Brand Loyalty, Does That Still Happen These Days?
Are you someone who must wear the same brand for all your makeup needs? What about your skincare? Must everything you use be the same brand head to toe or do you believe it ok to be disloyal? Sometimes when it comes to a favorite perfume, it feels just wonderful to take a shower or bath as your favo...
The "Busy Mom" - Is It Your Choice?
Let's face it. We live in a fast paced world. As moms, it is hard to keep up with everything on our plates. We have piles of laundry, piles of dishes, and piles of school papers. Along with the many errands we have to run, we also play chauffer for our children. It may be martial arts on Monday, soc...
Pregnancy Back Pain
Appropriate Posture And Exercises Are The Best Remedy: Pregnancy back pain in general and early pregnancy back pain in particular is a common complaint during pregnancy with more than 50% pregnant women suffering from it. Pregnant women are prone to backaches and back pain due to a number of reasons...
Tips And Tricks When Buying Salon Equipment
The best way to know what to purchase, how to purchase and why an equipment needs to be purchased rests entirely on what services a beauty salon plans to provide as well as the knowledge on how and what clients need and would want to spend for. Due to this reason, this guide isn't a completely suref...
Tips For Choosing The Perfect Gloss For Your Lips
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Stretch Marks And Skin Changes In Pregnancy
There are countless physical changes to your skin, both pleasurable and painful attributed to your pregnancy only. The common skin change that most pregnant woman experience is the stretch marks. Stretch marks are separations of the outer layers of skin caused by the overstretching of underlying lay...
Acne And Skin Changes In Pregnancy
All thanks to hormones your complexion may act up to during pregnancy. If you have had clear skin all along, pimples, acne, etc seems like unwanted guests. On the other hand, acne, pimples, etc prior to your pregnancy, your skin might just clear up. Irrespective of the situation, you can start by ke...
Natural Beauty – Making Your Own Skin And Hair Treatments Is As Easy As 1-2-3
The quest for beautiful skin and hair is prevalent among women. You can make inexpensive, natural beauty and hair treatments from ingredients you have in your home that will perform just as well or better than products you purchase in the store. If you only have one natural beauty remedy in your pan...
Sunless Tanning Lotions Avoid Cancer
For most Americans, having a pasty complexion isn’t really all that appealing. Unlike other people who want to be fair, a lot of Caucasians want to darken their complexion a bit through tanning. Unfortunately due to the harmful effects caused by the ultraviolet rays from the sun, it really isn't adv...
Sunscreen Selection Advice
The sun releases many kinds of radiation, each with a wavelength band that is specified. As soon as UVR reach the skin, it is readily absorbed by the skin molecules that intermingle more intensely with a specific wavelength. This act may result in damaging the skin proteins, lipids and cellular DNA,...
Tanning Salons- Are They Right For You
Indoor tanning is an environment that can be controlled. Both tanning beds and the sun give off ultra violet light, but as in the case of tanning beds, the C light waves which is considered to be most damaging are filtered. In addition, tanning bulbs emit UVA and UVB in which excessive exposure can...
How To Clean Jewelry
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Female Pattern Hair Loss – It Depends On The Genes
Female pattern hair loss is very common nowadays due to hectic schedules and stress. Stress is the main cause of female hair loss. Women rarely become bald, but hair loss is common. If more than 100 hairs falls from your head while applying oil or when you shower then you need to take proper steps t...
How Can You Tell Someone Has Genital Herpes?
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Acne Skin Care Tips
Some basic tips can help you to gain control over your acne. Acne skin care is no easy thing. For most people it is very challenging. Sometimes, acne lasts only through puberty and once those crazy adolescent years have past, things just get easier. Your face clears up and you don’t really worry abo...

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Handbags get a Bling Makeover From Ms. BB  

 by Roxanna Bain

 

Handbags get a Bling Makeover From Ms. BB

Daahling, your handbag is like your best friend ~ it will never tell where the two of you have been! Bling, much like your best friend, will make all of your handbags special and brighten up your life at the same time.

Daytime handbags might be the ones you are most reluctant to display with bling, depending on where you work. Remember that times are changing and many business workplaces allow you to freely express your individual fashion taste. Even if you work in a suited environment, you can subtly add a bling garnish to the most sophisticated bag or briefcase. A vintage cameo broach applied somewhere on the strap or bottom corner adds an air of elegance and class. A small earring gem dangling from the zipper is always acceptable and nice eye candy to cheer you up while you work. Additionally, you can creatively sparkle with bling on the inside of your bag while keeping the outside appropriate for your business day. A jeweled wallet, make-up case, or pill box will dazzle your spirits each time you open your bag, and remind you that evening fun will soon begin.

Handbag totes are a stylish way to carry essential extras that tend to bulge your standard bag. They can be casual, business, or fun, and you can find them in a wide variety of patterns and materials from straw to leather. Totes with a smooth surface can be decorated with adhesive backed crystals and hearts by simply peeling off the back and sticking them on the bag. Try cutting a sheet of rhinestones into your initial, or if you are the artistic type, you will have lots of fun designing an original work of bling art! For surfaces that are not smooth, jeweled clip-on earrings can be simply clipped onto the straps, and brightly colored pierced earrings can be attached to the zipper pull and left dangling.

Evening Bags are great fun to shop for and will accentuate your outfit with a wide variety of styles. A small clutch is always chic if you do not need to carry much. These can be found in smooth leather, reptile skin, canvas, or even transparent plastic. A light weight chain handle that tucks inside makes it easy to convert to a shoulder bag, leaving both hands free to handle all important things that comes your way ~ like wine or hugs! If you need to carry a bit more than lipstick, look for a bag with several compartments that will allow you to tuck in your cell phone and other essentials you simply cannot leave home without.

Evening bags can be found with just a touch of bling or totally covered in glitter, beads, jewels, or embroidered flowers and initials ~ or with all of the above! If the bag you love does not already come adorned for evening, simply add your own bling! Jeweled pins and earrings make it simple and quick to dress any bag for evening to coordinate with your latest outfit. Take good care of your handbags and they will last a lifetime, Daahling ~ just like your best friend!

Daahling, please visit Ms. BB at http://BlingSpa.com for more Bling Makeovers and Bling Therapy with healing gemstones. A dazzling variety of Bling Handbags can be found at http://BlingBlingMarketplace.com where the In-Crowd shops.

About the Author

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Hobo purses, handbags and tote bags are smart and comfortable to carry,

and come in amazing variety of colors and styles.

by Michelle Annese   
  
 
Hobo purses, handbags and tote bags are designed to fit snugly around your shoulder, so they're comfortable to carry around all day, and the rounded shape means you can easily fit everything you need to carry. The hobo purse style is becoming a really hot fashion item, and you'll be amazed at the wonderful range of purses, tote bags and and handbags which are easily available to purchase online. You'll find them in luxurious Italian leather and soft, buttery suede, chic and stylish modern designs, cool and casual totes, and unique creations with printed photographs, embroidery, and all kinds of weird and wonderful decorative clasps and closures. You can choose from a plain and simple design, or one which features handy pockets and compartments. Good quality hobo purses and bags range in price from around twenty dollars up to three hundred or so, and they make a wonderful gift for someone special.

Choosing hobo purses, handbags and tote bags.

There is such a vast range to choose from, the hardest thing is knowing where to start. Most people tend to think of hobo purses and handbags and as a casual type of bag, but there are some very stylish and elegant designs which are perfect for business. Nothing makes a big impression quite like an elegantly designed handbag or purse in genuine Italian leather. A suede hobo purse or handbag has a more relaxed, casual feel and looks fantastic with a soft, layered fashion look. If you're very petite, there are tiny hobo purses, tote bags and handbags which are cute, sexy and stylish, and will suit you perfectly.

 

About the Author

Lynn Donn is the webmaster for http://www.unique-handbags-and-purses.com Her website offers tips and information on all the latest trends in purses and handbags for the fashion enthusiast.

 

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Designer Handbags - What Really Makes Them So Popular and ?

by Charlene J. Nuble  
  
 
There are many, many designer handbags available to own these days.

So what is it that makes one more famous or more popular than the other? What factor above all else determines whether or not a range is going to be a winner or a huge flop?

Well, design quality certainly has to play a big part in it.

I mean, who's going to buy a bag that looks as though it's about to fall to pieces? Worse still, what if it looks as though it has fallen to pieces as it sits on display in your local store?

How will you be able to keep a straight face as the suitably reverent sales assistant dons her white cotton gloves before handling the bag as though it were the winning lottery ticket -- (rare and highly valuable and more than likely to explode in your face than actually be real!)

Beyond the point of many handbag lovers thinking that a Hobo style bag meant it should look as though it's suitable only for a hobo to carry, build quality has to be good and durable to add credit to the designers name and assure the buyer that they are getting real value for their hard earned dollars.

The looks of the designer handbag also need to be right.

With the huge number of different people looking to buy a designer handbag, there is always going to be a huge difference in opinions as to what looks good and what doesn't.

What others like as a design or style, you might think has been dragged backwards through the proverbial hedge - having already been rejected by a pop art museum!

But it's this subjective link that gives each designer their strength! Their unique style and imagination can inspire people to pay a deposit to reserve the latest creation before they've even seen a picture of it.

Lovers of a specific designer label can spend hours and days trying to track down each bag released under a specific design, range or label even.

Take the Louis Vuitton Cherry Blossom range as an example.

Created by Takashi Murakami in conjunction with Marc Jacobs of LV, this range consisted of a retro handbag, a papillon and a pochette. Lovers of LV or Murakami would collect the "set". As the Cherry Blossom range came in three color combos -- chocolate/pink, red/cream, pink/pink -- people would also look to buy each color set as well.

The power of the design, coupled with the appeal of the name, encouraged them to buy!

If it's a really 'top notch' name like Hermes or Versace then you need to add your name to a wait list. This list can stretch to more than two years for certain bags.

Everybody ranks the different designers according to their budget -- assigning in their mind a scale to attain. The same as everyone looks to upgrade their home or car, designer handbag lovers always aspire to move into the next bracket of handbag.

But I think that the biggest means by which designer name handbags prosper and grow or fade away with a whimper is down to good old communication.

Work with me for a minute!

How many bags do you own?

Of those, how many are from the same house?

Now then -- of those from the same designer, the same design house label, how many did you buy after someone else had spoken to you about it?

It can be anything from a simple comment that someone dropped in a conversation, to a friend specifically emailing you to tell you about the super dooper new XXX from the house of XXXX!

Now work backwards.

How many handbags do you own that you wouldn't have bought unless someone communicated about it to you?

1? 5? 10?

That communication has helped the designer sell more of his handbags than he would have normally, which in turn helps to build up his reputation and the strength of his name!

Design houses can (and often do!) throw as much money as they like into their advertising and marketing campaigns. The latest rake thin super model graces pages and posters, clutching the latest Hackyunaki hobenger bag to their bosom and beaming insanely!

"I'm beautiful only because I hold a Hackyunaki bag" they seem to say to you.

But if the people who buy and use their products don't talk about them in glowing terms, if they don't love them SOOOO much that they have to tell all their friends abut them, they'll never become a success in the world of designer handbags.

So the answer to the riddle of what makes a particular designer handbag a success is -- you!

You make designer name handbags popular and a success as much as you have the power to make them a failure, never to waste store space again!

Just by loving them and talking about them!

About the Author

Rufus Steele is the author and creator of the Louis Vuitton Handbags website, a site dedicated to all things Louis Vuitton and designer handbags.

Copyright Charlene J. Nuble - http://www.1st-4-louis-vuitton.com

 

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  Designer Handbags -- Should We Blindly Trust The Sales Assistants?
By Rufus Steele

Readers of my previoius articles might well think that the answer to this question will be a categorical NO, based on my "Designer Handbags -- Can Men Buy Them" article. In it I described the experience I recently had in an LV store where the staff were not exacxtly falling over themselves to serve me, a mere male in a handbag store.

But my answer would have to be a carefully restrained -- Maybe!

Now the direct, and indirect, knowledge that I use for the answer to this question is pulled purely from experiences and tales recounted by others involving Louis Vuitton stores. I cannot say for certain whether or not it applies to other designer labels -- although I strongly suspect it will do!

Now at one time, store managers and assistants were held in the same revered light that doctors enjoyed. What they said or reported was seen as gospel, never to be questioned, let alone doubted.

But doctors are only human, bless 'em. They, like us, make mistakes and errors in judgement. (With the hours some of them have to work I'm not in the least little bit surprised!)

In the olden days, when a doctor advised that little Johny was suffering nothing more than a slight fever and should be fed aspirin every fours hours until he perked up, no thought of questioning the diagnosis would occur to mom and dad -- even though they could see little Johny's leg was bent forwards 90 degrees at the knee and he kept fainting every time someone coughed near it!

It used to be like that in the stores as well.

"Good Morning Modom, may I help you?"

"Yes please, may I see the new Hyanuki Messenger Bag please?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry Modom, that bag hasn't been released yet! Well, it certainly wasn't before I went on my holiday, anyway."

"Erm, isn't it the one on the shelves over there? The stack of three of them with the sign on the front saying 'Hyanuki Messnger Bag'?"

"No Modom, certainly not! It can't be or else I would have been told about it!"

Now, staff in the LV stores are never allowed to give out written authenticity statements for any bags! Any at all.

If you like -- test me on this!

Go into one of their stores and buy a bag there and then. As soon as you've been handed your receipt, try asking for a note from the sales assistant or manager, affirming the fact that this bag is an authentic item!

They'll politely decline! (They'll also probably look at you as though you're totally bonkers, but don't worry about that, there are plenty more stores to go and buy from!)

Not because they don't doubt the authenticty -- but because they aren't allowed to by company rules.

I used to think that this was because they would never be sure that the letter or note of authenticity wouldn't then be copied or used to give a fake bag an incorrect "value", make it appear genuine and authentic.

Now, I'm sure that a large element of that reason still remains. However, I think it is also tempered by another reason, one which should concern anyone seeking an accurrate assesment of their bags.

I believe that they refuse to allow this valuation to be recorded in any form in case it is wrong. Because they expect it to be wrong on occassion.

Too tall an idea to be believeable?

Well, how about if I told you about a lady I know who had a hilarious experience in an LV store.

She was the lucky owner of a Gold Suhali bag. Now, these are rare, seriously rare. It's the type of bag that only the celebs get to own because of A) Price and B) Exclusivity! I cannot remember where she had got hers from -- but I do know it was without a doubt authentic!

She went into an LV store and proceeded to look around. She did notice what seemed to be a frosty reception from the sales assistants but assumed it was directed somewhere else. Imagine her surprise when she discovered it was aimed at her. Both of the sales assistants in the store thought she was a fugly lover -- because they believed the Gold Suhali was a fake! Not only didn't they know that one had been released, they didn't even know they'd be made in the first place!

And before you leap from your seat in defence of the beleagured sales assistants with a shout of "Well, that 's not strange if the bag is so rare!" let me temper this by saying that the bag was rare in the same way as the Mona Lisa is rare. Rare -- but everyone knows about it!

With the increase in the number of bags in a range and the number of ranges as well, it will always be an ever expanding job for LV and other designer labels to ensure all their staff are up to speed on all the bags available and their particular differences.

However much training they receive - they'll always be behind the times on one or two ranges or items at least. No amount of store training will be able to overcome the simple dynamics of time available for training v number of staff requiring training v people available to do training divided by time available across all the people required to be involved in the training.

Sadly, no one knows all the answers.

Now, if you're lucky enough to find a store assistant with whom you can strike up a "rapport" then you should be able to trust their answers more than most. If they don't know the real answer, it's in their best interests to find out for you.

But should you trust an SA without question?

No, I don't think so. You should temper their answer with information that you glean from other sources as well, such as forums, chat groups of like minded designer lovers and from press and magazine articles.

Balance these sources of answers together -- and you'll always have the best answer possible -- and not a potential bad guess!

Rufus Steele is the author and creator of the Louis Vuitton Handbags website, a site dedicated to all things Louis Vuitton

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rufus_Steele

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Designer Envy: Knock It Off!
 by: Gregory Lions

CHANEL, VERSACE, DOLCE & GABBANA, VUITTON, GUCCI, DIOR, FENDI, PRADA, COACH, MARC JACOBS et al.

As the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear, these are the brand-name clothing and fashion accessories that women will expect. But with the average cost of these items ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars, how can the average woman afford these at all?

Add to the mix the celebrity endorsements. Paris Hilton wears CHANEL sunglasses, Jessica Simpson totes a VUITTON Speedy bag, Jennifer Lopez wears a DOLCE & GABBANA dress. “What’s Jennifer Aniston got on?” “Oooh what’s Madonna wearing?” Stars don’t have to worry about scrimping and saving to buy high-priced designer items; in most cases they don’t even have to pay anything, the companies freely give them the merchandise. Designers know that just having their products displayed by pop icons translates into millions of dollars in increased sales.

The celebrities are having a fashion party to which the average working woman is not invited.

So what is a woman of modest means to do?

Enter the knock-off. The fashion industry has created a need that the replica industry fulfills, designer clothing and accessories within the reach of the middle class budget.

By pricing their wares in the stratosphere, designers are essentially causing the knock-off market to thrive. Women see these must have fashion accessories in magazines like VOGUE and ELLE and want them. But when a handbag costs what the average middle class woman makes in a year, what choice does she have? She can’t afford the real thing so she buys a copy, much the same way that an art lover who desires a Picasso will hang a lithograph on his wall.

Each day on Canal Street in New York City, tour buses deliver scores of consumers who descend like vultures upon the rows of merchants who sell designer look-alikes. At the behest of the above mentioned designer corporations, the NYPD is constantly shutting down sellers and confiscating their merchandise, forcing these vendors underground as they try to keep up with the insatiable demand for replicas. Commenting on the public’s maniacal desire to own designer accessories, Tommy Y. a 20 something vendor sagely notes “We make them famous, and then they arrest us”

The real irony comes when the fashion giant out sources the manufacture of their product to the very same company in China that is producing the copies. If the item is made by the same factory, how does one apply the “genuine” rule? Genuine as in “sanctioned by the manufacturer”?

A great deal of the blame must be placed squarely on the shoulders of the designers themselves. How can they justify such outrageous prices? VUITTON has a leather coin purse that sells for $275! MARC JACOBS has a $9,995 tote bag! HERMES’ bags start at $5,000 and rise steadily from there. CHANEL sunglasses average $300 per pair, non-prescription! Regardless of how loudly these companies cry foul, and hide behind trademark infringement laws, it’s all too obvious that they are greedily profiting from their media generated envy.

About The Author Gregory Lions is a former financial analyst for Dun & Bradstreet Inc. He is currently the CEO of BUYHEREBUYNOW.COM. http://buyherebuynow.com

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Trendsetting Handbag Designers  

by Cathy Feldman

The popularity of designer handbags is at an all-time high. Everywhere we look, from the high street to the nightclub, everyone is carrying a trendy new purse. It seems that we are often so preoccupied with our new handbags that we tend to forget about the people behind the designs. I started trying to develop a shortlist of my favorite designers, but I realized that I am in love with the work of far too many to list. The following are just a few of my favorites.

Chloe is, by far, one the greatest design houses in the world. I absolutely love their work! At times, I feel that some of the French designers are a little over the top...but where would true fashion be without their sense of creativity and innovation. Chloe has been a leader in the world of fashion, especially since the Stella McCartney assumed the helm. Her star power and understanding of classic design reinvigorated a company that was often lacking the cohesive aesthetic that truly binds a collection together. Make no mistake about it...Chloe is the new Gucci!

Vivienne Westwood has done more for British design that any other designer in modern times. In many ways, the entire punk genre owes her a debt of allegiance. Vivienne was just a young girl during the heyday of punk, when she met a fellow named Malcolm McLaren. For those of you not particularly well versed in your punk rock history, Malcolm was the manager of the consummate British punk band - The Sex Pistols. After dressing the Pistols for a number of years, she opened her own shop in London called Sex Boutique. Punks worldwide have adopted her design aesthetic, and the rest is history.

Monica Botkier is yet another brilliant designer. Her designs are held in high esteem by women all around the world. After spending the early part of her career as a fashion photographer, Monica Botkier has certainly spent enough time in the fashion world to know what constitutes a great handbag. She is able to strike the perfect balance between function and form, and her designs are some of the most sought after with fashionistas everywhere. Monica Botkier's designs are famous for their detailing, hardware, and innate sophistication.

About the Author

Cathy Feldman writes for designerhandbags101.com - an online resource, with extensive information on Ugg handbags, real Louis Vuitton purses, Cole Haan handbags and more.

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