Debbie King

Personal Post – Product Review

PERFUME for your ROOM

The very minute I smelled this voluptuous blend of oriental scents called AMBRE from L‘Occitane with the sweetness of vanilla combined with a bouquet of other exotic spices I knew I had to have it. It smelled so familiar and also foreign at the same time. Then I realized the scent reminded me of the perfume my mother used to wear called “Shalimar” by Guerlain. It’s a classic!

With a name that literally means “temple of love” in Sanskrit, Shalimar is the amber-oriental perfume that spawned a host of successful imitators. Guerlain’s fragrance takes its name from the Indian Gardens of Shalimar, where emperor Shah Jahan met the woman who inspired him to build the Taj Mahal. One very lucky lady. A runaway success since its birth in 1925, Shalimar’s irresistable blend of fragrance notes has given it pride of place on the vanities of glamorpusses from Rita Hayworth to Kate Moss.

And now me…..with this similar scent from L’Occitane that sits on my vanity and with one single spray brings back very fond memories with its intoxicating scent.

How do you feel about scenting your room?

beauty

IN the Beauty Cabinet

Tinted moisturizing LIP balms

Sugar is addictive. Now I’m addicted to every single SUGAR lip balm made by “fresh” ever since trading in 100 points with my Sephora beauty insider store card to try a few. I went back and bought the mini six pack to try the other shades. They’re super moisturizing and provide a nice hint of color at the same time.

Fresh’s #1 best-seller, Sugar Lip Treatment Sunscreen SPF 15 is proven to provide 6 hours of significant moisture for soft and supple lips. Its sublime texture and addictive citrus flavor make it positively irresistible. Made with a proprietary blend of moisture-preserving sugar, nourishing precious oils & antioxidant-rich polyphenols.

Then there’s always Burt’s Bees Moisturizing Lip Shimmers. I like several of the shades for a natural look with a kiss of color and a bit of pearlized shine for that hint of glamour. I think they contain some menthol too.

SALVEATION for your LIPS

with Smith’s Rosebud Salve

This is probably my favorite no color lip balm for at night before bedtime. It’s been around forever. It conditions & smooths beautifully.

My choice for best natural softening & protecting lip balm for daytime is the repairing one made by “ROC” called ENYDRIAL. Roc has been around ever since I can remember. I haven’t experienced any other one more smoothing than this.

There you have it – all my “HALL OF FAME” picks for LIPS.

Time to pucker up!

More reviews to follow

FUN

Simply Satisfying – Kitchen Conveniences

That make preparing a meal and your life so much easier.

I don’t know about you but I like to simplify things in the kitchen as much as possible. These are my latest favorite kitchen tools. A whisk, a zester and a fruit/veggie peeler extraordinaire.

A friend gave me this Pogo whisk and I love it. Before this I was mashing potatoes with an electric mixer which is kind of messy. This works just as well and you only have to push down on the handle – it does the work for you. I also use it for smoothing sauces, soups & frothing milk for making lattes. Genius.

fruit and vegetable peeler especially good for soft skin fruit. — fruit and vegetable **peeler** especially good for soft skin fruit.

lemon & lime zester. The bottom part contains the zest. — The best lemon & lime **zester**. The bottom part contains the zest – no mess.

Do you have others you would recommend?

FUN

Seen on the Storefront

Meuse…..for beautiful living

Where casual meets elegance, whether it be painted refurbished vintage and antique furniture, beautiful new clothing, La Rochere glassware from France, premium bedding or 100% organic cotton nightdresses. Located at 2005 West 4th Avenue in Kitsilano

FUN

AWay with Words – on reading

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”— Dr. Seuss, “I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!”

“Oh, magic hour, when a child first knows she can read printed words!”— A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, 1943

“Reading aloud with children is known to be the single most important activity for building the knowledge and skills they will eventually require for learning to read.”- — Marilyn Jager Adams

“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.”- Jacqueline Kennedy

“You may have tangible wealth untold. / Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold. / Richer than I you can never be – / I had a mother who read to me.” — Strickland Gillilan

“When I was a kid they didn’t call it dyslexia. They called it you know, you were slow, or you were retarded, or whatever. What you can never change is the effect that the words ‘dumb’ and ‘stupid’ have on young people. I knew I wasn’t stupid, and I knew I wasn’t dumb. My mother told me that. If you read to me, I could tell you everything that you read. They didn’t know what it was. They knew I wasn’t lazy, but what was it?” — Whoopi Goldberg

“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.”— Walt Disney

FUN

B well – Juicing the smart way

HEALTH IN A GLASS?

Whether it’s an early-morning fruit-juice fix or pulverized carrots and kale for lunch, may of us are taking our meals in liquid form. But do the health claims justify giving juice a whirl?

You can’t walk down the street these days without seeing someone sipping juice. From trendsetting celebs to health gurus like Dr. Oz and Oprah, it seems everyone is enjoying their salads through a straw. And making some pretty big claims about the benefits. Juicing, they say, can help you turn back the clock, shed unwanted pounds fast and even fight a whole host of diseases.

Doctors, dietitians and nutritionists are divided as to whether juice cleanses have all the detoxifying, diet-transforming and disease-fighting properties their advocates so reverently profess. From a medical standpoint, doctors say our bodies (specifically the kidneys and liver) are equipped to naturally remove toxins from our systems.

One thing most experts can agree on is that juicing in moderation (think a glass a day as opposed to a meal replacement) can supplement an already decent diet or help jump start a range of healthy behaviour, such as more mindful eating in general. The bottom line is It’s fine to occasionally drink your fruits and veggies as long as you eat them often too.

Whole or pulverized, fruit and vegetables are essential to a healthy diet, so if it takes a glass of juice to help you get more of them, then that’s not entirely a bad thing. Experiment with ingredients like ginger for energy, or antioxidant-rich beets, which are high in folate, to help protect your heart.

For a super smoothie try mixing up some high grade protein powder with wild greens, blueberries, yogurt, banana, flax seeds, wheat germ & green tea powder.

Also: **Don’t miss listening to “Transforming Health” with host BradKing for the most evocative and informative up-to-the-minute interviews with leading health professionals – Live every Wednesday @ 12PM-PST/3PM-EST on VoiceAmerica.com – #1 internet radio station in North America. Here’s the link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1686/transforming-health

excerpts taken from Health Trends – Chatelaine Magazine

FUN

Inspiration – Kids Books

Don’t ask what I was doing perusing the Kid’s bookstore recently but I think it was the princess paraphernalia in the store window that drew me inside. Since I don’t have kids of my own I’ve been out of touch with the recent crop of book titles. Wow…how times have changed! But then when you think about it “Green Eggs and Ham” didn’t really make much sense either. Which brings me to the realization that we might be missing something in the imagination department as we get older. Have a look at some of these intriguing titles:

This makes the most sense

I think I could write kids books – anything goes.

FUN

Intriguing Hair Products – Reviews

A Perfect Mask, a Flyaway Tamer & Making Waves.

L’Occitane LOVE: This shine mask not only smells heavenly with 5 essential oils known for repairing dry and damaged hair but it also leaves your hair nice’n shiny, soft and smooth.

Oils: (angelica, lavender, geranium, ylang ylang & sweet orange) formulated with a natural vegetable complex particularly recommended for color and chemically treated hair. You only need to leave it on for five minutes. Your hair will love you for it.

Who doesn’t need to touch up flyaways every now and always?

John Frieda has come up with a Full Repair touch-up flyaway tamer that comes in a mascara like casing and works pretty much the same way but on your hair – specifically on the little buggers that won’t stay put! You just brush the wand over dried hair to smooth flyaways. It really works. Especially great for when you wear your hair up or off your face.

Then when you’re ready for that beachy wavy vibe you can turn to “Not Your Mother’s” BEACH BABE Texturizing Sea Salt Spray infused with Dead Sea Salt & Sea Kelp. You just need to spray it onto clean, damp or dry hair, comb through & style. You’ll get sexy, tousled waves and fool everyone into thinking you just left the beach. Now everyday can be a day at the beach!

Have any other recommendations?

FUN

Style – making it your own

By personalizing coveted items.

Alexandra Richards in Paris. Photo from Ferregamo Website. — **Alexandra Richards** (daughter of Keith Richards & model Patty Hansen) in Paris. Photo taken from **Ferragamo Website**.

We’re all aware that we can monogram our initials on our plush Egyptian cotton bathrobes and even customize sneakers online but customizing luxury Italian leather goods? – not so common.

To commemorate the 35^th anniversary of its famed “Vara skimmers” Ferragamo is introducing L’Icona, a digital DIY experience.

For 35 years, Vara has been worn by style setters around the globe (the go-to classic for style icons like Princess Diana to Alexa Chung ~~to me~~),and has become an icon in the fashion realm. It is one of the most famously recognized shoes from the House of Ferragamo. I’ve always loved this type of shoe – so versatile and classic.

Vara Classic - from Ferragamo Website — Vara Classic – from Ferragamo Website

It’s a way for customers to reflect their personalities and so they will be able to e-cobble with choice of hue, ribbon, and plate. Choose from 22 shades of patent leather, 21 colors of grosgrain ribbon, 3 metal options for the bow’s ornament plate and 2 heel heights. You can even have 3 letters monogrammed on the bottom of the shoe. Your perfect pair will arrive in five weeks – flat. FerraGLAMo! (photo)

http://icona.ferragamo.com/

Trivia: Do you remember the TV series “Laverne & Shirley?” Laverne always had her initials sewn into her tops.

Making SCENTS with Ralph Lauren’s CUSTOMIZED perfume bottles.

Buy one of Ralph Lauren Big Pony women’s or men’s fragrances online, and you can personalize it with a name, monogram, or message of up to 10 characters. Perfect for detailing a signature scent, giving as a gift, or oh-so-elegantly marking your territory.

http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12510323

as seen in InStyle Magazine

Food + Drink

Simply Satisfying – Vinegar Braised Chicken

This delightfully tangy rich recipe is inspired by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s (of “Marketplace” at the Shangrila) recipe for vinegar chicken. He suggests seasoning the chicken with salt a day in advance. Serves six.

3-4 lbs. bone-in chicken pieces, preferably dark meat (like thighs).

2 ½ tsp. kosher salt, divided

½ tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 ½ Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup finely chopped shallots

1 ½ cups red wine vinegar (I substituted about half the vinegar amount for *red wine used for cooking purposes).

1 cup chicken broth

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 cup canned whole peeled plum tomatoes, drained and quartered

6 cloves of garlic

4 sprigs of thyme

3 bay leaves

2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 300. Season chicken with 2 tsp. salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 5-to-6 quart Dutch oven or wide, ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken by arranging half the chicken in pot in a single layer and cook, turning once, until golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken

Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add vinegar and cook until much of the acrid aroma has dissipated, 3 to 5 minutes. Add broth and ½ cup water, bring to a vigorous simmer, and cook until slightly reduced, 3 to 5 minutes

Whisk in tomato paste and remaining ½ tsp. salt. Add tomatoes, then arrange chicken in pot, skin side up, pouring over any accumulated juices from plate. Tuck garlic, thyme, and bay leaves in liquid. Cover pot snugly with foil, then lid, and transfer to oven. Cook 1 hour and 15 minutes, until chicken is very tender.

Let rest 30 minutes; discard thyme and bay leaves. Scatter parsley and serve.

*I always keep a vacumized bottle of wine aside for cooking purposes. Usually it’s one I’m not so crazy about drinking so it comes in handy for recipes such as this one or in a hearty Bolognese sauce or Beef Bourgignon. More recipes with wine to follow. Of course I always drink a glass while cooking.