Romy Raves

Frédéric Fekkai, the brand renowned for luxury hair care products is pleased to announce their “Style Trial” day, exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Hair is your best accessory and Frédéric Fekkai wants everyone to unlock the key to great style! To show consumers how to achieve their best personal style, Frédéric Fekkai is inviting consumers to Saks Fifth Avenue stores nationwide on Thursday, August 26^th to receive a personalized hair consultation and complimentary full sized Fekkai Advanced styling product, up to a $25 value, while supplies last.

Consumers will be asked a set of brief questions regarding their hair type, daily routine and the style they want to achieve. A Fekkai team representative will be on-hand to offer a personalized consultation complete with a corresponding complimentary product to help them achieve their ultimate style! Product options include: Advanced Full Blown Volume Lifting Hairspray, Advanced Brilliant Glossing Crème, Advanced Salon Technician Color Care Anti-Fade Topcoat & Coiff Contrôle Ironless Straightening Balm.

The Fekkai Style Trial is limited to one styling product per customer and is only available while supplies last.

For additional information about the Fekkai Style Trial please visit www.fekkai.com

Tags: Fekkai Style Trial, Hair Products

Many of you know how much I adore the original LashBlast Volume Mascara and whenever someone asks me about my top favorite beauty products, this fab and super affordable mascara is always at the top of my list. Well, I am thrilled to report that this hall of fame product has gotten even better! Let me introduce you to LashBlast Fusion. CoverGirl has really done their homework by developing this amazing new mascara that combines volumizing and lengthing all in one mascara! Brilliant!

LB Fusion contains a proprietary fiberstretch formula and an oversized brush (LOVE the brush) that makes every little lash bigger, fuller, longer looking and more dramatic. This new formula gives you TWO products for the price of one, so for those of you who buy both a lengthening and a voluminzing mascara this is the perfect recessionista solution.

What do I love about this mascara? It is super quick and easy to use and it gives you bold beautiful lashes in just one coat. I love, love the clump-preventing-lash-building brush, it is just fabulous! I love the amount of volume it gives my less than lush lashes. And the additional of lengthening fiber is the icing on the cake. With LB Fusion, my lashes are defined, separated and noticeable. I know that when I use LB Fusion I am going the have long, lush, beautiful looking lashes with minimal effort. And this is a drugstore mascara I am talking about here, so it is easy to find, super affordable (well under $10), and often on sale or part of a BOGO sale.

IMO that is mascara perfection! This beauty junkie is very happy. You can find LashBlast Fusion HERE or at your local drugstore and please post comments and let me know your thoughts about this new mascara inspiration.

Tags: CoverGirl, LashBlast Fusion, mascara

I am the first to admit that I am a totally a champagne girl, it has always been my drink of choice whenever I go out. I have always felt that my preferred drink says alot about who I am: bubbly, effervescent, noticeable, and celebratory. These attributes of champagne really resonate with me and are probably why I enjoy it so much. Well, being a girl with champagne tastes (and a lifestyle blogger), I was recently invited to a press preview luncheon to sample a new champagne cocktail called Dirty Blonde Champagne Cocktails (they had me at the name, don’t ya just love it?) Dirty Blonde Champagne Cocktails are a premium “champagne” cocktail that offer an upscale alternative for drinkers who enjoy wine and want something beyond today’s flavored beers, wine coolers, and value-priced pre-mixed drinks. These fun flirty cocktails are a delightful and tasty blend of bubbly white wine, fruit infusions, and spirits (12% alcohol by volume).

They come in yummilious, female appealing flavors like Raspberry Flirtini, Citrus Mimosa, Sparkling Mojito and Peach Passion Bellini. In Los Angeles, they are launching the Flirtini and Bellini flavors and I had a chance to sample both of these refreshing beverages. I liked the combination of the red raspberry, cassis and vanilla flavors of the Flirtini and I loved the delicious juicy combination of ripe peach and tropical passion fruit in the Bellini–DEELISH!! And the cute little bottles that come in a four pack (affordably priced) and Springy pastel colors of these beverages only add to the feminine appeal. 

These inspired girls-night-out cocktails are the brain child of Kristen Raskopf, founder of Dirty Blonde Champagne Cocktails (who coincidentally has blonde hair.)  She came up with the idea for Dirty Blonde after looking for an alternative to existing margaritas and cosmopolitans, and she wanted something upscale and effervescent. Kristen says, “I wanted a brand that would be very distinctive, something fun & flirty, but also a name that I was connected to personally.” So, is she a ‘Dirty Blonde’? “Absolutely, being a Dirty Blonde is an attitude. I created Dirty Blonde Cocktails to capture this fun, flirty personality.” This Champagne Girl is all over that!

Dirty Blonde Champagne Cocktails are currently available in select states at BevMo, Henry’s and Ralph’s and you can find them at BevMo online HERE. Cheers Girlfriend!

Tags: Champagne Cocktail, Dirty Blonde Cocktails, Girls Night Out

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).

Tags: Bargain Wine, Chariot Gypsy 2008, Cult Wine, Trader Joe's

This savvy beauty maven is always on the hunt for the best beauty treatments and services around, and I recently had a delightful facial with Gayle Miller at Guy Matthew Salon and Day Spa in Agoura Hills, California.

 What made this facial so special you ask?  I would be delighted to tell you. First of all, Gayle is a gifted pro and knows her way around skin care products. She uses one of my all time favorite skin care lines called Epicuren. This is an active and effective line of products and I am always impressed with the results it delivers.

Second, Gayle has a very gentle yet thorough technique that really gets your skin clean and glowing. She gives your skin a thoughtful analysis and designs the facial to meet your needs. She decided that this beauty blogger needed the works, so in addition to cleansing, a relaxing massage and extractions, I tried two of her different exfoliation services and finished it off with an oxygen treatment. And let me tell you, my skin looked and felt divine after this triple whammy!

Let me tell you a little more about each of these wonderful services. First, I had Diamondtome Microdermabrasion, a gentle yet effective microderm treatment. This got rid of my surface flakes and unevenness.  Next, was my personal favorite part of this facial, the Hot Enzyme Three Layer Peel (sounds scarier than it is, I promise.) This consists of three different Epicuren products that are layered on the skin to pack a powerful punch. I liked the spicy zingy first step and how smooth and supple my skin felt after all three steps–this was a pretty unique feeling treatment to this savvy beauty junkie. And the last step and icing on the cake was the Echo2 Plus Oxygen Treatment, which gently sprays vitamins, minerals and oxygen right into the skin and gave my skin a fantastic and youthful glow, a perfect special occasion treatment.

Gayle has a delightful demeanor and I would highly rec giving her facial a try, especially if you like a more gentle and renewing facial with beautiful skin results.  And here’s the BEST part: Right now she is offering Romy Raves readers a special introductory price of $65 which includes a classic facial with all the trimmings PLUS ANY 2 of the special treatments I have reviewed above. That means you can get a facial with microderm and/or a three layer hot enzyme peel and/or an awesome oxygen treatment all for for a steal. These treatments typically cost about $100 each or $20 to add on to a regular facial which is regularly $85, SO needless to say this is a fabulous bargain not to be missed!

Guy Matthew Salon and Day Spa is located at 30115 Agoura Road in Agoura Hills, California. To book a facial with Gayle call (818) 889-0212. And remember to tell her Romy Raves sent you!

Tags: Agoura, Diamondtome Microdermabrasion, Echo2 Plus Oxygen Facial, Epicuren, facial, Gayle Miller, Guy Matthew Salon, Hot Enzyme 3 Layer Peel