Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween my lovelies! I hope you get lots of candy, carve the best pumpkin on your street, and are fabulously attired in your costumes.

If I had my way - I would rock Halloween with this very cool ring from Betsey Johnson from her uber cool "Betsey Johnson the Vampire Slayer" line. Hope you get as much of a tickle out of it as I did when I first saw it!

Betsey Johnson "Betsey The Vampire Slayer" Pink Lips Ring, $35

Anthropologie Free Shipping - Winter 2010

Wohoo! Anthropologie just released an email notifying that all Anthro members receive free shipping until December 23rd on orders must be of $150 or more

Here's all the fine print goodness blown up for your reading pleasure:

Standard shipping with $150 minimum offer is valid for domestic shipments only and does not apply to previous purchases. To take advantage of this offer, you must link your anthro number to a new or existing anthropologie.com account. Offer expires on 12/23/10. Additional fees apply for overweight, express or overnight shipping. Need to get it there by December 24? See full details on overnight and express shipping at www.anthropologie.com

Links a la Mode: Costume Drama

Costume Drama: A Break From All Things Outfit

Edited by: Holier than Now
It's the Halloween season, when some of us choose to experience the thrill (or horror) of looking nothing like ourselves for a night. For those of you who blog or socially post your outfits, perhaps it's a chance to take a break from the judgmental eye of the spotlight (consider Love Brown Sugar and One More's pieces on the subject) - one night where you turn in "looking good" for looking scary, time period-accurate, or just ... a little sexier than usual. Inspired? Find last minute costume inspiration from Tickle Me Chic and more.
And for those of us who don't celebrate the witching hour, there's still a chance to step away from the closet and remind ourselves that great lingerie, shoes, bags, and jewels can make even a white tee and jeans look scary good.

Links à la Mode: October 28th

• A La Modest:7 Common Reactions to Style
• Best of Bklyn: In Favor of Knickknacks - How to Personalize Your House Into A Home
• Boheme Noir: The definitive IN/OUT list for Fall 2010 bags
• Closet Confections: Fashion Bloggers Take On Product Placement:A Video Response
• Cute and Little One: Product placement and blogger responsibility: a blogger's role in influencing product advertising.
• Daisy Dayz: Inspiring locally-designed headwear
• Fashion Cents: 3 Tips to Consider for Open-Toe Boots/Shoes for Fall
• Fête à Fête: YSL's new Rouge Pur Couture lipsticks
• Holier than Now: 11 Great Jewelry Sites You Might Not Know About
• Hunting and Gathering: Why Classic Jewelry Never Goes out of Style
• Independent Fashion Bloggers: Want to be a professional blogger?
• Interrobangs Anonymous: On going grey in your twenties
• Love Brown Sugar: Why Don't You Love Me? A curvy girl's ode to outfit posting on fashion communities
• Miss Viki: AND_i captivating jewelry show coverage, with video
• OK, Bowtie: Underneath: why everyone needs pretty underwear
• One More: Does a bloggers dress size affect readership and is the blogging community becoming divided over it?
• Ruby-Eyed Okapi: A Modest Approach to Halloween Costumes
• Style Every Day: How to change that horrible mess of jewelry on your dresser to supreme organization
• The Lingerie Addict: How to Buy Vintage Lingerie for the Perfect Pin-up Figure
• Tickle Me Chic: Fashion-inspired Halloween Costumes
• Vogue Mornings: Ten Tips for Achieving Work/Life Balance

Coco Rouge...

During my trip to the Chanel counter to fill up on Hydramax cream (original review here), I got a sample of Rouge Coco Lipstick in Legende. Needless to say - I was excited but somewhat cautious that I would face all the things we dread about lipsticks - dried out lips, weird tastes/flavors, or too heavy colour for day.

Rouge Coco is different from a typical lipstick in that it's lightweight, very moisturizing, and slightly glossy. It actually reminds me a bit of a more pigmented version of the now discontinued Shiseido Sheer Gloss Lipstick.

I was pleasantly surprised that Legende was quite wearable against my pale olive skin despite looking in the tube more like a dark pink colour for grandma. The reality is it's more of a rose pink and was very wearable. The scent is like a rose but not off-putting.

Legende colour swatch from Chanel site

At $30 bucks a pop, this ain't cheap lipstick - but the quality is clearly different. Even as a regular no-makeup type of gal, this one was really comfortable to wear, even better than any gloss I've worn (no stickyness!). I'm contemplating splurging on a berry colour in either Ballet Russe or Rouge Noir.

Karla Sugar has an excellent post with real life swatches on all the Rouge Coco colours.

What I Love Now! - October Inspiration Edition

October is a great time for fantasy and imagination - after all it ends with Halloween!


Inspiration. One of the most stunning movies I've ever seen, The Secret of Kells has recently been released on DVD (and yes! is available on Netflix streaming as well). It was a rather unpublicized film but was nominated for the 2010 Academy Award for Best Animated Film. The animation style is very unique and imaginative - seemingly simple yet rich and lush at the same time. Frankly, if you threw any of the backgrounds on a dress I'd probably buy it!

Images: The Secret of Kells

Beauty. Burberry's Sheer Eyeshadow line seems to look fantastic on the Youtube makeup gurus, gotten generally good reviews all around, and has definitely caught my eye. NaturalNchic has a great post on all the swatches as the makeup is not widely available at all Nordstrom stores yet (only 8 Nordstrom's have the Burberry counters!) I've yet to take the plunge, but they're definitely on my wishlist. So far I've been eyeing the Chestnut and Rosewood shades.

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow, $29

Image: Burberry Beauty Campaign. Photography by Mario Testino

Fashion. Lanvin's Fleur Strassee Collection is simply divine, a great contrast between the minimal white pearl and twisting dark silver metal.

Lanvin Fleur Strassee Hoop Earrings, $895

Lanvin Fleur Strassee Crystal Cuff, $1355

Links a la Mode: The Blogging Diaries

The Blogging Diaries- Introspects, insights, and inspirations

Edited by: Marie Denee of The Curvy Fashionista
As bloggers, we often find ourselves looking to other blogs for inspiration. Sometimes we look to our closets, magazines, or in the mirror. This week's roundup fashions some of the most introspective and insightful posts from bloggers who reach across the blogosphere as they look for ways to build upon, contribute to, and pull inspiration for and from the fashion world.

• 365 Fashion Rehab: Lessons from a (Reformed) Shopaholic: A beautiful handbag repaired (for free!). One more reason to buy quality over quantity.
• Boheme Noir: The first ladies of Vogue - a closer look at the most important editors in chief.
• Daisy Dayz: Friend Friday: How to learn from your mistakes and let your blog grow
• Devilishly Pleasurable: Reflecting on the evolution of my blog and tips for better blogging!
• Fish Monkey: The notion of flattering dressing is oppressive and unnecessary. Rather than conforming, why not chose a different shape?
• Hazel Eye Personality: Who has what it takes to be the next big and game changing designer? It takes a lot of time, passion and sanity to make it in the fashion world.
• Independent Fashion Bloggers: Work Smarter, Not Harder–3 Ways to Massively (and Permanently) Increase Your Traffic.
• Miss Viki: "Love Me" and what is wrong with our beauty ideals, if anything?
• No Guilt Fashion: I put on my game face and tried out my biggest fashion trend fear
• Passionista Place: qvc, hsn...oh my! find out why home shopping networks have become a bit of an addiction for a modern passionista like me.
• Seamstress Stories: Reflections on the role that mirrors play for our body image and self-perception.
• Showcase Edge: Indie Fashion Goes Back to the future. A look at designers who hand-make clothing inspired by times of the past
• Sidewalk Chalk: I'm a poser, baby: 7 steps for posing naturally in outfit photos
• Stylish White Female: Transitioning from vegetarian to vegan: Some things are hard to give up. Fur is not.
• Taxonomy of my Wardrobe: Shopping the Wardrobe. My version of this month's Harper's Bazaar Buy Now wear Forever list selected from my own wardrobe.
• The Coveted: Three Way With a Long Chiffon Skirt
• The Curvy Fashionista: Nordstrom reaches out to plus size fashion bloggers to collaborate on its newest plus size endeavor- Sejour
• The Demoiselles: She is not a fashion blogger. She's just a woman, sitting in her bathtub.
• The Simply Luxurious Life: In a world that seems to be changing quicker than the seasons, what does it mean to be a lady?
• The Wondergirl: retail-me-not: waxing poetic on two interesting happenings of late in the world of specialty retailing.
• Vogue Mornings:How not to lose motivation when blogging, a few quick solutions to the problem many bloggers face.

Review: Anthropologie Dimpled Cardigan

Small Sparrow Dimpled Cardigan

style #18617027

$49.95...was $98.00

I loved the fun and interesting texture on this wool cardigan once I saw it and luckily it went on sale the next week. I bought the small, 1 size up, in the ivory colour as pictured. Good for petite gals as alot of the Anthro sweaters have been disappointingly long or far too massive for my frame (the Alighting Lepidoptera Sweater is a good example of a cardigan that really only works on a taller gal). The fabric feels lovely and soft, not itchy.

Verdict: So long as you're petite and into carrying off the fun texture this is the cardigan for you!

Links a la Mode: Coats On!

Coats on!

Edited by: Florrie Clarke of Intrinsically Florrie
Change is literally in the air, bringing with it the cold and rain that requires a wardrobe transition. I must confess to being ill prepared myself and as a consequence have been drenched in the freezing cold. Time to get out your boots and coat because fall is well and truly here. I may stick stubbornly to my floral dresses all year round, but the difference is in the layers. So I'm on the look out for fabulous tights and there are a couple of lovely posts to help me choose or even DIY my own style.

Links à la Mode: October 14th

• Beautifully Invisible: The Art of Fashion Photography, as told by guest contributor Casee Marie
• Best of bklyn: A guide to looking great on rainy days.
• Broke & Beautiful: Kelli Murray proves that fashion and style are both forms of art.
• Clothed Much: Blogging tips I've learned after a year and a half of blogging
• Dramatis Personae: If I Were Another Person- What would you wear if you were someone else?
• Forever Amber: My discovery of style blogging has also led to a discovery of places around my town that I didn't even know existed
• Grit and Glamour: Friend Friday: Sticks, Stones, Comments, Criticism, and Kindness
• Independent Fashion Bloggers: Bloggers Talk Monetizing Sites
• Intrinsically Florrie: A backstage look at the London Season debutantes of 2010 at the Queen Charlotte's Ball, featuring Pronovias wedding dresses and Mikimoto jewelry.
• Leia's Delights: Tutorial on how to enhance curly/wavy hair
• Love Brown Sugar: Why spend your hard-earned dollars on trends that will fade away next season? A Guide To Thrifting Trends
• Make the World a Prettier Place: A selection of beautiful vintage-inspired dresses
• Malvestida: I came across the idea of making a photoshoot about two of the things I love the most: music and fashion.
• Oranges and Apples: Beauty Essentials: Nivea Creme
• Other Dutch Animals: Mad men and English women: reject the high maintenance of the past and do vintage your way
• Skinny Purse: How To Wear Tights - Fall's Essential Foundation Garment
• Shrimp Salad Circus: Get that extra mile out of your tights with seven fun and fashionable DIY projects!
• Style Eyes: Sustainable Clothing - Progress by the UK high street and online retailers since the launch of the sustainable clothing action plan
• The Citizen Rosebud: The story a a couple of backhanded compliments
• The Coveted: Is it Fall Yet? What to wear in transitional weather.
• The New Professional: DIY: Turn an A-line into a pencil skirt.

Links a la Mode: Hats Off

Hats Off!

Edited by: Thom of The Sunday Best

With  fashion weeks in full swing it would have been easy for the IFB fold to  post multiple photos and call it a day. Hats off to these dedicated  writers for continuing to pump out original content on often thorny  issues (negative blogging anyone?). In particular it was nice to finally  see more than one male blogger throwing his hat into the ring. Dressed for Dinner - we salute you and your lovely beard.

Links à la Mode: October 8th

• A la Modest: Bjork - the bold and bizarre living canvas
• Beauty and the Recession: 5 ways to avoid bitchy commenting
• Beyond Fabric: Buckle up
• Dressed for Dinner: The growth of menswear
• Fashion Limbo: How to grow old gracefully and happily
• For Those About To Shop: Giving back is the new black
• Forever Amber: Back to the asylum
• Fuyume: Japanese fashion's influence on western style
• Independent Fashion Bloggers: The Money Myth of Fashion Blogging
• Oh la la Curves: We need diversity
• Oranges and Apples: Negative blogging
• Other Dutch Animals: Gap teeth: fashion trend?
• Qqueen of Hearts: Are you in it for the fame or fortune?
• Sam Sensibility: Is Gareth Pugh predicting a future without catwalks?
• Sparrow and Urchin: Henry Ford
• Sugar and Spice: Postscript - copying in fashion industry
• The Sunday Best: The curious appeal to authenticity
• The Taxonomy of My Wardrobe: Negative fashion bloggers - why?
• The Coveted: Nicole Miller's preppy twist
• Watch This Place: Stockings and stereotypes

What Are you Doing this Weekend?

 I'm a bit puzzled if this is a new marketing tactic or sheer boredom, but lately I've had many sales associates (SA's) ask me about either my plans for the weekend or what I was doing for the weekend. Now, if these were SA's who I was on a first name basis with, it would be a pretty normal question. But so far they've been complete strangers - sometimes male, sometimes female, usually in a checkstand situation.

Perhaps I'm just old-fashioned, but since when does one divulge weekend plans at the checkstand? Here are a few issues I have with this idea:

1) Maybe SAs lead more exciting lives, but I'm not going to have something planned every weekend. And frankly there's plenty of weekends where I need to run errands or clean my bathroom or do pretty normal, mundane stuff. An honest long answer is so boring that the only short way of putting it is creating an answer along the lines of "not much."

2) If I'm at a checkstand, clearly I'm not in a more exciting or exotic place. While I probably am a bit more dressed up than the average person, it's not exactly like I wear a feather boa to go shopping. Not sure if the lack of mom jeans is throwing off the SAs....

3) Usually I want to get through the checkstand quickly, because I hate to be the person to hold up the line while doing nothing but "chit chat." Hardly want to become my own pet peeve.

What say you dear readers? What is the best response to this question?

Crunch It Out

I read somewhere that it's best to keep changing up your exercise routine to keep things fun and interesting. I'm already a big fan of the Kundalini Yoga series that Ravi and Ana put out, but also like to try out new yoga styles.

Oddly, Netflix of all services helped me discover a couple of fun yoga workouts from the Crunch folks, where all the girls exercising seem to have a boundless ability to exercise while smiling the entire time (try it, it's actually pretty hard).

In any case Ellen Barrett has a nice Yoga Pilates blend in her Super SlimDown DVD. Very accessible and fun, and will put you into a light sweat.

Crunch - Super SlimDown: Pilates Yoga Blend

Another one from Crunch that I thought was pretty good was Candlelight Yoga - a really gentle routine. The style is more of a Vinyasa rather than Kundalini style. Although Vinyasa style is not my personal favorite, it's still a good challenge and helps keep things new. Good for days when you're too sore and want to be a bit more gentle.

Crunch - Candlelight Yoga

Links a la Mode: Fashion Blog Improvement

Fashion Blog Improvement

Edited by Jennine Jacob of Independent Fashion Bloggers
Whether you are contemplating starting a blog or if you've been bloggging for a while, getting to know the ropes is a never-ending journey. This week we have a nice round up of bloggers sharing how they do it, what they find important about blogging. From taking your own photos, whether or not to have comments, and how to cover the fashion shows with your own twist, this is the week to buckle down and learn.

Links à la Mode: September 30th

• Boheme Noir: Burberry S/S 11 Show Coverage
• Brachman's Sparrow: So you want to know how to grow your blog…
• Chic Steals: Marshall's and the World of Off-Price Retailing
• Dramatis Personae: Fashion vs. Fatfashion Blogger
• Dressful: Fashion is Art, Not Trivial!
• Fashion Pulse Daily:New York Fashion Week Team’s Top Spring 2011 Trends
• Fete a Fete: Dolce & Gabana Evocative Beauty Fall 2010
• Hello Beauty: Bobbi Brown Black Velvet Fall 2010 Collection Review & Video
• Independent Fashion Bloggers: The Importance (and Unimportance) of Being Niche'd
• Leia's Delights: No Comments?
• ModlyChic: How to Take Your Own Outfit Photos
• Retro Chick: Revies Illamasqua Lipstick
• Scarlet Letter Style: Are Boobs Really Back?
• Style Spotting: The Women of Warpaint
• The Column of Samantha Tyler: Decoding: Bestiary of the IT Girls
• The Coveted: Getting Inspired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• The Lingerie Addict: How to Dress Like Dita von Teese
• The Simpliy Luxurious Life: Tips for Looking Fantastic Each Day
• Vogue Gone Rouge: New Upcoming Designers Show
• Wit & Whimsy: Getting to know designer Phillip Lim and why everyone's talking about him and his line

Leifsdottir Autumn Sale Begins

Leifsdottir has kicked off it's autumn sale with an email to it's subscribers. Checkout the gorgeous animated .gif artwork they used for the email below - this is not your tacky 90's annoying blinky gif.

Tip: Buying directly from the Leifsdottir site is currently cheaper than buying through Anthropologie or other retailers. For example the Crepe Myrtle Cardigan is selling for $158 on Anthropologie, but only $39.95 on Leifsdottir. My guess is they are doing this to attract more folks to the site.