More Vile Villainy...For Guys AND Gals!

Over the Summer, the nice folks at Threadless threw a little competition to see who could design the coolest new t-shirts featuring Disney Villains. The winners have been chosen, and now there are fifteen brand-spanking-new shirts to choose from, all bearing the likenesses of baddies from The Evil Queen to Dr. Facilier.

And. They. Rock.

The thing I've always adored about Threadless is its artistic integrity. These are not your run-of-the-mill, found this at [insert department store here] designs. These each bear the stamps of the amazing artists who created them. Some are deco, some are nouveau, some are more abstract...all are incredible, and well worth the $23.50 price tag. Here are my favorites:

 Hook by Brian Cvejanovich

 All Powerful by Bert Segunial

Photo Credit (This and All): Threadless

 Magnificent Maleficent by Winona Hwang

Mystery Solved!: StyleMint Mystery Bag Review

Quick ranty question before I get into today's entry: Why has no one invented tinted sunscreen? Not tinted moisturizer with SPF, not bronzer with SPF, but actual tinted sunscreen? That way, you could put it on from tip to toe and have perfectly even skin. No more messing around with "skin perfectors" or "tone-enriching ribbons" (a.k.a. glitter); just a sheer tint in the sunscreen itself. Why does that not exist? /end of rant.

Okay, so yesterday I received my StyleMint Mystery Bag in the mail, and since the last review I did of a Mystery Bag was so popular, I thought I'd do one on this bag, too. Plus, I've noticed that a lot of the ladies on the StyleMint Facebook page have been interested in seeing how the shirts look on "normal" people. Well, I'm pretty average, so I took some photos that you can use as reference, if you want. I'm 5'3", and on the StyleMint sizing guide, I'm a 3 (Medium).

First, a review:
StyleMint runs this kind of promotion about once a quarter. Normally, they coincide with a holiday or special event (i.e. the Academy Awards, Halloween, Christmas), but this one was just for the fun of it, I guess. I expected to hear, somewhere along the way, that they were Olympics-themed, but that didn't happen, and that's fine by me. The themes never mean anything, anyway. This "bag", like all the ones before it, came as an envelope stuffed with brown paper-wrapped shirts. No bag, no theme, no fuss, no muss. This is not a criticism, by the way.

In the past, the bags have tended to be either a shirt and a JewelMint item (JewelMint is a sister company, and normally runs a similar promotion alongside the StyleMint one), or a shirt and another StyleMint item (sunglasses, leggings, tote bag, etc.), with maybe a coupon code or two tossed in for good measure. That's not a bad deal for $29.99, and I've been happy with those bags in the past. This bag, though, took the cake. For the price of one shirt, you received three StyleMint items. Now, those items could be pretty much anything in the StyleMint catalog, but you'd get three of them, so the bag was definitely more than worth the pricetag.

Now, some ladies have complained that they didn't like what they got. You don't get to pick your items, so you could end up with things that aren't to your taste. One lady even received an item she'd previously returned (I mean, not the same exact shirt, but the same style of shirt. It was a new shirt. Oh, you know what I mean). That is the gamble. That's also why you get so much for so little, so it's a trade-off.

I'm thrilled with my bag. I now have six StyleMint shirts and StyleMint dress, and all but one shirt and the dress were Mystery Bag purchases. They're all excellent quality, feel amazing, and look really cute on. Sure, you might have to put a little more thought into how you'll wear your shirt, but I think that just adds to the fun of the bag. My only complaint is with the shipping. I never got a tracking notice, and it's not the first time. All I had to do, though, was ask customer service, and they got the notice to me ASAP. I will say that StyleMint (as well as JewelMint) has excellent customer service. I'm continually impressed by them. The shipping is generally pretty slow, but the customer service makes up for it.

So, let me show what I got. These pictures are not styled in any way. I just threw the shirts on over a pair of Sweetheart jeans from Old Navy and a pair of CL by Laundry flats. I also didn't try the shirts on before taking these photos. We're all seeing them for the first time together, folks.




Photo Credit: StyleMint

 The first one I tried on was the Brooklyn T. Admittedly, when I first saw this, I was a little less than impressed. I haven't been into fussy florals since the very early 90s, when none of us knew any better. What was I going to do with this old lady shirt?

I was going to rock it, that's what! This may be my favorite shirt out of the bunch, now that I've tried it on. I wore it to work today, that's how much I love it. I shot from the side, instead of full-on, because I wanted you to see how it's lower in the back. For me, it's a really flattering cut. This is very lightweight with a wide scoop neck, so you could layer with it, but it's dark enough that you don't need anything underneath it. The red is also much more muted in person than in photographs. It's a lovely shirt, and nothing like the chintz sofa cushion I thought it was going to be.



Photo Credit: StyleMint



Next up, the Savannah T in black. I immediately liked how the stars are made to look like sketches and doodles, and not like cookie-cutter stamps. To me, that's more interesting.

I like this a lot, but it's not grabbing me the way the Brooklyn T did, which is weird, because, between the two of them, I'd have picked this from the online pictures before I'd have picked the Brooklyn. It's just a basic tee, albeit a really soft and high-quality basic tee. Scoop neck, level hem. I think this is going to look really cute layered under a black cable-knit hoodie this Fall and Winter.

Photo Credit: StyleMint

This last shirt just made me giggle. I need to wear it on-set, sometimes, or maybe to rehearsals. Heck, I need this tattooed onto my forehead. I showed it to Thomas and he laughed out loud. In case it's too difficult to read, it says, "I'm Almost Not Crazy".

Okay, there are two shots here. This one shows how the lettering falls, and the one below shows the snug fit and sheerness of the tee.

                                        

I love the way this is made. The material is super-soft and lightweight, and it feels like it custom forms itself around your body (I know it doesn't, but it's just that soft and flexible). It's also cut with a longer line, so you never look short-waisted, or feel like you can't bend over with confidence. I hate shirts that creep up in the back, and leave you wondering if you're *ahem* exposed anywhere you shouldn't be. No worries with this.

So, that's my Mystery Bag, folks, along with my thoughts and, hopefully, a little sizing reference. I apologize for all the camera-in-the-face photos, but you work with what you've got, I guess. Did anybody else get a Mystery Bag? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.

Just When You Thought You Had Enough T-Shirts...

I want to be Ashley Eckstein when I grow up. Yeah, I know, I'm 32, but that hardly makes me a grown-up. This woman is amazing. She's a talented actress and voice artist, gets to hang out with the Star Wars crowd for a living, and designs some of the most beautiful "geek tees" I've ever seen. Recently, Her Universe (Eckstein's design house) branched out to partner with SyFy for some adorable Warehouse 13, Battlestar Galactica, and SyFy Original Movie products. Starting July 11th, though, Her Universe will be broadening its own universe by taking on that captain of time and space, himself, The Doctor.

I am going to be so very broke.
 

The new Doctor Who line currently consists of three shirts, and I can't decide which is my favorite! Two of the shirts are v-necks with flattering, elongated torsos. The TARDIS blue shirt features a white sketch of the little blue box in one corner, with the curlieque inscription, "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue". A black tee shows off a pair of bright red killer pumps, bearing the words, "Hell in High Heels" on one sole, and a minature TARDIS on the other. The last shirt is a navy, wide-necked box-tee. The Van Gogh painting of an exploding TARDIS that was so prominent at the end of 11's first season is centered on the front, detailed with gold foil. Doctor Who shirts are $28 each, and will be available online beginning July 11th.



Photo Credit (All): Her Universe



Unspeakable(-y Cute) Dooom

One site that I just love is Shirt.Woot. Every day, a new, original tee is featured and available for only $12. Yeah, there are a lot of sites like that, but this is the only one I've seen where the shirt is still available for sale after its featured day. The price just goes up to $15. I can totally deal with that. I don't know about you, but I don't always have the extra money lying around, and have missed out on some truly epic t-shirts on some other sites.

Anyhoo, the other day, one of my favorite Shirt.Woot artists unveiled the third installment in their Unstealthiest Ninja collection. Unfortunately, the first two are sold out, but I just had to share this with you:



Photo Credit: Shirt.Woot

How freaking adorable is that?! Oh, I just want to hug him! The artist goes by the handle dooomcat, and you can learn more about them on their site. You can also purchase prints and other items, as well as check out a web comic.

Know of any other cool artists? Want to share with the rest of the class? Let me know in the comments section.

Skin As White As Snow...Check!

Oh, I'm so excited! Tonight, I'm going to the sneak preview of Snow White & the Huntsman, and it looks like it's going to be amazeballs. I have no idea why, but I have been completely stoked to see this movie since I first heard about it. I guess it's because the princess part of me loves a good fairy tale, and the feminist part of me really digs it when the heroine kicks some serious butt. Anyway, I've been all over this one, and even managed to score a cooler-than-usual promotional t-shirt that I'm wearing today. It's a super-soft gray burnout v-neck with silhouettes of birds making up the shape of a tree printed on the hip. Honestly, it just looks like a fashion tee, with the only giveaway that it's a promo being the movie's logo printed on one sleeve. I didn't notice it for quite a while, and I was studying the shirt pretty hard. Anyhoo, it seems that nifty t-shirts weren't the only tie-in for this movie, and there are actually a couple of impressive beauty sets (which makes sense) on the market. 

Photo Credit: Benefit

If you're a Benefit fan, there's the gorgeous Rare Beauty set. It includes a full-sized POREfessional balm, full-sized BADgal mascara, deluxe sample of Benetint cheek and lip stain, and deluxe sample of High Beam highlighter, all housed in an absolutely lovely lavender and pearl train case. The set goes for $45, which seems a little high until you remember that POREfessional runs $29, and BADgal is another $19...so you'll end up saving $3 right off the bat, and that's not even taking into account the deluxe samples or the case. If you use those two products, snap this up. Me? Well, I like POREfessional very much, and use my sample size underneath mineral makeup. Unfortunately, BADgal isn't for me. It's a good mascara--don't get me wrong! It's just not my personal favorite. I'm more into Buxom and Tarte. I do like the High Beam highlighter a lot, but I'm currently in love with a cream highlight from Urban Decay (discontinued, wouldn't you know), and I've found that, pretty as Benetint is, I can't use it. I'm probably the only person on the planet to have a reaction to it, but I'm sort of allergic. Who knew? In other words, it's a wonderful set for somebody, just not me. I do encourage you to check it out, though. 

Photo Credit: Beauty.com

The other set is the much more affordable, twenty-five dollar Deborah Lippmann Snow White & the Huntsman nail polish duo. It contains two polishes, one each in Prelude To a Kiss (a pale, almost eggshell pink) and Dark Side Of the Moon (dark, blue-based blood red). I have zero experience with these polishes, but the colors look beautiful in the box.

For giggles, I thought I'd try a Snow White-inspired look to wear to the movie. I knew that cheeks and lips would be the main focus, so for the eyes, I did a sugar-sparkle shadow (snow sparkles, right?) in a barely-there shade. Of course, Kristen Stewart is known for her smoky eye, but that wouldn't be appropriate with the strong lips and cheeks, so I tried a toned-down version to keep the look natural and pretty. Other than that, I worked a lot on making the skin look dewy and flawless (ha! I am so broken out, it's ridiculous). What do you guys think?


Products used:

TooFaced Beauty Balm in Vanilla Glow

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer in Light

E.L.F. Mineral Foundation in Warm

E.L.F. Brow Kit in Medium

NYX HD Eye Primer (works GREAT for glitter shadows!)

Eyes: Urban Decay Stardust in Space Cowboy--All Over

         Satin-Finish Camel from NYX Dark Shadows Palette--Crease

         Matte Charcoal Brown from NYX Dark Shadows Palette--Lower Lash 

         Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Zero--Upper Lash

         Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencil in Sin--Inner Corner

Maybelline Falsies Mascara in Black--Upper and Lower

NYX Matte Red Blush from the Dark Shadows Palette (I knew I could find a way to wear it!)

MAC Mineralize Blush Duo in Moon River as Highlighter (discontinued, but I'm working to find a dupe!)

Revlon Lip Butter in Cherry Tart

Set Phasers to Broil!

This showed up in my inbox this morning and cracked me up! If you're gearing up for Summer cookouts, you might want to check out the new aprons from Woot. My personal favorite?

Photo Credit: Woot

ENGAGE!!!!!!!! (And pass the barbeque sauce, please.)

Aprons are $14, with five different designs available. While you're there, check out the shirt of the day. Today's might be of interest to my fellow Whovians.

Have a great Wednesday!  

I Want My Coffee So Strong It Doesn't Need A Cup

It's Wednesday. I'm exhausted. This shirt may become a necessary expenditure:

Photo Credit: Teefury. Artist: Obvian.

Thanks, Genna, for sharing that with me!

P.S. Teefury shirts change daily, and are only available for 24 hours. If you like this one, you'd better do just what I did with Thomas--snap it up before it can get away!

Frugal Friday: Holiday Round-Up

Happy Last Friday of 2011!!! Let's get to this, shall we?

Victoria's Secret: The semi-annual sale is going on right now, with some fantastic deals and free shipping on online orders over $50 with the code SHIP50. Also, if you're a Facebook fan, you can print out an instore only coupon for a free NYE panty with any purchase today only!! Dec. 30th!! Get on that now, 'cause it's pretty darn cute.

E.L.F.: You have a few offers to choose from right now, actually. You can get a free mini-makeup collection with any order over $10 with code HOLIDAY thru Dec. 31st (tomorrow), and SHIP25 will get you free shipping on orders over $25 thru Jan. 1st. This one's a little complicated, but if you spend $20.12, you can add an 11-piece Studio Brush set plus case for $2.12 with code 2012. That one is good until Jan. 2nd. None of these can be combined, so choose wisely.

Busted Tees: It's Grab Bag time!! Thirty bucks gets you four random shirts. Granted, you don't get to pick 'em, but at $8 and change per shirt, it's still a really good deal. **P.S. If you find an Easter Egg and get a code, WRITE IT DOWN!! I accidentally clicked my mouse before I had a chance to, and it disappeared, never to return. I tried to remember it, but one letter/number escaped me. Busted, it would be nice if that code automatically made it to my cart next time. Just sayin'.

Sephora: Extra 20% off ALL sale items. Use code EXTRA thru Jan. 3rd. Good only online, and cannot be combined with other offers.

StyleMint: Extra 30% off any tee with code TLOW30. One tee per transaction, but an unlimited number of transactions is allowed. Also, buy any cashmere sweater and receive two free JewelMint pieces (Parisian Dream earrings and Smooth Sailing necklace). No promo code needed, and none allowed on cashmere pieces.

Old Navy: Take an extra 15% off your entire order, including sale items (!) with code ONEXTRA15. Offer good online only, and only thru Jan. 2nd. Considering clearance items are going for 50% off, this is a fantastic deal.

Of course, there are tons of other sales going on this weekend, but this should help out with promo codes and special deals. Have a wonderful New Year, and remember to eat your peas, cabbage, and pork! We need all the luck, money, and health we can get in 2012!!

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Something is missing, and I can't quite put my finger on it...

Anybody? Bueller? Bueller?

Photo Credit (This and Above): Collider.com

Oh, that's it! He forgot his pants!

Photo Credit: Entertainment Earth

Honestly, I've not been too impressed with this costume since the original press photo came out, and that was even before I could tell that somebody forgot his Underoos. Then, I just didn't care for the fabric texture and the muted colors. Last I checked, Superman was supposed to be a bright beacon of hope. This one...well, I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley.

Photo Credit: ScreenRant

*He kind of scares me.* 

This is nothing against Mr. Cavill, of course. He's a fine actor and looks every inch the part. I just don't like the suit. At all.

What I do like, on the other hand, is this shirt from Trunk Ltd. Now, that truly is a super man. ($39.95, Trunk Ltd.)

Photo Credit: Beauty's Blog

The Next Cake I Make Will Be Full of Rum, Thank You.

It's that time of year again! Today marks the deadline of Threadcakes '11! For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, Threadcakes is an online cake decorating competition; think: Food Network Challenge, but from the comfort of your own home, and without Kerry Vincent's precious, yet fear-inducing accent. What really makes this a fun and challenging contest, though, is the fact that each cake must be based (however loosely) on a Threadless t-shirt design of the baker's choice. Pictures are uploaded, and a panel of celebrity judges picks the winner.

I just got my pictures uploaded. The contest ends at midnight. My heart should start beating again in a few minutes.

Honestly, though, I have no delusions of ever winning this thing. In fact, Thomas and I have started referring to it as "that cake contest we lose every year". I don't say this for sympathy. I say this because I am truly in awe of some of the spectacular creations that are churned out each year. Plus, I'm only a recreational decorator. I use this contest as a learning experience. Case in point, the first year we did this, we learned to cover a cake with fondant, make gum paste figures, and pour sugar glass. Last year, we added in modeling chocolate and ganache, and this year we learned about rice krispy treat sculpting, and that we should avoid like the plague ever doing it again. (And yet, we totally will on the next cake. Probably even if we don't need to. They're yummy.)

So, in honor of all the hard working decorators who entered this year, I give you a sampling of some of my personal favorites, not already featured on other sites (that I knew of). Now, if only I could taste them...

Mr. Salad

That's not lettuce. That's actually modeling chocolate, and I am in awe. I cannot even begin to imagine how long that took the decorator.

Sushi

That is fondant made from rice, garlic-pressed into looking like rice. Easily, the cutest sushi ever.

And the Winner Is...

...Red Riding Hood. Never mess with a tiny woman. I could have told those pigs and wolf that much.

Rose Marry

How gorgeous is that painting?! And the 3D roses! It's flawless, I say. Flaw. Less.

Let's Plant

And this is mine. Well...at least we had fun. That's what matters. I do think my little dino is cute, though. And it all tasted good. And my cellphone takes lousy pictures. 

The gallery is up, and you can like, tweet, +1, and comment on all of your favorites, so show some cake decorating love!

Yeah, I Know It's the Full House Twins. It's Still Cool.

Photo Credit: StyleMint

Back in March, I told you guys about a little site called JewelMint. It's a jewelry club, where you can purchase a new, personally selected accessory each month. I've gotten a couple of cute things from it, so I was thrilled to learn, this morning, that JewelMint has branched off into the world of fashion. Well, t-shirts, anyway.

StyleMint is JewelMint's clothing-centric little sister. Here's what they have to say for themselves:

StyleMint is the brainchild of fashion designers and style icons Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen and parent company BeachMint. StyleMint offers members a revolutionary online shopping destination with the unrivaled experience of a personal stylist. The best part? Members-only access to Mary-Kate and Ashley's exclusively designed and styled T Shirts, with new styles to choose from every month.


Designers Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen have built a portfolio of lifestyle fashion labels appealing to customers along the fashion spectrum with The Row, Elizabeth and James, Textile Elizabeth and James and Olsenboye. StyleMint offers what Mary-Kate and Ashley do best- impeccable design, perfect fit and unparalleled quality, all in a T Shirt styled for you.

So, for $29.99, you can have a designer t-shirt of your choice (from a selection personalized to your taste) shipped (for free) directly to your home. It's a little more than I'd normally pay for a t-shirt, but for a sometimes treat, it's not out of the realm of possibility. Afterall, you can skip any months you want.

Have a great weekend, and I'll see you Wednesday!

Gone Hunting. Be Back Soon.

Okay folks, here's the deal. This weekend, Thomas and I announced that our movie, The Night Shift, will screen in our hometown next month. Since that announcement, I've been...let's say, inundated...with emails, texts, phone calls--you name it--all seeking info and tickets. While that's fantastic, and I'm not complaining, it has made searching the Interwebs for goodies a little bit difficult. So, for today, the best I could come up with (I'm pathetic, I know) is news of a sale at Threadless. Any tee you want, twelve bucks. I've got my eye on this Doctor Who-inspired cutie:



Photo Credit: Threadless
Doctor Hoo

 For those less Sci-Fi inclined, might I suggest this stunner, which also comes in a beautiful boat-neck style:


Photo Credit: Threadless
The Guardian Samurai of Beauty

Happy Shopping! See you tomorrow!

Speaking of T-Shirts...

...I've got a couple of awesome sites for you check out. If you like geek tees (and who doesn't?), you can't beat the prices and artistry.

Ript and Teefury (yes, I'm lumping them together. You'll see why) interest me greatly. For one thing, the shirts are designed by fans. These are not mass-produced generic graphic tees. You will not find them at Target or K-mart. These are lovingly created by talented--and I mean talented--artists who truly understand their subjects. You'll find everything from Scooby Doo to Doctor Who...and sometimes a combination thereof.

Secondly, the shirts go for only ten bucks, plus around two dollars for shipping. That's cheaper than dinner for two at McDonald's, and will last a whole lot longer.

So, thus far we have creative tees and amazing prices. What's the catch? There's not one, actually, unless you consider the fact that each tee is only available for one day a "catch". That's right. You have twenty-four hours to decide if you want to add to cart or wait for the next one. I kind of like the idea. It's exciting. Plus, if you don't like the offering o' the day, you only have to wait a little while for a new option. You also know that any tee you buy is going to be fairly obscure, given the limited availability.

I think I'm going to need a bigger closet.

Please Surrender (Dorothy) a Moment of Your Time

Photo Credit: Urban Collector

Please take a moment to gaze upon the adorable-ness of this shirt, entitled "Run, Dorothy, Run!". The rich raspberry material and the way the aqua pops on it; how the action is so animated it practically moves; the fact that, not only is it a Wizard of Oz-themed shirt, but one that uses the book series' original artwork. One day (when I get paid again), this shall come live in my closet. $14.99, Urban Collector

You may now resume your regularly scheduled Monday.

The "Important" Awards

Well, shoot. The Academy Award nominations were announced this morning, and, once again, I was snubbed. Next, they're going to try to tell me my invitation was "lost in the mail". Again. Well, fine. If they want to be that way, I'll find another awards ceremony to participate in. One where I'm appreciated. One where I'm needed.

 

One where I don't need a stylist. One where the only effort I have to put forward is clicking a mouse. Yeah...that's the ticket!

Shirt.Woot is preparing for their first ever T-List Awards, and they need our help. If you're unfamiliar with Shirt.Woot, it's a t-shirt company (probably gathered that), but an exceptionally cool one. Some shirts are your typical joke designs, but some are truly, artistically beautiful. Each day, a new shirt is featured for ten bucks with free shipping. There's also a page called "The Reckoning" where shirts that are currently available are ranked by popularity. The more popular, the longer it stays. If it doesn't sell well, it's gone. This is my current favorite, a blend of giggle and beauty (seriously, that dragon is gorgeous).

 

 

The T-List will honor the best designs of the year, as voted on by YOU! Go to "The Battle" (linked above), and cast your vote. Two shirts will be shown to you, and you click on the one you like most. It's that easy. I warn you, though, it's a long list of choices, and can take forever, but you can stop whenever you feel like it. They won't mind.  

 

As for that other awards ceremony, I'm really happy for all the nominees, especially little Hailee Steinfeld. I saw True Grit, and was blown away by her performance. At only 13 years old (14 now), she not only held her own with the big boys, but carried that entire movie. A lesser actor could have easily made that character cloying and cutesy, and possibly even brought the film down into Walmart Family Movie Night territory, but she nailed it. I'm impressed with the young lady, and can only hope she goes the path of Jody Foster or Natalie Portman, and not the way of the *ahem* Pop Tart. Congratulations!

Comic-Con FAIL 2: Fail Harder

I think I need a drink.  Is this going to be a regular thing until July?  For those of you who are totally lost, here's a little recap for you.

Comic-Con is an enormous comic book, sci-fi, fantasy, movie and television convention held in beautiful San Diego, CA.  The con is in July, but tickets go on sale...well, technically at the previous year's con.  For those of us who were unable to attend, online registration--the only way you can register, now--started three weeks ago.

Sort of.

Registration is open from the official start time until they run out of passes.  In other words, about 45 minutes.  Not really, but they do go fast, so it's important to try to get yours as early as possible.  You can only order one badge (ticket) at a time, and there's no on-site registration, so this is it.  People take off from work and school to get their badges as soon as they're available.  Three weeks ago, the Comic-Con site was over-run with users trying to register (myself included), and the site crashed.  Hard.  They said to check back for new instructions in a week.  It annoyed me, and I wrote a blog about it. 

A week later, the new instructions were to come back this morning at 8am.  Awesome.

So, today, I attempt to log on and get my badges and...crash.  And burn.  The site has gone down in flames again.  I'm assuming that it'll be another week or so before they have things up and running, and I'm wondering what it's going to take for the servers to stay functional.  Will we need to know the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?  Does someone need to bring the Comic-Con techs the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West?  Perhaps there are Nargles to blame.  Whatever the case, I just want my darn tickets.

I'm starting to heavily suspect those Nargles.

IF, and I do mean if, we're able to get to Comic-Con this July, I may be forced to wear one of these cool error message shirts.  Knowing how irritated people were today, I'd bet money that the error message we all saw this morning will be on a shirt by the weekend.  Until then, here's one that tickled me.  I have a feeling Thomas wouldn't mind a bit if I wore this through the convention center.  $15.95, errorwear.com.

Photo credit:  errorwear.com

The text reads: 

Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /girl on this server.

Apache/1.3.9 Server at www.errorwear.com Port 80

Did you have Comic-Con issues today?  I'd love to hear about them in the comments.  Misery loves Company, afterall.  

***EDIT***
Can I call 'em, or what?!  The Error Message shirt now exists on CafePress!  Here's a peek:

Photo credit:  CafePress.com

It's hard to read, but it says:

Registration System Error

The web system has encountered an error while attempting to service your registration process.

epic

Event Planning International Corporation

FAIL

Found on Twitter:  @shpider



Do Not Adjust Your Monitors

Photo by Dissizit

You can't escape it.  It's everywhere;  infiltrating your movies, your televisions, even your very senses.  There is No. Way. Out.  Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the young men's department...T-SHIRTS!  IN 3-D!!!

I don't know about anyone else, but I've just about had enough of the 3D craze.  The movies give me a headache, cost way too darn much, and now, even televisions are getting in on the game.  I have a hard enough time keeping up with the remote!  How on Earth am I going to keep up with glasses, too?  I lose my sunglasses on a daily basis, as it is!  This is really getting to be a little much.

But now, as if movies and television weren't enough, the latest items to fall prey to the 3D monster are t-shirts.  Middle Eastern design house, Splash, is using 3D technology as a major part of the print campaign for their Autumn 2010 collection, with 3D ads (complete with glasses) in magazines, models sporting the specs on the runway, and, of course, a special limited edition t-shirt with 3D glasses hang-tag.  No word on pricing or U.S. availability as of posting. 

However, if you're in the States and just dying for a 3D t-shirt, you're in luck.  California-based company, Dissizit, has a series of 3D shirts available.  You can find them here for $32 a piece, but be warned:  I'm only showing one of the shirts in this post because I try to run a clean site.  They're not exactly family-friendly, if you catch my drift.

And now, for today's dip into the magic bag o' samples!  In case you're just joining us, I have an enormous stash of samples.  Everyday, I pick one at random (or not) and try it out, then review it here.  Today's pick:  Zirh Clean Face Wash.

Here's what Sephora has to say about it:

Zirh Clean is a clarifying cleanser that uses a triad of alpha-hydroxy acids (glycolic from sugar cane, malic from apples, and lactic from milk) to cut through dirt, pollution, and oil. Clean washes away debris and acne-causing bacteria, while gently removing a layer of dead skin cells to uncover new, smoother looking skin. It also multitasks as a shaving cream.

Well...this is embarrassing.  I had no idea.  Zirh is a men's line.  Oops.  There is absolutely nothing on the sample packaging that denotes gender specificity, and according to the user reviews, I'm not the only girl who used it accidentally.  Oh well.

I have to say, I really liked it.  It smells like lemons and menthol, lathers beautifully, and removes every trace of makeup--including mascara and eyeliner (yes, I was bad and failed to wash my face last night.  Sue me).  The cleanser cools your skin (which was much appreciated since my air-conditioner died and it's a million degrees inside my apartment), and leaves a slight tingle after it's rinsed off.  Zirh left my skin super clean, exfoliated, and feeling fresh.  I don't care if it's for men;  my husband can fend for himself this time.  I'm a Philosophy girl, normally, but Zirh is making me take a second look at my usual routine. 

The cleanser retails for $20 for 8oz. at Sephora.com, and comes in a really cool metal bottle.  This seems to be the sticking point for most of the users who reviewed it.  The cleanser is really thick, and the bottle's design makes it difficult to dispense the product.  Most have asked the company to please package it with a pump.  My suggestion:  go to the store, buy a lotion pump, and repackage the cleanser yourself.  Bonus:  you can make the new bottle as girly as you want.  Take that, Zirh!
 

Vacation!

Thomas and I ran away from home. Between work, the movie, work, maintenance issues with the apartment, work--oh, and did I mention work--we had a choice. We could either tape our eyelids to our cheeks to stop the twitching, or we could get the heck out of Dodge. We hit up Hotwire, packed up the car, and drove to Atlanta for the weekend.

First off, Hotwire is made of awesome. Our hotel room was normally $355 a night. There is no way on God's green Earth we could ever pay $355 a night for a hotel room. Ever. Period. You say $355 and I start totaling up bills and gasoline. If I had that kind of money, I still wouldn't pay it for a hotel room. We got out for a fraction of that. Hotwire is the greatest.

The hotel was fabulous. It had two shower heads in the bathroom, smelled like my husband's cologne (yummy), and actually had decaf Starbucks in the room. I only drink decaf. I don't know how they knew!

Secondly, Atlanta has wonderful shopping. I used to live in New York, and one of my absolute favorite places to go was Filene's Basement. When I moved, I didn't think I'd have too many more opportunities to rifle through their many racks of lovely, off-priced designer clothing. ATLANTA HAS ONE!!! I may have to move there.

So, here's one of my happy finds from Filene's. Would that I'd had many more hours to dig.



Photo by 80stees



You can't order things online from Filene's, but I found this shirt at 80stees.com for $20.

We also took a little trip to the Puppet Museum to check out the Jim Henson exhibit, and I highly recommend it if you're planning a trip to the area. Tons of stuff from Labyrinth, Fraggle Rock, Sesame Street, the Muppet Show, and much more. I was a breath away from Kermit. Seriously, I may have to move to Atlanta.

On the way out (through the gift shop, of course), I fell in love with a t-shirt. Unfortunately, all the shirts were slightly chocolate covered. I guess that's a hazard of field trips and tiny fingers. All was not lost, though. I found it here for $26.

Photo by Old Glory

More to come from the shopping vacation! Stay tuned!

...and Ice Cream?

I was doomed. Both my parents were into it. I grew up around it, and even started experimenting as a tween. It's all over TV and the Internet these days, and now, my best friend and even my husband are doing it. It had to happen. It was fate.

I had to become an amateur cake decorator. Blast! Why couldn't I pick a less expensive hobby, like horse racing or yachting?

Each year, the kind folks at Threadless tees sponsor an online cake decorating contest, Threadcakes. Basically, you pick a Threadless t-shirt, design a cake around it, bake it, decorate it, and send in tons of pictures. After all entries are in, their celebrity judges panel picks a winner. Last year was my first year, and while I didn't win, I have to say, I was fairly impressed with my entry.


So, today, I sat down to pick out a fantastic entry to top last year's, and while I was there, thought I'd check out Fourth of July t-shirts. This one cracked me up, so I had to share it with you.

Photos by Threadless

IT'S A ROBOT CHASING PAUL REVERE!!!!! If that doesn't make your heart swell with patriotic pride, I don't know what will. Happy Birthday, America!!!! Now, how 'bout some cake?