Happy New Year!

When you head out tonight, don't forget MILK or our best tips for avoiding a hangover. Then as our friend Letisha said, "2008, don't let the door hit you on the way out!"

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy '09!

Champagne on New Year's

Are you serving or gifting bubbly tonight? We're big fans and thought we'd give you our recession-inspired options that taste great and won't put you out. Sorry no links because there's no time left for on-line ordering; but these are easy to find at the grocery or wine shop.

Champagne, the traditional bubbly, is produced only in the Champagne region of France. Our pick? Perrier-Jouet with its Art Nouveau label will run you about $35 (though some vintages soar in the hundreds).

Its Italian cousin, Prosecco, is popular with our girlfriends and good bottles are less expensive than champagne. We always buy Il Prosecco in multiples because we finish them off so quickly ($13). Don't let the bottle cap throw you, this one is delicious!

Lastly, American sparkling wine didn't used to be highly regarded; but California continues to surprise. Try this festive bottle of Sofia Coppola Blanc de Blancs for $19 that comes wrapped in pink cellophane. Or better yet, guys bring beer, you bring a four pack of mini Sofia Coppola Blanc de Blancs to the party (yes, they're pink cans, straws included, $16).

Traveling for New Year’s? Now that you know what you're wearing, we checked in with Erin Anderson of Brooklyn’s Woodley and Bunny and TRESemmé spokesperson for tips on perfect hair—whether you’re ringing in the New Year in the big city or at the beach:

City Chic: Flatiron District
• Apply TRESemmé TRES Two Extra Hold Mousse throughout wet hair, and blow dry straight using a large round brush.
• Once dry, apply TRESemmé Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray, and flatiron for super-sleek locks.
• Using a flat brush, sweep the hair back into a bun. Finish the hair with a dab of TRESemmé Anti-Frizz Secret Smoothing Crème for control and shine. Need some cover? Throw on a fedora – this season’s hottest hat, like the YSL one Ali Larter wore to Tao Las Vegas.

Beach Vibe: Natural Texture
• Scrunch TRESemmé Touchable Curls Shaping Milk into damp curly or wavy hair and diffuse. While drying, be sure to keep scrunching product into hair to encourage the hair’s natural texture.
• Using a small curling iron, curl random sections through the head. Then, take a large barrel curling iron, and create more random pieces.
• Apply TRESemmé Anti-Frizz Secret Smoothing Crème to hands and run through hair to define and separate curls.
• Short hair? Spray wet hair with TRESemmé Big Boost Root Lift Spray, and blow dry with fingers for larger-than-life texture.

For more of Erin's advice, check out TRESemmé StyleSeekers.

New Year's Eve at the Beach

If you're fortunate enough to be spending your New Year's in a beach-y local or if you're lucky like our girlfriend Abby and live in a hot spot like Miami, one of these dresses would work great:

ShallowGal turned us on to Calypso's halter dresses. We love the Pazzi mini-dress for its retro mod styling. This shade of blue suits a beach or pool-side party and the lightweight silk dupioni would feel so comfortable after a day in the sun. It's on sale for $89 from $195 and comes in 14 different colors!

We haven't seen the brand new Thakoon collection for Target in person yet and it wasn't getting trashed by our pals on Twitter; but this dress looks fun and flirty to us -- and it's only $39.

Neiman's has a huge selection of dresses and this one from Nanette Lepore with its open back and swim suit styling is on sale for $165.

How to Use Double Stick Tape

Wearing a strapless or other dress or top with the possibility for a wardrobe malfunction? We’ve been experimenting with Hollywood Fashion Tape (double stick tape) for a few months now to keep our dresses up. We had been sticking the double sided tape on our well-padded strapless bra, but that just made our bra heavy and the top of our dress wrinkle all funny.

We saw our opportunity to glean some expert advice from uber-stylist Robert at his holiday brunch a few weeks back. (Robert is the go to stylist for Eve Longoria and other celebs.) Robert was not shy about sticking his hand down the front of our dress to tell us what we were doing wrong (think slightly less scandalous than Isaac Mizrahi and Scarlett Johansson at the Golden Globe’s a few years back.) Robert’s advice: Place the double stick tape where you want it to stick. With a strapless dress, that means placing it on the sides of your body, directly on your skin, not your bra for the best support. As we learned the hard way, a bra wasn’t meant to hold up your boobs and your dress. Next time you see us in that red dress (photo above), we’ll be dancing like an extra in the Wedding Crashers!

Dressing for New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is less than a week away and with the sales hitting rock bottom, it may be the perfect time to blow some of your Christmas cash or use up those gift cards your mother got you. If you're not lucky enough to have either, you should treat yourself, you deserve it! We found some great deals at Cusp this weekend (50% off already reduced prices). These dresses would make you the toast of the party and you could still wear them for other events coming up in 09 as well. Happy shopping!

We love this navy ombre, glitter, and tulle RN Convertible dress at Cusp on sale for $173 from $495.

If you're looking for something more traditional we dig this floral lace pouf dress by Milly for $157 from $450.

While over at Sak's, you can score this sexy Brian Reyes dress for an astonishing $370, marked down from $1,550--and they even have it in every size from a 2 to a 10!

John Mayer Cruise

We're still kicking ourselves for not going on last year's Mayercraft Carrier -- we would seriously pay good money to see publicity whore John Mayer wearing that Borat inspired neon green onesie as he did on last year's. But even if we don't see his appeal, John obviously has it going on with the ladies: Jen Aniston took him back despite his loose lip antics with the press, his list of exs looks like a presenters list at the Golden Globes and apparently a whole cruise ship full of women want to see him perform. If you count yourself as one of them, get on over to Mayercraft Carrier 2 and sign up for the '09 sailing: March 27-31. The Carnival cruise ship sails from L.A. to Cabos for a port day then back to LA again. (We imagine this will be a far cry from the Celebrity Solstice preview cruise we took.)

More important than any destination, to his fans at least, is John and other musical guests O.A.R. and Guster will preform on the cruise. We asked if John is actually on the cruise or if he choppers in for performances and were told by reps of the cruise agency: John Mayer will perform several shows throughout the course of the cruise. We leave that up to your interpretation as to whether John will be at the midnight buffet or not.

The 4 night cruise costs $1,298-$1,498 per person and doesn't include concert tix or alcohol. If you are an American Express card member, you can attend a Q&A with John Mayer and a VIP cocktail party as well as get VIP check-in at the port All you need is code: SXMAE.

Photo courtesy of Huffington Post

Molton Brown on Boxing Day

When you head to the mall todayto take advantage of even further markdowns at all your fave stores, stop by your local Molton Brown. They're collecting unused toys to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of America. For each toy donated, you'll get a free travel size product and be eligible to win an even bigger assortment on Molton Brown products. (Limit of 5 toys/sample sizes per customer.) The promotion runs all weekend long, December 26-28. To find a store near you, click here.

How to Look Good in Holiday Party Photos

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

For tips on looking good in your holiday photos, check out Carson Kressely's video on Nikon's How To Look Good In Photos. Watch out for JSG's Annie (left) and About.com's Felissa (right) Voguing it up around the minute mark putting Carson's advice to work!

o tanenbaaaaaaaaaaa

Have you been pulling your hair and wringing your hands, wondering when I'd be back? I know I have! Then I remembered that the power of posting at Final Girl rests in my very hands, so here I am.

I've been jacked up on my beloved Dunk's for several days now, and yesterday I found a little used bookstore that had a VHS copy of Satan's Cheerleaders waiting just for me. So far, this trip rules!

Anycoffee, I wrote a piece about killer plants and trees over at Ye Olde AMC, which is now up for your viewing pleas---well, your viewing, at any rate. Killer plants and trees are pretty sweet and a great way to celebrate the season, don't you think? Baby Jesus would be proud.

coolest tree ever

Holiday Gift Guide: Really Last Minute Gift Ideas

If you're on the run like we are the next couple of days picking up groceries and last minute nick nacks; don't overlook the plethora of gift cards at every check out counter. Our Safeway must have hundreds of options: From restaurants to department stores to Home Depot to iTunes cards. We have bought a bit of everything there.

And if you want something that feels more substantial (but might not cost as much); pick up a DVD (or lottery ticket) at 7-11 or the grocery store or even the truck stop on the way. We asked for a copy of Sex and the City and are sure any of our lady friends would love it too; for him we're going to get The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger's swan song.

How to Avoid a Hangover

After another killer hangover over the weekend, we figure it’s time for a refresher on how to avoid them:

• Obviously, moderation is key. Our years of drinking have taught us that there’s no hangover cure like not drinking too much the night before.
• Our acupuncturist recommends drinking vodka over wine (presumably Champagne, too.)
• Don’t drink on an empty stomach – even if that means having a little nibble before you head to the party or dinner.
• Mixing booze is a recipe for disaster.
• Stop drinking at least an hour before you go to bed. Your body doesn’t have a shot at processing the alcohol while you’re asleep.
• Don’t drink and drive (not related to hangovers, but bears mentioning all the same).
• Have a glass of water between each drink- dehydration exacerbates a hangover big time!

If all else fails, check out our best hangover cures.

Holiday Gift Guide - Free Last Minute Shipping

Calling all procrastinators: It’s not too late to shop online and get your gifts delivered by Christmas Eve! Here are a few deals you can still take advantage of without having to leave your home.

Saks is offering free shipping until 1 pm EST with code: SFAGift. Use it on this Juicy wristlet for $57.



Neiman Marcus is offering free shipping today until 1 pm EST with code: QUICKNM. Use it on this sweet cashmere short sleeve sweater for only $48.



Prescriptives is offering free shipping today only til 1 pm EST with code: FNIGHT8. Our pick is this set of 10 mini lipglosses for $29.


And for the truly late, order by NOON on Christmas Eve (the 24th) and Bobbi Brown will email a gift certificate to a special friend or relative. Our girlfriend, Julia, would love this trunk to store her jewelry (hint, hint BF). Makeup sold separately.

Know of any free shipping promotions we missed? Please share!

Holiday Gift Guide - Last Minute Gifts - Jewelry

One of our secret spots for finding trendy jewelry on the cheap is Banana Republic. The pieces are well-designed, reasonably sturdy for the price point and look like you picked them up months ago on your exotic vacation. Here are a few pieces we like off the website, also likely available at a Banana near you.

A cuff bracelet for $24.99

An elephant ring for $14.99

Embellished hoops for $24.99

Holiday Gift Guide - Last Minute Gift -Lottery ticket

Not done with your holiday shopping? Not to worry, we still have one last elusive gift for our SO that we’ve been trying to hunt down (We can’t say what it is here, since he’s an avid JSG reader). We’ll be bringing you a few last minute, easy-to-find gifts, starting with what we got our pops last year (Dad is another avid JSG reader. Love you, Dad!).

The men on our list are always the hardest to buy for—chances are you feel that way, too. Unlike our girlfriends, they aren’t excited by a killer makeup palette, flirty hat or darling sleep mask. Our dad in particular is a challenge—he’s reached an age where he already owns or can pretty much buy anything he wants for himself and we’ve come close to exhausting all our gift options in the past few years (DVD player, subscription to Netflix, iPod, iPod speakers, cookbooks, bestsellers) . Last year, we’re ashamed to admit, we procrastinated until the 24^th to buy his present. When faced with the option of standing in line at a store at the mall for 5 hours and another lame-ish gift, inspiration hit us: a year-long lottery ticket. Dad had bought himself one the year before and all we had to do was pop in to the nearest Seven Eleven where we could buy ourselves a Slurpee to boot.

Ironically, dad seemed to like the lottery ticket better than any gift we had ever given him. We guess there’s something to giving someone a gift they actually like over what you think they should like. Unfortunately, the ticket wasn’t a big winner, but for a year, it was a gift that could have kept on giving!

Buy Howard Stern's Coat

This may be the most perfect Christmas gift yet: A leather jacket owned by Howard Stern and signed by the crazy radio genius himself is up for auction on eBay. The shock jock, along with Whitney Port and Olivia Palermo, Kimora Lee, Natalie Merchant, Brooke Sheilds and the women from the Real Housewives of New York City donated and signed coats for the auction, sponsored by Completely Bare and benefiting New York Cares. The auction ends December 28. Every year, New York Cares sponsors a coat drive for those in need. They typically receive about 80,000 coats--JSG has even donated a few.



We kinda like the Ugg coat signed by Whitney and Olivia (shown above). Picture yourself wearing it on a cold day in L.A. with your favorite skinnies and ankle booties. Aahh-you can almost smell the paparazzi!

Holiday Gift Guide - The Ultimate Scotch

Here’s another gift for the guys on your list: A bottle of Peat Monster Reserve. It’s sure to impress your banker boyfriend (and help him drown his sorrows if he’s part of the pink slip club). Scotch is the hot new drink and this one is sold as a magnum only, which (as we're told). any connoisseur knows is nearly unheard of in the whiskey world. It retails for $150. To find a store near you, click here.

...and to all a good night.

Well, children, I'm afraid it's time to say goodbye for...for...some amount of time. Today I'm jetting off to the magical land known as "the other coast" to celebrate what's known as "the holidays" in a whirlwind tour of New England. Yesterday I was picking oranges in my backyard, tomorrow I'll be battling several inches of snow. This does not thrill me; however, being in New England means that I'll be able to go to an actual Dunkin' Donuts and buy an actual cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. This thrills me very much.

I'm not sure whether or not The Internet exists on the east coast, so posting for the next two weeks or so will be sporadic at best. My AMC columns will still post on Wednesdays, however; in fact, one went up a few days ago where I blabbed about...dun dun dunnnn...elevators in horror movies. Elevators? I'm not really a fan, although they serve a noble purpose.

I hope your end of the year celebrations, whatever they may be, are bitchin. I've got lots of surprises in store for 2009*, and I hope you'll be around to check 'em out. Thanks for being the most awesomest readers who ever read a blog!

Whatever you do while I'm gone, don't be naughty. PUNISH!




*surprises not guaranteed

New Year's Eve at the Mandarin Oriental

We'll be in D.C. for New Year's Eve and while we normally pass the bubbly at a friend's house, this year we'd love to don our sequins and find a cool spot to celebrate sans kids. The Mandarin Oriental is hosting a party in the Empress Lounge, one of the best spots in D.C. to listen to jazz. The package for two includes hors d'oeuvres, dessert, and a bottle of Veuve (not to mention the requisite hats and noise makers), and features talented performers Sharon Clark and Dick Smith. Prices start at $190. If you're curious and don't want to commit to the package, you can order drinks from the bar and dance; but not be guaranteed a seat.

The Mandarin is also offering reduced rates at the hotel if you want to stay over, from $315. We spent a night there over the holidays last year and be assured it was so nice we'll be there in January for our annual girls' trip.

On Our Radar: Budget Travel

Given the current economic climate, there’s not a hotel out there that’s not offering some kind of deal, be it a reduced rate, third night free or food and drink credit. We like these recession busters for their clever packaging:

Crash Pads
Tesoro Resorts in Los Cabos is offering a $60 per night crash pad. The no frills room gives you the chance to experience all the sun, sand and tequila Mexico has to offer, without breaking the bank. Use promo code “Crash” when searching for rates.



Pay with Stock
Elite Island Resorts with locations in Antigua, Nevis (shown above), Tortolla and more is allowing guests to pay up to $5,000 with stock. The cool part is, they’ll credit you the stock’s value from July 1, 2008, before the stock market tanked. The program is aptly named, “Roll Back Your Stock’s Value.” You must book travel by January 31 and your trip must be between now and December 20, 2009—no black out dates!


401K Travel
The new Inn at St. Botolph in Boston’s back bay has a $401K deal which includes 3 nights stay on a Sunday through Thursday, a $50 gift card for retail therapy and the business section removed out of your morning paper. That oughta do the trick!

$1 Breakfast
And no we're not talking the value menu at McDonald's! Our perennial fave, the Kimpton Group, is offering breakfast for $1 through March 31, 2009. Enter the code EAT when booking. We'd like to check out the new Epic Hotel opening this month in Miami.

Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for Him

We found some great gifts for dad, your bro, your BF or husband at Target (these are on line in case you can't stand to fight the crowds). This flask will make it into the stadium with no worries about the pesky security check- it's shaped like a pair of binoculars. For a bargain $10, this one could suit more than one man on your list.

This charging station can power up his iPod and his cell. Super models with bells and whistles will run you $60 to $120 at Pottery Barn; but at Target this one is only $10.
We love the retro look of the Vers Wood iPod Speaker Dock and the gushing reviews from customers are convincing enough to think he won't be disappointed with the sound output. For $149.99, it's more substantial than the other gifts we found; but this one will score you big points.

Free shipping on orders over $50 at Target on-line. Order by today, December 18th to get it there by Christmas using standard shipping. If you're running late, Target offers 1 and 2 day shipping for an extra charge.

Gwyneth Paltrow's Favorite Places in LA

While we’re mixed about Gwyneth’s acting career (loved her in Emma and Shakespeare in Love, were completely annoyed by her in Shallow Hal and View from the Top, and lukewarm on her Pepper Potts in Iron Man), we covet her effortless style. It doubtlessly helps that she is 6-feet tall and a total rail, so even in jeans and a white button down she looks flawless.

We love that Gwyneth is blogging and not in an let’s-air-all-my-dirty-laundry-Lindsay Lohan kinda way. On Goop, Gwyneth shares her recipes, gift picks and travel advice in a weekly newsletter. Last week she shared her favorite hotels and restaurants in LA—the city where she was born and partially raised. Here are a few of her picks that are on our must try list:

Shutters in Santa Monica—Gwyn likes the ocean views and oversized tubs
Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel Air—Both are oldies but goodies
The London West Hollywood—She plans to stay at this newly spot (shown above) on her next trip out west.

Read on for Gwyneth Paltrow’s LA restaurant picks.

Bud Light Limetails

We had a request to share a recipe for a Bud Light Limetail from the Robert Verdi brunch on Sunday. Here's their version of a Bloody Mary, the Proud Mary:


6 oz. Bud Light Lime
2 oz. Tequila (or to taste)
4 oz Tomato juice
Chipolte flavored Tabasco

Try it during those upcoming playoff games!

Naughty Paris: A Lady's Guide to the Sexy City

We had a busy November traveling to Austin, cruising on the new Celebrity Solstice, and Thanksgiving in Chicago; but this month we're dedicated to decking the halls and staying put. When we need a break from shopping and wrapping we dive into Heather Stimmler-Hall's Naughty Paris: A Lady's Guide to the Sexy City. Heather is an American living in Paris and knows everything from the chicest shopping to the best restaurants; but more intriguing she shares the kinkiest cabarets, French pick-up lines, and erotic adult shops. The writing is informal and friendly and the photography is beautiful. This isn't the Paris that Frommer's shares with the masses. We love this little gem even more after meeting Heather last month on her book tour -- she's charming and engaging just as you'd expect a naughty expert to be.

A few years back, we went to Paris every year. Then the dollar tanked and that plan was put on hiatus. But now that the exchange rate is more reasonable (or at least it was until yesterday's latest rate cut), we see a trip in our near future. And when we start to plan it, Heather's naughty website will be our first stop.



Naughty Paris: A Lady's Guide to the Sexy City is available at Amazon.

And the Winner Is...

Thank you for all your entries. We're happy to give this gorgeous White + Warren scarf to Shevaun Atherton of Windham, Maine. Keep reading for more great giveaways in the future!

Happy holidays, Anne and Hope

Holiday Gift Guide - Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

Everyone's favorite Shu Uemura is dressed up for the holidays. The cult favorite eyelash curler is dipped in gold* and tied with a bow, making this must-have for every makeup bag a luxurious gift. Because it's gold, it's easier to find at the bottom of your toiletry bag, one more reason this is on our list to Santa. It's available exclusively at Sephora for $24 until the limited edition curler sells out.

*While the package says 24K, we figure it's gold-plated. At $24, we're pretty sure it's not solid gold. Whatevs--we still want it.

For a limited time, Sephora is offering FREE SHIPPING on select items. Just enter code GIFTY at checkout!

Holiday Brunch Ideas

On Sunday, we went to Robert Verdi's Holiday Brunch at his to-die-for Luxe Labs in New York. Every time we go there, we get a little green over his decorating skills (no one, and we mean no one, can mix prints and colors like Robert can). This time around, we got a little green food and cocktail envy, too. The party was sponsored by Bud Light Lime and all the food and cocktails were made with Bud Light Lime. Are you sitting there scratching your head? We were a little skeptical at first ourselves, too, but converted pretty quickly. (Considering Hope's new love of Bud Light and our obvious affection for Robert Verdi's party, you might mistake us for Bud Light Girls. But no worries-we're still bubbleholics at heart!)

We're still salivating over the Chilled Lobster, Shrimp and Scallops dish. The lobster was boiled in BLL and the shrimp was poached in it. This one is a no brainer--we've been cooking our crabs in beer since before we were the legal drinking age. The more advanced beer dish was Lime Spiked Tropical Fruits--a medley of papaya, mango, pineapples, lychees and more with a "vinaigrette" of BLL, candied ginger, mint and cilantro. We're planning on serving a version of this crowd-pleaser on Christmas morning.

Culinary creative brilliance was in the spotlight with the Limetails, cocktails made with Bud Light Lime. Our fave was the Light White Cosmo--a cosmo made from BLL, vodka, white cranberry juice and framboise liqueur (this is the drink the hunky bartender is pouring in our video montage). Also served up was the Lime Shandy, BLL with sparkling ginger lemonade (that's the drink Anna Ortiz and Robert are drinking) and a Bellini (BLL replaced the Prosecco).

Besides being a novelty and a great excuse to throw a party, the benefit of using Bud Light Lime in your cocktails is a way to save money--it's a heck of a lot cheaper than Cointreau or bubbly. It could cut the calorie count--and who can't use a few less of those these days? It's also potentially lower in alcohol, which makes it better for morning events, like your next holiday brunch.

i know it's not horror...

...but I'm telling you all about it anyway. If you head over to the WB's website today, you'll see that they've launched a new show called Joni & Susanna.

You should watch it. It's hilarious, and I'm not just saying that because the Joni half of Joni & Susanna is my friend, I swear. I mean, if Charlie Sheen was my friend, I wouldn't be all "Go watch Two and a Half Men!", because that show fucking stinks. In other words, trust me. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for appearances Ghostella's Haunted Tomb regular Bridget McManus as well as her Top Friends co-star Julia Miranda. We all...like...support each other and shit. AWW.

Wait, I mean AWW.

That's better. Anyway, to relate this post to horror a little tiny bit, I'm going to trot out my tried-n-true photo of the football with a sword attached, aka the greatest horror movie weapon in the history of ever. And with that, I bid you good day. GOOD DAY.