Word to the Wise: Rent the Runway sale

Time to get your gala and event dresses!

normally $598 Monique Lhullier black tulle gown


Rent the Runway is having a sample sale which will feature gently used dresses & accessories from designers such as Badgley Mischka, Rebecca Taylor, Catherine Malandrino, David Meister, Nicole Miller. The markdown is up to 95% off retail.

260 Fifth Ave. (b/w 28^th & 29^th), Oct 1-6^th; Mon-Fri (10-7p), Sat (10-5p).

normally $3000 Reem Acra Jade Serenity gown

A few of my favorite things: Mifi

Maybe I am more of a gadget person than I thought.
Probably some of my friends just read that and went "duh," but even though I work in software and have some electronics, I don't consider myself to be the kind of person who rushes out to buy the latest thing.

But more and more of my favorite things are gadgets.

The latest is my mifi.
For the uninitiated, it is a personal wireless hotspot that you can carry around with you and create your own internet wherever you go.

Verizon mifi that I have

My Droid smartphone could do this, and so can the iPhone (both for an additional cost or at the price of "tethering" which means you can't use your phone while it is being the internet).

But the mifi is soooooooo much better. Like, worlds better.
It's fast, its range is good, and you can use a bunch of devices on the wifi at once (2 computers and an ipad and 2 phones, for example).

Work bought me mine, and I am not sure if it would be cost-effective for someone who doesn't travel a lot and need internet with them, but for me it is great.

I love being able to go anywhere and know that I have good reliable internet.
Low budget hotels tend to offer internet free in the rooms, but for some reason nice hotels charge you a buttload for it. PLUS they tend to charge you for each device, so if you want to use a computer and an ipad you would have to pay double. Which is total BS. Especially if you know how wireless works.
But now, I don't care about any of that because I never have to use it and can just use my mifi.

You can get mifis through several companies, and it probably makes sense to get whichever one your phone service is through.
When you buy one, you pay for the device and a monthly data plan, so it's kind of like a cell phone. They aren't cheap, I think the cheapest plans are like $30/month, and that is on top of your cell phone bill.
But they are totally cool.

Emergency broken nail fix

I hate it when my nails break!
Especially when I am not home and don't have my tools.
Or even a file.
Well, on my work trip to Seattle, many of my nails broke (I don't really know why, maybe from lugging my heavy bags).
I am too cheap to go out and buy a new file since I know I already have 2 or 3 at home, and I was kicking myself for not packing one.

So there I am, with broken nails and nothing to fix them.

Except!

One of the walls in my office was exposed brick.
You know what brick is? Kind of rough, kind of like an emery board.
So yes, I filed my nails on that wall.
My new coworkers didn't see me but if they did, I hope they would think that I am resourceful instead of totally bizarre.

The brick does a good job of rough filing, and then to smooth the edges, jeans are a nice way to finish them off.

Just pretend your jeans or the wall are one giant nail file and drag your nail in one horizontal direction. You don't want to go back and forth too much because that can tear your nail and make it weaker. Then it will break and you will have to go back and file it on a wall again.

p.s. NEVER google image search "broken nail" because some truly horrifying things come up. Really, don't. You're welcome.

Fancy Bar Trunk

$16,000 Waterford Crystal Bar Trunk

Whoaaaa

The rosewood interior is crazy beautiful.
I think you'd really have to like drinking to own something like this, which puts me out of the running.

Also, you'd have to have a nice liquor collection, because I don't think this would look as classy with warm Natty Ices in there. Though the crystal would class up whatever special alcohol you had (coughFOURLOKOcough).

State-shaped cast iron pans

$150 (Rhode Island)- $2,500 (Texas) Cast iron pans in the shape of states (plus shipping)

Thanks to Kate for the link!

So these are what they look like--pans shaped like each one of the United States.

Would you want a state skillet?
Would you want one in the shape of your current state, your home state, or your favorite vacation state?
My home state, Massachusetts ($250), wouldn't be very practical to cook anything in because it is small and narrow and weird.
What if you are from one of the square states? Wouldn't it be a stretch to pretend that they made it just for you? I mean, I see that the handles are offset and angled, but still.

I think these are really cool to look at, but I probably wouldn't get one.
There are some people I can think of who have a lot of state pride and would probably love to cook steaks in the oven on that big Texas pan, but I don't think that's the norm.

You can order them "raw" or pre-seasoned for an extra $30.

Each pan comes with a magnetic display hanger, so I guess they might be meant more for art than use.

I guess they could be fun to bake and serve something like spinach and artichoke dip.

Review of Marvis Jasmin Mint Toothpaste

IT'S AWESOME!
The end.

JK, but not really.

$10.50 Marvis Jasmin Mint Toothpaste

I'd heard this toothpaste recommended a lot on metafilter and in other places, but I was like "$10 for toothpaste? And it's weird and I don't know if I'm going to like it? Seems like a bad idea."

But then I linked my American Express points to my Amazon account (how cool is that btw?) and got it for free-ish. So the risk was lower and if I didn't like it, I could just pretend it never happened.

Anyway, I'm really glad I tried it because it is very cool.

Those of you who know me well know that I HATE brushing my teeth. But it is a necessary part of life if you want to keep having teeth, which I do because I like crunchy things, so I do it.
This is making it better.
When I am sort of looking forward to having the toothpaste in my mouth, I hate the idea of brushing my teeth significantly less.
Now I just have to make sure I follow through and keep brushing them instead of just eating some toothpaste. STOP JUDGING ME!

So, what does it taste like?
Kind of like perfume plus fanciness plus mint.
The first thing that hits your mouth is the perfumey scent, and then the sweet jasmine flavor comes in and then the mint.
It's foamier than normal toothpaste, but not weirdly slimy or chalky like the Tom's of Maine toothpaste.
It doesn't have much grit to it, which I am not used to.

But I'm a fan.

Plus, the packaging is so pretty!
It's like makeup instead of medical equipment.
Nice to have a tube you can keep out and be proud to look at.

Poppin for brightly colored desk accessories

Thanks to Refinery29, when you follow this link,  you get $60 worth of stuff for only $35 for the next 4 days at Poppin, a fun office supplies store.

One fun thing about the site is that you can shop by color instead of just by type or function. So you can click the yellow tab and everything yellow shows up.

Here are my picks:

$12 pink tape dispenser
 Of course, this comes in a million other colors, as do all of the items on the site.

$7 Aqua ruler
I like how big the numbers are

$5 Orange map tacks
These only seem to come in white or orange right now, and I think they are cuter and more fun than push pins.

$30 Green cable case
This helps you organize all your cables so they aren't a giant mess on your desk and don't knock everything over when you move something. I need this very much. It includes a surge protector with 4 sockets and twist ties to keep the cables in.

$14 Red softcover folio
This is a great way to keep your papers clean and unrumpled when you travel. I usually end up sticking all my papers in the laptop bag and they get all messed up.

$4 Medium notebook in SnoconeSo bright and cute, you might not mind taking notes.

$100 Design A Desk set
You can also get a whole set in various color schemes for $100.

Etsy Finds of the Day: Vintage dresses from Concetta's Closet

$30 Honeycomb Shift dress
This 1960s dress has a straight sheath style and a cute geometric blue and white honeycomb pattern.
It would look great with a brightly colored belt.

$40 Chevron halter dress
I like the pointy triangles on the bodice of this dress. It's like your boobs turned into fangs. Rainbow fangs. It's from the 1970s.

$42 Polka dot shirt dress
The shape of this dress is so pretty and feminine, with the small waist and the flared skirt.
It's brown and white polka dots and comes with a belt.
I think this one is my favorite.

$48 Checkered maxi dress
This is a vintage maxi in a red and white checked pattern. Perfect for when you want to have a picnic and forget a table cloth! You can just lie down in your dress and have people eat off you. Hold still!
I actually do like this one, especially if the neckline were a little lower. I think this could be a good makeover project.

A couch for Annie

I met my friend Annie over 8 years ago when we worked together in publishing and she solidified our friendship by doing a mean impression of me in which I sound like a pathetic high pitched sheep while asking her to look at my edits.
 She then went on to publish her own book, Happy Birthday or Whatever, which is totally awesome and hilarious and you should buy it.

Fun Fact about Annie's Book #1:
If I recall correctly, the working title of the book while she was writing it was "Do these jeans make my ass look Korean?"

Fun Fact about Annie's Book #2:
Annie had a reading in Brooklyn and also happened to have a killer case of laryngitis at the exact same time. I ended up reading from her book for her in front of the whole bookstore, while she sat mutely in the back. For some reason, the jokes about growing up in a traditional Korean household didn't seem to land as well when told by a random Jew.

ANYWAY
Annie wants a couch, and she doesn't have a lot of money because you didn't buy her book yet. You should get on that so she can have a couch.

So let's find her a couch.

I have no idea what kind of couch she wants since her only requests were "not ugly" and "not a million dollars." I don't even know what a million dollar couch would look like but I bet it has a definite imprint where Beyonce's butt was.

Annie's former apartment was teeny, but I'm not sure how big her new one is. Let's assume that it's still NYC sized and that her budget is under $1200.

It's too bad, because I think she really would have liked this one:

$4,900 Coffin Couch
JK! She hates colors!
If it was gray, though...

 $580 Cabo Khaki couch (free shipping)
This isn't the most exciting of couches, I must admit, but it's a convertible (the back folds down flat) and it isn't ugg and it is a good price.

$1,095 Aristocrat sofa by Zuo Modern (free shipping)
Yeah it's silver, so what?
It's like jewelry for your living room.
Annie, you're a baller and it's time to start living like one.

$932 Arriga black leather sofa
I can't tell if this is the couch or the packing foam it comes in, but that is all part of the mystery....
It's weird and cool and would look design-y if you had a midcentury modern wooden coffee table and some architectural lamps.

Target is having an inexplicable "buy one get one 50% off sale" on futons and sofabeds right now, so I guess find a friend and split them?
Who needs two futons? And who would happen to need two right at the same time?
Whatever, look at these:

$480 Button-tufted chaise settee
Also comes in green or blue or black/white pattern if you're chicken.

$700 Swoop arm button tufted linen settee
Classic lines, this could move pretty much anywhere. If you end up in a bigger apartment, this could be a great entry bench or end-of-bed seat.

I also like Urban Outfitter's furniture and they are offering free shipping now.
My convertible couch is from here.

$649 Night and Day convertible sofa
I like the clean lines and skinny tapered legs.

$749 Ava Tufted sleeper sofa
Also comes in boring colors like gray and beige, or other fun ones like pink and blue.

Word to the Wise: White and Warren sample sale Friday

White and Warren sample sale
9/21 8am-4pm
80 w 40th st 3rd floor

I will be away for this one, so someone go and get me a rose colored cashmere pullover please!
Please?

White + Warren make elegant basics that will fit into pretty much everyone's wardrobe, no matter what your style is.
This sale is a real sample sale, which means that it won't be like a bunch of the other sales that have production pieces and are still kinda expensive.
$40 cashmere sounds killer.

here is some of the stuff for sale on their site now, to give you a sense of what their samples might look like:

$295 Cashmere crewneck sweater

$550 Cashmere funnel neck poncho

$220 Cashmere shirt tail tee

$550 Leather trim swing coat

Word to the Wise: Limited Sample Sale

The Limited sample sale is craaaazy. Usually any item is $5. They have huge bins and you sort through samples, some of which are torn or slashed, and grab whatever you can.

I went earlier and got a bunch of work dresses and tops and some colored skinny jeans for my sister.

This year, I guess they have a lot of extra stock, so the sale is still going on and they have completely slashed the already low prices. If you want to check it out after work today, I recommend it.

Just be careful to check the whole item since it might be cut up. Sometimes you can sew it back up, but it's worth making sure you want to do that.

 

$2 an item

L I M I T E D

SAMPLE SALE

Monday September 17^th

8AM – 8PM

400 LAFAYETTE STREET (AT EAST 4TH STREET) ~ 2ND FLOOR

CHECKS OR CASH ONLY

MUST SHOW PICTURE I.D. TO ENTER

NO CHILDREN UNDER 12 ALLOWED

NO BATHROOMS AVAILABLE (sorry but we are under construction)

Hidden litter box

 

$109 Designer catbox

Thanks to my friend Kate for finding this one!
It's a fancy chest that has a hold in the side and a hinging top so you can scoop litter.
Inside there are two compartments, and I don't really understand why, but whatev. Maybe it's so you can have a separate place for the scoop?

In any case, it's way better than having a giant piece of plastic or just an open litterbox around, especially when you have to leave it somewhere like your living room.

Keep in mind that you can also DIY this to match your decor.

Etsy Find of the Day: Ceramic link art

$80 Ceramic links

These are fired clay links, connected in various ways, that you can hang on your wall or put as a centerpiece on your table or place on a stand.

I like the symbolism of the links being breakable.
The seller says they are strong, but just knowing they are not iron makes them interesting.
The color looks like rusted metal, doesn't it?

Changing the link you hang them from totally changes the shape of the sculpture. See?

Good article on how to hide beauty imperfections

This article written by Jane Marie on The Hairpin does a really good job of explaining how to cover things up.

Most of her advice boils down to "don't cover it up, you'll just make it look worse" but there are good tips about layering foundation and concealer instead of putting on a lot at once.

Great Online Store: Art Akimbo

Art Akimbo is an etsy shop featuring functional art pieces for your home.
They are brightly colored plastic and based on natural, if cartoonish, images.

Here is what they say about themselves:

Modern products for modern people, made the old fashioned way - by worms and elves. All of our plastic is carefully selected from sustainable artisanal plastics farming collectives in the better regions of this and other, better countries.Here at ArtAkimbo we form the raw materials into loaves and bake them, slice them, grind them, and slap them around until they become eyeglass stands or tentacles or something, and then we box 'em up and send them out to people just like you. Except, of course, not quite so good-looking.

My picks:
I especially like the tentacles.

$110 Small wall tentacle with splash
The small tentacle is about 9" long, but they can make you a huge one instead if you want.

Here are the sizes they offer:

The medium ones go for about $375 and the gigantic one is $3,500.
But what a statement piece!

$225 Albino medium wall tentacle
I love this white one, looks like modern art. I think this is the blank they use before they paint it and add the splash.

$40 Pink mustache eyeglass stand
This is the nose and mouth stand and you can put your glasses on it so you don't lose or break them. Very clever.
There are all kinds of mustache types and colors on the site that you can choose from.

$45 Wall mounted mustache key holder
You can also get a wall-mounted version to store your glasses and keys so you can remember them on your way out!

$40 Framed rubber lips
This reminds me of those "real dolls" but brings that concept to a more surreal and bizarre level.
You get the lips in a wooden frame (4" wide) and you can put pencils, cigarettes, or other small things in them if you want.
Or just leave them plain.
You can also get a nose.

Shark bag!

When is a shark not a shark?
When it's a fuzzy floppy tote bag! Duh.

$39 Cooperative Shark Duffle

He unzips along the top (not in the mouth sadly, otherwise I would be shoving random things in there and making him eat my bunny non-stop) and hangs from your shoulder.

It would be cute as an everyday bag or obviously as a beach bag.
Another great use would be to keep your pads and tampons and other "shark week" supplies.

Alternatively, I think men have a hard time finding bags that aren't too girly or boring, and the shark bag would be fun.
I'd like a guy with a shark bag.

Sorry to disappoint...

There are no hot Spanish guys here.
This is just a personal site about things that I like.

What?
Well, you see, from time to time I like to look at what people are searching for when they come to my site, and it seems that for the past week, the search that is bringing the most people here is for "hot Spanish guys."

However, here is a costume which will help you with your "hot Spanish guise"

$224 Spanish Dancer Costume

Etsy Finds of the Day: Snake earrings

These earrings are made to look like you have gauged piercings, but really they are just hiding a thin post between the two halves. No stretching necessary.

$24 Fake Gauge Serpent Earrings

They are made from shiny black salvaged water buffalo horn. (So you don't have to feel bad, no animals were killed for these earrings.)

The carving of the face looks really intricate!

Das Keyboard

I just read about this fancy computer keyboard on askmetafilter.com and it looks pretty cool.
Plus it has 75 five star reviews, which is kind of crazy for a keyboard.

Do you notice if you have a nice keyboard or not? I guess I like the way some of them click more than others, and I don't like a squishy one, but I can't say I'm really picky.

Maybe I just haven't used the king of keyboards yet.

$129.99 Das Keyboard Model S

Product Features German-engineered mechanical key switches with gold contacts (Cherry MX blue) Laser-etched key cap inscriptions to prevent fading Full n-key rollover with a PS2 adapter, and 6 keys with USB Enhanced 104-key layout with two Windows keys Glossy black upper enclosure with blue LEDs and matching black USB cable - Darth Vader approved. Blue LEDs for Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock Compatible with PS/2 and USB KVM switches Extra long two-meter (6.6-foot) cable that goes through your desk grommet to keep your workspace neat and tidy Two-port USB 2.0 hub allows for syncing and charging iPhone, iPod and USB compatible devices

Has anyone tried this or any other fancy keyboard? Is it worth the upgrade?

Etsy Find of the Day: vintage swoop table

Check out this insane table:

$8,000 Mid-Century Modern Fiberglass table

Everything is rounded, from the oval glass to the split leg base and attachment.
Looks clean and white and futuristic.

Wouldn't this be awesome in an all white room with a crazy green couch?