Geek Gawk

Tuesday, July 5, 2005

There are two things in this high-tech world you never want to see your 7 year old go through during one long holiday weekend.  #1) Their favorite Gamecube game scratched to pieces.  Instead of shelling out $30 - $40 to replace the little bugger, all it takes is a quick stop over to Skippy Disc. Type in your address and they'll send out a free pre-paid envelope. Toss in up to 5 of your most scratched discs, pop it in the mail, and they'll resurface them to their original like-new condition within 48 hours at $3 per disc (plus $2.95 s&h). That's about half the cost of one brand new video game. #2) When Mom plugs your PC into a power strip that looks like it was supposed to be a surge protector, lightning strikes, and your favorite computer goes kerplunk. One call to Geek Squad and you'll be fixed in no time flat. They'll solve any computer problem step-by-step over the phone with you or make a house call (we heard they even fixed a gentleman's computer on a boat at 2am). You'll see that stylin' Geek Mobile pull into your driveway and just for fun, ask 'em for their badge (the kids think that's really cool). Then sit back and watch your Double Agent do his or her magic.  Need a new hard drive? They've got one in their trunk ($69 for an 80GB)! The Maytag Man's been made over new millennium style and this Mom's profoundly thankful.

American Hero

July 4th Weekend Edition

We can't think of a more perfect time of the year to salute a true American Hero, Lance Armstrong.  By now you're most likely aware of his incredible story - now it's time to sit back, pass the Kleenex, and watch him race his final Tour de France. Outdoor Life Network is providing real-time coverage for those who've got their Tivo's ready to roar. Or click here to sign a 'Thank You Lance' card that OLN will be personally presenting to him. HP is donating $50 of every sale of its special edition Lance Armstrong notebook to the Lance Armstrong Foundation and starting tomorrow you can head over to NikeTown, pick up a pair of new Lance sneaks and Nike will donate $1 from every pair to Lance's outstanding cause. The man is a machine. He's the stuff dreams are made of. We don't care if you win Lance -- you're already a gold medallist in our book.

Bust a Move

Thursday June 30, 2005

There's a new trend in the Entertainment circuit -- learning how to dance. Not your average jumping on the dance floor, occasionally moving your feet and snapping your fingers sort of dance. But the kind that takes real skill and determination to learn. And once achieved, gives everyone around you a visual Pow!  Lions Gate new documentary, Rize (PG-13), is dancing its' way into theaters across the country. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone says "There's no way to take your eyes off it" while Roger Ebert calls it "the rare documentary that plays as breaking news." Rize takes you deep into the heart of "krumping," a dance-form emerging from the streets of South Central Los Angeles. Centered around "Tommy the Clown", the film focuses on artistic expression borne from oppression with movements including quick syncopated body gyrations that are so lightning fast they warrant a disclaimer that the editing department didn't actually speed the film's frames up. Go see it for a great story. Hit the dance floor afterwards with new inspiration and a bunch of how'd-you-do-that moves.

House of Style

Tuesday June 28, 2005

A point and click over to Stylism is akin to discovering a pirate's (or Queen's) treasure buried beneath the sea.  Their dazzling selection of jewelry, handbags, decor and gifts will leave you in utter awe.  All of today's trendsetting designers are under Stylism's roof, including: Ann Egan, Artafacts, Balu, Ben-Amun, David Aubrey, Desert Heart, Flying Lizard, Heidi Daus, Jane Diaz, Liz Palacios, Misha of New York, Sorrelli, Wendy Mink and many more. If you've spotted jewelry on your favorite celebrity recently - Stylism will quickly become your first (and last) stop in an effort to get the authentic look you're looking for.  Styleforfree shoppers receive 10% off any purchase when you use coupon code: SFF10 at checkout through 7/31.  And if you're registered with us, Stylism is graciously awarding one lucky winner a brilliant R.J. Graziano necklace valued at $110 on July 20th.

The Hair Maestro

Monday June 27, 2005

Jonathan Antin's Tuesday night reality tv show on Bravo, Blow Out, is our guilty pleasure while the Desperate Housewives are on vacation. We didn't have a first hand clue on how much work goes into making your salon the talk of both coasts. And the cat fights during Hollywood awards season cannot be missed.  Nothing beats watching whose Hollywood head thinks their's is Queen of the roost and deserves Jonathan's time the most. Then again, if he were our stylist, we'd be duking it out too. Since we all can't have a piece of Jonathan, his signature haircare collection ($18 - $26), appropriately called Jonathan product, has roared its' way onto Sephora's shelves. The line features two shampoos, three conditioners, and ten stylers—including this Freshen Up botanical mist ($18) designed to revive your hair and travel weary skin.  Bravo Jonathan...looks like all that hard work has paid off.

Soap Dish

The Weekend Edition

Looking for fresh, super fragrant skin treats that you won't find anywhere else? Indulge your senses at The Soap Box Co.! All products carried, including soaps, body washes and a delightful selection of gift sets, are carefully selected from companies who care about you - the environment - and never test on animals. It's your one stop shop for a fragrant selection of natural, organic and handmade bath products from brands like Sweet Petula, WoodSprite, Pompeii Street Soap, Bath Essence, Just Soap and Little Twig.  Styleforfree shoppers receive a generous 20% off your order with coupon code: styleforfree20 at checkout through 7/10, plus if you're registered with us, you're entered to win one of three indulgent gift sets The Soap Box Co. has generously donated for our July 20th giveaway!

Oh Maya!

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Hailing from Parsons School of Design, New York based designer, Mayandree Michel, has worked at Laundry by Shelli Segal, Theory, and Bergamo. Her first collection debuted with rave reviews in 2004. Her fresh, feminine, street-smart styles are winning fans across the country - from specialty retailers to today's top stylists. A must-have among trendsetter's, Mayandree's Summer fashions generate traffic stopping looks. Her beautifully detailed tanks, tunics and dresses, will make you go 'OMG'. And they're selling out like hot cakes - so if you spot something you love, you'll want to scoop it right up as it could (sadly) be gone by tomorrow. Shipping is free with orders of $100 or more and when you place code: styleforfree in the comments section at checkout, you'll receive an exclusive 15% discount - good on anything in the store.

PS - If you're registered with us, you're entered to win Mayandree New York's stunning embellished Bella tunic, a $195 value, during our Hot Summer Sweepstakes!

It's About You!

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Beautyholics are a finicky bunch. And we tire easily. When we discovered It's About Me Cosmetics in Canada (who ships to both the U.S. and Canada), we were overjoyed to discover all the latest the beauty biz has to offer. You'll find lots of buzz worthy treats from brands including Cake, Crystalicious!, Femme Fatale, Just Kittyng, Kiss Me, Lola, Mama Coco's devine lip balms, Maven, Personatalie, Pinkie Swear, Principessa, Rock Hard Cosmetics and Sweet Spot Labs. It's About Me (whose philosophy is that it's all about YOU) also provides personalized advice from their dedicated in-house make-up artist - free of charge! Styleforfree shoppers get 15% off your order when use coupon code: STYLEFORFREE at checkout through 7/15 and if that weren't enough to make our girly heads spin, they've generously donated a $96 value bundle of goodies we'll be awarding one of our registered visitors on July 20th. How cool can one company be?

Flippin' Hot Flops

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Pedestrian thong footwear has high tailed it from the beach to the runway. Jennifer Lopez has been seen strutting her stuff in a pair that husband, Marc Anthony, recently gave her. Big sigh though - her 18 Karat gold-feathered flip flops aren't for most of us mere mortals with a hefty $24,000 price tag.  Not to fret though - there's plenty of savvy styles for the rest of us. Havaianas, high fashion flip-flops imported from Brazil, are all the rage with celebrities this summer in leather, with jewels, or colorfully embroidered. Get the authentic's at Havaianas who offers lots of colorful styles for men, children, and women - like the dazzling Swarovski crystal version ($110, shown), available in brilliant shades of white, pink and lavender. Looking for more super sassy thongs? FlipFlopTrunkShow serves up many of summer's freshest. While our picks at left will have you looking like all the diva you deserve in no time flat for pennies on J. Lo's dollar.

Haute Tot Tops

The Weekend Edition

Baby Cappelli makes, without a doubt, the world's cutest hats for babies and kids. You will get stopped and asked where you found such chic style for your tot. Each handcrafted hat for boys and girls ($18) is made from 100% super-soft cotton. The light weight cotton is perfect for year-round wear and there's a whole garden full waiting to be hand picked by you. They make the perfect shower gift! Each is individually wrapped in cellophane, tied up with a neat little bow. Styleforfree shoppers receive free shipping when you email Jamie @ Baby Cappelli with your order and include styleforfree in your email. And if you're registered with us, you're entered to win one of two sets on 7/20.

Bejeweled Bags

Thursday, June 16, 2005

With the enormous success of her high-end jewelry collection, Los Angeles-based designer Rachel Abroms has expanded her talents into a line of remarkable jeweled handbags. From sleek clutches to large satchels, Rachel's incorporated her signature mix of semi-precious stone and Swarovski crystals to create a collection of dramatically gorgeous handbags. Available in a range of hues from tie-dyed suede to glitzy bronze metallic, each can easily take you from a day at the office to a night on the town. By combining the elements of fine jewelry and gorgeous leather handbags, Rachel has proven that you can never have too much of a good thing! Except for this - until 6/17, Take an amazing 40% off your purchase when you use coupon code: ra40 at checkout - good on the bags and the jewels.

Music to Mom's Ears

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Put your feet up Mom - there's a new nurturer in the house and she's going to make bedtime a whole lot easier! Lisa Malkiewicz, a qualified stress management consultant and mother, has created a $9.99 miracle on CD called The Sleep Fairy. Pediatrician Dr. Nicollette Ballou calls it "a masterpiece" while Dr. Toy selected it amongst hundreds of innovative products naming it as this year's “Best Vacation Children’s Product”. This delightful spoken word lullaby helps children develop positive mental habits, increase self-esteem, and learn stress reducing techniques that can be used over and over throughout their lives. One father who picked up a copy states "the sleep fairy worked miracles on my daughter who refused to sleep at night by herself." Wave your magic wand over to The Sleep Fairy and make your child's nighttime routine a pleasure once again - because getting a great night's sleep has never been more in style.  And if you're registered with us, you're automatically entered to win one of ten copies on July 20th!

From the Mouth of Babes

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

We all want it. That look as though we've just stepped off the runway even if we've just jet across the Pacific or battled it out with our brood of toddlers during a hot trip to the zoo. It's easy to get glam thanks to former modeling agent, Shelley Barrett's ModelCo line. ModelCo's stylish, practical, and innovative beauty products make the job of looking gorgeous and impeccably groomed - just a little bit easier. During her ten year tenure in the beauty biz, Shelley heard countless stories, ideas, and dreams from models and stylists about products they wished were on the market but weren't available. She listened, and created a collection of over 60 uniquely innovative, indispensable products designed to get you gorgeous in record time. Top pops? Give your feet a refreshing treat this summer with Cool Feet Airbrush Catwalk Heels ($20); Get wicked long lashes with water-resistant LashXtend mascara ($18). Say bye bye to sun damage with Tan Airbrush In A Can ($28 - $36). Or smooth out fine lines and pores with her remarkable Face Base ($26). Modelco products are available in the US only at Sephora.

Artist Focus: Ramy

The Weekend Edition

Ramy Gafni is one extraordinary entrepreneur who's made the leap from plucking eyebrows to developing a comprehensive cosmetics line and opening his own spa in just a few short years. Before François Nars become NARS and Jeanine Lobell made Stila the powerhouse it is today, the artists who started it all were more, shall we say, hands on. Ramy still holds this philosophy near and dear to his heart. In addition to a growing and highly coveted line of cosmetics, skin care, self bronzers and products for men (get them at CosmeticMall who will toss in a free Centerfold lipstick with $50+), he isn't so overgrown that he's not ready, willing and able to give you a personal makeover. We think that rocks!  Click here to send him an email, include a photo and description of yourself, and wait for his magic to give you a totally fresh look. If that weren't enough to make us go WOW, he's also written a new book (available for pre-order at Amazon) designed to show cancer patients how to live in beauty with the disease. That double rocks!

Bling on a String

Wednesday, June 8, 2005

Looking like a million bucks doesn't mean you have to spend that much to achieve today's high fashion look. Especially when you get glitzed with designer inspired jewelry at Inspired Silver. Frequently featured as style picks in the pages of Vogue, W, and InStyle, Inspired Silver has an eye popping selection of today's top jewelry styles with 90% of the collection's pieces under $40. There's tons of fun shopping categories including these Celebrity Looks, Wedding Sets, Designer Inspired, Stainless Steel and Mesh collections not to mention some of the most gorgeous watches we've seen this season. Get Inspired today and receive 10% off your order through 7/31 when you use coupon code: summersale at checkout. Always appreciative of your referrals, send a friend and Inspired Silver will send you a free thank you gift!

Pump my Ride

Monday, June 6, 2005

Whether you're looking to super energize your car tunes this summer, find a gift that'll knock Dad's socks off, or drown out the sound of the "are we there yet's?" from your back seat passengers, SYNC Magazine, a consumer's guide to trendy and tested electronics, has released its' picks for best automobile add-ons. Coolest gadget goes to TellPhone's 4000 Blue ($649, shown). It magically transforms your car speakers into a voice activated surround sound speaker phone that syncs with your Bluetooth. Best speaker system goes to Polk Audio's MMC6500, offering incredibly detailed mids and highs with extremely low distortion. The battery that'll let you forget about your jumper cables, even if a DVD's playing with the engine off, goes to Optima's Yellow Top. More top car additions are listed at left. Add one to your ride today and make your driving experience something you'll actually look forward to.

Nautical and Nice

The Weekend Edition

Summer's enticing combination of crashing waves, lobster bakes, fireworks bursting in the air and Wimbledon are a mere month away. Trendsetter Kate Moss was recently spotted ahead of the season's nautical trend sashing her navy and white-striped sweater dress at the hip with a skull and crossbones scarf last week in Britain. Jean Paul Gaultier has put the naughty into nautical with a stunning navy and white collection created exclusively for La Redoute. The collection features stretch bustiers, cute, knife-pleated mini-skirts and a long-sleeved striped T-shirt modeled after the ones he's become so famous for wearing himself. Nautical fashions with sexy lingerie detailing - it's a collection that cannot be missed. Receive 10% off your order at La Redoute when you use coupon code: 1651-51409-1039 at checkout until 6/20.