reef madness

this past weekend, a longweekendstyle operative was shopping and came across flip flops from a surf company called reef. while loving the color choices and economic price of flip flops, what is not loved is the lack of arch support. especially when a podiatrist is involved and said podiatrist diagnoses your feet with a really serious case of flat foot AKA sunken arches, which sounds like a mcdonald's that has fallen on hard times, but ladies and gentlemen is a condition that can weaken your foot/ankle muscles from the soles up, giving you a lifetime of foot grief.

seriously.

yikes.

ok, so enough about fallen arches. too depressing. let's circle on back to the hot topic of discussion: reef flip flops.

quite honestly, flip flops had totally fallen off our radar due to their inherent nature of being absolutely flat and giving the foot simply zero, zip, zilch in the support department. sure, flip flops come in like a gazillion colors but this fashion choice can lead to endless foot issues that will follow you 'til the end of your days.

ladies and gentlemen of the jury, may we introduce the flip flop by reef - complete with (mucho necessario) arch support.

reef flip flops LOOK like regular flip flops with all the color and comfy, cushy rubber soledness that we likey to BUT reef flip flops also offer up "anatomical arch support" so your arches won't be sinking on your casual fridays or at the beach. LWS likes the uptown, a chic snakeskin pattern that transitions from beach to bar to whatever, all the while giving your feet the firm support they need to keep you from falling down (later). yayness!

the uptown by reef $22, women's sizes 5-11, available online through the official reef website http://shop.reef.com to view the complete reef line or check out what local retailers are sporting them near you.

summer skin saver

okay, longweekendstylers, it's hot outside.


like really hot.


in some locales, really, really, really hellfires hot.


and nothing bugs more than skin irritation in hot weather. so you gotta moisturize up or risk yyour skin looking like something is trying to escape from within you.. let us introduce you to NOW solutions 100% natural shea butter.



NOW solutions 100% shea butter comes housed in a big ol' 7 oz tub, is non-scented and melts like butter. it is an absolute skin saver in hot and the cold months ahead, if we ever experience cold weather again (thanks global warming). brought to our attention by a LWS operative who is currently knocked up in her almost-7th month, this stuff really does the trick from moisturizing cracked heels (it IS high flip-flop season and nothing, i mean nothing evokes that ewww-gross response more than seeing dry cracked heels everywhere you look), soothing sun parched lips, preventing stretch marks and just really, truly, deeply moisturizing the skin you're in. today. tomorrow. and on and on.



each 7 oz tub is packed with solid shea butter, which once scooped up, is easily warmed in the palms of your hands, creating a creamy, soft moisturizing deliciousness ready to be soaked up by the skin.



it's non-scented but that is easily remedied by adding a few drops of lavender then mixing the whole concoction with a popsicle stick. easy peasy.


NOW solutions 100% shea butter 7 oz tub is available at whole foods stores nationwide for the mighty moisturizing price of $10.29.


so stop scratchin' and get some.

cherry bomb

ok, so a HUGE fan of cherry kool-aid, cherry slurpees, cherry popsicles, cherry jell-o, and well, anything "cherry/red" flavor generally, i am not so much a fan of the actual cherry itself.

unless we're talking rainier cherries, which are the absolute cherry bomb of cherries.

rainier cherries are here and gone in the blink of an eye; they make their appearance 3rd or so week of june and are completely MIA by mid-to-end of july.

rainier cherries, known by their distinctive dual coloring of red and yellow, sometimes looking like a sunset over the beach when the 2 colors blend together in a seamless lusciousness. they are totally, superbly sweet, unlike the traditional bing cherry that is usually a tad bitter as well as THE cherry that comes to mind for most people. rainier cherries are like no other - creamy sweetness, plump juicy taste, and on the downside, more expensive than the bing, being that their window of opportunity is tiny-tiny. the rainier cherry is the cherry child of the again, traditional bing cherry and the van culitivar, making it's debut in 1952.

so get 'em while they're here LWS'ers, only a little while left before we're left wanting and waiting until next summer's crop of rainiers to hit stores.

hot. like. fire.

as we continue to ring in summer, this is currently what's on repeat in the LWS office these days: "hot like fire" by the XX.

"hot like fire" originally penned by missy elliot & timbaland for aaliyah, we cam across this amazing version by glish indie band the XX . it's a short one, clocking in at under 4 minutes, it hynotizes mind and body like a hot summer day with a softly plucky guitar and a deliciously breathy, lazy he said/she said back-and-forth about the virtues of holding out.

the XX's version of "hot like fire: is a bonus track from their xx album. let this set you afloat in the summer heatwave . . .

www.youtube.com/watch?v=88ZyJrSeI7A

argh mateys, it's argan oil

so, as of june 21st, summer has offically arrived. have you adjusted your moisturizing routine accordingly? are you looking for a moisturizer that is light, completely moisturizing AND all natural?

well, longweekendstylers, look no further because we've found your next go-to facial product.

josie maran argan oil ticks off all the boxes - fragrance free, 100% natural, organic, paraben, toxin AND petrochemical free, vegan plus it's also a cruelty free product, meaning no little animal cuties were used for product testing.

always wary of any skin product with the word "oil" in the name or even in the vicinity myself, being of oil slick-like skin variety, oils, or serums as they are typically refered to these days, have been formulated by scientists to literally sink into the skin upon application. ahhhh. making serums and oils more skin friendly, especially to those who have shunned oils/serums in the past.

hailing from morocco, where argan is organically grown, this vitamin E-rich oil is known for it's ability to treat a mulititude of skin ailments - from acne, eczema, psoriasis, and even the oft-dreaded stretch marks plus it can double as a cuticle softener and smooth split ends.

just a drop goes a long way to helping your skin into a better version of itself. josie has designed her product with a built in drop dispensing dropper. absolute perfection. the perfect dose each and every time. and because of it's light and supa dupa fast skin absorbing properties, josie maran argan oil can be used morning, noon and night. giving you beautifully supple, dewy yet not oily skin on demand.

$48 for a 1.7 fl oz/50ml dropper topped bottle that is completely recyclable as well as a travel size 15ml bottle for $14, josie maran products are available online through the product's official website, www.josiemarancosmetics.com. also sold at all brick and mortar sephora stores or online: www.sephora.com

bath time in the tropics

mistral's pamplemousse has to singlehandedly be the most authentic yellow grapefruit scent that is out there on the market.

this soap has always brought us to our knees in a grapefruit swoon and made us ask "is it time for a bath/shower? wait, did i even bath/shower today? perhaps not, so i better go now. and i'll be taking this bar of mistral pamplemousse soap with me!"

weighing in at a whopping 7 ounces/200 grams (not .7 ounces but let us repeat, SEVEN ounces. whew), this giant bar is scent-a-rrific with the likes of the aforementioned yellow grapefruit, red currants, white jasmine and freesia plus it's filled with the ultra skin moisturizing goodness of shea butter. each bar is handcrafted and triple milled in Provence, France. pamplemousse is tart, tangy bathing awesomeness in a bar.

also available as a hand soap, body lotion and body scrub. ahhhh. delicious bath heaven.

pamplemousse AKA grapefruit soap by mistral, $8 for a 7 ounce/200 grams bar. or shall we say chunk? available online, via http://www.mistralsoaps.com/ and specialty bath shops throughout the country - just punch in your zip code in their boutique locator to find a retailer near you.

cover your tracks

"cover your tracks" a dreamy, floaty, synth-y pop-esque song layered with jamaican steel drums and low thumping beats by montreal quartet, young galaxy.

from their hot-off-the-presses new album, shapeshifting, released this past february is full of complex, textured tracks that will make you swoon, but "cover your tracks" is the one that especially gets us here at longweekendstyle and has been repeatedly on repeat all week.

expertly and lithely produced by Dan Lissvik of duo Studio in Sweden, the band only heard the completed album some 9 months after Dan had initially received it and via the computer at that. technology has really changed the face of music production. the result is shapeshifting, young galaxy's music rethought and reshaped by Dan Lissvik and each track is absolutely, totally, completely, amazingingly ethereally beautiful and massively layered.

give your ears a present today and give "cover your tracks" a listen here:

www.youtube.com/watch?=MjoafRIMaRA

or treat yourself (because you know you want to!) and just buy the entire album, shapeshifting by young galaxy, available on iTunes or www.amazon.com. you can also check out their website, www.younggalaxy.com but be aware, it appears that several sections are still under construction but on the upside, you do get to listen to streaming young galaxy!

tokyo milk giftbox

one of the LWS staffers here recently had a birthday and her hubby got her a box full of tokyo milk yumminess in #12 gin and rosewater. and as promised, we snapped a few pics of the gorgeous tokyo milk giftbox for you to check out.

the giftbox was astoundingly beautiful - an undyed cardboard box adorned with international "stamps", waxed red cotton cord and a card with a cute trio of buttons featuring a roller skate, a crown and a sprig of cherries.

inside, nestled amongst wood shavings - a bottle of bon-bon shower gel, a bottle of perfume and a candle. all in that delicious #12 gin and rosewater from tokyo milk.

way to go Hubs and tokyo milk! the amazing and lovely presentation was half the fun of this gift!

jam on it - All Spice Cafe introduces JolokiBerry Jam

jam on it, jam on it, j-j-j-j-jam on it!

the folks over at All Spice Cafe have struck with another fiery hotness lightning bolt AGAIN - this time with a jam filled with the spicy goodness of the . . . "Ghost" Pepper.

the first jam on their roster of already stellar hot sauces, All Spice Cafe proudly and yummily introduces Jolokiberry Jam - a tantalizing just-right marriage of the strawberry with the famed Bhut Jolokia Pepper, AKA the "Ghost" Pepper. with a little balsamic vinegar thrown in to really get things going.

fresh, sweet strawberry jam goodness finishes with the heat of the "Ghost" Pepper and can be modified by adding more or less jam to whatever food item you happen to be loading up that particular moment.

the LWS staff tried english muffins with the All Spice Cafe JolokiBerry Jam and after experiencing the first bite, we could not get the toaster to toast our english muffins fast enough. so so unbelieveably good. with a pat of butter (we go all out here longweekendstylers, no margarine for these palates) and a not-too-heaping spoonful of JolokiBerry Jam spread evenly atop a freshly toasted muffin is sheer heaven. english muffins will never ever be the same in our opinion.

next, we made PB and J sammies substiting the usual Smuckers grape jelly with All Spice Cafe JolokiBerry Jam and made the tried-and-true lunchtime fav a spicy standout that is best paired with a tall, cold glass of milk. not for the faint-of-tastebuds but oh-so amazing! again, the hot factor can be modified to your personal hotness level by piling on more or less jam. or more peanut butter to combat the heat if you want to go that way.

so, we have secured puff pastry, some ricotta cheese and of course more All Spice Cafe JolokiBerry Jam for our next culinary experiment. we'll let you know how that one turns out and try to take pictures of the finished project before all efforts go into the bellies of the longweekendstyle staff.

All Spice Cafe JolokiBerry Jam is available online at the All Spice Cafe website: www.allspicecafe.com/pages/jolokiberry.html and is currently only available at a few, select locations in the los angeles area (1. surfa's chef's paradise and 2. the conservatory for coffee, tea and cocoa - both located in culver city, california). hopefully jam representation will hopefully expand once the hot, spicy populace gets a taste of the deliciousness that's in the jar and starts requesting it be on their local store's shelves.

$8.99 for a 8.5 oz jar of All Spice Cafe JolokiBerry Jam.

get some! your tastebuds will thank you. profusely.

ch-ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb! the lipgloss

athens, greece based beauty powerhouse, korres

boasts this credo: natural formulations. maximum results. and longweekendstyle likey this very very much.

korres, responsibly launched in 1996 has vowed NOT to use the following in any of their products:

- mineral oils

- silicone

- propylene glycol

- ethanolamines

- synthetics

which, as everyone knows the aforementioned ingredients are bad bad bad for not only the user but the planet as well.

korres continues to develop awesome beauty products with an eye towards environment friendly practices while providing a line that will make skin happy happy happy.

we are loving us some korres cherry oil lip gloss which drenches parched lips with all matter of moisture and gives the gloss it's staying power ooomph. jojoba oil further ups the hydration factor and vitamins C and E work their magic as lip repair agents and battle free radical damage. the cherry scent is cheery, cherry too but not overly so. the gloss imparts a very delectable shine to your kisser yet does not feel sticky, icky or heavy. plus it being made of all natural ingredients, it won't do you damage should you ingest it, which inevitably, happens with all lip products out there.

we love the #33 nude which sets the scene, bestowing you with very catherine-deneuve-belle-du-jour lips that beckon the XY of the species to come just a little closer, darling. #11, a light pink is supa dupa wearable for all skin tones and a perf color for everyday. #25 is named light purple but is really a darker shade of another great-for-all-skin-tones pink. for a little more "punch", try #27 plum - deep, dark and rich color abounds with a single swipe.

korres cherry oil lip gloss $17 for a .20 fl oz tube. available at retailers like sephora or check out the korres online shop: www.korresusa.com. 3 free samples with every order and free shipping with any order over $50 through the korres webshop.

pucker up buttercup!

wish you were here . . .

it appears that shower gels have eclipsed old school soaps in popularity among the bathing populace these days and the nectar agave body from thymes wash could very well be one of the reasons

that there has been a downturn in bar soap loyalty.

this delicious, wish-your-nose-could-live-in-here, agave nectar body wash from the thymes people transports you to a tropical paradise far, far away from the everyday humdrum doldrums.

the agave nectar body wash also lathers up quite nicely, providing luxuriously decadent bubbles when combined with those japanese mesh bath sponges or cloths, leaving behind the perfect trace of a scented island oasis on one's epidermis. thymes agave nectar is also non drying - very important when everyone's got the heater on full blast to keep the season's cold weather at bay.

and the thymes people have, in the eternal words of madness - the 80's british ska band, gone one step beyond and have an entire bounty of nectar agave products to fulfill every bathing need or scent emergency that may crop up - candles, room spray, hand lotion, kitchen soap and more.

so bring home the goodness, check out all the agave nectar offerings here: www.thymes.com/Collection.aspx?nodeid=67177

music to make love to you old lady (or old man, your choice) by

first new music mix of the new year and we're targeting valentine's day a little early this year.

and to make sure you and yours are in the appropriate, optimal "gettin' it" mood, may we offer up our latest playlist on 8tracks: "music to make love to your old lady by"

with mood enhancing music by lovage, faithless, catherine wheel, art of noise and lamb will help set those black satin sheets on fire with a hot,lusty passion that's never been witnessed, or repeated, ever again.

www.8tracks.com/longweekendstyle/longweekendstyle-music-to-make-love-to-your-old-lady-by

so dim all the lights, draw the shades, light a few candles and get ready to make love to your favorite person in the world.

i say, let me clear my throat. again

so everyone and their mother has been taxed with the season's various cold and flu offerings, leaving behind that awesome, hard-to-miss, even-harder-to-hide lingering cough.

like that unwanted guest who has worn out their welcome, lingering coughs stick around and generally make a nuisance of themselves at every opportunity. you are ready to resume your life, already in progress but this cough-up-both-your-lungs cough is telling one and all that you, my friend are still in the throes of illness and need to be avoided at all costs.

sigh.

enter delsym. a deadly cough silencer. that works for 12 hours. but is does just that - puts a stop to that hacking, hanging on cough. so that you can get on with life, sans awful cough. and friends and co-workers will no longer feel as if you are the harbinger of the black death.

available at drugstores and grocery stores across the country. delsym - demand it, buy it and put an end to that cough!

got milk?

got milk?



not the good-for-you stuff from cows longweekendstylers, but the sprayable goodness in a bottle from fantastic perfume purveyor, toyko milk.



cannot. stop. spraying tokyo milk's gin & rosewater 12. like every hour on the hour, day after day for weeks on end now. this has been my sole sensory obsession.




in an almost-too-perfect-it's-heartbreaking simple rectangular bottle with a not quite apothecary-esque-but-better printed brown label, tokyo milk's gin & rosewater 12 is an addicting concoction of citrus zest, rosewood, mimosa and mandarin along with the aforementioned gin and rosewater.


not really a "rose" nose myself, there is something absolutely fresh in a cucumber kinda way that makes the rose note in this blend new and therefore palatable to me. i literally cannot stop spraying it on my wrists despite the fact that gin & rosewater doesn't fade away but merely melts into your skin, leaving a soft, clean, rose mixed with citrus behind. i just want to keep smelling it anew. all day long.


tokyo milk's song in D minor 13 (recalling a lush hawaiian jungle full of exotic gardena) and paper & cotton 17 (smelling EXACTLY of those 2 ingredients, so sublimely delish) as well as the aptly named cherry bomb 5 and let them eat cake 11 also come up on the scent radar, should you be looking for something to rock your senses.


available online at www.apothica.com, check out the full range of tokyo milk products including lip balm, solid perfume and soap. yummer.

just because

we're in a music mood, what can we say?

so here's "just because", just because, well, we like you.

and we so hope you'll like this, reverberating with the sounds of mock & toof, glasser, gorillaz and mellow . . .

www.8tracks.com/longweekendstyle/longweekendstyle-just-because

not sure i'll be with you forever

apologies of epic proportions to all of you faithful longweekendstylers out there. we kinda fell off the face of the earth & left you hanging. not cool. but it's a new year, we resolve not to let you down again.

with that said and out of the way, may we present our latest music mix on 8tracks, entitled "not sure i'll be with you forever" featuring fantastic tracks from coyote clean up, houses, and our in-office favorite, washed out featuring caroline polachek.

www.8tracks.com/longweekendstyle/longweekendstyle-not-sure-i-ll-be-with-you-forever

happy new year!

happy happy 2011 to all you longweekendstylers!

may your year be blessed with health, happiness, family, wealth and style.

we look forward to keeping you in the loop.