Somewhere along the line, I became a salad dressing snob. This pretty much rules out my chances of ever being a gangster, because according to some people, gangsters don't have favorite kinds of salad dressing. I'm not sure when I became the snob that I am, but I'm convinced there are few things in life more pretentious than being snobby about your salad dressing. Truly, it's obnoxious. To be completely honest, if I had to choose favorites, nothing beats good old olive oil and balsamic vinegar in my book. But since variety is the spice of life, the bevy of salad dressing options made available to us provide ample opportunity to liven up the average salad (and increase the caloric content).

I'm a huge fan of the Brianna's brand of all natural salad dressings. They don't claim to be organic, but they claim to be keep out a lot of the additives and preservatives common to many other dressings. When it comes to a lot of the more mainstream brands of salad dressing like Kraft, two thorough readings of the label leave me in wonder about if it's even real food. Much as I love me some traditional "Hidden Valley Ranch", I usually stay far away from the stuff.

When it comes to Brianna's brand though, I can't get enough. Their dressings are just fabulous. With names like Asiago Ceasar, Dijon Honey Mustard, and Ginger Mandarin it's hard to go wrong with any of their 12 choices of dressings. Right now I'm absolutely obsessed with the "Real French Vinaigrette," which has a tangy taste and is your traditional tart vinegarette (great on steamed artichokes), and their "Blush Wine Vinaigrette," which is more sweet and better suited to salads like Pear Gorgonzola, or anything with strawberries, dried cranberries, etc.

Yes I really did post about a brand of salad dressing. You will soon find out, I love to love food...even salad dressing. Deal. Now run, don't walk to your nearest grocery store and grab yourself a bottle.

Posted in Good Eats , My Favorite Things , Raves | Permanent Link | Comments { 628 }

 

Sometime in my mid-twenties I developed an allergy to a M.A.C. cosmetics which used to be my favorite makeup line. I haven't yet figured out what the culprit ingredient is, but I suspect it's animal byproducts or some other chemical. In any case, the last few years have been fun as I've experimented with different brands. I've long been a fan of the Bare Escentuals line for its all-natural, chemical free products. I happened upon a gem this past weekend at Sephora and I've been evangelizing the product ever since: Buxom Big Lip Polish. If you can make it past the bodacious babe on the packaging, inside you will find a gem of a product.

Buxom Lip Polish delivers on its promise of fuller looking and feeling lips. It comes in a variety of colors from sheers, tints, to full on colors. What I love about this lip gloss is that it's not incredibly sticky or gooey like so many lip glosses but it also stays on. But my favorite benefit from this lip gloss by far is the tingly feeling it leaves on your lips. My husband kissed me once when I was wearing it and a few seconds later he asked, "Is it bad that my lips are tingling?"

At $18 it's around the same price range of Bobbi Brown, Nars, and other cosmetic lines. The plus though is that you get a lot more for your money. I go through Bobbi Brown lip glosses in a matter of a few months. This will last you a four months at least.

Posted in Cosmetics , Raves | Permanent Link | Comments { 3 }