Victoria's Secret Holiday Collection 2010

While we were all in our bathing suits, splashing around at the pool, the folks at Victoria's Secret had been hard at work on their Holiday Collection, and luckily for you (and me!) I was invited to preview this limited edition collection, and to share it with my readers.

The keyword across the board was SPARKLES!

Their makeup, their perfumes, their lingerie... everything was shimmering and glamorous! 

THE VERY SEXY NOW COLLECTION

A captivating mix of Midnight-blooming Jasmine, Blackberry and White Amber, all wrapped up in a glittering box, this fragrance was inspired by the electric energy of a night out and, of course, by the flash of a sequined dress. It will only be in stores from October to December 2010.

THE HEAVENLY STARDUST COLLECTION

Heavenly is, hands down, my favorite Victoria's Secret scent. It smells soooo good, I use it everywhere on my body, but I also spritz it around the bedroom when I want to create a special atmosphere, if you know what I mean.  ;)  

This holiday season, Heavenly has been updated to Heavenly Stardust, a richer and more sensual fragrance, and it's presented in a festive purple illuminated by stars of gold. Available for a limited time from November to December 2010.

THE HOLIDAY SHIMMER COLLECTION

You can't go to a party and not glow! With this collection you will be able to layer on the perfect holiday sparkle, thanks to the mist, the lotion and the powder in five different VS scents (Bombshell, Heavenly, Very Sexy, Pink and Sexy Little Things Noir). Available only from October to December 2010.

THE MIDNIGHT GLAMOUR COLLECTION

This limited makeup collection was inspired by the mystery of smoky eyes and intense lips, and it comes in a jewel-like compacts in dark and sexy midnight blue tones. It includes a deluxe eye palette (champagne, bronze, dark silver and midnight shadows, plus black gel liner), a deluxe lip palette (clear sparkle and nude gloss, berry and deep red lipstick), a luminous highlighting powder, a midnight blue nail polish, and a hypergloss eye shimmer which I loved! Available from October to December 2010.

THE HOLIDAY 2010 GIFT SETS

Available for a limited time only (from October to December 2010) these are the prettiest gift sets from Victoria's Secret Beauty! 

Disclosure: After attending the Victoria's Secret Holiday Preview, I was given some samples of the products above (and I loved them!). 

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Threadless and Havaianas Limited Edition Collection

Out of all of the products I've reviewed lately, these must be the cutest and most adorable ones! Matching t-shirt and flip-flops. Who wouldn't like that?

Two companies that share a passion for creativity and fresh new designs, Threadless and Havaianas have joined forces for a limited edition of 6 t-shirts and flip flops designed by the Threadless community.

Before Summer ends, hurry up and pick up a matching set: Threadless & Havaianas
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Fall Lookbook

Let's print and save this picture.

I can totally see myself wearing this outfit this coming fall season.

What do you think about these new Louboutins?

Back in March I posted about these white caged Louboutin shoes, and wrote two lines to express my usual admiration for Mr. Louboutin's work.

But not everybody shared my positive opinion, on the contrary, many people wondered why Saks chose this specific pair to send out in an email-blast, calling them ugly and hideous, because of the net and because of the color, and an article in the New York Magazine even collected some of these polarizing blogging opinions (putting me as the only one that liked them! lol).

Poor shoes! I personally don't mind white shoes, and depending on the occasion and the season, I think there is always room for a white pair of shoes, heck, there is always room for a pair of shoes in ANY color. Yellow? Yes. Aqua? Sure! Burgundy? Why not?

So when a few days ago Barneys sent an email out with this pair of Louboutins:

I couldn't help but wonder what those people thought about it.  ;)  I mean it's got the jelly and the spikes (and to me that's worse than the net and the white)!

I actually have to say that I don't like this pair, and considering my opinion is usually not mainstream, watch how everyone else is going to love them!
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Fashion Mistake: What not to wear if you are petite

I wouldn't say this is a fashion disaster, but there are definitely a few no-nos for a petite woman like her in her ensemble:

1 - The mid-calf-length skirt. It makes her legs look very stumpy.

2 - Flat sandals coupled with the mid-calf skirt. Ouch!

3 - Oversized handbag. Another bad choice that makes her look like a little girl wearing her (still too big for her) mother's clothes.

What do you think?

And where are my reader submitted fashion disaster pictures???

Saving for that big ticket item

There are a couple of "big ticket items" that I would like to own, like another Louis Vuitton bag, a first Gucci bag, maybe a nice pair of Manolo shoes, an elegant gold necklace... all things that cost at least $500 and up.

In the old days I would have probably dropped the cash and not thought about it twice. Or, even worse, I would have put it on my credit card.

As I've grown more mature, and more financially responsible, I understand that I shouldn't just drop $1,000 on something "unnecessary" and using a credit card for "fashion" reasons, is out of the question.

So what do I do now? Do I forget about spending so much money on just one item? Or do I try to find a compromise with my ever vigilant conscience?

But, of course... I look for that compromise! :)

I find that one way to feel less guilty about such expenditures is to set up a saving plan for them. If I put aside $10 or $20 every so often, I won't feel the impact of the cost, but also, at the end, I will feel more "deserving" of the item, because I worked hard and saved for it.

Additionally, there are online tools that help me save and keep track of my goal:

- Bankrate.com has a saving goal calculator that can help you determine how long it will take you to save for a specific goal and how much money you need to put aside every day or week.

- ING Direct is a great online saving bank, that lets you create as many accounts as you need to, and label them as needed. So you can have your Louis Vuitton Fund account right after your Main Savings account (it's always a good idea to keep the sacred and the profane separate). You can choose to have money deposited automatically every month in whichever account you prefer, so that you don't even have to worry about it. Finally, if you are a new customer and you are ready to open a new account with more than $250, email me for a referral link, and you will get $25 extra dollars in your account (I'll get a $10 referral fee, and everybody wins!). I've been using ING since 2004 and I am a satisfied customer.

- Smarty Pig. Now, if you have a great big family, tons of friends that care, and a big network of people around you, the Smarty Pig website is something you should look into for saving. It will let you set up a saving account for a specific goal, and then it will let you share it, say on Facebook, to have people help you reach your goal faster! People can contribute to your fund, and in the end you can even redeem gift cards from one of the Smarty Pig sponsors, and get more value out of your money.

The tools are out there, now it's up to you to start saving for your special goal, don't wait any longer!
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NY Spender's Video: Organizing Your Closet - Part 1

Here it is! As promised, I have finally been able to finalize my first video! It's about organizing your closet and in it you get to meet me (yay!) and my closet (nay!). ;)
I hope you enjoy it and feel free to leave feedback and any suggestions for future videos.

Watch Part 2 here

The transformation continues: I need a new, shorter haircut

I've always loved having long hair, and I've had it long most of my life, except when I was 6 years old and my little brother was born, and my mom decided to chop my hair off so that she'd have one less thing to worry about.

Now that I am a mommy to a one year old (how fast they grow!), I find that I have no time to take care for long and luscious tresses, especially considering that I have frizzy and thin hair, which means "there is no way that I can just let my hair air dry and walk out the door!" I need to blow-dry. Or hide under a baseball hat. And with the baby, the baseball hat almost always wins!

With no time for my hair, I've been considering the idea of cutting my hair short(er) than what I am usually comfortable with, and for the first time in my life, the idea actually excites me.

Even if my sister is worried: "please, don't ever get a mom hair cut!", I know I am still pretty safe from getting one of those. Instead, I think I have finally figured out what I am going to do with my hair!

It will probably take two sessions, because I do want a cut and color and this will be the starting inspiration (ok, maybe a little longer than that):

but I am also interested in hearing what my hairdresser has to say about the Brazilian Blowout. This blowout promises to eliminate frizz (which for me would be such a blessing) and leave your hair straight for up to12 weeks. It sounds too good to be true, because it also claims that there are no harsh chemicals and no damage to the hair... but I just can't stop dreaming about it, especially after seeing these pictures:

Has anybody tried this treatment?

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How big can you make your eyes with makeup? Very Big!!!

This is a screen shot of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance video. As it is obvious, her eyes have been computer-modified and made to look abnormally big and round.

The inspiration for this look can be found in Japanese anime characters.

I grew up in Italy watching anime cartoons and always wondered why these Japanese cartoon characters didn't have almond shaped eyes (being from Japan and all), but actually had huge blue eyes!

Like one of my favorite characters, Candy Candy:

Her eyes are big and beautiful, aren't they?

But they also are very disproportionated to the rest of her face.

But it's ok, because this is a cartoon and anything is possible in a cartoon.

What could be a bit troubling is the fact that such big eyes are considered more attractive than "normal" sized eyes, as attests the fact that most anime have these big, round eyes.

But what is most troubling is the fact that girls are now trying to replicate this look in real life, through tons of makeup and "unsafe" contact lenses.

Watch this video (10 million views!) and let me know if I've become too conservative now that I am a mother...

fashion disaster: what not to wear at Home Depot

Ok, this outfit would be great for a night out partying with your friends. It's not what I would wear, but that's not the point.

The point is: "This is not what you wear on a Sunday morning while strolling the aisles of Home Depot!"

I am not sure if the picture is clear enough, but she is wearing a see-through top with her bra underneath clearly showing through! I mean, really??? Why???

And the man next to her... does he care at all???

Dolce & Gabbana's Knitted Handbags

I love love LOVE! Dolce & Gabbana's new fall handbags!

Especially the knitted ones.

They look so pretty and elegant and different than your usual "home made" knitting project.

The only downside is the price, of course. At $2,000 and up these beauties are pretty much out-of-the-question for me.

The good news is that I know how to knit, and I've decided I'm going to make my own knitted handbag.

The bad news is I am not much of a DIY kind of person, so while I might think I can pull this off, maybe I can't.

(let's not forget how horrible my experience with the Miu Miu's embellished tights was...)

I could start with the easier handbag of the lot, this pretty puppy right here, which doesn't look too complicated...

But instead I am going to focus on the more difficult and more beautiful one, this one:

Isn't it gorgeous???

I will make this my special project and document the progress here on NY Spender starting next week. If you know how to knit you're welcome to come along for the fun. If you don't know how to knit, maybe this is the right time to learn, since it could save you thousands of dollars spent on handbags.  ;)

Mid-Year Resolutions No 1: Finish What I Started

One of my biggest flaws is that I start so many things but I don't finish them. A book, a painting, a project, ironing... you name it, I didn't finish it.

With the baby now, this "I can't get around it" has become even more of an issue, and I don't like having so many things hanging over my head uncompleted.

As part of my transformation from "clueless mommy" to "mommy that has her $hi# together" I am trying to change small parts of myself little by little, and the first resolution has been to finish what I've started.

I had two books started but not finished, I picked them up and made a point of finishing them. And I did.

I am not sure what the non-finishing business is about, if it has any psychological reasons behind it, but just like they say sometimes "don't worry about why you have such flaws, just focus on how you can fix them", I am focusing on finishing things these days.

And the more things I finish the better I feel, because having all these things pending above my head puts a strain on my life.

Being the way that I am, I can't just have unfinished business and not think about it: while some other "chill" person wouldn't care about the half-way read book, or the almost finished painting hanging on the wall, all these not finished items become part of my to-do list and clutter my brain until I get around to them.

So as you can see, it's very important for me to finish and/or to learn not to start something (if I don't thing I'll finish it).

Do you always finish what you started? And if you don't finish it, does it haunt you until you finish it or does it just slip out of your mind forever?
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