Romy Raves

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

Many of you know that I am both a beauty maven and a foodie, so its no wonder I was super excited to attend a Blending Bash at KleanSpa in MindfulNest in Burbank (a super cute store that showcases artisanal designers). I was invited to attend this fab soiree by Jennifer AKA the Scentual Mixtress (LOVE that!) Jennifer is a goddess with beautiful energy and a NOSE (meaning that she really knows the art of smelling and combining fragrances in just the right way.) She is also the creator of KleanSpa, a beautiful line of handcrafted beauty products that are definitely worth checking out.

Jennifer recently began hosting these super fun monthly Blending Bashes at MindfulNest (usually on Sunday Evenings) where you have the  opportunity to formulate your own signature fragrance. During this inspired event, you are able to create, blend and walk away with a roll-on perfume and an extreme moisture shea lotion in a fragrance of your own creation. And to enhance the appeal of this event, KleanSpa usually partners with local restaurants and caterers so that you have the opportunity to sample yummy eats and drinks during the gathering. All this fun and creativity for a mere thirty five bucks! And as an added bonus, you can shop the unique assortment of artisanal items at MindfulNest too.  

During the bash, you  have the unique opportunity to work one on one with this Masterful Mixtress and custom blend your own signature fragrance. The process goes something like this: First you tell the Mixtress what types of fragrances you like and then you start sniffing to see what you like and what you don’t. If you get desensitized she has coffee grinds nearby too. Once you have a few fragrances you like, the Mixtress starts pairing the notes that go well together and eliminating those that don’t and then she starts combining your fragrance–making sure you have the right elements of a good base, middle/heart, and top notes. You sniff along the way to see if it smells good to you or if you want more of one scent or another until you get it just right. Jennifer expertly guides you through this process, so you feel confident and supported in creating something sophisticated and delicious.

Then you put on your apron and mix your custom scent into a luscious creamy shea lotion and give it a name. This whole experience totally appeals to both my beauty and foodie side! I created my Sultry Sassy Spring Blend with notes of  Fern, Fig, White Tea, Pomergranate, New Cucumber, Grass, and Ginger Milk—Green, fresh, slightly fruity, and the ginger adds a little spicy sultriness to the blend and I LOVE it! 

This was such a fun, scentual, creative experience and I highly rec giving it a sniff and a whirl  if you live in the LA area. And if you don’t live near by you don’t have to miss out on these fab products either, because from now through May 2010 Romy Raves Readers get 20% off all products at www.KleanSpa.com by entering the code ROMYRAVES20

And as a special treat, I am also doing a Blending Bash GIVEAWAY for you and friend ($70 Value!) , so you both can having the pleasure of creating with the Mixtress. All that you need to do for your chance to win this fabulous scentual experience is become an email subscriber of Romy Raves   AND  a Fan of the Romy Raves Facebook Page  AND post a comment on this blog post telling me what your favorite Spring/Summer fragrance is and why you love it. 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 Monday, May 3rd, 2010. The winner will be selected using Random.org. You must live in the Los Angeles, CA area in order to take advantage of this regional prize and only one entry per person.  Good Luck!

Tags: Blending Bash, Create Your Own Products, giveaway, KleanSpa

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 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.

Tags: Healthy Eating, Kathy Kaehler, Kathy's Kale, Organic, Recipes, Snapware Glass Lock, Sunday Set-Up

I don’t know about you, but when February rolls around each year, I find myself feeling more amorous, sexy and focused on all things red, chocolate and romantic. It’s the holiday that reminds me about love and staying connected to those we hold near and dear. In honor of this heart filled day, I thought I would share some of my current favorite discoveries that seem like a perfect sync with this holiday:

  1.  Black Magic Roses (pictured above)
These are the most amazing velvety black looking roses and they were the focal point of my wedding bouquet over 10 years ago. They still captivate me to this day–Stunning!

2.  Perfect Kiss Parfum
I am a huge fan of Sarah Horowitz Parfums (More Than Just a Fragrance) because her fragrances are so unique, beautifully made, and the kind of scents that people always stop me and ask what I am wearing. Perfect Kiss is a tribute to romantic love; it has a sexy blend of night blooming jasmine and honeysuckle that rests upon a base note of creamy sandalwood and warm amber, and it is made even more inviting by a hint of dark chocolate. I just love the smell of Perfect Kiss which I describe as warm, sensual and yummy which makes it a perfect Valentine’s Day fragrance.

3.  Flaming Heart T-Shirt by Sledge
I have always loved the fun, hip fashion forward tops designed by Sledge. I recently saw a picture of this top in Los Angeles Magazine and loved it! I think it will make the perfect Valentine’s Day date night shirt too!

4.  Jurlique Love Balm
This is a delightful little tin of love that I keep in my purse and use anywhere that my skin needs a little extra moisture. It is made of all natural oils and is scented with yummy tangerine oil. My dry chapped lips adore this little balm and I hope yours will too!

5.  Lipstick Queen Chinatown Glossy Pencil in Thriller
This is a super sheer, moisturizing “draw on” gloss that comes in a chubby jumbo-sized pencil. It even comes with a jumbo-sized sharpener and the original artwork on the boxes and shade names are all inspired by the Polanski film of the same name. I love the hint of blue red color (perfect for your V-Day pucker) and how simple it is to use.

6.  Vampire Kiss in Love Bite Red by Lip Seduction
This is one of my all time favorite lipgloss and treatment products because it provides a nice sheer hint of color and it heals, plumps and sooths my lips all at once (read The Seduction of My Lips for my full rave of this product). And Love Bite Red is the perfect sheer Valentine’s Day shade of red!

7.  China Glaze Nail Polish in Ruby Pumps 
This is a great sparkly red nail polish that was inspired by Dorthy’s Ruby Red Slippers.  Being a die hard Wizard of Oz fan, I could not resist The Wizard of Ohh Ahhz collection by China Glaze (what a fun packaging concept!). There are six great colors in this set, but I think I will be wearing Ruby Pumps for a fun blingy Valentine’s Day Look. I also love the sparkly blue shade in the set called Dorothy Who? and the fun shimmery purple called C-C-Courage. 

8.   Choclatique Fig and Peanut Butter Sea Salt Truffle
OMG! This is such an insanely good candy creation that I tasted it over a year ago at Expo West  and still cannot stop thinking about it. It is the perfect blend of creamy peanut butter, carmely fig and a hint of sea salt covered in divine chocolate—An Absolute Confection Perfection!!

9.  Gotta Have S’more Amore 
I recently discovered the addictive S’muffins by Gotta Have S’more and am totally hooked on these miniature s’more like cupcakes. They have a graham cracker shell dipped in chocolate and are filled with marshmallow, chocolate and other divine ingredients. And the S’more Amore is a Valentine’s Day spin on this amazing treat with red colored white chocolate on the outside and a candy red heart on top—Super cute and yummy too!

10.   Naja Tea
I recently discovered Naja’s divine tea blends at the Go Green Expo in LA and was immediately hooked! Naja’s mantra is to make ‘whole leaf hip’ and she masterfully fulfills this promise by creating aromatic and unique blends of tea that intoxicate you with their beautiful inspired smells and flavors. I am absolutely head over heels in love with the sensual Mix & Mingle blend of toasted coconut, chocolate, vanilla and rooibos, dee-lish! And I think the delicious Allure blend (white tea, tangerines, & schizandra berries) and the Wicked Plum blend (cinnamon, ginger root, hibiscus and rooibos) would make delightful Vday gifts.  

Tags: China Glaze, Choclatique, Jurlique, Lipstick Queen, Naja Tea, Perfect Kiss, S'more Amore, Sarah Horowitz Parfums, Sledge Clothing, Vampire Kiss