Raw Food Classes by Heather Haxo of Raw Bay Area

Curious about raw food? Want to cut out refined carbs and sugar? Certified raw food chef Heather Haxo Phillips of Raw Bay Area is offering cooking classes that will address these issues. A raw food diet isn't for everyone, but incorporating nutrient-rich raw foods will definitely boost your energy levels (buh-bye caffeine) and keep your body lean and trim. You'll learn to make yummy raw desserts, tasty green smoothies, almond milk, and various nut cheeses.

Classes are held at various Bay Area locations (Cafe Gratitude SF, Whole Foods Oakland). Heather also teaches a free "Why Raw Foods" seminar periodically. For a full schedule of classes, check out rawbayarea.com/Classes.php.

As a bonus, try this raw chocolate mousse recipe below. The rich and smooth texture is great by itself - you can also serve this as a fondue with fresh fruit.

Raw Chocolate Mousse

Makes 6 servings

1/2 cup pitted medjool dates, soaked
1/2 cup agave nectar or maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
1 1/2 cups mashed avocado (3 avocados)
3/4 cup organic cocoa or carob powder
1/2 cup water

Place the dates, agave nectar, and vanilla extract, if using, in a food processor and process until
smooth. Add the mashed avocado and cocoa powder and process until creamy. You may need
to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula a few times. Add the water and
process until smooth. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Stored in a sealed container in the
refrigerator, Chocolate Mousse will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator and 2 weeks in the freezer.

Other serving ideas:

Fudgesicles: Freeze the Chocolate Mousse in ice cube trays. Thaw for 5 minutes before serving.
Chocolate Sauce or Fondue: Increase the water to 1 cup.

Brazilian Peel: Gentle Glycolic Acai Peel

I know you spa-holics love your fancy anti-aging skin treatments, but have you tried a more affordable alternative? I recently got to test the new Brazilian Peel from Advanced Home Actives. This professional strength at-home glycolic peel is supposed to be five times stronger than the average home peel. Made with 30% glycolic acid and Acai berry, this super easy-to-use peel promises a reduction of fine lines with four weekly applications.

I tried this only once and already my face is smoother, brighter, and so much softer - like a newborn baby's tush. I was initially quite worried that it might irritate my skin but it didn't even tingle one bit. I did get some light pink patches on my forehead and cheeks, but they faded away after 30 minutes.

The peel and neutralizer are housed in two separate chambers within a slim syringe package. You pump it out and mix it together onto your palm to activate it (you'll feel a warming sensation as you mix it). There's plenty of product for the face, neck and decolletage. The best part is, it self-neutralizes in 10 minutes so you don't have to worry about timing or accidental irritation.


Cost: $78.00 for four weekly treatments (one month’s supply)

Available at: Sephora and Sephora.com

For editorial consideration, a product sample was provided for this review.

NARS Fall 2010 Makeup

Inspired by style icon Daphne Guinness, the NARS Fall 2010 collection is filled with bright, hypnotic colors and dramatic futuristic touches. Think snow-white complexions, violet eyes and Clara Bow lips.

The two new Duo Eyeshadows are a great buy if you don't already own any smoky and neutral colors. The elegant Tzarine is a bold steel grey that's paired with a silvery gold platinum, while the intense Rajasthan contains cool grey charcoal and metallic almond shimmer. Both duos are a dream to work with but are a bit similar - it all depends on the shade intensity that you want.

If those duos are not enough color for ya, the Palladium Soft Touch Shadow Pencil will certainly let you shine on the dance floor. This is so smooth and easy to use - smear it on for an intense sparkling turquoise lid or use it as an eyeliner accent. You can also layer it with other eyeshadows for an interesting effect.

The juicy-looking Strawberry Fields Lip Gloss is a deep bright pink, so a couple swabs are quite enough. The wet lip texture isn't too sticky and the full coverage is reminiscent of a creamy lipstick formula. This gloss color will be the key lip color to get through the holiday parties.

NARS also launched two new Artist Palettes. Their Beautiful Life Lip and Cheek kit contains 4 lipstick shades and 2 popular Multiples (Copacabana & Orgasm). The Only You Eye and Cheek palette has 4 eyeshadows and 2 blushes (Hungry Heart I & Orgasm). These limited edition combos are conveniently housed in a zippered case, so you can easily doll yourself up at work. 

To see a couple of the new products in action (Douceur blush & Tzarine eyeshadow duo), check out the color chart from the Thakoon Fall 2010 show. NY Fashion Week is also coming up soon - don't forget to check out their YouTube makeup channel: youtube.com/narsmedia.

To learn more: narscosmetics.com and twitter.com/NARSissist

For editorial consideration, a product sample was provided for this review.

La Cocina SF Street Food Festival Dinner at Whole Foods

In honor of La Cocina's upcoming San Francisco Street Food Festival (8/21), Whole Foods is sponsoring a special Around the World Bistro Dinner on Wednesday, August 18 to support this great event. Guests will enjoy a delicious, culturally vibrant three-course meal with plenty of international flavors.

Scotch Eggs from Purple Hibiscus (John Ater).

Curious about the menu? Food will be provided by three local businesses from La Cocina's business incubator program: a Nigerian starter plate from Purple Hibiscus, a Mexican entree from El Buen Comer and a stellar Southeast Asian dessert from Azalina's Malaysian. Wine pairings will be provided by Whole Foods. Caleb Zigas of La Cocina and Harv Singh, Whole Foods Local Forager, will also discuss street food culture and the future of the mobile food movement.

Veronica Salazar of El Huarache Loco from 2009's festival (John Ater).

Proceeds of the dinner will benefit SF Street Food Festival. To get your dinner tickets ($35 per person): www.eventbrite.com/event/772257844

For more info about La Cocina, go to sfstreetfoodfest.com and LaCocinaSF.org.

Julia Roberts' Look for "Eat, Pray, Love" Premiere

Just for the Eat, Pray, Love fans: Lancôme Ambassador Julia Roberts rocked an elegant red carpet look last night at the film premiere. Celebrity makeup artist Genevieve Herr channeled a modern palette that played up Julia’s beautiful light brown eyes.

For a natural complexion, Genevieve used the new Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation, Laura Mercier Secret Concealer and Secret Brightening Powder. She followed with a plum cream blush on the apples of her cheeks.

Julia Roberts at the "Eat, Pray, Love" film premiere. (Image credit: WireImage)

Soft, smoky eyes were achieved with Le Crayon Khôl Black Ebony eyeliner and eyeshadow from the new French Coquettes French Touch Color Design Quad. Lashes were topped with Définicils Precious Cells Mascara in Black. Julia's neutral lip had Le Lipstique Lip Liner in Sheer Natural and Color Design Lipstick in Love It! A dab of Juicy Tubes in Spring Fling completed her charming photo-ready smile.

To purchase products: www.lancome-usa.com

Pica Pica Maize Kitchen

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to try the menu at Pica Pica Maize Kitchen. Known for their popular Venezuelan arepas and maize'wiches, this is the second location that recently opened in the Mission district. The passion for bringing Venezuelan street food to the local masses is palpable in co-founder Adriana López Vermut's eyes. This California Arepera is also a mecca for celiacs as everything is wheat and gluten-free. They even serve gluten-free beer.

Pica Pica's veggie arepa (Credit: Giovanni Nakpil).

Our hearty arepas, or grilled corn flour flatbread, were filled with Pepeada chicken salad and Pernil pulled pork fillings. These were delicious, but my personal favorite was the cachapa. The yellow corn pancake lent a sweet contrast to the classic ham and cheese filling - super yummy. The crispy, airy yuca (cassava) fries are also quite addictive. They go well with the six dipping sauces; I especially enjoyed the tamarind, garlic aioli and spiced ketchup.

Cachapa Pabellon (Credit: Pica Pica Maize Kitchen).

Dessert doesn't dissapoint either. Their delightful dulce de leche alfajores are made with yuca flour, making it a tasty gluten-free cookie. They're so good the entire table gobbled them within seconds. Get a few bags on the way out, or nibble on some with their El Rey hot chocolate. They're supposed to launch new passionfruit and guava flavors right now, so be sure to check them out. They also have an amazing coconut lemonade and you can get their Picaro 2005 house cabernet by the glass (bottles sold at Napa location).

Dulce de leche alfajores (Credit: Giovanni Nakpil).

For more Latin fun, Pica Pica has a live salsa night at their Napa Oxbow Market location every first Friday of the month. They also plan to hold more special events, such as the holiday tamale festival sometime in December.

Yuca fries and sweet plantains (Credit: Pica Pica).

To see the menu: picapicakitchen.com

For editorial consideration, a press visit was arranged for this review.

Luce's Dominique Crenn Offers Iron Chef Menu

If you missed last night's Iron Chef America battle with Michael Symon, you'll be pleased to know that Luce's Dominique Crenn won. Final score was 53 vs. 44. Gooooo SF female chefs!

Dominique Crenn vs. Iron Chef Michael Symon

Yogurt was the secret ingredient and her winning dishes included Fried Yogurt with Summer Vegetable Melody and the gorgeous Savory Yogurt with Pate de Fruit. The presentation of her Yogurt Crepe with Squab and Eggplant was also drool-worthy.

Savory Yogurt with Pate de Fruit

In honor of Dominique's win, she will be offering a special Iron Chef America $65 prix fixe menu. Starting today through Labor Day (September 6), you can get a taste of what she made on the show. Check out the menu:

Yogurt Verjus Sorbet, Cucumber Consomme, Shaved Honey
Yogurt in a Summer Vegetable Garden
Vanilla Yogurt Cube Gel, Melon Salad, Crispy Quinoa, Bay Scallop
Yogurt Crepe, Squab, Eggplant Caponata, Spicy Yogurt
Cumin Peach Yogurt Mousse and Rose Hibiscus Broth
Mignardises

  

For reservations, head over to lucewinerestaurant.com.

Image credits: Food Network

Givenchy Blooming Fall 2010 Makeup

Inspired by the colorful works of filmmaker and painter Takagi Masakatsu, Givenchy's Fall 2010 Blooming makeup is dominated by lively hues of pink, orange and red. In an effort to resist the colder seasons, the brand's Fall colors represent a fresh and youthful rebirth of typical summer shades.

Two new Le Prisme Visage Blooming translucent powders are available in Blooming Pinks and Blooming Apricots. The former has subtle hints of peachy pink for pale to light-medium complexions while the later contains light dashes of orange. The formula goes on so smoothly for a natural silky finish. I also adore the fun origami-style packaging - it's like opening a special present.

The other star product, Le Prisme Blush in Blooming Fuchsias, is meant to re-create a lively floral bloom for the cheeks. It's very pigmented, so I need to use a lighter touch or blend it with a highlighting powder/bronzer. It's more ideal for someone with a darker skin tone.

There are six new Le Prisme Yeux - Quatuor eye color palettes. The 71 Purple Show quad contains shades of mauve, brown-purple, light pink and sheer gold. You can easily take these colors for a day to night transformation. The 72 Midnight Look is by far my favorite for a polished purple-grey smoky eye - just gorgeous. The image below is a bit misleading because the colors are not as dark in reality. The small 'clap and slide' square compact is also genius - the lower chamber slides out to reveal three small brushes.

Le Prisme Quatuor eyeshadows in Midnight Show and Blue Collection.

Givenchy's lipsticks are decidedly orange for Fall. The Rouge Interdit Shine lipstick in 26 Blooming Apricot is a sheer wash of delicate orange-pink. I like it a lot since I don't usually wear this color and this one suits me well. The shimmery pearly flecks also add a subtle yet sexy twist to your smile.

Another exciting new launch from the brand is the Mister Lash Booster serum. It's supposed improve lash volume, curve and length with daily use. That in itself is a plus since I rub my eyes a lot. The slanted applicator bristles massage the product right into the lash line to maximize efficacy. You can also use this as a clear mascara as it works 24 hours (if you use it day and night). During an eight-week clinical trial, eyelash volume reportedly increased 96% while eyelash curve went up 50%.

The entire Blooming Fall 2010 collection and Mister Lash Booster are all available at Sephora, Sephora.com and Givenchybeauty.com.

For editorial consideration, a product sample was provided for this review.

CordeValle: Hidden Escape in San Martin

Most folks probably don't think of San Martin as a travel destination, but in-the-know golfers and Silicon Valley locals flock to CordeValle for a little R&R. Chances are, you've probably driven along Highway 101 many times and never discovered the luxury resort that's nestled along the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Boasting nearly 1,700 acres of protected land, this gorgeous property has an eco-friendly focus. The golf course uses recycled water and the staff uses electric golf carts to chauffeur guests around the resort. Many animals also consider CordeValle as their home. Wild rabbits, deer, squirrels, doves, lizards, starlings and turkeys all live on the premises. If you're lucky, you might even be able to spot the endangered California tiger salamander.

Clos LaChance Winery

You can literally stay here for days and never leave the resort. Along with golf, you can take lessons at the spacious tennis center, lounge at the pool, or indulge in a spa treatment. Guests receive complimentary wine tastings and can picnic at the on-site Clos LaChance Winery; they even have a real bocce court. How idyllic is that?

As for accommodations, the bungalows are exceptionally spacious and quiet. You can hear doves cooing on the rooftop as you awake in the morning. Breakfast on the private back terrace is a real treat as you gaze at the expansive golf course. We even found precocious gophers hanging around the bungalow! If you're planning a group visit, the fairway homes and villas would be a great choice for weddings and retreats.

Crab salad with pressed watermelon (Credit: Giovanni Nakpil).

There are a few formal and casual dining options around the property. The Il Vigneto restaurant is known for their Cal-Italian steaks (create your own), but we opted for seafood and enjoyed the crab pressed watermelon and oysters. The desserts were a fun highlight - you can order S'mores and make them yourself at the outdoor fireplace. If you don't want such an interactive dessert you can opt for the popular ice cream sandwiches or the lovely beignets.

Beignets with three dipping sauces (Credit: Giovanni Nakpil).

After a long day of sports, the tranquil Sense Spa offers the relaxing and popular classic grapeseed oil massage. I liked the little touches, such as the bowl of fragrant roses (they have a large rose garden) under the massage table's headrest. If you need more unwinding, the spa offers a seasonal wellness retreat that includes guided hikes, yoga classes and nutritional workshops.

For package deals, go to www.cordevalle.com.

For editorial consideration, a press visit was arranged for this review.

Oh Joy! Notebooks & Stationery

I haven't really kept up with the Oh Joy! line (formerly Nantaka Joy) but here are some notebook and stationery designs for you to sigh over. I do like this textured Pinwheel Notebook. The pale green-blue color makes it easy to find inside the darkness of your messenger bag or purse.

Most of the papers used are made from 30%-50% post-consumer recycled acid-free stock. Oh Joy! also has some lovely items designed for Chronicle Books. Lots of fun stickers, gift labels, file folders and mailers to beautify your desk area.

Oh Joy! for Chronicle Books

To purchase: www.ohjoy.com

Photo credit: Karen Wise; Design & Image Copyright: Oh Joy! + Nantaka Joy, Inc.