Madison Square Park was the height of fashion in the Gilded Age and guess what?! It’s back! This time, in a neon pink & green bottle, decorated with a removable green rose-blossom bracelet (or you can detach the rose centerpiece & use it as a brooch)! Perfume AND jewelry?! It doesn’t get much better than that, ladies! Tre’ chic!

Madison Square Park is located between Madison Avenue & 23rd street in Manhattan. It’s a beautiful, bright & lively public park. The bottle of the Bond No. 9, Madison Square Park fragrance reflects, just that. It’s bold & chic! This brand new fragrance was recently released in April 2011 & is sold at the four Bond No. 9 New York stores, Saks Fifth Avenue, & bondno9.com.

Starting with top notes like Grape Hyacinth, paired with huckleberry & delicately spicy prairie drop-seed grass, the scent soon moves smoothly into Red Leaf Rose (the supermodel of roses) along with Red Hunter Tulips. This scent is the definition of glamour!

Bond No. 9 is a fragrance collection launched as an homage to a great city, New York!! The headquarters boutique is located at 9 Bond Street in NoHo. This collection has a dual mission: “ to restore artistry to perfumery and to mark every New York neighborhood with a scent of it’s own.” Check out bondno9.com to browse through other items such as candles, body silk and of course the other desirable“NY inspired” fragrances (to name a few: Brooklyn, Wall Street, Hamptons, & Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue). You will become addicted to this fabulous collection, I know I am. Even the streets that surround Madison Square Park are the place to be! Trust me girls, anything associated with this ‘trendy hot-spot’ is a fashionista must-have!!

xoxo, Amanda , ‘Beauty Fashionista’

Seeing is believing!! Dailyfashionista.com makeover performed using Hard Candy cosmetics on one of our Dailyfashionista.com readers, Catriona!! She looks so fresh, vibrant and gorgeous!!

Look flawless with the new Hard Candy cosmetics collection, all under $10!! Besides the fabulous Hard Candy nail polish we all love — Hard Candy Cosmetics now has so many other unique products you need to try! Our model Catriona, is wearing Hard Candy ‘Just Face It One Step’ Foundation (a primer, concealer, foundation, & powder all in one)! For you ladies who prefer to go foundation-less, Hard Candy ‘Sheer Envy Skin Illuminating Primer’ is an excellent way to restore skin with a natural glow. I swear it feels like satin! To achieve the bright cheeks and soft bronze tint without looking orange, we used Hard Candy ‘Fox in a Box’ and I must say I just love the cute mini brush that’s stored inside. Hard Candy’ Take Me Out Liner’, color: handcuffs was used all over the eyelids and also underneath the eye, with a touch of ‘Eye Def Glitter’ Shadow in the crease. To give her eyes that extra pop, we used ‘Black Lash Ink.’ It feels like liquid eyeliner and is so light and easy to apply, it really does have the feel and effect of ink! This is more than a mascara, it’s like paint-on-lashes!! Definitely my new favorite and a great time-saver!  You can swim, shower, and it still lasts for 4 days! For instant energy, apply some Glossaholic ‘Rise & Shine’ energizing lip gloss infused with mood altering elixir. You can see by the photo above that Catriona is clearly GLOWING with beauty! Hard Candy is most definitely a DailyFashionista.com favorite!!

** To win a free Hard Candy sample, please email: dana@dailyfashionista.com. Hard Candy is now available at Walmart stores across the US and on Walmart.com! Check it out and let us know your under $10 favorite!

Win something from the above Summer Hard Candy 2011 Collection on us!! Winner to be announced July 6th!!

XOXO Lauren, Dailyfashionista.com

Owner/Creator of Posche Boutique Kim DePaola, Will Love and Alina Leshiner strike a pose on the red carpet!

Recently, a project that I have created for fun, with my friend Jaime Page of ‘Red Carpet Brownies‘, has caused quite the ‘buzz’ on the web! Titled “Dishin It Out in NJ“ is a v-blog series and  the premise of the show is to merge ‘Jerseylebrity’ with ‘Italian cuisine’ to form what can only be described as an incredibly juicy, eyebrow-raising, and controversial product – in more ways than one! The first two episodes, which were lighter in both content and mood, featured interviews with Alina Leshiner and Michael Craft.  Alina, Fashion Director of the famous POSCHE Boutique – professional Stylist and Buyer, was finally able to showcase a side of her that viewers don’t see on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”  Quite possibly the program’s biggest enigma, in our debut episode– fans were able to discover Alina’s fashion background, as well as her future aspirations and gain styling tips. The second episode featured noted photographer, Michael Craft of the New Jersey Equality (NJEQ) Campaign. Featured at Kim D’s “Birthday Extravaganza,” and set to play a big role at her 3rd Annual Fashion Show in September, Michael was able to give viewers a larger perspective on the purpose of the campaign, as well as share interesting facets on his photography background, including photographing the saucy Teresa Giudice.

In one of the latest episodes, which set the bar on what to expect next in the series, ‘Kim D.’ welcomed the #DIONJ (Dishin It Out in NJ) crew into her lovely home. While drinking homemade wine made by Joe Giudice, Kim gave her raw opinion on everything from fashions to fan favorites, and answered everything that fans of the ‘Housewives’ franchise are dying to know about both her & the other Jersey girls. Enjoy the clip, everyone!!

Thanks for stopping by DailyFashionista.com to read my article!

XO Will Love, Dailyfashionista.com contributor

To learn more about the fabulous Will Love, click here!!

*Now, Will and Jaime — about those delicious ‘Red Carpet Brownes’ – I believe, that this fashionista needs to do a taste-test!! (*wink)

Dark chocolate brownie laced with raspberry flavoring, topped ganache and pink and purple glitter. (Edible Glitter!? I’m in LOVE).

If you haven’t been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, make sure to stop by before July 31, 2011. Alexander McQueen’s Savage Beauty Exhibition is located in the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Exhibition Hall, 2nd floor. This exhibit is a breathtaking experience that shouldn’t be missed. An array of collections in an eerie yet astonishing arrangement lets you enter the world of the iconic British designer that has swept away the fashion world forever. Even though Alexander McQueen isn’t amongst us anymore, his genius left a footprint in our hearts and minds.

Lace, threads, shells, and a natural muse. A romantic passionate soul found his way in-between beautiful textiles all interlaced to become magnificent works of art. It’s quite amazing how people find their love and make it their lifestyle. To create something with love means to put your every bit of energy into it. For Alexander McQueen the road was short, but it was extremely successful.

We are here for a moment and then we are gone. I believe that true talent comes when an individual truly immerses himself or herself into what they love. The passion is so deep and pure that it becomes their reality.

Life is energy. Energy is neither created nor destroyed, it’s recycled into another form that becomes something else. I believe that over time the strongest energy attracts and mounds into something unbelievably inspiring, and for Alexander McQueen that energy was exactly the core of his being. The universe created him as a vessel to show us that following our passion and doing what we love can influence and inspire. There is no obsolete in greatness and the universe will never overexpose its most wonderful creation, thus it took back its energy so it can recycle into the next greatest thing. I was truly inspired by viewing the designs of such a creative genius like the great Alexander McQueen and I suggest you visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art this summer!

xoxo Krystyna Velkova, Fashion & Culture fashionista

Hi Dolls!

We FINALLY have some nice weather! What an amazing time of the year — I love the summer months! It’s definitely nice to get out and have some fun in the sun. I’m sure most of you have been to the beach already and I hope you packed the right products (*wink). I’ve been using some fabulous items that would be great for you to pack in your bag for a weekend at the beach! It’s very important to keep your skin well protected & hydrated through these next couple of months of hot weather or you can do some serious damage. Of course, we’d like to look fabulous at all times. The key to keeping your skin healthy and vibrant is definitely choosing the right line of skincare! Over the next few weeks, I will be giving you the latest on beauty/fashion tips specifically for summer – so check back for some exclusive products & NEW lines of fashion, I’m so excited to share this with you!

This week, I’d really like to focus on the protection of your skin. Maintaining a natural, healthy glow should always be your number 1 priority. Even on the few cloudy days. The sun is VERY strong during these next few months, so the first thing I’d recommend is to switch your daily moisturizer to one that contains SPF. ANY skincare line has this option. A personal favorite I’ve found this summer is Philosophy’s ‘Keep the Peace’ collection. It’s designed to give peaceful solutions to all those with red, sensitive & irritated skin. Those of you who fall in that category need to be VERY careful outdoors. These products are perfect for you! My favorite from this collection, you ask – Protective Color Corrector SPF 20 ($30) & Super Soothing instant relief mask ($40). The SPF 20 is recommended for daily use in the morning. It camouflages redness, smoothes the appearance of fine lines and it provides chemical-free, broad-spectrum sun protection! It’s extremely lightweight & leaves your skin feeling unbelievably smooth (It can also be used as a makeup primer). The mask will instantly relieve any redness you may have. It gives you immediate skin cooling, soothing and calming benefits. It also relieves any discomfort you may have due to sunburn (we all know what a nightmare sunburn can be)! It’s recommended to use this mask twice a week.

Philosophy also has a very fun, summer inspired line of body care. My personal favorites are the Coconut Frosting Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath ($16) and the sparkly Mimosa flavored lip gloss ($10). They smell absolutely amazing!! You can purchase any of these products at Philosophy.com. Check out their website, they have SO many fabulous products to choose from!

I’m going to leave you with this inspiring quote from Philosophy’s ‘Keep the Peace’ collection: “Philosophy: Keep peace with others by keeping peace within yourself. The more peaceful you are, the more beautiful you become.” 
xoxo Amanda, DF Beauty Advisor fashionista

The sun is shining!! So let’s see those cute bathing suits & get ready to work it, girls! All winter, everyone dreams of a nice, warm day on the beach or at the pool. In the summer, everyone tends to eat a little healthier, focus on your body a little more, & most of all work on a tan!! We all want to feel confident & I have the perfect products for you to achieve your ‘feel-good’ summer body with ease!

Preparing a tan pre-bathing suit season might be a challenge, no worries! There are some fabulous self-tanners out there. Nivea’s ‘Sunkissed’ collection  is perfect! This sunkissed’ line features all different types of lotions according to your skin type. Fair to Dark, Nivea has exactly what shade you’re looking to achieve. Each product has a gradual tanning effect, with moisturizing benefits & NO streaking.

Another main concern we all have while in our bathing suits, is cellulite. Besides surgical procedures, there is something out there to help us. Nivea features a line called ‘Goodbye Cellulite.’ With regular applications, the Gel-Cream visibly reduces the appearance of cellulite (you can apply once or twice daily). There’s also an ultra-concentrated formula available, the ‘Fast Acting Serum.’ This products works a little faster, so you can see results in as little as 10 days (serum is to be used only once a day, & can also be paired with the Gel-Cream to complement your regimen).

Feeling good in a bathing suit and our summer clothing brings confidence!! There are plenty of beauty products out there to help us with whatever concern we may have. It’s also what’s inside that makes a difference, we are ALL beautiful, unique, & have our own sense of style.. embrace it, flaunt it & show ‘em what you got! As Audrey Hepburn once said, “happy girls are the prettiest girls.“

xoxo Amanda, DF Beauty Advisor fashionista

Fierce is the only way to describe Jaylyn Ducati (Robbins/Sony BMGartist). This beautiful blue-eyed fashionista is a naturally talented singer, songwriter, & performer from New York. Jaylyn is the epitome of today’s new pop/dance music and has been featured on many TV shows including the MTV’s Cribs! I like to show my support for my fellow metro-area fashionistas.  I also love Jaylyn’s sexy style and the fact that she sometimes has a hand in designing her own outfits — talented all around!!

Jaylyn has worked with many well known producers from NYC to LA and studied with coaches who have worked with Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Jessica Simpson, Usher, Faith Hill, Mick Jagger, & Christina Aguilera. One of the main components to Jaylyn’s success is her live performances with her very sexy back up dancers including my personal fashionista favorite the gorgeous Lisa Ambrosino.  Jaylyn has performed with many top recording artists in the industry and has rocked the stage at KTU’s Beatstock 2010 attracting over 30,000 fans! From her mesmerizing vocals to unique & over-the-top sexy choreography, she always has the crowd anticipating what she will do next!!

Her next show is on May 30th at Six Flags Great Adventure where Jaylyn will be performing with Far East Movement!! Follow Jaylyn Ducati on Twitter @JaylynDucati. See you at Six Flags, everyone!!

Xoxo — Lauren, Daily Fashionista contributor

Fergie smolders at the Billboard Music Awards

Selena Gomez is a glowing vision

Hi Dolls!

I know most of you watched the Billboard Music Awards (if you didn’t, you missed a FABULOUS night of fashion & beauty – not to mention the amazing performances). Everyone looked great, but we all have a favorite, don’t we?!

Rihanna, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and Selena Gomez were all show-stoppers last night (to name a few). My favorite, you ask? Fergie looked absolutely stunning, and let’s face it —  she’s definitely not shy when it comes to fashion!! Fergie wore a gothic-inspired Hervé Léger by Max Azria dress, Christian Louboutin pumps, and Alexander McQueen clutch as she strutted down the white carpet in Las Vegas. Her hair was styled very naturally with waves. Fergie’s make-up consisted of a smoky eye, peachy-pink tinted cheeks, & a very subtle, natural beige lip color (tip: always accent one feature to allow the rest to look natural). Fergie chose her smoky eye to stand out to the crowd last night and it looked perfect!

How do we achieve this look? Let’s start with the hair. Natural looking waves are very easy to achieve & most hair care lines have “beach inspired” sprays to create soft waves (Bumble & Bumble “Surf Spray”, & Fekkai “Beach Waves”). As for the the makeup, here’s some recommendations. Fergie’s natural-beige lip color looks very much like Lancome’s “Natural Beauty” lipstick (I use it myself, it’s a personal favorite). Her cheeks have a nice peachy-pink tone, close to Nars “Orgasm” blush. Her eyes seem very black in photos, if you look closely — it has a blue undertone. MAC – Nehru (matte) eyeshadow, with MAC Shroom eyeshadow (for a little added glimmer under your brow bone) would be the perfect combination!!

Check out Selena Gomez — her makeup was extremely similar to Fergie. Selena’s lip is a little more pink, & her eyes seem to have a purple undertone. No problem — here’s the scoop –  just swap the lipstick for Lancome’s “Top Model” & eyeshadow for MAC “Shadowy Lady” and that should do the trick)!

Award shows are so much fun to watch, & they give us plenty of fashion/beauty ideas for our own nights out on the town, when we all want to look a little extra glamorous! Who was your favorite & why? I’d love to hear!! These looks are very achievable with the right products. I hope I was able to help!!
xoxo, Amanda
‘DF Beauty Advisor’ fashionista

Gina Capozza is a young, vivacious designer and photographer who graduated from Pratt Institute with a degree in Communications design. Born and raised in New Jersey, she is taking on New York City with a passion for design, a love of fashion and an eye for photography; working in interactive design and fashion photography. She spends most of her time catching up on the latest fashion, creating all forms of design, and capturing the beauty of the world through her lens. DailyFashionista.com is excited to have Gina on board capturing the fashionable scenes and exciting moments that we here at Daily Fashionista experience as being a part of the ‘in-crowd.’

DailyFashionista.com welcomes Kristina Velkova as a contributor!

Hi, fashion lovers! I’m so excited to be a part of DailyFashionista.com this summer as a contributor! To start off, I’d like to introduce myself to all of the readers out there! My name is Kristina Velkova and yes you guessed it – I truly adore fashion (*wink). I’m originally from Bulgaria and moved to the fashion capital of the world in 2000 — NYC. My love for fashion was embedded in my roots thanks to my grandmother who had been a professional tailor all her life back home. Grams made custom clothes for me ever since I was a little baby. Did I mention that she will be visiting over for the summer?! Be sure to check out my weekly articles because I’ll be involved in producing some gorgeous garments, which I will be sure to photograph and share. I started getting involved in modeling at the age of 16 here in New York, so I’ve been a part of the industry for quite sometime now!

I’ve made my way deeper into the fashion world by meeting some wonderful people and through many exciting photo shoots, I ended up at my current agency Click Model Management. I can’t thank Melinda Culp, Scott Singer, Debbie Dickinson and of course our very own Dana Prigge’ of DailyFashionista.com enough for contributing to my success. Besides my busy schedule modeling, I attend the Fashion Institute of Technology in the heart of the fashion district in New York City. I initially started as a Communication Design major, but soon realized I couldn’t leave my first true love; fashion, so I switched my studies to Fashion Merchandising Management.

In the mix of it all I love photography, economics, traveling, food, reading, history, yoga, design and the arts! Photography is a big part of my life both in front and behind the camera as I actively build both my portfolios (if interested, check out some of my work at TimeOutNewYorkMagazine.

Besides current industry trends, some of my favorite icons you’ll be hearing about are the all-time classic and beautiful Italian actress Sophia Loren, the hot and sexy Kate Moss, the legendary German artist, photographer, and current Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, and many more influential people who inspire our world!

Note from Dana: DailyFashionista.com is really looking forward to Kristina’s entries on the site!! We know that she’s going to offer an inside and high-style view of everything that the fashion world has to offer and beyond!! Congratulations Kristina!!

Beauty and brains personified — please meet ‘Fashion & Culture Fashionista’ Kristina Velkova!