Sorry for the lack of posts...

Thanks to everyone who has bothered to wonder where I've been! Work has been crazy lately. It's 6:00 AM and I'm running out the door!

I will post soon -- stay in touch!

Bronzer To Try List

Left to Right: DuWop Bronzer/Blush Duo ($35); NARS Body Glow ($59); Lancome Magic Bronzing Brush ($32)

In anticipation of summer, I've been oogling bronzers to liven up my pale skin. When I lived in Southern California, I was perpetually tan. I feel naked now without my nut-brown glow! Good thing spring is about to arrive: the perfect time to test out bronzers.


DuWop Bonzer/Blush Duo: I love that this duo is a combination of textures: a gel blush and powder bronzer. The bronzer also doesn't appear to be very dark, which is fantastic for my fair complexion.


NARS Body Glow: I've always coveted this hefty bottle of body gorgeous bronze body oil but haven't had the heart to pay $60 for it... although really, I pay around that for a new perfume every summer that I never end up using so I should just invest that money in Body Glow. It's a generously sized bottle of golden liquid with bronze flecks of glitter: noticeable but nothing garish. The scent is amazing: tropical coconut. Delish. I'm concerned about it getting on my clothes or leaving me with a greasy feeling -- it would probably be best for just a bikini rather than a white outfit. Who knows, though, maybe it really does stay put.


Lancome Star Magic Bronzer: The automatic brush that dispenses bronzer is a real boon for a girl on the run: no unnecessary packing to be done. It comes in three shimmery shades: a golden bronze, a silvery dust, and a pinkish gold.

Sephora has amassed a bunch of great bronzers all on one page, here.

Snooty Sales People

After hearing yet another story from a friend about being brushed off or mistreated by a sales person in Saks/Neiman Marcus/Chanel/Wherever, I've had it with snooty sales people.

I don't care if you're hawking a Chanel bag or vacuum cleaners. Guess what: you're still a SALES PERSON. Who do you think you are to treat customers in such a rude manner? Not to mention that intelligence is seriously, seriously lacking in half of these folks: if a hard-to-get bag is sold out, instead of acting so appalled that the customer didn't know this, suggest another bag she might like. Then get your commission.

How does being rude benefit anyone? These people are already making close to minimum wage and live off of commissions -- wouldn't you think they'd smile and play nice?

Here's to make it clear to all sales associates everywhere: WE are the clients. YOU are the help. Behave accordingly. If a sales person were to come to my company in search of our services, I would treat them with respect. I expect the same when I walk into their store.

The two worst offenders I know are the two men who work in the Chanel boutique of Neiman Marcus on Michigan Ave. Middle-aged men who sell purses. As Borat might say, "Great success." One of them has a pony-tail! The other always wears a tweedy suit that probably belongs to Neiman Marcus and that he probably has to take off before he goes home. Their names begin with C and M. Maybe they are so nasty exactly because of who they are: middle-aged men who work retail.

Generally, sales associates can be wonderful: helpful, considerate and making it possible for you get what you want. In turn, they get a commission from you. It benefits everyone to be kind.

M by Madonna for H&M

I only accidently ran into the M for Madonna collection at H&M -- I certainly didn't go seeking it out.

Apparently I wasn't alone in my indifference for M by Madonna. In a packed store, the two fully-stocked displays were ignored almost entirely. I was unimpressed by the collection -- none of it looked any different from what H&M usually stocks: ruched dresses, kimono dresses, basic black pencil skirts, etc. It was underwhelming to say the least.

I WAS, however, pleased to find a new display of organic cotton. I don't do as much as I should to cut back my impact on the environment (guilt guilt guilt), but if I can buy an organic cotton tank instead of a regular one, why not? I ended up purchasing an adorable muted chartreuse trapeze dress with big pockets in the front.

Young Women and Expensive Bags

Jean Chatzky's comment: "A Wall-Street journal article interviewed a 21-year old girl with a Chanel bag. That alone in and of itself is appalling, a 21-year old with a Chanel bag!" For those not familiar with her, she's a rather famous financial advisor, author of many books, etc.

I thought this was both funny and uncomfortable. As a 22-year old who carries Chanels, I often wonder what older women think. I've definitely seen some interested glances from older women coming my way: I can't tell if they're appraising, admiring or simply abhored at the fact that this YOUNG GIRL is carrying a $2,000 bag (it doesn't help that I look about 17, either).

Whether it's conscious or not, I think most of us feel that we should have a certain amount of financial, personal and professional success in order to warrent carrying such expensive bags -- and if we don't, why are bags even a priority? I think most of us DO feel that our expensive handbags (be they Balanciaga, Dior or Lanvin) are in some way a reward to ourselves. What do you ladies think about young women carrying expensive purses? I know that personally, I think it's strange for anyone under 35 to own a Birkin -- but is it really any different with Chanel? It's all relative and while Chanels are relatively affordable/reasonable than Birkins, they are not when compared to Coach. At what point is one brand okay for a certain age group but not another?

I admit that I judge -- as we all do. Before we even know it, we've summed a person up. I will fully admit that when I see a young woman my age with a Birkin, I think: "Trust fund baby." Occasionally, I will also posit: "Rich boyfriend." Because to be in your early to mid twenties, there is no way you yourself will have the kind of financial, professional success that would excuse the purchase of a $7,000 bag (which naturally implies the purchase of many, many, many other Hermes items which would qualify you to for the privilege of purchasing a Birkin [excuse my sarcasm])... even if you have been working in i-banking.

But do people think that about my Chanel bags? I wonder.

It's not the impression I want to give off. I'm making a conscious effort to move away from obviously logoed bags and I do not carry the big logoed bags to work (and on the rare occasion I do, I ALWAYS turn the logo inward).

Too old for Abercrombie

Abercrombie and I had some good times. We sat in class together, got drunk together, and went to college together.

Unfortunately, I've rather outgrown Abercrombie. In fact, everytime I walk into one I get the distinct feeling of being old. Still, I can't help but lust after their tanks and tees and tops: affordable, basic and cute. Yes, it is not exactly individualistic, unique, eye-catching but it's simple, easy and a real no-brainer which those of us with busy lives can seriously appreciate.

I like this tube top to the left ($29): what a wonderful, easy little thing to throw on.
I doubt I will ever buy anything from Abercrombie again, but I like to indulge my inner teenager but browsing their website and fantasizing about what I might wear to the next fraternity kegger I probably will never again attend.

BBC Article on Sexualization, Clothes and Young Women

Sexualisation 'Harms' Young GirlsThe media's portrayal of young women as sex objects harms girls' mental and physical health, US experts warn.Magazines, television, video games and music videos all have a detrimental effect, a task force from the American Psychological Association reported.

Sexualisation can lead to a lack of confidence with their bodies as well as depression and eating disorders.Such images also have a negative effect on healthy sexual development in girls, the researchers said.The task force was set up after mounting "public concern" about the sexualisation of young girls.

EXAMPLES OF SEXUALISATION
Young pop stars dressed as sex objects
Dolls aimed at young girls with sexual clothing such as fishnet tights
Clothing, such as thongs, for seven to 10-year-olds
Adult models dressed as young girls

Research on the content and effects of television, music videos, music lyrics, magazines, films, video games and the internet was analysed.

Recent advertising campaigns and merchandising of products aimed at girls was also scrutinised.

Sexualisation was defined as occurring when a person's value comes only from her or his sexual appeal or behaviour, to the exclusion of other characteristics, and when a person portrayed purely as a sex object.

They gave examples of a trainer advert that featured pop star Christina Aguilera dressed as a schoolgirl with her shirt unbuttoned, licking a lollipop.According to the research identified by the task force, such images and promotion of girls as sexual objects negatively affects young girls in many ways." The consequences of the sexualisation of girls in media today are very real," said Dr Eileen Zurbriggen, chair of the group and associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz." We have ample evidence to conclude that sexualisation has negative effects in a variety of domains, including cognitive functioning, physical and mental health, and healthy sexual development. " The task force called on parents, school officials, and health professionals to be alert for the potential impact on girls and young women. And it advised that schools should teach pupils media literacy skills and should include information on the negative effects of images portraying girls as sex objects in sex education programmes.

Governments also had a responsibility to reduce the use of sexualised images in the media and advertising, they said. Teenage magazines, Dr Zurbriggen added: "As a society, we need to replace all of these sexualised images with ones showing girls in positive settings - ones that show the uniqueness and competence of girls."

The goal should be to deliver messages to all adolescents - boys and girls - that lead to healthy sexual development."Professor Andrew Hill, professor of medical psychology at the University of Leeds, said it was hard to disagree with any of the reports conclusions." If you look at teenage magazines, it's all about sex." We are a visually absorbed society - our views of people are dominated by how they look." He added that the use of women as sex objects in the media and advertising was a difficult issue to deal with." Only 18% of children's television viewing is in their designated viewing time and legislation can't be the answer for everything." One of the key things here is social responsibility - advertisers and other media need to be aware that the products they produce and images associated with them have an impact and it's not always a good impact," he said.