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One of the first things a newcomer to LA notices is the amazing number and variety of its beauty supply stores. Though other parts of the country certainly have their fair share of beauty stores, only in LA can you find two, and sometimes three, within a block of each other. This phenomenon creates the impression that in LA the essentials are not just food, water and oxygen, but also conditioner and exfoliant. Which, actually, is not that far from the truth.

Beauty stores occupy an interesting and important niche. They fill the rather large space between the impersonal and generic offerings of your local drug store, and the over-the-top (both in terms of price and sales pressure) cosmetic counters of high-end department stores. A good beauty store offers both a far greater selection than you can find at a drug store or department store, and the friendly expertise that can only come from someone who lives and breathes beauty products for their business.

With this in mind, I thought I would offer to the readers of Beauty News LA my personal list of my favorite beauty stores in the LA area. My selection is governed by two very basic criteria. First, I don’t want to shop in a store that is packed so full that I feel I’m rummaging around in someone’s very crowded bomb shelter, carefully maneuvering between towering walls of product, unable to bend down to read labels. When I’m in a store like that I pray the Big One isn’t going to hit while I’m there, because I’d prefer not to end my life under a ton of hair fixative.

In the era of email and text messages, getting a gorgeous hand-written card from a friend is a rare treat. Like designer shoes and Belgian chocolate, fine stationery is truly one of life’s great pleasures. It is an exciting way to express your creativity and connect with friends and business associates. From whimsical Kate Spade notes, to classic engraved Tiffany cards in robin’s egg blue, writing letters on beautiful paper is a soothing experience. No matter how much stationery I buy, I always seem to spot something better at Kate’s Papery that I just have to have.

Now I’ve found the ultimate in luxury stationery. Like Super Glue, Fabulous Stationery is a product that truly lives up to its name. They have eye-popping graphics and sleek, modern designs. Letterpress purists may balk as it is not understated bland stationery. It’s quite racy and very trendy. You can choose from over 300 personalized note cards. They are totally custom designed and personalized. They make up stationery for any occasion from invitations, birth announcements, and thank you notes or just personalized note cards.

They have the most unique envelopes I have ever seen. I always throw away envelopes after I’ve opened them. However, I end up throwing away the sender’s return address as well. Fabulous Stationery thought of an ingenious solution; they put the return address on the back of the card and have a clear window on the back of the envelope. So you can throw away the envelope and keep the return address on the back of the card. There are so many options, it makes you want to get a new set of stationery with each new love. Here, we imagined what Fabulous Stationery Brad Pitt would have gotten with Gwenyth, Jen and Angelina.

Angelenos live for three things”¦cars, great sweat suits and outrageous organic cuisine. We love to stay healthy, look our best and be seen sipping organic Spanish latte’s with our designer clad Pugs and ergonomically fashion forward Pumas. Thanks to Urth Caffé, this trio of ultra popular organic eateries ensures that every Angeleno can fight the urge to Supersize and opt for a natural nibble or two.

As soon as you step through the door of one of their three locations, you immediately notice the cozy, warm atmosphere. Think more upscale casual café than fine dining establishment. From coffees and teas that tantalize to sandwiches, salads, soups and delicious desserts that definitely delight, everything on the menu is made with all natural, organic ingredients and served up quick and ready to devour.

Founded in 1989, Urth Caffe was originally an organic coffee company. Due to their tight knit relationship with eight small farms around the world, they were able to supply vendors with some of the most delectable certified organic coffee beans on the market. Their most popular item on the menu is still their Spanish Latte which is guaranteed to give you the jolt of joy you’ve been craving and can’t seem to find. All of Urth’s coffee is the lowest in acid and most healthiest coffee in the world.

In 1994, they opened their first location on the famed Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, which in four short years was awarded #1 Coffee Restaurant by Los Angeles Magazine. Fans of the wonderfully light and tasty dishes started to spread the word that if you were hungry for something delicious and wholesome, there was no place better than Urth Caffe.

In 2003, a location opened in Beverly Hills that was equally as celebrated as its West Hollywood predecessor. By this time, the buzz on the street had reached the ears of Hollywood’s elite who were wholeheartedly embracing the environmental trend that was just sweeping the nation. So, low and behold, countless celebs were photographed eating, drinking and sipping their favorite organic delights at the place to be seen Urth Caffe.

Most people purchase books based on the cover and if they get past the first page. To classify Lucky beauty editor Jean Godfrey-June’s debut as chick lit wouldn’t be right. This is no classic girl-meets-boy or girl-covets-job tale of struggle, more struggle, binge drinking, sweets eating, and shoe shopping until a happy conclusion appears in the last 20 pages. In fact, it’s not even a memoir in the traditional sense.

Free Gift With Purchase is a journey through the experiences that led June to her coveted post at Lucky, complete with a healthy serving of shaded boxes, the book equivalent of pull quotes and sidebars. These boxes contain brain drizzles featuring everything from party speak to beauty truths, like reasoning for cheek implants, the secret to the “˜natural’ look and strange PR strategies. Her brief bio reveals two things: she is the mother of two and is successful enough that she’s comfortable living outside The City.

The child of left wing intellects, June grew up in Palo Alto before the dot-com boom, outrageous real estate and the current trend, upscale nouveau Indian restaurants. As a child, she was the least likely to enter a field where testing lip glosses and analyzing new technological advances is an art form because she was a tomboy. Early on, she confesses she knew she wanted to write, which makes me wonder, why would a career in magazines be “improbable”? One of many revealing anecdotes explains that indeed she knew early on a career at one of glossies would be plum; it also explains that few of us writers know much more than that when we decide one day we’ll make a career out of offering our opinions to the world.

“I chose my college””University of Colorado””not, as I told everyone, because I liked Colorado, but because those annoying subscription cards that fall out of magazines, the return address is always, “Boulder, CO 80203″. I naturally concluded that all my favorite magazines were produced there and that I’d quickly land a glamorous internship.” It’s anecdotes like this make this influential editor appear as normal as we commoners. Even as she gets into the tale models and actresses usual tell about their childhood as “˜lanky ugly ducklings’ she somehow averts creating the usual pang of envy because her tone is so self-deprecating.

From her descriptions, I imagine the few magazines her family would’ve encouraged her involvement in would be titles Salon, Clamor, or The New Yorker. Post college, she worked in advertising and lived with her husband in New Mexico and Ohio before his career led them to NYC. Commuting from New Jersey in the beginning, she started out at a real estate magazine but eventually started writing about fashion. She credits her entry to the big time with a few freelance articles, explaining that instead of sending pitches and queries, she submitted the entire article, a strategy that worked with both New York magazine and Conde Nast Traveler.

This is where the pang of envy arrives, somewhere between seeing these two names and reading that the same thing worked with Vogue. As we all know, Vogue doesn’t print just anything. Her story was an article about a newcomer to the cosmetic world, Bobbi Brown. Now, in today’s competitive world of publishing, you might wonder, would the same thing happen? Well, if you found a way to get an article to an editor’s desk before anyone else covered the topic, the answer might be yes. Any good writer that offers a beauty exclusive and gets it to the editor at the right time could score an article if she were willing to jump as high as they made her. What she fails to admit, and can’t in keeping with her low-profile attitude, is that behind all this talk of an ugly duckling with the usual naiveties of youth is an attractive willowy grounded woman, intelligent and simple, following a path chosen years prior.

Such was her entry into the world of lunches, freebies, attitudes, and politics. One of many nuggets, she explains the truth behind freelancing; most people think freelancers sleep in, write a few stories, and get paid decent money to avert the usual office hours. What they don’t know is it’s nearly impossible to turn down a good assignment and each story usually requires research, interviews, the actual writing, and at least one round of edits, minimum. “Once the Vogue piece was out, I had a new career. Never underestimate the power of Vogue. Suddenly doors opened, phone calls were returned. Every magazine called me and wanted articles; I freelanced and I barely slept I had so much work. People always ask me””especially now that I’ve got kids””why don’t I just freelance. The reality for me is that I couldn’t say no to anyone, ever. Why would they call you for the next article when you said no the first time?”

All this freelancing eventually led her to Elle, a place that inspired many pages, most stemming from the power struggle between French and American leaders. These pages affirm the rumors of horribly rude fashion editors””one in particular that she coins Fashionista””and temperamental photographers that make life hell for most of the staff. However, few stop to think how they’d act if they were around models and fashion designers all day, on an empty stomach, reminded of the life they dreamt of but would never have.

June, however, and most beauty and features editors, don’t harbor any lost hopes of becoming a model or a designer. They are not settling, as many in creative fields do. Throughout the 271 pages, which flew by in three days, she divulges all the juicy secrets from starvation spa weekends to beauty trade details, personal preferences, and her pet peeves. Her ability to write a tell-all about a billion-dollar industry says one thing””she’s arrived. If you can publish pages of secrets about the inside happenings at magazines, social events, and large cosmetics companies you are surely at the point in your career where your judgment and voice overpower the egos of high-powered executives.

One of the insider tales tells of Lucky‘s rocky beginning. I for one wasn’t surprised by this. I remember the day I received my issue of Allure and first saw the ad for Lucky. For $12 I decided I’d check it out and I’ve been a reader every since. At the time, I was living in the suburbs with an ex-boyfriend, just bordering on marriage, working in Boston. I’d always been a beauty junkie and looking back at my pre-journalism days, I recognize the power magazines have over consumers. I actually remember the first product I bought after seeing it in Lucky””Deluxe Beauty lip gloss in Gus, a hot red hue purchased online from Sephora, along with a few other items, just to get the free gift. A year later while taking classes at Harvard night school, I was sitting in class and people started complaining. One girl started on in a condescending activist voice, “there’s this new magazine and it’s all about shopping and they have these stickers you use to mark the items you want,” she said with disgust. Naturally, I wasn’t about to profess my love for the magazine to a crowd devoted to the Utne and The New Yorker, but I’ve always loved the publication.

Make no mistake; it is a magazine entirely about shopping with a great design and wonderful regular columns. My favorite is when they show a powerful workingwoman with her wardrobe staples and how she pairs them for a week. Lucky has always been an honest endeavor””they never claimed to expose criminals or bring world peace, but they do bring a little joy to women’s lives and they’ve fostered countless small businesses. This magazine reached incredible heights after initial struggles””I believe they reached a circulation of one million in five short years. Their success could be credited to their ability to continue to offer new advice; to use models that look like real women; and to adhere to the voice of the editor Kim France, a former music journalist who initially turned down the offer to run the magazine.

For any aspiring creative soul, this book is an inspiration because it shows that anything is possible. For beauty junkies, this is a like having a one-on-one with a beauty editor because it’s got every detail about the world of glossies. Editors, as June does, try to say that the idea of working in magazines is not as glamorous as your think, but their ability to write casually about perfume launches at Kimora and Russell’s mansion shows it’s just that. However, there is some truth to their point. Until they reach the top, most editors are jam packed into cubicles with little space, many to a room talking on the phone, bustling about to meet deadlines while anticipating new ones.

Some may wonder, how hard is it to pick a few creams? But, with an endless array of options and the responsibility of offering sound advice to millions of hard-working Americans it’s not so easy. A certain moral dilemma comes with the job; occasionally, you realize that you are telling thousands upon thousands of men and women that they need to buy this new eye cream or try this new facial, or that you are encouraging the companies that mine rainforests for the latest natural cure-alls. But a quick evaluation of the audience relieves the momentary guilt because as June says beauty intrigues us all. “Everybody loves beauty products. Even if you think you know nothing about them, or even if you think you hate them, you actually know plenty about them and, in fact, have several of them that you love. Women who modestly/moralistically claim to “˜never use all the beauty stuff’ are big Clinique ladies, usually with a healthy helping of Neutrogena.”

June’s honest account of the industry is almost like magical realism because she manages to convince us that despite being a mother of two, a wife, and an influential editor, she’s really just an average American woman. Despite the many black-tie events attended in borrowed designer dresses and vintage items (read the book for this bit of advice), she almost convinces us that fearing authority figures, being unphotogenic and not passing for a model makes her “˜average’. This, however, is also a result of working in a creative field in a place like LA or NYC.

What isn’t blatantly mentioned here is in my opinion the best justification for any beauty junkie, editor or conglomerate promoting the latest product. America is all about instant gratification and living beyond our means. Where else but America could someone make enough money to put three kids through college by starting a makeup company, creating an unnecessary kitchen appliance, or selling TurboJam, the latest workout video claiming to deliver rock-hard-abs in weeks, a DVD I nearly bought one May evening at 2 a.m.

Most of my respect for Lucky is tied to its role as a stimulant for the economy. Not only did it survive, it thrived during a recession and it encouraged Americans to spend, thereby supporting our economy. How did they achieve such success? By combining two successful models. Consumers buy things for two reasons: a celebrity uses it or a normal woman uses it; buying this product will either transform you the way it did with the normal woman or it’ll make you a little bit more like the celebrity, the American version of royalty. Lucky realized that reality television and the media have expanded the notion of celebrity. Not only do they feature tips from unknown women, which resonates extremely well with consumers, but they offer tips from actresses, makeup artists, designers, entrepreneurs, you name it, the list goes on.

For me this revealed bits about those I admire and hope to work for one day; after all, editors are my celebrities. Whether you’re looking for an entry into the beauty world, a vacation from reality, or just more gossip this is a must-read. From Lucky details to tips from celebrity cosmetic gurus, this book will educate you on everything that is beauty, from gift ideas and health tips to self-love theories.

Her observation about self-image reveals the grounded persona that’s kept her sane and successful after years in a cut-throat industry. “The most important thing about all of it is that even if your anti-aging strategy actually succeeds in making you look younger, you will still look like you, just younger, and if you’re dissatisfied with that to begin with, you’re not going to be any happier.”

Free Gift With Purchase My Improbable Career in Magazines by Jean Godfrey-June is available at Amazon.com. Click this link to read a Q & A session with June and to learn about her favorite products, all of which are available at the Amazon beauty store.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html/103-0138962-4841471?node=111476011

An exciting thing happened to me the other day. I received a Jack Lalane Elite Power Juicer to review. Having seen infomercials telling me that “˜you gotta juice’ it was time for me to finally take the plunge. Apparently, the nutrients in fresh vegetable and fruit juice not only nourish your body internally but also externally for healthier looking skin.

So, armed with $60 worth of fresh fruit and veg, I rushed back from the supermarket to play with my new toy. Assembly of the Jack Lalane Juicer was relatively straight forward and I couldn’t wait to get juicing.

Several carrots later, I had a whole glass of fresh carrot juice. AMAZING!!! I have always tried to eat carrots but never found them all that pleasing to the palate. To my astonishment, Jack Lalane’s juicer had turned some stubby carrots into the most delicious juice I could remember drinking, and the pulp was neatly extracted into a bin attached to the reverse side of the machine.

From that moment I knew I was going to be hooked!

I tried experimenting with different vegetables and fruits. Cucumber, fennel, celery, apple. The machine ate them up, separated the juice and spat out the pulp with ease and, more importantly, it was fun.

Cleaning of the machines components was relatively straight forward. The only thing I didn’t like about disassembly and re-assembly is that you are required to use a small spanner like device to unlock and lock the filter and blade. Without this device you can not clean the machine’s parts.

Sadly, several glasses of juice concoctions later, the Jack Lalane Elite Power Juicer stopped working. One second the machine was wuurrrring happily away, the next it stopped working. It reminded me of the time I dropped my cell phone in the toilet. The vibrating ring tone just faded away.

Now, I like to think of myself as being pretty tech savvy. Even I have been known to assemble the most complicated cell phones without R.T.F.M. So here I am with $50 worth of fruit and veg and a broken Jack Lalane Power Juicer. I read and re-read the user manual in an effort to find a way to reset the machine. I followed all of the troubleshooting steps but the machine still didn’t work.

It was time to call in reinforcements. I have a close friend that should have her own television show. Let’s call her MISS TOOL TIME. She has been known to make me feel like a housewife when she turns up with her utility belt and tool kit to effortlessly replace a shower head. If anyone could fix it, she could. So MISS TOOLTIME read and re-read the trouble shooting guide. Disassembled and reassembled the machine several times but it was definitely dead!

To my dismay, the machine had reached the end of it’s lifecycle after juicing only $10 worth of fruit and veg!

I have to hand it to the Jack LaLane marketing team. Getting me to taste fresh juice from their machine was akin to sticking a needle in my arm. I was going into withdrawals and the Jack Lalane customer service center was closed for the weekend. What the F**K was I going to do?!

MISS TOOLTIME and I swung into emergency action. We went online to see if perhaps there was a way of resetting the machine that we had missed, or where we could go to replace the machine. Since the Elite Power Jucier is new to the market it is only available online. No shops in my area seemed to stock it. So we found ourselves reviewing articles on competitive juicers. 24 hours later, the Jack Lalane marketing team had sold me on why I could no longer live without fresh juice but had inadvertently pushed me into the clutches of a competing brand, the Breville 800 Fountain Elite.

I can only describe the Breville 800 Fountain Elite as the Rolls Royce of juicers. Assembly was very easy and its aluminum construction is very pleasing to the eye. There were no spanner like devices to install and uninstall the filter and blade. Cruising at 13,000 rpms (compared to Jack Lalane’s 3,600 rpms) this jet engine of a juicer is by far my favorite gadget to date.

Although, we never did work out why Jack Lalane’s machine stopped working, their customer service center agreed to replace the machine and promptly sent me another one.

In the end, I am of the opinion that both machines process great juice. Jack Lalane’s Elite Power Juicer costs around $150 plus tax while Breville’s 800 Fountain Elite Juicer cost $299 plus tax. So there is a big difference in the price. However, Breville’s Juicer really looks professional grade and it is easier to clean and assemble. If you are one of the types that feels that you need to put your juicer away after each use, then this is not for you. Not only will you probably never use it but it is bulky to move around. I prefer to have the juicer in the kitchen as a readily available working appliance.

Leading a healthy lifestyle and diet can be very costly. Having this juicer at home is not only very convenient but I really believe that it has almost paid for itself already. I have been juicing everyday, twice a day since Jack Lalane first introduced this concept. Perhaps its psychological, but I really feel a marked improvement on how my body feels. If you don’t believe me, take a look at how well 90 year old Jack Lalane looks, or better yet try it for yourself. I’d really like to thank Jack Lalane for helping me achieve some greater awareness about what I put into my body. I’m only sorry that in the end Breville scored higher in my user rating.

I hope you find this review helpful. You gotta juice!

Even before you reach the age at which you have a closet full of billowing bridesmaid dresses and dyed-to-match shoes, the traditional bridal shower is passé. You drank yourself to oblivion at a series of night clubs and bars, saw your girl friends embarrass themselves in front of strange men, and used prophylactics as accessories in college. Do you really want to do it again? Your friend is getting married, after all. What could be more grown-up?

Do her””and every other woman at the celebration””a favor by classing it up a bit this time. The night is about hanging with the girls, bad-talking the guys and having a lot of fun, so give the exotic dancers a night off and revel in your femininity””and your maturity! Use these ideas from Indigo Experiences, the ultimate why-didn’t-I-think-of-that? company, and make the bride’s night to remember one that she actually might!

¡Salsa Picante!
She always wanted to learn salsa dancing, and now is her chance! Hire a private instructor to teach the group the sensuous and steamy dance from south of the border. Blend up some margaritas to complement the theme, and let the gals pair up to sashay the night away.

The Perfect Arrangement
The Japanese do it to unwind, and your mother does it to showcase her prize-winning roses. Arranging flowers is a great way to spend an evening, because it utilizes the mind and the body. Hire a professional to guide you in choosing the right flowers to communicate your mood though color, shape and fragrance. You might even save the bride a few bucks on a florist!

A Taste Treat
Take “tasteful” literally and design a multi-course gourmet meal to prepare as a group. Giggle while you garnish the game hen. Reminisce while you ready the ramekins. Elate while you enjoy the entrée. Deride while you digest.

Not-So-Bawdy Body
For those brides who must to see the human form of another one last time before dedicating themselves to that of their husband for eternity, create a private art class and hire a model to pose nude. As the girls sketch and shade, the single ones will be inspired that they have the option of hitting on the model after the sitting.

Pass the Bar
Of course, many will feel that a bridal shower isn’t a true bridal shower without at least one alcoholic beverage. If this is the case with your rowdy bunch, hire a pro, a la “Cocktail,” and step behind the bar. Have him/her teach you the tricks for making your favorite spirits then get creative and define your “signature” drink. List it on Webtender.com to commemorate the bride’s last night of freedom!