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After another winter of red and neutrals, BD is so ready for the new fuchsia lip. But going full-blown Grace Jones is not the easiest look for a novice to pull off. Thus we are slaves to Sisley Paris for their Hydrating Long Lasting Lipstick in Indian Pink (far right, $40), a soft veil of the blue-tinged color of the moment. Moisturizing, but with staying power, the formula is too good to pass up, even if we wrote up their hand cream, like, two months ago. Not playing favorites here, just bringing you the news you can use. At Saks Fifth Avenue, 212-753-4000.
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So Valentine's Day has come and gone and you got none. Don't snuff out the flame of your love, let it burn brighter—or just hold your hand over it, G. Gordon Liddy-style, and curse your fate. Either way, incorporate Penhaligon's Love Potion No 9 scented candles into this ritual d'amour. The hot pink For Ladies scent is thankfully woody and fresh, and the black For Men is more of an oriental spice. They're mega-scented and the soft wax burns without smoking too much, so your singed flesh will be the only thing to leave telltale stains on the wall. $32 for 30 hours of burn time.
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If, on the other hand, V-Day is just another 24 hours in an ongoing sex-a-thon, then perhaps you're due for a little down time—albeit not the sort to put your non-stop action entirely to bed. The sandalwood and patchouli (LIGHT patchouli, don't worry) in swank spa line Espa's Soothing Body Oil will cool your jets while lavender, rose and ylang-ylang (all frequently used in love spells by our Wiccan friends) whisper "come hither." Plus the carrier oil blend—coconut, sweet almond, avocado and soybean—sounds good enough to eat and absorbs beautifully.
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There are a lot of good Vitamin C serums out there, but most are sticky, not to mention sort of one-note. Not so the amazingly packed Pro-Heal Serum by IS Clinical. Not only have they stabilized the C so it’s liquid and light, but they’ve combined it with anti-acne, anti-rosacea and anti-aging ingredients like kojic acid, retinol, Vitamin E, olive leaf and zinc. What doesn’t this stuff do? Our taxes, unfortunately. $110 for 1 oz at 888-804-4447
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BD applauds the few, the proud, the brave boys who wear eye cream. Nobody cares about your butchness if you've got untreated crow's feet, dark circles and bags. To those of you who see that, we recommend Spazio Uomo's Anti-Stress Eye Contour Cream (800-959-DIBI), designed to combat all three woes at once. It's rich, goes on with a little bit of a sheen and smells reassuringly manly. Oh, and lest "Spazio" conjures up images of Meatballs, it shouldn't—it's just the men's line by posh Italian company Dibibody.
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BD loves a dual purpose. Not only had our somewhat wimpy highlights grown intolerably long roots but Antonio Prieto Salon was re-opening in a new space. So off we went to check out Antonio's revamp and get one of our own.
The décor's overall effect is sort of boutique hotel meets Brady Bunch. Designers Elizabeth Rubin and Derek Sanders warmed up the spacious room's mod edge with ebony-stained farmhouse siding and rough-hewn travertine limestone. A two-way mirror etched with birch trunks shielding the shampoo sinks from the waiting room recalls a classy split level parlor circa 1974. And the lighting is warm enough to make you not dread staring at yourself in the mirror for two hours while your hair gets done.
Speaking of that, we owe a debt of gratitude to colorist Mike P., who got us to go gingery red with blonde chunks at the crown. Not only did he correctly intuit that we had had it with "natural" (read: pussy) streaks, and gave us a hard-to-get soft (not brassy) apricot-copper tone, but he rocked a cute naughty prep look and regaled us with some good Mariah Carey-related hijinks. (No, she is not a client.) Days later, when our previous color job would have left us feeling shaggy and dry, we were still glossy and bouncy and not fading away. (Apparently we have gentle Redken Shades EQ color and a nice Kerastasse deep conditioner to thank for that.)
Single process color starts at $90; highlights at $130.
Antonio Prieto Salon
127 W. 20th St.
212-255-3741
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