I love the roundups! Sometimes, I need to be reminded of all the goodies that have been going on, will take place here and maybe just something that needs to be mentioned because you guys will love it! So what happened over the past week that is of note: Well, I am rapidly moving in with Food Editor and boyfriend, Paul so I am all about decor at the moment! Expect that Sundays are going to be packed with items that we actually will choose. Last week, I highlighted great pieces that are from West Elm! Expect to see interesting pieces of items that we have actually purchased over the next few weeks - starting with this Fri and learn about our color schemes. It may be a little TMI but I could use some design direction as I am in the middle of quite a few things at the moment!

We began an amazing and fun partnership with Lucky Magazine which makes me so pleased. If you want to be apart of the giveaway of one of the goodie bags that will be given away at Lucky Shops, make sure that you leave a comment here as this drawing takes place on Oct 24th and you don't want to miss out. At the same time, we also have another great Lucky item which allows you to play a Denim Stylist and you can enter through our site! We have a few shows in addition to magazines that we have partnered up with! In addition to Lipstick Jungle, you can also check up Starter Wife with an amazing interview from one of the key members of the cast!

In the realms of fashion, we loved covering Hayden Harnett which has amazing bags that have been on Gossip Girl and have been covered everywhere! We can't help wishing that the Hayden Harnett fairy would bless us with this season's bags. Fortunately, they have a site so enjoy some goodies. Pearls took on an entirely new meaning with this post about Moon River Pearls

I love reading and you got your first introduction of A.W. Gryphon who will be featured throughout the month as she is the author of 'Blood Moon' which is perfect as we get closer to Halloween. This is the first book in the 3 book series letting us know about the path of Amelia and how she not only finds herself but her own truths as Wiccan. Along the way she has some amazing Chanel pieces and this past Thurs, we received some great beauty tips!If you missed it, you know that I am all about Dashing Diva and they had Jennifer Hudson stop by and they are doing an amazing contest with ABC Daytime Soaps and SOAPnet! This past Thursday, you were hit with 3 beauty items and one of my favorites was the lovely Brazilian sisters of Beam Laser Spa - the idea of never having to shave again makes me gidddy and after 6 - 8 treatments it will be a complete transition! I can't wait and know that once I get this done (armpits) who knows where I will go next! Learn more about the process and that this is truly attainable beauty for everyone!

Looking forward, there is an unofficial meet up of sorts in the shape of my sister's party and I will be there! If you're in NYC, stop by, it's on the 25th and will be a lot of fun. Going forward we have amazing partnerships with WE TV which will start soon and Express as well! I am so excited about this and can't wait to share this with you. In addition, we launched our Holiday Guide and 25 Days of Holiday Glam. Find out how you can be apart of this. I think that this week was so jam packed that we will take a breather but know there is always something around the corner!

I have to say that one of the things that I love most about Fashion Week above and beyond the shows is that it's a time when people come together to see people you run past daily or who you only talk to via emails. It's also a time when you have the opportunity to meet others through people that you already know. This can take place at shows, in the tents, parties and so much more. Simply put, it's a great way to relationship build!

Well, the night before Fashion Week, Total Beauty kicked off this week of events by throwing a party and via Sam from Dark PR, I had the pleasure of meeting Andrea and Liza Young, the Brazilian sister duo that is behind New York's prominent, Beam Laser Spa (1841 Broadway Suite 806). The night that I met them, I knew that not only did they look adorable but I was definitely intrigued to learn more about the services that were available at this spa. Fortunately, we were able to meet again and I settled on a date and time to not only have an appointment but to learn about the spa!

Trust me when I say that I was a little nervous to have my appointment. Although the idea of never having to shave under my arms again seemed like a dream, the idea of having a laser on me was a little too Goldfinger for my taste. But my apprehension was calmed by being greeted by Liza who has such a great calm personality, I love that she chatted and explained my forms and one look in the office makes you feel a bit of Zen. Andrea has such an amazing personality and beyond having a bubbly personality, knowing that she is a molecular biologist with an MBA and has worked within the hair removal industry for many years, made me feel that she was knowledgeable about various techniques and had seen the evolution of them.

My initial concern was the obvious - pain, I love how she explained that in areas that had less hair, you wouldn't feel as strong of a sensation as denser areas. In fact, the sensation would be temporary. Seeing her demo the laser and watching the puffs of air that came out that cooled the areas that had received the laser was very calming. But another issue that still remained was that I had always heard that African Americans were not able to have this treatment or that many people felt it simply wasn't for them. Even my mom was shocked that I had received this treatment as she explained that back in the 70's she had had laser treatment in her face and that later her dermatologist had explained that it wasn't for women of color. In fact when Googling on various message boards, I found this response along with warnings of scars and spots appearing on the skin as a huge warning against doing this.

Andrea's knowledge and answer to this question was shocking to hear. In spas that have these laser treatments, those who are olive to darker skinned should find out what kind of wavelength is used in terms of the procedure. Those that are darker need to make sure that their facilities have a dual laser machine which has an Alexandrite and a Yag wave. The YAG wave is for those with darker skin and although it penetrates deeper into the skin layer bypassing the skin color, it has a slightly reduced effect that still removes the hair without lightening our color. I found this amazing and was pleased to know that laser treatments could be an option for all skin tones.

Andrea explained everything, answered questions and continued to make me comfortable. Now for those who are thinking of getting this treatment, they offer a free consultation where they do a patch test. This is where you choose a small area and they do the procedure so that you can have a sample. In many cases, over 90% of those who do the consultation, come back to actually get it done. With all this knowledge and hearing this percentage, I was ready.

Prior to this, I was not able to shave about a day or two before coming in and (to my grossed out dismay) I didn't have deodarent on. Since I was doing my underarms, Andrea, shaved the arms to make sure it was clean, drew the area that would be treated with a white pencil and then used the laser. This procedure probably only took 10 mins total. At first the sensation of feeling the beam and then the cold air on my arms just felt different as you don't usually have this on you; however, when it got to the denser areas, there was slight discomfort. I love that she guaged my reactions and when I needed a slight breather she stopped. She continued to chat with me and you were able to continue. When it was over, aloe was placed under my arms.

I was shocked that it was over so quickly and after she examined my arms, she said that it didn't look aggravated. I felt a slight discomfort but absolutely nothing major. Now when you sign up you know that you will have to do somewhere between 6 - 8 treatments and they are spaced out by 6 weeks. Each time the hairs are growing in less and you can see the difference. In fact, within 3 weeks, both sisters said that I would notice hairs under my arms but that they would literally fall out. Although I am not a fan of stray hairs, the idea that I am one step closer to not having to shave is AMAZING.

When I got home, I checked under my arms and each day (as this took place on Sun) I am amazed that I haven't really seen anything! They offer so many services and I would start with doing your underarms. Because this is such a new thing for me and I have my next treatment in Nov, I will keep you guys up to date on how everything is going. Three weeks from now (actually from this past Sun), I will let you know if I see any hairs. The sisters reminded me that if I have hairs that are growing in by then and have not fallen out, they would take away the stray hairs at no cost.

The care they take from the time they walk in the door to when you leave is amazing and being comfortable is half the battle! Beam Laser Spa is definitely a place that I will refer to my friends and if you guys go there, you have to let me know your thoughts!