If letting leeches treat your skin like a buffet is not for you, and wearing face masks consisting of bird droppings doesn’t entice you, or if (hold the jokes) the spermine facial brings back unpleasant memories or fears, worry not! There are much sounder ways to achieve a healthy and youthful appearance. The following five skincare lines are tried and true:

SK-II

This Japanese line’s main ingredient is called Pitera, a nutrient-rich liquid extracted from sake. Upon a visit to a sake brewery, a scientist could not help but notice how soft and youthful the women’s hands in this brewery were and decided to isolate the ingredient that made them so. SK-II bought the formula, which is now Japan’s top prestige cosmetics brand. The backbone of the line is the Facial Treatment Essence, a tonic recommended for all skin types, to be applied twice daily before moisturizer. Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton are fans.

La Prairie

Praised by all of Park Avenue, this skincare line traces its origins to the posh Clinic La Prairie in Montreux, Switzerland. Each product from this line uses La Prairie’s patented Cellular Complex to help fight off any signs of aging. The shining star of the brand is the La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream, whose main ingredient is protein-rich caviar extract that refines the skin’s texture and gives it a rejuvenated feel and appearance. It does not get more luxurious than that.

CellCeuticals

From renowned Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Garth Fisher and beauty industry doyen Paul Scott Premo comes this revolutionary line that targets aging at the cellular level, thanks to a combination of retinol, antioxidants, lipopeptides and Growth Factor Peptide (GFP). The result? Younger, firmer, smoother, and more luminous skin. Kim Kardashian swears by the line’s Extreme Defense Anti-Cell Damage Skin Treatment.

Perricone MD

Dr. Nicholas Perricone is always issuing new ways to maintain healthy and beautiful skin. He challenges the status quo in dermatology by relating skin care to diet, along with the use of his effective products. Useful skin secrets are revealed in all of his books and his line has now become more accessible thanks to QVC. The line’s top-selling product is the Concentrated Restorative Treatment, formulated with high levels of Ester C to help improve skin’s elasticity and restore its radiance.

Sisley

What sets this line apart from the others is that Sisley uses the highest quality available of natural plant extracts and essential oils. These distillates are selected depending upon their origins; some regions offer better quality plants than others and Sisley only uses the best. This method is known as Phytocosmetology, which optimizes the concentration of each active element in order to produce the utmost results. The first areas to show signs of aging are the eye and mouth zones, so Sisley has developed the Botanical Eye and Lip Contour Complex to specifically target the areas.

In line with Floria Sigismondi’s upcoming release of the film The Runaways, (a biopic about the 1970s all-girl rock band in which Kristen Stewart plays Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning plays Cherie Currie), actors, socialites, hipsters, and rock stars joined forces to benefit the nonprofit organization, Stand Up For Kids. The charity focuses on helping the needs of abandoned kids and runaways, whose only homes are mean streets.

Floria Sigismondi, who made a name for herself directing videos for David Bowie, The Cure, Marilyn Manson, and Christina Aguilera, helped raise funds during the event through the sales of her unique still photographs from the film, which were admired by the likes of Sean Lennon, Paz de la Huerta, Cristina Civetta, Riley Keough and Jill Zarin to name a few.

Sigismondi’s husband, Lillian Berlin, is the front man for the rock band The Living Things and contributed to the atmosphere with his music, along with Jamie Burke and Prince Peter.

Adam Aleksander, New York’s eccentric wiz-kid party planner, collaborated with The Supper Club for the fabulous fête and spent several weeks researching the French Queen’s life in order to get a good sense of what the party should look like:

“I elaborated on the Marie Antoinette concept and created this whole design of a beautiful mess. [The space] is a bright and colorful mess — like she’s been on a three-day bender,” said Aleksander. Indeed, the candle-lit room did feel like a girls’ boudoir, where the boys were allowed to play for a night.

Guests danced around the room filled with cocktails, confetti, and confections. Thankfully the guillotine did not make an appearance to interrupt the enchanted evening!

Check the Haute Living events page for more images coming soon.

The Supper Club New York held a private and intimate screening of The Exploding Girl at the Tribeca Grand Hotel, where lead actress Zoe Kazan was present with her beau, actor Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood, Little Miss Sunshine), along with writer/director Bradley Rust Gray.

Zoe Kazan, granddaughter of Elia, stars in this very moving portrayal of a girl coming of age and coming to terms with her emotions.

New York City also plays a role as the backdrop of this story, which is narrated through subtle metaphors and images, as well as close-ups of Zoe Kazan’s sweet face, which reads like an open book. In this film, family is depicted as unreliable and friendship prevails. It is shot in a voyeuristic way with a meditative feel.

We all enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and The Velvet Devil Merlot at an intimate reception following the screening where conversation included the message of the film and the actors’ performances.

The Exploding Girl is a rare gem of a film, and not to be missed; head over to the Landmark Sunshine Cinema to view the next showing!

For those of you who could use some enlightenment on restaurant etiquette, here are a few notes:

• Unless you’re in a rowdy bar atmosphere, keep your voice down
• Say “please” and “thank you” to your server
• Instead of saying “I want,” say “I would like…”
• Don’t arrive at your table with large shopping bags, check them with your coat
• If you’re splitting something with your friends, don’t make a mess by passing plates and food around; ask your server if the kitchen can divide the meal for you
• Gentlemen, always make sure that your date sits at the banquette. If the restaurant doesn’t have banquettes, give your date the seat with the best view
• Don’t put your elbows on the table
• Sit up straight, there’s no reason to slouch
• When eating your bread, don’t butter up the whole thing and eat it like a sandwich. Tear off a piece first; it’s barbaric to directly bite your roll of bread
• If you know that the restaurant you’re going to is not the most casual setting, then honor it by dressing up. It’s always better to be overdressed than underdressed!
• Don’t snap at, or call out to, the staff
• When you’re not using your knife, don’t let it hang out by the side of your plate; place it horizontally on the top of your plate
• When you are done eating, place your fork and knife next to each other on the plate in a vertical position
• Don’t talk with your utensils in hand
• If you’re a large party (more than 4), don’t split the bill between all of you, have one or two people from your group take care of it, and then the next time you are all out, it will be someone else’s turn

These tips should suffice for now, and they are the very least people can do in order to be a good guest at a restaurant. A polite patron is always well accommodated at a restaurant, and sets a good example for other guests. Ideally, this all results in a civilized and delightful environment so spread the word!

It is always such a pleasure to watch Simon de Pury (chairman and chief auctioneer of Phillips de Pury & Company) in action on the auction podium; his performance heightens the experience of being at an art auction because not only is it thrilling to bid on exciting pieces, but Simon de Pury’s energy and ominous voice add to the theatrical feeling of the event.

Armed with their paddles, bidders sat in the sunny room overlooking the High Line and competed for some of today’s most pioneering artworks.

The highest bidders would receive a “warmest congratulations!” from de Pury, and those who did not dare to bid higher disappointed the auctioneer who would declare: “How very sad!”

The art market has been a victim of today’s troubling economic climate, but in a “glass is half full mentality,” this allows opportunities for new collectors to acquire works that they perhaps could not have bid on in the past. For example, Suzanne Lafont’s Sac à main screenprint had the lowest opening bid of $9. The highest bidder earned it for $60, to which Simon de Pury quipped: “I hope that you’ll be able to afford a taxi ride back home.”

The next Phillips de Pury & Company contemporary art auction in New York will be held on May 13, 2010 at 7 p.m. and is not to be missed!

The Museum’s Agnes Gund Garden lobby was vibrating with discussion, dancing and music from Indie rock bands Human Rights and The Walkmen. The latter’s performance included their latest hit, In The New Year, which shook up the scintillating crowd.

In a recent press statement, MoMA director Glenn Lowry expressed his gratitude for what the Armory Show does for New York City: “These events not only bring together thousands of people and hundreds of galleries, they really are opportunities to think about art – and especially contemporary art – in the largest context possible. It’s absolutely remarkable.”

The Armory Show is located on Piers 92 and 94, and runs until March 7, 2010.

A giant Van Cleef & Arpels banner depicting a bejeweled ballerina brooch was draped from a balcony; this legendary brooch, which is still sold today, was originally designed by Maurice Duvalet (who worked with Claude Arpels) and George Balanchine for Balanchine’s wife, the dancer and Broadway star Vera Zorina. Balanchine claimed that he was always attracted to precious gems for their deep colors and sparkling brilliance and even identified that different jewels possess different personalities. In 1966, when he and Claude Arpels examined jewelry in the elegant Fifth Avenue salon, he was inspired to choreograph a ballet based on the qualities of different stones. The result was the world’s first full-length plotless ballet, Jewels, made for the New York City Ballet.

In celebration of the ball, students of the School of American Ballet—the official school of New York City Ballet, which was founded in 1934 by Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchine—performed a beautiful pièce d’occasion after the dinner. Delicate desserts were served after the performance, and guests gathered on the dance floor to twirl around in the glowing room.

Some of the finest dancers of the past and present are SAB alumni, including Jacques D’Amboise, Merrill Ashley, Suzanne Farrell, Darci Kistler, Ethan Stiefel, and Chita Rivera to name a few.

Proceeds from the Winter Ball are used to award scholarships, maintain state-of-the-art studios and a residence hall, and offer vital student programs beyond the studio.

Paola Suhonen, the creator of Scandinavian fashion label IVANAhelsinki, has opened a pop-up shop that not only serves as a temporary home to her clothing collection in New York, but as a factory for artists, much like Andy Warhol’s legendary studio in the 1960s.

Each night after the doors close and the lights go out for the general public, musicians, painters, photographers, writers, performers, and filmmakers gather at the shop to create and share their art while holding panel discussions on love. Suhonen wanted to create a communal movement where people could participate in sharing love and beauty, while surrounded by a constant influx of new creativity.

Alexa Wilding performing at a store event

Already a superstar in her native Finland, and now armed with rave reviews about her recent debut at Paris Fashion Week, Suhonen decided it was time to take on the American market, which she felt needed a throwback to the spirit of the 1960s, a sentiment very much present in her clothing collection and her store.

Each collection expresses a visual language through Suhonen’s now iconic hand-designed prints. The prints are based on a story that is made into a film, presented with the collection.

For this season’s look, the inspiration behind the collection is a circus girl who lost her troop. The designer says that she just kind of “fell into fashion” and as explained on her website, started IVANAhelsinki as: “my own personal art project, but now it’s a way of life. I could easily spend my life as a gypsy or a vagabond; love stories, road trips, strong living…but it’s okay too, to make cute cotton and woolen dresses for charismatic drummer girls and girl women with beautiful souls. They are the girls who love moonlit fields, pirates, dark vast forests, a Champagne state of drunkenness, fragile butterflies, lullabies, and guardian angels…”

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DJ She-Rock

The 2010 Biennial brings together artworks in different mediums, representing the current status of contemporary American art. Although the exhibit is smaller this year than in the past, with 55 artists from around the country, the downsize created the perfect spotlight for the featured artists to shine.

Francesco Bonami, who was the first U.S. citizen to curate the Venice Biennial, and Gary Carrion-Murayari, who at 28, is already a senior curatorial assistant at the Whitney, curated this year’s show.

It was a night for artists to see and be seen. I was amused to find Isabelle Collin Dufresne, aka Ultra Violet, admiring fellow artist Pae White’s spectacular tapestry titled Smoke Knows. For those of you who don’t know, Ultra Violet was one of Andy Warhol’s superstars, named after her violet colored hair. NYC social fixture and artist Anh Duong was amongst the creative crowd, in her usual chic flair, pondering the paintings.

Pae White’s Smoke Knows tapestry

On the invitation, the suggested attire was “festive,” which unfortunately seemed to be ignored by most attendees, who appeared too cool for the dress code. Fortunately, the artwork provided a feast for the eyes and senses. This year marks the 75^th edition of the Whitney’s signature exhibition, established in 1932 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. This year’s exhibition was a tribute to American art today, which is alive and well at the Whitney.

My personal favorites included:

Landscape with Houses (Dutchess County, NY) #2 by James Casebere, a Michigan artist based in New York. The photograph is surreal and looks like a painting, because Casebere constructs a scene by creating tabletop models with unassuming materials and carefully manipulates the lighting before photographing. Devoid of any human presence, and with the dominating hues of red, white, and blue, the piece is reflective of the current housing crisis in this country.

Patron by Marianne Vitale, a born and bred New Yorker, was a video piece featuring the artist against a hostile background, giving offensive orders to her audience. The performance satirizes authoritative manners in an avant-garde way, and was very gripping.

Master of the Universe: FlexMaster 3000 by Aurel Schmidt, a New York-based artist originally from British Columbia, depicts the Minotaur, a mythic creature representing creation and destruction. However in this illustration, he is composed of beer cans, flowers, money, a blackberry, condoms, cigarettes, and other paraphernalia. The complex drawing questions today’s societal conventions.