A festive combination

Talk about the best hostess gift this holiday season! Banana Republic and Clos du Bois Winery just announced that they have been hard at work on limited-edition wine bottles adorned with festive labels designed by Banana Republic Creative Director Simon Kneen. Retailing for under $20, Kneen’s hand-sketched labels are featured on Clos du Bois’ two most popular wines: the North Coast Chardonnay and North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon.

Like Kneen, whom we’ve had the pleasure of meeting on a few occasions, we love that these bottles offer the fashion lover a completely different option for holiday gifts this year. To boot, Banana Republic and Clos du Bois have added a specialized QR code to each label that gives consumers a one-stop shop for party planning. Using any mobile phone [...]

Bee Merry and Bright

Few beauty brands can satisfy those of us with limited budgets that nonetheless have discerning taste, but Burt’s Bees does just that and now they’re giving back too. Through their Bee Merry and Bright program, the natural brand will donate $1 to One Warm Coat every time one of their Facebook friends adds a Burt’s Bees Tacky Sweater to their profile. So, let’s all get on that to help those in need!

Now through 12/31, post a tacky sweater over your profile picture, like so, and just like that Burt’s Bees will donate $1 to this charitable cause (up to $25,000). Go to Facebook.com/burtsbees to learn more plus, while you’re there, you can browse special deals and, every day through 12/31 [...]

All under $15

There’s inexpensive and then there’s INEXPENSIVE and P&G’s holiday gift sets are the latter. We were floored when we got wind of all the gift sets they’ve got out now – many of which are retailing for a mere $9.99 – especially since most of them come with bonus one-year glossy fashion magazine subscriptions.

Though there are over a dozen sets to choose from this year, our favorite is the Beautifully Smoothing set, which comes with a Venus Embrace Razor, Satin Care Shave Cream, Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash, and a Bath/Shower Pouf, all in a ready-to-gift box and yes, we’re buying it in bulk.

Check-out all the fun (and useful!) [...]

Stay dry, even when you’re sweating

Whether or not you’ve got the kind of bust that needs support to be bounce-free , having a moisture-wicking and structured sports bra is key for workout comfort and that’s exactly why we were won over by adidas’ TechFIT Bra. Not only is its racer back design form flattering (we’re not doing all those bend over rows for nothing!), but it’s made with Climacool ventilation – the same Climacool used in our go-to sneakers – to strategically move heat and sweat from our bust area. Seriously, the Climacool technology is no joke; even in our killer cycling class (we’re talking the kind that leaves your legs feeling like spaghetti), the bra’s mesh panels left us more or less sweat-free.

The TechFIT Bra comes in bright and patterned iterations, but we’re more into the basic black for its versatility since we’re not looking to spend more than a few seconds trying to coordinate our gym outfit. We tried it under a variety of workout tops and it worked to help contour our body without leaving us feeling sausage-ed in.

And [...]

The original demi cami

How clever of a name is “Second Base” for an undergarment brand? Before you get any funny ideas however, Second Base isn’t about sleazy skivvies. In fact, the brand takes its name from their line-up of camis specially designed to be worn – completely undetectably – on top your bra. Whether you wear them under a wrap dress, a low-cut top, a tank top, or a button down shirt, unlike a regular cami you won’t get bunching, pulling, the obviousness of a layering piece, or have to worry about length.

There are a variety of styles and colors offered to suit whatever outfit you have planned and each piece is made from a lightweight modal/spandex fabric so they look great (and are comfortable), no matter what your clothing [...]