The newest version of the beloved game played on a thousand family vacations is going to have a very 21st century spin. Players who remember the paper cash and comforting primary colors of the beloved former Monopoly game are in for a surprise – when the game releases a new edition this fall, cash and the bank will be replaced by ATMs and debit cards.

Snatches of popular songs will play after various game actions, and prices (and income!) have been adjusted for inflation – players now receive $2 million for passing Go instead of a paltry $200.

Despite slick new clothes, the game will still use the familiar streets and boulevards of Atlantic City – and you can bet that Park Place and Boardwalk will still be hot properties.

What familiar board game do you think should get a slick, modern update?

Happy Friday! We hope you’re enjoying the anticipation of the weekend and enjoying spring in full bloom. A new season brings with it the urge to cast out the old and welcome the new with open arms – and that can translate to antsiness when it comes to last season’s home decor. (Spring cleaning, anyone?) What was so cozy last October may seem dull and boring now. What to do?

Luckily, you don’t have to buy whole rooms full of new furniture in order to freshen up your world. Sometimes all you need is a jump-start in the idea department to make some little changes that will have a big impact.

Here are 6 great design blogs to get you inspired – whatever your design style, whatever your budget, and whether you want to change things up on a big or small scale.

Simple Song (beauty in the small things)

This is Glamour (daily glamour within your reach)

Design Squish (design for the eco-conscious)

Apartment Therapy (the Big Daddy of all design blogs)

Decor8 (dispatches on design from an American living in Hamburg)

coco + kelley (cozy, worldly sophistication)

(Image ”the home within us” by Bobby McAlpine, found via simple song)

You love steam rooms at the spa. You love summertime. But dare that steamy humidity creep outside on a summer’s day after a blowout, and suddenly you wish you’d never admitted to loving either of those things.

The 2010 solution? Forget hair irons, forget Japanese straightening and its evil frizzy-root aftermath—Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy is THE system revolutionizing the industry of smooth hair.

We spoke to Helena Cohen, director of Ardan Medspa and Salon in Wellesley, Massachusetts to get the scoop on Keratin Hair Therapy. Who’s doing it? “Editors. A lot of editors. Everyone. We get 3-4 people in a week. And 100% of our clients have been 100% thrilled every time.”

Keratin Complex is a smoothing system that infuses keratin – a powerfully rich protein – deep into the hair cuticle, eliminating up to 95% of frizz and curl and cutting blow-drying time by up to 70%. Its unique formulation incorporates high pH replenishers that automatically open cuticles and infuse Keratin Amino Proteins and emollients into hair – all while keeping environmental toxins like smoke and UV rays out. Keratin Complex has already been called the new wave of designer hair care; it’s the natural Botox for hair because it not only stops time in its tracks, but reverses it as well. What you’re left with is the softest, smoothest, shiniest and most luxurious head of hair that can last twelve full weeks.

Unlike straightening treatments, Keratin Complex is completely safe to be used on all hair types, even on chemically and color-treated hair, and rather than that unnatural pin-straight look, Keratin leaves your hair with bounce and glamour.

“When it comes to Keratin Therapy, I only use Peter Coppola,” says Cohen, who has been in the industry, teaching and training for 35 years. She claims that none of the other brands compare, so she wouldn’t ever think of offering them to her clients.

AT-HOME BEAUTY TRIAL: The Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner without the treatment? I’ve never had the treatment done myself, but I’ve been using the Peter Coppola Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy shampoo and conditioner for the past month, and if it’s any indication, the stuff is good. It’s formulated to be used after getting the treatment to protect and preserve, but I like the way my hair has taken to the formula even without it. It definitely doesn’t have Keratin salon therapy results, but it’s been one of the best shampoo/conditioner sets I’ve tried in a while. To order, visit keratincomplex.com

BIG DEAL: Ardan Medspa and Salon is offering Keratin Hair Therapy with a special Spa Week® price during our May Spa Steals & Deals: $350, usually $500. You’ll see it posted May 1. Just mention Spa Week when booking!

ARDAN MEDSPA + SALON
72 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481
Phone: 781.235.7788

The Little Luxury: Honest Tea

Relationship status: I told you about my old fling with Hint Water last week. Believe it or not, this is another beverage I quaffed with abandon during my first years of college (though it wasn’t stocked at the on-campus cafe, so I had to pay real money for it. The fact that I did so should just be another vote of confidence for how tasty it is) and just recently came back to when it was served at our media party earlier this month. So let’s call Honest Tea another old fling, too. If you’re reading this, Honest Tea: yeah, so I may have found it difficult to stick to just one beverage, but when it came to perfectly flavored, not-too-sweet tea, I only had eyes for you.

Honest Ade Lincoln One of the company’s new lines is Honest Ade – or, as I like to call it, juice for people who have sworn off the sticky-sweet liquid diabetes juice they drank as a child. The Ades have organic fruit extract and just the right amount of natural sweeteners. They come in tart, grown-up flavors like Limeade, Mangosteen, and Superfruit Punch – I’ve sampled Cranberry Lemonade, Pomegranate Blue, and Limeade, and found them all equally refreshing.

But…no tea?: As you might have gathered from the fact that this blog has mostly turned into a chronicle of things I drank that I love, I am a big fan of tea. Love the stuff. Can’t get enough. 3-cup a day habit, etc. So having never had an Ade before, I was a little disappointed when we served the Ades instead of the flagship Honest Tea line at our party. Still, I kept an open mind and tested one during a break, and was very pleasantly surprised by Honest Ade – I wasn’t choked by sugar and empty calories. It’s juice for adults, and it’s delicious – it might be the juice that makes me like juice again.

Goody-Two-Shoes: Honest Tea uses organic products and recyclable bottles made out of eco-friendly plastic and glass. They also use fair trade tea and kombucha. So your Honest Tea habit isn’t bad for you or for the world. Honest!

Where to get it: You can find a store stocking Honest Tea near you here.

Hot Stone Scale: 6 out of 6

disclaimer

This might sound like beating a dead horse, because Photoshop, celebs, and magazine covers go hand in hand, but we couldn’t allow this one to slide by. We understand the cover of Harper’s Bazaar has to look flawless for newsstand sales, but do we really need our politicians looking any younger or more glamorous? According to the Washington Examiner, Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi appears on the latest cover of D.C.’s May/June issue of Capitol File not looking too much like herself. In fact, years of life have been erased away with either Botox or by the magic of Photoshop. According to the celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Ayman Hakki, “There is airbrushing around her eyes, her upper lid has been airbrushed to make it look like there is less fat on the inside,” Hakki told the reporters. “And there is airbrushing on the line of her jaw.” He also noted her neck has been blended, and the lines on her face are very subtle. Pelosi’s camp denies the claims and Capitol File made no comment. We didn’t think Photoshop 101 was a required med school course, but these days you never know.

Of course your know we don’t think there’s anything wrong with a little Botox here and there (we’ve seen Botox success stories and have experienced Botox firsthand) but it should never be used to alter a person’s natural look. The jury’s still out, but judging from the split screen what do you think? Botox or Photoshop? Do you think it’s important for politicians to keep up their image as celebrities do?

Images Courtesy of the Washington Examiner and Time Magazine