Cut-Price Couture

I love Target. They get big-name fashion- and interior designers to create lines especially for them at reasonable prices. Now they've started carrying high-end fragrances in the cosmetics aisle, also at discounted prices. I've wanted to try Juicy Couture Eau de Parfum ever since I rubbed my wrist with one of those magazine-page advertisements in Lucky Magazine. Its slightly classic, slightly boho fragrance is an intriguing blend of fruit, flowers, sweets, and woodsy elements. It has top notes of watermelon, mandarin, pink passion fruit, bright marigold, green apple, water hyacinth, and crushed leaves. The middle notes consist of couture tuberose absolute, wild rose, and princess lily. Its base notes are made of creme brulee, vanilla, precious woods, and patchouli.

The Juicy Couture Eau de Cologne comes in a pretty pink box and a stunning glass bottle. The bottle is so beautiful that I keep it out on my dresser. It features the Juicy Couture pseudo-royal crest of two scotties flanking an orb, and the stopper is a faux diamond as big as the Hope Diamond. I feel like I'm holding the Crown Jewels every time I spray myself with the fragrance.

A one-ounce bottle of Juicy Couture Eau de Parfum costs $32.99 at Target. You can also purchase the 1.7 ounce-bottle for $39.99 (it retails for $65 at high-end department stores), or the 3.4-ounce bottle for $64.99 ($85 retail). When you buy the fragrance at retail department stores, the 1.7-oz. and 3.4-oz. bottles come with a signature Juicy Couture charm wrapped around the faux-diamond stopper. I guess the bottles that are packaged up for the discount stores don't come with that (at least my bottle didn't), but it's a small sacrifice to get the fragrance at such a great price. And the department stores usually seem to carry the two larger sizes, not the one-ounce bottle.

For those of you who are interested in trying Juicy Couture Eau de Parfum but are hesitant to purchase even the one-ounce bottle, you can also buy the .17-ounce mini-bottle of the pure parfum (below) for $12.99. It's a great way to try it before investing in a larger bottle.

Handmade Style Part Two: Handmade Fashion

Part One of my two-part series of Handmade Style focused on handmade beauty and personal care items. Part Two focuses on handmade clothing and accessories. The photographs featured below are all items that I purchased.

Metal Sugar: Cupcake Power, Activate! Metal Sugar is Melissa, a Georgia native now living in Brooklyn. She works in silver and other metals, and her work has an ironic sense of humor to it. Witness the Cupcake Signet Ring ($75). A tough, bold ring in oxidized silver that looks punk or goth, you would expect it to boast a skull and crossbones or perhaps a razorblade. Instead, it is adorned with something as sweet and innocuous as a cupcake. I love the humor in that. Humor not your thing? Her pieces that aren't so tongue-in-cheek have an organic feel to them. Whether you're looking for something classic or fun, there are many styles to choose from with Metal Sugar.


AHPeele: Adam first met Hiromi right here in Boston. Now they are married and live in North Carolina, where they make and sell screen-printed t-shirts and other articles of clothing featuring Adam's designs. Many of his designs are influenced by Japanese art, but I particularly loved this long-sleeved Old Style Sailing Ship T-Shirt ($32). Ahpeele makes a variety of limited edition tees, hoodies, zip-up jackets, and even a dress or two. They use quality shirts like those by Bella and American Apparel, and each purchase comes with a card with instructions on how to launder your shirts to preserve the design.


Tortilla Girl: Becky, A.K.A. Tortilla Girl, is an American fashion designer living in Paris. In her spare time she makes and sells handmade clothing and accessories on Etsy. I fell in love with her Big Fat Heart Tote, a white cotton serge bag with a large red vinyl heart. Becky makes each one by hand to order, and for $3 extra you can choose to include a magnetic clasp closure for extra security. I get compliments on this bag everywhere I go with it.


Loopity Loop Glam: Loopity Loop Glam uses metal and stones to create a variety of jewelry, but it's her belt buckles that got my attention. I bought the Punk Circles Buckle ($36) (shown here), to accessorize my most favorite pair of jeans ever -the Lucky Brand Maddy Jean, if you're interested. It gives the jeans an urban chic sensibility that, when paired with the Cupcake Signet Ring and the Ahpeele Pirate Shirt mentioned above, creates one very cool ensemble.


Strap: If you're going to buy a cool belt buckle, you need a cool belt to go with it. Loopity Loop Glam uses belts by Strap in the photos on her Etsy shop. Strap cuts and dyes leather into accessories such as belts, wallets, wristlets, and even dog collars. Strap's belts come with their own buckle, but you can remove it and replace it with a different one. Buckles by Loopity Loop Glam fit perfectly onto Strap's belts. The Cowboy Belt shown here costs $40.


The House of Worn: Worn is a semi-annual independently published fashion magazine. This mag goes way beyond the typical 'zine that is usually expected of indie publishing. Worn is a professional-looking magazine. It measures 8.5"x11", bound, and is offset-printed on semi-gloss paper, just like other fashion magazines. The articles are well-written and informative (issue #5 boasts a fascinating look at Elsa Schiaparelli, one of my favorite designers). You can order one issue, a 3-pack, or purchase a two-year subscription (four issues, every fall and spring). With your subscription, you receive a one-inch badge from their artist series with every issue.


If you want to take the handmade pledge to buy handmade items, particularly during the holiday season, go here.

Ink and Paint

Kat Von D, tattoo artist extraordinaire and star of television's L.A. Ink, has launched her own line of cosmetics with beauty super-emporium Sephora. Part pinup girl, part rocker chick, Kat's makeup collection is at once tough yet glam, much like the tattooed siren herself . The Kat Von D for Sephora collection features True Romance eyeshadow kits, glamourous Painted Love lip colors, and retro-inspired Autograph liquid eyeliners. The collection also includes makeup brushes, because the right tools are just as important for makeup as they are for tattoos. But you'd better hurry up if you want to get your hands on these items, because unlike tattoos, the Kat Von D collection isn't permanent. It's a limited edition. And if you order any Kat Von D Collection item from sephora.com, you get a free star tattoo (like the ones around Kat's eyes) with every order, along with the usual three free samples you get with any Sephora purchase. So if you can't make the commitment to a permanent tattoo, you can still look fierce and sport ink by Kat Von D, even if it's only temporary.

Handmade Style, Part One: Handmade Beauty

As much as I am addicted to all things beauty-related, I now have a new addiction: Etsy. For those of you unfamiliar with Etsy, it's a website where people can sell their handmade items online. It operates a bit like eBay, but instead of customers trying to outbid each other for an item, they buy it outright for the retail price that the seller sets. Etsy has only been operating for three years but it has already garnered a worldwide following of crafters and customers alike. There are a wide variety of handmade goods on Etsy. Among other things, one can find ceramics, woodwork, knitted goods, clothing, jewelry, handbags, toys, ipod cozies, cell phone covers, and probably a million other things - including beauty items. Here is a rundown of some of my recent purchases.

Lollibomb: Lollibomb lives in New Jersey, where she creates her line of bath and body products. She also has a line of mineral makeup. I bought her Whipped Body Frosting ($9.50) in Birthday Cake. It comes in a generous 8-ounce tub, and the fragrance certainly lives up to its name. And Lollibomb's products are vegan. If her tempting fragrances and formulas don't grab you, her punk-rock-inspired packaging will.

Savor: Having tried Savor's soaps, I will never buy commercial soap again. Most commercial soaps take out the glycerin, a natural by-product of the saponification process, and replace it with chemicals. Savor's soap base is an all-natural vegetable soap. It creates a luxurious lather and doesn't dry out the skin. Her soap concotions are imaginative, like Smores ($4.50), or Raspberry Walnut Panna Cotta ($5.00). And her soaps are as beautiful to look at as they are to use - no standard bars of soap cut from a large loaf for Savor. My favorite soap is Sex Appeal (pictured here), an unusual but very successful combination of strawberry and roses.

Kisse Girl: Kisse Girl is one smart cookie. She realized that there was a place on Etsy for bath and body products for young girls. Her line is marketed to girls aged 8 and up. Since age, uh, over-thirty (and that's all I'm sayin') is included in that age bracket, I had no qualms about ordering the Skin Dessert ($5.50), a half-gel, half-cream body moisturizer. It reminds me of that line of children's bath and body products that Bath and Body Works used to make. Skin Dessert comes in three "flavors": banana, wild berry, and lemon berry, and contains glitter, so your kids - or you - will sparkle. Kisse Girl also makes shower gels, body splashes, and lip balms. Her products will make kids want to take a bath, and you know, it's never too early to cultivate girls' interest in bath and beauty items!

Anderson Soap Company: Dennis Anderson is one of Etsy's success stories. His soaps, solid perfumes, shower gels and lip balms have sold so well that he was able to quit his day job and now does Etsy full time. His whipped Soap in a Jar ($7.50) is a luscious concoction of soft soap that comes in a variety of yummy fragrances, including cotton candy, mango madness, lemon meringue, chocolate drizzle, and Plum Clafouti (!).


When I buy these handmade items, I know I am supporting independent crafters who often don't have the means to open their own shops or to sell their items to other shops. And what I get in return are truly unique items that I can't find anywhere else, often at very reasonable prices. If you'd like to take the handmade pledge to buy handmade items, particularly during the holiday season, go here. Support independent crafters! You'll be glad you did.

The Clinique Clique

Do you like Clinique products? Well, join the club. The Insider's Club, that is. Clinique is starting up a new program called the Clinique Insider’s Club. And this is your chance to be a part of it.

Clinique will be selecting 20 women from submitted applications to be “Clinique Insiders.” The "Insiders” will get an exclusive sneak peek at the latest Clinique Skincare, and Makeup products and will have the opportunity to give product reviews and opinions which will be seen, heard and read on Clinique.com. Insiders will also have access to special upcoming events and will receive a special welcome kit which includes full-size Clinique products and a Flip Video digital camcorder!

Clinique is currently accepting applications to the Insider's Club. All you need to do is write a 50-word essay, and upload a one-minute video showing and telling why YOU have what it takes to be a Clinique Insider. You can apply at:
https://www.clinique.com/templates/user/sweeps.tmpl?OFFER_CODE=InsidersClub08.