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June 20th, 2008
We just spent an entire day at the mall. It was lovely outside—sunny and warmish—but we spent the bulk of it indoors with a friend, combing through sales racks. We even had lunch in a food court. And that, indeed, was glorious. (Nothing says “this will be a good place to get a sandwich” like the sight of teenage boys yawning, open-mouthed, while you approach their counter.) But don’t hate—the mall is a fascinating place! We saw everything from a woman decked out in head-to-toe Marc Jacobs to someone in a black T-shirt with a quite lifelike sternum depicted, guts and all, which said to all lookers, “Let’s be friends.” We even ran into people we knew. (Apparently we all shop Forev Two-One and indie boutiques—there’s no shame in that game.) And finally, there was the girl in the shoe store whose friend was teasing her that her boyfriend was too old. “But he’s 22!” she exclaimed. “Well, that’s too old,” said the friend, “so I should introduce you to my cousin.” Thinking that would be a fine idea, the girl with the boyfriend said, “Okay. But what grade is he in?” Aaaack! Here’s a better way to impress: Email 10 of your best guy friends, CC picks@portlandpicks.com and invite them to check out www.PortlandPicksforMen.com. You could win an amazing spa day at Pulse Salon—complete with a massage, a facial, and a haircut and styling! This is pampering to the Nth degree, and you’re worth it. |
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Portland Picks: |
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| 1 | Parallel-o-Gram One time, encouraged by a now-ex boyfriend, we tried skiing for the first (and only) time. Scoffing at lessons, he took us atop—what’s the medium level? Blue Clover? Green Horseshoe? Purple Moon?— and then said, “Okay! Down you go!” Eight hours later, we were finally down. And five minutes after that, we were drinking. Heavily. Luckily, keeping our feet parallel is much easier when we’re making tracks to Parallel, a fab new addition to the Pearl. Open for a few weeks now, Parallel is a loft featuring both men’s and women’s clothing—stuff we can wear in and out of the office. Everything from Same Underneath soft cottons to Tocca dresses to Pualani swimwear (which, we’ve learned, is Cameron Diaz’s fave). No matter what you’re doing, where you’re doing it, or who you’re doing it with, Parallel can outfit you and get you stylin’ with pieces that are well-made but not boring in the least. In fact, with a little effort, you might be able to look almost as hot as we looked in our 1993 ski-bunny gear. Parallel |
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| 2 | Pampered & Pretty We like looking pretty. But we don’t like the time it takes to get there. How is it we spend sixty minutes every day doing our hair and makeup, just so we can look “natural”? Um, because we’re girls. And when looking pretty goes further than updos and shimmery eyeshadows, we like to be pampered at Pulse Salon. We’re talking about full-body bliss, with yummy massage (p.s. Laura Jones is a goddess!), modern haircuts & color, plus a skin analysis matched with their anti-aging pharmagel products and Youngblood mineral makeup applications—including a free makeup refresher with every hair service! And did we mention they have wine? All this = amazing. Plus, the salon is warm and inviting, and they use high-end products yet sell affordable ones, too, so we can look pretty at home without spending our savings. (Which we’ll instead blow on the locally made handbags, jewelry and artwork sold in-store.) And for a limited time, Pulse is offering 20% off any massage and a complimentary brow arch with any hair service booked during June and July. Time to get pretty! Pulse Salon |
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| 3 | The Total Boutique Experience After spending a long weekend in Phoenix—where it was 110 degrees—we admit we do feel a bit differently about Portland’s Juneuary blues. But when it comes down to it, girls need summery dresses. Make that: summery dresses that fit. Not all of us are built for spaghetti straps and cooter-revealing cuts. We want to look ladylike and stay cool. So we head to Mink. They have a fabu selection of the hottest summer styles to fit every budget, and—bonus!—the staff are trained “fit experts” so they can help you find the most flattering options. You can even walk away with a whole new outfit for under $100. (Of course they also carry some luxury brands if you want to splurge…) Check them out now for cute tops in a kajillion colors and prints, the entire line of Joe’s Jeans, an affordable organic line (love it!) and appliquéd tanks. Between the color fiesta, the range of sizes and the nod to trends without being trendy, we dare you to not find something to love! Mink Boutique |
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| 4 | Days of Wine and Roses Let’s discuss bar food. If it’s easy to pick up, it’s fried. Sure, you can get a salad or a California Roll, but after drinking, do you really want to wield a fork, let alone glorified knitting needles? We think not. So what do you do if you want wine, but eschew jalapeno poppers? Salad on a Stick. Like the Caprese version at Vicinato, consisting of tomato, mozzarella and basil, adorned with a squiggle of oil and balsamic, Salad on a Stick is just one of the cool concoctions found at this six-month-old wine bar. Italian for “neighborhood,” Vicinato offers more than 40 wines by the glass as well as a tightly compiled menu (antipasto, anyone?) that pairs perfectly with the vino you choose to sip. Wines are mainly from Italy, Spain, and Argentina, while the clientele sticks a little closer to home, with the bulk of the folks being from the adorable NE Fremont ‘hood known as Beaumont Village. But with live music on weekends, an expanding menu, and generously poured tastings once a month, we’re pretty sure Vicinato will stick with you, wherever you’re from. Vicinato |
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| 5 | Easy Comes as Easy Goes When it comes to strange jobs, our dad takes the cake. Without getting into the gory details, we’ll just say that he combines art and science in a very, uh, visionary way. We see the same eye for the offbeat in Ease, a new addition to Division that’s anything but ordinary. Take, for example, the framed medical illustrations by Vesalius. Or the delicate necklaces made with encased bugs and butterfly wings. Every item in the store is hand-picked and oddly beautiful… and certainly not run-of-the-mill. While Portland might not be home to John Derian or Sultana just yet, we love Ease’s selection of the wild and wonderful. From decoupage to Chinoiserie, vintage to modern, and with a few candles that smell like booze (but better!) thrown in for good measure, we think Ease is the best place we’ve found yet to—in the words of the bumper sticker—keep Portland weird. Ease |
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| Cocktail of the Week: | |||
We just got schooled on flavored vodka. We’d been experimenting with an occasional orange foray until someone brought a bottle of Three Olives Cherry Vodka to a party. You can make a ton of tasty cocktails (cherry vodka and Coke is downright fantastic), but we liked this one the best: Cherry Squirt: Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass, then garnish with a cherry! Delish! |
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| Chick Picks: | |||
| 1 | The Best Help a Mom Can Get We wish we had a nanny growing up—it would be so Eloise. But instead we had a surly babysitter with a Camaro-driving boyfriend. We’re lucky we came out in one piece! If only Mom had known about Rose City Nannies, a full-service nanny placement agency that matches exceptional childcare providers with the appropriate family. The screening process includes you and the nanny for ultimate compatibility, and they provide babysitting services, too—no Camaros involved! |
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| 2 | Face Off Every time we get our makeup done, we hate. Once we were so embarrassed we actually ran into a bathroom on our way to the Max just to wipe the goop from our lips and de-vampire our eyes. Megan, however, is a true makeup artiste. The girl knows when enough is enough and paints a face like you cannot believe! Want proof? Check out our photos on the About Us page. We wanted natural, we wanted dramatic, we wanted wedding-ready, and hey—that’s what she gave us. Imagine! |
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| 3 | Paper or Plastic? |
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| 4 | Baby Burrito When we were about four years old, Mom taught us to wrap our dolls up like burritos. We’d wrap and unwrap, then re-wrap, to get it tight and snug. By age six, we were pros. Now that real babies are coming around, we need to get back on the swaddle kick. We’re fond of the bundle blankets by Aden and Anais, made from soft cotton muslin in super adorable patterns. Plus, they’re extra large, so we don’t have to re-wrap because of loose corners. (Apparently we had so much time back when we were four!) |
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| 5 | Sweet Trifecta |
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| Event of the Week: | |||
Pin-Me Apparel Sale Benefiting p:ear |
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Hip Happenings: |
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| 1 | An Evening in the Garden Shopping, gardening, tasty beverages—what could be better than spending “An Evening in the Garden” with your girlfriends?! Farmington Gardens is serving up light fare and bevvies, designer JJ DeSousa from Digs Inside and Out will create dramatic container gardens, and you can shop for items that beautify your outdoor living space. Gift bags to the first 100! |
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| 2 | Get the Word Out! We know you love to discover new places, so Flourish wants to reward you for sharing your knowledge of Portland’s best shopping destinations by giving you a 10% commission for every sale you generate. Just bring in a friend, say you want to “help get the word out” and make some extra green. They’ll even give your friend 10% off! What: Get a Commish and Save at Flourish Interiors |
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| 4 | No Boys Allowed Finally we have a place to go for feminine golf bags and tennis skirts! Head over to the Tanasbourne Shops and welcome Aries Apparel, a very chic, very comprehensive sports store with apparel and accessories made just for women. During their Grand Opening weekend, enjoy 20% off the entire store and stick around for hourly drawings and gifts with purchase! What: Grand Opening Celebration |
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| 5 | Summer Sale Time at Shoefly! Miss the sun? Catch the Summer Solstice sale from Thursday–Sunday at Shoefly’s two locations—Bridgeport Village and the Pearl. Save a whopping 25% off storewide on the supercute and always comfy styles that will take you from weekday to weekend. Must-have metallics, adorable wedges, saucy pumps, sweetly adorned flats… your closet is begging for them! What: Summer Solstice sale at Shoefly |
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| 6 | Host a Foreign Exchange Student! Looking for a way to make a difference? Volunteer families are needed to host high-school exchange students who will arrive in August. This is a tremendous opportunity to help change someone’s life—and your own. Open your heart and your home ... share your community and country … be a host family in 2008! What: Host a foreign exchange student through CIEE |
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| 7 | Celebrate-Your-Yoga Ride Grab your bike and your yoga mat and join the gang from the Bhaktishop yoga studio as they pedal through SE P-Town in celebration of Pedalpalooza. Meet ’em atop Mount Tabor and roll out the mat here and there as the troupe makes their way back to the Bhaktishop for the final yoga sequence and snacks. What: Celebrate-Your-Yoga Ride |
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Don’t forget to tell your man-pals about www.PortlandPicksforMen.com! It’s full of cool stuff and events, just for Stumptown, and it’s written by guys, for guys. We promise you’ll feel better if you tell them. Otherwise you’ll just harbor the guilt of not doing us this teensy weensy favor. You don’t want that, do you? (Plus you could win a sweet pampering session… who doesn’t want that?) |
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