:: falling for follain ::

So, a group of us got together last week at Follain, a cute little skincare shop on Dartmouth Street in the South End. From the white tiling to the farmer's sink to the bottles and bottles of good things for my skin, its a dream for anyone who wants to try to inch their way to a more natural hair/skin/cosmetic regimen.

The idea of it is overwhelming. One thing that Tara, the owner, mentioned was that the reason birth control and nicotine patches work is because our skin absorbs what we put on it. Sounds obvious, but I never really thought about it like that. So if the lotion I bought on sale at CVS has a million ingredients that I can't pronounce, some of those chemicals penetrating my skin must be a little bad. Or, at least not good.

Most of the lines in the shop are available only in spas, so it's great to get to browse, sniff and learn about them outside of that setting. I chose a few to experiment with:

Earth Tu Face Palmarosa + Aloe cleanser: The purest form of gentle soap made with organic oils. Vitamin E and Olive Oil replenish and refresh the face without drying. Palmarosa and Ylang Ylang balance both oily and dry skin types. Aloe hydrates and heals the skin.

Shamanuti Seaweed toner:  Skin loves this nutrient and mineral rich toner. It adjusts pH and refines the pores. It will nourish and hydrate the skin while removing any residual make-up or cleanser.

Shamanuti Creme #1:  This beloved Creme is an ingenious formulation that works in multiple ways. Cosmetically it works to balance color imperfections and shine while working on a cellular level to stimulate cell repair. It has a high percentage of silk peptides which, when encapsulated into the layers of the skin, create a stronger firmer clearer skin. Crème No. 1 also provides a physical block against environmental pollution and sun damage. The proprietary seaweed complex in Crème No. 1 is a healing agent for scars, fine lines and wrinkles. This luxurious recipe contains neroli, a rare and precious essential oil, which works as an antispasmodic, helping facial muscles to relax. Crème No. 1 is ideal for all skin types.

So far, the scents are divine, which is ironic because they're all natural. They're just herbal-ly and my sensitive/winter itchy/dry skin is not complaining one bit. 

:: pantone-ing it with radiant orchid ::

I'm ready for 2014. So ready. And feasting my eyes on the shade below as Pantone's pick for color of year, makes me even more excited for the year ahead. Purple is my favorite color, but usually I'm drawn to more of an eggplanty/aubergine instead of this more pinky swatch. But it's working for me. It matches with black, brown and navy. I haven't seen that since....well, since Pantone's pick for 2013. But that makes them at least two for two in my book.

Also, I need that fur hooded coat in my life, stat. It's getting cold up in here.

pantone color of the year 2014 

:: first printer food and drink ::

So, we can't have happy hour in Boston because...well, no one really knows why. Those dollar Buds? $5 margaritas? Nope. Not here. Again, I think it has something to do with us being pilgrims.

Anyway, a lot of smart restaurants get around this by offering food specials along the ten-cent-wings kinda theme. And First Printer in Harvard Square is one of them. Aside from a location tucked away on Dunster Street and yet still steps away from the Harvard T stop, a cozy bar and helpful staff, I got a delicious meal for $18:

1 glass of Proscecco: $7
Six oysters: $6
Margarita flatbread: $5

The $5 flatbreads and $1 oysters are round the clock specials if you sit at the bar. It's a perfect spot and a perfect menu for a cold December day (or night). Just face the window and watch those crazy Cantabridgians walk on by.

And just for the record, the oysters and flatbread were shared. I'm trying to get back down to my fighting weight by New Year's Eve. Le sigh.

:: What are you wearing to Thanksgiving? ::

My two requirements for a Thanksgiving Day outfit are pretty simple: an expandable waistline and fall colors. And I will abuse any excuse I get to stretch a maxi dress/skirt into fall.

Turkey day attire

:: three bean crock pot chili ::

It's chili time again! My face almost froze off while I was walking to my office this morning. One of the ONLY good things about cold weather is the comfort food. And I'm planning on giving my crock pot a workout this winter. This recipe is really easy and at only 2-3 hours in the crockpot, you don't need to plan too far in advance. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, minced
• 1 medium clove of garlic, minced
• 30 oz. canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 30 oz. canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 30 oz. canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 30 oz. canned diced tomatoes with chilies
• 15 oz. canned tomato sauce
• 1.25 oz chili seasoning mix
• 14 oz. frozen corn kernels 
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup fresh minced cilantro

Directions: 

Combine onion, garlic, beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasoning mix in a crock pot. Cover and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours (or low heat for 4-6 hours). Add corn during last hour of cooking. Stir in lime juice and cilantro just before serving. I also add some hot sauce because that's what I do. Enjoy!

Linking up with the Recipe Hop Swap!

:: watch "the whale", please"

Has anyone seen this documentary? My brother suggested it to me because besides obviously being about a whale, it's also about "the stupidity and awesomeness of people". Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

Here's the scoop:

THE WHALE tells the true story of a young, wild killer whale - an orca - nicknamed Luna, who lost contact with his family on the coast of British Columbia and turned up alone in a narrow stretch of sea between mountains, a place called Nootka Sound.

Orcas are social. They live with their families all their lives. An orca who gets separated usually just fades away and dies.

Luna was alone, but he didn’t fade away. There weren’t any familiar orcas in Nootka Sound, but there were people, in boats and on the shore. So he started trying to make contact. And people welcomed him. Most of them.

This contact did not turn out to be simple. It was as if we humans weren’t ready for him. 

Inspired by myths, we look into the sky, not the depths, for others who might think and dream like us. We train radio telescopes on the stars, and listen for code in the static of space. But maybe we’re looking in the wrong place. So far, space just crackles, but the sea whistles back. And, in Nootka Sound, it sent us an open-hearted child.

This story is about what happened then.

Oh, and it's narrated by Ryan Reynolds and produced by Scarlett Johansson, if that at all tempts you to watch it...

:: amazing cara box reveal ::

I hit the jackpot you guys with this month's cara box swap. THE JACKPOT. Paired up with Jasmine of Green Eyed Monster, she went crazy over and above to make me happy. At this very moment, the earrings I'm wearing and the lunchbag on my desk are from her shipment to me.

Jasmine did an amazing job of reading my blog and picking out the best stuff ever. I'm positive that gift giving is her love language.  Here's what I got:

Blue Avocado lunch tote.  Now that I've discovered them, a few folks on my list will be saying hello to them on Christmas morning.

Stella & Dot Delphie stone studs in navy. They are seriously the cutest.

The New Vegetarian Kitchen cookbook. Jasmine's right...even if the recipes suck, the book itself just LOOKS amazing. But I'm sure the recipes are going to kill it, too.

The Ciroa Microwave Me bowl. This is in a great black and white fiore pattern that matches my chairs, my rug and the little scrap of fabric that I use as a background for all of my recipe posts. And it fits right in my Blue Avocado tote!

She threw in some nail care items for good measure and I'm in heaven. Thanks for making my swap a success, girl! For everyone else, go see Jasmine and get some beauty advice and inspiration! 


And a P.S., I love that both of us own our status as a formosa candidus. Google it.