Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Support the Doggies!

I am doing a Walk for the Animals this weekend and would love if you could please support my efforts!  Click here - every little bit counts!  Thank you!!!


Sadie and I thank you!

Street Art in NY! Moving Street Art!

Knowing my love of street art, my husband forwarded me this link from the New York Daily News...so cool!

 Members of TATS Cru created a mural of NY Knicks player Jeremy Lin on East 2nd St. at Avenue A on Tuesday. (Jefferson Siegel/for New York Daily News)

Also, while removing the grays from my head, I found out that my colorist loves street art as well!  We started talking about the different styles of art, the movie Exit Through the Gift Shop (which I highly recommend), and then he mentioned "moving street art".  This is SO COOL!!!  The  movie is a bit long, but it is so amazing!




How Priti!

I am a big beauty supply lover (along with shoe lover, scarf over, jeans lover, jewelry lover, etc.). I js signed up for monthly deliveries of new equity finds from www.beautybox5.com. Click here to learn more.


I received my first box of goodies this weekend and couldn't wait to try everything out! My nail polish has seen better days, so no time like the present to try the PRITI NYC soy nail polish remover cloth. I LOVE IT! Not only is it a biodegradable wipe, it was so easy to take off my base coat, 2 coats of dark gray polish, and top coat. I loved that the cloth enabled me to remove the polish along my cuticles with ease...cotton balls just don't do that for me. You have to get out q-tips to totally clean off the polish left behind by the cotton ball...too many steps for me.






The packaging boasts that "this earth friendly product is naturally derived from farm crops and does not contain any petroleum products...it is non-toxic, contains no carcinogens...has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency."




The yuck smell from conventional nail polish removers - no more! I highly recommend checking this product out. Go to www.pritinyc.com to learn more.


(I did not get paid for this review...I really like it and want you to know!)

Sunday, February 26, 2012

South Beach, China Grill, Lenny Kravitz - AMAZING!

This weekend was just what the doctor ordered!  After a long week out of town for business,  I was so ready for a relaxing, yet exciting weekend.  I did have a great week with my coworkers in somewhat chilly PA.


Wednesday started off with a meeting, followed by a meeting, then trailed by a meeting.  When lunch came around, I was more than ready to break out of the office for lunch with my two new co-workers.  Becky recommended Xcilantro, and who could say no to a restaurant with such a great name!  It was great - the name and the venue!  The ambiance was very contemporary...white with accents of lime green.  Nice!  I ordered the corn chowder, recommended by the waiter (who, in turn, was also a chef there) along with chicken enchiladas and mole sauce.  The corn chowder - delish, not too creamy.  The chicken enchilada, or I should say the mole - not so much.  I never had mole before and figured I should be daring, maybe portraying a good impression on the ladies.  Both Janelle and I bit into the mole and were like, "no-le".  Other than the mole, I would totally recommend this spot.  After lunch, we took a stroll (towards the car) and didn't make it far beyond three storefronts when we came upon this great frame shop (as in glasses).  Becky and I both share a love of cool glasses, so I figured a super quick browse before going back into the office wouldn't hurt.  Browsing turned into loving, and 15 minutes later I scored myself some super cool red colored cat eye glasses!  (Mind you, I was not in need of glasses, but did say I would look for a pair of wire-framed glasses since I had 4 pairs of plastic frames - make that 5 now).  I love them - no regrets!


Thursday, Sarah showed me around a great little town, Media PA.  We drove around checking out the area (who knows...I may live there one day...) and I gawked at the FABULOUS Trader Joe's on the main street (in a building that used to be an old armory).  The houses are beautiful, old and full of character.  Lunch at On A Roll was delicious and then back to work we went!  Wednesday night I dined with Amy at Theresa's Next Door.    Delicious mussels, a burger and great conversation ensued.  I am on a mission to find her some cool master bathroom designs.
Shower inset at the Loews - thought of Amy and her quest...I may "borrow" this idea too!
Friday - one day closer to my Lenny concert - went by quickly and uneventful.  I had lunch with current and one old coworker, followed by work and then a flight home!  


Saturday morning couldn't come fast enough!  We packed for us and the boys - they were going to Grandma and Grandpa's for the night - yay!  


Arriving at the Loews Hotel, we noticed that the weather was not optimal for a poolside nap, so we relaxed in the comfy and simplistically modern room for a bit.  Lack of packing lipstick brought us out of our room and onto Collins Ave.  The weather was yuck, but the people watching and art deco architecture made up for it.  


As we were passing by the Diesel store, my husband decided he needed a new pair of sneakers (he apparently never heard of the concept of washing one's sneakers in the washing machine...) so 20 minutes later, he was walking out of the Diesel store in a new pair of (white...uy) sneakers.  We did eventually hit Sephora, where I scored a nice lip gloss and made friends with a sales associate who loves Caudelie as much as I do (score - 2 nice sized samples of their eye cream which my new friend said he is "obsessed" with.  Can't wait to try it!)


On to dinner - China Grill.  We started off with a refreshing sake and cucumber-infused drink, lobster pancakes and calamari salad.  I could have passed on the pancakes and eaten the whole calamari salad myself!  Dinner included short ribs (succulent), drunken chicken (same), and vegetable fried rice.  We could have done without the rice, as I think my eyes were WAY bigger than my stomach and I also have a soft spot for rice (odd, I know).




On to the BEST, BEST part of the night....LENNY KRAVITZ!!!!!!!  


I was so excited - kid-less for the night, great dinner, Parker dress bought especially for this special night, new shoes (that I ended up hating by the end of the night...don't wear new shoes to a concert that you are going to be standing and dancing in the whole time - ask my poor toes), and now LENNY!!  


The concert was at the Fillmore, a beautiful, intimate venue that I would definitely visit again...any seat was ideal.  The opener was a singer named Rafael who, from conversing with our seating neighbors, used to be in the group Tone Loc.  Don't hold that against him,  his new group is talented.  The music was a mix of Motown, big band, and R&B.  Great opener, but now on to LENNY!


He was so freakin' amazing...he is so talented.  He is personable, and cute, and amazing and fabulous...I could go on and on.  His new album, Black and White America, is a little off his beaten path, but one to at least sample on iTunes.  I loved his song, Black and White America - as he was singing, a slide show of his childhood streamed behind him.  Old photos of his mom and dad, him as a child, then growing up - proving that we live in a Black and White America.  His father - Sy Kravitz a Russian Jewish NBC television producer, and Bahamian and African-American mother  - Roxie Roker, most popularly known as Helen Willis in the 70's TV hit The Jeffersons, brought Lenny up in NY on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  His music career begin at the age of 3, banging on pots and pans - look at him now!  


The show was spectacular.  He spoke to us, the audience, as if we were his friends, saying how one of his goddaughters chose to be at his show that evening instead of Cody Simpson's concert; joking that he has risen to the ranks of Justin Beiber and such.  








The night did end with sad, torn up toes (please see above...) but they did not ruin my great weekend!!

Friday, February 24, 2012

How To Fold a Fitted Sheet

I love reading blogs.  One of my daily reads is The Average Girl's Guide.  I was so psyched when she posted the video below...How to Fold a Fitted Sheet!  My mom has tried to teach me numerous times, and its not that I haven't paid attention or anything, I have a brain block when it comes to this housekeeping task.  

Thursday, February 23, 2012

What Would We Do Without Tootsie Rolls?

Today is the anniversary of the first day that Tootsie Rolls were sold in American candy shops (in 1896)!



Some little known facts to celebrate this sweet day:
  • Tootsie rolls were the first penny candy to be individually wrapped (Wikipedia)
  • This chocolate candy was named after the inventor's daughter, Clara "Tootsie" Hirshfeld!
  • There is an online store for all of your Tootsie needs and wants!
  • There are eight varieties!  (who would have known!)  
  • To see how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop...click here!

Saturday, February 18, 2012

W.C. Fields and I Would Have Been BFFs

"I cook with wine.  Sometimes I even add it to the food."

At one of our many date nights, my husband and I stumbled across a great bottle of wine.  We went to City Cellar, a favorite spot of ours, where I love their bolognese and my husband swears by their lamb shank and mushroom soup.  On this particular night, we were welcomed by a waiter that was very knowledgeable in the wine department.  I explained how I am a fan of Pinot Noir...love me some Mark West or Acacia!  He recommended Hitching Post, so I obliged.  

I love it!  Such a nice taste..I had to learn more about this brand!

Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post wines are made by Buellton Hitching Post owner/chef Frank Ostini and his good friend, former fisherman Gray Hartley.  They used to make the wine at home in 1979 and then in 1984, they moved their efforts to a winery where they would produce the wine exclusively for the Hitching Post restaurant.  

Thankfully, they now share it with the world!!


You can purchase the wine online here.  I recommend buying more than one bottle :)  To learn more about the history of this delicious wine, click here.

Please note that I do these reviews purely because I enjoy sharing things that I LOVE with my friends, family, and readers.  

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Pucker Up...Safely!

My husband very rarely sends me an email about an article he had recently read (not that he doesn't read articles...but I guess they don't resonate as much as this following one did).


Apparently, the USDA found 400 lipsticks that contain lead in them.  The levels are so small that we need not fully worry, but some people do ingest their lipstick.  This brings back memories of practically eating my cherry Chapstick...thankfully it isn't on the list!!


The ten lipsticks that contained the most amount of lead are:

1. Maybelline Color Sensational, Pink Petal (7.9 ppm)
2. L'Oreal Colour Riche, Volcanic, (7.0 ppm)
3. NARS Semi-Matte, Red Lizard (4.93 ppm)
4. Cover Girl Queen Collection, Ruby Remix, (4.92 ppm)
5. Nars Semi-Matte, Funny Face (4.89 ppm)
6. L'Oreal Colour Riche, Tickled Pink (4.45 ppm)
7. L'Oreal Intensely Moisturizing Lipcolor, Heroic (4.41 ppm)
8. Cover Girl Continuous Color, Warm Brick (4.28 ppm)
9. Maybelline Color Sensational, Mauve Me (4.23 ppm)
10. Stargazer Lipstick, #103 (4.12 ppm)
If you are concerned about contaminants in your lipstick or other cosmetics, the Environmental Working Group rates over 1000 cosmetic lip products on its searchable database. 
CLICK HERE for 11 Lead Free Lipsticks from the Yahoo article.
My Favorite Gloss...Make Up Forever...not necessarily this color - I love Star Collection S2.
Lab Shine Lip Gloss

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

This is When I Wish I had an iPhone...

I am totally slacking on posting and I promise I will get back on track!


I just saw these phone cases and LOVE them!!!


Case-Mate Creatures for iPhone 4 and 4S 1


Case-Mate Creatures for iPhone 4 and 4S 4
Case-Mate Creatures for iPhone 4 and 4S 3

Case-Mate Creatures for iPhone 4 and 4S 2



You can check them out here!!  http://osky.co/xHXLof

Monday, February 6, 2012

Yet Another Quote From Ms. Hepburn... :)

“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It's the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows & the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years.” 
― Audrey Hepburn

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Shop Suey

There are a bunch of websites that I love to check out for cool stuff - whether it is for handbags, clothing, accessories, kid-related, dog-related.  I also love to share great deals and beautiful things with my friends and family, so here is another one of those instances :)


Shop Suey is a website that was introduced to me, at first, via a magazine article.  I couldn't believe the price for this one purse that I liked.  I had to investigate further.  Shop Suey was started in 1999 by Heather Gray, a self-proclaimed "shop-a-holic".  She began SS as a form of extra income, as she was a stay-at-home mom.  Now, it is a world-renowned Internet shopping site, seen on the pages of countless magazines.  

I have a bunch of her bags...they are so great!  Instead of spending a lot of money on some of the latest trends in handbags (and jewelry), I sometimes choose to browse her great site and see what styles she has for the season.  A lot of the products have their own product video, which is a great way for you to see how the bag lays and what the interior of the bag looks like.  

Right now they have a GREAT 50% off sale going on some of their popular bags and accessories...definitely worth checking out.  


Wednesday, February 1, 2012

DDSmart Review

I don't know about you, but I need to have my cup of coffee and breakfast to start my day.  I was turned on to Dunkin' Donuts' DDSmart menu via another fellow blogger and had to check it out for myself!




Last week I went into D&D, as I like to call it, and ordered the Egg White Flatbread Sandwich - with the turkey sausage.  It was delish!  I also ordered my usual iced latte light, a staple during my Dunkin' Donuts trips.  The sandwich was very filling, and at only 280 calories, a definite score for me!  My small iced latte light is only 80 calories and made with skim milk and Splenda - 360 calories for a delicious, satisfying breakfast - who could ask for more?


Other items from the DDSMART menu include:

  • Wake-up wraps - smaller portion-sized, delicious :) Egg White Veggie, Egg White Turkey Sausage, Egg & Cheese, and Ham, Egg and Cheese. (range between 150 - 200 calories each)
  • Freshly brewed unsweetened teas - zero calories!!
  • Freshly brewed unsweetened medium iced tea - only 5 calories!!

All Dunkin' Donuts' DDSMART items meet at least one of the following criteria: 25% fewer calories; 25% less sugar, fat, saturated fat or sodium than comparable fare, and/or contain ingredients that are nutritionally beneficial.  


To learn more about Dunkin' Donuts, please visit www.dunkindonuts.com.