eye4style

W.I.N.: If You Build It, They Will Come

eye4style — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:02:17 -0800

Let's face facts, we talk a lot about frivolous, pretty things here at eye4style. But when style partners with a cause - as is the case with W.I.N. this season -that's a mission I can really get behind.

In case you're not familiar, W.I.N. or Women in Need is an amazing organization that provides housing, help and most importantly hope, to homeless New York women and their families.

This season, working with the theme "Home is Where the Heart is," notable names from style, entertainment, design and beyond have each created one-of-a-kind, highly collectible paper mache houses for W.I.N. Participants include Halle Berry, Bobbi Brown (whose house is made entirely of makeup!), Sean Combs (my personal favorite, thanks to the very understated helipad on the roof), Oscar de la Renta, Isaac Mizrahi, Diane von Furstenberg, Moby and so many more.

Each house will be auctioned off online with proceeds benefitting Women in Need. To take your favorite home 'home for the holidays,' visit the auction and place a bid at www.charitybuzz.com from now through November 30.

To learn more about the project and W.I.N., check out the video below.

Shop This: eryn brinié Online

eye4style — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:29:31 -0800

After opening in SoHo about a year and a half ago, Korea's eryn brinié has built quite a cult following here in New York. But now, chickies everywhere will be able to shop this feminine and affordable line online, starting today!

Mirroring the store's delivery pattern, erynbrinie.com will offer exclusive online-only styles (see above for a sneak preview!) that will refresh regularly. Best of all, if you shop now, they're offering a free tote (while supplies last) and free shipping for the month of November. Enjoy!

Shop This: Rent the Runway

eye4style — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:03:07 -0800

I'm not a big proponent of the bag rental services that have popped up in recent years, the Avelles and Bag, Borrow & Steals of the world. As far as I'm concerned, if you're going to spend up to $200 a month for a bag rental, you may as well save your money for a while and invest in a bag that you own and can love for years to come. That said, there's a new fashion rental service in town and this one, I must admit, has some merit.

Meet Rent the Runway. This clever new site specializes in gorgeous special occasion dress rentals, from designers like Diane von Furstenberg (above), Robert Rodriguez, Christian Siriano, Proenza Schouler and so many more.

Unlike a designer bag that you can carry everyday, a cocktail dress might hang in your closet for months without being worn. So for me, it makes sense to rent a dress for that special occasion - especially when Rent the Runway makes it so easy. Prices are affordable (rentals start at $50) and you can shop by occasion - think Girls' Night Out, New Year's Eve, or Birthday.

Best of all, you're shipped an alternate size dress at no cost, along with a clever Fit Kit that includes double sided tape, braza (changes your bra to a racer back), deodorant, stain removal sponges and breath mints. Shipments arrive within 3-4 days throughout most of the US, while same day delivery is available in Manhattan.

Once you've knocked them dead, returns are just as simple. Simply pop the dresses in the prepaid envelope included in your package, no dry cleaning required. Easy-peasy!

If you'd like an invitation to join Rent the Runway, shoot me an email at eye4style (AT) gmail (DOT) com.

Happy renting!

Uncooked: Holiday Cards with Bite

eye4style — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:40:16 -0800

It's that time of year again, and while the holidays are stressful for many, I already find myself in the spirit of things. (In fact, I just snagged four adorable new ornaments at Anthropologie yesterday.)

I'm planning a bounty of creative holiday gift features here at eye4style this season and it seems only appropriate to kick things off with Uncooked Cards, a New York-based indie greeting card company with just a wee bit of bite. Exhibit A? This clever holiday design:

If you're better than Hallmark - and frankly, I'm pretty sure you are, check out the assortment of holiday cards at Uncooked here - a pack of eight is just $14.

Sweet Dreams: Mary Green's Stylish Sleep Masks

eye4style — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:55:37 -0800

In my world, sleep masks are both a necessity (my 6th floor apartment gets an insane amount of natural light) and a pleasure (love the retro glam effect!)

Lingerie designer Mary Green makes the best - they're colorful, quirky and made of soft, reversible silk. As you can see above, there are those that are perfect for travel, with embroidered sayings like, “Wake me if I can upgrade to first class” while nappers will love the “Wake me for dinner” and “Working on my novel” versions. More traditional nighttime slumbers call for masks reading “Sleeping Beauty” and “Counting Sheep.”

These are an affordable luxury at with prices ranging from $13 - $33, and they're also the perfect holiday gift for any glamour girl in your life.

Shop the collection at www.marygreen.com.

Link Love: Web Snob

eye4style — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:27:12 -0800

Stiletto Jungle explains how to blowout hair at home, perfectly.

All About the Pretty is coveting this new bag for her winter travel jaunts thanks to Lululemon .

All Lacquered Up has the scoop on cover girl Blake Lively's nail color direct from her Marie Claire photo shoot.

Allie is Wired has the scoop on the Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart Bazaar cover.

Bag Bliss loves the reduce-recycle-reuse concept behind Novella Royale Handbags

Bag Snob reminds you that a great way to get out of a funk is to shop vintage.

Beauty Snob features the Jonathan Product Beauty Water Shower Purification System, which is an advanced shower water filtering system.

Coquette wants to get bundled up in one of Soïa & Kyo's coats.

The Daily Obsession uncovers what may be the perfect pair of undies.

Fashion Pulse Daily provides a sneak peak at the fabulously affordably world of Charlotte Russe, the holiday collection

Real vs. Steal: Sienna Miller's faux fur look. I'm Not Obsessed will show you both options.

KRISTOPHER DUKES is wanting, wearing, and hating Halston draped-back top.

Second City Style thinks that footwear often holds more trend-setting influence than the clothes in Strutting With Style.

SheFinds is ready to get you perfectly dressed in time for any and every holiday event with their guide to an array of festive attire.

Shopping and Info wants this ruffled shearling coat on sale from Diane Von Furstenberg.

StyleBakery.com created the ultimate fall shopping list with some help from their favorite fashion bloggers and editors

Stylehive found lots of boyfriend-inspired looks for less than $50, because stealing from your boyfriend's closet all the time isn't nice.

The Beauty Stop shows how to get an easy 3-color eyeshadow look.

The Fashion Bomb finds hundreds of coats, shoes, boots, and accessories to fabulously update your Fall / Winter Wardrobe.

The Shoe Goddess is obsessed with Christian Louboutin's latest black patent pump!

Plastic Surgery: Yep, There's an App for That

eye4style — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:48:16 -0800

Plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Salhauer, author of the truly repugnant children's book My Beautiful Mommy, has done himself one better (or worse, depending on your perspective.)

This month, he launches iSurgeon, an iPhone App that combines "personal image modification with high tech gaming features."

According to Dr. Salzhauer, “iSurgeon serves a dual purpose, offering those interested in cosmetic surgery treatments a clear visual of what they would look like post-surgery, while also providing a fun entertaining game tool that allows the user to play the role of a plastic surgeon.” The app will sell for $0.99 and launches on November 19th.

The press materials stress that "never has the world seen something quite like this," perhaps that's a good thing? What do you think about iSurgeon?

Celebrity Style Done Right: LC Lauren Conrad for Kohl's

eye4style — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:14:09 -0800

If you had told me just two weeks ago that I'd find ANYTHING with Lauren Conrad's name on it acceptable to wear ON MY BODY, I'd have called you a liar.

But LC Lauren Conrad, a Kohl's exclusive, is one of the few lower-end celebrity or designer diffusion lines that has pleasantly surprised me.

While there are some basic tanks, tees, sweater and jeans in the collection, LC Lauren Conrad really excels in the pretty and feminine printed tops and dresses. Two standouts are the gorge watercolor dress (below) and the brushstroke sheath dress. Each piece is staggeringly affordable (the dresses are both on sale for under $50 each) and of relatively good quality.

If you're in the neighborhood of a Kohl's, stop in and check out LC Lauren Conrad and of course, the Simply Vera Vera Wang collection (which boasts some very cute jewelry!)

Luxe Must: Philip B. Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo

eye4style — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:43:05 -0800

The press materials call Philip B's luxe Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo, 'the fountain of youth for hair' - and at $140 for 12 ounces, it damn well better be.

$140.00 by Philip B at Barneys New York

This thick, rich shampoo smells like expensive perfume - heady, warm and powdery, with a hint of musk. The texture and viscosity of the Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo are closer to honey than they are to any shampoo I've tried before, and the formula itself revitalizes strands, making them feel soft, lush, and again, expensive. (Isn't it funny how that word keeps popping up?)

The magic ingredients here are Vitamin B5, nutrient rich botanicals (Philip B. is a paraben and phthalate-free, eco-friendly line) and a complex of L-Amino Acids at high concentrations which fortify and heal damaged strands, leaving hair bright, shiny and...inexplicably bouncy.

I was lucky enough to receive a small sample of this shampoo for review, however, I'm the kind of crazy bitch that WOULD actually spend $140 for a product that delivers, so don't put it past me to actually purchase Philip B's Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo.

What do you think, is Philip B. too rich for your blood?

Sweet Dreams: STELLANUDE Linen Mist

eye4style — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:30:02 -0800

Like many women, I consider fragrance is an indelible part of my style signature - in fact, I feel positively naked if I forget to apply. My perennial favorite is Stella by Stella McCartney in all incarnations - the original for summer, Stella Rose Absolute (which appears to be discontinued) for Fall/Winter and now STELLANUDE for casual and nighttime wear alike.

An extension of McCartney's lingerie collection, STELLANUDE opens with notes of Moroccan Rose and a fresh hint of grapefruit, floral heart notes of white peony and a touch of pink pepper. Like Stella and Rose Absolute, the base of the fragrance has a warmth thanks to the inclusion of amber - in this case, gray amber.

My favorite way to wear STELLANUDE is in the Linen Mist form. Just a spritz adds a beautifully old-fashioned touch of femininity to the bedtime routine and makes slipping into the sheets even more pleasurable each evening.

The Linen Mist comes in a generous 4.2 ounce bottle and retails for $59 at Sephora.