Rough weekend? We understand. So we’ll make this short and sweet. Despite what your seemingly well-intentioned friends tell you, your best defense against a hangover is not more alcohol. Try coconut water instead.

Branded as “nature’s sports drink”, the many benefits of coconut water, whether or not you’re recovering from too many excesses, make it worth incorporating into your diet. One 14oz container contains more potassium than 2 bananas and 15x the amount contained in normal sports drinks.  It is fat and cholesterol free, packed with five major electrolytes – potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, sodium and calcium – and regulates your digestive system which improves your skin, detoxifies your body and boosts your immune system.

Still not sold? In January 2010, Madonna, a woman known for her extreme exercise regiment and overall obsession with health and prolonged youth invested in Vita Coco, the nation’s best selling coconut water. The MKIAs happen to be big fans of Vita Coco as well. With 60% of the market share, it is the most accessible of all the brands but ZICO runs a close second and is also a good bet. You can buy both at amazon.com.

A few things to remember with coconut water – you should drink it chilled, it just tastes better, and once opened it should be consumed within 48 hours. We hope you will heed our (and Madonna’s) advice and make coconut water part of your permanent diet. Why not start today? If you had a weekend anything like ours, we are sure you need it.

xoxo Melina

It’s that time again.  Memorial Day weekend = the start of summer fun and where there is fun, there must be good music. Here are seven new songs to help you get things started…

Airplanes, B.o.B (featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore) – Released last month, you have no doubt heard this on the radio. But we want to make sure it’s on your radar screen. B.o.B’s retro rap style and lighthearted lyrics combined with Hayley Williams’ powerful vocal bridge make this a truly unique summer track. You will definitely put this one on repeat. Listen at myspace.com/bobatl or download at itunes.com/b.o.b..

Bulletproof, La Roux – Watch out bad boys, La Roux says: “This time baby, I’Il be bulletproof…” This very danceable track is the perfect summer girl anthem but wihout any of the cheese that turns the boys off. Ladies, you may have to grab a boy and take him out on the floor for this one. Listen at myspace.com/larouxuk or download at itunes.com/laroux.

Unthinkable, Alicia Keys – Released in December, this song has only recently started getting radio play. That’s too bad because it’s one of her better performances. The sexy beats and undulating vocals are sure to put you in the mood for some summer loving. And what is summer without love? Listen at myspace.com/aliciakeys or download at itunes.com/aliciakeys.

Heartbreaker, will.i.am – Ok so technically this song was released in 2007 BUT no one heard it until it was featured in this year’s lackluster rom-com, Valentine’s Day. When the gorgeous Eric Dane appeared shirtless with the song’s chorus – “I’m a heart, I’m a heartbreaker” – bumping in the background I was hooked. Turns out the song is super catchy and very danceable. I imagine myself taking a summer run in a cute workout ensemble with this blasting in my ears. Now that’s motivation! Listen and download at itunes.com/will.i.am.

OMG, Usher (featuring will.i.am) – The quintessential party track, this will be playing at all the clubs this summer. “Honey gotta booty like pow pow pow…” Ok, so it’s not poetry but who cares? Listen at myspace.com/usher or download at itunes.com/usher.

Can’t Touch It, Ricki Lee (SATC Soundtrack) – You have heard this song on every Sex and The City 2 movie trailer for the last month so why not just download it already? Once you see the movie, you will no doubt want it for your own personal soundtrack. What better way to boost your mood while you prep for your own glamorous summer nights? Listen and download on iTunes.

Heartbreak on Vinyl, Blake Lewis – Blake, thank you for taking what was so great about 80′s new-wave and making it your own. This is just good, happy music. Check out the rest of Blake’s October 2009 album, we know it will become one of your new favorites. Listen at myspace.com/blakelewis or download at itunes.com/blakelewis.

Have a great weekend!

xoxo Melina

Short shorts, no problem. Mini skirts, you don’t scare us. It’s the first weekend of the summer and that means you are going to want to bare some skin. We applaud you and, as always, we want to help. These three products will get those gams in gorgeous shape to show off all your flirty frocks.

The first step is to fight cellulite. Yes, I used the c-word. It’s there, we all have it and we all know it. So when a good friend introduced me to Soap & Glory’s Slimwear I have never been so grateful. The “triple action peptide complex” targets “problematic orange peel areas” and makes your thighs smooth and soft. The lotion is light and has a clean smell so you can use it all summer to keep those dimples at bay. We also love its’ retro pink packaging – you won’t want to hide this cute little miracle under your sink!

Next you need some color. We love a good spray tan but it’s not exactly the practical option to get you through the summer. After testing a handful of self tanners and reading tons of reviews, Jergens Natural Glow Firming Moisturizer is my recommendation. It gave me the most natural looking color without any streaks or strange brown spots. It comes in three shades for different skin colors. I use the one for fair skin and apply it every other day, which gives me a nice, light tan that lets me get away with wearing shorts and skirts as soon as the weather gets warm!

Finally, when you want to feel super sexy give yourself an extra glow with Estee Lauder’s Bronze Goddess Body Oil Spray. This light spray is infused with little gold flecks that illuminate your skin and makes you look like you just came off the beach. The smell is fantastic too. We promise that this potion will be one of your favorite summer staples. But hurry, it’s a limited edition!

xoxo Melina

Memorial Day is just one week away and so it’s time to get serious about your swimwear. For today, we are focusing more on the merchandise and less on the why and how. You ladies know what you like and we are here to show you where to get it. The one message we would like to convey, however, is that less is more when it comes to your derriere. Thats right, if you put too much fabric over that tush you are likely to make it look wider and less round. So no matter what the style, one-piece or two-piece, go with moderate to less coverage, be confident and shake what your momma gave ya! Here are some of our favorite flattering suits of the season:

Left to Right: 1. Tibi, Roulette Shirred Bikini – 2. Splendid, Vintage Dot Bikini - 3. Vix, Crystal Ripple Bikini

Left to Right: 1. Zimmerman, Gitana Printed Triangle Bikini – 2. Mara Hoffman, Twisted One Piece – 3. Milly, Biarritz Triangle Bikini in Blush

Left to Right: 1. Maya, Cherry Coral Side Tide Signature Cut Bikini – 2. Maya Black Signature Cut with Triangle Top

Left to Right: 1. Mara Hoffman, Bird White V-Wire Bikini – 2. Kathleen Cook, Martinique One Shoulder Tank – 3. Tigerlilly, Paco Bandeau and Tiger Bottom

Want another incentive to shop? Today the site SireneCollection.com (the source for the three suits featured above) is offering a 15% discount when you enter the code “PEOPLE15″ at checkout. With the heat wave most of us are experiencing this week, you shouldn’t need any other excuse to take a few minutes and find a suit that suits you!

Charm bracelets are the epitome of jewelry you can “build on”, which, let’s face it, is my favorite kind. So when I got my first charm bracelet (actually my Grandfather’s rose-gold, pocket watch chain that I had a jeweler make into a bracelet), I searched high and low to find a good source for interesting charms. It took two years but it was worth the wait.

With over 300, 14k gold charms, Charmco.com has the biggest selection I’ve seen anywhere. The mother-daughter design team have sophisticated tastes that translate into gorgeous, “heirloom quality, vintage inspired” charms. What makes a charm bracelet special is when it is a personal representation of the life of the woman wearing it. Each charm on the chain should symbolize an element of the woman’s identity and together tell a short story about her. Charmco makes starting your story (and building on it) easy with a vast assortment of categories such as Beauty & Fashion, Sports & Hobbies, Love & Luck, Pets & Animals and many more. And if you still can’t find what your looking for, the owner’s say that they’ll find it for you.

Some of our favorite designs are featured above (from left to right): 1. Star Charm (this can be engraved with a date or initials), 2. Agate Frog Charm (a symbol of fertility in many cultures and perfect for the mommy-to-be), 3. Feather Charm (the feather has many meanings but the most common are celestial wisdom, virtue, and peace – all good things), 4. Flying Pig Charm (anything is possible when solid gold pigs have wings), 5. Stiletto Heel Charm (for the fearless fashionista), and 6. Custom Calendar with Diamond (we love this for a new mom – what a great way to memorialize her baby’s birth).

Personalized service is hard to come by these days, as is a supremely stylish family business so we at MKIA are delighted to have found the women of  Charmco. We hope they inspire you to create your own charm collection or start one for someone special!

xoxo Melina

I’ve been wearing eye-makeup since before I can remember. While pledging my sorority in college, I was incredibly depressed when my fellow “sisters” and I weren’t allowed to wear makeup for SIX weeks! It’s not that I don’t feel confident without makeup. I happen to love the art of its’ application and all the different looks I can create.

So when I found Sephora’s I.T. Smudge Shadow Brush, I questioned how I functioned all these years without it. It features a flat head with short, soft bristles making it extremely easy to shade with precision right along the lash line for a smooth daytime look or a smoky evening eye.

I am not alone in my newfound adoration. Co-created by the French architect (yes, an architect!) Philippe Di Méo and the Sephora Pro Beauty Team, this little miracle wand has been getting a lot of press, including a feature on the NY Times blog. Praised for its’ design and affordability, the entire I.T. brush collection is worth the small investment.

The smoky eye, as seen on all the celebrities these days, is one of my favorite makeup applications and so I am delighted to be able to share my strategy for creating this alluring look as well as some of my favorite products:

Step 1: I start with a primer (Ubran Decay’s Eye Shadow Primer Potion is great) to make the shadow last longer and prevent it from melting into the upper creases.

Step 2: Once the primer is dry, I coat my lids with a neutral beige color just slightly darker than my skin. Fresh’s eye shadow trio in Chamomile is a great all-in-one product that you can use to create this entire look. The Nutmeg color is my base and the Ivory color is the perfect highlighter and should be applied right below the arch of your eyebrows.

Step 3: Next, I use a narrow eyeliner brush to draw a thin line along my top lash-line.  I’ve always liked Sephora’s Professional Platinum Angled Eyeliner Brush #23 and Mac’s Fluidline in Blacktrack or Dipdown. The angle of the brush combined with the smooth gel formula make it easy to glide on for a flawless look that adds definition and really make your eyes pop.

Step 4:  Once the eyeliner dries, I use my new I.T. brush to shade just above and directly on my eyeliner with a dark brown shadow (I use the Deep Brown Shimmer color in the Fresh Trio mentioned above), drawing the line a tad thicker and fanning it out as I come to the outer corner of my eye. For a more dramatic look, I apply a second coat of the darker shadow, or even a black one (I love Chanel’s Quadra Shadow), to the upper and lower lash line.  I’m always careful not to apply too much dark shadow under my eye – I don’t want to look like Gossip Girl’s Jenny Humphrey!

Step 5: Finally, I sweep on several strokes of Mascara (I like Tarte’s Lights, Camera, Lashes), gently gliding the brush from eyelash roots to tips, and my sultry look is complete.

I pair this eye with a neutral beige or pink gloss and some sun-kissed bronzer for a fun summer day or salacious summer night. Add this look to your beauty regime and your life will definitely imitate art!

Celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, kale, cherries, potatoes, and grapes. What do all of these have in common? When grown conventionally (not organically) they rank the highest in toxic pesticides and can cause long lasting damage to human health. According to the Environmental Working Group, “Scientists now know the long term consequences of ingesting these powerful chemicals to advise that we minimize our consumption of pesticides.”

I had never heard of “The Dirty Dozen” until I visited a nutritionist and she informed me that some of my favorite fruits and veggies were harmful if not eaten organically. Shocked, I went online to find a resource that could help me better navigate the produce section.

Luckily the EWG created a website - foodnews.org - dedicated to this cause and where you can download their Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides. Available as a PDF or as a handy iPhone App, the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides lists The Dirty Dozen as well as their benign counterpart – The Clean 15. The site itself is very informative as is EWG’s main website, ewg.org, where you can access an array of health and safety guides. This information will not only help you be a better consumer, it will help you live a healthier life.

With the weather getting warmer and summer right around the corner you are probably ready for some fun. What you need is a soundtrack to go with your mood and we think these girls are just the answer. Both are British, both are platinum blonde, and both just released their albums in March.

If you are like the MKIAs, when summer hits you want upbeat, pop tracks that get your spirits up and make you want to dance. (But nothing too cheesy please.) And while we love Rihanna and Gaga, there is more out there. So if you like your pop creatively synthesized, not mass produced, check out Goldfrapp’s latest album, Head First and Little Boots’ debut album, Hands. These two British imports are bringing us a fresh sound with influences from the 70s and 80s. Here are our favorite tracks:

Little Boots: (1) New In Town (from the Jennifer’s Body Soundtrack), (2) Earthquake, and (3) Click. You can hear the full tracks at myspace.com/littleboots or download them at itunes.com/littleboots.

Goldfrapp: (1) Rocket, (2) Dreaming, and (3) Believer. You can listen to the full tracks at myspace.com/goldfrapp or download them at itunes.com/goldfrapp.

We hope you appreciate both of them for their unique sounds. Their infectious beats and cool vocals are undeniable and sure to make you want to get outside and soak up some sun and fun!

Thanks to the genius of Coco Chanel, this is one pattern that will never go out of style. I’ve always loved the quintessential striped tee and believe it has a place in every women’s wardrobe. Luckily we are experiencing a stripe revival in the fashion world, which means there are loads of options to stock up on one of my favorite staples.  Here are some of my recent picks, from casual to more embellished options.

Above Left - J.Crew’s Vintage Bateau Top $36 / Above Right - Petite Bateu’s Organic Mariniere Sweater $88. Wear these two laid-back options with almost anything – skinny distressed jeans, cargos, flowy shorts and skirts.

Above Left - Anthropologie’s Stripes & Lights Tee $78 / Above Right – Tart for Victoria’s Secret Embellished Long Sleeve Slub Tee $49.50. Dressed up with black or dark blue skinny jeans and heels, these two pretty pieces are sure to make a statement. They would also look great with a black miniskirt and sandals or a short, ballerina-style skirt (if you are more daring you can try red).

Above Left and Right  - J.Crew’s Featherweight Cashmere Stripe Boatneck Pullover (in Indigo and Azalea) $188. A slouchy, lightweight cashmere is the perfect compliment to summer shorts and a great pair of heels or wedges.  Glam it up with a pendant necklace and some bangles and you have an outfit that will last you for summers to come.

Your home is your sanctuary. Or, at least you’d like it to be. VivaTerra can help. This unique retailer offers everything for the home from linens and tabletop to furniture and wall decor with a focus on quality and sustainability. Unlike other organic and eco-friendly sources I’ve encountered, VivaTerra’s collections are an unexpected fusion of bohemian and sophisticate.

I use their African Market Baskets to organize my dogs’ toys and ALL the magazines we have laying around the house. The Bamboo Box Knife Holders are an artful twist to a functional kitchen tool – The different colors and shapes will create a cool, modern display on your counter. On a warm day, use their Clear Recycled Glass Wine Decanter and Glasses to drink some great Rose and imagine you are in a garden in the south of France. The Linen Papillon Pillows‘ iridescent butterflies painted on off-white linen are the perfect accent to take your home from spring to summer.

These are just a few highlights…go to VivaTerra.com to see all the fun, clever and beautifully designed items they offer. You can be sure you will find something special that won’t damage our “living earth”.