Putting Your Best Face Forward

Yesterday, to kick of my 30th year, I booked myself an appointment at Elizabeth Grady for a facial.


My first one, ever!


My skin has never really been problematic for me, other than being a little dry, and as a result I have never really developed a skin care regime. Really I just wipe off my makeup at night (sometimes) with these Garnier Detox wipes, and throw on some Oil of Olay SPF 15 All Day Cream in the morning. It's a very hook or by crook operation. So I figured maybe it's time to get into a more serious routine. After all I am THIRTY NOW! With great age comes great facial responsibility.

I headed over to the spa yesterday afternoon, really excited for some relaxation and skin care tutelage. I was ushered into a small room upon arrival, and told to strip down to pone of their super comfy terry cloth tube tops and make myself comfortable on the heated spa-style barcalounger while my spa technician got ready. We discussed what exactly I wanted done and since I had no idea, I told her to decide what would be best for me.

First up? A Chemical Peel!

If you are like me, you immediately thought of this




Not super into the raw meat look I thought typical of chemical peels. And I don't even own a fabulous hat with a veil to hide behind


But after some cajoling by the spa technician I decided to go ahead with the Lactic Acid Peel and really? Could not have been easier or more refreshing. She basically smoothed some tingly cream on my face, let it stay for a few minutes, and wiped it off. No actual "peeling". And I verified immediately after that I still had all the layers of my skin that I came in with. Not to mention a nice glow!

Anyway the facial progressed, there was some exfoliation, some "extraction" (yeah my hook or by crook facial care routine? apparently not doing the trick. yikes!), some steam. She smoothed a decadent masque on my face, placed sliced cucumbers over my eyes and then she asked me if I wanted to wear a pair of their heated mitts, most customers find them really soothing. I said yes, then immediately remembered my Minx, that are sensitive to prolonged heat exposure. I asked if I could feel the mitt first to see how hot it was. I reached out to feel the mitt and as my fingers enclosed around it I remarked "Why that's not too warm at all!?


Her response?


'Uh yeah that's because that's my boob".


I snatched my hand away immediately "Oh my god I am so sorry" and then of course started laughing hysterically because what else can you do? I couldn't see anything!!

It ended up being a running joke for the rest of our session. I remarked to her that my accidental fondling was actually her tip, enjoy! And she joked that it was the most action she had seen in a week. So all's well that ends well.


And I ADORED the facial. My skin felt and looked amazing after and I got some great skin care tips to set me up fine for the next stage of my life. Elizabeth Grady is actually having a 25% off sale so I can buy some gift certificates for future facials now, at a great discount. I can't believe I waited this long to get one, and I will definitely be back more regularly from now on.


But seriously. Only I go to a spa for my first facial and end up accidentally going to second.

Minx It Up

A few weeks ago, while dining with my gal Meg, she mentioned that she was dying to get something called a "Minx manicure". She described it to me as kind of like a car wrap, only for your nails. A sticker that is heated and "wraps" onto your nail, looks more intense and comes in way more colors/patterns than traditional nail polish, and was better for your nails than acrylics or any other kind of faux nail. Some celebrities have recently been into it as well.

I was immediately intrigued. As I have mentioned before, I always always have my nails polished. I detest the look of my bare nails, probably because they are short nubs that belong on the paw of rodent and not on the hand of a lady, but I digress. The Minx manicure piqued my interest and so the next day I hit Google in search of more information. Which in turn, brought me to the Minx website.

According to the website, a Minx is defined as "...a sexy, confident, naughty but fun individual who lives every day like it is a big, ripe juicy apple ready to be bitten. "

Ok, so far so good.

And to get technical, the actual product is "... a solid film with an adhesive back that is heat activated. The heat gives Minx the conformability to fit over the compound curves of nails and seals it onto the nail bed"

Ok sounds easy enough! I was sold. After consulting the website further I learned that Minx manicures are offered at local spa chain "Miniluxe". After checking out their website I learned that the Mix manicure sets you back $50. That, to me, was a little steep for a manicure. But it IS a novelty, something to do for fun. And my birthday was fast approaching. So I decided to treat myself. Why not?


I consulted with Meaghan and we decided the best plan of action was to make simultaneous appointments in the Back Bay Miniluxe (for Meaghan, who works in town) and the Newton Corner Miniluxe (for me, who works in Newton) and then meet for dinner in Quincy after. Since only one Minx technician works at each establishment, and the service takes an hour at least per person, we decided that was the best use of our time. Aren't we efficient? So we made our appointments for February 24th after work and were both psyched.

In the interim, Meg gave me a gift card to Miniluxe for my birthday so the Minx, in essence, was her gift to me! Thanks Meg!

I arrived at Miniluxe a full half hour before my appointment hoping they would take me, and they did! I was presented with a drawer of Minx "stickers" to choose from. They come in sheets like below (not a photo I took)

(IMG FROM HERE)


I had previously been on the Minx website looking at their hundreds of colors/patterns and was a little disappointed the selection at Miniluxe was sparse in comparison - maybe only 10 or 15 to choose from there. However I was in luck because the color I had most liked on the website, was available.



I was not yet mentally prepared for a crazy pattern...thought if they had this one I would have been severely tempted.

After picking my Minx we set down to business. Now, a Minx manicure is a dry manicure. no soaking, no scrubbing. Just some filing, some cuticle removal and some buffing and you are ready to get Minxed. The technician held each sticker up to each fingernail to deduce the right size, then peeled an individual sticker off and held it under a heat lamp until it began to curl, then immediately pressed it onto my fingernail, smoothing and pressing down for a moment or two between bending the excess onto your fingertip and moving on to the next nail.



After applying the Minx to each finger on one hand, the technician went back with a heavy duty nail file and filed off the remaining sticker, leaving a smooth edge that looked and felt like a polish manicure! The whole process took about 90 minutes (it took longer for me than it would for someone who actually takes care of their nails....this poor woman had a lot of pre-con work to do!) and it also takes less time if you have longer nails. It was an enjoyable time though, we chatted throughout and I was intrigued watching the whole process. I asked approximately one hundred questions. I= a joy!

After both hands were done, she sealed the tip of each nail with a dab of nail glue and I was good to go. It was odd to get a manicure and immediately be able to root around in your bag for your keys without fear of smudging.

After my appointment I met Meg and we went to Blue 22 for dinner, trivia*, and nail comparison.



We both picked the same color but, though you can't really tell in this photo, Meg got a black and silver polka dot pattern on her pinky nails which I thought was ADORABLE! We both love our manicures though! The color is so intense and metallic, it is not something you could achive with a nail polish and even better it won't chip. It will just peel off in about 2 weeks. Easy peasy!



I'm obsessed. And already a handful of people have asked me what nail polish color I'm wearing and I am having fun telling them all about Minx. Mostly because I really just like saying the word "minx".


Minx!

So if you are looking to try something different and don't mind spending the $50 I would recommend trying it out! It would be great for a special occasion or just a little pick me up to spoil yourself during a rough week. Click here to find a salon near you that offers them.

And if you live in the area, I would definitely recommend Miniluxe. Though their collection of Minx stickers was not as extensive as I would have hoped, they did have quite a few that I liked and the one I ultimately wanted so it worked out. The staff there could not be nicer or more friendly and the atmosphere is warm and chic! Even though I can't swing a Minx every week. I will definitely be back for one of their regular manicures once I grow these nubs out some more.

In other news today I am 30. Holla!

*We named our Trivia Team "Minx" (wicked original!) and came in third to last. I think we would have been dead last had there not been two teams of severely wasted people. Holla!

Dirty Thirty

When Adam told me he wanted to plan my 30th birthday party - I was a little skeptical. Not because I didn't want him to or because I doubted he could do it...but I have a little Type A situation when it comes to party planning. Have you seen me the weeks before our annual holiday party? I go nuts menu planning and decoration shopping and guest list tracking. It's a mania I enjoy, and it's hard for me to relinquish control. But he really wanted to plan me a party so I figured, what the hey? Let's do the damn thing.

In the following month I tried hard NOT to know anything about the party. I wanted to be surprised! I still managed to unconsciously sleuth out a few facts but not when the party would be and where it would be. Adam was good about laying down tracks in directions OTHER than towards the actual day of the party. So kudos to him for that.

I had dinner plans with my good friends Andy and Meg this past Saturday - to catch up and hear all about Andy's recent travels to Europe. Once we got to the restaurant though, I started to get an inkling by the ton of cars in the parking lot.. However when we got in I saw there was a private party in the front space filled with people I don't know. So I figured this really was just dinner out. But then the maitre d' started walking us all back to the large private room...and THEN I knew. It. Was. On.

The doors opened and a roar erupted from within "SURPRISE!" - there was a crowd of friends, family, everyone I love, ready to party! I saw my parents, Adam's parents, some of my Aunts and Uncles, my cousins my good friends....even our favorite karaoke DJ whom Adam had hired for the night. He had a big spread of food and had managed to cover every table in the joint with pictures of me through the years. I was SO EXCITED!!! SO freaking excited and happy.

I sent down to business greeting everyone and thanking them for coming, was handed a Gin and Tonic and the night's festivities started.






I strongly suggested we do a pyramid "for old time's sake" but my idea didn't fly.



Then the karaoke started in earnest. I started off the night with "Son of a Preacher Man" and Adam followed up with "Lido Shuffle". Other memorable performances include Andy singing "I Saw A Little Prayer for You", Peter's stunning rendition of "Don't Rain on my Parade" my uncle Wayne and aunt Marilyn doing "I Got You, Babe", and of course some of us girls doing a throwback from 1998 "Wannabe"



We only had the private space for 4 hours so as the first portion of the night wound down, I had to get up there with my fellow Golden Girls (Andy (Dorothy), Jill (Sophia), and Meg (Rose) for a rendition of "Thank You For Being a Friend".

It started off well, of course we know all the words..



Then things got....weird. Lyrics we had never heard of in all of our Golden Girls watching years.


please note Jill and Meaghan's faces.

We powered on though. The tune was the same so from that you could kind of work the lyrics out.



I think we were all relieved when it was done though!



For the record here are the extended lyrics. Who knows that shiz?

In any case it was so much fun to celebrate with everyone! Tons of people tried their hand at karaoke and my cousin Melissa definitely brought the house down with her song. She prefaced the song saying it was something from "my" generation that my friends and I would enjoy. We were like "Hmm what could it be?" Then when the first lyrics came out "Here I go, Here I go, Here I go again, Girls what's my weakness? Men! Ok then". I looked behind me and everys single person had a hand in the air and was singing along. So Melis, you called it. That IS definitely a song from my generation.

Eventually it was 11PM and people had to start taking off. Luckily about 10 of us stuck around and headed to the bar where the second half of the party would take place. The part of the party I have dubbed Dance Party 1998.

The DJ (DJ Ron, a perennial local fave for us) took note of my "30th" tiara and our age and astutely deduced what kind of music he should be playing. Namely, dance hits from the nineties such as but not limited to: The Humpty Dance, You Can Do it Put Your Back Into It, Let Me Clear My Throat, Too Close (Baby When We're Grinding). And thus commenced a frenzied dance party.




Working it out!



After kamikaze shots and a boatload of dancing, we closed down the place and headed our separate ways into the night. I had the time of my life, and cannot believe what a good job Adam did. It was truly a birthday to remember and people keep telling me what a great time they had which is AS important to me as me having a great time. The bar has really been set for me to try and to top this for his 30th in July!

So even though I am not 30 (my actually birthday is this Thursday) I feel completely convinced that it's going to be a kickass year.

See some more pictures from the night here

Gamblin' Fool

I've never been much of a gambler/lottery player. Sure I will grab a scratch ticket now and then. I've been to Foxwoods twice. But I never really win anything which is probably why I never got super into it.

And then there is Keno. Why do I love Keno? I hardly ever win and if I do win I basically just win my money back. BUt there is something about sitting at a dive bar, sipping a vodka tonic and playing Keno that is just fun, plain and simple. It's worth the $5 or $10 I might spend on it at a time.

Then on Friday - my luck changed!

We popped into a local favorite, Grumpy White's, for some late night cocktails and keno. I decided, with my birthday looming on the horizon, I would play my birthday numbers. Well wouldn't you know it, I won $20! Which isn't a lot but is much more than I ever win playing Keno. Score!

So, feeling lucky, I turned aroiund and put that $20 in a scratch ticket machine and selected a $20 scratch ticket. I would never spend that much on a scratch ticket normally but hey, it was free money in my mind.

Then I won $40 on that scratch ticket. Score!!

The next day, we were driving to Woburn the Longest Way Possible and since I have a bladder the size of a pea, we randomly stopped at the Lexington Rest Stop (Adam wanted a McDonald's coffee as well). While inside, I figured I would cash in my ticket and buy one more scratch ticket. So I got my $40, pocketed $20 of it and spent the remainder on one more $20 scratch ticket? Why not? I was on a roll.

Then on that scratch ticket I won $100. WOOT!

Later that day, we were at Stop and Shop (picking up sugar cubes as needed for my Make Your Own Absinthe Kit) and I figured I would cash in my ticket and buy ONE LAST $20 scratch ticket, then I was out of the game.

And wouldn't you know it? I won $100 on that scratch ticket too. Now it was just getting ridiculous.

I decided to quit while I am ahead and haven't played another scratch ticket since then. But you know, all of this happened becuase I played my birthday numbers at Keno! I think this means 30 is going to be a lucky year for me!

Faux Day

I love a fake snow day, don't you?

Yesterday I made the executive decision to work from home because of the supposed storm that was on the way. I sent the email first thing in the morning, and right away most of the people I emailed responded that they were working from home as well. Sweet.

So soon after Adam left for work I realized we had basically no food in the house. Some stale cereal. A few boxes of brown rice. Some frozen venison. Hmmm. So I threw on some shoes and a hoodie over my PJs (stylin'!) and headed to the supermarket. I really don't like to run errands when I am working from home....but it had to be done. I had already made out a list the other day so the store would be empty (it was 8AM on a Wednesday), I could plow through my list and get home and down to business in no time.

So as I am methodically making my way through the produce aisles I hear someone call my name and I turn to see one of my coworkers who was also working from home! Of course!! But whereas she was literally running in for a few things, as evidenced by her lack of basket or carriage, I had a carriage, a list and was clearly Food Shopping, not just running in for some bananas. But whatevs, I was not about to subsist on venison stir fry for the next few days.


Oh yeah remember my "lookatme I can do my weekly shopping for only $50". That has clearly gone out the window. I like to keep kind of a running tally of what I am buying as I am shopping and then see if I am close to what I thought it would be when checking out. I was off by about $100 yesterday. Mostly because fruit and vegetables this time of year? Are apparently worth their weight in gold! Such is life though. A life without English cucumbers and sweet red bell peppers and Bosc pears is not a life for me.

In any case once I got home I was able to get scads of work done, totally catch up on my projects, all while wearing sweatpants and sitting on the couch which if you ask me is an ideal work environment. Adam's work closed at 11AM so he got to enjoy the faux day too! It basically never snowed in Quincy, just a little dusting. Enough to make things look wintry and ethereal without the whole having to shovel/wear boots thing. Sweet.

I took tomorrow off to give myself a nice little 4 day weekend which I am psyched about. Plans include: lunch and Talbots Outlet with my mom, Eileen's going away party, and cooking this sumptuous multi-course meal on Sunday night! Personally, I don't give a crap about Valentine's Day in general (I usually go out with my girlfriends in protest of it!) but when I saw this menu I got totally inspired . However lest you think I am getting sappy in my old age you should know we'll probably enjoy this romantic meal while watching Saw VI.


On the recipe tip - I made Epicurious's Butternut Squash and Fried Sage Pasta last night and it was to die for. I had never fried sage before and I love how crispy and delicious it gets. It's a super simple and healthy recipe - perfect for a cold weeknight.

I leave you with this thought: Alexander McQueen's passing really makes me want one of his skull scarves all the more. Is that wrong?

Wedding Saturday Within The Month of June

I'm going to be a June bride!

Yes folks it's true. We finally picked a place and set a date. June 18, 2011. I can't even wait but let me tell you with the amount of planning to be done I am thankful for the time to plan/plot.

As you all know, we got engaged last September and I immediately dove headfirst into planning. I trolled the Internet all day gathering venue ideas, contact info, pricing. I made dozens of phone calls. I started an Excel spreadsheet, people! After a few weeks though we did not have a place but we did have a sense of dissapointment. It seemed impossible to find a place that suited us, what we wanted for a wedding, what kind of people we were AND within a budget we were comfortable with. And I had this increasing sense that I didn't have the quote unquote bride gene.

I didn't want to wear a big white dress. I didn't want to have this endless ceremony with readings and songs. I didn't want to have a formal reception with organized dances and an order of events. These are lovely wedding tradiditions but they are not OUR traditions. I felt like a duck trying to plan a swan party.

Not to get totally unromantic on you, but the wedding industry? Total racket. I cannot believe how much more things cost when you go from having a "party" to having a "wedding". I could not wrap my mind around spending $20,000 for ONE DAY OF MY LIFE. I was never the girl who pictured myself on my wedding day, instead I pictured the man I could spend my life with and I have that so really the wedding is secondary. You would not believe how unpopular an idea that is. I would tell a potential caterer "We just want to do something low key and fun" only to be told "But it's your DAY! You should go all OUT!". I would tell a venue manager "I really dont want to spend more than $8,000 on this wedding in total" and basically get tossed out with the number to the nearest city hall.

Completely wretched.

To further complicate things, my parents told us they were going to be going into the Peace Corps and leaving this summer most likely which makes a Fall '10 wedding unlikely (which was our original plan). Since they would not be able to travel back to the states until probably spring of 2011. I am happy they are going since they are perfect for the Peace Corps and will love it, but a part of me was like "shoot!".

So for a few months we just hung out, being engaged but without a plan. Then in December/January as my parents' plans firmed up I threw myself full force back into the planning process, this time with a clear vision of what I wanted. Summer wedding. Tons of outdoor space. Japanese lanterns. On the water. Low key. Maybe a cookout/bbq. Awesome. And I decided there was NO way I couldn't make this work with our budget so back to the internet I went. Trolling for non traditional sites, searching for blogs of like minded local brides to see what they did.

And then last week I stumbled upon Camp Kiwanee's website. And as I clicked around, hope bloomed within me. I loved everything about it. The lodge (rustic but gorgeous), the huge porch out back overlooking the pond (so we could do the ceremony outside even if it rained), the gorgeous woodsy setting (I grew up going to overnight camp every summer in the Berkshires and this place reminds me of that place so much). It was close enough that most of our guests wouldn't need to get a hotel but if they wanted to they totally could. It was just gorgeous. I sent the link to Adam and my mother and they both agreed it would be perfect. So I emailed the facilities manager and made an appointment to check it out that Saturday.

It was funny, on the way there Adam and I got into an arguement. Now, we don't really "fight" but we get in little tiffs from time to time mostly when I am driving and he is trying to direct me because I have the worst sense of direction and do not know my left from my right. SO when he says "take a left here" I will usually take a right unless he points as he is directing. For some reason he finds this frustrating? Shocking. So we were arguing on the way down the wooded lane to the lodge about how I should have called the guy we were meeting and asked for directions instead of us getting lost and I am like "I'm driving, shut up" and we get out of the car and are like "Hmph" and walk into the lodge, and in an instant all is well. The main room is huge and light and airy with large windows overlooking the pond out back. There is exposed gorgeous beams everywhere with white christmas lights wrapped around. We look at each other and back at the room and I can tell we are both like "Holy crap this is our place!"

We met Jim the facilities manager and liked him right away. Super nice, low key guy who gave us the grand tour and answered every single one of our questions. Unlike other facilities managers we had met with he didn't roll his eyes when I said we wanted to have karaoke at the reception, instead he said "Dude that would be AWESOME". See? Our kind of guy.

I didn't even tell him our budget nor ask for pricing details but as the tour ended he turned to us and says "There really isnt't any reason you can't have a great wedding here for like $7,000". I was like "Jim can I hug you?". Seriously? A place we love and the words I have been waiting to hear since Adam proposed!! A beautiful wedding that won't put us in debt! C'est un miracle!

As we left Camp Kiwanee I asked Adam what he thought and he was as giddy as I was. I emailed the office an hour after we left. And Monday recieved the rental agreement. After a little more negotiating our deposit was sent and our date was booked!!

We have a lot of planning ahead of is. I had wanted a place where you can kind of DIY everything since we want our own DJ, our own caterer (bbq, of course), and to have as much control as possible over the details. But since I have a little less than a year and half to plan I am confident everything will fall into place. I'm just so relieved and very hopeful that it's not that I don't have the bride gene I just needed to find the perfect space!

Glaciers Melting in the Dead of Night

It's Thursday and it's the beginning of February which is the month of my birth. I am turning 30 in 21 days. I feel oddly (or maybe not so oddly) ambivalent about it. I love my birthday in general because I love having a party. And I have never in my life been the type of person who thrust milestones upon myself like "I will have this by the time I am this age, I will have done this by this age". I have done a lot of things, still have lots to do. I just don't really care about thirty, other than the feeling vaguely that that number will finally make me feel like somewhat of an adult?

Maybe!


In any case, let's do a "What am I into Lately" thing today. Why not?

1) Teal nail polish. In the cool gray of winter, one wants to have a little punch of color, doesn't one? My fave lately is Sally Hansen's InstaDri "Jumpin Jade". The brush is super thick so you can basically put it on in one sweep of each nail. It dries instantly, but it will chip if you don't put a top coat on it. Still, I love it.




I also ordered Essie's Mint Candy Apple which is basically the pastel version of the above. And reminiscint of the little blue box we all know and love. I can't wait to try it out.


Lovely!

2) My new pink kicks. I have wanted mocassins for ever now, just ask Adam. Every time we pass the moccasin shop on the way to his parents (in NH) I beg him to stop but miraculously it's always closed when we drive by. No fair. And we all know how I feel about a Pink Shoe. These are unbelievably comfortable, like wearing slippers. And I get so many compliments on them. The pink is the perfect shade: bright but not garish, cheerful but not obnoxious.



LOVE. Thanks Dr. Scholls!!

3)Wisteria. Their catalog is my porn, what can I say? I have no room in our current abode for any new furnishings/accessories but when we move over the summer you better BELIEVE it is on. My latest loves are their Cathedral Looking Glass which I think is just so romantic and interesting. I would totally put it in the hallway for some random drama.



I am also super into their shadowbox art - particularly the Nuestra Senoras. Give me folk art in a gilded frame and you had me at hello.



(click for more detail)

And I am totally enamored with their ship shadowbox in the way that you think if you really put your mind to it you could probably make one yourself but then you remember you are totally unartistically inclined? This one would go in the bedroom since we have a nautical theme in there.


Clearly I could post images from Wisteria all day but let's move on. Shifting gears....




4) The band, Muse. I confess, last week I bought the Twilight soundtrack (I'm 14, as we have already established on twitter). And I LOVED it. It has turned me on two a few bands I had never really paid much attention to including Paramore, and the aforementioned Muse. I loved the Muse song on the soundtrack (Supermassive Black Hole) so much that I went and bought the Muse CD it came from over the weekend (I know, buying a CD. How quaint!). I have been rocking out to it ever since. If you see a girl fist pumping her way down the Mass Pike around 5PM every day, that'd be me.

5) This one is kind of boring but...bringing lunch instead of buying lunch! I haven't bought lunch (on a weekday) in three weeks. At first it was a little annoying, making time to pack breakfast/lunch/snacks at night so we can just grab and go in the morning but I am in the rhythm of it now and we've not only saved a lot of money but we've each lost a few pounds. What's not to love about that? My go to lunch is to cook a batch of brown rice, portion it out into Tupperware and them microwave a bag of stir fry vegetables (not all the way through though, so they are still crisp-tender) and throw on top. Then I make a mustard vinaigrette with spicy brown mustard, a little olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Voila!

6) And last but not least, don't you hate it when a blogger whom you read every day decides to pull the plug? So dissapointing. But what I LOVE is when they come back in full force! Check out Frankie from our fave FrankieCantRelax who is back from NoBlogLand with her new venture February Yes Woman, chronicling her taking life by the balls and participating in reader suggested activities like stand up, speed dating and yes even posing nude! I think this is an awesome idea and she has me feeling inspired me to step outside of my own box, and take some risks. In fact if you will excuse me I'm going to whip my off my shirt, someone grab a crayon! Check her out.