lucky penny has always had a soft spot for cute boys with accents… note british and new zealander ones.

so when she met marcus wainwright and david neville, the duo behind rag & bone, it took everything in her power not to swoon. *this was rather difficult when david leaned over, winked, and said, “so you have a thing for brits, do you?”*

it did not take long for lucky penny to fall in love with the entire collection. her favourite pieces: a two-tone, maroon-and-red sheer dress, a maxi skirt with a print taken from a manipulated photo marcus took while on vacation, and a beige, looped-yarn cardigan.

clothes to die for, made by the cutest designer boy imports… is there anything better?

lucky penny loves cosmetics, but sometimes, caking it on leaves her skin feeling dry, itchy, and in need of a little tlc. [note to self: stop scratching!]

enter maple organics. a *new*, local and usda-certified organic skincare range that includes two body washes (one hydrating, one enlivening), a lovely-smelling rosemary sage body lotion, and lavender hand salve.

each contains sycamore maple and indian shorea butter, which is regenerative and anti-inflammatory.

they have also developed the country’s first organic baby skincare line. the company’s website has a brilliant glossary, so lucky penny knows exactly what is on her porcelain peau.

what a relief!

lucky penny loves to end most *stressful* days with a nice glass of wine… ahem, maybe two or three—but who’s counting anyway?

even better? wash away woeful worries with a wine called lucky penny. how apropos.

making its world debut in british columbia, the *new* label comes courtesy of australia’s yellow tail, and each wine—red and white—is a delicious blend of three grapes.

white is 65% chardonnay, 20% viognier, and 15% pinot grigio (lucky penny tasted honey, pear, and apricot), while the red is 50% shiraz, 30% cabernet sauvignon, and 20% merlot. she did not taste the supposed chocolate and vanilla undertones, but she sure loved the blueberry flavours!

now… what about that not-so-lucky-penny hangover? sheesh.

lucky penny is very loyal to cute boyfriend—that goes without saying.

but… besides dishing up amazing sandwiches, tasty soups and salads, meat & bread always has lots of cute boys, too. what is that about still being allowed to look at the menu?

since opening in december, lucky penny has sampled their famed porchetta sandwich (sprinkled with little bits of crackling), scrumptious beef brisket daily special number, meatball sammy, grilled cheese avec cheddar, red onion, and chili butter, and… well, you get the idea.

***psst… there is also a cool carving station (where she can talk to the cute boys), a long, cafeteria-like communal table (where she can sit and giggle about how many cute boys there are), and desserts like a bacon maple ice cream sandwich (perfect for sharing with, bien sûr, her cute boy).

lucky penny would never cheat on her hairdresser. gasp! the horror!

but… it is different when her hair salon opens a *new* outpost in the coolest, newly-renovated hotel on the block.

at the waldorf hotel in east vancouver, barbarella has set up chairs so you can eat yummy fare in the leeteg room, get your hair did in the lobby, run upstairs and change in one of 30 guest rooms, then race back down to get your drink on in the tiki bar.

talk about a one-stop shop!