What's in Store

This week we found makeup and pedicure products for fabulous femmes:

Splendora raves about Lipstick Queen by Poppy King as a cult line and a celeb standby. Her newest product, Oxymoron, is just that. The gloss pot contains a creamy formula that goes on smooth but looks totally matte on the lips. It gives you that flushed, romantic, Jane Austen appeal. Come hither Mr. Darcy.

SheFinds touts Hard Candy’s Take Out Makeup Kit, which is chock full of useful goodies—six lip glosses, eight eye shadows, black liner, a tiny tube of mascara, peachy blush and bronzer, and two shades of concealer. This little kit packs a big wallop. It’s about the size of a deck of cards, so it’s not too unwieldy to fit in a night-out handbag, and the color palette is pretty everyone-friendly. This can save the day when a little touch up is in order, or when you need to go from day to night and don’t have the luxury of 15 minutes in front of the makeup mirror.

The Budget Fashionista advises us about Dr. Scholl’s, as the go-to-guy for all things foot, Pumice Foot Scrub and Foot Softening Balm. The pumice scrub boasts the benefit of a pumice stone in lotion form, to exfoliate and moisturize. The softening balm rehydrates dry callused skin. The pumice brings a blast of inspiring peppermint, while the balm contains lavender for a soothing finish. It could inspire your olfactory senses while making your tootsies touchable.

The Makeup Girl Blog gives us the secret of LORAC’s Beauty Insider Palette. What I love about LORAC’s colors is that they hold SO much pigment! LORAC gives you the hottest looks for fall in one cute, sleek little red snake skin case. You get five shadows, two blushes, a dual-ended brush and a red lip polish. Red lips are all the rage for fall and this is the BEST way to wear them without looking overpowered…a nice soft gloss will give you the color that you want without all of the stodginess of traditional red lipstick.

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Will Ferrell doing a triple toe loop leads the top DVD movie releases this week. Here are the top DVD movie releases for this week and the reviews of the films from the Epinions.com community.

Blades Of Glory

The story is really simple. Two skating rivals tie for the gold medal at the ice skating world championships and get banned from future competitions because of brawling with each other. But they find a way to come back, and it’s in the pairs competition. Of course, with Will Ferrell involved, hijinx and hilarity ensue.

Epinions Reviews for Blades Of Glory

Kickin’ It Old Skool

Jamie Kennedy stars as a b-boy from 1986 who falls in a coma for twenty years and wakes up to a new world. With so many problems in his new world, he must kick it old school to fix them.

Epinions Reviews for Kickin’ It Old Skool

If you are a movie buff and would like to add your two cents about a good or bad movie, join Epinions.com and start writing reviews!

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“Not on one strand are all life’s jewels strung.”
William Morris, 1834 - 1896

We’ve all heard repeatedly how less is more. We’ve seen all the design tributes to minimalism and appreciated the starkness of modern design. And if we’re drinking martinis, I’m all for moderation. But let’s be honest- sometimes more is more. Here a few things that always make me think, “If one is good, a dozen is fantastic.”

Roping

One strand is prim, preppy and can be a bit stuffy. Ropes of pearls are urban (think Like a Virgin era Madonna) and decadent (think Coco Chanel). Try mixing your grandmother’s strand with a costume opera length necklace.

Jingling

A lone bangle looks lonely, but a stack of bangles looks like a party. They shimmy, they jingle, they will make you smile. Check out Indian bazaars and Mediterranean markets for inexpensive options.

Chaining

A single chain necklace is New Jersey. Multiple chains are Parisian. Avoid looking like Mr. T by keeping the rest of your jewelry simple and understated.

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This week we found cool trends and innovative products for Back-to-School:

Engadget writes about changes to SanDisk’s Sansa media players in order to attract the back-to-school masses. Perhaps the biggest change comes to the company’s WiFi-equipped Sansa Connect, which retains all the same specs but gets a full hundred dollars knocked off its price tag. The other refresh comes to the company’s Sansa Shaker line, which gets a new 1GB model that’ll retail for an average of $50. Of course, while SanDisk is pitching this as a back-to-school promotion, there’s nothing to stop anyone from taking advantage of it for themselves.

Gizmodo goes crazy over Safe Books Ballistic Bookbag, which is actually bullet-proof! These backpacks are claimed to offer as much protection from a shooting as police armor and are aimed to protect kids from all of the 21st century dangers schooling entails.

The Budget Fashionista highlights trends from Paypal’s recent back-to-school survey on the attitudes and thoughts of parents and kids regarding Back-to-School shopping and fashion. Check out these interesting findings:

• - 9 out of 10 high school students expect their parents to pay for most, if not all of their back to school purchases.
• - Kids expect their parents to spend on average $350 on back to school clothing, while parents expect to spend around $250.
• - Girls take their style cues from traditional pop style icons like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, the Olsen twins while boys take their style cues from celebrities they want to hang out with like P Diddy, Justin Timberlake and Jack Black.
• - Also, while boys think baggy jeans are cool, parents and, most importantly, girls don’t think they are appropriate.

FabSugar raves about fall jackets! There are so many different styles and colors one can work with. So, check out the fresh back-to-school outerware options.

SheFinds alerts us about back-to-school deals at eBags. Get an extra 10%-off plus free shipping on orders of $35 or more. Find modern, functional laptop backpacks, messenger bags in funky patterns (they make a great weekend carry-all), and sleek totes for work. The sale ends on 8/26.

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This week we noticed that one of the hottest colors this season, yellow, is brightening up the blogosphere:

GlamSugar highlights this adorable yellow clutch by Forever 21 that will make your outfit pop and won’t break your bank.

Omiru recommends the Filofax Piazza Personal Organizer as one of the best day planners to not only lighten up your style, but help manage your life as well.

Glimpse.com raves about what’s hot in San Francisco including this polka dot headband from Anthropologie that can funk up even the most basic of outfits.

TeamSugar touts these Christian Louboutin yellow satin pumps for those who are looking for a must-have trendy piece.

Shiny Shiny spotlights that Apple is rumored to come out with a limited edition Beatles-themed Yellow Submarine iPod that will be pre-loaded with every Beatles album!

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Four middle aged friends and their motorcycles lead the top DVD movie releases this week. Here are the top DVD movie releases for this week and the reviews of the films from the Epinions.com community.

Fracture

Ryan Gosling and Anthony Hopkins lead this suspense/drama picture. Directed by Gregory Hoblit (Primal Fear), this courtroom flick features Hopkins as Ted Crawford who confesses to shooting his wife after finding out that she was having an affair, but then retracts his confession. Gosling’s Willy Beachum has to outwit Crawford in order to solve the case. It’s Hopkins vs. Gosling in a battle of wits.

Epinions Reviews for Fracture

Wild Hogs

What do you get when you put John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, Tim Allen, and William H. Macy together? Pure wackiness. Directed by Walt Becker, this box office success surrounds the foursome who decide to take a road trip together and have to endure all that comes along with it.

Epinions Reviews for Wild Hogs

Vacancy

Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson play a bickering couple who stay overnight at a creepy motel after their car breaks down. After finding out that the room that they are staying in is actually being used to film snuff films, they try to escape before ending up as the next set of victims.

Epinions Reviews for Vacancy

If you are a movie buff and would like to add your two cents about a good or bad movie, join Epinions.com and start writing reviews!

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Do you ever stop to think about the reasons you are attracted to the shoes you buy?  Why some women drool over a Louboutin with a 4-inch heel, while others have a pair of Crocs in every color?  True, footwear selection is most often influenced by your sense of personal style, but I suspect geography has a bit to do with it as well.   Think about it … if you live in a city where you do a lot of walking, sooner or later the 4-inchers won’t even sound good because their very mention connotes a sharp pain.  Or, if you live someplace where the mercury dips more often than it rises, you are bound to be a boot-lover. 

A recent pile-up of business trips and vacations took me on a 15-day cross country tour from New York to the Midwest to the West and then back to the East Coast.  Most people check out landmarks or restaurants when they travel … I check out shoes.  Here’s a glimpse of what fashion-savvy women are wearing on their feet this summer across our great nation …

East Coast - I spend most of my shoe-gawking time on the streets of Manhattan, and this city gives me a lot to look at!  It takes just a few blocks to realize that the summer apparel essential is the sundress.  Strappy or sleeveless, short or long, flowing or stretchy …  no matter how you wear it, the sundress is an ideal way to stay fashionable and cool on those muggy city days.  The other great thing about this wardrobe lifesaver - there are lots of shoe options to match.  Two of my favorites are espadrilles and thong sandals.  The espadrille is a clever way to add height without foot pain.

My travels also took me a little further east … to Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  To describe the attitude that hovers over the Cape as “laid back” would still not accurately depict the mellow individuals I encountered in this part of the country.  Whether you have a summer home there, or are simply spending a long weekend exploring the beaches and stuffing yourself with seafood, this is not a place to break out the high heels.  Flip flops prevailed in this cozy coastal area, though certainly not those rubber monstrosities from convenience store endcaps.  When it comes to flips, only creative and colorful will do for the Cape.

MidWest - Even though I am now a New Yorker, I will always think of St. Louis as home.  After all, I was born in St. Louis, and more than 50% of my possessions are stored in my parents’ basement there.   Though in the middle of the country, St. Louis fashion is by no means middle of the road.  Ladies in the Show Me State know how to show off their pedicures in sassy shoes while clubbing on trendy Washington Avenue in the downtown area, or enjoying long dinners in the outdoor cafes of the Central West End.  Local glossy St. Louis Magazine — along with its oh-so-stylish readership – is loving metallic wedges for summer.  In a city known for July and August heat waves, a little metal adds just the right amount of sizzle.

West Coast - From the hot lights of Vegas to the Fair Isle sweaters of Seattle to the beaches of LA, the one common element among West Coast fashion is diversity.  I visited Las Vegas (hey, it was for work!) during a steamy week of temps above 105 degrees.  But that didn’t stop tourists and locals alike from steaming up their wardrobes with unbelievably sexy shoes!  Forget the poker table, the true queens in Vegas are the stilettos.  I spotted the lofty shoes paired with everything from jeans to shorts to micro minis.  Those spike heels can take you from the Hard Rock’s Body English nightclub, to the sophisticated dining of Caesar’s Palace’s Bradley Ogden, and even to the smoky depths of Fremont Street.  Now that’s what I call a jackpot!

In the hills of San Francisco, the story is a little different.  The climate — languid sunny days and fresh, chilly nights – sometimes means the shoe you’re wearing at 8 a.m. won’t be the shoe you’re wearing at 8 p.m.  Bay Area ladies are often spotted toting an extra pair along in a chic bag … just in case.  Lots of walking and cable car rides means comfort is key … but not at the sake of fashion.  Bay Area ladies pound the pavement in funky, comfy sneakers.  And for nighttime, chill breezes and hilly streets make boots over jeans a favorite look.

Expert Shopping Tip - The online shoe sales arena is overflowing with contenders right now, which means each one is competing for your business with some terrific deals like free shipping and major sales.  For example, check out the Shoes.com Saturday Sale. On the second Saturday of each month, Shoes.com offers up to 60% off a huge selection of men’s, women’s and kids’ shoes. Brands include Hollywould, Delman, Bruno Magli, Stuart Weitzman and Marc by Marc Jacobs.  

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This week we found seasonal fashion trends and tips that will come in handy when planning your fall wardrobe:

Splendora spotlights Cole Haan Tall Kenna Boots to jump start the fall season. The luggage brown goes with everything, and the relaxed, sexy style works perfectly with your favorite jeans or skirt.

Constance White, eBay’s Style Director informs us that black is back as it’s uniform for any occasion this summer…a wedding, dinner al fresco, or a Sunday concert at the beach. Throw on some black skinny jeans, a black tank top, and a pair of black Ray Bans and you’re the “it” girl straight from the pages of InStyle! Of course, you can always have your black in a summer dress too.

SheFinds alerts readers about grey as a staple color this fall and the best way to wear it. Her tip is to find a key grey piece, be it high-waisted trousers to elongate your legs or a pencil skirt to accentuate your waist, have it tailored to perfection, and voila! You have found a way to incorporate almost all the latest trends using just one key piece. Pair your pencil skirt with a leopard print chiffon neck tie top or with a metallic mini jacket and black Mary Janes.

Jewelry Blogger Sandy Graham raves about turquoise as a fall jewelry trend and showcases her latest find — a vintage turquoise and coral beaded Native American cuff. Turquoise is always present and can be worn with jeans and a white cuffed shirt, a pale gray dress, a multi color long print caftan and many other things.

The Budget Fashionista recommends the Old Navy Baby Doll coat as a “What to buy” item for the fall. You can find it in green or black for more versatility.

Also, Regina Lewis touted comparison shopping sites on the Today Show. She said that price comparison sites give you a great initial snapshot of what the product is currently going for online. And she cites a new five-year forecast from Forrester Research that indicates people who are the biggest online spenders are also the most likely to comparison shop.

Now that’s shopping smart!

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When I first started seeing bubble skirts in the stores, I didn’t give them a second glance. I immediately tagged them as unflattering and saw them as just a bunch of bulky fabric to add around an area that doesn’t really need more bulk. They also looked downright weird.

However, during a recent trip to San Diego, I tried on a black BCBG bubble skirt on a whim. I was an instant convert! Right away I saw the versatility of it - it can be casual with flats, it can be worn to work, and even out to a nice dinner with the right heels. I was excited and had to have it. This brown Theory bubble skirt is similar to the BCBG one I bought in black and I’ve worn it with a cropped jacket in yellow, black and white and fitted and bright-colored cap-sleeve t-shirts.

I also love this Eva Franco bubble skirt. It’s fun and casual.

Definitely stay away from too much bubble. You’ll look like a flying saucer about to take-off!

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