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I'm getting ready for my next RAVE - don't miss out...

Create your own Avatar--A fun, silly thing to do

Oh, the silly things that we do to waste time in computer land! That's my Avatar above, don't you recognize me?? I couldn't resist the crown and cape, and I totally would buy a dress like this in real life. I had such fun creating this pseudo-likeness of myself, so I thought I would pass it on to my loyal readers. Have fun creating your own cartoon-like self at A Woman's World and please post your beautiful creations on this blog. I can't wait to see how HOT you look!

Ever had a Spicy Lime Facial?

Well neither had I until today. Remember Marlene, the amazing esthetician who offers amazing economy busting facials at about $40 (see April 20, 2009 blog post)? Today, I went to see her for my regular monthly facial and she has come up with a wonderfully inspired all organic summer time facial called the Spicy AHA Fruit Pulp Treatment that knocked my socks off!

Being the beauty junkie that I am, I have certainly had my share of facials, but to my delight and surprise, Marlene came up with something really cool and different that even impressed this savvy connoisseur. Let me tell you about it: First, she applies a citrus scented oil to get the skin in the mood; then she applies a fruit pulp peel that gently exfoliates the skin which is shortly followed by my favorite 'wow' part of the facial--a stimulating spicy lime masque that totally wakes up the skin, feels very tingly (that's the cayenne pepper in the masque), and detoxifies and oxygenates skin; while the spicy lime is working its magic, Marlene gives you a relaxing hand and foot massage; next comes the yummy smelling part of this facial, a peach masque that she uses to calm the skin and remove the lime masque. She finishes this refreshing treatment with a calendula serum and a scrumptious apricot moisturizer. Divine!

After the treatment, my skin is slightly flushed and pink because of the stimulating lime, but in a totally healthy looking kinda way, like I just got back from vacation or just had mind blowing sex. And my skin feels really supple, hydrated and happy. Give Marlene a call so you can put on a happy face too, and of course tell her that Romy sent you.

Cherries! Cherries! Cherries!!!!

I don't know about you, but cherries are hands down my most favorite fruit of all time--I get giddy just thinking about them! Ever since I was I kid, I fondly remember LOVING these sweet, intensely pigmented, juicy beauties, probably because they were tell tale sign that summer had arrived. And what's not to love about these self-contained ruby-hued morsels of nature's candy? As an adult (and a serious foodie who embraces the freshest and best of each season), I am equally enthusiastic about the arrival of my beloved cherries, the epicurean possibilities are endless.

Several years ago, I was thrilled to discover that I could pick cherries locally in the Leona Valley and I have been hooked ever since. It is less than an hour's drive from LA and you feel like you are transported back in time. This is a small one-horse town and is a wonderful escape-for-the-day trip, and also an excellent adventure for families with small children. The Leona Valley has over a dozen cherry orchards where you and your family can pick and sample (for flavor only, not for eating : -) some of the most delicious and freshest cherries of the season. Cherry tree fruit hangs low to the ground and is very easy for the little munchkins to pick. Basically, you pick all the cherries you can fit in a bucket and pay about $3 a pound for what you pick (usually cash only)--it's fun, yummy, cheap and a delightful all around experience. And at the start of the season, the Leona Valley even has a kitschy Cherry Parade too!

The most important piece of advice I can give you about cherry picking (besides to wear old clothes because cherry juice stains) is that the season is SUPER short and if you blink you will miss it. But you are in luck, because you have me, your in-the-know gal who is kindly letting you know that the season is in full swing right now until the end of June. We went last weekend with our good friends and their kids (remember David the Karaoke King and Ingy Baby?) and we had an absolute blast--the kids loved tasting the super fresh sweet cherries, were so happy that they were easy to pick and they felt such pride when they filled their buckets to the rim with these tasty cherries.

So pack a picnic, grab a blanket, and some old clothes and head to the Leona Valley to partake in the season's bounty for a fun and inexpensive outing. Checkout Hobarts (the oldest orchard) and Windy Ridge (one of the more picturesque orchards) with their great picnic grounds, homemade cherry bread and a fun little tram/tractor ride up to the orchards.

And because you will pick way more cherries than you can possibly eat, I am sharing one of my favorite, super easy cherry dessert recipes that showcases the fruit--Enjoy and happy picking!

CHERRY CRISP
1 1/2 lb pitted sweet cherries
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup oats
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

Heat oven to 375°. Grease square pan, 8x8x2 inches. Spread cherries in pan. Mix the remaining ingredients thoroughly. Sprinkle mixture over cherries. Bake 30 minutes or until the top is brown. Serve warm with ice cream.

Romy's Favorite Summer Salad

Being a foodie, I just love all the colors, tastes and smells of summer time. Going to my local farmers markets is truly heaven during this time of year because the season is brimming with a plethora of healthy, yummy, beautiful fruit and vegetable options. Nothing says summer to me more than fresh corn from my local farm stand--sweet, juicy, crunchy and delicious!

I am constantly in search of those easy, yummy, light and summery recipes that 'wow' my guests and include the best of the seasons bounty, and I think of have found it in the recipe below. It is a beautifully colorful salad, easy to make, made with a medley of my favorite mouth watering ingredients--fresh corn, cucumber, and pungent tasty feta cheese. For you oenophiles, I'd pair this salad with a nice crisp Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris. This is one of my all time favorite recipes that I have been making for years, and I have graciously decided that my loyal readers would appreciate this treat--so enjoy and let me know what you think.

Summer Corn and Orzo Salad with Cucumber Feta Dressing
Bon Appétit June 2001
Yield: Makes 8 servings

1 3/4 cups crumbled feta cheese (about 8 ounces)
3 large cucumbers (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon water
1 one pound box orzo (rice-shaped pasta; also called riso)
4 cups yellow corn kernels (cut from about 4 ears)
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Place 1 cup feta cheese, half of cucumbers, oil and 1 tablespoon water in processor. Process until smooth. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook orzo in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add corn; cook until pasta is just tender but still firm to bite, about 2 minutes longer. Drain pasta and corn. Transfer to large bowl. Add 1/2 cup feta cheese, remaining half of cucumbers and 1/3 cup chives; toss to combine. Mix in dressing. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup feta cheese and 2 tablespoons chives.

Primed and Pumped by Alison Raffaele

Several months ago at the LA Make-Up Show, I got turned on to a wonderful line of professional quality make-up products developed by Alison Raffaele (a celebrity make-up artist who worked and trained under Bobbi Brown.) What I love about her products are that they are environmentally friendly, paraben free, and most exciting to me is that they contain anti aging ingredients (its like getting two products in one!)

My favorite product in her line is the Age Response Primer with SPF 15 which contains Frutta di Vita, a proprietary blend of time released antioxidants that shelters the skin from damaging free radicals, promotes collagen production, increases skin elasticity, visibly reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles AND it also provides both UVA/UVB protection--pretty amazing for a primer, right? Well, I must say that while I am not a cosmetic chemist, whatever additional active ingredients she is putting in her primer seems to make all the difference in the world in terms of how my skin feels and how my make-up wears over time. And for all of you girls that are prone to being shiny, she also has an Acne Response version of this primer that has additional ingredients that controls oil and fights blemishes too.

What I love about this primer is how it feels silky smooth and moisturizing as soon as it touches my skin, my foundation applies beautifully over it and the staying power and look of my make-up throughout the day (or night) is truly amazing. I love the way it warms with my skin and makes my face look even better as time marches forward (could this be the 12+ hour time released antioxidants? Who knows, but I look damn good!).

In all honesty, I have never really been a big fan of primers, often feeling like they are a waste of time and money, but after being 'wowed' by Alison Raffaele's primer I think I am a new convert. What about you?

Why not give it a try because Romy's Raves readers get 20% off any purchase at http://www.alisonraffaele.com/ when you enter 'ARC20' at checkout in the coupon code area (the code is case sensitive and must be in all caps FYI). And let me know what you think and how your skin feels, and post your pics too!

A Freebie fit for a Diva

Hey all you Glamour Girls, want to look like a million bucks on your birthday? False eyelashes are one of my favorite beauty secrets! So I thought I would pass along this great freebie to you.

How about a FREE pair of eyelashes and lash application at MAC on your birthday?? Sounds good to me, how about you? All you have to do is visit the Hollywood and Highland center in Hollywood, California on your exact birthday (ID required), go to the Hollywood Visitor Information Center on level 1 and get your free elephant card, then take your Elephant VIP card to the MAC store, tell them its your Birthday and kindly ask those well trained MAC make-up artists for your fun and flirty lashes--and they will usually do complimentary eye make-up too, if you ask nicely :-)

This complimentary set of lashes and lash application is a $12 value--nice perk, right? Aren't you glad you are a follower of Romy Raves and found out about this awesome freebie?

Enjoy and Happy Birthday Girlfriend!

There's a new Mensch in town--Menchie's is Destination Yogurt

I know, I know you must be thinking yogurt shops are a dime a dozen these days--Pinkberry, Snowberry, Humphrey's, and Yogurtland--what's the difference? They are all the same. Well if you think all yogurt shops are treated equal, you haven't driven down Ventura Boulevard lately and seen the line out the door of Menchie's, the newest addition to the valley yogurt landscape. And like you, I wondered what's all this hype about yogurt? But after my first visit, I understood why people are drawn to this new kitchsy spot.

Menchie’s is the brainchild of Danna and Adam, whose passion and love for creating the perfect frozen yogurt quickly transformed into the ultimate fro-yo lover’s paradise. Other frozen yogurt stores offer a limited amount of choices and charge customers for every flavor or topping they order, but at Menchie’s customers serve themselves the perfect yogurt mix by choosing from a wide variety of delicious flavors and toppings that you pay for by the ounce.

I think the appeal of Menchie's is threefold: First and foremost it has a wide variety of great tasting yogurt and a plethora of yummy toppings; Second you can customize the mix of yogurt and toppings to your liking and you have the ability to dispense the exact amount of yogurt that you want to buy; and third it has tremendously catchy branding with the name (how cute is the word Menchie, which btw is a play on the Yiddish word 'Mensch' which means to be a good person), cute logo and colorfully inviting environment (its definitely a place that you want to hang out).

Maybe its the whole friendly do-it-yourself welcoming vibe, but I find Menchie's yogurt incredibly tasty! This yogurt seems more intensely flavored and full bodied than its competitor's and I personally LOVE Cake Batter (yummy, creamy and tastes very much like cake batter), and I also think Cookies and Cream and Tart Apple Yogurt (which tastes like a sour apple Jolly Rancher) are equally delicious.

I went to the Woodland Hills location this past Saturday night with some of my oldest and dearest friends, and they couldn't believe how packed this place was, but once they tried it they understood the appeal. My friends, hubby and I had such fun eating the tasty yogurt and hanging around outside, I felt like I was in high school again hanging out with my posse.

The Posse from left to right: My Matchmaker Kristine, Her Honey Love Scott, Debsala, My Hunky Hubby Doug and Me

As the summer heat quickly approaches, do yourself a favor and give Menchie's a try, I know you won't be disappointed :-)

Romy's Raves Readers Perk Alert: Visit the Sherman Oaks, California Menchie's location anytime in the month of June and mention Romy Raves when you checkout for a Buy One, Get the Second One Half Off Perk--Enjoy this yummy bonus!

Shecky's Girls Night Out LA: Bargains with a Retro Twist

I don't know about you, but these days my shopping excursions and girls night's out are happening less and less, much to my dismay. The economy has forced me and my gal pals (and many of you too!) to watch our frivolous spending and to become more selective about where we go out and how we spend our money. So I am always on the lookout for fun, girlie nights out that offer a great experience, value and lots of goodies: So let me introduce you to Shecky's!

Shecky's is an online and event destination for women to discover the latest and greatest in fashion, beauty, and entertainment. They put on amazing girls night out shopping events around the country where women get to shop emerging designers, learn about new beauty products, sample delicious cocktails and receive free giveaways (and goodie bags too!). These events offer women a place to escape, indulge, pamper themselves and have quality girl time—without the boys! And you gotta LOVE the Shecky’s Mission: To spoil girls with fashion, beauty, fun and the best girlfriend group experiences. All this is for free if become a Shecky's member or for a nominal fee if you want a goodie bag--What's not to love!

I have been going to Shecky's Girls Night Out events for the past several years, and I always have a blast because it's so girlie and I always find a couple of really cool and different items that I have never seen anywhere else--and that makes this trend maven really happy :-) This year I decided to bring some of my favorite gorgeous gal pals to enjoy the festivities (from left to right: Heather, Lani, Yours Truly and Ingy Baby):

And we all had such fun shopping, sipping and schmoozing! Everyone bought a couple of unique items that they were excited about and we all loved the tone, mood and style of the event.

This year I noticed that the bargains were even more plentiful and the vendors were offering even better deals in light of the economy. Like one of my favorite sexy girl companies Booty Parlor was offering some of their top selling sexy treats (like Kissable Body Shimmer and Melt Chocolate Body Fondue) at a Shecky's special price of ten bucks. Lots of other vendors had bargain bins with many items under $20 and many vendors were offering better pricing if you purchased multiple items from them.

The most noticeable trend that caught my eye at this Spring 2009 Shecky's event was a penchant for all things retro, a trend that this rubenesque woman is very fond of! I am a huge fan of the curvy body loving dresses from Nikki Poulos (I am wearing one of her fab dresses in the picture with my girlfriends above) and I feel absolutely gorgeous and feminine when I wear her beautifully crafted designs. Her Summer 2009 collection did not disappoint, and I fell in love with her 70's-esque Deep Vee Tunic that I am wearing to right along side the designer herself.

And of course no retro fashion diva is complete without a beautiful vintage necklace from Eda and Betty Heirloom Couture. Nikki Massarelli is the amazing designer behind these beauties and her company story only adds to her appeal: she named her company after her grandmothers, Eda & Betty, because as a child Nikki would go to her grandmother Eda’s house and play with her collection of gorgeous jewels and when her grandmother passed she inherited this amazing collection of vintage jewelry--Nikki added an edgy flair to these vintage pieces and everywhere she went people wanted to buy them right off of her body, and thus Eda and Betty was born. Her handcrafted necklaces are statement pieces and her newest designs are customizable and made with vintage Swarovski Chandelier crystals and unique charms. Here I am with the desinger and to the right is a sample of one of her beautiful necklaces.

And one last homage to this retro presence at Shecky's were a couple of vendors with vintage inspired lingerie. I really appreciated the full figured loving designs of Dirty Dolls Lingerie, a company that specializes in catering to the needs of voluptuous women. DD Lingerie feels that curvaceous women are underserved by today’s lingerie market, which fails to offer sexy and elegant intimates in larger sizes and they feel that these women deserve lingerie that fits perfectly and helps them feel alluring and powerful.

So that's a glimpse of my fun finds at Shecky's LA Spring 2009 show, and if you are interested in a fun girl's night out in the future you can find the current calendar Here. Happy Shopping and Bonding!