October 2008
October 27, 2008The Art of RetailIf you haven't been to the Walker Art Center lately (or, if like me, you've just been too preoccupied with the potstickers at 20.21 to notice anything else), then you may not be familiar with the Walker Shop. Ever since I stopped by to scope out presents for our holiday gift guide, I've been transfixed by the shop's collection of local and global goods. Read more » Posted on Monday, October 27, 2008 in Style File | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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October 23, 2008Vibrating MascaraI'm a beauty junkie, not a dummy ($1000 face cream? You do the math.) So it was with decided skepticism that I approached Estee Lauder's new TurboLash All Effects Motion Mascara ($32). What could a battery-operated mascara possibly do that my $24 tube could not? And did I really want to put something battery-operated anywhere near my eye? Read more » Posted on Thursday, October 23, 2008 in Style File | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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October 20, 2008Mission Accomplished
When it comes to shopping, I am either "just looking" or on a mission. If it's the latter, I typically have a very specific vision in my head of what I want (regardless of whether I know it actually exists). For example: Last year I was on the hunt for the perfect black tote. It needed to be work-appropriate but not so formal that I couldn't slog it to Whole Foods; oversized to fit a laptop, but not attache-looking; timeless but not too traditional. Oh, and it also needed to be in my price range, which left out all of the perfect options I found at Neiman's. In the end, I found exactly what I needed at Banana Republic—and get more compliments than any other bag I've owned. But that was last year. THIS year I've been on a mission for a brown tote. All of... Read more » Posted on Monday, October 20, 2008 in Style File | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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October 13, 2008Think PinkEvery October, in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, more and more retailers (many of them local!) come out with pink products—and I'm not talking about trash bags and post-it notes. I mean stuff you'd want to buy regardless of it were pink. Read more » Posted on Monday, October 13, 2008 in Style File | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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October 9, 2008Natural Nails
Raise your (manicured) hand if you're wearing OPI nail polish. That's what I thought. My toes are currently chilling out in Lincoln Park After Dark. Not only is OPI the gold standard of lacquers, but it's on the shelves of practically every spa and strip-mall nail salon. Up until about a year ago, OPI polishes contained harmful ingredients like dibutyl phthalate, toluene and formaldehyde, which have all been linked to cancer and toxicity. Although the company has cleaned up its act and removed these harmful ingredients, that wasn't natural enough for Juut. The salonspa recently swapped all OPI products for SpaRitual.... Read more » Posted on Thursday, October 9, 2008 in Style File | Permalink | Comments (1) |
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October 6, 2008To Letterbox, With LoveI received this bittersweet I received this bittersweet news over the weekend: Letterbox, one of my absolute favorite shops for paper and gifts, is closing. Its gracious, witty, and endlessly creative owners, Kimberley and Zach, chose not to renew their Uptown lease. Read more » Posted on Monday, October 6, 2008 in Style File | Permalink | Comments (0) |
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