A-List: Best Bets for September

4603

WHILE A HOME OFFICE provides all the comforts of home, it can also have an isolating effect. Seiko’s new six-city world time wall clock helps remedy that feeling, acting as a reminder of our global connection. Have a client in Jakarta? Family in Hong Kong? Customize your choices from 32 international cities so you never ring at the wrong hour. Measures 23-1/2 x 33-1/2 inches. $395; seikoclocks.com.

 

HOT CLUB OF DETROIT’S latest CD — its fourth on local Mack Avenue Records — is aptly titled Junction, for it seems to be a musical crossing of sorts for the band. Yes, there are homages to Django Reinhardt, the group’s spiritual guiding light, but for the first time, a singer (Cyrille Aimée) is added to the mix, along with new saxophonist Jon Irabagon. The repertoire is more unexpected, too, including a wild turn on the Phish tune “Rift.” All good news, because it means HCOD is keeping fresh. $13.98; mackavenue.com.

 

FACING FALL MEANS ADDING a bit more color to our makeup palette. Aveda’s new limited-edition Passion Flower Collection includes bolder lips. (Also in the collection are eye shadows, lip gloss, and lip liner.) Nourish-Mint Smoothing Lip Colors for Fall 2012 are infused with plant and fruit waxes to smooth fine lines and hydrate and plump lips. We tried the Wild Fuchsia and found it provided a sheer but long lasting, almost berry-stain look. $16, at Aveda salons, spas, and retail locations beginning Aug. 26; aveda.com.

 

LET’S BE HONEST, even those of us who are vigilant about shielding our faces from damaging rays forget to guard vulnerable extremities. Casual daily sun exposure can take a toll on our hands, causing spots and uneven skin tone. Protect against sun exposure while repairing damage that’s already been done. That’s the double-barreled attack promised by Clinique’s Even Better Dark Spot Correcting Hand Cream Broad Spectrum SPF. This 15-SPF product lightens spots and ensures against future harm. $35, at area Clinique counters; clinique.com.

 

 

TASTING AND TOURING Michigan’s Homegrown Food: A Culinary Road Trip, by Jaye Beeler with photographs by Dianne Carroll Burdick, details Michigan’s culinary landscape from thimbleberries and tea to mushrooms and bison. A reference trove of Michigan’s cottage-food scene, Tasting offers ideas for buying local and planning road-trip food destinations. Businesses such as Light of Day Organics are highlighted, as are orchards, maple-syrup makers, ranchers, and chestnut farmers — from metro Detroit to Copper Country. Included recipes add to a hunger for Michigan. $29.95, at area booksellers.

 

THERE’S A LOT MORE TO pickles than just dill or sweet. Fresh to the mix are Perkins, “lovingly pickled in Detroit,” as the label says. A little bit of sugar adds a hint of sweetness, but they’re far from those cloying bread-and-butters. Red pepper, garlic, and peppercorns give the crunchy cukes a spicy kick, and the irregularly cut spears give the product a rustic look. They’re also refrigerator pickles, meaning they’re never heated and remain cold and crisp during pickling. Perkins Pickles makes just enough at a time so they’re never more than a week old. About $6.99/16-ounce jar. At Whole Foods, Plum Markets, Western Market, and Rust Belt Market in Ferndale, as well as other locations.


If you enjoy the monthly content in Hour Detroit, “Like” us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter for more frequent updates.