Come On, Gap Happy! Get 30% Off Now Till Sunday

You're invited ...

Give & Get starts today! Shop and enjoy 30% off during Gap's Friends & Family event!

When: 4 days only, Today through Sunday, August 2

Where: In-store: Gap, Gap Outlet, Banana Republic, Banana Republic Factory Stores and Old Navy

How: Present this coupon at the register. Use it as many times as you like.

In-store Barcode (For multiple uses)

Shop The "Clearance" Section For Fabulous Deals On Fall Coats!

It's still muggy outside but thanks to the arrival of all the pre-fall collections, I'm already looking forward to comfy cashmere and cocoa on cool, crisp days. And no bugs. Heaven! But even better than checking out the new merch is scoping out cider weather styles at all those end-of-season sales and final markdown deals.

My mother used to start shopping for back-to-school clothes for me and my sister practically the day after Christmas and was done upgrading our winter wardrobes while it was still hot enough to be playing outside with our Willy the Waterbug sprinkler and drinking Kool-Aid.

It drove me INSANE, but the off-season is the perfect time to hunt for deeply discounted classic pieces to add to your wardrobe and sample here-today, gone tomorrow trends without blowing your budget.

Stretch your shopping dollars even more by checking out the "final sale" or "last chance" sections of your favorite sites; often merch is priced at 70% off or more.

Check out some of the awesome outerwear that's up for grabs in the clearance section:

Converse Denim Trench , target.com, $17.48 (was $49.99)

4-button Cape, target.com, $12.49 (was $49.99)

Mossimo 3/4-Sleeve Wool Coat, target.com, $11.24 (was $44.99)

Xhilaration Crusader Wool Coat, target.com, $11.24 (was $44.99)

Ok, so this coat might not meet many people's definition of cheap or affordable but, HELL-O it's Phillip Lim. On sale. Trust, you'll wear it forever. 3.1 Phillip Lim Boxy Double-breasted Coat, Outnet.com, $342.50 (was $685)

Mossimo Wool Cape, target.com, $11.24 (was $49.99)

Alix Belted Coat, Delias, $49.99 (was $99.50)


Woman's Cropped Peacoat, oldnavy.com, $25 (was $34.50)

God, don't you hate it when your mother is right?

What about you guys? Are you shopping for fall or SPF? Which fall coat is your favorite? Should I splurge on a pricey one or save my nickels and dimes for all the insane shoes I've had my eye on?

Shaving Cream Or Whatever's Handy?

Some of the best ideas happen by chance. Or in this case, a desire for extra sleep.

I was in the shower this morning after scrounging an extra few minutes under the covers when I went to grab a razor to shave my legs and what I thought was my handy bottle of body wash. Turns out the bottle I grabbed was my DCL conditioner, but I have to say, this improvisational "shaving cream" was the best oops ever!


I gave up buying flowery, silky shaving gel long ago to save an extra step and some cash, and usually just use an extra squirt or two of body wash when legscaping, though admittedly with sometimes stubbly and nicked results.

But the conditioner 1) It rinses out of one's razor much more easily than shaving cream. 2) One capful covers a massive surface area, such as an entire leg plus one armpit. Now that's what I call bang for the buck. 3) Whatever is in it that adds moisture to your hair does the same for your legs. Mine have never been this silky smooth after shaving before. I feel like a model in one of those Caress commercials; I simply can't stop touching my legs. They're like butta, baby!

Now I'm curious who among you buy shaving cream, versus those of you who prefer to multi-task using another product in your shower. Sound off on your shaving secrets in the comments!

Check Your Credit Card Balance: This Week's Deals At Editor's Closet!

This week at Editor's Closet: Francesco Biasia handbags, Sequin jewelry, Burberry/Dolce&Gabbana sunglasses, Love and Thorns by Rosalina jewelry and Blowout Sale.

Not an EC member? Joining is free.

Francesco Biasia Handbags

Sale starts Monday, July 27 at 11AM EST

Francesco Biasia: Ultra feminine luxury. Absolutely contemporary.

A refined delight, exquisitely chic with a sophisticated touch.

Francesco Biasia: a diverse selection of textures and unparalleled attention to detail.

Sequin New York

Sale starts Tuesday July 28th at 9AM EST

Trend-centric - Only the world's top must-have looks make it into the Sequin collection.

Owners Linda and Kim travel the globe to find them. Home for their muse? The antique stores and flea markets of Paris, Rome, New York and Milan.

Burberry + D&G Sunglasses

Sale starts Wednesday July 29th at 10AM EST

Sophisticated Burberry Sunglasses feature craftmanship of the highest quality. The designs are truly unique and make a dramatic fashion statement.

Designer Dolce & Gabbana eyeglasses eyewear collection offers a signature fashion forward look, with the high performance and durability.

Love & Thorns by Rosalina Lydster

Sale starts Thursday July 30th at 10AM EST

Celebrity jewelry designer Rosalina Lydster presents Love and Thorns.

The latest collection inspired by the iconic symbols balancing the inner psyche is a representation of the finest in edgy and sophisticated fine jewelry.

Black diamonds and oxidized gold are interwoven to create a unique symbol of Love and Thorns.

Accessories BLOWOUT SALE!

Sale starts Friday, July 31st at 9AM EST

You have been waiting for this one!!

Unbelievable prices on unbelievable merchandise. Very limited quantities!!

How In The World Does A Girl Get Her Hands On CG's "Queen Collection!?"

Riddle me this, lambs: The reason companies advertise something is presumably because they want consumers (i.e. you and me) to buy it, right? This is pretty much the kind of thing they cover in the first 10-minutes in Marketing 101.

But evidently the good folks at Cover Girl have some ulterior stealthy purpose in mind by teasing Queen Latifah's Cover Girl’s Queen Collection and then NOT MAKING IT AVAILABLE WHERE ANYONE CAN ACTUALLY BUY IT!!

Now, if you are one of the millions upon millions of "toasted almond" or "cappuccino" cuties, the frustration of shopping for makeup that doesn't make you look ashy or like one of the Twilight undead in a sea of "beige" and "ivory" is nothing new.

Many of us were mixing shades in Tupperware containers in our bathrooms (come on now, I know I wasn't the only one) long before companies like Prescriptives caught a clue that not everyone is the same one-shade-fits-all.

Fast-forward and today there are definitely more beauty products for woman of color at their local CVS, Walgreens, Duane Reade, whatev, but sometimes it requires the skills of a trained CIA agent to hunt down which stores have them in stock. Yes, yes, department stores offer a Benetton rainbow of shades but damn, sometimes a girl just wants a little beauty lift that doesn't require taking out a loan for a tube of lipstick.

Which brings me to the impetus for my rant. In a metropolitan area with a significant minority population -- not to mention one where the nation's first black president and his ultra stylish wife reside literally just down the road -- why did trips to FOUR separate stores turn up hide nor hair of the Queen collection? In fact, NONE of the deeper shades in the CG range were available. Zippo. Nada.

Honestly, in this day and age of 24/7 Sephora-ification, this kind of beauty scavenger hunt is just ridiculous. For an exclusive product launch, sure, but a mass market (supposedly, but not really as it turns out) line. . . . fuggedaboutit.

Apparently the collection is fit for a queen because Miss Dana Owens is the only one who can get her hands on it! Now, who do I see about getting reimbursed for gas after traipsing all over town in my fruitless search?

Maybelline Lash Stiletto: Lash Out Or Throw It Out?

It started so innocently--a look here, a lingering gaze there.

It was wrong and I knew it. I was happy with the one I had. God, we'd been together for ages.

But the thrill! The adventure of the unknown!

I was weak and gave in to temptation . . . to try a new mascara.

Straight brushes. Angles brushes. Curved brushes. Lengthening. Curling. Volumizing. I've tried them all. Whatever the package was selling, I was buying.

In high school I used L'Oreal Voluminous mascara almost exclusively. Then in college I dabbled with Maybelline Great Lash, Lancome Definicils, and others.

After a very brief fling with Revlon's 3D Extreme mascara and an ill-fated clumping incident with Mega Lash by Wet 'n' Wild, I'd finally found lasting results with Cover Girl's Lash Blast, you know, the one Drew Barrymore has been pimping. It lengthens, curls and volumizes like crazy and I was happy with my fabulously full and flirty lashes.

But then, the allure of of cute packaging seduced me to try Maybelline's Lash Stiletto. Shaped like a leg-lengthening dagger heel with that black-and-red combo recognized by fashionistas the world over, it promises to do the same for lashes.

Louboutins for your lashes? I was powerless to resist.


Unfortch, once the heady anticipation faded, it was clear that Maybelline's boasts were little more than sweet nothings, focus group tested and Photoshopped for consumer consumption.

While it did lengthen, the bristly brush was so rough it was like using a toothbrush and the mascara was annoyingly goopy, giving me clumped-together lashes that Tammy Faye Baker would have envied. Plus, it had a weird odor that didn't exactly invite you to use it anywhere near your eye.

Epic fail--two snaps up in a "suck" formation. Lash Stiletto is so getting binned. It's not even enough worth keeping just for a quick lash lift before dashing out to Whole Foods. Hey, Maybelline, maybe next thing less focus on the flashy packaging and more on making a fabulash product, m'kay?

So my old reliable Lash Blast isn't sassy or sexy but a momentary mascara lapse proved that it's what's inside that counts.

New Getting Ready Anthem: I Don't Know Too Much About Clothes, But My Hair Looks FIERCE!

Love RuPaul's sassy "Supermodel (You Better Work)" ditty?

Then get ready to shake what your mama gave ya when you hear the sparkly ode to fabulous hair by mister sister Amanda Lepore.

For those unfamiliar with this silicone-packin’ mama—known as “The Number One Transsexual in the World”– Amanda has been New York City´s “It” girl since the early 1990s when she achieved legendary status as a club legend and fashion icon.

Known for her eye popping balloon-art burlesque and jaw dropping penchant for wrecking the red carpet wearing nothing but lipstick and Louboutins, the trannylicious Heatherette muse has model stomped the runway, launched her own fragrance ($950 a bottle, bitches) and cosmetics lines, and is painting the music biz MAC Spice It Up red!

Her tune "My Hair Looks Fierce" isn't exactly new (it came out in 2005) but it's just now bubbly up like a cheesy fondue and getting mainstream attention.

Check it here.

Warning, you'll be singing the lyrics and tossing your hair around like a Paul Mitchell hair model before the chorus repeats.