The older I get, the more I realize the importance of a girl’s night. Even if it doesn’t happen too often, it is a must every now and then. In my early 20’s, girls’ night used to mean too many Stoli-Vanilla & diet cokes, ultra low-rise jeans a la Britney, and finishing it off with a basket of chicken fingers (and fries, obvi). Now, a glass or two of rosé and a mani/pedi sounds like perfection. I rallied up a few friends and decided to do just that. Last week, FSL partnered up with Breezy Day Spa, Rosabianca Vineyards, Home Restaurant and Brigid Hecht Photography for a perfect girls’ night.
Breezy Day Spa
My BFF April told me that she found the cutest little day spa with the best manicures ever. She even brings her kids with her. Breezy Day Spa is a hidden local gem located on the water in New Haven, CT. On Saturdays, they offer mimosas & manicures for like 20 bucks.
The spa is owned and run by a mother and daughter. Lorraine and Briana (Bri) are the sweetest ever!! And how cute is this reception area?!
What sets this spa apart from others is the attention to detail. They really focus on keeping not only the space clean, but the products as well. So for example they like to incorporate essential oils into each service where we can, they carry the polish line, Zoya (if you’re not familiar, it is “big 10 free” so no formaldehyde or phthalate among other scary, toxic things). Their facials are organic and we love that. I opted for a gel manicure that evening and instead of the usual UV lamps to cure the polish, Bri used an LED lamp which literally blinked five times and my base coat was dry -without harmful UV rays.
Their goal isn’t to get you in and out, they truly provide an experience, from the look of the space to the services and the way they interact with their clients. Check out my friend Marisa near this patchwork wall. I mean…
Look at how gorgeous these iridescent glass pedicure sinks are! My beautiful friend Cristina is pretty easy on the eyes too 😉
Rosabianca Vineyards
Charlie has been making wine for over 40 years. He retired about 8 years ago and decided to open a vineyard for two reasons, one because he loves making wine and talking about them and two his father (Andre) always wanted to be a farmer. However, since coming to America from Italy in the 50s with a family to support Andre was unable to pursue that dream. Instead Andre became a carpenter but always had the most beautiful gardens. Unfortunately, Andre passed away in 1997 before he was able to fulfill his dream. Although he cannot be at the vineyard with Charlie, Charlie has decided to dedicate the vineyard to his father.
They purchased the property in Northford, CT almost 5 years ago. In the 1st year they remodeled the barn, for their tasting room and the house, took down the trees on the property in preparation to plant grapes and started making the first batch of commercial wines (Seyval Blanc, Pino Grigio, Cayuga, Moscato, a Rose, Primitivo, Sangiovese, Vino Del Nonno and Tre Uve). In addition, they planted the Cayuga grapes the next year and got the tasting room ready to open. Rosabianca opened the Tasting room January 2, 2015 and planted Seyval grapes that spring. In the next two years they have almost grown out of the small tasting room in the loft of the barn. Charlie built a patio in the spring of 2016, and introduced another 5 wines to the menu (Dolcetto, Rubino, Tramonto, a sweet Rose and a dry Rose). They just released two wines with grapes from the property. There is a limited amount of the estate grown Chicco D’Oro and Dolce Gocce. Rosabianca also has a new release coming out in May, so I super excited to try! They have plans to grow and in the next five years they hope to have a new tasting room built – the one depicted on the front of their bottles.
You will always find Charlie in the Tasting room when they are open Friday-Sunday (but not behind the bar…he talks to much 😉 ), his daughters Lisa and Angela are running the tasting room and Aldo is the assistant wine maker from Italy. Not only does Aldo love making wine but he enjoys talking about each wine behind the bar.
Home
You guys, the cheeseboard. I like cheese. A lot. But this smoked Gouda was INSANE! This cozy little place is in Branford, Connecticut.
Brigid Hecht Photography
Brigid and I have teamed up before (check out the pics from the rosé dinner party last year). She is known for her newborn photo sessions. Here’s a link to her Instagram page. It’s a must see. During this shoot, we discovered she used to work with Mr. FSL at Abercrombie like a thousand years ago! What a small world. Anyway, she really captured the essence of our girls’ night. If you live around CT, and need gorgeous shots, she’s your girl!
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