Poetic Wax
Lafco’s NAC wax bowls and vases are handmade in Milan and available in orange or lemon with gold inside, or white or lilac with silver inside. “I like to use them with a votive candle inside, so the light reflects off the sparkly paint,” says Lafco creative director Jennifer Welte. “Or fill them with water and float candles.” Welte assured us that there’s no danger of the vessels’ melting (small bowl, $22; medium bowl, $45; vase, $75).
LAFCO NEW YORK
200 Hudson Street/212-925-0001
Fashion Picks
They’ve dressed First Ladies and glitterati galore; now the house of St. John wants to dress up your hors d’oeuvres. The Cosmopolitan Martini Pick Set, eight shiny spears, each topped off with a lipstick, a pair of sunglasses, or a hat, is an elegant substitute for humble toothpicks. It comes in a petite “purse” decorated with Austrian crystals ($85).
ST. JOHN
665 Fifth Avenue, at 53rd Street/212-755-5252
Gem Dandy
Resortwear just isn’t complete without jewels – preferably big, bold sparklers to match the colorful prints of the season. These “Chandelier” drop earrings by Kara Varian Baker do the job perfectly. Made of faceted semiprecious stones like amethyst, shown here, and tourmaline, rose quartz, morganite, and aquamarine, with accents of yellow or white gold, the earrings absolutely shimmer in the sunlight ($500-$1,500).
KARA VARIAN BAKER
215 Mulberry Street/212-431-5727
Mint Conditioning
Blisslabs Mammoth Minty Scrub Soap will do for your bath what the Altoid did for your breath. We’re not kidding. The peppermint smell practically burns through the wrapper, and it becomes even more powerful with use. The extra-large bar does double duty – one side is studded for exfoliation, the other is silky-smooth – and packs the peppermint punch ($15).
BLISS SPAS
568 Broadway, near Prince Street/212-219-8970
19 East 57th Street/212-219-8970
The Eyes Have It
When a woman leaves the salon and takes her brows into her own hands, the results are often tragic. Eliza Petrescu, the so-called Queen of the Arch, who reigns over an entire floor dedicated to eyebrow shaping at the Avon Centre, has seen it happen many times. That’s why she invented Eliza’s Eyeglasses. Available in three magnifications, the glasses have lenses that flip down, so users can actually see with one eye what they’re tweezing, or applying, on the other ($32).
AVON CENTRE SALON & SPA
Trump Tower, 725 Fifth Avenue, near 57th Street/212-755-2866
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