love her. LOVE HER!

Personally, I was BEYOND impressed!  Y’all just face it – it’s Madonna’s world + we’re just living in it.  M.D.N.A.  what, what whatttt! 

xx, L

Let’s be honest – I’ve been obsessed with skin for a while, but I’ve noticed that as my age advanced…so has my obsession. 

Here are my latest tricks of the trade:

I have to thank Jenn Falik for recommending the first two.  Are you guys following her?  She’s amazing.) 

1. iT Cosmetics “No-Tug™” Heavenly Luxe Dual Eyeshadow Brush 

Ok so here’s the Q+DD: this is the “first ever” anti-aging and age preventative shadow brush that won’t pull on your delicate eye skin while applying your shadow.  Am I 100% convinced?  No.  Will I try absolutely everything?  You betcha.

It’s actually a pretty great brush, too.  It’s dual-sided for contouring.  For $24 – I’d say give it a go. 

2. Vichy 3-in-1 Cleanser

It’s a cleanser, toning lotion, and an eye makeup remover all in one.  You can actually wipe it off with a cloth once you’ve cleansed or rinse with water.  My skin has been AMAZING with this.  So super soft and fantastic. 

3. Natura Bisse “The Cure” Cleanser

So, at $57 a bottle (to Vichy’s $20) this cleanser is definitely less economical, but it’s great also.  Its a little less “milky” and I still feel like I need to use a separate eye makeup remover when I use it.  But, not only does it clean, but it detoxifies skin and is extremely gentle as well.  PLUS: when I use it with my Clairsonic Mia – there’s virtually NO residue left over when I’m done and I feel squeaky clean.  (Without the squeak, of course.)

It also has Green Tea Extract, which is lovely and supposedly neutralizes the effects of free radicals, “diminishing irritation and dryness.”

4.  Trish McEvoy Beauty Booster Cream with SPF

I’ve blogged about it before and I’ll probably blog about it again.  I absolutely love this stuff.  It’s a foundation.  It’s a moisturizer.  It’s a SPF.  It’s a firming treatment. It’s amazing.  Get it today.  You will thank me.  (many of you already have!)

5. Water.

Yep.  Good old H-Two-Oh.  I’ve been drinking it like a fiend.  Just like they always tell you to and I can tell a huge difference in my skin! (somewhere in Birmingham my mom is saying “I told you so.”) 

There you have it.  My new plan for reverse aging.  Who knows.  Next year I might just turn 29 again!  (nah, 31 has been pretty awesome so far)

La and me at my 31st birthday last Saturday

Enjoy, lovelies!

xx, L

Y’all know how much I heart my second home in Atlanta, Exhale Spa.  Y’all know.  (And, welcome LK!  So happy you’ve joined!!) 

Well, I had my first facial at Exhale last week and JUST when I thought I couldn’t love it any more there, I fell even more head over heels!

It was the absolute greatest facial.  The greatest!  The one I got was the 60-Minute True Facial w/ a Cool Beam Treatment. 

Here are the deets:

True Facial: Enliven your skin with our customized facial appropriate for all skin types.  We use a layer of our most coveted mushroom enzyme mask to lift away all dull, tired skin and reveal a fresher, brighter version of you!  Trust that all of your need will be thoroughly addressed in this one hour facial – a true transformation!

Cool Beam Treatment: Monochromatic coherent light penetrates into the dermis sparking a physiological collagenic growth spurt.  This healing therapy inflates fine lines while simultaneously reducing post-surgical inflammation and decreasing hyperpigmentation and cystic acne.

My therapist, Kathryn, was absolutely amazing, too.  I highly, highly recommend getting a facial at Exhale.  My skin has been glowing since and feels like silk!

Also newsworthy at Exhale is…one of my favorite Atlantans + fitness gurus, Anne-Marie Berte, Manager of Guest Experience for the spa.  Do you know her?  Do you know her?  You should!  Y’all have seen me reference her in every single one of my Exhale-related posts, but you guys REALLY need to know how awesome Anne-Marie is! 

anne-marie berte

In addition to all her responsibilities at Exhale, she is also the ambassador for the 100 Women Project, the Lease Luxury Properties lifestyle & wellness concierge, and all around excellent person.  Anne-Marie is really into brand marketing and promotions, and is constantly working to connect people and create relationships and cross promotions for brands.  She has a contagiously positive and uplifting personality – this girl is going places, people!! 

super-fit, A-M!

Stay tuned for more Anne-Marie awesomeness – you are sure to see her around the ATL as the “fit girl blogger” bringing you up to date on the latest and greatest workouts to try, studios, and healthy lifestyle tips!

Love, love, love Exhale + Anne-Marie!  Just the best in 2012. 

xx, L

Exhale Atlanta
Anne-Marie Berte, Manager of Guest Experience: amberte@exhalespa.com
1065 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA  30309
404.720.5000
http://www.exhalespa.com/Locations/GAtlanta/Default.aspx

You see, I walked out to my parking garage to find my back left tire…

Flatter than a pancake.

I managed to get to the Costco in my neighborhood at Town Brookhaven, and after waiting for an hour and a half for Costco Tire Center to open, I was informed that though the puncture from the NAIL I drove over could be repaired, my tire was essentially mulch on the inside and would have to be replaced.  HOWEVER – they didn’t have the tire I needed in stock at that location so they fitted my car with a lovely donut and instructed me to high tail it to the Perimeter Costco to get this blessed tire. 

In the 5.6 miles between the two Costcos…apparently I rolled through a stop sign and was promptly pulled over by a motorcycle cop. 

Yep.  

However, alls well that ends well because it just so happens that my evening was so spectacular that it quite literally saved the day. 

Check out my two-step remedy:

Step 1.  Core Fusion® Cardio at Exhale Mind Body Spa in Midtown. 

I decided I had mooched off Lindsay’s Exhale membership for long enough so I called up our buddy Anne Marie to get myself my very own membership!  Yay!

Linds has been preachin’ the gospel about Exhale for a while, but as a reminder, the Q+DD on Core Fusion® Cardio is this: It’s a “calorie burning, sweat inducing, body sculpting, power-packed fitness experience, masterminded by the co-creators of Core Fusion®, Elisabeth Halfpapp and Fred DeVito. Merging cardio with intense strength and flexibility moves, this 60-minute class generates maximum calorie burn, resulting in defined abs, sculpted legs, and high, rounded glutes.”

I am here to tell you it was ridiculously tough and I felt like a bazillion bucks when I finished. 

After our class, Linds, our girlfriend Stef, and I met a handful of our fabulous friends for the BEST thing that ever happened to Wednesdays (and also step 2 in my remedy.)

Step 2.  LADIES NIGHT at Piola!

 Reminder: if you are a lady, EVERY Wednesday, you can enjoy BOTTOMLESS wine or sangria with the purchase of an entrée or a pizza.  I suggest both. 

I’d also suggest ordering absolutely ANYTHING with the Catupiry cheese.  ET turned me on to this amazing soft cheese from Brazil and it pretty much just makes everything better. 

There you have it, ladies.  Straight from LK.  There is nothing a little detox/retox and a GNO* can’t fix.

Happy Thursday, friends.  It’s ALMOST the weekend.

xx, L

*Girls’ Night Out.  Duh.

Again. 

If you aren’t reading Hesseltime you should start… immediately.  It’s basically a wealth of information.  For example, you can learn all about the menagerie of towel animals available on a cruise ship, how to properly interview a celebrity, or how to get over being dumped – plus hear all about the latest and greatest going on in the life of Hess.

Aaaannyway… I saw Miss Hess recently and I have to tell you – homegirl is looking GOOD and she’s crediting a single substance to a chunk of this hotness:

Chuice. 

Ok here’s the Q+DD on Chuice:  It’s a juice that you chew.  (Hence the name) and since it’s raw food, it can be used both to cleanse and as a meal replacement.  Made fresh daily by a company called Taste of Earth right here in Atlanta, Chuice is a blend of more than 45 fruits, veggies, herbs, nuts and seeds.  Apparently it has a lot of protelytic and fibrinolytic enzymes which aid both the digestive and immune system and 11g of fiber in each serving which is HUGE for pulling waste and toxins out of your body.  They also say the high enzyme content will actually slow the aging process!   Sign me up. 

Obviously I jumped right on this bandwagon and I am a BELIEVER.  Here’s what you need to know: it is delicious…it is filling…it makes me feel GREAT… but it does NOT look very appetizing. 

Sorry I ripped off your photo, Hess.

Greg won’t even try it.  (When we went to Highland Bakery to pick up my supply yesterday, he remarked that he feels like it’s not juice you chew, its soup you drink.  Fair.  But I just don’t think “Droup” sounds any more appealing.)

BUT: as I mentioned, I am definitely seeing results.  I think it brightens my complexion, it keeps me VERY satisfied (and it’s mildly sweet, so it curbs my sweet tooth too!) and at 7 WW points/16 oz, it’s definitely helped me take off some lbs.  I get the green kind (a.k.a. “The Forest”) but it also comes in red too – which is heavier on the beet content and very good for your blood and circulation.  For starters, the recommendation is to drink 20oz during the first half of your day, and then eat regularly (but ideally healthfully) in the evening.

I usually have about 6-8oz in the morning and depending on my day, I try to replace 1 meal with 16oz of Chuice.  I try to have a bottle in my work fridge for those days when you can’t leave your desk, it’s incredibly convenient.  Here’s the deal, though: each half gallon ($25) is only good for 3 days, so you need to make sure you consume it and replenish with fresh Chuice.  (This has NOT been a problem for me.  I drain every last drop)

You can get Chuice at any Highland Bakery location or from Taste of Earth directly.  They also ship!  Email ladell@tasteofearth.net or visit them online at www.tasteofearth.net.  Be sure to mention that your sales rep was Ashley Hesseltine! 

I think I’m looking younger already…

xx, L

(lindsay. obviously.)

I’d just returned from this super-incredible vacation and I had all of these fantastic-amazing photos of it that I took on my trusty iPhone 2.  Naturally, I’d run almost all of them through the Instagram App that I love so dearly because every photo looks better with a vintage filter.  Am I right?  AM I RIGHT?  I’m right. 

instagram? we're pals.

Anyway, I thought I might order some prints of my doctored-up photographic achievements.  I logged onto Snapfish, uploaded my photos, and BAMMM – they look terrible.  I could order them if I wanted, but Instagram had resized them to the cute square shape I adore, and they would be blurry if I printed them out myself. DRATS!  I shook my fists in the air.

No way, I didn’t want to order 200+ blurry photos!  But, I liked my Instagram-ed photos better than my actual ones.  Dilemma…

I did some light googling along the lines of “how the heck am I going to get my Instagram prints now??” and I eventually found my answer: Printstagram.

Good news!  Lucky day!  By way of Printstagram, I had ENDLESS (okay, five) options of what I could do with my Instagram-ed photos.

I could order a large, high-quality poster made with my Instagram photos.  It’s 20″ x 40″ in size, and can accommodate anywhere between 50-400 photos.  Printstagram sizes them to fit the full poster size and arranges them in a clean grid.  All for only $25. 

STICKERS were another option.  Heck yes!  You get 252 stickers per order, so you’ll be able to use them liberally without breaking a sweat…or the bank.  A slick $10 will seal the deal.

The Tinybook.  Is there any cuter way to show off your pictures than THIS?  The photo quality is great, and tinybooks even magnet to your fridge.  Order 3 tinybooks with 24 photos in each for $10.

Tinybook too small?  No problemo.  Prinstagram offers the Minibook, as well.  The photos are printed back to back on card stock with a glossy photo-finish.  Photos are printed at just about the same size as they appear on your iPhone.  Order 2 minibooks with 50 photos in each for $12.

Or, you can opt for what I purchased: Miniprints.  Instagram miniprints are printed on card stock with a matte finish and just the right amount of weight to them.  It’s a simple and classy way to showcase your artistry.  Give them away to your friends, stick them in a scrapbook or on your walls, or carry a few in your wallet.  Order a set of 48 prints for $12.

my miniprints

Mine just arrived today!  So excited.  (Take note, future Printstagrammers: They ship from Taiwan, so expect for them to take their sweet time getting to you.) 

Check out Printstagram HERE.
Watch Printstagram’s product video HERE.
See what else Printstagram is doing with the Instagram platform HERE.

I’m a Printstagram FAN. 

xx, L

The Q+DD would like to direct your attention to a story we recently heard about a family in need (friends of friends):

On June 24th of this year, Aimee Bruner and Mishi Methven thought their 2.5 year-old daughter, Stella, had an ear infection.  24 hours later she was diagnosed with Diffuse Pontine Gliomas, a brain cancer commonly diagnosed in children that has a 0% survival rate. 

Today, Stella is palliative and has perhaps a few months left to live.  She is at home surrounded by the love of her two moms and newborn brother.  She has difficulty talking, walking, sitting up unassisted, feeding herself, and swallowing.  Her condition is declining daily.  Since the diagnosis, both Aimee and Mishi have stopped working to spend quality time with Stella while she’s here.

aimee, stella + mishi

Aside from being an unbelievable tragedy, the family is facing a massive financial hardship. 

The Stella Joy Quilt Project was created to raise financial support and emotional comfort for Stella’s family during this incredibly difficult time in their lives.  Initiated by friends and loved ones, the project gives everyone deeply touched by Stella’s story a channel to reach out and help.  All financial contributions will be used to cover the family’s living expenses as they grieve Stella and care for their newborn.  The outpouring of emotional support will be used to inspire and create a quilt.  A tapestry of kindness, generosity, love and goodwill, the quilt will be a living memory of Stella and the inextinguishable joy she illuminated while she was here.

Please visit Stella’s site here: Stella Bruner Methven
Consider sending support here: The Stella Joy Quilt Project

‘Tis the season, after all.

xx, L

Well, lucky me.  Look what arrived at my desk recently!

Introducing the dTox Box from dTox Juice Bar!  I think it might be the exact opposite of approx. 4 – 8 martinis and going a whole weekend on 4 hours of sleep.  Or – as the official marketing promises – “Our dTox Box gives your digestive system a rest, thus freeing up the energy to heal while also keeping energized and nutritionally satisfied. Raw fruit and vegetable juice is the most nutritionally complete nourishment we can get. Vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, and phyto-nutrients from the live juice are easily assimilated straight into the bloodstream, simultaneously hydrating our bodies with the pure water that comes straight from the plant.”

Woah.

Each box is $50 and includes 1 dTox water, 2 red juices, 2 green juices, 1 Brazil nut milk (16 ounces each) and 2 elixirs.  Ideally – you pick up the box each day and repeat for 3 days.  They want you to drink a juice every 2 hours and drink water throughout the day.  They recommend you start the day with the water and ending the day with the Brazil nut milk.  Might be a good way to jumpstart a diet or just reverse some negative effects of some good old-fashioned rebel rousing.

If you’re not ready to commit to three whole days without chewing anything – you can always pepper in some raw nutrients by popping these babies a la carte.  I tried the red juice (beet, carrot, cucumber, spinach, romaine, dandelion, ginger, lemon.  $7 individually) and the wheatgrass elixer (wheatgrass and cucumber $4 individually) and they were delish and very energizing!

They’d probably be great with a shot of vodka in them, too!  (I kid, I kid!)

Check out dTox Juice Bar’s website by clicking HERE or stop by their shop in Midtown!

Bottoms up!

xx, L

dTox Juice Bar
305 6th Street, Atlanta, GA 30308
M-F: 7AM – 7PM
Saturday + Sunday: 11AM – 5PM

…as I celebrate (and happily perform Maid of Honor duties!) at EZ’s WEDDING WEEKEND!

In honor of this joyous occasion, I’d like to share a special video. Please do enjoy (+ thanks Erin Llana):

EZ’s found her Prince Charming and I couldn’t be happier!  I just love you BOTH so much!

Hip hip hooray for my girl!  Even though she’s found a new partner in crime… I can’t help but feel nostalgic about all the years we were each others! 

EZ and Jake, best wishes for a long and happy life together and that all your pain is champagne!

Can’t wait to CELEBRATE!

xx,

L

Allow me to introduce you to the “Legginskirt” ™ by Jane Darling by ME.  Leggings.  With a skirt attached.  Seems simple but I had no idea how versatile they would be.  The spandex-y material is perfect – you can be active in them, lounge around in them, and still feel cute throwing on a pair of heels and going out to dinner in them!  Seriously.  I am in love.  I think I wore them almost every day in Italy.  They are PERFECT for travel.  Check it:

LK in JDBM in Italia!

Here’s the Q+DD on Jane Darling by ME:  Started by local Atlanta designers Marty Alterman and Emily Mak, JDBM is a line that was created out of necessity.   Marty was looking for a way to gracefully transition after she hit “a certain age” and wanted to show a little less skin and still be cute. She teamed up with her trusty alterations genius Emily and what happened next is magic:  Super. Flattering. Clothes. For. All!  

The line is NOT just Legginskirts™.  It’s jackets.  It’s shirts.  It’s dresses. It’s tunics.  It’s a line full of your go-to clothes.  Everything is slimming:  the shirts fit a little longer, the fabric is a little sturdier and more forgiving, there’s strategic ruching and ruffles and best of all – everything is very fresh.  No old lady clothes here, friends.  Check out a few pieces of the latest collection:

I am literally obsessed.  You can visit Jane Darling’s website by clicking HERE, stop by Shanghai Alterations in Sandy Springs or Beth Ann boutique in Buckhead or Fragile Gifts in Sandy Springs.

BETTER YET:  Stop by Fragile on THURSDAY November 17^th from 6:30 – 8:00PM for a JDBM trunk show! 6010 Sandy Springs Cir NE # C  Atlanta, GA 30328

Bonus: 10% of all orders done during the Trunk Show will be given to The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation! 

(Bonus bonus: You get to go to Fragile.  Which is an amazing place.  But that is another post for another day – probably after I register for spectacular home goods there!)

I am begging you to check out Jane Darling by ME.  At this time, I’d like to issue a preemptive “I told you so.”

I think I will.

I told you so.

xx, L

Jane Darling by ME