all, I’m not really a niche person. I write about everything for Manolo Blahnik shoes to Fantasy Football in the same day.
Instead, this blog is just going to be about “Tips”… Cooking tips, shopping tips, sports tips, decorating tips, wedding planning tips, SEO tips. Basically, anything I know about - and probably some stuff I don’t.
I have vowed to myself for five posts a week minimum starting today. We’ll see if that happens.
For now, I leave you with a photo of my two dogs, Yogi and Deuce.
-Kori