Styleish Reviews

Holiday Magic

2010-12-22T01:02:00.000-08:00

This post is just a big mish mash of things that I've been wanting to write about but just haven't yet! I thought about doing a "gift guide" but decided to share some of the things that I recently got that I think would make for great gifts!

I think you all know how obsessed I am with nail polish. One of these days I'll show you my stash of polishes! :) Nicole by OPI sent me their Holiday Magic collection and I got it just in time for Christmas and had to share with those of you that are into festive nails as well. I'm not the kind to do red and green nails but this collection was subtle enough for me to really love it and have been wearing it all week.

The colors from the collection are Kiss Me at Midnight, Bring on the Tinsel, Stuck in the Chimney and Spark My Misteltoe

Just a quick swatch of how the colors look on the nails. The reds are very much up my alley. They are both great for work, even the dark one! It's not too "goth" dark and in the light it has some nice shine to it. The glitters I'd definitely use as topcoats rather than on their own but I do like the subtlety of them that they are not too chunky of glitters and not too IN YOUR FACE kind of glitter either.

from left: Stuck in the Chimney, Kiss Me at Midnight, Bring on the Tinsel and Spark My Mistletoe. Bottle: Stuck in the Chimney

I've been wearing this combo all week. I love how these two look together!

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

{Nail polishes were provided by Nicole by OPI PR for my consideration but do not affect my opinions or review}

On another note, it really has felt like "holiday magic" at my place lately. Every day I've been getting such awesome presents and I recently received a little (actually big!) surprise from the Microsoft Windows Phone PR team (thank you Nadine!). They sent me the HTC HD7 - Windows Phone 7 along with a bunch of goodies!! I'm such a lucky girl! I <3 my iPhone but after playing with this phone, I am in love!

As you can see the screen is bigger than my iPhone 4 which is a great bonus when reading websites and blogs. I've been having fun downloading apps and playing around with all the features. It was SO easy setting up my emails which is essential for me because I hate things that take a long time to set up. One of the neatest features is you can set up your home screen with "tiles" and it can even include "live tiles" of your family and friends and when you click on it, it will bring you to their contact info (SO easy to find than an address book) as well as any of their latest facebook updates and photos that they've uploaded. The social part of this phone is probably the best and most unique thing that I've come across with phones. I've never had an easier time staying in touch with my family and friends.

Oh and I'm sure you know I'm an avid picture taker on my phone like a lot of us these days. I LOVE that this phone has a dedicated camera button so I never have to unlock the phone and click on the camera button and wait for the camera to start to take a picture. I mean a lot of times you just want to take a quick snap and this phone is perfect for that. I <3 it and plan on switching phones every once in awhile (actually I might carry both in my purse!) I'm now one of those geeks with 2 phones :) Thank you so much to the Microsoft Windows team!!

{Windows Phone 7 was provided by Microsoft Windows PR. They did not ask me to review or write about it on my blog but I love the phone and my opinions expressed are of my own.}

And lastly, I've always loved coffee table books and photography books and when National Geographic sent me their Simply Beautiful Photographs for review, I knew that I would love it even before I got it! I'm a huge fan of National Geographic and have had a subscription forever. Admist my hundreds of fashion magazine subscriptions, I get so excited when National Geographic comes in the mail. The photographs are so inspiring as are the articles. I learn so much every time I read my Nat Geo! For coffee table books I don't read them cover to cover but I like to thumb through them and I love that I can find a beautiful image each time I thumb through this book. Most photobooks like this cost so much money and I don't like to spend that much on something that's just going to sit on my coffee table but at $35, this one is super affordable and definitely would make for a great gift for someone that loves photography!

{Simply Beautiful Photographs was provided by PR for my consideration but do not affect my opinions or review}

A book that I recently bought that I LOVE is The Ellements of Personal Style. I love looking at and reading about celebrities style and home decor so this book is absolutely perfect for me. I actually bought it to give to my sister for her birthday and then when I started looking through it, I wanted one for myself so I bought 2. The pictures are gorgeous and love the write ups for all the celebs that they feature.

I definitely recommend checking out this book! I always like finding new photo books, do any of you have recommendations? I'd love to know!

*Please see my disclosure on product reviews/gifts from companies*

How did it go? (and $250 Best Buy Giveaway!)

2010-11-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Intel.

**Giveaway Closed! Thank you for entering!! The winner of the giveaway is Peace Love and Pets!! Congrats!**

I recently told you about the laptop that BlogHer sent me that was powered by the Intel® Core™ i5 processor and I'm back to tell you my experience with it! I can honestly say that it's pretty awesome! I've used older PC's before and I always noticed a lag time when opening programs and working on large spreadsheets but this laptop with the new processor definitely made a difference. For work, I was able to work on several spreadsheets at once and then even edit photos with those spreadsheets open and everything went quite smoothly! My screens didn't freeze and I didn't have to restart at all. I mean, if you've used a PC before, I'm sure you've had to deal with that at least a few times! I really liked how well the processor work because that meant that I could get my work done faster and spend more time with my husband and dogs!

Some info about the Intel® Core™ i5 processor:
Thanks to Intel® Turbo Boost Technology,1 the Intel® Core™ i5 processor automatically adapts to
whatever you are doing on your PC, dialing up speed to respond quickly to your needs. The Intel®
Core™ i5 processor: that’s smart performance with a speed boost. The Intel® Core™ i5 processor
also features Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology,2 which enables each core of your processor to
work on two tasks at the same time, delivering the performance you need for smart multitasking.
Don’t let too many open applications slow you and your PC down. Get smart performance now.

I also had a lot of fun using the Intel® Wireless Display which let me pull up my screen on our HDTV! It was actually a lot of fun sitting on the couch and reading through my favorite blogs through our TV instead of the laptop screen. Not sure my husband enjoyed it as much though. LOL!

Don't forget that you have a chance to win a $250 gift card to Best Buy! All you need to do is to leave me a comment and tell me what you do help you multitask better or faster! And for an extra entry, tweet or blog about this giveaway!

Giveaway rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) Follow this link and provide your email address and your response to the sweepstakes prompt

Sweepstakes ends at 5 PM PST on December 22, 2010

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.
Winners will be selected via random draw from the comments from this post and the one dated 11/17 and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

Also, don't forget to check out the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page for more chances to win $250 from other bloggers and 4 chances, one every week, to win a new laptop!

◊1 Intel® Turbo Boost Technology requires a system with Intel Turbo Boost Technology capability. Consult your PC manufacturer. Performance varies depending on hardware, software, and system configuration. For more information, visit www.intel.com/technology/turboboost/.

◊2 Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) requires an Intel HT Technology enabled system, check with your PC manufacturer. Performance will vary depending on the specific hardware and software used. Not available on Intel® Core™ i5-750. For more information including details on which processors support HT Technology, visit www.intel.com/info/hyperthreading/.

Multi-Tasking Queen

2010-11-17T00:07:00.000-08:00

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Intel.

**Giveaway Closed! Thank you for entering!!**

Life gets so busy sometimes and I've had to learn the art of multi-tasking in order to get all my check lists, checked off. In between my day job of being an HR Director, to my part time job of being a wedding photographer and my wonderful hobby of being a blogger I am pretty much always on the computer and multi-tasking on the computer is just as important as any other tasks. In between spreadsheets, editing photos and writing posts, I always have multiple windows open doing multiple things that are sometimes related but most often not.

When BlogHer offered to send me a brand new laptop powered by the the Intel® Core™ i5 processor, I figured they must've been reading my mind when I was thinking that I needed a computer that could keep up with everything that I do on it. The new processor has Intel® Turbo Boost Technology allowing you to “get more done in less time” which, really has been my motto for the past year or so. Anything that allows me to do more in an efficient manner is a friend of mine! They also provided me with an Intel® Wireless Display adaptor that allows me to use my HDTV as a monitor. How cool is that! I love being able to see my computer on a giant screen and it allows me to keep more windows open and see them all at once.

I've just started using the laptop, so I'll be posting an update later on to let you know how it's working out for me!

I really wish I could share my new laptop with all of you but I can offer you something close... a $250 gift card to Best Buy! All you need to do is to leave me a comment and tell me what you do help you multitask better or faster! And for an extra entry, tweet or blog about this giveaway!

Giveaway rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) Follow this link and provide your email address and your response to the sweepstakes prompt

Sweepstakes ends at 5 PM PST on December 22, 2010

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.
Winners will be selected via random draw from comments and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

Also, don't forget to check out the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page for more chances to win $250 from other bloggers and 4 chances, one every week, to win a new laptop!

And come back on Monday to read my review on how I liked the new processor and you will also get another chance for more entries for the $250 gift card!

Bling it on!

2010-11-12T14:01:00.000-08:00

I love giving (and getting) jewelry as gifts and I've been a lucky recipient of a few pieces that I just adooore and had to share. I can never get enough of jewelry though so am always shopping around and figured that I'd share with you guys what I found and what I like since I know we're all in that place of trying to find gifts! I've rarely met a woman who hates jewelry so I figure it's usually a safe bet to give some kind of jewelry as a gift! (and Hubs is well aware that jewelry is always okay to give as a gift to me. LOL!)

The lovely team over at Kendra Scott sent me these gorgeous earrings awhile back and I've worn them a few times already but they've yet to make a lookbook! Hopefully soon! But I had to share these beauties as they are so pretty and make quite the statement!

I own a few other pieces from Kendra Scott and have always loved her designs. The earrings above are the Aiden style. A few other favorites of mine:

Kendra Scott Laudette Necklace

Kendra Scott Yuri Earrings

Also, if you sign up on their website to get their emails you'll automatically get $20 off your next order!

I have been a fan of Marika King jewelry for awhile now, you've probably seen me wear quite a few pieces of hers in my lookbooks. She's all the way in Australia but she ships for free worldwide! Marika was kind enough to gift me with a few pieces and I love them. You'll be seeing them in my lookbooks soon!

You can get my cuff here and the earrings here. I'm also loving these pieces... (click on the pictures to take you to their links)

I think I need those matching earrings. And how gorgeous is that headband?

Rebecca at DiViene.com introduced me to their site and let me pick out a piece and I chose this pretty citrine pendant because I loved the color. I just got it yesterday and wore it all day. It's a beautiful delicate piece that adds just the right touch when you don't want something too dramatic or showy.

They carry really beautiful gemstone jewelry and the prices are very reasonable for the quality. This is definitely the place I'd go to for nice jewelry for my mom and sister and I know that they would love it!

14K Yellow Gold Pink Tourmaline Gem-Studded Barrel Roundel Pendant

14K Yellow Gold Marquis Multi Sapphire Gemstone and Diamond Earrings

If you are more into fun and unique jewelry, I stumbled upon Kris Nations who has some really great designs that I don't think you can find anywhere else!

I absolutely love this necklace

Large Dahlia Double Chain Necklace

I'm a sucker for friendship type bracelets. I just think they are so fun to add to an outfit and to give to your friends! These are so cute with the crystals.

Crystal Adjustable Bracelet

And last but not least, Kimberly Baker is my favorite jeweler in Seattle. Her designs are amazing and whenever I go to her shop or even just walk by and window shop, I want every single piece that I see. When I was away on a business trip, my husband stopped by her shop and picked out a pretty ring to surprise me with when I got home. (Isn't he the best?!) But I can't say enough about her line, every piece that I have has lasted for years.

This is the ring that hubs surprised me with! It's such a cool ring isn't it?

Also eyeing this necklace...

You know me and my big rings, I love them! I'm completely obsessed with this one that looks like 5 rings stacked on top of each other.

Now, the only problem that I have is to where to store my overflowing jewelry collection? I need more space! :)

I've got some fun weekend plans and hope you all do too! See you on Monday!

*Please see my disclosure on product reviews/gifts from companies*

Lookbook: Bows and Bling

2010-09-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

You know I couldn't stay away for too long right? I missed you guys! I'm not back full time but wanted to share this lookbook and a great deal that I have for my readers.

What I'm Wearing:

Top: from Anthropologie

Cardigan: J. Crew

Skirt: H&M

Shoes:Dior

Nail Polish: OPI We'll Always Have Paris
Ring: Gift from Ice.com**

I stopped by Anthropologie this weekend as I saw this cardigan on sale online and had to see if they had it in the store as I wanted to try it on. While I was browsing, hubs is looking at a rack and says "How about this top? This looks like you." and I agreed and brought it home with me. Good pick hubs! (I did end up getting the cardigan, in both gray and pink, it's really cute!)

Wanted to show you the cute bows on the top, what a fun detail!

We stopped by Uptown Espresso for a latte and walked around the area to enjoy our drinks. BTW, my ring finger is painted with a glitter top coat, it's cuter in person, the picture makes it look weird. :)

And thank you to ice.com for my pretty Tanzanite ring.

For my readers, they are offering a 20% sitewide discount (excluding watches, engagement rings and sale items) plus $1 shipping. Use the code: FBFAL Check out their Fall Style Guide according to these four trends to find something perfect for you. My ring is from the "Drama Queen" collection, which I love the mix of the black with the jewel tones of the collection. Make sure to check them all out!

Shop the Lookbook:

Banana Republic silk bowtie top

I can't find my top online but this one is pretty similar and cute!

or love this little bow tank and check out this hello kitty tank, so cute right?

Topshop panel bodycon skirt
I really like these slim skirts that you can wear with flowy tops. This one with hearts on it is adorable!

Miss Dior Pumps

Did you see these Steve Madden Caryssa pumps? They are the perfect shade of blue and love the height! And they are on sale!

** Please see my sponsors and reviews disclosure**

The Little Black Dress Experiment Sponsors

2010-09-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a moment to thank Society Stylist for letting me part of the Little Black Dress Experiment! It was fun to be a part of and am flattered to be chosen. I also wanted to thank the sponsors that were involved that sent us some fabulous things! I recommend all these products and invite you guys to check them out too.

Society Stylist Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/SocietyStylist

Society Stylist Twitter Page: http://twitter.com/societystylist

Sponsor Facebook Pages

SPANX: http://www.facebook.com/SPANXInc
ANN TAYLOR:http://www.facebook.com/AnnTaylor
MICHELE: http://www.facebook.com/MicheleWatches
SADDLEBACK LEATHER: http://www.facebook.com/saddlebackleather
HEELY'S: http://www.facebook.com/heelys
DONNI CHARM: http://www.facebook.com/DonniCharm
HARD NIGHT GOOD MORNING: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hard-Night-Good-Morning-Skin-Care/149917134210

Sponsor Twitter Pages

SPANX: http://twitter.com/spanxinc
ANN TAYLOR: http://twitter.com/anntaylorstyle
SADDLEBACK LEATHER: http://twitter.com/saddlebackbags
HEELY'S: http://twitter.com/heelysworldwide
DONNI CHARM: http://twitter.com/donnicharm
HARD NIGHT GOOD MORNING: http://twitter.com/hngmskincare

Shabby Apple Giveaway - CLOSED!

2010-08-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

Continued from this post...

I chose this cutie "Sophistique" dress to giveaway as it looks perfect for the summer and then you can toss a blazer over it to warm it up for fall.

It's easy to enter, here's how:

Go to Shabby Apple and pick out your favorite dress and then come back here and let me know which one in the comments. (1 entry)
Subscribe to Shabby Apple's blog and come back and comment here that you did. (+1 entry)
Follow I am Style-ish (not this reviews blog) through google friend connect, subscribe to my blog through RSS reader or email (see the box on the right sidebar) and leave a comment letting me know which one you did or already do! (+1 entry)

Up to 3 entries total! It would be super helpful if you could leave a separate comment for each entry, that will make my life much easier when choosing the winner.

Comments will close on Wednesday 8/25 at 6:00PM PST. Winner will be chosen by random draw.

Thanks all and good luck!

Ritz Crackerfuls - Win a $100 Visa Gift Card! COMMENTS CLOSED

2010-07-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

The winner of the gift card is: Really Petite!

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Ritz.

Ever since I started working, I have always worked in an office and am used to a regular schedule, taking lunch breaks etc... but I recently started a new job where I don't go into an office. I spend most of my time traveling and visiting clients but when I'm at home, I work from home. This is a big change for me as when I'm at home, my schedule is quite varied as I can go from having conference calls to running to the post office and then stopping by the grocery store to pick up ingredients for dinner. I often mix up personal and business when I'm at home but then I get so caught up on everything that I'm doing that I can forget to do normal things like take breaks and eat. My husband who works from home as well, is much better than me at keeping track of those things so he will often come check on me and make sure that I actually take breaks from all the millions of things that I'm doing. We often take our dogs on walks to break up the day and it's so nice to go out and get some fresh air after I've been buried in spreadsheets all morning. During these breaks is also when I try to get something small to eat as I don't often eat lunch, I usually just try to eat something that will satisfy me until dinner. When BlogHer asked me to review Ritz Crackerfuls, it seemed like the perfect fit for me as it sounded exactly what I like to snack on during the day.

I got to try the Classic Cheddar and the Cheddar Cheese and Bacon. To be quite honest, I didn't have high hopes for the bacon one as I thought, "bacon in a cracker?" I just didn't know what to make of it. I tried the Class Cheddar and thought it was quite good! My husband however, was intrigued with the bacon flavor so he tried that one and then proclaimed that I better do my review right now or else he was going to eat the entire box. LOL! So I trusted him and tried it and it indeed was delicious! The flavor is just a hint of bacon and cheese and the crackers are nice and crispy, just what I like. These crackers don't seem like much, but they really do keep me satisfied throughout the day. It's great that the crackers are made of 6 grams of whole grains and real cheese, which makes me feel good about what I'm eating. The other thing that's great about these is that they are individually wrapped so I just keep one stashed in my purse and when I get hungry I don't have to worry about not having anything to eat.

Giveaway Details

Now for the fun stuff! BlogHer and Ritz Crackerfuls is giving me a chance to give away a $100 visa gift card to one of my readers! All you need to do is to leave a comment here before July 31st letting me know how you break up your busy day! What do you do that helps you relax a bit during the day?

After you leave your comment here, go check out the BlogHer.com special offers page to read other blogger's reviews and a chance to win a $100 gift card from one of them. (They are 16 other chances so make sure you stop by!)

I know you are wanting to try out these delicious crackers, aren't you? Let me help you out with a $1.00 off coupon. Click here for your coupon!

To get more info, visit the official Ritz Crackerfuls site.

Official Contest Rules

Win a $250 gift certicate from Beso.com - CLOSED

2010-05-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

The winner is Alice who left this comment:

"http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3065980?cm_cat=datafeed&cm_pla=shoes:women:sandals%2fslides&cm_ite=kors_michael_kors_%27violet%27_espadrille_wedge:278803&cm_ven=bizrate&mr:referralID=bb70f1c8-5ec0-11df-9198-0026b958ace7

Love Michael Kors!!! I read your blog everyday =)!
Great giveaway. <3"

Congrats Alice and thanks so much to everyone who entered!

I shop online, a lot. My online shopping in the past few years has increased greatly and now, with so many stores and so many products, it can be quite overwhelming. I've been using lots of helpful search sites to help me find what I'm looking for and I've been obsessed with Beso lately. I just love being able to search for something and find so many products all at once for so many stores. It makes it so much easier to comparison shop and find what I'm looking for. You may have noticed a couple of Beso links in my blog posts and I hope that you can see how helpful it is to shop with their search. Anyway, I was super excited when Beso contacted me to partner with them for a giveaway and it's not just any giveaway, it's $250 gift certificate to YOUR favorite store, yup, your choice! How great is that?

Beso was kind enough to send me a gift certificate and I chose my favorite department store of them all, Nordstrom! I have been wanting a cute summer dress that would work great during the day but transition well to a dress to wear out for dinner and drinks. After a few searches, I ended up getting this gorgeous Vince dress. I just put my order in and can't wait to get it.

Vince drape dress

How to enter the giveaway:

Search for your favorite product or favorite store on Beso.
Copy and paste your Beso Link in the comments here
To help you narrow down, you can refine by stores on the left sidebar.
Make sure to leave your e-mail or blog so I can contact you if you are the winner.

Rules for the giveaway:
* This is open to open to all readers, US and international!
*Only one comment per person
* Comments will be closed on Friday May 21 at 5:00pm PST
* Winner will be chosen by random draw

Thank you to Beso for the awesome giveaway and good luck everyone!

Sex and the City 2!

2010-05-10T00:00:00.001-07:00

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Sex and the City 2.

I'm sure all of you know that Sex and the City 2 is coming out soon and I'm not usually a movie theater type person but I do make exceptions for something as big as Carrie and the girls back on the big screen!

Sex and the City reminds me a lot of my relationships with my girlfriends. I don't mean in the way that we are alike in their personalities. I don't think I have any friends that I can say "oh she is just like Samantha." I mean, I personally do not relate to just one of them, but within my group of girlfriends, we do all have our own characteristics that are similar to each Sex and the City character and although we are all at different places in life, when we come together it's like a fun little world that we only we know and love. It's what having good girlfriends is about and I love that a show like Sex and the City really celebrates the power of the female relationships. Even before I was married, I've always been the girl with a boyfriend but I've always made time for my girlfriends as "girl talk" is just something that I just have to have. There is nothing more that I love than meeting girlfriends over dinner and chatting/gossiping over many cocktails through the night. My girls and I have been known to close down restaurants not because we got too crazy but for the pure fact that we can laugh and talk for hours on end and not realize that everyone else in the restaurant has left! It's something that I truly cherish about my girls. Now that we are all a bit older, busy with our careers, some married, some with kids, getting together gets harder and harder to do but I think the best part about growing up and finding a good group of girlfriends is that no matter how long I haven't seen them, we are still there for each other no matter what. I love my husband more than anything but I also realize how important my girls are to me and that life would be completely different without them. After all, who else will squeal with me when I buy a new pair of Louboutins? The shopping support is the best part of girlfriends! :)

So, I would love to know about you and your group of friends! What is it that you love the most about it? Do you and your friends relate to the ladies of Sex and the City?

To find out more about the movie visit the official Sex and the City website and to see what other women are saying about the movie visit the BlogHer.com special offers page.

Smart & Sexy Lingerie Giveaway! CLOSED

2010-05-03T23:00:00.000-07:00

The winner of the $100 lingerie wardrobe is Breanne at Bella Vita. Congratulations and thanks everyone for entering!

Continued from my post here...

Here's just some of the fun stuff they have!

I, of course, couldn't leave you guys out so am partnering with Smart & Sexy for a $100 lingerie wardrobe giveaway! One lucky reader will get to choose her own lingerie wardrobe from their website! (Please note that if they are out of stock/your size they will be able to substitute as needed)

How to win:

* Visit Smart & Sexy and let me know what your favorite item is.
* Twitter about this giveaway with the sentence Enter the @styleish and Smart and Sexy lingerie giveaway! http://bit.ly/style-ishgiveaway (+1 entry)
* Post on your blog/sidebar. You can use the graphic above. (+1 entry)

For each additional entry please leave a separate comment of what you did.

Thank you to everyone in advance for getting the word out about the giveaway!

Rules for the giveaway:

* The giveaway is open to US residents only.
* Comments will be closed on Tuesday May 11th at 5:00pm PST
* Winner will be chosen by random draw
* Winner has to contact me within 5 days or else a new winner will be chosen.

Good Luck!

Misikko Flat Iron Giveaway! CLOSED

2010-04-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

The winner is justalittlenerdy! Congrats and thanks everyone for entering!

You all know that I love all hair products and try out everything and anything I can get my hands on. I am very loyal to my T3 curling iron but when Misikko contacted me about reviewing the Hana Elite ceramic flat iron, I had to try it out. I recently went to a salon for a blow out and when I asked for big bouncy curls, my stylist used a flat iron to create the curls instead of a curling iron. I was intrigued and had to see if I could recreate the look myself so the flat iron came at the perfect time!

I have to apologize but I haven't been home in a few weeks and in fact will only be home for a few days this month (I KNOW! Crazy travel schedule) so I don't have time to take my own pictures but the flat iron came in a package just like this along with several other goodies that Misikko sent. What great packaging right? I love that they include a storage pouch and a mat so I will be able to take this when I travel.

So how did it work? Well, despite that my arms got a bit more tired than usual (it's a lot more work than a curling iron because you have to continue to pull, curl, pull, curl), my curls came out much bigger than the tighter curls that my curling iron usually gives. I really liked how my hair turned out, (I love big hair!) and although I may need some extra practice with it, I am definitely going to start using the flat iron to curl my hair. I'm sure that it does just as good of a job straightening hair but since I'm all about the big sexy curls lately, that's what I'm using it for. :)

Since I loved the flat iron so much, Misikko kindly offered to let me give one away to a lucky reader! Here's a description of the flat iron from their website:

The Hana Elite Flat Iron is 100% true, solid ceramic. This means it will never peel or chip to expose hair to damaging metal - it also means Hana can include large ceramic heaters that cover the entire plates for the best possible heat distribution and retention. As the pros know, the secret to ceramic hair straightening is in the ceramic technology itself - and Hana focuses on bringing you the best flat iron money can buy.

How to win:
1. Leave a comment, tell me anything you want! (1 entry)
Make sure to leave me your e-mail or blog address so I can contact you if you are the winner.
2. Follow Misikko on Twitter (+1 entry)
http://www.twitter.com/misikko
3. Blog about the giveaway (+1 entry)
4. Join Misikko Newsletter (+3 extra entries!)

Please leave a separate comment for every entry that you do.

Comments will be closed on Friday April 16th and winner will be chosen by random draw.

Chi flat iron, FHI flat iron, Best flat iron

L'Bel Paris Review - GIVEAWAY CLOSED

2009-12-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

And the winner of the giveaway is...Rachel!! Yay! Congrats Rachel and thank you to everyone who entered.

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and L'Bel.

I recently was sent a few products from the skincare company L'Bel and I am a skincare junkie so was dying to try it out. I have always had skin issues, from a teenager to my early to mid twenties, I've had to deal with problem zits and random bumps on my face. It was one of those things that probably shouldn't bother me that much but it did, it bothered me a lot. I tried out a lot of different kinds of skincare at all different price points to take care of these issues. My skin has calmed down a bit and now my main concern is wrinkles and just general aging, although I do still have the occasional zit or two. L'Bel sent me a few anti-aging lotions, specifically this eye cream and this face lotion.

REGRESSION YEUX

Eye Contour Cream Against the First Signs of Age ff (am-pm) .52 oz.

REGRESSION JOUR
Protective Complex Against the First Signs of Age SPF 15 ff Normal to combination Skin (am) Lotion 3.8 oz.

I've only used both products for about a week, the eye cream at night and the face lotion for the day but I've noticed a difference in the softness of my skin. I've used many eye creams before and this one is really nice as it's nice and creamy and goes well onto the sensitive skin around the eye and is not irritating at all.

The other product that I absolutely adore is the Essential Moisturizing Lotion Toner. I don't typically use a toner as the ones I've used before can be kind of harsh on my skin but this one is so gentle. I think I do a pretty good job of cleaning my make up off as I use an eye makeup remover as well as my Clarisonic but after using this toner I could still see a bit of makeup left on the cotton pad and my skin just feels really clean.

Some information about the brand:
L’Bel Paris is a brand developed with the support of the prestigious Centre de Biodermatologie des Laboratoires Serobiologiques and Sederma Socete d’Etudes Dermatologiques. The latest scientific innovations are incorporated into each product, creating a beauty regimen for radiant skin that withstands the passage of time. Join us on Twitter for beauty tips and special offers @LBelParis.

You can also get more information at their Official site

Skincare and makeup is one of those things that just makes me feel so happy. I can spend hours in my bathroom playing my lotions, blushes, eyeshadows, etc... On an everyday basis I make sure to take care of my skin so that it not only looks good now but when I'm older as well. Make up wise, I'm not "just your basics" kind of girl. I do everything from change up my eye shadow color daily to wearing brightly colored eyeliner and red lipstick (maybe not necessarily at the same time. lol!) but one thing that I always add to my makeup routine for any special events is add a pair of false eyelashes! That one thing can brighten up my whole look, especially since I have small eyes but when I wear them, my eyes look a lot bigger. It's kind of funny what these little fake lashes can do but I guess that's a reason why celebs wear them on the red carpet too!

Because L'Bel is such a fantastic product I wanted to share the product with my readers so you have a chance to enter for a chance to win $500 worth of L’Bel products custom selected for the winner. The prizes will include:

Delyr
Bleu Intense
Resurgie Jour
Cellvivance
Pore Specialiste
Day Moisturizer
Night Moisturizer
Eye Cream
Makeup Remover
Cleanser
Toner
Face Mask
Divenesse Lotion
Supremacie Mains
Lip Gloss
Mascara
Women’s handbag

To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me What do you add to your make-up routine for extra special moments? - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin on 12/9 and will end on 1/8/10. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here: Official rules

Also make sure to check out the BlogHer Review/Giveaway round up page as you have 8 additional chances to win from the other reviews! BlogHer.com special offers page

Good things come in small packages - GIVEAWAY CLOSED

2009-12-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Congrats to ShopKim who was chosen as the winner of this giveaway!

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Intel.

When BlogHer asked me to review the UMID mbook, I was so excited to get it and test it out. You see, I'm rarely at home, I'm always out and about but still need to be connected to the internet at all times. I have an iPhone that I use but I think we all know that a phone can be quite limited in the capabilities of what a real computer can do. So in comes the UMID mBook which is not just something to surf the internet on but has the functions of a larger sized PC! It uses Intel's Atom Processer, which is essentially the "brains" of your PC. Intel has designed the Intel® Atom™ processor, which has been designed to be smaller and more power efficient, enabling you to get devices with full PC functionality that can fit into your purse or pocket.

The UMID mbook is the world's smallest PC --it's a technology accessory you can take anywhere. The mbook runs full Windows XP on an Intel® Atom™ processor. The most amazing part is the five-hour battery life which means you can do a lot on it like Video Conferencing with friends and family on Skype, accessing Facebook, blogging, uploading photos, downloading movies on iTunes, or even staying productive. If you are not writing a huge document or creating huge spreadsheets than this is the perfect little device to take anywhere because it does everything else. Not to say that it can't create document or spreadsheets because it can, it's just that when you are out and about, you don't really want to be doing that anyway! :)

This little mobile device/small PC has made my life so much easier! Oh and it weighs nothing, I swear it's not much heavier than my phone! I have it in my purse all the time and I don't even notice it. It's so easy to carry around and anytime I'm sitting at a coffee shop, I can pull it out and use the Wifi. I forgot to mention that it's touch screen too! I don't know about you but I love touch screen gadgets. It just makes it so much easier to click on the actual screen rather than having to deal with an itty bitty mouse on a laptop. The UMID mBook is available at Dynamism.com for $449+ and for a limited time you can get a free MicroSD Card with your purchase. Oh and for us girly girls, it's even available in pink!

In my opinion the price for this little PC is so worth it. To have everything at my fingertips (using the MicroSD card means I can carry any pictures or files from my main laptop and put them on the mBook) and not having to lug around a gigantic heavy laptop is a huge plus! I actually can't wait to travel with this because I love having access to the internet but I hate the bulk of my regular laptop in my carryon bag. This is the perfecto solution for me. The only problem I had with it, was typing. I have small fingers but even I had trouble hitting the right keys! I started using the stylus pen that comes with it to type which helped.

If you want to learn more or read more reviews, check out these sites: www.midstories.com and www.midmoves.com

So I couldn't tempt you with my review on this amazing little device without giving you a chance to get one for yourself could I? Yup, it's true, I'm giving one away to one lucky reader!

To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me How would you feel if this gadget was in your stocking this holiday season? The contest will begin December 9th and will end December 30th. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-Residents, aged 18 and over
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here: Official rules

Make sure to check out the BlogHer.com review/giveaway round-up page here and read the other reviews, who are holding giveaways as well so you have 8 other chances to win! BlogHer.com special offers page

Gifts for girlfriends!

2009-12-05T01:19:00.000-08:00

It's the holiday season and I'm constantly looking for fun and unique gifts to give to my friends. I got to review these two lines and I really enjoyed them so wanted to share!

I recently got some samples from La Falaise, an organic bath line from France and I love it! First of all, love the packaging. Just simple and modern. The different fragrances are all really unique and neat like the Green Tea and Muscat Rose Duo. I am loving the gift sets and am definitely thinking about getting them for each of my friends.

Another thing that I love to give as gifts is jewelry and when I got an email about Rebekah Green jewelry I immediately thought -presents! The designs are all really cute and the prices are great. The ones on the top are $40 and the ones on the bottom are $50. The best part is that they are all fair trade (eco-friendly) and handmade!

Go here to check out the rest of the designs!

I think any girl would be happy to get either of these lines as gifts and they are totally Style-ish approved! :)

These reviews were not paid.

Sponsor Spotlights!

2009-11-30T14:04:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to highlight a few of my fabulous sponsors. They all have such great things and with the holidays coming up, it's time to stock up on presents for yourself and your loved ones!

Imperfect Concepts Boutique has these amazing YSL boots for sale. Love the gray suede. If you are a 6.5, better snap these babies up!

And just in time to decorate your Christmas trees are these hand painted dog ornaments from Marquis Miniatures! I was delighted to see that she even painted my baby boy Macho! She does custom ones too so contact her at marquisminis (at) gmail.com for more details.

Daniella Tello has added another gorgeous custom made jacket to her store. Love the details!

And how pretty is this "Summer Sunset" headband from Lisa Kathryn Designs? I would wear this on a gray day to cheer me right up.

And this gorgeous print from Ciao Chessa makes me want to find a field to lay around in. The perfect dreamy picture to stare at when it's cold and gray outside. Everyone should have this print at their desk.

Thank you to my sponsors and thank you to my readers for shopping with them! Being a small business owner myself, I understand the need to get the word out there about your business so I am happy that I have the opportunity to help spread the word about these amazing businesses. I really love all of the products offered by my sponsors and hope that my readers enjoy them too!

If you are interested in being a sponsor, e-mail me at tiffany (at) iamstyle-ish.com, I am accepting ads for December through February right now.

Don't worry, I know not all of my sponsors are included on this post. I didn't leave any out on purpose, part 2 will come soon! :)

shopmamie.com giveaway!

2009-11-25T09:18:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: The winner is Foxie! Thank you everyone who entered!

continued from this post...

And if they weren't already fabulous enough, they would like to give away this One Shoulder Socialite Dress to one of you! Such a perfect dress/tunic for the holidays... I may order one for myself!

How to win:

* Visit shopmamie.com and let me know what your favorite item is.
* Be a follower of I am Style-ish through Google Friend connect (that "follow button on the left side of my blog), through twitter, feed subscriber by reader or by email, facebook friend, etc.. anything works as long as I know that you read my blog regularly.
*If you are new to me, just let me know! I love to get to know my new readers :)
* Twitter about this giveaway for an extra entry with the sentence "I just entered the @styleish and shopmamie.com giveaway! www.iamstyle-ish.com"
* Post on your blog/sidebar on your blog for another entry, you can use the graphic above.

Oh and if you are a facebook friend, feel free to comment on my facebook post for an entry. (Not an additional entry) I know a lot of you can't comment on blogger so want to make sure you are included too!

Thank you to everyone in advance for getting the word out about the giveaway!

Rules for the giveaway:

* This is open to readers in the US only.
* Comments will be closed on Friday November 27th at 5:00pm PST
* Winner will be chosen by random draw
* Winner has to contact me within 5 days or else a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck everyone!

Yumi Kim Giveaway!

2009-10-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

Get excited because I am giving away another $150 gift certificate to the Yumi Kim shop! Yay! I had such a great response on my last giveaway so I wanted to give another one of my readers a chance to win.

How to win:

Visit the Yumi Kim shop and let me know what you would use your gift certificate on.
Be a follower of I am Style-ish through Google Friend connect (that "follow button on the left side of my main blog), through twitter, feed subscriber by reader or by email, facebook friend, etc.. anything works as long as I know that you read my blog regularly.
Twitter about this giveaway for an extra entry with the sentence "I just entered the @styleish and Yumi Kim giveaway! www.iamstyle-ish.com"
Post on your blog/sidebar on your blog for another entry, you can use the graphic above.

Thank you to everyone in advance for getting the word out about the giveaway!

Rules for the giveaway:

This is open to readers WORLDWIDE! yay!!
Comments will be closed on Sunday 10/25 at 8:00pm PST
Winner will be chosen by random draw
Winner has to contact me within 5 days or else a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck everyone!

Lookbook and Giveaway #3 - Yumi Kim

2009-10-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

I can't say much other than I LOVE this dress. The ruffles, the print, the pockets, what's not to love?

What I'm Wearing:
Dress: Yumi Kim
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Sunglasses: Liz Claiborne
Belt: Mapel via Boutique Culture Warehouse Sale

I want to thank Yumi Kim for sending me this Dani Dress, it is the perfect summer dress but add a cardigan, black tights and boots and I'm set for the fall as well. I love pieces that easily transition into each season. The dress has an elasticized waist that creates shape but I added the studded belt to give the dress a little bit of an edge.

I recently stopped by an eye/sunglasses shop and spotted these retro-esque sunglasses. The owner said that Liz Claiborne brought back their vintage molds to make these sunglasses new again! It's hard for me to find big glasses that actually fit my face so I knew I had to have these when I put them on.

I love the entire Yumi Kim line and ended up ordering a few more pieces on the website. I am so in love with the prints, the flowy-ness and girly-ness of the line, it is just so me! Because I love my readers so much I wanted to share my love for Yumi Kim with you all and have partnered with them to give my readers a chance to win a $150 gift certificate for anything in the store!

How to win:

Visit the Yumi Kim shop and let me know what you would use your gift certificate on.
Be a follower of I am Style-ish through Google Friend connect (that "follow button on the left side of my blog), through twitter, feed subscriber by reader or by email, facebook friend, etc.. anything works as long as I know that you read my blog regularly.
Twitter about this giveaway for an extra entry with the sentence "I just entered the @styleish and Yumi Kim giveaway! www.iamstyle-ish.com"
Post on your blog/sidebar on your blog for another entry

Thank you to everyone in advance for getting the word out about the giveaway!

Rules for the giveaway:

This is open to readers WORLDWIDE! yay!!
Comments will be closed on Sunday 10/4 at 8:00pm PST
Winner will be chosen by random draw
Winner has to contact me within 5 days or else a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck everyone!

And big thank you to Rob at Fashion Luvr for setting this all up for me!

Girlfriends Guide to Gaming

2009-06-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

I am not really into video games. I pretty much suck at them. I grew up with a little brother who dominated every single game he touched even when he was 5 years old. I always tried to play with him and ended up losing and then would beat him up because he never let me win. It's true! Ask my brother and he'll tell you how he had to hide from me because I would hit him every time I lost. Sore loser? maybe... :)

Fast forward to me in my mid-twenties and traveling every month to Europe for my job. I had to find something to keep me busy on those long airplane rides besides work and in comes the Nintendo DS Lite. My brother introduced it to me and I played a few games on his and loved it. I've always been a sucker for "brain" or "mind" games than games where you actually "played". Am I making any sense? Anyway, I got one of my own and stocked up on Brain Age, Big Brain Academy and Tetris. I was pretty much hooked on this little machine. The games were super fun and really helped pass the time when I was traveling. Admittedly, it rarely came out when I wasn't traveling as I rarely have free time as it is but on those long plane rides, it was a savior.

About a month ago, I got an email from Justine at Brand About Town inquiring if I'd like to be a Brand Enthusiast for Nintendo. I would still have to be involved in the selection process but if they chose me, the first thing they would do is to throw a party for me and all my friends so that we could play with the Nintendo DSi, which is the latest version of the Nintento DS. Cool right? Since I was already in love with my DS lite, I was pretty much sold so I told her immediately that I was in! A few weeks later, Justine flew to Seattle and met me at Starbucks and we talked about the program and the party. I was bursting with excitement but didn't want to tell anyone the news because I was still in the selection process. When she finally got back to me to tell me that I had been chosen I did a little dance and then sent an email to my best friends so that somebody else would be as excited as I. Once a few friends knew about it, word spread and more and more friends wanted to come until I had over 40 girls on the invite list. I never expected my circle of friends who are so not gamers, we are much more girly girl, shopping types, would be so into it but everyone was so excited! I loved getting emails from my friends on the days coming to the party telling me how much they were looking forward to it.

The party was last weekend and I have to say, it was a huge success! They rented out a loft here in downtown Seattle and decorated it totally cute.

Everyone had a blast playing the games and I loved looking around the room and seeing all the girls so into the DSi's. They set up 5 stations, 4 stations were to play different games and one station to just play with the DSi.

see all the concentration going on? :)

The most popular thing at that station was the camera on the DSi. Everyone had so much fun just taking pictures with it!

gotta love that the DSi takes arm length pictures!
They even printed out the pictures for us to take home!

I didn't play as I was too busy talking to everyone and making sure everyone was having a great time. I did manage to drink 4 glasses of champagne though! Oh right, I forgot to mention that they provided food and drinks for us too!

See how in every single picture of me I am holding a glass of champagne?

I had so much fun and was so happy to see all my friends there. Oh and of course being me, I put it out there to take advantage of the party and get dressed up! All my girls looked awesome and I loved that we got an excuse to put on our cutest dresses and heels.

At the end of the night each of my friends got a DSi of their own! I am definitely going to set up another DSi night for all of us.

Look at those happy faces!

The entire group (minus a few that snuck out before we took the picture)

THANK YOU so so much to Brand About Town and Nintendo. At the end of the night everyone was asking me if I could just throw parties like this all the time. I wish! I'm so glad to have been given this opportunity and will be a Nintendo fan for life! :)

All pictures were provided by Brand About Town. If you are interested in seeing more you can see the rest of the flickr set!

SmartFood is genius!

2009-06-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

Contest is closed, thank you all for your great comments on how you have a girls night out! The winner is Angela who said "My girls night in consisted of a girly movie (or sometimes a scary one, depending on the mood), some snacks, and of course some drinks!" Congratulations Angela!

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and SmartFood

Smartfood is the snack for women who want to indulge without feeling guilty.

Last week when I got a package in the mail full of SmartFood and other goodies, I was so excited I ripped into everything at once! I hadn't tried SmartFood before but it definitely is something right up my alley as I love sweet snacks but I really only like it in small doses.

SmartFood is basically popcorn clusters and it comes in three flavors, Cranberry Almond, Honey Multi-grain and Chocolate Cookie Caramel Pecan. Sounds delish right? They come in individual packets with the perfect amount to snack on. I love caramel popcorn. I think it's one of those things that takes me back to when I was a kid and my mom would take me to the mall and we'd always get a treat of caramel popcorn while we were there. I absolutely love these individual sizes as I put them in my handbag and just snack on them whenever I want. All the flavors are really good, I actually don't have a preference I love them all! The best part is, each of these are 2 grams of fat or less and 120 calories or less per serving. Eating them you wouldn't even know that they aren't that bad for you. I have already given out quite a few to co-workers and girlfriends to try, they are that good! I totally suggest that you try them out too!

I wish I could share my SmartFood with you all but since I can't, a giveaway is a pretty darn good second choice. :) The prize: A $100 Visa gift card! Pretty awesome right?

To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me "How do you celebrate girls' night in?" - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) June 15 and will end 5:00 p.m. (PST) July 15, 2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
*You may receive an additional entry by following my blog - I am Style-ish and letting me know in the comments if you already do.
* This giveaway is open to US residents, 18 years of age or older
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here: Official Rules

Visit the BlogHer Special offers page for 7 more chances to win from other bloggers!

Check out the Women's World Website for more information on SmartFood and other great snacks.

Max Factor Review and Giveaway!

2009-04-27T21:54:00.000-07:00

Update: Thank you everyone for participating! Through random draw, the winner of the Max Factor product bag is Hanako66! Congratulations! I will be emailing you shortly to get your information.

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Max Factor

When Blogher asked me to review the Max Factor Vivid Impact Lip Color and the 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper Mascara I of course had to do it as I'm never one to turn down makeup!

First of all, I think the packaging for Max Factor is really nice. Compared to other drugstore brands, it's got more of a luxe feel. I'm always one for sleek black packaging and I really like the feel and look of both the lipstick and the mascara packaging.

I am a lipgloss kind of girl as my experience with lipsticks has usually dried out my lips. When I do wear lipstick I always put lipgloss over it. I was pleasantly surprised by the Vivid Impact Lip Color as it went on really smoothly and wasn't drying at all. In the pictures above I am just wearing the lip color, no lip gloss over it. I wore it throughout the day and it had pretty good lasting power, only have to apply after I ate something.

As most of you know, I'm a fan of false lashes however I'm always on the hunt for a good mascara as I don't wear lashes all the time. The biggest pet peeve of mascara are the black streaks that I end up getting on the bottom of my eyes from my mascara rubbing off. This mascara exclaimed to "plump" lashes which is kind of a weird term but I guess it's just trying to say that it will make them look fuller. I'm not so sure about making them fuller as my lashes looked pretty much the same. What I did like about the mascara was that it went on really smoothly with no clumping. I hate clumping! I always try to brush them out and then my lashes look even worse. Thank goodness no clumping with this mascara. I wore it the whole day and didn't get the dark under eye look.

For my eyes, I used the Vivid Impact Eyeshadow Duo in Domino Effect and I LOVE it! The pigment is amazing as is the ability to blend the colors. I will be buying more of the colors!

Overall, I loved the three products that I tried and will be checking out more of their products!

And a good review is not complete without a giveaway! We are giving away a Max Factor product bag worth $50!

To enter, leave me a comment below on your favorite beauty tip or beauty product. The contest will end at 06/16/09 5:00 p.m. (PT). Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments about your beauty tip/beauty product.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
*If you are a blog follower on I am Style-ish please let me know in the comments for an additional entry.
* This giveaway is open to US residents, aged 18 and over
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.

And also check out the Blogher Special Offers page for other bloggers reviews on the products. Each reviewer is giving away a goodie bag and Blogher is giving away 10, so go enter with them too!

Such a doll!

2009-02-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

I have been looking forward to seeing the New York Fashion Week runway shows and when I found out that Barbie was having a fashion show to celebrate Barbie's 50th Anniversary, I was totally intrigued. I'm one of those girls that has always been super girly and Barbies were the ultimate toy for me. I mean, the outfits, the shoes, the hair! All the possibilities and fun to be had with dressing her up. Between my sister and I we had quite the collection of Barbies and all her accessories. When BlogHer asked me to review all the exciting events going on for Barbie's 50th, how could I say no? She was my first fashion icon!

First off, the runway show. Fun, fun, fun! The clothes and the styling were so fantastic, it was totally Barbie for adults. I loved every part of it!

Here are some of my favorites. All so perfectly Barbie, girly, frilly and pretty!

The white dress on top reminds me of the Bride Barbie that I got that I loved so much that I never even took it out of the box!! I just stared at it, I couldn't stand thinking of ruining her pretty white dress and perfect hair so I was completely happy with keeping her in the box looking perfect as ever.

Check out the shoes! Hot! Can someone hook me up with a pair? ;)

I was also excited to see the Barbie loves Stila collection. As you know, I love makeup, especially Stila and they always have such fun packaging so the two fit together so well.

My pick is the "Jewel Doll" the pink and gold shimmer colors are fun but easy to wear all the time.

The Barbie T3 hairdryer, however, may be the coolest. I already own the pink T3 (which I love, love, love!) so I can't wait to see what the Barbie T3 will be like.

It is amazing to see all the fun stuff come out of Barbie's 50th, especially since they are throwing her a birthday party at a REAL Malibu Dream House. Can you believe they built an actual Malibu Dream House? I didn't have the Malibu house growing up, but we did have a Barbie pool house that was just as awesome so I can only imagine what stepping into the real Malibu house would be like. I'm thinking that I need to find a way to get to this party just so I can take a lookbook picture on the pink carpet!

So, who else was a Barbie girl? I know I'm not the only one! Would love to hear your stories!

More information from Barbie Press Release:

All Doll’d Up with “Barbie™ Loves Stila” Cosmetic Collection & T3 Barbie™ Hair Dryer: As much as Barbie® is known for her fashion, she is almost as famous for her face. This year, Barbie® gets all “dolled up” with Stila, announcing the cosmetics company as its Official Prestige Makeup Partner for 2009. Stila will celebrate all things Barbie®, bringing her signature beauty looks to life with innovative, whimsical beauty products, including a limited edition spring collection of beauty cans and a talking palette, all of which will precede a larger collection and Barbie™ beauty program slated for Fall 2009. (available at Sephora 5th Avenue store, Sephora International stores and Sephora.com beginning late January 2009; Fall collection due in late summer.) The Barbie™ beauty program extends beyond just cosmetics into the world of hair care with prestigious partner T3, coming this fall.

Barbie®’s Birthday Party at Her “Real” Malibu Dream House®: On March 9th (Barbie® doll's actual birthday), event-planner-to-the-stars Colin Cowie will help throw Barbie® an outrageously pink birthday celebration at – where else – but a real Barbie® Malibu Dream House®, styled and decorated by famed “Happy Chic” interior designer Jonathan Adler. The newly designed “real” Dream House® (located on the beach in Malibu, Calif.) will play backdrop to what is sure to be the most talked about “pink-carpet” birthday bash of the year, where Barbie®'s closest famous friends from throughout the years will be invited to peek into the fashionista’s storied closet! (Barbie® Birthday Party on March 9, 2009 – by invitation only).

Barbie's All Doll'd Up blog (http://www.barbie.com/alldolldup) is the place to celebrate fifty years of fun, fashion and friends. Read about everything from the most talked about runway moments, hottest parties, chicest trends and more. Check out exclusive video content, photo galleries and all the latest must-have goodies! Become a Barbie fan on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/barbie) for even more of the hottest buzz surrounding Barbie's 50th - and follow Barbie's tweets at (http://twitter.com/barbiestyle.)

To see what fun Barbie stuff other bloggers are writing about be sure to check out this page on BlogHer!

simply fabulous... always fun!

2008-08-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

I have something to confess. I am a candy addict. I will often times substitute my dinner or lunch for candy. Unhealthy, yes, but I just love me some candy. When I was contacted by BlogHer and M&M's to receive free samples and review the new line of M&M's and I was pretty dang excited. I am not a chocolate person but I do love M&M's. J and I buy a Costco pack of peanut M&M's to keep on hand at all times. And then when I found out that these were not just regular M&M's but their M&M's Premium line, well I was intrigued. How could you change something already so tasty?

Well, they did it and they did it fabulously. The tag line is "simply fabulous... always fun". I love it! I try to make everything in life fabulous and fun. My aim for this blog is to talk about the fabulous things I come across and to make it fun as well so it seemed very appropriate that these M&M's would fit into my blog.

Opening the box was quite a surprise as I found instead of the regular M&M's bags that we are used to, were these fun, colorful boxes and the M&M's itself looked like fancy little speckled eggs in vibrant colors. Fabulous for sure! I surveyed my choices: Mocha, Triple Chocoloate, Raspberry Almond, Mint Chocolate and Chocolate Almond and instantly opened the Mocha as I'm a big time coffee lover (I do live in Seattle!). My initial thought was "wait, what happened to the candy shell?" That's what makes M&M's right? It didn't take me long to dig into all the other flavors and by the time I was done testing them all, I decided that I liked it without the candy shell. I think because I was so used to regular M&M's the initial shock of, "wait, this tastes different" is a bit overwhelming but the true chocolate flavor replaces that and you realize how good it really is.

Mocha pretty much tastes like a chocolate covered espresso bean without the bean. So yummy!

Raspberry Almond is the perfect mix of raspberry flavor and chocolate. he almond adds the perfect texture to the combination.

At Christmas time I always pick up a bag of mint M&M's so I was expecting the mint ones to be the same but actually these ones are made of white chocolate. Ugh. Do you know that they are single handedly going to make me gain weight before my wedding?! I LOVE white chocolate. So delish!

Chocolate Almond is pretty much just like the regular almond M&M's but without the candy shell. Nothing too exciting but good nonetheless.

Triple Chocolate is actually layers of white, dark and milk chocolate all in one little M&M. Funny enough, it's a bit too much chocolate for me. I'd probably just stick with plain M&M's. But if you are a chocolate lover, you will probably love these.

Overall these M&M's are more of a grown up kind of candy but still a lot of fun. With all these new pretty colors, I think they would also be great to use for wedding favors or in candy buffets. I think I may be adding the Mocha ones to our guests favor bags for the wedding to add a bit of a Seattle vibe while we are in Jamaica!

Of course I wouldn't leave you without showing you pictures of these pretty little things!

The Mocha M&M's. Aren't they such a pretty golden color?

The pretty packaging

M&M's make me happy!

Go here to see what other bloggers are saying about this new line of M&M's!