Rituals Grand Opening at Westfield Garden State Plaza

On Friday, October 19th, I stopped in for the grand opening of the Rituals store on the 2nd floor outside of Macy's at Westfield Garden State Plaza. This opening marks the first Rituals store in New Jersey, with other U.S. locations in New York and California. 

Rituals celebrated their opening all day Friday by offering complimentary full-size Foaming Shower Gel (valued at $15) + a $10 off voucher to the first 100 customers. Shoppers were also able to purchase a full size Foaming Shower Gel of their choice for just $5. My favorite is the The Ritual of Hammam Foaming Shower Gel with a fresh eucalyptus and rosemary scent!

On Saturday,  Rituals held a massive gift card giveaway. The first 50 visitors to the store at 2PM and 4PM received a Rituals store gift card valued between $5 and $100. 

During your visit to the Rituals store, you'll find skincare, body care, cosmetics and candles for the home. You can also try out their products in-store with a hand ritual, using the Foaming Shower Gel, Scrub, and Hand Balm. 

For the holiday season, Rituals has launched the limited edition collection of The Ritual of Yalda, featuring an uplifting pomegranate and watermelon scent to get you through any winter fatigue. I'm also really excited about The Ritual of Advent Exclusive Calendar, with 24 deluxe surprises to countdown to Christmas. 

Thank you to Rituals for sending me home with a Ritual of Dao set, with a calming scent of white lotus and yi yi ren!

- Kim Weling

Bergen County Food & Wine Festival 2018

Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza | Ramsey, NJ (plus 8 other NJ locations)

For the second year, the Bergen County Food & Wine Festival returned as Bergen County's biggest celebration of great tasting food and liquor. This year's festival took place on September 15th and 16th at Westfield Garden State Plaza. 

Saturday had showcased 'Burgers and Brews' with over 30 top local restaurants and craft beer tastings, while Sunday's focus was 'Tasting Village', with over 70 restaurants and beer, wine and spirit tastings. 

Next year, I would love to see some restaurants that serve up lighter samples such as tacos, ceviche, mussels or clams, and beet or kale salad. As tasty as it was, there were a lot of pasta and beef options. There definitely seemed to be more alcohol vendors this year, with an impressive variety from wines to tequila and vodka. 

Check out some of my favorite dishes and wine & spirits from the food festival! 

Varka Estiatorio | Ramsey, NJ

Octopus: charcoal grilled with red and yellow roasted Holland peppers

Kimchi Smoke | Westwood, NJ

Carolina Rice Bowl: 12 hour smoked pork shoulder, soy sesame vinaigrette slaw over rice with bourbon chipotle sauce, remoulade and scallions 

Dill Fresh Mediterranean Grill | New City, NY

Spanakoita Grilled Cheese

Dill Fresh Mediterranean Grill | New City, NY

Sausage and Peppers

Marc's Cheescake | Glen Rock, NJ

Mr. Cupcakes

Inside Tito's Handmade Vodka airstream

- Kim Weling

Recap: Nordstrom Fall Beauty Trend Show 2017 at Garden State Plaza

On Saturday, November 4th, I attended my very first Nordstrom Beauty Trend Show at Garden State Plaza in NJ. The Fall Beauty Trend Show was hosted by Nordstrom Beauty Director, Derek Miller.

Beauty Trends Fall 2017 included Trending Techniques, Soft & Smoky, and Red & Shine. For Trending Techniques, guests learned about application and styling tips from the pros and how innovative beauty tools make it all easy. Brands featured correct & perfect with Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown, Kiehl's Since 1851, NuFace, Trish McEvoy, MAC, Drybar and Nest Fragrances

Soft & Smoky discussed blending natural-colored shadows outside the lines for an elegant take on the traditional smoky eye. This segment of the show had a spotlight on Hermès, Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, Clarins, Lancôme, Philosophy, Yves Saint Laurent and Tom Ford.

Red & Shine takes a festive feel with a classic red lip with a glossy finish for that party-ready look featuring Dior, Kate Somerville, Atelier Cologne, Charlotte Tilbury, Jo Malone London, Giorgio Armani, Estée Lauder, PMD and Nars. 

Throughout the show, guests won fabulous gifts sets and products being showcased. I myself won the PMD Kiss Lip Plumping System, right before I was about to try it out on my lips! After the show, the beauty event continued with complimentary mini facials, hair styling, and makeovers. It was a perfect time to get ahead start on holiday shopping and buy a few gifts for yourself! Check out the video with highlights from the show! 

Trending Techniques with Bobbi Brown

Adidas Black French Terry Crewneck Dress 

The North Face White Down Quilted Vest

NuFace Trinity Facial Toning Device, $325

Derek taking us through Trish McEvoy's The Power of Makeup Trend Show Planner, $250 ($649 value)

Trending Techniques with MAC

Veronica Beard Black Scuba Jacket

Nordstrom Signature Grey Cashmere Knit Hoodie

Nordstrom Signature Blue Wool Pin Stripe Pant

Nest Fragrances - Sugar Cookie, Birchwood Pine and Holiday Collections, $44 - $60

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare

C+ Collagen Deep Cream (Nordstrom Exclusive), $72

Iconic Radiance Set, $155 (Limited Edition, $236 value)

DRx SpectraLite Eyecare Pro, $159

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Pore Extractor Mask, $18 - $35

The Microdelivery Detoxifying Oxygen Peel, $62

Soft & Smoky with YSL

Nordstrom Signature Olive Velvet Slip Dress

Tibi Electric Blue Crushed Velvet Turtleneck

Trouve Silver Metallic Pleated Skirt

Ted Baker Navy and Gold Jacquard Dress 

J.Crew Navy Knit Feather Detailed Cardigan

- Kim Weling

NYX Cosmetics Store Opening at Westfield Garden State Plaza

On Friday, September 23rd, I got a sneak preview of the new NYX Professional Makeup store at Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ, located on level two, right across from Forever 21 in the AMC wing. For the grand opening weekend, the first 250 customers in line on 9/23 and 9/24 received a free, limited edition NYX makeup bag, with a chance to win a $100 shopping spree, and a free NYX mini train case with the purchase of $75 or more. The first 200 in line on Saturday enjoyed a free meet & greet with top beauty YouTube and Instagram star Jordan Hanz. 

The store is equipped with an interactive beauty bar, including beauty vlogger how-to videos. The beauty bar highlights trends and topics that are updated every month. This month the focus is on The Perfect Brow, Teal & Violet Art Liner, Highlight & Contour, Color Correcting, Baking Method, and Instant Glow. At the store, there's also a digital screen that allows you to scan any product and view an image carousel of people who have tagged #nyxcosmetics wearing their NYX product, so you can see what the product/shade looks like on. There's also a NYX Professional Makeup Geofilter on Snapchat. The What's New, Fan Faves and Grab & Go areas make it easy to shop.

This store launch makes it the sixth NYX store on the East Coast and the 17th NYX store in the US. Be on the lookout for more NYX store openings and check out their upcoming events.

- Kim Weling