It’s that time of year again. Time to draw hearts around your sweetie’s name and buy them chocolates and jewelry. Or you can give the gift of portraiture with an intimate photo shoot in our studio or on-location. We’re offering one free session and two half-price sessions to three lucky winners. Read more for entry rules.

Entry Rules:

1) Like our Facebook Page and follow us on twitter @NasKaras.

2) On Facebook tell us how you met and where your first date was.

3) Share this post.

That’s it.

Winner will receive a voucher for a free studio portrait session or on-location in the NYC 5-boroughs only. Two runners-up will receive a 50% discount on one studio session. Enter by 11:59pm, Feburary 13th, 2013. Couples only. Cannot be combined with any other discount or offer. Winning voucher & and discounts expire on 12/31/13.

In honor of the holiday season, I proudly present the second annual Christmas Tree time lapse. Eat well, be merry, be safe, and most of all, rest well. Happy Holidays my friends!

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week may have come and gone again, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop strutting your stuff. As is tradition after Fashion Week, I have a swag bag full of fancy girly products for one lucky winner. Included in this season’s catch is the following:

Artistry Time Defiance SPF 15 Lotion – This lotion is proven to defy time by stopping it completely when applied. Starting time back up again requires the purchase of Artistry’s Time Re-Activation SPF-15 Lotion

Lancome Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate – It’s French, what else do you need to know?

Lancome Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate Eye – See above, for sexy French eyes.

Lancome Rouge In Love High Potency Lip Color – Also known as Lip-stick.

TRESemme Shampoo & Conditioner – The label says that these two have a “Reconstructing Complex”. At least its better than having an inferiority complex.

Mystery Box 1: Courtesy of Renaissance Hotels – Could be a bracelet, could be a woopie cushion. Open it to find out.

Mystery Box 2: Courtesy of Designer Marusya – This one sounds like a bracelet when I shake it. But it could also be a yearly subscription to UFC Magazine. But it’s probably a bracelet. That second part was wishful thinking on my part.

Mercy Beverage – This drink is caffeine free and full of vitamins and amino acids and crap. It’s suppose to help with feeling like crap after drinking. I have one  more can that I’m saving for just such an occasion to test its effectiveness. So, after you’re done playing with all your little gifts, go out drinking and try this. Then let’s compare notes.

Emilio Cavallini – Firenze – Sexy colorful stockings. I’m actually kind of excited about these. If you’re not familiar with the designer, check out some highlights from last month’s presentation:

How to Win:

“Like” the Nas Karas Facebook Page and follow Nas Karas on Twitter if you haven’t done so already. Then Tweet the following message:

” Follow @NasKaras & Enter For A Chance To Win A Gift Bag From Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek http://bit.ly/Hz76Rk “

A winner will be chosen at random this Monday, April 2nd. Contest applies to residents of the lower 48 States only. Sorry Hawaiians and Alaskans.

Good luck and have a great weekend!

Dubstep: The soundtrack to pretty much everything these days.
Cute Cat Video: The most popular video genre in internet history.

It was only a matter of time before these two joined forces. Caution: This may make your computer explode.

So you’re done with the excessive holiday eating? What better way to strut your new-found pounds than with the annual No-Pants Subway Ride. What originally began as a 7-person prank has now evolved into an internationally observed day of silliness. More than 4,000 people took their trousers off yesterday in New York City’s subways, and thousands more reportedly joined in around the world. Improv Everywhere organizes the annual event, where the sexy strap-hangers begin their train rides all over the city and then converge onto Union Square Park for an impromptu celebration of sorts.

Although the gag had started out as something secretive in its earlier years, the powers of the interwebs have brought the shenanigans to light over time. You’d be hard-pressed to find a New Yorker who hasn’t seen the annual event first hand, or at least heard something about it. It has also become less about theatrical allure and more about shock value. Flamboyant, attention-craving twenty-somethings now have a second Halloween to dress promiscuously. But its all in good fun.

Hello ladies (and/or Gents)

Up for grabs is a Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Goodie-Bag filled to the brim with delightful little items to make you ooh! and ahh! for days on end. Bring a little Fashion Week into your life with the following collectibles, supposedly valued at over $200.00!

• What I originally thought was a shower cap. Actually some fancy Asian yarmulke-thing
• A red pouch thing
• 2x: The smallest pocketbook I’ve ever seen in my life (no joke, this thing only has room for 50 cents)
• Nozin Nasal Sanitizer (What is nasal sanitizer? What ever happened to blowing your nose on your shirt?)
• A small pink sealed box with a bunch of Asian characters on it and “Sugar & Spice” written on the front. Could be lip stick, could be a canary. I’ll never know. It’s up to you to find out.
• A small sheer pouch with blue ribbons in it. I honestly would not be able to guess what purpose this serves. Maybe for your hair? You could maybe use it as a band-aid in the woods. That is, if you fashionistas go camping and stuff.
• A small (2″x2″x3″) blue pleather pouch entitled “emergency kit for fashionistas” it includes sanitary napkin sized essentials like breath freshener, dental floss, deodorant, pain reliever, blotting tissues, etc. Nice idea. The only problem with this proprietary packaging is that once you’ve used one item, it’s not replaced, and so the kit has lost some of it’s “emergency” status. Regardless, it’s yours for the taking. In all of its mediocre glory.
• Maybbelline mascara with packaging clearly targeting teens.
• A CD entitled “Cha Cha” with such classic hits as “Cha Cha Only” and everyone’s favorite, “Cabana Boy”. Once the disc has been fully enjoyed once, it can be used as a coaster or mirror to check your face on the couch while your boyfriend is in the bathroom.
• TRESemme Hair Tamer Spray. For those days when your hair is growling with anger and you need to tame it.
• 99cent children’s sunglasses with “UV eye protection”
• A 6 count box of Fiber One 90 calorie Brownies. Note: This item is currently unavailable due to the fact that it was eaten.
• Arizona A.M. Awake Fast Shot (Made with real Crack)
• Arizona Rx Energy Fast Shot (Made with real Meth)
• An insulated DHL iced coffe cup/travel mug. Sipping coffee was never this stylish.
• 2x: Mentos UP2U gum
• ideeli $25 gift card
• A fabulous BOOK called “Drinking Problems at the Fountain of Youth” by my favorite author Beth Teitell
• 2x: Lip Lacquer by Napoleon Perdis
• Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer
• Stila Mango Crush lip & cheek stain with shimmer (I think I saw this used on some male models so you know its unisex!)
• BECCA Jewel Dust sparkling powder for eyes
• Tela SPF18 Sun protection for hair and scalp. Not to be confused with Tela SPF25 Sun protection for eyelashes and knuckle hair.
• 1 Aluminum VLOV business card holder with fancy design
• 1 XS black top by Walter Baker (MSRP $98.00)

Just in case you forget who puts all this Fashion Week hoopla together, Mercedes-Benz kindly reminds you as soon as you enter the lobby with this stunning SLS AMG Convertible. This panty-dropping beast features Mercedes’ 6.3 liter engine which produces a disgusting 518hp and 465ft-lbs of torque. Mercedes claims this is the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 engine to date. But with looks like this, do you really care? Do you really need the 5.5 liter Turbo, or [God forbid] the 6.0 liter V12 bi-turbo? Well, depending on how short/fat/bald/old/Alpha/small-penis you are, you may want to consider the latter, with a tarmac-defacing 604hp/738lb-ft.

This body type is fairly new to the lineup, following the initial launch of the SLS Gullwing Roadster. There’s something very special about the roadster, which takes its styling heritage from the 300SL Gullwing Coupe of the 1950′s, but I’d have to go with the convertible. There’s nothing like the the open road, the wind in your hair toupée, and an open top to let everyone know who the short/fat/bald/old/Alpha/small-penis guy is.

Yours starting at a very reasonable $190K

[Mercedes-Benz USA]

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is upon us and we’re kicking off the festivities with some images from yesterday’s action.

Way Zen started her JSong Way line over twenty years ago. She took a trip to the orient and quickly fell in love with the rich embroidery artisans were producing. Zen has since been producing rich, hand-crafted articles that drape a woman’s body very elegantly. JSong Way focuses on details. By using unique craft patters that eliminate visible seams when working with textures, an aesthetic balance is achieved in every individual design. Gallery after the break:

It’s kind of a rare sight to see the a New York City expressway completely devoid of traffic. It’s almost eerie in fact. You’d expect this scene in a post-apocalyptic Hollywood movie like I Am Legend or Escape From New York, but to see it with you own eyes is something else. This was the scene a couple of weeks ago in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on the I-278 (better known to us New Yorkers as the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway). Normally, around rush hour, this northbound section is one of the most congested in the whole city. So what scared all the cars away?

And what caused the locals to stop what they were doing and gawk at the roadway from the overpass?

Why, a major accident of course. Apparently a fuel truck had jumped the divider and was leaking dangerously flammable diesel. The incident occurred around 6pm on July 13th and blocked all northbound traffic for a few hours until it was all sorted out. The pictures were taken at roughly 7pm when I arrived on the scene. NYCfire.net explains the rundown of the correspondence leading to the cleanup effort.

Box 8869 – BQE and Bedford Avenue E/B

18:30
Disp 139: EMS Box 8869 for a vehicle leaking fuel
L108: is it on the BQE?
Disp: 10-4

18:31
Disp to BC31: now receiving auto accident possibly with a vehicle hanging over the rail
BC31 requests a 10-12

18:34
L108: the accident is on the BQE E/B just before the Kent Ave Exit – we have an oil truck up on the divider – seems to be leaking some product
BC31: I’m 10-84 – have PD respond we are going to close off the highway for now – we have a jack-knifed fuel truck over the divider

18:39
Disp tries to raise BC31 unsuccessfully

18:41
BC31: Box 8869 we have a gasoline tanker truck whose diesel tanks have ruptured – we’re going to need a Squad – have Hazmat contact us on the 800MHZ – we have the E/B BQE shutdown – we’ll also need a Sanitation sander – we’re using 2 and 2

18:42
BC31: we have EMS on the scene – it was the tanker truck and another vehicle – they appear to be minor injuries – however we do need PD – have the incoming units and PD respond to the BQE E/B on the corner of Williamsburg St and Hewes(sp?) St – they can enter that way and turn around and come back to us – about 50 yards k
Disp: how much fuel has spilled?
BC31: These are the diesel tanks that supply the motor – the gasoline tanks are in tact – approx 20-30 gallons

18:48
BC31: Continuing to use 2 and 2 – we have a precautionary foam line stretched – we’re awaiting the arrival of the additional units k

18:49
DC11 requests a ticket

18:58
DC11 is 10-84

19:00
BC31: the tanker is empty – if any incoming units are having difficulty getting on the BQE they can get on at Metropolitan Ave and come in against traffic – the highway is still shutdown

19:05
DC11: Box 8869 we’ll  have the BQE closed for a considerable amount ot time – tanker is on the divider – the tanker is empty – however the shadow tank is leaking – Hazmat on the scene – one precautionary line stretched – PWH
Disp to DC11: still using the 2 and 2?
DC11: standby

Some pedestrian video from the opposite side of the highway:

As for me, I eventually needed the BQE to get home, and so I reversed the car onto this Metropolitan Avenue Exit and enjoyed an empty highway ride home at rush hour.

A big part of being a good host/tour guide in the Big Apple involves introducing out-of-towners to some good food. New York has every cuisine under the sun, and we do most (if not all) of them well. When my mother came to visit last month from Greece, I felt it was my Gotham duty to take her to as many exotic eateries as possible. We were tackling Asian culinary arts during week two, so we had to check out Seva in Astoria for some of the best Indian food in the outer boroughs.

The venue, located on 34th Street and 30th Avenue is small but cozy. It’s so tiny in fact that the entire kitchen and restrooms are tucked below ground. The wait staff is extremely friendly and attentive, and the food is simply phenomenal. Before learning about this place, I would trek to Jackson Heights, Manhattan and even Hoboken for great Indian grub. But now it’s in my back yard. And I like that.

Check out Seva next time you’re in the mood for some expertly prepared Eastern deliciousness.