It’s Pretty Woman meets Oliver Twist. How do you keep your hands from freezing as you tap on your Iphone and Blackberry Storm?  Luckily, a gal doesn’t have to choose between frostbite and neglecting her gadget. The cold weather touch screen solution is The Pop Top glove by Carolina Amato that opens so that your fingers are exposed and functional ready to text, email, or drive. When your done, slip your fingers back inside the ultrasoft lambswool and angora gloves. Now keeps your fingers warm until you need to use them!

Moi xoxo

With the New Year’s holiday coming up, you might be planning a holiday bash and wondering what is a great drink to make for entertaining with friends, but also on a budget! First is to forgo the traditional full bar. Now it makes sense to offer just wine, beer, and one signature drink or greet each guest with a flute of sparkling wine. Barefoot sells a wonderful sparking wine at $7.00 a bottle and is found at any Trader Joe’s or grocery store. If you don’t want to display the brand’s bottle, put your budget wine and beer in decanters. Moi’s signature drink for this holiday season was the Peppermint Martini which I tweeted about on Christmas Eve and received DM’s on how to make them. This drink is not only reserved just for Christmas, enjoy it while you countdown to 2009! 

Peppermint Martini ~ Serves 2

5 oz Grey Goose vodka

2 oz White Creme de Menthe

1/2 oz Peppermint Schnapps

Mini candy canes

Pour liquids into a shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into chilled martini glasses. Add a candy cane to garnish.

Moi xoxo

When you think of Bill Blass pictured above, you think of New York and cocktail gowns. He was an extraordinary man, a great designer, and he also made a mean meatloaf dinner. I can’t imagine Bill Blass kicking back with meatloaf at a dinner party, but guess what, he did! Yes, high Wasp society considers the humble, old-fashioned meat loaf to be the ultimate in chic, especially during these chilly winter evenings. Always a tinker with recipes, I added rolled oats in place of bread crumbs, added an extra egg, and left out the butter altogether except to grease the pan. To compliment I suggest mashed potatoes, a green vegetable, and a White Rose Pinot Noir, 2006

• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 lbs ground sirloin
• 1/2 lb ground veal
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs
• ½ teaspoon of crushed garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 cups Heinz Chili Sauce
• 3 slices bacon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees; oil a 8×4 loaf pan and set aside.
2. In a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, sauté the celery and onion in the butter until soft; remove from heat and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
3. Add the meats, parsley, sour cream, bread crumbs and spices to the skillet.
4. Whisk the egg with the worcestershire sauce and add to mixture.
5. Using a wooden spoon or your hands, combine the mixture and mold into a loaf shape.
6. Place the meat loaf in the prepared pan; top with the chili sauce, then the bacon slices.
7. Place on a cookie sheet– to catch any drips– and bake until cooked through and browned, at least 1 hour. Serves 8.

Moi xoxo

When I travel, I love really nice places, but I also like great prices. It seems that more than ever travel can be very expensive but with the help of this site, happiness is just a bid away. Luxurylink is a site that is simply fascinating. It is exactly what it says by its name, offering travel tips and planning at the highest quality resorts. Not only do I like what they auction but the ease of purchasing one is a snap. Now buying a vacation at auction is kind of like haggling for a car, but more fun! Want to stay at the exclusive Hotel Bernini Bristol in Rome, with a bottle of champagne upon arrival, breakfast every morning, dinner one night, and all taxes, for $1083 versus retail $4331. This company also offers a unique type of auction called Best Shot where you get one bid and that is it. All of the properties have links to their own websites where you can compare prices, review pictures, and get more confused about where you want to go. Time to check out a few ourselves; I won’t tell you where I want to go, you might just bid on it!

Moi xoxo

If your anything like Moi, you receive at least a dozen magazines in the mail each month. They are a cinch to read but annoying to keep up with all of those individual expiration dates and renewals. Now there is a new service that offers to deliver all of your magazines Netflix style and do the administrative work for you. Maghound gets you all the magazines you want, for a single low monthly price while you pick and choose from hundreds of selections. From Domino to Lucky, to Cosmopolitan to Time,  you’ll also have the freedom to change the magazines you’ve selected every month with no commitment to continue, so canceling at any time is a snap!  For the month of December, one month is free, just in time to start the New Year right!

Moi xoxo

Lohan’s biggest fashion inspiration goal was to start off designing something small and carefree with a soft sell opening to the general public. Her public had a different approach and helped Lohan sell 700+ units of merchandise within an hour of debuting. Based on those figures, I would say that Lindsay must know a thing or two about leggings. She claims she has always worn them so why not make them. Lindsay’s leggings collection, named 6126 represents the birth date of Marilyn Monroe and like Marilyn, her leggings is the epitome of confidence and sex appeal. The collection is sold at Henri Bendel in New York City and  features over 35 styles of zippers, lace, and edgy patterns in butter-soft fabrics of cotton and cashmere. The pair I purchased is pictured above and nicknamed “holes” for their retro yet edgy vibe. Pair them under your Fall dresses, tunics, and trenches with boots or high heels.

Moi xoxo

Got a germaphobe makeup lover on your Christmas list?  Give the designer gift of cleaning at a great price. Majority of the cosmetic brands offer a brush cleanser in a spray formula which to me does not travel into the deep crevices to get rid of bacteria as well as color. Liquid cleanser takes too long to rise from the brush, but this bar of soap rinses squeeky clean with no residue or scent. NARS Purifying Soap is the perfect stocking stuffer for under $25 for any woman who cherishes her brushes. This is a mild and effective soap designed to remove makeup and surface impurities from the skin, however, it doubles as an excellent cleanser for your cosmetic brushes without stripping them away from the handle bonds, all while providing a deep cleaning. At a rectangle 200g size, this big block has lasted me a year and a half and counting. Remember that makeup brushes can harbor lots of dirt and bacteria, but frequent washing of your brushes and sponges can keep them – and your face – clean and healthy. 

Moi xoxo

What’s more fashionable than a chauffeured car? Cruising around town in a hybrid one. Stars like Sarah Jessica Parker, Blythe Danner, and Rachael Ray zipped around New York during Fashion Week with the help of OZOcar. This genius car service uses exclusively hybrid and eco-friendly vehicles including Toyota Prius, Camry, and Highlander models. The OZOcar story began in 2002 when founder Jordan Harris created a campaign to convince Hollywood’s top stars to abandon their stretch limousines for travel to the Academy Awards and ride in electric and hybrid cars. The campaign was such a success that his eco-friendly choice of car service was made available on a more permanent basis. Headquartered in New York where daily car service is a necessity, as well as a luxury, a need for a stylish car service with superior customer service and remain environmental aware was a tough niche to fill. The formula has been an instant hit with New Yorkers with an inventory of 18,000+ cars and growing! Now as you leave the cobblestone streets of your West Village apartment thinking there’s little green to be seen in NYC, take note that OZOcar has helped make urban living inherently eco-friendly.

Moi xoxo

Who knew a book could make you happy! Throw out the Zoloft and flush the Prozac. Who needs that when happiness can be found through decor-good decor that is! Jonathan Adler, a home designer and potter extraordinaire presents just that with his book, My Prescription For Anti-Depressive Living. I’m a fan of tongue and cheek humor and Adler prescribes his own “manifesto,” cramming advice like “go outside and play” alongside photographs of the Adler designed croquet lawn at Le Parker Meridien Palm Springs. The book is a visual feast, jam packed with images of interiors and objects for the home, both those designed by Jonathan and those that have inspired him. Just as holiday cards and seasonal invites come pouring in, a white lacquered desk beckons next to his inscription, “give in to high-gloss glamour; every girl needs a perch to sort through invitations and notes.” Just what the design doctor ordered!

Moi xoxo

The best vacation can be less than perfect without the best travel gear. Shopping for luggage isn’t exactly fun, but the best quality luggage for any trip is important. Luxury travel designer luggage, often made of leather, should stand up to the bump and scrapes of a trip, yet also attractive enough to make its owner proud.  Frequent travelers all have a trial-and-error period with luggage (no more LeSportSac for Moi!) before finding the best luxury luggage for their travel needs.  Here’s a few that I have tested that lead the pack~

• Swiss Army - Victorinox Swiss Army Travel Gear won first prize in the Travel Goods Association’s Product Innovation Awards. The Hardside collection is the most durable, hard-sided luggage around and is known to withstand the tests of time and travel.
• Tumi - Tumi collections include leather and canvas and nylon luggage and carry on bags, and are universally of a handsome design. The sturdiness of Tumi brand luxury travel luggage is of the highest quality. The Theorem Collection won the second prize of the Product Innovation Award from the Travel Goods Association. The Ducati Collection is especially rugged which makes it perfect for the androgynous customer.
• Louis Vuitton - This is the top luxury label, but this brand of designer luggage also holds up remarkably well. It’s a familiar sight among the luxury travel set, and with good reason: Instant recognition as owning a designer luggage set is important to some travelers. But the classic style is complemented by their sturdy design and well made shoulder straps and wheels. Not my favorite to travel with since the suitcase unpacked alone weighs close to 50 lbs. Pass! I will stick with my Louis handbag instead.
• Coach - Coach is famous for its high end, top quality purses and handbags. The craftsmanship that goes into those bags also goes into Coach designer leather, nylon and canvas travel totes and luggage. The Coach Signature line is as recognizable as is the Louis Vuitton monogram collection, with a somewhat less gasp inducing price tag. This is not cheap designer luggage by any stretch, but as the designer label goes, it is more affordable – yet also sturdy, well designed, and beautiful.
• Kenneth Cole - Kenneth Cole Reaction business luggage looks great, and adds a touch of class to business travel. In neutral tones of black and muted colors, this designer luggage line is professional enough for work trips, and sturdy enough for some mild adventure as well as luxury vacations. Kenneth Cole is a brand known for its simple and classic design. 

Happy Travels!

Moi xoxo