shop for the cure

some of my AFFORDABLE faves for Breast Cancer Awareness month

Dogeared - breast cancer make-a-wish bracelet, $30.00; cute concept, make a wish, wear the necklace, and when the necklace wears off your wish is ready to come true!

Ann Taylor - breast cancer ribbon bracelet by Lisa for Loft, $24.50

Sonia Kashuk - Brush Up on Pink 4-piece purse set, $12.99; more from the collection at Target

Essie - nail polish in Yes We Can, Pink!, $8.00

shopping stimulation

definitely excited for this one, and as always, for a good cause! presented by Vouge, CFDA, and NYCgo...there's so many events going on at once and so many ways to participate! you can plan your itinerary here! the ones i definitely want to catch:

1. Gossip Girl costume designer will be styling customers for in-store photo shoots at Henri Bendel

2. celebrated photog Larry Fink will be creating photos in a digital photo booth set up at Carolina Herrera's boutique (Madison Ave and 75th St), not to mention you get the chance to meet C. Herrera herself!

3. design your own classic handbag at Chanel (E. 57th St), free mini-mani with "Jade" while Alexa Chung DJs at Chanel's SoHo boutique (Spring St)

4. customized Marc by Marc Jacobs t-shirt station at the Madame Tussauds exhibit in Bloomingdales (59th St and Lexington Ave)

5. Canal St vendors via vintage cars designed after their own designers - Proenza Schouler, Rodarte, and Alexander Wang

6. Pharell William working the registers at BBC (Billionaire Boys Club)

7. the Olsen twins bartending at Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys

8. sip champagne, groove to some indie music, and shop special collections at Zara (Broadway and Prince St)

9. Kid Cudi hosts a listening party of his new tracks at the Bape store (Greene St and Spring St)

10. Ana Wintour's personal  appearance at Macy's (Queens Center Mall, Elmhurst)

snatch your official Fashion's Night Out T-shirt too, at participating retailers, and 40% of proceeds go to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. you can also win tickets to a runway show during the upcoming NYFW by rocking your DIY-designed t-shirt to the editors of Teen Vogue.

a citywide clothing drive collection will also take place on Saturday, September 12. numerous receptacles will set up shop in the retailer's own stores. all donations will be given to the NYC AIDS Fund and distributed to AIDS-related charities throughout the five boroughs.

follow them on twitter for updated events

(video courtesy of nitrolicious, info courtesy of fashionnightout)

i am a material girl

full-time students are almost never graced with the luxury to shop haute-ly. and, always the advocate of high fashion for less, i found a few websites to accommodate the stylista on a budget.

want and afford - comparisons high fashion vs mass fashion brands. zara, topshop, forever 21, and urban outfitters seem to reign in affordable style

fashion under 100 - celebrity outfits are composed into more attainable versions...and always less than $100.00!

the budget babe - plenty of options with looks for less, plus beauty deals and outfit ideas. i think this site gives the ultimate variety for different budgets.

also follow these sites via twitter for instant updates (noteworthy and convenient, trust me!)

color me beautiful

a friend told me about this chick, and she definitely has some interesting DIY tricks and make-up tutorials. i think the background music is so cute. she also does some cool thing w/stretching out your shoes w/ice?!

namaste

amazing mantra to recite during yoga. my late-night session was one of the most amazing yet, just because i breathed every single stress out, and concentrated on being my own decisive element.

I AM THE DECISIVE ELEMENT
by Goethe

I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides
whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated,
and a person is humanized or de-humanized.
If we treat people as they are, we make them worse.
If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become
what they are capable of becoming.

i also found this relatively soothing piano for yoga playlist via imeem. (*disclaimer: i DID choose to skip over some of the songs). i still have it on repeat right now. check it out.

Yoga Piano

years of style...and sex

other than the poignant monologue of the fabulous Carrie Bradshaw, i couldn't help but notice how timeless the style is. carrie ranging from boyfriend jeans (and practically everything else she wore), charlotte in classy sheaths and trenches, miranda in feminized menswear, and samantha with body-con dresses. how many Christian Louboutin red-soles made cameos, accessories galore, and carrie's medium waved bob. cute men too [;

if there's anything out there that would be the absolute go-to for style, it would definitely be any season of Sex and the City. it was like resurfaced trends galore. definitely have to love how fashion errs on the recycling side. the recession is bringing out the true face of style...your own.

you can always trust a classic

i tend to be intrigued by advertisements and their claims to fame of their products. so after years of testing a surfeit of "all-new" elixirs, "breakthrough" potions, and "must-try" creams, i've decided to go back to my original Clinique regimen. after all, you can ALWAYS trust a classic...why else would they still be around?

if you want to give it a try, go to Sephora, they have a Discover Clinique Set, including the traditional 3-step skin care system, along with a makeup remover solution, daily SPF protector (now that spring is finally out of hiding), awesome jet black mascara, and their renowned eye cream (for those puffy mornings).

i also picked up their Almost Look Foundation Kit, which has proven worthwhile. especially the Black Honey lipstick -- totally looks goth when you swivel it out the tube, but goes on sheer for a sleek rosy tinted lip stain. and the powder foundation brush is super soft and leaves you with a natural finish. i love it a lot!

(image courtesy of Sephora)

Hello, Hello Kitty!

went to the MAC Hello Kitty special collection launch party with S last night. pretty good time, minus the ridiculous crowd and line for purchase. cannot wait for the couture line to come out in March!

highlights: free pink cocktails (vodka + pink lemonade), bow-shaped cookies, fancy finger foods (my fave was the sauteed shallot pitas), waiters with pink bowties, hello kitty balloons, and temporary tattoos (which i really really wanted but missed out on).

the collection doesn't official hit stores until next week, but i got to grab some goodies early [;

Nail Lacquer in "On the Prowl," Lipglass Lip Gloss in "Mimmy"