Black Is In: Beauty and Fashion Deals for Black Friday

Black Friday is so often about the hottest toy or the newest Flat Screen TV…but what about all of the fashionista’s out there? Apart from the fact that most of us probably love our beauty sleep…we also can’t pass up a good deal on a great look! Here are some deals – available both online and in stores – starting tomorrow, Black Friday (don’t you feel like you should say “dun dun dun!” right after that?).  Read on to discover amazing discounts and deals, including free overnight shipping for the rest of your life!

BLACK FRIDAY – NOVEMBER 27, 2009

H&M: On Friday, November 27th, receive 25% off items of your choice from 5AM until 10AM* and enjoy Fashion Finds all day from $5.

Store hours vary; call your nearest H&M for opening hours. Store locator.

*Offer valid Friday, November 27th from store opening until 10AM. Not valid on previous purchases, for H&M gift cards, or in conjunction with any other discounts. These three stores open at 5 am on Black Friday; 5th Ave and 52nd street, Penn Station, Herald Square stores.

Zappos: Zappos is opening the doors to their VIP Club!  From Black Friday through Cyber Monday, your readers can visit Zappos.com and join the VIP Club.  By becoming a member of the  VIP Club, members will receive free, overnight shipping – for the rest of their lives!  This invitation will only last from midnight on November 27th until midnight November 30th.

The link to sign up for the VIP Club will be live starting at 12:01 am on Black Friday morning and will be taken down on midnight November 30th.  From that point on, anything you purchase through vip.zappos.com will arrive at your door the next day fo’ free.  You read that right.  Sign me up.

Crabtree & Evelyn:  Crabtree & Evelyn is having a Black Friday preview sale with 20% off sitewide!   Free shipping on orders of $25 or more, Hand Therapy lotion is 50% off, and you can snatch up Body Lotion for $7.  Great stocking stuffers, teacher gifts, or girlfriend gifts!

Apothica:  Apothica is offering 20%-70% off selected items in their clearance sale. This amazing store offers beauty brands like Herve Leger, The Art of Shaving, and beingTRUE – upscale beauty products marked as low as 70% off. You’ll find anything and everything: cleanser, wrinkle cream, mascara, perfume – you name it!

e.l.f.:  This Black Friday, you can take advantage of special shipping rates at e.l.f – have your order shipped for just $1.98 with no minimum order value.  Shipping is usually $7 and their prices start at $1.  Great stuff for a great deal!!  I love their studio collection brushes and am addicted to the lip liner.  Yes, it is possible to be a lip liner addict.

Sephora:  With any $50 online purchase at Sephora, you’ll get a free metallic flower clutch stocked with eight samples. Just enter CLUTCH4U at checkout.  Valid while supplies last. (PS – need an idea of what to buy?  Try my ultimate favorite T3 hairdryer, or a gift set from one of my favorite skincare lines, Philosophy.)

Macy’s:  Macy’s is having a Thanksgiving Sale with 20%-50% off of thousands of amazing items.  The sale is online Thursday 11/26 through Saturday 11/28, and in-store 5 am – 1 pm on Black Friday, and 8 am – 1 pm on Saturday.

Payless:  Payless is having a sale through December 1st that offers buy one, get another half off, on any item in the store.  Shoes?  Now you’re speaking my language!  Squee! See those shoes to the right, there?  Those are CHRISTIAN SIRIANO.  At Payless.  I’m just sayin’.

DJ Premium:  At DJ Premium you’ll find brands like L.A.M.B, Vivienne Westwood, True Religion, Custo Barcelona, and tons of others.  You can take 20% off of full priced items with the code:  IE20J6, and 25% off of your Black Friday order with 1FUN1U.

Arden B:  Until Noon on Friday, buy one item get another for $5 at Arden B – storewide, but in-store only!  Free shipping on purchases of $15 or more, and mix and match basics are 2 for $14.  You can also get 25% off of selected sweaters online.  Check out the Holiday Lookbook for ways to create an inspired Holiday wardrobe!

Shopbop:  Up to 70% off of items at one of my all-time faves, Shopbop.  This awesome sale includes Tory Burch Flats, William Rast denim, and Pour La Victoire boots, among other huge names.  We’re talking major wow factor over here.

Narciso Rodriguez for Ebay

Joining other designers like Norma Kamali, Narciso Rodriguez is launching a collection for Ebay in the Spring.  Here, he sits down with Constance White, the style director for Ebay, and discusses how he finds inspiration, what his family thought of his decision to be a designer instead of a lawyer, and what being a designer is really like (hint: it’s not as glamorous as you may think!)

I love profiles of designers which is why I’m sharing this. I think there is so much you can learn about fashion and design just by listening to a designer tell you about their creative process.  I especially love that this video highlights how nature and life inspire Rodriguez to create and design.  The side by side comparisons are incredibly interesting.  Check it out!

Love Steve Madden? BE Steve Madden. (Sorta)

Ever wondered what it was like to walk a mile in Steve Madden’s shoes?  Well, now you can, without even having to buy them first!  (Yes, all of those puns are intended!)

Zappos and Steve Madden have banded together to invite visitors to Zappos Sole Search to create a unique shoe design for the Steve Madden Collection.  You are encouraged to be as creative and outrageous as you’d like, but there are some tools to help you if you need a little inspiration.

The best part is that three winners will be flown out to NYC where they will pitch their design to Steve Madden himself!  Oh yeah, and the grand prize winner will have their design manufactured and sold exclusively on Zappos.com.

You can even see current designs online and vote on your favorites.  Go check it out!

Wardrobe Staple: Reva Flats

Thankfully we live in a time where it’s ok to be practical when it comes to fashion.  While I’m a huge fan of stilettos, I do believe in comfort when you need it.  However, I do NOT believe in sacrificing style for comfort.  Thankfully, Tory Burch combines both style and comfort into one neat little package with the Reva.

Every modern, stylish woman should own a pair of Revas.  It’s not up for negotiation.  It is an investment piece, yes, but one you will practically wear the soles off of.  Go as spunky (pink jellies) or as traditional (black suede) as you’d like, but definitely add them to your collection.  My personal favorite?  The silver snake print Reva ballerina flat.

Oh, and she makes a version of the Reva for little girls, too.  Be still my heart.

Neiman Marcus First Day Sale – Today Only!

Oh I love the Holidays!  I love all of it, the music, the weather, the red and green, the smiles, THE SHOPPING.

It’s beginning.  Neiman Marcus is hosting their First Day sale where shoppers can save up to 40% – and the list of participating designers and items available is jaw-dropping.  Rock and Republic, Oscar de la Renta Sleepwear, Nanette Lepore, Marc Jacobs, YSL — all screaming “shoppers, start your engines!”.  This isn’t a long-running sale, however — it started today (November 11th) and ends tomorrow at 6 AM (November 12th!).  If you aren’t close to a Neiman Marcus you can still shop online (use SHOPNM for free shipping!).

Snug As A Bug: A Family Christmas Tradition {Giveaway!}

I’m a fashionista, and therefore I’m adamantly against couples who wear matching outfits, and twins over the age of 12 who do the same.  Heck, when I was in high school my friend B and I had such similar styles that there were many times that we showed up in the same outfit (which generally included Doc Martens – it was the 90s afterall!) and one of us would just turn around and go home to change.

However, I do feel there is ONE occasion when it is ok to match, and think maybe it’s even a little cute.  Of course, I’m talking about Christmas morning.  I can’t help it!  Families who wear matching pajamas to bed on Christmas Eve wake up to a visit from Santa PLUS adorable pictures because they all look so sweet and cookie cutterish?  Totally irresistible.

I’m so excited to say that my most popular giveaway from the Holiday Season is back for 2009!  Last year I came across this awesome website called Snug As A Bug that sells matching Christmas Pajamas for the entire family – and I fell in love with their adorable prints and patterns.    Their pajamas come in sizes from Newborn to XXL, and they even make bandannas for cats and dogs!

Seriously, what could be more fun than the whole family around the tree wearing matching PJs? If this isn’t already a tradition in your house (as it has been with my best friend’s family for as long as I can remember) it’s time to consider starting a great tradition of your own with matching Christmas pajamas for everyone-even your pets.

My favorite print this year is called Santa’s Elves, featuring some jolly little elves dancing on a blue background.  It’s totally bringing out my inner child-I want to throw on an old Christmas special, grab a gingerbread man from the tin, and write a list for Santa half a mile long!

Win it! Once again, Snug As A Bug has graciously offered to outfit the family of one lucky Chic Shopper Chick reader in their very own set of Christmas pajamas!  The winner will receive matching pajamas in a pattern of their choice for two adults and two kids.  To enter, just follow the three little steps below!

• Head over to Snug As A Bug and pick out your favorite Christmas Pajama pattern.  Then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me which one is your favorite!  (Initial Entry)
• Earn Extra Credit!  You may do these for additional entries.
  • • • • • Blog about this giveaway and link back here and to Snug As A Bug.  Leave a comment here with the link. (2 entries)
          • Tweet this giveaway using the little button at the top of the page. (1 entry)
          • Subscribe to CSC updates via email.  I will verify.  Leave a comment to let me know.  (1 entry)
          • Leave a comment on any other posts on CSC between now and December 1st.  Each additional comment will get you an extra entry.  I can track you via your IP address, no need to leave additional comments here.

That’s it!  Good luck! Oh, and the official rules and legal jargon are below.

US and Canadian entries only, winner will be chosen via random.org at the end of the contest. Winners are posted here and contacted directly, please leave a valid email address or blog address if you’d like to be contacted should you win. Winner has 24 hours to claim their prize. This contests ends at 11:59 pm CST on December 1st, 2009.

Get The Look: Vampire Diaries

As if I needed one more television show on the CW to be obsessed with – I started watching Vampire Diaries this week when someone told me about the show – and I have been downloading all of the episodes from iTunes.  I’m starting to realize no show on the CW is complete without incredible fashion (à la Gossip Girl and last season’s Privileged) because I’ve been drooling over the clothing on the characters since the very first episode.

What really caught my attention was this fantastic three-quarter length sleeve leather jacket that Elena was sporting in the first episode – and then in the second episode I noticed what I thought was the same jacket in cream.  While I figured it wasn’t the same jacket, I was still inspired to do some research.  Turns out, it’s not the same one, but both are equally drool-worthy.

It seems that Elena’s parents left her some serious money when they died, because she is sporting a KRMA Jade Leather Jacket on the left that has been seen on tons of celebs such as Fergie, Audrina Partridge, Pink, and Mena Suvari.  I can’t help but go gaga for the gathered sleeves – even if the $600 price tag did erase some of those stars in my eyes.  The cream colored jacket on the left (which would match my new Foxcrow handbag quite nicely) is a Candela Leather Bomber Jacket with long sleeves – I was just fooled a bit because Elena (played by Nina Dobrev) wears it with the sleeves pushed up.

Fall Trend Watch: Precious Metals

I actually can’t believe that Halloween is over and that the Holiday Season has officially (in my eyes, anyway) begun.  That means warm sweaters, leggings, and jackets (oh my!).  Naturally, the change in seasons doesn’t just involve the weather, but fashion as well.  So, while you’re dusting off those sweater boxes, start thinking about ways you might be able to spice up your fall wardrobe.  Instead of purchasing new clothes, try updating your look with some new accessories.  A few carefully chosen pieces can breathe new life into that old ensemble!

One of the hottest trends for fall will be more hardware-focused items.  Far from dainty, these pieces are bold, metallic, and above all, they make a statement. Grab a few metal cuff bracelets, or some dazzling bangles.  You can play up a simple top by pairing it with a necklace that is a bit bulkier than your normal comfort level; pieces this season are all about making a statement.  Of course, only choose items that you can wear with confidence, because if you don’t feel amazing wearing it then no one else will notice it!

These definitely aren’t your grandmother’s pearls!  Classic, elegant pieces certainly have their place, but you can strike a balance between classic round pearls and modern metal with this gorgeous Golden Orb Choker. (Anthropologie $118)

I’m lusting after this braided metal necklace that can really help me to “tie” the perfect outfit together.  (Serpentine necklace, $29.99 at Urban Outfitters)

And lastly, don’t think this trend is isolated to jewelry alone.  Have fun with it, but go for something simple like this Deux Lux Chain Flap Clutch ($29.99 at Urban Outfitters) that you’ll be able to use long after the fall trends have faded.