TheClick

Time Travel - Home Away from Home

Travel ipod speakers - those might not seem like a necessity when you have an ipod and headphones, but they recharge your ipod and fill a hotel room with music when you take a bath or are working - and can create a fast party anywhere you want.  The Logitech white portable speaker sets is $57.99 at Overstock.com, and the iboom speaker set in black is $92.99 at eCost.com.

A travel candle might seem a rather unnecessary item - but in fact, a nice smell and pretty light can make a trip more romantic and relaxed.  And there are so many good smells and designs:  The Green Tea and Ginger Essential Blend burns for 20 hours - on sale for  $6.13  at Perfume.com.  Paper Source has a peony travel tin candle for $4.50.  Bergdorf Goodman has a basil candle travel collection for $80 that could make an urban trip more garden-like.  I also like the Tea Travel Collection from Jo Malone at Neiman Marcus for $95.

Travel Blow Dryers- sure, you can drag out the giant hair dryer - but chances are, you might need a converter or adaptor for it in another country, and chances are, it's going to take up a whole lot of room.  Small travel hair dryers are a great investment because you can keep them in your suitcase, they fold up, and they're small to begin with.  The BaByliss Pink Turbo Dryer  is $59.95 at Folica.  But if you want one in Europe, go with the Travel Hair Dryer European 1200 watt for $35.00.  If you want a less expesnive one, Revlon has a $14.82 one at Walmart with 1875 watts of power.

Happy Organized Travels!!!

Lingerie holders & Suitcases

Lingerie Bags separate the clean from the not, and you can pack a little handwash kit in them, too.  Elizabeth W Lavendar scented Clean and Dirty Lingerie Travel bag is in off-white, smells so clean, and costs $34 at alamolingerie.com.  Calliope sells a shoe and lingerie bag for $29 that's a pale, pinkish silver color and it can get anything in it.  The FL lingerie and jewelry roll combo is a great deal - matching bags, large and small, for $52 - and jewelry is best traveled when rolled up.  Celadon.com is where to find it.

Of course, you can find a zillion varieties of suitcases on TheFind.com, from Tumi, Samsonite, and a million other brands - but don't wait till the night before your trip.  And if you do, TheFind can tell you which stores near you have what you want before you attempt a whild suitcase-goosechase!

Passport Holders - do you really need one?  Maybe not, but they passport holder will preserve the life of your passport - and they also have room for airline tickets, and make it harder to lose said passport.  Royce makes the best leather ones - the oversized Airline ticket and passport holder in brown or black is $54.99 at ShoeBuy.com. The smaller size by Royce at bagsbuy.com is $28.45.

Cosmetics Travel Cases & Carry on Bags

Cosmetics Cases - not only do I put makeup in there, I fit it with mini versions of my favorite products - in just mini plastic bottles.  This is Toiletry Central, my traveling ladies room, so it's got to be big, sturdy - and attractive.  Type in "cosmetics travel case" on TheFind.com, and the ones from Royce are clearly the best cases, worthy of Grace Kelley in "Rear Window".  The leather case with upper and lower zip compartments come in chic gold tone ($89.95 on Worldtraveler.com), a bright lime color ($79.94 on ShoeBuy.com) and a red leather beauty ($100.00 on ebags.com), or a turquoise leather ($79 at CSN Stores).  However, if you prefer the safety and simplicity of a black cosmetics travel bag, Whiting and Davis has a chic black bag for $60.00 on 6pm.com. 

Carry On Bags - there are all kinds of options here, whether it's a super large handbag or wheelie bag with a metallic protective coating.  The wheelies might seem a bit nerdy or embarrassing - but they save your back and shoulders and a lifetime of cramps.  So only resort to the shoulder bag if you are not carrying ten magazines (like I do) and four books.  The Delsey Silver Helium wheelie carryon is pleasantly expandable (for Christmas in December, on sale at Macys).  The black High Sierra wheeled business tote is perfect for a man or woman who is bringing work home with them - or their computer and books ($119.99 at SportChalet).  By the way, these prices are excellent: the Tumi Tourbach versions are in the four and five hundred dollar range.  And if you're doing a weekend trip, this is all you need.

Travel Pillows

Travel Pillows serve two important purposes:  they comfort you on a plane or train or bus, and then you can use them at any hotel, motel, or friend's crash pad, bringing a little bit of home with you.  Brookstone has an ergonomically shaped travel pillow that will keep your neck from cramping on that long plane ride to Australia or South America (in midnight blue, $25 at Brookstone.com).  Restoration Hardware had a luxury pillow in a more traditional square shape for $18.  TheBedBathStore calls their white, goose down travel pillow the "Toddler", but I know one adult would be happy to cuddle up with it ($49.99 at BedBathStore), even at home.  If you don't want to think about toting around a pilow in an airport, which could make you resemble a character out of "Peanuts", consider the Concierge inflatable travel pillow ($18, in black,  at Macy's).

Time Travel

It's almost July 4th, and it seems everybody's got travel on the brain.  Okay, so maybe you decided against St. Tropez and Capri due to economic "restraints" - but that doesn't mean you can't take a drive trip, a bus trip, a train trip - Americans don't let a little thing like the economy get in the way of being on the go in the summer.  An Australian friend once told me that Aussies refer to us as "go go Americans."  Sometimes, even if it's just a weekend away or an hour's drive, a trip can change your outlook, relax you and alter your entire perspective.  But it can also throw you into chaos if you're not prepared with the things you need to keep a semblance of order - and if you're female, if probably takes some doing to keep the flip flops from falling in with the high heels, the bathing suits separate from the lingerie, and the jewelry in one place where you don't lose it - or confuse it with a keyring.

I have a New York friend, a magazine editor, who has a city and a country residence, and she also travels to Milan and Paris four times a year for Pret a Porter and Couture fashion shows (which are coming up next week).  She also has extreme fashion clothes - and very low key country looks.  What I've observed of her travel skills is that she has a myriad of bags - small bags, large bags, and bags inside of bags - all slightly different looking, so she doesn't get confused about what's in what.  So even when she takes out the bags, everything has a place and feels organized.  I decided to do a little homework for you on TheFind and dig up all the things you'll need to feel organized over July 4th, or Labor Day, or throughout August for a long or short sprint.   Stay tuned this week as we cover all the travel basics as we lead into the July 4th Holiday!

Boutique shopping for swimsuits

- The Shoshanna black one piece halter is $115.50 at EmilyGrace.com.

- I'm partial to Calvin Klein suits because I have some one pieces and two tankinis that have lasted three summers, still fit (thank you, stairmaster) and are in none the worse for wear.  On TheFind, a one piece unique halter comes up in black with a twisted blue and cream neck strap that's lovely...$54.99 at Clothesandthings.

Okay, I know you're waiting for the bikini's and two piece suits.  I typed in "two piece women's bathing suits" and a plethora of strings and colors popped up.  I liked the one from Pain de Sucre - a printed top bikini and black bottom, from ExquisiteSwimwear for $148.00.  You could swap the top and bottom out with other bikins.

I also liked the two piece "skirtini" (sounds like a cocktail, no?) in turquoise, that is flattering and sweet, good for teenager AND/OR mom.  $59.25 at Alwaysforme.

Happy hunting and happy swimming and of course, happy slimming - MG.

Let your fingers go swimming, part 2

There's always pareos that are sheer and lovely and can be tied around your suit to hide whatever flaws you think you have.  And another one of my tricks - "tubes" - or bathing suit skirts, usually in black or brown, that are stretchy and made from bathing suit neoprene fabric that extend over the thighs and look very nineteen fifties Esther Williams chic.  Good for after a night of craving pizza and giving in.   Your thighs might not look any different - but you will keep staring at them unless they are covered.

Read all the info on the bathing suit you click on -  it's important to know that YOU CAN RETURN IT IF IT DOESN'T FIT.  It's true, buying a bathing suit online is a bit of a guessing game - but it is better than dealing with crowded dressing rooms and saleswomen - and our own mirrors are always the most forgiving.  Particulary at night.  Be prepared to return and re-order - give yourself some time before going on a swim trip - and you'll never want to buy bathing suits any other way.

Try:
- The Slimasize fuschia slimming bathing suit at ClothesandThings - $39.99.  Who can't use a slimming suit?  Even Giselle would buy it.  It's dark pink and purple, a nice shaped one piece with a patterened bust area - very flattering for all coloring and shapes of bods.

- The Speedo women's solid red bathing suit - $47.00 on Amazon.com.  And surprisingly, a lipstick red one piece can be very flattering for almost anyone - young or grown-up.

- The black light vintage bathing suit, in a deep indigo, and a longer torso than any modern suit - very retro chic.  $175.00 on Blacklightvintageclothing.  I have one girlfriend, Janet, who's very Samantha from Sex and the City - a mature woman who always looks amazing because she has her own style. She ONLY wears vintage bathing suits and vintage bathing caps - and it's so disarming and charming, nobody looks at her thighs.  Even her.  And she's so chic and fun, even the thinner-thighed are envious. Her cat eye vintage sunglasses are also glorious.

- Karla Coletto  - Okay, it's $300 - but it will last several summers no doubt.  Saks.com.

- Juicy Couture halter ruffle sundress - this is a sweet, vintage very girly-looking suit that's probably a little more Carrie or Charlotte than Samantha - but still very sweetly seductive.  $164 at Saks.com.

Let your fingers go swimming

Okay, ladies, listen up:  there is NOTHING FUN about shopping for a bathing suit.  It is hardly an activity we might do with our girlfriends - let alone, boyfriends.  Even Giselle could look at herself in those flourescent dressing room mirrors and find fault.

Well - maybe not.  That's a nice dream.

But we've all seen those celebrity vacation-bathing suit shots of young, gorgeous actresses with cellulite circles drawn around certain areas in between their bikinis and their knees.  Could these photos be doctored by media outlets wanting to sell more mags?  Of course.  But could Jennifer Love Hewitt actually run down the beach and look natural and real and quite healthy?  It's all possible.

Which is why shopping for a bathing suit on TheFind.com is a very comfortable and comforting option.  You click around, you order a suit, and you're prepped because you thought about your bathing suit needs beforehand; you know the parts you want to camoflauge.  I have several styles that I know work for me: for one, I MUST have a bra built into the suit, and so, I think, should every woman over 34B (otherwise, bouncing will occur, and won't be as cute as Bo Derek's bounce in "Ten")

I don't like a tan stomach, so I wear one pieces or "tankinis", which are two pieces where the top piece comes down and meets the bottom and you see about half an inch of skin.  But then, it all depends on how much I've been in the gym, how tan my legs are, how many cookies I've eaten, etc - as with all of us. 
       

HOLLYWOOD LUNCHING WITH THEFIND.COM

TheFind.com hosted its first Hollywood press luncheon on June 4th upstairs in the private dining room at Crustacean in Beverly Hills. The goal of the lunch? Outside of nibbling on Crustacean’s famous garlic noodles, gossiping about shopping, “Sex and the City” the movie, Obama and Hillary, and coveting each other’s handbags – TheFind.com invited L.A. magazine, website and newspaper editors to learn how to search TheFind.com, use its technology for themselves and their readers – and of course, give them a really genius giftbag worthy of TheFind.com, the one stop shopping search engine where you literally can find anything in 5 seconds. Just today, I found – in under one minute – the summer Chanel lipstick that Barneys is sold out of. Trust me, you don’t need to live without anything anymore, and time is just not an excuse.

Here’s some of the great products we decided to put in our super duper “Heat Up Your Summer” giftbag for women and for men (okay, most of the products in there will go to their girlfriends, sisters, moms and co-workers):

MAC EYESHADOWS: For fourteen dollars for a single, or $36 dollars for a quad, there are no better eyeshadows at any price point. They don’t crease, smudge, and they have every color you have ever dreamed of –whether they are neutrals or eye popping brights. Texture them on lightly – or pile them on like Victoria Beckham. Simply type in “MAC eyeshadows” on TheFind.com – you’ll find them available to purchase from KS Makeup, Makeup.com and Perfume Shop, and quite a few other places. The prices vary from $11 dollars to $14, so you can juggle one site against another, looking for the colors you want. Our lunching editors got summer colors for free.

ANASTASIA TWEEZERS: We know we don’t have to tell you that Anastasia Soare needs no use of her last name, and no introduction. She’s the eyebrow guru who is the mother to all eyebrow gurus – she’s plucked, tweezed and waxed the brows of Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Naomi Campbell, Rita Wilson and of course, Oprah herself. Type in “Anastasia eyebrow tweezers” on TheFind.com, and you can get her great brow kit (with pencils, creams, etc) for $55 on Sephora.com. Our editors will get her precision tweezers in the giftbag, and will be beautifully browed all summer and a few years longer, because these tweezers last, don’t hurt –and cannot be lived without.

RACHEL PALLY T SHIRTS: L.A. designer Rachel Pally makes the softest and prettiest knit t shirts, dresses, bathing suit tops and bathing suits – so cuddly and attractive that Jennifer Lopez is known to collect them and wear them at home. They’re fabulous travel options because they can be dressed up or down, move from day to night, and are easily accessorized. And the colors make the rainbow look a little boring. Type “Rachel Pally shirts” into TheFind.com, and you will find t’s and dresses: the famous “boyfriend t” is $110 at Shopbop.com. Rachel’s one shoulder jersey gown is $234 at Nordstrom, and the “ballet T” is $141 at Nordstrom.com.

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER FRAGRANCES: Parisian designer Jean Paul Gaultier is known for his wit and sauciness, and his fragrances are woodsy and surprising and crisp – for both women and men – and packaged with his signature insouciance: both are bottled in busts –the female in pink, the male in blue – and then packaged in cans! Type in “Jean Paul Gaultier fragrances” on TheFind.com and all of his signature scents will come up, available at Macy’s, NeimanMarcus and Amazon, for prices that hover around $65.00, but there are bargains to be had.

NECTAR OF THE GODS HAIRCARE: Nectar of the Gods products make your hair shine and put that silkiness back in the texture. Beauty editors LOVE them. Hop on TheFind and type in “Nectar of the Gods” products and there are shine products, blonding products and shampoos at Aveyou and at DiamondBeauty.com.

PRIVE’ HAIRCARE: Prive salons, in Los Angeles and New York, were started by Laurent D., famed French hairdresser to Meg Ryan, Uma Thurman, Tea Leoni and Teri Hatcher, and the products have a great range – the root lift and hair sprays are unbelievable, not sticky, and reasonably priced. And yes, sorry to be boring and repetitive, but they are available on TheFind.com, by typing in “Prive Hair products.” You can purchase them one click away on SalonForYou or Haircare2go.com. The travel sizes are coveted. Save the bottles and refill them.

KIM KIMBLE HAIRCARE PRODUCTS: Kim Kimble is one of Hollywood’s top hairdressers and hair stylists to the stars, who counts Beyonce, Mary J.Blige, Kerry Washington and Garvelle Beauvais as clients. Her peppermint shampoo and gnger hair conditioner are so yummy you almost want to eat them – or drink them – but better than that, you smell like a cake with candy if you use them. Type in “Kim Kimble hair products” on TheFind.com, and you can purchase them from Target.com.

COOKIE SANDWICHES: Editors work hard. So do executives at TheFind.com. So do their bloggers. So we all deserve a treat. Cookie Sandwich Co.based in Southern California is not like any donut, cupcake or cookie you’ve ever had: it’s much better, and scarily more irresistible. The flavor combos are yum – German Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches, with two cookies lined with coconut pecan spread. The Chocolate Truffle Sandwich is two chocolate cookies lined with chocolate ganache. There’s even a Red Velvet Cookie Sandwich. While there ARE, in fact, cookie sandwich results on TheFind.com, these cookie sandwiches are available from Cookiesandwich.com, and are about $35 dollars for one dozen – either of one flavor, or a mixed bunch. They won’t last long.

Domestic Goddess Mom

Type in “cookware” and a myriad of great cooking sets come up, going into the thousands of dollars. Dad might have to chip in here, BUT there is a very affordable 12 piece set is from TARGET, a grey anodized cookware set by KitchenAid – think of how much better your breakfast will be!

Another genius, but rather expensive gift, is an espresso set – what mom doesn’t love great java? The best is the Saeco Odea GO automatic espresso maker, which is $599.99 on WHOLE LATTE LOVE (worth the price just to check out a site with that name!). But the DeLonghi combo coffee and espresso maker is just $239.00 from HOMEVISIONS.COM.

FLOWERS
This is your easiest option and a good last minute lifesaver: got to TheFind.com, type in “flowers,” and FTD.COM has two great options: the Heart of Hearts arrangement for $197.99, or the Fabled FTD Mothers’ Day flower bouquet in shades of pink for $45.99.

VASES
There’s a wealth of pretty vases on TheFind, but my two faves are the Murano Orange Scarf Vase (THE color of the season) for $99.99 at SMART BARGAINS.

The Lenox ecru carved posey vases are $29.95 for a set of 3 at BOSCOV’S – these are small and would look great on a kitchen shelf.