You know when you meet someone and you just instantly want to become their best friend? Ross Mathews is one of those people. I am beyond excited that his first book is available now (!) and I’m even more excited to read it. The book party, held at Sunset Marquis in Hollywood, was intimate and amazing. Ross referred to the party as his “book mitvah” and Jay Leno and Chelsea Handler each gave a speech, basically reinforcing what everyone already knows: Ross Mathews is amazing and one to watch in Hollywood. Make sure you also keep an eye out for his new show on E!, which will be called “Hello Ross.”
It’s almost Cinco de Mayo, which means you have until Sunday to master this recipe. After years of consuming margaritas (you are welcome), here’s what I consider to be the BEST margarita ever. What are some of your favorite cocktail recipes?
Ingredients:
2 oz Tequila
1 oz fresh lime
3/4 oz Triple Sec
1 tsp simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water)
Directions:
Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously
Salt rims (you don’t have to, but I love a salted rim) using lime juice
I recently received a bottle of the new Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer and, let me tell you, I’m wowed…once again. Back in 2006/2007, I suffered from my first bout with acne…adult acne, to be exact, and it was really not fun. I grew up having perfect skin; seriously, I don’t remember getting a zit EVER until like maybe college (and during my period). So, naturally, when I found myself breaking out at age 23…I went a little ballistic, which definitely made my skin even more stressed out than it already was from the acne and rosacea combo.
In Kiehl’s studies, they’ve found that skin is actually the first of the body’s organs that stress begins to appear, showing up with signs of redness, fatigue, dehydration, blotchiness and overall visible signs of aging. The clinical results from testing showed a 100 percent improvement in overall skin quality, when applied in the morning and at night – so easy. SOLD.
It’s not that I don’t appreciate a quality glass of vino (or champagne, for that matter), but there are just SO MANY amazing wines out there, that are cheap, so why always spend big bucks? Am I right?
Bella Sera Pinot Grigio: I discovered this brand a few years back, in New York, basically cause liked the name: “beautiful night.” Since then, I’ve converted friends who even don’t really like white wine.
Cupcake Vineyards Red Velvet: I discovered this wine right here in good old California (it’s a Cali vineyard) and picked it up PURELY because it’s supposed to taste like red velvet. I’m not a big red wine fan…I don’t hate it, but I’ll always opt for white, so I tried it 100% because it promises to taste like dessert. And it DOES. This wine is SO GOOD. Hands down, one of my favorites.
SkinnyGirl California White Blend: I’m a big fan of the SkinnyGirl margarita so I assumed that I would also like Bethenny’s wines…and I was right. It’s delish AND low-calorie.
Cavit Riesling: Aaaaah, Cavit. My New York roomies and I would refer to this as “the big bottle.” You know the one. It’s the bottle that you pick up after that extra-long day at the office, or after that extra-unnecessary fight that you just had with your boyfriend. Love it.
It’s kind of a weird feeling when you start to realize that a LOT of your friends are moving in with their significant others, getting engaged and buying houses, which is why I decided to stock up on a few items that everyone will love – here are my top five picks for the best hostess/host gifts. These gifts are guaranteed to be loved by anyone, I promise.
1. Diptyque votive candle trio: As you already know, I’m obsessed with Diptyque candles and, in fact, I featured this trio in my holiday gift guide as well. What I love about this trio, as opposed to buying just one candle, is that the hostess can then try three different scents and even burn them in three different rooms. This is an AMAZING gift, guys. (hint, hint).
2. Anthropologie DIY friendship bracelet kit: Obviously this gift is best for a woman but let me tell you, it’s a winner. Even if your friend isn’t super into DIY, this kit is really easy and fun to use.
3. Fortune cookie box: I love this. It’s chic and quirky and you can even add in your own fortune, custom for the hostess/host.
4. Black Hawaiian sea salt: Fancy salts are very grown up, that’s a fact. My friend Jen bought me a little jar of black truffle salt for my 30th this year and it was honestly one of my favorite gifts.
5. Tokyo Milk octopus bubble bath: Clearly I always default to giving beauty products as gifts, duh, but when presenting for a hostess, presentation is key. The octopus bubble bath packaging is not only amazing, but the design is chic and fun.
It hit me yesterday that I haven’t been on spring break since 2005, and, quite frankly, this makes me sad. Not to say that I haven’t been on other fun vacations since then, but there’s something so exciting and also disgusting, in a good way, about the college tradition known as “spring break.” This got me to thinking about how much I’ve changed over the past eight years, and in many, many good ways. For example, not that there’s anything wrong with a little Bud Light but hey, I now prefer a nice glass of wine or a delicious cocktail. But tanning oil? Hell no. I don’t care if it does have SPF 15, it’s still TANNING OIL. I’ll take my Shiseido SPF 50+, please. I mean. Let’s not even discuss wedge flip flops…and ladies, you can stop laughing out loud now cause I know you wore them too. I now prefer these Loeffler Randall woven sandals, which are perfect for day to night. What are some of the things you’ve grown out of?
P.S. check out my instagram HERE if you want to see a picture of me on spring break 2005, to which I caption “can you smell the sun damage?”
As promised, and after months and months of work (ok, my designer and coder did the real work), I’m SOOOO excited to debut the new and improved QueenoftheQuarterLifeCrisis.com.
So what does this mean? It means that I’m trying to elevate the look and feel of my blog, especially now that I’m 30 and “technically” not having a quarter life crisis anymore…yeah RIGHT. I don’t feel a day over 22 kids, and, I live in Los Angeles (aka “Never Neverland”), so I’m sticking with the name for now, regardless of my age.
Since I’m now officially a full-time blogger (crazy, I know), I’m going to be blogging on a regular schedule so let me know what you like, don’t like, and want to see more of. My comments even work now, ha! Cheers to a new beginning.
