Glamour + Gourmet, A Girls’ Night Out at Andreas Hogue Salon

Hi Chicago! I’m Ashley Hogue, owner at Andreas Hogue Salon in Northbrook, and we have a really fun evening planned in honor of Earth Month!

On Tuesday, April 30th, your evening will begin at 6pm with a variety of gourmet food + wine at Whole Foods Market Northbrook’s Lifestyle Center (private party room). You will then journey to the salon for coffee + dessert and to experience one of our mini services. Choose from an Aveda Hand Massage/Paraffin Dip, a Mini Manicure, or a Mirabella “Just Eyes” makeover (a makeup application/consultation). We will also be raffling off haircuts, manicures, and an amazing gift basket worth $320 as well as a 10-class pass to Dailey Method!

Tickets are $30 each or $50 for ALL THREE salon services! Your donation will benefit the Alliance for the Great Lakes and help better water quality, promote water conservation, restore and enhance habitats and maintain healthy beaches in and around Lake Michigan.

For more formation contact ashley@andreashogue.com. Please RSVP to Hilary at (847) 272.1616.

-Ashley Hogue

Tags: Andreas Hogue Salon, Aveda, benefit, charity, Dailey Method, Earth month, food, fun, gifts, girls, hair, lake michigan, makeup, nails, night out, salon, spa, Whole Foods Market, wine

6th Annual Pinot Days Chicago Grand Festival

I don’t know about you, but I love me some vino! But, I don’t love how expensive it is to get over to that west coast. Let’s just imagine an ideal situation that involved, oh let’s say, about 65 wineries flying into Chicago and letting this Windy City taste what that entire coast has to offer! Ding, Ding, Ding… our wish has been granted!

This is a must attend event for my pinot fans out there, because on April 20^th, all you will have to do is find yourself a way down to Navy Pier and enjoy some exquisite wine at the 6^th Annual Pinot Days Chicago Grand Festival! After taking advantage of tasting up to 150 pinots and talking with the talented winemakers who created them, I think the $75 price tag will be well worth it! Not to mention every important domestic region, including The Russian River Valley, Oregon and The Sonoma Coast, will be represented. Some of these pinots weren’t even previously available to us here in Illinois. Hello, perfection!

If you have attended in the past, this event is taking place in the Lakeview Terrace, where the first Chicago Pinot Days was held. This warm, intimate, inviting room with amazing views of Lake Michigan, is the best choice due to the energy and ambiance it produces!  Therefore, due to creating this snuggly setting, the event will be a bit smaller than last year, capping off at 1,000 winos!

Still looking for more? Well, while these 65 wineries are in town there will be other wine events going on through out the weekend for you to enjoy. There will be winemaker dinners, seminars, pairings, and tastings at boutique retail stores!

Don’t worry my wine friends, you aren’t dreaming, this is actually happening right here in our city so get your friends, family and loved ones together and celebrate the world of wine! Cheers!

-Amanda Macchitelli

Tags: 6th Annual Pinot Days Chicago Grand Festival, chicago, Drink, lake michigan, Lakeview Terrace, navy pier, Oregon, pinot, pinots, Taste, The Sonoma Coast, vino, west coast, windy city, wine, winemakers, wineries

Take a Plunge Into Lake Michigan This January!

Mark your calendars and check the temperature for the upcoming 11^th annual Lakeview Polar Plunge! You may think it’s crazy taking a diving into the lake at Oak Street Beach at the end of January, but it’s to help two families in need and other people will be doing it too! Participants should arrive at the beach by 11am because at Noon you will be running towards the water for you’re plunge!

When you’re finally done with your dip, I don’t think you’re going to want to stay in there and “get use to the water” so you can warm up at the after-party at Sedgwick’s Bar & Grill. For just $30.00 you will get all-you-can-drink beer, liquor, wine, and appetizers and a raffle with prizes from local companies!

If you’re thinking about taking the plunge here are some helpful hints and if you’re not you should come cheer others on!

-Rhea Drougas

Tags: January, lake michigan, lakeview, oak street beach, plunge, polar bear, polar bear club, sedgewick bar and grill

Take A Dip In Lake Michigan for the Shelter Shiver Fundraiser!

This chilly Shelter Shiver fundraising event put on by ALIVE Rescue is sure to wake you up and send goosebumps all over your body! Join this organization in helping to raise money with other Chicagoans who love animals just as much as they do! ALIVE Rescue is a place where homeless animals can go and get proper care from great people. ALIVE strives to take on the responsibility to “save, rehabilitate and place abandoned, abused stray animals.”

Shelter Shiver is the first fundraising event in 2012 for ALIVE Rescue and you can participate by yourself or with a team! There are a three ways you can join in on this event…

1.)  Shiver Swim- Do a FULL plunge into Lake Michigan!

2.)  Chicken Dip- An ankle deep stroll into the lake

3.)  I’ll Meet You at the Meltdown- Watch and cheer others on!

The Shelter Shiver is January 8^th at 11am and it is only $25.00 to participate at North Avenue Beach! When you complete the challenge of going into Lake Michigan you will get a Stayin’ ALIVE goodie bag, coupons, and a special gift noting that you “survived” the Shelter Shiver! You can also warm up at the after party which will take place at Old Town Ale House. At the after party there will be prizes given away for Best Costume, Best Team Theme, and Top Fundraisers.

So animal lovers unite! Help out and join in on Shelter Shiver this year to help animals and raise money for this great organization!

-Rhea Drougas

Tags: ALIVE Rescue, Animal Shelter, Animals, chicago, Cold, fundraising, lake michigan, north avenue beach, Shelter Shiver, Swimming

watching "the arrival" (race to mackinac) from my "chicago code" trailer on lake shore drive



The Arrival from Fig Media on Vimeo.

if you follow me on facebook & twitter, you know I’m sitting in my trailer for fox’s “chicago code” waiting for makeup & wardrobe, before i deliver my lines in the scene I’m in today! as I look out from my trailer window, I see a very cold lake Michigan nearby, which reminds me of a killer video (above) I just saw, that I thought I’d share with you real quick!

It’s about the race to mackinac, hosted by the prestigious chicago yacht club for the last 100 years, known as the oldest annual freshwater distance race in the world. it starts off at the chicago lighthouse, just off navy pier, and ends 333 miles later at mackinac island. I particularly love how fig media & local artists captured the beauty, energy, spirit.. of the lake, race, city, skyline… chicago!

Speaking of my peeps at fig media, they are showing five cutting-edge short films tmrw 12/15 at the legendary Music Box Theatre (3733 north southport) from 7:00-9:00PM. You must check it! Alright, enough day dreaming for me though, off to break a leg! (will show some behind the scene clips of my scene shooting here on my blog later this week hopefully- stay tuned!)

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Tags: billy dec, chicago, chicago code, chicago yacht club, documentary, facebook, fig media, fig media film festival, figgy, film, film fest, fox, fox's chicago code, lake michigan, music box theatre, race to mackinac, the mac, theatre, twitter

the best view ever!

hate to say this, but summer is running out, and i’m all about enjoying one of the greatest chicago assets ever as fast as possible – the lake! 

if haven’t yet, get on a boat asap and look back on all we have like pic above – you will love… 

i’m gonna check this summer concert series on mystic blue cruises i just read about….w/ bands, food, drink….on board, but there are a billion other ways to get out there….go to www.explorechicago.org  for some fun suggestions! and don’t wait!

Tags: boat, chicago, lake michigan