Me in Melange

Finally I'm a Diva

Omg. I knew I was a late-bloomer, I've always been one. Almost every "milestone" in my life happened way later than for most of counter-parts - (got my driver's license at 18, lost the old "virg" at 18 as well, got my period at 15, stopped playing with plastic horse models at 15, graduated college at 23....etc) but this is ridiculous! I'm almost 50 years old and I just discovered the joys of regular manicures and pedicures?! What rock have I been living under? 

For some reason I thought manis and pedis were EXPENSIVE. Once in a while I'd get gifted a pedi somewhere and it was always about $50, so I never thought I would do it on my own, let alone regularly! And manicures-who needs a manicure? I work hard, doing all kinds of harsh things with my hands, it would never last and be a waste of money, right? Well, turns out I'm wrong!

I got a manicure the other day (first in about ten or fifteen years, no lie) and it cost $13. And it lasted a WEEK before it started to chip, even though I did dishes, laundry, scrubbing the tub, even GARDENING for cryin' out loud!

And I picked the cutest color. I love color on short nails. Long nails freak me right out, I must say - and I HATE french manicures. But all kinds of color look great on short nails. I got this taupey/grey and it looked great until yesterday.Now I'm going to take the polish off my nails and go natural for a bit until my next manicure!!!! Plus, my fingers are so moisturized and cleaned up, no hang nails, no rough spots, they look so happy, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT TOOK ME SO LONG to figure it out! Is this a secret all women have known and I haven't? That manicures cost $13?! The pedicure is $15! And it does the same thing for my feet. Moisturized, pretti-fied, and MASSAGED.

Omg that is reason enough to get regular manis and pedis!!! They massage your legs! Your aching feet! Your hands!!! Hard working appendages for sure, especially my nearly-50-year-old ones, and so deserving of some Tender Loving Care. Wow. So for $20 plus a tip I can get all 20 nails made beautiful, extremities moisturized and massaged, and I can close my eyes and luxuriate in it for an hour?!! Done deal!!!

I can't wait for my next appointment in that big plush chair at "Top Ten Nails" on Hawthorne blvd. I have to give them a shout out because that is my new temple. The soft chairs, the warm foot baths, the quiet atmosphere, the skills of the nail ladies, and the interesting view out the window all make this sanctuary my new favorite place. Even if it took fifty years for me to figure out, I'm glad I got there. Middle age is already starting to rule. xoxoxoxo DR

Spring Scarf Style from Eileen Fisher

LOVE these scarf-tying videos! Happy weekend everyone! xoxoxo DR

Rawmazing

I have found an unlikely guru. A Hollywood-tanned, surfer-haired fifty-something who makes amazingly cheezy videos - not the type you'd think I'd get inspired by. However - he is incredible!

 Markus Rothkranz wants you to live forever. Or at least past one hundred, and sharp as a tack and physically able right up to the end of life. And his own story is a testimony to the success of his approach. It's all about eating only foods that are alive - with a life force still inside them. Turns out when you heat food above 118 degrees it kills the nutrients inside it, so by the time you eat those organic leafy greens you bought at Whole Foods, they are for the most part, dead. You get some nutrients, but not NEARLY the amount or the power of those that are killed as soon as the plant is cut. I guess ideally you grow your own veggies and eat them straight from the garden. I don't have a garden. Yet. But I did buy his "cook"book, lol, I guess Recipe Book would be a better name, called "Love on a Plate", and will start making some of those dishes today. I've already made his healthy, vegan, sugar-free, freezer chocolate and am totally hooked! That stuff is killer delicious, lo-cal and will actually help you lose weight. Crazy, but true. And that is Markus's whole gig - that you can have it all, you can eat all the deliciously-sweet, salt, savory, fatty dishes you want, just made out of different ingredients. HEALTHY ingredients, so that there is not a guilt-pang in sight as you down that chocolate cake. Not a pound will appear when you scarf down that almond cheese. Eat it, love it! And it will love you back. Here is Markus's youtube channel, brace yourself: it's hilarious. But it's also a source of incredible health, long life, even a spiritual satisfaction and peace. It all works together and I'm excited to get started! Stay tuned for pics of what I make! :) xoxoxoxo DR

 ps: Markus works with his partner Cara who is a gourmet raw chef and was raised by a very health-conscious mother, and who seems to know everything there is to know about food alchemy. Even if her fashion sense leaves something to be desired...cough. But hey, why so judgy, Diane? Free to be you and me, right? Cheers to both of them! :) 

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Eileen!

I couldn't help it, I had to add to the previous post about the "Everyday Elegance of Eileen" because MORE everyday elegance just came in the door!

Oh we are just so in love with her gorgeous silks, linens and organic cottons. So breezy, SO EASY, and clothes we get to love forever! Happy Eileen Fisher Day. Take $50 off any EF purchase of $200 or more! oxoxo Ahhhh, that's better. 

Everyday Elegance of Eileen

If there is one designer who captures the essence of living the Good (and easy) Life it is Eileen Fisher. Her designs are ultimately wearable, flattering, natural, MODERN and sophisticated. They are classic as well as timeless. So clean, so lean, so...effortlessly beautiful. Eileen Fisher's fashions look amazing on every age. And we mean it! Teens can rock her organic cotton box tops with summer's short shorts and skinny crops, young moms will look and feel amazing in her beautiful, functional open cardigans and soft boyfriend jeans, and those of us of a certain age will glow with radiance in Eileen's amazing colors and comfortable fit. Her clothes not only stand out from the crowd with their high quality and superb workmanship, they go ANYWHERE.  Work, play, weddings, vacations, you name it, Eileen will go there. It's ALL good in Eileen's world, and we are just delighted to be a part of it! Here are a few of our favorite recent combos - they all just GO, right?! And the feeling of the fabrics against the skin...well, you gotta' try it to believe it! 

xoxoxo happy Monday everyone, last day of FRIENDS AND FAMILY EVENT, take 25% off your purchase, Eileen included!