Rescue Spa is one of my absolute favorite websites to buy niche, luxury beauty products. The renown Philadelphia spa sells coveted, hard-to-find European brands like Valmont, Biologique Recherche and Institute Esthederm. But what truly sets Rescue Spa apart from other purveyors is their incredibly personal, responsive online assistance. It’s unrivaled: live, one-on-one online skincare chats, every Monday through Friday.
Rescue’s cult online following is worldwide, but many people don’t realize the e-shop was borne out of Rescue’s brick and mortar spa in the heart of Philadephia’s chic Rittenhouse Square. Founder Danuta Mieloch is a force in the skincare field—she trained in Paris under Dr. Yvan Allouche, creator of Biologique Recherche product line. I had the opportunity to meet her and her amazing team at the striking 7,500 square foot spa recently. They are all so luminous, I just wanted to move in and become part of their glowy sisterhood. I am already planning a retreat back with some girlfriends. Yes, it’s 100 miles away from New York City—it’s that special.
Take a look at the waiting area:
Here’s a peek into the women’s changing room:
Rescue Spa is a quiet, hidden gem—you are transported the moment you walk through the door. The peaceful ambience is the result of sleek design and a warm aesthetic, with an air of respect for the serious pampering that goes on.
I was treated to a Biolift Facial with Shannon Robb. She thoroughly evaluated my skin (tired, dull, and inflamed) and used the uber amazing Biologique Recherche line of products during my treatment, as well as the line’s proprietary skin tightening machine. It was the best facial I have ever had. Not only did I feel amazing afterward, I looked markedly refreshed, my skin tighter and brighter. Even my husband said so, which you must understand, means it’s definitely true. After the treatment, I asked Shannon to recommend a regime of products to use as I had run out of most everything anyway. She thoughtfully prescribed a plan and I have been dutifully following it. You would too, if you saw her skin. (All hail P50.)
If you happen to be in Philadephia, the spa is celebrating all day with champagne, samples, trial treatments and discounts. And all week, Rescue Spa is offering 10% off their amazing brands that are hardly ever found on sale. Just use the code “HAPPY10”. Go take a look around, take advantage of their personal online service (Hi, Kim!) and get inspired.
If you look through Samantha Yanks’ Instagram feed, you’ll see decadent photos of beautiful food, drool-worthy fashion and jewelry, snaps of beautiful landscapes and precious moments shared with her adorable daughter, Sadie, 7. It’s but a glimpse into Yanks’ rarified world as Editor-in-Chief of Hamptons Magazine and Editor-at-Large of it’s equally luxe sister publication, Gotham Magazine.
As a born and bred New Yorker who worked her way through Vogue and O, The Oprah Magazine, setting a style standard is second nature for Yanks. With roots in fashion—she’s also the Fashion Director for the publishing company behind Hamptons and Gotham—and as founder of SPYLUXE, her very own, very chic lifestyle website, Yanks artfully curates the best of fashion, culture and beauty, not only in the pages of her magazines, but in real life. It’s a job requirement for Yanks to attend countless parties, openings and events each week—while meeting her deadlines and raising her daughter. She always looks perfectly put together in New York City, and glamorously undone at the beach—and happy. She radiates warmth and genuine good cheer.
I couldn’t wait to talk to her.
As expected, Yanks introduced me to a few of her favorite products I can’t wait to try, and she also made me cry a little when she talked about beauty and how she finds it in motherhood, inside and out.
LAST BEAUTY PURCHASE
Anastasia Brow Fix. I CANNOT live without it. It’s a wax stick that allows me to keep a weighty but defined brow.
BLOW DRY VS AIR DRY
Air dry in the summer, I love an ocean induced curl in the Hamptons. Blow dry in the city for sure. My crazy mane doesn’t work in the office.
BEAUTY ICONS
Christy Turlington and Carolyn Murphy share the top spot for me.
SHE’S BOLD
I just don’t feel like myself with a bold lip as much as I love it on everyone else. I’m all about the eyes. Short answer, bold eye, neutral lip.
BUN AND DONE
Top knot or bun and I feel done in the summer. But pretty safe to say I wear it down and blown out for city life.
DESERT ISLAND PRODUCT
Leonor Greyl Huile Secret de Beauté hair oil. It’s from Paris and all natural. (My friend Bianka Lefferts, who owns 27 Hampton Salon, introduced me to her products and they are amazing.)
That’s my girl Emerson trying to help me get ready. Mornings can be rough. That’s why I’m over at NadineJolie.com talking about my morning makeup routine. (It’s fast, requires no skill and will help you look more awake than you feel.)
I can’t recall exactly when it happened, but at some point after I had my girls, my approach to makeup went from experimental and fun to pragmatic and fast. At 7am, when I’ve got mouths to feed, backpacks to pack, and a toddler at my feet, my makeup plan doesn’t have a lot of room for error. There’s no time to play with color or carefully wing out some liquid eyeliner. At 7am, it’s about covering up and contouring, lightening and brightening. And fast.
I hear so many mothers say they just don’t have time in the morning to put on makeup. And I don’t disagree—once you have school-age children, especially, time is tight to get out the door. Often women tell me they just skip makeup altogether, even though it really boosts their confidence, because they just “can’t deal.” That makes me sad.
It’s my mission to help mothers everywhere feel their best and make beauty straightforward and accessible, as opposed to trendy or aspirational. That’s why I’ve come up with a foolproof morning makeup plan. A makeup uniform, if you will. Six products in six minutes. It’s super easy and natural looking. With some creative parenting (and perhaps some baby-gating) it’s really quite doable.
I just returned from a week-long trip to Italy, my absolute favorite country—land of chewy pasta that somehow doesn’t make me gain weight, buttery olives the size of lemons, and delightful Aperol spritzers, accompanied by extensive, exotic snacks at every cocktail hour.
But enough about food. I’m back to Starbucks and sushi.
What really struck me was the beauty scene. The Italian women are so gorgeous. I wanted to learn their rituals and secrets. But the one, glaring aesthetic that struck me the most was the Italian culture of tan. Women take their tans very seriously. They must be tan at all costs. Whether the tan is by bottle, bed or beach, it is the highest beauty priority. I, of palest pale and mightiest SPF, was almost taken aback by the spectrum of brown and bronzed skin. My friend H. who’s lived in Milan for 15 years now, confirmed the local tanning obsession. Italian women go to extreme lengths to get color. At dinner one night, a very tan friend of H.’s. even showed me some “vitamins” she takes to “help her skin develop melanin.” I was seriously shocked by all this. Don’t the Italians think about the hazards of being so tan? The women laughed gently and shook their heads. “No.”
Amazingly enough, Italians have a lower skin cancer rate than Americans. I checked. Maybe it has something to with the chewy pasta.
On a more personal beauty note, I could not live without my Palmer’s Heel Repair stick, Benefit concealer and was amazed at how my Tom Ford eyebrow pencil withstood the sweltering heat. Also, I used my Suntegrity sunscreen daily and am happy to report I returned to New York City as pale as I left.
Actor Michelle Williams said something I will never forget when she accepted her Oscar in 2012. Thanking her daughter, Matilda, the award-winner said “I am a mother first.”
I recently read a quote by Sophia Loren that struck me, too. She said “When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.”
I love these vintage photos and how you can almost forget that these great women were never really recognized as mothers first.
Jane Birken and Charlotte
Jacqueline Kennedy and Caroline
Jane Fonda and Troy
Zsa Zsa Gabor and Constance
Shirley MacLaine and Sachi
Elizabeth Taylor and Michael
Sophia Loren and Carlo
Audrey Hepburn and Luca
Lucille Ball and Lucie
Natalie Wood and Courtney
Judy Garland and Liza
Peggy Lee and Nicki Lee
I was applying foundation the other day when Julia asked me this question, her eyes wide, tracking the dramatic swirling and buffing required to achieve a flawless finish of Bare Minerals.
We were sitting together at the kitchen counter, my mission control. I am defined at this kitchen counter: I prepare meals here, I take conference calls here, I do a wicked smokey eye here. I believe Julia thinks whatever I do here is pretty vital.
While I was blending and concealing, Julia was building a house out of Legos next to me. I mentally fumbled through possible responses as the question hung in the air. “Why do I wear makeup, honey? Because I look like a tired hag without it,” wanted to roll off my tongue, but I held it back. “Because I prefer a stronger brow on my face,” though honest, was probably not the way to go, either. “Ok…because once, when a boyfriend saw me without makeup, he asked ‘Where’d your face go?’” Definitely not the way to go. Read more