Fabulous or Not?

Hendrick's Gin: Cures What Ails You

Before you think that Stacy asked a Senior Citizen to write reviews here, let me assure you: Hendrick's is not your Grandma's Gin. First, it's exquisite packaging:

The website deserves praise, too; with it's classic pencil drawings and modern lines, it blends the classic booze of parlors with a current, modern feel. The music is kind of a nightmare but that's just a personal taste thing. I don't dig websites with noise.

I first tasted Hendrick's last summer at Tallula's Eat Bar in Arlington, whose small but adorable cocktail menu features a drink called "Gnome's Water," which used Hendrick's, lavender, cucumber, mint and soda. Right away I knew this was different. It is by far the smoothest and least abrasive gin I have ever tasted. Months later a bartender at Gordon Biersch recommended it over ice and cucumbers and that sealed the deal; a gin smooth and refreshing enough to drink essentially straight? This is not the gin to which I had been accustomed.

Summer is coming (please let it be coming) and Gin and Tonics will again be on rotation. See if your local bar has started stocking Hendrick's and order it up with Tonic or, if you're brave, over ice and cucumber. You will not be sorry. Hendricks is fabulous.

The First Years Stack 'n Count Cups

Most fabulous baby-to-toddler toy EVER.

This multi-colored set of eight plastic nesting cups has numbers and patterned holes on the bottom and when inverted, they stack up into a tower.  

This was the first toy I really gave to Noah.  When he was just a few months old I would stack them up and let him knock them over.  I liked them so much I bought a second set to keep as bath toys.   When we traveled on a plane and in the car, I bought another set because, dude! PERFECT TOY!  It is inexpensive and multi-purpose, the simplicity encourages imagination, the colors are stimulating and the nesting and stacking works on fine and gross-motor skills. 

Recently, at the age of sixteen months, Noah has decided that he must have the cups with him at all times.  We have so many other toys, but these darn four dollar plastic cups are his true love.  He stacks them, nests them, mixes them up. 

Sometimes the simple toys are really the ones that kids love the most!

When they get dirty you just run then through the dishwasher!

LINK TO BUY

PRICE:  FABULOUS!  $3.99

Confessions of a Misguided Mascara Maven

I love mascara. If we were in 3rd grade and you were an asshole, you would ask me how come, if I loved it so much, why don't I just marry it? And I would tell the teacher on you because I was a total asshole, too. Plus that is a really stupid thing to ask me.

I was introduced to Lancome Definicils several years ago and with the exception of a few trials, I have stayed pretty loyal. The consistency is thin and easy to work with, the brush comes in both a round and straight wand. It lasts a long time without getting thick or clumpy. It's not cheap at $24 but it does stay put for most of the day (I reapply it to my ends if going out at night) and does not smear. Like ever.
All this being said, I also love the "Best of" displays at Sephora stores which display all the best-sellers of each kind of makeup/skin care: Best Bronzer, Best Eyeliner, Best Mascara, etc. I was intrigued over the summer when I saw Dior's sleek "DiorSHOW" had been chosen as a 'best of.' My sister had been singing it's praises for a couple weeks before I bit the bullet and bought it. The applicator brush was too cool to resist.
Once I got the stuff home, I was underwhelmed with the results. The mascara itself felt thick and when a bit touched my cheek, it was really hard to wipe off. 

I wrote about these very misadventures over at SF but now I see the error of my ways.

Fast forward to a weekend in late February when I was at a makeup counter and heard a makeup artist say to a customer, "You want to get the mascara as close the base of the lashes as possible, this will thicken the look of your lashes."

I had never heard that before. Later I read this blog post by the lovely Rebecca Wolf wherein she hooked us up with a tutorial via youtube on how she creates the gorgeous eyemakeup we see on her all the time. I had never known there could be other ways to apply mascara/liner but there are. I took note and tried out the techniques and do you know what? The DiorSHOW Iconic looked absolutely amazing when I made sure to apply it all the way to the base and ends of my lashes. It was like a totally new product.

I even took the plunge and bought some liquid liner- details on that adventure coming soon.