Wear What When

New: Beauty Bar at the Fairmont Olympic

From hair services to high tech body slimming and natural healing, this new spa does high tech with a soft touch.

Posted by: Heather Fink on Jan 13, 2012 at 08:00AM 1 Comments

A spa bed at the new Beauty Bar in the Fairmont Olympic. You can see the vintage charm; not pictured: cutting-edge technology.

Last year around this time, a new resident moved into the Fairmont Olympic: that Tony Omega watch shop. This year the hotel’s new partner is the Beauty Bar. Located on the ground level of the landmark downtown property, the day spa claims to have some of the best aesthetic technology available in the city.

I went in for a facial to look into that, and I can definitely verify that they’ve got some great crystal chandeliers. Inside rooms made rosy by pinkish light that illuminates just enough to see well, but not enough to see too well, you definitely get the feeling that the decor is inspired by European elegance—a match, of course, for the hushed, Old World glamor of the Fairmont. In fact, I instantly thought of Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina. The space is open, with two large rooms that act as a reception area, and smaller service suites which are arranged around the reception. A comfy bathrobe waits on the back of each door. Of course.

But while the feeling is vintage Parisian, the services are anything but.

Take for instance the Sudatonic body slimming (“based on sound scientific principals using Infrared heat to increase metabolism”) and microcurrent non-surgical facelifts. I submitted to the latter, which uses conductive cremes to help push microelectric waves into your skin. Why? To stimulate and strengthen facial muscles. It doesn’t hurt; it’s a bit like your face is getting a massage.

The Beauty Bar claims to have one of the best microcurrent machines available on the market. Gunna Covert, my Icelandic aesthetician, mentioned that one of the reasons she came work to work for Beauty Bar owner Angela Rosen was the technology available there. Another, presumably, is that Rosen hunted her down and left her no viable options. Part of the lore at the salon is that Rosen relentlessly pursued top technicians around town and wooed them to the Fairmont Olympic.

The Beauty Bar has been open since November. If high tech beauty in nostalgic surroundings sounds like an appropriate post-holiday cure, consider giving them a ring.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tech, Health and Beauty

Molly Mesnick x Pure Barre

Free introductory class at Pure Barre in Bellevue. The Bachelor’s wife will be there.

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Sep 28, 2011 at 06:00AM 2 Comments

The locally based star of The Bachelor wants you to meet her at Pure Barre in Bellevue.

Where: Pure Barre Bellevue

What: Been curious about the combo of ballet and pilates and weight training in those Pure Barre exercise classes? Been curious about what makes a girl comfortable with falling in love on a television reality show competition?

Knock a couple of queries off your list in one evening by taking advantage of Pure Barre Bellevue’s free, 30-minute introduction class with owner Sami Sweeny and The Bachelor’s Bellevue-based Molly Mesnick.

Afterwards, fuel up on gratis Kind Bars, shop the newest collections from Stella and Dot and Lululemon, and chat with Sweeny about your workout plans.

When: Wednesday, October 5 from 7 to 9. Space is limited; call 425-462-7474 or email bellevue @ purebarre.com to reserve your space at the barre.

(Fine print: Event is first come basis; only valid for new students. Complimentary parking in Elements garage.)

Add a Comment »

Tags: Reality TV, Bellevue, Health and Beauty

What’s Your Take On … FNO Nail Polish?

Chanel issues a trio of blues for Fashion’s Night Out.

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Sep 02, 2011 at 12:00PM 0 Comments

Do these shades of blue work with what you were thinking of wearing on FNO?

Consider adding a stop at the Chanel counter at Nordstrom to your FNO plan of attack—if, that is, you can get into the idea of denim-hued fingernails.

What’s your take on Chanel’s Les Jeans De Chanel, a trio of three blue shades that’ll debut at select Chanel counters and stores across the world on September 8 for Fashion’s Night Out?

You actually have all month to decide; Blue Rebel, Blue Boy and Coco Blue are available through the end of September.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Health and Beauty, What's Your Take On...

Road Test: Furlesse

We guinea-pigged a locally developed alternative to Botox, and then chatted with the Seattle woman who developed it.

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Aug 04, 2011 at 08:00AM 1 Comments

A Seattle woman got tired of her “forehead rows” and developed Furlesse, a little stickie patch that you take to bed each night. We tried it.

Look closely at the gal to the left of this text. She’s not just smiling in a non-threatening manner while demonstrating product placement skills, she’s also wearing the product. See it there on her forehead, between her eyebrows?

I looked a little like that every night of the last month as I climbed into bed after affixing a clear, triangle-shaped single-use skin smoothing sticker over my furrow zone. (Though typically I wasn’t necessarily grinning.) I used the locally designed and developed product, called Furlesse, to see if I could decrease the appearance of what are often called ‘forehead rows’ or ‘frown lines.’ I can’t say that the overall existence of those wrinkles-in-training has permanently decreased—though on good mornings, at least until I was halfway through the new day’s emails, I had the sense that they were less pronounced. And, after this conversation with founder Cathy Tousley, I’m confident that the little nighttime stickers must be doing some good.

WWW: So, we frown and make that frustrated or deeply concerned face in our sleep? Researchers have verified this, thus leading to products like yours?
Tousley: Many of us tend to scowl while we toss and turn at night. Sleep positions also have a lot to do with the development of sleep lines, which eventually turn into wrinkles. Our patch helps keep this area from compressing and creasing.

So the theory is that the sticker keeps us from frowning and furrowing for eight or so fewer hours per day. Furlesse is more about wrinkle management than wrinkle removal.
Furlesse helps relax fine lines and gently smooth this area of the face. We don’t claim to eliminate wrinkles but people may generally see a reduction with consistent use.

I just wish there was a way to stop frowning during the waking hours too. If I could only adapt the attitude of the Furlesse girl…
We also frown during the day while we are concentrating on certain things, reading, working on our computers, etc. I will often put on a patch while I’m at home or getting ready to go out for the evening. I can take the patch off right before I head out and my lines are nice and smooth.

I guess I’m not sure about using them during the day. It was weird enough using them at night—talking to my husband with a sticker on my forehead…it seemed a little like trading a less-than-gorgeous natural consequence of life and maturity for a prominently placed if clear and low-key ‘band-aid’ that sort of called attention—not just to the area—but to my vanity. But on the other hand, I can and should own that vanity, and the conflicted mindset that goes with it.
Furlesse offers a natural alternative to more aggressive solutions such as Botox. We are finding however, that some Botox users are also enjoying using Furlesse in between their treatments to extend and maintain this area of their forehead.

Well, I’ll leave that to another blogger to try.

We did, however, road test another brand of stick-on skin smoothers, just to better familiarize ourselves with this type of product. The name alone caused some scowling, and overall we found that Frownies were essentially a more complicated, less easy-to-use product when compared to Furlesse. And of course, if there’s a locally developed, locally owned option, that’s the best option.

If you’re interested in trying Furlesse for yourself, you can buy them on the Furlesse website, on Amazon.com, and other online stores. They’re also available at Swink Style Bar in University Village.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Locally Designed, Health and Beauty, Health and Beauty Road Test

Seattle Style News: Julep and W Magazine

Local nail polish company’s “Amy” is a hit with big time beauty editors.

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Jun 02, 2011 at 12:35PM 0 Comments

Blue polish by Seattle’s Julep looks good in this month’s W

Seattle, you’re looking good these days. Earlier this week you showed up on Style.com, and last night I found you in the pages of W magazine—their beauty issue no less.

On page 28 of the current issue, associate editor Christina Han picks “Amy,” a sort of Caribbean-vacation blue, by Julep, one of two Seattle nail concerns that consistently gets love in the national press.

No, to be clear: the mention is on a page meant to hype the mag’s online content, but I spent a fair chunk of my morning trying to find it, and … it wasn’t there. The text directs you to wmagazine.com/beautypicks, but that url gave me an error notice. Maybe by the time you read this, the page will be fixed. At any rate, that’s not the important part.

The important part is that beauty readers all over the globe are going to be searching for ‘Julep’ and ‘Amy’ and finding Seattle. The other good news is that you can just walk to one of the company’s four locations and buy it, or get it expertly applied to your fingers and toes.

I called to check: all the brand’s parlors have “Amy” at the ready.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Health and Beauty, Seattle Style News

New! SugarPill Apothecary

Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down at Capitol Hill’s new neopharmacy.

Posted by: Katie Ormsby on Mar 10, 2011 at 08:00AM 1 Comments

Slideshow: SugarPill may just be the sweetest neighborhood nonpharmacy ever. All photos by Lucas Anderson.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Slideshow: SugarPill may just be the sweetest neighborhood nonpharmacy ever. All photos by Lucas Anderson.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Photo by Lucas Anderson

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Even slabs of pink Himalayan salt get silver platter treatment at SugarPill. Photo by Lucas Anderson.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

SugarPill also sells salt in tiny tester tins ($2.25). Photo by Lucas Anderson.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Fine paper goods for love notes or to complete get well wishes. Photo by Lucas Anderson.

As its name suggests, Capitol Hill’s new SugarPill is not your typical apothecary.

Want to satisfy your sweet tooth? Check. Trying to hunt down pink Himalayan salt? Check. Looking for something to soothe that cold you’ve been battling? You can find that, too.

‘I wanted to open up something a little bit unusual, not just a pharmacy,’ explains owner Karyn Schwartz, who is eager to share her passion for natural medicine. Her house blends, including Clear the Airways Bothersome Cough and Northwest Herbal Cold and Flu (about 7 bucks), are made from ingredients like elderberry, marshmallow leaf, mullein, anise, and peppermint.

SugarPill isn’t just about getting over bad feelings. You can now drink the chocolate elixir of Marie Antoinette’s court. Schwartz’s favorite treat is a line of historic drinking chocolate from the KaKawa Chocolate House; the recipes are carefully researched for accuracy.

More of a savory, less sweet? Find just about every gourmet salt under the sun: pink, gray, black, coarse, finely ground, etc; slab, packaged in sweet glass bottles, or in teeny, adorable tester tins.

And when there is nothing to cure and no craving to satisfy, SugarPill also offers a selection of beautifully wrapped soaps, girlie perfumes, delicate glassware, and greeting cards.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Capitol Hill, Health and Beauty, New Seattle Boutiques

Trunk Show: Regina Chang

Locally made jewelry, vintage goods, and organic beauty at a studio sale on the south end.

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Dec 07, 2010 at 10:00AM 0 Comments

Where: 4429 39th Ave S, Seattle 98118

What: Local jeweler and stuff-maker Regina Chang celebrates the opening of her new studio with a studio sale featuring holiday jewels and pieces from her new vintage decor and gifts collection.

Chang is also hosting a new line of organic beauty products, NYR Organics.

When: Tuesday, December 14 from 5 to 8

Add a Comment »

Tags: Locally Made, Seattle Vintage, Gift Guide, Locally Designed, Health and Beauty

Meet Kim Kardashian

The silver-coated reality star celebrates the launch of FusionBeauty’s holiday collection at Bellevue Square on November 19.

Posted by: Sarah Hirsch on Nov 12, 2010 at 08:00AM 1 Comments

Kim Kardashian at Nordstrom in Bellevue: Filling in the lines.

Kim Kardashian, the-famous-for-being-famous media darling, is appearing in the cosmetics department of Bellevue Square Nordstrom on Friday, November 19 from 4:30 to 6 in celebration of FusionBeauty’s “Objects of Desire” holiday collection and its new Illumifill Line Filling Luminizer, a line-filling facial highlighter.

As is stated in an interview in the current issue of W magazine (you have seen her dipped in silver, right? — don’t click on that if your boss or your two-year-old is around), Kim can’t sing, act, or dance, but she is utterly fabulous at being herself and capitalizing on her famous…ahem…assets.

Now, Seattle and Bellevue get their chance to lay their eyes on the pop culture phenom in the flesh. And – the first 150 people to purchase $75 worth of FusionBeauty products will meet la Kardashian and receive her autograph.

Oh, and these products she’s promoting for FusionBeauty? They were used at her W cover shoot. Take that with whichever quantity of salt you’d like.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Health and Beauty, In Person

Beauty Ball

High Maintenance spa’s annual good-look-a-thon is Friday, November 19.

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Nov 05, 2010 at 02:00PM 0 Comments

Photo: nicorich.com

Nico Rich jewelry at High Maintenance’s annual Beauty Ball

Where: High Maintenance Skin Care Studio

What: Skin analysis, Yonka express glow facial with a fruit peel and a Jane Iredale make-up application. Plus: drinks, snacks, and gift bags for everyone who registers in advance. And: A Nico Rich jewelry trunk show.

When: Friday, November 19 from 11 to 6. Call to set up an appointment. Cost is $50; $20 goes toward the purchase of any product.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Locally Made, Locally Designed, Seattle Trunk Show, Health and Beauty

Laser and Light Specials

Calidora Skin Clinic offers deals throughout October.

Posted by: Sarah Hirsch on Oct 14, 2010 at 02:00PM 0 Comments

Where: Calidora Skin Clinic

What: Laser Hair Removal
Reduce unwanted hair through several sessions of laser treatments. If you buy one package now you get a second for 50 percent off.

Laser and Light Therapy
Reduce and remove sun damage, broken capillaries, and age spots. You can save up to 40 percent on light therapy, and you get a free Photo-Facial LLT treatment with the purchase of a package of 12 facials ($450 value).

Titan Skin Tightening
Firm and tone skin by stimulating collagen production. Save 40 percent on Titan packages.

When: Now thru October 31

Add a Comment »

Tags: Health and Beauty

Opening Day: Butter London + Nordstrom

Take the local companies up on some good deals on Friday and Saturday as they fete their new partnership.

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Sep 20, 2010 at 08:00AM 0 Comments

Friend of a friend: Nonie Creme of Butter London

Where: The downtown Nordstrom and the Bellevue location

What: To celebrate five new Butter London shops-in-shops (in addition to the flagship, you’ll soon find the nail lacquers in the cosmetic departments of Tacoma, Bellevue, Alderwood, and Southcenter Nordstorms), you’re invited to partake in a few good deals and meet the local company’s creative director, Nonie Creme.

-With the purchase of two lacquers (I vote Fash Pack, been addicted to it for years), you will receive a free bottle of top coat.
-When you buy three bottles lacquers, you’ll get a gratis bottle of topcoat and one of basecoat.
(While supplies last)

Also, my sources tell me that everyone whosoever stops by the brand new counter and claims to be a Butter London bezzie mate gets a free gift – no purchase necessary. (Don’t worry, you’ll just be proclaiming yourself a buddy, in Brit slang, so don’t be shy.)

When: Downtown: Friday September 24 from 11 to 4
Bellevue: Saturday September 25; Creme will speak at a cosmetics trend show that begins at 8, then she’ll be making bezzie mates from 10 to noon

Add a Comment »

Tags: Butter London, Health and Beauty

Trending: The Return of the Perm

Lisa Rowell from Sassoon Salon brings frizzy back

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Jul 29, 2010 at 10:00AM 1 Comments

Photo: style.com

Slideshow: The perms have returned, as this recent Prada campaign proves

View Slideshow » Photo: style.com

Slideshow: The perms have returned, as this recent Prada campaign proves

View Slideshow » Photo: Style.com

Says Lisa Rowell, “The Louis Vuitton spring 2010 show definitely inspired my own afro. It was refreshing to see the hair play such a big role, and I loved that all the models were wearing different hair colors.”

View Slideshow » Photo: Style.com

Another big hair look from Marc Jacobs’ Louis Vuitton S/S 2010 runway

View Slideshow » Photo: style.com

An Afro’ed look from the Commes des Garcons spring runway

View Slideshow » Photo: Sassoon

Make no mistake though; the official Sassoon fall/winter look is something altogether different. Of this brand new, just-released image from the global chain’s upcoming collection, Lisa Rowell of Sassoon’s Fifth Ave Seattle shop says, “I love a long, bold fringe on a short cut. This look will be terrific for giving clients texture and versatility, which is perfect for a new fall style.”

View Slideshow » Photo: Sassoon

Again, from Sassoon’s fall/winter collection. Says Rowell, “For our clients who like to keep their hair longer, this is a great option that keeps the look modern by featuring a strong fringe that frames the face. It shows clients they can get a gorgeous cut and shape without having to take off a lot of length.”

View Slideshow » Photo: Sassoon

“The sleek, straight texture of this model’s hair works perfectly with the cut. The haircut enhances texture and this particular bob provides a lot of styling options,” says Rowell of this Sassoon fall/winter look.

Have you noticed them around town? Around the world? On your favorite style sites? Or maybe just in these pages? There was the fashionable frame-wearer in this piece about where to shop for eyeglasses, and there is Lisa Rowell, dispensing knowledge on her easy-going personal style and telling you where to get the best Gin Fiz — and the best new world frizz.

Rowell, the creative director at Sassoon Salon downtown, says it was last season’s Louis Vuitton and Prada looks that lit her Afro fire. If you missed those, they’re assembled here in a slideshow.

Now, before you get a chance to say it, I’ll mention it for you. There’s a certain hop, skip, and jump from those giant, ungainly runway ‘fros to our friend Lisa’s adorable but still very (let’s use an industry term) editorial ‘do. Stylish people always know how to interpret the seemingly unwearable. You might shake your head at Marc Jacobs’ LV looks and say “Never,” and you might even sigh at Rowell’s asymmetrically carved, tightly bundled locks and think, “Not that either,” but I bet that as we ride August and September out you’ll see more texture, more fuzz, and more frizz. Little bits of it here and there, and soft, subtle interpretations of the basic idea. And it won’t just be the heat, and it won’t just be our marine air.

If by fall you’re ready for something smooth and straight, what luck. Click through the slides here and get a sneak peek at Sassoon’s cool-to-cold weather collection. Rowell and her team were kind enough to share the images with us; they’re so brand new that you’re among the very first to see them.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Style Counsel, Health and Beauty