St. Francis Restaurant - Phoenix, AZ

I ate at this restaurant about 24 hours ago, and STILL can not stop thinking about it. I am slightly obsessed with delicious food, and this place created a new monster last night! Here's the description from their website:
St. Francis is an urban gathering place set in the heart of Phoenix. We are a neighborhood restaurant like no other: a modern, family-owned establishment that aims to nourish the community with exceptional cuisine in an inspired setting at good value. We offer Happy Hour all day long, free meals for kids and a seasonal menu that incorporates the freshest ingredients available.
http://www.stfrancisaz.com/
The decor is warm but modern, with brick walls, exposed wood beam ceilings, and a garage door that opens the bar out to the patio. It was chilly when we arrived, but the ample amount of heat lamps made it comfortable, even waiting at the bar outside.

We started our dinner with gin and tonic while waiting for our table, and were seated upstairs on the mezzanine. This level overlooks the bar area and the outside patio.
The menu is small, with a limited amount of choices, but I have always found that means that the chefs can focus on creating really delicious food, instead of being kind of semi-good at creating a larger variety of dishes.
Our waiter was fantastic, and guided us through the menu, helping me to narrow down my choices. I ordered a Chopped Romaine Salad, which has endive, apples, smoked bacon, and cheddar buttermilk dressing. The apples are sliced tiny, and perfectly balanced with the bacon and the dressing. I also ordered a cheese flat bread, which is basically a pizza, with a three cheese blend, tomato, garlic and oregano. The flat bread was sliced into 8 pieces, and shared between two us with two pieces still left over! So cheesy and hot!

Cheese flat bread, fresh, warm and delicious!

John ordered a french onion burger, and fries. The burger had smoked bacon, Gruyere cheese, and crispy onions. The cheese was melty and delicate, and nicely combined with the bacon and onions. My guess is that the bun is a brioche bun, but regardless, it was one of the best things I've ever tasted. The fries were thick cut, with the skins on, and served in a small white bowl, just like they serve them in London!

The french onion burger of my dreams

We had the leftovers tonight for dinner, and they were just as good as yesterday. I will be going back to St. Francis any chance I get, and will probably order the exact same meal. I mean, why fix it if it isn't broken, right? I only wish they had takeout. Or a drive-thru.

Haha!

Home Sherpa Throw Blanket

I will first start off by saying that I mainly like to review beauty products, but if there is an especially good (or horrible!) product that I use, I will let you know my opinion of it!

Shopping at Target, I can never manage to leave without buying a bag full of things I don't really need. This trip was no different, as I ended up with a throw blanket. I don't know if it was the color (a luxurious turquoise), the weather (yes, Arizona gets chilly), or the soft fuzzy white inside. Regardless, I brought a blanket home to a house with little to no storage for blankets and such.

Good thing, as this blanket hasn't been put away since I got it home! At only $16.99 it is not only a great price, but also SUPER warm. The thing that surprised me about it was that it isn't a heavy blanket, so I didn't really expect it to be as warm as it is. I can have this as my only blanket at night, with the windows open, ceiling fan on, and humidifier running (yes, I am an old, old woman), and be totally warm.

It is 100% polyester and is machine washable. The instructions say to line dry, but I threw mine in the dryer and it did fine. 

The size isn't really big enough for two people, so this might not work as a bedspread on a full, queen, or king bed, but is perfect for one.

Bring on the cold weather!!

Boscia Luminizing Black Mask

Bonjour, mes amies! I have just returned from a much needed one week vacation in London and Paris with John. My apologies for not updating for awhile, but as you can tell, I had other things on my mind (like crepes!).

When I first read about this mask on the Sephora website, I was mystified. A black face mask? That peels off? How black is it? How scary do you look when you put it on? So many racing questions going through my mind!

I had to have it. I tried ordering it online, and it was sold out. I went to the Boscia website and it was sold out. I called the nearest Sephora store and it was out! How am I going to review products when I can't get them, and I'm a nobody (so no one just sends them to me!)?

My solution was to drive to a Sephora located in a JC Penney store in Tempe (those hippies don't use fancy face masks, right?), and they had the mask in stock! Jackpot!

We raced home, and I carefully applied the mask, avoiding my hairline and my eyebrows, as the website cautioned. This thing must be strong. I let it dry while sipping a gin and tonic and watching Netflix in bed, and then started peeling from the edge.
Remember those Biore nose strips that pulled all the blackheads out of your nose? This is like that, but for your face. NO JOKE.

That satisfying and slightly disgusting sense of joy you get when you look at the back of the mask and see a tiny forest...? This mask does that. My skin felt softer, and refined. When looking at my pores, I couldn't tell a huge difference, but think that with consistent use, I'd be able to tell.

The mask is BLACK. And it pulls. You definitely do not want to get too close to the edges with it. At 2.8 ounces for $34, it's a bit pricey, but this should last me about six months. I have a feeling that this mask will have a cult following, and I will be one of those followers. When I run out, I'll go all over town again to get another.

I hope you all are having a beautiful week!

Maybelline Falsies Mascara

I'm slightly obsessed with all eye makeup, as previously described. When I saw the commercial for Maybelline Falsies Mascara, I was a little more than excited. The problem was that I had JUST bought a new tube of some other mascara, and even though it was only $7, I had to wait until it was completely gone (don't try to figure out my thriftiness because there is no common logic to it).
I recently FINALLY ran out of my mascara and happily bought Falsies in "blackest black" (of course).
Please note that I have several sets of real false lashes at home. Shu Uemura, M.A.C., and the cheapies from Sally Beauty Supply; so I do know what real false lashes will do for my "look".

I didn't actually expect that this mascara would have any kind of effect similar to actual false lashes, but was hoping it might be a step up from regular mascara. And that it was.
It defines, doesn't get clumpy, separates, and adds volume. It doesn't flake off, and doesn't get smudgy on my eye lids. The brush is a weird spoon-ish shape, and it really does get the tiny corner lashes that can easily be lost with other, straight brushes.

As long as you aren't expecting the results that real false lashes would give you, I think this mascara is a great deal! At around $7, it's inexpensive, and does a great job at defining my eyes. It still isn't the "perfect" mascara that I have been dreaming of, but I think it's because my expectations are a little unrealistic. I have short, light lashes, and nothing is actually going to make them look like false lashes. Well, except of course, false lashes. 'Til next time, later!

Belmacz Glow Lip Balm

Decadent. Luxurious. Glamorous. Beautiful. Any classy and wonderful word you can think of to describe the most beautiful lip gloss that I have found to date! And that is truly something to be said as I am a lip gloss fanatic. I even have my own drawer at home, filled with lip glosses in every color, tube and texture. It is pretty ridiculous, and a little sick, as I'd guess there are EASILY 50 different glosses in there. BUT... I am always on the prowl for a new gloss, the perfect gloss. The one that isn't too sticky, but sticks around enough to stay put, makes my lips shiny and juicy, no shimmer, and the perfect hint of pink color.
This stuff is just crazy. This is the kind of thing that when I see, I must have. Lipgloss with real, 24 karat gold leaf in it. My mind couldn't even wrap around this idea at first. Gold? In lip gloss? Do you get pieces of gold on your lips? What can this possibly look like?

Belmacz Gold Leaf Lip gloss in Scarlet

To quote Gwen Stefani, "This shit is bananas." For real. The lip gloss is soft and slightly goopy. You apply it with your finger or a brush, the gold leaf is on your lips, you rub it on, and presto! Gold leaf has blended into the cherry color, your lips are shiny and pink, and you're wearing GOLD ON YOUR LIPS! It doesn't get much more luxe than this! I ordered mine through Barneys, after seeing it in Nylon Magazine, and at $32 per pot, it isn't cheap. But considering I've had mine over a year now, I think the price was well worth it. This isn't "everyday lip gloss". This is the "I want to feel amazing, I know I'm amazing, and I freaking LOOK amazing" lip gloss. As you can see from the picture below, I am going to need to replenish my lip gloss soon, and luckily, Barneys has opened up at Scottsdale Fashion Square. So now, I can save on shipping costs!
visit Barneys online to buy your own!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray

I LOVE the idea of barely doing my hair; giving it a bit of a blow dry, and letting it go. I was super excited to try this product, and have always heard great things about Bumble and Bumble.

You can spray this in alone, when your hair is damp, but I normally use it after I spray in my Bumble and Bumble Styling Lotion. I blow dry my bangs (so that they don't stand straight up), do a quick blow dry all over the rest of my hair, scrunching a little here and there), and let the rest air dry. My hair turns out loose, slightly wavy, piece-y, and the perfect amount of "undone". My hair is pretty layered, and longer than my shoulders, but I think as it gets even longer, this spray will work even better! I can also see it working great in shorter, messy hairstyles.

It is great to use the day you wash your hair, to help keep it from feeling too clean. Having recently been converted from an "every day hair-washing freak" to a "only completely wash once-a-week" girl, the day that I totally wash it just feels weird to me. It feels too clean, it feels like I have flyaway hair, it feels lifeless. The Surf Spray adds a little "grit" and helps me to feel better about my clean hair. What a weird statement! HAHA!

I've used it prior to doing flat iron curls, and it really does hold well. It also smells great, a little like a sweettart. Remember those? :)

Description from the Bumble and Bumble website, Buy it!
Sexy, salty, sun-dried, windswept styles - whenever, wherever.

Who: Anyone; excellent for wavy types and surfers with winter blues; adds body to fine hair; a nice texture for silver hair.
When: Anytime; after Prep or Tonic Lotion, during styling.
How: Work through damp or dry hair; let dry naturally or blow-dry with a diffuser. Or on dry hair for detailing and adding lift at the roots. The less you touch it, the longer it will hold.

Have a beautiful day!

Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow

Benefit was the first brand of "luxury" makeup that I began buying. Before that, it had all been from Target. I remember the first time that I got the cutest little bag full of Benefit makeup from John, for my birthday. It was truly an amazing feeling. The packaging was kitschy, the products worked amazingly, and it wasn't quite as expensive as some of the other department store brands. I was hooked!
We've talked before about my oily skin, my oily eyelids, and the fact that I wear shadow primer EVERY DAY. Even with that kind of prep work, cream eyeshadows still become a cakey mess on my face. I would have never put the money into a cream eyeshadow, but being a V.I.B. at Sephora allowed me to try a generous sample-size of Benefit's Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow (I am still working on the sample, and got it last year!).
The color of the sample is R.S.V.P., which is a champagne, shimmery gold color. I tried it out, immediately loving the color, but fearing that it wouldn't last. To my astonishment (seriously), this not only lasted until the end of the day without creasing, but still looked amazing!
With 12 colors, and at only $19 for a giant pot of color that lasts forever, this is seriously a great product to have. I have since purchased "Get Figgy" a maroonish-brown, and "Skinny Jeans" a greenish-grey. I'm including a pic of Skinny Jeans, which I am wearing today to work. Here's a hint; this can also be used as a liner, with an eyeliner brush! AMAZING!

Go to Benefit's website!