As we age, our skin begins to fail us.  It loses elasticity, it stops healing as well and finding all the new wrinkles, lines and puckers becomes an obsession.  And like most women, I will use any cream, apply any serum or buy any machine that claims to increase my chances of aging well.

If you have a woman like me in your family, then this is what you should be buying her for Christmas.  Because I have a list of five to ten “miracle products” that I am in the market to buy.

Clarisonic Brush System (Sephora, $195)

If you go to a spa for a facial, you’re looking at $50 to $100.  What if you could lengthen the time between facials and get that glowing skin you are dying to have at home?  I use my Clarisonic constantly, and I am telling you it is the best gift that I have ever been given.  I am obsessed.

If I start feeling a little blah, if I start to get a breakout, if I don’t get enough sleep and need to help my dermis look a little more lively; I bust out that Clarisonic and it’s like a miracle cure.  I use less concealer.  I need less moisturizer.  And the only thing I don’t like about it, is that I can’t buy a six-inch wide brush head to use on the rest of my body.  You need it.  Go buy it.  You’ll (she’ll) love it.

Blue Mercury Spa

I do not usually advocate the giving of gift cards, but in this case I am making an exception.  Blue Mercury is a fabulous locally owned boutique and spa where the skincare maven in your life can buy her favorite products or receive high-quality skin treatments.  So whether she’s looking for a fusion facial to wake up her wintertime skin or a fix for her Kiehl’s/Bobbi Brown/Skinceuticals addiction, Blue Mercury is the only place to go.  And if she needs some ideas on what to buy or what service is best for her, store owner Marla has a beauty blog that will give her all the information that she needs.

Tanda Light Therapy (Sephora, $275)

Several years ago, facialists and aestheticians started using lights to help bring skin back to life.  Blue lights help kill bacteria and destroy acne.  Red lights help stimulate collagen production and revive elasticity.  The Tanda system is an at home alternative to going to the spa for light therapy treatments.  And if you have a teenager in your house you can buy the blue attachment and get two devices for the price of one.  (And yes, the blue light actually works.)

Image by Douglas B. Jones

For years, I touted the benefits of Spanx, and I wasn’t the only one.  Everyone from A-List actresses to Oprah Winfrey were talking about their love of shapewear.  Whether they wanted to eliminate VPL or tone and tighten to look better in their LBD, women of every shape and size were stocking up on Spanx.

But today, I am giving up my shapewear for the joy of living.  Here’s why.

I originally starting wearing Spanx for two reasons: to eliminate visible panty line and because I had put on twenty pounds and could no longer fit into my suits and skirts.  But by the end of the day, I would be so uncomfortable that I couldn’t wait to take them off.  So when I lost a few pounds and switched to Hanky Pankies, I started to realize just how unnecessary Spanx are if you are wearing clothes that actually fit.

Too many women, are obsessed with the number on the tag instead of the fit of the garment.  My own mother cannot bring herself to buy a size six even if the four is too small.  She just can’t do it.  She would rather wedge herself into two pair of Spanx than by pants that fit, and she is hardly the only one.  But if you buy the proper size and wear foundation garments that won’t create a line, then you don’t need the Spanx.

More and more women are realizing that wearing shapewear has its own set of pitfalls.  These include using the restroom while wearing them, and what to do if you wear them on a date and it goes a little too well.  Because no one wants to have a Bridget Jones moment.

Lingerie designers are trying to make shapewear more comfortable and maybe even a little sexy.  And while I appreciate the effort to make shapewear look less like a girdle, I am taking a cue from my foremothers and burning my uncomfortable undergarments.

Long story short, I’m tired of being constricted.  I’m tired of worrying whether my Spanx are showing when I sit in a skirt.  And I am tired of the nerve pain I feel when I wear the Spanx for too long.

Down with Spanx! Accept your body and buy clothing in the proper size and you will never need shapewear again!

Elected Official

Rebecca Taylor Ruffled Top (Netaporter, $245)

Hill Staffer

Vince Cowl Neck Blouse (Shopbop, $185)

Unpaid Intern

Silk Frances Cami (J.Crew, $69)

Ok Guys. There is a pervasive opinion out there among some men, that it is somehow effete to dress oneself like a gentleman. That if you have style, that makes you some how less “manly”. People who think like this obvisouly cannot dress themselves, so they don’t think you should be able to either. So screw ‘em, because people will be looking at you, while they walk by unnoticed. With that in mind, we should discuss what is often overlooked in one’s morning routine. Let’s start at the top, with your hair.

If you are wondering how hair has anything to do with style, you’d be forgetting what people spend most of the time looking at, your face. Done properly, your hair reflects your personal tastes, a tinge of personality, and it will frame your face.

If you are like me, and you are poor, living pay check to pay check, you are lucky to get a hair cut once a month. Shoot for once a month, at most (and this is in times of Financial peril) every five weeks. If you still don’t think it matters, go find a bald guy, and ask him if he’d trade you for your head of hair. What do you think he’d say? No offense to the follically challenged, but if that is the case, you can’t fool anyone with a comb over, keep it high and tight, and embrace it with confidence.

Cost

How much should you be paying for a hair cut? Well, if you think the $10 you drop in the basement of Rayburn is enough, think again. You shell out $10, you get a $10 hair cut. If you shave your head, buy an electric razor and do it for the cheap at home. Another common location for hill staffers is Bubbles Salon. Don’t go here. You’ll be paying $30, and you’ll get someone different every time, they won’t know you, your hair, your style, and they get paid by quanitity of cuts, not quality.

I pay $50 for a cut at the Men’s Grooming Lounge in Dupot. That may sound like a lot to you, but consider the fact that if I were paying $30 at Bubbles it’s only costing me $20 more dollars to see the same stylist (key word there guys) who has undergone extensive training. The place only sees men, and they give you free booze while you wait and sit for your cut. The cut looks good for the full 4 or 5 weeks. I don’t need it to grow out. If you’re hesitant, get your girlfriend or mom to buy you a gift certificate and try it out. You’ll never go anywhere else.

Style

There are a lot of different styles, from “high and tight” to “long and wavy”, what you want to do for work is anywhere in between. Ask your stylist what would look good on you, or simply say you want something “sexy but professional”, they’ll know exactly what you mean. Whatever cut you choose, make sure you comb your hair. You don’t want to roll in the office looking like you just rolled out of bed, I don’t care how nice your suit is, an unkempt head of hair will ruin whatever look you have going.

Put the gel away, and pick up a nice moose, wax, or cream based product. It’ll keep your hair in place and you won’t look like you’re on the way to the club. Crew makes a nice product, as does the Grooming Lounge, it’s best to find a product that suits your hair texture and style. But go for the natural look.

Chances are you watch Mad Men, or if you don’t you know who Don Draper is. When you leave for work in the morning just ask yourself if Don Draper would go out with hair like that.

I have been looking for a columnist to write on men’s style once per month, this article was written by a contributor, Beau, for that reason.  Feel free to leave comments regarding the article, or whether you are interested in reading more men’s style content.  Thanks!

More than two years ago we wrote about wanting to order a bespoke suit from one of the traveling Hong Kong tailors that visit DC.  Specifically we were writing about Raja Daswani whom we had discovered via a column by Washington Post columnist John Kelly.  One of the commenters in our post recommended W.W. Chan as an alternative, so we’ve kept our eye on their schedules for the last couple of years.

Searches for reviews online about both Raja & Chan ran the gamut; you could find comments praising and complaining about each.  In the end we went with Raja but would have been equally comfortable with Chan.  Our appointment for a fitting was this past Sunday.

This post was originally featured on Penn Quarter Living.  To read more about traveling tailors and how you can buy a custom made suit, please follow this link.

Elected Official

Andrew Marc Outerwear Blazer (Saks, $595)

Hill Staffer

G-Star Drake Jacket (Ssense, $353)

Unpaid Intern

Wool Zip Front Jacket (Gap, $98)

For weeks, the world has been locked in Twilight mania.  You cannot escape it.  But not having read the books or seen the movie, I don’t have a detailed understanding of this object of obsession.  So when I saw a neighbor with a freshly inked apple tattoo on the inside of her wrist, I asked her what the tattoo symbolized.

She looked at me like I had just asked her who Barack Obama was.

“It’s from Twilight; it’s a testament to true love.”

Okay, I understand reading the books.  I understand seeing the movie.  I can even accept that you might want to see it so badly that you would head to a midnight showing on a Thursday.  But I cannot understand why you would forever brand yourself with symbols or dialogue from the books.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that this trend (?) is shockingly widespread.  And there is a tattoo for every personality type.  They even have a nickname: Twi-toos.  (You can’t make this stuff up.)

Small and Discreet(ish)

A comprehensive salute to Twilight fandom with a tulip, a chess piece, a broken ribbon and an apple.  Because it’s important to be thorough.

**crickets followed by headshake**

This tattoo is for when a simple quote…

…just doesn’t express the true depth of your psychosis devotion.

I understand wanting a tattoo that symbolizes something deeply personal, but isn’t it risky to get a tattoo of something based on the fleeting preferences of pop culture?  How will you feel in ten years if you no longer like the books or the movies?  I suppose this is a risk that you take with any tattoo, but this seems to have an added pitfall to it.

Seeing these tattoos also makes me wonder if there are thirty-something women wandering around with tattoos of Leo DiCaprio’s face enveloped by the words, “I’ll never let go.”  That might be a stretch.  But I don’t think it would be too hard to track down a woman with a Le Coeur de Le Mer on her ankle.

Just remember true love and tattoos are forever.

Belle,

I know this isn’t a usual “fashion” question, but I think it falls  When I was in DC last year I noticed that most staffers had blackberries to do their business on. However, I noticed a lot of younger staffers also had iPhones. Is the iPhone just has acceptable on the hill as a blackberry?

Lizzy

Blackberries are ubiquitous on Capitol Hill.  Every staffer has one, because Heaven forbid we be incommunicado for a single solitary second.  This is why they are surgically attached to our thumbs.  In fact, the only time we are separated from our Crackberries is when we’re sleeping, having sex or bathing.

But as to your question, I don’t know that I had ever considered what your electronic tether says about your sense of style.

Is an iPhone an acceptable Blackberry alternative?  I suppose, but this is one time when the choices are made based primarily on efficacy.  Some offices use iPhones, but most of us need constant coverage in areas that are poorly served by AT&T.  Equipping staffers with iPhones certainly isn’t a choice that everyone can make so, I think there is a certain novelty factor at play.

If you want to pinpoint who in the office possesses power, just look at their Blackberry.

Most staffers carry a Curve or a World Edition Pearl.  But Chiefs of Staff, LDs and Members are the first ones to get the new toys, so most of them carry the new Blackberry Tour.  Of course, this will change as offices buy new equipment in the New Year.  But trust me when I say that you can gauge the office hierarchy by determining in what order you received the new Blackberry.

While most staffers don’t personalize there official phones some do.  I recently purchased a hard case for mine.  I chose a simple but bold red case.  The case protects my device and helps me figure out which one of the six Curves on the table is mine after a long dinner with friends.  Very important.

If you choose to accessorize your Blackberry, I would stay away from Swarovski crystals or zebra stripes.  Just a simple, solid color case will do the trick.  You can find a decent one at any mall kiosk, but the best selection is on Amazon.

Whether you choose to carry a standard issue Blackberry or a tech savvy iPhone, there are only two faux pas to avoid: being caught without your tether at a critical moment (not good) and giving your Blackberry a name.  A former acquaintance called his Blackberry “Hoss” because it was hard-working.  I can’t even remember his last name, but I remember that.

Like I said, naming the Blackberry is not recommended.

I came upon this photo on another blog and I was immediately and unexpectedly taken with the vivid greens in the painting.  I have never really embraced pastels–I prefer jewel tones–but these colors reminded me of the way copper looks as it ages.  In fact, I was so enamored with the colors that I went searching for clothing and accessories in this color palette.

I adore these earrings: Light, pretty, almost ethereal.

Dupatta Scarf (Calypso St. Barths, $230)

This scarf is so sheer and airy it looks like cotton candy.

Tender Green Bowl (Etsy, $40)

Because it’s November, and Celadon is best left to the world of home decor until at least March.

]]> http://capitolhillstyle.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/how-green-was-my-valley/feed/ 0 Belle il_430xN.82926092 cj-v134 7553 il_430xN.60518451 http://capitolhillstyle.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/10th-commandment-november-20-2/ http://capitolhillstyle.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/10th-commandment-november-20-2/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:34:29 +0000 Belle http://capitolhillstyle.wordpress.com/?p=5905 ]]>

Elected Official

Anlo Liza Trouser Jean (Shopbop, $207)

Hill Staffer

Dark Wash Denim Trouser (J.Crew, $108)

Unpaid Intern

Trouser Jean (Victorias Secret, $40)