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