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XO, Elisa
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What: An event focusing on the most fabulous among eco-conscious handbag designers, as well as "in the bag" essentials like makeup, stationery and small goods.
The event, hosted by BagTrends, will also feature the official NYC launch of EcoStiletto.com. (Yay! Finally!)
Attend this event to enjoy: - complimentary drinks from a stylish, new liquor company - Gift Bags* full of in the bag essentials, discounts, books, and more - A spa/wellness center for guests to indulge in - Exclusive discounts from your favorite brands and the chance to preview new lines
You may decide to go for the shopping, but will likely decide to stay also for the relaxing hand and shoulder massages, and also for the chance to meet the designers, receive special discounts and enter handbag giveaways!
With the holidays approaching, it is only fitting that I dedicate the cool finds of the month to stuff that can make this lovely season more bearable ;-) No, seriously, with the shopping, the cooking, the planning, the spending, by the time we get to the part where we are supposed to let go and have fun, we don't want to be too tired to enjoy it, do we?
So this first installment of the Holiday Edition will focus on gift-giving and other holiday-related activities – I hope you find it helpful.
Multitaskers tend to get lots done but we also have the highest stress levels, and the holiday season is stressful enough as it is! If you are trying to cramp a whole lot of stuff into your lunch break, and you find yourself trying to catch up on unreplied text messages while out shopping, here's something to make things easier: install Vlingo on your Blackberry and you'll have your very own text-messaging assistant. Just say what you want to send and Vlingo will convert it into a text message. It's easy to use and it's a free service!
If you, like me, are expecting house guests for the holidays, and are getting everything ready for them, here's my tip: give THEM your pillow and get yourself a customized pillow from Sleep Number! Their Create Your Perfect Pillow program allows you to personalize the exact outer comfort, inner support and pillow protector materials in their pillow. I recently upgraded to one of these pillows, and I was very surprised to see what a difference something so small makes in the quality of my sleep. Pillow prices start at $90, and gift cards are also available for purchase – check it out at any of the Sleep Number stores nationwide or online.
How gorgeous are Nancy Gonzales handbags? But who can afford them? Well, maybe you don't have to. Enter the Sweepstakes (hosted by Neiman Marcus) for your chance to win a $3000 Nancy Gonzales shopping spree!
Going on a trip for the holidays? Taking your little one with you? If you are staying at a Hyatt hotel, you can travel a lot lighter by using the Hyatt Travel Lite service, which allows you to order anything you might need, from formula and baby food to strollers and carriers, and have it delivered it to your Hyatt destination.
Need to get your home ready for the holiday parties you'll be throwing? Check out Amazon's Home and Garden Holiday Markdowns, to score kitchen equipment, cookware, table linens and tableware at 30-50% discount. Also save on decorations on Amazon's Get Ready for the Holidays section.
If you think your sister or best friend would love to find something cute from Bebe under the tree, make sure you use coupon codes to get it for them: through November 30th, get $20 off your purchase of $125 or more with coupon code BBSAVE20 – heck, get something for yourself too, and get $100 (!) off your purchase of $300 or more with coupon code BBGET100.
If your favorite jewelry is feminine but edgy, you'll love Meredith Kahn's Made Her Think line. And you'll love even more that she has a lot of fantastic pieces on sale, up to 60% off! Perfect time to get a present... especially if it's for you ;-)
Women are so easy to shop for! Another example: makeup. Clinique is, in my experience, the brand with the best "gift with purchase" offers. This year Clinique has teamed up with leading designer Trina Turk and has a great offer at one of my favorite stores, Nordstrom. You will receive Trina Turk’s first-ever cosmetics bag, filled with 6 beauty essentials, plus a mirrored lipstick case, FREE with any Clinique purchase of $25 or more — exclusively at Nordstrom, until supplies last. Or – if you already have too many make-up bags – you can shop at Clinique online get a free tote with your purchase of $50 or more.
This year, Drugstore.com is giving Clinique a run for their money! Their Kooba Beauty Bag is filled with goodies from Stila, Boscia, Sue Devitt, Oscar Blandi, and many more - a $200 value for just $85. The products sound lovely, but the Kooba wristlet is the real catch!
Another great, "no-brainer" gift is pre-packaged gift sets with products already paired up, where you can pick the type of product and/or the scent and get several items already in a lovely gift box. Origins is definitely my favorite place to get gift sets, because they products look and smell lovely, and the gift packages are always so pretty (in fact, I think some of them also make great hostess gifts) – check out this year's Holiday Sets! Bliss is another popular brand, especially here in the NYC area; and their gift sets are very affordable, like The Big Orange set, which includes two products and a tote. If you prefer natural and organic makeup and beauty products, you'll be excited to know that Lavera, one of the top natural brands in the world, is now running a Clearance Sale on their website where you can save up to 90%! There is also an Anniversary Sale going on, with newly released products at 15% off. Personally, I think their lipgloss is one of the best I've ever used, and that includes both natural and not-so-much ones ;-)
Send a positive message by gifting your favorite tot with a lovely organic slogan tee by Eco Ike, and enjoy free shipping on any order of $50 or more, and free holiday packaging (including a card) on all orders. My favorite is the "bee green" tee!
And for the mom of the eco-tot, you can't do better than a gift from NIMLI, which is possibly the most fabulous eco-friendly fashion online store! Right now you can enjoy the extensive selection in the fall sale (check out the pashminas!) as well as 20% off your order with coupon code FALL08, and free shipping on all orders over $100. I don't know about you, but I usually do most of my holiday shopping online. You get great deals, can find coupons to apply (like those at RetailMeNot and CouponNerds) and you can even get money back when you purchase through Ebates. And on top of that, you don't need to go out with the baby in the stroller and fight the madness of the holiday crowds. There is one problem though: some items you really want to see before you buy them. I found a solution, at least as far as toys are concerned: Amazon's Holiday Toy List lets you narrow your choices by age or by price, and then actually see the toys in action! Check it out here.
Get your little ones gorgeous wooden toys and playroom furniture for Christmas and save by shopping the Pottery Barn Kids online sale, with items up to 65% off.
One for the men: girls like jewelery. But we don't necessarily like the classic stuff, maybe we like more interesting pieces, pieces that will still be lovely years from now, but never boring. You can't go wrong with pieces from Melissa Joy Manning – and you can get 15% off any purchase by using coupon code ARTISAN.
You know what else girls like: bags. Luna Boston is having a great handbag sale on designer handbags! Foley + Corinna, Hayden Harnett, Botkier, Gryson and more - great chance to snag a designer bag at a discounted price. LunaBoston.com also ships offers free same day shipping on all orders over $100, and free returns – can't go wrong. But if your budget doesn't allow you to splurge on a designer bag, check out the wide selection of designer-inspired handbags at Baghaus. Through December 1, take $10 off purchases of $50 or more with coupon code TENOFF.
If you'd like more tailored recommendations, you cannot go wrong with GiftGirl. Provide some details about the recipient, and Jean will recommend several fantastic gifts. Whether you choose the 24-hour access option for $5, year-round access ($20) or a personal consultation with Jean ($200), you will get tailored, honest, unbiased suggestions (no paid endorsements!). Here's a little freebie from Jean:
Ah, you lucky West-Coasters... especially if you live in L.A. (I miss sunny L.A.!) Here's another fabulous event organized by EcoStiletto!
About the event: A free fundraiser for Dress For Success Presented by The Healing Seed and Perfect Organics Host committee includes Anna Getty, Josie Maran and Kelly Rutherford
Bring gently-used, career-appropriate jewelry, scarves, belts and handbags to donate to Dress for Success; Intuition will donate 10% of sales. An additional 5% off will be deducted if you bring your own shopping bag!
What you'll be able to enjoy at this event: - free lip and cheek touch ups from Perfect Organics - virgin organic hempseed oil hand treatments by The Healing Seed - appetizers by FOOD - signature cocktails
Sustainable designers will be showcased at the party. They will include: Larsen Gray, ecoSkin, Doie, Del Forte Organic Denim, Elodie, Heather Heron, California Rising and Erica Weiner. (Note: Rachel from EcoStiletto will be guest editing INTUITION's new eco-friendly clothing section, which will include the above designers and some others.)
Where and when: INTUITION, 10581 West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles on Tuesday, November 11th from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP to events@ecostiletto.com
Living green is getting more and more fabulous, I tell ya ;-)
Do you live in LA or nearby? I am so jealous! Because this Sunday, EcoStiletto™ is launching EcoStiletto Kids* with another fabulous party!
The EcoStiletto™ Kids Launch Party will take place on:
Sunday, September 21st 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, near the Merry-Go-Round
Here's what you can expect to see, do and get at the EcoStiletto Kids Launch Party tent:
- walk the EcoStiletto Green Carpet and pose as an eco-celebrity - get formaldehyde-free mommy-and-me manicures courtesy of Recess - make an organic flower bouquet with the experts at Wisteria Lane Flowers - take home a sample pack from California Baby - enjoy O.N.E. Coconut Water and organic cookies by Whole Foods - plus bubbles by Green Works Natural Cleaners!
All EcoStiletto Kids Launch Party activities are free and first-come, first-served.
Here's what else will be going on at the event:
11 a.m. Performances by the Leather Souls, among others 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Celebrity guests walk the green carpet 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Hot Moms Club Eco-Fashion Show 2 p.m. Parade of Peace Doves**
No need to RSVP, just stop by! And if you are lucky enough to be able to attend, please let us know how you liked it and what fabulous eco-swag you got to take home!
* For more info on EcoStiletto Kids, email rachel@ecostiletto.com ** For more information on Peace Day, email rootsnshoots@janegoodall.org
... for the girly girls out there who are trying to be more "green":
I just found out that Alima cosmetics has extended their sale until August 4!
For those of you not familiar with Alima, they make absolutely gorgeous, totally natural mineral makeup. Let me tell you why I love this brand: 1. Unlike mineral makeup from Neutrogena, L'Oreal, or the ever popular BareMinerals, Alima cosmetics' ingredients don't include any chemical additive, but really only minerals; 2. Unlike many all-natural mineral makeup brands, they actually have some really gorgeous colors available; 3. They offer sample sizes! That's right, you can try as many samples as you like, even order only samples of various shades, so you can make up your mind of what colors work best without wasting money nor products! 4. You can send the empty jars back to them for recycling. If you send them 5 empty full-size jars you will get a FREE eyeshadow of your choice. 5. If all the above wasn't enough, every package you receive will include a few FREE samples they pick based on the shades you selected as part of your order. As part of my first order I got 2 shades I loved so much that I included both in my order this time around!
Until August 4, you save 15% on your order if you use this code at checkout: SUMMER08. And if you order 75 dollars worth of products, accessories and samples you will receive a limited edition set of 3 full-sized eyeshadows.
BTW, this isn't an ad. I just really love these products and I thought I'd spread the word. I think you'll love them too!
Ok, I had a crazy busy weekend and I have tons to do this week to get everything ready for next week's trip - so let me give you a summary of some cool things I ran across in the past few days:
1. Endless.com's free overnight shipping: how cool is it that you can order a dreamy pair (of several ones) of shoes or a bag (or several ones) and have it arrive to your house the day after, without paying for the overnight shipping? And that if you don't like it you can send it back - also for free? I tried it and loved it - if my husband only knew he'd be shaking in his (new) boots!
2. Recyclable toothbrushes: I had been buying these toothbrushes for months when I found out that you can actually send them back to the company and the plastic will be recycled to make plastic decking, picnic tables and boardwalks. How cool is that? I used to buy them at Whole Foods, but now they also have them at Target, for $2.04. And I scored a coupon, too! If you want to use it, just go here. So you can keep ther environment clean as well as your teeth *wink*
4. RememberTheMilk.com - finally you can do it all in one place: create to-do lists (that you can manage also offline), mark your important dates, set reminders for tasks on your list or your event and choose if you want to getthem by e-mail, text or IM. And all for free! Hate the name, like the website.
5. DailySugar: I already love TeamSugar so I was excited to hear about their daily newsletter - but a little incentive never hurts, right? Subscribe to DailySugar and be entered to win a Giant City Balenciaga bag! Invite friends, and you have more chances of landing the fab prize.
Feel free to drop a comment with any websites or stuff you'd like to pass on! I love new things :-)
lets you narrow your choices by age or by price, and then actually see the toys in action! Check it out 
