A big banner ad on the IT’SUGAR website  says, “Candy scented hand sanitizers available now.”

“Keep your hands clean and smelling great with your favorite candy-scented hand sanitizers. Set of four includes one each of Smarties, Icee, Dippin’ Dots and Mike and Ike. Each includes a silicone case with candy logo on front, which easily hooks onto your bags. Contains 65% alcohol,” the product description says. Each bottle is one ounce.

IT’SUGAR is based in Deerfield Beach and is owned by BBX Capital Corp. of Fort Lauderdale (NYSE: BBX).

The hand sanitizer shortage is so acute nationwide that some alcoholic beverage distilleries are starting to make hand sanitizers.

The post An unusual source of hand sanitizer appeared first on Lifestyle Media Group.

While its entrance may seem unassuming, The Salon Project boasts an extended interior that spans 3,000 square feet and includes styling stations, product displays and aesthetic charm. It features chic, minimalist decor with gold accents and luxe furnishings. As part of Warren’s technology-infused beauty initiative, guests are greeted with augmented-reality mirrors that allow them to try different cuts, colors and products in seconds.

“We are revolutionizing the salon industry and creating the salon of the future,” Warren says. “It is a new concept, like taking Apple, Sephora and a high-end salon and mixing them all together.”

This location is the third of many locations scheduled to open as part of Warren’s exclusive partnership with Saks Fifth Avenue announced in 2017. The two prior locations currently taking reservations include Manhattan and Long Island, with nearly a dozen more projected to open in the coming years.

Joel Warren is redefining the salon experience by combining technology, expert stylists and exquisite aesthetics. His salons use brands like Oribe, Kerastase, Shu Emura and L’Oreal Professional and employ a staff of carefully-selected master stylists, estheticians and service professionals. In order to ensure that clients receive only the best from The Salon Project, favorite members of the styling team often split their time between the New York and Boca Raton locations.

As clients enter the salon, they are greeted by the stylist that will accompany them throughout their entire visit, creating a unique and super-personalized experience from start to finish. Warren explains this as an integral part of his vision for the brand.

“It’s a place to go where a woman comes in and gets taken care of, with the best trained stylists, curated products and gorgeous facilities. It will be a totally new experience in beauty, and a new category.”

Salon offerings include hair, makeup, skincare and nail services for both men and women as well as a wide variety of select retail items available for purchase.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit thesalonproject.com.

The post The Salon Project opens inside Boca Raton’s Saks Fifth Avenue appeared first on Lifestyle Media Group.

When Danielle Dattile left South Florida for New York City at age 21, she had visions of a life similar to Sarah Jessica Parker’s character in “Sex in the City.” Sixteen years later, as CEO of Onze Importers in Fort Lauderdale, Dattile is living a life that Paul Giamatti’s character in “Sideways” could only dream about.

Had the 36-year-old entrepreneur actually seen the 2004 film often referred to as one of the great wine movies of all time, this would be an even stronger analogy. But if “Sideways” hasn’t been on Dattile’s radar, it’s only because she’s had her eye on a bigger picture—one that seems to expand with each passing month.

Since launching her own wine importing company last year, Dattile and her business partner and chief financial officer, Peter Weitz, have put Onze on the industry map with a portfolio of exceptional offerings that includes a brand that Dattile owns—Maison Belle Claire, a sophisticated, dry rosé from Provence, France.

Just how did a one-time real estate professional end up with a burgeoning wine empire? Here are some things we learned about Dattile’s journey during a lunch interview at Caffe Europa on Las Olas Boulevard.

1) Early wine roots: “Ever since I was little, my family was into wine,” Dattile says. “I remember being 12 and drinking red wine and Coke with dinner. It’s an Italian thing, kind of like a spritzer. … My step-father introduced me to Italian wines. He’d open these $60 bottles of Amarone (a high-end grape from Piedmont in Italy) and let me try them. … When I went away to school in Tallahassee for a bit, my step-dad put cases of Amarone and high-end Cabernets in my car. Everyone else was drinking vodka, and here I was drinking fine red wines.”

2) New York state of mind: Following in her family’s professional footsteps, the graduate of Jupiter High School started selling real estate in South Florida at age 19. She moved to New York a few years later, where she continued to pursue real estate. Looking for something different after the market crashed in the late 2000s, she landed a job in wine and spirits sales with Empire Merchants, a career change that ultimately would bring her back to South Florida as an account development specialist with Premier Beverage.

3) The spirits moved her: “[So much of what] I’m doing now—involving the relationship part of sales and follow-up—I learned from my real estate days,” she says. “But I felt like the wine and spirits path was perfect for me; I’m such a foodie and such a wine [lover].”

4) The light bulb moment: Starting her own wine importing company was never far from Dattile’s thoughts during her tenure with Republic National, where she served as account manager for Broward County and the Keys. In January 2018, opportunity knocked when Dattile met with the retiring owner of Romano Brands of New York. “I was like, ‘Ding, ding, ding!’ We’re buying this,” she says. Onze Importers officially launched last summer.

5) Her portfolio: In addition to Maison Belle Claire, the Onze product portfolio includes a high-end rosé (Maison Belle Claire Grande Reserve), a light rosé with 30 percent fewer calories (Luminere by Maison Belle Claire), four Bordeaux wines, and Onze by Maison Belle Claire offerings in Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and sparkling wine.

6) What’s in a number: Why Onze? The word, in French, means 11—a symbolic number to Dattile, and not just because her birthday falls on that day. “That number has followed me throughout my life,” she says. “In numerology, it’s also the master number, the most intuitive of all numbers.”

7) Its reputation precedes it: Part of the prestige surrounding the Maison Belle Claire Rosé—whose 2017 vintage was a blend of Grenache (55 percent), Syrah (25 percent) and Cinsaut (20 percent); the 2018 blend will add a fourth grape, Vermentino, for added floral notes—involves its esteemed viticulturalist, James de Roany. Included in de Roany’s 30-plus years of industry experience is eight years as the lead blender for Moët Hennessey Louis Vuitton’s flagship Champagne—Dom Pérignon. “No rosé in the market can say that they have this [level of] viticulturalist making the most amazing blend in rosé,” Dattile says. “I’m passionate about everything that’s behind this wine.”

8) South Florida footprint: Along with a Northeast presence thanks to a distributor in Connecticut, Onze is making its mark in South Florida. Restaurants throughout Fort Lauderdale are featuring Maison Belle Claire. Among them: Runway 84, Rooftop @1WLO, Township, Boatyard, Tacocraft, ROK:BRGR, Henry’s Sandwich Shop and Pier 66. In addition, Dattile has an off-premise partnership with Ocean Wine & Spirits, which has stores on Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard and East Las Olas Boulevard, as well as in Wilton Manors.

9) Versatility is a virtue: “Rosé is really a red wine; people are confused about that,” Dattile says. “It’s a light red wine, and it drinks like a red or a white. So, you can drink it with anything—seafood, pasta, pizza, steak.”

10) What the future holds: At press time, Dattile was in negotiations with national distributors. “I feel like I’m doing what I was meant to do,” she says.

The post Entrepreneur Danielle Dattile on her wine importing company appeared first on Lifestyle Media Group.