NYC PrettyCity & L’Institut Sothys event Recap

Last Thursday, NYC local beauties and I gathered at L’Institut Sothys New York for a "5 Things We Love" party hosted by NYC PrettyCity & Sothys and in partnership with We Heart Truth. If there are 5 things I love, I know they include treatments, cupcakes/ hors d'ouvres, drinks and chats- all in one place!

As a VIPretty, I am always psyched to attend NYC PrettyCity events at great local spas so you can see for yourself how their services are at the spa/salon/etc. Always love these events because you get to relax after work in a fun environment and meet new people too!

At Sothy's, I got a "Polish Change" aka a manicure with Essie Tiny Wine-ey. My manicurist was incredibly sweet, helping me choose the right shade of red for me. She said for my skin tone that I should stick with reds with blue undertones and to stay away from orange! Look, more people getting mani's!

In addition to getting treatments, we could look at stylish clothing from Sarar and check out Sothy's makeup products!
To see the rest of the pictures......




There were delicious hor d'ouvres, drinks and cupcakes sponsored by craving4cupcakes.com
This tower of cupcakes vanished very quickly and how could it not? They were so delicious! The chocolate, carrot & blueberry assortment were scrumptious. The drinks were also in cranberry and pomegranate flavors too.. yummy!


Missed out on the fun? Check out the next NYC PrettyCity event on March 3 to celebrate the launch of JAFRA cosmetics!

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NYC Pretty City invites you to Sothy's on February 10, 2011

PrettyCity.com invites all NYC beauties to their event at Sothy's this Thursday! According to their site:

"Join Pretty City for a night of fun and pampering at L’Institut Sothys New York as we celebrate an evening all about “YOU”. We will be celebrating “women’s heart health” with beauty & fashion. Choose from one of the following fabulous beauty services we will be offering…learn how to apply and wear RED lipstick, choose a daring tone of RED for your nails, opt for an eye or hand treatment, relax your muscles with a taste of a massage and treat your face to a facial. And ladies, while you’re pampering yourselves, sip and nibble on your favorite treats. What more could you possibly ask for? Shopping?? Of course. Preview your favorite RED dresses …don’t forget your goodie bag filled with our fabulous faves. "

Having personally gone to many NYC PrettyCity events in the past two years, I can assure you they are a fun way to learn about a new spa and hang out with your friends at the same time. As always, they have mini beauty sessions, such as makeovers, mini-treatments and delicious snacks and drinks! And you don't go home empty handed either- a goodie bag touting $200 worth of goodies- what a steal for only $15 tickets! RSVP now!



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Valentine's Day Makeup with Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics

Go red this Valentine's Day with Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics!

I have been a personal fan of mineral makeup for many, many years now. For me, it gives me a natural, flawless face, and the ingredients are natural so it lets my skin breathe. So, you can imagine my excitement whenever I got the chance to try this new mineral-infused makeup brand, Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics. Discovered at NYC's The Beauty Plaza, this trio kit has gorgeous red must-haves to wow your date on Valentine's Day.
(Read more reviews on TotalBeauty.com)

This trio set comes in an adorable clutch to stash your beauty must-haves and 3 gorgeous products to look rouge-ready for Valentine's Day. The Crushed Mineral blush in Rouge, a classy and stylish rosy colour ($22, USD), a bright shimmery pink lip gloss in Promiscuous ($23, USD) and a pretty red lipstick in VIVID ($16, USD).



The products themselves are fabulous and the colors are rich and moisturizing. I adore this kit because the products are really good. The blush is long lasting and even a tiny bit of the blush gives me a hint of color. The lipgloss isn't too sticky and gloopy and gives it a nice bright hue. The lipstick is perfect (even looks a bit blue-based tone to make your teeth look white and brighter) to get berry-stained lips that look moisturized and kissable! All in all these products will enhance your overall Valentine's Day look and the products are neatly packed in a handy little clutch for you to take with!

To see more Youngblood Mineral cosmetics, check out The Plaza Beauty in NYC for more luxurious beauty essential right near Central Park.


(Disclaimer: I received this product from this company's PR agency to test, try and share my thoughts with my readers.)

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Daffy's Valentine's Day Gifts Guide

Valentine's Day is next Monday, February 14 and I wanted to share some goodies I got on a small shopping spree, courtesy of NYC Daffy's. With a fifty dollar gift card in my hand, I got some GREAT items that I thought were cute, fun and V-day appropriate. :) I also took some pictures of other Daffy's items that would make great gifts as well. If you don't remember my Holiday Last Minute Shopping Gifts list, check it out here first.

NYC Daffy's is great for finding regular fashion, home/decor, and other fun items at a discount price. Everytime I go there, it's always packed.. They carry lots of shoes, handbags, clothes and it's always different. Most of the items that I found last time for my Holiday shopping weren't there anymore, so if you see something you like, get it before it's too late!

Here are my Valentine's Day Daffy's picks:

	Spotted these 2 cute makeup bag sets- each has 3 in different sizes so you can put 1 in your purse, 1 at work/school/etc. , and another to give to a friend. These are only $8 a set and come in these cute patterns.
	These notepads (2 per pack) were on CLEARANCE for $3 each. In such gorgeous paisley patterns, I couldn't help myself but get these two. They are perfect to write shopping lists, jot down ideas in a meeting, love notes, etc. ;)
	These were two very adorable cosmetic pouches by Pink Studio. A gal can never have enough cosmetic pouches and this is the perfect size to hold your ID, phone, beauty essentials and more! These were also a steal for only $6 !! Everything at Daffy's is priced at such a great price, you'll want everything...
	Alas, Valentine's Day is not Valentine's Day without some perfectly PINK candles. This set of 4 is great to put around the room for a dimly light romantic setting. Also very affordable for less than $10. (Found these in the Home section at Daffy's)
	I prefer these taller multi-colored candles for about $7-8 b/c these last much longer. These will also make great gifts as they already tied in cute ribbons.

To see Daffy's Valentine's Day outfits....
If you're looking for some sexy lingerie for Valentine's, you can get an ensemble for about $10! The black lace on white is so trendy and beautiful and these are very affordable! ($4-$8, USD) There is a great deal going on right now for 20% off 4+ items in this dept. (Hurry!)


If you would rather wear something comfy and red (like me!!), try this great slip with white lacy detail. ($20, USD)

Overall, I found my shopping trip at Daffy's to be so fun, looking for affordable items at a discounted price and I look forward to going there monthly to see what new items they carry. I am pleased that I got such great stuff for Valentine's Day.

(Disclaimer: I received this product from this company's PR agency to test, try and share my thoughts with my readers.)

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Yagolicious Beauty Affair in NYC December 2010

In December, I attended a few holiday girls night out events, including the Yagolicious Beauty Affair. (I attended my first Yagolicious beauty affair in October.) Here are some pictures I took of the event, including makeover, massages and yummy sweet treats! As always, this intimate event is great if you're looking to destress, have a drink and meet your girlfriends for an evening. With lots of sweet treats and beauty makeovers, what better way to spend your time?


Prettify yourself with a makeover using Yagolicious cosmetics!


Need to destress? Get a 5 minute back massage!


It's Cupcakes galore! Have a sweet treat while gabbing with your gal pals!

Check out the goodie bag...

Try Pretzel Crisps- yummy snacks (which were also included in our goodie bags)


The goodie bags in cute Sephora bags.


My Yagolicious Beauty Affair goodie bag- including an EcoTools Retractable Kabuki brush, a Victoria's Secret hand sanitizer and a Dashing Diva nail polish. Lots of great goodies and samples! Thanks again to Yago for the invite! :)

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Holiday Series #9: Holiday Shopping at Daffy's in NYC

If you're looking for affordable holiday gift items then you should check out NYC's Daffy's department stores. They have a huge assortment of discounted clothing for men, women and children, as well as home goods. It reminds me a lot of stores that sell different brands but at a huge discount. On the price tag, you see the retail price and then the DAFFY's price, a whole lot cheaper.

I was given the opportunity to go on a bit of a shopping spree to find items that are holiday-worthy. (THANK YOU DAFFY's!) After browsing on several floors (there's 4 floors in the DAFFY's in Herald Square, New York) I came myself to liking the Stationery/Organizing sections best. They have lots of great products including binders, notepads and organizing compartments for your desk. Their design prints are also super adorable and they're such a great deal! These make wonderful gifts for friends who love matching things!

Here are some key holiday items that I got and loved!

This adorable Santa dish can be used to hold your candies, cookies, treats, whatever you want for the holidays! This only costs about $5-6.	The set of 6 citrus- decorated coasters makes a great gift! Made of ceramic, these are sturdy and can be easily wiped off so no worries about a spill! Best part? It's only $4.99 ! :)
This $9.99 jewelry organizer has 9 compartments to organize all your favorite necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. The gorgeous black and white paisley print on the outside gives it a nice touch, too!	I'm loving this green and brown paisley print for the inside of these desk organizers. I have tons of pens and letters that need organizing so these are a great! So's the price; it only costs: $7 - 10!
If you prefer to have your jewelry hung and be seen, this 16-jewelry pouch is a great alternative! You can hang this in your closet and visually see 16 of your favorite jewelry all at once. It's only $13 but makes a terrific gift!	I didn't get these large candles which were only $10, but I found these to be incredibly festive for the holidays. I haven't seen anything like these before (I'm talking about the large cone shaped ones, not the small regular ones..)

Hope you enjoyed my Holiday Daffy's picks! You can find a great selection of holiday items for yourself, for friends and for your home just in time for the holidays and year-round!



(Disclaimer: I received this product from this company's PR agency to test, try and share my thoughts with my readers.)

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PrettyCity's Beauty Sample Sale 2010

NYC PrettyCity's annual Beauty Sample Sale with SHAPE Magazine took place on November 17 at NYC's Greenhouse. I wait all year to attend the beauty sample sales and this is my third one! Overall, I had a lovely time (again!) meeting lots of new vendors, snacking on cupcakes, and spinning the famous SHAPE wheel for prizes! As usual, there were tons of people so it was rather crowded. However, crowds I can deal with- it is NYC afterall, but the required coatcheck got people a bit riled up. Other guests wished they had known about this beforehand incase they didn't have any cash on them.

As always, PrettyCity.com never lets you leave empty-handed so they had a nice goody bag filled with treats. Inside the bag included samples of a VitalFusion adult gummy vitamins, lip balm, KISS nails and more!

Here are some pictures of the event: (excuse the darkness, there wasn't much lighting which doesn't help my phone camera!)

(Shape Magazine's Prize Wheel) I got SPANX and an athletic tee in size XL! I won't be wearing that but the SPANX sounds cool!

To see more here..

	ZOYA polishes that were used at a spa
	PurpleLabNYC was there to represent! Saw them on twitter @PurpleLabNYC and I knew I had to check them out! Look at these great products!
	More products- couldn't see these b/c there were tooo many people!

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Introducing you to Beauty & All That's Bridal Series #1 !

Beauty and All That's Bridal Series has officially begun! I'll preface this with saying that I'm not a bride but I have been to many weddings this year and previous years so although I'm not an expert, anything glamorous, romantic and white - I like! To start off and dip into bridal industry, I attended The Wedding Salon - one of the bridal tradeshows that all brides must attend! Thank you so much to WeddingSalon.com for letting me attend! There were tons of exhibitors for photography, bridal destinations, florists, services, catering, and so much more to help the bridal plan their big day.

There were tons of NYC brides in attendance and they were eager to soak in as much information as possible. Although it was very crowded, it wasn't so bad. Once we were done, we were ushered to exit and for those who held a goody bag ticket, to pick up their famous goody bag. (Stay tuned for the inside dish of what the goody bag contains!)

Everything was extravagant and incredible gorgeous.. just take a look at these sample dinner tables and CAKES!!! Exquisite, huh? :)


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NYC Pretty City TriBeCa MedSpa event November 10, 2010

As a Beauty Ambassador of PrettyCity.com, I was invited to attend the TriBeCa MedSpa event last night in New York City. Ladies of New York City lined up to get makeovers, complimentary waxing, sip on IZZE drinks, and get consultations on their skin, BOTOX and so much more! We were able to meet with the staff of TriBeCa MedSpa and learn about the different services they offered. The venue was very spa-like, serene, and chic. As always, we were gifted a goody bag with beauty product samples!

Check out the event and see you at next week's Beauty Sample Sale!!

	Outside TriBeCa MedSpa :) The neighborhood is so cute- lots of great restaurants and shops nearby! Absolutely love the brick walls and shelves in here.. can my apartment look like this please?
	Cupcakes and sweet treats for us to nibble on! nom nom.. the cupcakes were soo good and they had little baggies for us to take the rock candy and gummies in ! Sweeet idea!

CHECK OUT MORE PICTURES OF THE CONSULTATIONS....

	Snapped this picture of the skincare consultation room before we stepped in. This machine was supposed to take the picture but for some reason it didn't work when it was our turn.
	There was a mini spa lounge and this TV screen was in there.
	Inside one of the consultation rooms- look how nice & neat this place looks!

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