Prom Dresses Under $100

When I was in high school (many many moons ago), I spent about $300 on my prom dress, only to find myself today asking "why?!". Most girls will wear their prom dress once, and some girls end up going to multiple proms, so why spend all the money on a dress?! I found some super cute prom dresses for under $100 at JCPenney, and showcased the dresses on TWIN CITIES LIVE yesterday! All of these dresses are red carpet inspired, and perfect for a high school prom or dance. A big thank you to my amazing models: my sister Paige and her friends Britta and Heather!

Prom Dresses Under $100 on TWIN CITIES LIVE

Target Brings Back 34 Designer Dresses

You may be seeing a few extra surprises at your local Target store this week! On March 13th, Target brought back more than 30 designer dresses for the five year anniversary of the Go International Program. Seventeen designers including Zac Posen, Jovovich-Hawk, and Thakoon, created 34 dresses that you will now find in Target stores or on Target.com. I had the opportunity to showcase a few of these looks on TWIN CITIES LIVE today. I am in love with almost every single dress and I have no doubt in my mind that these dresses will sell out quickly! I got to wear a polka dot Jovovich-Hawk dress... now I just need to go out and buy it! Here's a link to the segment: http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/S2016766.shtml?cat=10744

MN Monthly Food & Wine Experience

On Sunday, my husband, brother, brother's girlfriend and I hit up the MN Monthly Magazine Food & Wine Experience. This is a yearly event that AJ and I both look forward to. The amount and variety of food is unbelievable, and I have to say that I think this year's event was even better than last year!






The only bad thing I have to say about the event, was the LONG and COLD line we had to wait in to get inside the event. Last year the event was held at the Convention Center and this year it was held at Target Field. We showed up right at 1pm (when the event started) and we had to wait is a super long line, part of which was in an open skyway. We left our coats in the car so we were FREEZING! But, once we got inside, the cold and the wait were totally worth it.



The lines of food, wine and beer vendors are endless. This year, it took us 3 hours to get through the entire experience. There was fish, prime rib, cookies, brie curds, candies, frozen wine, cake, and my favorite... sushi! Even though I'm pregnant this year, I couldn't pass up the sushi at the Sushi 7 stop. The crunchy roll is my favorite! Poor Holly (my brother's girlfriend) hates fish, so she wasn't too impressed at first. But that all changed when she found the cheese tables:)



The boys of course LOVED the beer and wine vendors, and both boys had their fair share (thank goodness for pregnant sober cabs). Since I'm in my second trimester I had a few sips of AJ's wine AND one of the best things I tried... FROZEN WINE! We bought two kits because it was so good.



Although the tickets to this event are pretty spendy ($75-$80), they are TOTALLY worth it! We weren't even half way through the event and I was stuffed. One thing to remember though... even though this is a wine/beer tasting, a lot of people get pretty "loaded". Be safe and take a cab so you can enjoy yourself! Thanks again MN Monthly Magazine!

Favorites of the Real Housewives

Today on TWIN CITIES LIVE (KSTP), I did a segment on the favorite fashion and beauty products of the Real Housewives! As many of you may know, The Real Housewives of Miami premieres tonight on Bravo, so it was fun taking a look back on some of our favorite housewives from the New York, Orange County, and Beverly Hills series. My favorite product came from one of my least favorite housewives: Jill Zarin. She loves Bootights, which are socks built right into tights! Check them out and other favorites of the Real Housewives in my TCL segment, seen here: http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/S1985808.shtml?cat=10744

Urban Eatery Opening Party

Last night, AJ, a few friends and I headed to Urban Eatery in Uptown for their grand opening party. Urban Eatery is the site of the restaurant formerly known as "The View" in Calhoun Beach Club. AJ and I had our wedding rehearsal dinner at The View, so it was pretty fun to see how much the restaurant has changed in a matter of months.

The new restaurant has more of a rustic bar feel. The layout of the restaurant is the same, but they put up a lot of weathered wood, chalk boards, and they've completely gotten rid of the Miami bar/club feel. The food was pretty good too. The restaurant is run by the same people that run Crave, so what do you expect?! I will definitely be back for the mozzarella avocado pizza... it's to DIE for!

A big draw to Urban Eatery is their late night menu. From 9pm to close, they have $3, $4 and $5 appetizers and drinks! AJ bought drinks for he and his friends, and we only ended up spending $25! They also have FREE valet. I love the location of this restaurant/bar, and I really hope it becomes a Twin Cities hot spot. You can be sure you'll find us hanging out there this spring and summer!

Valentine's Day Lingerie

I recently did a segment on TWIN CITIES LIVE about lingerie for Valentine's Day. I found options from Twin Cities boutiques and Target! Even my husband, AJ Saigh, got a shout out:) Watch the segment here:

http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/S1954552.shtml?cat=10744

Thank you to Extrados and Unmentionables, Flirt Boutique and Meredith Models and Talent for helping me with this segment!

The Hair Masque That Changed My Life

If you have thick, coarse hair like I do, you've probably tried every hair masque under the sun. I've tried everything from an actual avocado, to hair treatments costing hundreds of dollars (although I will say the Brazilian Blowout is still pretty amazing), but I have yet to find anything that fits my budget and can actual tame my hair. That is, until now!

I recently got my hands on Kim Vo's Moisturizing Masque. It's a "Hydrolyzed Silk Intensive treatment that rejuvenates color-treated hair that is dry, damaged and aging." Whatever, all that matters is... IT WORKS!

I started by leaving the masque on while I soaked in the tub for 20 minutes, and that certainly did the trick. But in the last few weeks, I started leaving the masque on my hair over night and it has literally transformed my hair! I can not tell you how soft, fluffy and voluminous my hair has become, making me actually WANT to wear my hair down and not in a ponytail.

I also come up with another little trick. Since I've become too lazy to wake up early to take a shower in the morning, I've started taking a shower at night. Before I go to bed, I flip my hair over and brush it all into a wet ponytail on top of my head. And yes, I sleep with the ponytail on the top of my head... even though my husband hates it and says I look like a sumo wrestler:) By the time I wake up, my hair is partially dry and the ponytail has created cowlicks all over my hair near my scalp (which, in turn, creates VOLUME). I then, blowout my hair with a large round brush (it only takes me 10 minutes) and... VOILA... my hair is full and it actually looks like I went and got a professional blowout:) This has become my nightly routine.

I really think I'm onto something. Try it out and let me know what you think!

We're Having a Baby!

AJ and I are so excited to finally get to tell everyone that we're expecting our first baby! We work quickly around here:) We're 3 months along, and Baby Saigh's due date is August 19th, 2011. I've started a new "Minnesota Baby" blog, where I will be keeping a journal of Baby Saigh's "happenings" (doctor appointments, ultrasounds, stories, etc.). Feel free to follow:

http://minnesotababy.blogspot.com/

Wedding Photos

After much anticipation and patience, our wedding photos are finally done! We couldn't be happier with the results we received from our photographer Brandis Alves. If you're planning your wedding and are looking for a modern photographer at a decent price, please check her out: http://www.brandisalvesphotography.com/

To see all of our wedding photos, click here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=716990708350&set=a.716990658450.2281034.63901378#!/album.php?fbid=716990658450&id=63901378&aid=2281034

Wiggin' Out

Last week, I did a segment on TWIN CITIES LIVE about wearing wigs to change up your look! For years, women have been wearing wigs as a fashion piece, as wigs allow you to completely change your look without cutting or coloring your hair. All of the wigs in this piece are from Merle Norman. Kathleen from Merle Norman in the Har-Mar Mall (Roseville) actually let me keep the wig I wore in the segment. The best part is, these wigs can be purchased for as little as $59! Can you wig it???

Here is a link to the segment: http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/s1912302.shtml?cat=10744

New Bridal Boutique in Mpls for "Real Women"

There's a brand new bridal shop in town (opened today), and you don't need to be a size 8 or less to fit into the sample-size dresses! Luxe Bridal Couture is located inside the Semple Mansion in Minneapolis and caters to women size 14 - 28. As a bustier gal, I wish this place was around when I was trying on wedding dresses. Since wedding gowns run really small and most bridal shops carry sample sizes of 8-10, it's hard for a curby bride to get a sense of what her wedding gown would look like, when she can't get the zipper up! Check out the recent segment I did on TWIN CITIES LIVE:

http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/S1906194.shtml?cat=10744

Great birthday party option for your little fashionista!

I recently did a piece for TWIN CITIES LIVE on a place called "eecee bb" in Linden Hills. It's a cute little studio, run by Beth Bogle, and she actually teaches kids how to make and design their own clothing! The pieces she makes, and has the kids make, are absolutely adorable. You can watch the piece here!

If you want more information about eecee bb, click here.

My new favorite place in MN

Every kind of candy you can possibly imagine, locally-raised meats, hundreds of old-fashioned soda, freshly made pies, and BACON... need I say more???

I have driven by "the big yellow barn" hundreds of times while visiting family in Mankato and Worthington, but not once have I stopped to check it out. But that all changed this weekend! My husband and I were driving to Mankato to celebrate Thanksgiving with his mom and dad, and our job was to bring a pie. I thought that this would be the perfect time to check out the HUGE yellow barn that has caught my eye for years! Let me introduce you to "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store"...

The first thing that made me fall in love with this place, the word BACON painted in big letters on the outside of the barn! But once I stepped inside, I wanted to move in. I found candy that I haven't seen since my childhood: Big League Chew, Candy Cigarettes (I'm not condoning these), Smartie Suckers, etc. They literally have everything... even these little gummy candies that look like over-easy eggs (so cute)! They also have the biggest assortment of old-fashion soda. AJ found Jolt, which brought him back to his caffeinated teenage days, and I found a Milwaukee-brewed gingerale made with real ginger. Although I felt so cool drinking it, I'll be honest and tell you it didn't taste very good... I'll stick to the fake stuff:)

Besides that candy and the soda, this place has a great assortment of MN-raised meats. We didn't buy any up because we were in a rush, but next year I will be stocking up! They also have a variety of colorful pastas, dip and soup mixes, and other foods that would make terrific party servings. You also can't miss the freshly made caramel apples and nut rolls.

But the thing that makes this place "take the cake"... the freshly made pies! Oh my goodness, I can't begin to tell you how amazing this place smells. You literally want to eat the air! We picked out a freshly-made peach pie. It was hot, perfect, and absolutely delicious! AND it was only $9.99.

They're only open until Dec. 5th this year, so if you have any time this week or next weekend, take a day-trip to Jordan, MN and check out "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store". If you see a brown-haired girl who has set up a sleeping area... that's me. I am seriously considering moving in;)

The Bedroom Project

(Bedroom before)












(Bedroom after)

Over the last few weeks, AJ and I have been working hard trying to get our bedroom just the way we want it. Everything from the paint to the furniture had to be redone. This room used to be yellow, which wasn't bad, but we wanted it to be gray:) For this project, we decided to go the thrifty route! We made the headboard for our bed ourselves, moved furniture from other rooms into the bedroom, purchased furniture off of Craigslist, and painted the room ourselves! Our favorite part of the bedroom project: Our headboard. We made it for $100!

My husband came up with the idea to put 6 square boards together and cover them with a fabric. AJ had boards cut into squares (cost around $24), and then the two of us went to Hancock Fabrics to pick out fabric. The fabric we chose is a black suede-type material. It was on sale for about $10/yard. We bought about 2 1/2 yards (we should have bought more because it was a tight squeeze wrapping the material around the boards). We also bought 2 1/2 yards of the "fluff", or padding, that goes between the wood and the fabric. To "spice" things up a bit, we bought black and silver buttons to sew on each square. My Dad let us use his heavy duty stapler.

After the boards were cut, we cut the padding and fabric about an inch bigger than the boards. Then, we wrapped the padding and fabric around the back and stapled them to the back of the boards. That's where AJ's injury happened:( So learn from his mistakes and BE CAREFUL! Once all 6 boards were wrapped, AJ went and bought 4 long boards, and screwed them of the back of the 6 boards to hold them together (cost about $8). Then, I glued (tried sewing and it didn't work) the buttons on each square. We were going to have the headboard be two squares high, but went with one instead. I think AJ is planning on screwing the headboard to the wall eventually... we'll see:) For now, the headboard is resting against the wall.

I'm so proud of our new bedroom because AJ and I planned and "designed" everything together. It was a lot of hard work, but it's a project that we completed ourselves. Go Team Saigh! Which room should we tackle next???

The "Original" Mrs. Saigh's Potato Soup

Even when my husband and I were dating, I would try making his family recipes. AJ is Lebanese, so I've tried making things like Kibbeh, but today I attempted one of his mom's recipes for potato soup! Mmmmmmmmm. I tried making this recipe once before and AJ said I didn't let it simmer long enough, so it didn't taste the way his mom and grandma make it. This time we let it simmer the whole day and it turned out really well! I made enough for an entire week of lunches, and even had enough to freeze. If you're looking for a delicious winter soup, try this one:

Potato Soup

1 1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
1 cup diced potatoes
1/2 tsp dried dill weed

Melt butter and stir in flour and salt and pepper (will be pasty looking). Whisk in milk and stir until it starts to thicken over medium heat. Add chicken broth, celery, onion, dill weed and diced potatoes. Cook until celery, onion and potatoes are tender. Don't bring to a boil, as the milk can separate. Make 4 recipes to fill a big soup pot.

Thanks Pammy Saigh!

This is a bold statement.

I know this is a bold statement, but Colette at the Sofitel is my new favorite restaurant in the Twin Cities! I, like many people, enjoy trying new restaurants and there have been many that I've fallen in love with... many, not so much. But after spending this past Friday night out to dinner with my hubby, I can honestly say Colette has the most amazingly delicious food!

Even though I grew up in the Twin Cities, I have never been to or eaten at the Sofitel. I was assigned to a TC Signatures shoot for TWIN CITIES LIVE last week at "Colette Bistro & Bar" in the Sofitel, so my photographer and I went to meet with the staff to see how the food is made. Executive Chef Serge Devesa took us into the kitchen to show us how he prepares the Sea Scallops. One bite and I was hooked!

After the shoot, I decided to make dinner reservations for AJ and me at Colette. AJ was running late, so I sat at the bar and ordered a $5 cosmopolitan (happy hour from 4-6pm). My bartender did not "scimp" on the alcohol. A couple sips and I was happy as a clam:) It was very tasty and that one drink held me through dinner (I had to drive).

Although I've never been to France, I imagine this restaurant to be an authentic french experience, right here in the Twin Cities. AJ ordered the scallops (per my recommendation) and I ordered the lamb. But first, we started with the crab cakes. OH... MY... GOSH! From my past experiences, it's very tough to find a good, REAL crab cake in the Twin Cities, but let me tell you... the crab cake at Colette is HEAVENLY! Thinking about it right now makes my mouth water. It has large chunks of crab, so light yet rich at the same time, and the corn salsa accompanying it is sweet and crunchy. I can only describe it as perfection (and it came out HOT too)!

Then came our meal. WOW! First of all, the presentation was impeccable. Every dish we ordered looked like a piece of art. Nothing was served warm... everything tasted like it JUST came off the grill or out of a pan (HOT HOT HOT)! My entree came with 3 large Colorado lamb chops and mashed potatoes. Each chop was cooked to a perfect medium rare, and the meat literally melted in my mouth. AMAZING!

Moving on to the star of the show... the sea scallops! When AJ took his first bite, I may have seen a tear fall from his eye, and he almost didn't share with me. The scallops are pan seared in butter and the three are served on top of truffle yukon mashed potatoes. These are by FAR the best scallops we have ever eaten! The scallops are prepared perfectly... seared on the outside and exquisitely soft and heavenly in the center. The potatoes are unlike anything I've ever eaten before... creamy, buttery, with the wonderful truffle flavor. I wanted to bathe in this dish! Thank you AJ for sharing with me:)

I don't know what it is about Colette, but I can't stop talking about it! Maybe is was the service, maybe it was the atmosphere, or maybe is was the food. You can watch my TC Signatures piece on TCL, Wed, Nov. 3rd between 3-4pm on KSTP (channel 5). I'll tell you how to get a $50 gift card for just $25! Or, if you don't think you can wait and you want to make a reservation today, visit their website: www.sofitelmplsdining.com

Happy dining!

My Beautiful, Fake Lashes

Since my wedding, a few people have asked about my long, luscious lashes. First of all, thank you. Second, they're fake:)

I decided to get semi-permanent lashes for my October 2nd wedding, and I'm happy and very surprised to see that they have stuck around! I had my lashes done the Wednesday before my wedding by Amy Presson at Jett Makeup. She has an amazing studio in Edina, where they do makeup and eyelash extensions. Amy has you lay on a very comfortable bed while she applies the lashes one by one, in a process that takes about two hours (one hour for a fill). I fell asleep during my treatment... it's hard not to because you're so relaxed:) Amy says people fall asleep all the time, and often snore (I hope I wasn't one of those people)!

Once your lashes are applied using a medical grade adhesive bonding agent, Amy goes over some rules to make sure your lashes stay in place. The best part is, you don't need mascara! In fact, mascara is a eyelash extension "no-no". In the last 3 weeks, my lashes have been in the ocean, sun, pool, and they have stayed in place (minus a few that have shed naturally). Amy says the lash extensions will shed naturally with your own eyelashes. If you ask me, they can stick around for as long as they'd like. Amy has made a fan out of this lady:)

The lashes run about $200 for the first application, and then about $100 for a fill. To read more about Jett Makeup's eyelash extensions or to book an appointment, contact Amy at 651-373-1702, or click here: http://www.jettmakeup.com/. Tell her Melissa sent you:)

Xoxo,

Melissa Saigh

It's Mrs. SAIGH to you...

I'm MARRIED! Finally, all the wedding talk is over (kind of), and I am no longer Melissa Specken... it's now Melissa Saigh (pronounced "sigh", rhymes with "thigh"). My husband (hehe) AJ and I were married at St. John's Catholic Church on October 2nd, and our reception was held at Interlachen Country Club in Edina. Everything was amazing!

We did the traditional wedding weekend... rehearsal and dinner on Friday night, wedding on Saturday, gift opening Sunday morning, and we left for our honeymoon Monday morning. I'm going to need a month to catch up on sleep, but it was all worth it. Our 236 guests flew in from all over the country and it was so great to have everyone we love in one room! As a bride, the most difficult thing about your wedding day, is getting around to each and every table to say hello and thank people for coming. In our case, AJ did most of the chatting and I did most of the dancing:)

My girls (6 bridesmaids and 4 personal attendants) and I started our wedding weekend with pedicures, manicures and custom spray tans with Extrados Salon in Wayzata. I am so unbelievably grateful to Miss Amy and her spray tanning talents, and for making myself and my girls bronze goddesses for the wedding! Extrados in Linden Hills was our "home base" on Saturday and I can not thank Leah and her staff enough for making my entire wedding party look like we came out of a bridal magazine. From 8am until noon, the moms, myself and my girls, all hung out at Extrados having our hair and makeup done. Leah was a phenomenal host, and she (and her staff) got all 13 of us ready to go and out the door for photos on time! I absolutely LOVED getting ready with all of my girls in the "bridal suite" at Extrados, and can't wait to see the photos taken by our photographer Brandis Alves.

It's so hard for me to remember details for the actual wedding day. I can honestly say I wasn't stressed (I was actually on Facebook and Twitter all morning) and almost everything went the way I had planned it. The weather was perfect, the fall leaves were starting to change color, and we STAYED ON TIME!!! The one moment I will never forget, is walking down the aisle with my Dad, seeing so many familiar faces... and then... the face of my future husband:) I also remember my cousins, Cavan and Ian Krekelberg, singing "Ave Maria" during our ceremony (I hope to post video or photos of this soon). Their voices were so beautiful and they made our family so proud!

Since my Dad is the fire chief of Hopkins, he had one of the trucks brought to the church for photos. It was something I was happy to do to make our wedding unique. Imagine a wedding party of 24, all dressed up in front of a big red truck! I can't wait to see those photos. After the ceremony and pictures, came the fun of the reception. And man oh man was our reception fun! Instead of having people "clink" glasses to get AJ and I to kiss, we asked people to sing a song with the word "love" in it. Our wedding basically turned into a Broadway production of singing guests. It made dinner interesting:) I also had my uncle Mark Boyle, who is the announcer for the Indiana Pacers, announce our wedding party as we entered the reception! All of the speeches (from my dad, to AJ's best man, to my maids of honor) were so funny, thoughtful, heart-warming and meaningful. To top it all off we showed our guests a 9 minute slide-show (produced by Sarah Sundahl), that did a fantastic job of telling our story in a short period of time. Again, I hope to post this video soon:)

Even our 1 week-long honeymoon in the Dominican (Punta Cana) was wonderful! It was great to just lay by the pool and on the beach with my husband, and not have to think or stress about anything. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort called "The Excellence". Minus the slight musty smell of our honeymoon suite, and the lack of air-flow and air conditioning at the Punta Cana airport, the honeymoon was a blast! We met so many great couples on our honeymoon from all over the world that we hope to stay in touch with:)

As fun as it was to be in wedding "la la land" for almost 2 weeks, it's so great to be back to reality in my safe haven of Minnesota! Lots of love to the Saigh and Specken family for making this whole thing possible:)

Xoxo,

Mrs. Saigh

The Ultrasonic Facial

Last week, I may have met the new love of my life. I was introduced to the Ultrasonic Facial at the Thomas Charles Salon in St. Louis Park following a segment we did a on TWIN CITIES LIVE about ways to clean out your pores. My friend and host of our show, Elizabeth Ries, had this facial done and RAVED about it in the office and on-air. So I of course had to go try it out for myself:)

This treatment is performed by Susan Garmany and it incorporates water with low frequency sound waves. It looks like a little spatula and it actually scrapes off all of your dead skin cells and gets deep into the cells to help stimulate your skin's natural repair mechanisms. This facial is really one-of-a-kind and unlike any facial I've ever gotten.

Susan starts by cleansing your skin and uses all sorts of serums, specific to your skin's needs. The ultrasonic frequency opens pathways to allow all the nutrients from these serums to reach deeper into your skin for longer-lasting results! This facial lasts about an hour and a half, and one of the best parts is the hand, arm and foot massage Susan gives you while a mask penetrates into your skin. I was so relaxed during my treatment, I almost fell asleep.

One of my biggest skin imperfections are the blackheads on my nose. After my facial, I seriously couldn't see any on my nose. They were gone! I also noticed my skin was plump, hydrated, and I had such a glow! This facial is so much better and different than a regular microdermabrasion, because it's not as rough and gritty.

If I were to rate this facial on a scale from 1-10, I would give it a 9! The only reason I wouldn't give it a 10, is because of the price ($125). But let me tell you, this facial is worth every penny! Remember, you're not just getting a 90 minute facial, you're getting a hand, arm, and foot massage too! If you're looking to spend less money, you can so the Express Treatment (45 minutes) for $75, but I would highly recommend getting the 90 minute treatment. Ladies, we all deserve to treat ourselves every now and then, and why not start with our face?! It is the first thing everyone sees!

To book your appointment, call the Thomas Charles Salon at (952) 925-4277. Let me know what you think!