Thursday
Jan292009
Someone Spoil Me V-day Guide
January 29, 2009 Someone Spoil Me, the social gifting site, has a pretty decent selection of valentine gifts in all price ranges. You can get your BFF a gag frog-to-prince for $10 or go all out with a Tory Burch canvas tote.
I'm hankering after the Cupid Apron & matching gloves and the red shopper bag from Carla Mancini. So adorable!
For exclusive deals (discounts, free wrapping, free shipping, etc), just enter the code SPOILME at checkout. You can also create a wish list to send to your BF as a hint. How convenient!
Ripe with plums, cherry, and wild strawberry, the captivating pink hue does wonders to stir up the flames of passion. This sparkler goes well with many types of food (Thai, French, Italian), so go forth with the fancy caviar or duck entree you're gonna make to impress your date!
Busy mamas can use the 2-in-1 Conditioning Shampoo to save time, or use it on themselves. It's great for adult hair too - for really fine or frizzy hair, the Sweet Strawberry Conditioner doesn't weigh it down. Everything is also paraben-free, and the packaging is eco-friendly.
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Available only once a year, the classic 
If you're looking to go all out, the 
Check out a cool video of them in action: 
Bucatini con le Sarde
(Hollow Noodles with Sardines)
Serves 6
Legend has it that this pasta, considered Sicily’s national dish, was invented by ninth-century Arab army cooks on the island, who, seeking ingredients to fee the troops, found wild fennel in the hills and fresh sardines in the harbors. Cultivated fennel and canned sardines work perfectly well.
¬Ω cup dried currants
Salt
Green frontds of 3 fennel bulbs, trimmed of main stems (reserve bulbs for another use)
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
6 anchovy filets
2 4-oz. cans sardines, drained of their oil
Freshly ground black pepper
¬Ω cup pine nuts
¬Ω tsp. saffron
1 lb. bucatini
1. Put currants into a small bowl, cover with hot water, and set aside to plump for at least 15 minutes. Fill a large pot with 3 quarts of water, add several large pinches of salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add fennel fronds and cook for 2 minutes. Remove fennel with a slotted spoon and set aside to let cool. Reserve fennel water to cook pasta. Coarsely chop cooled fennel.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp. of the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring, until golden, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
3. Heat ½ cup of the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté, stirring with a wooden spoon, until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add anchovies and cook for 3 minutes more. Stir sardines in gently, without breaking them up too much. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drain currants and add, along with pine nuts and fennel greens, to saucepan, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Bring the 3 quarts of fennel water back to a boil and stir in saffron. Add bucatini and cook until al dente, 10-12 minutes. Reserve about a cup of the cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander. Return pasta to the pot and stir in the fennel-sardine mixture, the remaining 2 tbsp. oil, and enough of the reserved cooking water (you may not use the whole cup) to make the pasta moist and saucy. Adjust seasoning and serve with reserved toasted bread crumbs sprinkled on top.
Recipe used with permission from Saveur Cooks Authentic Italian, by The Editors of Saveur Magazine; Chronicle Books, 2008
For a bit of sexy drama, the Precious Sari liquid Glitter Eyeshadow in Maharani Silver & Maharani Gold will give you the right amount of sparkle on your eyes. I liked the applicator wand, as it gives a nice even wash of glitter without putting on too much product.
Love the Sari Glow iridescent blushes. It comes in Maharani Orange & Maharani Pink. Don't let the image fool you though - it's much lighter than it looks, so you can build it from a sheer light wash for daytime to a darker nighttime look. The orange looked really natural on me, and the pink one is really pretty. I love the henna motif on the compact too.
I liked the lightness of the Rouge Interdit satin lipstick. It goes on smoothly and didn't feel weighed down. This season's colors were in Maharani Rose & Maharani Henna (deep brown-red with a tinge of burnt orange). I think the henna shade will be my attempt at carrying off that super red lip, since most red shades look so garish on me. I didn't get to try the Magic Kajal intense eye pencil, but a friend did and she loved it. The face powders look great too.
On a related note, some celebs were sporting the Phenomen'Eyes mascara at Sundance Film Festival. Paris Hilton, Devon Aoki, and Michelle Trachtenberg all got makeovers by the Sephora Pro Beauty team. I need to try this mascara soon!
Paris Hilton gets her makeover at Sundance Film Festival's Sephora Beauty Lounge (credit: Wire Image)
The Spring collection will be on sale February 2009.
For a slightly fancier gift idea, the 
The first four signature oils are featured (Musk 1921, Coriander 1946, Vanilla 1968, and Grapefruit 1976), with six more to come in the near future. The Musk was supposedly formulated in the early 1920s by a relative of Kiehl’s founding family, who was an actual Russian prince!
Available at: 
