Go Stick Your Smile...

Tooth whitening has become big business. Just about everywhere you look, there's a Groupon voucher for 300% off and new products flooding drugstore shelves with the promise of a smile so white that regular, yellow-toothed people won't want to have their picture taken beside you.

No one will be envious of you for using Go Smile. For a product that is difficult to use and yields such unremarkable results, I'm surprised it's still on the market. At $8o for the kit, I'm further unimpressed.

First of all, you have to break thee little glass vials between your fingers to get the whitening gel out. I was worried that the glass was going to cut my fingers. There doesn't seem to be enough gel to do anything. The instructions recommend that you rub the soft tip against your skin for better absorption. I did this for the prescribed time and noticed a vague difference in the colour of my teeth. Not enough to warrant $100 with tax and for the hassle of doing this twice a day? Forget it.

The Red Lip Quest Continues...

And I still haven't found what I'm looking for. As promised, I gave the new Maybelline 24 HR Color Stay a try. The formula was fabulous. I wouldn't say that you could get 24 hours of wear out of this product, unless you boycotted all food and drink, kissing and possibly even speaking for said 24 hour period. However, I get a good 10 hours mileage out of this. The colour fades a little, but in a way that looks more natural than other formulas and surprisingly it's much less dry on my lips.

My issue is still the lack of a truly jaw-dropping red. Pictured, here is the "All Day Cherry". It's a nice colour, but there doesn't seem to be anything out there between "Cherry" and "Coral". For $10 CAD, I felt that this purchase was worth the money and I continue to wear this as my go- to colour at the moment. I refuse to believe that sexy tomato-red lips are as unfashionable!

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****

Jenny's Lust

Okay, it's Lolita's Lust and we all shared a bunch of things for dinner, but the standout dish was the Crespelle Lemon Scented Crepes Filled With Feta & Spinach Topped With Basil Rose Sauce. So utterly perfect was this dish that I couldn't even snap a photo before it was eaten. It's been a long time since something at a restaurant made me so happy.

I've eaten at Lolita's Lust before and been quite satisfied with my meal. However, I've usually eschewed the vegetarian offerings in favour of their Osso Bucco or the delicious Lamb Shank. After piling all the shared food on my plate and biting into the Crespelle, I was in rapture. The spinach was cooked to perfection and the addition of Feta instead of the usually bland ricotta was a stellar trip for the senses. All of this was blanketed in a silky tomato cream sauce that sent us all straight to heaven. We actually ordered another and I would have licked the plate if I could have.

Service was fabulous and also incredible was the featured entree of Ostrich Tenderloin. Ruby- rare strips of lean ostrich meat accompanied by earthy cocoa sauce. Simply fantastic!

$$$

****

513 Danforth Ave

Toronto

416.465.1751

Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal, Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

With the cold weather, snow, ice and slush approaching, you might be looking for a tropical escape. Allow me to let you in on the highest rated and well priced resort in the Mayan Riviera: The Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal located just 80 kms south of Cancun in Mexico's Mayan Riviera.

I know there's been a lot of controversy concerning Mexico as a travel destination. Drug wars and exploding resorts aside, I think it's a fabulous destination. The Tucan/Quetzal is located in the Playacar complex, a safe gated community adjacent to the charming town of Playa del Carmen. Safety is not a problem and it's the perfect place to walk a bustling beach and do some great shopping.

This resort is a lush jungle paradise with waterfalls between the buffet restaurants, strutting peacocks on the way to the pool and howler monkeys in the trees outside your room. It's lovely to see all the nature interacting with resort guests and vice versa, making it a great vacation pick for families and couples alike. The winding trails and dim lighting at night might make this resort a bad choice for those suffering from mobility issues, but the resort did have motorized carts to help out. I found all the walking to be a great way to work off those afternoon guacamole binges!

The ITQ has one of the most gorgeous beaches on the Mayan Riviera. Sparking crystal waters, sand like white sugar, and lots of thatched palapas to lounge under. Until recently, the beaches were being reclaimed and that meant unsightly black bags of sand at many beaches a long the coast. Playa del Carmen has now been finished and I believe the beaches at Tulum and Akumal (20 km south) now have the sandbags. Servers will come and get you drinks on the beach but I found it faster to get my own since the bar was not that far. Yes, boys, there are topless sunbathers.

The rooms are very basic, sporting busy bedspreads and hard mattresses, but sleeping was never a problem. The showers are fabulous with perfect water pressure, lots of clean fluffy towels and a terry robe to wrap yourself in after your scrub. Mini bar is stocked with beer, sparking water and pop and there was a welcome bottle of Silver tequila in the room when we arrived.

A la carte restaurants were decent. Some of them still had self serve areas for the appetizers. the Japanese was the least authentic, but the teppanyaki tables were a blast to sit at. Mexican was delicious, Italian featured great decor and the service was stellar. Food was typical restaurant Italian. The buffets were staggering and always had a fresh selection of food. Breakfast was as international or traditionally Mexican as you like. A few of the highlights included roast suckling pig Tacos on mexican night, Grilled Habernero peppers that blew my mind with heat, lightly seasoned and grilled shrimp on the lunch buffet, fabulous guacamole and pic de gallo with fresh tortilla chips down by the beach, and the paella on the beach was simply fantastic. Being greeted with champagne and orange juice or tequila spiked coffee on your way to the breakfast buffet was also a nice touch. My glass was never empty and service staff were always smiling helpful.

Drinks are as strong as you like them. If you want more booze, ask for it and they will pour. The only down side to this resort is the quality of booze. Although I asked for Jose Cuervo, may of the bars didn't have it and what they did pour gave me a screaming hangover. Drinks are made with pre mixed syrups and not with fresh fruit. I was surprised and a bit disappointed at this, but I understand that it is common at many four and even five star resorts along the Mayan Riviera.

The lobby bar on the Quetzal side was a great place to lounge and have a cocktail after dinner and the Tucan lobby bar was where we met many new friends and congregated for drinks before dinner reservations.

Yes, the pools are cold. I prefer the word refreshing as I question why the pool is so warm if it is. Catch my drift?

Entertainment was actually not bad and the productions were quite elaborate. Staff did a great job overall.

This trip cost us $2200 for 2 people for a week. The Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal is only one of four all inclusives in the Mayan Riviera that has received over 90% in ratings from travelers and also the one with the best price point. If you're looking for fantastic value, a dreamy beach, great food and an overall amazing vacation, check this place out!!!

****

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Trip Advisor Reviews

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g150812-d214254-Reviews-Iberostar_Tucan_Hotel-Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

Iberostar Website

www.iberostar.com

Gold Stone = Go There Stoned

I eat at Gold Stone, when I've partied too hard to make it to King Noodle. Gold Stone is open super late and perfect for loading up on your MSG with your GHB or MDMA or whatever else you or your friends have popped that night.

Perhaps I'm not being fair. It is entirely possible that I resent the cheaply upholstered booths and I secretly long for the cramped communal dining tables of King Noodle. Or maybe it's just the grease; I find this place to be super greasy, to the point that no matter what I order, it comes with grease.

Spring Rolls are fat and covered in hot oil. Shrimp and Eggplant stir Fry is gloopy and over starched. Won ton soup is, again... greasy.

For the price, this place also seems to be more expensive than it's late night competition. I've never spent less than $30 here and I'm not sure where it all goes because when I arrive home, I have no foam take out container sleeping beside me. Admittedly, there are worse things to wake up next to. Okay... perhaps I'm never in the most critical or even sober state of mind when I come to Gold Stone. It does serve the purpose of getting some late night Chinese into you. It's kinda the Mc Donalds of Chinatown, complete with French Fries on the menu.

In it's defense, the service is usually efficient and speedy and the place looks pretty clean.

R.I.P Mr. Pong's

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**

• (416) 596-9053
• 266 Spadina Avenue Toronto, ON M5T 2E4

Update: Perfect Pout Predicament

After writing a few weeks ago about the discontinuation of my dearly beloved Revlon Colourstay Frankly Scarlet, I leaned that Maybelline is coming out with a 24 hour lipcolour.

I entered a contest to win a free sample and guess what? I WON! But... they sent me the e-mail over the X-mas break and I didn't receive it until today.

Bah Humbug!

Here's what they wrote:

You're the lucky winner of Maybelline's new SuperStay 24 lipcolour.
Thanks for entering the 24H Challenge on Facebook.

To claim your prize, click the lower right button to enter your information. Don't forget your home address so we can send you the SuperStay 24!

Please note that you have two (2) days from the receipt of this email to claim your prize.

We hope you love the SuperStay 24 lipcolour, and we invite you to visit
our Facebook page to tell us what you think about the lipstick!

Thanks for being a fan!

The Maybelline New York team.

I wrote them back to sweet talk them for another chance at a sample. I will wait to hear, hoping for my perfect red pout!!

My bags are in the hands of Dior

Possibly my biggest beauty problem is covering the dark circles that heredity plopped under my eyes. On a good day, without concealer, I look like a raccoon who's been in a bar fight. Hopefully this helps you to understand how important a good concealer is to my makeup regime. With the holidays upon us, bags of all sorts are a pressing issue, indeed.

For years, I've ben using Dior's Long Wearing Moisturizing Concealer and it hasn't let me down yet. Even on those mornings when I've tossed and turned all night, or had a few too many glasses of Chardonnay, this concealer helps to diminish the look of fatigue and covers that excess baggage better than anything I've tried.

What I love the most about this product it's not your typical pasty concealer that dries into the creases under your eyes. Dior's formula is a thick liquid that can be easily applied with a few pats to the under eye area. My trick is to lay it on a bit thick and let it dry while I make a coffee. Once the formula has dried in it's place, it blends without wiping off and stays put for the whole day.

At $32 CAD, t's a little on the pricey side, but a tube of this stuff will last me over a year.

Available in Toronto at Sears, The Bay, or Sephora.

****
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