Well, it’s not exactly the diet your doctor would prescribe, but a girl’s got to have fun, doesn’t she? Yes. Obviously.

Let’s dispense with the things that aren’t cocktails. Light beer is mocked for good reason. Yes, it’s usually only has about a hundred calories, but it’s vile and best avoided. Red wine is actually a good alternative. Not only is it heart-healthy but it has antioxidants and generally clocks in at 100 calories (or less) for a 4 oz glass. Wine wine isn’t as healthy, but has slightly fewer calories.

Of course, man cannot drink on wine alone, which is why we’re talking cocktails! But before we get to that, you should know the disappointing (but all too expected) news that liquor on the rocks is always your best bet for a low-cal buzz. Vodka and gin are barely a hundred calories, so add mixers to your drink and you’re adding calories to your daily total. Drink carefully.

For that reason, martinis are the best cocktail choice as long as they’re straight up. Maybe an olive.
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This ain’t your mama’s vegetable oil. Olive oil is a great for cooking your meat and veggies, or for soaking your French baguette. Enthralling, I know, but before you go running out the door for this Mediterranean delight, you’ve got to know what it’s all about. You can’t just choose the first oil you see on the shelf; olive oil is like wine… it’s complicated, and the more you know about it the more you can impress people at cocktail parties.

Olive oil is extracted by pressing or crushing olives, and comes in different varieties based on how it is processed. It goes a little something like this:

Extra Virgin: This is considered to be the finest oil because it is the least processed; it is the oil from the first pressing of the olives.
Virgin: This is from the second pressing of olives.
Pure: This oil undergoes some processing, which includes filtering and refining.
Extra Light: The most mild of all the olive oils, it undergoes the most processing and hardly tastes like real olive oil.
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Winter is melting away, and so are the excuses for your peakish skin tone. Spring is basically here, and if you don’t live in Southern California, or don’t fake and bake, then you need some help. Some serious help that comes in a tube.

An always fun brand is Benefit Cosmetics, where you can find their light tinted facial lotion cleverly called, “Talk to the Tan.” It’s a nice way to give your face a little glow without all the mess of full-on fake tanners (and it washes off easily). It’s a nice way to ease into summer, buying you some time to get out in the sun. Benefit also offer a few bronze façade tricks like their face powder, “Hoola,” which is a soft bronze matte powder that gives your complexion a healthy, natural looking tan.

A little more intense way to achieve a tropical glow is, “Tan Airbrush In A Can,” which is basically what it says it is. It’s a more intense than a lotion, but it gets the job done if you’re willing. (more…)

If you live in a house, it’s not likely you’ll be moving very often. However, when you do finally get around to it, you know and I know it’s miserable… and taxing… and irritating and “Why are we moving again?” you ask. It’s such a pain, even though it is well worth a new place in the end. Lucky for you, I’ve found a few companies who make the task a lot less stressful - both on your lifestyle and your nails.

If you’re looking for reputable, you can’t get much better than BestMoversInc, which is a licensed and bonded moving company. The site offers a free moving quote for both local and long distance moves. A local move is within the state, and a long distance move is to another state. If you are too lazy to do it yourself, they offer packing services and even provide storage alternatives with up to one month free. They assign a moving manager to walk you through everything so you don’t have to worry about all your “stuff.” Lovely.
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