I’m a big fan (and friend!) of both Rachel Roy and Deepak Chopra, so I was thrilled to get a sneak peak at their new jewelry collection. The 10-piece collaboration—which includes rings, necklaces, bracelets and body jewelry plated in white, yellow and rose gold—is absolutely gorgeous, designed by Rachel and inspired by Deepak’s blend of western science and eastern philosophies. I especially liked the sword necklaces and stacked rings, as well as the pendants inscribed with inspirational Chopra quotes like “Love without action is meaningless and action without love is irrelevant.” Fittingly, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Urban Yogi initiative, which aids disadvantaged inner city residents. 

I happen to love a good cup of tea and I’m a big fan of Crate & Barrel, which is why I’m crazy about these super-chic teapots designed by 12 contemporary artists to commemorate the store’s 50^th anniversary. Each month beginning Dec. 1, Crate and Barrel will feature a new design on limited-edition teapots—I particularly love the whimsical red fish on the September pot by architect Paola Navone and the colorful cityscape on Brooklyn based-illustrator Julia Rothman’s pot for November. Only 200 of each teapot will be produced, making it a great gift for the tea lovers in your life (or yourself!).

Read More

• Dr. Oz's 6 favorite green teas
• 17 perfect hostess gifts

Photo: George Burns

Love this table setting where Oprah chooses some of her Favorite Things for 2012? It was created by Tammy Carmona, owner of fine porcelain dishware company Carmona New York & Co, and veteran caterer and event planner. (And for all you Twihards out there, she also designed the set—down to the flowers and the dishes—for Edward and Bella’s wedding scene in Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1.) Here, she reveals her secrets for creating a beautiful table—and throwing a great holiday party.

Holiday entertaining can be stressful. What do I need to know before I begin?

Know your theme, food selection, amount of people attending and other items you want to have on display such as flowers or candles. If it’s a holiday like Christmas and the red and green theme doesn’t work, have no fear—go with an elegant brushed gold and white instead.

What sort of dishware should I use?

Look at your menu as a starting point. Our dinnerware styles range from traditional to modern and funky; our challenge is to match each food with the best dish by size, shape and placement. Remember: You want the presentation to create excitement.

How do I make sure I don’t get stuck in the kitchen while my guests are mingling?

Keep it simple by limiting the number of dishes, so guests don’t get overwhelmed. Be prepared by placing good-sized portions on your serving dishes. When it comes to sweets, go for mini-desserts, which look less messy.

Any other tips?

Use flowers and candles to add to the ambiance—the lighting adds to a festive look. Also, consider personalized napkins, which are a beautiful finishing touch. 

Photo: Marvin Shaouni

What's the best way to raise money for a city-transforming cause? Throw a dinner party, of course.

"There's a fierce inventiveness to Detroit," says artist Kate Daughdrill. "People here take ownership of a problem and work to find solutions." In order to help Detroiters keep doing just that, Daughdrill and a friend cofounded Detroit Soup, a philanthropic supper club. Each month four local groups present ideas to diners who pay $5 to attend; the crowd then discusses the ideas over soup, salad, bread, and pie, and decides which project will receive the evening's proceeds. 

Photo: Marko Metzinger/Studio D

When sisters commiserate about complexion problems, the conversation usually ends with a sigh, maybe a trip to Sephora. For Rachel and Liz Edlich, it ended in a lab. The two women already knew the skincare business—they ran a company that created products for other brands—so they decided to assemble a stable of chemists to solve their skincare woes.

"At work it was all about packaging, marketing, and advertising," says Liz. "But once we decided to make products just for us, we thought about only one thing: efficacy." Their goal was to include the highest possible levels of various antioxidants, peptides, fruit acids, and moisturizing sodium hyaluronate. More than a year later, Rachel and Liz left the lab with their dream products in clear vials labeled with a Sharpie. Before long, Liz's fine lines were fading, Rachel no longer needed antibiotics to control her rosacea—and their friends wanted what they were having.

Now everyone can; their Radical Skincare line is available at Barneys New York stores and barneys.com, as well as their own site, radicalskincare.com. The packaging has been upgraded, but it's still simple. "We wanted to keep all the value inside the bottle," says Rachel. "A fancy jar or celebrity endorsement isn't going to transform your skin."

Photo: Debby Hymowitz

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, The Pink Project—a collaboration between SUITE New York, Swarovski and Lange Production—will auction 20 one-of-a-kind chairs customized by designers like Kelly Wearstler and Colin Cowie.

The creations are based on the iconic GJ chair designed by the late Danish furniture designer Grete Jalk, and they are stunning. I particularly love Kelly’s chair (which features pink Swarovski crystals), Aerin Lauder’s (she covers the chair with braided jute) and Christopher Coleman’s (he interjects bold colors into a graphic black-and-white pattern).

The best part? Eighty percent of each sale will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, so you can have a unique work of art and support a worthy cause at the same time. The online auction will run Oct. 1–31 on charitybuzz.com.

Chair designers from top to bottom: Kelly Wearstler, Aerin Lauder, Christopher Coleman

Photo: Marko Metzinger/Studio D

After a recent makeover of its packaging, Caswell-Massey looks pretty great for its age (at 260, it's the fourth oldest company—of any kind—in the United States).

Its new Botanicals collection comes in three scents—Fig & Bamboo, Vetiver & Cardamom, and Coriander & Mandarin—and consists of seven body-pampering treats (from a rich sugar butter scrub to a moisturizing soufflé) the likes of which you might expect to find in a thoroughly modern spa rather than an old-timey apothecary.

I especially like the delicate fragrance of the hydrating Coriander & Mandarin Hand Crème and Body Lotion ($16 and $26; caswellmassey.com).

Photo: Kevin Cremens

If you're looking for something that's easy on the eyes—and cheeks and lips—may we suggest the new Aerin fall color collection? Aerin (that would be Aerin Lauder, granddaughter of Estée) believes wearing makeup should be "effortless" (or at least look that way). To that end, she has created a couple of can't-go-wrong palettes—one for workday, one for weekend—each containing two eyeshadows, a blush, and a highlighter. (Fall Style Palette in Weekend shown here, $70; esteelauder.com.) And to dress up your mouth: two lusciously moisturizing lip glosses and two universally flattering lipsticks ($30 each).

Photo: Courtesy of FEED Projects

You don’t have to be a gourmet to love the latest bags from Lauren Bush Lauren’s FEED Project. She’s partnered with specialty foods chain Dean & Deluca to create two new totes filled with tasty treats: The Pantry Tote contains essentials like Fruite Mur extra virgin olive oil, acacia honey and French roast coffee, while the Snack Tote features caramels, mints, pretzel bites and my personal favorite, New York chocolate espresso beans. (I could not stop eating them!)

Proceeds from the sale of each bag provide 15 nutritious meals to hungry children through the UN World Food Programme. So you can indulge and give back at the same time. ($120; available Sept. 17 at deandeluca.com)

Photo: Marko Metzinger/Studio D

I don't mean to brag (okay, I do) but I can play a mean two-part invention on the piano. Why is it, then, that when it comes to applying eyeliner, I am completely butterfingered? In spite of detailed and patient instruction from the world's best makeup artists, I always wind up with a situation that might generously be called inequitable distribution.

My problem appears to have been solved, though, by the new Clarins 3-Dot Liner ($26; clarinsusa.com). The tiny applicator brush at the end of the pen has three points, which I dot along my upper lashline; the result looks like a continuous line, very neat and consistent. Brillante!