The New Potluck

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Cheesy tuna casseroles and Jello salads are definitely not on the menu.

Seared Ultra-Rare Albacore Tuna Salad

DEALS ON MEALS | One adjustment I’ve made to my budget the past year is to limit restaurant dining in general and high-end restaurants in particular. But by no means have I forgone the fine dining experience—I’ve just changed the venue. The latest take on potluck—a.k.a. The New Potluck—redefines the word to include communal menu planning that results in a restaurant-quality meal for a fraction of the cheque, and without the service charge.

How is The New Potluck different from your average dinner party? Simple: all the hard prep work and cost of the meal is shared. How is it different from the old potluck? Also simple: boring tuna casseroles and three-bean salads have been replaced with a sophisticated dine-out style menu. Read more

Mother’s Little (Hair Colour) Helper

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Virtually undetectable, hair crayons buy you time between trips to the colourist.

CHEAP TRICK | Dark roots with blonde tresses may be in vogue right now with glamorous evangelists like Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow flaunting them, but I am here to tell you that grey roots, as a deliberate style choice, will never be in fashion. Not now, not ever.

So what do you do with the grey in your hair? You could go all Patti Smith and let it show (an idea that does seem to have legs right now, if you read The New York Times beauty pages last Sunday)—or cover it up completely. For those choosing the latter and dealing with the unremitting tide of grow-out, there are two excellent and inexpensive stop-gap products to buy you extra time between dates with the colourist. Read more

IKEA Praktfull Pro range

One Hot Cooker

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The inexpensive Praktfull commercial-style range does everything the high-end ones do.

BEST BUY | Terri Brandmueller is a fierce recreational cook who entertains with complete confidence. Never one to shy away from a complex dish or a complicated technique, she once hauled home an entire suckling pig to roast in her scrappy old oven just because it was one of the cooking items on her bucket list. For most of her life, she has managed to “be a good cook on some pretty marginal stoves,” she says, “but I’ve aspired to having a nice one.”

Brandmueller got the chance to install a dream range last fall when she renovated her Vancouver kitchen, but she suffered sticker shock when she saw the prices. The freestanding Wolf 36-inch duel fuel range was nudging $12,000; Kenmore’s version was $6,000. Even her least favourite range, a G.E. Profile, was around $2,500 at The Home Depot. Read more

One Of These Mayos Is Not Like The Others

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Which of these mayonnaise brands received the best results in chef Glenys Morgan’s mayo clinic: Hellmann’s/Best Foods Real Mayonnaise, President’s Choice Mayonnaise, Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value Mayonnaise?

mayo IMG_3841
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The Power Pantsuit

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The turn on: Ladies take a meeting in this one, a perfectly tailored striped power pantsuit from Mexx.
What’s the deal: $99. Way down from $220.
Why we’re excited: Well first there’s the price; then there’s the versatility. Wear the two pieces together; push up the sleeves and wear the jacket with a pair or skinny jeans and a little tee; or wear the pants with a classic, plain blouse or sweater. That’s  three new outfits, minimum.
How long will the pleasure last: Sadly, just today. The pantsuit deal is part of a series of rolling, rouge sales presented throughout April by Mexx.
Where’s The F Spot: Mexx, all locations. Better hurry, Hillary.

— Submitted by Michelle O.

Mineral Makeup Is Magic

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Who couldn’t use affordable, flattering, virtually undetectable foundation?

Mineral-MakeupEvery day people ask me, “What’s so great about mineral powders?”

Mineral makeup has an amazing affinity with the skin—it looks like bare skin but better. It is non-comedogenic (will not block pores) so even the oiliest, acne-prone skin can use it. There are no talcs, filters, chemicals or dyes in the product, and there is virtually no risk of allergy so even the most sensitive skin can use it. In fact, mineral powders contain zinc oxide, an anti-inflammatory, which soothes and helps to reduce skin sensitivity. Mineral powders tend to wear extremely well and are quite water-resistant so won’t run. Depending on the type, concentration, and quality of the minerals used, mineral powder can also act as a physical sunscreen. Read more

I’m Throwin’ On My Fauxboutins

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Where to find way less expensive look-alikes of the shoes worn by every woman in Stardom.

Louboutin patent leather pump

Original source: Louboutin's Simple 70 patent leather pump (shown here) feels like the inspiration for the Bay's elegant Christina pump.

SERIOUS SHOES FOR LESS Every year Christian Louboutin does new versions of his “Simple” high-heeled patent pump with signature red sole. For the past two years at least, it has been a lovely shoe: low cut (for a little toe cleavage) with a slightly rounded toe box (for a very comfortable fit) and a three-inch heel (an extremely wearable height). His latest version, the Simple 85, comes in a rich shade of lavender patent leather—you can see it at Holt Renfrew where it sells for $645 a pair.

I first flipped over the Simple a few seasons back when Louboutin introduced the Simple 70 in nude patent with a nude heel. Much as I loved those shoes, there was no way I was going to pay upwards of $700 for the privilege of owning a pair. Read more

Allegiant-Air

I Pledge Allegiant

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How to save a bundle by flying out of Bellingham on the little airline that could.

Allegiant Air planeCHEAP FLIGHTS | “I’m not going to fly on any airline that sounds like it’s been named after a communi- cable disease,” I told my husband when he suggested we jet to Oakland, California, from Bellingham, Washington, on Allegiant Air. We had accepted a last minute offer to join friends in Palo Alto for a football game at Stanford University and needed a cheap flight to the Bay Area ASAP. Everything out of Vancouver was really pricey, but we could catch Allegiant Air’s nonstop from Bellingham to Oakland: two round trip tickets totalled $521.44 including luggage.

I’m a “label airline” person because I hate to fly, but with a single ticket from Vancouver to San Fran costing upwards of $500, I decided to revisit my initial hesitation with Allegiant by doing a safety record check. I looked for serious complaints online (there was grousing about delays and surly staff) and sought the opinion of two Air Canada employees I know who had flown Allegiant before: they said they would do so again. Read more

Something In The Air

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Paraffin candles emit pollution, but there are reasonable alternatives.

Beeswax tealightsEvery year on the last Saturday in March, people around the world observe Earth Hour by turning off unnecessary lights and appliances for an hour. The World Wildlife Fund, which founded Earth Hour in 2007, was hoping for a billion participants in 2010. Many of them probably lit candles—which, proving no good deed goes unpunished, can also create pollution. Read more

Cardboard Storage Boxes

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The turn on: For the seriously organized, super cheap cardboard bankers-style storage boxes with lids.
What’s the deal: $1.49 each.
Why we’re excited: Conventional bankers boxes sell at Staples six for $15.60, or $2.60 each. These boxes, which once held the reams of paper the stores sell, are equally sturdy and only $1.49, $1.11 cheaper each.
How long will the pleasure last: Always; this is the regular price.
Where’s The F Spot: Staples, all locations. You will need to ask about the boxes if you don’t see them displayed.

— Submitted by Ms. Clutterbuster