It's as easy as "wax on, wax off" at the European Wax Center...

First off, please excuse my recent hiatus.  I was away on vacation and handling some family matters, but I am back and ready to share a review on my new favorite beauty destinations, the European Wax Center.

I was preparing for my vacation to Florida when I received a perfectly timed invite to visit the European Wax Center.  This wax center began as a department within a second generation family owned salon located in Aventura, FL and the successful chain now has 190 locations nationwide (and is still growing- no pun intended :) ). 

I was graciously introduced to the chain by Natanyah Menna, owner of the of the Merrick, Long Island location.  After learning more about the company, I was ready to see if they would live up to their slogan "The Ultimate Wax Experience!"

Before you even go on reading any further, you must know that your first wax service is FREE!*

So, if you don't want to take my word for it, you can easily make an appointment and see for yourself.

*Women includes: Free bikini Line, Eye Brow, or Under Arm

  Men includes: Free Eye Brow, Ear, or Nose

What I loved:

• Cleanliness - The Merrick location was absolutely spotless, which I happen to think is an extremely important factor when going for waxing services. 
• Service- The staff was beyond accommodating and informative.  The Merrick owner, Natanyah, was there to greet me and answer my questions.  The desk staff provided me with important information about pre and post waxing.  
• Experience- Lindsay, the waxing technician that took care of me, was wonderful.  Along with the added comfort from the heated waxing table, the technician made me feel comfortable in a not so (er) comfortable situation.  We talked about her extensive training, the unique characteristics of the stripless wax, and the sanitary measures that the European Wax Center takes that many other wax centers do not.  For example, many salons that offer waxing exhibit contamination no-no's such as blowing on the wax stick, recycling wax, or double-dipping the stick.  At European Wax Center, they do NO such thing.  
• Product- The hard "stripless" wax that is used at the European Wax Center is created in Paris, uniquely for use by the center.  It is blended from the world’s finest polymers with 100% natural beeswax and no alcohol to give you smoother, pain-free results. It is warmed to body temperature and can be spread thin or thick depending on the texture of your hair.  This type of wax reduces pain associated with waxing due to the lack of contact with the skin. 
• Programs- The European Wax Center offers four exclusive programs designed to help their guests save money. 
• 1. Referral Program - Refer a friend and receive $5 off your next visit 
• 2. Unlimited Wax Pass - One year, one price, unlimited waxing.  See the website for more details. 
• 3. Prepaid Wax Pass- Buy 6 (same service), Get 1 Free or Buy 9, Get 2 Free.
• 4. Platinum Rewards Program - Earn rewards points for almost anything (enrollment, pre-booking, online booking, referrals, retail purchases, and more).  Free to join!

So, if you must know, I opted for an eyebrow wax and full bikini.  The latter choice is usually a somewhat scary adventure for those who are new to waxing.  But, I have to say that this was the least painful waxing experience and the first waxing experience that left me with ZERO irritation!  I was so thrilled with my results, and even more thrilled when Natanyah told me to take home a sample of the ingrown hair serum, which is alcohol-free and works to keep your bikini line free of post-wax bumps.  

Check out the European Wax center on facebook or call 516.868.1000 to book your appointment at one of the several local centers today!

Where to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day...

Staying on LI for St.Patrick's day tomorrow?  Check out the local restaurant/bar happenings for Thursday, March 17th and get your green on somewhere close by! 

*NEW RESTAURANT ALERT*

Left Coast Kitchen and Cocktails (Merrick)

This recently opened restaurant/cocktail bar looks unique and delicious!  For St. Patty's Day, LCK posted the following on their facebook page...

Tired of the Same Ole' Place for St Paddy's Day? Well come down to LCK where we are so new.... we dont even know what to do. But we did decide that Drinks were in order! Especially those little Green Shots that Solin seems to do so well. Along with the advertised specials we will also be doing 2 for 1 Well Drinks all day at the Bar. Chef Chris will feed you some free Green Popcorn and Cheese Fries and You can get some Corned Beef and Fish n Chips for a song. Bar opens at 2 pm and will stay open until Solin Falls Down. Bring your favorite Leprechaun and his Girl. See you There!

The Post Office Cafe (Babylon)

Specials all day and night at the PO...

$4

Black and Tan (Guinness and Local Ale), Dark Side of the moon (Guinness and blue moon), Guinness Pints, Harp Pints

$3.50 Smithwicks Bottles

$5 Drinks

Irish coffee

Jameson Irish whiskey, coffee, whipped cream

The big ginger

Jameson Irish whiskey, ginger ale, lemon & lime

$4 shots

Jameson Irish Whiskey

Baby Guinness

Baileys Irish Cream

Happy Hour from 4-6...Complimentary Buffet with Irish Specialties!

*Live Music by Jhaus 4-8pm* *DJ Robbie Love from 8pm-late*

The Library Cafe (Farmingdale)
St.Patrick's Day Party!  Half Price drinks from 4-7 PM. 
Free irish buffet, Guinness, drink and shot specials all night long.

Lily Flanagan's Pub (Babylon)

Live music all day long with 26 and 6, irish dancers and bagpipes, plus tons of corned beef and cabbage.  Wear your green!

McCann's Pub & Grill  (Massapequa)

My favorite bar is offering $4 pints of green beer, shot specials, complimentary corned beef & cabbage buffet, and jello shots. They will be giving away McCann's St.Patty's Day t-shirts, along with other giveaways. Watch the parade on 54 TV's with surrround sound!

Helping Women With Cancer Feel Beautiful...

This posting is coming from a very personal connection that I unfortunately have to this horrible disease. For those of you who do not know me, you would not know that my mother has been living with breast cancer over the past three years.  She has gone through countless surgeries and treatments, and is currently stage IV with liver metastasis.  I also lost my father very suddenly to brain cancer in 2002.  I have seen the sadness that this disease brings to the victim and those who lose a loved one.

This posting is not about sadness, but about finding hope and restoring a sense of confidence for those who are dealing with a painful diagnosis.  In 2008, I wrote an article for the Merrick Life paper titled "The Heart of Beauty - Building Confidence With the Stroke of a Brush."   This article was based on my experiences as a makeup artist and daughter of a cancer patient, because I was made aware of the physical struggles that many women face when going through cancer treatments.  I vividly remember helping certain clients fill in their brows and apply false eyelashes.  These women left my chair feeling like themselves again, feeling confident!

An excerpt from the article...
"The beauty industry is often stereotyped as 'superficial' due to its focus on outward appearances.  It is important to realize and acknowledge the other side of the industry as well- the side that serves as a confidence builder, healer, and helper.  As a daughter of a breast cancer patient I have seen first hand the healing powers that beauty services can provide.  Certain organizations such as "Look Good, Feel Better," provide patients with the tools and skills to rebuild their confidence.  Makeup artists and hair stylists donate their time to teach cancer patients about eyebrow and eyelash enhancement, specific skincare regimes, wig/headpiece styling, and more..."

I recently got to thinking about this article because my mom and I had a conversation about how hard it is to feel beautiful while going through such intense treatments.  She brought up one of her favorite shows, TLC's "What Not to Wear."  Jokingly she said that they should put her and other women with cancer on the show, because they really need the hair, makeup, etc.  Then, a light bulb went on in my head. Why aren't we focusing more on these women?!?  "Look Good, Feel Better," is one organization that caters to cancer patients, but there are hundreds of shows based on makeovers, etc.  Why aren't these shows picking more women, like my mom, who are brave women fighting for their lives?  Shows like The Real Housewives show groups of women who are so overly consumed with monetary things, and these women have access to all the best hair/makeup products and services.  Yet there are women on Long Island and all over the world who are truly brave, disease-battling warriors, and they have access to almost nothing.  What is wrong with this picture?

Bottom line is, something needs to be done.  These women are strong, beautiful, and deserve the world. The makeup artist/PR girl in me is surely stirring up some ideas, so stay tuned!  For any women who would like to get involved with the organization or to find out more about services in our area, check out the website at lookgoodfeelbetter.org 
If anyone has any suggestions or knows of any other organizations like "Look Good, Feel Better," please leave your comments on this thread! <3

"The Good Life" does it again with another successful beer dinner...

My first visit to The Good Life LI left me hungry and thirsty for more.  I became even more interested in this Massapequa Park restaurant/beer institution when I learned of their monthly five-course beer dinners.  So, you can imagine my excitement when the restaurant's owner, Peter Mangouranes, offered me a pair of tickets to the March beer dinner as a thank you for my support!  


The Good Life announces these monthly beer dinners on their facebook page, but they sell out SUPER quickly, so call ahead (516-798-4663) to be added to a waiting list for an upcoming event.


The sold out (within 19 minutes on facebook), five-course beer dinner that I attended took place on March 8th at 8pm.  Peter said that the beer dinner theme would incorporate a combination of flavors inspired by Mardi Gras and St.Patrick's Day.  This Creole/Irish combination seemed like it might be difficult to pull off, but The Good Life did better than "good" with this one - they hit it out of the park!


Checkout my pictures and comments below to see the details from the event!
1st Course
Belfast Lobster Ale 5%
Cured Salmon - Rye Crostini, everything trio creamed cheese, crispy capers


I enjoyed this starter more than I had anticipated.  The salmon, cured in house, was fresh and light.  The creamed cheese, a mix of marsacpone and goat cheeses, was delectable.  The combination of the salmon and pickled onion atop of the cheese covered rye crackers provided a punch of flavor in every bite.  The Belfast Lobster Ale, dark ruby in color, paired nicely with this starter, complimenting, rather than competing with the lightness of the dish.  

2nd Course
Porterhouse Oyster Stout 5.2%
Pork Spring Roll - Shitake mushroom, oyster sauce, scallion kombu oil, seaweed salad 


The Oyster Stout came out before the spring roll, so I took a sip, and boy was I surprised by this one.  I could actually smell what seemed almost like soy sauce type of aroma coming from the glass.  Peter later explained to us that the stout is brewed with actual oysters!  This might sound a bit strange, but it made so much sense once we received our food.  The briny aspect of the beer matched the oyster sauce/scallion flavors found in the spring roll.  I am not a huge fan of deeply fried food, but thankfully this spring roll was light on grease and heavy on the mushrooms.

3rd Course
Heavy Seas Aarsh Imperial Red 7%
Cajun Stuffed Pepper- Andouille sausage, crawfish, braised beef, etouffeesque gravy


This Red Ale, brewed with 3 kinds of grain and 2 kinds of hops, was my guest's favorite brew of the evening. I liked it as well, eventhough I do not typically lean towards red ales.  Being a seafood lover, I was pleased to find that he stuffed pepper was full of crawfish! The braised beef and sausage made this course a mini cajun-inspired surf and turf. 

Palate Cleanser- Hurricane granita & Voodoo tea shooter 
This palate cleanser was placed perfectly, following the cajun stuffed pepper.  I enjoyed the refreshing granita and the mild tea shooter helped to rejuvenate my tastebuds for the next course. 

4th Course
Saranac Irish Red 4%
Corned Beef-Parsnip cabbage puree, bacon mustard emulsion, confit potato, crispy carrot


The Saranac Irish Red had a wonderfully complex flavor with a hint of sweetness.  I later learned that this brew comes from two row malts that are specially kilned to develop their sugars and then roasted to produce toffee notes and color.  This was my beer pick of the night!  Now, onto the corned beef.  I must admit that I am not the best judge for this dish, because I tend to stay away from heavy beef dishes in my daily life.  But, my guest happens to be a huge fan of corned beef, and felt that the flavor was superb.  The chef braised the beef for four hours, which gave it a wonderful tenderness and enhanced its flavor.  I could have eaten an entire plate of the parsnip cabbage puree!  This decadently creamy side consisting of root vegetable is worthy of a permanent place on the restaurant's menu.  Another notable accompaniment was the bacon mustard emulsion.  I am a sauce/condiment girl and I could have literally drank this sauce, it was that good. 

5th Course
Abita Purple Haze 4.2%
Irish Butter Biscuit- Burnt Orange-Raspberry Sauce, Jameson Soaked Blackberries, Chocolate Mint Powder


This American style wheat beer offers a fruity aroma, due to the fresh raspberries added during secondary fermentation.  The pinkish hue made this the perfect "dessert" beer to go along with the 5th course.  Now, to the butter biscuit.  I have a sweet-tooth, and after seeing the desserts from previous beer dinners, I was very much looking forward to the last course.  I learned that the biscuit was selected for its correlation to Irish dessert traditions.   I was a little disappointed by the choice of a biscuit for dessert, because it was slightly dry for my liking.  Biscuit aside, I happened to love (and devour) the Jameson soaked blackberries/sauce which had amazing flavor.  The beer could not have paired more perfectly with blackberries, and made for a fantastic end to the evening.  


Special thanks to Peter Mangouranes for inviting my guest and I to share in such a special night (and for the extra send-off gift of Heavy Seas Imperial red)!  
Check out Peter's other spots, The Republic in Farmingdale, and the soon to be Chubby Ninja Brewing Brew Pub coming to Rockville Centre in 2012!
Also, thanks to the fabulous staff at The Good Life.  The service was friendly and impeccable, as usual.  

Bill Walters Performs Live at Winterfest

A little rain was not enough to stop LI Winterfest from playing on this past Sunday at the North Fork Vineyards.  I decided to stop by one of my favorite wineries, Peconic Bay, and I am glad that I did.  I enjoyed a glass of Nautique Espirit de Blanc while listening to local musician, Bill Walters.  Bill gave off a Jason Mraz-like vibe, which I really enjoyed.  I could definitely see him performing out in Montauk over the summer, so hopefully he will make some appearances on the South Fork!  Check out the clip below (and please pardon the other people in the frame).

Restaurant Week's approacheth...

Ah restaurant week.  The perfect time to try out some of the pricier establishments across LI.  Luckily, there is not one, but TWO restaurant weeks approaching!  


First up, Hampton's Restaurant Week.  The 9th annual dining adventure will run from March 13th- March 20th.  From Sunday to Sunday, all participating restaurants offer a three course prix fixe for $19.95 and/or $24.95 all night (except Saturday when it will only be offered until 7 PM).  Check the official website for a list of participating restaurants.  

My picks: The Harvest and East by Northeast (both in Montauk- Harvest pictured above), Nick and Toni's (East Hampton), Della Femina (East Hampton)

Next in line will be the 1st spring-time Long Island Restaurant Week.  From April 3rd- April 10th, all participating restaurants will offer a three-course prix fixe for $24.95.  

My picks: Besito (Huntington and Roslyn locations- Huntington pictured above), Verace (Islip), Fatfish Wine Bar & Bistro (Bayshore)

Mangia!

Meet Long Island Cheese Master, Michael Cavaniola, this Sunday at Roanoke Vineyards

With Winterfest still underway on the North Fork, Roanoke Vineyards is celebrating the release of their 2007 Blend 2 by offering a vertical tasting all weekend (March 5th & 6th).  

This "vertical tasting," means that you taste three of Roanoke's previously released vintages, and conclude with a tasting of the brand new 2007 Roanoke Vineyards Blend 2. 

Now, to the cheese.  Local cheese master, Michael Cavaniola of Cavaniola's Gourmet Cheese Shop, Cavaniola's Wine Cellar, and Cavaniola's Kitchen in Sag Harbor, will be at Roanoke on Sunday, March 6th from 2 to 5 PM, creating fabulous cheese platters!  Check out Cavaniola's facebook page for more information and to view pictures that will have your mouth watering for some gourmet delights. 

I love Roanoke and have been a long-time fan of Cavaniola's, so I just might have to stop by myself!