Everything Oscar Gift Set, Oscar Blandi
If you’re on a long trip and small travel-sized beauty products won’t last, pack multiples. You’ll toss the empties along the way, making your suitcase even lighter on the way home.
Evian Facial Spray Trio
I’ve never loved my Evian Facial Spray more than in the last week, when I was in triple digit heat in Texas. It was so hot that I started sweating just looking out the window. But, an occasional mist helped me keep my cool. In addition, it helped to set my make-up throughout the day. This Evian Facial Spray comes in a compact 1.7 fl.oz. size which is perfect for air travel, your beach bag, or your everyday handbag. With the heat this summer, it is now a staple in my bag! Get yours now at our Arrive Chic e-boutique.
NorthPark Center
I have been in Dallas for the last week to help out my sister a bit since she’s a new mommy and to meet my new 3 week old nephew (who is the cutest little peanut you ever saw, by the way). Before I arrived, we spoke a few times about the importance of getting out of the house with the baby in order to keep your sanity (by the way, I’m a mommy too). So, I was ecstatic when she announced, as soon as I arrived, that we were going to NorthPark Center on Friday. Yiiiippeeee! I was so glad she was ready to brave the public with the new family prince…and I am ALWAYS ready for NorthPark. I have been coming to this mall since I was a child and it gets better each visit. This 1.9 million square foot shopping center has the finest in luxury retailers including Tiffany & Co., Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Cartier, Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Tod’s, Valentino, Versace, Neiman Marcus, and Barneys New York to name a few. And, it’s fair to say the sales people in these fine stores are some of the nicest you’ll ever meet. Even if you’re not a shopaholic, you can enjoy an entire day here watching a movie at the new AMC NorthPark 15 theatre, strolling through the 1.4 acre CenterPark, dining at their fine restaurants, and observing the world class 20th century sculpture and modern art collection. I love it all…even down to the unique cream colored brick, polished concrete floors and gardens of orchids by the hundreds. On top of the usual stunning decor, we were also treated to the Orix Parade of Playhouses exhibition on this trip. Twenty custom-built playhouses were on display to be raffled off by Dallas CASA in order to raise awareness about child abuse. The collection included an airplane, a train engine, and even a mini bed & breakfast that any parent would dream of giving to their child. Plain and simple, NorthPark Center is a bit of heaven on earth…quite a bit.
NorthPark Center in Dallas, Texas has 21 million visitors annually, has consistently been named the top attraction in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex by The Dallas Business Journal, and is considered one of top 5 shopping centers in United States after the recent $235 million expansion and renovation.
Invest in membership to an Airline Lounge. Let’s face it, airports are filthy and a delayed flight will seem a lot less painful if you’re in a cushy seat with complimentary snacks.
Mandarin Oriental New York
To tell you the truth, I have only stayed in a few New York City hotels. This is only because I had the joy of living in Manhattan for 10 years, so there didn’t seem to be the “need.” Yes, there were a few splurges when overnights were “necessary”…my best friend’s wedding at the Ritz Carlton Battery Park, my anniversary at The Bowery Hotel…you get the picture. But mostly, while I was a New Yorker, I tried to experience the array of fabulous hotels by dining in their restaurants, spoiling myself in their spas, toasting with friends in their lounges…even shopping their event spaces for my brother’s wedding. This was when I fell in love with the Mandarin Oriental New York. As soon as I stepped foot inside the 6,000 square foot
Mandarin Ballroom, New York
Mandarin Ballroom on the 36th floor, not only did I want to sign the contract for my brother, I knew I would be booking a room in this lifetime. Though I had lived in the city for ten years, I’d never seen Central Park or the New York skyline like this. It was difficult to focus on anything else but the view, especially with 18 foot high floor-to-ceiling windows. But once we did, we realized the ballroom decor was just as breath-taking; the space included three huge, oval, crystal chandeliers on the ceiling, an intricately detailed aubergine and gold swirl rug, luscious brown velvet drapes lined in aubergine satin, and not a single pillar in the room to interrupt the beauty. The attention to detail and commitment to only the most luxurious is unbelievable.
I have been back to the Mandarin Oriental New York several times since that day…tea in The Lobby Lounge, breakfast at Asiate with my new fiancé, drinks with girlfriends at MObar…and it never disappoints. Even the bathrooms have my favorite Molton Brown hand soap & lotion. I now call Miami home, but I still heart NY and one day, I will check into a Mandarin Oriental New York Premier Central Park View Room and I may never check-out.
The Mandarin Oriental New York has been awarded the Forbes Five Star Award, the Forbes Five Star Spa Award, the Five Diamond Award, one of the World’s Best Hotels by Travel & Leisure every year from 2007 through 2011, and is an Editor’s Pick on Concierge.com.
Every woman needs a black travel tote and this one by Trina Turk is a dream come true. It’s large enough to tote around all your carry-on necessities, it has the fun & quirky Trina Turk Palm Springs Block print, and it’s waterproof so you can wipe it clean! This great find has two external side pockets, an inner zip coin pouch, and gold Trina Turk logo plaque and button detailing which adds the perfect finishing touch. Want more? We have the coordinating Palm Springs Block print cosmetic case too! Take a closer look on our Arrive Chic e-boutique.
Meet Ashley
Former NYC fashion industry girl, forever traveler, foodie at heart, and now Mom in Miami. My blog, Arrive Chic, covers the style I find in everyday life both on the road and at home, often with my two energetic little boys in tow.
