Well, I’ll b-glowing

Portland Pick’s favorite beauty website, b-glowing.com, is homegrown in Portland. They are always ahead of the curve, and their competitors, bringing in the hottest, latest products before anyone else.

If you haven’t seen them lately, pay a visit. They have our fab new fave, skyn ICELAND. It's a brand new line...the first skin care line dedicated for chronically stressed skin (that’s us!) This brand just launched at Bendel's in NYC last week and b-glowing already has it. (It won't be on Sephora until March.) This is a fantastic, hot line you’ve got to try!

When skin is starved, its natural immune function is impaired, so it's less able to heal itself. It becomes irritable, dull, clogged, prematurely wrinkled, prone to break-outs, itchy and flaky. Skin on the edge. (Us again!)

That’s why skyn ICELAND is your new best friend....and you’ll find it at our b-glowing!

Who’s Your Buddy? Send the Valentine’s Day Bouquet from Portland’s own Flowerbud.com.

The color and intensity of Romance. Nine crimson Red Roses combined with Leucadendron and Hypericum Berries. This bouquet is created for instant gratification, and by the very nature of its flowers, its beauty is fleeting. Enjoy it for those moments--typically up to 5 days.

This is one of their “mason jar bouquets,” which means the flowers come in bloom, in an arranged bunch, with a cute Mason jar vase, standing 12 inches tall. These bouquets are so densely packed and vibrant. If you’re going to send flowers, do it from Portland, and save yourself a trip to the florist.

If you don’t have a boyfriend this year, no worries. Just send some to yourself from your invisible boyfriend.

Let’s face it; there really is no better boyfriend than your invisible boyfriend. And you are so connected, so like-minded; somehow he knows just the right flowers to get you.

And while your friends are getting pink carnations, awww them with the Mason jar bouquet that your perfect metrosexual invisible boyfriend chose for you (and his note said “I love you,” Squeeel! You are so lucky!)

Elephants is moving from the Uptown Shopping Center to its new location on NW 22nd Avenue (in the space formerly occupied by Il Fornaio Restaurant). But this Elephant is growing in a big way!

We love Elephants. Elephants was the best before there was competition. Best caterer, gift wares, wine, pastries, picnics. Okay, maybe a little biased, because we are very familiar with their impressive innermost workings, their history.

You see, this writer is particularly fond of Elephants because I was the “official cookie maker” for a time in high school. Of course everyone who knows me thinks this is hysterically funny, not to mention ironic because today, baking homemade cookies means cutting open the yellow Tollhouse cookie wrapper and pulling apart the little squares. However, as you can imagine, back then it was a dream job, particularly because I had a crush on the boy that took the groceries out across the street at Kienows (aka Zupan’s today)....But ..... Oh yes, Elephants.

Elephants has been an elegant part of this community for years, and we’ll follow them anywhere. Literally. Mark your calendar, the Grand Opening will be Saturday, February 26th, and they are kicking it off with a 3-block community parade from the old location to the new. And everyone's invited to participate! The Grand Opening itself will feature all sorts of fun for kids (clowns, face painting, balloon hats, etc.) and grownups including music, featured foods, and tours of the gorgeous new facility.

The new location offers the same wonderful food and unusual gifts we've all come to expect from Elephants, but with some lovely additions. My personal favorite is the cozy new bar/antipasto area alongside the bay window overlooking 22nd. Local mixologist legend Lucy Brennan (of Mint) is helping Elephants set up what is sure to top the list of "what's new & next" in Portland. Other additions include more seating, and its own parking lot -- a HUGE plus in that neighborhood.

Another FABULOUS new feature is the Garden Room, which will be available for catered events. With capacity to seat 60-70, or cocktail-type parties of up to 100, this very special room features a retractable roof. You can have a lovely sunny (or moonlit) gathering in Portland. No more "rain dates" when you book your office party or wedding rehearsal dinner -- hooray!

And those trademark giant Elephant cookies… Good news. I’m not making them anymore.

It’s all in the Details

There are those who keep their car, like their life, always clean, organized and perfect in every way. And there are those, like us, who don’t. We open the car door and miscellany falls out: empty water bottles, schoolwork, a sock, colorful wrappers, just random disorder. It’s a metaphor of our life. You’d think the words Wash Me on the back window (or eM hsaW depending on how you look at it) would be enough humiliation or incentive to remedy this weakness, but no, afraid not. However we will remind you we could survive for days in the wilderness if our car broke down by merely living off the abandoned edibles we would find under the seat, thank you very much. You, Mr. Perfectly Clean, would not. So neener, neener, neener.

Okay, it was a New Year’s Resolution we’ve already failed, but we’re just so busy. It would take time, that few extra minutes we don’t have. What’s the point anyway? After all, let’s face it, you’d gather the mess into a garbage bag including the overdue library books and the Blockbuster video cases and swim goggles. Filled with great intentions, you’d leave it in the garage to go through later, and then you know you’d just forget all about it, eventually having to pay for the books, the videos and a new pair of goggles because you “lost” the others. And so it goes. A vicious, cruel cycle. What is one to do? How can we stop the madness?

Make a standing monthly appointment at Uptown Auto Detail, a favorite of Rasmussen and persnickety like you wish you were. Drop off your car and go shopping. It’ll force you to do it. And they won’t judge you.

But I guess there is still the issue with the garbage bag.

Uptown Auto Detail
1563 SW Alder
503.222.7378

Nothing but the Finest: Simon, Toney & Fischer – Fine Furniture and Custom Cabinetry

We have been dying to “Pick” Simon, Toney & Fischer for a year but they’re actually working for us on our remodel currently, so we didn’t want to reveal our sources until they were finished with our job, quite frankly. But we’re turning over a new leaf. That is selfish and we are here for you, and you come first. You always need to know who and what is the best. And, trust us, they are the best in the whole wide world.

Are you redoing a kitchen, a bath, making over a family room? Then you want distinctive furniture for living...the family dining table, armoire, side table, bed. All of their custom pieces take on a life of their own. They name each piece after a family member, because that’s what these custom wood works are: family, a family tradition, so valuable you pass them on to your children.

Each design is rooted in history with a modern twist. Livable. Comfortable. Familiar. Yet with distinctive artistry and a sense of time. They use unusual, beautiful woods, every board picked by hand for its character. As with everything, they make their own paint finishes on site.

You can visit their showroom, meet the talent, and work with them to design your own perfection. Trust us, one visit to their showroom is all you need! You’ll be blown away.

Simon, Toney,& Fischer
105 SE Taylor
Portland, OR
503.721.0392

Late Night Colossal Munchies...?

Unlike Cinderella (we wish we were as demure), we never like our night to end. We’re like the obnoxious Energizer Bunny. Even when the night is over, we have just one more place to go. Colosso. It’s like the icing on the cake.

This hip little Spanish tapas bar on NE Broadway is the perfect spot to start your evening and an even better place to end it with their tasty small plates and specialty cocktails.

With its dark woods, dim lighting, gold walls, and deep red draperies, the atmosphere is rich while the mood is casual. And just to mix it up, the works of local artists add a modern flare. A great spot for everything from romantic dates to after work drinks with friends to dinner with your parents.

Every great meal starts with cocktails, and at Colosso, we recommend sharing a pitcher of their signature sangria with your friends. Or try Daddy's Cosmo or the Megita Mojita, a classic Spanish rum concoction that passes the test at Colosso. If you need something warm on these icy days, try Bitches Brew, a hot toddy made for the cold rainy winter nights, or try their famous Spanish Coffee, made with Stumptown espresso & house whipped cream.

But it's the food that shines. Colosso was one of the 1st places to introduce Portland diners to small plates. The winter menu regulars include: The Dungeness crab filled avocado crepe w/ tomato brandy sauce. The Champinones Salteados - sautéed mushrooms in Madeira and lemon thyme on grilled garlic bread or Corn flour-crusted, pan-fried calamari, lemon, fennel & jalapeno slices with aioli. Colosso uses only the freshest, quality ingredients available from local farmers. All parts come together to make Colosso a wonderful dining experience, and a cool and unique way to end your night!

And you’ll probably bump into us, sitting in the corner table as they sweep around us, and pile the chairs on the table, turn the lights out and try to leave…

Colosso
1932 NE Broadway
Portland, OR 97232
503.288.3333
open 7 days, 5pm until midnight - 2:30am

A Spring in our Well-Heeled Step: Spring at Marios

Spring is just around the corner and you know what that means: The 2005 spring collections have arrived at Mario’s! The Women’s Department is teaming with new stuff! Check out some of our favorite Picks, and what’s hot for the season like their Nancy Gonzales crocodile handbags in various colors, Etro scarves, Prada flats and pumps in contrasting leathers and lizard skins and matching handbags!

Have you seen their home department Princess? They have not-to-be missed gorgeous Etro pillows, Fornacetti accent pieces, and John Darien! They have everything glorious to accent your palace!

Their new arrivals include the hot Chloe jeans; Everything Etro - sweaters, blouses, sprint coats, and pants; Richard Grand - spring cashmere sweaters; Billie Beads - hearts and piggy banks in Swarovski crystals (an absolute MUST!)

Mario’s is a must on your shopping To Do today. And don’t forget Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. (Forget the candy, just print and tear this out and tuck it in his wallet so he can’t go wrong! Remind him that he needs to prove his love, you are feeling a bit uncertain, and only Mario’s will do the trick.)

Mario’s
833 SW Broadway
Portland, OR
www.marios.com

Sometimes timing is everything. There is love (with or without the capital L), but it just isn't meant to be at this time in your life. If you've loved and lost, it might be particularly sobering this dreadful [Valentine's] time of year. If you want your pity party and your cake too, gather up the comforter, the pint of Soy, Low Carb, Fat Free Haagen Daz, and the tissues and cry your pretty little eyes out to these tunes (and listen very carefully to the lyrics for the optimal tearful purge!)

• Dying, Five for Fighting
  ("I'm dying to forget about you. I'm dying to find a distraction, dying to reach a conclusion....")
• Letting Love Go, Everything But the Girl
  ("It's so hard to let a love go...")
• Nothing Breaks Like a Heart, Pretenders
• Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), Green Day
  ("It was something unpredictable, but in the end it's right, I hope you had the time of your life.")
• Walk On By, Seal
  ("Let me grieve in private because each time I see you I break down and cry...just walk on by.")
• I Grieve, Peter Gabriel
• Why, Annie Lennox Diva
• I'm Hurting Inside, Bob Marley & The Wailers
• Wicked Game, Chris Isaak
• Everybody Hurts, R.E.M.
• I Will Remember You, Sarah McLachlan
• Ironic, Alanis Morissette
• Sweetest Goodbye, Maroon 5
  ("...with a tear in my eye, you give me the sweetest goodbye.")
• No more I Love You's, Annie Lennox
• If You Love Somebody Set Them Free, Sting*

And now young lady, pick your pretty self up by those Burberry boot straps, pull yourself together and go run a marathon, or for that matter run for President! Your marching orders: Move on.

Binge your Body:

We love these new decadent treats from hellagoodproducts.com.

How about a Tasty Treat of lemon cake batter body wash made with poppy seeds for mild exfoliation? Mmmmm, delish.

Or for your Sugar Daddy, there’s what else? Sugar Daddy. A sugar scrub that smells like yummy sugar cookies. And just in time for Valentine’s Day, how about Hot & Steamy? This is a hot cocoa bath scrubby made with gourmet cocoa powder and real mini marshmallows.

For the most romantic experience, there’s Sexy Mo Fo, a strawberry shortcake bath scrubby
made with real strawberries and hand-dipped in champagne sparkles for a sparkling bath. A perfect romantic Valentine’s treat!

Or maybe you dread the big V-day and like New Year’s Eve you want to just stay home alone, shut the blinds, and pamper yourself silly. If this is the case than the Single Girl's Valentine's Day Survival Kit is for you. This kit includes their Hot & Steamy hot cocoa bath scrubby, Not That Innocent chocolate-raspberry truffle bath scrubby (made with real raspberries), and the best chocolate bar: Moonstruck's Variado Chili Dark Chocolate bar (bittersweet with a spicy kick). It also includes a handy love spell.

If you have problems with commitment - these are the dots for you. Great for kids and adults. Your wall is your canvas and you can create a composition you can call your own with DottiLicious . Each kit contains 80 dots of various sizes and colors including: robins egg blue, light pink, dark pink, ocean blue, wheat, chocolate and apple green.

Total of 4, 19”x19” inch printed sheets backed with a low tack adhesive that can be placed, layered, removed and reused without damaging paint.

It’s not even Febrrrrrrruary and we’re talking about swimsuits. Oh the torture! But we have just the suit for you, young lady, which will show off your sexy and svelte figure. It’s called, get this, “The Miracle Suit.” This figure flattering suit from Nordstrom is made of lycra spandex and sucks it all in, in just the right places.

If you’re off somewhere warm for spring break and you haven’t quite rid yourself of the excess you packed on from the holidays, or haven’t quite gotten rid of your post baby weight (or like us, post three baby weight), no worries. This is your miracle.

While your kids are busy giving Valentine’s to their classmates, why don’t you get busy and send your own. Maybe not of the Harry Potter or Spiderman variety, not quite your style. You want something a little more sophisticated...just like you.

Check out the valentine cards and vintage love tags and heart place cards from LittlePaperCompany.com.

Cropped and Embellished Jackets and Cardigans are popping up like works of art. So many to choose from, and they make such a proclamation worn with anything.

Sweet little vintage styled jackets and cardigans, adorned over the top, cropped, we can’t get enough of them. They are so stylish and feminine.

We love this sequins cardigan from Free People. Or from one of our favorite designers, Cynthia Steffe, this cropped blazer with allover embroidery and three quarter sleeves.

We can wear them casually with jeans or dress them up with a skirt.

Stay in touch with your feminine side in an ultra feminine, lace and silk camisole worn with jeans. We love this sexy stylish trend, and we’ve never felt so feminine with its confident sleek fit.

This is a wardrobe essential that you can layer now and wear bare through summer.

Capture your love life together in this sweet love album. Create a memory book, a scrapbook of your relationship, of your treasured memories, and give it to him for Valentine’s Day. Filled with cherished moments, it becomes a treasured reminder of shared times. Black and white photos, theater tickets from your first date, postcards from that trip to Italy, your first fight.

The cover is made of rich red leather with the telltale word (l-o-v-e) embossed front and center. This is the perfect, most personal gift idea for the one you love.

We have always had a little hippie buried inside us, like Superman, under our little Lilly Pulitzer frocks.

Some daze we’re bohemian, some days we’ve got the catholic school boy thing going in our worn Levi’s, other days we’re a bit more glitz and glam. It’s all those fickle alter egos, or just maybe that time of the month.

Alas, we took one look at the Dior Peace and Love collection and out popped our hippie personality!

They’ll go so beautifully with our stylish new tunics and bohemian styled dresses and our $300 worn embroidered jeans (that we’ve been dragging behind the car so they’re just perfectly distressed).

We have to have them! We must! And so should you!

Let's be honest, it's hard to keep up with new music. We would probably all agree that it is fun to know what the cool bands are and even cooler to know what specific songs or CDs you really enjoy. But, seriously, it takes work. That's why we love a really great movie soundtrack and the best one we have heard in a long time is for Garden State.

New indie wonder kid Zach Braff wrote, directed and starred in Garden State so it should be no surprise that he personally chose every song included on the soundtrack. The emotional content of the songs reflect the themes of the movie and one has to wonder if he was listening to the songs when he wrote the movie or found the songs later. Ultimately it doesn't matter though, because even without the movie, this collection is solid all on it's own.

You'll find some familiar names -

Coldplay and Simon & Garfunkle. The other artists may be less recognizable but no less talented. Frou Frou, Iron & Wine, Nick Drake, and The Shins all have powerful offerings that are sure to please. In the movie, Natalie Portman's character says of The Shin's 'Caring is Creepy', "this song will change your life." Maybe that's a little extreme but the truth is that if it makes you a little more music savvy and provides a wonderful soundtrack for driving, reading or relaxing (while still making you think) well, then maybe there is some truth to it.

French Women Don’t Get Fat: The Secrets of Eating For Pleasure, by Mireille Guillano

Just how DO they do it? Remember back when we didn’t worry so much about dieting and actually stopped eating when we were full? Lest we forget what should actually be common sense (and obviously we do), this book merely reinforces what should be obvious. Compare the obesity rate in France (11%) to the obesity rate in the US (30% and moving steadily upward) and it would seem the French are on to something…

In America, our culture reinforces the diet mania, food guilt & scale watching that often sends the average girl into a dieting and exercising frenzy. If you asked the average American woman how many crazy diets she’s been on (Atkins, South Beach, grapefruit, pineapple, cabbage soup), you would receive a dizzying accounting of her dieting diary which should (and sometimes does) send some men running for the hills. In France, there is little if no guilt over food (that includes dessert) and beverages (yes, we’re talking about moderate consumption of wine or other spirits). If you’re looking for a step by step instructional manual on how to get that Francophile-like figure, stop reading here. If you are, however, looking to change your attitude about how you feel about food, you should pick up Guillano’s book ASAP.

Hmm…who knew that exercising more, eating three substantial meals a day (while consuming smaller portions and copious amounts of fruits and vegetables), drinking plenty of water & not depriving oneself of treats every now and again would actually result in a sated appetite and a trimmer figure? Guiliano, the CEO of Veuve Clicquot (We love her already!) provides some recipes and simple ways to reconcile your love for food and your desperate need to fit into those True Religion jeans. Try her weight-loss enhancing leek soup for a kick-start to health and her yummy chocolate mousse, but most of all, try changing your outlook on food (Remember, New Year…New Outlook…).

You may just be pleasantly surprised at your ability to eat well and flaunt the latest magazine looks with confidence… (only $14.96 at www.amazon.com).

Movie Night at the Lake Twin Cinema

February 3rd, 6pm featuring a lovely combination of movies, wine tasting, hors d’oevres, and more. $25 per person.

Benefiting the Doernbechers Children Hospital.

Call 503.534.5011 or www.oswegofriends.com for more information or to make a reservation.

SHUCK AND SIP AT CARAFE’S
2nd ANNUA PACIFIC OYSTER & MUSCADET TASTING

Kumamoto, Belon and Olympia are some of the oyster varietals to savor at Carafe Bistro’s 2nd annual Oyster and Muscadet Tasting on Sunday, February 6, 2005 from 3-6 p.m. More than 15 different oysters will be paired with six Muscadets from different winemakers in France’s Loire Valley.

Admission to the tasting is $24 per person and includes a flight of oysters on the half shell. Muscadet tastings are $4.00 per 3 oz. taste or $7 per glass. Reservations are welcome by email at jupa@carafebistro.com or by phone at 503-248-0004.

VOODOO LOUNGE AND THE OHM TO HOST BENEFIT FOR NORTHWEST MEDICAL TEAMS

In the spirit of helping the world community, Portland’s Voodoo Lounge and The Ohm will host a Mardi Gras celebration open to the public on Fat Tuesday, February 8, benefiting Northwest Medical Teams for their tsunami disaster relief and ongoing worldwide efforts.

Twenty percent of all proceeds raised at the Fat Tuesday event will go to NW Medical Teams.

• Where: Voodoo Lounge & The Ohm - 53 NW 1st Avenue in Old Town Portland

The car you drive often says a lot about who you are.

Your sense of style can play heavily into purchasing your new vehicle. Whether you need a splashy ride to get you from Pilates to a pedicure in the Pearl, or a an all terrain SUV for those cool, snowy Mt. adventures, the 2005 Portland International Auto Show will have the new model that you are looking for. And, if your budget doesn't allow a purchase this year, check out the concept cars and exotics just for fun!

It must be a mid-life crisis thing, but even though we can be foofy girls, lately we’ve been thinking how cool it would be to drive a pick up truck,......hay bales and springer spaniels in back, live on a farm in the country, ride horses...ahhhhhh. But we haven’t totally gone off the deep end just yet; we’d still keep our loft apartment in the Pearl.

• When:
  Thursday, January 27 through Sunday, January 30, 2004
  Thursday, Friday & Saturday January 27, 28 & 29 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
  Sunday, January 30 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Where:
  Oregon Convention Center
  777 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
  Portland, OR 97232

Tickets go on sale January 1, 2005 at Portlandautoshow.com, and may also be purchased at the door.

Need something to do with the kids, or that big kid you’re married to?

Get grossed out at OMSI with their "Animal Grossology: The Science of Creatures Gross and Disgusting" opening January 29 and "Mystery of the Nile" OMNIMAX movie is opening Friday, March 4.

The film star and lead explorer will be making an appearance in Portland (at OMSI and Powell's) to promote the film and book. His name is Pasquale Scaturro.

Tabla and Spa La La make gift giving simple

Tied up in knots in search of the perfect Valentine’s Day gift? Fret no more. Lavish your loved one with a four-course meal (for two of course), a glass of sparkling wine, a rose and a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure at Spa La La. Enjoy your special evening Friday February 11th through Monday February 14th. Spa services may be redeemed at a later date.

• What: A special $99 package that includes a 4-course dinner for two at Tabla (choices of appetizer, small pasta, small entree and dessert) accompanied by a glass of sparkling wine and a rose. A gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure at Spa La La for one.
• When & Where: This offer is only available Friday, February 11th through Monday, February 14, and reservations must be made in advance by calling 503.238.3777. Spa services may be redeemed through December 31, 2005.

Tabla
200 NE 28th Avenue
Portland, OR

Spa La La
234 NE 28th Ave
Portland, OR
www.spalala.net