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.

Summer Trend – Neon Nails

As particular as I am about clothes and makeup, I seem to neglect my fingernails.  I mean, I keep them well groomed, but I’m never very adventurous when it comes to nail color. A swipe of OPI’s Natural Nail Strengthener every other day, and I’m set!  This summer, I’ve made it a point to bring a splash of color into my world (and my nails)!  Neon colors were all the rage on the runways, and he neon trend is still, well, trending.   From colors that are vaguely reminiscent of highlighters to bold purples and blues, neon on your nails is now! Check out some of my suggestions below!

Check out these two colors from one of my all time faves, Essie.  On the left is Perky Purple, and on the right is Funky Limelight (think yellow highlighter!).  Both colors will have you staring after your hands as you gesture!  $8 a pop!

I like this hot hot pink color from Zoya, called Layla.  I love Zoya polish because they are a non-toxic option and they have incredibly long wear! $6 a pop!

Another of my favorite polishes, that I discovered in the UK, is difficult to find here, but a fabulous line.  Pop Beauty makes this awesome line of nail polish (they sell the makeup at Sephora but not the nail polish!) that goes on more like paint than polish!  Very few bubbles, and no streaky look, but even better are the cool colors it comes in.  Check out Turquoise and Mandarin, both pictured above.  $14 a pop.

My Top 5 Mother’s Day Picks

Every day is truly Mother’s Day right?  Each day I spend as a mommy is more rewarding than the last, and I’m sure that moms feel the same way across the board.  However, it seems there is this day coming up this weekend…something about Moms, a day, kids, and um…oh yeah!  PRESENTS!  Ha hah!  No matter what you think, presents are typically a part of a Mother’s Day Celebration.  Since I’m not hiding the fact that I kinda like presents, I give you my top 5 Mother’s Day Picks!

#5)  A LITTLE PAMPERING — I love to be pampered and I (clearly) have a penchant for beauty products.  If you want to give mom a little of the pampering treatment without sending her to an expensive salon or spa, try some of these at home options!  All of these can be purchased for a very reasonable price, and are sure to make mom swoon!  I love the Sephora Manicure Set, the Clairins Self-Tanning Kit, and the Tropical Jasmine Body product collection!

#4) ORGANIZATION — This January I got my very first momAgenda and I LOVE it.  I can’t even fully express the love that I feel for it, actually.  I was always one of those chicks who would buy day planners and organizers but they never quite seemed to “fit” me.  The momAgenda is perfect, and really fits my needs as a busy mom.  I truly use mine everyday, and it has seperate spaces to keep myself, my daughter, and the rest of my family organized.

#3) A DIGITAL SLR — I am a picture nut, freak, etc.  I took over 10,000 pictures in the first month of Little AG’s life alone.  I have had many point and shoots, and I am finally ready (desperate?) to upgrade to a digital SLR.  I asked around to some of my photography-saavy friends, and they recommended that I get the Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera ($415) or the Canon Digital Rebel Digital SLR Camera ($699.95) to start out with.  If you have a preference or have tried one of these, please let me know!

#2)  ALL THAT GLITTERS — Give mom a piece of jewelry, seriously, you know we like the stuff!  Generally, something that sparkles or is shiny will make us beam with happiness.  Ever thought about giving mom something in that “Little Blue Box“?

#1)  NINTENDO DS — I’m in love with this new Nintendo DS Lite Bundle, which was aptly released in Green for spring, just in time for Mother’s Day!  It comes with the most adorable carrying case and a copy of Personal Trainer: Cooking. And yes, I totally need a personal cooking coach.  Remember, I never claimed to be domestic.  The DS is great to slip in your purse and play if you’re sitting at a doctor’s office, standing in line at the store, etc. and would be a welcome distraction for any busy mom because it’s so easy just to spend a few minutes playing!  My #1 pick for a Mother’s Day Gift!

5 Minutes To Fabulous!

Finding time in the morning for make-up can be a real challenge for many women.  Whether you’re a mom, or a working girl, or just not a morning person (like me), we’ve all been there – sometimes there just isn’t enough time in the morning!  But, getting your face ready for the day doesn’t have to take a lot of time…in fact getting yourself together to put your best face forward to face the day, is as easy as one, two, three.

The secret to beating the clock in the morning, is to rely on products that serve more than one purpose.  If you have a few multi-tasking products on hand for those mornings when you feel extra frazzled and frantic, you can fool the masses into thinking you were cool, calm and collected all morning long.

All it takes is 5 minutes (even less once you get the hang of it) to go from frumps to fabulous.

Here’s how!

Step 1: Apply a tinted moisturizer.  Tinted moisturizers are AMAZING. They are a true triple threat cosmetic acting as a moisturizer, sunblock, and skin corrector all at once.  They are also super easy to apply!  Just smooth it on your face as you would your daily moisturizer, and you’ll have smooth, even skin that doesn’t look ‘made up’ – Perfect for every day use!  Have an extra minute?  Spot treat with concealer applying it under eyes and on on blemishes.

Step 2: Apply a lip and cheek stain. I like Benetint, but for those of you that desire something a little more subtle you may want to try out Posie Tint (Benetint’s softer and sweeter looking little sister).  The key to applying a liquid cheek stain is to draw 3 lines on the apple of your cheek and blend!  These stains also layer beautifully, so if you’ve got time you can do a few layers to achieve the desired flush.  Finally, sweep the applicator over lips, and smush together for a natural looking pout that lasts ALL DAY.  Have an extra minute?  Apply clear lip gloss over the lip stain for a sexy shine.

Step 3:  Finish off the look with a coat of mascara (2 if you can manage it).  Have an extra minute?  Don’t forget to coat your bottom lashes with any leftover product!

That’s it!  Those 3 little steps are easy to do, and I promise that they will help you to look put together in the morning.

As an added tip, I personally find that it’s helpful to keep these products on stand-by.  Since I do my makeup in the bathroom, I keep these 3 items right next to the sink at all times.  This way there isn’t any fussing or finding – I can just get down to business – Which also helps to save a ton of time in the morning.  So, maybe you want to keep this kit wherever you get yourself ready in the morning…Bathroom, nightstand, glove compartment (in case you have to do this routine in the car), are all great places to keep these items.

My product recommendations for this routine are:  Josie Maran  Tinted Moisturizer, Sephora Tinted Moisturizer, Benetint, Posie Tint, Badgal Mascara, Maybelline Great Lash Mascara.

Do you have a great tip or trick to looking fabulous when time is the enemy?  Share them in the comment section!

Also, I’ve been a busy little bee working on lots of exciting photo shoots and projects lately.  Check out my blog for some of my recent work!