Goodbye for Nau

In April, a new store, Nau, open its doors in the Beverly Center. Nau was a store dedicated to "the balancing of beauty, performance and sustainability... from developing better, more environmentally friendly fabrics to raising the bar for functional, elegant designs." I was curious to check it out, and, a month later, when I finally made it through the West Hollywood traffic, the employees of Ben Sherman informed me the company went out of business.

Needless to say, e-hop, skip, and jump to Nau.com for 50% off of the rest of their entire line. This will be until July 31st.

N[au], if you’re concerned that you won't have an asset for clothing made out of cornmeal or whatever is considered "environmentally friendly", have no fear. On August 1st, some former Nau employees will re-launch with a new partner, Horny Toad, Inc. Contrary to my first impression, Horny Toad is a Santa Barbara-based lifestyle apparel company and not a sex-toy boutique for the reptile demographic.

Got Flakes? Get This.

Dandruff shampoos are like hot guys in bands. They have all kinds of promise but, by God, they smell terrible.

Sometimes, there are a few rare exceptions. Case in point:

L'Oreal brand PureOlogy just came out with a sweet-scented solution to those of you previously condemned to a shower uglified by Selsun blue bottles and tortured by "tingling" scalps.

Their dander-busting Hydrate shampoo and conditioner lay on the moisture, smell amazing, and come in cool silver long-neck bottles that won't tarnish the beauty of your little cleansing oasis. Major bonus? No damage to your color!

Barton's Bags

Mischa Barton's line of handbags hits British stores (John Lewis, Debenhams, and Fenwicks) on July 2. There are 30 designs and they range from $50-$350.
She swears she actually designed them herself.

Would you buy a Mischa bag?
	Yes, they're cute.
	Maybe - I'd need to see the other 28.
	Nah, too expensive.
	Hell no, they're fugly.

Coming Soon: Vibrating Mascara

For real. On July 17th Estee Lauder is launching a $30 Turbolash Mascara with a battery-operated wand that releases tiny vibrations as you apply. It'll be sold exclusively at Saks until later in the year.

What's the point? Supposedly the formula used dries instantly (so my long-time habit of sneezing immediately after applying will no longer leave me looking like a hysterical prom queen? Sweet.)

Lancome is also planning to release a similar product, called Ôscillation, that will allow you to get a super-even application.
Can you imagine trying to explain the buzzing sound in your purse by saying "it's my mascara?"

I'll follow with a review once I get my hands on these two and let you know if it really makes a difference. If I poke my eye out in the process, expect more typos than usual.

A Dab Will Do Ya

Wiping a cool cotton ball soaked in skin-refreshing potion across a greasy or sunburnt face is one of the small pleasures of summer for me. These are the two new ones that I can't live without:

Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Plantidote Mega-Mushroom Treatment Lotion - My fave for before bed, after a day in the sun and anytime my face is feeling a bit parched. It's super-soothing thanks to a myriad of plant ingredients and has a light earthy scent that reminds me of the natural oils I wore back in my high school hippie days.
The 6.7 oz. size costs $30 and will last you forever.

Kiss My Face Obsessively Organic Balancing Act Toner - Totally blasts the excess oil on those hot, humid, unbearable days without drying you out. Contains 78% organic ingredients and has a light citrusy scent. Even better, it comes in a spray bottle so you can quickly spritz a cotton ball whenever you're feeling greasy, no cap to unscrew. I use it several times a day, especially when it's steamy outside.
5.3 oz. will cost you $13.99.

Rolling Stone Does Macy's

Rolling Stone, the most famous and most craptastic music rag on the market (I'm pretty sure Peter Travers will give anyone "4-stars!" in exchange for a piece of gum) must be desperate for cash.
Soon you'll be able to buy their most famous covers in t-shirt form at Macy's for $36.

If you think that's pricy for a tee, know that you do get a free subscription when you buy. It's really a 2-for-1 bargain - you get to look like a tool for wearing an ugly shirt and look like a tool for reading Rolling Stone.

Macy's-Sized F21 Stores?

Looks like Forever 21's growth will continue - they say 4 years from now they plan to be a mall anchor store the size of a Nordstrom.
In addition to their latest accessories and gifts division For Love 21 (which sells similar knick-knack stuff to what Urban Outfitters sells), they have a men's division, a "couture" division (TwelveByTwelve), and the Free People-esque Heritage 1981 division.
If they continue and start selling housewares, books and other brands (they're selling Havianas flip-flops even now) it doesn't sound that unrealistic for them to go monster-sized in a few years.

Boobs McGee Starts Selling Bras

Next spring the Jessica Simpson brand is expanding beyond shoes (great designs - though they run big by about 1/2 size), apparel and accessories and launching a line of bras and panties.
Not a bad move for a girl known for her boobs!
Her brand is expected to top $300 million in sales this year.
Meanwhile Nick Lachey is... doing... something? Bwwaahaha.

Target's Gettin' Sephora on Ya

Target recently forged some impressive partnerships for their cosmetics department, and we'll see the results - complete with testers! - at the end of August.

The Napoleon Perdis and Pixi brands, currently sold at Sephora, and Jemma Kidd, who sells her high-end wares at Bergdorf Goodman, will each be producing exclusive lines for the mega-retailer that will sell for around the same price as items in their Sonia Kaishuk line (about $12-$39.)

Does anyone buy the Sonia makeup? I never have. I'll definitely be interested to try out these new collections, since they will actually have testers available.

P.S. Apparently Target now sells Origins, Clarins, Bare Escentuals and Kiehl's products too, though the brands have no exclusive deal with the chain.

Bumble and Bumble's Creme de Coco Masque

The packaging on Bumble and Bumble's new Creme de Coco Masque insists that "words can't describe" the amazing state it will leave your hair in, but allow me to give it a shot...

What: Of course, Creme de Coco sounds like a yummy drink you might order poolside on a posh vacation. The product smells like it too - thanks to all kinds of natural oils and extracts (coconut, mango and shea butter to name a few.) Seriously, if my IQ were like 6 points lower I might try to eat it.

How to: After shampooing, coat clean hair with the mask and leave on for a few minutes ( they suggest 7, but there's no magic number. If your hair is ragged and rugged, leave it on as long as you can!) I'd also suggest twisting it up in a clip if you have long hair, because all those nice oils that soften your locks might wreak havoc on someone prone to back breakouts.
To intensify the treatment, heat the hair in the sun or with a blow dryer applied to a shower cap.

Verdict: Super soft, shiny, tangle-free hair, as promised! At $24 for 5oz., this is a great way to treat yourself (and your hair) once a week or so, most especially if you're exposing it to sun, wind, chlorine and all those magical byproducts of summer fun. Speaking of, this is definitely going in my suitcase when I head to Miami Beach next month.

Knock It Off: Designer Bags

Clutch, Shop Suey, $38

Brown tote, $65 and blue tote, $29.99, BagHaus

I'm a big fan of rocking styles I can't afford via knock-off pieces. Trends just change far too often to blow your load on the big ticket, unless you're Madonna, in which case OMG MADONNA IS READING MY BLOG?!!

Anyway.
When it comes to bags, there are a few sites that stay right on the heels of the fabulous designs with both man-made and genuine leather imitations, while keeping the price point decidedly working-girl. Here are my two favorites:
*BagHaus
*Shop Suey

For Love 21 Launches

Forever 21 launched their new line "For Love 21" today, which offers accessories, jewelry, makeup bags, gifts and notebooks. All items carry the same small pricetags the brand is known for.
So far there isn't much, but these are a few great beaded necklaces fit for a beach vacation:

Orient beaded necklace, $8.80; Zaria beaded necklace, $6.80; Brushed pendant necklace, $6.80; Wooden chandelier necklace, $9.80.

Yves Saint Laurent Dies

French fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent died Sunday night of brain cancer at the age of 71.
He retired in 2002, so the brand of course lives on, but if you want to see how ridiculously talented he was when he was still working, check out some of his vintage designs. He headed up the design department for Dior back in the late 50's- early 60's, and then moved on to his own label in 1962.
One of his most famous creations was the 60's shift dress inspired by Mondrian's paintings:

More Cheapies from "Sex" Designer

Sex and the City stylist and costume designer Patricia Field is releasing her second capsule collection for cheap-o shoe chain Payless - just in time to coordinate with the release of the film.
The collection offers four styles, all made from a shimmery man-made material, plus a coordinating clutch.
Prices range between $19.99 (the flats are on sale) and $35.
All in all, not bad. I'm not a fan of man-made "leather" in shoes (ouch) but in a sandal it tends to be easier to pull off. The clutch (below) comes in silver and gold and may be the best piece of the lot.

THIS is What Happens in Vegas...

To see America at its finest, I would suggest visiting Las Vegas. Fashion-wise, it is a land where women have the right to wear a size XX-small halter-top no matter what their bust size. (God bless side cleavage.)

For those who love glamor and, most importantly, for those who love trashy glamor, I would suggest Bally's Paris Promenade and Le Boulevard. Some of the stores do feature French designers. There are other French accessories, such as an array of business cards offering suitors a night with "La Prostitute".


From wedding dresses to exquisite(ly cheaply made but expensive) flapper dresses, window-shopping on Le Boulevard is way better than spending $50.00 at the Liberace Museum.

I didn't go into Versace for fear my excessive viewing of Showgirls may lead to my embarrassment of pronouncing the store Ver-SAY-ss. However, I did manage to make a fool out of myself in other respects in Sin City. If only Chlamydia stayed in Vegas, as well...

Rent the Real Thing

Their site is going to blow up in a few days when the Sex and the City movie comes out (in which they talk about it), so I figure now is a good time to let you know about BagBorrowOrSteal.com.
It's like the Netflix of accessories. You can rent designer purses and jewelry by the week or the month for as low as $15.

They carry it all, from vintage Hermes kelly bags to the latest formal clutch from Chanel, plus designer jewelry by David Yurman and Kenneth Jay Lane and many others.

Members get a significantly lower rental rate than "guests" (a year membership is $59.95...$5 a month, or you can do it one month at a time for $9.95) so if you dig it, your best bet is to join and enjoy the benefits of being able to hop on waiting lists and even buy used bags at a discount.

The only hitch is you need to be careful - if you lose the bag, you can be charged full retail price. You also can't spill stuff all over the bag because they don't send out bags that are no longer in mint condition. (I mean, who wants to rent a gross bag?)

For big events like weddings/proms/bar mitzvahs, this concept is genius.

How to De-Brassify Your Summer Blonde

(image via lightscameraction)

Now that beach season is near, a lot of you might be thinking about lightening up your 'do. Whether you go all-out Barbie or just sneak in a few highlights, those rocking a cool sandy or platinum blond are gonna need help keeping it bright.
The following is a little FYI from my own experience, and expert advice from my stylist bestie, Sissy B.

What is "brassy"? The yellow or orangey undertones that start showing through as the toner your stylist applied to your bleached hair fades (most are demi-permanent) or that happens due to buildup from the natural minerals in your tap water.

Do "made for blondes" shampoos and conditioners undo brassiness? Usually no. Unscrew the cap and if the stuff inside isn't a shade of purple, it's not going to do shit. Though some of them can add a little extra shine to your hair, like Redken Blonde Glam conditioner, which has a nice light grapefruity scent to it.

What works? Try Pantene Silver Expressions conditioner ($6) -- it says it's for gray and white hair, but it's effective on brightening blonds as well-- or Aveda Blue Malva conditioner ($ 16) which the longer you leave it on battles brass even harder. You can also go to Sally Beauty and pick up a small packet of UnRed Hair Color Drabber (usually about $3), then squeeze it into your existing conditioner and shake. If your hair is super brassy, you can even use two per bottle.

Who shouldn't use these? Golden blondes, auburns and you fabulous redheads - don't touch this stuff!

GAP + Artists = Limited Edition T-Shirts

Gap just released a limited edition collection of t-shirts designed by 13 contemporary artists, including Chuck Close, Jeff Koons, and Barbara Kruger. They sell for $28. (See all the shirts here.)

This is the second pro artsy-fartsy move this year for Gap, who also sponsored the Biennial show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in NYC (still on display until June 1.)

I kind of wish Barbara Kruger's shirt read "I was sewn by a Malaysian baby." She's getting soft in her old age.

Scent Review: Burberry The Beat

In a sentence: This kicky new perfume smells exactly like a vodka and cranberry juice cocktail. ($50 for 1oz.)

Rating: B+

Milan's Convict Chicks Break In to Fashion

In Europe, even their prisoners are more stylish than ours. Not only that, but in Milan's San Vittore prison, they have a fashion design workshop staffed by inmates whose designs are being backed by big name fashion folk like Anna Molinari and even work on costumes used in large theater shows. They've even had runway shows INSIDE the prison.
In addition, inmates have launched their own line of t-shirts under the label Jail Cats.
Struggling Parsons grads take note-- doing illegal shit in Milan may lead to a promising career. So get hookin'.