FabSugar

FABTV: Biz Markie "Just a Friend"

FabSugar — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:12:22 -0700

Biz Markie had a story to tell and he told it right. The "your mama" jokes in the beginning of this video are funny, but when Biz gets on with his story of heartache, you can't help but take the guy seriously. It's refreshing to see a big, intimidating guy sing about heartache - it happens to us all. And he does it in a peaceful way. The catchiest part of the song, which everyone must sing along with, is the chorus, "Oh baby, you, you got what I n-eed," but Biz is a better rapper than singer. Dressing up as Mozart was a comical bit, too. The best cure for heartache? Laughter is the best medicine . . .

Mad About Minkoff! Score Rebecca Minkoff's Nikki Hobo Bag

FabSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:45:22 -0800

Are you ready? We saved the best for last with our final Rebecca Minkoff giveaway. This sophisticated Rebecca Minkoff Auburn Nikki Hobo ($595) will surely last you a lifetime. I adore the sweet almond tone, and the decadent gold embellishments have just the right amount of bling. Don't forget to check out Minkette.com for more RM goodies.

To enter to win, just log into your PopSugar Community account and take our fun Rebecca Minkoff quiz. One quiz entry per person; all repeat quizzes will be ignored. Remember, you must be logged into your PopSugar Community account to be entered, so if you're not already a member, register now. Tell your friends about this amazing giveaway here. Here are the official rules. I'm pulling the plug on entries Monday, Nov. 23, at 11:59 p.m. PST. Good luck!

Take the quiz

Buy Fast! The Holiday-Perfect A.L.C. Capelet Dress

Fab Community — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:50:22 -0800

Check out this great deal found in our Buy Fast! group.

I've been waiting and waiting for this A.L.C. Capelet Dress ($98, originally $195) to go on sale. My patience has finally paid off - and just in time for the holidays! The rich color and fancy draping will be perfect for an upcoming Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends. At that price, you know I have to buy fast before it vanishes into oblivion. Oh, please let me know if you find any fantastic heels to go with this great dress. On sale, of course, I'm on a budget!

There are already a bunch of groups you can join and explore, and please - start some new ones! Here's a helpful guide to creating in case you need some clarification.

Come Fab Finding With Me: College Holiday Party

FabSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:00:22 -0800

You're cool in school, but instead of hitting the books, you're thinking about the fabulous holiday party your friend is throwing. How are you going to stand out from the crowd? This is the time to put together one of the snazziest outfits you've worn all year. Sequins highly recommended. I'll start you off with these SO Silver-Tone Crystal Stud Earrings ($7) because they'll kick-start the sparkle.

Let's go Fab Finding. Be sure to come back and tell me your Fab Finds are up, or just tag your Fab Finds with College Holiday Party. Now, you can build outfits by creating your very own widget of clothing items. We have everything you need to build outfits, and you can use your Fab Find bookmarks, too. This is an even better way to put together an entire outfit when completing your Fab Finding missions. Learn what a Fab Find is and how to make one. And here's a detailed explanation of bookmarks from GeekSugar.

To see some of my favorite online stores, read more.

The Pros and Cons of Buying Topshop Online

Fab Community — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:22 -0800

Check out what Emily EMS has to say about her online Topshop experience in our 24/7 Go-To Fashion Guide group.

I always knew they existed - I have seen their chic dresses, sexy heels and cool tops. I am talking about Topshop. I got even more excited when I found out they opened a store in NYC, although I live in Denver, Colorado. I must say, things come around a lot slower around here, and don't get me wrong, there are nice stores here, but it's not to the point where they satisfy my fashion cravings.

This is when the beauty of online shopping comes in handy. My friend Sophie loves to shop online. She says that it's the best because she can buy things anytime, even at two in the morning, not have to worry about driving to the mall, (and not finding anything at the mall!), and in most cases, there's no sales tax, a small shipping fee, and usually, the return and exchanges are easy.

I must say, I was never comfortable with buying clothes online. Shoes and bags, I'm OK with. With clothes, things are different simply because every brand has slightly different sizing and all. Topshop was no exception. It's from the UK, and I know sometimes the equivalent of those sizes can be confusing - look at H&M!

One day, as I was looking through tons of pictures as always - new trends, jackets and coats for Fall and Winter. And there it was. I fell in love with this striped knit jacket from Topshop. I looked at the price, and fell in love with it even more - it's only $80!

I had to go to the store - but wait, there is no Topshop here in Denver! As I envied those folks in NYC, I went online. I quickly navigated myself to look for the jacket and there it was! I want, I want! Pause. What is my size?

Suddenly, I was lost. I usually wear a 2 or 4, depending on the brand. I also have jackets and tops that run rather small or large. While all those thoughts kept going around my head, I looked up on the sizing chart. Hmm . . . I think I am 4, but I don't want it to be too tight since it's a knit jacket . . . oh well, let's just order 6 in case, and if it didn't fit, I'd just exchange it. Before placing an order, it suddenly dawned on me that in case this size didn't work out, I better check on the return policy. Just in case. I'm not sure if that was a sign of something, but I looked. And I discovered many things I did not know. At first, I did not know Topshop's merchandise all ship out from UK. Thus, $15 shipping charge makes sense. Then I realized another thing. What if I wanted to return or exchange something? Sure, you can either return it in person at their stores but that is not my option. According to their website, if you wanted to return or exchange an item, you have to ship it back to their UK warehouse at your own expense. Hmmm . . .

Now I'm determined to make my purchase more "oops wrong size" free. I certainly don't want to go through with shipping the item back and forth till I get it right. It's not only time consuming, but also could end up being costly. I carefully studied the sizing chart, I realized, I needed some real people's opinions. Of course, the chart gives you the idea to narrow down which size you could possibly be, but just in case, to double check it, I did my own research.

I googled the "Topshop sizing review" and voilà! There were a few out there, but one forum was particularly helpful - Facebook. People with the same problems come together and discuss the sizing. Some argue Topshop's sizing runs smaller. Others disagree.

In the end, I ended up getting a 6 - I figured if it's bigger rather than smaller, I could live with it. I haven't gotten the jacket just yet, because I just ordered yesterday, but I'll keep you posted on the sizing. I must say the forum, like the one Facebook, did help me tremendously, sometimes a sizing chart won't do justice. Real people's opinions really do count.

So will I shop online again? Yeah, sure. But do some research beforehand, and read the fine print in case you don't like it, or it's too small or too big, or it's not what I thought it would be, or whatever the reason may be. As for me, for now, I'm waiting and hoping that all the research and reading will pay off.

There are already a bunch of groups you can join and explore, and please - start some new ones! Here's a helpful guide to creating in case you need some clarification.

FabSugar Exclusive: Alexis Bittar Is Gossip Girl's Favorite Accessory Designer

FabSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:22 -0800

We caught up with Alexis Bittar at his Neiman Marcus trunk show recently. He's super dreamy, as you can tell from his photo (center). And so friendly, it was comfortable, like we'd met before. Read what he had to say about his biggest fans - Fab fave Cameron Diaz and the Gossip Girl stylists - as well as how he got his start.

What sparked your interest in jewelry?

I sold antique jewelry on the street [at the 26th Street flea market in Manhattan] for 15 years. I started working with Lucite, I just pounded it, started carving it. I actually don’t know how I put it all together in my brain, but I liked that you could sculpt it. It’s pretty cheap - in the beginning I had no money. It seemed like an experimental medium. And I like working with mediums that aren’t typical. When I first saw it, I loved it and I still love it. Guys like it, too; they’re into the science of it, they’re trying to figure it out. It took a long time - the beginning was a bit difficult, then certain key people used it, and it slowly took off. When the millennium happened there was thing of perceiving everything differently and it became the new.

See what else we discussed.

Fab Tip: Faux Fur, Snip Snip

FabSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:00:22 -0800

Sienna Miller's Topshop faux fur coat looked amazing on her (as does Anja Rubik's, left), but it reminded me that faux fur coats often overpower. A while back I bought one, a faux rabbit, and now I know why I haven't given it much wear - it makes me feel gaudy. Thanks to the cold weather recently, it hit me: I couldn't just let that gorgeous brown faux fur sit there, alone. I took matters into my own hands - or rather, gave the matter to my tailor and let her work her magic.

To hear my solution to an overpowering fur, read more.

Because fur makes such a statement, it can be overwhelming if it covers your entire upper body. At first I thought, I'll chop off the sleeves and make it a vest. Though that would look cool, it wouldn't keep me as warm. A friend suggested trimming the sleeves down to three-quarter length, just like Dree Hemingway's Adam Lippes For Mango Chubby ($129). It wasn't a huge alteration, and that's the beauty - just a small tweak like taking the sleeves up a few inches totally transformed the look from madness to modern.

What's more, I didn't have to pay a ludicrous dollar amount for it. The lesson is, when a coat, faux fur or not, feels outdated, think fast - chop the sleeves. It'll make a world of difference without costing the world.

All That Glitters in the FabSugar Fashion Community

FabSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:30:22 -0800

Never one to shy away from glitz and glam, I have always been a jewelry advocate, especially during the holidays. If you share my love for all things sparkly, you may want to join these jewelry-appreciation groups in the the FabSugar Fashion Community. Shine on you pretty diamonds . . .

Fab Jewelry Finds	Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend	Girls Just Wanna Be Frosted
Sequin Lovers	The Jewelry Box	Help Identifying Jewelry Pieces

Check out all the groups you can join and explore, and please - start some new ones! Here's GeekSugar's helpful guide to creating in case you need some clarification.

Fab Gift Guide: Mama, Pops, Nana, Dada

FabSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:00:22 -0800

The holiday season is upon us. Let the gift buying begin! First up are mama, pops, nana, and dada. Compared to friends and siblings, they're easy to shop for; they don't expect too much and just your effort will make them happy. But for all their love and support, they deserve an awesome gift, like this Victoria's Secret The Soft and Sexy Wrap ($39, originally $58) for mom. At that price, your wallet will adore it, too. Be sure to check out all the Sugar Network's 2009 Holiday Gift Guides as well.

View Slideshow ›

PicClick Makes eBay Way More User-Friendly

FabSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:50:22 -0700

I love eBay, but what I don't love is the crazy amount of scrolling I have to do. Sometimes my searches yield over 20 pages - ugh! If you share my pain, there's a cool solution: PicClick.com. It's a visual browser for eBay so you can see all of the auctions without having to scroll. For example, my search for booties gave me the image below. And you can make the images as small or big as you want. It's super simple, just type in your search terms per usual and start browsing this more user-friendly eBay.