Christmas A Go-Go

As we quietly tuck this past Christmas away and toast in the New Year, it's amusing to reflect on the good times and of course, great steals and deals you received this holiday season. From one gift giver to next I welcome you to share your holiday hits and misses:

Kat Von D's Limited Edition Eye Make-Up Series:

Recently, Kat Von D joined forces with Sephora and introduced her limited edition eye make-up series that merge "punk and pretty" to satisfy everyone's eye palette---and give a little something extra this holiday season.

Plus, this line serves to benefit one of Kat's favorite charities: The Art of Elysium.  So feel good and look good--this is a win-win combo.

Kat Von D's Make Up

Lush Cosmetics--Northern Lights

This Holiday Season, Lush Cosmetics was all a buzz at major hotspot Macy's and rightfully so---these handmade cosmetics are the best stocking stuffers and perfect care packages to send to the all your loved ones.

My personal favorite is the all wrapped up--Northern Lights Set--that gives you a taste of everything Lush-tastic.  Not only does Lush boast some of the best smelling suds around but they also provide natural ingredients that get down to the nitty gritty of all your skin problems.  One night with a Lush product and you'll be singing their song for years to come!

Check out all their amazingness here:  Lush Cosmetics

What did you find under your tree this year?  

That’s The Spirit—Say, Holiday Spirit, This NYE!

With 2012 fastly approaching and all the talk of what this daunting year will bring forward, I can’t help but want my New Years attire to scream “I’m ready for 2012 and I’m ready to ring in 2012 in style!”  Who doesn’t want to embody that this month? (And in case the world does end, I want to be sure I looked impeccable on my way out…)

Per Francesca’s Collecions, an online boutique and fast growing retail around the country, I found this number entitled fittingly, “That’s the Spirit” dress which only costs a whopping $44 to be yours truly! As a fan of color block and fitted skirts, I enjoy the fact that this number offers a two tone color scheme (definitely more party on the top, wouldn’t you say?)

Oh! And a girl’s gotta look good from head to toe—so I’m pairing this one with Betsey Johnson’s Teaseey Pump; the perfect balance between sophistication and a wild edge.  You better believe that once midnight hits, I’ll be be putting these babies to good use on the dance floor—

A perfect new years dress may have a lot of shine and sparkle,but for me this year, I’m setting my sights on a piece I can wear again throughout the new year—Hello birthday parties, girls nights out, and even a Summer night unwind.  Who says we can’t? Just ditch the boots and add a sandal or wedge and poof, you’ve turned this little number into a Spring lust!

What are you wearing when the countdown begins?

Airbrushed Abs Just Got A Little More Intense.

This past week a surge of activity heat the press as H&M unveiled its new ads for their lingerie collection; but it was not the underwear that got people in an uproar, rather it was the models in each photo.  It's no mystery that majority of main stream retail companies and advertising agencies rely heavily on computer touch ups and re-constructing before printing a major add but after closer examination of the photos it was clear there was something a little too digital about the photos.

New Yorker's CutBlog reports, "Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet in which H&M press officer Håcan Andersson confirms that their new lingerie-clad bodies are "completely virtual." For H&M's website or catalogues, much of the store's clothing is now shot on mannequins, which are then humanized via photo-editing software." (TheCutBlog)

Interesting enough the heads of the models were superimposed onto the "created" bodies which adds more fuel to the already heavily debated discussion that companies go too far with re-touching bodies in order to promote a better ad or image.  H&M stresses that in no way was this disrespectful to the models or the human body in general, rather they wanted to focus more on the garments itself, not the human modeling it: "It's not about ideals or to show off a perfect body... we are doing this to show off the garments" (TheCutBlog).  
You have to wonder with H&M taking such drastic measures in order to promote a seemingly simple collection, why resort to such extreme measures?  Why isn't the body of a model good enough to promote their line and what are they are truly trying to capture by superimposing artificial bodies in their ads? Perhaps a new wave of fashion art is ushering in and more retailers will jump on board in this strangely bizarre new twist on fashion.
But for this moment, H&M's decision and completed ad seems a bit too uncomfortable for the public to take in just yet; what doors will this ad open next?