Entries Tagged as 'manicure'

Stephanie’s First Manicure

July 3rd, 2011 · 1 Comment

Once upon a time I took my mom for her first pedicure. Then I took Amanda for her first pedicure. And then Steph came to visit and she got her first manicure. Somehow on our trapeze day, I stubbed my toe and my toenail was all messed up, so I needed to get a pedicure. But I knew I’d be super busy this week before the holiday so I was in a jam. Well, somehow I was talking to Steph about her fingernails and we decided that we both needed to go to the nail salon the next morning!

We ended up going to Pinky Nail Studio in Wicker park. I got my same, boring, red/wine color for my toes. Steph was drawn to the more bold, primary colors. And then she spotted the Shatter nail polish by OPI. Apparently this stuff is all the rage these days. You apply two coats of nail polish and then apply a coat of a contrasting shatter polish and it dries with this special effect. Check out the video below to see how it works:

Steph chose green for the base and purple for the top, shatter coat. It turned out looking like dark green on the top, but I think it still looked cool.

For comparison, here’s what her nails looked like before:

The color was cool, but the application was not good and it was all chipping off. Also, it was the same exact color as the mints we got at dinner the night before!

After visiting the nail salon, we checked out the Wicker Park farmers market. And then after that, we wandered around Wicker Park Fest for a few hours, where I was tempted to buy this tshirt, but didn’t:

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On the Eve of Our Wedding

March 18th, 2011 · No Comments

So, the day before the wedding. I don’t know what people were expecting of me, but relaxed and calm wasn’t it! I spent the day lounging around the pool, while people asked me a thousand times “Aren’t you getting excited!?” and “Shouldn’t you be doing something!?” Luckily I had everything worked out with Marlene, our planner before we left Chicago and she was taking care of all the work. Pretty much all we had to do was show up. This is why we paid for a wedding planner!

The only 3 things I needed to do were 1) Get my nails done. 2) Bring the wine to the venue. 3) Attend family dinner.

I woke up early in the morning to head to a local nail salon in Kalaheo. I’d considered getting a manicure and pedicure at one of the local resort spas, but when I saw that the combo starts at about $150 and goes up at some of these places, I decideded to get a recommendation from our wedding planner. She suggested Healani’s Nails.

Healani is the woman who runs Healani’s Nails. It was a nice, quaint locals kind of place. Healani, herself, did my nails. She told me she used to work at the Hyatt spa that charges those rediculous prices, so I felt good knowing I was probably getting about the same treatment but for about a third of the price!

After my appointment I stopped in at the Hawaiian Trading Post, at the corner of Koloa Road and Kaumu’alii Hwy. I’d passed by this place a million times and never stopped. They have an amazing selection of Tahitian black pearls and Niihau shell leis. They also have a ton of really affordable jewelry and other unique souvineers. I got at least 3 necklaces and a few pairs of earrings, I think.

After going back to the house and laying by the pool for a while. All the guys got back from golfing and Limey made this moving toast one day early.

Jess B and I got lunch at Kalapaki Joe’s and I was talking about our wedding planner and how she had everything taken care of and how she made this awesome event plan for us. I opened the plan to show it to Jess and realized that there was a task assigned to us for the day that we overlooked: Bringing the wine to the venue. No problem. After lunch Jess and I brought it over there… nice thing about staying less than a mile from the venue!

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Saturday, Girls’ Day

October 28th, 2010 · No Comments

On Saturday I was feeling kind of hung over. Not horribly, but definitely dragging a bit. I think that I drank about a bottle and a half, at least a bottle for sure, of wine the night before, which is a lot for me. I think we were all feeling a little sluggish, so we laid low at the house for the morning and early afternoon. Kelly arrived from her long drive from Green Bay and we had lunch at the house. Mostly leftover cheese and stuff from wine and cheese night. And then? It was off to the salon!


Kelly, Kristin, Amanda, Jeannette :: Pinky Nail Studio, Wicker Park


Rachelle :: Pinky Nail Studio, Wicker Park

Jess G. made us all appointments at Pinky Nail Studio. Some of us got manicures and some pedicures and some both. I got both. Amanda got her first pedicure ever, which I thought was exciting. My mom got her first pedicure with me and loved it. I think Amanda is converted, too.


g boutique, Bucktown

We had some time to kill between the salon and going out. We were inspired by the party the night before and decided to head over to g boutique. I thought this was going to be a nice quiet lingerie boutique, but it really runs the gamut from fashionable underthings, to practical undies, to sale-priced bras, to raunchy sex shop. Interesting. I guess that is appropriate for a bachelorette weekend! I will not reveal what anyone may or may not have purchased, including what someone may or may not have shoved into my purse after checking out!


Rachelle :: g boutique, Bucktown

After the salon and boutique we headed home to rest for a little bit more and then get ready to go out. Here we are ready to go. I was all set with my tiara on!


Kelly, Jeannette, Rachelle, Amanda, Jessica G. :: Logan Square

I realized that Jess B. hasn’t been in any of my photos so far. She was behind the camera a lot. Not to worry! Plenty of photos of her coming up!

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Happy Belated Birthday and Merry Belated Christmas

April 5th, 2009 · 3 Comments

This weekend my mom drove down from Wisconsin and cashed in on her birthday and Christmas gifts. For her birthday gift we went out for dinner and then to see Jersey Boys at the Bank of America Theatre.

Rhapsody Restaurant
Wild Striped Sea Bass :: Rhapsody, The Loop, Chicago

Dallas suggested dinner at Rhapsody because it was nearby the theater and he’d been there before for lunch and liked the food. I thought the food was good, but we were kind of wedged into a table with people really close to us on each side. The service was just ok.. and compared to other fine dining restaurants that are still kind of fun and casual, Rhapsody felt a bit stuffy. Lots of suits in there. Still, we had a good dinner.

For a starter we split a daily special of seared scallops. I haven’t had scallops in a really long time and these were really good. The portion was a bit small. I think the dish was $10 and you only got 2 scallops. For wine we split a half bottle of Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc. It was nice and crisp and refreshing. For an entree mom got the pork tenderloin that was cooked with apples. I got a wild striped bass (above). Surprisingly, after our starter, the entrees were pretty good sized. We each enjoyed what we ordered. We also split a side of first of the season peas with mint, almonds and preserved lemon. They were so fresh and flavorful. I spotted a dessert next to us that I thought looked interesting, so we ordered it to finish off our dinner. It was called chocolate symphony. You got four different small desserts, maybe a bite or two for each of us, which was just the right amount. The four desserts were warm chocolate lava cake, chocolate peanut candy bar, chocolate chip pain perdu, and cookies & cream lollipop.

Jersey Boys at the Bank of America Theatre
Rachelle & Mom :: Bank of America Theatre, The Loop, Chicago

After dinner we walked a couple blocks over to the Bank of America Theatre to see Jersey Boys. I Tried to get my mom tickets to see the show for her last birthday but they were all sold out. Jersey Boys was worth the wait, though. I was surprised that I knew or recognized most of the songs even though they are 40+ years old. I thought it was interesting to see the timeline of the Four Seasons and how the personal lives of the band reflected on the music. The cast was really talented. The recession was showing at the theater. Half the seats on our level were empty. I’d recommend this show, especially if you’re looking for something to take your parents or grandparents to .. people who would remember the songs the first time around. The theater could probably use your money too.

The next day my mom cashed in on her Christmas gift: Brunch and manicures and pedicures.

Bongo Room - Chocolate Tower French Toast
Chocolate Tower French Toast :: Bongo Room, Wicker Park, Chicago

I took my dad to Bongo Room once a few years ago and he still talks about it, so I thought my mom would like to see what all the fuss was about. Plus, I made our spa appointment at a place right next to Bongo Room. Mom and I decided to split two things, one savory and one sweet, so we got the sweet potato and black bean breakfast burrito and the chocolate tower french toast. Both were very good. We were glad we didn’t get two really sweet things to eat. With the burrito, the savory balanced out the sweetness.

After lunch we took a much needed walk around Wicker Park. It was nice and sunny out and we had a bit of time to kill. It’s pretty crazy how different some of the neighborhood is compared to when I lived down there.

Mojo Spa Pedicure
Mom :: Mojo Spa, Wicker Park, Chicago

Next, we went to Mojo Spa to get manicures and pedicures. My mom never had a pedicure before so I thought she’d enjoy it when I gave it to her as a gift. She was a little apprehensive because she’s had foot surgery and stuff, but the nail technicians at Mojo were perfect. They took their time and explained everything and were very friendly. It seems like most nail places are either high-end, expensive and stuffy or completely the opposite: a rush job. This place was funky and cute and personable, not busy, and somewhere in between. It was just the right choice. I think my mom might be hooked on nail treatments now!

Mojo Spa Pedicure
Rachelle :: Mojo Spa, Wicker Park, Chicago

Great weekend that went by too fast!

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Bartholomew Fair, New Jersey

July 19th, 2008 · No Comments

After driving from Cape Cod to Hoboken, Julie dropped Jess and I off at Jess’s apartment. We got pedicures and manicures (the beach is horrible to your hands and feet), went for a walk by the waterfront, watched a play, and then met up with Stephanie for dinner.


Bartholomew Fair, New Jersey :: Hoboken, NJ

The play was something we just stumbled upon while walking through Frank Sinatra Park (Sinatra was born in Hoboken). It was called “Bartholomew Fair, NJ” and was to start in a few minutes, so we bought something to drink at a nearby cafe and took a seat. There were 5 actors, but maybe like 20 different characters, so you can imagine the quick costume changes and different voices and accents used. Everything in the play rhymed. It was like reading a rhyming poem. “Bartholomew” wasn’t the best production I’ve ever seen, but it was amusing and free and had a great view of New York’s skyline and was a good way to pass a nice afternoon in Hoboken. There were about 40 people gathered to watch, including several families with kids. I thought it was a good informal way to expose young children to the arts. The only complaint I had was that the cafe that was right behind us continued to play Bob Marley’s Legend album loud for the entire length of the play, which was distracting.

After the play we met Stephanie for dinner at a newer sushi restaurant in Hoboken called Teak on the Hudson. The architecture and styling of the restaurant is really over the top. Impressive, but maybe a bit much. We thought the sushi was good and fresh, but expensive. I guess you’re paying for all the decorations. After dinner we got some fat-free soft serve and walked around Hoboken a bit.

The next morning I flew home. Dallas made me a nice dinner of grilled sweet potatoes, grilled onions, and jalepeno and honey pork chops.


Grilled pork chops and sweet potatoes, Roscoe Village, Chicago

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