Dim Sum in the City

 I originally heard of dim sum from the film Working Girl back in the late 80s, but I had assumed it was the dumplings she was passing around and not the actual cart that she was pushing full of a variety of Cantonese eats. Dim sum is a Chinese light meal or brunch served with tea. Over the last year I've experienced the real dim sum experience, but over Labor Day Weekend I found the mecca of Dim Sum eateries in China Town, Jing Fong. You have to ride up an escalator to reach the banquet hall filled with round tables and moving carts. It looked like I was attending a large wedding of strangers.

There was a 20 minute wait since we went on the most popular dim sum day, Sunday, and unless you have a big party you will most likely be seated with people you do not know. There were six of us, yet two other people were still seated with us.

The cart pushers try to get you to sample everything and that's also part of the fun, trying stuff that you have no idea what it is until it's in your mouth and even then you can still be left questioning. It may be intimidating but it's exciting to make random selections and eventually you'll remember the items you liked and didn't like. Luckily my friend Andrew was there this time and he knew some Cantonese and could be more selective, I was also with some other dim sum pros so I just got to sit back and eat trustingly.

Dim sum generally consists of a wide spectrum of choices, from sweet to salty or as Andrew said, savory. The steamed or fried choices have combinations of meat, vegetables and seafood in buns, sticky rice, dumplings and noodles. Generally none of the items are very spicy and there is usually a desert cart with custards, egg tarts and donuts as well.

For each plate or basket that is put on your table your table's card is then stamped with a smiley face, which are later counted up to calculate your bill. Despite having eyes bigger than my stomach, so far I've never paid more than $12 a person and that's with tip and tea included.

A dim sum custom: It is customary to pour tea for others during dim sum before filling one's own cup. I just read that a custom unique to the Cantonese is to thank the person pouring the tea by tapping the bent index and middle fingers together on the table. This is said to resemble the ritual of bowing to someone. It also curbs guests from saying thank you while food is in their mouths.

So for those who haven't had the real dim sum experience, be sure and try it with friends soon and especially keep Jing Fong on your to-do list.

Link: Pictures of common dim sum dishes

Pucker Up

My mom has thin lips as did my dad, thus mine are pretty unvolumptious. I had a friend in high school who liked seeing me purse them together and essentially make them look like they dissappeared, of course they didn't they just got even thiner than usual. They are plumper after a long make-out session though, lol, or after eating something spicy. And now thanks to lip plumpers they can have the same full look without collagen implants (not that I'd ever attempt that) or the above measures.

But which prouducts? Well, two weekends ago my trusted assistant and friend, Jacquie (pictured below), and I tested out a few of them. None come cheap though.

The most popular lip-plumping product on the market is probably Lip Venom ($16) by DuWop. I remember my friends buying the costly gloss years ago, since Lip Venom was the very first lip plumper on the market, creating the lip plumping category for the beauty industry and sparking lots of similar products. The tingly gloss uses essesntial oils (cinnamon, wintergreen and ginger) to enhance lips' natural color and shape by increasing circulation and causing blood rush to the surface of the lips, flushing and swelling them slightly. The result: fuller bee stung lips, their slogan after all is, "Get stung." Not that bee stung lips sound very appealing and yes, it does sting a bit, but it also works. My lips do look fuller, but also beacuse the gloss also aids in me licking them and rubbing them together. The gloss also includes jojoba and avocado oil that moisturize and give the lips instense shine. So yeah, with lip venom my lips do swell for a more noticable look without being ridiculous and it also makes them look very shiny and even more eye catching. Jacquie uses this product too, her complaint though is that even with their color glosses they don't provide a real shading as well.

For an actual lipstick with a lip plumping feature you can try Avon's BEYOND COLOR ($8) with SPF 15. I have it in several colors and I like the feel of the lipstick but not sure if it actually plumps my lips though. It's also reasonably priced and good to use for daily ware.

tarte's Rise & Shine ($21) waterproof lip stain & plumping gloss was our favorite though. It's a dual wand and has two steps. First you apply the lip stain (like you would a lipgloss), wait 15 seconds for the coloring to set and then apply the plumping gloss for extra shine and lip plumping enhancing. It's also water-resistant and their ingreditants of vitamin E, aloe and coconut oil help lock moisture in, while the lip plumping gloss portion is composed of a "cocktail of tripeptides." Overall, this product felt very glamorous and gave my lips fullness, color and shine. Too bad it's only offered in two colors, pink and cherry. Their slogan says, "Think of it as the ultimate wakeup-makeup for lips for a pout that's pretty, polished and plumped-up."

MAC also has a color tinted lip gloss called, Plushglass ($17.50), formulated to make lips look and feel like more. It gives a cool-warm, vanilla buzz to the lips. Contains vitamin E for added environmental protection. 

Keep in mind: Lip plumpes can dry out your lips, so be sure and put some regular lip balm on after use.

Stat: Couples who kiss often are eight times more likely to be stress-and depression-free than those who never kiss outside of having sex(Redbook).

What I did Labor Day Weekend
Went to the famous annual Barney Warehouse Sale and all I got was this lousy photo of a sign hanging on the wall, which I thought was fun

Had a facial and exfoliation for only $33.50 at the Christine Valmy school for beauty. Students get to practice on your skin and you get to feel pampered and clean for cheap. My face was glowing the rest of the day. I didn't fall asleep since I was practically interviewing the technician. I learned from her that you should only try to perform extractions (removing blackheads or popping pimples) after you opened your face with steam, otherwise you can bruise, scar and irritate your skin. Also, facial scrubs like Apricot Scrub can actually scratch your skin because the granules are too big. Thus, the thinner and gentler the scrub the better, I reccomend SkinMilk. I figured the harder the better, but my bad. Another tip learned was that Chamomile is good for relaxing tension. Because my shoulders were tense she suggested I try taking a hot bath with a cup of brewed chamomile tea, which is also good for your feet apparently.

Visited the MoMa to see the galleries of Warhol, Monet and Picasso along with a new exhibit called Out of Time. I took a up-close shot of Van Gogh's Starry Night (my favorite) with my camera phone and it's now my phone's wallpaper. Also snapped this photo:

Fainted before the weekend started.  

Randomly met three Aussie's at one of my favorite restaurant's, Nero, after I jokingly jumped into their photo. Went with them to One, G2 (where we did shots of Sicilian Kiss) and Lotus (where I was able to have us all go to the front of the line via a complimentary card that I had; I got in free but the guys had to pay, either way though we didn't have to wait outside in the rain.) Hung over the next day and cried a bit that night (drama queen). 

Found a new favorite red wine from the Valpolicella region, Solane.

Rode a NY Water Taxi for the first time and went to Long Island City to Water Taxi Beach, where I got schooled in volley ball but had a fun time playing. The views of the city from there were beautiful.

PS: Did I mention my baby is in town? Thus, all the fun.

Bag Trends Trunk Show

BagTrends.com is having a bag-a-licious trunk show @ Lotus lounge (409 W 14th Street) in the Meat Packing District (14th Street) on Wednesday Sept. 6th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

You can purchase designer bags 20 to 50% off retail. FYI: Bag Trends is where I got my awesome Kooba Sienna purse. To view the official invite click here. Hope to see you there.

New Film Review: Invincible

How to be a Budget Fashionista

Recently I met author and blogger Kathryn Finney, while she was giving an energetic and inspiring speech about her evolution from blogger (thebudgetfashionista.com) to published author. She later sent me a copy of her book How To Be a Budget Fashionista in a bright pink envelope to review. I started reading it that day and already felt that I was on my way to being a budget fashionista. After all, I did receive the book for free ;)

I actually didn't know what to expect from her guide to looking fabulous for less and was surprised to see that the book's advice definitely ran the gauntlet, extending to areas of beauty and personality, not just fashion. Inside are tips on how to care for clothes like a stylist, home products that you can use for beauty care (honey is apparently good on zits), a list of best budget-friendly places to buy lingerie, the staples everyone should have in their wardrobe and how to figure out your personal style with a fun quiz (I'm a trendy romantic).  I especially liked that it wasn't a book that I had to make myself read, since I'm not usually a how-to fan. Its format though allows readers to skip around and read the parts that interest them the most and clearly highlights the most important information for even the busiest of readers.

My favorite lesson that I learned, which will now become my shopping mantra is: Love What You Buy. It seems simple enough but it's an idea that I don't always keep in mind, since I often buy stuff that's just OK because it's a good deal. It doesn't help that I'm also a big impulse buyer--internet sites and catalogs were made for customers like me. After reading this tip and trying to commit it to memory, I actually prevented myself from buying three extra outfits while on a shopping excursion at Lohemans discount store. I kept asking myself 'do you love it? will you wear it often,' etc. Since I was unsure I decided I that I probably didn't really need it and left the clothes in the fitting room rack and felt less guilty and more confident about the rest of my purchases as a result. For example, I bought a Ben Sherman blazer for work, originally $139 and I got it for $49.99, but even better it looks like it was tailored already for me.

Final Sale: I feel like I'm a more educated shopper after reading Finney's quick guide and can now retire my amateur shopping status and become a professional...on a budget that is.  Karen, I'm passing it on for you to read too.