Romy Raves

In these tough economic times, do not miss out on your chance to dine out at some of LA’s best restaurants for a major bargain.  This recessionista is not going to miss out and neither should you!

 Everyday this week, you can enjoy three-course lunches and dinners ranging from $16 at the less spendy restaurants to $44 at the most spendy joints (not bad for 3 courses). Go to Dine LA Restaurant Week to find a list of participating restaurants and to see the special menus that they have created for this special event.

Bon Appetite! 

Inquiring minds want to know what this fabulous trend maven is up to and where does she get her latest scoops and insider information? Lucky you, here is a glimpse of events that I have recently attended or am planning to attend, all in an effort to share the latest and greatest with you:

Go Green Los Angeles Expo

I attended this all-things-green and eco friendly this past weekend at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I must admit that I find the trend towards all things green very encouraging, and like that many companies in all categories are creating products that showcase the best of the green movement.  A few of the products that really caught my eye at this expo were:

Vapur

A completely collapsible reuseable water bottle, that is designed to be rolled and tucked away. It is perfect for airline travel cause you can fill it on the other side of security. What an inspired eco friendly idea and I love the pink color!

 Further Hand Lotion

Both the beauty maven and the foodie in me was pretty impressed by this fully sustainable beauty product concept. This yummy smelling lotion is made out of used vegetable grease that is sourced from restaurants like Mario Batali’s Mozza (can you say squash blossom pizza? ). Basically, this used oil is turned in biofuel (which is used to drive cars BTW) and glycerin happens to be the byproduct of the biofuel distillation process. This glycerin then becomes the base of this citrusy green lotion thus taking the recycling process further–too cool!

  People Towels

A quick-drying, reusable personal hand towel that you carry with you and it is made of lightweight, 100% organic, fair trade cotton. This is an inspired green alternative to paper towels in public facilities and I adore the LOVE design (what a perfectly green V-day gift).

Bag Lady Promotions Los Angeles: Kick Off Your Heels and Network Event

This is a members only local networking group geared towards women entrepreneurs. It attracts a diverse assortment of women who all have the common goal of growing their business locally and I always meet amazing women at these events (like my new soul sista SavvySassyMoms and the addictive S’muffins created by Carmen at Gotta Have S’more) This months event was held at Focus Self Defense Fitness in Culver City and we had a lot of fun learning Krav Maga and schmoozing.

The International Salon & Spa Expo (ISSE)

I am SO excited about attending ISSE in Long Beach, California this weekend because it is the biggest professional cash-and-carry beauty exposition and educational event on the West Coast. I cannot wait to scout the latest and greatest beauty trends and products. And please make sure to follow me on twitter @romyraves for my real time trend updates from the expo floor. And stay tuned for exciting blog posts in the near future about my newest discoveries.

Natural Products Expo West March 2010

Natural Products Expo West is the premier trade show for the healthy products industry, it is attend by over fifty thousand industry leaders and it is ranked as one of the top 100 shows in the US. This is a huge intense, overwhelming and amazing show and I love every minute of it.  The foodie and healthy gal in me loves discovering the latest and greatest in the natural food world. Stay tuned for more discoveries after the expo.

I recently discovered a wonderful line of what I am calling ‘dental couture’ products called Dentalogica. This is a line of oral care products with high quality natural ingredients and chic modern packaging. I must admit that it was the hip green packaging that initially grabbed my attention, but now that I have had a chance to try most of the line, these products are rather impressive.

Dentalogica was created by dentists who wanted to create a line of luxury oral care products that stood out among the rest. Dentalogica features an exclusive ingredient in all of its products called Blood of the Dragon, which is a natural extract harvested from the Dragontrees found in the Cloud Forests of Ecuador. This unique ingredient has been utilized for centuries to seal and protect wounds, speed healing, kill bacteria, reduce inflammation and stop bleeding.  It is this proprietary ingredient and beautiful formulas that help these products standout above the rest.

Fierce White ($59)

In my opinion, Fierce White is the hero product of this line. This whitener is comprised of an advanced dual-action whitening system that can whiten your teeth up to six shades in just 3 days–that’s certainly fierce! After 3 days you will notice a significantly brighter, healthier looking smile–and I truly did!

This is an easy two step whitening process where you first apply the primer which contains visible bits of the ”blood of the dragon” extract and after a few seconds you apply the whitening gel and then repeat for three days. I must tell you that even after one application my teeth were noticeably brighter and I had absolutely none of the sensitivity that is common with other whiteners. Overall, I found it an effective and easy to use product that I would highly recommend.

 Hydra’s Wash ($19)

Another product I really like in the line is Hydra’s Wash Complete Mouth Rinse. I love the way the sleek green bottle looks in my bathroom and I like that it offers more than your typical mouthwash. It contains zinc to help maintain fresh breath longer and inhibit the calcification of plaque; xylitol which is a natural ingredient that helps fight germs that lead to bad breath and creates a barrier against plaque formation. I like the refreshing, but not overpowering mint flavor and that my teeth feel cleaner after use.

This inspired line is definitely worth checking out because its chic, unique and effective. Click HERE to purchase. Please post comments and share your favorite oral hygeine products or tips.  

My bane in life is having frizzy unmanageable hair, how about you?  I will do anything to get rid of the the frizzies and keep my hair smooth and sleek (I prefer it that way, although my hubby prefers the natural wavy look: translated ‘frizz ball’). I’ve had the Brazilian Blowout (which I LOVE) and regularly blow dry and flat iron my hair, all in an effort to get that polished professional look.  Thank goodness for the invention of flat irons, they have changed my life!  However, not all flat irons are created equally and IMO some of the more spendy ones tend to be more effective, pamper the hair and withstand the test of time.

Let me introduce you to my latest obsession, the Amika Zebra Ceramic Styler ($125). I am truly ‘wild’ about this fabulous flat iron. First and foremost, I LOVE the super cool and hip zebra print design, after all why shouldn’t a styling tool look cute too? I smile when I use this iron because its fun and looks cool in my bathroom. The eye candy is a definite plus and it comes in lots of other fun patterns and prints too.

Second, not only does it have tremendous visual appeal but it works fantastically and has the technology to back it up. The Amika Ceramic Styler features 1.5 inch 100% solid ceramic plates (unlike other styling tools that claim to feature ceramic plates but just have a thin coating) which radiates far-infrared heat and preserves the moisture in the hair shaft and protects the hair cuticle from damage. Far Infrared Heat softens your hair faster, works to seal the cuticle, locks in color, and makes your hair look shiny, silky, static and frizz-free. The unique floating plates design allows you to smoothly straighten and style hair without tugging or breaking the hair stem. So needless to say, there is a lot of healthy hair innovation behind this iron.

And last but not least, it REALLY works!  This fab straightening iron makes my hair look smooth, shiny and healthy with minimal effort.  It is especially effective in the moist winter months when my hair is more prone to the frizzies. This flat iron is easy to use, looks chic and gives my hair the sleek, healthy professional look I crave. I am really happy with this iron and have been using it for months with no complaints.  IMO it’s a high quality product that is well worth the investment. You can find yours HERE.  

Happy New New Year Beautiful Ones! It’s time for an amazing giveaway, don’t ya think? During the Fall, I raved about a wonderful line of  Skin Care for 40 Somethings  that has anti-aging peptide technology that can help you treat your aging related skin concerns. Well, today is your lucky day because I am giving away 2 full sets of all four of the Striking Skin Care Products to TWO lucky Romy Raves Readers–each set is valued at $170!  You don’t want to miss this fab giveaway. 

It’s simple to enter this giveaway contest, all that you need to do is follow the easy steps below for your chance to win this amazing set of products:

• If you are on Twitter, you MUST Tweet or Retweet @romyraves and mention the Striking Skin Care Giveaway and you MUST link back to the original blog post: http://romyraves.com/2009/11/17/skin-care-for-40-somethings/

        OR

• Sign up for a FREE email subscription to RomyRaves.com simply by clicking: http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=RomyRaves&loc=en_US 

   

   

  AND

• Everyone who enters this contest MUST ALSO leave a comment HERE ON THIS POST telling us:
  • If you Tweeted or Retweeted about this post OR became a RR Subscriber (or just tell us that you are already a RR subscriber)
  • What are your favorite anti-aging products and why do you love them? This beauty junkie is always looking for something new

The Fine Print:

• Please make sure to include your name & e-mail address
• Anonymous posts will not be counted since we won’t be able to identify you
• Only ONE entry per person; You are only eligible to win, if you have not won any Romy Raves giveaways within the last 3 months
• Comments, Twitter Tweets and RTs, and email subscriptions will be tallied and a winner will be chosen by using Random.org
• You must have a U.S. shipping address in order to enter
• You have until Sunday, January 31st, 2010 at midnight (PST) to enter
• The winner(s) will be contacted via e-mail for current shipping information

Good Luck,

Romy, The One Who Raves