The Tipsy Exchange

Latest Episodes:

Ask the Expert: Waxing, Skincare & Hair Removal Tips from a Dallas Esthetician | The Tipsy Exchange Jul 13, 2021

Show notes

Wax on, wax off, drink up! This week's Ask the Expert guest is licensed esthetician Amnah Shaabneh, partner at Revata Medspa & Laser Center in Addison, Texas. She showed up a few drinks in and warned us the answers would be very straight. She was not kidding.

Amnah shares how she went from hospitality to more than 15 years in esthetics, what it takes to succeed in the industry, and the one thing she wishes someone had told her when she started. Then we get into your questions, and nothing is off limits.

How do you prevent razor burn?
What's the right way to handle an ingrown hair (even in those areas)?
Why does waxing your upper lip make you break out?
What's the best way to remove facial hair?
Why do chin whiskers show up with age, and why are some white and some black?
Why doesn't laser hair removal work on every hair color? (And why "removal" isn't quite the right word.)
What's the difference between chemical and physical exfoliation?
Which brow trend is always in style?

Amnah also has strong feelings about a certain hair removal cream, a pro tip about what to do before your wax appointment, and a story about what some clients bring to the table that will make you appreciate a good bidet. Plus, LA confesses to a pandemic grooming mishap, and a listener asks when a very specific bikini-area trend will finally take off. Amnah's answer is perfect.

This week's toast: From the wise Mr. Miyagi of The Karate Kid: "Wax on. Wax off. Don't forget to breathe." (Our expert has some thoughts on the breathing part.) Cheers!

Book with our expert! Book with Amnah at Revata Medspa & Laser Center in the Dallas area for waxing, facials, laser hair removal, microneedling, and more: vagaro.com/revatamedspaandlasercenter. You can also connect with her on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/amnah-shaabneh-86919441.

Tell us what you think! What's your best (or worst) waxing story? Got a skincare question we didn't get to? Tell us in the comments. Maybe it'll make it into the next Ask the Expert! And if this episode saved your skin, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. It really helps new listeners find the show.

Please drink responsibly.

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The Tipsy Exchange is a comedy podcast where besties Berly and LA pour a drink, raise a toast, and dive into true crime, mysteries, the paranormal, and pop culture, with plenty of tangents along the way. It's like happy hour with your funniest friends. Leave us a review, send us your topic and toast ideas on Twitter and Instagram, and follow the show at thetipsyexchange.com. Cheers!

Mysterious Triangles of the U.S.: Bermuda, Alaska, Bennington & Bridgewater | The Tipsy Exchange Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

Grab your compass (it probably won't work). This week, Berly and LA explore the mysterious triangles of North America: areas where ships vanish, planes disappear, and people go missing with no explanation. Berly's been dying to share her research all week, and LA had to physically stop her from spoiling it early.

LA kicks things off with the most infamous one of all, the Bermuda Triangle. There are disappearing warships, planes that radioed "all clear" right before vanishing, and a ghost ship found fully intact with no one aboard. Is it Atlantis? Crystals? An underwater alien base? Octopuses who crash-landed here from space? (Berly's theory. Don't @ her.) LA also walks through the scientific explanations, and why some of them don't hold water.

Then Berly takes us north to a place with some truly alarming missing persons statistics, a very famous disappearance that sparked a massive search, and a state ranking you might not expect. From there, we head to a mountain range where crashes pile up and children turn up miles from where they vanished. Then it's on to a patch of Vermont with a Bigfoot-like legend and a very unlucky stagecoach passenger. (R.I.P. Carroll.) Finally, we visit a Massachusetts swamp that's home to some small, cute, very mischievous creatures. Are they hobbits? Gnomes? You'll have to listen.

Along the way, you'll hear LA's cruise story (it didn't go the way she expected), a shoutout to our favorite mystery podcast, and a reminder that '80s kids were raised to fear two things: the Bermuda Triangle and quicksand.

This week's toast: From Anaïs Nin: "The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery." Cheers!

Tell us what you think! Which triangle freaks you out the most? Have you ever sailed through the Bermuda Triangle and lived to tell the tale? Tell us in the comments. And if this episode sent you down a rabbit hole, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. It really helps new listeners find the show. (We'd hate to vanish without a trace.)

Please drink responsibly.

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Ask the Expert: MCU Theories, Easter Eggs & Comic Book Picks with Comic Book Keepers | The Tipsy Exchange Jun 01, 2021

Show notes

Your hosts love the MCU. They've just never read most of the comics. So this week, we called in the experts: Chris and Lance from Comic Book Keepers, a podcast that dives deep into one comic book character at a time. After a slightly awkward start (technology, am I right?), the conversation ran almost three hours. We could have kept going if Berly hadn't needed a bathroom break.

We start with the basics: where should a new reader even begin with comics? (Chris and Lance have very different answers.) Then we move on to our guests' favorite MCU Easter eggs and the moments that were pulled straight from the comic book page. Next come the questions that made our brains hurt. What's a Nexus being, and what does it mean for Wanda? Is White Vision really Vision now? Who is Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and how do we become her when we grow up? And is Steve Rogers… just dead?

Then we head to Rumor Town for Phase 4 speculation: the Ten Rings, Shang-Chi (we've all been saying it wrong), Young Avengers, Moon Knight, Wakanda Forever, and whatever's going on with the multiverse. Our guests hand out reading lists for Hulk, Thor: Love and Thunder, Doctor Strange, and Moon Knight, so bring a notebook. And just when you think we're done, there's a Batman debate (Affleck, Pattinson, and Keaton) and a verdict on whether Batman Returns is a Christmas movie. We also get a crash course in D&D and a lot of nostalgia about blowing on Nintendo cartridges. Oh, and one of our guests offered to be our Dungeon Master, so… stay tuned.

This week's toast: From Stan Lee's autobiography, Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee, in which "The Man" describes Marvel as "a cornucopia of fantasy" and a joyful escape from the humdrum. Here's to unbridled creativity and a little rebellion. Excelsior! Cheers!

Check out our guests! Listen to Comic Book Keepers at comicbookkeepers.podbean.com or wherever you get your podcasts, and follow the show at @cbkcast on Twitter and Instagram. Follow Chris at @dungeonheads, where he shares free D&D character art (support him on Patreon, too!), and follow Lance at @roguesymbiote.

Tell us what you think! Did our experts convert you to reading comics? What are your Phase 4 theories? Which MCU Easter egg is your favorite? Tell us in the comments. And if you learned something (or just enjoyed hearing us geek out), please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. It really helps new listeners find the show.

Please drink responsibly.

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May the Fourth Be With You: What Is the Force? (Star Wars Day Special) | The Tipsy Exchange May 04, 2021

Show notes

May the Fourth be with you! And also with you. Your hosts are celebrating another holiday, and this time they're tackling one of the galaxy's biggest mysteries: what exactly is the Force?

Let's be clear up front: we are not Star Wars experts. One of us didn't really get into Star Wars until The Mandalorian, and the other got real confused about the timeline somewhere around the prequels. But we did our homework, and it got deep. Berly brings a surprisingly scientific explanation from a Forbes science writer (who, it turns out, is also kind of cute). LA brings a breakdown of the Force from the lore experts, plus insight from the man keeping Star Wars' storytelling alive. And then there's the Freddie Prinze Jr. rant. If you haven't heard it, you need to hear it. It may permanently change how you see him (Scooby-Doo who?).

Of course, there are plenty of sidebars: the true best ghost Liam Neeson movie, Ewan McGregor's accent (and other things), a correction from our 420 episode, a very tall actor who can get it, and a firm stance on Tom Holland. We also have some urgent demands for The Mandalorian Season 3: Grogu had better be in it, and we have a strong opinion about who should play young Luke. There's even a romance we'd like to see.

This week's toast: "May the Fourth be with you." "And also with you." Cheers to all the Star Wars geeks and every Force theory out there!

Tell us what you think! How would you explain the Force? Are you Team Grogu forever? Who's your pick for young Luke? Star Wars fans, set us straight in the comments. We know you will. And if this episode was strong with the Force, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. It really helps new listeners find the show.

Please drink responsibly.

Sources:

https://screenrant.com/star-wars-balance-force-explained-clone-wars-filoni/
https://www.inverse.com/article/60070-freddie-prinze-jr-star-wars-rant
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2018/01/06/star-wars-last-jedi-force/?sh=1f3babe27a32
https://www.cbr.com/star-wars-the-four-aspects-of-the-force-what-they-mean/

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The History of 420: Where the Stoner Holiday Really Came From (Plus Celebrity Weed Stories) | The Tipsy Exchange Apr 20, 2021

Show notes

Happy 420! In honor of the holiday, your hosts are doing something wild: a history lesson (who doesn't love history?). Berly has celebrated 420 in proper form. LA is… still claiming innocence. We'll let you decide.

So where did "420" actually come from? It's not a police code, and it's not the number of chemicals in cannabis. The real story involves a group of 1970s high schoolers, a mysterious abandoned crop, a treasure map, and a surprising connection to one of the most famous jam bands of all time. Then a magazine got involved, and the rest is history. Berly also shares a legislative coincidence that nobody will take credit for.

Next, we celebrate with some of our favorite celebrity weed stories. There's a Spider-Man at the Happiest Place on Earth, an SNL legend who was not a great wingman in Amsterdam, an Oscar winner who found herself in over her head at a very famous birthday party, and an actress who learned the hard way that "movie pot" isn't always fake. Plus, a tangent about Interview with the Vampire that some of you are going to relate to way too hard.

And finally, the hosts come clean about the night the two of them showed up hungry and tipsy to a friend's house full of edibles. Let's just say it didn't go the way LA planned.

This week's toast: In honor of the day, we're channeling Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused. The older you get, the more rules they try to make you follow, so you just gotta keep livin'. L-I-V-I-N. Cheers!

Tell us what you think! Did you know the real story behind 420? Got an edibles horror story of your own? Tell us in the comments. We promise not to judge (much). And if you learned something today, or just laughed at us, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. It really helps new listeners find the show.

Please drink (and partake) responsibly.

Sources:

https://time.com/4292844/420-april-20-marijuana-pot-holiday-history/
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_851136
https://www.history.com/news/the-hazy-history-of-420
https://people.com/celebrity/taking-the-high-road-the-best-stoned-celebrity-confessions-ever/

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True Crime: Ronald Gene Simmons and the 1987 Arkansas Christmas Massacre | The Tipsy Exchange Apr 06, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to the Tipsy Exchange's very first true crime episode! LA asked for it, so if you followed us because you somehow thought we were a true crime podcast, this one's for you.

LA found this story on Homicide for the Holidays, a show that apparently has three whole seasons of holiday murders. (Berly has questions about why LA watches it.) Just after Christmas in 1987, Ronald Gene Simmons walked into a small-town Arkansas business and opened fire. That was only the beginning to this tale...

LA walks Berly through the investigation layer by layer: a police officer's discovery at the family home, a photo album that helped identify the victims, a letter that revealed what life inside that house was really like, and a level of planning that left both hosts stunned. We also look at Simmons's background, the crimes that came before the massacre, and what happened after he was sentenced. It's the kind of story that makes you wonder how it isn't more famous.

Fair warning: LA went hard for our first true crime episode. We were so rattled that we forgot to open with a toast, so we closed with one instead.

Content warning: This episode discusses mass murder, including the killing of children and infants, along with references to incest and sexual abuse. Please take care while listening.

A note on audio: This is our first episode recorded over Zoom, and the audio isn't our best. (Fun fact: we recorded it twice, because technology corrupted the first file.) Please bear with us while we figure out this long-distance thing. We promise it'll get better.

This week's toast: "Here's to our families." We're very grateful for ours. Cheers.

Tell us what you think! Know a lesser-known true crime case we should cover next quarter? Send us your recommendations. Although maybe something a little less brutal next time. Leave a comment with your thoughts on the case, and if you're here for more true crime, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. It really helps new listeners find the show.

Please drink responsibly.

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Best '80s Movies: Our Top 10 Picks from Ghostbusters to Labyrinth | The Tipsy Exchange Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

It's March, which means it's birthday month for both of your hosts. After a year that canceled every celebration, we're throwing ourselves a party the only way we know how: getting tipsy and talking about the movies we grew up on. Berly and LA are proud '80s babies, so each host brings her five favorite films from the decade that gave us big hair, practical effects, and kids' movies that were definitely not for kids.

LA leans hard into fantasy. There's a luckdragon she regrets not naming a dog after, a goblin king in leggings who awakened something in an entire generation, and a fairy tale that's inconceivably quotable. Berly goes for action-comedy with a supernatural streak: a certain striped-suit ghost you shouldn't name three times, Kurt Russell at his Kurt Russell-est, and a film she insists is the best Christmas movie ever made. (Fight us.)

Along the way, you'll get behind-the-scenes trivia, including the very unexpected actor who was a director's first choice for an iconic role, and the Marvel star hiding in plain sight in a babysitting movie. There's also a heated debate about remakes, a Crystal Skull grudge that won't die, and a very strong argument for Googling "young Vincent D'Onofrio." You're welcome.

This week's toast: LA's toast comes from one of her all-time favorite '80s movies, and it's a great reminder to live in the moment. Which movie? Stick around for our honorable mentions to find out. Cheers!

Tell us what you think! What's your favorite '80s movie? Did we snub your childhood favorite? Tell us in the comments. And if this episode gave you a movie night lineup (or a wave of nostalgia), please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. It really helps new listeners find the show.

Please drink responsibly.

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Evidence of UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Navy Footage, ʻOumuamua & Alien Abductions | The Tipsy Exchange Feb 23, 2021

Show notes

Remember those Pentagon-verified UFO videos everyone ignored in 2020 because they were too busy hoarding toilet paper? Berly and LA couldn't let it go. So they pour a drink, raise a Yoda-approved toast, and ask the big question: is anybody out there?

Berly brings the receipts. There's the Navy footage and the professor who says scientists are too scared to touch it, plus the mysterious interstellar object ʻOumuamua and the Harvard astronomer who's willing to say what his colleagues won't. Then there's a strange radio signal from our closest neighboring star, and a conspiracy theory about something that's been orbiting Earth longer than we've had satellites. (NASA has a very scientific explanation. It's… underwhelming.)

Then things get personal. Are aliens keeping an eye on our nuclear weapons because we can't be trusted? Why do they apparently love France? Do we believe in lizard people? Our hosts also revisit some of the most famous alien abduction cases, including one with a surprisingly credible witness, and name the two movies that kept them up at night. Along the way: an observatory on top of a dead volcano, the song that taught you South American capitals, Lisa Loeb, a Pedro Pascal shoutout (of course), and a pizza sidebar nobody asked for.

This week's toast: From Master Yoda himself: "In a dark place we find ourselves, and a little more knowledge lights our way." Here's to a little more knowledge and some conspiracy theories, just for fun. Cheers!

Tell us what you think! Do you believe in aliens? Have you ever seen something in the sky you couldn't explain? Tell us your UFO stories in the comments. We want the weird ones. And if you have a topic or toast suggestion, send it to us on Twitter at @TipsyExchange. If this episode opened your mind (or just made you laugh), please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. It really helps new listeners find the show. And the aliens, probably.

Please drink responsibly.

Sources:

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/5/8/21244090/pentagon-ufo-report-navy-alexander-wendt
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/01/25/have-we-already-been-visited-by-aliens
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/books/review/extraterrestrial-avi-loeb.html
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/alien-hunters-discover-mysterious-signal-from-proxima-centauri/
https://www.space.com/what-is-the-black-knight.html

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The Andy Factor: Our Most Crush-Worthy Celebrity Men (Pandemic Singles Edition) | The Tipsy Exchange Feb 09, 2021

Show notes

By now it's no secret: your hosts are single. Pandemic single, which is its own special category. So this week, Berly and LA stop pretending they haven't been thirsting in every episode (yes, even the Krampus one) and lean all the way in.

It all started with Spartacus and its star, Andy Whitfield. Berly and LA knew absolutely nothing about the man, but they decided he rescued puppies, read to children, and would never, ever do anything shady. Andy would never. From that beautiful delusion came the Andy factor: attractive, nice, delightful, and let's be honest, yummy. So which celebrity men have it?

Each host brings five nominees. They're all single (ish), and they all come with tipsy commentary, deep-dive trivia, and a highly scientific birthday horoscope analysis. You'll hear about a Superman who builds his own gaming PC, a Swede who hides his awards, a Marvel hero who thinks Asian men deserve to be objectified too, and a rock legend whose real first name will shock you. There's also a High School Musical kid who glowed up, a refugee-turned-heartthrob, a sketch comedy genius who's descended from royalty, and one very good boy named after a Disney dog. And who's the man LA says embodies Andy-ness more than anyone else? You'll have to listen.

This week's toast: An original by Berly herself: "A rich girl lives in a castle, a poor girl lives by the sea, but a vodka glass and a man's nice ass seems like home to me." Cheers!

Tell us what you think! Who did we miss? Who has the Andy factor on your list? Think one of our nominees doesn't deserve it? (How dare you. You don't even know Andy.) Tell us in the comments. And if this episode helped you through your own pandemic singledom, please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. It really helps new listeners find the show.

Rest in peace, Andy Whitfield. Cheers to you forever.

Please drink responsibly.

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Ask the Expert: At-Home Hair Care Tips from a Dallas Salon Owner | The Tipsy Exchange Jan 26, 2021

Show notes

For the first time, Berly and LA have company. James DeFrange, owner of Pura Vida Salon in Uptown Dallas, joins the Tipsy Exchange to answer your hair care questions. He showed up a few glasses of wine deep after our audio troubles, so this is a truly tipsy expert. Don't worry, he's still very professional. Mostly.

James tells the unlikely story of how he became a hairdresser, including a football coach, a high school cosmetology class, and a whole lot of what he calls dumb luck. He also shares the career advice he gives anyone, in any industry. Then we get into your questions:

Can your hair really build a tolerance to products?
How do you choose a haircut that frames your face?
Is box dye really that bad? (Brace yourself.)
Which fun colors fade well, and why do blue and green overstay their welcome?
How do you embrace and care for gray hair?
Should you trim your own split ends?
What's the deal with sulfates, parabens, and silicones?
How are you supposed to trim the back of your own head?

James also tells you to go flip over your shampoo bottle right now. There are two ingredients he wants you to look for, and after hearing why, you might never buy that bottle again. Plus, science talk that'll make you say "Yeah, Mr. White!" and a pitch for free mini fridges that some hair care company needs to take seriously.

Help us solve a mystery! James raves about a genius LA-based colorist who removes artificial color and brings clients back to their natural shade, but he couldn't remember the guy's name. Do you know who it is? Drop it in the comments!

Tell us what you think! Have a hair horror story or a box dye regret? Share it with us. If this episode saved your hair (or just made you laugh), please leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. It really helps new listeners find the show.

Please drink responsibly.

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