Our September "Home Tours" issue is just out, and we're are crossing our fingers that copies fly right off the newsstands thanks, in part, to the cool cover. It's a great shot of restaurateur Keyvan Talebi (Bellanote, The View, Crave) and girlfriend Laura Schara (Macy's fashion trend expert and fashion producer for Macy's Glamorama) in Talebi's penthouse on the thrity-seventh floor of The Carlyle in Minneapolis.

For fun, check out a behind-the-scenes video of our cover photo shoot here.

As tends to be the case, we couldn't feature all of the penthouse's great rooms and angles. So, here are a few bonus shots (scouting shots of mine . . . the great pictures are in the September issue).

The living room features Murano glass light fixtures and great furnishings, fixtures, and finishes by Shelly Riehl David and Carl David of Riehl Designs. This is the space where we shot the cover.

The dining room features a striking black light chandelier, also of Murano glass.

The family room is what Keyvan calls a "relaxing chill-out space."

This is one of the penthouse's three terraces. Here's Keyvan with our senior editor Jayne Haugen Olson. Keyvan has views to the south, east, and west, so he can take in the sunrise and the sunset.

The master bedroom is a luxurious space with a Fortuny light fixture.

Powder rooms are so difficult to shoot, but this one is worth a quick peek. Check out the glass countertop that is lit from below. The crystal-pebble wall covering is luxurious, too.

Of course, for the full story, check out the September issue. Have a great Labor Day weekend!

The first time I had a massage, I was sixteen. During a visit to my chiropractor (an attempt to walk my puppy and ride a bike at the same time left me with a broken tailbone), I complained of a sore neck and shoulders.

"Your muscles are really tight," my chiropractor explained, "why don't you go see the masseuse upstairs?"

Knowing that my father would be getting the bill, I took her up on the offer. One hour later, I was determined I'd just been born again. I had never felt so revived, so at peace, or so whole. And since that day, I have made massage an integral part of my personal-care routine that includes, among many things, exercise, vegetables, water, love, and laughter.

The only unfortunate thing to come from that experience is that massage is kind of like the gateway drug to the spa—it introduced me to the facials, body wraps, and Vichy showers that I now also crave.

After a particularly long summer of work (and saying goodbye to a boyfriend who is going to graduate school across the country), when an invitation came my way to try a few of the new services at Ivy Spa Club, it took everything I had not to ask to come by that afternoon. I felt broken, and I knew that a few hours of relaxation would be a step in helping me heal.

I started with the Nature's Indulgence Body Treatment, a part herbal exfoliating rub, part nurturing wrap, and part massage that blended nature's most aromatic herbs. My masseuse, Milly, started by applying a gentle exfoliating mix of herbs and olive oil (A side note: olive oil is the beauty secret of many Mediterranean women. They slather it all over their hair, face, and body after a shower. Which might explain why they always look so good despite lifelong exposure to harsh sun and salty water).

After the exfoliation and olive oil was applied, I was cocooned in a wrap of blankets while Milly administered a phenomenal scalp massage. To finish, a special lotion blend of chamomile, honeysuckle, and cucumber was applied during a fifty-minute massage. I left the room feeling so relaxed, I couldn't even muster the energy to read a magazine.

After the massage, I had the Diamond Radiance Facial, a "natural face-lift" that promotes immediate firming, plumping, and radiance. I am neither of the camp that needs a real face-lift (or injections of Restylane or Botox for the matter) nor the type of person who would want such treatments, but the idea of looking just a little bit refreshed and plumped and alive was more than tempting.

Four hours after walking my tired self into Ivy Salon, I left feeling revived, rejuvenated, and thoroughly relaxed.

Nature's Indulgence Body Treatment ($165) and Diamond Radiance Facial ($200), Ivy Spa Club at Hotel Ivy, 201 S. 11th St. S., Mpls., 612-343-3131

I just received an e-mail about the newest retailers making their way to Mall of America this fall. Thought I'd give you a quick heads-up! I think I'm most excited about True Religion and Lush.

Coming soon . . .

• Nike
• Columbia
• True Religion
• Best Buy Mobile
• Beadniks
• Watch It
• Lush
• Sleepless in Minnesota
• Personalized Station
• Harley Davidson
• Frederick's of Hollywood

It's no secret that the fastest growing area in cosmetics is organic. We're all trying to pay more attention to what we put in our bodies, on our skin, or into the environment. But with all the various labels in makeup today—green, organic, natural, pure, non-toxic—how do you know what's truly safe? And who has time to do the research?

Local "diva" Ann Garrity did the legwork for us by launching her new Minneapolis-based online company Organic Diva. All of the products featured on her site—including Suki (left), Afterglow, Zum Bar, and UV Natural Sunscreen—have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, which means they don't use any of the scary chemicals suspected of causing cancer, mutations, or birth defects. Garrity's latest addition to the store's growing inventory is a section of organic baby products.

Shop now, and Organic Diva will throw in a free Organic Diva T-shirt with any $50 purchase or free standard shipping with any $75 purchase. If nothing else, check out the website's Dirty Dozen—a list of harmful toxins commonly found in cosmetics—to find out if your favorite lipstick might be interfering with your health.

*** As I was writing this blog, my coworker Erin Gulden came over to ask me about a certain makeup brand we'd used on our eyes to complete our Glamorama looks a couple weeks ago. Curious, I looked up the company (along with several of my other favorite department store brands) on the list of those that have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and was disappointed to see few of them were listed. In fact, big-name companies such as L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, Revlon, and Avon have refused to sign. Makes you think twice about your makeup bag . . .

Our September issue will be out any day now, and one of my favorite features in the "Home Tours" cover story package is violinist Margaret Humphrey's 1955 home near White Bear Lake in Dellwood. Margaret, who plays with the Minnesota Opera's orchestra and the Belladonna Baroque quartet, has filled her home with very personal art, including pieces by her late father, John Humphrey, and her brother, David Humphrey.

The spaces in this home could easily have taken up ten magazine pages, so I figured it would be nice to show you a few areas we weren't able to include.

The home's renovated entry features a great art ledge. Also notable is the walnut paneling, which was recycled from the old Allianz building that was demolished to make room for the Walker Art Center's addition. Margaret secured rights to much of the 1948 building's architectural salvage—she knew it would work nicely into her home's renovation because it was of the same general era. Her architect, Tim Stefan, made sense of all of the pieces, including windows, granite slabs, and walnut doors and paneling.

The living room features a new fireplace and ebonized walnut bookcase.

Sculpture fills the home inside . . .

. . . and out. This piece in the inner courtyard is by Margaret's father, John.

The kitchen is part of the home's recent addition. It replaced an old galley kitchen, which in turn became a gallery type of transition space between the original structure and the addition. Although the new kitchen doesn't try to emulate the old one in style, it is complementary aesthetically.

For more, including a great photo of Margaret and her son (a budding artist) on their back deck, check out the September issue.

Hair should be fun, right? That's the mindset longtime stylist Mo Murphy and husband Chris Strouth have taken while planning and designing their new Northeast hair haven Miyagi.

The salon's modern walls, which are offset by the pressed-tin ceiling and wood floors, are painted candy-apple green, bright yellow, chalky blue, and tangerine. Plus, there are a few custom-made wall murals by local artist Eric Inkala. The combination of cartoon-like colors creates a contemporary and artistic backdrop for two rows of hair stations—a much different (and somewhat refreshing) setting compared to most other Aveda salons we've come to know.

Miyagi's vibe is relaxed, the stylists are friendly, and the prices are reasonable—just the type of hair haunt this neighborhood needed. Offering everything from hair cuts, foils, perms, and relaxers to updos, hair treatments, and eyebrow waxing, this place will have no trouble drawing in the eclectic residents of Nordeast.

And there's more than meets the eye: Murphy and Strouth have created an equally fun event space upstairs in which they plan to hold hair-industry events, workshops, neighborhood events, and more.

Open for business now, the salon will hold its official grand opening in mid-September during Aveda Congress (Aveda's biggest hair show of the year, which takes place September 14 and 15 at the Orpheum).

Oh, and the name? Not another word for "zen" or "beauty"—more fun than that. Think The Karate Kid.

Here are some highlights from my mini-tour of the salon:

A color bar in back allows clients to watch as their stylists mix and create hair dyes.

One-of-a-kind wall murals by local artist Eric Inkala decorate the space, creating a unique, urban vibe.

The clean shampoo room gives clients a place to relax.

As an Aveda salon, Miyagi offers rows and rows of your favorite Aveda products in an extensive retail area near the entrance.

Miyagi, 411 E. Hennepin, Mpls., 612-331-1912

In case you've been in a cave throughout the last week, you know that last weekend Macy's hosted the biggest fashion and music event of the year: Glamorama. We were busy around here conducting interviews, shooting video, taking pictures, and analyzing the fashions (not to mention figuring out what we were going to wear).

Take a look at the results.

Videos

Pictures

As far as fashion goes, there were so many fabulously dressed people. Here is a peek at some of my favorites.

Ann and Lili Jackson

Taylor Marks

Models

Laura Schara

Liva Wolf and Mike Gansome

Norm Yustin

Models

Lindsay and Benjamin Graves

It's an exciting time of year for those of us who work on home design stories at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. We just wrapped up our September "Home Tours" feature and are making last-minute tweaks to the fall issue of Mpls.St.Paul Home. As we wait for those issues to hit newsstands and mailboxes, I thought it would be fun to give you another sneak peek at one of the great places you'll be reading about.

I first visited the Lake Calhoun penthouse condo of writer Robert Alexander (bestsellers The Kitchen Boy and The Romanov Bride) and architect Lars Peterssen back in May. It was the night of the ASID Showcase Home gala, and Lars (one of the Domain Architecture & Design architects for the project) and Robert hosted a pre-gala gathering at their place on the top floor of The Edgewater. It's a beautiful window-wrapped space also designed, not surprisingly, by Lars and his colleagues at Domain. We had a few storms that night, and it was cool to watch the clouds roll in over the city. When I returned for our "Home Features" shoot, the day was perfect.

The views of the lake and Downtown Minneapolis are best from the rooftop deck. The building has a green roof, which means storm water runoff goes to plants instead of into storm drains or the lake. The plants are still pretty new, but they're starting to fill in.

On the inside, the entry hall has one of the best wall spans for art. Several of these pieces are from Russia, where Lars and Robert met while in college. They continue to travel there frequently.

The dining space has a beautiful buffet/art niche cut into a rift-sawn oak wall. Lars and Robert first spotted the Brand van Egmond light fixture at a shop in Amsterdam.

For more of this fantastic penthouse condo, be sure to check out our September issue, which will be on newsstands soon. The professional photos are better than my shots, I promise!

Save big on fashionable summer apparel this weekend during gh2's huge end-of-summer sale. The store is closed today (Thursday) in preparation for the event, but be certain that shoppers will start lining up before doors even open tomorrow. With savings of 90 percent off top-name designers (pieces by Peter Cohen, Stella McCartney, Comme des Garçons, and Rick Owens are frequently in stock), it's sure to be a crazy-busy weekend at this Nordeast storefront.

gh2, 318 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-378-0509

And while you're there . . .

Check out Miyagi, the new Aveda salon across the street. I stopped in last night to take a short tour of the E. Hennepin space. What was once a photographer's studio is now a relaxed, contemporary setting for mid-price-range hair and makeup services from Aveda Institute grads. More on Miyagi in my next post . . .

I got a sneak peek at the Fall 2008 Bill Blass New York collection last night at a private, girls-only try on party. The collection, which was designed by Jose Solis, takes inspiration from the works of both painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefer (the colors and textures mimic that of Kiefer's mixed media materials, such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac) as well as architect Zaha Hadid (modern, clean silhouettes and bold graphics). Overall, the collection was full of rich textures, such as metallic foil boucle, dip-dyed flannel, distressed leather, and scratch double-face wool and gorgeous fall colors, including chestnut, Prussian blue, heather gray, and winter white.

I tired on at least a quarter of the collection and fell in love with most of it. Too bad rapper Akon (who was rumored to be staying in the hotel at the time) didn't sweep in with his entourage and credit card to purchase all the beautiful clothes pour moi.

Sarah Ramsay, owner of Bella Sofie and local BBNY consultant, is hosting the BBNY trunk show at the Ivy Hotel's two-story penthouse through August 20. For a personal, ninety-minute shopping experience, contact Ramsay for an appointment.

The LifeStyle editors here at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine are big fans of russell+hazel's chic office supplies, so it was a thrill for us to photograph founder, president, and creative director Chris Plantan's Wayzata home for our September issue's Home Tours feature. Sunny skies greeted our photo crew when we arrived at the 1946 Cape Cod she shares with her husband, David; son, Stephen; and daughter, Michelle. (Michelle was away in New York opening a small r+h boutique at Henri Bendel.) It was a great day to shoot the home's bright spaces.

For gorgeous photos of the home, check out the September issue. But I snapped a few shots of my own to give you a sneak peek.

Books and favorite art pieces fill the living room. A long table in the middle of the room defines two cozy conversation areas. It also makes sense because the space essentially serves as a passageway.

Several russel+hazel products sit on the living room's drafting table. Chris planned work surfaces for every one of the home's rooms.

I love how Chris has stacked books and art pieces on this bench, also in the living room.

The dining room's china cabinet holds a few serving pieces. But it's mostly filled with office supplies that can be put to use when members of the family are at work on the dining room table. The large-numeral notebooks are part of a russell+hazel line coming out this fall.

Even the kitchen is cool. Except for new flooring and countertops, the space hasn't changed for years, so it has a wonderful cottage character.

For the complete story, see our September issue. In the meantime, I'm off on shoots . . . two more this week!

Yesterday morning, I toured the much-buzzed-about Raze, Regis's latest beauty concept aimed at male salon-goers. I returned later last night for the VIP party, where well-suited men (and equally well-dressed women) munched on mini burgers and hot dogs, sipped beer and wine, and raved about the upscale yet welcoming space.

Set in a developing area of Minnetonka, the modern barbershop features rich woodwork, earthy colors, and a beautiful stone fireplace—all in an effort to make the space feel comfortable for men. "Sort of like a 'man cave,'" says Regis franchise division president Mark Kartarik, pointing out the flat-screen TVs tuned to ESPN and CNN, lush leather chairs, and semi-private styling stations.

While waiting for appointments, men can seat themselves in front of the fireplace (a nice touch for Minnesota men); check e-mail at the complimentary computer station; or peruse the simple yet thorough retail area, which displays lines from Jack Black, Lucky Tiger, Nickel, VitaMan, and Crew. Men will also find accessories for sale, such as sunglasses by Armani and Lacoste, wallets by Tumi, and whimsical cuff links by Bey-Berk.

And that's before they've even made it to one of the six styling stations. There, clients are spoiled with reclining leather chairs, warm face towel treatments, and head and neck massages. Services include hair cuts (from $25), coloring (from $35), highlighting, and waxing for eyebrows and neck.

Although the official opening isn't until Friday, Raze director Dennis Margo says that appointments are already being booked weeks in advance. Stylists have undergone two weeks of training from beauty reps and top educators, such as Gordon Nelson, international creative director for Regis. Check it out for yourself (or better yet, send your boyfriend/husband to get pampered), and read more of my take on Raze in Mpls.St.Paul Magazine's October issue.

Each styling station boasts upscale leather chairs that recline, swivel, and adjust for shampooing and clients' needs. No more moving from sink chair to styling chair. It's all in one spot at Raze.

The inviting waiting area in front of the fireplace—not necessary for yesterday's warm August weather, but sure to be popular come November or December.

Products by Lucky Tiger and Jack Black—two of Raze's man-friendly lines.

On their way out, guys will find basic accessories—sunglasses, wallets, and cuff links—in a glass retail case near the front of the shop.

Made for men by men. Three of Raze's masterminds, from left: International creative director Gordon Nelson, president of Regis Corporation's franchise division Mark Kartarik, and vice president of salon operations/Raze director Dennis Margo.

Raze, 6001 Shady Oak Rd., Minnetonka, 952-935-0505

Lusting after fall's rich color palette? Although it may be too early to dress in deep pumpkin velvets, eggplant-colored heavy satins, or any of the incarnations of leafy, autumnal greens that will be so popular for fall, there is a way to start incorporating the look.

Enter Tiffany & Co. and Elsa Peretti, one of its most celebrated jewelry designers. Peretti has created a collection of contoured lacquer bangles in three bold colors—pine, persimmon, and orchid—that are perfect for incorporating the fall color palette a few weeks early.

The dramatically scaled yet lightweight bangles are carved from Japanese hardwood and require multiple layers of urushi (Japanese for lacquer).The glossy finish will make for an interesting juxtaposition against fall's textural finishes and confident prints. 

Tiffany & Co., Galleria, Edina, 952-922-0066

We know where the real life Gossip Girls will be getting ready for school this year. After scooping up resin bangles, chic school bags, and wands of sparkly pink lip-gloss, Manhattan's teens will get the opportunity to pick up the most chic in school supplies by russell+hazel.

The Minneapolis-based purveyor of office chic has set up a temporary pop-up-shop inside Manhattan retail institution Henri Bendel. With russell+hazel concierges on hand to assist in putting together the right combination of binders, planners, and notebooks, looking back-to-school chic has never been so easy.

But even the non-coeds will be sure to find something at r+h—the smart date calendars and Audrey totes have become favorites of your Style Parlor team.

The shop is officially set to be open through mid-September, but according to r+h's proprietor, Chris Plantan, it's been asked to stick around for a bit longer.

Visit the only free-standing russell+hazel boutique at 4388 France Ave S., Mpls., 952-929-9000.

A buzz of activity greeted me the day I first visited Nina Rothschild Utne's home in Linden Hills. Son Eli and his friends were having fun at the piano, and the back deck was being prepared for an evening jam session. Family dog Felix tagged along as Nina led me (along with Alecia Stevens, Nina's friend and designer) on a tour.

Nina's place is one of seven featured in the Home Tours package, out soon in our September issue. Here's a glimpse of what you'll see (and some bonus shots of rooms we didn't have time to shoot). These are my  scouting shots . . . you'll see much better professional shots in the magazine!

The living room is filled with all sorts of books, photos, and artifacts—mostly gifts from family and friends. I particularly liked this corner. The walls here and throughout the house are brushed with no-VOC Yolo paint from Natural Built Home.

Upper cabinets are installed over the kitchen windows. Glass fronts and backs allow light to shine through.

This cool breakfast bay is where the family really hangs out, Nina tells me.

The family room just off the kitchen is the perfect spot to lounge before dinner. Nina said the sofa was part of the home's contents when she and her ex-husband, Eric, purchased the home twenty-three years ago. It still works so well in the space.

We didn't shoot the back deck for the magazine feature, but Nina told me the pillows on the bench as well as many of the home's contents once belonged to her grandmother. It seems that everything she owns has meaning.

See more photos (including one of Nina and sons Sam, Oliver, and Eli on the backyard trampoline!), and read about Nina's big plans for the house in the September issue. Have a great weekend!