This is the post for all those smaller gifts you need to purchase and sometimes spend way too much time thinking over.  All these recipients are just happy to be thought of.  They know you love them so don’t stress.  Here are our stress free gifts:

Hostess Gifts:

There are so many times you need to reach and grab something to give during the month of Dec.  Stock up and be prepared.  Don’t worry about individualizing these gifts!

1) Buy a case of your favorite red or white in a comfortable price range.  You’ll get a case discount and have 12 bottles ready to give.  Tie on a bow and go.  I know it’s not particularly interesting, but it’s always appreciated and always used.  Just buy the case upfront so you’re not scrambling last minute.  Elizabeth’s favorite bottle of red wine is Plungerhead Zin at about $15 a bottle with a 98 Robert Parker rating!  Liza’s favorite $10.99 bottle of white wine is: Raimat Vina 24 from the coast of Spain, with a 90 Robert Parker Rating.  Liza thought she didn’t like white wine, but this one has convinced her otherwise.  See comments below for great deals at The Wine Chap.

Plungerhead Zinfandel 2007

Raimat Vina 24 2008

2)The long sturdy match sticks are my favorite.  They are cheapest at Manor and a la Maison at just $3.50 per box.  Take two and wrap some fake berry garland around it, slip your calling card on top and voila! Don’t be fooled by the picture, this box is just over 4 inches long x 2 inches wide.  Who knew luxury could come in the form of a match?

3)Handmade snowman ornament by StyleBlueprint favorite Jason Parker Counce; available at Digs $14 and $24.

4)Specialty salts: a la Maison, Ashblue, Whole Foods.  A friend gave me some Vignalta salt, from Italy, earlier this year as a Hostess gift and I think of her with fondess whenever I use it, which is about everyday!  For the Vignalta salt, click here.

5)Granola Barks. At just $4.99, the dog lover host will be so appreciative that you thought of their four legged family member(s).  Plus, this won’t add an ounce of fat to a friends thighs…and they are a healthy treat for dogs made by local company Two Good Dogs.  We love local.  Available at Fido, The Green Wagon and Caldwell Collection.  See comments below for how to order a sample FOR FREE.

Girlfriends Top 5:

1) DVD- The Philadelphia Story.  How long has it been since you have seen Philadelphia Story?  It’s just about the best movie ever made….and it’s great to watch with girlfriends.

2) Blackberry Farm Cookbook: I can’t figure out if the pictures are the best part or the recipes.  I guess that’s just like Blackberry Farm: is the food the best part or the warmth that envelopes you while there?  Available at Davis Kidd $60.

3)Lip gloss- if you hadn’t noticed, almost all of us LOVE lip gloss and are hugely happy anytime someone gives us some.  Trish Mcevoy, Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier and Lip Fusion are my favorites, but there are tons of great ones out there.  You can hit Sephora at The Mall at Green Hills or at the new Kiosk at the Galleria.  Also, hit local stores Woo Skincare & Cosmetics, Private Edition, or The Cosmetic Market.

4) Be Green Not Mean Bag: With the theory that you can never have too many bags, this one is particularly great.  Available at Caldwell Collection $28

5)Your favorite book. What was your favorite book you read this past year?  Liza’s was Love Walked In by Maria De Los Santos.  Elizabeth’s was  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shafer and Annie Barrows (don’t let the title scare you off; it’s an amazing book)  Who doesn’t love to read a good book with a nice inscription from a dear friend?

Teachers:

We completely endorse gift certificates for teachers.  We polled many; all came back practically the same.  Here are our top 5.

• Starbucks
• tickets for two to the movies
• Cheekwood pass for the year
• pedicure
• The Parent-Teacher Store

I’m so excited as this post contains our first VOTE.  Yep, you get to vote- as in click the circle to vote- on which of these Top 10 nail colors is your favorite!

Anyhow….

Labor Day has come and gone.  I know I’m supposed to put up my flip flops, but I just can’t manage to do that….yet. But, to make it more palatable, I did just get a pedicure with a favorite fall color: Lincoln Park After Dark.  A change of nail color can quickly change your mood and add that touch of seasonal color you want.  A little tip for you as you take off for the salon: if you want to explore the matte nail polishes that are being offered, be sure to use a base coat, even though OPI does not recommend it.  With no base coat, your nails will be chipping within 24-36 hours. What do I think about the matte colors?  I think they look a bit like you took a sharpie to your nails, but the Russian Navy Matte (see colors below) has my interest peaked.

OPI, the nail salon favorite brand in polish, has a bunch of great Fall colors to choose from.  I have picked my top 10 for you. Nail salons won’t always carry the colors you want, but remember that you CAN show up with your own, and that way make your manicure/pedicure last longer with DIY touch-ups.  Now, I want you to vote on your favorite one (see survey at end under the picture of my toes!).

Not to lean your vote one way or another, but the first three listed are Escape Salon’s favorite 3 for Fall.  Escape will pamper your legs and feet when you want more than the offerings of ubiquitous factory-line nail salons available in today’s strip mall.  (not that I don’t visit said salons quite often….) It’s located at the HWY 70/100 split and is fabulous. Now, time to look and VOTE!

Here we go: StyleBlueprint’s top 10 nail colors for Fall 2009:

The Lincoln Park After Dark. Fall 2005 Collection. As I mentioned, this is what I chose today. It's a great color.

Bogata Blackberry. Part of OPI classics collection, discontinued but still available at most Nashville salons and online. A great happy choice in a sea of earth tones.

Russian Navy. This is the matte Fall 2009 version and this is the matte I want to try out this Fall. The regular version (Fall 2007 Russian Collection) of Russian Navy is far more shimmery, but a pretty Navy none the less.

Ginger Bells- from the Holiday 2009 collection, so I'm not sure it is actually in the Salons yet. But, what a GREAT pumpkin color.

You Don't Know Jacques. Fall 2008. This may not seem quite as glamorous as the others, but believe me: this is an AWESOME color. Kinda taupe meets grey meets mouse brown. Highly versatile.

Can You Tapas This? Fall 2009. This brown shade actually has lots of red in it. This may very well be my fave red for Fall.

Barefoot in Barcelona. Fall 2009. A great neutral with a bit of paprika thrown in.

Here Today...Aragon Tomorrow. Fall 2009. Now, I'm not much of a green polish kind of girl. But, I can't help but be drawn to this polish. I couldn't find it at the salon today, but I might buy some of this as well.

Paploma Purple. Fall 2009. This is just a fun color when you are feeling whimsical but don't want to go TOO out there!

Boris and Natasha. Fall 2007 Russian Collection. A perfect raisin color.

So, if you want to know EVEN more about polish (I mean who knew there was so much to know?), three of these colors- Lincoln Park After Dark, Russian Navy and You Don’t Know Jacques create half of the 6 colors chosen to make a “suede” look by OPI.  To see this variation, click on this page.

Www.scrangie.com is a fun blog dedicated to nail polish.  I have no idea how she has time to polish her nails this many times…but it sure is fun to see the color on her nails!  I judged many of these colors based on her pictures.

• To see what Can You Tapas This?, Barefoot in Barcelona, Pamplona Purple and Here Today…Aragon Tomorrow look like on your nails, click here.
• To see what Russian Navy & Boris and Natasha look like on your nails, click here and here from the NailGal blog
• To see what You Don’t Know Jacques looks like, click here.
• No word on Ginger Bells…but be on the look out as I love that color.
• I can’t find Botaga Blackberry to show you, but Escape Salon says it’s da bomb and I believe them!
• OPI colors are available locally at the Cosmetic Market.

I hope you can get your Fall groove on by way of a pedicure soon! -Liza

On a whim, feeling like I wanted to slap this great disruption of an economy in the face, I bought a product duo from EKOH. I found out later that they are based here in Nashville.  Well, I have to say that so many times I find something that looks thoroughly impressive online and it just plain stinks in reality.  This product is the polar opposite of that.  It is an amazing product with an amazingly bad website.  Good thing I saw it next to the cash register at Cosmetic Market, because I love it.  The pre-party mask is an antioxidant delight filled with pomegranate, green tea, olives and oranges.  You are supposed to leave it on for 3 minutes. I like to leave it on for 15.  Next, dampen and exfoliate with it as you rinse.  My face looks better.  My face feels better.  This is worth it.

Now- the skin retreat. The verdict is still out. I like it.  It smells good (meaning there is not much smell to it!) and it feels good.  I’m just really picky about my moisturizer.  This one doesn’t soak in as well as others.  But, when you use it sparingly, or just at night, it’s nice.  I prefer a daytime moisturizer that has sunscreen in it as I’m always rushing to get out the door.  Any step saved is golden.

EKOH’s tag line is “body friendly products for today’s conscious consumer”  I’m very glad they are body friendly as body hateful skincare is a no-no.  But, conscious of what? I tried to find out, but the “about” button (like most on the website) doesn’t work.  So, I’ll gander they are targeting customers conscious of the environment.  I mean, what cosmetic company isn’t these days?  And at $35 a jar of pre-party prep, and $40 for the skin retreat, it’s not for the fiscally conscious consumer.  But, as a splurge goes, I really like it and my crows feet seem to fade away after using it.  I think that’s worth $35 a jar every now and then!

Happy party-prepping.

P.S.  I just found that EKOH has changed their tag line on the Cosmetic Market website. They have added two words right at the beginning “Eco and” to “body friendly products for today’s conscious consumer”  Cosmetic Market has it listed at organic as well. Both products do have a few organic ingredients…and those ARE listed on the website!  ekohcosmetics