‘Tis the season and time for holiday gift recommendations. What to get the wine lover in your life? Not the same old same old. I’ve been looking all year for the coolest, most unique – and yes, stylish presents for you to give — and a few you might want to keep for yourself! Cheers and happy holidays. Chill Out. Forget chilling a whole bottle of wine, go by the glass. Keep the Napa Wine Chiller, a shiny silver sphere, aka “balls of steel” in the freezer until you’re ready to pour a glass or two of wine. Takes about 2 minutes or so to completely chill one glass of wine, and it works for at least two glasses. Does not hit your mouth when you sip. When you’re done, rinse, dry and refreeze. Tip: really only works with wide mouth glasses and bigger glasses that allow you to swirl even with…
WineFashionista’s Beautiful Holiday Gift Guide
When I’m not drinking wine, I’m obsessed with makeup, lotions and potions and of course, perfume. I’ve been a product junkie ever since I can remember, and my bathroom cabinets are overflowing with skin and hair care and all sorts of beauty products. This year I’ve tried and tested many a cream, and dabbed and spritzed all sorts of fragrances. I’ve come up with a list of my top 12 beauty products that really work — and make great holiday gifts to boot. 1. Beauty DNA. I’ve tried just about every beauty subscription out there. I usually end up with a pile of unwanted stuff. So I was skeptical about Beauty DNA’s claim to make a perfect match for you every month. I signed up for the $25 per month subscription. My first delivery was the SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF — a full size which sells for about $150. Then I…
Dress to the Vines is Back!
For the second year, Jessup Cellars in Napa Valley is bringing style to Wine Country. That’s right, the fabulous event, Dress to the Vines, is back! And I’ll be joining in once again, pairing the wonderful wines from Jessup Cellars with artisan perfumer Sarah Horowitz Parfums amazing fragrances. This is an olfactory experience you don’t want to miss. “Our belief is that the Napa Valley has more than just influenced the culinary landscape of America, it’s also setting trends for style and fashion from coast-to-coast,” says Joel Quigley of Jessup Cellars. “This is what we’re celebrating!” Yountville, in the heart of Napa Valley and home to Jessup is fashion central for three days and nights June 26th to June 28th. On June 26 the Dress to the Vines weekend kicks-off poolside at the Bardessono Hotel & Spa with the hotel’s Dive Bar Fashion Party2, from 6-8 pm. This is where…
For 10 Years Wine Women & Shoes Puts its Best Foot Forward
Whenever I tell someone I am going to “Wine Women & Shoes” I get an array of reactions, ranging from, ‘what is that?’ to ‘that sounds like the most fun ever.’ Well it is the most fun ever. And after more than 150 events and raising more than $20 million for local women’s charities across the country, Wine Women & Shoes (WW&S) has become a phenomenon since launching 10 years ago. Elaine Honig developed the idea for a different kind of fundraiser while she was at Honig Vineyard & Winery in Napa Valley. She wanted something more than the same old boring wine and food pairing event. Mary Kay FunPhotography.US “I remember sitting down with Kristin Belair, our winemaker at Honig and saying okay, I’ve got this crazy idea about pairing wine and shoes,” she explains. “Kristin immediately began riffing on pairings. The classic black pump goes with a classic…
DVF: The Iconic Wrap Dress at 40
My first encounter with Diane von Furstenberg was in 1977, through her first book, Diane von Furstenberg’s Book of Beauty. I read that book at least 50 times. It was my style bible. I was just beginning my love affair with fashion, and thought Diane’s wrap dress was the most amazing piece of clothing ever, even if I didn’t even own one at the time. I was in awe of this young, hip princess and her glamorous life. What was so revolutionary about the wrap dress? The style flattered just about anyone, no matter their dress size or height. The silk jersey never wrinkled, making it the perfect dress to wear to work and out to dinner. The wrap dress traveled well, was easy to care for and relatively affordable (around $75 in 1970s pricing). It made women feel special and sexy. Diane’s motto “Feel like a woman, wear a…
5 Best Wine Diva Holiday Gifts
When thinking about what to get the wine lover in your life, while a special bottle of wine is nice, quite frankly it’s a cop out. It doesn’t take a lot of thought or creativity. Especially if your recipient is a wine diva. She’ll appreciate your going the extra mile to find something that appeals to her love of sparkle, glamour and, of course, wine. These five gifts are sure to bring holiday cheer to any wine diva. Big Girl Sippy Cups by Bling it On. I can’t help but smile when I see these colorful and sparkly glammed up sippy cups, and that’s the reaction co-creators Terri Campa and Anna DePedrini are going for. Besties since their sons were in school and baseball and soccer, they never set out to create what’s become all the buzz in their hometown of Manteca, CA and beyond. Anna DePedrini and Terri Campa…
Beauty Must Haves For Holiday Giving
Now that holiday season is in full swing, the search for great gifts is on. Since I am always on the lookout for beauty products that really work, I thought a list of my top beauty discoveries this year might give you some good present ideas. These are all products I’ve used, and when they run out, I restock. EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm. You’ve probably seen the TV commercial for this funny-shaped lip balm, in a brightly colored egg-shaped case. I”m addicted to lip balm – my lips are always dry. I bought one EOS in strawberry sorbet. EOS, which stands for “evolution of smooth,” is the softest, moistest balm I’ve ever used. I love the dome shaped sphere that glides easily on both lips. EOS balms are chuck-full of good stuff like antioxidants, shea butter and vitamin E. And they don’t have the bad things like petrolatum or…
Dress to the Vines!
It’s a weekend of wine country fashion! Join me at Jessup Cellars in the heart of Napa Valley for Dress to the Vines, a four-day celebration of fashion, wine and perfume. I’ll be doing perfume pairings with Jessup wines and Sonoma Scent Studio fragrances. We’ll dish on the latest wine country style and talk about how Napa Valley influences fashion with industry insiders, magazine editors and stylists. If you are a wine fashionista like me, you won’t want to miss this ground-breaking event that puts style on par with wine, food and art in wine country. On Thursday night, August 15, I’ll be part of a panel talking all things fashion and wine country. To kick off the event, I’m pairing three Jessup Cellars wines with perfumes from wine country based Sonoma Scent Studio that will highlight different aromatic notes in the wines. While wine and perfume together are usually…
Wine Country Chic, Napa Valley Style
When the invitation says “wine country casual,” what does that mean? That’s what attendees of this year’s Auction Napa Valley, on the first weekend of June, had to think about when deciding what to wear. The four day long event includes dinners at wineries, a food and wine festival with a barrel auction, and the live wine auction. Thursday night dinners at wineries are perhaps the most casual of the events, a low key way to ease into the weekend. At St. Supéry Vineyards, Kara Butler wore a Tilly’s denim jacket, Express white dress and Ariat boots. “These are the same cowboy boots that I where when I go through the vines so I thought what’s better than that?” Pam Prahm chose an Anthropoligie top, thinking about dining in the vineyard. “Just something casual and fun.” At Friday’s barrel auction, held at Raymond Vineyards, stripes and long dresses trended for…
A Jolt of Color: Makeup By Dick Page
He’s backstage at Michael Kors, Marc by Marc Jacobs and Narciso Rodriguez. Color is his mantra; helping women feel beautiful is his goal.
Uber makeup artist Dick Page was in San Francisco recently for an appearance at Nordstrom as the Artistic Director of Shiseido, a position he’s held since March 2007. He brought with him a team of Shiseido makeup artists to add color to the more than 230 women who came to the event. And what an event it was. Page consulted on color for the guests, and posed endless times with fans under the glare of bright lights in front of the Shiseido step and repeat.