Nu-Finish Car Polish Will Make Your Life Easier

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Maxwell Perkins

 Nu-Finish Car Polish makes being a car owner easier and less stressful. I love to drive a clean car; in the winter, the layers of dirt and salt start to make me cringe after a while. Plus you have to worry about what all that stuff is doing to the paint finish. If the car is more or less freshly waxed, though, then there are no worries and the layer of crud is much easier to just rinse off. Car waxing is hard work, but it builds character: it’s tough to apply, you can only do a small section at a time, it’s difficult to rub off and you can’t do it in the sun. A month or so later, you’ll have to do it all over again. I ultimately concluded it was all a scam. Apply car wax, then wash it with strong detergents until it wears off, then apply it again. Now I use Nu-Finish Car Polish only once a year. It’s a liquid so you can wipe it right on and then rub it right off after it dries. Much easier and you can do it in the sun if you want. When it gets dirty, everything rinses off easily and you don’t need detergent, just a hose or a bucket of water and a big sponge. If you let it dry some and then dry it with a clean towel, it will end up perfectly clean with just as much wax as you started with.

Affordability: 8                   Luxury: 9

Available from Amazon

Want more luxury? If you are very motivated, you can follow the directions. Use Nu-Finish Car polish twice, thirty days apart and then use regular wax over that. Exhausting to think about, but your car will look very good for a very long time.

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Craft Beer, Made in America and Tastes Great, Too

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Maxwell Perkins

Way back in the good old days, when my high school and college friends and I were young and  fun-loving, we all drank more than our share of Budweiser, Michelob (the upscale product from Anheuser-Busch), Miller Genuine Draft and of course Miller Lite when we were feeling especially health-conscious. I have since forgotten why we enjoyed them so much; now they seem very bland and watery. Much more importantly, they have since sold out to foreign investors: Miller to SABMiller, a South African company based in London and Budweiser (Anheuser Busch) to InBev, the Belgian-Brazilian conglomerate. But what about PBR, Pabst Blue Ribbon, the red, white and blue beer for the true hipster? They’re a Chicago based company that pays to have its beer brewed in breweries owned by the same South African SABMiller that assimilated the old Miller company. There is still Yuengling, a big American brewery and they have never sold out. But if you don’t live in one of the ten most mostly Eastern states where it is distributed, or just want a change of pace, there is still hope. Craft beer, made in local craft breweries like:

  • Troeg’s in metropolitan Harrisburg, PA
  • Dogfish Head, beers and ales much more delicious than than they sound made in Lewes, DE
  • Flying Fish, in Cherry Hill, NJ (suburban Philadelphia)
  • Smuttynose, another appetizing-sounding craft beer from Portsmouth, NH  

There are plenty more breweries that make craft beer in other states and employ your friends and neighbors. The vast variety is part of what makes it fun. They often have clever names and artistic labels and produce limited editions, some of which have a higher alcohol-by-volume percentage, (% ABV), so be careful and drink responsibly. Seasonal and holiday beers and ales are a lot of fun, too: celebrate the holidays, celebrate winter, celebrate spring, celebrate summer and celebrate fall. Then next year you can start all over again.

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Daisy B. Loves Good Customer Service!

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Daisy B
If you’ve been following Affordable Luxury, you’ll remember those darling Roger Vivier Coco flats I told you about a few months ago.  If you’re like me, though, and even some flats become uncomfortable after a long day of otherwise effortless chic-ness, you may have found that the elastic that holds those cute little shoes onto your dainty ankles may have become, well, painful.  Worry not, glamour girls; help is just a quick trip away.  Get thee to the uber-fabulous 8th floor shoe salon, 10022-SHOE, at the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store, 611 Fifth Avenue (at 50th) in Manhattan, where behind the drapes in the center of the salon are the very accommodating shoe repair staff.  Those lovely people will not even ask whether you bought your shoes at their store.  Instead they will — unflinchingly — take your adorable shoes, ask you “how much stretch” you want (by which they mean, “how long should we stretch them?  a half hour?  overnight?  until next Tuesday?”), and trot them back to be adjusted to your specifications.  When you return at the appointed time to retrieve them, your shoes will be stretched, they will be comfortable, and you will love them all over again.  You will ask the lovely people, “How much do I owe?” and they will smile, shake their heads, and send you on your glamorous way, knowing that you now love Saks almost as much as you love your shoes . . .
Saks Fifth Avenue
611 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY
http://www.saksfifthavenue.com/main/10022-shoe.jsp   for more information
Once your shoes are again both fabulous and  comfortable, you speed ahead to adjusting those other Christmas gifts you bought — like Max’s luxurious new corduroys, the ones you bought in his waist size and had altered to his inseam because Max hasn’t gained a pound in years, and his size is as reliable as Verizon Wireless cell service . . . but not this year.   This  year either Max has secretly gained a pound or two and, it seems, has shrunk 3 inches, or else size marking just isn’t what it used to be.  No matter:  you bought those pants at Nordstrom (because Nordstrom is just too lovely a place not to shop there, especially at Christmas), and when you take back those pre-altered pants, and you honestly, earnestly explain to the kind salesman that you already had them altered because Max always  wears that size, the salesman will not tell you you are out of luck.  He will say, “Let us find a new pair in the proper waist size, and have them altered appropriately.  And now they’re on sale, so let us give you a credit for the difference.”  When you express astonishment at his extraordinary kindness, he will say, “People don’t realize how much power we have, and you are very nice.”  You will be gleeful, because Max’s pants will fit (and those new alterations will be ready on time), and you will have been treated like royalty, all for the sale price of one luxurious pair of corduroys and a very pretty   smile.
Nordstrom
http://about.nordstrom.com/MapPoint/PrxInput.aspx?origin=tab   for store locations
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The Maclaren Volo Umbrella Stroller Is The Most Affordable Maclaren

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Maxwell Perkins

If you have a child and if you live in a walkable area like a big city or near downtown or the child’s school, you need to make sure to avoid the twin perils of stroller envy or stroller remorse. For me, Anglophile and Formula One fan that I am, I knew I would have to take a hard look at the Maclaren line; they sounded like high-tech British Grand Prix cars. A Maclaren stroller for an infant under six months old can be a bit pricey, but for the larger infant or toddler with head holding up ability, that’s when you can justify the Volo. Here’s how: everybody needs an umbrella stroller to put in the car or wherever, and although you can get one for cheap just about anywhere, a hundred bucks or so gets you a genuine Maclaren. The handles are high and padded for ease of walking, the machine folds up with a press of the toe, it has a handy shoulder strap, the seat cover comes off for ease of cleaning and it has a sturdy five-point harness. It may or may not come with a plastic rain bubble (also good for fighting the wind chill), and Maclaren makes all kinds of other cool accessories that you can check out on their website. The Volo comes in many colors (dark being good for your average messy toddler) and when your child outgrows it you can easily sell on eBay or Craigslist or hand it down to a deserving relative. By the way, if you’re the deserving relative or secondhand buyer, check out the CPSC recall and make sure you get the free hinge cover kit to make it safer.

Affordability: 5                  Luxury: 8

Available from Amazon

Want more luxury? Always easy with baby stuff. Try the bigger Maclaren with carbon fiber and black leather (MSRP only $999.99, but street price a mere $350). Or go for the thoroughly modern Bugaboo Frog. Your child will love you for it – some day …

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Why Not Have Soft, Spreadable Butter?

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Maxwell Perkins

Butter is one of those comfort foods that tastes good, and even the name “butter” makes you think of rich, wholesome, natural flavor. We love it so much that we keep it in the refrigerator so it stays fresh. Problem with that is that it’s too hard! Sure, if you time it just right, you can pop the toast out, then cut a pat off of the hard butter stick, plop it down and let the hot toast melt it a little bit so it starts to become spreadable … but no, you want to eat the toast while it’s hot. Or if you have just a slice of bread, not toast, you can easily destroy it when you try to butter it. The butter is hard and the fresh bread is soft, so bad things happen when you use enough force with the knife. The good news is that butter does not need to be refrigerated to stay fresh. If you keep it covered and have evaporating water to keep it cool, it will stay in good condition on the counter for up to thirty days. It will take even a small family a lot less time than that to eat one stick of perfectly spreadable butter. A “French butter dish” or butter bell has an upside-down butter holder that goes face down into the outer water chamber to create a seal. A clever and efficient design, but the butter has to be packed in tight enough to defy gravity and you have to lift it out and turn it rightside-up to get at the (wet) butter. Personally, we like the butter boat idea better – the water goes around the outside and the butter has a separate lid that you just lift off. Use up one stick, then put in another one. Change the water every few days and you’re good to go. Those French, they do come up with good ideas sometimes – especially when it comes to food …

Affordability: 9                  Luxury: 9

Available from Amazon

Want more luxury? That’s easy. Check out ones handmade by real potters here or here.

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Steel-cut Oatmeal

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Maxwell Perkins

It’s the dead of winter, and we still have to wake up in the cold and dark and get ready to go out of the house and go to work. Not much fun, but it’s a lot more pleasant when it includes a hot breakfast that tastes good and is good for you. Steel-cut oatmeal, as the name suggests, is oatmeal that is cut into little chunks by big steel blades. Rolled oats, the other kind, are flattened into flakes so that they will cook faster, and instant oatmeal is faster still. That’s the tradeoff: rolled oats and instant oats are ready sooner, but steel-cut oats have a crunchy, nutty texture that you just have to experience to decide if it’s worth it. Add some combination of milk, brown sugar, raisins and fresh fruit and you get the best high-fiber, cholesterol-fighting winter breakfast known to man. If it works for you, make it work even better by making a big batch when you have some time. It will keep perfectly in the refrigerator, ready to be scooped out and nuked in the microwave to make the high-end equivalent of mushy and boring old instant oatmeal. No better way to start the day on a winter morning. Available in better supermarkets everywhere.

Affordability: 10                 Luxury: 10

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Artisan Bread

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Maxwell Perkins

You can get a loaf of bread just about anywhere, and it will keep just about forever. Sounds good, something that you can really depend on. Plus you can get any kind you want: white, rye, whole wheat, multigrain. Only two problems with that are that it doesn’t taste like much and it must be treated with artificial additives and preservatives, those ingredients with the scary chemical names listed on the label. Artisan bread, made with just a few natural ingredients, is better for you and tastes so much better you probably won’t mind eating it all within a few days before it starts to get moldy. It’s a trade-off. You can keep it in the fridge and it won’t get moldy but it will get staler faster. Keep it at room temperature and it will maintain its freshness and soft texture. When an artisan bakery opened in my neighborhood eighteen years ago (it’s still there, going strong) we used to joke that they had to be secretly selling crack out of there – nothing else would explain all the customers and repeat business that mobbed the place. Try some and see if it’s worth it to you; it is a bit pricier than the mass-produced kind. 

Affordability: 8                    Luxury: 8

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MAC Pro Longwear Lipcolor

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Daisy B

Well, the holidays are here, and you girls know what that means:  Hug-hug, kiss-kiss … lip-prints for everyone!  You could save yourself some lipstick dollars and spare your friends (male and female!) the extra blush by finding yourself a lipcolor that won’t smear off, won’t kiss off, won’t even come off on your toothbrush if you finish your makeup before you remember to brush your teeth on your way out the door.  That lip color is MAC Pro Longwear Lipcolour. Lip stain at one end, gloss at the other, it is virtually permanent until you bring out the make-up remover, but unlike those early versions of long-wear lipstick, the stain won’t dry your lips to parchment texture. In fact, you’ll probably forget you’re wearing it (it’s still attractive even without the gloss topcoat) until you catch a glimpse of your pretty image in the mirror, lips kissably stained in your favorite shade. Careful, though:  longer-wearing lip color means far fewer trips to the powder room, so you’ll have fewer graceful ways to exit those awkward party conversations … all the better to selectively choose the perfect object of your colorfast holiday affection (who, by the way, could save himself some dry-cleaning bills by dropping a couple of these into your Christmas stocking, thereby guaranteeing more real kisses and fewer disappointing post-lipstick micro-pecks)!
MAC Pro Longwear Lipcolour
In 10 shades, $21 each at MAC Cosmetics Stores and department stores nationwide.

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Velcro Cable Ties

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Maxwell Perkins

You buy a new AC powered something or other, a power tool or an electronic gadget with a wall charger, and it looks beautiful and organized as it nestles brand new in the box. You can’t wait to take it out and start to use it; after all, that’s why you bought it. You love it, you use it all the time – and get annoyed at the tangled AC cord. Or you wish it were still coiled up as neatly in the box as it was when it was held by the black twist tie that you threw out. OK, you didn’t have to throw out the twist tie, but the Velcro Cable Ties are so much better for keeping power cords organized. They come in a package of 100, for under 10 bucks, and they are velcro. You loop them around the wire near one end and pull it tight. It will stay there when you are using it, then you coil up the wire, loop the wrap around and secure it as only velcro can secure it. Or use the wire wrap when you are putting it wherever it will stay put, uncluttering your desk or workbench. At this point, I must have one for every wire or I’m a little stressed that it’s not there …

Affordability: 10                 Luxury: 7

Available from Amazon

Want more luxury? Maybe luxury is a little strong for wire ties, but the Radio Shack Multicolor Wire Wraps are bigger and stronger and come in packs of 5 different colors for $2.99.

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Sephora Snag-Free Hair Elastics

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Daisy B
I have long hair.  I play tennis.  I practice yoga.  I go to brunch.  I need my hair not to be a mess.  I need . . . a PONYTAIL!   But where, oh where, is that ponytail holder I took off last time . . . ?  Is it in the bottom of my deep, deep pocketbook?  The clutter of my tennis bag?  Underneath my mat in the yoga tote?  No . . . it is not in any of those places.  If only they were more self-contained, less free-floating, I would be able to find them handily.  Thank goodness Sephora has anticipated the active, long-haired girl’s dilemma with its Snag-Free Hair Elastics.  A long, matchbook-style package, slim enough to fit in my pocket (or any of those endless bags), with 8 elastics so I always have an extra, it’s easy to carry and to find when I need to get my tresses out of the way and get on with my life.  They look small — the package is flat and only about 2 inches wide, but each elastic stretches to wrap ’round your hair, and it’s flat and smooth to prevent snagging.  They’re durable, too:  when you take them out of your hair, they snap back almost to their original size for the first few uses, and when they’ve stretched irretrievably you can just slide another one out of the package.  So, for you gentlemen out there, if you want to encourage your girlfriend to be both fit and pretty, and you don’t want her to cut off all that beautiful hair, stuff a few packages of these into her Christmas stocking!  They are a steal at $3.50 per package of 8 at Sephora (cheaper — and almost as thoughtful — as diamonds and furs . . .). 
 

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P34109&categoryId=B70  

 
 
 
 

 

 

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