An American in Paris

Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to Broadway in Detroit’s An American in Paris. All opinions expressed are my own.

Ladies, may I introduce you to my new friend, Gene Kelly:

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I was thrilled to be invited to Broadway in Detroit’s presentation of An American in Paris this week. I had never seen the movie before but pretty much love everything Parisian. To get prepared for the show, I decided to watch the movie and was pleasantly surprised. First of all, HELLO GENE KELLY! Who knew he was so dreamy?

The movie reminded me a little bit of LaLa Land and surprisingly Cocktail, but since those all came after the original movie they may have taken their cues from my new friend Gene. Without knowing anything about the premise, I ended up knowing a lot of the songs. After seeing the movie I couldn’t wait to see the musical version so I invited my friend Carolyn out for a Parisian themed night on the town.

I wanted to find a French restaurant in Detroit and another friend recommended Cuisine. I had never heard of it (which is surprising since it’s been around for a long time) but was excited to make a reservation.

We went full on French and tried the duck leg confit and roasted breast with foie gras. If you know me, a lifelong picky eater, this was out of my comfort zone, but I liked it and am glad I tried it.

The staff was awesome and had us out of there quickly so we could head over to the Detroit Opera House for the show. Of course, I had to partake in some bubbly as we headed into the theatre. An American in Paris was inspired by the Academy-Award winning film and tells the romantic story about an American soldier, a mysterious French girl and an indomitable European city, each yearning for a new beginning in the aftermath of World War II.

By the time we got to the show, I had been singing the songs all day, from “I’ve Got Rhythm” to “‘S Marvelous” I was in the perfect mood to see this. I thought the musical was so well done! They explained a lot more of the storyline in more detail than they did in the movie version. It definitely helped to set the scene for what was happening in that time period and why it was significant to the story. People didn’t really need that backstory for the movie because the audience was living it. The dancing and the talent in the show was stunning. It made me want to get up and dance.

You can see the show in Detroit at the Detroit Opera House through December 10. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 1-800-982-2787 and online at Broadway in Detroit or Ticketmaster. tickets will also be available for purchase at the Detroit Opera House and Fisher Theatre box offices. The performance times include:

  • Tuesday through Saturday evening performances at 8 p.m.
  • Sunday evening performances at 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
  • Special open captioned performance on Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m.

I highly recommend grabbing your bestie and taking her out for a French themed night on the town. Detroit was the first stop on the North American Tour so if you’re not local take a look at the official website to see if it’s coming to your area. You can see a little preview of this show below:

Broadway in Detroit has a fabulous line up this year with shows like The Bodyguard, Les Miserables and Cinderella coming to town this year. I can’t wait! If you’ve seen An American in Paris, I would love to know what your favorite song is or your favorite part of the movie.

For more posts about the local Detroit scene, click here.




Just Drink It with the Hidrate Spark

One of my long-term goals has been to drink more water. If you need more reasons why you should drink a gallon of water every day, here are some of the most beautiful celebrities in the world espousing the benefits.

I’ve tried a number of apps, like Plant Nanny (which I talked about here) and bought fun water bottles but nothing was really getting me to drink more water. When I started doing my Miracle Morning, I added a water-drinking affirmation “I will drink a gallon of water every day.” This has been hard for me to stick to. I started chugging water at certain points in the day if I hadn’t hit my hourly goals.

Back in December 2016, I started seeing ads for the Hidrate Spark, a smart water bottle and I saved the ad on Facebook to go back to later. When I added the goal to my Miracle Morning, I remembered the bottle and decided to try it for myself.

The Hidrate Spark was created in 2014 by a group of U of M students for the Google Startup weekend in Minnesota. They built this bottle in just 54 hours! That is amazing! About a year later, they were able to launch their business. Go Blue baby! After reading that, how could I resist springing for my own bottle? I settled on the teal color and waited for it to arrive.

The first day I had the bottle, I hit my water goals no problem. It was so fun! After the novelty wore off, I went back to my average daily amount and had to work up to hitting my goal. That’s where the Hidrate Spark really shows its value. You can set the bottle to light up when you are behind on your water goals with a variety of settings. It is pretty funny to be in a meeting and your water bottle starts blinking. I’ve received so many funny looks about this bottle at work. The second part and my favorite, is that the bottle texts me with all sorts of funny things to remind me to drink up. Here are some samples from the past few days:

The bottle is powered by two coin sized batteries that you can get at the drugstore. The company gives you an extra set to start with. I also loved that the Hidrate Spark connects with my Fitbit app so you can keep everything in one place. Another cool feature, is that the water intake goal changes based on your weight and the temperature. So if it’s hotter outside your goal will increase.

This app has the capability for you to compete with friends too. Unfortunately, I don’t have any friends with the Hidrate Spark yet so let me know if you get one and we can be friends!

After about 3 or 4 months after getting my first bottle, Hidrate Spark came out with a limited edition blue bottle and I couldn’t resist getting it. I figured it would be nice to have a second bottle so I could wash one and use the other and then swap them out. You can put the bottle and the top in the dishwasher, you just have to take off the sensor stick. I usually remove the little tie on the back too. They bring back this blue color every so often, so if you want to get that one, just sign up for their emails to be notified when it comes back.

On a side note, this is not a sponsored post, I purchased both of these bottles myself and love them. A few months ago I dropped my teal bottle one too many times and my cap broke and wouldn’t snap shut. I contacted the company about a replacement cap (which I would have purchased) and they asked me a few questions and ended up sending me the replacement for free! Talk about great customer service.

If you’re looking to increase your water intake or for a great gift idea for that health conscious person in your life, I highly recommend the Hidrate Spark. Let me know if you have any questions about the bottle and I would love to answer them.

For more Be the Best You posts, click here.




November Pinspired: Peplum Party

I was perusing Pinterest for some fun looks to recreate and stumbled across this peplum look paired with jeans. I always have such a hard time figuring out what to wear for family parties and events or running out to meet the girls for lunch or dinner and just rotate the same few outfits. The problem is when everyone takes pictures and I am wearing the same outfit again…whoops. So I loved this look and thought it would be perfect for the weekend. You can find the original pin here.

For the top, I found two great options. The first is the CeCe Cold-Shoulder Peplum Top ($59). The color is a little different, but I liked the cold-shoulder take on this.

I also liked this IMNYC Isaac Mizrahi Boat Neck Asymmetric Peplum Top ($69). I have a peplum dress from Isaac Mizrahi and love it so I hope this shirt is just as nice. The asymmetrical cut is fun.

I liked these Mid-Rise Easy Jeggings from the Gap ($54):

These Greene Foldover Boots ($85) have a little heel and some character:

I thought this Charlize Statement Necklace ($30) was gorgeous and a great replica of the Pinterest photo:

For the red top, I thought this Davina Filigree necklace ($15) might be a little more neutral:

Where would you wear this look?

For more Pinspired looks, click here.




A Bad Moms Christmas

On Monday, I was invited to attend the A Bad Moms Christmas screening and it was amazing. I decided to invite one of my favorite mom friends, Christena, to a night out for the screening.

This was the day before Halloween, so I wasn’t exactly ready for Santa yet, but I figured I may as well get a jump start on my holiday photo with the big guy:

Since it was Girls Night Out, we of course had to get drinks and Emagine was promoting Imagery’s Cabernet Sauvignon which was a great deep red.

We had a blast at the movie and I would love to see it again! One caveat is that it is very Christmasy so if you aren’t ready for all of that holiday cheer you may want to wait a few weeks to get in the spirit. On the other hand I will just plan to see it again, haha!

I love Christine Baranski from The Good Wife and The Good Fight and I could totally relate to her character and wanting everything to be perfect for the holidays. I will definitely say that Kathryn Hahn, who plays Carla, is my spirit animal – I am always trying to find the fun. Without further adieu, here is the trailer:

 

If you’ve seen it, what was your favorite part? Mine may have been the Taking Back Christmas rallying cry – that is totally something I would do. If there is a Bad Moms 3 in the works I would definitely see it – this was exactly the kind of movie fun with my girlfriends that I love.

I am excited to announce that I have a fun Bad Moms prize pack to give away to one lucky reader. It includes two Bad Moms wine glasses and the official Bad Moms wine lock to keep those kiddos out of your stash. Enter below and let me know your favorite Bad Mom:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cheers to all the Bad Moms out there this holiday season!

For more movie reviews, click here.




7 Fall Beauty Products to Find at Meijer

Disclosure: I received sample products and a gift card from Meijer in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

It’s been a little crazy in my world with the early birth of my niece (that’s a whole post in itself) and a busy fall schedule, so I have to admit that my beauty routine has fallen by the wayside. My goal is to get things back under control and get back on my routine so I was pumped when Meijer decided to send me a box full of beauty goodies to do just that (it’s one of the best days coming home to three boxes on your porch). I’ve been testing things out and will share my top seven fall beauty products that you can pick up during your next grocery outing (I’m all about killing two birds with one stone these days…efficiency).

Read through to the end for a fun fall beauty giveaway!

1. Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Lip Treatment

Fall is here, which means lots of outdoor activities like tailgating, hayrides, apple orchards and corn mazes. Let’s prevent those chapped lips this year by hydrating them every night whether they need it or not. This special treatment can be used by itself or to prime before applying color.

2. It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product

I’m a HUGE fan of this stuff and use it daily as my detangler and leave-in conditioner. It contains Panthenol: a strengthener, sunflower seed extract which is a natural sunscreen and protects against color fading, green tea leaf extract which protects hair from environmental damage, silk amino acids to restore moisture balance and citric acid as an antioxidant. A few tips for using this product: make sure to use a wide-tooth comb after you spray it through your hair and I find that a lot of the product clumps in the bottom so when I get to the end I just put a little water in it and shake it up so I can finish out the bottle.

3. Gillette Venus Swirl Razor

What I’m about to say might be foreign to some of you – I shave my legs every day. Yes, it’s true. I can’t stand to go a day without doing it – it sort of grosses me out. This way I’m always prepared for any eventuality and I can wear whatever I want whenever I want. Another thing to think about is when you shave, you are exfoliating; so I hope that helps my legs look fantastic for many years to come. I like this razor because its FLEXIBALL design and 5 adjusting Contour blades help me with my underarm curves and around my knees.

4. Herbal Essences White Grapefruit & Mosa Mint Collection

I loved the scent of fresh squeezed citrus, clean mint, and velvety peach in this line from Herbal Essences. It promises to bring your hair back to life in just 21 days. I haven’t hit 21 yet, but I like that it gives your hair body and contains zero parabens. This is a great choice for people with thin, fine hair like mine. I also got blasted at the hair dresser recently for using my round brush again so I need to work on the volume part without damaging what little hair I do have.

5. Jergens Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer

So I mentioned shaving my legs everyday and as soon as I get out of the shower and towel off, I lotion up. It’s important to moisturize while your pores are still open from your shower and lock in that moisture for the day. I love lotion that comes with a pump and this one contains a unique illuminating HYDRALUCENCE blend and Vitamins C, E, and B5 to keep your skin looking fabulous.

6. Big Sexy Hair Root Pump Plus

I must confess…I am a volume addict and mousse is my drug of choice. This is one of my favorites when you need va-va-voom volume. This is made for people with thick, coarse hair, so I only need to use a teeny, tiny amount on my thin, fine hair to get results.

7. Fall Scents

I LOVE perfume commercials. You can never have enough. Sometimes you need different scents for different moods, events and people. Meijer sent me two fun perfumes to try.

The first is a new twist on a classic – Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds Night. Elizabeths have to stick together and if I can take any pages out of her book I will consider myself a success. This scent was created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the launch of the White Diamonds scent. This is different than the traditional White Diamonds and is more crisp and sensual than the regular version. It opens with sparkling mandarin and bergamot on the top, the middle notes include night blooming jasmine and it ends with velvet musk and creamy sandalwood. In honor of Elizabeth here is a little throwback for you:

The second is Juicy Couture’s Hollywood Royal scent. The bottle is inspired by Hollywood Boulevard and has notes of candied apple, jasmine and gardenia. It finishes with marshmallow and vanilla. This one is just fun for a night out with the girls.

Now for the big finale – I am giving away a Remington T Studio Flat Iron to one lucky reader! This flat iron uses professional grade advanced ceramic plates infused with real silk proteins for a silky smooth salon finish. Just enter below and I will announce the winner on October 29th!

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What fall beauty products have you spotted at Meijer?

For more Meijer posts, click here.



Fall 2017 Favorites

It’s fall y’all! The weather has started to cool down here in Michigan and I’m finally ready to break out some fall stuff. Goodbye summer maxi dresses – hello leggings!

Faux Fur Vest ($180)

I’m pretty sure I have something similar on my list every year but I haven’t bit the bullet yet and ordered it. I just keep thinking about how soft and cozy this would be – I need to get on it this year.

OPI Less is Norse ($10.50)

I’m a little obsessed with OPI’s collection releases and I love the video for the new Icelandic Collection. I’m going with Less is Norse for my fall favorite, but I do like Turn On The Northern Lights and Reykjavik Has All The Hot Spots too.

Twist Front Cozy Fleece Pullover ($49)

I’m sort of in love with the cut of this top and by how many color options are available. Just having “cozy” in the name screams fall.

Petite Herkimer Quartz Necklace ($74)

Salame Jewelry Designs are my favorite and this little stunner just came up in my feed the other day. I love how dainty it is. According to the description “Quartz in its natural raw form is perfect for keeping positive energy flowing.”

Flare Sleeve Sheath Dress ($139)

This reminded me of this old Pinspired post – it would be the perfect dress to mix and match with. It would also be a great dress to pair with my red pumps (which are on sale btw).

Lash Split Shaft Bootie ($159.95)

I’m missing some cute booties from my wardrobe and these ones from Kristin Cavallari are darling! A good reason to use those Nordstrom Notes!

Zella Live-In High Waist Leggings ($65)

I’ve found the answer to my leather leggings problem. Not that you even knew I had a problem, but I just can’t pull off the leather leggings look. Plus I’m mostly afraid of getting into a Ross’ leather pants situation a la Friends. So these Zella leggings in Black Laminate are the perfect solution. They have a cool sheen/glimmer to them that would be perfect for a night out without the embarrassing baby powder/lotion situation (if you haven’t seen this episode watch it immediately).

Mini Tassel Earrings ($34.50)

These are super duper cute! Tassels are just fun.

Water Resistant Trench Cape ($168)

I could have used this all last week – this is so chic I can’t even stand it! Very Olivia Pope…

Cinnamon Pretzel Twist Candle ($22.50)

OMG! This is the holy grail of candles – It smells like a Cinnabon store.

Merino Blend 2-in-1 Sweater ($98)

This looks super cozy. I like that it is a cowl style, but not low cut where my girls are hanging out.

Michael Kors Lena Large Shoulder Bag ($178.80)

I love this aubergine color or as they call it here “damson.” I really need more of a hobo bag to haul all my stuff around.

Relaxed Cross-Strap Tunic for Women ($18)

Speaking of that color – it is hot for fall and I love it on this tunic from Old Navy. You can’t beat the price and you can wear it with leggings!

Hunter Over-the-Knee Lace Up Boot ($53.40)

Avenue is pretty much my favorite place to buy boots. Great prices and they work on my wide calf every time! These are so different than anything else I’ve seen out there and I love them!

Splendid Dirt – Nutrient Mud Mask with Organic Pumpkin Puree ($23)

Oprah is a big fan of the FarmHouse Fresh Brands and I love their Whoopie Pie Lotion. I’m a huge fan of any mask that “will seriously de-gunk and help purify even the most congested skin.”

What are your favorites for fall?

You can stock up on all my previous fall favorites for 201620152014, and 2013 if you want to take a look back.



Wolverines in Texas – Vacation Recap

Over Labor Day weekend, John and I traveled to the great state of Texas to see our Michigan Wolverines take on the Florida Gators in the Advocare Classic. A number of friends came along to cheer on Michigan and we had such a blast so I thought I would share some of the fun highlights.

Our first stop on Friday was a trip to Delaney Vineyards in Grapevine, Texas.

I was surprised to find a winery in Texas because it is so hot, but apparently they have a few regions that mimic the California coast and actually produce some fantastic grapes. They had a nice facility and have been around for more than 20 years. They have a few of the vines onsite and you can walk through them and taste some grapes right off the vine. My friend Chandra (who recently joined us for a guest post) was also on the trip:

After our tasting we were able to purchase bottles and sit outside which was a fun afternoon activity. Safe to say we thoroughly tried a nice selection…

Saturday was game day and we decided to purchase tickets to the official alumni tailgate which turned out to be a great idea mostly because of the air conditioning. It also included food and drink and they had a fun lineup of former players and music to keep it exciting.

The game was so exciting and we won making the whole experience even better. AT&T Stadium is huge!

On Sunday we visited the historic Fort Worth Stockyards.

We did some shopping and were right on time to see the cattle drive.

Of course I found a winery for us to stop in at. Cowtown Winery was the perfect refresher on a HOT day.

We stopped by Cooper’s Old-Time BBQ for all the meats before we hit the rodeo. Make sure to bring your appetite. The Stockyards Rodeo was the main attraction. There were barrel races and all kinds of tricks. At the end they had bull riders and one of them almost got trampled! We thought he broke his ankle, but his boot had just come off. It was intense!

I really needed to invest in a cowboy hat to protect me from that Texas sun. I am not built for that kind of heat! We had a fantastic time in Texas and I wish we could have spent more time exploring. Who knows maybe Michigan will play there again soon.

What are your favorite spots in the Dallas/Fort Worth area?

For more Travel recaps, click here.



That Skin Tho……How To Get The Glow – Part 1

As you may have noticed from this blog and my social media channels, I have some fantastic girlfriends in my life, all thanks to my experience with Phi Sigma Sigma. Many of my post ideas and topics come from chats with my friends and my sincerest hope for my blog is that it feels like a fun conversation (maybe with a glass of wine) with your girls. Well today I have a special treat for you. My friend Chandra has gone through a complete holistic transformation and has been my health and beauty guru. Some of her tips and tricks are working wonderfully for me and I thought it was high time to share them with you. So I’ve asked Chandra to contribute a post today and hopefully many more in the future.

Chandra, Me and our mutual bestie, Jen at last week’s Michigan Alumni Tailgate in Texas.

Without further adieu, welcome to the blog Chandra!

 

Hey everyone!

I’m really excited to join Detroit Duchess in her blogging adventures! I want to tell you about my experience of getting glowing radiant skin. It happened accidentally but the results have been amazing!

I had some health issues earlier this year and as result I started on a quest for more holistic / natural life and started changing everything in my diet, in my exercise plan, in my stress levels, etc. I’ll be telling you more about that in the future but for now, let’s focus on the surprise result I got which is radiant glowing skin. Now before I tell you my secrets, I must confess that I do have some fantastic products and skin routines that I follow which I will tell you about in Part 2 next week.

Ready to learn how to get the glow???? Here’s a day in the life for me!

I start my day with ½ of fresh squeezed organic lemon juice added to 1 cup room temp filtered water. You can add a pinch of cayenne pepper for added boost. I take the weekends off from making this as I find that too much lemon will hurt my teeth so doing this 4 – 5 days a week keeps that from happening. I’ll be honest this doesn’t taste the greatest so I take almost like a shot. Bottoms up!

Next up is coffee!!! I make my morning coffee using organic medium roast coffee and when I am at home, I throw it in the blender with 1 tsp of coconut oil and 1 scoop of Great Lakes Collagen Hydrolysate. The results are a frothy latte like coffee with amazing skin boosting powers and no artificial ingredients or chemicals. As a bonus, you get a healthy dose of protein from the collagen. Trade in your sugary coffee drinks for this protein packed coffee and watch your skin glow! When I travel, I skip the coconut oil (no blender) and use Collagen Peptides travel pack from Vital Proteins.

Let’s talk about collagen in case you are not familiar with it. Collagen reduces cellulite and adds elasticity back to your skin. It also is healing for your stomach and joints and strengthens your hair and nails. In my mind, it’s a MUST HAVE addition into your daily routine! The brands I mentioned above do not have any flavor or smell so you can add it to your tea, soup, oatmeal, whatever and reap the benefits. Your skin will thank you every day!

I end my day with an after dinner drink of 6 oz of bone broth. Okay, you may be going EWWWWWW right now but trust me it’s not bad at all. It has amino acids, collagen and minerals in it. Like the collagen powder, it is great for your skin and has been touted as creating youthful looking skin. Bone broth has many other health benefits. It too provides a protein boost to keep you feeling full. I have it after dinner and it keeps the late night cravings away.

This is something you can make on your own (there are plenty of recipes online) or buy. I LOVE Kettle and Fire Bone Broth! If you order from their website kettleandfire.com you get some great entertaining welcome to the family emails.

My skin is soft and glowing after following this routine now for weeks. Not to mention the benefits of following this for my health and the increased protein which results in less hunger which means…..weight loss!!! Yes, while working on your skin you may even lose a few pounds.

Stay Tuned for Part 2 of That Skin Tho….How To Get The Glow and I’ll tell you about some amazing skin care products, facials and detoxes.

Do you have any questions for Chandra? Let us know in the comments.

For more beauty posts, click here.



Every Story Has a Bead

Disclosure: I received sample products from Trollbeads in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

A few Saturdays ago, I hosted a party at the Trollbeads store in Twelve Oaks Mall. Trollbeads only has seven storefront locations in the United States and Michigan is lucky to have one of them.

I didn’t know a lot about Trollbeads before the event, but after six hours in the store, I feel like I’m an expert! I love that every piece is so unique an each customer can create something that expresses their individual personality.

Trollbeads was founded in 1976 in Copenhagen, Denmark. In Denmark the word “troll” is used to refer to all mythical creatures. The first Trollbead, Faces, included six troll faces as you turn the bead and is still part of the collection today:

I had a lot of creating all of my own pieces at the event, one of my favorite looks was this tiara. There are so many fun and different ways you could adorn this. This would be great for a wedding, shower or any special event.

I’ve talked about upping my bangle game before and I just loved these gold bangles and could have a lot of fun creating a stack of them.

I also did a silver stack and I just adore the butterfly stoppers on these bangles. In the silver you have three different choices of bracelets, the bangle, the twisted bangle and the traditional foxtail bracelet:

I tried my hand at creating a pendant necklace. Some of the beads were so unique and beautiful.

They also had this pendant on display in the store and I thought the combination was beautiful:

I ended up leaving with my very own foxtail bracelet and my first “Unique” bead:

If you’re interested in starting your Trollbeads collection, visit the store at Twelve Oaks Mall and mention DetroitDuchess for 10% off your order. Make sure to post a picture of what you get!

For more fashion posts, click here.



Wine of the Week: Gothic Nevermore

I’ve had this post in my drafts since 2015 and keep meaning to write it around Halloween, but it’s too good to hold any longer, especially in light of some of the new information I have.

This week’s wine is Gothic’s Nevermore Pinot Noir. Gothic Wine launched in 2009 and is the creation of Josh Nadel, who I just discovered was the wine consultant on the AMC show Feed the Beast starring David Schwimmer. the hubby and I loved this show! Even though we only got one season of the show, you can still enjoy it on Hulu with a glass of this wine. Gothic is located in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

Nevermore blends fruit from several places within the the Willamette Valley to create a wine of depth and character. It is sleek with scents of raspberry, cherry and spice and notes of vanilla.

You could enjoy this bottle, with this custom Raven Wine Glass Holder ($7) and I was thinking this would make a great gift for any English buff or the Poe Society (from Gilmore Girls, haha):

I love the idea of including this in a Black Wine night event. I was also excited to see that they make a Telltale Rose and an Ophelia Chardonnay which I will absolutely have to try!

Have you tried Gothic Nevermore Pinot Noir? I would love to hear what you think about it.

For more Wine of the Week posts, click here.



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