Create a festive look fast with this new makeup palette's three pinky-nude shadows, one coordinating blush, four matching lip-glosses, and two applicators. Then get your party on.

Available at Nordstrom, (888) 282-6060, and Sephora, (877) SEPHORA and www.sephora.com.

Pressed for time but still want to look fabulous tonight when you ring in the new year? Think accessories. A little sparkle on your wrist or ears goes a long way to jazz up a plain black dress.

Need something a little more interesting than that? If you have a great pair of jeans, a flattering and fitted black top, and access to Banana Republic, then you have nothing to worry about.

Pair this great metallic leather sash belt with these metallic strappy shoes and girl, you are ready to go! You will be a lot more comfortable than that year you wore the imitation Madonna metallic bra to the costume party and wanted to go home at 9:30 (the chaffing!)

Grab your trusty black hand bag and some tasteful earrings and you will spend the wee hours of 2005 in both comfort and style. Happy New Year!

A combination of two great pursuits, the game of chess and the fine art of drinking. Fill the shot glasses with two favorite beverages and begin to play. Capture an opponent's piece and drink the contents of the glass.

Shot glasses come in six different shapes and sizes to represent each chess piece.

Wishful thinking is often the first step in making dreams come true. Each of these 12 candles has a card providing a wish to focus on—joy, love, fun, adventure, luck, wealth, peace, health, longevity, success, balance and comfort.

As the candles burn, they reveal a tiny treasure inside—a keepsake to remind them of the power of intention, dreaming and wishes.

She knows what she wants, but that doesn't mean she won't appreciate a little reminder of what she's hoping for. Our bracelet provides a beautiful ritual for making her dreams come true. The leather band fastens with a buckle and holds a sterling silver box engraved with the words "Wishes do come true." When she opens the box, she'll discover a tiny accordion scroll printed with the words, "I wish…." By writing her desires on the scroll and keeping it in the box, she'll have a daily reminder to believe in her dreams.

This is an excellent gift for a single (but hoping) friend, a ritual to focus her loving intentions for the new year. (Plus, if she meets that dream man, she’ll say it was all due to you!!)

Getting lucky just got easier. Our set of four red leather dice is embossed in silver foil with action words, body parts and parts of speech.

Take turns rolling the dice and acting out the various commands, such as "Place lips on chest." Includes one wild card best left to the imagination.

Late night? Every dancing fool needs a smart remedy the next morning. This beanbag eye pack soothes and comforts when the night before catches up with the morning after. After placing the bag in the freezer, the cool plastic beads work their magic on tired eyes and a throbbing head. The soft terry bag is fittingly embroidered with the word "ouch" and the universal cross for first aid.

Doubters are quickly believers as the cool pack seems to suck the alcohol poisoning out of your body in time for happy hour!

First things first – Thank you!

Holiday gifts are hit or miss. You love the Chanel No. 5 perfume that your husband's aunt was thoughtful enough to send you. But that Christmas sweater that your mother-in-law gave you, the one bearing a crocheted and unflattering likeness of Rudolph complete with a big,
fluffy, red ball protruding from your boob, is just flat out insulting. Does she even know you at all?

You'll have time for sorting out your mother-in-law issues later, but right now you have to focus on your thank you cards. That's right, you actually have to thank her for the sweater, and your cousin for the vase (that would be fine if it matched anything in your house), and even send a note to your brother for the crock-pot that you swear is used. It's just the right thing to do.

But remember this: it is so much more fun to write thank you notes if your cards are just the cutest cards ever. It's true; we read a study somewhere once.... Here are a few of our favorites: Limon Green thank you cards from Crane's. The bright, cheerful color will be a welcome sight in a dark and cold January. We also love the “Small Card, Big Thank You” cards from Kate Spade - simple, sweet and to the point (just like her handbags, of course). Or if you are the creative type, make your own. Try Martha Stewart's Custom Stationery Kit, available at marthastewart.com.

As for etiquette, Emily Post says that thank you cards for holiday gifts should be written and sent by New Year’s Day (yeah, sure). Be sure to mention the gift, note the intended use or a special quality of the item, and use an upbeat and cheerful tone. This will be easy when writing about the Chanel No. 5 but when it comes to the sweater, well, there is an art to diplomacy, best of luck.

Don’t wait until March to take down the Christmas tree. We know it’s a daunting task, but to make it a smidge easier on you, high tail that cute little bum of yours to Storables for their Ornament Storage chest so that next year won’t be such a nightmare (+ they’re on sale). These festive red bins will keep your holiday decorations safely and conveniently stored.

Then there are all those cards and photos from the holidays. We don’t have time to do anything with them right now but toss them into the infamous “drawer,” which we plan to get to “one of these days.” But that seems like such a shame. Instead, just stick them in the Posey Photo Holder, a cute wire stand in the shape of flower, and plop it on your desk or windowsill until you can put them in photo albums, and enjoy them now.

One of our resolutions is to drink more tea and the Rattan Tea Box from Storables with its hinged lid and 12 compartments perfectly sized to store and display your myriad of teas will make this resolution easier to achieve. When your neighbor comes over, you can offer them the tea box and show off your exotic collection...you are ready to sip and dish.

At Storables, the locally based home and office organizing company, you have everything at your fingertips for organizing your new and improved life! You will be so impressively organized to a flaw; your friends will think you’re a Virgo.

Pearl District
105 NW 13th Ave.

Washington Green
9140 SW Hall Blvd. #B, Tigard

Or shop online at Storables.com

Holidays got away before you sent out those dreaded holiday cards?

One of the resolutions we’re fond of is to simplify. Why not send an e-card with a New Year's message, one that reflects your taste and style and sends a beautiful note to those you love? Send a gorgeous, classic message from Jacquie Lawson, an artist from England.

Jacquie Lawson originally trained as an illustrator at St. Martin's School of Art, and has over twenty years' experience as an artist in drawing, painting and design, including architectural perspectives, book illustration, and cartoons.

In the autumn of 2000 Jacquie created her first animated e-card - the "Christmas Cottage" e-card that is still available from her site - and sent it to a few friends by e-mail. Over the subsequent weeks, she was amazed to receive e-mails from hundreds of people all over the world who had received the e-card from friends...since then the response has been overwhelming, spreading to hundreds of thousands.

Jacquie lives in a perfect English country cottage in the village of Lurgashall in West Sussex. The cottage you see in the first Christmas e-card is hers, and the village green in the "Snow dog" card is right outside her cottage. She is a regular at the Noah's Ark pub opposite!

Please click on the following link to see the card:
Jacquie Lawson.com

And to view her entire glorious selection, please visit www.jacquielawson.com.

Quit Caffeine

Hey, Sleeping Beauty... wake up & smell the soy coffee!

Look, we love a good cup of joe in the morning as much as the next girl, but we love even more that Soyfee’s roast soybean coffee is loaded with cancer-preventing soy and packed with vitamins and minerals like B complex, calcium, magnesium and zinc!

Talk about energy the natural way...sans caffeine. Nutty and full-bodied, choose from a variety of roasts to start your day off right and keep yourself the paragon of health. What are you waiting for --- Mr. Wonderful will be here in hours and he knows healthy is HOT!

Bonus:
Soybean coffee has none of the nasty tannins present in coffee so it won’t stain those pearly whites you’ll be flashing in his general direction! (and won’t deplete your beautiful body of it’s much needed calcium, young lady.)

Check out our favorite new healthy beverage at Soy Coffee.com

Organize that Closet

All right, you know the drill. It’s a new year. Time to really purge, delve into those closets and free ourselves and shelves from last year’s styles. Rid the excess from frumpy years past. Let’s face it, you aren’t ever going to fit back into those size zero Calvin Klein jeans from 8th grade. It’s time to let them go: Be free, be free Famolare’s with the wavy bottoms that you can’t believe were ever in, be free foofy bridesmaid dresses, be free “Fat Pants,” size 4 pants, size 6 pants, and that damn Rudolph sweater that caused so many fights.

And if it’s just too painful, you might have to call in the pros:

A. How about giving California Closets a call to get you started?

California Closets.com
Main Showroom
18862 SW Teton
Tualatin, OR 97062

Phone: 503.885.8211 or 800.488.4558
Email: oregon@calclosets.com
Hours: M-F 8:00-5:30 Saturday 10:00-4:00

B. Next stop -- Everything in the Closet to get you purging season’s past.

Everything in the Closet will handle it all -- closet organization, wardrobe consulting, and personal shopping.

Sarah will rid you of those holey granny undies you find it hard to part with. She will advise you on what you should get rid of and what you’ll need for this season, accessories and all. With 10+ years of retail experience at the finest stores, forget Tom Cruise, Sarah will complete you.

She will tell you what to wear with what, help you find the perfect gown for that black tie evening, put together outfits from what you have, and more. Your friends will look at you and think, “She is always so put together. I don’t know how she does it.” But you’ll have a secret:

Sarah Burpee’s
Everything in the Closet
Portland, OR
503.203.1123
pinkdress@mac.com.

C. Perhaps it’ll hurt a little less if you can make a buck or two off these duds.

Why not take your old Chanel and Prada and other clothes to Consigning Women in Lake Oswego (near Wild Oats)

This is practically the second hand store to the Stars. And they pay you, fancy that! It helps ease the pain of parting with your beloved belongings.

Consigning Women
17777 Pilkington, Ste. 500
Lake Oswego, OR
503.697.1636

Go Organic

There are 14 foods considered to be Superfoods that promote wellness and longevity. And we believe in them. This writer’s 93 year old Grandmother has eaten them all her life, to go along with her daily glass of wine and piece of chocolate (so we are inclined and delighted to add wine and chocolate to our Superfoods list, thank you very much). Because we like to promote health and we love food (a lot!), we’d thought we’d mention these Superfoods, just to remind you to stock up for your daily dose of health: Beans, blueberries, broccoli, oats, oranges, pumpkin, salmon, soy, spinach, tea, tomatoes, turkey, walnuts and yogurt

You can find these Superfoods at any area supermarket of course. Though more hip than hippy, organic supermarkets are for everyone and they are Portland Picks choice. They have become de rigueur and are popping up all over. They can be more expensive but it’s a pleasure to shop there.

Some of our favorite supermarkets include:

• New Seasons in Raleigh Hills and Sellwood.
• Wild Oats in Lake Oswego (great place for lunch and yoga!), Laurelhurst, Beaverton
• Whole Foods in The Pearl (also great as happy hour single’s hangout and cooking classes)
• Other favorites: Trader Joe’s, Zupan’s, Lamb’s, City Market

You might also order from OrganicsToYou.org. They will deliver a bin of organic fresh veggies and fruit to your doorstep on a weekly basis. Very cool. Reminds us a tad of the now defunct Kosmo.com, which we sorely miss.

We got our tub today and it was such a jackpot! We get it every week, placed at our front door like a love offering. We opened the lid and found our organic milk, blueberries, bananas, organic salad greens, asparagus, peas, zucchini, apples, all kinds of seasonal fruits and veggies. It’s a beautiful thing.

Organics To You.org
503.236.6496

Learn something new

A. Take an acting class

We still have nightmares of being on stage at a live performance and not having memorized our lines, yet there we are, for all to see. Think it falls under the same nightmare sequence as being naked in class and not studying for that final…however, since we are a bundle of contradiction, think how cool it would be to be in a play, on stage or on television...it's never to late to be famous, honest!

Check out the adult acting classes at the beautiful Lakewood Theatre Company in Lake Oswego.

ADULT ACTING WORKSHOP, Lakewood Center
8 weeks

This workshop is for anyone who has ever wanted to explore acting, or enhance his or her acting skills. You know you want to! This could be the best investment you have ever made.

Lakewood-Center.org
Sundays Jan 16 - Mar 6 7:00-9:00 PM
Shelly Lipkin $100

Shelly Lipkin is also available for private coaching (if you really want to make that dream a reality!)

BASIC TV/FILM ACTING, Lakewood Center
(Ages 18-Adult) 8 weeks
Same class as above but geared for teens-adults. Emphasis of this class will be working on individual skills in a small group setting.

Lakewood-Center.org
Tues. Jan 18 - Mar 8 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Sandra Peabody $165

B. Or maybe you’re a budding Picasso, but never had the time until now to nurture that talent.... or to even to discover it. Why not take an art class with your like-minded peers!

ADULT ART CLASS, Lakewood Center
(Ages 18-Adult) 8 weeks

Come explore your creativity in this fun and diverse art class. Enjoy looking into the basics of drawing, while defining your own unique creative style.

Lakewood-Center.org
Mon. Jan 3 - Feb 21 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Margaret Snow Benoit $160 (includes materials)

Also check out classes at:

• Pacific Northwest College of Art, PNCA-ce.org
• Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, OCAC.edu

Establish a skincare program

Forget the Noxzema, it’s time to get serious about a skincare regime that will make a real difference.

Don’t know where to begin? Visit the Key Laser Institute for Aesthetic Medicine on January 7th or February 9th. Learn about Skin Wellness and the latest medical aesthetician services by the best in town. Invest in your skin with new intense skincare products at 15% off and a fabulous gift with purchase [at these events only].

Learn quick and easy application tips, suggestions, and a customized skincare regime just for you with prescription products that will get the job done.

While you are there, learn about the latest laser techniques and Thermage skin tightening procedure that really works (in office, with no redness or downtime). This should be a fun event and the kick off to your new skin care program for 2005!

Please RSVP to 503.296.4991 or admin@keylaserinstitute.com for the January 7th event or February 9th event, 4:30 – 7:00 pm.
Please tell them Portland Picks referred you.

Key Laser Institute for Aesthetic Medicine
Key Laser Institute.com
Peterkort Centre One
9555 SW Barnes Rd., Ste. 390
Portland, OR

Get moving! We love Pilates, we love spinning, we love yoga, we love lifting weights. Find a mix and match program that will keep you engaged and that will avoid burnout. You want to be with this program long after the “New Year’s Resolution People” have departed (that means at least well into February!). Be realistic, but challenge yourself. It takes more than a couple of weeks to see the difference physically, but you can feel the difference mentally almost immediately.

Here are some suggestions:

A. Hire a personal trainer:

• Sherri McMillan
  Northwest Personal Training and Fitness Education
  1011 Broadway
  Vancouver, WA
  360-574-7292
  NW Personal Training.com
  
  Famous local Fitness Guru, Darrell Duvauchelle, considers one of the best personal trainer's in the area to be Sherri McMillan. Sherri founded, operates, and works out of Northwest Personal Training in Vancouver. She has won numerous awards, including IDEA International Trainer of the Year and has published numerous inspirational fitness books.

Sherri's strengths include training individuals with specific Physiological goals (ie. reduction of body fat, increased muscle size and definition, improved cardiovascular fitness), as well as a pre and postpartum focus.

Yeah! Enough said, for the new you, Sherri's your gal. Now get up and go girl!

• Josh Hunt
  joshthetrainer@hotmail.com
  503-799-7223
  
  Have kids? Try Josh – he’ll come to you. Ultra convenience. He will establish a program that fits your needs and then, like any good drill sergeant, make you do it. Josh is your man. And with him at your side, you’ll feel like Madonna, and will soon look like her too.
• Michelle Bell
  503-997-4734

Or hire Michelle Belle and go to her. Sometimes we need to get out of the house and get a break that matters.

Michelle has taught spinning and yoga at many of the studios around town and has now created her own studio to work with her clients. She has 4 group sessions a week, where you need to make a reservation. Michelle’s workouts weave an interval-training pace with yoga, Pilates and resistance work. Each session has a strong emphasis on core strength, alignment and posture, and it kicks your butt!

Michelle also does yoga classes on Saturdays, and one-on-one sessions. It's great to get a few girlfriends together for a customized once/twice a week session. Michelle and the women who work out with her are hip and cool and intelligent, just like you! So what are you waiting for? See you there!

B. Shop

Run, don’t walk, to the swanky new Adidas store in the Brewery Blocks to stock up on all your fabulous athletic attire; pay a visit to Lucy Acitvewear in their 1,900-square-foot space at 1039 N.W. Couch so you are ready or looking ready for your new physical regime; and for the best yoga and Pilates gear check out Physical Element in the Pearl at 1124 NW Lovejoy street.

You will look the part and it’ll make it far easier to play the part of the new active and glorious you — kind of like osmosis.

C. Make an appointment at the gym, put it in your calendar.

It’s a commitment. Consider it your part time job to look and feel better. You don’t skip the other important duties on your list, keep your gym appointment.

D. Join a Club

Some clubs offer three-month trials. Often you can negotiate the initiation fee. Check out the fitness club at Avalon Hotel and Spa on Macadam, The Trainer’s Club in Lake Oswego, 24 Hour Fitness in the Pearl, or find a Pilates studio where you can take a one on one class with an instructor (you will be amazed at what happens to you!)

We are partial to Pacific Northwest Pilates at 5201 SW Westgate Dr. (503) 292-4409 , or Bodies in Balance Pilates at 852 SW 21st Ave, (503) 248-4483.

Be Charitable

Why not kick off the new year with a little giving? Whether it’s just dropping off the leftover cookies to the guy on the corner of I-5, sending a card to a soldier in Iraq, donating coats to a shelter, pledging funds to your church or synagogue, or helping to clean up the beach or a park, make a plan with your family and give back. This New Year’s resolution is an easy one to fulfill and you’ll start the new year on the plus side of Karma.

Just to get you started, here are a few suggestions:

• Help the victims of Asia’s Deadly tsunami -
  
  South Asia is facing one of the worst natural disasters in recent history. When disasters strike, Red Cross and Red Crescent societies around the world provide water sanitation services; family linking and reunification; and relief supply distribution. You can help. Please make
  a donation to the American Red Cross International Response Fund. Call (503) 284-1234 or click here to make an online donation.
• Send something to our soldiers -
  • Any Soldier.com: You can pick a name of a soldier volunteer who distributes the boxes to his or her unit or you can send a pre-packaged box.
  • Operation Home Front.net . Serve younger families of deployed service members, in the lower pay grades, in all services of the armed forces, including Reserves and National Guardsmen
  • OP Gratitude.net. OPERATION GRATITUDE, Care Packages contain food, toiletries, necessities, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation, all wrapped with good wishes of love and support.
• Or purchase a Youth AIDS.org product and you will be directly supporting the fight against AIDS.

Of course, the sky’s the limit on this one, so get creative and follow your heart!

Purge

No real New Year’s Resolution is complete without an all out PURGE – and after the expensive holidays, why not purge with profit?!

Take a load of your old Prada, Lilly, Juicy and cashmere cardigans down to Bid Brothers and they’ll sell it for you on e-bay! How efficient is that? All that valuable time spent trying to figure out how to set up a paypal account, when we could be shopping; it would work out to approximately negative $27 dollars an hour. We might as well pay ebay to take our things. On the other hand, with Bid Brothers, when your things have sold, wha-lah they just send you the check. No pain, nice gain. This is your chance to say farewell to all that old crap gathering dust under your sofa, or why not the sofa too! Hey, one girl's junk is another girl's treasure.

Bid Brothers
1116 NW 17th Ave
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 222-9243

Drop-Off Hours
Mon-Fri 10-6
Saturday 10-5

Remember It’s a New Year/New You, which means lots of new clothes.

Take advantage of all those January Sales!
Check out Mario’s, Mercantile, J Crew, Banana Republic, Nordstrom, virtually everyone. So get your pretty little self out there and start shopping to save! (We know, an oxymoron, but don’t tell him. It’s like a visit to Costco. Stock up!)

Make sure you take advantage of all the fabulous independent boutiques in our beautiful town. We are so lucky to have a wealth of independent designers in our own backyard, and we must support them!

Seaplane has recently moved to Northwest 23rd, next to Galore Department Store, and is our new favorite! They have outdone themselves. Seaplane’s tag line says it all, “Fashion with a vision of clothing as art.” Indeed.

They are filled with gorgeous, detailed, ultra feminine dresses from local independent designers. Restyled and designed vintage men’s shirts. Handmade sexy hip hugger silky underwear with a timeless appeal.

This is a talented pool of designer fashions, each item beautifully adorned with bows, fur, brooches, recycled cashmere and fabrics tastefully turned into works of art that look right off the runway; drapey skirts, a mix of classic and funky, and of the highest quality.

A must on your New Year’s shopping spree! Or take a trip now: e-seaplane.com

Seaplane
827 NW 23rd
Portland, OR 97210
503.234.2409
E-Sea Plane.com

• flared and flouncy skirts
• gauchos (with boots)
• silver and gold (despite bi-gone holiday glitz)
• stacked heels (vs. Stilettos)
• the Bohemian Look
• the ultra classic feminine look
• the vintage fur capelet
• wool caps (White and Warren.com cable knit with brooch)
• huge Necklaces and brooches (think Belle Époque proportions)
• floral and embroidery patterns like fine upholstery in jackets, skirts.
• coat-like jackets (but not outerwear) – timid and feminine pink, green, orange coats to wear over pants, with a little pristine collar.
• preppy menswear
• think old world Hollywood
• velvet fabric
• charm bracelets (still) -

101 Things To Do Before You Die, by Richard Horne
For the ultimate Joie de Vivre in the New Year, pick up a copy of 101 Things To Do Before You Die.

This is a hysterical read on living large (and we were surprised how many we were able to check off!). Instead of visiting the 7 Wonders of the World, this book has sillier suggestions that at a minimum will bring a laugh or make for interesting cocktail party fodder. For example, here are a few of our favorites that we dare you to do in the New Year:

To Do in 2005 — At Your Own Risk

• Catch a Fish with Your Bare Hands
• Throw a House Party When Your Parents Are Out (Some of us might have to sneak over and break in while they’re in Florida)
• Learn That Instrument
• Meet Someone with Your Own Name (You might start by Googling - plus you can get the dirt on yourself.)
• Own a Pointless Collection
• Meet Your Idol
• Be Friends with Your Ex
• Join the Mile High Club (even more challenging with the new security regulations...which might lead you to the next one)
• Get arrested
• Shout “Drinks Are On Me” in a pub or bar
• Take Part in a Police Line up
• Invent a Word that Makes it into the Dictionary
• Run a Marathon
• Be an Extra in a Film
• Get Married Unusually (e.g. Drive thru Church of Elvis in Vegas – great for a 10th Anniversary)
• Leave a job you Hate
• Live in the Place You Love
• Save Someone’s Life
• Sell all your junk on ebay and make a profit (purge!)
• Drive across America
• Milk a Cow
• Crash an A-List Party

For more amusement and challenges in the New Year to add to your growing Resolution To Do List, pick up a copy of 101 Things to Do Before You Die, by Richard Horne. Available at Urban Outfitters, Powells or online at Amazon.com

It’s New Year’s Eve with your honey and nothing spells sexy like a glass of bubbly...add to that passion fruit --- aptly named for its alleged aphrodisiac properties, and no matter what you do tonight, you’ve got the perfect accompaniment for a little New Year’s Eve tryst.

Passion Fruit Champagne Cocktail

1 cup chilled passion fruit blend nectar
1/2 teaspoon Angostura bitters
1 cup chilled champagne or other sparkling white wine
4 fresh raspberries or small strawberries
1 orange slice, cut in half
Divide nectar and bitters between 2 chilled champagne flutes. Add champagne. Drop 2 berries into each drink. Garnish with orange.
2 Servings; Can be doubled

Go to Epicurious.com for other yummy ideas for cocktails!

Since it’s a new year, new you, with the emphasis on you (isn’t it always?), we’ve selected a special ipod play list of songs that contain the word “me” (for the record there are 51,627 songs about ME!! Wow, you’re popular.) Though mostly favorite chick tunes, the only common genre or denominator is ME! And we think it’s about time.

• Turn Me On - Norah Jones
• Let Me Roll - Seal
• Somebody Told Me - The Killers
• Fall on Me - REM
• Cry to Me - Bob Marley
• Me, Myself and I - Beyoncé
• Don't Stand so Close to Me - Sting
• Come Away With Me - Norah Jones
• Pieces of Me - Ashlee Simpson
• Don't Tell Me - Avril Lavigne
• Close to Me - The Cure
• Leaving Me Now - Level 42
• Blame It On Me - Alana Davis
• Take Me To The River - Annie Lennox
• Here With Me - Dido
• Save Me - Jem
• Scare Me - Julia Fordham
• Celebrate Me Home - Kenny Loggins
• I Take You With Me - Melissa Etheridge
• Wait For Me - Susan Tedeschi (Blues)
• Take Me As I Am - Wyclef Jean

P.s. Just to be inclusive, next week we’ll do a playlist of songs about YOU!