Beauty Break: Aesop Travel Kit

Australian beauty brand Aesop, which opened a beautiful boutique on Newbury Street last year, sent me its nifty new travel kit, Boston Jet Set (there’s a London one too). The brown bottles (four plastic and two glass), at 1.7 and .5 fl. oz., comply with international air travel restrictions. There’s pretty much everything you need for face and body, wrapped in a linen-y cloth in a sturdy, structured black nylon zip case.

I’ve already raided the Rind Concentrate Body Balm, which smells amazing, made with orange and lemon rind plus pink grapefruit. The shampoo, made with rosemary and cedarwood bark also smells wonderful, and the lavender stem and bergamot mint conditioner is lovely too. Ok, fine, all of it’s totally great. I’m not sure it’s going to last until my next trip.

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C O N T E N T S
Classic Shampoo
Classic Conditioner
Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser
Rind Concentrate Body Balm
Fabulous Face  Cleanser
B & Tea Balancing Toner,
Primrose Facial Hydrating Cream
Mouthwash

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Boston Jet Set, $75 at AESOP

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Shop Chanel’s new fall makeup at Saks >

Chanel Fall 2013 Color Palette Maekusp

Design Diary: Leah Fish Does Up Her Brother’s Bachelor Pad

Photographer Dan Cutrona pitched this place to me for a local magazine’s “Men’s” issue, but since said man was transferred to the Midwest, we weren’t able to do it. It’s a great place in the South End, furnished by Boston area designer Leah Fish for her brother Ed Fish. Ed, 30, purchased  the two bedroom condo when he was getting his MBA at MIT. He asked his sister to keep it modern and clean, with nice furniture and unique artwork. The condo was to epitomize his life’s next phase—although a student, he was more grownup than frat boy. Leah did a superb job putting together the perfect environment for a single guy who likes to entertain, and doesn’t need the hassle of high maintenance. Let’s have a look.

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Ed on his new Eames lounge. Definitely a splurge, but Leah knew he’d have it forever. The vintage floor lamp is from Reside in Cambridge.

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The living room needed to function as a place for watching sports on TV, but also socializing with friends.

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Chair by Gus* Modern from Addo Novo in the South End.

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The sleek credenza, also from Addo Novo, is a nice counterpoint to some of the more organic and vintage pieces. A terrarium by Lynzariums sits on top and an Alex Katz print (a forever investment), from Beth Urdang Gallery on Newbury Street, hangs above.

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The coffee table is a gigantic piece of teak that Leah found at Hudson in the South End, for which she had a piece of glass cut for the top. The antique kilim rug is also from Hudson.

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The vintage dining table and chairs are from Reside. They like the industrial feel of the chairs, which they Leah had reupholstered in black leather.

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It wasn’t in the budget to do anything to the kitchen, but the dark wood cabinets were fine, and the appliances high quality.

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Ed spent a summer interning in Japan with a famous ceramicist. The photo, taken by their mom’s friend, is of Ise, a sacred shrine.

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The metal staircases add an industrial vibe. They didn’t need to refinishe the dark brown floors.

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The half bath’s wall-mounted sink is space-conscious. A large window lets in a blast of light.

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This staircase leads up to the roof deck. The abstract artwork, from the Howard Yerzertsky Gallery in SoWa, is by Brian Zink, who works in Plexiglass. It was a big purchase, and Leah points out that the photo doesn’t do it justice. She says, “It’s very crisp and contemporary. The thick panels of Plexiglass are very precisely cut, and give off a shine that makes it interesting.”

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The roof deck has the ultimate Boston guy touch—two chairs from Fenway Park.

Photography by Dan Cutrona

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Design Diary: Chantal and Ryan’s Spectacular Backyard

My most fabulous friend and former colleague, Chantal Gordon, along with her adorable and talented husband, Ryan Benoit, recently launched gardening blog The Horticult. Of course, I meant to blog about it in the spring but . . . The New York Times beat me to it! Last Thursday, a superb article by Michael Tortorello about Chantal & Ryan’s crazy amazing backyard, or rather, outdoor room, appeared in the Home & Garden section. What a feat, though not wholly surprising. (Chantal, whose middle name is Aida, is not only an excellent writer herself, but insanely fashionable, smart, and sweet. She worked at Vogue, hung with Lauren Conrad on “The Hills,” etc. Soon I expect she’ll be a best-selling author, as she’s working on an a novel, exotic botany included.)

Anyway, back to the yard. The pair live in a 750-square-foot rental with a 55-by-44-foot, concrete-covered lot near the beach in La Jolla, California. Look what they’ve done to it! Can you believe? What’s more incredible is that it’s DIY, much of it re-purposed, all of it movable. While Chantal tends the succulents, Ryan builds the furnishings, many of which are prototypes for pieces he sells through Ryan Benoit Design. Yes, you too can create an outdoor haven like Ryan and Chantal’s!

Of course, not one to let a good opportunity pass her by, Chantal’s blogging about it, as well as the local dirt & design scene, with help from her photographer/engineer/lieutenant commander husband. On The Horticult, you can catch her exercising (crop top included) on the porch at the Yoga Yard, examine the aphids and inchworms that have invaded their loquat tree (whatever that is), and join them and friends for fruity cocktails al fresco (where’s my invite?!)

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Photo by Ryan Benoit

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Photo by Ryan Benoit

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Photo by Ryan Benoit

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Photo by Ryan Benoit

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Photo by Ryan Benoit

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Photo by Ryan Benoit