Thursday
Oct232008
Chesapeake Bay Candle
October 23, 2008 The holidays are coming up, and I'm starting to make my humble abode cozy with Chesapeake Bay Candle's Harvest Collection. The Textured Glass Reed Diffuser in Cinnamon Plum has a scrumptious scent that is really potent. Combining notes of orange peel, red plum, crushed nutmeg, and grated cinnamon, it creates the warm holiday feeling that I so crave. You can scent up a big living room with this bottle.
Available at www.Kohls.com through November 2008.
In celebration of the prestigious 2009 awards, each includes a seasonal tasting menu to match with a decadent overnight stay. SF diners at MICHAEL MINA will have luxurious accommodations at The Westin St. Francis, while Cyrus offers an intimate setting at the Healdsburg Inn. Caviar and bubbly, anyone?
For those lucky enough to dine at The Restaurant at Meadowood, you'll enjoy a cozy cottage and warm fire. Itineraries are customizable and will also feature special in-room amenities. How fun is that?
Dining with the Stars is available Monday-Thursday, January 15, 2009 through April 15, 2009. Reservations can be made by calling Meadowood Napa Valley at (707) 963-3646 or contacting reservations@meadowood.com.
For more info: 
(A big thanks to all the readers entering the mascara giveaway. The winner is...Evelyn L.! Congrats!)
Buy it now at: 
It has sixteen duo colors AND two eye makeup brushes to boot. A bargain and a half at $59. Mix and match to your heart's content for day-to-night looks.
The Rapture Lip Gloss set looks fun:
Clams in Black Bean Sauce (dou chi chao xian)
Serves 6 to 8 as part of a Chinese meal and 4 to 6 as a Western-style entrée
11/4 pounds small Manila clams
1/4 cup fermented black beans
3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
11/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Pinch of kosher salt
3 chopped garlic cloves
1 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, for finishing
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, green part only, for garnish
Swish the clams in a large bowl of cold water to clean them. Drain well and set aside.
In a small bowl, generously cover the black beans with cold water and soak until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain the beans, rinsing off any excess salt, and squeeze until dry. Set aside.
To make the sauce, whisk together the wine, soy sauce, and oyster sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat a large wok over high heat until a bead of water dances on the surface and then evaporates. Add the oil and a pinch of salt and swirl to coat the pan. Add the garlic, ginger, and reserved black beans, and stir constantly to coat in the oil for 30 seconds. Toss in the clams and cook 30 seconds. Pour in the sauce and cook, stirring and tossing constantly, until the clams open, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the white pepper and green onions and quickly remove from the heat.
Turn the clams out onto a serving platter and serve immediately.
(Reprinted from The Seventh Daughter: My Culinary Journal from Beijing to San Francisco by Cecilia Chiang. Photography by Leigh Beisch. Copyright © 2007, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA)
For a casual pout, the Lip Wax is a modern satiny blush for lips. A combination of a gloss and a lipstick, this super smooth and silky wax is so light I can hardly feel it. Just dab it on and off you go. No need for lip liner, but feel free to add some gloss to make it pop. The beauty of this line is that you can mix and layer to your liking. I like shades 3 (Sienna) and 4 (Raspberry).
From the Python Collection, the Blending Blush Duo palettes have a creamy texture to create a soft and subtle highlighting.
The Maestro Eye Shadow Quads are inspired by the rich colors of the Italian coast. These range from matte greys and navy to sumptuous lilac and gold. The new formula contains light Micro-fil‚Ñ¢ silk so it literally melts into the skin for layering ease and comfort. Pigments are intensified and it has improved crease-proof adherence. The Desert palette # 5 features a pretty rose, earth brown, burnt beige, and pale sand; the Mineral # 6 has amethyst, grey obsidian, rose quartz, and beige opal.
With cooler weather upon us, the Crema Nera cream is a wonderful option for dry skin. The obsidian mineral (extracted from the petrified lava on Pantelleria, Italy) formula has cell regenerating properties to revitalize the skin's natural radiance. It's a bit rich, so use a tiny bit and build up if you need more.
Finally, if you haven't tried the fantastic Face Fabric Second Skin Nude Makeup, you're totally missing out. The nine shades are more like tinted moisturizers, and can be combined together to customize your look. It's like you're not wearing any makeup - it literally blends into the skin. I don't wear much foundation so this is a nice basic look for me to polish up; no caked up texture here!
The Pralines were inspired by Southern Pralines, and the brown sugar melds sooo nicely with the Alaea Hawaiian salt. Mmmmmh...The Shoo Fly Pie Caramels are quite rich and dark. My favorite of the trio, these are made with black strap molasses (yum!) and are paired with the delicious Salish Smoked Salt. My taste buds are in heaven.
Available in 3, 9 and 36 piece boxes - you can buy online at 
I really dug the Brazilian Honey Cakes. This fancy version of "pao de mel" (honey bread) is a rich spiced honey cake enrobed in dark Guittard chocolate. Absolute heaven!
I'd be in so much trouble if I had these treats around me all the time. The Caramelized Graham Crackers are just as deadly (enrobed in dark or milk chocolate). I've never tasted such delicious graham crackers in my life, other than the ones from Recchiuti's S'mores Bites.
The flavorful Cocoa Nib Chocolate Shortbread has nice crunchy bits of nibs nestled within the light buttery goodness. The Espresso Cardamom Shortbread has a unique and delicate zing. The cardamom is not too strong, which I like.
Very, very addictive treats, so you are forewarned.
STEP 1: Prepare the face
“Beautiful makeup starts with skin.” Prep eyes with the DEPSEA MOISTURE REPLENISHING EYE MASK (to calm puffiness and hydrate). Apply PHYTO BLACK LIFT FIRMING ANTI-WRINKLE CREAM on the whole face. Lastly, apply FACE ARCHITECT REMODELING CREAM FOUNDATION beginning at the arch of your brow down to the middle of your eye, directly onto the middle of the cheekbone. Each time the sun reflects off your skin, it will create the illusion of glowing, dewy, healthy, radiant skin!
STEP 2: Prime the eyelids
Using a KOLINSKY BRUSH 11, apply PRESSED EYE SHADOW in M BEIGE 800 above the eyelids. Blend PRESSED EYE SHADOW IN ME BLACK 990 onto eyelids. Then, use COVER CRAYON in 9YR LIGHT in the inner corner and water line of the eyes to make them appear larger. Madonna is known for her liquid black eyeliner, so for this look, she wears it very dramatically. I apply LIQUID EYELINER at the top and bottom of the eyes as well as on the lid, drawing small lines, almost like scratches, that create an optical illusion of a blackout when blended into the ME BLACK 990 eye shadow. It’s all about the eyes!
STEP 3: Prep the lashes
Use the EYELASH CURLER before applying ULTIMATE EXPRESSION MASCARA beginning at the base and rolling the brush through the tips of lashes. Now here’s the trick to make eyes pop – interweave two pairs of FALSE EYELASHES S217 to create an atmosphere of black around the eye.
STEP 4: Finish off with the lips
Since the focus is on the eyes, use ROUGE UNLIMITED in BG 949 layered with GLOSS UNLIMITED in BG 930N for a soft, natural look.
To get your personalized look with Gina, call 415-395-0953 to reserve your space!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
9:00-11:00am
($250 pre-pay redeemable in products)
shu uemura
1971 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
415-395-0953
(For those who can't make it, the Japanese Global education team will be at the SF store 11/1-11/3 for a custom 90-minute makeup consult ($100 pre-pay redeemable in products). Space is limited, so book it now!)
For a more alluring finish, brush on the pearly top coat gloss. The kit comes with a pencil holder, three metallic lip pencil cartridges, sharpener, and top coat gloss. The case even comes with a built-in mirror! Love the adorable retro packaging.
Available at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and Nordstrom.