October 2010 – Page 3 – Sometimes Yaya

Blake Lively Scream Awards

It girl Blake Lively experimented with fashion again on the runway for Spike‘s TV Scream Awards. She chose a gray two tone dress with a camel leather embellishment running down the middle.

The dress looks like there are three pieces to it, and they were added together in haste. Blake still pulls it off though, when she stands still. All of the photos of her from the event seem to show her fidgeting (or did she pose like this on purpose?) with the skirt of the dress to show off her gams, when they look just as fabulous peeking out of the skirt on their own.

Photo Credit: HotCelebsHome

She matched her heels to the neutral accent on the dress and kept the accessories to a minimum; a smart move for an ensemble that already has a lot to say.

The verdict in the courtroom is questionably innocent, but with some sort of parole. I need to see a toned down mini or classic Grecian drapery at the next event to make it up.

What do you guys think?

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Coupons, Free Money, and Sales, Oh my!

The weeks leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday for Thanksgiving, as well as holiday shopping are upon us. Sure you can say we had the whole year (and sometimes I really do take all that time to get gifts for people), but starting from mid-October the deals start pouring in.

Photo Credit: timorinvest.com

I don’t want to inundate y’all with constant posts about great deals here (I’ll only post the awesome ones). For the spur of the moment sale notices, you should be covered between the Twitter, Facebook, and CheapTweet.

Sign up to Rue La La for your inside scoop on the best sample sales before 10/25 and get a $20 credit in your account.
Family and friends time at Saks Fifth Avenue. Use code FRIEND7 online before 10/24 to get 20% off your purchase (15% off jewelry and 10% off beauty and fragrance).
Get 25% off Fall favorites at the Gap with code GAPDEALS.
Express jeans are buy one get one half off.
Smashbox Cosmetics – get $15 off purchase of $75 or more (plus FREE shipping on every order). Promo code: WELCOME2.
Ongoing promo at Shopbop – refer a friend and get $25 credit.
Get notices about your favorite brands on sale from Shop It To Me.
When all else fails, sign up with Ebates to get cash back on any purchase, sale or not (they also offer coupons)!

Then there are the sample sale sites you should sign up to now, so that when the awesome holiday sales come out, you’ll be in the know:

theTopSecret

Hautelook

ideeli

Gilt

Beyond the Rack

Billion Dollar Babes

Beauty Story

Editor’s Closet

theSkinny

Row|Nine

Remember to assess your financial abilities first and start small. You’re better off setting a $20 budget for five close friends and family members, or $10 for ten people and come out without debt at the end, rather than give everyone a brand name wish list item and then cry your tears in the privacy of your bank.

To kill two birds with one stone, sign up with the sample sale sites and promote them to your friends. Most sites give you credit for referring other people, and you will have a credit to shop in no time. My favorite is Shop It To Me, because you get gift cards of your choice for having people sign up for a free newsletter. My ultimate go to is Swagbucks though, you get points for using their search engine (works using Google so it’s pretty good) and then you can claim points for gift cards and cash.

Did you start holiday shopping yet?

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She Whips Her Hair

Willow Smith debuted her song Whip My Hair a while back, but the video has graced the net today. The beautiful young girl is rocking some great styles and is letting her music speak volumes. The video is positively themed, without nudity or adult factors. Most of the scenes are tied in with the star dipping her braids into paint and whipping it around to paint the rooms a shade all her own. She has great hair styles in it, and the song is addictive (try and say otherwise!).
http://www.vevo.com/VideoPlayer/Embedded?videoId=USSM21001602&playlist=false&autoplay=0&playerId=62FF0A5C-0D9E-4AC1-AF04-1D9E97EE3961&playerType=embedded&env=0
Have you seen it yet?

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Think Pink NOTD

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a press product preview event where I got to meet different brands and learn about products that just entered the market, along with ones that will be launching soon. I like these types of events for more than just the brand familiarity. You get a sneak peek into the future of cosmetics and trending, and you start feeling like someone slipped you some insider info.

The event worked with SPARTY! Never heard of them? The company, whose slogan is “Sip, Spa, Celebrate” helps make all events interesting by supplying everything and anything you need. Catering? Massages? Drinks? Manicures? They make it happen. This is a great idea for baby and wedding showers, or even birthday and location events.

When I heard about the manis, I spent my whole hour of travel time wondering what brand they’d be using and what color I would come home with on my digits. The winner was SpaRitual in Strike a Pose.

I grabbed the pink shade to commemorate October being Breast Cancer Awareness month. Strike a Pose isn’t too bright and outspoken, nor too dull and prude. Just enough oomph for every pair of hands available. The consistency was a little less opaque than I expected it to be, but it’s still a pretty color.

Are you rocking pink in October?

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Long Hair Don’t Care

Christina Aguilera has really come into her own over the past couple of years. The gal with a squeaky clean image became dirrty, pinup, bionic, and is now no longer a single category fit. The actress/songstress returned to a longer length of hair and has gone back and forth between waves and curls in the past two months, all in a shade that’s more white than blond. I’m not sure if she has a full time makeup team, or if she has different people in charge of cosmetics, but some of the colors she’s sported recently haven’t been the biggest compliment to her skin.

Photo Credit: HotCelebsHome

I’m all for experimentation, but I would love if she warmed up her hair color a bit and kept the bronzing to a happy medium – her face seems out of place when the colors are too light, and comical when too dark.

http://widget.shopstyle.com/widget?pid=uid4724-679582-60&look=2220381&width=4&height=1&layouttype=0&border=0&footer=0

More Physicians Formula…

What do you think? Would you change anything?

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Revlon’s Matte Suede Collection

Drugstores are slowly turning into temptation centers for me. I have taken to banning myself from most department stores and beauty spots like Sephora as I deal with this financial slump I’m in right now, so I limit myself to drugstores. They must’ve caught on to the plan because what used to be one or two knick knacks that I had to buy, have become bag fulls.

As I walked into Walgreen’s for a snack yesterday, I found myself face to face with the new Revlon Matte Suede polish collection. They had new lipsticks out as well, but I can only be so bad in one day!
The main photo is the collection, applied in two coats and taken with flash. The photo to the left is without flash. Both photos are accurate representations of the colors depending on what kind of light you have shining on your digits.

Upon originally seeing the collection, I was trying to decide if the matte polish craze was a movement that was staying or if it was a departing train. Any polish can now become a matte polish with the correct matte coat. Something about these colors persuaded me though.

The four color collection contains three autumn/winter appropriate shades with a snowy white to complete the set. The colors are vibrant and are almost dead on replicas of gem stones. Emerald City reminded me of Zoya‘s Veruschuka from the MatteVelvet Collection. Purple and green shades seem to warrant the most attention when new sets come out.

All the colors have an interesting shimmer to it, one that I can’t say has been identically done before. As Scrangie said, the collection doesn’t come off as that matte. I found that when you apply one coat, the colors are more matte than if you use two to three coats. The runner up favorite was Fire Fox, have you seen a shimmery, fiery, red-orange like this before?! Though not necessarily a favorite, Ruby Ribbon had an impressive finish, and after two coats Powder Puff made me frown.

The white is a little bit out of place and I had to narrate a winter story with Christmas trees, Santa, Cranberries and snow to agree that it was necessary. White is a color that no matte collection should ever have again. Really. The white was the weakest link, but I must have been remiss in the three coat memo, because Ali from Ali’s Nail News got it, and the photos make it look purchase worthy.

As you may already be able to tell, these photos are the colors with a topcoat, photographed with no flash and then with flash accordingly.

The brand is Buy One Get One half off at almost all drugstores this week, and Rite Aid is having a great sale where all polish is BOGO half off. What are you waiting for?

Do you like this collection?

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UNICEF Celebrates 60th Year of Success

Do you recall the time you went door to door asking for a trick or a treat? I do.

I hated the people who opened their doors and took the question to be philosophical or anything other than “Can I have some candy please?” The pennies, the insight, man, that really soured my night until I saw the next full size candy bar (those houses were the best!). It wasn’t until I as older that I realized the pennies and other change has come in handy to other trick and treaters.

“Shortly after Halloween some 60 years ago, Mary Emma Allison and her children came upon a parade in downtown Philadelphia that included children in dress from nations all around the world. They followed the parade, which led them to a booth inside Wanamaker’s department store. At that booth, donations were being collected for UNICEF’s powdered-milk programs.
This chance encounter would change the next 60 years.

Mary Emma knew children already collected treats on Halloween, but she and her family were determined to turn that collection into something bigger, something that could help the kids all over the world still struggling to recover from World War II.

In UNICEF, Mary Emma recognized an organization that could get those children the help they needed.

Using a nationwide network of churches and community groups, the Reverend Clyde Allison, Mary Emma and their family encouraged fund-raising for UNICEF on Halloween—collecting candy and coins while learning about the plight of vulnerable children around the world.

The money collected could be used by UNICEF for powdered milk and so much more—food, medicine, education and anything young people needed to thrive.“ (source)

Photo Credit: Liludori.com // Graphics Courtesy of MyOwnJudge.net

HSN is honoring the tradition (and 60th anniversary) alongside FEED Projects to have our kids (or you – I last trick or treated with my friend Jessica in the last years of high school – we won’t judge!) benefit the cause and look great while doing so. The burlap tote features reflective webbing to keep the phobias of the dark at bay and the wearer safe. It’s also very environmentally friendly – you can use it throughout the rest of the year while reminiscing of the sweet night!

Part of the proceeds for the tote (and it’s only 13$ by the way) will benefit UNICEF in their campaign to offer nutrition, medical attention, and assistance to children around the world.

Check out more information about UNICEF here, and see how you can get involved.

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I Want to Make the World Aware…

Nothing makes me happier than when children are taught proper values from the start, rather than having them grow up all mixed up in the brain, only to come to a conclusion here and there about what they should’ve known a long time ago.

The media isn’t the best at portraying the correct image, nor always the right mentors for children to look up to and emulate. I always argue that parenting has a lot to do with how a child grows up, but let’s be real. Kids can’t be under lock and key for their whole childhood for the benefit of the parent. Society needs to step up and be better people with every day to offer appropriate inspiration – and when we mess up? To be humble and responsible when taking actions to make things right.

Sesame Street gets out of MOJ court scot-free with this video about loving your own hair in any design or texture.

Are you loving it as much as I did?

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Recycling Travel Sized

How many times have you gone to a hotel and forgot something? The soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner. As soon as the panic dies down you realize that (most likely) the place you are staying at has taken the liberty of stocking up your bathroom. Maybe you brought your own soap, but you want to test out their soap instead (I’ve been guilty of this). Then comes the last day of your stay and the bottle isn’t quite done. Some people take it with them and use it as a travel size product, but most people just leave it at the hotel room.

Photo Credit: DeviantArt user dear3

Hotels have realized that the product left behind is a huge waste. They can’t reuse the product – because, well, do you want to use the second half of someone else’s lotion? Didn’t think so.

“Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. says it is working with an Orlando charity that collects beauty products left behind by hotel guests and then distributes them to impoverished families in the United States and more than 30 countries.

The organization, Clean the World, says it has collected more than a ton of soap in recent months from five Harrah’s resorts: Paris Las Vegas, Bally’s Las Vegas, Harrah’s Las Vegas, Imperial Palace and Caesars Palace.“ (source)

Clean the World is also working on a factory where soap will be recycled. I wonder if I’ll be able to send in the tiny pieces of leftover soap (you know – when it’s too small to use, but too big a piece to trash?) that collects in my bathroom.

Guess not everything stays in Vegas after all!

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NARS Bento Box

After a long ago trip to Japan, Francois Nars has finally done it. After a decade in development, the NARS bento box is going to be available for sale soon, exclusively at Saks, Barneys and Neiman Marcus.

Inspired by Kabuki paint, the little bowls are hand poured with a NARS lipstick formula (there are two colors), enriched with Vitamin E. Each bowl has the same amount as a regular lipstick, and will retail for $125. You can use the brush to apply these babies with the precision of a microscope.

The concept and design is a must see. Interested? There’s a waitlist waiting to get your name on it.

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