Five Favorites Series
1. Jenny Harjung from Nora’s Skin Care
I am currently going through a complete skincare overhaul which I will be sharing on the blog soon. As a result, I have been doing a lot of research on best practices in my area. One name that keeps coming up again and again (and again!) is aesthetician Jenny Harjung from Nora’s Skin Care. Nestled in my favorite town next door of Highwood, Nora’s Skin Care will be celebrating it’s twenty fifth anniversary as a European Day Spa this July.
So before I sing the praises of Jenny, let’s first discuss why facials are so important. I know a lot of women would rather treat themselves to a massage over a facial as they don’t see the importance of having one! So for those out there who might be skeptical, I put the question to Jenny: Why are facials important for our skin?
A: It is ideal to have a professional skin care treatment (facial) once a month. In the simplest terms I can put it, our skin cells renew themselves once a month and that slows down as we age. As a result, we have dead skin cell accumulation. No matter how great the products are that we use, they are not going to penetrate well into the skin with this accumulation. When you come in for a professional treatment, the products we use in our back bar, the exfoliants in particular, are professional grade and more potent than anything you can get your hands on. These professional exfoliants/treatments/peels I give you will prep your skin for skin cell renewal. As a result, your home care products will more effectively penetrate through the epidermis(outermost layers of skin).
Jenny herself has been taking care of women’s skin for 18 years.
Her spa treatment room wall is lined in certificates acknowledging her training as she continually keeps up with the advances and product lines out there in her field.
To put yourself in the hands of Jenny is encountering pampering at it’s finest. Not only are your receiving a proper facial that leaves your skin rejuvenated and glowing but Jenny makes sure you are receiving the most relaxing experience possible. It is 90 minutes, YES 90, of pure bliss! Using the Eminence line of organic skin care products, Jenny maximizes every moment you are lying on her table. Hand massage, foot massage, neck massage and a scalp massage are all part of your experience as facial treatments are applied. She offers a complimentary eye brow shaping and heated foot and hand warmers as well. Her facials run at $98 for 90 minutes while offering an additional menu of add-on treatments.
Other services at Nora’s include waxing (with magic wax-no strips needed and less painful!) as well as eyebrow and eyelash tinting.
2. Barrettes
The hairstyle accessory from our childhood is making a style comeback and I couldn’t be happier. Barrettes were all over the runways at NYFW this month showing as oversized, bejeweled, or colorful clips to place in the hair. What I love even more is the way they are being worn: just pinned on one side, with your hair down. It’s a brilliantly easy, low-commitment trend to pull off. My girlfriend Julie makes these fun custom ones out of her Etsy shop. While Jennifer Behr’s collection of barrettes are vintage works of art.
3. One Fine Stay
When we travel as a family, we usually aim to stay in an apartment or home rental. For us, being able to spread out after a long day and having the ability to prepare meals “at home” is a must. Over the years we have booked through local rental agencies, Airbnb, VRBO and Home Away. Most of the time they have worked out great but ever so often they don’t. Knowing that I am currently planning a trip to London, two people approached me and told me I need to look into booking through one One Fine Stay.
Especially when landing in Europe jet lagged and exhausted, there is nothing worse than being disappointed in your accommodations. Guest testimonies tell you that the element of worry is removed when booking through this site. Being the only company that visits and vets every home in person, each home must meet their exacting hospitality standards. They look for space, character and comfort and only 1 in 10 make the cut. I am absolutely looking into using them for the first time. Let me know if you already have and what your experience was!
4. Arugula and Roasted Chickpea Salad with Feta
I am obsessed with roasted chickpeas right now. I made this salad twice this weekend and thought it would be worth sharing. Find link to recipe here.
5. Shopbop Sale
Shopbop just launched one of their epic sales yesterday so it is the perfect time to get started on Spring or Spring Break buys (I will be doing a full post on Spring Break essentials in the next coming weeks). It is also a chance to get your hands on a pair of Golden Goose sneakers on sale here! I am also loving this Seea line of swimwear. Here are a few other current favorites:
You might also like… Series: Five Favorites, Series: Five Favorites, and Series: Five Favorites (Current Fall Favorites).
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Thanks for stopping by!
L, M