We could all use a little Pixie Dust!

As a little girl I used to love watching Peter Pan -- and of course, the "little green fairy" Tinkerbell was my ultimate favorite! I'm thrilled that now Little AG will be enchanted by the same characters as I was as a child, and this first film in a series of new releases that feature the Disney Fairies does just that!

Fulfilling the dreams of every little girl (and even a few moms!) who has ever wanted her own pair of fairy wings, Tinkerbell flies onto DVD and Blu-Ray disc and into your living rooms starting this Tuesday, October 28th. Every fairy is born with a very special talent, and this movie is about Tinkerbell feeling like her ability to make things "tinker" isn't as special as the talents that the other fairies have. However, with the help of some of her other fantastic friends in Pixie Hollow, Tinkerbell finally begins to realize that the best gift of all is simply the ability to be herself! Little AG was completely captivated (and completely still!) when this movie started, and I had to tear her away for bathtime.

Ok, my personal favorite part about this movie may be something that you haven't even considered -- we hear Tinkerbell speak. I'm not sure if you realize it, but Tinkerbell has never offically uttered a word, so this was a real treat. An all-star cast has lended their voices to this full-length film, with Mae Whitman as Tinkerbell and with America Ferrara, Raven-Symone', Kristin Chenowith, and Lucy Liu rounding out the cast as the other fairies! Grab the kiddos and come check out the sneak previews below and then try telling me that, even as an adult, you aren't pretty excited about seeing this one.






The DVD and Blu-Ray Disc will both be released this Tuesday, so be sure to go pick up your copy to start your new Disney Fairy Movie Collection. The suggested retail for the DVD is $29.99 and for the Blu-Ray Disc is $34.99 and you can find your your copy of TinkerBell on Amazon.

CSC Review and Giveaway: FHI Heat

I look forward to my visits to my awesome stylist, Meggan, every two months. She pretty much rocks my hair, and I never leave disappointed. The only thing that ever stresses me at the salon is that nagging feeling that I'll never get my hair to look like it does when I leave there -- like I'm in a shampoo commercial. Last time I was there, trying to pick up on tips on how to make my hair look good, I said -- "Do you think it's my hair dryer? I mean, is a hair dryer just a blowdryer?"

She pretty much snorted and laughed and, after making sure everyone else had heard my (obviously ludicrous) question, she bent down closely to me and said loudly (because she was blowdrying my hair, she had to be loud and close, you know?) "No. A hair dryer is certainly not JUST a hair dryer." Then she proceeded to give me the specifics on a blowdryer that put my 15 dollar choice to shame.

So, recently I had the opportunity to try out a salon-quality hair dryer from FHI Heat. It certainly puts my little Target number to shame. It is really really light, but dries my hair faster than ever (and I have a LOT of hair). It is really powerful -- it has 3 heat settings and 2 speed settings, plus it has a button for a cool blast and a button for a heat boost. It pretty much rocks. After seeing what a difference this blow dryer makes, I will never purchase a non salon-quality hair dryer again. My hair is so smooth and in such better shape than it used to be just in the month that I've been using it. Plus it's pink. How cool is that? It does retail for $195, but when you think about how often you struggle to make your hair look just like you want it to, it suddenly seems VERY worth it.

The folks at FHI Heat are so sure that you are going to love their products that they are giving one lucky Chic Shopper Chick reader her very own "Technique" flat iron! This Flat Iron retails for $120 and is fantastic! Not only can you use it to make your hair sleek and smooth, you can also use it to make waves and curls! And, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it's PINK!

To enter to win, just follow the easy-peasy rules below!

• Visit the FHI Heat website and tell me which of their products is your favorite.
  
• Earn extra credit! You may do these for extra entries.
• Blog about this giveaway and send me the link in a separate post.
• Subscribe to my feed and let me know about it in a separate post.
• Stumble my main webpage (not this post please, but www.chicshopperchick.com) and leave me your Stumble Upon name in a separate post.
• Favorite Chic Shopper Chick on Technorati (there is a "Fave this Blog" button in my right sidebar) and let me know about it in a in a separate post.
• Add me to your blog roll. Not just my button in your sidebar, I'd love to be on your blog roll! Let me know about it in a separate post!

That's it! Good luck! Oh, and the official rules and legal jargon are below.

US and entries only, cannot ship to PO Boxes. Winner will be chosen via random.org at the end of the contest. Winners are posted here and on Prizey Fetch, please leave a valid email address or blog address if you'd like to be contacted should you win. Winner has 72 hours to claim their prize. This contests ends at 11:59 pm CST on October 24th, 2008.

Belt it out!

Little AG and I are currently in Washington DC, accompanying hubby on a business trip. Lucky for me, we are staying in Georgetown, where M street is the fashionsita's equivalent of heaven. However, something I'm finding to be rather lacking here are unique, trendy children's fashion boutiques. With the exception of Gap Kids, I spend all day shopping in "adult" stores. That's why I was excited when I saw these chic belts for little girls at Be Jeweled. They come in 3 different sizes, small (23 inches), medium (28 inches), and large (33 inches). They are so fashion-forward yet age-appropriate, which is sometimes a hard line to walk when it comes to little girls clothing and accessories. You can buy these adorable, handcrafted belts in a multitude of colors and designs online at the Be Jeweled website for $32 each.

Be Daring!

On Friday I received my copy of The Pocket Daring Book for Girls: Things to Do, which is essentially a pocket companion (though, as my husband pointed out, probably won't fit in ANYONES pocket) to The Daring Book for Girls. When I opened it, I couldn't help but pour through it and oooh and aaaah about how great some of the ideas were. I absolutely love it. Each activity is detailed in simple, clear, yet concise steps, and is fairly simple to follow.

Some of the activities, like, "How to make a sit-upon" brought me back to my girl scout days. I also liked the section on "How to be a Spy" (complete with secret code maker), and the section on "How to have a lemonade stand" (plus a plethora of other "lemon" inspired snacks to sell with it.) However, my favorite activity, that made me a giddy little girl again, was "How to make a zip line". I all but made hubby turn the car around to head to Home Depot.

This book is so much fun, and is great for the set who enjoys reading, but is just as useful for the set who doesn't, because it provides so many great active things to do. I'm thinking this is the perfect gift for the 8ish girl set, as well as a great gift to any mom of an 8ish girl. Or, if you're like me and want to create your own zipline at 25, go ahead and buy it for yourself. You won't be sorry that you did.

Purchase The Pocket Daring Book For Girls: Things to Do by Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz at (on sale) Amazon for $10.17

Chic Shopper Chick Giveaway -- Bag Borrow or Steal

Oh man, I'm so excited about today's review and giveaway that I can hardly stand it! I hope that you have been enjoying your "clues" for the past 4 days! Now it is officially time to reveal the prize!

Bag Borrow or Steal has partnered with Chic Shopper Chick to promote their "role" in the new movie, Sex and the City. If you have yet to see the new movie (is that possible?), Carrie hires a new assistant, Louise (played by Jennifer Hudson). During her interview, Louise tells Carrie that she moved to New York from St. Louis, and that she is broke, sharing a one-bedroom apartment with 4 other girls. Carrie looks down at Louise's Louis Vuitton Blue Denim Bowly Handbag and asks if she is sharing an apartment with so many girls, how does she afford that bag?

Louise says "It's rented. Bag Borrow or Steal, baby."

At this point, I am sitting in the movie theater FREAKING out, because not only am I a huge fan of Bag Borrow or Steal, but I also know that I have this giveaway coming up, which makes me even more excited.

So, for those of you who aren't familiar with this awesome service, or have just started to hear the buzz about it, let me fill you in. Bag Borrow or Steal is being called the "netflix of handbags"! It is an online borrowing service that lets it's customers choose from thousands of designer items -- all available for rent on a weekly or monthly basis! Why should fashion editors and socialites be the only people allowed to borrow great accessories? Now you can too! With more than 3,000 luxury handbags styles availble to rent, and more than 650 jewlery styles, there truly is something for every occasion.

I plan on renting myself a nice Chanel Bag for my trip to Europe this summer, and perhaps a small evening clutch as well. I have every intention of fitting in while I am in Paris, also known as the fashion capital of the world (no pressure there, right?). And for those of you who have never been -- the French will notice your designer bag. Even the men will comment on how beautiful your "Sha-nel bag" is.

The cool thing about Bag Borrow or Steal is that you don't have to be rolling in dough to rent a great bag. For example, members of BBoS can rent this fabulous BCBGMAXAZARIA "Erica" bag for only $6 per week! Like Coach? Rent this Coach Hobo bag for only $9 per week! Of course, if you have more expensive tastes, or just need a bag for a one-time occasion, you could look into renting this amazing Christian Dior "Plisse" bag (at left) for $111 per week (this one is swoon-worthy).

It doesn't stop at designer handbags, ooooh no. I also like the sunglasses rental option -- where you can snag these Prada shades for a cool $43 a month (they also go for $20 a week, but it makes more sense to keep them for a month at those prices). Or, my favorite Chanel glasses that I have worn for 3 years straight (they never go out of style) can be rented for $75 per month! Oooh, or how about designer jewlery? Rent the Tiffany earrings you see above for $68 per week.

So, are you a designer guru like me, without the pocket change to support it? If so, Bag Borrow or Steal is definitely the online site for you!

Want to try it out?! The kind fashionistas over at BBoS are offering a promotion to all Chic Shopper Chick readers! Pay for 3 weeks of rental and get an additional week free! Essentially, you will be getting 25% off borrowing fees! All you have to do is enter the code CHIC4455 to receive your discount! So for a mere $18 you could be renting one of the fabulous bags that I mentioned above for an entire month! This code expires June 21st, 2008, so act quickly!

Win It! Already in love with this site? Well, Bag Borrow or Steal has generously offered to give one lucky Chic Shopper Chick reader a $50 gift card! Combine this with the deal mentioned above (25% off borrowing fees for a month's rental) and you have a really sweet prize!



To enter:

• Head on over to the Bag Borrow or Steal website and browse around a bit. Come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me what you would use your giftcard for if you won.
  
• Please leave a valid email address if you would like to be contacted if you win. Otherwise, winners are posted here and on Prizey Fetch.
  
• If the winner does not respond within 72 hours I will choose a different winner.
  
• US and Canadian entries are welcomed!!!
  
• Earn extra credit! Choose one of the following for ONE extra credit entry. Any further attempts to woo me will be disqualified!
  
• Write about this giveaway and send me the link in a separate post.
• Subscribe to my feed and let me know about it in a separate post.

All of you who participated in all four of the hints leading up to this giveaway will receive an extra entry. That's it! So go now and enter! This giveaway will end on June 17th, 2008 at midnight CST. The winner will be chosen via random.org.

Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed. Please go to our Contests page for our current giveaways!

Surprise Giveaway Hint!

Ok ladies! We have a fantastic giveaway (that I'm super excited about) here at Chic Shopper Chick coming up very soon -- but first, I want to build the excitement and anticipation! So, for an extra entry into this giveaway, you must correctly identify the designer of EACH of the items that I post for the next 4 days. Leave all 4 comments by the time this awesome giveaway is listed on day 5, and you will have earned yourself an extra chance at winning! (And you may even guess what we're giving away!)

So, without further ado -- here is the first item! Correctly identify it's designer and be 1/4 of the way to an extra entry!

I feel pretty, oh so pretty!

“It’s about reinventing yourself throughout life. Don’t stop at pretty – go for gorgeous all the time.
Life isn’t a dress rehearsal.”

-- Jerrod Blandino, Founder of Too Faced Cosmetics, on Beauty

This is my new favorite quote, and it’s one that greeted me when I opened the pages of Sephora: The Ultimate Guide to Makeup, Skin, and Hair from the Beauty Authority. An admitted beauty-product addict (see my bathroom counter for proof – you won’t find the actual countertop) and dedicated Sephoree (yes, I just invented that word – hello Websters, it’s Chic Shopper Chick calling!) this book is a must-have for fanatics like me who just can’t get enough. But really, as I read it, I realized that this book is also a must-have for even those who aren’t fanatics like me. See, I am willing to seek out beauty tips and chat off anyone’s ear about my favorite skin-care products, mascara, and eyeshadow. I spend hours on my vacations in Sephora stores (ask hubby – poor guy just books vacations in cities with a Sephora) because until a month ago, my darling state of Louisiana, for all of its culture, music, and fabulous food, DID NOT HAVE A SEPHORA.

But are you willing to do those things? If the answer is no, that’s ok. For me, it’s a hobby. But I know you still want to look fabulous, and if it’s not your hobby and you don’t want to spend hours scouring the internet for beauty tips, then this is the book for you. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LOOKING FABULOUS IS HERE. I’m serious! It’s my new Beauty Bible! Full-time job and full-time mommy? This book is for you! Full-time student and part-time job? This book is for you, too.

Case in point. Have you ever gone to the salon and gotten a really, really fabulous new hair style? You get home, you’re feelin’ good – the next day you brush it, maybe add a little product – but you’re still feelin’ good about this ‘do of yours. Then the third day comes – maybe you throw it in a ponytail, but what a cute ponytail – all of the hairs are just right! And then, day four. You can’t milk it anymore. You have to wash it. So you do. And you never get your hair to look like that again. Well, last time I got my hair “done” as I like to say, I told my fabulous stylist repeatedly that I can’t get my hair to look like she does. Well, she took baby steps with me, pointed me in the direction of some good products, and taught me how to do it myself. I left out of there $220 poorer but confident that I could at least come close to what she does with my hair -- and you know what? I can. But if I had read this book first I would have saved her some time and my hair would have looked a lot better, a lot sooner. All of the same tips that she gave me, like blowdrying in sections with a round brush in the opposite direction that your hair grows and using a root-builder on the crown of my head (whew!) ARE IN THIS BOOK! Sweet!

Oh, and this book is just gorgeous. It is full of color photos to give examples, all big enough to see in detail. Tons of little tips are scattered throughout the books as well, giving you tips about how to reduce the appearance of cellulite (20 percent topical, 80 percent diet – who knew?!), how to elongate your legs and make them look flawless with a bronzer, using a primer under your foundation, and oh – did you know that concealer should be put on AFTER foundation?!

Sephora: The Ultimate Guide to Makeup, Skin, and Hair from the Beauty Authority is a must-have, and is full of classic tips that you can pass up or down a generation. The list price for this hardcover book is $27.95 but Amazon is currently selling it for $18.45. That is a serious deal for this book, so grab a copy for yourself -- I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Rockin' the Ribbies

The other day I was in the pediatrician's office, hovering between the well baby side and the sick room (we were there for a re-check and I was not about to bring my newly well baby into the sick room, y'know?) and in walked this sweet little girl with her mom. She was decked out in this nautical outfit, and had pretty blonde curly hair. However, I have no clue what her face looked like, because a red, floppy bow the size of TEXAS was smack on top of her head. Seriously, it was giant, people -- it probably had it's own zip code. I kept thinking to myself that the bow took away from this pretty little girl, and maybe, just maybe, her mom should consider a smaller one?

Right.

But here is the problem -- most bows are, uh, large. Even the small ones look big in Little AG's hair. And the little ones have no style. They are boring and simple. Plus, if she even suspects that I put one of those ribbon-covered things near her head, she rips it out and hands it back.

So, what's a momma to do? Well, Ribbies has a solution, and one that I really like. Their clippies are covered in modern and chic ribbon patterns in a variety of color groups. No loops, no ties, no bouncing curly-looking ribbons. I love that they are pretty but don't take over Little AG's face, as it should be! They are really light and I managed to slip one into her hair without her even noticing! After that it was smooth sailing, and she wore it for hours! It doesn't slide out because it has this awesome foam piece underneath that keeps it in place, so once it was in, it wasn't moving! They do their job well, and fashionably, too.

We were able to review two of the gift sets, thanks to owner Kim Marable -- one in Black (pictured on the left) and one in Orange. Each set came with 5 different clips that were still a part of the same color family. They are all precious and I can't even choose a favorite pattern! The one that you see all the way to the left matched my daughters outfit perfectly so that is the one we chose for today. The gift sets are really inexpensive in my opinion, at $14 for 5 different clips.

The icing on the cake for me is that this is a mom-owned and operated company, and I always like to support products that other moms have come up with! However, Ribbies is definitely taking off (hello Target shoppers!) because of their fun and practical design!

Want it? Kim is offering CSC readers 10% of their Ribbies orders through June 15th! Just enter code CSC10 on the last page during check out!

Have a LUSHious Mother's Day!

When I was in London for the first time on my honeymoon with hubby, I read about this amazing store in my "London for Dummies" book (no judging, please) called "Lush" -- and I was smitten. I practically dragged poor hubby all over London the next day, accosting unsuspecting Londonites (yes, I realize I could have said LondonERS, but that's no fun) on the street, and asking them if they knew where this FABULOUS store called "Lush" was located. Well we finally found it and I thought I was in heaven. I could smell the scents wafting down the street when we were still 5 stores away. Once in there -- it was amazing -- all of these huge piles of homemade soaps in the shape of cheese wheels -- weighed and wrapped up like meat -- sold by the ounce. Still Fabulous. I spent the better part of 2 hours in there (sorry hubby) and came out of there at least $100 poorer. But man did I find some fabulous stuff -- and I had to stock up because there was no store like this at home, because if there was, I totally would have known about it. Right.

A year later I'm visiting Washington DC and am in Georgetown with a friend and I spot it. In front of me. A "Lush" store in the US! I was so excited! As I was checking out, I was casually looking at a list of locations, and realized there was one a half-hour away from my house, in New Orleans. Disappointment flooded in. My little unknown gem of a store was one that all my friends at home could get to if they wanted to. Bummer.

Now I'm over it and still a huge Lush fan. My darling, thoughtful hubby gave me a giftcard to Lush for Christmas that I still have yet to use, but I also haven't been there since Christmas!

Anywhoodle, I was perusing their website today and thought I would share some of my favorites with you! One of my ultimate favorites are these amazing fizzy Bath Bombs some of which have sweet little surprises inside once the whole thing fizzes away. They smell wonderful and make for a very relaxing soaking session. They are just under $6 each, and well worth it. This one is called "Think Pink" and it is for all of your glamour girls out there -- it's scented with Lavender, Vanilla, and Tonka Bean.My next favorite is this Buttercream Soap -- called the Heavenly Bodies Soap Bar, filled with essential oils to make your skin totally soft and sweet smelling! It is scented as Orange Chocolate Truffle, and it looks good enough to eat, doesn't it? You can buy a 3.5 ounce bar of this for just under $8.


The last of my favorites that I'll mention to you is the "Angels on Bare Skin" Cleanser. It's made from all natural ingredients and comes out of their little refrigerator when you buy it. My sister has used this for about 2 years and loves it. The exfoliant that you feel when you wash with it is ground almonds, and it has rose absolute to tone your skin and lavender oil to soothe your skin. You get in in a little tub, and you mix it with a little water in your hand to create a wet paste. It's awesome. Due to the nature of this stuff being all fresh, it only has a shelf life of 3 months, so just make sure you are aware of that. You can grab a 3.5 ounce tub of it for just under $10 -- which isn't bad in the world of facial care products!
Hope you like this stuff as much as I do! Visit their website to see more awesome products.

Poodle, Party of Three (for tea!)

You already know I'm a fan of all things French, so it should come as no surprise to you that Little AG's room is decked out in all things French -- namely with a Pink Poodle theme! She has a pink poodle border with french words on it, pink poodles on the walls, pink poodles on a shelf -- even pink poodle ceiling fan pulls (thanks to my MIL, an ebay fanatic)! So, when I came across this indulgent, but adorable and girly French Poodle Tea set for little girls I just had to tell you about it! It's adorable, has settings for 3, and I think that it will keep almost any little girl occupied for hours! You can pick one up for the girly-poodlelovin'-francophile (or, uh, your child) in your life at Pink Taffy Designs for $45.

Cutest Clips

How sweet are these custom Mod Flower initial clips from the Silly Wagon? I have really been wanting to get some for Little AG that weren't just plain, and I found these today and LOVE them. I like the blue and red one, but I also liked the pink and black toile -- heck I wish I could afford to buy one in every color! Each clip is hand-sewn, so you are getting a quality, handmade product!

My other favorite clip from there are these personalized scalloped name clips. They are so sweet -- and have your child's name on them! They come in a bunch of different colors, too -- I can't choose! You can pick these awesome accessories up at the Silly Wagon for $10.95 each.

Heavenly Hostess

So, a few things I am good at: choosing the perfect birthday gift, planning trips to anywhere and everywhere for a reasonable amount of money, speaking French and teaching others, applying amazing eye makeup.

A few things I am not-so-good-at: cleaning and cooking.

Knowing the latter, is it terrible that I am dying to have one of these adorable aprons for myself? I mean, I do cook, just not frequently. And when I do, I usually just open boxes of stuff and dump them together. Ok, I can make a decent lasagna and a fabulous Hummingbird Cake, but honestly, it's not like I made those recipes up myself. I stole them.

And it doesn't just end there. Oh no, it's not that easy. I want a matching one for Little AG. But, she doesn't walk yet, you're thinking. I don't care. She will look just as cute crawling around in this. Then we can not cook together, and look amazing doing it!

Well, if you cook, or hey, if you don't -- check out these halter top, extremely adorable and fashionable aprons out at Heavenly Hostess. You can get them in mommy-sizes, or kid sizes. The kid ones are $62 and the mommy ones are $78.

I want both.

Kai's Kool Kicks

I have so many favorite styles of shoes over at See Kai Run that I can't even pick one! These handcrafted shoes are sturdy enough for outdoor play, but flexible enough for developing feet (and feet of those 15 month olds who have yet to walk, ahem, like Little AG). I can't help but love these little boots -- I love "adult" items in smaller sizes! They look so adorable on little feet! These boots are called "Lillian Grace" and I can't wait until it cools down again (so, like, in January here in Louisiana, and then it will only last for 3 weeks) to buy her some of these! Boots are $42 at See Kai Run, many other styles start as low as $26 (like these adorable "Gretchen" shoes).

Sweet Summer Dress

I was fortunate that when Little AG was born, she came home to a closet packed with more clothing than mine (and that's an accomplishment, ask hubby). Since then, I've had to buy very few pieces of clothing for her, thanks to my MIL who keeps her closet stocked. I'm quite happy, actually, that I never have to worry about finding the right clothes for the season, but every now and then I get the urge to splurge (oh, that was cheesy, but it's staying because it's SO me) and I want to buy her something pretty.

That's where this adorable dress comes in! I found it, on sale, at Garnet Hill Kids. It's by Ralph Lauren, and it's called the Tory Anne Dress. Regularly around $60, it's on sale for $35ish (depending on size). I'm not sure if I can resist this one -- it's so sweet. Though I must say, it would be cuter on a toddler who actually "toddles" -- Little AG has yet to make a concerted effort to walk. Oh well, maybe I'll buy a size up for next summer!

Lucky Bubble (Skirt)

I adore these 100% organic cotton skirts from Lucky for Baby! I think bubble skirts are so sweet on little girls (whereas I just look like a cupcake if I try to wear one) and I miss the one and only "bubble" dress that little AG ever had, which she has now outgrown. The fact that this one is organic totally sweetens the deal for me, and makes me feel better about the $39 price tag. I totally couldn't decide if I liked the skirt in "pool" (blue for us non-artsy types) or "plum" (I think it's more like pink, but whaddaeyeno?) so I posted both pictures! If you love these like I do, consider picking one up for the princess in your life at Lucky for Baby.