Get Your Bake On

I know it's not even Halloween yet, but baking season is upon us. My favorite time of year has finally arrived! Baking can be so much fun but it can also be a big mess. There's no reason that we should have to change into old clothes that we wouldn't be caught dead wearing in public just to bake our hearts out. Every fashionista should have her own stylish apron to protect any outfit from a messy kitchen.

Here are some of my favorite aprons that will keep you cute in the kitchen this holiday season:


Sweetheart Hot Pink Apron, Carolyn's Kitchen - $42
Marilyn Apron/Bandeau Red & Black, Carolyn's Kitchen - $29.95/$18
Dorothy Apron/Garter, Carolyn's Kitchen - $39.95/$12

Lucky Ladybugs Apron, Anthropologie - $38
Parisian Cafe Apron, Anthropologie - $32
Bib Ava Leopard Apron, Jessie Steel - $32.95

Bib Audrey Cupcakes Apron, Jessie Steel - $32.95
Fancy Party Pink, Jillie Willie - $25.50
Suzie Homemaker, Jillie Willie - $33.50

Sale Alert!

20% off at SteveMadden.com - coupon code: privatesale20
Good until Sunday!

One Fabulous Secret

Just as the dry autumn air rolled in to Boston, I received a sample of a super-rich body treatment called Malibu Secret.

Perfect timing! My elbows and knees (and legs and arms and...) always get so dry this time of year, especially after a hot shower. Following the lead of Los Angeles' poshest beach babes (Lauren Conrad, Lindsay Lohan, Pamela Anderson to name a few fans of the stuff) I slathered the smooth cream on my thirstiest skin and let it soak in. The result was a long-lasting (all the way to my next shower) baby-soft skin with a super-feminine floral scent that lingered several hours.

For a specialty product used by celebs, Malibu Secret is reasonably priced at $25 for 7.25 ounces. As women of a certain age tend to say, prevention is easier than correction. Keep your skin hydrated while you're young and it'll stay looking youthful. And even if you missed the boat on that tactic, it's never too late to start. This is a product that will benefit women both young and uh... experienced. It contains a mix of natural butters and extracts as well as a few "scientific miracle" ingredients that help increase collagen and cell proliferation.

Want some? Get it at Rejuvenation Gifts!

More Fashion Reality TV Coming Soon

Project Runway is not quite in the clear for it's jump to Lifetime, and the made-for-TV-movie, Meredith-Baxter-ridden network is beefing up its roster of fashion-related reality shows.

'Blush: The Search for the Next Great Make-Up Artist' starts November 11 at 10 p.m.

Ex-General Hospital slut Vanessa Marcil will host the show, which will judged Nina Garcia-ly by In Style Magazine's Hal Rubenstein and Tim Gunn-ishly mentored by makeup artist Charlie Green.

The prize? $100,000 and a contract with Max Factor.

I guess this is proof that Max Factor is aware of it's desperate need for re-branding. I don't know anyone who uses their products, and I know plenty of makeup addicts. They need a lot of work still, despite recently signing Gisele Bundchen as their newspokes-skeleton.
(Let me just note that Carmen Electra's shiteous makeup in their most recent ads was not working in their favor. )

Icon Style Steal: Peg Bundy

If ever a television mom had standout style, it was the fierce redheaded housewife Katey Sagal played on sleazy 80's-90's sitcom Married With Children. Today you'll see her influence all over the mall (though no one will admit it), where animal prints, spandex leggings and cinch belts adorn scores of mannequins. Here are a few key pieces to help you get your Peg on:


Leopard leggings, Forever 21 - $12.80
Shiny leggings, Alloy.com - $20.50
American Apparel leggings, eBay seller kgs4 - $10.89 (Lots of AA clothes, CHEAP!)

Belt, Forever 21 - $11.80
Belt, Urban Outfitters - $28

Jacket with belt, Wet Seal - $24.50
Frederick's of Hollywood extreme cleavage bra, $28
Top, Forever 21 - $10.50

M.A.C. lipstick in New York Apple - $14
Transparent bangle, GirlProps.com - $7.99

Insanely Cheap Designer Shoes on Amazon

Thanks to Liz for pointing this section out! I scoured the "70% off or more" virtual bargain-bin on Amazon.com and came up with the following cuteness:


Betsey Johnson Clovis pump
Size 9 only is $35.99 (80% off!)
Betseyville Vidonia flat
$26.99 in the following colors and sizes (70% off!)
Pink: 6, 7.5 and 8
Yellow: 6, 7, 7.5 and 8.5
White: 7
Betseyville Valyn pump
Black $29.99 all sizes but 5 and 9 (70% off!)
Blue 5.5
Red all sizes but 6.5 and 8


Shelley's London Galaxy pump
Black is $16.49 (70% off!)
Shelley's London Checkmate flat
Orange, Pink and Green are $9.89

Diesel Melody flat
Pink and White are $23.99 (70% off!)

Seychelles Every Second Counts flat
Size 7 only in black is $20.99 (70% off!)
Seychelles Lip Gloss wedge
Green, Yellow and Black are $23.99 (70% off!)

Irregular Choice Aemilia flat
Green and Black are $35.99 (70% off!)
Irregular Choice Aege0n flat
Black is $32.99 (69% off!)

BCBGirls Cally wedge
Pink is $23.69 (70% off!)

Naughty Monkey Lip Service pump
Red, Yellow and Blue are $17.99 (70% off!)

Steve Madden Tetra pump
Taupe is $13.99, all sizes but 6.5 and 7 (70% off!)
Steven Vykie pump
Black is $26.99, size 7 only (70% off!)

Ralph Lauren Amaya pump
Red, Yellow, Navy and Black are $29.39

Sugar Woodstock boot
Pink and Blue are $20.99 (70% off!)
Chooka Tiny Bunny rainboot
Sizes 7,8,9 and 10 are $17.99 (70% off!)
Dollhouse Loomy boot
Purple 7.5 and Black 8.5 are $29.69 (70% off!)

Viva La Curl

All of my bunkmates from my days at Camp Shalom know that curly-haired girls never have good hair days. We have a good few hours before our tresses absorb whatever epoxy we grease our curls with.


Not anymore.


I got my haircut at Rudy's on Sunset last week and my stylist let me try the new Bumble and bumble Defining Creme that is part of the new Curl Conscious line. I'm not going to lie; this product is amazing. My curls were so soft and moisturized I wanted to put them in my mouth and chew them. Most importantly, my hair felt shiny and didn't frizz up after two and a half hours. The product dries soft and this is great news for any curly girl who wants frizz-less locks without looking like overly gelled Bon Jovi enthusiasts.


The most important product, i believe, in the Curl Conscious line is the Reactivating Mist. This product is especially important for curly girls who enjoy taking midday naps and need to revitalize the locks before re-entering the outside world. Again, this product dries soft and you don't need to add any additional gels or creams.


Finally, I was able to try the Holding Foam. This mousse dispenses as a thick liquid so you don't need to use half are bottle every time you style.


Head over to the paisley-designed curlconscious.com. This is a new site, but the coolest part is that you can click on a picture of a model and see how to get their style. If you're curious about this look...






(because I know all of you are because I'm so important)


I applied the Holding Foam generously from root to end.

The 80's With a Bow on Top

(Photo by Giovanni Giannoni via WWD)

So far we've seen neon, leggings, Billy Idol jackets, paint splats, ripped jeans, oxfords with socks and even suspenders make a comeback this year in an unquestionable surge of 1980's style worship. So what's left?

Sunday at the Topshop Unique fashion show (it's London Fashion Week, y'all) they showed a great one we've totally missed: Half-crimped Madonna hair tied up in a big ragged scarf (although back in the day Madonna actually used ripped stockings... she used to be SO punk rock...sigh.)

What you need to get the look:
1.) A triple barrel waving iron (try this one from Hot Tools, $36.95)

2.) A can of aerosol hairspray, flexible hold (like this one)
3.) A scarf, an old pair of tights or a long strip of fabric

Too Faced Makeup 20% Off

If you like Too Faced cosmetics (I love their now-discontinued-but-I-still-have-some After Glow shimmer powder, and the eyeshadow duos) you need to get on this.
'Till Wednesday get 20% off your entire purchase with code MSBEAUTY - via their site only.
How cute is Katy Perry as their main babe? I want to know where she gets these retro booty suits...

The Sound of Fashion

Below is a list of whose models strutted to what at New York Fashion Week
(via Women's Wear Daily)

• “Just a Friend” by Biz Markie (Trovata)
• “L.E.S. Artistes” by Santogold (Erin Wasson + RVCA)
• “Breaking It Up” by Lykke Li (Lela Rose)
• “Shut Up and Let Me Go” by The Ting Tings (Rag & Bone, Preen, Missy Sixty)
• “Gobbledigook” by Sigur Rós (Zero + Maria Cornejo)
• “Let the Music Play” by Shannon (Proenza Schouler)
• “Rhapsody in Blue” composed by George Gershwin, performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Marc Jacobs)
• “Wild Thing” by Tone-Loc (Betsey Johnson)
• “Repetition Kills You” by The Black Ghosts (MaxAzria)
• “Gone Daddy Gone” by Gnarls Barkley mixed into the original by The Violent Femmes (MaxAzria)
• “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys (Michael Kors)
• “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears (Richard Chai)
• “Electric Feel” by MGMT (3.1 Phillip Lim)
• “I Want Candy” by White Williams (Vera Wang)
• “That’s Not My Name” by The Ting Tings (G-Star)
• “Jungle Drum” by Emilíana Torrini (Zac Posen)
• “You Run Run Run Me Ragged” by Mick Jagger (L’Wren Scott; see Eye Scoop)

- Playing MGMT wins Lim the hipster award; trying to be fresh by using The Ting Tings was totally obvious and unimpressive because of that stupid iTunes commercial.
- Now, I want you to try something at home. Put on "Good Vibrations" and just TRY to do a Miss J. sashay down the hallway. Impossible! Those poor Kors models, without a beat to guide them.
- Betsey Johnson's pick was as always, adorable and cute. So suited for her looks.
- L'Wren Scott got the dude she was banging to write her two songs specifically for her collection. Fortunately that dude is Mick Jagger, and word is he won't even be recording those songs. She wins the rarity award (but I hope someone snuck in a tape recorder and bootlegs that shit - people at the show LOVED the jams.)

Back That Ass Up!

Hi I'm Liz, a new contributor to this sweet blog. So, I've been wondering...where are all of my tall girls with big asses? Shut up, it can't just be me. There's got to be some more of you out there. Oh, there you are! Hey, what's up?

I recently stumbled upon the most amazing thing in my life: Baby Phat jeans. Don't look at me like that; I'm serious. I know it's hard for most women to find jeans. We've all got our own body issues and for whatever reason no one makes jeans for any of us. Instead we put on jeans that don't compliment us exactly how we wish they would. Well, my search for the perfect pair of jeans may have just ended.

Now you may be wondering, "Liz, haven't you heard of Apple Bottoms? I mean, c'mon, countless hip hop stars including Nelly and T-Pain have sung about them. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought they were made for big booty girls." Hey there dear reader, I appreciate the thought, but Apple Bottoms just don't do it for me. I've tried them on time and time again and they are never long enough for me. While I was perusing Apple Bottoms at Macy's is actually how I came across Baby Phat jeans. I noticed that lot of Baby Phat jeans are too flashy for me, but I tried on a low key pair and I was instantly in love.

So, my ladies with junk in the trunk - I'd suggest trying your luck with some Baby Phats. And for the rest of you, I wish you the best of luck in your quest for the perfect jeans. Keep me updated if you find some that fit your body just right!

Topshop Taking Its Sweet Arse Time

According to Women's Wear Daily, the SoHo NYC Topshop flagship store will be opening its doors later than expected (boo! And I was already planning an excursion!) They had planned for mid-October, and now it's looking more like November.

But to tide us Yanks over, a US version of the Topshop website launched yesterday. Now you can see how much stuff costs in dollars (exchange rate=still a huge bummer). But it's still shipping from across the pond for at least a $15 charge, so all they really did was assist those Americans who can't multiply a figure by two. Which sadly, is probably a lot of us...

As soon as they nail down a real date for the shop opening, I'll let you know.

End Of Summer = Bummer. And Cheap Sandals!

Nordstrom is having a kick-ass shoe clearance right now. The deepest cuts are on summer styles, so score yourself some sandals and pack them away for next year. They've got tons from Dolce Vita, Jeffrey Campbell and BCBGirls.
The above are on sale too, but totally rockable for the cooler months ahead.
Steve Madden Maxii - Was $100, now $58. This is a wearable iteration of the super-domme style pumps you've seen on the red carpet as of late.
L.A.M.B. "Devin" flat - went from $225 to $134.90