Is anyone else fascinated/staggered/terrified by the proliferation of membership only online sale sites lately?  There’s been a lot of talk in the media about the crises faced by the fashion industry in the “new economy” — is this going to end up being one of them?   Back when we did our membership only sale site roundup, I had experience with only four fashion-oriented sale sites.  Now?   Gilt alone has four different sale sites, including one for vacations, and I’m a member of at least seven other sale sites, specializing in items from beauty products to home goods.   Even one of our perennial favorite stores, Revolve Clothing, has started its own members-only sale site (Reverse). Several of these sites have launched only within the last few months.

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Page Six is reporting:

THAT Sarah Palin‘s agents are seeking a beauty endorsement deal, pitching cosmetic companies to capitalize on her “lipstick on a pit bull” catchphrase.

For the love of all that is beauty, please let no one take her up on it.  But if someone has to, I’m willing to bet it’ll be Mary Kay Cosmetics – that brand makes a mint pandering to middle America, and this would be right up their ally.

Origins is at it again … Find out how to get a complete starter kit – for FREE – after the jump!

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MAC's Nightfall

Here’s why.  Upon hearing that my computer was going to be gone until OCTOBER (grrrr), he went out yesterday morning while I was still groggily attempting to turn over onto my back and brought me back an iced caramel macchiato and the fall fashion issues of In Style, Harper’s Bazaar, and Elle.  Is it any wonder I love this boy?  Having spent all day yesterday getting my fashion fix at long last in despite of my inability to access the internet, I am now feeling much better about my fate, if still mildly annoyed about having to wait two more weeks to catch up on online fashion week coverage. I was somewhat disturbed to find myself looking at a picture of Susan Boyle and thinking “ooh, I like those shoes!” (hey, they were Giuseppe Zanotti!) but a few moments of hilarity courtesy of Uncle Karl pretending to be Coco Chanel in Harper’s Bazaar made all well. (See today’s thought of the day for a representative sample.)

I am now in full swing fall mode, starting with an urgent need to Goth it up with some of the dramatic, hard-edged nail polish colors to go with this fall’s style warrior theme. Even though recessionary caution is still very much with us, a few new nail polishes always seem like a reasonable indulgence when the less-reasonable Hermes bag is taunting me from afar. read more »

Sinful Colors' Courtney Orange

I’m thinking of making this an ongoing series.  Still computerless, I find that my frustration with not being able to get anything done at home is reaching critical levels.  The things I have ended up doing have on occasion left me with a splitting headache and covered with spider bites, but have also made my closet look a hell of a lot better organized.  This is the drawback of the extended warranty: yes, your computer repairs are free, but you have to wait for Dell to get around to doing them.  I suspect Dell’s service depot is on Easter Island and that is why this is all taking so long.  Those big stone heads are not the world’s most efficient computer technicians.

Today’s fun with total boredom?  Mixing my own nail polish!  I am a girl for a good pedicure at all times of year, but during the summer when sandals are a must, my habit becomes a fetish.  What better guilt-free fashion statement is there in a slow economy than giving yourself a sassy polish color? I’ve been alternating blues and oranges since mid-July, slowly ramping up the intensity.  I started off with a shimmery baby blue from Essie and the easy-going light coral of OPI’s Royal Flush Blush, and have been getting more hard core ever since.  I’m currently rocking a discontinued MAC polish in a steely urban blue with gold overtones, and I see OPI’s Yoga-Ta Get This Blue (a gorgeous midnight blue from their India collection) in my future.

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The regal Pomegranate Noir scent

Father’s Day is this weekend – hurrah!  It’s a time to celebrate dad and all he’s done for you (you know, helping bring you into the world, putting up with your preteen meltdowns, being there when you need him). Really, though, if you have a Dad like mine, you’re still buying gifts in the hopes of making up for those preteen meltdowns.  It’s a miracle I made it past the age of 14.

It should go without saying that I’m always on the hunt for great Father’s Day gifts, and I’ll be tracking my progress this week through a Father’s Day Gift Guide series.  Today: the scent gurus at Jo Malone.

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That up there is me.  That’s my natural hair color (told you that I was pale).

So this study is not exactly music to my ears:

A study conducted by MoleMap by Dermatologists – a melanoma surveillance and diagnosis service – based on research by New York University Medical Centre has identified six factors that help predict the risk of people developing melanoma.

These include a history of blistering sunburns as a teenager, red or blonde hair, marked freckling on the upper back, family history of melanoma, history of scaly patches of skin on sun-exposed areas and outdoor summer jobs for three or more years as a teenager.

Having one of these factors means you are three times more likely than the general population to get a melanoma, while having two or more results in a 10 times increased likelihood of developing melanoma.

I’ve got half of those warning signs – blonde hair, freckling on my upper back and a family history of melanoma. Can you pass the SPF, please?

The full article is here.

Actress Lucille Ball Applies Max Factor

Alright, so I’m being melodramatic – the brand is not dying completely (yet), it’s just being sold overseas.  Still, Max Factor is an amazingly American success story, one that manages to encapsulate an entreprenurial spirit, Hollywood, technological advances, advertising and – oh, yes – the life story of a Jewish Russian immigrant.

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Starlets rock soft waves at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards (image courtesy of CMM)

Ahhhhh … Hair.  I don’t know a single woman who has mastered the art of making it look good each and every day.  After all, it’s the only feature that has its own designated “bad” days (has anyone ever heard of a “bad face day”?).  Face it, we’re all on a search for that magic product that will make styling our hair easy.

So, it was with great pleasure that some close friends (and fellow bloggettes) tried out new hair products and gave their opinions on the best for their hair type.

Opinions, after the jump!

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perfectly flushed

Ok, readers. So I admit it – I am not a die hard environmentalist. I drink from plastic water bottles that I promptly toss. I am, at best, lazy about recycling. I feel asleep during An Inconvenient Truth. And horror of horrors! I refuse to pay more for organic foods and instead munch on chemically sprayed apples.

While Kai is inspiring me to try and more eco-friendly, frankly there is only one area of my life that I am consistently anal about being environmentally conscious: skincare. Oh, vanity! You whip my butt into shape, forcing me to consider the previously unthinkable. In the name of my sensitive, Rosacea-plagued skin, I obsessively read labels and use only products that have the purest, most-green ingredients possible. For that reason, I become obsessed with trying out tarte cosmetic’s “a perfect whirled limited-edition natural swirl cheek stain.”

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