Poking around on Old Navy's site the other day, I saw that they've come up with a cool alternative to the traditional rubber flip-flop. The new version is more stylized than surfer-y, with crisscross toe straps and another band around the upper part of your foot. You wind up with something that's a bit dressier than the ones you've already got, though these still retain all the qualities that make flip-flops so great in the first place: They're indestructible, comfortable, versatile, and cheap ($5). They come in a bunch of different colors, though being somewhat of a minimalist, I like them best in this smoky gray, black, and navy.

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I am rarely impressed by fragrance launches. A particularly tired trick is to serve food "inspired" by the fragrance. Tired unless the fragrance is Jo Malone and the food is by—and served!—Jean-Georges himself. We tasted, we smelled, he presented course after course, we died and we went to heaven. The lime—there were the torn leaves of this lime, the grated rind of that—was really the thing. If you ever want to completely transport yourself (and make yourself smell fantastic instantly) grate a little lime rind and inhale.

No beauty editor who went to this event is ever allowed to complain about the rigors of her job again. This means me.

—Jean Godfrey-June, beauty director

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It's only the first day of July, and already I'm feeling kind of ... bored, style-wise. Bored with my gladiator sandals, bored with my maxdresses, bored with my slightly billowy tops and short-shorts (which I probably should not be wearing anyway), bored with the whole carefree Grecian-hippie persona I'm projecting to the world.

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For any trip that's four days or longer, I've found that the best thing to pack your stuff in is a rolling suitcase. It just makes life easy—there's nothing worse than racing to catch a flight while bogged down with a heavy duffel on your shoulder. The tricky part is finding one that's smartly designed, is built to last, and looks good without costing a small fortune. Which is why I'm so impressed with the one I just came across on Kenneth Cole's website. From an aesthetic standpoint, there's something about the crisp shape and wide straps that reminds me of an old-fashioned steamer trunk, only steel gray nylon gives it a modern edge. Practically speaking, it's got tons of pockets both inside and out (including removable pouches you could use for lingerie, laundry, etc), and since it's not a hard-sided bag, it's bound to be relatively lightweight, and easy to lift and squish into an overhead compartment. I never check luggage unless forced, but on those rare occasions, in the inevitable sea of black rollies, this would be really easy to ID on a carousel. And unlike all the other suitcases I've seen and liked as much as this one, it comes in at less than $200.

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Nodding off in a makeup chair is not hot unless you are Jessica Stam, and surely I am not. However, that's what I spent much of the morning doing, being shot for the pages of Lucky (as any reader knows, it's part of the job). At the downtown studio by 8:30AM and spackled with smoked-out gel liner and spidery false lashes as if preparing for a night of sensuous cage dancing at Club Tequila Las Vegas, I groggily made several pronouncements to the makeup artist, hairstylist, photographer, and crew, all people whom I did not in any capacity know: "That face cream is made of baby foreskin and I'm obsessed with it!" I volunteered. "This weekend I watched Eyes Wide Shut four times!"

Then there was the actual smiling-for-the-camera thing. "Don't, um, grimace," the photographer said. "Relax your mouth. Deep breath. Okay, now smile with your eyes. Relax your mouth. Turn toward me? Okay, umm, unclench your feet." "Prune," I whispered to myself, as the Olsen twins do. "Chin up," said the photographer. "RELAX YOUR MOUTH!"

The worst, though, was returning to the office post-shoot and being, by chance, introduced to a famously glamorous executive at my company that I didn't anticipate meeting EVER, so important is she. "I don't—I don't usually wear this much makeup," I stammered, my left eye twitching desperately to expel an errant mascara clump as humiliation flushing through four layers of foundation. "Great meeting you!"

Then it was upstairs to a different photo studio for my 'cute outfit' to be shot for the Lucky website. "Have you seen Eyes Wide Shut?!" I shouted over the music and the whir of the wind machine. "With Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise and he's the rich doctor and he goes to that bananas masked sex-cult party with the prostitutes..."

"If you want to get out of here fast like you say you do, you need to stop talking," said the photographer." And so I did.

—Cat Marnell, associate beauty editor

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When I was in college, and the extent of my fashion sense was men's V-neck undershirts worn with cut-offs (and J.Crew roll-neck sweaters and Barn jackets in the fall—yes!), I somehow managed to pick up a Helmut Newton photography book on super-duper sale. I had no real use for this oversize tome, but I still loved it and displayed it proudly on the rickety coffee table in our basement apartment. It's now many moons and moves later, and the book is long gone, but I was thinking the other day how much I'd like to flip through its glossy, weighty pages again. In fact, I would like to start a collection of style books from the '80s and early '90s, including one with all the big supermodels—the Gias, Janets, Lindas, Christies, and Kates. Perhaps I'll start with the incredible-looking (and vaguely titled) Professional Fashion Photography, which features not only a man in a tuxedo and cowboy hat on the cover but every late-'70s model I could ever hope for—Jerry Hall, Carol Alt, Iman, etc. Or I could get the very intriguing (and more from a time I remember), 10 Women, which is signed by photographer Peter Lindbergh. And lastly, not so much eye candy, but it looks beyond juicy: Shut Up and Smile: Supermodels the Dark Side.

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Last week, in her Cute Outfit Of The Day portrait, my ever-lovely colleague Noria Morales had on some gorgeous, delicate strappy sandals by—of all companies—Ugg. Intrigued, I did a little googling to get a closer look. I found them on zappos.com, and they are indeed as chic as they looked in her picture, with tiny wedge heels and skinny laces that wrap around the ankle. Most fascinating though is that the narrow leather band that runs across the toe of the shoe is lined with the brand's signature sheepskin. Could fur possibly make any sense on a sandal?? I promptly emailed Noria, and she had this to say: "I know, I thought the furry part was ridiculous at first too. But it actually just feels like this little hint of softness, and since the rest of the style is so bare, it doesn't get at all hot or uncomfortable. Plus, you'll never have to worry about blisters or chafing or any of that other yucky foot stuff." I'm sold.

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Chantecaille Aquablush really is the most perfect cream blush because there's nothing greasy about it—it's more like a water-based gel with the dewy finish of a cream, and it cools your skin when you apply it. I wear the coral pink shade, and one tube lasts forever without drying out. I can attest to this because I've used mine every day for at least a year and, thank goodness, am nowhere near the end of it.

—Jennifer Scruby, contributing writer, Miami

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In so many ways, the people who made this cosmetics bag totally got it right. The silk-screened image of a sweetly granny-ish pouch takes on an artsy trompe l'oeil quality in this context. It's made of fair-trade organic cotton and is printed using water-based ink. There are three color options, each as desirable as the next, and if you can't decide, it wouldn't be unfathomable to buy one of each, given that they're $20 apiece.I'm considering stocking up on a bunch to keep on hand to give as gifts.Read More

If I were a rich lady, I would buy a million things from designer Hanii Y. every season as soon as they came out. Her stuff is gorgeous—feminine, but not prissy; artsy and unusual, but not in a way that says "wacky." However, it's not really my style to fritter away $400 for a tank top ("not really my style" equals "I'm cheap"), and so I must resort to eBay to fulfill my desires. Which, as it turns out, is not a bad alternative at all. For starters, there's this beautiful satin dress with a rosette on the collar. I also would love to wear this amazing embroidered lace blouse with a pair of neat shorts and ballet flats. And though I can't even believe I'm considering spending more than $100 on less than a quarter of a yard of fabric, this interesting, sexy tank is almost irresistible.

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