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Blogging Drama, and a Meeting at a Table that was More Rectangle Than Round

If you ever get tired of soaps, move over to the world of blogging. Last week was crazy for those of you who have been following the Jack & Hill slash Pierce Mattie saga. Apparently, an employee at Pierce Mattie PR had been masquerading as a reader and leaving comments on beauty blogs touting their clients' products. Jackie of Jack & Hill became upset when she heard of the matter and posted an entry warning fellow bloggers of the situation. Whereby Pierce Mattie reps promptly responded leaving their own comments and posting an entry in their corporate blog. Chaos erupted, pandemonium ensued.

That's when Julie and Phil of Coutorture stepped in, and in partnership with Pierce Mattie PR, hosted a roundtable for publicists and bloggers to discuss blogging etiquette and how publicists can effectively pitch to blogs. It was a great night, and for me really informative as a newer blogger (and well, a new publicist for that matter).

What's interesting about this blog culture that's emerged in the past half decade or so is that it's still so new, and the rules are informally set by those who have been inside the blogging community for a while. So that as new people join the community, which is slowly and inevitably happening (just like the internet used to be only for weirdos and pedophiles ten short years ago but is now a mainstay for nearly everyone I know, both young and old), you have some butting heads going on. But in essence, what last night reaffirmed for me is that blogging etiquette is a pretty common sense, common courtesy kind of thing, and you can learn it through a little patience and simple observation.

But back to the relationship between PR and blogging. Being as I myself am both a publicist and a blogger (though to maintain the integrity of both, I don't let these worlds overlap), I find it fascinating how blogs are a completely different animal than print publications. Because in magazines, the editors rarely have a bad thing to say about a product. And if there's something they don't like, they very tactfully don't mention it or focus only on the product's good points. (Is this to keep advertisers and potential advertisers happy??) Whereas in a blog, it's all about transparency, so you get the good and the bad and all the in-between. I find it a bit scary as a publicist because you always want your clients to do well. But as a blogger and a consumer, I find this really refreshing and heartening. The truth! Finally!

The last point I wanted to touch on is narrative, a point that Julie brought up. People are drawn to blogs because they offer a narrative behind the product. So for instance, everyone might know I have sensitive skin, so they know how certain products will interact for me, and perhaps how that relates to their own skincare routine. Whereas in magazines, you might only have one isolated mention of a product by a faceless editor for which you have no connection, no history. And trust me, oddly enough, you do form attachments and loyalties to the people behind the blogs that you read. I like this idea of a narrative, probably because I'm a writer myself, and I like stories.

Anyway, a great night overall. Julie and Phil were so nice, and it was wonderful to finally meet in person after many emails exchanged. Stay tuned because the roundtable will be podcasted for those of you who weren't able to be there. For now, you can read up more on the night at the Pierce Mattie blog, complete with a video interview between Pierce and Julie.

Coutorture Blogger/Publicist Roundtable

I'm off to the roundtable now. Will post tomorrow on what happened and reactions. Very much looking forward to meeting some of my fellow bloggers! In the meantime, you can read up more about it here if you're out of the loop. (It was quite the scandal last week!!)

Bathtub Museum

Just when you thought it couldn't get any weirder. It's true - a bathtub museum does indeed exist. It started out in 1993 as a collection of postcards with a bathtub subject, assembled by Carye Bye when she was in high school. The online museum debuted ten years later in 2003. Today, the collection totals over 300 postcards. While there's no permanent physical space in which the postcards are displayed, they're available for viewing by appointment in Portland, Oregon. On occasion, Carye partners with local organizations to host gallery viewings. Here are some of my favorite from the museum:













































This year, the site is hosting a bathtub cake bake-off contest inspired by the June 2006 issue of Woman's Day magazine. Just bake your own version of a bathtub cake and send in a photo by the due date of August 23. Visit the website between August 28 through September 28 to help determine the winner by voting on your favorite cake. There's still time to enter so I want to see y'all busting out those springform pans. (Bonus point to those of you who actually know what a springform pan IS.)

Review: Look Better Naked by Get Fresh

When I first saw the Get Fresh Look Better Naked set, I decided then and there that when my time came, I should be lowered into a coffin filled to the brim with the Salt Scrub Souffle, thereby allowing my poor, decomposing body the pleasure of one last perfect spa experience. (And yes, I actually thought that. Don't ask why. I know it's really morbid.) But that's how beautiful and sublime and poetic this stuff seemed to me at first glance. I admit that I fall in love too easily, especially when it comes to bath products.

The Look Better Naked set is a three-step kit that allows you to create your very own at-home spa experience. It starts with the Salt Scrub Souffle, moves on to the Soy Body Facial and ends with the Body Butter. The Salt Scrub Souffle is true to its name, and consists of Dead Sea salts mixed into a creamy vegetable glycerin base. It allows for a gentle exfoliation while you cleanse. After you rinse and dry, it's on to the Soy Body Facial which is a detoxifying body mask you leave on for ten minutes. This is a bit messy, and you must be careful where you stand and walk during this time. Best to remain as still as possible if you can do so, otherwise, you'll end up with yellowy gook everywhere. Finally, rinse and dry again and you're onto the third and final step which is the Body Butter, a moisturizing blend of shea butter, brazil nut, macadamia nut and olive oil.

The products themselves are wonderful. The Salt Scrub Souffle and the Body Butter both smell like Pledge (you know, the lemon-scented furniture polish), which I personally like, but may not suit everyone. The Soy Body Facial has a warm, vanilla-y scent to it which makes it quite relaxing. One word of warning is that you must block off a good chunk of time to go through the three steps (say 30-45 minutes). This is not an in-and-out-done kind of product. The other annoying thing is that you basically have to rinse and dry between each step, which gets a bit tiresome climbing in and out of the tub. Honestly, you can have a much more relaxing experience if you just go to the spa, but I think this set exists more for the novelty of working through a kit. And in the end, it's still a fun way to enjoy a quiet night in.

Product Overload

Since starting this blog a month ago, our apartment has been overrun with products. About a quarter of our dining room table now exists solely for product storage. I have four tubes of hand cream on my nightstand and three jars of scrub/soap stacked on top of the toilet tank. The situation is becoming downright perilous. I've been trying to figure out a way to organize everything so that our home looks like a home again, and not a picked-over clearance bin at Macy's.

This product accumulation is beginning to become an area of concern. I've always considered myself a minimalistic person. I subscribe to the European way of dressing: keep a few key pieces in your wardrobe and be willing to pay through the nose if you're going to get pieces that you'll love and wear forever. So far that's been true of my very favorite items: my Miu Miu bag, my Burberry toggle coat, and my Paper Denim & Cloth jeans.

Same with makeup and beauty products. I've always considered myself a simple girl (though my husband might disagree). I clean up in the shower with soap, shampoo and conditioner. No products in the hair as I've been blessed with easy-to-manage, healthy hair. Moisturize my face and body. Minimal makeup on certain occasions - concealer, mascara and gloss. Maybe some eyeliner and eyeshadow if I'm feeling like it. But I realized the other day that I use on average fifteen beauty products a day! That's a lot for someone who considers themselves low-maintenance.

Maybe fifteen products isn't a lot for some people. But for me, it's a TON. I went to China a few years ago to teach English, and my students owned a total of two outfits each, which they alternated daily. And not because they were poor, but because that's how people live over there. That's left a very lasting impression on me, and I've *tried* to live my life in the same way ever since. It's gross how much of a consumer nation America is, but at the same time, nothing gives me more pleasure than organizing my soaps and lotions, or staring at the rows and rows of eyeshadow palettes at MAC.

I'm not sure how to find a balance, but there must be one. I don't think it's bad to own or love products, but when it starts overtaking your house, then there's a problem. There's this site that I heard about recently which is basically a forum for people to swap makeup. That sounds like it could be a solution, the best of both worlds kind of thing. (Although it sounds a bit unsanitary.) So anyway, maybe I'll start splitting up my bath products and do giveaways. Or maybe I'll split products out to my friends or anyone who's interested (before I use the product, of course) and get their opinions for the blog, sort of like a product survey. Just throwing some ideas out there.

This Week's Giveaways

The giveaways for last weeks goodies (set of Essie cosmetics, Pierce jeans and Stylesse clutch) are now closed. Winners will be picked and announced shortly.

But the fun doesn't end there. Here is this week's latest giveaways powered by Coutorture:

A $75 gift certificate towards any of the one-of-a-kind vintage finds at Shrimpton Couture. Here are some of my favorite:














Or a Patricia Candido bracelet:











Sign up for either or both in the sidebars to your right. Good luck!

Plain & Thimble

I bought this at T.J. Maxx yesterday as a birthday gift for a friend. But then I made the mistake of trying just a teensy-weensy bit on myself. Bad move. Now I'm completely besotted, and have decided to keep the hand and body cream for myself. She'll never know, right?

What makes this stuff so great? First of all, how can you not love the packaging? Feminine with a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor. Plain & Thimble is from the same company that brings you Miso Pretty, Dirty Girl and Tainted Love. Second of all, the cream is super moisturizing without being heavy or greasy. A little bit goes a long way, so use sparingly. Third and lastly, the scent is a combination of jasmine, chamomile and fresh thyme and has that clean smell vaguely reminiscent of baby powder. I am so in love with the scent that I keep sniffing my hand every two seconds. I probably look like one of those mentally unstable people you encounter on public buses.

Martini Anyone?

Well of course I need more soap like I need a hole in the head, but I was tempted to pick this up when I spotted it at the local pharmacy yesterday. These are olive guest soaps from Caswell-Massey, which was founded in 1752 and is one of America's oldest perfumers (George Washington wore Number Six Cologne). This one little soap you see on the left will run you $4. And yes, it is literally the size of a large-ish olive. They also make a tray of 6 guest soaps on a porcelain dish that retails for $26. Absolutely adorable, but totally unnecessary. Only in Connecticut where people have an assigned nanny for each of their children can anyone afford to give their guests, guest soaps. In my family (and we are good Pennsylvania-Chinese stock), everyone uses the communal bar and tries not to leave their fingerprints or hair in it.

Pretty Feet

This post is dedicated to my dear friend, Hannah, who emailed me yesterday about foot creams and scrubs. I've only ever used products from The Body Shop and Dr. Scholl's, so I'm not quite the expert on foot products (yet). But I do know a thing or two when it comes to pedicure tools, which, if you have dry, cracked skin on your feet as I do, is the only way to go in terms of getting truly baby-smooth skin.

Observe to your right pedicure tools that I have acquired over the years. The first is a pumice stone with an attached brush. This thing does not do a whole lot. Might be nice for a light overall buff and to maintain feet, but I've never noticed a difference after using it. Next to that is the Tweezerman Callus Shaver - my miracle #1! I developed nasty calluses on the balls of my feet in college and have been plagued with them ever since. This shaver has been the only way I've controlled them. They recommend you use it over wet skin, but I find that I get the best results when I use it over dry skin. Either way, proceed with caution as you are dealing with an exposed blade. Go slowly! To the right of that is a textured pumice paddle from The Body Shop which is crap. It does even less than the pumice stone. Lastly, you've got the Dr. Scholl's foot file - my miracle #2. This was recommended to me by my friend, Danielle, and is truly and undoubtedly a wonder for flaky skin around the heels. It's double-sided like an emery board, with two different levels of abrasives. It's the only thing I've used that really buffs away dead skin to reveal smooth, beautiful heels. The final step after your pedicure tools have worked their magic is to finish off with a nice foot cream to seal in results.

Free Stuff, Gotta Love It

Free nail polish from OPI and Whirlpool in the lovely shade of "I Don't Do Dishes." Thanks Diva's on a Diet for the heads up!

Speaking of giveaways, don't forget to sign up on the right for the Coutorture giveaways! It's FREE people! Need I say more?

L'Occitane Green Tea with Jasmine Fizzy Sugar Cubes

I think these bath cubes from L'Occitane fall into the category of the concept being more exciting than the actual thing. Drop one into your bath, and it's like watching a big Alka-Seltzer tablet dissolve. That was the highlight of the bath. Beyond that, it was pleasant, but unremarkable. On the positive side, it didn't leave my skin dried out afterward, which was nice.

About the scent: prolonged direct exposure is not advised! You might end up with a major headache (as I have now). If you dilute the scent, it's actually quite wonderful - jasmine and green tea. Which is why I think these might be much better used to scent a room or your clothes. I'm going to hide some around the apartment and put some in my drawers. Then I'm going to use the beautiful canister to store my makeup products in. Talk about recycling, huh?

Perk Up

Last night, I slept from 10:30pm to 8:30am. Sounds refreshing, doesn't it, except that I woke up every two hours along with Andy as he went to the bathroom and did his doctor-instructed breathing exercises to stave off infection and fever. As a result, I've been dragging myself around all day today. Instead of eyeballs, I feel like someone has inserted water balloons into my sockets and is trying to fill them beyond capacity. It suddenly dawned on me: "so this is what it must feel like to be a new parent." Joy.

Needless to say, makeup and personal self-maintenance has fallen to the wayside. However, in an attempt to maintain some semblance of dignity today, I pulled out my Bobbi Brown Blemish Cover Stick in Warm Sand for an instant perk-me-up. Beauty starts with clear skin, which is why concealer is my desert-island beauty product. This one in particular is like an eraser for your face - one dab and redness and blemishes are gone, without that cakey concealer look. I purchased my tube about a year ago for my wedding, and since then, we've been 'til death do us part.

Free Free Free!

Have I gotten your attention yet? Here's your chance to win one of three free giveaways, brought to you by Coutorture:

1. A set of Essie cosmetics, including Apricot Cuticle Oil, Everyday Top Coat, a Cuticle Pen and six shades of nail polish. (I hope they throw in my favorite shade: Ballet Slippers!)
2. A pair of Pierce Jeans.
3. A Stylesse Jawbreaker Clutch.
   

I'm crossing my fingers that one of you, my readers, will win! Sign-up to win in the sidebars to the right. Good luck!

The Hospital Beauty Queen

He's alive! That's my husband, Andy, before his hernia surgery yesterday. He did great. I, however, have not fared so well. I have not washed my face since yesterday morning, nor changed out of my clothes. Lovely. I'm ready for a hot bath.

Bliss Plum Plum Soap in a Jar

Once in a lifetime a bath product comes along that changes the landscape of pampering forever. This has got to be one of them. It's soap. In a jar. So simple and obvious, yet...not.

I am head over heels for the scent which somehow manages to be fruity without being cloying. (Could it be that plum is the new grapefruit?) The soap goes on creamy and does not produce a lather, although I wish it would. However, I know from being a loyal Cetaphil user that a lack of lather doesn't mean it's not cleaning your skin.

Bliss started out as a spa in New York, became wildly popular for massaging the pores of Hollywood's A-list, then expanded into selling their own spa products. I remember in college seeing a picture in US Weekly of Kirsten and Jake back in happier days looking all dewy and fresh after a his-and-her's oxygen facial at Bliss spa. (Stars, they're just like us...they exfoliate!) Ever since, I've wanted to visit. Anyone been before? Do tell, so that we can all live vicariously through you.

Oh Happy Day!

I have officially become a member of the Coutorture community! I am ecstatic!! When editor-in-chief Julie asked me to join, I felt like Drew Barrymore in Never Been Kissed when Billy Prince asks her to the prom. Except I'm pretty sure Julie will not drive by later and throw eggs in my face. Hehehe.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Coutorture, check it out:

Coutorture gives fashion lovers news and commentary in one convenient location. Integrating fashion [insert also beauty] blogs, online magazines, and exclusive media content, all while promoting a community based on active participation, Coutorture is the new destination for online fashion.

Luxury Bathtubs

Check out these awesome bathtubs that I found while surfing Trendir.com, an online magazine about the latest home decor products and trends:

Jacuzzi La Scala Whirlpool with built-in entertainment system and floating remote control. Starts at $33,759. Talk about pimped out.

Teak Tub hand-crafted in Denmark and kiln-dried for 6 months to achieve a low moisture level of only 10%. It's like something you'd see in an animated Disney movie or something

Neo-Metro Soho-Bath. Looks like a big stock pot. You climb in, and the carrots are already simmering in there, just waiting for the last ingredient - you.

Agape UFO bathtub. I like the visual concept, but it looks like it wouldn't hold much water depth-wise, and I like being up to my neck in water when I'm in the bathtub.

Villeroy & Boch Hommage Royale bathtub. This one is kind of boring, but I love the high backrest for leaning back and relaxing in the bath. Retails for around $5,000.

Lake Placid Edition: Goodbye and Footnote

Three hours and three mosquito bites later:

Lake Placid Edition: Piaffe

I found this while browsing the Eliza Hugh store on Main Street in Lake Placid. It was Barbara, the owner, who directed me to the Piaffe line, which was founded in the last year or two by ex Donna Karan fashion exec, Marie Regan. The line is inspired by her mother, a native of Ireland, whose beauty regimen included the use of horse chestnut flower extract, an ingredient which naturally stimulates circulation in the skin. To further ride out this horse theme (ouch, did I really just write that?), "piaffe" is an equestrian term referring to the movement performed by the horse to show off its beauty - something horse-lover Marie hopes her products will do for its users.

In Eliza Hugh, I sampled the Body Creme which comes in three beautifully fresh scents: horse chestnut, lemon verbena and white lilac. The texture was divine - creamy yet light. The lotions are housed in glass jars, which I find much more preferable than plastic containers. There's something about the weight of a glass jar in your hand that just strikes me as classy and high quality. Unfortunately, at $52 a pop, I had to pass on a purchase. At least until I make good on my next scratch-and-win.

Lake Placid Edition: Bathing for a Good Cause

If a good cause can give me an excuse to buy bath and body products, then I'm all for it. All proceeds from the sale of The Body Shop's Daisy Soap (retail $4) goes to the Teacher Training Campaign sponsored by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The campaign provides training to school teachers to help them recognize children affected by violence and how to direct children for help.

To sweeten the deal, Daisy Soap is a lightly scented vegetable soap that contains daisy extract and Community Trade shea butter from Ghana. From the website, it sounds like community trade is just another term for fair trade. Meaning, The Body Shop purchases their shea butter from the Tungteiya Shea Butter Association in Northern Ghana, an association of 400 women from 10 villages. The fair prices that these women receive for their products has meant an improved quality of life - better housing, medical care, food, and more importantly, a chance to send their children to school.

Lake Placid Edition: Tiger Balm

So far in the vacation I've survived with only a few bug bites on my foot. At which point I immediately applied my tried-and-true Tiger Balm. I've been using this since I was a little kid, and it's a miracle for relieving the itch of bug bites. It's especially effective when applied immediately after a bite. I buy mine in Chinatown, but you can also find it at Costco and online these days. It's supposed to be great for aches and pains, including headaches, rheumatism, arthritic pains and muscles strains and sprains. I've never used my Tiger Balm for those purposes, but if anyone else has and can report, let me know.

Lake Placid Edition: C.O. Bigelow

I used these both last night at the end of a long, exhausting day of sitting on the beach. I started off with the Grapefruit Superb Body Wash and finished off with the Grapefruit Superb Body Lotion. Both were great. The lotion was especially light and absorbant, making it perfect for summer.

One note of warning. These did not smell like grapefruit! They smelled more like Tang or orange punch. After checking the label, I found out the products also contain orange and mandarin orange oils, which would explain it.

C.O. Bigelow started out in 1838 as a tiny apothecary in Greenwich Village, New York, much like that other famous apothecary, Kiehls. And also like Kiehls who was recently acquired by L'Oreal Brands, C.O. Bigelow was acquired not so long ago by Limited Brands (Victoria's Secret, The Limited, Express, Henri Bendel, etc.), and is now available in Bath & Body Works stores, plus new C.O. Bigelow stores in select cities. I'm a bit ambivalent about these mom-and-pop shops being swallowed up by these huge conglomerates. It allows good brands a broader distribution than they could have enjoyed on their own, but they're bound to lose some of that punk-rock hipness as a result.

Lake Placid Edition: How to Get Glowing Skin

Going away on vacation always does wonders for my skin. Which is why I decided to put together a little crash course guide to getting perfect skin. The following are tips formulated from many years of experience, personal research, and my own special blend of quackery:

- Get plenty of sleep, at least 8 hours a night. More importantly, you need to get to bed at a decent hour, by 10 or 10:30pm. Going to bed at 1am and sleeping for 8 hours does not cut it.
- Drink lots of water.
- If you are breaking out after the age of 20 or 21, it's probably related to hormones, and you might want to try birth control pills.
- Wash your face with cold water.
- Use minimal makeup. Always remove all makeup thoroughly at the end of the day.
- Wash your face with Cetaphil.
- Use a minimum of an SPF15 sunscreen every day.
- Examine the ingredients in your beauty and makeup products. Certain ingredients can be potential irritants which might actually be the cause of problem skin. For example: witch hazel, camphor, menthol, peppermint, etc. See The Cosmetics Cop for more info.
- Beware of natural ingredients because they often contain irritating preservatives.
- Keep your stress levels as low as you can.
- Live a healthy lifestyle - eat right, exercise, etc.
- Vacation at least twice a year.
- Laugh a lot. My skin has been the most beautiful when I've been the happiest.

I have no comments to make about Proactiv since it contains benzoyl peroxide, and I'm one of the few people who is allergic to it. But I hear it works miracles.

Anyone else have any other tips to add?

Lake Placid Edition: Birthday Swag

We made it safe and sound to Lake Placid. The weather and scenery have been beautiful, and it's been surprisingly, well, civilized. Shops, people, paved streets and Starbucks. Which is a mild disappointment since I was hoping I could finally tap that untapped nature-lover part of me. I am underscoring the word "mild."

To the right you'll see birthday presents from my in-laws. I nearly fainted from sheer joy. From left to right (roughly):
- Sparkling Grapefruit Body Cream
- Bath & Body Works Pink Grapefruit Body Lotion
- The Somerset Toiletry Company Ginger & Lime Exfoliating Soap with Poppy Seeds
- C.O. Bigelow Grapefruit Superb Body Lotion
- C.O. Bigelow Grapefruit Superb Body Cleanser
- Pomegranate Martini Body Lotion
- Bliss Super-Eucalyptus Smoother Pre-Shower Body Softening Mask
- Bliss Plum Plum Soap in a Jar Fruit-Fresh Body Wash

Reviews to follow. I'm off to the bathroom now to try out my new stuff. Be out in five hours. Or so.

A Special Day for a Special Girl

Happy birthday, hot stuff!

(That would be me.)

(Meaning it's my birthday. So I'm the hot stuff.)

(But that's not me in the picture.)

(But happy birthday to you, too, girl-in-the-picture.)

(If it is indeed your birthday. Or unless someone just plunked you into a cake.)