4 minute read
CONNECT: Find the local shops & get the goods for post-holiday recovery
by ⌘ ⇧ ⌥
Recovery
Efforts
Soothe, recover and recuperate: Use these ideas to self-soothe during and after the holiday season.
BY STACY BARRY
After a wham-bam social season, we often start the New Year having spent all of our sparkle, needing both a respite from the revelry as well as a kick-start to what’s ahead. It’s time for a recovery plan.
PERSONAL PURIFICATION After overdoing it all season, sometimes our winter bodies need a do-over from the inside out. Revive yourself with a Purifying Herbal Wrap ($132) at Urban
Retreat Day Spa & Salon. This hour-long indulgence envelops you in warm Kaolin clay infused with all kinds of decadent stuff before covering you with a caffeinerich serum to reduce fluid retention, boost circulation and shift toxins. 2034
W. Gray. 713-523-2300. urbanretreat.com
GET A MOVE ON Weight loss and exercise-related goals tend to top most resolution lists, but can be hard to get started. Sometimes all it takes is new gear to send you racing into the new year. These GEL-Fit Sana
Training Shoes by Asics ($80) have stretch-to-fit uppers and give a very flexible sock-like feel for maximum comfort in the gym or studio. Plus they look great if you don’t want to change for post-workout errands. Available
at Athleta (multiple Houston
locations) and athleta.com.
SUPERFOOD = SUPER SKIN Nothing shows personal winter wear and tear more than tired-looking skin. Fortunately, there’s a superfood for your face. Chia seeds—widely known for beneficial properties when ingested— have scientifically proven skin healing and anti-aging benefits once pressed into oil. Houston-based ChiaDerm uses the nutrient-rich seeds in two new products—ChiaDerm+ Serum ($30-39) and
ChiaDerm+ Facial Balm ($42)—available
at Bella Body Fitness, 2621 S. Shepherd and at chia-derm.com.
+scan this page with Layar to start your recovery.
SOMETHING ABOUT MARY Whether your holiday hangover is literal or figurative, a bloody mary should be a go-to. Not only does it provide some hairof-the-dog if you think that helps, it also won’t totally derail your resolution train, as it packs plenty of nutrients and antioxidants. Why, it’s practically health food (in moderation of course). Union Kitchen is known for crafting a particularly delicious version. Paul Miller of the Bellaire location shares the recipe so you can DIY on days you need to recover at home.
11/4 oz. vodka of choice 5 oz. Da Kine’s Bloody Mix*
Shake and pour into a celerysalted-rim pint glass.
Garnish with a celery stalk with leaves and a lime wedge picked between two green olives.
*Da Kine’s Bloody Mix Pepperoncini, chopped Worcestershire sauce Fresh black pepper 2 bar spoons Cajun spice blend 2 bar spoons celery salt 2 bar spoons Strait horseradish 2 oz. Tabasco 2 cans tomato juice
SEND YOUR BAGS PACKING
It Cosmetics bills its Bye Bye Under Eye Corrector Concentrate ($29) as “Eight hours of sleep in a jar” and it’s real close. Creamy and lightweight, when dabbed on dark circles, it neutralizes and basically erases them, making you look rested and refreshed. Personal experience proves that it also works miracles at covering blemishes so you can say bye bye to a whole host of post-holiday beauty boo boos. $29 Façade
High-Tech Holiday Gifts
From elegant to practical, give these tech toys to inspire joy this holiday.
BY MICHAEL GARFIELD
It’s the gift-giving time of year and we know everyone enjoys toys. Though most tech and gadgets we want aren’t merely for play—many have a practical side, too.
Here are a few goodies to give, or to put on your list in hopes they will be under your tree.
GROWN-UP GAMES While we wait for the consumer version of the Oculus Rift, there is another virtual reality headset available now that uses existing phone hardware. The VRTX I docks with the LG G3 smartphone and turns its 2564x1440 screen into a head-mounted display. The headset features a 100-degree field of view by inserting the phone into the headset. You may look a cyborg while wearing this but playing games and watching movies on a phone have never looked better or bigger.
VRTX I Virtual Reality Headset, $99
SPECTACULAR SPECS Google Glass is intended to make interacting with technology easier, without distracting from your life. Digital life and natural surroundings blend. You search, make calls, find or take photos and video, get directions and answers. … But, until now, you were marked—Google Glass wasn’t exactly high fashion. A Bite Interactive survey even suggested that the Glass look contributed to “social awkwardness” and was preventing sales of the device.
Enter Diane von Furstenburg. An enthusiastic early adopter, von Furstenburg’s models showed a 2012 runway show from their perspective, using Glass, and now her partnership with Google allows wearers to use the tech and express personal style through her Titanium Collection with five frame colors and eight
shades in two styles. DVF | Made for Glass, $1,800 at
