DetroitDuchess, Author at Detroit Duchess

Wine of the Week: Nottage Hill Pinot Noir

July 30, 2014 by DetroitDuchess 7 Comments

Disclosure: I received this wine from a PR firm on behalf of Hardys Wines to provide an honest review.

I received a bottle of Nottage Hill’s Pinot Noir to review for Wine of the Week. This was perfect as I needed a good bottle for our Bachelorette viewing party (a.k.a. my friend Tracy and I drinking wine). If you’ve followed along with Wine of the Week you will notice that I review a lot of Pinot Noirs, because they are my favorite wine to drink.

Hardys is one of Australia’s best known wine brands and just last year celebrated their 160th anniversary. It’s a global brand and can be found in more than 80 countries, particularly in the United Kingdom.

This particular brand, Nottage Hill, is named after Tom Nottage who was the nephew of the founder Thomas Hardy. If you ever visit Australia, you can tour the Tintara Winery, which is Australia’s oldest winery and see where the Hardys wines are made.

Tracy and I really liked this Pinot Noir. The first thing we said as soon as we tasted it was that it had a kick of spice on the finish. As you keep drinking it you will taste the cherry and raspberry flavors making this an easy wine to drink. The Nottage Hill Pinot Noir is also very affordable, coming in at around $13.

The official tasting notes recommend pairing this with a mushroom risotto, but I think any pasta or steak would also be great with this.

Let me know if you’ve tried this Pinot Noir and if you have any wines I should try in the future.

For more Wine of the Week posts, click here.

Filed Under: Wine of the Week Tagged With: Nottage Hill, Pinot Noir, wine of the week

Suits “Leveraged” Recap

July 29, 2014 by DetroitDuchess Leave a Comment

Suits starts off with a bang this week, with Donna (Sarah Rafferty) ripping Mike (Patrick Adams) a new one for using her to screw over Harvey (Gabriel Macht). He apologizes by sending her Balenciaga…a noble effort.

Harvey goes to Eric Woodall’s (Zeljko Ivanek) house to confront him and “poke the bear.” Harvey just can’t resist, but Eric informs him that his new friend Sean Cahill (Neal McDonough) will be doing the dirty work this time.

Harvey decides to get Louis (Rick Hoffman) involved to try and split Mike’s focus. Mike uses Louis’ personal feelings against Sheila against him and Louis loses the battle. I couldn’t believe Mike stooped that low.

Jessica (Gina Torres) tries to keep Jeff (D.B. Woodside) in check and he doesn’t like it. I’m not sure if hiring him was the best idea for the firm. Sean breaks the news that Jeff was about to be fired from the SEC, which Jessica didn’t know.

At the end of the day, Mike makes a deal with the devil to win his case and ultimately get himself fired, Jessica and Jeff make Cahill a great deal, which he uses to stick it to them and Logan makes a move on Rachel, but she walks away.

Here are some of my favorite outfits from this episode:

Donna

Donna looks fabulous as usual in a Lace Panel Sheath Dress from L’Wrenn Scott (sold-out) and her Gucci Microguccissima Patent Leather Dome Satchel Bag (sold-out). To recreate this look, I selected this Michelle Keegan Loves Lipsy Body-Conscious Dress With Lace Mesh Detail ($125.76) and this Textured Bowler Bag from Express, now on sale for $41.93):

Jessica

Jessica always dresses to show that she’s the boss and this Tailored Embroidered Fishtail Jacket by L’Wren Scott (sold out). To recreate this I tried to find something similar, but aside from making it myself, struck out. I did find this Beniamina Blazer from Guess ($158) that I thought had a similar feel to Jessica’s blazer:

Jessica pairs that jacket with a Gibo Vintage Pencil Skirt ($177.51). Since there is only one left, I found this Lafayette 148 Dayna Over-the-Knee Skirt with Side Slit ($97) to pair with the jacket I found above:

Rachel

Rachel (Meghan Markle) is still dealing with Logan Sanders (Brendan Hines) and is getting pushed closer and closer to him. She wears a cardigan by L’Wrenn Scott (sold out) and paired it with a Dolce & Gabbana Stretch Wool Pencil Skirt ($995). I found this Antonio Melani Carla Floral-Lace Cardigan ($65.40) and this Ann Taylor Pencil Skirt ($79) to recreate the look:

Rachel confronts Mike about what he did to Louis and he throws it right back at her – Harvey and Louis wouldn’t hesitate to do it to him and Gilles Industries. Rachel wears a Turtleneck from Ones ($366). I liked this 525 America Turtleneck Sweater for a little less:

Rachel goes to meet Logan about the work he asked her to do. She is trying to think two steps ahead of him, but he doesn’t like it. I’m not sure what kind of message she is trying to send with her sheer back black blouse with no bra, but I’m not sure its the right one. She pairs that with a Schumacher Brown Knee Length Skirt (sold out) and some Christian Louboutin slingbacks. To recreate the look, I found this Forever 21 Tie-Front Georgette Blouse ($17.80) and Loft Scuba Pencil Skirt ($69.50):

What did you think about this episode of Suits?

If you this episode you can still watch it here.

For more Suits recaps, click here.

Filed Under: Fashion, Suits, TV Tagged With: DB Woodside, Gabriel Macht, Gina Torres, Meghan Markle, Neal McDonough, Patrick Adams, Rick Hoffman, Sarah Rafferty, Suits

Live Radiantly with Arm & Hammer

July 29, 2014 by DetroitDuchess 7 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Whenever people ask me what my favorite feature is, I always say my smile. It might seem cliche, but I frequently get compliments on my smile and most of my friends joke that I am always smiling in every picture. My husband even refers to me as his little ball of sunshine. So when I was approached by Arm & Hammer for their Truly Radiant campaign, I couldn’t turn it down! I received an Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant Spin Brush, Toothpaste and Whitening Booster to test out. The key benefits of Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant are cleaning, strengthening, and whitening for a more radiant smile. Who doesn’t want a more radiant smile?

I hadn’t used an electric toothbrush in years, but I discovered that my husband was actually using this same toothbrush and loves it. I don’t drink coffee and have never smoked so in the past I haven’t been too worried about whitening my teeth. But lately, I have been enjoying more red wine which can leave annoying red stains on your teeth.

The Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant Whitening Booster is clinically proven to whiten teeth in just one week and contains 3x more whitening agent than a leading white strip. When you brush your teeth, just add the toothpaste to your brush and then add the clear whitening booster on top of it:

I loved using the spinbrush and thought it did a great job cleaning my teeth! I also liked that the ingredients are paste with baking soda, peroxide and active calcium and it is a fluoride anticavity toothpaste. It also doesn’t have a strong mint taste so I will have to let my husband try it out. He doesn’t like anything mint flavored which is a challenge when buying toothpaste because there aren’t a lot of other options.

I learned that the Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant Spinbrush removes 100 percent more plaque than a manual toothbrush. I actually put this to the test a few weeks after I started using it when I had a dentist appointment and cleaning. I got high marks and no cavities! They even remarked what a good job I was doing cleaning my teeth. I am also loving the spinbrush, it is so fun and easy to use and I feel like it is really doing a great job cleaning my teeth.

If you are interested in trying the Truly Radiant products yourself, Arm & Hammer has some coupons on their website. This one is for $2.00 off the spinbrush and this one is for .50 cents off the toothpaste.

Since my smile is my best feature, I thought it was fun that Alison Sweeney, the spokesperson for Arm & Hammer, shared some of her tips to bring out your inner radiance. I thought I would share a few of my own:

Always look your best wherever you go. Even if you don’t feel the same way on the inside. I always find that when I look my best, that confidence starts to creep in and lifts my mood.
A smile is contagious. If you smile then others around you will smile too. Nothing makes you look more beautiful than a smile.
Drink lots of water. Your body is made up of mostly water so if you want a healthy glow you have to stay well hydrated.
Do Yoga or meditate regularly. I like Yoga because it sort of forces you to turn off your brain and focus on a specific mantra. I always feel like a new person afterwards.
This might sound weird, but I like to have physical contact with someone everyday. Whether it is hugging, handholding or whatever I think touch is important. It always makes me feel happy and connected with my friends and family.

How do you live radiantly every day?

Filed Under: Beauty Tagged With: Arm & Hammer, spinbrush, toothpaste, Truly Radiant, whitening

Covert Affairs “Unseen Power of the Picket Fence” Recap

July 28, 2014 by DetroitDuchess Leave a Comment

On this episode of Covert Affairs, Annie (Piper Perabo) and McQuaid (Nicholas Bishop) have to work together to get Borz (Michael Goorjian) out of Venezuela. They are initially thwarted at the border and are forced to take alternate measures.

In this episode Annie wears a Field Vest by Sanctuary ($92.24) and Prada Keyhole Sunglasses ($310). This Studded Military Vest ($36.90) and these Winston Keyhole Bridge Sunglasses ($14) are similar:

We end up getting a glimpse of Annie’s dark side when she lies to Borz about what happened to his sister. In the end, she gets the information she was looking for and I don’t feel too bad for Borz since he was a terrorist. Annie and McQuaid make it safely out of the country and live to fight another day.

McQuaid is still flirting with Annie and sent her a new gun as a gift. I love the sky blue blouse she is wearing and found this Gathered V-Neck Blouse from Express ($49.90) to match it:

What did you think about this episode?

If you missed it, you can watch it here.

For more Covert Affairs recaps, click here.

Filed Under: Covert Affairs, Fashion, TV Tagged With: Amy Jo Johnson, Christopher Gorham, Covert Affairs, Nicholas Bishop, Piper Perabo

Champagne Wishes and Paris Dreams #UncorkedandUnwined

July 28, 2014 by DetroitDuchess 13 Comments

The day to share my Uncorked and Unwined party is finally here! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve already seen a few photos from the party, but I can’t wait to share all the fun in today’s post.

For those of you that are new to the blog, Uncorked and UnWINEd is an opportunity for us to have a girls night in and try some new wine in the process. You can follow along using the #uncorkedandunwined hashtag. Today, I am linking up with the Uncorked team to share all of our parties with you. If you hosted your own party, you can link up with us below. The Uncorked team includes:

Since my birthday was in July, I decided to go all out for Uncorked and make it my birthday party. I named it “Champagne Wishes and Paris Dreams” and went with a champagne tasting with a Paris twist. I got my inspiration from Birthday Express’ Paris Damask party theme and I was able to purchase their party supplies. They even had a matching Evite and free printables that I was able to customize for my party.

To get ready for the party, I went down to DeVries & Co. Cheese Shop in Eastern Market to stock up on Brie, Gouda, Manchengo, Gruyere, Cheddar and Camembert to try with our champagne.

I also found a fantastic French bakery, Cannelle Patisserie, to get some sweet treats (including macaroons).

Without further adieu, welcome to Paris:

We had a lot of fun tasting all of the different champagnes. I ended up getting nine different champagnes in total, three French champagnes, three Italian sparkling wines and three US sparkling wines to mix it up. At the end of the night I was popping those corks like a pro!

We decided that our favorite champagne was the Pommery, which is a blend of three different grapes and is aged three years before it even gets on the shelves.

At the end of the evening, I gave these adorable macaroon trinket boxes as favors to all of the guests. They were just darling!

I ended up with a few extra favors, and I am going to be giving them away for a few lucky readers! Enter via the Rafflecopter below and I will announce the winners next Monday:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway is over, if you won, you will receive an email from me, so make sure to respond within the week. Thanks to everyone who participated!

If you hosted your own Uncorked and Unwined party you can link up with us here and check out all of the other awesome parties:

Our next link up will be on September 29 and I already have an awesome idea for my next party. I can’t wait for you to join us!

If you missed my last party, you can click here to check it out.

Filed Under: Wine of the Week Tagged With: #uncorkedandunwined, champagne tasting, paris themed party

Mistresses “What Do You Really Want?” Recap

July 27, 2014 by DetroitDuchess Leave a Comment

This week the Mistresses heat things up…starting with Karen (Yunjim Kim) crossing the line with her new boy toy, Harry (Brett Tucker) is ready to move on from Savi (Alyssa Milano), Savi is ready to have a baby again, April (Rachelle Aytes) is still adjusting to life at Lucy’s new school and Joss’ (Jes Macallan) relationship with Scott (Justin Hartley) is moving forward in spite of her relationship with Harry.

Karen

In the opening scene Karen is wearing a L’Agence Embellished Silk Tuxedo Blouse ($79.19), Milly Pencil Skirt (sold-out) and Michael Kors Graham Booties ($179.99). To recreate the look, I found this Adrianna Papell Sequined Silk Blouse ($99), L’Amour Nanette Lepore BodyCon Skirt ($7.99) and Tahari Chris Booties ($69.95):

Karen meets up with her new boy toy again (Brian Hallisay from The Client List) and they continue taking their relationship to the next level. What is she going to do when he wants to get to know the real her? She wears a Versace Buckle Strap Dress (unavailable). This Paper Dolls Black And Blue Bodycon Dress ($49) is similar:

Joss

I’m not sure I would wear a nice blouse to clean the silver, but that doesn’t stop Joss (Jes Macallan). She wears a BCBGMAXAZRIA Jaklyn Draped Front Top ($158) and Rag & Bone Hyde Jeans (sold-out). I found these Blank NYC Spray On Skinny Leather Detail Jeans ($88) to substitute:

April

April has to return a Gucci purse that Lucy got at a sleepover at her friend Payton’s house. She wore a Pilcro Avie Denim Jacket ($128):

I loved April’s blue floral dress that she wore for dinner with Payton’s mom and found this similar ASOS Blue Floral Pencil Printed Body-Conscious Dress ($87.06):

I love April’s face in this screen cap, which is her reaction to finding out about Samantha and Steven’s open marriage. She is wearing a red Trina Turk Imma Jersey Halter Top (only available in charcoal). For a similar look for less try this Michael Stars Women’s Jersey Halter ($48.96):

Savi

Savi receives her final divorce papers while at work and wants to skip marriage with Dom (Jason George) and just get to the baby. She wore a Vince Silk Panel Tee ($106):

What did you think of this episode? Dom will definitely react to seeing Savi with another man…and Karen meeting up with Jacob (Matthew del Negro) is interesting.

If you missed it, you can purchase it on iTunes.

For more Mistresses recaps, click here.

Filed Under: Fashion, Mistresses, TV Tagged With: Alyssa Milano, April, Brett Tucker, Jason George, Jason Gerhardt, Jes Macallan, Josslyn Carver, Justin Hartley, Karen, Matthew Del Negro, Mistresses, Rebeka Montoya, Rochelle Aytes, Savi, Yunjin Kim

Splurge vs. Steal: Stuart Weitzman Corkswoon Wedge

July 27, 2014 by DetroitDuchess 4 Comments

I first mentioned these Stuart Weitzman Corkswoon Wedges in my post about Kate Middleton’s Royal Style. I am a huge fan of The Duchess’ style (we Duchesses have to stick together!) and have been eyeing these wedges since they made their debut in the 2012 Olympics and on the Jubilee Tour. Kate still wears these beauties, most recently in Australia, and has styled them with many different outfits.

As awesome as these shoes are, they cost $398 which isn’t really in the budget. When Kate first started wearing these wedges Stuart Weitzman sold out of them quickly, but now they seem to keep the navy ones in regular supply. As far as looks for less goes, they have been more difficult to find. Any similar shoes seem to sell out quickly, but I am determined to get this look!

After many hours searching for a steal for the Corkswoon wedges, I finally found a good one. These Anna & Zero Platform Waterproof Wedge Pumps are only $40.99 on Amazon. I am going to get a pair for myself and will let you know what I think. They look pretty darn good and you can’t beat the price compared to $398 for the real thing.

Do you have a splurge that you want me to find a steal for? Let me know in the comments. Or let me know if you find another steal for these wedges.

For more Splurge vs. Steal posts, click here.

Filed Under: Fashion, Splurge vs. Steal Tagged With: splurge vs. steal, Stuart Weitzman Corkswoon

Bachelorette 10 – Week 8 Recap

July 25, 2014 by DetroitDuchess Leave a Comment

We’ve finally made it to hometown dates and our final four men, Nick, Marcus, Josh and Chris. Meeting the parents is a time honored ritual and a good opportunity to weed out the crazies before marriage.

Our first hometown date is with Nick in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In the opening scene, Andi wears a Datyah Amazing Wool & Cashmere-Blend Biker-Style Coat (sold-out) and her Minnie Rose Cotton Fringe Shawl ($51.35). This Coat with Back Pocket by Zara ($149) is similar:

Under all of her layers, she wears a V-Neck Blouse from H&M (sold-out). I found a similar flutter sleeve blouse in peach from BlueFly ($35):

Andi gets to meet Nick’s huge family and can most impressively remember all of their names. She did pass the bar lest we forget. Andi is wearing an Aqua Classic Denim Jacket ($78) and Diamond Arc Necklace by Ariel Gordon Jewelry ($525):

You can also get a good look at her Robyn Rhodes Andi Ring ($75) here:

Next up is our Iowa date with farmer Chris. He is yum! Andi and Chris have a great ole’ day on the farm. Her farm attire consists of of a Vince Raglan Suspension Cardigan ($172.50), Vince Silk Popover Top ($285) and the Diamond Arc Necklace by Ariel Gordon Jewelry ($525). This Theodora Cardigan by Velvet ($75.60), Joie Chally Top ($39.99) and Z Designs Arc Necklace ($18) are similar:

As Andi gets her smooch on with Chris, you can get a good look at her Laurel Ruby Studs from Brooklyn Designs ($79):

In our third hometown date, Andi meets Josh in Tampa. They went to play baseball and Andi wears a Vince Boatneck Tee ($125), Pull & Bear Basic Colored Shorts (sold-out) and Converse Chuck Taylor Sneakers ($44.95). This Ann Taylor Satin Trim Boatneck Tee ($19.88) and JCP Twill Shorts ($14.99) are similar:

During dinner with the parents, Andi accessorized with Brooklyn Designs’ Mika Gold Leaf Earrings ($78) and Abbey Double Strand Necklace ($98):

Photo via Brooklyn Designs

She wasn’t too thrilled with all of the football talk, but any good wife knows that you can’t get between a man and his football. She is wearing the JCrew Carrie Cami ($69.99). This Crisscross Back Cami from Forever 21 ($15.80) is similar:

It was interesting to see the family’s take on this relationship. Josh’s sister pretty much forshadowed that they may fight about how involved he is in his brother’s career in the future. She is also wearing the See Song Ocean Blue Fishtail Bracelet ($40):

Our final hometown date is with Marcus in Dallas. I loved Andi’s look for this date – it is probably more along the lines of something I would wear (I can’t resist a black dress). She accessorizes with the Short Leaf Necklace from Melinda Maria ($148) and the Andi Necklace from Brooklyn Designs ($115):

As they enter the bar, you get a good glimpse of her Isola Orenda Wedges ($121.95). To recreate this look, I selected this Jessica Simpson Sleeveless Sheath Dress ($128) and these Tenley Wedges by Dolce Vita ($79):

Andi also wears Robyn Rhodes’ Sappho Ring ($99):

Before the rose ceremony, everyone is gathered at Chris Harrison’s house so the producers can tell them about the passing of Eric Hill. This is a hard scene to watch, a few other bloggers have mentioned that it is sort of like watching a private moment and I have to agree with them.

Andi has a hard time making it through the rose ceremony this week, but does eventually decide to let Marcus go. This isn’t surprising as she has mentioned a number of times that she doesn’t know if her feelings can catch up to his. She wore a fitted green gown. I thought this Strapless Taffeta Evening Gown from Dressale ($122.99) was a good match and you can order it in green:

Next week, we have the Fantasy Suite Dates in the Dominican Republic and things will really start to heat up. Who will stay and who will go?

In the deleted scenes this week, Josh gives Andi a special surprise:

On her hometown date with Chris, they plant a rose bush in this deleted scene:

When meeting Josh’s family, Andi can’t leave until she does the shake face:

I enjoy reading Bachelor spoilers and if you are interested in finding out what happens in advance you can check out Reality Steve for more information. He also has great behind the scenes details on which cast-offs are dating and who is going take the final rose this season.

If you missed Week Eight you can watch it online here.

Andi Dorfman posted her Bachelorette blog on People here.

Chris Harrison posted his Week Eight blog here.

Former Bachelorette, Emily Maynard posted her thoughts here.

Former Bachelorette, Jillian Harris is blogging this season here.

Former contestant Sharleen Joynt is blogging here.

To catch up on Jason & Molly Mesnick’s podcast, click here.

For more Bachelorette posts, click here.

Filed Under: Bachelorette, Fashion, TV Tagged With: Andi Dorfman, Bachelorette, Chris Harrison, The Bachelorette

Friday Favorites: Gardening Edition

July 25, 2014 by DetroitDuchess 2 Comments

I have joined the Oh Hey Friday Linkup with The Farmer’s Wife and September Farm since my Five on Friday linkup is taking a hiatus this summer. I was thrilled to be invited as I was missing these posts every week. I decided that this week’s post would be about gardening accessories because I have a case of nasty weeds that keep coming back. Since we are in the rental house I don’t do a ton of gardening, but I at least want the landscaping in the front and the back of the house to look nice. We have these prickly weeds that just won’t quit and you can’t pull them out with your bare hands. I was borrowing my mom’s gardening supplies, but I think its time to get my own. Here are a few things that should be on my list:

Red Flowers Gardening Gloves ($5.53)

Green Margarita Gardening Gloves ($5.53)

Gardeners Giftset – Kneeling Pad & Gloves in Coral Pop ($72.50)

Personalized Garden Gloves with Machine Embroidery on Polka Dot Cuff ($14)

Gardener’s Glove, Lemon-Lime ($14)

What are your favorite gardening accessories?

For more Five on Friday posts, click here.

Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: Five on Friday, Gardening, Oh Hey Friday

Covert Affairs “False Skorpion” Recap

July 24, 2014 by DetroitDuchess Leave a Comment

This week’s Covert Affairs sees Annie (Piper Perabo) packing her bags to Venezuela on the hunt for Borz Altan (Michael Goorjian). As she packs her bag, she makes sure to bring her secret medication, which is still a mystery. Annie wears a Mesh Back V Neck Top by Derek Lam (sold-out). This L’Agence Silk Tank with Mesh Racerback ($68) is similar:

On her hunt for Borz, she runs into McQuaid (Nicholas Bishop) who wants an hour alone with Borz before he gets turned over to the CIA. Annie carries the Explorer Crossbody Bag by Fossil ($178) and wears the Rag & Bone Classic Newbury Booties ($525). This Great American Leatherworks Triple Compartment Crossbody Bag ($79.99) and Jessica Simpson Maxi Booties ($44.99) are similar:

Annie competes with McQuaid to see who can find Borz first, she almost has him, but unfortunately, has an attack without her medication. McQuaid shows up to save the day and secure Borz, but not without getting his time alone to question Borz.

Annie reveals to McQuaid that she has a heart condition and that the CIA can’t find out about it or they would take her off of active duty.

In the meantime, Auggie (Christopher Gorham) gets investigated by the NCTC and agent Hayley Price (Amy Jo Johnson – pink Power Ranger anyone?). He comes down pretty hard on her initially, but by the end of the episode they are sleeping together!! He sure didn’t waste any time.