• Therarebelle

the RARE belle

~ a southern gal's guide to all things fabulous in food, fashion, finery and frippery

the RARE belle

Category Archives: what’s ringin’ our belle

CHANEL… take me away…your friday friend-1-1

28 Friday Mar 2014

Posted by theRAREbelle in what's ringin' our belle

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

bath, beauty oil, Chanel

Ladies, we are here to tell you that we have also jumped on the oil bandwagon. Face oil, body oil, hair oil, cleansing oil, moisturizing oil, bath oil, body oil. They clean, plump, soften, blur, de puff, de-wrinkle, shine, silken and perform and infinite number of miracles.

Now we are doing a little experimenting to see how we like them in real life. We will be sure to let you know what we think soon enough. Yes, we are judgy. No, we don’t think that’s a word, but we like it and use it ALL the time.

We dipped our toes in the oil vat fairly timidly, starting with bath and shower oil. Two winners!!
One most luxurious, and the other luxe for less.

First up:

20140227-080406.jpg

The packaging alone made us a little weak in the knees. Duh. And then there’s inside the box.

20140227-082522.jpg

We have fallen head over heels and we haven’t even opened the bottle yet!! Okay, we admit , we have a weakness for great packaging. But when you do open this little treasure , the innards won’t disappoint. Just a capful, and the ylang ylang and almond leaves will take your bath to another level, leaving your skin soft and supple. Your soul won’t suffer any from the soak either.

Belles love a find that won’t leave our piggy banks weeping and we do believe we have found a great one. Our oil of choice number two:

20140227-083647.jpg

Now even though this is labeled a shower oil, we tried it in the bath with much success. It has a very expensive scent, delivers a silky feel to your skin and leaves you feeling like you treated yourself.

Oh, and if y’all wanted to recycle that chanel bottle (although it does last a long time) and pour another bath oil in there, we would be most impressed with your efforts to reduce your carbon footprint…all while keeping your vanity / bathroom looking tres chic. Multitasking belles at their best (skin care, belle time, home decor and being ” green”) !!!

So go on and treat yourselves to a little luxury downtime. Y’all deserve it.

a&a

34.830122 -82.405424

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Like Loading...

this tip’s for you, belle…your friday friend-1-1

14 Friday Mar 2014

Posted by theRAREbelle in friday friend 1-1, what's ringin' our belle

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

beauty, Cotton swabs

A few years ago we started using these:

20140219-235212.jpg

Gotcha huh???

20140219-235300.jpg

They are virgin olive oil cotton swabs. Why, whatever for, you might ask. Well:

They are great for cleaning up tough-to-remove eye makeup residue.
They erase makeup prep errors.
They add a little moisture to the under-eye area to help blend concealer.
They moisturize cuticles.
They moisturize the lip area (especially the corners) without feeling greasy.
They are $6.00 for 50, double-ended, and individually-wrapped for portability.
So there…a miracle product!

We have tried several other brands but keep returning to this one. Just can’t beat the quality or the price. Bonus…they are made in San Francisco which we are partial to, of course.
Here is the link

Now swab to your hearts desire!
a&a

34.830174 -82.405487

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Like Loading...

a RARE stroke of genius…your friday friend-1-1

07 Friday Mar 2014

Posted by theRAREbelle in friday friend 1-1, what's ringin' our belle

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

boots, Closets, friend-1-1, storage

Sadly, we can’t take the credit for coming up with this brilliant idea. Pinterest has been one our entertainment tools of late as we have been stuck in our homes for what seems like a coon’s age.

This neck of the woods is unaccustomed to being accosted by such frigid, aggressive, and downright abrasive weather. We scurried into our humble abodes to wait it out. Thanks to being forced to set a spell, we have discovered some interesting things to keep us occupied.

Obviously, we have been wearing our boots a lot, and when we came across this idea, we just HAD to share because that’s what belles DO. Pinterest told us we don’t need boot stands . We can use Manila folders!! What??? They don’t cost a mint (use that money toward the next pair) or fall on your tender toes, they don’t take up room in our meager closets (c’ mon, y’all know belles never have large enough closets) and they neaten things up in a skinny minute!! What’s not to love?!?!

20140212-135351.jpg

A little multitasking tip like this warms our lil’ ole hearts just when we need it.

a&a

34.830161 -82.405329

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Like Loading...

Paris…it does a belle good

27 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle adventures, what's ringin' our belle

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Francophile, Paris, travel

20140227-133349.jpg

Our junior belles have a school break, and as any proper mother belles would do, we decided it would be wise to take them on an “educational” trip. (Not to mention…we have both had a hankering to revisit some of our favorite Parisian haunts). As you can tell by the lingo that slips from our lips, we have long had a love affair with all things French. Time to hand down the addiction!!

Follow us here and on Instagram for our latest and greatest finds as we make our way through the city of light…some old, some new. We will share everything from packing to perusing, cultural jaunts, food tours, fashion finds, and a treasure trove of delightful adventures. We will try to keep the mishaps to a minimum and surprises magnifiques to a maximum.

Don’t forget to shadow us on Instagram for sure…and the blog if we can figure to out. Remember…we’re just learn in’.

a bientot,
a&a

34.833108 -82.394247

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Like Loading...

salted caramel blondies…ring. a-ling!

14 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious, what's ringin' our belle

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

blondies, caramel, caramel sauce, Desserts, fudge sauce, salty, sweet

Salted caramel…let us count the ways!! This has become one of our latest obsessions, and it could be a rather dangerous one! (We are going to be forced to log 20,000 steps a day on our Fitbits pretty soon…uh oh). We have pinned and tried various versions of this sinful combination of salty, sweet, gooey goodness; and you, our dear belles, will certainly be hearing more from us on this very important topic. But…this one recipe has been ringing our belles (and collecting oohs and ahhs from friends) lately. So, we feel almost obligated to get it out to all of our belles immediately. We can’t have you missing out on all the fun!!

Now, before we divulge the gooey details, we must give you two very important pointers.

1. The recipe, as presented in the link, is to be prepared in an 8″x8″ pan. Now, you know what that means? It is just not enough!! Our solution…go right ahead and double that recipe and pull out the 9″x13″…especially if you plan to share (which a good belle would always do). Add 5 minutes to your baking time and you are all set.
2. The recipe also calls for a perfectly delicious homemade salted caramel sauce as well as a perfectly delicious homemade fudge sauce. We adore these recipes and encourage you to try them…but save them for a time when they will be the star of the show. For this recipe, they are drizzled on prior to baking and we find that the store-bought versions work beautifully (and allow you to crank these babies out in record time…making everyone happy). Let Trader Joe’s help you out here with their Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce and their Fudge Sauce & Fondue. You’re welcome!

And, now, here it is…in all it’s salted caramel goodness!!
Simply heaven on earth:

salted caramel and hot fudge blondies

20140213-145606.jpg

a&a

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Like Loading...

nail it, belle!…your friday friend 1-1

07 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by theRAREbelle in friday friend 1-1, what's ringin' our belle

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

beauty, color, Nails

As true belles we reserve the right to change our mind from one moment to the next. Turns out we are pretty good at it too.

We have remained loyal to one color for sometime now and we intend to stay that way.

You Don’t Know Jaques!! is an Opi color that has become a uniform. Who can resist a polish with that kind of attitude?!?

OPI You dont know jacques

We have cheated a tad lately on our beloved Jaques because we couldn’t resist the gamble. A dark and swarthy sort with an air of mystery and a winning glow caught us in a moment of weakness. OO, Belle, how could we resist? Casino Royale by Opi is his name. Doesn’t that just have a lovely ring to it??

OPI Casino Royale Swatch1

via The Polish Hideout

Clearly we are suckers for Zee French.  These two rang our belles, hope they ring yours too.

a&a

34.830126 -82.405518

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Like Loading...

le caniche français…ooh la la!

31 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious, what's ringin' our belle

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

French poodle, salad dressing, Vinaigrette

Okay y’all,

True friends share, “belle” friends share their best finds. In this case it’s a salad dressing. Now it’s important that you understand we are genuine snobs about salad dressing. We snub our noses and curl our lips at that bottled stuff. We pride ourselves on making our own dressings and experience glee that it tastes soooo much better than anything you find at the supermarket.

But we make one exception to the above statement. A vinaigrette from the French Poodle in Carmel, California. They have converted us…just this once. So much so that we have given it to friends as gifts. Packaged in wine bottles, a little goes a long way.

The French Poodle knows their salad dressing. We should know. We order it a case at a time.

http://www.thefrenchpoodlecarmel.com

french poodle vinaigrette

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Like Loading...

friend-1-1 friday

17 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by theRAREbelle in what's ringin' our belle

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

candy, ginger, gluten-free, treats

Each Friday, we will share our latest and greatest find for all of our fellow “belles”.  It might be a tip, a recipe, a fashion find, a beauty item or the latest must-have…you’ll just have to tune in to find out the “share” of the day!

This week, we have a treat with benefits!!  Our sweet Brazilian amiga introduced us to these little gems just a couple of days ago, and we are already hooked!  Not only is it belle-icious, it helps with digestion and satisfies that after-dinner (or mid-morning, or mid-afternoon, or mid-night) sugar craving, all in a little gluten-free treat.

It’s the Prince of Peace ginger candy chew!!

Great things really do come in small packages.  You can check your local health food store, or find them online at amazon.com…how easy are those benefits!?

http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Peace-Ginger-Candy-Chews/dp/B00B7DZH7U/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1389901773&sr=1-1&keywords=prince+of+peace+ginger+chews

Image

That’s your friend-1-1 for this week.  Hope it rings your “belle”

a & a

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Like Loading...

rain, rain, go away

10 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by theRAREbelle in what's ringin' our belle

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

accessory, france, rain, umbrella

but since it won’t, here is our solution

Image

http://www.raindropsto.com/merde-il-pleut-umbrella

…a rainy day’s best accessory.  Pardon our French (more on that later)

that’s the friend 1-1…and what is ringing our belle today..

a & a

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Like Loading...
Newer posts →

Follow us on Bloglovin

Follow on Bloglovin

Follow the RARE belle on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

The Rare Belle

The Rare Belle
Follow the RARE belle on WordPress.com

Follow me on Pinterest

Follow Me on Pinterest

Follow us on Bloglovin

Follow on Bloglovin

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • the RARE belle
    • Join 298 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • the RARE belle
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d