don't speak. please

LWS has conjured up yet another music mix for your listening pleasure. this time around - no words, no vocals, no choruses to follow inhibiting your musical enjoyment.

a soundtrack consisting of just pure music to sit back and chill by. or work. or play. or relax. or, whatever.

longweekendstyle "don't speak" is available for listening through www.8tracks.com. 8tracks.com always free, always streaming. you can log in and set up an account to save your personal favorite mixes or just be an anonymous bystander and listen to all the awesome mixes available to you.

www.8tracks.com/longweekendstyle/longweekendstyle-don-t-speak

please don't leave me this way

i am constantly plagued by undereye circles of epic proportions. i am unsure whether it is old age creeping up on me, the lack of an uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep, allergies or just plain genetics.

any way you cut it, i am perpetually what one would refer to as "raccoon eyed".

better than wall-eyed, i suppose, but really not so much.

i have tried all manner of undereye concealers and around 4pm, i discover that they have abandoned me yet again - making me look tired, way beyond my years and looking as if i have pulled an all nighter for the last 3 years in a row.

enter stay don't stray from benefit. touted as an eye area primer to help hold eye shadow and concealers in place, i decide to give it a try.

stay don't stray is the color of undereye concealer and it's creamy nature lends itself to easy undereye blendability. and yet, somehow, stay dont'stray does manage to "bind" my undereye concealer so that it does what it's supposed to do, which is conceal those dark circles, a little bit longer. luckily, stay don't stray is the color of undereye concealer as more than a few times, i have forgotten that i have not added the crucial final step of actual undereye concealer and have gone out with just the stay don't stray, which has done a fine job of playing understudy to my missing undereye concealer.

stay don't stray from benefit is $24 for a .33 fl oz pump bottle. available online at www.benefitcosmetics.com or check your local beauty counter at your favorite store!

lucky sticks!

no, lucky sticks, not lucky strikes. really.

we have located yet another japanese chocolate covered stick cookie! and while the name sounds like they would be some sort of nicotine type product, we can assure you it is all choco-covered cookie goodness.

lucky stick by meiji (pronounced "meh-gee") is described as a "biscuit stick covered with chocolate flavored cream" and they are delish-delish.

the cookie biscuit itself is a creamy chocolate flavor, about 1/4" wide and covered in dark creamy chocolate. still have that excellent cookie crispness to them but wield a little more flavor than the pocky since we're talking about a bigger cookie area by a factor of 2 at least.

available in asian grocery stores around the country - meiji lucky stick retails for $.99 for approximately 20 cookie sticks.

stop! ceviche time!

long weekend style has concocted what we feel is a pretty damn good ceviche; testers finished the 2 batches and came back asking for more.

so here it is, LWS ceviche, which better yet, requires asolutely no interaction with one's stove. please note<>

1 lb seafood mix (calamari, shrimp, scallops)

1 lb langostines

4 limes, juiced

2 lemons, juiced

1/4 cup parsley

1/4 cup cilantro

2 ripe avocados, pitted and cubed

1 tomato - cut into small chunks

1 red onion - chopped (fine or chunky - your choice)

salt & pepper to taste

1 bag tortilla chips (corn or flour, your choice)

defrost all shellfish, if needed, overnight in refrigerator. place all shellfish in a shallow baking dish, trying to keep it to a single layer if possible. pour both lemon and lime juices over shellfish, completely submerging the shellfish mixture. cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 24 hours.

drain juice from shellfish using a collander in kitchen sink - really drain for at least 30 minutes to to remove all juice and prevent a soggy ceviche later. in a large bowl, mix all shellfish with parsley, cilantro, avocado chunks, tomatoes and onion until evenly and well distributed together. salt and pepper to taste. arrange artfully on a pretty platter with a big ol bowl of tortilla chips, sit back and watch your guests gorge themselves silly on this tasty summer dish.

happy happy joy joy indeed!

what else is there?

well, for one thing, a great song by the hypnotic royksopp called "what else is there?" from their album, the understanding. this melodic, entrancing song leads your ears through a maze of emotions and instruments, all culminating in a ticking clock that leaves us forever haunted.

check out the dreamy, surreal viddie here, which also features the amazing vocal talents and usual beauty of karin dreijer andersson from the knife:

www.royksopp.com/videos/what-else-is-there

the album the understanding by royksopp and the single, "what else is there?" are both available for purchase through amazon or itunes.

easy peasy cheesey-cake brownies

long weekend style cream cheese brownie recipe

preheat oven to 350 degrees F, (175 degrees C)

part one, the cream cheese mixture:
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 package of 8oz soft cream cheese, softened or room temp
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg


part two, the creamy dreamy oh-so-chocolatey brownie part:
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup flour

for part one: melt butter in saucepan over low heat or in mircowave. pour into bowl and add softened, room temperature cream cream, and sugar then stir together until smooth. add chocolate chips and set aside.

then, move on to part two:

fill pan halfway with water and bring to a boil on stovetop. turn off burner and remove pan from heat. place smaller size glass bowl in pan of just boiled water. add chocolate chips and stir as chips will start to melt from the heat of the boiled water. stir until all chocolate chips are melted and mixture is smooth. add stick of butter and let melt, mixing together with melted chocolate chips. remove from pan of boiled water. add sugar, egg, flour and baking powder - stirring everything together until creamy and smooth.

butter up or spray coat a 9"x 13" glass baking dish. pour in half of the chocolate mixture from part two and spread evenly to coat bottom of dish. pour the cream cheese mixture over the chocolate one, using a spoon to flatten the cream cheese mixture. add the remaining chocolate mixure on top then using a butter knife, draw it through all layers in a zigzag or S formation to create that marbelized look that will mix all 3 layers together.

bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. cool. cut into pieces. place brownie morsel in mouth, chew, and let the chocolate haze take over. eyes will roll to back of head at the sheer creamy chocolate goodness that is the cream cheese brownie. be amazed at your baking goddess prowess. repeat. often and with friends.

i need you to be addicted to me . . .

everyone's in the office today and we are all chillaxin to the max to this mellow groove from japanese music wunderkind dj krush, final home featuring the vocally ethereal esthero. a blast from the past, this originally was released in 1999 as 2 separate versions: one without vocals and one with.

the track, melodic and dreamy, as esthero's vocals seamlessly weave their way right into dj krush's mix, you feel as if you are snaking your through thick, heavy fog on a moonlit night. a dream within a dream.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7B9TFvCsbA&feature=related

"i could give you

the most delicious kisses on your face

you see

i need you to be

addicted to me

i am calm now . . .

i am safe now . . . in my final home"

from the kakusei CD, dj krush, final home

know thy enemy

in this particular case, it'd be zombies.

from the pen of max brooks, who wrote "the zombie survival guide: complete protection from the living dead", comes the (thankfully) fictional "world war z" .

"world war z" is a theoretical oral history of our world, which has been hit by a worldwide zombie epidemic at some undisclosed but recent time.

"world war z" is a series of interviews with individuals who have faced down zombies in one way or another - world leaders, a mother of 2, a scientist, a child, military forces, doctors, even canines -through their owners, of course - tell their tales of the ever growing zombie horror in their own (often frightening. at least to those of us who aren't especially fond of zombies) words.

writer max brooks cleverly weaves real past and present world events with a completely fictional apocalypse, a la war of the worlds, "world war z" is a compelling read from cover to cover - exposing the mistakes made by governments trying to deal with an invader that never tires, does not need food, water or rest, the weaknesses of zombies, and the strength of all the survivors who come together to battle the hundreds of millions of undead on land and sea.

this one will keep you up nights but at least when the dreaded zombie plague scorches the entire earth, you'll be prepared.

dry shampoo update

LWS happened upon yet another brand of dry shampoo called batiste recently and a few staffers have tried it and reported back their findings.

before moving onto the reviews - just a little back info on batiste: it's a pressurized aerosol dry shampoo in a can (much like hairspray) manufactured in the UK. the batiste packaging looks vaguely south pacific-ish with it's shades of teal, yellow and green - very tropical as perhaps it invokes a carefree vibe even though hair is wearing a washing from days gone by. shake can vigorously, spray evenly over day old hair, let set for a minute then brush thoroughly, preferably with a boar bristle brush and enjoy you some fresher hair.

on the upside, LWS operatives reported the following:

"batiste has a nice fresh scent - not cloying or perfume-y"

"really really easy to use. does not smell toxic or surround you in a toxic cloud despite warnings on the side of the can that the product is extremely flammable - just stay away from matches and fires when spraying i guess"

"ok, it sprays on white, so uh-oh, i feared the george washington powdered wig look but a few quick swipes with a brush (boar bristle of course) took care of that problem and voila! my days old bedhead looks AND feels like washed hair"

so there you have it folks, another dry shampoo to add to your hair arsenal.

batiste, available online through various websites, like www.drugstore.com as well as local drug stores in your immediate area, ranging in price from $5.99 to $7.99 for a 5.05 fluid ounce aerosol can.

in your back pocket

or your eensy pocketbook to be exact.

stila cosmetics has created these supa dupa cute mini make-up collections called "travel palettes". each palette consists of 4 lovely coordinated powdered eye shadows and a pan of their very-liked, oh-so-spectacular and much-ado-about-something convertible color that can be used on both lips AND cheeks - all housed in a cute cartooned hardcover "wallet" or palette. all this for, drumroll please . . . . only $10.

so far, only 2 collections have hit - road to radiance (mauves and pinks) and pretty in paris (pinks paired with brown) with 3 more palettes rolling out before year's end. palettes come armed with a mirror and will fit in the teeny tiniest of bags.

and with a $10 price tag, who says you just can't get all 5 collections and rotate?

the price is right indeed.

available online through stila's site - http://www.stilacosmetics.com/category.asp?category_id=162 plus do check out their current warehouse sale encompassing all sorts of goodies at never-before-seen-prices!

take the L train . . .

hello again!

long weekend style has crafted yet another music mix on our favorite online free streaming music site, www.8tracks.com - this time capturing the essence, spirit and big dreams that is new york city right down to the rain, steamy streets and 24/7 energy.

be inspired.

we hope you like it.

find it here: http://8tracks.com/longweekendstyle/longweekendstyle-take-the-train-to-new-york

hayden hartnett

hey there longweekendstylers - check this supa dupa cute zip top leather carryall from designers hayden harnett.

known affectionately as HH, their studio located in new york turns out some of the best made leather items, from handbags, to travel totes, clutches and wrist cuffs.

if it's one item that continues to get used over and over again, it will be your hayden harnett carryall. depending on the season, this cute little leather carryall is offered in colors that reflect the season's trends. lined in their signature HH acetate lining, the carryall approximately 8"L x 2 1/2" H x 3 1/4" D, it's a great size for purse, gym bag, office drawer and retails for $78 but LWS has noticed that the carryall price undergoes a severe slashing right after major holidays and as new seasons and thus newer colors, emerge throughout the year, you might be able to score one of these little beauties on the cheap. and in these fiscally frustrating times, everyone needs a little something cute and cheap.

the hayden harnett carryall is so absolutely adorable and perfect for holding all your makeup essentials then doubling as an evening clutch. or a very stylish pencil case. you must get one. today. if at all possible.

check out their site for more delicious leather goodies: http://www.haydenharnett.com - plus there also seems to always be something yummy on sale!

the glass castle

ok, so just about everybody thinks their parents are unhip or just downright weird. jeannette walls, on the other hand had parents waaaaaaaaaaay beyond the unconventional; jeannette, along with her 2 sisters, brother and her parents were often on the lam, escaping the evil clutches of the FBI and CIA. or at least that's what jeannette's father rex walls believed. never staying in any one place longer than a few weeks, the walls family often vanished into thin air in the middle of the night, leaving unpaid bills, pets and various belongings in their wake. setting up house in little ramshackle desert mining towns with names like superstition mountain, needles, bouse or goffs
scattered throughout the valleys of california,
arizona and nevada.

jeannette artfully, in amazing detail, reconstructs her unusual family treks across the country in "the glass castle". she deftly recalls the emptiness, hunger and hardships she and her siblings endured throughout their collective childhoods along with absolute jaw dropping stories about everyday family life. her story is absolutely enthralling and unbelieveable - especially when her parents, going through empty nest syndrome, decide to live on the streets of new york as jeannette tries to piece together a normal, everyday existence.

"the glass castle" by jeannette walls is available online at www.amazon.com.

neutrogena pink grapefruit

so summer got the memo and is finally in full swing after a month of gray may and june gloom.

and with this summer liberation comes the eventful shedding of those traditional winter layers. which means that you're probably going to be slinking around in halter tops, boy beater tanks and sarongs. this, of course, only after you have dutifully exfoliated to the max and obliterated all signs of the dreaded bacne (acne + your back = bacne).

bacne + summer skin, is not good. that is unless you are armed with one of those awesome japanese body scrub loofah towels long weekend style blooged about in april AND a bottle of neutrogena oil free acne wash and body clear body wash, now available in delicious pink grapefruit - just in time for sum-sum-summertime.

available in strengths for both the body and face, neutrogena oil free acne wash and body clear body wash both contain salicylic acid, mortal enemy to the acne bacteria. both products banish bacteria to siberia without so much as a blink. which means smooth, spot-free skin, ready to be kissed by the sun.

here comes the sun indeed.

molton brown lipsheer

while living abroad, a long weekend style operative discovered molton brown, which incidentally, sells their products stateside (mostly bath-type products: shower gel, hand soap, and lotion, that sort of thing) BUT the freestanding brick and mortar molton brown stores in the UK also sell this amazing lippy called "lipsheer".

molton brown lipsheer is a stunning rich colored balm housed in an easy-to-transport tube. the color is sheer but rich and deep while long lasting enough to compete with your favorite tube of lipstick. and filled with all sorts of lip nourishing vitamins to keep your pucker polished as well as soft and kissable.

long weekend style's favorite lipsheer color is snapdragon, a sheer red-brown that flatters most skin tones and gives your lips a little "pop" of color. there is also pinkbell - a sheer pink that goes on almost transparent but has gorgeous flecks of shimmer throughout. a .63 ounce tube currently sells for 10#s (about $15 to $17 US dollars) in the UK.

sadly, we've not been able to find lipsheer here in the states but be on the lookout should you be heading to the UK any time soon. and their showers gels smell heavenly too and molton brown perfumes come in the cutest, expertly engineered boxes that look like little closets, complete with tiny door.

website: www.moltonbrown.com for locations near you or to order online.

photaine - feels like home

it's one of those days and we're really feeling this song by phontaine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scP2tolrDO8

from their 2008 album, "bibliotec" - it hits the right notes of electronica, chill, and jazz with a low, hypnotic hip hop backbeat and amazing vocals by nadia clark.

originally hailing from brighton, england, the quintet known as phontaine now calls vancouver, canada home. the collective band classifies their sound as "downtempo".

actually, the entire bibliotec album is amazing and songs range from a bluesy bayou mood (mississippi two tone) to an upbeat lazy day at the shore (sunny day).

bibliotec by phontaine is available online at www.amazon.com or itunes.com for those of you with the apple products. www.youtube.com also has a bevy of phontaine songs from various albums past & present, all free for the listening!

road trippin' california joie de vivre style

our fav hand crafted free, streaming music site www.8tracks.com has paired with joie de vivre hotels for a contest to celebrate summer and the road trip. long weekend style has put together a music mix of quintessential road trip songs to make your drive most pleasant. give it a listen here:
http://8tracks.com/roadtrippincalifornia

and if you likey, sign in and click the "heart" icon to show us your love.

thanks for your support long weekend stylers!

limoncello

limoncello is on our radar again as a long weekend style operative recently returned from the home of limoncello, italia. not to mention, limoencello could be considered a perfect summer evening beverage, especially when served severely chilled.

hailing from the south of italy, sorrento lemons are touted as making the best limoncello in the world.

limoncello is akin to a tart lemonade but a tart lemonade with the added bonus of alcohol content but without the sour or bitter lemon flavor. italians traditionally serve limoncello after dinner and again, usually very, very chilled.

limoncello is also offered in 4 other popular flavors, should lemon not float your cocktail boat.

there is fragola, strawberry in italian, which is delicious and sweet like a supa dupa ripe berry. meloncello - a melon version, usually cantaloupe, which is actually so much more delectable than it sounds. and finally limoncello crema - half regular limoncello mixed with creme, cutting the lemon tartness almost in half.

all limoncello flavors are extremely dangerous, so drink with caution as they seem deceptively sweet but will knock you on your patookis in no time flat. if you don't believe us, just ask danny devito, who went on national AM television in a limoncello stupor.

limoncello is available through some liquor stores but will most likely only stock the traditional limoncello and limnocello crema; the sweeter flavors require a little more sleuthing and if you aren't an italian resident, online will probably be the best resource.

if you're feeling particularly industrious, limoncello can be made right in your own kitchen - several recipes can be found online and on tea towels (we're not kidding about the tea towels, really. a LWS staffer bought italian tea towels for her mum, noticed the recipe and thought she give it a whirl. hours later, in a limoncello induced state of drunkenness, she declared the recipe "fantasticci!"). just search "limoncello recipes" and take your pick.

and don't forget to chill it before you swill it.

cheers mate!

viva la vinegar

so we have extoled the many virtues of both baby wipes and the cotton swab. and now long weekend style heralds . . . vinegar.

a sneaky taste that manages to find it's way into potato chips, salad dressings and chimichurri (yes, we will divulge our delicious recipe in this post), vinegar comes in many forms that, of course yield different bouquets: malt, apple cider, balsamic, rice, wine and more common in the asian cultures, fruit.

but vinegar also has a flipside; it is an excellent, non-toxic cleanser. when paired with baking soda, a la the peter-makes-a-volcano-for-a-class-project episode, it foams and fizzes like nobody's business. a LWS staffer recently went to town on a shower head that had more than it's fair share of limescale. with the shower head removed from the spigot, said LWS staffer submerged the offending shower head in a bowl filled with regular table vinegar and added a sprinkling of baking soda. voila! the shower head emerged shiny and new, like a virgin, putting the scrubbing bubbles to absolute shame.

vinegar also really whitens your whites in the laundry. a much loved white shirt shamed by the dreaded ring-around-the-collar that seemed to plague every dad in the 70's was recently shut down hard with a splash of 1st street table vinegar from smart and final (or S & F as they like to go by now) added to the laundry basin.

found mold growing behind your sofa or in your shower/tub (insert aN "ewwww, yuck" here)? forget caustic bleach - vinegar kills mold dead but be warned, your bathroom will smell like a salad bowl for the better part of a day.

oh and rust stains steeped into the grout between your tiles. never fear; some vinegar, a spot of baking powder and an old toothbrush will save the day AND remove the rust stain like you would not believe.

and the list, it goes on. and on. and on. really it does. check it here: a website called http://www.vinegartips.com/ offers up 1001 ways to utilize this unsung kitchen hero.

so vinegar, truly, in every way, awesome sauce.

and now, the recipe you have all been waiting for, long weekend style chimichurri:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup vinegar (your choice but regular table vinegar will suffice)

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced

2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

red pepper flakes, to taste

salt & pepper to taste

combine all ingredients except salt, pepper and red pepper flakes in a bowl. stir with spoon to mix oil, vinegar, herbs and garlic evenly. add salt and ground black pepper to taste. for added kick throw in a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. enjoy chimichurri on warm, french bread, spooned over baked fish or mixed in with your fav pasta. yummer!

email LWS

hey long weekend stylers - you can now email us with your questions or suggestions. longweekendstyle@gmail.com. drop us a line!

LWS new music mix: truly. madly. deeply

we put up another playlist on www.8tracks.com and this time we are utterly, completely, absolutely enthralled with the idea of love, true love. a love so deep is almost obsessive. a love so true, all else pales in comparison. a love so deep with passion that runs like a river. featuring songs by lamb, death cab for cutie, this mortal coil and depeche mode to name a few.

give it a listen here: www.8tracks.com/longweekendstyle-truly-madly-deeply

fit flops. yes, you read right. fit flops.

if you are a flip flop lover like we here at long weekend style are 10 months out of every year, you absolutely have to try fit flops. they are touted as the shoe with a gym.

and sometimes, fitting in a visit to the gym is just not always possible - this is where the fitflop glides in effortlessly.

fitflops, invented in partnership with marcia kilgore, she of the supa dupa fantastic bliss products line, are similiar to the MBT shoes that have taken the walking as exercise thing to a whole new level, but in the familiar flip flop form we all know dearly and love. fitflops are a literal gift from the shoe gods for those who literally live in traditional flipflops year-round. BUT fitflops are equipped with very crucial arch support that most flipflops lack, so those foot arches won't collapse inward, causing one to drag legs around like some awful zombie. which by the way is not at all attractive. fitflops are reported to make your glutes and thighs work harder as well as use under utilized muscles that actually tone your pins while you walk. fitflops are engineered with wobbleboard technology that magically have you balancing and stepping through the entire foot thus giving calves, glutes, et al a workout while you walk.

since you'd wear shoes anyways, why not get shoes that work for you? truly adding a bit more exercise/toning to your probably already full summer workout regimen. and those shoes should be fit flops. available in casual everyday colors like go-with-everything/so slimming black. sun struck bronze to compliment a tan. boasting 20 plus different styles to suit every girl out there: amped up with jewels, studded punk-rock style, metallic leather, candy colored patent leather or sweetly sorbet suede.

and new for boys, 3 fitflop styles especially for the guys, in all-guy colors. because boys, they can't always get to the gym either.

run, don't walk and unlike the out of the stratosphere price for the MBT sneaks, the basic unadorned fit flop starts at a very affordable $49.95 and is available online http://www.fitflop.com/ or if you simply cannot wait, locally at lady footlocker.

mulitpicity

we here at long weekend style love love love us a two-fer: any product that can be used not once but twice. more than 2 ways = even better.

enter NARS' mulitple in "portofino". the mulitple, so-very-aptly named because the twist up stick about the size of those push-ups that you used to score from the ice cream truk during hot summers is a creamy all-around use color stick that can be used on eyes, lips, cheeks and in a pinch, on pale listless legs

and with pink being the universal go-to color this summer, portofino ticks off all the boxes: pink, totally toteable, and oh, did we mention, the multiple can be used in, ahem, multiple ways, giving your sweet tiny evening clutch a much deserved break?

here's just a few ways to incorporate NARS the mulitple and make life waaaaaaaaay easier this summer: give a pinky flush to cheeks before heading out into the balmy summer night, slick it over eyelids for a midday perk-you-up, give those pale gams a little glamazon glimmer to detract from the fact that the last time your legs saw daylight was in 2008.

besides portofino, NARS the multiple is available in a whole slew of shades from subtle to bold, matte to full on shimmer to compliment your already gorgeous features. go try 'em out at your local sephora or just order one online already. $38.

those are some spicy nuts

LWS spicy cashew recipe - perfect for a snack or to bring to all those summer bbqs . . .

ingredients needed to fulfill this delicious recipe:
- 1lb lightly salted or better yet, no salt cashews
- 1tsp sea salt
- 1tsp chili powder
- 1tsp cayenne powder (yes, the red stuff)
1 tbsp canola oil

pour 1 tbsp canola oil into a shallow pan & set heat to low. add cashews & shake pan to evenly cover cashews with canola oil. heat gently over low heat for about 5 minutes. remove from heat and pour cashews onto a paper towel on top of a plate, to soak up excess oil. dump cashews into a bowl large enough to allow for cashews to be stirred with a large wooden spoon.

add 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cayenne, and 1 tsp sea salt. toss or stir cashews to even coat. eat one and adjust spices to suit your personal heat or salt level.

almonds, pecans, walnuts or peanuts can be used in place of the cashews, should cashews not be your speed of nut.

pour into a bowl and enjoy!

it's P-O-C-K-Y!!!

while it sounds more like some bizarre condition one would contract in a foreign country, pocky is actually a delicious japanese treat.

made by glico, the original and by far, most favorite pocky flavor is the chocolate cream (which is milk chocolate for all the choco conoissuers out there).

well, what, long weekend style, exactly is pocky that you speak of?

it's a crisp, biscuit consistency cookie about the size of a #2 pencil. approximately 3/4 of it has been dipped in chocolate. a 1" section has been left intentionally non-choco-coated so that one can enjoy pocky without the messy transfer of chocolate to one or all 5 fingers.

pocky are quite addictive and one can eat an entire packet of pocky (there are about 20 pocky sticks in eack packet) without realizing it.

pocky is also available with strawberry instead of chocolate, chocolate with almonds and our favorite, "mens" which is dark chocolate. apparently godzilla must be a fan of pocky because glico also makes giant pocky which is the same as the original but just sized for hands that could smash the chrysler building or all of tokyo.

pocky is available at japanese markets, like mitsuwa, nationwide or online through www.amazon.com and retails for $1.99 for the 2 pack pictured above.

get wild, get pocky people!

get her to the rodeo!

nope, no joke. no typo. you read right:

get this girl to the rodeo!

please help this very talented singer and friend of long weekend style, stephanie quayle, realize her lifelong dream of performing at the college nationals finals rodeo in casper, wyoming.





LWS was in the process of writing an entry about stephanie, her music and her mad song writing skillz when we received her proposal through the kickstart foundation (more info on kickstart coming later folks) to help her raise funds to get herself and the band out to the cnfr. stephanie is a country music dynamo with an amazing voice, who writes all her own songs, plays guitar and is just an all around awesome girl. we met stephanie a few years back when she was just getting started and since then, have constantly been awed and inspired by her growth as an artist





so here's the scoopy-scoop: stephanie and her band were slated to debut "rodeo life" as well as our country's national anthem at the first ever cnfr concert, scheduled for this sunday june 12th. due to last minute, unforseen circumstances, the financial sponsorship that was to get stephanie and her band to casper has fallen through, leaving the entire band to foot the bill to get themselves to casper, wyoming for the performance and back.





now, the promised info about kickstart: http://www.kickstart.com/ works under a really simple yet absolutely brilliant premise: an artist submits a proposal (to record an album, to design a fashion collection, paint a series of paintings for a gallery show, you name it) and sets the monetary amount that will allow the artist to reach his/her goal. anyone and everyone can become a "backer" and pledge an amount to donate (the minimum is $5) to the cause BUT your donation will only be collected IF the entire amount requested by the artist is reached.





www.kickstart.com/projects/stephaniequayle/get-us-to-the-rodeo-lets-launch-this-movement-from?ref=email is the link that will take you directly to stephanie's page where she has so kindly provided more information about her life and mission statement about her dedication to music.





we so know times are tough and even if you aren't a country music fan, if you can donate just $5 to the cause - every little bit helps. it really does.





on behalf of stephanie and the band, long weekend style says thank you for your support!

dat new "new"

long weekend style likey this one from kid cudi, titled dat new "new" . . . not sure why it hits us right there but we find we have it on repeat throughout the day

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dtMI96zc0s

parental advisory: this song contains what would be considered strong language or just plain out cursing, so you probably want to save this one for the after 9 listening set. or just tell the kids "earmuffs" . . .

audiophiles?

wondering if there are any tech-y audiophiles out there that can help a long weekend style out?

LWS is looking for an speaker/sound/audio system that can hook up to either an iPod or computer and transmit wirelessly throughout the office.

and we looking for one that won't break the bank.

and if possible, one that does NOT need to have the iPod docked - we have worn out 2, count 'em 2, speaker systems within the last 2 weeks and we think it is because the constant insertion and removal of the iPod that has caused the contacts to no longer "contact" with the iPod, thus no music from the 2 now busted systems.

mucho thank you-ness in advance!

actor gary coleman passes away

actor gary coleman, famous for his role as arnold on the 70's comedic series, "diff'rent strokes" and coining his signature arnold tagline "what you talkin' 'bout willis?" passed away todat at the age of 42, of a brain hemorrage resulting from a fall gary had on wednesday.

good thoughts and prayers to gary and his family.

we will miss you arnold!

doot, doot, doot, doooooot . . . from the halls of medicine

LWS is not usually one to go in for anything boasting sugar-free-ness on it's label because historically speaking, those products tend to contain aspartame, saccharin or some other man-made sugar substitute that usually tastes absoutely awful if nothing at all like the real thing they're supposed to be imitating.

from the vaulted halls of medicine come halls sugar free black cherry throat lozenges. if the package didn't alert one to the sugar-free-ness of these lozenges, we would never have guessed. they taste THAT good. no tongue paralyzing aftertaste and these lozenges ward off a sore throat plus put the kibosh on coughs.

$2.75 for a bag of 30 sugar-free throat coating, cough banishing goodness halls sugar-free black cherry lozenges - available online or in local grocery and drugstores nationwide.

simplehuman

one long weekend staffer recently received an automatic soap dispenser from simple human that was actually meant for her kids to use; because it boasts a timer that beeps when the alloted hand washing time has elapsed. hence it being a good hand washing monitor.

but this automatic soap dispenser never made it past the kitchen, as it was soon discovered that said automatic soap dispenser was a very helpful aid in daily dishwashing duties.

the soap dispenser has an electronic sensor that when blocked by an opaque object (say for instance, your hand or a dishbrush), disperses a stream of soap in 4 varying levels - with setting 1 being a dime sized squirt all the way up to setting 4, which streams like a mini lake of soap. all of this is perfect when one's hands are soapy from dish soap and the dishsoap bottle is likely to slip right out of your hands, like an oiled pig. plus you don't have to put down what you're doing to refuel on dishsoap in order to tackle that pile of dirty dishes calling to be cleaned.

simplehuman sensor soap pump available at bed, bath and beyond - $39.99 for the basic version, $49.99 for the pimped out all stainless version.

in tha house

we have cooked up yet another eclectic music mix on our go to fav streaming online music source, http://www.8tracks.com/. this newest mix, in tha house is for your listening pleasure and includes tunage by M.I.A, ghislaine poirier, santogold, blondie, metric, yeah, yeah, yeahs and felix da housecat. turn it up!

and as always, please let us know what you think long weekend stylers - we're dying to know!

www.8tracks.com/longweekendstyle/longweekendstyle-in-tha-house

forget calgon, pacifica's gonna take you away baby

so a few entries back, LWS featured the oh-so-delicious-summer's-coming blood orange sorbet from ciao bella and since then, we've had a hard time getting blood orange off the brain.

and now the pacifica tuscan blood orange candle made it's way across our LWS desk. honestly, is it legal for a candle to smell so damned luscious that you totally want to scoop it out of it's little glass container and just devour it? once again, that smell-o-vision innovention would come in really handy here.


to make pacifica's candles even more awesome than they are already are, all pacifica candles are soy based as opposed to wax based, burn smoke free for long time burnage and lastly, pacifica candles are packed with lead free cotton wicks.

can any more tuscan blood orange amazingness even be imagined?

why yes, yes, indeed. in addition to the soy candles in tuscan blood orange, there is also, shower gel, body lotion, body butter and fragrance in 2 options: a soild in a silver dollar sized tin and a spray perfume in a bottle.

check out all the goodness at the pacifica website: http://www.pacificaperfume.com/ - they offer free shipping on orders over $50 and right now, have some awesome sauce deals on scent collections that include all the products in a fav scent, a sampling of 3 pacifica florals in the supa dupa cute tiny tins and bath sets complete with shower gel, lotion and a candle. choose one, any one and luxuriate in the sulphate/paraben/phthalate-free, 100% vegan goodness that is pacifica.

long hot summer

long weekend style's newest mix, long hot summer has hit the 8tracks airwaves and is ready to help long weekend stylers kick off the summer right. check it here and as always, we'd love to hear your feedback!

http://8tracks.com/longweekendstyle/longweekendstyle-long-hot-summer

hot weather is a-coming. at least once we get past this gray may and june gloom.





warm weather is the perfect time to switch to a lipstick formula that is a tad lighter . . . but if you're like me and still want a color other than the one you were born with while retaining moisture minus the glop factor, a regular lip balm might not fulfill your qualifications.





enter korres - the all natural homeopathic pharmacy and now beauty brand hailing all the way from athens, greece. korres has infiltrated beauty counters all over the world (long weekend style operatives report seeing korres in barcelona, paris, ireland and the UK). their mission statement is consists of 4 bullet points: naturally derived, top shelf ingerdients, clinically tested effective products that deliver, products that please the senses and lastly, all at a reasonable price designed for everyday use.





korres lip butters ROCK, in one word. packed with ultra moisturing shea butter combined with rice wax for staying power, these amazing lip butters glide on, not only moisturizing and protecting lips but also providing a juicy dose of just-ate-a-popsicle color to lips. color range covers the lights to darks; "guava" provides shine and moisturizes while at the other end, "wild rose" makes lips look just lusciously bitten.





and at $10 a pop, you can try all 5 - guava, quince, pomegranate, plum and wild rose.



this just in - korres lip butters also do double duty as cheek tints. and who doesn't love a little toteable product that does 2 jobs?

color your world indeed.

long weekend style is a DJ!

long weekend style is mixing it up, musicwise, that is and we have launched our first 2 music compilations, longweekendstyle - got you covered, a series of familiar tunage covered by a myriad of artists) and longweekendstyle - long hot summer, summer evoking songs to get you in the mood for the months ahead.

available for your listening pleasure on our favorite streaming music site, www.8tracks.com
always and completely free of charge.

here are our mixes . . . give 'em a listen and let us know what you think!
http://8tracks.com/longweekendstyle/longweekendstyle-long-hot-summer
http://8tracks.com/longweekendstyle/longweekendstyle-got-you-covered

long weekend style has got you covered!

long weekend style's "got you covered" music mix is now available for your listening pleasure. give it a listen and let us know your thoughts. check it out here: http://8tracks.com/longweekendstyle/longweekendstyle-got-you-covered

flash . . . ah, bathroom cleaner of the universe!

if you are lucky enough to reside across the pond, you undoubtedly know the miracle cleaning powers of flash bathroom cleaner.

long weekend style talk enough about the awesomeness of this product by proctor and gamble, which at present time, is only available in the UK and ireland markets. damn.

because flash bathroom cleaner is the absolute bomb. spray on the fizzing foam, the scent of which is reminiscent of fresh, clean laundry, then sit back and let flash bathroom cleaner work its magic on mold, mildew, hard water stains, whatever-bathroom-grossness-you-can-conjure-up, return to rinse and voila, a bathroom room that smells of . . . clean laundry straight out of the dryer, not chemicals.

flash bathroom cleaner really gets in there, like the ninja of cleanliness - eradicating mold and bathroom yuck - restoring ceramic and tile surfaces to their rightful pristine condition.

available at tesco, sainsbury's and most UK/irelan supermarkets. also available online: www.britsuperstore.com, which offers worldwide delivery for about $3.50 for a 500ml spray bottle. get your clean on!

gray may

ok, what's with this weather? it's been so mercurial; gloomy, sunless days are usually reserved for the month of june but, probably because of global warming, we now have gray may. sigh.

and so it goes, one day hot, one day cold and back again maybe with a day of rain thrown in to really mix things up, the uncertainty of how to dress for the day comes into play by either being dressed to warmly or not having enough to keep you warm.

dressing in layers is a good suggestion but your body's internal core is thrown into turmoil and before you know it, you are asking yourself, am i getting sick? was that sneeze something i should be concerned about? hmmmmm . . .

if you feel a little something coming on but aren't really sure if illness is lurking around the corner, put on a pot of water on the stove and bring to a gentle rolling boil. once this is accomplished, turn off burner and add 2-4 drops of essential lavender oil (available at most nutrition stores or whole foods) to the now hot pot of water. stand over and inhale deeply. lavender is a natural antibacterial thus killing off 99.98% of any viral nastiness that may be hiding out in your nasal passages, waiting to strike. in addition, you'll also score a nice steaming facial that will plump up your outer epidermis - making skin appear full and luscious. lastly, the vapors from the boiling water will also help moisten nasal membranes, hopefully restoring the delicate nasal balance and informing those membranes that 'no thanks, no more mucus is needed, we got it covered, so back to regular mucus production schedule, thanks again'.

stay healthy, long weekend stylers!

the dancers (1956) by roy decarava

the dancers (1956) is only one of the most incredible photographs by master of photography, roy decarava (1919-2009), whose amazing work captured the essence of harlem, new york in the 1950's. one can just feel the sinuous, slinky movement of the dancers, the heat of the spotlights inside the local dancehall, the electricity in the air. in the dancers, decarava deftly captures the energy of this harlem night through light, shadow and movement. evoking minute details, subtle plays of dark and light that just puts you right there.

a retrospective of all of decarava's photographic works is available online at www.amazon.com.

hello

via audio, hailing from brooklyn new york is putting out some amazing tunage. we especially like "hello" from the album animalore (2010). give it a listen here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1WksZ5uQlw

"hello" complete with sultry vocals, this indie-pop quartet creates a sound so layered and full of depth that it just makes you swoon from the very first note.

cleaning tip

oh dishpan hands, be gone forever.


long weekend style has discovered one surefire way to clean a pot or pan that has worked time and time again for us: after cooking something has developed a liking to one of your pots or pans and taken up what seems like permanent residence on said pot/pan's walls, put it right back on the stovetop, this time filled with water. bring water to a boil and easily away scrape food barnacles thus saving yourself from endless hours of scrubbing and scouring.

so shiny and new

and on our book radar:

deluxe: how luxury lost it's luster by dana thomas caught our eye here at long weekend style, mainly because of it's stark, simple cover AND the fact the an entire mcdonald's meal had been absolutely designered out, complete with prada-esque labels covering burger paper, french fry carton and a supersized soda cup to underscore just how far luxury brands are willing to go to get your dollars into their pockets.

deluxe: how luxury lost it's luster is a fantastic peek behind the scenes of the luxury goods business and the absolutely massive global money involved. yup, all those monogrammed handbags, perfumes, belts, and licensed sunglasses, lighters and scarves that consumers ferociously scoop up by the armload.

louis vuitton. dior. gucci. cartier. prada. chanel. you get the picture.

and the players - LVMC (louis vuitton moet chandon) group. the richemont group. the gucci group. the prada group. these are just a few of the luxury conglomerates in play that serve as umbrella corporations for several different brands. and they are all feuding, scheming and trying to outsmart the others in the aquisition of even MORE luxury brands, making the luxury goods business seem more like a game of monopoly rather than one of style and substance.

this can't-put-it-down expose takes you through the back alleys and crammed warehouses of counterfeit high end luxury goods as well as the production of true (read: authentic) luxury items - handbags, wallets, trench coats et al abroad, far from where consumers would think their exalted top shelf booty hails from.

fun fact: deluxe deftly details just how the legendary wait-listed-to-the-hilt, unbelievably expensive (a crocodile birkin can easily go toe to toe in price to that of a new car) coveted hermes birkin bag is crafted by a single leather artisan and takes anywhere from 15 to 30 hours to complete a single bag.

another fun deluxe fact: centifolia rose and jasmine harvesting in grasse, france exclusively for chanel number 5 - the only perfume still in production that retains it's original formula, first concocted in 1919.

long weekend style could go on and on but we seriously don't want to spoil this decadent read for you!

deluxe: how luxury lost it's luster by dana thomas, available online @ http://www.amazon.com/