Lashing Out
Magic Wands
In the quest for flirty, upturned lashes, we’ve been known to grab them with ominous metal gadgets, perm them with chemicals, even use mini curling irons. We hoped the crop of “curling” mascaras that appeared over the past few years would save us—but sadly, they usually clumped and made lashes look heavy. Now there’s a new, high-tech generation of products that separate lashes and bend them upward. Sephora Collection Curling Mascara lengthens and thickens, using two polymers that coat lashes individually, and amino acids to help them to stay supple ($10 at Sephora). Clinique’s Lash Curling Mascara, available as of this month, has conditioners and uses hydrolyzed wheat protein to create curl and lift ($13.50 at Bloomingdale’s). And Prescriptives’ just-launched Eyelash Curler ($17.50 at Saks) is a light, mousselike formula with an extra-dense brush for spring and separation.
Body Work
Breathe Easy
“It’s all based on giving people the best emotional, physical, and spiritual bang for their buck,’’ explains Annbeth Eschbach, CEO and founder of Exhale, a fitness center with an emphasis on the mind-body connection. To this end, she has opened temporary quarters in 980 Madison with two sun-drenched exercise studios. Exhale offers 80 classes a week in yoga (a program designed by L.A. guru Shiva Rea) and core fusion—a mix of conditioning, orthopedic stretching, Pilates, and yoga—run by former Lotte Berk stars Fred DeVito and Elisabeth Halfpapp. Come September, the finished space will open on the building’s second floor, followed by a second location in the Hampshire House, at 150 Central Park South. The new spaces, designed by Takashimaya architect David Mann, will include a spa, with such treatments as microdermabrasion and Body Enlightenment—a combination of massage, stretching, and yoga contact work (Exhale, 980 Madison Avenue, near 76th Street; 212-249-7118).
Bright Idea
Leg Up
Panicked about pulling out your newly chic-again miniskirts? There are few things more indulgent than having two aestheticians work on your legs at once, but the Resculpting Body Treatment at Tracie Martyn is not just sybaritic. It begins with an enzyme exfoliant to smooth the skin—one therapist working on each leg. The next step is lymphatic drainage, which the spa claims decreases water retention, followed by an application of firming serum, which contains the increasingly popular epidermal growth factor. Finally, electrical current—similar to the kind used in sculpting facials—is applied to stimulate and tone the legs. Even with a team effort, the process takes up to an hour, but your face and hands will be free, so you can read or make all the phone calls you’d like ($255 at Tracie Martyn; 59 Fifth Avenue; 212-206-9333).
Editor’s Pick
Light Therapy
There’s no easier way to create a spa feeling at home than by lighting a scented candle. Three luxe companies have introduced new light scents, just in time to open your beach house: Swoon’s new Summer Sorbet is $34 at Henri Bendel, Spanish Gardenia from Red Flower will be available at Barneys New York as of June 1 ($30), the same day Seeds’s new wheat-essence candle will hit Bergdorf Goodman ($35). For a cheaper fix, the Healing Garden’s Jasminetheraphy is $8.95 at CVS.