Strawberry Martinis and Picnics in the Park

Summer is by far my favorite time of the year. I love wearing skirts, sitting on restaurant patios with friends, wearing open toed shoes (with a french pedi of course!), and; getting some color on my sun-starved skin. I also love the new summer drinks that pop up every year.

Two weeks ago, I met my ultimate summer drink: The Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry Martini. It was so delicious, I prefered it over my popcorn shrimp and braised lamb. There I was at the restaurant in my own little martini-heaven world, when the waiter notices my untouched plate and comes over, "Is there something wrong with your meal?" Me: "Hmmmm? Oh yes please! I'd love another one of these! Hee hee! They're soooo delicious! Are the strawberries grown in-house? You're getting a big tip for this one! Hee hee!" My husband cuts in, embarrased, "The lamb's fine. Thank you."


Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry Martini:
2 oz Creme de Cacao
1 oz Vodka
1 oz Fresh blended Strawberries. * This can be substituted for 1/2 oz Raspberry or
Strawberry Schnapps

While travelling through Ontario's wine region, Niagara-on-the-Lake, my husband and I thought it might be fun to have a picnic in the park with cheese, baguettes and a little bit of local wine. We had just finished touring Peller Estates where we happened upon a perfect mini picnic set that fit easily in my purse along with the, um, beverage, and two mugs to conceal our illegal activity.

Yes, my bag is huge, but that's irrelevant. Back to the picnic.

This little set, complete with cutting board, cutlery, corkscrew (yes!), and cute napkins, folds neatly together into a little pouch. At just $12.00, it was money well spent.

When we got to the park we saw another couple having a picnic with a portable mini barbeque, huge cooler, large plates and cups and a 2L bottle of coke. I felt bad for them. Their picnic probably took all day to set up with professional movers. Ours fit in my purse and was way cuter. I was going to go over and give them a few simple pointers on how to have a better picnic, but I thought that would be mean.

We ate our delicious picnic, got a little tipsy and then went for ice cream!

Favorite Products Part 1: Hair and Skin

Just as I enjoy a good complaining session over products and services that make me mad, I believe it is equally important to mention those that reflect money well spent. I am constantly reviewing hair and skincare products so this is only the beginning…

1. Bumble and Bumble Styling Lotion

My hair is naturally straight and thick, but my individual strands are very fine. This makes my hair difficult to style because it doesn’t have any natural wave. A few spritzes of this stuff and my hair responds wonderfully to blow dryer and curling iron alike. For once, the label is accurate. It says, “For amazing combability, the perfect amount of volume and hold – excellent for heat styling fine, delicate or processed hair.” Amen.


2. Wild Sage Rose Geranium Face Lotion

Wild Sage creates natural herbal skin care for those of us that don’t want to use chemicals on our skin. I was introduced to this little gem by the owner of Elixir Spa. I have combination skin with an oily t-zone and often found it hard to find lotions that didn’t make my skin gleam in a very bad way within 30 minutes. The Rose Geranium face lotion combines Jojoba oil, rose petals, chamomile, strawberry leaves, geranium, grapefruit seed extract, and a few others into a light delicate facial lotion that makes my skin look fresh and healthy. It is available at Elixir Spa or online.


3. Johnson’s softlotion 24 hour Moisturizer

This moisturizer is by far the best body lotion I’ve ever used. It really keeps my skin soft and smooth all day long. I normally have very skin on my legs and feet but since I started using this lotion my skin has been remarkably moisturized without the oiliness that usually accompanies heavy lotions and creams.


4. SeaVital Aloe Vera Gel made with Dead Sea Minerals

This was given to me by a friend to help with a bit of eczema/psoriasis I get from time to time. Normally I just get a few patches on my torso, but this year I got a bit at the corners of my mouth. It looked like I was eating spaghetti with tomato sauce and forgot to wipe my mouth. Very sexy. I’ve tried steroid creams in the past, but didn’t want to put that near my mouth, plus they are not good for your skin. I wanted to try a natural solution.

SeaVital uses Dead Sea Minerals, plant extracts and vitamins in all of their products, which are natural healing agents.Their Aloe Vera Gel is light and non-greasy with a calming subtle fragrance. I used it every day for less than a week and the red blotches from my mouth disappeared. It’s been 3 weeks and they haven’t come back. I also found this nice to use after sun exposure. It calms the skin and helps take out the redness.

The Product Police Part I: Air Canada, Dish Cubes and Night Cream

Every now and then, I feel compelled to air my 2 cents about things that were a huge waste of money. To be balanced, I will also mention some stuff that I think is great.

But let’s start with the negative, since it is way more fun!

1. Air Canada

Last week I was stranded at an airport in North Carolina over night. Not only did this ruin my planned shopping expedition with Giselle, it cost me a lot of money for a hotel, food and taxi at my own expense. Air Canada, who didn’t even have a representative at the airport, was only reachable via cell phone on their reservations line to book a new flight. I waited on hold for over an hour, roaming charges and all, only to be handled by a hostile telephone representative who informed me I would have to foot all of the related expenses from the cancellation because it was weather related.

If Air Canada had an employee at the airport, they could have rebooked our flights and made sleeping arrangements for all of the stranded passengers, or at least provided us with some guidance on the next steps. Thank you to the United Airlines staff who were the only ones available to answer our questions - even though their response was, “I don’t know. You’ll have to call Air Canada”.

Perhaps the money spent on Celine Dion would have been better invested in smaller things like, I don’t know, STAFF at the airports they service.

What works: Lufthansa, KLM, and Westjet. Good experiences every time.

2. Method Dish Cubes

Now why would I write about something as trivial as dishwasher detergent? Because it ticked me off, people! I bought the grapefruit dish cubes at Shoppers Drug Mart because A: They were cute, B: Their all-purpose glass cleaner is great, and C: They are supposed to be environmentally friendly.

Being the tree hugger that I am, I thought this would be a wise purchase. However, they didn’t work at all. Not only did they fail to clean my dishes, they also left a white film on them along with some mysterious grey sludge. Never seen that before. My dishwasher is only a year old so I can’t blame it on the appliance. I tried the cubes several times because I wanted them to work, I really, really did! But every time the same thing happened.

The label reads, “Pink Grapefruit scent refreshes your kitchen while you have fun elsewhere.” What does that mean? While you have fun at Loblaws buying a better detergent? This product needs some serious tweaking. Let me know when they actually work. In the mean time, I want my money back!

What works: President’s Choice The Clear Choice Detergent. This is the ONLY dish detergent I have tried that never lets me down.

3. Garnier Skin Naturals Lift (Night)

If you can’t tell by the title, this is supposed to be a night cream to visibly reduce the wrinkles that have been slowly appearing on my much-too-young-for-wrinkles skin. They claim I will awaken with smoother skin. All I have to say about this one is thanks for the whiteheads, Garnier! They blossomed into very lovely pimples.

I definitely look younger.

What works: Jamieson Vitamin E Ultra-Rich Moisture Cream. I slather this on my face at night and wake up with visibly softer, smoother skin.

Also: Garnier Skin Naturals Fresh Cleansing Gel. This stuff is great. I’m hooked and it’s a really inexpensive cleanser.

Giselle to the Rescue!

Not to toot my own horn, but I always thought I had pretty good taste in clothing. It’s not like I get stopped on the street and asked where I shop or anything, but I do get my share of once-overs and I’d like to think it’s not because I look like a fool…

My friend Giselle is a fashionable Argentinean import with taste, beauty and a knack for style. A merchandiser by day and an image consultant by night, Giselle is a style guru who is always willing to share her thoughts on how a person should dress.

Over an espresso the other day, Giselle shared some recent photos of a trip to Buenos Aires where she and her girlfriends are swathed in custom made designer dresses for a friend’s wedding. The dresses are stunning and they all look like models. Picture after picture, Giselle and her glamour girls are in flawless hair and makeup wearing one gorgeous outfit after the next.

I look down at my jeans and t-shirt with shame and say that I wished I could put myself together like that. Giselle closes her laptop and looks at me seriously. After a moment she says, (with her fab exotic accent), “You know what Aleeee? You are a pretty girl. Your hair, your body, your face… even your feet ees nice, but your cloths… I would change e-ber-ything.”

“Everything?”

“Yes, I would change it all. You need to learn better how to dress for yourself.” She smiles encouragingly. I stare blankly.

“It’s ok. I will help you!!!”

So that leaves us where we are today. Giselle and I have a shopping date set for May 19. I have a feeling I'll end up donating half my closet to the Sally Ann after Giselle goes through it, but it’s going to be worth it when I see the look on my hubby’s face. Er... before the visa bill arrives.

My Solution to Crocs

Since many of you have been emailing me to find out what I would recommend for comfy shoes instead of Crocs, have a look at these. These cutie patooties from Geox feel like bedroom slippers and make any casual outfit look chic. They are soft leather with tiny holes in the sole, which means they breathe! Unlike plastic or rubber shoes, you never have to worry about smelly feet when you take them off. I just bought a pair on the weekend and have been wearing them with everything. They're about $140, which is obviously a lot more than the $20 something Crocs, but you can wear them year after year, whereas the Crocs will be, like, soo last year next spring.

www.geox.com

The Last of the Mushroom Cuts

It’s hard enough moving to a new city away from friends and family, but leaving an established beauty routine with a specific hair stylist and a killer esthetician is like ending a committed relationship – except a little sadder, because now your appearance is at the mercy of total strangers. I had a certain stylist, who shall remain nameless, when I first moved to Ontario, who clearly had her own agenda when it came to doing my hair. Here’s what I asked for: A richer shade of brown than my natural blah color and a hair cut. I’ve always had long hair and was ready to try something new so I asked for her opinion. She said she would just shorten the length to my shoulders and add some long layers. Sounded good. What I got: A witch-black mushroom cut straight out of 1984. And all the while, she moaned on and on about the last man who dumped her. Thankfully, all I have left of that now is a bad memory and an unfortunate passport photo…

That’s why it is so important to know what you’re getting into when you visit a new hair salon. It is crucial to have a group of trusted girlfriends to point you in the right direction so you can avoid these unfortunate experiences. On a positive note, after five years of embarrassment, the time has finally come to renew my passport. I am now entitled to a much better picture. At last, I can enter and exit our fine country with my dignity intact.

Siesta in Mango

I’m in love with Mango. When the first store opened in the Eaton Centre last year, I almost cried. You see, I had a relationship with that store before they opened in Canada. Yes, I had already familiarized myself with those beautifully fitted jackets, swishy skirts, and flirty feminine tops a long time ago… well actually last May during my honeymoon in Spain. After happening upon it during a late afternoon stroll when all other stores were closed for Siesta, I knew I was in love. Two floors of gorgeous, reasonably priced items… I was in girly girl heaven!

At first my husband played along, giving me feedback on various outfits. We were on our honeymoon, after all! No one bickers during those first weeks of wedded bliss! After that, I was hooked, and every day during Siesta, I casually suggested we take a walk down the street that Mango happened to be on. On about the third day in a row of going to Mango, my husband caught on to my plan, and tried to put a stop to it. Alas! It didn’t work. I reminded him that it’s hard to find deals like that in Canada, and, to think of all the money we were saving by replenishing my wardrobe here… a one stop shop! Who could argue with such a logical argument? My husband. He was like, "blah blah blah... honeymoon... blah blah... should be exploring... blah blah blah... wasting our time... blah blah ...in a store”. Now there is a Mango store walking distance from our apartment. Now, there is nothing he can do to stop us from being together! And that’s what I call sweet revenge!

Say Hello to my Little Friend

Before the silk epil entered my life, I was nothing; I was a shadow of a woman (that is…there was shadow on my legs). A slave to my monthly wax, I spent thousands of dollars whisking those pesky hairs away… only to have them grow back within a week or less. I would have lovely, smooth legs for such a fleeting moment, it was like they were taunting me: “You’d better flirt with your man now, because at the stroke of midnight, your legs will revert back to their natural ape-like state.”

You may wonder why I didn’t just shave? Fools! It is wrong to hurt those you love…and having sharp tiny needles on one’s legs is a guarantee that you will injure your loved one. You could also say, “but, what about laser removal?” Nope… too expensive. Moving on.

One fortuitous day I happened upon the silk epil epilator in the appliance section at The Bay. For under $80.00 I really couldn’t refuse. My monthly waxes were running me $50 a month and this was a guarantee to save money....and hairy embarrassment.

After a couple of glasses of red wine and perhaps, a little bit of Tylenol, it really didn’t hurt too badly. With it’s vibrating technology, it’s like your legs get a little bitty massage while it plucks your hairs out by the root. I was ecstatic to discover it could also be used for the bikini area.

I now use my little friend whenever I want. If I want to freshen up my legs before a night out, no problem. A few minutes later, and presto! Perfectly smooth legs. If you are afraid to try it because you think it will be too painful, fear not. It really isn't that bad… And when you think of the benefits… it’s kind of a no brainer. Isn’t it?

Fabulous Fashion Week

If you like oversized fuchsia cowboy hats, men in midriffs wearing pope hats, and have a thing for pirates, you would have loved last week’s L’Oreal Fashion Week in Toronto… well at least you would have liked the Envers show. The high stiff collared ruffled shirts of the mens collection which made me think of Oscar Wilde at the Mad Hatter’s tea party, and the ringlets and enormous pouf skirts from the womens collection, were reminiscent of those overdressed collectable dolls old ladies buy and display in their china cabinets. Though it was a very entertaining show, the costumesque looks did not appear (thankfully) on any of the other runways.

There was quite a wide array of looks from show to show. Pat McDonagh was a fur extravaganza. The paint throwing must have happened before the show because her neon blue fox fur stole was anything but natural. There was a collective gasp in the audience when that poor dead fox came out. I had my camera ready, waiting to capture the outcry, but alas, it never happened.

David Dixon’s collection had beautiful fitted jackets with feathery blouses and skirts, but seemed to get stuck on some shiny blue fabric with velvet overlay that reminded me of curtains or old lady wear. The big event of the week in my opinion was Andy Thê-Anh’s collection. If I was single, I would propose. The swingy skirts with lace trim, delicately ruffled blouses, and the fur coat with long feathers, were absolutely gorgeous. The dresses were perfection as I’ve come to expect from dear Andy. Pink Tartan put on a great show, which actually included pink tartan! The collection was hip and totally wearable. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take in all of the shows thanks to some grueling school assignments so I know I missed some of the greats.

Overall, some gorgeous looks for fall 2006. I noticed some definite trends which I will divulge to you: tapered pants, cinched waists with thick belts, a higher waistline in general, a lot of neutrals: charcoal, beige, brown, peppered with rich purples and greens… all in all, a feminine, fitted silhouette. Makeup was not surprisingly all about smoky eyes and a strong red lip ala Grace Kelly.

Café Dweller

I adore cafés. I love the smell of espresso, the sound of the cappuccino machines frothing up delicious steamy creations, and the comfy surroundings. In fact I love them so much, I tend to use them as an office for meetings or for studying. My obsession with cafés and finding the perfect café au lait have led me all over the city of Toronto trying to find the very best. So far, my biggest challenge is finding one with good music, internet access and… nice strong lattés. I don’t like the watered down variety we have in the chain operations in Canada. That is not coffee, my friends. Once you’ve tasted a perfect espresso in France, or a Café Con Leche in Spain, the run of the mill coffee based beverages here are an enormous let down. So far, I have yet to encounter my perfect café. Even if the coffee is up to par, either they have no wireless access or they have the radio blaring, commercials and all, which is anything but enjoyable. However, I love Le Gourmand http://www.legourmand.com on Spadina. The lattes are truly delicious and the fresh baked chocolate chip walnut cookies are the best I’ve ever had. The lattés at Balzac’s http://www.balzacscoffee.com are a work of art. They are poured so skillfully, you get a pretty little design in each rich, velvety cup, and they are closest to the European coffees I have encountered thus far. I’ve also recently been introduced to B Espresso on Queen East and am in love. It’s so cute and the lattés are perfection. So if you see a girl with long brown hair, glued to a laptop that looks like she hasn’t seen the sun in weeks, that’s me… and you know you’ve found a good café!

Spas should be covered by OHIP

I believe spa treatments should be covered by OHIP. It should be a woman’s right to have a flawless complexion and hair free legs. After all, that is what society expects of us! So why not make it all possible by having the government foot the bill? It would make beauty accessible to all women and alleviate so much pressure for all the do-it-yourselfers out there. It wouldn’t cost that much… let’s add it up: Monthly leg/bikini wax = $75, Monthly facial = $80, bimonthly mani + pedi = $120.00, monthly massage to relieve the stress of undergoing extractions and hair removal = $85.00. That adds up to $360 plus tax and tip… not too shabby, considering the results! Think of all the benefits that will naturally flow from a dramatically beautified female population:
1. Increased tourism,
2. Increase in skirt and bikini sightings
3. Increase in female employment, and on that note,
4. FINALLY, equality in workplace pay scales! (on account of the skirts)
5. Substantially lower the divorce rate
And the best part is, this program will actually pay for itself! (See benefit #1). Of course I could go on and on about the many other advantages…The bottom line is, we DESERVE a break every now and then, and if it happens to come in the form of an oxygen facial or a Hawaiian salt scrub, the world will be a better place!

p.s for those of you who thought I was actually planning on lobbying the government about this might I suggest a glass of wine, a massage.... something to take the edge off! Don't worry, your tax dollars won't be threatned by lil' old me!