Last night was the Boston Blogger Summer Kickoff event. It was a rotation of 3 awesome local businesses: Urban Grape, Follain, and Ore Jewelry.
First up was The Urban Grape. Their motto is “Drink Progressively,” and I soon understood why. Their wine is organized by body – so each wine is given a number between 1 and 10, 1 being the lightest, and 10 being the heaviest, and the wines are placed in order of their numbering along the wall. This makes it easier to pair them with certain dinners, or more easily find similar selections of the type of wine you are looking for and have the ability to choose a wine within that category.
The atmosphere is beautiful, and the staff is super friendly. And check out that huge selection of rose! We were given an interesting talk about 3 different types of wine, and were able to taste them all. We tried Secco Italian Bubbles (a white, bubbly wine); Il Rose Di Casanova (a light but slightly textured rose); and ‘a Rina 2013 by Girolamo Russo. This last one was a delicious red wine which I loved so much I ended up purchasing one to bring home. I am picky with my red wines and this one really knocked it out of the park.
They host free tasting events on the weekends (Thursday & Friday 5-8 and Saturday 2-5) so I will definitely be going back with Greg!
Next up was Follain.
Follain is a “new beauty store that offers a curated selection of the healthiest, highest-performance skincare, hair care, and cosmetic products available – from over 30 U.S.-made brands.”
Their mission statement says “No one should have to sacrifice their health and values for beauty.”
Honestly, I fell in love with this store. The two girls on staff were very knowledgeable and I felt like they were speaking my language. We talked about how many products women put on each day, and just how toxic most of these products are. I think about this frequently with deodorant and the aluminum in it, as well as so much of my makeup and hair products that are loaded with parabens. I also love that all of the products are made in the U.S. Walking into Follain felt like the start of a revolution in how I would like my personal care to be handled.
I walked out with this deodorant by Soapwalla. I used it for the first time today and so far so good. It has that essential oil peppermint/tea tree/lavender smell that I am obsessed with.
We were given a sample of this cream (Tammy Fender antioxidant cream with neroli and orange) and I am 10000% going to be purchasing it. I was geeking out last night over how amazing my face felt after I used it.
The same goes for this cleanser (Ursa Major Fantastic Face Wash) that I used before the lotion. Love love love.
Last up was Ore jewelry and somehow this is the only picture I took. This precious ring was my favorite thing in the store. Ore Jewlery is “all local, all ladies.” Each piece is crafted here by local women. Their website states: “Ore is your destination for high-end artisanal accessories that empower the wearers and support the talented artists who make them.”
My involvement with Noonday Collection has made me very supportive of women who create things in order to make an income, and more importantly use it as a form of empowerment, so Ore certainly has a message that I can stand behind. And all of their jewelry is so unique and gorgeous!
Overall it was a super fun night and I found 3 new favorite shops I never even knew about here in Boston. A big thank you to Boston Bloggers for putting the event together!
Jen Gilson 