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November 9th, 2007
We never thought this day would come, but we are so over celebrity gossip. It all started out innocently enough as an interest in fashion—you know, who’s wearing what to which Hollywood fete? But then we started taking note of who was on the arm of said fashionable (or not-so) starlet. We became a veritable encyclopedia of useless celeb information: We knew that it was Mary-Kate not Ashley that had an alleged eating disorder and that there is indeed a hyphen between Mary and Kate. One time in preparation for a trip, we bought a copy of our favorite gossip rag that had Britney Spears on the cover. By the time we got to the airport, there was already another issue out of said magazine also with Britney on the cover. We had to buy it. By the time we got off the plane, we were nauseated, had a headache and just felt empty inside. We vowed never to buy another issue. But that didn’t stop us from reading the magazine at the grocery store or surfing gossip blogs during our lunch break. The final straw came last week while checking out a gossip site and watching a video of Liv Tyler returning from an outing with her son Milo. “You’re not going away ever,” Liv said to the swarming papparazos. “What’s the big deal?” All the while, little Milo was shouting, “Stop the light! Stop the light!” to the cameraman shining the bright light on him to get a better shot. It made us sigh and really think, “What’s the big deal indeed?” |
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Seattle Picks: |
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| 1 | The Legend of La Ree Our grandmother had impeccable taste and was chic even into her twilight years. We spent hours with her playing dress-up and learning how to be a lady. It’s family legend that she modeled for Vogue in the ’30s. We later learned the truth: She was actually a sweater model for a company that advertised in Vogue, but still, how many women can say that their picture was in Vogue? Rachel Tov also had a grandmother who influenced her sense of fashion. And given the high level of style at her boutique La Ree in Bellevue, she must have had some grannie. We’re not ones to gush, but we loved this elegant shop nestled on a side street in Old Bellevue. Look out for accessories like sunglasses from Oliver Peoples, signature Missoni Sport scarves, and gems by local jeweler Jamie Joseph. With high-end designer Robert Rodriguez having found a natural home here and the latest Anna Sui runway show being broadcast on the flat screen, La Ree is a paradise for the discerning fashionista. La Ree Boutique |
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| 2 | Color Your World Redecorating is yet another way to express our moods. Feeling cheery? Let’s paint the living room yellow! Calm and peaceful? We’re thinking a sky blue bedroom. But we’re over the names of some of these colors: We were painting our bathroom a pale yellow called “newborn,” and we just couldn’t get past the thought that we were painting baby skin on our walls. And Authentic Home Color Paint knows just where we’re coming from. When you walk into the West Seattle shop, sidle up to the color bar and let the “coloristas” serve you up the right shade to match however you’re feeling. Authentic Home has color palettes divided by mood: elegant, serene and playful. And with 60 rich colors to choose from—all with names you can actually relate to, like champagne, leaf and lilac—you’ll be sure to find something to suit your taste. Plus, all the colors can be made green—as in absolutely no volatile organic compounds in the paint. So you can feel good about keeping the earth safe while you paint your world. Authentic Home Color Paint |
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| 3 | Wax On, Wax Off Getting waxed can be a pain, but oddly enough, lying on that table having hot wax applied can sometimes be the most relaxing part of our day. We don’t have to worry about anything else at that moment, except, of course, having the wax ripped off. If only there were cocktails involved and no pain to concern ourselves with. Ah, but now that The Wax Bar has opened its doors in Ballard, we may have found a near-perfect hair-removal scenario. Aesthetician and owner Karen Jahn spent years at Habitude before opening her own place this fall, and she’s not only bringing her lightning-fast waxing technique (trust us, it’s amazing) and an extensive service menu but also a little something to numb the pain and quell the anxiety of getting waxed: booze. The Wax Bar is the first spa in Washington to have a liquor license, so feel free to order up a Peroni or Framboise while waiting for your appointment. For discounted brow and lip waxing, book your appointment during happy hour! It runs 4-6 pm Tuesday through Friday. And tell them Seattle Picks sent you! The Wax Bar |
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| 4 | Sweet Stop We admit it: We’ve got a raging sweet tooth. You know, the kind that has you running to the store in pajamas for a late night pint of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia. And never low-fat—we’d rather run an extra mile at the gym than sacrifice its delicious and pure taste. You can imagine our conundrum when we stopped in Oh! Chocolate for a gift and found the perfect place to indulge. With adorable tables and couches to relax and savor your delectable selection, Oh! Chocolate is our newest sweet spot. The hard part is choosing from the more than 60 different kinds of confections: truffles to caramels to French creams to dipped fruits. We also found the best hot chocolate this side of the Atlantic, French style, the way it was served Angelina’s tea room in Paris (Coco Chanel adored it too). And for the holidays, you’ll love the Sugar Plums, a mixture of French cream, glacéed fruits, pecans and chocolate. Don’t delay, though—this is a seasonal fix. Oh! Chocolate |
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| 5 | NKOTB |
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| Chick Picks: | |||
| 1 | Waste Not, Want Not |
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| 2 | Open Up and Say Ahhh Cold and flu season is upon us, and we are all over natural remedies to avoid the dreaded sniffles and body aches. So bring on the green tea, vitamin C and … massages? Yep! The art of massage, shiatsu and Reiki at Alinga Bodywork in Phinney Ridge can totally get your body tapped into its own healing energies. And if you want to banish all that tension from being hunched over your keyboard, massage therapist Andrea Rae is known for her painless Shiatsu that helps you get into the zone and blissfully stay there. |
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| 3 | Sweet Relief As much as we love a long, hot shower, it just adds to our flaky skin situation in these colder months—until we discovered locally-made Sugar Pea Mystical Mountain Body Scrubs. Sea salt, cane sugar, honey, vitamin E and essential oils are combined to make our skin soft and subtly scented. One of our faves is the Divine Dark Chocolate scrub, which contains pure dark cocoa powder. Or treat yourself to some holiday cheer a little early with the Candy Cane Crunch scrub. |
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| 4 | All Play (And No Work) Both our parents are artists, so we have absolutely zero artistic ability. Okay, we can write, but give us a brush and we’re all thumbs. This is why we simply adore Threadless, where multi-talented artists can create clever t-shirts, and the only hard work we have to do is to click “buy now.” Our very favorite find was the play on an old-school library checkout card with specific dates when the wearer was “last checked out.” Snarky, smart and sassy—just like us! |
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| 5 | Bathe Me, Baby We love taking baths. Frankly it’s the only time in the day we can lock the door and make it abundantly clear that this is not the time to bother Mommy. That said, we just discovered Bathe Me, a Portland-based company that makes the most delightful bath goodies. From bath and body oils in scents like Grapefruit & Orange and Spearmint, to milk baths in Coconut and Vanilla, plus luxurious bath teas in Jasmine, Lavender and Chamomile Flower, we are ready to relax! |
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Hip Happenings: |
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| 1 | No Junk in This Trunk Our home is our own little art museum, and the local arts scene is the best place to purchase our masterpieces. So count us in for the Queen Anne Artists Trunk Show. More than 20 local artists will be exhibiting and selling their wares. Plus, admission is free, which means more money to spend on the goods! What: Queen Anne Artists Trunk Show |
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| 2 | It’s Turkey (or Tofurky) Time! Our mouth starts watering when we think of the Thanksgiving food that’s just around the corner. With such an amazing selection of local farm products, we’d be crazy not to use them in our holiday cooking. And Chef Naomi Kakiuchi wants to show us how to prepare all of these locally grown ingredients for a bountiful Thanksgiving feast. What: Puget Sound Fresh Local Thanksgiving Cooking Class |
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| 3 | Fashion Unzipped What: Unzipped Fashion Event |
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| 4 | It Feels Better to Give |
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| 6 | We He(art) Seattle We’ve lived all over the country, but Seattle just gets in your bones. Check out 20twenty at Ballard’s Art Walk this weekend to see XOXO, which includes new work from six former Seattleites--it's all about the city that’s apparently stuck with them as well! What: XOXO Opening Reception |
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We know it seems a bit early to start thinking about it, but we just can’t help ourselves: We have holiday shopping on the brain! And we want to know where you’ll be doing your shopping this year. Do you have a favorite spot where you always find the perfect gifts? Let us know by emailing picks@seattlepicks.com. And don’t forget: Our Holiday Gift Guide will be coming out Dec. 7! |
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