Navigating the Wine List

We love to drink wine, but as much as we hate to admit it, we do get a little intimidated by those wine menus that are the size of the Manhattan Yellow Pages.

Well guess what? We are supposed to laugh at those mammoth size books. That’s what our new best friend Maureen Petrovsky told us. (Maureen is the author of The Wine Club and the one who knows what wine to drink with a PB&J.) “99 percent of people have no idea what’s in those books. It’s ridiculous that that's what they give you for what’s supposed to be a good night out. My best advice: Attack it with a sense of humor.”

It gets better from there! Maureen gives us permission to order the cheapest bottle of wine on the menu without blushing. “It’s the restaurant's responsibility to only have good wines on their list. So the cheapest bottle should still be a good bottle, and if it’s not, blame the restaurant, not your budget." Rock on!

Maureen does recommend asking the bartender or sommelier for advice on their particular wine list. But don’t hand over all control. Her advice:

1. Give the bartender/sommelier as much info about you as possible—what you want to spend, what you are eating, what styles of wine you like and do NOT like.

2. Set a price limit, by pointing out a bottle on the list that’s in the range of what you want to spend.

3. Don’t order wine before deciding what to eat, even if you’re asked prior to deciding on your menu. Let what you’re eating dictate what wine to order.

4. Order with the seasons. Change up the wine you drink with wardrobe. If it’s a gorgeous warm spring day, a light flirty white wine is a better option that a big heavy red.

Drinks anyone?

Don't Be Shy...

We want to hear what you have to say!!! To encourage comments, we are giving away not one, but TWO pairs of Aerosoles Cross Reference shoes. The shoes are perfect for traveling--light weight, super comfy and easy to slide in and out of when going through airport security. The winners get to choose the color (silver, gold, black or pink) and the size.

To enter, simply comment on any blog post this week or next. We want to hear your thoughts--any thoughts. It's not high school, so we don't care about punctuation, grammar or spelling. Just make sure we know how to get in touch with you. If you don't want to publish your comment, you can email it to us confidentially at jetsetgirls@gmail.com.

Because Jet Set Girls Are Always Gracious...

We know you always send thank you notes to your host--or at least you always, always mean to! Well, when you have stationery as cute as the above from Philosophies it gives you one more very good reason to get that letter in the mail. The cards and prints have sentiments that sound like they were lifted out of our diary.

Be Straight Up With Friends and Martinis:

Wear Pumps Take Taxis:


and we LOVE this luggage tag which nails the point of our girls' getaways:

We're super-excited to offer all JSG readers a 15% discount now through May 11--which is Mother's Day for those who need reminding! (Be sure to check out the ultra adorable Mom's Day card collection.) At checkout, enter the code: JETSET

To get started shopping, click here.

Jet Set Energy

We finally had our cocktail party featuring Jet Set Energy drinks. The guys who are long time fans of Red Bull, took a quick liking to the original Jet Set Energy, saying it had a tasted similar to Red Bull but didn't have the bad aftertaste. While we ladies, partial as we are to our vodka and sodas (two limes please!), chose the Jet Set Club Soda. Here's the bonus: the club soda tastes the same but has all the benefits of Red Bull (plus Jet Set has ginseng, tuarine, vitamins B6 and B12). We'd like to think they made these drinks just for us; but at least we know they made them for people just like us!

You can find them at Safeway, Vons, and BevMo and clubs nationwide.

promotions@drinkjetset.com

We've Been Tagged!

Thanks to Beauty in Real Life for tagging us! Here's the dealio:

1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules in your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 random bloggers by linking them at the end of your post.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.
6. Once your post is up, notify the person who tagged you.--we share six quirkie things about us and then tag 6 other bloggers.

Since there are two of us writing this blog, we figured we would point out each other's quirks. Who is better qualified to know these things than your BF of 20+ years, after all?

Annie:
1. You know her as a redhead; but she's a natural blonde-- and it's beautiful.

2. She's a bubbleholic. She was the only kid in grade school who drank Perrier. Not only does she still take her l'eau avec gas, she's a big-time champagne junkie. Gotta love the girl in the group who orders the $30 glass of champagne.

3. Annie has no modesty. I'm talking about bending over naked in a hotel room full of women to apply her sunscreen.

4. She had the messiest room growing up of all our friends, now she's totally organized. What happened and where do I sign up?

5. This woman would do anything to prolong a blowout-- even avoiding a head massage during a facial.

6. Josh Groban's music makes her sleep like a baby.

Hope's quirks:
1. Inevitably after she eats, Hope gets something stuck in her front two teeth. She’ll smile so you can laugh at her.

2. She can’t leave the house/hotel room without a perfect mani! When we were in Phoenix, we were late for our dinner reservation and she still took the time to fix a chip before she would go out. Her nails did look good, though!

3. She looks really hot in a red bikini—just ask the guys at the Ritz Carlton South Beach pool.

4. She’s a pro at getting into clubs, velvet rope and long line or no. I think it helps that she’s tall.

5. She had a Curious George stuffed doll when we were growing up.

6. Her daughter Olivia thinks I look younger, even though I’m 7 months older. Thanks, Livi!

Ok bloggers--we're tagging you now:
You Blog Like a Girl
Survival Tips for 20 Something Girls
British Beauty Blogger
Steeping Beauty
Two Jet Set Divas
Going off the Shallow End

Oh NO!

That's our only reaction to this NYTime's story about naked vacations. The above photo of tennis in the buff about captures our horror. Definitely NOT for us!

On Our Radar: Off to the Races

Admittedly, pulling off a trip to the Kentucky Derby at this late date is probably pretty hard to do, given it's now 8 days away and counting. If you love a good, stiff bourbon drink (and our friend over at the Liquid Muse has a recipe for a killer mint julep), look for any excuse to don a totally over the top hat (we wish we had British friends who would invite us to their wedding) and your last name doesn't rhyme with Bilton, we've got a few alternatives for you:

Try to go on Kentucky Oaks Day on May 2--the annual race the day before the Derby for 3-year old fillies, which is as old as the Derby itself (134 runnings to be exact). Granted, our mind is in the gutter, but when else can you get away with a statement like jockey Kent Desormeaux's recent comment without getting slapped: “I think if you were out there, you just got a treat because those two little fillies were flying down the lane. They are multi-talented and I had a lot of fun.”

You may still be able to get tickets for the notoriously debacherous infield and if not, we're sure you can flirt your way in.

Option B is to wait until May 17 and head to Maryland for the Preakness. The second leg of the triple crown isn't quite as iconic as the Derby, but it still holds some sway. You'll find ladies in hats and you'll still have the opportunity to drink bourbon--albeit in a Black Eyed Susan (a concoction of bourbon, vodka, oj and sweet and sour mix--drink at your own risk). If the winner of the Derby wins this race, you're in for quite a party!

The third option--wait for NYC's Belmont Stakes on June 7. This is one of the few times when NYC comes in dead last on the excitement of an event. Forget about the horses--and if there's not a Triple Crown contender, most people will--consider that the drink, the Belmont Breeze was created in 1998 and is basically a Shirley Temple with whiskey and cream sherry. It's down right embarrassing.

Which leads us to our final option: Waiting until the season at Saratoga opens on July 23. However, we don't plan that far in advance. We'll get back to you on that one.

Welcome Back Baguette

The uber popular baguette is back and looking better than ever (pictured above is the black classic, available here). We're not sure if its resurrection is due to the movie release of Sex in the City (remember Samantha bought a fake one out of some guy's trunk then accused a bunny of stealing it at the Playboy Mansion) or because the baguette had its 10th birthday. When we passed the counter last weekend at Neimans, they were spilling off the counter. We gave the salesperson an eyebrow raise and she said, "I know, Fendi is showing a ton of these this season."

Our favorite by a long shot is the Moroccan, it comes in ivory and brown and both are fabulous! It's a little boho; but still timeless. We saw it at Neiman's or on line here.

For spring and summer, we love this woven baguette with black patent accents. It would coordinate well with the tribal prints that are everywhere. On line here.

Here's an affordable alternative to the Fendi above. It's also woven, made of raffia, and really attractive. We love that it is lined in leather. Available from SCOOP BEACH on HSN.

Here's one we don't get. The paint yourself (I AM NOT KIDDING!!!) white canvas baguette (that comes with a set of permenent markers- oh yeah) for $1,300. Who values their artistic skills enough to buy this? BTW, if you're a true artist you couldn't afford it anyhow.

JSG's Top Self Tanners

We've been busy testing tanners the last two weeks. If you want to see just how tan we got, check out Hope's mug at The Source. Here are our three faves: Mystic tan, Clinique, and Jergens.


Best Self-Tanner for an All-Over Deep Tan:
While we wish our apartment was big enough to fit a Mystic Tan Booth, for now, we'll settle for the at-home Mystic Tan Kit. The tan is glowing and realistic and when we fib and tell people we jetted to St. Bart's for the weekend, they may very well believe us! It's definitely a comparable tan to what you would get at one of the booths at a tanning salon.

As for applying the self tanner--We showered, scrubbed and applied the pre-tan gel moisturizer, which comes in the kit, per the directions. Next, we sprayed the tan all over our naked selves and let it dry. It is tinted, which helps make it foolproof, unlike other self tanners we've written about.

One big benefit the at-home kit has to the booth, is that you don't have to put on clothes right away. We enjoyed walking around our pad naked for 15 minutes or so before putting on sweats and a tank top. (Note: One JSG member has no sense of modesty. So yes, we're pretty sure our neighbors enjoyed this step, too.) The smell is pretty much the same. We're still waiting for someone to come up with a self tanner that doesn't smell like you fell into a chemical bath.

In a few hours, we had a golden delicious tan!

The down side: the color is a bit uneven. Now, this is more due to JSG's error than the product, but what happened was, we washed our hands after rubbing the self tanner into our body, then sprayed a little extra on the backs. Perhaps too much extra. But hey, we make the mistakes so you don't have to.

We also had white marks under our boobs. In the booth, you can usually dance and jiggle, but it's a little hard to do that at the same time you're spraying the product yourself.
The kit is $54 for a 2.5 oz spray and before and after moisturizer. We haven't gone through the whole can just yet, but we're going to guess it has about 5 applications, so you will save a few bucks over going to the salon. Plus, it gives you an excuse to walk around naked for a few minutes. And hey, who doesn't love that?

It's available at Sephora.

Best Gradual Self-Tanner:
For a tan that builds, our favorite department store product is the Clinique Self-Sun Touch of Bronze Moisturizing Body Lotion ($18.50 at department stores and on-line at Clinique). It gives you a little more tan each day you use it. We thought it gave us the most natural and least orange-y color. We couldn't find any mess ups, which means either we're becoming experts or you cover and conceal mistakes each day as you build your tan. The scent was actually very pleasant going on; though after a couple of hours that pesky tanning smell creeps up (must be the chemical reaction with our skin pigment). Our friends accused us of fake-baking, not using sunscreen at the beach (the horror!), but most often told us we had a great glow! We'll be using this product often.


Best Budget Quickie Self-Tanner:

If you're looking to spend less, try the Jergens Natural Glow Express ($7.49). Jergens is always the reader faves in Lucky and Allure and with good reason. This is their new "fast formula" which promises a quick tan in 3 days. We didn't need more than one application on our legs for a dark tan, though after checking we were using the medium tone (there's also a light version). We'd use this if we needed some quick color and don't have the time to pick up one of the other products (Natural Glow Express is easy to find at any drugstore or grocery store). It's also super reasonably priced if you plan on keeping up with your tan all summer.

Happy Earth Day!

We've said it before, but this is so important it bears repeating: You can't travel as much as we do without falling in love with the world. And when you see all the incredible beauty out there, you want to preserve it for generations to come. When we read about places like the Eastern Garbage Patch it breaks our heart.



The most effective way to cut down on trash, pollution and global warming gases is to cut down on your own personal consumption. Don't worry, we're not going to go all vegan on your ass and we're not about to tell you to cut out travel, but do take a look around your home and reconsider your lifestyle. Are there any ways you can cut back? Here are a few ideas to get you started. If everyone adopted one or two of these, we would be well on our way to a healthier globe:


1. Always carry a spare bag with you so you don't need a plastic bag.


2. Donate old clothes. Those glam dresses that you've had your photo taken in 1,000 times could make a great prom dress for a teen. Old suits, blouses, dresses and work shoes can go to Dress for Success. Nike collects old tennis shoes for its Reuse a Shoe program. It turns them into soft surfaces for playgrounds, basketball courts and tracks.



3. Ordering in? Tell the restaurant you don't need plastic cutlery when you're eating at home.


4. Use cloth napkins instead of paper as All About The Pretty suggests.

5. Recycle your beauty products whenever you can. MAC and Aveda accept their products for recycling.

6. Read TotalBeauty.com's list of the Top Toxin-Free Beauty Brands.

7. Consider buying carbon offsets to balance the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the air on your next plane flight. Basically, this is a $5-$25 donation to an environmental group which will use the money to plant a tree or install solar energy panels elsewhere in the world.

8. Drive a hybrid car. Don't have one? Enter the TotalBeauty.com sweepstakes to win one. All you have to do is review one product on TotalBeauty.com from now until June 5 and you're automatically entered. Oh, and did we mention that it's filled with awesome products from Origins, Sephora, Raw Natural Minerals and more? Even better--not one, not two, not even three--a grand total of SEVEN winners will be selected at random each day and win awesome things like gift certificates for those same products!

Feeling Blue

Who could forget Meryl Streep's memorable soliloquy as Miranda Priestly on the history of Cerulean blue to a dumbstruck Anne Hathaway in the Devil Wears Prada. Well, we don't care who takes credit for it, but we're totally crushing on blue right about now. Annie is totally coveting this dress from the Olsen twin's line Elizabeth and James. Not only is it a gorgeous color, it has a keyhole back and pockets. She's just not sure she can get away with going braless now these gravity-challenged days as she used to.

Meanwhile, Hope was at Tyson's Corner this weekend looking for something to freshen up her closet for spring. She bought two blue tops-- a big detour from her usual black and white. Here's one of them from Anthropologie:

On her way out she saw this Botkier bag at Neiman's:

We're also digging SJP's Balenciaga shoes, though her outfit is a bit too advanced for us.

We can see why this color is so popular--it's cheery, looks gorgeous on just about everyone and will work just as well in Miami as it does in Vegas, NYC or LA.

Put On Some Makeup--It's Good for You!

We exercise, eat right, and take vitamins (well, at least we try to); but we never thought our eye shadow, blush or mascara would have health benefits. Neutrogena has products that do.

We've been using the Nourishing Eye Duo ($8.49) in Fairy Dust, which is the prettiest combination of a soft shimmering pink and a dark sparkly taupe. We use eye cream diligently; but only under the eyes. Don't our lids deserve some care too? This shadow contains vitamins, soy and silk powders which condition the eye lids and make them look smoother.

The Healthy Skin Sheer Highlighting Blush ($12.49) in Fresh is a patchwork combination of pinks, which give your cheeks a healthy glow after a few quick swipes. Like the shadow, it has vitamins plus aloe vera to condition your skin. We have pinks from Bobbi Brown and MAC in the same color family. It must be spring time that encourages us to brighten up our apples.

Lastly, the the Healthy Volume Waterproof Mascara ($7.99) conditions your lashes from the inside out. The idea is that normal waterproof mascaras dry your lashes out which makes them brittle and break. We haven't had this particular problem (especially since we don't use waterproof), so we can't say there's a huge difference; but the mascara itself gives us longer, natural, darker lashes. It's a great everyday mascara, especially considering the price.

On Our Radar: Jackie Warner at Dolphin Bay

Those of you who are Jackie Warner fans (and we understand from the NYTimes that there are more than a few of you with girl crushes on the buff blonde Work Out trainer), listen up! Jackie in all her lip glossed, shaggy haired, washboard abs glory (OK, maybe we have a teensy crush. Just look at her? Can you blame us?) will team up for the SkyLab Life Change camp at Dolphin Bay Resorts in Pismo Beach, California from May 31-June 5 then later again this year from August 30-September 6.

Now you know we're loathe to go on vacations that don't include pool boys, meat and copious amounts of bubbly, but this trip piqued our interest. It includes daily workouts with the lovely Ms. Warner, who trains celebs, including Amanda Peet and Anne Hathaway, daily meals cooked with local and organic produce and massages. Not to mention you get to stay at the fab Dolphin Bay, which is situated on a cliff overlooking the sea, where you can see--you guessed it--dolphins frolicking.

As we look over Jackie's list of top fitness tips for '08, there are even a few we can support wholeheartedly:
Never skip meals.
Deprivation does not work.
Crunches are a waste of time.
Satisfy oral fixation with herbal teas (That's so NOT going to fly with our SO).

We could actually deal with most til we got to number 5: Sugar is the devil and number 14: Only do intensity cardio. Doesn't she know what that would do to our blowouts?

Well, ladies, looks like we won't be competing with you for Jackie's attention after all!

Are you up for the challenge? Look here for more information.

Stop What You're Doing...

And log on to DVF.com right now! Our fave designer is having her first ever online sale, with discounts of up to 70 percent!!!. Our email says it's scheduled to start tomorrow at noon and go through Monday, but there are gorgeous finds RIGHT NOW (Maybe they're adding even more tomorrow? Could a girl get so lucky? One can only hope.) UPDATE: We just heard that they ARE adding more products today at noon EST. We know what we're doing for lunch!

Here's our select--surprisingly it's not one of the wrap dresses she's famous for (though there are plenty of those). We dig this outfit. While DVF may not be know for pants, trust us, she makes killer styles of pants. Our DVF white jeans have ribbing down the front that make our legs look super skinny. These Giligan pants are THE cut of the season--just wide legged enough that even if you're petite, you can wear them without 6" platforms. Diane, you are a goddess!

The top is $118, marked down from $190.

The pants are $165 marked down from $275.

Get them now while the getting--and sizes--are good! And while you're there, check out her shoes.

Worth Brown-Bagging it for Part Deux

A few months ago, we told you about a far less, expensive anorak. It's sold out, and now we have our eye on a new one: The above from Burberry. Those bubble sleeves got us. Just today while having breakfast at the corner diner, we noticed a woman with a jean jacket with similar bell sleeves and thought to ourselves, "What a chic hood we live in." What makes Burberry worth it? Their fabrics are truly waterproof and substantial and they wear very well. (Insider note: both JSG's have Burberry coats that still look new after years of wear.)

The jacket looks great with the skinny white jeans as shown. We're also picturing it with a pair of strappy sandals and black shorts.

Available at Sak's.

Oh Honey, Your Skin is So Soft

You just might hear those words after using Mario Badescu's Honey Moisturizer. This lightweight lotion left our skin soft without being greasy. The "honey" (and peanut and orange extracts) give the lotion a wonderful scent. Lastly, the alpha hydroxy acids took care of our dry patches. It must be a gentle formula because the rest of our face isn't irritated by the AHA. It could use SPF (because we like to cut out skin care steps when we can), otherwise it's a great moisturizer. It's recommended for all skin types, in fact our SO has been using it and recently let us in on his secret. No wonder it is almost gone! At $25 for 2 oz. it's not cheap; but a little bit goes a long way and it will fit in your carry-on. It's light enough for warm weather-whether you're home or on a great vacation!

Purchase it here.

Riding the Green Band Wagon

Only one week til Earth Day and the press releases on Green Products keep rolling in!

Confused by what natural versus organic means? And does it even mean anything? JSG's Annie wrote a comprehensive piece on Eco-Beauty for EverydayHealth.com, where she toils for 2 days a week. (It may surprise you to learn, but we actually do have day jobs—hey, we have to finance those girls’ trips somehow!) Read it here. One of the things we're most surprised to learn from Pantene scientist Lesley Bride is that hairspray hasn't harmed the ozone layer since 1978!

If the piece inspires you to recycle more of your used products—here’s an extra reason to get started: Next Tuesday, April 22, Earth Day, Kiehl’s is giving away these adorable totes to the first 50 people who bring in an empty bottle for recycling to their free standing stores. We love the little plane on it!

Beyond the White Shirt

We're sure you've heard all about The Gap's white shirts from various designers Philip Lim, threeASFOUR and Philip Crangi that are launching today. Each shirt costs less than $100--our fave is the Philip Lim one Irina is wearing (far left). Here's your reminder: Get to the store fast! Last year's shirts went faster than swag at an Oscar suite.

While we were on the website, perusing for info on the shirts--we did see they have a surprising amount of cute stuff on sale (Note to Gap: Your marketing plan is working on us!)

We love this gray tee for $14.99. Even when you're wearing jeans and a t-shirt, you'll at least have a little flair.

We're still on the lookout for good dresses, and this one will transition from spring to summer when worn with boots as shown, or with gladiator sandals for the warmer months, making it well worth the $39.99 price tag.

This $34.99 shirt is perfect to wear underneath a v-neck sweater or a vest and could help us reach our goal of mixing patterns more this season.

The End of Airlines as We Know 'em?

The news that the long-anticipated Delta-Northwest Airlines merger was approved has us a little nervous. CNN reports that while this merger may not impact airfares immediately, it could down the line if other airlines follow suit and could leave three mega airlines standing. We're not economic majors, but we get that less competition means higher prices.

Not good news for all us JSG's!

Meeting an Idol

Our birthday girl was sick. We didn't eat any mini burgers. BUT we did meet chef Wolfgang Puck himself at dinner on Friday night at The Source in D.C.! The Wolf was charming and stopped by every table to say hello. In our awe, we were speechless, so we didn't think to suggest to him that he start serving those dang kobe burgers that everyone raves about in the bar as well as the restaurant, where we were seated. Here's hoping he reads The Jet Set Girls!

Above: Amy, Wolfgang, Annie and Hope. Not pictured: Birthday girl Heidi who was home with the flu (She's on the mend now!)

On the Look Out: for Swimwear

Like it or not it's time to start gearing up for summer and the JSG are here to help. Our first stop is South Moon Under. We used to visit the funky little surf shop in Ocean City when we were kids, now they've expanded to 11 stores and a fab on-line site. Their trendy mix of designers includes Ella Moss, Free People and French Connection. They've retained that laid back beachy feel, in fact their largest group of customers buying on line comes from LA. They still have one of the best selection of swimsuits around. We found this great looking stripe bikini from Radio Fiji. ($96) The white, brown and black strips are flattering on all skin tones (we wear one ourselves in these colors), and the braided leather strap and gold rings are new and lux.

And we also like this tunic from Trina Turk for $138, it's colorful and boho:

When we're in Miami, we try to visit the Mermaids boutique in nearby Coconut Grove. We thank Abby for turning us onto this place (though our bank account isn't quite so happy about it). It carries pricier lines like Vix and La Tarte shown below. They have a great selection on-line though it's a little tricky to navigate. Check out these two bikinis by La Tarte:

The first has a great coral fan on the top and we love the coordinating but not matching bottoms. This would look great with a (self-made) tan ($161).

The second, also from La Tarte, is great in light denim (another way to wear our beloved jeans)and the skinny belt is a great accent ($166).

Lastly, check out this Vix Mikonos Bikini for at $184 the biggest splurge we found. Careful of the Brazilian bottoms.

Check back with us soon, we'll be on the look out for more swimwear.

Happy Travels!

Here Kitty!

We've already told you how much we love Stila's Kitten eye shadow, a shimmering pale pink and gold; and now they've released three new Kitten products. The Limited Edition (read Summer 2008) palette has 6 great warm weather shades. Notice the blue that's turning up everywhere this year? It runs $40.

The Silk Eye Shadow Wash is a liquid to powder formula ($22). It's portable, great for travel and easy to apply.

Finally, there the Silk Shimmer Gloss in Kitten (also $22), because you can't have enough gloss. This one would be great alone for a subtle shine or over your fave color. It was stocked as of yesterday at http://www.stilacosmetics.com/ (previously unavailable); so if you're interested, don't hesitate long!

All three products are available now on Stila's website (free shipping with code: SUMMER) and at Sephora (free shipping on orders over $50).

On Our Radar: Jazz Fest

We've been like little kids on Christmas morning running to check our mailbox everyday for the April issue of W. We couldn't wait to see the Bruce Weber 60 page tribute to New Orleans.

Dennis Freedman, the magazine's creative director said of the 4-day shoot, "For us, this is not a photo essay about Katrina. That will always be a part of the history of the city, but we tried to concentrate on the extraordinary people who live in New Orleans. To me, it's a national treasure, and not just because of its architecture and history and culinary importance. People live in this city for a reason, for its celebration of life, and we felt, especially now, we wanted to show the spirit of the people." Take a look at a small sampling of the gorgeous photos here.

Alas, our copy never showed up. (We're not pointing fingers, but we wouldn't blame our mail person if she "borrowed" our copy.) While the kind folks at W are sending us another copy, it will take up to 6 weeks to get our hands on it. We may just have to head down to the Big Easy for Jazz Fest April 25-27 and May 1-4 to sate our New Orleans jones in person.

In case the photos didn't inspire you to log on and book your trip now, perhaps the lineup of acts will: Sheryl Crow, Diana Krall, Robert Plant and Alison Kraus, Stevie Wonder and the hometown band: the Neville Brothers. Our JSGirlfriend who has been to Jazz Fest the last two years said it's a crowd but not out of hand--head to Bourbon Street for craziness. It's great to go with someone who's been before so she can show you can show you around and stop to enjoy all the great food while you're there.

Happy travels!

10 Minutes-- Hair We Come!

Do women ever grow out of playing with their hair? We think not and were thrilled to come across a feature on Total Beauty: 17 Hairstyles That Take Less Than 10 Minutes. They have styles for different lengths and textures and none requires more than a product or two. Our favorite was the Beach Hippie (pictured above) which works best on "unwashed, dry, slept-on hair". Perfect fit! The night before we used VO5's Curvaceous Curls Styling Mouse and let it air dry. It did a nice job of controlling the frizz and bringing out the natural curl in our hair; but the next morning, we needed more style. Enter the Beach Hippie. A few sprays of VO5's Volume Blast hairspray and a couple of bobby pins, and our hair looked great! This do would work great in humid weather--Atlanta, Houston, Miami. Let's stop fighting the curl and embrace it.

Visit Total Beauty for full instructions. You can find V05 products at drug stores nationwide: they smell terrific, worked great for styling and experimenting with new do's, and only run $3.49.

Bluefly launching b*fly

Bluefly, an on-line link to couture at cut rate prices, is launching a contemporary, casual boutique called b*fly. You can find great prices on wears from designers like Tory Burch, Shoshanna, and Nanette Lepore.

Since we're on the look out for great dresses, the dress by Joie picture above is available for $114, 40% off!

Happy shopping!

http://www.bluefly.com/

In Praise of the Mini

We’re headed to Wolfgang Puck’s latest and possibly greatest restaurant (at least according to some DC food bloggers), The Source, on Friday for our friend Heidi’s birthday. All the reviews rave about their mini kobe beef sliders, a food that we would basically marry if we could. We’re particularly partial to the Kobe Beef Sliders at Prime 112 in South Beach and the miniburgers from NYC’s Pop burgers. Our friend Felissa over at About.com’s celebrity style channel helpfully pointed out they even have miniburgers on the menu at the recently re-opened Second Avenue Deli.

Why are we so obsessed with mini-burgers? For starters, we’re a sucker for anything bite-sized. Secondly, you can fit them in your mouth without making a mess or ruining your lipstick (insert your own dirty joke here). Thirdly, anything that cute can’t be that bad for you. Fourth, there’s still enough room for that tuna steak for your main course.

Other minis we love are desserts. We wish every restaurant had a dessert menu like NYC’s Landmarc. They serve dessert tastings of crème brulee, mini ice cream cones and an éclair filled with Nutella. All bite-sized, all 4 bucks!

Got any minis you love?

JSG Loves NYC

It seems like everyone is defending NYC's honor these days after Madonna dissed the Big Apple for being culturally irrelevant. We're looking forward to reading this week's NY Mag cover story on NYC's culture over the past 40 years. (We loved that they included Madge's image on the cover.)

Add JSG to the list of defenders--we were thrilled to be featured by NYC's TV show Cool in Your Code "Around the Blog" contributor. You can read our answers here. If you live in New York, and haven't had a chance to catch the show, put it on your DVR this instant! It features great finds in neighborhoods around the city and includes restaurants, bars, shops and a dose of history (It's good for you!).

Is It Just Us...

...or were you shocked to see that sunglasses are so freakin' expensive these days? Last time we bought a pair of Oliver Peoples, they were at $300, which seemed like an awful lot at the time (two years ago, we think). Now shades regularly cost $350 plus. Don't you people know we're in a recession?

While Oliver is still our go to guy, it's hard to imagine shelling out $350 for these shades, good looking as the above pair are.


And as excited as we were for the launch of Jimmy Choo sunglasses, at $420 a pop, we'll just stick with his shoes.



Ditto the relaunch of the Balenciaga shades that were pulled out of the fashion vault this year. Love the '70s over sized frames. Hate the $330 price tag.


Consider you could buy these Isaac Mizrahi shades from Target for $17.99


AND these Simply Vera ones at Kohl's for $21 and still have enough left over for a plane ticket to Miami. Well, you'll have a hard time convincing us that something we're likely to lose or break is worth it.