Charles & Marie

Before you slip into your strapless mini-dress and hit the holiday party circuit, beautify your décolletage with SenSpa’s new Let It Glow body indulgence. The 110-minute treatment begins with a radiance-boosting sea salt scrub infused with Kenyan pink pepper, essential oils and aloe vera gel oil. A warm moor mineral mud bath draws toxins out of the body and replenishes the skin with bio-minerals, trace elements, vitamins, amino and fatty acids, and plant hormones. The pièce de résistance? A full massage (relief!) and aromatherapy session scented with organic lemon peel and pink grapefruit.

Technorati Tags: beauty, Charles & Marie, Marie’s closet, massage, Spa, wellness

Clinique has introduced personalized perfume bottles for its wildly popular Happy fragrance. Simply upload your digital photos online (they can be rotated and cropped according to the dimensions of the bottle). The final result will be delivered to your door in two weeks. For each one sold, Clinique will make a $1 donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters, a program that changes the lives of disadvantaged children and gives them a better chance of success. C&M readers get free standard shipping and a sample when they enter promo code HAPPY07. Offer valid through 12/31/07 or while supplies last. C’mon get Happy.

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Start practicing your best whooping cough. We’re about to persuade you to call in sick and book a full day of pampering at San Francisco’s Cinta Salon. When Marie’s in town, she hops from one luxuriant treatment to the next and these are her top picks: the quickie custom bronzing treatment à la Sunset Tan in Los Angeles; the Sonya Dakar Fitness Facial which revitalizes jet lagged skin with three levels of gentle exfoliation; perfectionist-approved mani/pedis; and conditioning treatments that make hair feel like silk. Cinta’s windows overlook bustling Grant Street and encourage day dreaming while uber-stylists blow out your mane. Ask Hannah to give you runway-worthy waves—they’ll last for days if you don’t wash them.

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Coveting a brand new handbag? As usual, we’re here to help you simplify your shopping spree: Follow Marie’s lead and add one of Kaia Peterka’s top handle bags to your seemingly infinite collection. Luxe leather and a suspended strap give this model, Suspense, unique architecture that’s sure to start up a conversation…or something more, we hope. Feel free to blog about your adventures here.

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Leave it to Bliss to come up with a clever product that eliminates sagging jowls and a loosening neck (how happy author Nora Ephron must be!). Citrus-scented Thinny Thin Chin boasts a dual-action complex that tightens, firms and hydrates neck lines, crepiness and hyper-pigmentation. Consider it a liquid bra for your turtleneck zone. Not that you’ll need to wear your turtleneck anymore.

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Fight frizz with Ojon’s new Rare Harvest Tunu Elastik Hair Tamer. It’s a luxurious leave-in relaxer and de-frizzing balm that’s enhanced with wildcrafted Tunu (favored by Tawira Indians for more than 500 years). Without damaging chemicals or silicone, this elixir imparts a moisture barrier that helps hair stay soft, flexible and smooth even in humidity. You’ll certainly want to snap up a few bottles to keep in your beauty drawer (or in Marie’s case, beauty closet).

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You’re a self-professed purse girl. It’s not that you’re averse to daypacks, it’s just that they can be so uninteresting. Lucky for ladies like you, Seat Belt Bags makes a design that’s perfect for a play date, but doesn’t look silly with a sophisticated suit. Stash a small book, water bottle, and sack lunch inside and be on your merry, fashionable way.

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Want an instant change to your head space? Adorn your pretty little melon in something equally stunning, like a delectably detailed headband. This funky colored design with a rose is sure to dress up your ‘do for a casual occasion. It’s made from wool felt feathers that have been hand-cut and stitched, and it’s adorned with hand-printed appliqués. One size fits most.

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Looking to spice up your wardrobe with a few conversation pieces? This darling Kim White bag is a must—and so colorful! It’s made from fabric intended for the AMC Gremlin, a defunct car that reached the peak of popularity during the 1970s, and it (the bag, not the car) snaps open and closed to hold all of your going-out essentials (cell phone, makeup, keys) without bulging at the seams. The look is casual luxe, so pair it with jeans and some killer ankle boots.

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Melanie Dizon’s soft, sculpted bags (crafted from supple leather and suede) are fit for a nouveau bohemian lifestyle. Couture flourishes also abound in her equally sublime shoe collection featuring demure wedges, ankle booties and woven-toe stilettos. Chronic copy cats, take note: Marie owns the black and white piano-inspired bag on the homepage.

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, handbag, leather goods, Marie’s closet, shoes, tote