Chic-E Beauty Reviews

Many of us have that girly girl in us that loves splurging on expensive beauty/make-up products. However, most of us also have that cheap ass inside of us that just wants that $4 mascara to do the trick. We've all been burned by drug store beauty products, but there are also some great ones out there that save us from dropping mad Benjamin's on our hotness. This is why I've decided to periodically do a Chic-E (get it..cheeky) Beauty Review. This will mostly include drug store buys, but also occasionally some pricier finds. Sure, I get screwed because I'm the one spending the doe, but at least you can learn from my mistakes, and gain from my experience. I'm starting this series with a bit of a dud. Here's the deal...

Rimmel's Flash Volume Mousse Mascara
Pros: It doesn't have clumping tendencies, and it does give your lashes "flash" volume
Cons: Within hours I had little specks of black mascara dust on my cheeks. I'm able to avert this if I put on a second coat with a more reliable mascara.
Verdict: It gets the job done, but I would definitely not buy it again..black specks?? Who has time for that?

Things I Love: Sticky Business

A friend of mine (we'll call her Bam Bam), emailed me this brilliant little decorating tool from Mind's Eye Designs. Bam Bam knew that these two dimensional wonders would be right up my alley...she knows me so well.

Mind's Eye Designs are little pieces of vinyl wall art, that can make a BIG impression. Especially helpful for all of you apartment dwellers, this art can be applied to any smooth dry surface like walls, wood, glass, mirrors, and metal, and removed without hurting the surface. They sell tons of different styles, lettering, and have some especially cutes decals for kids rooms. Did I mention that most of them cost about the same as an extra value meal? Excellent find my little Bam Bam.

Fall Fashion 2008: 5 Easy Ways to Make your Man Stylish this Fall

To be perfectly honest, I pay little to zero attention to men's fashion trends. As many of us already know, men(cough...straight men..cough) are relatively clueless about fashion. Yeah, they can probably put together your basic boring business shirt, tie, and pants, but they often keep the same style for decades. Can you imagine if you still wore that hypercolor shirt from 1989?

So what in the world is hot for menswear this fall? I was presented with this challenge when my husband, King of casual dress, recently started a new job that that requires him to wear a shirt and tie, almost everyday. Here are my favorite 5 runway inspired ideas, that your dude can adapt to his everyday repertoire.

1. Dark Colors - a palate reminiscent of the 50's, dark colors such as blacks, grays, browns, and mossy greens.

2. Accent Colors - amongst the dark palate, you can add in a dash of color with burnt oranges and deep reds. Gray and black look especially stunning with an orange scarf or tie.

3. Skinny Ties - originally for formal use only, this is my favorite fall male accessory. Black trim ties are especially popular, but really any contrasting color would look fantastic.

4. Chunky Knit Sweaters - Probably not wearable in Houston until February, but still ruggedly handsome.

5. Black Leather - also pulling from the 'Rebel Without a Cause' era, black leather in the form of jackets, vests, and pants are popping up all over. Warning: It takes a special man to pull off leather pants. Know when you are not that man.

Houston Tax Free Weekend

Hooray for a weekend free of taxes!! The tax holiday starts August 17th at 12:01 a.m. and last until midnight on August 19th. The tax break is for items under $100 (It's done individually by each item, not based on your total sale), and mostly just applies to clothing and footware. Do not fret! Many businesses have added their own special sales this weekend to join the tax-free club.

Heather Staible at the Chronicle put together a fantastic list of your tax free opportunities for this weekend. Here they are:

The Woodlands, Willowbrook, Baybrook and First Colony malls are opening at 9 a.m. Friday (Aug. 15) and Saturday (Aug. 16) and closing at 10 p.m. both nights. Sunday (Aug. 17), the malls are opening at 11 a.m. and closing at 8 p.m.

Baybrook Mall. I-45 South at Bay Area Boulevard. 281-488-4620.

First Colony Mall: 59 South and Texas 6. 281-565-6255.

The Woodlands Mall. I-45 north at Lake Woodlands Drive. 281-363-3409.

Willowbrook Mall. FM 1960 and Texas 249.
Katy Mills Mall is opening early at 9 a.m. Friday (Aug. 15) and Saturday (Aug. 16) and closing at 10 p.m. both days. The mall will maintain regular hours Sunday (Aug. 17) and open at 11 a.m., closing at 6 p.m.Details: 5000 Katy Mills Circle. 281-644-5000.

Northline Commons is kicking off the tax free holiday with a Back-to-School Bash Friday (Aug. 15) from noon to 2 p.m. with face painting, balloons, live entertainment and other party delights. Marshalls, Foot Locker and Palais Royal are among the stores at the new open air mall.Details: 4440 North Freeway.

*There is a backpack full of kid's stores at The Galleria offering special sales for tax free weekend. Limited Too is taking 30 percent off select merchandise and opening at 9 a.m. Sunday (Aug. 17) and closing at 8 p.m. Pumpkin Patch is offering an additional 15 percent off for shoppers who sign up for the Patch eClub Friday (Aug. 15) through Sunday (Aug. 17). Gymboree is offering items for $10, $15 and $20 and up to 40 percent off for back-to-school clothing for babies and tweens.

*Kick Maternity is taking 15 percent off all designer denim including Paper Denim & Cloth, Habitual, Serfontaine, Maternal America and Momzee and serving tax-free treats to shoppers.
Details: 5709 Woodway Drive. 713-972-9096.

*Jewelry designer Marie Duncan is taking 20 percent off her already affordable jewelry during tax free weekend. Visit Pomp and Circumstance for the deal.

*Village Girls in Rice Village is taking advantage of the weekend to put all white dresses, satin tops, solid T-shirts and spaghetti strap dresses on sale. Cocktails will be served from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday (Aug. 15) and there will be a fashion show Saturday (Aug. 16) at 7:30 p.m.Details: 2509 Rice Boulevard. 713-533-1163.

*Design Rox, in the Galleria is holding a back-to-school bash Saturday (Aug. 16) taking 20 percent off everything in the store. Design Rox sells accessories, clothing and shoes, plus home decor. From 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. the lifestyle boutique will be serving champagne and light bites and a DJ will play. The shop is just outside Nordstrom in Galleria IV.Details: 5135 West Alabama. 713-850-8212.

*Tax free weekend is an excellent time to score items that would otherwise be too pricey for your every day budget. Upscale boutique M Penner in Uptown Park gets that and us marking the remaining spring and summer merchandise below $100 Friday (Aug. 15) and Saturday (Aug. 16). The men's and women's boutique will also feature racks with with items ranging from $25 to $99. The merchandise was originally $600 to $700. That's what I'm talking about!
Details: 1180-06 Uptown Park Blvd.713-527-8200.

*Em & Lee is already an It girls affordable place to shop, but during tax free weekend, the stores will featuring additional clothing and accessories to choose from. The sale rack will also be discounted from 50 percent off to 75 percent off. Details: Em & Lee River Oaks Shopping Center. 713-524-8485.Details: Em & Lee Midtown. 713-522-1900.

Comic Chic

Mix one part fantasy, one part comic, and a large scoop of style, and you get the one-of-a-kind works of Jimmy Ferry. Clearly influenced by the likes of Takashi Murakami, Gustav Klimt, and Mark Ryden, each of Ferry's pieces take on a magical life of their own. Each painting whisks you away on its own unique trip, like Alice in Wonderland falling down the rabbit hole.

Ferry's detailed images start with common tools such as pencils, pen's, and acrylic paint, but then (utilizing his BFA in Computer Art) he scans and digitally manipulates his work. He also scans in items that add natural, real world texture, and layers them upon his works in progress. Though he swears his degree consisted of playing hakisac in the department hallway, it's obvious that this artist definitely paid attention in his digital environments class. Jimmy knows how to add the right amounts of color, adventure, and just a little bit of pixie dust to make his work come to life.

To check out more art by Jimmy Ferry, click here!

Croissant Brioche

Ahhh Lazy Sundays. Some are particularly lazier than others. Sleeping until you are no longer tired, romping around in your PJ's for hours after you wake, and pampering yourself to a scrumptious French brunch. That's my plan for this sleepy Sunday. I'm headed to Croissant Brioche in Rice Village. This place looks, tastes, and feels so much like Parisian cafe, you might even forget that you are in Texas.

There are plenty of places to sit down, relax, sip some cafe, and do the Chron crossword puzzle. You can be satisfied for breakfast or lunch with their selection of baguette's, pastries, quiches, soups, salads, and sandwiches. I'm partial to the buttery croque monsieur and croque madame. Man, my stomach is growling from just writing this. See you there!

Croissant Brioche

2435 Rice Blvd

Houston, TX 77005
(713) 526-9188‎

Vox Culture Houston: Global Cafe

Do you enjoy live music, original works from local artists, drinking tasty cafe, and raising money for a good cause? If so, you should be all over Vox Culture Houston's upcoming Global Cafe event Sunday, August 3rd from 2 to 6 p.m.

The event will benefit World Vision's relief work in China and Myanmar, as well as Floresta, an organization that reverses deforestation and poverty in the world, by aiding and changing the lives of the rural poor.

Expect fantastic performances from such local Houston musicians as Cameron Blake , Ira Perez, Versecity and many more. What a relaxing way to spend your Sunday!

Click on the flyer above for more details