Home

Icing fight

german_chocolate_cake.jpgEveryone has a childhood favorite.  Cake, that is.  Mine’s German Chocolate.

When I went home this weekend to celebrate my mom’s birthday, I wanted to present her with one.  Trouble is, her recipe is so fabulous, I was a bit hesitant to bring someone else’s to the table for fear that it might not measure up to the memories.  But when a friend tipped me off to Jean-Jacques Bakery, and I discovered they do a German Chocolate, I rolled the dice.  Good roll.  We literally fought over the extra dabs of icing.

The bakery’s on a fabulous strip of Richmond’s Cary Street, a stylish swathof one-off shops known as Carytown.  I picked up a reverse-painted Robert M. Weiss Shih Tzu coaster at Janet Brown, oogled a Rebecca Minkoff bag at Que Bella, and lunched at Can Can Brasserie. — Hats off Skirts up to their Parsnip Soup with Apple Butter, Hazelnut, and Rosemary Oil.

Spa shop to the rescue

LV Train CaseI know it’s for my own good. But I still haven’t gotten used to the 3-1-1 TSA carry-on requirements.

A girl likes what she likes, and my various lotions and potions don’t all meet the one-baggie-fits-all requirement. So this morning when I was in the throes of my packing madness, I neglected to pack my face wash. It’s over the three ounce limit, you see. So it should have traveled in my checked luggage. But splitting up my necessaries into two batches is a pain in the derrière and I invariably forget something.

By now, you’d think the cosmetic companies would have figured out that selling travel-sized versions of their skin care lines makes good business sense. But they haven’t. So I, for one, am still revamping my packing strategy. The bottom line: my face wash didn’t make the trip to Colorado.

So, when I unpacked my Louis case at the fabulous Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs, I discovered my faux pas and headed to the spa shop for reinforcements.

I love spa shops. I love seeing all the fabulous goodies that they have. It’s not your everyday stuff. Somehow spa managers find the really sweet things that you just don’t see at ordinary shops. Of course I found a replacement face wash—YonKa’s Gel Nettoyant—but I also picked up a few things to help me navigate the TSA maze more effectively next time I fly.

Pitotubes are the best way I’ve seen yet to be sure you have your personal favorites with you when you arrive—and that they haven’t leaked en route. Designed by a former flight attendant, these classy little dispensers are as well designed as they are beautiful. And they allow you to use your cosmetic counter faves rather than settle for drug store brand toiletries. The travel kit contains six tubes—two each of 1.7 oz, 1.0 oz, & .5 oz. sizes—and comes in a sparkly silver mesh zippered pouch. Kits include cute little labels to help you identify what’s what.

The aspens are still glorious here, their golden leaves shimmering in the gentle lakefront breeze. It’s no surprise then that my eyes were drawn to the display shelf that housed The GOLD Collection by Linden Leaves. This New Zealand body care line was included in the celeb goodie bag at this year’s Emmys. Gold has long been a symbol of decadence, luxury and sophistication. Ancient civilizations attributed healing properties to pure gold and often included gold in cosmetic preparations and medicinal remedies. This line combines the highest quality ingredients with pure 23K gold. My favorite: the Gold Shimmer Dust Brush. Deliciously decadent shimmer dust to brush over your body, face or hair to impart a subtly alluring glow.

And just when I thought I was ready to ring up, I spotted a must-have happy hour tonic. Virtual Buddha by Elixir Tonics is just what I needed to banish those TSA blues. This peach flavored concentrate mixes with still or sparkling water to promote peaceful, serene feelings. Om…