Still Need a Costume?

Hey--we all procrastinate from time to time, so we're not going to give you a hard time! But instead of resorting to wearing last year's costume and praying no one will notice (they will!) or drawing some lame cat whiskers on your face with a black eyeliner, check out the MAC website for some real makeup magic. Their last minute ideas look anything but. Our favorites are Crackin' Up--wear it with a torn baby doll dress from last season and you'll look like an antique doll gone astray or Zombie Chick--just add that blank Pamela Anderson stare guys love.


The website tells you what products you'll need so you can DIY. Or go to the store for some professional help.

Happy Halloween!

Got a great costume idea you're willing to share? We would love to hear it!

What We're Reading Now

As if the sight of the pool boy isn’t enough to get us all hot and bothered, we picked up Juicy Mangos a collection of dirty short stories edited by JSG’s good friend, Michelle Herrera Mulligan—she wrote one, too! It’s the perfect vacation read: a true a page turner with lots of scenes that make our toes curl up in ecstasy AND statements about love that are thought-provoking and give us lots to talk about with the girls over dinner. Plus since they’re short stories, we can actually finish one before it’s time to reapply our sunblock!

To buy it online, click here.

The Go-With Anything Jewelry

We advise you to travel with as little jewelry as possible since the more you have the more you are likely to lose. We’re still crying over a bird of phoenix turquoise necklace that our mom gave us when we were 15 that we left in Miami.
We love these Rebecca Norman skinny gold bangles: they’re chic, sexy, go with any outfit—day or night—and are guaranteed attention getters. In fact, every trip we take, our friends always fight over who gets to wear them!

To buy them online, click here.

At Your Service

It may cost a little extra, but one great advantage to staying at a hip hotel is the concierge service. Don't be shy about calling on the concierge for help--that's what he/she is there for. A concierge knows the newest restaurants, the best nightclubs, or the trendiest boutiques. A truly great concierge knows the maitre-d's and the bouncers and can often get you on that all-imporant "list." You can even call a concierge ahead of your stay and ask for help with dinner reservations, spa appointments or finding tickets to a sold out concert. We stayed at the Sagamore Hotel in South Beach recently, but for two nights, Tuesday and Wednesday. Now, any club is hot on a Saturday, in fact the Sagamore itself throws a great party on Friday and Saturday; but it's trickier to find the models and their entourage on a weeknight. Chief concierge, Madeleine Kelly, put us on the list at the Delano (oh, yes, this oldie-but-goody is hot again). We bypassed the long line of want-to-bes outside and went right in. What a party! One last thought: you may still have to pay the cover; but at least you saved time waiting in line.

Not staying at a hotel with a concierge? Our friend Danny, who travels a lot for work, told us this neat trick: He calls the local Prada store and asks the sales associate for recommendations. Try it! It really works!

The Secret to Making Blowouts Last

We love to get blowouts before our weekends away—as any woman well knows, once your hair looks hot, getting ready is a quick makeup application and cute dress away (sometimes easier said than done, but that’s for another post). The hard part is getting the blowout to last all weekend long--though days at the pool or beach and nights dancing. Corinna, a stylist at one of our favorite salons--the AKS Salon in New York shared her trick—it really works!
Before getting in the shower, roll the top part of your hair in three medium-sized Velcro rollers from the front back and put on the shower cap that the hotel so kindly provided you with. The steam will actually be your friend and work to revive your hairstyle. Put on your makeup, spritz with spray before unrolling and you’re GTG. Thanks, Corinna!

Got your own secret to making a blowout last? We want to know!

It's Not Vegas, But...

On Friday we told you we were headed down to Atlantic City. And, well, it's not Vegas, but AC is getting there. The crowd at Mur.Mur on Saturday night at the Borgata was young (primarily under 30), attractive and fun. The club was full, but not so packed we couldn't walk without spilling our drinks. Everyone we talked to was either from Jersey or Philly--we actually kinda missed the Eurotrash. DJ AM was awesome as usual. He knows how to read a crowd and definitely works hard for his money. We stayed out dancing til the wee hours of the morning.

Would we tell our friends from New York to go? Definitely--with one caveat. We took the Greyhound bus from NYC. While it was fine on the way down, the bus on the ride back was crowded, stinky and loud. It left us wondering: Couldn't AC do a Jitney service a la the Hamptons? We would have gladly paid a few bucks more for a bus that left on time and a more civilized experience. But if you want to gamble, stay up all night dancing and wear something a little more risque than you might in your hometown without the time, expense or hassle of a flight to Vegas, A.C. is worthy of a night or two.

UPDATE: We just learned Amtrak is introducing direct train service from NYC to AC by early '08. Roundtrip tickets are expected to cost between about $105 and $165. All aboard!

To make a reservation at the Borgata, click here.

Next Up On Our Radar: Is AC Cool or Not?

JSG last went to Atlantic City for the Morissey concert on a Tuesday night over the summer. While the show was awesome (Girlfriend in a Coma? We love the Smiths!), we were perplexed by Atlantic City. On one hand, it's definitely trying hard--Harrah's has opened up a really cool indoor, adults-only lounge-y pool (shown above) that turns into a club on weekend nights and a fab Red Door spa; Caesar's now has a super-hip Buddakan restaurant, and a number of the hotels are adding or just added brand new wings, like Caesar's and Borgata. But on the other, the crowd just wasn't there yet. We definitely brought the median age down by 100 years and were in the minority of those not wearing sweatsuits!
The verdict: We need to give it another shot on a weekend night. So that’s where you’ll find us come Saturday night—at Mur.Mur at the Borgata to hear DJ AM spinning tunes. We’ve basically been a groupie of his since we heard him at Pure at Caesar's Palace in Vegas. Who else can flawlessly mix songs from Coldplay, The Stones, Hall & Oates, Etta James and then back again to No Doubt? We danced the night away to his music without ever checking the time or noticing our toes were in pain. He is a true master!
We'll report back next week. And if you see us at the Borgata, come over and say Hi!


To check out DJ AM's My Space page and hear a sampling of his music, click here.