People who say they hate perfume haven't smelled really good perfume. Subtle, natural, never overpowering...you just smell good. I wear a scent every day and people can't usually tell unless I say something.
Tonight, I'm headed over to Nationale for the launch of Olo Fragrance's new scent, Victory Wolf. Victory Wolf is made in town by Heather Sielaff; the label was designed by artist and scarf designer Jason Kinney. Full disclosure: Heather, Jason and I worked together at the Gap in Charlotte, NC in the 90s. I haven't smelled Victory Wolf yet, but it sounds great. Here's how Heather describes it:

Victory Wolf has a few things in it but the main ingredients are cedarwood, tobacco and cade. Cade has a beautiful smokey birch tar aroma. Every time I smell it, I feel like I've been sitting by a bonfire. I made it for Jonathan because I wanted to make a smokey, masculine scent that smelled natural. Cologne for men mostly overwhelms me so I wanted a scent that makes you feel like it's there for a reason. An event or an act caused it to be. Going to a bonfire with friends is a good time and you smell awesome when you get home.

If you can't make it tonight, head over to Nationale and check it out this weekend!

If I'm feeling flush and sufficiently vulnerable, I'll sometime drag my tired ass down to the Dragontree—it's a serene holistic day spa in NW Portland that offers a panoply of services, from intense Ayurvedic long-term treatments to quickies like a 20 minute head, neck, and shoulder massage (drool). I'm a dabbler when it comes to salon services, and I rarely hit the same place twice, but the Dragontree is one of the exceptions (along with Portland's Hottest Nails). It seemed surprising at first to find out that the salon was opening a new location at the airport of all places, because the NW location couldn't be more opposite of an environment, all warm colors and quiet harp and flute music. Leave it to them to carve out an oasis amid the tedium of having to juggle luggage and ID and your damn shoes. You can schedule an appointment (maybe a massage will calm your pre-flight anxiety while you wait for the Xanax to kick in), but they'll primarily be doing walk-ins, which is great: I can't imagine I'll make much use of the airport salon since it's not often I have layovers in the city I live in, but if my departure is delayed, and it comes down to watered down, over-priced cocktails or a foot bath with a hand massage, it's no contest. Plus you can just stop in for vitamins, natural sleep aids, and organic skin products to ease your travel fatigue. Look for it the next time you're on the way out of town—it's set to open sometime this fall.

Wanna get a cheap facial? (Commence "I can give you a free one, heh heh heh" jokes.) The Paul Mitchell School (234 SW Broadway) is having some sort of awesome sale. Granted you will be experimented on by "future professionals," but geez o' Pete is it a smokin' deal.

Haircuts $9.95
Color starting at $27.95
Highlights starting at $39.95
Manicure and pedicure $22.95
European facial (this is where Alison inserted a Swiss ski instructor joke) $22.95

I can vouch for the facial. It was a good hour long, and by the end I felt like I was annointed with enough essential oils to be a Hellmouth demon's ritual sacrifice. (Obviously, I spent my 60 minutes fantasizing that I saved Sunnydale from Gavrok Spiders.) My future esthetician was super and the whole experience was worth so much more than 23 bucks.

See how happy I look!

The good weather is so close, yet so far away, no? We're in the home stretch (Spring officially starts on Friday, for whatever that's worth) but a look outside the window falls somewhat short of promising. While I have tried, and can attest to, the pleasantness of a visit to Löyly even in the dead of summer, there are still plenty of gray, rainy days ahead that will make you want to escape inside the clean white spaciousness of the Southeast Portland retreat. Löyly no doubt far surpasses your usual gym-sauna experience, with appointments available for relaxing massages, single-serving beauty and aromatherapy products like house made salt scrubs and foot baths and facial products, a wonderful steam room spiked with herby additions like lemon grass, cleansing tea, salty snacks and wine and beer to help you adjust to post-sauna life—it's such a good way to cope through these final months of blah and SAD, it really is. Fans of the spot already know that they have gone through a number of adjustments to their pricing in recent months, with different options adjusted for the length of time you plan to spend, a flexibility I'm a fan of. The best deal has always been the punch card, good for five visits up to three hours each (separately visits of that length, the longest offered, go for $25 a pop), and while they usually cost $100 each, starting today and through Sunday the 22nd, punch cards are on sale for only $85! So for goodness' sake, relax.

A note for those who work in the NE 28th/Kerns neighborhood that Kalista Salon runs a happy hour on Mondays and Tuesdays from noon-4 pm, with $25 services like a half-hour massage, haircuts, basic pedicures and manicures, bundle lashes, and detox foot baths, plus $45 short and sweet facials. Also, on December 12, 5-10 pm the salon will be throwing their Christmas party, a smorgasbord of beauty treats including 10% off all products, services at happy hour rates, a free gift with purchases of gift certificates, freebies from Dermalogica, and a chance to take a crack at the Lumiere machine for $25, and 20% off a package purchase of treatments (Lumiere is an LED light treatment said to reduce everything from lines to acne—don't they all, but I can't say Ive ever tried it myself), plus there will be free makeup applications for anyone who goes in for a facial or Lumiere treatment, so no worries about showing up to the next party (oh, there are so many).

The ultimate goal of every party person when considering their personal body care should be the removal of toxins. It's just practical: You shovel 'em out so you can keep shovelin' 'em in. Everything else is gravy. If a massage feels transcendent, awesome. But I'm not satisfied unless I feel like I'm going to puke afterward--hey, that's just me. Sauna and steaming are great for these kinds of toxin flushes (and if you pace yourself you shouldn't feel like puking), and while for the everyday the sauna at the gym might suffice, a periodic trip to Loyly can be, well, transcendent (they offer massage services too, but they won't make you pukey unless you specify. I'm talking about puke here way too much aren't? Sorry, Loyly.) Since the dark winter months tend to make everyone more of a party person (maybe even more so once the new year has passed), retreating into the marvelously hot confines of a sauna can do wonders for body and soul. If your gym is fancier than mine, you might have access to a steam room, but the one at Loyly, usually infused with a lovely, herby scent is one of my favorite special treats when visiting. They've also got single-servings of body scrubs that will make you as soft as an infant, masks, foot soaks, detoxifying tea, plus salty snacks and beer and wine to ease you out at the end. Whether you're one of those gift-givers that insists on being practical or one who likes to do something that someone would never do for themselves, a gift certificate to Loyly can satisfy both--I bring it up because through December 30th, if you buy four $25 gift certificates (good for a three-hour visit), you'll get a fifth for free.

This isn't the Loyly of southeast Portland--they have separate hours for men and women with the exception of one co-ed period of time when you have to wear bathing suits (ugh), but if you did want to recreate this more enlightened scenario, Loyly can be rented out for private events. Hello, my next birthday party!

When you splurge for a salon treat at a fancy spa like Aequis, you may as well do your best to ensure that it's everything you want, including the music. Why not, you're paying for the entire experience, right? Well Aequis has picked up on that, and beginning in January will offer "theme nights," when you can book an appointment on a night that you know your favorite jams are going to be on. Like "Ladies of Jazz" night (Jan 16) with songbirds like Billie Holiday and Etta James, or "Gen-X" night (Jan 30), with the Cure, Mazzy Star, and their ilk, or maybe "Sexy R 'n' B" night (Feb 13) is more your speed, or "Radiohead" night (Jan 23)? Hmm? Go on and peruse the menu of services this 7,000 square foot salon offers--it's pretty impressive. And these nights, which run from 5 pm-2 am (?!) promise "flickering candles, intriguing spirits, special lights, rich fragrances filling the air, and healing touches."


These two are totes downs for Sexy R 'n' B Night.

The above quote is what my boyfriend said when he came to extract me from Dirty Little Secret salon yesterday afternoon, where they were hosting a presentation of the Nu Skin Galvanic Spa System--those of us who received invitations were shown how to use it, and got to take a crack at it on our own faces over a punchbowl of sangria and cheese and crackers (I wish every party was like this). I will not even attempt to explain the scientific principles of a galvanic facial, but basically it sends electric currents into your skin and makes it easier for products to penetrate the surface. Galvanic facials are usually done in salons by technicians, and among beauty junkies they're highly prized for their efficacy. The Nu Skin system is centered around a much smaller, hand-held machine that can be easily used at home. Basically, you start with a clean face, apply a gel to it, then turn on the machine (which you have to hold with a wet hand so it will conduct the current), rub it all over your face for five minutes (the gadget has a built in timer), then put on a different gel, and do it again. Oh, and then you rub in an ampule of lotion that is supposed to restore the elasticity of your skin to how it was during your early 20s. It has different attachments for your body (it also claims to reduce cellulite, varicose veins, and just generally lift you up wherever you happen to be sagging), hair (to stimulate growth), and a spot treatment attachment if you want to focus intently on just one area.

Now, I love this kind of thing. And I desperately want to live in a world where one can cure aging, acne, cellulite, and baldness all with one little machine and about $350 bucks (plus the cost of refills on product). Incidentally, the Nu Skin system is distributing through multi-level marketing, which may or may not make a difference to you. To me, it makes me cautious. After the party (no I didn't buy the system, but I wanted to), I prowled around on the internets, and called Portland esthetician Jane Cowan, who I trust for BS-free takes on all things skincare, and this is what I learned: This technology is not new or unique (Jane refers to it as "old school"), and if you want to try something like this, there are many different companies producing the same things. It works (sort of). Like I said, the technology has been used for half a century. The variability really seems to rest with the product you use in tandem with it. The advantage of a system like this is not having to think about it. If you just follow their directions, you'll be fine--there are few complaints about the results to be found on the blogosphere, for whatever that's worth. But Cowan stresses that it's not going to replace the importance of genetics or lifestyle in your skin's appearance. (Notably, Cowan has a galvanic system for professional use, but says she rarely uses it because she rarely finds it useful.) Whatever Jane, I still want one. But I'm not $350-curious to see if using it obsessively would produce the kinds of results the company's reps showed me. The fact that you have to keep buying the gels, which are not cheap, puts me off. I'm not spending nearly that much money on my physical appearance on a regular basis as it is, so the argument that it's cheaper than spa visits is kind of moot with me. None of this is money-saving. So here's my cheapskate plan: Buy one of these machines on ebay for far less than the full kit goes for. Buy a bottle of aloe vera gel, and start experimenting. If all it does it make product more bio-available, I should be able to use anything water-soluble, yes? (Erm, I'm not necessarily recommending you adopt my cavalier attitude here, just to be clear.)

We'll see how it goes. If you've ever tried one of these, I'd love to know what your experience was. And even better would be recommendations of things I could slather on my face before zapping it with electrical currents. (What? Don't worry. Research. Lots of research.)

Wax On Spa is opening a brand spankin' new location on Williams and are throwing a little shindig on Saturday December 6th to celebrate hairless legs, backs, and hoo-ha's in North Portland. Come for the wine and hors d'ouvres, stay for the "live waxing" show. This sounds kind of terrifying, but you know, the wine helps. Down a few more glasses to soften your own pain if you decide to christen the new location with a live waxing of your own.

Wax On Spa Grand Opening, 3808 N Williams, December 6th, 7pm

There was sooo much going on over the weekend... too many parties and fashion shows and shopping, and now I'm staring down a new workweek feeling like a spider that got stepped on but didn't die. And while there was a time I might have been tempted to set my eyes on the happy hour prize, I've got a different kind of happy hour tempting me through the day, and it's a lot less likely to cause dehydration or have trouble finding your name on the list: Kalista Salon is holding a happy hour of treatments from 12-4 pm today, with $25 pedicures, half hour massages, detoxifying foot baths, bundle lash applications, and haircuts, plus 10% off on all their products. Yes yes, it is time to stop hurting and start healing.

I used to consider myself moderately fastidious about sun protection, but in recent years the coverage of the anti-aging/sun protection affair seems to suggest that it requires advanced degrees in several sciences to get it right. Every time you turn around, they're telling you you need a higher minimum of SPF coverage in order to avoid fatal levels of premature aging. But not so fast! Too high of an SPF coverage is a scam! It won't last if it doesn't contain titanium! Oh no, if you don't reapply it six times a day you may as well not even bother!

Ugh. It all seems like so much trouble that it's no wonder so many people have thrown up their hands and all but given up. Now there's a new product designed to add a base layer of SPF without adding any hassle to your routine: sunscreen soap. The claim is that just lathering with this body soap gives you an SPF 10 layer of protection--a moderate amount, but better than nothing, especially as temperatures begin to cool and SPF mania calms down. I was able to try out Bethesda Sunscreen Soap , which is at the fore of this new skincare development. All natural, appropriate for sensitive skin, and packed with vitamins, it's a good soap with a nice thick lather and at $8 a bar (unfortunately not sold locally, but available online) it is long lasting, moisturizing, and has a very mellow scent. Of course, it is somewhat difficult to gauge the veracity of such a low SPF--it should prevent your getting a sunburn on your morning walk to the office?--but for the exhausted lazy-bones it at least represents an effort, without any additional steps to your morning routine.

For about a month I've been using some flower wax I bought at Alberta Co-Op from Jumnah Rau and it rocks. Jumnah makes her waxes using methods that have been in her family for generations--they're completely all natural, locally sourced, and locally made.
Better yet, they work. Jumnah recommended two products for me: a jasmine oil for my face and a jasmine wax for the rough skin around my heels. Seriously, my skin's never been softer.
Some of her products are available at Alberta Co-Op, but it's better to meet with her in person and ask for recommendations, there are a lot of combinations she can make, depending on your skin type. She's at the Co-Op on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday or can be reached at 503.256.1341.

Did you know that shimmery nail polish is made with fish scales? I did not, but the new owners of Chameleon Salon (7015 N Greeley), Shannen Knight and Madelyn Zappey, are all over it, with vegan versions of salon treatments like salt scrubs and vegan manicures (the shimmer comes from sea shells). The salon has been there for 40 years, but Knight and Zappey have revamped it and added additional services like facials and waxing, and plan to expand to add massage and tanning in the future. Vegan tanning, one can assume.

Yesterday at a (cold, windy, raining, outdoor) photo shoot, we were taking about how weird it is that the Sephora store in our area is way out in Washington Square, with rumors of another to open in Clackamas. Why not downtown, or merely within the city limits? Out of this grew a conversation about how much of Sephora's cultural cache has eroded as they become increasingly big box, from sophisticated and metropolitan to the WalMart for faces. From that point of view the banishment to the suburbs for Sephara stores seems less a function of Portland's junior league status among major cities and more another typical example of our city's development style. Instead we have in our urban core independent retailers like Blush specializing in makeup product and services. I don't wear much makeup anyway (I just don't have the time), and today I'm sitting at home in a slip and hoodie with a head cold, going nowhere fast, but if my situation were different, as yours hopefully is, I might like to know that today is what Blush calls "Flirty First Friday" (cursed name), wherein you book an appointment for them to do your makeup, and the $30 reservation fee can be redeemed for product. Which essentially sounds like the same deal you can get at a department store whenever, but why go chain when you can go indie?