#22 Las Vegas City Guide
Beauty Products and more Recommendations
Hello Friends,
This newsletter includes my Las Vegas City Guide, beauty products, and expertly curated recommendations.
P.S. This issue is packed. You may need to read it in the browser or hit “Expand” to see the entire newsletter. It’s also easier to click links via the browser format.
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You can also email me 💌 marlayoung@mac.com.
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Every issue is packed with tips and recommendations that I whole-heartedly believe in and there are no sponsors here, so it’s’ entirely reader-supported.
You can find me on Instagram | Pinterest.
To-Do List
WATCH 🎬
Break Point (Netflix): Travel alongside the world's most talented tennis players as they swing for greatness and Grand Slams through an action-packed season.
The Volcano (Netflix): Survivors' and rescuers' accounts and minute-by-minute footage fuel this gripping documentary about the deadly 2019 volcanic eruption in New Zealand.
Fire of Love (Disney +): Fire of Love is a documentary following the love story of volcanologists Katie and Maurice Krafft. Come for the Wes Anderson vibes; stay for the suspense and awe-inspiring nature shots.
Where We Call Home (HBO Max): Homeowners and designers reveal how commercial properties and unconventional spaces were reimagined into modern homes.
The Diplomat (Netflix): You might like this drama series starring Kerri Russell if you liked House of Cards, Scandal, or Succession.
Untold: Johnny Football (Netflix): The latest installment of Netflix’s Untold series tells the story of Johnny Manziel, the Texas A&M quarterback who took the team to a shock win over Alabama in 2012 and became a household name. He made history as the first freshman to win the Heisman trophy and Manziel mania spread across the country. The guy who came to be known as Johnny Football would quickly destroy a promising NFL career.
Hijacked (Apple TV+): A plane from Dubai to London is hijacked over a 7-hour flight, while authorities on the ground scramble for answers.
READ 📚
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Dr. Peter Attia: Outlive compiles the latest science on health and longevity, combined with practical advice anyone can use to live better today and beat four types of chronic disease with the four pillars of good health: exercise, nutrition, sleep, and emotional health.
Prepared by Mike Glover: A manual for surviving worst-case scenarios. Mike will teach you how to become resilient in your life.
Listen to this interview with Mike Glover on the Art of Manliness Podcast.
The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland: The gripping and heroic story of Rudolf Vrba, who escaped the death camp to tell the world about its horrors.
LISTEN 🎧
Plane Crash in the Andes: This episode is about a plane crash and survival in the Andes.
Pounding the Table Podcast: A podcast that focuses on the Stock Market and the art of options trading. Each week the hosts take a look at the news and interpret the impact on the financial markets.
DOWNLOAD 📱
Informed Delivery: A free service from USPS that shows you preview images of incoming mail and status updates about your incoming and outbound packages. You can see those notifications in a morning Daily Digest email or anytime via the dashboard from your phone, computer, or the USPS Mobile app.
Flighty App for Travelers: It is an app that helps you with your flights or tracks them.
FOLLOW
MovieTok: Straw Hat Goofy / Cinema.Joe / Maddi Moo reach millions of people by reviewing, analyzing or promoting movies.
SURF 🌐
JustWatch.com: JustWatch is the best app to know where to watch what!
EAT 🥗
Girl Dinner: Girl dinner is about utilizing ingredients and items in your kitchen and pantry. Olivia Maher, credited with coining the term, calls it essentially hunting and gathering in her kitchen.
HOT LIST
Hammond, Louisiana
Luma Coffee: Third-wave coffee near SLU.
Woodville, Mississippi
Community Grocery: Good eats on the historic courthouse square served with a side of community spirit. Don’t miss the fried catfish and Darlin’s Pound Cake.
Mandeville, Louisiana
Tandem Coffee and Cocktails: Craft coffee located in Old Mandeville.
Franklinton, Louisiana
What’s Up Coffee: Third-wave coffee shop downtown.
Miami
Zak the Baker: The best olive oil cake, and it’s gluten-free.
Chocolate Chip Bakery: Vegan and gluten-free bakery and cafe.
Magdalena Coffee: Where Coffee meets plants in downtown Miami.
Suite Habana Cafe: Specialty Cuban Coffee Shop near Wynwood Arts District.
Brooklyn
Phoenix
Grand Rapids
Stoffer Home: A home goods and coffee shop.
Tulsa
Notion Expresso: The best coffee shop in Tulsa.
Bozeman, Montana
The Daily: My favorite coffee shop in town.
Revelry: Gluten-free menu available.
Boca Raton, Florida
Savannah
Here’s a link to a PDF file if you want to save the list of coffee-shops
Marla’s Favorite Gluten-Free Restaurants.
A new form of niacin (vitamin B3) known as Nicotinamide riboside (NR) has exciting “fountain of youth” properties for healthy DNA & cellular aging.
Could the Covid-19-driven increase in Ivermectin lead to imbalanced gut microbiota and dysbiosis incidents?
Nothing drains you like mixed emotions.
How to get the best from your immune system.
Why zinc is so important.
12 AI tools to make your life easier.
How a novel about video games became a smashing success.
All the restaurants Eva Longoria visits in Searching for Mexico.
Why taking good care of your teeth may be necessary to brain health.
Women are flocking to Europe for a first stab at Profhilo, a new moisture-rich injectable that some believe may become as big as Botox.
The real-life diet of Andrew Huberman.
The latest research on menopause and the link to the ovaries.
What it means to be respectful.
3 simple steps that stop you from being a pushover.
Recipes
The cookie that puts the “chocolate chip” in chocolate chip cookies: Justine Doiron’s Gideon’s Bakehouse Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookies. Justine owns Gideon’s Bakehouse in Orlando.
- is one of my favorite newsletters. Check out Olivia’s salad recipes here.
Change Your Life Chicken is the perfect no-mess weeknight dinner.
This caramelized white chocolate ice cream is ideal for a Labor Day weekend get-together.
The frozen Negroni is a chiller, less bitter, more party-ready summer beverage.
The best hush puppies.
Google Maps
Save the maps to your Google account. I update regularly.
1. Osmosis’s Beauty Recovery Omega and Fat Pad Renewal Elixir: Recovery is a game-changer for me. It has made a significant improvement in my digestive health. My nails have also started to grow longer. After using a couple of months, I have noticed my face and neck are tighter.
Osmosis Beauty’s Recovery is formulated to restore gut health and microbiome balance and plump the fat pads in the face and neck that cause wrinkles and aging. Recovery can replace much of the facial volume loss that occurs with aging. By restoring critical nutrients to reactivate fat cells, Recovery alleviates the need for volume fillers while creating a much more natural, youthful appearance. Recovery’s nutraceutical properties also help restore your unique probiotic population and provide essential fatty acids, like omega-7, supporting health and cellular function.
2. Foleo Luna: I use the Foleo facial cleansing silicon brush for my second cleanse. There is a light vibration that helps with lymphatic drainage. I don’t like the Clarisonic because the brushes harbor bacteria and are too abrasive on the skin. If you are inflamed or have a lot of breakouts, use the device sparingly until the skin improves.
3. Osmosis Beauty’s Epic Skin Tool: Micro-needling has become a popular at-home treatment to promote deeper penetration of skincare products, but it wounds the skin, causing potentially permanent damage to the skin barrier. The Epic Skin Tool is designed to maximize skincare performance by promoting deeper penetration of active ingredients without wounding the skin’s barrier or compromising skin health.
The device is meant to be used after applying skincare serums and treatment products and allows time for these to dry. Wet skin is not ideal because it can slip and scratch the skin if it is too wet. The EPIC can be used safely on the face and all body areas. However, you want to use it gently on the nose and exceptionally gently on the eyelids, or skip these areas altogether.
I purchased the device to get the maximum benefit out of my skincare serums.
4. Jade Roller: A great tool to start for beginners. Jade doesn’t do anything to your skin, but the jade stone is cool to the touch, so by rolling it across the face, the cold temperature promotes blood circulation and lymphatic drainage and reduces puffiness. Instead of rolling outward, massage back and forth to work out the wrinkles. I like to use my jade roller for depuffing the eyes. I store my roller in the refrigerator.
It is essential to keep the jade roller disinfected.
5. Gua Sha: My favorite tool for lymphatic drainage and facial massage. I use the Gua Sha tool designed by Cecily Braden, creator of the Gua Sha Facial Fusion method.
Guasha is an ancient healing technique that clears blockages, creating space and movement in the underlying structures so the skin can function better. By increasing movement through guasha massage, the skin can naturally clear blockages that lead to acne, Rosacea, puffiness, dark circles, fine lines, and wrinkles, and strengthen the skin's immunity.
To use, gently glide the tool across the skin and down the sides of the neck. A Gua Sha facial works on the face’s connective tissue, the facial fascia, which helps lift and release the facial muscles. When done right, the routine increases circulation plumps the skin, and removes blockages.
I recommend viewing Cecily’s tutorials on Instagram. Danna Omari also designed her own Gua Sha tool. Dani has several instructional videos on Instagram.
6. Stacked Skincare Dermaplaning Tool: The Dermaplaning Tool features replaceable blades that safely remove peach fuzz and dead skin cells for instantly smoother, softer, more luminous skin. By removing dead cell buildup, dermaplaning allows your skincare products to absorb into the skin, boosting the efficacy of the products you already own. It is a cost-effective tool to save money on expensive dermaplaing treatments at a spa. I use the device sparingly to remove the peach fuzz on my face.
7. Living Libations Best Skin Ever Seabuckthorn: The best-selling skin elixir contains omega fatty acids, vitamins, lipids, and hundreds of bioactive compounds. I use this cleanser for oil cleansing. It leaves my skin radiant.
This video tutorial explains each step for proper oil cleansing.
8. Pickles Ointment: This ointment effectively removes painful corns and calluses.
9. Mavala Nail Polish Thinner: This nail polish thinner restores the ideal nail polish consistency and makes it easier to apply in thin coats. Two thin coats will last longer than one thick coat of nail polish that will flake or peel within a couple of days. If your nail polish is too thick, add 2 to 3 drops of the product and shake well. Let it stand for 20 minutes.
10. Facial Reflexology Tool: I recently purchased a facial reflexology tool. Facial Reflexology aims to relax and help remove stress by assisting the body to heal and rebalance itself. During facial reflexology, gentle pressure is applied to different reflex zones and reflexology points on the face.
I recommend watching Danna Omari’s webinar and following her on Instagram for more instructional videos. I also recommend watching Jackie Van Ruler’s YouTube channel for additional training.
11. High Frequency: Professionals use the “Zit Zapper” to kill bacteria, ease inflammation, and boost circulation through ozone gas. Use it a few times a week or when needed. Do not use it if you are pregnant or have a history of heart disease.
I recommend watching this instructional video to learn how to use the device for the best results.
12. Cosmedix Opti Crystal Eye Serum is my favorite eye serum. It contains copper, spin trap, and alpha lipoic acid, a powerful antioxidant. It’s firming and hydrating. You only need one drop on each eye.
Las Vegas City Guide
My meticulously curated travel guide for Las Vegas includes local hotspots, under-the-radar restaurants, sportsbooks, coffee shops, and hip places to stay.
I created an insider’s Google map that reflects all my recommendations, so you can easily access them throughout your travels. You can save the map with your Google account. This isn’t your typical list of see-and-be-seen spots.
Click here for a complete list of all my recommendations.
Where to Drink Coffee
Vesta Coffee: Vesta is my favorite coffee shop featuring homemade nut milk.
Where to Eat
Joel Rubuchon (French)
Guy Savoy (French)
Picasso (French)
Le Cirque (French)
Nobu (sushi)
Wing Lei (Chinese)
Hugo’s Cellar (steak)
Steakhouse at Circus Circus (steak)
Ferraro’s (Italian)
Italian American Club (Italian)
Casa Di Amore (Italian)
Bouchon (Brunch)
Lotus of Siam (Thai)
Pizza Rock (pizza)
Where to Eat Gluten-Free
Guilt-Free Glutton: 100% gluten-free establishment is located near the airport.
Where to Eat Sweets
Where to Drink Something Stronger
What to Do
Donny Osmond Show (Harrah’s)
O Cirque du Soleil (Bellagio)
Real Bodies (Horseshoe)
Art & Fountains (Horseshoe)
Watching the Bellagio fountains dance to “Luck be a Lady.”
Driving down the Strip at night
Maverick Helicopters Wind Dancer Sunset Tour
Where to Take Photos
Effiel Tower in Paris overlooking the Bellagio fountains
Area15: An arts complex home to interactive, often-psychedelic spaces like Omega Mart, Illuminarium, and Lost Spirits, a circus-inspired rum distillery.
Best Sportsbooks
Cigar Lounges
Where to Shop
The Writer’s Block (bookstore downtown)
For the Love (gifts downtown Arts District)
Charleston Antique Mall (downtown)
All For Our Country at Fergusons Downtown
Where to Stay
Golden Nugget (skip Carson Tower rooms)
Horseshoe (new rooms)
Westgate (off-strip)
*Don’t book Circus Circus or Luxor.
Air BNB
Hendersonville, Summerlin, Winchester (mid-century homes)
Day Trips
Events
How to Get Around
Downtown Loop (free)
Las Vegas Monorail ($5 each way) connects most significant casinos on the Strip; three independently operated trams (free) provide direct links between select casinos.
The Duece: The Deuce runs 24 hours a day from the South Strip Transit Terminal to the Vegas Strip with many stops up and down the resort corridor and continuing to the Fremont Street Experience in Downtown Las Vegas and Las Vegas Premium Outlets South.
Download the rideRTC app to pay for a single ride with your phone.
I created an insider’s Google map that reflects all my recommendations, so you can easily access them throughout your travels. You can save the map with your Google account. This isn’t your typical list of see-and-be-seen spots (though, to be fair, they’re on there).
What are some of your favorite places in Las Vegas? Leave your responses in the comment section.
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