Fashion Hit or Miss: Peep-Toe Booties

I love having options. Especially when it comes to fashion. But I’m just not getting one of the hottest trends this fall -- the peep-toe bootie. The idea of wearing boots with my little piggies sticking out makes no sense to me. The boots look like a cross between a boot, a sandal and a pump at once. All the designers - from Steve Madden to Christian Louboutin - have their own versions. I’m seeing these peep-toe boots popping up everywhere I go. I generally love the boots until I have to see toes. To me, it looks like the toes are still stuck in summer mode while the rest of the foot is hunkering down for the fall.

I have no words to describe how much I hate this trend. The sleek, elegant look of the boot is ruined by unsightly toes. I'm not even sure what nail polish shade goes with these boots? The ones I saw today ran the gamut from neon pink to wickedly dark hues.

Don't get me wrong. I love peep-toe pumps and think the look is sexy when paired with a stiletto heel. It's just not the same with a boot. It's such a strange concept to me when you are thinking it's boot weather, but have you toes sticking out.

Alexander McQueen

Givenchy

Jimmy Choo

Giuseppe Zanotti

I want to stomp out this trend. What do you think? Would you wear peep-toe boots? Let me know.

A Cure For Puffy, Tired Eyes from Kiehl's

This past weekend’s festivities (Halloween and The World Series) kept me up way past my bedtime. So this morning, I looked like I’ve been out celebrating until the break of dawn. I needed help, and fast, to erase all the evidence.

I recently tried out Kiehl’s newest eye treatment du jour, the Facial Fuel Eye De-Puffer. It targets a common problem for us modern, busy women -- tired, puffy eyes. But I'm excited to share with you that after a quick swipe under and around my eyes, they instantly felt revived and awakened and made me look like I slept with cucumbers over my eyes. The lightweight, cooling and non-greasy eye stick glides on easily on and provides deep hydration. Even better, there’s no dragging or pulling on this sensitive skin area. It just leaves you with a cool, soothing sensation.

It’s formulated with caffeine to minimize puffiness and refreshing hibiscus tea to help reduce swelling. It also has the energy boosting Arctic Root to help revive and awaken tired eyes. It also uses natural moisturizers like honey to help quench dry, thirsty eyes. Best of all, the convenient and extremely compact bottle can be tucked into your bag for an instant refresher when you are on the go.

The sunglasses are now coming off -- I look rested, even though I'm not.

The Facial Fuel Eye De-Puffer is available at Kiehls.com and Nordstrom.com and retails for $18.50 per 0.17 oz. bottle.

Fabulous Fridays: A Fall Day In Central Park

I love fall in New York. It's my favorite season. Besides the change in the color of clothes, the leaves are just blazing in fabulous reds, yellows and golds. Everything is so colorful, especially Central Park. Enjoy!

Born To Run(ning) For Love

The streets and sidewalks of New York have become a running track. The New York City Marathon is this Sunday and over 37,000 runners from around the world will be running the 26.2 mile course that winds through part of each of the city’s five boroughs.

I’ve always been a spectator, standing with amazement along First Avenue, cheering the crowds as they enter Manhattan from the 59th Street Bridge. Despite a recent New York Times article that questioned if you can truly call yourself a marathoner if it takes you a longer time to finish this amazing race, I’m such in awe of their accomplishments. For the throngs of everyday people, some of whom are my friends and colleagues, I applaud you!

It’s always been a dream of mine to run a marathon. At least since I ran my first 6 mile loop in Central Park. But my knees had other ideas and I never got around to it. I still run, but I still need to increase my mileage to take this goal into a reality.

The 26.2 mile course of the NYC Marathon

According to an article in Runner's World magazine, slowly adding distance to your running routine is the best way run longer distances. It also improves fitness, builds endurance and burns calories. Who doesn’t love all that?

Here are some tips to help you build miles without running the risk of injury or fatigue.

* Slow down. Taking your speed down a notch or two gives you energy to go longer. Add about two minutes to your usual pace. For example, if you usually run three miles in 30 minutes (10 minutes per mile), expect to run four miles in 48 minutes (12 minutes per mile) or longer.

* Build gradually. Adding miles too quickly can lead to burnout and injury. So increase your long run by no more than 1 to 1.5 miles at a time.

* Run long every other week. This gives your body time to recover, which reduces injury risk.

* Take walk breaks. A six-mile run with walk breaks still gives you six miles of endurance. The benefit? More energy for your run and a faster recovery.

Besides all the physical and mental benefits running, my friend Jessica is running for another reason. This sassy chic is running this year’s marathon in the hopes of finding love along the way.

Jessica has never had trouble getting dates with guys, even great guys. But never THE ONE. She had a wake up call after she broke up with her last boyfriend back in June, who she described as a good guy, but just not right for her. “After I broke up with him I thought I could go back to do what I was doing (going out to bars, online dating, friend setups), but I felt I needed to do something different,” she said. But between work, friends, family, volunteering and staying in shape, the time for meeting Mr. Right wasn’t there any more. “It’s not like I’m in my 20s anymore,” she said.

Jessica is Running For Love

So in an effort to meet Mr. Right in her very busy schedule, this energetic entrepreneur decided to combine her passion for staying in shape with dating. Smart move! She set her goal to train for this year’s marathon, and at the same time, to find love. “Every year I watch the marathon and there are always so many guys running. Good looking guys, guys who had ambition, who set goals. That’s the guy I wanted to meet,” she said.

Over the course of the past five months, Jessica has participated in a number of running charity events, races and has even taken her story to NBC’s “Today in NY”. As a result, she said she has found her calendar packed with dates. “All of a sudden guys were coming out of the woodwork,” she said. NOTE: Jessica doesn’t require the dates to be runners and still enjoys a good glass of wine or two.

Though Jessica still hasn’t found her Prince Charming yet, you can catch her on Marathon Sunday sporting her favorite running tee in green that reads: “JESSICA” on the front and “Running Slow So He Can Catch Me” and her email RunningForLove2009@gmail.com” on the back.

I’m rooting for you Jessica!

Sexy Halloween Costumes - Love It or Hate It?

It’s my favorite time of year. The leaves are breathtakingly beautiful and cobwebs are found in nearly every doorstep. My mind naturally turns to what the heck am I going to wear for Halloween. And it’s this Saturday. Yikes!

I know for a lot of people, dressing up for Halloween has lost its appeal. But for many, the holiday is a great excuse to dress up, live out a fantasy and be someone else for the evening. I'm finding many of the characters and costumes I cherished as a child are made in adult sizes, only with less costume and are more skin revealing.

Glinda, the Good Witch from The Wizard of Oz and the name of my tooth fairy, has gotten sexier

Billie Burke as Glina in The Wizard of Oz

On full disclosure, I've never played the part of sexing up my costume. I'm alway afraid I won't be able to pull it off. It also makes me really sad to see a woman my age who would want to be seen in public like they are still on their Spring break. Sure, I get it. It’s fun to role play for the night. But do you find it just a little bit odd for an adult woman to parade around in next-to-nothing, revealing too much skin, just to get noticed? I guess they think if they carry around a cape or a pillow case they'll be fine. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with flaunting a little sex appeal. But what happened to the notion that you shouldn’t reveal too much. Come on, be a little mysterious. I feel sorry for women who feel the need to wear next to nothing and be a fantasy of some of my friends’ children.

But on the other hand I do get those that listen to their inner voice, saying "Go for it, It's Halloween." For some women, it's simply fun to dress up in something completely different and even be liberating from wearing the same thing day after day. It can also build confidence that you're able to pull it off and an opportunity for some women who may never have the chance to act out their wild side.

For sure, woman are creative enough to come up with a Halloween costume that’s a little more respectable. Some of the more clever ones I've seen recently is Crayola crayons, a Hawaiian tourist, a hippy or even a fashionable ghost.

What do you think about wearing sexy Halloween costumes? What will be you on Saturday?

Queen of the Supermarket

I’ve been eating for almost 40 years, but cooking for practically none of it. So when I’m forced to go to the grocery store and pick up something for dinner, I’m at a complete loss. I've been known to snoop in other people's refrigerators for some food insight. I know it sounds easy enough, but I hate it. I either buy random ingredients that sound interesting or fill my cart with animal-shaped prepared foods.

This approach to food shopping didn't mix well with the hard efforts I put into exercising. I know what foods are healthy, but I wasn’t buying them. I needed a plan where I could fill a grocery basket with healthy foods.

My friends food blogger Tina, fashion blogger Kristin, the lovely Lisa and I recently went on a food shopping field trip with Melissa O’Shea (aka Market Melissa), a registered dietitian with Food Trainers. Melissa expertly guided me though the aisles and aisles of food and helped me formulate a healthy shopping list. Along the way I got a better understanding of when it's important to buy organic food, how to read food labels and how to stock my pantry with foods I like, but healthier.

We hit up the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle and explored some of the carnal rules of food shopping. These rules should help you choose healthier foods that are high in volume, low in calories and will hopefully reenergize you to a lifetime of healthy eating.

1. Shop with a basket rather than a huge cart. This helps you avoid adding unnecessary items.
2. Write a grocery list and shop from the list. Spend the time to plan your meals and shop for that recipe.
3. Look for natural food items versus packaged goods. You might want to just take a quick survey of your basket and make sure there are more food items from the farm and not the factory.

A scene from my food basket

The first area to explore was fruits and vegetables. Here we discussed the benefits of buying organic, local and in-season produce. I always thought that if I were to mix organic products with conventional ones, the benefits of eating organic foods were then eliminated. This is so untrue, Melissa said. Rather, she said to focus on those foods that have the heaviest burden of pesticides, additives and hormones.

*According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), consumer can reduce their pesticide exposure by 80% by avoiding the most contaminated fruits and vegetables.

So what are the so-called “dirty dozen” fruits/vegetables you should always buy organic, thus reducing your pesticide intake:

Apples, cherries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, strawberries, bell peppers, celery, lettuce, carrots, potatoes and spinach.

Apples are part of the "dirty dozen"

Those that didn't make the cut and are on the clean list include: pineapple, mango, papaya, kiwi, bananas, sweet peas (frozen), asparagus, cabbage, broccoli, eggplant, onions, avocado, sweet corn (frozen).

In addition to looking for organic food, it is also important to think locally, shop for foods that are in season and mix up the fruits and vegetables you buy. To get a healthy variety, think of the rainbow of colors they offer. Eating fruits and vegetables of different colors gives your body a wide range of nutrients and antioxidants. Melissa’s tip: try a new fruit or vegetable every day.

The second area on the healthy list was seafood. Melissa said it was important to choose low-mercury fish and aim to eat fish twice weekly (or more) for a dose of Omega-3s essential fatty acids. This is good to reduce inflammation and help prevent chronic disease like heart, alzheimer and arthritis. Fish considered low in mercury generally are smaller in size since the older and larger the fish, the greater the potential for high mercury levels. Fish with low mercury include:

Catfish, cod, crab, flounder/sole, haddock, herring, lobster, ocean perch, oysters, rainbow trout, farmed and wild salmon, sardines, scallops, shrimp, spiny lobster, tilapia and farmed trout. Other sources include: ready-to-eat shrimp, canned chunk light tuna.

If seafood isn’t your thing, you can also shop for omega-3-enriched eggs for another alternative source.

Other protein sources are meat and chicken. Melissa said chicken should be organic and meat is better served when grass fed.

Of course any healthy food list would include dairy products like milk, yogurt and cheese, rich in calcium, protein and vitamins. Here too, Melissa suggested going organic to limit your intake of rBGH, a growth hormone injected into cows and that has been associated with certain cancers. Suggested brands include: Stoneyfield Farm fat-free or low-fat yogurt (high in dairy), Fage 0% Greek yogurt (high in protein) and Organic Valley low-fat cottage cheese and string cheese.

Also on the list and my personal favorite category, grains, breads and cereal. Melissa said most products like whole grain breads, pasta/rice and breakfast cereals should be made from whole grains, and not from refined flours. For nutritious cereal, look for at least 5g of fiber and less than 8g of sugar per serving. Healthy choices of cereal brands include: Nature’s path, Kashi and McCann’s.

My downfall is always snacking. I'm always on the go and often times reach for anything that's handy, but not always good for me. For a healthy snack alternative, Melissa suggested the humble nut and dried fruit. Although most people nuts are high in fat and calories (they are indeed), nuts can most definitely be a part of a healthy diet. Research has found that people who eat nuts regularly actually live longer. Nuts are one of the best sources of protein and they are rich in fiber and antioxidants such as Vitamin E and selenium. Go nuts for nuts like pistachios (lowers cholesterol), walnuts (rich in Omega-3s), almonds (Vitamin E and calcium). Dried fruit is also a healthy, convenient snack option. Look for freeze-dried brands, with no sugar added.

Other healthy snack options are crackers (Finn Crisp Crackers, Ryvita crackers and Wasa crackers); pretzels (Happy Herbert's oat bran pretzels and Newman's Own High Protein pretzels); chips (Food Should Taste Good tortilla chips and Garden of Eatin' tortilla chips) and cookies (World of Grain cookies, Kashi cookies, New Morning graham crackers).

Other words to the wise include:

* Be careful with dressings, sauces and condiments. They are convenient but can be sneaky sources of processed sugars like high fructose corn syrup and poor quality oils. Read labels or make your own dressing made with canola or walnut oil.

* Frozen foods are also super-convenient and can be healthy if you keep entrees to less than 500mg of sodium/serving. For frozen sweets, keep these treats to around 100 calories.

Next time you are going to the market, why not bring a nutritionist along with you? I'm sure glad I did. I'm inspired to cook meals that are nutritious and delicious.

I've Got Yankee Fever

The Yankees win! Thheeeeee Yankees win!!!

It’s been six long years since I’ve been able to say that my beloved Yankees are heading to the World Series. With a 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Angles, the New York Yankees claimed the American League Championship Series (for the 40th time) last night at the Stadium. What a night! They have a date with the defending World Champs Philadelphia Phillies starting Wednesday night.

I didn’t get to the game last night, but I had a few friends who were there. They said the Stadium was out of control. I’m beyond excited and ready to celebrate the fall classic by bringing the ballpark to my apartment. My apartment will of course by full of pinstripes and I’ll be sporting my official World Series sweater I knit and wore to the World Series. As such, I've listed a few things you can do at home for the World Series - but really, this can apply to any sporting event.

My mom and me at a World Series game. Check out my sweater.

To Set the Stage

• Prepare scorecards and rosters for you and your guests.
• Create a scoreboard and assign an “official” scorekeeper.
• Dress fashionably in your team’s official colors and logos. Click here for Yankee gear. Click here for Phillies’ paraphernalia.
• Display any baseball trivia or memorabilia. Pennants, jerseysPerhaps you still have your baseball cards?
• Coordinate party supplies (balloons, plates, napkins) with your team’s. Party City has a pretty amazing selection of props to turn your home into the ballpark.

Keep The Game Lively:

• Do have a special prize for the best dressed.
• Do have a betting pool. In this case, How many inning with the starting pitchers last?; How many homeruns will be given up, by each team?; How many errors will the umpires make?; What will be the final score?

Food and Drinks

• In goes without saying, Hotdogs, Peanuts and Cracker Jacks
• Hamburgers
• Garlic Fries
• Chili
• Pretzels
• Nachos
• Beer

Here is the schedule for the 2009 World Series games:

Game 1: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 7:57 p.m. at Yankee Stadium
Game 2: Thursday, Oct. 29, 7:57 p.m. at Yankee Stadium

Game 3: Saturday, Oct. 31, 7:57 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park
Game 4: Sunday, Nov. 1, 8:20 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park
Game 5: Monday, Nov. 2, 7:57 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park*

Game 6: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 7:57 p.m. at Yankee Stadium*
Game 7: Thursday, Nov. 5, 7:57 p.m. at Yankee Stadium*

*If necessary