Word on the street is that Glamour has perfected the recipe for engagement (literally. It’s chicken.) And while this is all well and good for you ladies on the hunt for that rock, some of us aren’t exactly ready to take that plunge….we could however, always use a little culinary nudge in the right direction for the object(s) of our affection.

So whether you want your best friend to fall in love with you, you’re hoping to prove that you’re girlfriend material, if you want that relationship confirmation on Facebook– I present to you, Seal the Deal Steak. Not only will you woo your lucky dining partner with your grillin’ skillz, you will hopefully secure that next step. And the best part? While the end result will look like you slaved away in the kitchen all day, the meal couldn’t be simpler to create.

It worked for me (I still get requests from my boo to make this), so give it a try and let’s test the success rate!

What you’ll need:
Two cuts of beef of your preference. I use Filet Mignon because it usually has the nicest marbling and is most often the leanest. However you can subsitutue with strip, for a stronger beef flavor (a male favorite) or porterhouse, which is fattier with a richer flavor (just be prepared to work around the bone with this kind.)
1 lemon
2 medium sized baking potatoes
1 bunch Asparagus
4 oz. Baby Portobello mushrooms
Seasoning Salt
Cooking twine
A steamer with basket
Small saute pan
*Optional
1 cup chicken broth
Bearnaise Sauce (I cheat and use the store bought packets)
1 whole French baguette Read More »

As I wandered near the site of New York City’s Sex and the City premiere yesterday, dodging small bands of women united by a common interest in over-accessorizing for daytime (and being in my way), I found myself compiling a list of people and things that owe much of their current popularity to said show:

Manolo Blahnik
The concept of brunch
Cosmopolitans
Clubs Bungalow 8 and Bed
Cupcakes
The Rabbit
The word fabulous
Retardedly over-thought outfits

Next on my list was “bitching about men”, and I stopped myself short. SATC, I’ll give you credit for the context (brunch, obvs) but you don’t get credit for this one. I should know, I’m a woman, and I’ve been gabbing about men since long before Sex was a twinkle in HBO’s eye.

I’ve been thinking about this phenomenon more recently, as romantic relationships take a more prominent and permanent place in the lives of my friends. Casual dating, serious dating, sleeping around, moving in together, some crazy folks getting married, yadda yadda yadda. Whatever the situation, women have a need (which sometimes borders on the obsessive and pathological) to compare notes and share war stories. Read More »

The girls over at Jezebel have a well documented hatred of Lucky Magazine.

Among the accusations are that the magazine’s editors could really use a thesaurus (the words ‘elegant‘, ‘gorgeous‘ and ‘sophisticated‘ appear 8, 9 and 12 times respectively in January’s issue), that they insist on adding -y to the end of pretty much any word (retro-y really just means the same thing as retro, ladies…), and my own personal favorite, the abuse of the ‘_____ just screams _______ construction, i.e. “This little sun dress just screams French Riviera in June!”

Does it? Does it actually scream? I don’t want a screaming sun dress.

I think Jezebel is totally on-target here. The magazine is poorly written and shamelessly devoted to convincing women with average incomes to spend their hard-earned cash on overpriced items they don’t actually need. I t’s the embodiment of our consumer-driven culture–no love advice or human interest stories here, just pages and pages of things. Shiny pretty things with big big price tags.

So why do I love it so much? Read More »

I was on the phone with my friend MK last night and I was like: “MK, Did you SEE Gossip Girl last week?”

And she was like: “Oh my God, Lauren. I’m totes obsessed.”

And I was like, “Obvs, MK! The horrible acting, the great music (anybody else catch Peter, Bjorn and John in the first scene?), the awesome clothes, what’s NOT to love??”

We clearly share a mutual love for all things fashion and all things cheesy teen television, which is why I was so excited about to let MK in on my little Gossip Girl fashion secret:

There is now an online Gossip Girl store.

Not that I would buy (or could afford) Serena’s $450 dollar Tory Burch sequin dress that she wore on her date with Dan, but unlike poor little me, these characters have stylists.

And obvs, they’re much better than raisin-faced Rachel Zoe.

The best part about fashion is the way the individual pieces are mixed. And although I consider myself fashion forward, sometimes I don’t know how the hell to spice up a great piece. I usually just throw on something lowbrow and have all-together missed an opportunity to show my personality by mixing and matching pieces I wouldn’t necessarily expect.

Which is why I was taken by the styles on Gossip Girl in the first place. If you weren’t obsessed with Serena’s gold dress cum cropped jean jacket and black tights ensemble, you, my friend have got problems. It was fab. Check out the Gossip Girl Fashion Gallery after the jump! Read More »

I have tried to walk in high heels my whole life.

Even playing dress up with my mom’s clothes, I would put them on and wobble carefully around the living room, fully aware that there was an allure about them, but also fully aware that the sensation of balancing on a thin little piece of wood wasn’t fun in the least.

These days, I have basically the same assumption about stilettos. They look awesome, but they feel like sh*t.

Camilla Morton, author of How to Walk in High Heels: The Girl’s Guide to Everything agrees with me when it comes to the ouch factor of such shoes, but wants us women to deal with the pain and wear them anyway.

“With the heel comes glamour, mystique, height and allure.” Morton writes, “Lofty, impractical shoes put you on your own personal pedestal, ready to meet the world. Heels are a gym workout in themselves. They slim, elongate, put off the need for liposuction, add grace and poise, and quadruple your self-esteem.”

The idea of wearing “lofty, impractical shoes” on a daily basis sounds ridiculous to me. Especially here in New York City, where my motto has always been “if you can’t run in them, don’t buy them.” I wonder if this woman walks at all; does she have to go up and down subway stairs, hike her two-week old laundry onto her shoulder and stumble into a laundry mat, or walk up four flights to get to her apartment?

“Heels are one of the most potent weapons a woman has,” Morton continues, “so why not stand on that portable pedestal and admire the view?”

Your uncomfortable shoes may be your “most potent weapon”, lady, but I’d thank you very much to keep me out of that generalization. I like to rely on more than just my footwear in this life. Read More »

When I heard that Carrie Bradshaw, excuse me, Sara Jessica Parker was launching a clothing line named “Bitten” with mall-based Steve & Barry’s, I clapped my hands in glee. I imagined the cutting edge outfits and fabulous accessories I still idolize whenever I plop down for SATC marathon—sort of like Forever 21 to the next level. But I won’t be switching loyalties anytime soon, Bitten pales in compassion.

The spread in this month’s Glamour looked so promising too, all the outfits looked more or less lovely, if a little uninspired—until I read the captions. The dress that caught my eye in one shot was actually by Burberry, the striking top in another was by Oscar de la Renta, the fabulous jacket by Chanel… Only the most basic and quite frankly boring pieces where actually from the new line. Read More »

I have to give it to you, Scarlett. According to Glamour’s “Sexiest Body in the World” poll, you’ve just beaten out Jessica Alba AND Gisele Bundchen! That ’s definitely something to brag about. So go ahead, I won’t judge you.

Honestly though, I’m a pleasantly surprised. Miss Johansson possesses a really unique and almost unconventionally pretty look. She’s not tall, toned or rail thin and people still think she’s hot. That’s freakin’ awesome for all of us who practically starve ourselves and work out like fiends to get that skinny look. Scarlett’s got curves and I do too.

Here’s the list of sexy bodies, who do you think should be #1?