My friend Dina came up with an absolutely brilliant holiday gift guide idea theme this year – astrological signs. GENIUS. Make sure you check out my picks for Pisces women HERE along with her other posts for Aries, Gemini and Leos.
Two of my Pisces gift ideas are pictured above, both ocean-themed, obviously.
Kids, who would’ve thought that my favorite kind of hard booze had SOOOO many uses?! Not me, that’s for sure. I recently saw a BellaSugar article that made me start thinking that I need to research the many uses for the clear liquid. And, away we go:
Deodorize laundry: Forget to wash your favorite pair of jeans? I haven’t tried it yet (oh, but I will), but apparently you can sray a little vodka on your clothes to freshen them up, Febreeze style.
Soothe jellyfish stings: As someone who got a jellyfish sting in the inner thigh before, I can personally attest to the fact that yeah…it HURTS. Thankfully, the boat guys had some amonia but it’s good to know that if they didn’t, I could just make my way to the nearest pub.
Preserve cut flowers: Not that I get flowers very often (unless they’re from my DAD), but apparently adding a little vodka and a teaspoon of sugar makes cut flowers last longer.
Clean your jewelry and razors: I always (sorta) knew vodka was an antiseptic but I didn’t know that it could actually CLEAN objects like razors and jewelry. According to BellaSugar, drop your razor (blade side down) into a cup of vodka and the alcohol will disinfect thne blade and stave off rusting. Kind of amazing.
Freshen your breath and/or feet: Ok, so you’re not supposed to actually swallow, duh, but vodka makes a pretty sweet mouthwash. Swish about a half shot around your mouth for 30 seconds. AND, if you have stinky feet, much like your dirty clothing, vodka will also help with killing the odor.
Add shine to your hair: Now, this I HAVE to try. Multiple websites say that adding a shot’s worth of vodka into your deep conditioner will lower your hair’s pH, helping the cuticles to close, and sealed cuticles mean tons of shine and not so much frizz. AWESOME.
2. Catchphrase Photo Albums: Her life is probably “cray,” “amaze” and “fab” so it’s only natural that she’d love this photo album set.
3. Corksicle: Probably the best invention of 2012; I need one myself. This thing not only corks your open wine but it also chills it. Score.
4. Rebecca Minkoff Best Friends iPhone Case Set: Kinda cheesy but also kinda awesome. I still remember wearing a gold “BFF” necklace back in elementary school with my BFFs of the moment. Ahhh, nostalgia. This is the modern-day version, for sure.
It’s chilly weeks like this that make me really want to go toVegas. Seriously, I just love it there and funny enough, I haven’t even really done much gambling the last few times I went…but that really needs to change. Here’s what’s on my to-do list for my next trip to the big L-V:
Stay at the Cosmo: obviously, it’s the girliest hotel on the strip but it’s also the NICEST. I could honestly live in their hotel rooms and die one very happy lady. The rooms are spacious and all have chic bathrooms and modern electronics, which I can never figure out how to use, but still love. It’s all about the options.
See a good comedian: The first time I ever went to Vegas, I was lucky enough to seeGeorge Carlin, one of the funniest comedians ever. Vegas gets all the best comics, including Jerry Seinfeld, who’s on my bucket list of people to see ASAP. You should also always check what concerts are happening before you go…No Doubt JUST played Vegas and I’m sure that would’ve been an amazing show.
Dine at Milos: It’s also in the Cosmo, go figure, but they have the best Greek/Mediterranean cuisine and the view from the restaurant is just stunning. My friend Ashley and I were obsessed with the “Milos Special”- lightly fried zucchini and eggplant with tzatziki and kefalograviera cheese. It’s a-mazing.
Ugh, just writing this post is making me want to hop on a plane right now. In the meantime, I was recently introduced to a fun gambling site – don’t judge me. PartyCasino.comis a UK-based site and you don’t need to download anything weird that will mess up your computer (hello, Napster) and they have more than 160 casino games online, which I love. If you need me, I’ll be playing Black Jack until my next trip to the desert. Thanks.
Photo: One of my recent trip to Vegas- Nadine and I were on TV during the Miss America pageant…yes, yes, I know.
FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own, as per usual. And I really do LOVE Vegas and gambling.
Ok, so yeah, I don’t have a tree up this year (or really since maybe 2007) but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like Christmas ornaments. I grew up with a mish mosh tree that had a variety of my grandmother’s antique ornaments, ornaments I made in school (presumably out of construction paper and popsicle sticks) and random ornaments that my mother bought me at Disney World and other assorted gift shops. Not that I don’t love a good family-style tree, I do, but there’s something elegant and fun about a tree with a theme. Here are three fun theme picks:
1. Cupcakes: WHO doesn’t love a good cupcake? A tree full of scrumptious snacks sounds like fun to me. 2. Leopard (and other assorted animal prints): It’s girly and fun, just make sure you don’t go all Jersey Shore with it. Keep it simple. 3. PANTONE: I lovvvve love PANTONE anything, as you know, so obviously having an entire tree full of the assorted shades would just be the coolest thing ever.
Coterie.com,the new online shopping experience designed for the ultra-busy woman, introduces three exclusive limited time only offers by renowned botanical hair care brand, PHYTO. And guys, if you know me AT ALL, you know that I love…actually, make that LIVE FOR, a good blow out so you know I was excited when I heard about the easy PHYTO systems for a perfectly silky straight blow out. Now, using PHYTO takes me back…waaaay back to 2009 when I visited the PHYTO Universe Natural Beauty Oasis in New York City. They took photographs of my scalp and magnified it up to see how healthy (or not healthy) my scalp really was. The verdict? A healthy scalp. I could breath a sigh of relief and then go home and immediately wash my hair with my new PHYTO products.
Back to the blow dry sets…I love the PHYTO tagline “blow out before you go out” cause it’s just so true. When you have good hair, you’re going to have a good night, simple as that, and PHYTO and Coterie are giving you THREE options to help you get that perfect hair. My favorite? Option 1: Phytolisse shampoo and Phytolisse mask, since I have fine hair.
PHYTO Silky Straight Blow Dry Sets:
Option 1. Phytolisse shampoo and Phytolisse mask- $49 (valued at $62)
Option 2. Phytodefrisant and Phytolisse serum- $45 (valued at $56)
Also, if you’re not already familiar, you need to check out Coterie. They pretty much make discovering and purchasing prestige beauty products informational and effortless by curating and editorializing peer-influenced limited time only exclusive offers (while also offering full-price items). And, they have some great brands (Stila, Perricone, Urban Decay, etc.) so I’m pretty into it.
FTC Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Coterie.com but all opinions are my own, as per usual.
Kids, who would’ve thought that my favorite kind of hard booze had SOOOO many uses?! Not me, that’s for sure. I recently saw a 
Apparently it really is a thing for 
