Perhaps we are not as fit as we wish we were and wish to do something about it. Or, perhaps we just want to look like we are on top of the fitness game.

My answer? Sexy fitness gear.

Headed by designer Kate Gaertner, OMALA specializes in sexy, comfortable active wear for those of us who whether or not we have the best of intentions, fitness-wise, want to look our best in the attempt.

The above dress, Omala’s Slip-On hoodie dress, is wildly popular, and with its iPod shoulder pocket and lightweight drawstring fit, it can easily carry you from the gym to running around town to meeting up with your pals for lunch.

I love this line, and what I love even more is that it is now nestled in my back yard.

Omala recently opened a brand-new flagship location in Brooklyn at 400 Atlantic Avenue. For more information, call 1.866.MY.OMALA

Many of you are aware that for the last few months, I have been fund raising for an event that is very important to me.

This Saturday, June 23, I will be co-captaining Team Elk in the (first-ever) Park Slope-Brooklyn Relay for Life event, located in beautiful Prospect Park.

Relay For Life is an event that brings our community together to help support the American Cancer Society and its lifesaving mission to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. The Society works hard every day to prevent cancer and save lives by supporting groundbreaking research, affecting public policies that protect us from cancer, and educating people on how to prevent or detect cancer early. And our efforts at Relay For Life can help the American Cancer Society to keep working toward a cancer-free future.

Relay for Life has been a huge success in many cities and states, in communities and on campuses around the globe. We are so excited to be part of the very first effort in our own neighborhood, and your support would mean so much to us.

Please click on the link below for more information, including details on the inspirational Survivors’ Lap and the moving Luminaria Ceremony. We hope to see you there! If you can’t join us, will you please visit the site and make a donation to support our efforts? Either way, you will make a real difference in the lives of people facing cancer — and in the lives of the people who love them.

Click here to help!

Many of us are familiar with The Pleasure Chest from that episode of Sex and the City. A well-known upscale adult boutique, what recharged our favorite girls from HBO is actually readily available to sassy gals (and guys) in various locations around the country… and now — for the first time — at the Bryant Park Hotel in New York City.

Last night, my sister-friend and I attended the launch party of the new “Objects of Pleasure” menu at the sexy, elite Bryant Park Hotel. The event was to celebrate a revolutionary new feature where, much like other hotels let guests order up eggs or toothpaste, patrons can use an in-room menu to order up a variety of pleasure products. (How’s that for a whole new spin on your bachlorette party?!) Read the rest of this entry »

When I was in junior high, I patiently waited for my cleavage to appear. I waited. I hoped. I prayed. I supplicated.

At twenty-something, I finally gave up on my hopes and dreams and realized this was as good as it would get. Until the day I die, I will be a (barely) 34A.

Once upon a time, I was told that as long as you have a handful of boobage, you have enough. (I don’t.) At another point, I was comforted that I would never sag. I laughed…with bitter regret.

Stuffing only works if you are a turkey, and therefore, my best friend has become the push-up bra. Some rock, some are a joke. Here are some of my (new, old, and classic) favorites (I can guarantee you will have success with them, I do!):

The Cleavacious is the first bra of its kind. It offers uplift, of course, but also custom fit and adjustability around the ribcage for a more ideal fit. If you aren’t a perfect size (and most of us aren’t), this bra is your ideal choice - the straps can adjust to longer and shorter points until you find the fit best for you.

The Evolution bra by Margarita Couture has built-in sculpted graduated cups that are designed to create a natural look, either under clothes, or worn alone. Fans refer to this baby as the “boob-job bra”, that should give you an idea of the results.

We here at SheKnows are in love with Frederick’s of Hollywood, and since trying their push-up bras, I have begun forsaking a certain buddy with the initials VS.

Shown above is the Extreme Cleavage, Smooth Sensation, and Embroidered Lace Liquid bras - all from Frederick’s, and all currently nestled in my lingerie bin. The Extreme Cleavage has removable push-up pads, allowing you to customize your cleavage depending on an outfit’s needs - and the liquid bra gives a great natural feel to the padding.

All have a great plunge as well, which is great for cleavage.

Also, if you are looking for a push-up bra within your lingerie, check out Shirley of Hollywood’s padded push-up bustiers and padded baby dolls - you can’t get much sexier than these:

This weekend, I embarked on an epic journey.

In an attempt to take in the various views and visages of the bountiful oasis that is South Jersey, Friday morning I took the show on the road (a tour, if you will) and embarked on an Academy bus leaving from E & E’s Smoke Shop in Flatbush, Brooklyn, headed for the sandy beaches and tranquil serenity of Atlantic City.

As with any seasoned road warrior, I had my bag packed with all the essentials inherent to a successful journey: fiber-rific snacks, the Cheap Eats issue of Time Out New York, and tinted moisturizer. Nestled on my bus, surrounded by the boisterous voices of casino regulars, I tapped away texts to my best of buds.

My road trips are historically riddled with chaos and pratfalls to a degree that would make Paris Hilton shudder. A trip to New Hampshire once resulted in my escort and I being mauled by a vehicle…our own, to be precise. A cruise to Cozumel? Lets just say at various points, the Coast Guard was called, my shoes were nearly apprehended, and the person whom I embarked on the trip with was no longer in my speed dial list by voyage end.

Weaker souls would be paralyzed from future embarkations after facing back to back debacles such as these. Others may at least experience a sense of pause. But when adventure, excitement, and, yes, the siren’s call of music speak to me, I do not let phobias halt me. Not me. I grab my water bottle and travel tote and hit upon my way.

As I boarded my bus, a gaggle of Church ladies snickered beyond me. “Look how exposed that one is.” In my terry tunic and denim jacket, I wondered if perhaps they would be as eager to judge when their own layers of polyester led to heat rash, and undoubtedly, scorn and jest.

Polyester did not exist in God’s original plan, my friend. It was quite possibly, a tool of the devil in an attempt to draw people toward extreme cheapness and lack of pride in one’s appearance.

Speaking of appearance, an interesting dynamic occurs when heat-shielded hair enters a bus and travels on non-stop direct route to increased humidity. Keratin shots may prevent frizz, but their kryptonic abilities have no hold over limp. My spirit may have been high as I entered the pearly gates of Atlantic City, but my flaxen locks were a mass of sad regret.

As I said an adieu to my newfound passage friends (future members of GA, I’m sure), I was three hours into my trip, my hair scrunchie already lost, my sunglasses missing in action, and my bladder whimpering softly. It was a weekend yet to begin, a day already long in its path.

Have you been stalling on your summer shorts purchases? There’s still time. Check out some tips from Marshalls style expert, Amy Cafazzo:

Are there any do’s or don’ts, trend-wise?

For the weekend, you can’t go wrong with nautical looks. Pairing red/white, blue/white, or even yellow/white make for great beach style even if you are landlocked. For many of us, city shorts (knee length shorts which are sometimes called Bermuda shorts) can be dressed up for work or a night on the town. Add a cropped jacket, accessories and a pair of heels and you\’re ready for the office. Or try a trendy babydoll, trapeze, or kimono-style top for a hot look that’s great for date-night.

Part of it is personal preference, but you should keep the following in mind:
1) Don’t highlight areas you’d rather avoid (calves, thighs) by choosing lengths that end right at those points - they’ll only draw the eye right to them.
2) If you’re petite, you should always go for looks that lengthen. Longer pants and heels help lengthen while cropped pants and shoes with ankle straps (or, for that matter, be-ribboned espadrilles) cut you off and make you look shorter.
3) Find a look that you’re comfortable and confident in. Plus, be sure and wear shorts at appropriate times: city shorts can be dressed up to go to the office, but not everyone has a work environment that allow them.

Do certain lengths/styles belong only to the young and toned?

One of the hot trends this season is short shorts, but, as always, not every trend is appropriate for every body type. Some of us may need to leave those Daisie Dukes for the teenage set.

Look forward to an upcoming SheKnows.com guide to finding the hottest styles in shorts this season!

There is a science behind the idea of aphrodisiacs.

“It is true that some foods contain certain compounds that behave in certain ways to put you in the mood,” says Dr. Kathleen D’Ovidio, assistant professor of food science and management at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, Pa.  “A lot of this work is done by stimulating your sense of smell. When you eat, 80 to 90 percent of the flavor actually comes from the aroma.”

D’Ovidio says research shows that certain smells cause a degree of sexual arousal in men and women. “For men, those aromas were bananas, cinnamon buns, and pumpkin pie. Older men preferred vanilla and strawberries. Even cheese, pizza and buttered popcorn had an effect,” she says. “Women liked the aroma of cucumbers – which stimulates female sex hormones – and anise or licorice smells. The ancient Greeks and Romans were known to use anise and fennel as aphrodisiacs. Anise, in particular, has estrogenic compounds.”

Still not feeling the love? Try anything that increases circulation, such as garlic, ginger or hot peppers, she says.

Contrary to popular belief, it is acceptable to judge a book by its cover - and when said entity is “covered” with the moniker Squeeze Cream, you know you are in for a good time.

Sweet dreams are indeed in store at this spa a stone’s throw from Herald Square. Co-owned by Arlene Campos (formerly of legendary Bliss Spa) and Sharon Killeen-Decker (trained at Dublin’s Coogan Bergin College of Beauty and hailing from some of New York’s most elite spas), whimsical treatment names such as “creamies” and “smoothies” will perhaps make you snicker, but reveal luxuries that will have you luminous and boneless for days.

My facial began with a microdermabrasion, which Arlene warned me would feel like a pestering cat licking at my flesh. It was a most-gentle treatment that helps to freshen up the skin by removing the layer of dead skin cells. Doing so sort of “clears the palate” and eliminates the likelihood of pimples or clogged pores resulting from the excess skin cells hanging about.

Arlene’s hands are magical - once upon a time, she was a pianist who played the likes of Carnegie Hall - and those same hands went on to work such facial magic she was hailed in the pages of Vogue. It was those very same practiced hands that welcomed me to Squeeze Cream this afternoon.

A facial with Arlene is a treatment that transcends relaxation. Once cleansed and exfoliated with gentle squeezing and extracted with minimal discomfort, I was given the most delicious aspect of all - a soothing, tension-dissolving facial, arm, and decollete massage - all while I remained cocooned under a cozy blanket and delicately scented eye mask.

The soothing masks and protective creams are light but hydrating - you’ll feel the difference in your skin immediately - and it will continue to soak in hours later.

Among such famed founders - they are pretty much royalty within their industry - you’d never imagine how cozy and friendly Squeeze Cream is. An intimate space, you can’t help like you are visiting friends for tea…friends who just happen to pamper you as you nestle near-naked in a cocoon of luxury.

PS: Squeeze Cream also has has “Squeeze Therapy” (massages!) and “Smoothies” (waxing using Azulene-based, European formulation safe for the most sensitive skins) as well as brow and lash tints, reflexology, and body wraps.

I think I want to move in.

Squeeze Cream
8-10 West 36th Street
New York, NY 10018
(212) 356-0058

Drum roll…

We are pleased to announce we have a winner in our contest!

Tom Brislin of New Jersey will be receiving his very own Mondo Mint Digital Music System. Congratulations, Tom!

Disappointed you weren’t chosen? Well, no more Mondos to give away….but there is still a chance to get to borrow one and try it out for a bit!

Mondo has created a consumer-generated blog where consumers can have a chance to post their own reviews of this awesome system. Just visit the Mondo web site and follow the instructions here - once filling out the registration form and being accepted, you can receive a sample, write about it, and share your thoughts with the world (but yes, you’ll have to return it) - you’ll have a moment of fame AND get to play around with a cool toy for a while. Plus, you will have a chance of winning a Mondo Mint of your own (to keep) AND an Amazon Gift Card!
Still sad you didn’t win? Keep reading. Lots more cool contests coming up!

Scarlett Johansson’s new partnership with Reebok may be just the fashion ticket for us gals who are distinctly more fabulous than fit.

“Scarlett Hearts Rbk” , a footwear and apparel line designed by the aforementioned super starlet, not only includes these hot retro-looking sneakers (reminiscent of old-school New Balance, anyone?) but also fun fashions like candy-colored racer tanks, hooded sweatshirt tunics and and baseball raglans with heart embossing. (Look forward to another entry soon on some of the cool fashions available.)

I say you are going to get sweaty, you may as well look sexy doing it.