Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog

Looking like nosy Gladys Kravtiz peeking through her curtains, I have been peering out my window for The Man in Brown to arrive with my slim black patent leather Yves Saint Laurent stamp tote from Avelle, the NEW Bag, Borrow or Steal.  With a gift certificate to Avelle, I am feeling like a REAL diva.  The trendy tote retails for over a thousand dollars, and I am borrowing it for a month.  When I'm finished impressing MYSELF, I will just print out the free UPS shipping label and return it to Avelle and borrow something else.

To drop a few names, you can rent handbags, sunglasses, jewelry or watches with designer names like Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Fendi, Marc Jacobs, Leiber, Burberry, BE & D, Kooba, Tory Burch, kate spade, Coach...

If you are searching for the woman who has everything, the trendsetter on your holiday shopping list, the recessionista who can sport a designer bag without the guilt, or the woman who likes to change her look more often than the weather, look no further.  Get them a gift certificate to Avelle.  It will be the BEST return on your investment.

For other holiday shopping options, how to reduce stress during the holidays, or for a few holiday giggles, check out Holiday Fa-La-La.

We just got back from the market -- The Cosmetic Market, that is.

What do you mean you haven't been there yet?

The Cosmetic Market is a popular online store that sells over 150 leading prestige and niche brands.  Plus, they have a new Ekoh area that sells all eco-friendly brands, such as CARE, Dr Hauschka, Essence of Vali, Cargo, Body by Sonya Dakar, Korres, Jurlique, Panpuri, Sigg, Loop, Lucy B, REN, Tela, Herban Essentials, to name a few.

But it gets even better.  The Cosmetic Market is not for makeup junkies only.  Fun holiday gifts like this darling clutch made from recycled candy wrappers, food packages, soda labels, and newspapers, as well as gourmet food and books can be purchased there, too.The Cosmetic Market has been receiving rave reviews for their top-notch customer service and customers are loving that the shipping is FREE for orders over $75.

Although we didn't run into Jessica Simpson, Nicole Kidman, Miley Sirus, Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, or Michelle Branch at the market, you may run into one of them in the Nashville store as they stop by to pick up their favorite beauty essentials.

GWBBB readers are being offered a site-wide discount of 20 percent through January 15, 2009.  Just enter 1girl at checkout.

We hope you enjoy your shopping experience as much as we did at The Cosmetic Market.

No doubt you will want to enter the CUBE Rock and Stock Your Closet Giveaway, but aren't you a teeny-weeny interested in knowing what THE CUBE is?

THE CUBE is a sweet, brand-spankin’-new boutique built right inside Marshall's.

It’s where all those crave-worthy mall store labels are stashed for half the price.

So clear some space in your backseat and closet, and get into the CUBE for a square deal on shoes, accessories, and fashion.

Check to see if there's a CUBE near you now.  Don't forget to enter the Rock & Stock Giveaway!

[break] Then c'mon back and take a peek at what the inside of a CUBE looks like.[/break]

So how does Marshalls give you the same super-fab labels as mall stores, but for way less than their crazy-ridiculous price tags?

Let’s just say they have a few tricks up their sleeve. When a hot-shot mall store buys more gorgeous garb than it can handle, that’s when they pounce. And score the extras for way less. But they don’t stop there. They negotiate with the fashionably famous designers themselves. Except they wait until the last possible moment so that they get the prices those other guys can’t touch.

Happy shopping!

Current Giveaways on GWBBB:

Enter now to win a Karmin flat iron!

Enter to win $25 from Buzzillions (2 readers will win).

Current Headlines on GWBBB:

• Petunia Pickle Bottom for Chic Moms
• 2008 Holiday Tipping Guide for Recessionistas
• Cyber Manic Monday Afternoon Free Giveaways
• 2008 Holiday Tipping Guide for Recessionistas
• Manic Monday Free Giveaway: Karmin Flat Iron
• Sunday Funnies: Pharmaceutical Chardonnay
• Saturday's Smorgasbord: Amping Up Antioxidants
• Deal du Jour: Tory Burch Tote
• Total Beauty Web Tour 11-23-08
• Stress Reduction Tip No 7: Listen to Music
• Beauty Product Review: Crabtree and Evelyn Aromatherapy Distillations
• Fitness Friday: Snow Is No Excuse
• Black Friday Links, Coupons, Codes, Steals and Deals
• Will Black Friday Become Red Friday?
• Stress Reduction Tip No. 6: Tai Chi
• Enter to Win Tickets To Pink and Rockstar Pampering
• Deal du Jour: Boots No 7 Mini Compact Gift

Most Popular Headlines on GWBBB:

• Drugstore Deals for the Recessionista: L'Oreal
• 9 Tips From Rapists To Keep You Safe
• 7 Best Online Shopping Sites For Smart Women
• Book Review: You Being Beautiful
• Holiday Fa-La-La
• Beauty Product Review: Aveda Dry Remedy
• Tantalizing Tuesday: 24 Free Giveaways
• Holiday Fa-La-La
• 10 Things Women Over 40 Shouldn't Wear
• What Are Ivanka Trump's Beauty Essentials
• PZI Jeans For Real Women Who Eat
• Review of Unbelievabra by Shapeez
• 10 Worst Fashion Trends

Are you familiar with the award winning knitwear label Lutz & Patmos?  (Lutz & Patmos Sweater at $495 on sale for $297 at Saks.)

Gift these to yourself, too.  Spend some cuddle-time in front of a fire with your significant other, open a bottle of wine, and "Baby, forget it's cold outside.

More deals du jour on GWBBB.

Ah-ha Uses for Beauty Products

Consider this the MacGyver's 911 guide to beauty. These "off-label" tips and tricks will solve last-minute emergencies and more.

Don't throw out that metallic gold eyeshadow just yet! Instead of chucking products that don't work quite like you had hoped, find out what else they can do for you. These beauty tips, culled from beauty blog confessions, expert beauty advice and our own personal experiments, will have you reusing your makeup in no time, not to mention save you money and get you out of emergencies (like that day you forgot your concealer at your friend's wedding).  Read other beauty tips from GWBBB. See tips

Current articles on GWBBB:

Monday, Monday, can't trust that day...

To cure those Monday blues, don't forget to enter Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog and MORE Magazine's Manic Monday giveaway! Enter now.

For all you women who find the baby doll dress less than flattering, Manic Monday's style tip might keep your fashion blues at bay. The baby doll dress is last season! To update your fall wardrobe, store the baby doll dress and add a sleek shape. Look in your closet before you run out and spend those hard-earned dollars on a new frock. Adding a belt to a sleek dress will instantly update your look.



Vera Wang's Lavender Label cotton-blend belted dress is feminine with a professional twist. (Neiman Marcus)

What's modern for fall?

• 
  
• Empire waists
• 
  
• Classic shades of gray
• 
  
• Flattering modern prints

Remember, whatever you wear, let your personal style shine through. That's brains on beauty.

For more style tips and trends for fall...

Related Articles:

Handbag Trend for Fall

How To Look Like A Million Bucks In A Recession

12 Beauty and Fashion Essentials for 2008 - Color

12 Beauty and Fashion Essential for 2008 - The Basics

Classics Are Easier On Your Wallet Than Trends

10 Things Women Over 40 Shouldn't Wear

How To Keep Your White Shirt From Turning Yellow

Source and image: MORE Magazine

Brains on Life: Over a year ago, my husband and I attended a retreat in the Arizona mountains with friends and life coaches Diane Winn and Tom Searcy. Because they were such good friends, I would not have expected the profound effect that Diane and Tom had on my life.

An empty-nester and facing retirement after years of court reporting, I was trying to figure out what I was going to do when I grew up. Diane and Tom helped me sift through my many passions and formulate a plan for my second act of life. [break] Read more.[/break]

Empowering women, writing, photography...

All three passions are the heart and soul of Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog, thanks to the invaluable lessons I learned from Diane and Tom.

Diane will be presenting a seminar at Stargazer Retreats, a women's retreat being held near the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan. Diane's presentation on "Renewing the Essence of Who We Are" will analyze who are you when you are not wearing the label of what you do. It's a weekend to relax and gently explore those aspects of you that are lying dormant.

To learn more about Diane Winn, visit Through Eagles Eyes. To learn more about the women's retreats, visit Jody Elle at Stargazer Retreats.

Maybe I will see you there in August.

Beckie

“A woman is the full circle – within her is the power to create, nurture and transform."

-Diane Mariechild

DIY Skin Map: Our bodies are covered with freckles and moles. Our dermatologist suggested that we have a skin map made to the tune of $350. You can do this yourself. Just grab your camera and start shooting. Label the photos with date and part of body. If you have a mole that has grown, you will be able to look back at the picture a year later and examine how much it has grown or changed.

Related Articles:
Why Did Celebs Get Naked for Marc Jacobs' Skin Cancer Campaign?
Here Comes the Sun: Are You At Risk for Skin Cancer?
Protect Your Lips from the Sun
Raise Your Beauty and Fashion IQ
12 Ways to Protect Your Skin from the Sun
4 Sunscreens to Have In Your Beachbag
Best Self-Tanner
Best Bronze Facial Tint
What's the Difference Between a Sunblock and Sunscreen

If we had to pick a young celebrity that was the epitome of Brains on Beauty, it would be 26-year-old Ivanka Trump. Gracing the cover of Town and Country this month, Ivanka shares her role in the family real-estate business and in her eponymous jewelry business.

For a young woman who is as comfortable on the catwalk as she is in the boardroom, her friends praise her most for her modesty and consideration for those around her, "from family to colleagues to household staff -- not that her own household has any staff."

Do you know what Ivanka's beauty essentials are? Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash ($4.75) and lip moisturizer.

Smart girl. Ivanka obviously spends her money wisely.

For other tidbits of Trump Taste...

Dominant closet labels: Dolce and Gabbana, Armani, Prive, Christian Louboutin, Moschino, J. Mendel, and Narciso Rodriguez.

Current bag: Armani purple crocodile day bag.

Contents of bag: BlackBerry, Tic Tacs, keys, wallet, passport, and hair ties.

Favorite Fashion Hand-Me-Down From Her Mom: Asprey green crocodile handbag.

Best Fashion Investements: A black suit and cashmere sweaters by Dolce and Gabanna.

Bought but Never Worn: Half-leg gladiator sandals.

She'd Never Be Caught Dead In: A crop top.

Fashion Icons: Sophia Loren and Grace Kelly.

Favorite Bath Line: Fresh's Violette line - Violette eau de parfum and Violette candle)

Biggest Splurge: Art.

Book Currently on Her Nightstand: 740 Park by Michael Gross (story of the world's richest apartment building).

CD Currently in Her Stereo: The Best of Bill Withers.

Sheets on Her Bed: Frette.

Favorite Room Scent: Prada Infusion d'Iris.

Favorite Flower Arrangement: Classic white roses.

Do any of your favorites match Ivanka's?

Image and Source: Town and Country, InStyle