Lipstick

I know we get bombarded by news of nasty chemicals threatening our health in all kinds of products, and I am sure that most women realize that make-up can contain some dangerous substances too, which can compromise our health if we keep exposing ourselves to them day in and day out. Anyway, information is key so that we can make decisions about our health, how to live, what products to use, etc. NY Times ran a pretty good piece about the dangers of lipstick. It definitely gave me a pause, made me think how many times a day I apply lip gloss and/or lipstick, and promoted a desire to look for products that would not contain the items mentioned in the article. Let me know via comments if you know of any good lipstick brands that don't contain lead, nickel, and other harmful substances.

Click here to go to the NY Times Article. 

Pink

What's with me and pink? I didn't even realize I was into pink until I was browsing my recent pictures and saw these two latest outfits. Office and casual day outfits with pink tops. Quite the departure from my usual neutrals and blacks...

The usual frazzled, I had no time to look in the mirror this morning office look..with Banana Republic pants, Loft PINK lace top, Saks Fifth Ave knit jacket, Tod's bag, Loft sandals. 

Saturday, tag-saling outfit.. JCrew PINK t-shirt, H&M pants, MK tote, Eileen Fisher sandals, Banana Republic necklace. 

Maybe it has something to do with the amazing sunsets that we've had this summer...

Seacliff beach sunset picnic on a Friday night 8/30. A band playing, kids swimming, best company, and me sipping some cold white wine. The whole world was pink in this beautiful pink sunset glow... LOVE the pink!!!! 

It's so hard to say goodbye...

to SUMMER that is. It's been so great that I don't want it to end. When I was younger, I was really enthusiastic in the fall, and it felt like the real "new year". I used to think that the Jewish had it right with Rosh Hashanah (the new year) being in the early September, because it felt like a new beginning after the summer lull. But this year I'm struggling...I don't want the summer to end. I'm not ready for the craziness of the fall. Work gets busy, home life gets busy, kids get busy, and we don't have time for picnics and beach walks anymore. I will try to hold on to the relaxed summer vibe as long as I can. I will try to hold on to the date nights with hubby, the unhurried moments with the kids, and I will try to hold on to my peace of mind. I will have to find my "inner beach spirit" that I can call on when the going gets tough.

Sunken Meadows Beach - a favorite place

Sunken Meadows is not as crowded as the South Shore beaches. 

The sand, the sun and the surf...

My New School Bag

I've been looking for a good new work bag for a while now. I've mostly worn my old Tod's, and wanted to replace it with something that is as roomy, as durable, and a neutral color, but not black, brown or too light. I finally made up my mind and decided that the Balenciaga Classic Work Bag (yes, that is the name of the bag) is the thing. Ask and you shall receive - so I asked to be gifted for my birthday. I didn't even get a chance to take photos of my new treasure, so these are copies from Barney's site.. However, I am sure that this bag will become quite the staple and workhorse for me, so you'll be seeing it a lot in various outfit pictures for years to come.

Montreal

Here are some more pictures from our trip to Montreal. I liked the city, and was a bit surprised how French it was, so it really felt like you were outside of the U.S. I've only been to Canada once before (if you don't count the few times that I've been to the Niagara Falls on the Canada side), to Toronto, which has a much more "American" feel. In Montreal most people speak French, but of course they are bilingual, so no problem if French is not your strong suit. After New York most cities feel like small towns, and same with Montreal although it is a fairly big town with over 1.5 million people living there. It definitely felt less hurried, less business centric, less fashionable, and more provincial, more relaxed, more down-to-earth.

We stayed in the Marriott Chateau Champlain. Great location, and comfy beds ;-)

Olympic stadium and observation tower. 

Inside the dome, i.e., the Biodome, that hosts exhibits of the various ecosystems in the Americas

A fish in the Biodome.

Hotel lobby - the little lady hiding behind the curtain.

The view from our hotel window

What is it with kids and curtains? 

Leave the curtains alone!! 

Palais de Congres Montreal - convention center. Beautiful architecture! One of the best known Montreal buildings.

Montreal old town. 

An Egyptian solidarity demonstration close to our hotel. Peaceful, thank goodness. 

The Instagram Week

Here are my Instagram shots from the past seven days.

Freedom Tower almost ready.

Hello Jersey City! 

Took quick lunchtime walks at the Hudson River boardwalk mid-week last week and enjoyed the unseasonably cool and wonderful NY weather. Wondered again what I did in my previous life to earn my wonderful current life. Felt spiritual and thankful.

Went for a fabulous Friday night sunset picnic at the Seacliff beach, Long Island. A band playing on the beach, some cava on ice, munching on fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, quinoa salad and roasted veggies, and a nice conversation with a good friend. Aaaaah..

Took the little lady for frozen yogurt on Saturday. Yummy (and fat free!!).

On Sunday was tempted to stay in all day, and cancel everything in order to make time to read the September fashion mags..(but I did not, so they are still waiting to be devoured). 

Notre-Dame Basilica

Now that I finally have all my photos from this summer uploaded on the computer, I can share these pictures I took of the beautiful Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, Canada. The church is not all that impressive outside, but the inside is a different story. The gothic revival style, with the gorgeous blue and gold coloring create a stunning view when you step inside. There is so much detail it takes a while to tour the Notre Dame. Even the kids were quite taken with the beauty and grandeur of the church.

She sells seashells on the sea shore

Say that again really quickly :-)

I have always loved sea shells...

Since we moved to Long Island and started exploring the North Shore beaches, our collection of shells has grown and grown... 

I finally collected all the shells and displayed them. 

Aren't they pretty? 

I love the color schemes of the shells. The whites, beiges, grays, blues... 

Buddha doesn't mind to be paired with the shells. They're all very Zen. 

Very Long Island Beach House... just not on the beach... but luckily not so far... 

Lunch time escapades

It is August, which means that Wall Street is pretty quiet (except for the tourists on the actual street), and some of us have a bit of time for lunch time shopping and strolls. Down town NYC shopping is not that great, especially after Sandy destroyed JCrew and a couple other spots at South Street Seaport (for us locals Century 21 is too much - the fight for space with tourists is overwhelming), but we try to get by with what we've got. Mainly it's TJ Maxx, Sephora, Duane Reade (thank the Lord for the new nice locations with much improved cosmetic and skin care selections), and, surprisingly, a discount chain Dijon (popular with us office rats, and completely hidden from tourists). 

I went to TJ Maxx yesterday, here is my office outfit, H&M on top, Ann Taylor on the bottom, Tod's bag, and sandals from The Loft. 

I bought these Michael Kors silk pants that had zero hanger appeal, but looked pretty nice on. 

I also got these 7 skinny pants. I mean, why wouldn't I? I'm sure they will find some use, other than just crowding my closet.