Really?

Today is a snow day.

Can you believe that I just told you that? Seriously, today is a snow day for all of us because the storm that hit us over the weekend nearly crippled this area and we are AGAIN without power for days. This time both my husband and I cannot go to work because there is no power and it's only halloween. Last time neither of our businesses were effected.

So what ever happened to Global Warming?

Not around here. It's like Armageddon around here and I feel like I just went through this recently.

Because I did just go through this recently. It was two months ago to the day that Irene hit this area with high winds and downed power limes, leaving us powerless for five days.

Today is day two and I'm optimistic that this will be the end. That power will be restored by tonite, and that this was just a minor bump in the road. I can't ever remember being without power for this long, ever.

I'm moving to Florida....

Crack Cakes

So I attended a FAB event last night that served gourmet appetizers and finger foods. It was a girly girl, fashion benefit and auction for the Ellie Fund, a wonderful charitable organization that supports women with breast cancer and their families. It was a beautiful and fun event and all the ladies that attended had a fantastic time buying raffle tickets and bidding on gorgeous fashions for a great cause. Among all the gorgeous tables decorated with brie cheeses, chutney, clove spreads, hummus and vegetables were the most beautiful displays of cupcakes.

Cupcakes dressed in the pink and white breast cancer ribbons with white frosting and a small red carnation on top.

There were vanilla cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes and carrot cupcakes and they were amazing! Almost every woman at the event either had a cupcake while at the event or could be seen taking home one or two cupcakes on a plate. While I abstained from eating the gorgeous confections, it got me to thinking about cupcakes and why we are reduced to a kid in a candy store window at the sight of a gorgeous one. I spotted on woman sitting away from all of the activity of the night, quietly enjoying her cupcake in peace. The look of enjoyment was evident in her quiet smile and contented gaze.... And I was across the room.

Yet I can't blame her. What is it about cupcakes that make us happy? Crack cakes, as they are referred to in The Daily Dandy household, are the dessert of choice any time the subject is brought up. I even bought a fancy, super duper cupcake container to house and keep fresh 3 dozen cupcakes at once. Creative artists can turn a single cupcake into a masterful object of everyone's desire and of course, they have become so trendy with cupcake bakery's popping up all over.The idea behind one small cake giving so much sensory pleasure and without too much guilt can be comforting,

Now if they could find a formula to remove all calories I think cupcakes could be petitioned as one of the four basic food groups.

Today's Special: Pure Beauty

If you've been reading the beauty posts here on The Daily Dandy, you know that that cute hot pink egg that is called Beauty Blender is ALWAYS on my lists of must haves. There is no better tool in the industry for applying a complexion enhancer, period. You've seen it here and in my store The Candy Bar because I'm Beauty Blender obsessed and I believe in this wonderful product. It's not my #1 Candy Bar seller for nothing.

And just when I thought I had reached foundation application Nirvana, Beauty Blender goes and makes me giddy with pleasure with it's newest blender sponge.

It's Beauty Blender Pure and that gorgeous white egg was designed for the skin care enthusiast in all of us. Utilizing nature's most "perfect design", the egg has been stipped down to it's purest form for a gentle, hygenic way to apply skin care and take flawless skin one step further. Apply moisturizers, serums, eyecreams, make-up remeovers and make-up primers with Pure and protect and penetrate the skin with a powerful tool that allows you to access hard to reach areas with ease.

The Pure Kit is red hot and just arrived in stores. Unique to the Pure Kit is the Solid cleanser, a disc shaped soap that cleans and conditions your wet Pure sponge. Also included: a FAB, mini Beauty Blender travel pouch with a magnet enclosure and net backing. It's not only big enough for both the Pure sponge and the Solid cleanser, but it allows for the dampened sponges to dry quickly and completely. It's a travel maven's dream, and it has an adorable, mini, hot pink Beauty Blender charm dangling on the side of the pouch as a cute bonus.

People have asked me if Pure can be used to apply make-up, to which I responed ABSOLUTELY! For me, I think the Pure, white, egg is too beautiful to get it dirty...but you never know what I will do in a pinch...What I do know is that it's a product junkie's dream come true!

The Pure Kit is priced at $50.00 and can be ordered at The Candy Bar and online.

"The Notorious P.I.G."

I die...Miss Piggy in Brian Atwood shoes


Miss Piggy in Jason Wu designs in this month's In Style magazine

Miss Piggy in Prabal Gurung in her photo fashion shoot from this month's In Style magazine

I've always loved pigs. Maybe I was influenced by Charlotte's best friend Wilbur when I was a little girl, but their cute little pug noses and curly tails always made them the best stuffed doll option in the toy store. Pigs were big when I was a kid and I remember there was a great store in the Faneuil Hall Market place called, "Hogs Wild" that carried any and all things that had to do with pigs. I loved it there.

Back then, there was one pig who reigned supreme if you were a pig lover and no other pig even came close. Miss Piggy was the Queen of the pig-loving world and every other pig was a cheap imitation. Piggy had swagger and the posse to prove it and she had her man, Kermit the Frog. Although Miss Piggy didn't start out as a major Muppet character, in the late 70s and early 80's, Piggys popularity sky rocketed, surpassing all the other Muppet characters in popularity and merchandising.

It was like nothing could stop her.

Miss Piggy has written 5 books, one a New York Times best seller, and performed with many Hollywood hotshots. She even sang a duet with Sir Elton John himself and wore the clothing of the most sought after fashion designers in the world. Not bad for a puppet with purple gloved hands who never quite seemed to get her man, I mean frog. Poor Kermit. When she isn't loving him and smothering him in kisses, she is giving him a huge karate chop with her signature, "Hi-Ya!" and sending him flying.

Now Miss Piggy is enjoying a resurgence of her popularity due to the upcoming Muppet movie. What will Miss Piggy do for an encore? It's hard to top Piggy. Those who knew her best suggest not even going there.

The late, great Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets once said of Miss Piggy when they were creating the new show, "Fraggle Rock",

"We would anticipate coming up with new personalities which would have much of the same appeal as a Kermit , Fozzie or Gonzo. We will not create anybody with Miss Piggy's kind of appeal-nobody should even try."

The Blonde Wife

It was the mailman's last day on the job after 35 years of carrying the mail through all kinds of weather to the same neighborhood.

When he arrived at the first house on his route he was greeted by the whole family there, who congratulated him and sent him on his way with a big gift envelope.

At the second house they presented him with a box of fine cigars.

The folks at the third house handed him a selection of terrific fishing lures.

At the fourth house he was met at the door by a strikingly beautiful woman in a revealing negligee.

She took him by the hand, gently led him through the door, and led him up the stairs to the bedroom where she blew his mind with the most passionate love he had ever experienced.

When he had had enough they went downstairs, where she fixed him a giant breakfast, eggs, potatoes, ham, sausage, blueberry waffles, and fresh squeezed orange juice.

When he was truly satisfied she poured him a cup of steaming coffee.

As she was pouring, he noticed a dollar bill sticking out from under the cup's bottom edge. "All this was just too wonderful for words," he said, "but what's the dollar for?"

"Well," she said, "last night, I told my husband that today would be your last day, and that we should do something special for you. I asked him what to give you."

He said, "Fuck him, give him a dollar."

The lady then said, "The breakfast was my idea."

Lost And Found

I lost my mojo and no matter how hard I try I can't seem to find it.

The thing is, I'm not exactly sure where I lost it. I mean, I had it recently, but it has since gone missing. Damn, I hate it when this happens cuz I need it. My mojo accompanies wherever I go and is usually right there when I need it.

But not lately. Lately it has taken a free pass and it gave me the heave-ho. Can't say that I blame it. I've been a real downer and if you're a mojo I guess you don't want anything keeping you down.

Dude, can't we work it out? Come back and I promise I'll behave. We'll go back to the good old days when it was fun and you were the life of the party. We don't even have to talk about it. No questions asked, just come back. I won't ask why you deserted me now, when I seem to need you most. It's ok, really. Everybody looses their mojo sometimes, I just need to find you quick so we can be in sync again. Life is better when we are in sync.

So if you are out this weekend bloggers and you see my mojo, tell him to come home. You'll know him when you see him. He's the one with all the confidence, having a great time and living large. Tell him I'm sorry and that I'll listen to everything he says. I won't blame you if you invite him to stay with you for a day or so, because my mojo can be a great friend. He just makes you feel so good.

I know he'll come back, it's just a matter of when and whether I can hold out until then. Tell him I'm waiting...

Too Bad The Tux Was Rented

So have you seen this?

Kevin Cotter, a man whose high school sweetheart and wife of 12 years left him in July of 2009, turned his devastation and despair into success. A box salesman from Tuscon Arizona, Cotter, had been with his wife for more than half of his life and had two children with her when she walked out leaving her life and her wedding dress behind in a keepsake box in the closet. She told him to do "whatever he wanted" with the wedding dress and that's exactly what he did.

Cotter and his brother Colin started brainstorming about ways to use the wedding dress. They decided it would make a great grill cover, yoga mat, scarecrow, complete with a Darth Vader helmet and punching bag. Cotter then stared taking pictures and posting them and the wedding dress chronicles on myexwifesweddingdress.com. Instantly a Internet star was born.

People could relate to his pain and by using comedy, this type of therapeutic fun struck a chord with his fans. His ex wife wasn't exactly pleased, but for Cotter his brother reports that while they were taking pictures for the blog he began to see "his first real laugh" since the divorce.

Cotter turned his blog into a book deal and says that the book, "101 Uses for My Ex-Wife's Wedding Dress", is about so much more than using a wedding dress to strain cooked pasta. Along with the hilarious commentary on his ex's dress, he poignantly writes about dealing with devastation of life alone and reflects on divorce, children, life and moving on.

Cotter has moved on. He married a woman he met on match.com in his backyard. “She said earlier in our relationship that if it worked out and one day we were to be married, it would have to be a beach wedding and she would wear a thong bikini,” Cotter said. “She said she would not risk leaving me with any amount of material for a sequel." She didn't though, in the end she wore a dress, and one that I'm sure is under lock and key away from Cotter.

Too bad my ex wore a rented tux. I think it could have made a New York Times best seller.