I see a lot of different memes on blogs but try to stay away from doing them. However, J posted this Five Things Meme on her site and I thought it could be fun. So, I decided to modify the questions a bit, make it all about fashion, and post it here.

5 things that make you happy.
1. Ruffles, ruffles, ruffles!
2. Sweaters and cardigans.
3. Ultra feminine menswear pieces. Like saddle shoe style oxfords or tuxedo blouses with, you guessed it, ruffles.
4. Argyle, houndstooth, plaid and leopard prints.
5. Super soft and smooth high quality denim.

5 things you wouldn’t wear for a million dollars.
1. Real fur.
2. Tie-dye. I’m from the Pacific NW and all, but I’d never touch the stuff.
3. Thigh high boots.
4. Anything with shoulder pads.
5. Platform sneakers. Hello, Spice Girls!

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I don’t know about you, but I’m loving the comeback that vintage style is having. I’ve always been a sucker for anything vintage. Back in middle and high school, my sister would take me to this giant vintage store in Portland, OR called Big Bang and we would spend hours sifting through bins and racks of clothing from the 1950’s thru the 1970’s. While I had a collection of many great items (such as stamped leather purses from the 1960’s, flowy floral print blouses from the 1960’s, and patterned pearl-buttoned blouses from the 1970’s), it was always hard for me to work vintage into my wardrobe. Because of this, I, quite unfortunately, ended up getting rid of most of my vintage collection. I know, I know… It was a terrible idea!

I’m still in love with vintage fashions and now that it’s coming back into style again, I wish that I could get my hands on half the stuff that I used to own. Especially now that there are guides, like this great How To Wear Vintage : From Who What Wear TV one that would have helped me a great deal. Featuring Sienna Miller and Rachel Bilson, this episode of Who What Wear TV shows you the best ways to incorporate vintage pieces into your everyday look.

What do you think of the vintage trend? Is it more than just a trend?

When higher end cosmetic companies have a clearance section, I find it’s a great time to check out new products. Not only are they limited edition (which makes them a great addiction to your stash) but they are often at lower prices. Hard Candy is one example of this. Right now Lancome has a lot of great items in their Beauty Bye-Bye section that are worth picking up. One item that I am seriously tempted by is the Juicy Tubes World Tour Lip Gloss, which is pictured here. The vintage illustrations on the packaging is too cute! This limited-edition collection originally had 4 shades, all inspired by the main fashion cities in the globe, with each tube decorated by London fashion designer, Christopher Kane. The two shades left in stock are Fifth Avenue Frosting and Grand Café Crème Brûlee. Both of which look like great shades.

You can also pick up some other items that will soon be gone, such as Le Vernis Roses Nail Color in limited-edition shades. While the shades (Rose Macaroon, Rose Royale, and Rose Fleurette) are a bit too pastel for fall, buy them now and wear them in the spring when they will be in style and impossible to get a hold of. I don’t know about you, but I think that a Last Chance on Limited Edition Lancome Beauty Loot is always a good thing.

Learn more about wooden swing sets.

Here are this weeks freebies, samples, and coupons! I hope that you can find something that will be useful for you. As always, don’t forget to check out previous posts in this category to check if older sample offers are still active. Often times they remain active for quite a while after they first come out.

+ Airborne Seasonal
+ Christina Aguilera Inspire Fragrance (US & UK)
+ Gillette Fusion $10 off Coupon (Canada only)
+ Jennifer Lopez Live Platinum Fragrance
+ OB Tampons & Carrying Case
+ Pamprin Multi-Symptom
+ Prada Fragrance Samples (UK & Ireland)
+ Schick Quattro Titanium Razor or Trimmer
+ Tide Total Care Laundry Detergent

While I don’t always ask to receive every free sample that I post, I do request the majority of them. If you are ever curious about a product that I have posted about in the Freebie Saturday posts, whether it’s the quality of that product or how fast shipping took, don’t hesitate to ask!

Learn more about acne treatment.

As the mornings and nights are getting a bit cooler out, I’m definitely getting more and more excited about fall fashion and beauty items. I’ve been really into listing lately and wanted to make a list of all the fashion and beauty items that I am looking forward to the most this fall.

+ Getting to wear Ugg’s. I love my tall chestnut ones, and would love to get some crochet ones, like the ones featured here.
+ Dark vampy nail polish. I love burgundy shades the most.
+ An excuse to pull out the black liquid liner as often as possible.
+ Being able to layer as much as I like without getting weird looks. I tend to wear at least 3 layers every day (usually two tanks and a shirt). In the summer, people find this a bit odd. I see it as a chance to add some extra color and texture to a look.
+ Knee socks. I love knee socks. Especially argyle ones.
+ Slouchy boots. I didn’t pick up a pair last year and have decided that, no matter what, I will this year.
+ Scarves. Again, people look at your strange when you wear them in the summer. You can wear them every day in the fall if you like.

What are some of the fall fashion and beauty trends that you are excited about?

Learn more about alli.

As a sunless tanning addict, I was surprised that I had never ventured beyond the lotion formula’s and one spray sunless tanner. While I’m not 100% opposed to laying out by the pool to get a tan, overall, I don’t consider the risks of a tan to be worth it. Who wants pre-mature aging, sunspots, and the risk of cancer when you can get a golden glow without those risks? With so many options on the market I think that, just as with any skin care option, it’s a great idea to research products and try new items. Sometimes you might end up disappointed, but there are times when you are going to stumble upon a great find. This was the case when I tried TanTowel.

The TanTowel is exactly what it implies - a sunless tanner infused cloth towel that’s about the size of a baby wipe. You start with clean, dry, and exfoliated skin (just like with any other self tanner). Exfoliation is really important because that alone can determine if you end up with an even glow or streaks. TanTowel even makes a X- Foliator towel that will do the process for you. Unlike other sunless tanners, you should not moisturize before hand. This will actually have a negative effect on the TanTowel. The first TanTowel that I used was the Full Body Classic for fair to medium skin tones. The cloth was enough for me to cover my full body applying with slow, even, circular strokes. You can use it all over. Even on your face! It dried incredibly fast. This is great because it’s a pain to sit around waiting for regular sunless tanner to dry. When you have to spend more time waiting for a product to dry than applying it, it isn’t always worth the time. These would be very easy to use for everyone who doesn’t have the extra time or who simply doesn’t want to spare the extra time.

As with all sunless tanners, it takes a few hours for your full color to develop. I was so excited and nervous to see how my skin turned out! After several hours, my skin had a gorgeous and streak-free glow to it. It looks like I spent the weekend laying out by the swimming pool instead of just a few minutes with a TanTowel! In fact, the only problem I had with TanTowel was that I missed a couple of places. Thankfully, I was able to go over those areas with the Half Body Classic towel and they are now perfectly blended.

TanTowel is now my latest sunless tanning addiction. I’m so glad that I have a few more towels on hand before I’ll need to re-stock! The Classic Starter Package is very tempting. I may have to take some before and after pictures next time so that I can try to win a $300 TanTowel Shopping Spree and really stock up on their products. I think that the best thing about TanTowel is that it doesn’t contain any dyes or stains. It reacts with the proteins and amino acids in your skin to produce a great glow. This means that it won’t rub off or stain your clothing. With all the pro’s involved (quick drying time, no staining, great results) TanTowel is definitely a great product that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in a sunless tanning product.

Have you tried TanTowel before? What have been your experiences with TanTowel or similar types of sunless tanning?

I love when I get e-mails about promotions being run by upcoming boutiques! One that I am really excited for is a promotion to Win a Free Handbag from Handbag Planet! On October 15, 2008 (which is the day the site will launch) they are going to be giving away one handbag every hour for the full 24 hours. The handbags that will be sold on Handbag Planet are all imitations of expensive designer handbags. Since trends come and go so fast, it’s a great way to get the look for less. Personally, I find fake designer handbags to be extremely tacky but love handbags that are simply inspired by designer bags, just like the ones that Handbag Planet is going to offer. Once the site is launched, the bags are going to be sold at anywhere from $30.00 USD to $80.00 USD. To me, that’s the perfect price to spend on a trendy handbag.

Definitely sign up for this promotion while you can! All of the bags that are going to be given away are very cute styles. I’m trying to sign up for it right now, but just can’t pick what one I want to try to win! I can’t decide between the black handbag pictured on the left and the green handbag pictured on the right. I love that the black one is patent alligator print. I think that they gold hardware would be really great for fall too. The green handbag is such a great style, but I’m just not sure if it’s a color I could easily work into my wardrobe. Help me decide which one to pick! Please leave me a comment on this entry with your suggestion! Don’t forget to sign up for this promotion before October 15, 2008! Which handbag are you going to try and win?