Here’s one less thing to worry about when packing for your next trip: a miniature, vintage-inspired trunk case containing all the makeup items you need for day and night. Clé de Peau Beauté’s makeup creative director, Lucia Pieroni, curated this complete face palette with brand-new colors that work anytime and anywhere. “In the end, you just need to look healthy, with a little bit of a glow,” says Pieroni. With that philosophy in mind, she included four shadows of gold, peach, rust and champagne that work with any skin tone. “A little bit of soft, neutral shading makes your eyes look big,” she says, “and a velvety texture with a little bit of shimmer gives you sparkle.” A cool-pink blush and rose lip color make the selection even more versatile. “I use lipsticks as blush, and blush on eyelids as shadow.” A rich brown eyeliner and eyebrow powder eliminate the need for pencils, and a jet-black mascara lengthens lashes. The best part: For a mini collection, everything is a usable size. $180; neimanmarcus.com.
Spider veins, those unsightly blue starbursts that appear mostly on the legs, affect 50 percent of women and 20 percent of men. Dr. Luis Navarro, founder and medical director of New York’s Vein Treatment Center, is known for his advancements in pain-free procedures with fast results.
Q: What are the latest techniques for vein-free legs?
A: Cryo Sclerotherapy, in which freezing air of negative 22 degrees Fahrenheit is blasted on the skin while a chemical solution is injected to constrict the veins and make them disappear; the use of foam and milder solutions to avoid blood clots; and polarized light to see more veins deeper in the tissue.
Q: How big a difference is Cryo in terms of pain?
A: It’s a whole other level. Sclerotherapy requires 50 to 100 shots; sometimes you barely feel them, but after 100 pinpricks, anxiety can set in. Using the Cryo device to cool the area, especially sensitive parts like around the ankle and on the back of the knee, helps eliminate any uncomfortable feelings.
Q: Are there other benefits?
A: The ice-cold air keeps the veins constricted for a certain amount of time, which minimizes black-and-blue marks and eliminates the need to wear support hose for days afterward.
When Manhattan plastic surgeon Gerald Imber introduced his Youth Corridor line of antiaging products three years ago, we were impressed with the potency of the formula and its strong concentration of vitamin C, vitamin E and melatonin—an antioxidant blend that proved to lighten our dark spots faster than any other we had tried. So with the release of the new Boost 2.0 serum, we wondered, Why mess with perfection? “The more vitamin C you can get into your skin, the better,” says Dr. Imber. “This formulation has 50 percent more active vitamin C, or ascorbic acid.” And though we found the smell stronger as well—“Honey, it ain’t perfume”—it does go away after 15 seconds. “You know you’re dealing with something serious when you open the bottle,” Dr. Imber says. $145; youthcorridor.com.
New footwear for Pilates and beyond, and a gym-worthy shampoo.
Want an alternative to going barefoot during yoga or Pilates? Blake Brody in-studio footwear functions as a second skin, with no-slip soles and odor-resistant lining. Bonus: We love them as in-flight flats. From $100; blakebrody.com
We threw a bottle of Phytokératine in our gym bag and now use it daily. It has hyaluronic acid, normally found in skincare products, to hydrate damaged hair. $25; sephora.com.
Back in 2007, Tom Ford led the way for men’s scents in the ultra-prestige-fragrance market with the introduction of Tom Ford for Men. Those who never wore cologne or were mostly familiar with the likes of Brut and Old Spice suddenly paid attention, and the idea of spending a little extra for some masculine essence gained traction. Fast-forward to 2012 and the house of Ermenegildo Zegna, which has just launched an exclusive collection of five scents called Essenze by Ermenegildo Zegna, inspired by its couture line. Just as the house owns mills for its suits, it has planted and harvested a field of bergamot in Calabria, Italy, to create these very individual eaux de cologne. $195 each; zegna.com.
Indonesian Oud: Crafted from rare oud wood, this scent is long-lasting. It was designed with an eye toward men in the Middle East, especially those who must wash when they pray five times a day.
Florentine Iris: A mix of three iris varieties paired with bergamot, jasmine, violet and musk, this fragrance attracts the modern Frenchman.
Javanese Patchouli: This is not the patchouli of incense and the hippie movement, but rather a scent that will appeal to men worldwide for its unique blend with Italian bergamot, pink pepper, tonka bean and cedarwood.
Sicilian Mandarin: Mandarin oil formulated with bergamot, spearmint, petitgrain and moss creates a scent as complex and alluring as the Latin man who may wear it.
Italian Bergamot: The lead scent in the collection, it represents the epitome of a refined Italian nobleman. The peel of the fruit is cold-pressed, like olives, to release citrus oils. Neroli, rosemary and vetiver finish it off.
Two masseuses, half the time. That’s the benefit of the Two on One service from the custom men’s menu of Lapis Spa at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. With no compromises made to the zen-like stone interiors and glowing waterfalls, the men’s treatments are quick and efficient, yet still relaxing. The 50-minute Refuel facial ($135), for example, includes a blue algae mask, which nourishes and regenerates the skin, while an aesthetician massages the scalp and feet. We received a seaweed and salt scrub ($70) to detoxify and remineralize the skin, had a Vichy multi-jet shower and underwent a Two on One back, leg and foot massage ($160) in less than an hour. 4441 Collins Ave.; 305-674-4772; fontainebleau.com.
Launched earlier this year, the British brand’s ten-piece collection was created from potent plants and minerals that target specific problem areas to improve skin’s health and slow down the aging process. Here, a sampling.
Aqueous Malachite Benefits: An antioxidant mineral featured in the cleansing gel, this rids the skin of free radicals. $50.
Papaya Benefits: The line’s lip booster uses papaya extract to gently exfoliate and smoothen lips. $50.
Sugar Peas Benefits: A sugar-pea-based complex is used in the neck and décolletage cream to even skin tone. $85.
Pink Toronja Grapefruit Benefits: The refining toner is infused with this exfoliating fruit acid to rid dead cells and polish skin. $40.
Daisy Benefits: Found in the hand cream, daisy extract helps minimize uneven skin tone. $50; all at moltonbrown.com.
Our favorite celeb hairstylist, Julien Farel, has upped the ante for the quick blowout, incorporating his JF Restore antiaging hair treatment, a manicure and a pedicure all done in an hour and 15 New York minutes. What makes this service extra special is the relaxing atmosphere of his new Express salon at the Auriga Spa in The Setai Fifth Avenue, as well as the expertise of his staff. “You will spend less time in the chair,” says Farel, “without sacrificing quality talent.” Services start at $20; julienfarel.com.
French beauty brand Sisley’s Eau de Campagne scent of wild herbs has us using Phytogel Doux bath and shower gel as a men’s shampoo, too. $80, sisley-cosmetics.com.
To meet Jean-Claude Ellena, the exclusive in-house perfumer for Hermès since 2006, at his hilltop atelier in Cabris overlooking Grasse, with Nice and the Mediterranean in the distance, is to understand his passion for fragrance and the art of making scents. As his wife of 45 years, Susannah, put it during a candlelit dinner at the sprawling house Hermès bought for his workplace, “Many people believe science is important to perfumery—Jean-Claude does not. For him, philosophy is more relevant.” And never more so than in his latest fragrance, L’Ambre des Merveilles, a refined, subtle scent. “I wanted to recount one of the mysteries of amber,” he explains, “somewhere between delight and sensuality, where vanilla meets the warmth of labdanum and the moistness of patchouli. It’s a smell that’s enveloping, almost aphrodisiac or narcotic, evoking the Far East. With L’Ambre, a woman becomes sensual, mysterious.” And that’s something science will never be able to explain. $149; hermes.com.
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