I saw some Sally Hansen nail art pens at London Drugs the other day. Thought it was cool how they came in 8 different colors – white, black, light pink, hot pink, blue, red, silver and gold. The packaging has inspiring looks about what you can do with your nail art pen – from a black/red checkerboard pattern, to flowers, to diagonal stripes and stars.

Developed to dispense just the right amount of color, the precision-tip pen helps you instantly customize your nails and toes so you can design and go. Create styles seen on celebrities, nail art websites or your own styles – the options are endless. Just press the pen point to activate nail color and start designing your own nails, then seal with topcoat when your design is complete.

Some alternative suggestions includes tipping your nails in different colors – like a french manicure but with funkier colors! Or writing letters on your nails to spell out a message. This product retails for $7.95 at selected drugstores across Canada.

Hangnails.  Dry cuticles.  Annoying dry skin around the edges of your nails can definitely take away from an otherwise glamorous self-manicure. That’s why Sally Hansen’s “Nail Nutrition Green Tea + Soy Cuticle Oil” is a great product to use to prevent future cuticle damage and add flexibility to you nails.

Nail Nutrition Green Tea + Soy Cuticle Oil instantly softens, moothes and nourishes dry cuticles.  Exclusive Green Tea + Soy formula, powered up with Antioxidants and Vitamins nourish rough, ragged cuticles and helps soothe and soften hangnails.

Product retails for $7.99 at selected drugstores across Canada.

Filou Designs – handcrafted sterling silver and 24K gold vermeil jewelry
Rosy Designs – sweet cards and prints
L’arbre Love - original wood jewelry

Sip some wine, have tapas, paint on a Communal Canvas or paint one of your own!

Take advantage of the tax-free offer at BoConcept (1275 West 6th Avenue) this Canada Day Weekend. Shop their extensive collection of contemporary furniture and accessories and allow them to pick up the tab for the tax on all your purchases at the check-out. This offer is valid from Thursday, July 1 through Sunday, July 4, 2010.  BoConcept stores are staffed with trained design consultants that are skilled in overcoming even the trickiest decorating challenges. So if you’re looking for help decorating your living space, call or stop by a store today and let them show you how they can help with your interior decorating projects.

By: Hannah Willetts

Shopping, Shoes, Cosmopolitans, beautiful confident women. These things come to mind when we think about Sex and the City and its long awaited second installment, that has rushed into theaters on May 26th. On Thursday, the Opus Hotel and Bar was transformed into a boutique style New York club, complete with a special mini bar serving only the night’s Sex and the City themed drinks, brought to us by SKYY Vodka. I chose to imbibe a few of them, myself favoring the “Glamour Girl”, a cosmo-inspired concoction of simple syrup, fresh lime juice, SKYY vodka and a dash of luxuriously sweat Chambourg, surrounded by a sugared rim. The building was abuzz with people discussing the fashion of the movie, the fashion we were about to see, plot lines and…our love lives I’m sure. With the guests all dressing our parts, we watched the model’s walk the catwalk at eye level, which is always a blessing and a curse, (so close, so much detail, yet so many around it is impossible to take pictures or see their feet, and what woman doesn’t want to know about the SHOES!).

The models were a wonderful quartet, (each introduced as Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte), showcasing styles of dress that each of those women would wear, which was refreshing to see the items walking down represent a large variety of women’s tastes. There was everything from a demure LBD, to an amazing 1970’s inspired jumpsuit, paired with peacock feather earrings. What was also lovely about the broad array of styles, is that there was a variety of silhouettes to chose from, so that if your confidence level does not allow you to indulge in sexy clingy jersey minidresses, it may be tempted by royal blue glittery belted 1970’s style toga dress, paired with a tiny chained clutch, (and a Mr.big of your own), The true ambiance of the evening was the idea that all invitees, whatever reason we were there for, were made to feel very welcome and were also waited upon by lovely and courteous staff. The night was finished off with prizes from the hotel and sponsors, and samples of SJP’s newly released fragrance, which left all the attendees to mingle and have a few more cocktails with their ladies….an evening Carrie herself would call a success!

When it comes to “concept dining”, my favourite way of eating food is definitely tapas style. Located in Blood Alley in Gastown, adjacent to Salt Tasting Room, Judas Goat Taberna is a 28-seat tapas bar which serves small plates influenced by Spain, Italy and France.  Despite the foreign food pairings, the environment of Judas Goat reminds of me a family grocery store.  A viewable food preparation station and high countertops close enough to make small talk with the patrons sitting beside you.  Square yellow stools huddle around small tables.  For larger parties, there is a counter right by the food preparation area, and another row of seating by the window – which, weather dependant, slide open.

Similar to its sister restaurant, The Salt Tasting Room, Judas Goat combines a variety of flavours and textures and teases the pallet with its small portions. I love the option of nibbling on a variety of food and sharing dishes.  Between the two of us, we ordered 7 items, which included two “hot” dishes, two “pressed, potted, or cured” dishes and a salad. Agreeing with everyone I have spoken with, what you pay for the portions is not really worth the price; but then again, “concept dining” is about the experience of “trying something new”, right??

We started off with two skewers of Fig and Manchego ($3 each) which had perfectly balanced flavours of sweet (soft, chewy fig) and savory (the firm manchego cheese). For our “hot” dishes, we ordered the Veal Saltimbocca Sweetbread ($6) and Brisket Meatballs with Spiced Tomato Sauce ($6).  I learned that “sweetbread” is pretty much baby cow neck glands, but don’t let that phase you out.  The flavourful sage and thin prosciutto rind around the veal medallions made this one of my favourite dishes of the meal.  As for the meatballs, they weren’t anything special (to be honest, I prefer the kobe meatballs at Glowbal – which are larger, jucier, and more familiar tasting). The Potted Prawns with Pistachio Butter ($7) were very tasty.  We had to use our forks to dig through the pistachio butter to find the prawns (hence, “potted”) and eat it with the Melba Toast style bread.  We also ordered the Rabbit Rillette with Carrot Panna Cotta ($6).  Rabbit is not the most common meat to eat; if you haven’t had it before, the taste and texture reminds me of chicken or duck instead of beef .  I was surprised that panna cotta could be carrot flavored and paired with a savory meat, but once again, Judas Goat has been great at combining contrasting flavours and making it work.

In conclusion, savour the experience of this quaint little tapas bar, sitting elbow to elbow on high chairs and people-watching (Gastown fashionistas, foodies heading to Salt Tasting Room and the occasional homeless person…) while sampling a variety of unusual bite-sized dishes.

• Funky Donkey
• What’s With the Cattitude?
• Rumple’s Wiggin
• Who the Shrek Are You?
• Ogre-the-Top Blue
• Fiercely Fiona

Located in the heart of Vancouver’s hip Yaletown district, Charlie’s Restaurant and Bar is Vancouver’s newest hot spot for gourmet artisan pizza. Live DJs provide a sexy electronic soundtrack as modern Italian fare (made with the freshest seasonal ingredients) is served up alongside creative cocktails and fine wines.

The early Friday evening I went, I don’t recall sexy electronic beats or Italian food … but I have two words for you:  POUTINE PIZZA.  Before you hit the “back” button on your browser in disgust, let me describe to you this calorific delight that I have been craving ever since my tastebuds first experienced this dish from Charlie’s.  Its crispy crust with the perfect amount of gravy and soft cheesecurds (but still chewy enough to have texture) and thin slices of fried potatoes was deliciously savoury!  We shared the pizza and still craved for more.  In fact, my friend went back the next evening and ordered the same thing – but all to himself! Perhaps to balance out the carbs, we each ordered a salad to accompany our gourmet pizza.  I had the Arugula Salad ($10 – pear, gorgonzola, walnuts, celery seed vinaigrette) which was the perfect size.  The crispy pear freshened up the salad, while the generous portion of walnuts gave me something to crunch on.  As for the Beetroot Salad ($10 – orange, fennel, frisse, goat cheese dressing), be careful because your tongue turns pink!

Unfortunately, the drinks were a bit of a disappointment for us. My friend compared his “Charlie Loves Caesars” ($10 – Charlie’s own caesar mix and spice, fresh basil, vodka) to something which came out of a can.  According to him, the single sphere of basil wrapped bocconcini topping the drink was the highlight.  Ouch.  Meanwhile, I had trouble downing my “Pineapple Express” ($10 – van gough espresso vodka, grilled pineapple, crushed red chilli, brown sugar, egg white).

Despite the unfavourable drink experience, the food is more than enough to bring me back to this restaurant.  I am getting so hungry writing this entry.  I am looking forward to eating again at Charlies!