At first Darcy and I felt a bit out of place in the 'Burbs, but we quickly settled in and had a blast. First stop was covering up with our favorite Relish Sunscreen so we would keep our skin young and beautiful (okay, full disclosure: my friend Michele Dispensa owns the company, but I swear by it - particularly the bronzer which I love to apply to my pale skin when I go out - it's got an awesome shimmer). (Photo is Michele (R) & her friend Laura Markstein, the hostess of the party).Next stop: Booty Parlor, a sassy sex toys company, which really impressed. Now I've seen my share of sex toys through our development and marketing of SexSmarts, but I gotta tell you, most of them really miss the mark when it comes to design. If you're into the girly stuff (lots of pink feathers), Booty Parlor is the place for you. I particularly love how they disguise their "body treats" like perfume bottles ("so you don't need to hide it from the cleaning lady" - love it!).
Next up was some wine tasting from Clos du Lac, a winery in the Amado
r County (Sierra Foothills). Pretty yummy stuff. I must say I quite enjoyed their experiment with Zinfandel Blanc. That's right, you heard me, this wasn't the sickly sweet white Zinfandel (which is actually a rose) we all grew up on and have since learned to snub. I'm not sure if I'd drink too much of it, but I do applaud the attempt - it's a light, low acid white wine, that's really quite palatable (not unlike some of the light French roses I find (which isn't surprising considering the winemaker is French). Went great with all the delicious food that was served. (Photo of Darcy (R) and me sipping on the Zin Blanc.)So after a few glasses of wine, it was time to enjoy the body treatments. As Darcy got her nails done, I got a facial from a SK-II Skin Care consultant - pretty cool stuff. Apparently, it's some Japanese line made from some liquid that's extracted from sake fermentation that is "age defying". We then got 10 minute massages followed by a full makeover from a Bobbi Brown makeup artist. Too bad I had to go home afterwards, as I think I've never had so much makeup on in my life. While I felt pretty silly, it did look pretty good. Too bad I don't have the time or inclination to put the stuff on myself.
I really enjoy this trend of having fun and doing good. Instead of just going out to dinner or a bar, why not make all our activities fundraisers for good causes such as the Red Cross who will continue to need money to support Katrina survivors. Jen and I always try to work with our favorite non-profits for our events, such as our upcoming wine tasting supporting the Women's Community Clinic we're hosting with Lolawines.com on October 5th. If you're in SF, please join us - it's a great cause and will be a great party.
