Romy Raves

I am so excited to have a girls getaway this weekend.  For me, these girlie getaways are essential for my well being. I crave this time to getaway, free myself of To Do’s, schedules, meetings and obligations and just be foot loose and fancy free. It’s my time to recharge my batteries and connect with adult women with whom I can be my real unencumbered self with. Not that I have any reason to complain, because I have a wonderfully understanding hubby who knows how important my girlfriend time is, and he generously allows me to go away several times a year.

Going away this weekend sparked this post and made me wonder how many of you schedule girl time? What gets in the way? Why is it important? How do you feel after having some exclusive girl time? For me, I get reinvigorated and it shifts my perspective, not to mention staying up late and sleeping in, oh what a treat!

What will it take for you to be a bit selfish and getaway for a few hours or a few days? Who are your fun and inspirational friends? Who are the friends that make you a better person or who enlighten you? What would you do (For me Scrapbooking Getaways and Wine Tasting Trips really rock my world)? What kind of trip or activity will really take you away from it all and allow you to escape? I challenge you to use this post as a gentle reminder to schedule some me time to recharge your batteries and connect with yourself on a whole new level, I promise it will make a world of difference. 

Please post and share your wonderful adventures with us, we are here for you girlfriend!

I have always been drawn to Eminence Organic Skin Care products because they are made of all natural, good for you ingredients and especially because these products really tantalize my senses. Eminence’s products are colorful and grab my attention visually, but it is their amazing smells (which are all natural) that win me over every time.

These products contain the highest possible levels of all-natural fresh organically grown herbs, fruits and vegetables which are hand-picked and hand-mixed with pure waters drawn from a thermal hot spring lake containing minerals and trace elements found nowhere else on earth. Eminence products are handmade in Hungary, not mass produced, without any heating or hydrogenating processes. So they are beautifully made in addition to making a difference in your skin.  And I have a few new favorite products in the line, which I would love to share with you.

I am absolutely in LOVE with the Tropical Vanilla Sun Cream SPF 32! Why you ask? It smells deelish (kinda like berry vanilla), has a very appealing high level of SPF and most importantly it offers an amazing level of contiuous hydration and moisture for my winter parched skin. It has shea butter which is calming and emollient; zinc oxide which is an anti-inflammatory and blocks UV rays; and vanilla which is soothing and improves circulation. My skin is really adoring this product and I find myself turning to it over my other moisturizers with SPF because it gives my skin a supple and luminous glow.

I am also really enjoying the yummy berries and cream smell and gentle exfoliation of the Blueberry Soy Exfoliating Cleanser. It contatins blueberry juice which tightens pores and is high in antioxidants and phyto-nutrients; pineapple extract which is an enzyme that dissolves proteins; grape extract which fights free-radicals, detoxifies and helps to prevent pigmentation; soy milk which is rich in isoflavones and vitamin B; and a proprietary blend of vitamins and enzymes to combat free radicals. Doesn’t it sound good enough to eat? I just love how this product appeals to my foodie self as well.

IMO, Eminence has some of the best, yummiest and most effective facial masques in the skincare market. And the new Raspberry Pore Refining Masque is no expection. OMG, this masque smells like a combo of raspberry jam and cassis–love that! And then I put this yummy edible concotion on my face and it hydrates, freshens, rejuvenates and tightens all at the same time–I likie! This masque also contains more good for you ingredients like: raspberry juice which tightens pores and fights free radicals; honey which is moisturizing and nourishing; blueberry juice which also tightens pores and is high in antioxidants; blackberry juice which tightens pores and is high in vitamins B, C, K, and Omega-3;  and the same proprietary blend of vitamins and enzymes to combat free radicals.

To partake in this wonderful feast for the senses, you can buy your Eminence Organic Skin Care Products HERE. What are your favorite organic skincare products? Do Tell!

If you have ever eaten a macadamia nut, you know how insanely yummy, creamy and full of flavor they are, more of an indulgent specialty nut rather than your run of the mill kind of nut, right?  Now imagine all of these wonderful, rich, luxury qualities translated into a line of hair care products, doesn’t that sound divine?  To me, YES!

Let me introduce you to my new favorite line of hair care products Macadamia Natural Oil. These products are the bomb! OMG, I am so in love with these fabulous products I don’t even know where to begin. This inspired line of products combines two of the worlds most rare, valuable and lightweight natural oils Macadamia Nut Oil from the South Pacific with the wildly popular Argan Seed Oil from North Africa’s Berber region into a beautiful line of luxury hair care products.

Macadamia Nut oil is a coveted beauty ingredient because of its uncanny ability to mimic the body’s own natural oils, allowing for unparalleled absorption and rapid penetration into the hair and skin. It has a rich concentration of essential fatty acids, natural antioxidants and vitamins that leaves hair deeply nourished and revitalized. Argan Seed Oil restores strength, shine and softness to dry, brittle hair while nourishing hair damaged by chemical services.

By combining both of these stellar oils in the Macadamia Natural Oil line, the results are even more impressive together. The benefits of this dynamic oil duo include: improved strength and hair quality; radiant shine;  hair that is deeply nourished, revitalized and silky smooth; softens thick, coarse hair; eliminates frizz and tangles; revives over-processed hair; no oily residue or build up; helps repair follicles, improves elasticity and increases nourishment; the natural UV protection extends the life of color treatments; and it reduces drying time up to 50%. Wow, that’s a powerful combo, don’t ya think?

So what am I NUTS about? Everything! First, the artisitc green and brown filagree package design is beautiful and totally catches my eye. Second, the hero product Healing Oil Treatment is amazing. It smells sweetly divine, absorbs instantly, smooths my hair and adds a beautiful shine. Then, the Rejuvenating Shampoo gently cleanses my processed hair while being hydrating at the same time, plus I love the way the bottle looks in my shower; the Nourishing Leave-In Cream is light weight, hydrating and gently mends my hair; and the Deep Repair Masque (with a little healing oil mixed in) is my new ‘put my hair back to health’ treatment conditioner. My hair just adores this deep conditioning product which it drinks it up. This treatment masque really hydrates, rejuvenates and makes my hair so healthy and shiny after I use it. And one more unexpectedly wonderful perk, because of the amazing absorption of these products, it significantly reduces my blow drying time too–overall just FAB!

Obviously, I am crazy about the Macadamia Natural Oil Products (maybe the foodie in me really responds to the whole yummy nut thing) and I think you will be too. Right now Macadamia Natural Oil is offering a “Get Hooked” Sample Pack which includes a mini Healing Oil Treatment and a 1 oz. Deep Repair Masque for only $5 plus free shipping. This is a $15 value and a great way to get a feel for my two fav products from this line. You can order your sample pack HERE.

And because I am such a huge fan of this product line, I am also offering a fabulous GIVEAWAY: A beautiful Macadamia Natural Oil Salon Intro Kit valued at over $100 to one lucky Romy Raves reader. This amazing set includes full sizes of the Shampoo, Leave-In Cream, Healing Oil Treatment, and the Deep Repair Masque along with 3 mini travel size oils and a healing oil infused comb.

All that you need to do for your chance to win this set is post a comment on this blog post telling us about your favorite hair treatment products and also what sounds appealing about the Macadamia Hair Oil products. That’s all you need to do. I LOVE comments and want to encourage my readers to regularly post comments and share your thoughts. This contest will end at midnight PST on Sunday, February 28th, 2010. The winner will be selected using Random.org. You must have a U.S. shipping address in order to enter and only one entry per person.  Good Luck!

Being an oenophile and a recessionista, I am always on the hunt for a rockin’ bottle of wine that is budget friendly and delicious all at the same time, and honestly these two qualities are usually mutually exclusive, until now.

Let me introduce you to Chariot Gypsy 2008, a delicious blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah, Zinfandel and Sangiovese from great vineyards in the Napa Valley, Sonoma, San Joachin, and Monterey counties. Now I know what you must be thinking, a red wine blend from Napa is going to be spendy, right? WRONG!

This is a Trader Joe’s bargain peeps (only FIVE BUCKS!!) and I just discovered it this past weekend while shopping for yummy eatz for the President’s Day Weekend.  All of the employees were raving about this delicious bottle of wine that just arrived (exclusive to TJ’s FYI), is a cult fav among oenophiles, and blows out of TJ’s in the blink of an eye. And after reading the tasting notes, hearing all of the in store hoopla, along with the ridiculously cheap price, I bought myself a case without even tasting it!

 Just listen to these yummy tasting notes from the winemaker:  “The 2008 ‘Gypsy’ displays a dark garnet color with a clear violet edge. It shows mixed fresh berry aromas — raspberry and strawberry, with hints of white pepper and pastry. Very clean and lively with juicy berry fruit, firm acidity and a touch of smooth tannin. Excellent and versatile food wine particularly well suited for pork chops and poultry. We think it is the perfect everyday red wine!”

So what do you think? For this price, can it really be that good? Online wine bloggers and insiders are already saying it is pleasant, has some depth,would benefit from some more age in the bottle and is perfect for everyday drinking. You be the judge, and so will I. In fact, I am planning on cracking open a bottle this weekend and then we can compare tasting notes. But for $5 a bottle, what have you got to lose? Let’s get a lively discussion going by posting your comments here.

FYI–I had a chance to try the Gypsy last night and it was surprisingly yummy! Very berry, a little creamy and a little spicy, but really delicious and much more impressive given the $5 price point. I REALLY like it and think I am headed to TJ’s soon to buy another case

You can find Chariot Gypsy 2008 at your local Trader Joe’s (in states where they are allowed to sell alcohol in markets, of course).

This Fall I was invited to a wonderful event for lifestyle bloggers–an afternoon of learning about healthy eating strategies from celebrity lifestyle and fitness guru Kathy Kaehler. Kathy created this wonderfully simple concept called Sunday Set-Up where you buy and prepare all of your healthy meal ingredients on Sunday and have them ready to go during the week when you are crazed, busy, tired and likely to make the wrong food choices. I love this uber simple lifestyle concept and have been using it since the Fall, and now I would like to share it with you. 

Kathy created Sunday Set-Up to help busy moms (and other uber busy peeps) make daily meal prep easier, healthier and more practical. Instead of stressing about how you are going to pull together healthy and tasty meals night after night, this program is your plan-ahead solution. The idea is that every Sunday you “set-up” your meals for the week by shopping for your ingredients over the weekend and selecting, then prepping foods that can be made into a week’s worth of recipe ingredients.

According to Kathy, “Sunday Set-Up is a great way for me to be organized. I get all of my food at the farmers market or grocery store on the weekend, wash it all, cut it up, and put it into containers. It just became a habit for me, and then I started sharing my strategy with clients and moms that I know. I eventually turned it into a program.”

Kathy feels that, “Families today rely too much on take-out and ordering-in. Our children are not learning how to prepare healthy meals. By implementing Sunday Set-Up into your routine, you will save money, eat better, eat healthier, feel more energized, gather as a family more often, and you may even lose some weight.”

Sunday Set-Up is as easy as 1-2-3:

1. On Saturday or Sunday afternoon, take your kids and go shopping at your local farmers market or grocery store, picking up the freshest ingredients possible. Try to be as ‘green’ as possible by making a point of buying seasonal, local, and organic ingredients (they tend to be the most vibrant and taste the best too!) Also, bringing the kids gets them excited and invested in the healthy eating process. Click HERE to see Kathy’s Sunday Set-Up Shopping List.

2. On Sunday, chop and cook the ingredients necessary for a week’s worth of meals and snacks. This includes vegetables, rice, pasta, beans and chicken/protein. And to add a little yummy inspiration to the mix, here are two of my favorite, super easy and delicious recipes that Kathy made with us at this event: Kathy’s Kale (ridiculously addictive) and Salsa Rice and Black Beans

3. After the preparing and cooking, store the fixings in clear glass containers (Kathy introduced me to Snapware Glass Lock Containers and I absolutely LOVE them–durable, leak proof, easy to see your food and aesthetically pleasing) and place them at the front of your refrigerator. That way, you will be excited about all of the mix and match possibilities for meals and healthy snack options.

That’s It! Simple, Easy, Inspired, Yummy and Healthy! Thank You Kathy for conceptualizing such a brilliant modern day program that can really impact lives in such a positive way.  So, what are your healthy lifestyle choices? Any quick and easy tips for eating healthier? Please post and share your tips and ideas.