Perfume... Bottles.

Navigating the perfume aisle at the department stores overwhelms me.  

Like your mutual fund, every beauty house offers a diverse scent profile in addition to their staple signature scent.  If that's not enough, celebrities looking to expand their empires (and relevancy) offer you their stardom capitalized capture in a bottle (for the record, J.Lo now has five versions of her hit signature scent Glow:  Blue Glow, Sunkissed Glow, My Glow and Glow After Dark and three additional scents, Live, Live Luxe, and Still).  

All this confuses me.  A lot.

But what I do like about perfume is discovering that surprise pop of design in an otherwise boring fashion category.

DKNY took their design inspiration literally and created these bottles for their "Candy Apple" line:

Red:  Candy Apple Rasberry   |    Green:  Candy Apple Caramel

I guess they thought the design to be so clever, they used it for even non-candy scents:

Left:  DKNY Fresh Blossom    |    Right: DKNY Limited Edition Pink Deco Art

The Art Deco is adorable, but looks almost like a car freshener.  The candy apple colors deliver a slight sting to the eyes.  Otherwise, kudos for being original.

Although I'm slightly less intrigued by Gwen Stefani's Harajuku line, I looove the idea of grown women being able to bring home their own dolls! 

 

Top row:  (L) Harajuku Lil Angel   |   (R) Harajuku Baby

Bottom row:  (L)  Harajuku Love   |    (R) Harajuku Lovers

If I could bring one home it'd be Harajuku Lovers Sunshine Cuties Love (a girlie-girl mouthful!):

How fun and adorable is she!? 

I'd love to have her sitting on my vanity reminding me to have fun.

The boxes deliver just as much personality as its dolls:

Which one would you bring home?

Lunch Time

Lunch is always the most important question (problem) of the day for someone working in the suburbs  Transitioning from working in the city (where food is abundant and within walking distance) to working in the suburbs has severely impacted my diet.  First, I don't get as much fresh produce as before (every lunch was salad) since it'd require me to prep my lunch the night before (wash my greens, grill my chicken, boil my eggs -- I've only succeed 1x/month).  Second, with most employees keeping "back-ups" (microwavable dinners) in the fridge for "emergencies" to avoid having to venture outdoors, lunch buddies are difficult to come by.  Third, going out for lunch prepared in same-time would require driving out, circling about, parking, driving back and re-parking.  All this is why our company food supply consists of a vending machine full of never expiring foods where cup-a-noodles and power bars is probably your best lunch combination.

With so many obstacles towards eating healthy, lunch has become a daily battle.  My lunch today was a bagel (from home) and a pack of gummie bears (which I accidentally fat fingered from the vending machine).  Fail.

Going Nude

Trend Alert:  Nude is one of the biggest trends for Spring and one of the hottest ways to pull off this shade is with a Little Black NUDE Dress.  Since nude is a neutral palate, this color is versatile and easily pulled off...

1. Pair it with a pop of color on the eyes or in an accessory to make a statement.  
2. Keep it light with a glossy lip gloss and your staple heels for a fresh look.  
3. Painting the town red?  Add some sparkles with a sequined clutch or metallic shoes.  
4. ... Be careful not to go too tight or else you'll end up looking very nude!

Absolutely infatuated with
Herve Leger Crystal-Link Bandage Top and Skirt (it's a two-piece)

 

Price tag:  $3950 at BCBG.com

Foley + Corinna's Netting Dress

 

Dress $410 from Shopbop.com

Alternative version in cream

 

Ruched Bandeau Dress from Topshop for $80


Lastly, when wearing nude, good undergarments will help... ;)

 
By Spanx ($30; $40)

Instyle: April Deals & Steals

Whew.  After all the CSS and blogger template meltdowns, I'm finally back.

Wanted to pass along these Deals & Steals from InStyle this month:

Fatgirlthree set, Bliss, $76 after discount (originally $95); at blissworld.com.

20% Off Pampering Treatments!

Indulge in Bliss Spa’s range of luxurious lotions, rubs and creams, including their firming Fatgirl trio.

Receive 20% off any Bliss product purchase plus free shipping. Enter promo code INSTYLE at checkout.
Offer valid from March 15th until April 30th.

Mesh, Huit, bra ($65.60) and thong ($46.40) after discount (originally $82, $58); at tashilingerie.com.

20% Off Chic Lingerie

Tashi’s romantic black and cream lingerie is ultra-feminine without being too girly!

Receive 20% any purchase. Enter promo code INSTYLE10 at checkout.
Offer valid from March 15th until April 30th. 

   

images/ instyle.com

Victoria Beckham Fashion

With so many celebrity "designers" starting their own line, very few have managed to gain credibility as a true designer.  Lauren Conrad's first attempt at fashion fell flat and was eventually discontinued.  Lindsay Lohan is still peddling her own brand of leggings (seriously?) and her Ungaro collaboration was a disaster.

One celebrity line that seems to have taken off is Victoria Beckham's line of simple cocktail and evening dresses (her denim collection is a different story for the time being).  With sophisticated feminine silhouettes Beckham's dresses have been praised as polished and figure friendly. 

Victoria's Autumn/Winter 2010 line:

All photos from her Autumn / Winter 2010 collection here.

Spring/Summer 2010 collection:

All photos from Spring / Summer 2010 collection.

Cameron Diaz looked stunning a the Oscars after party in a VB dress.  Blake Lively is also a fan of VB (and Posh's muse) and will be the the line's new face.