my Christmas pick : Marc Jacobs special items

Marc Jacobs heart compact, $5

One of the perks of living in the LA area is that we have our very own Marc By Marc Jacobs store and that means my friend receive plenty of gifts from their special items section. The special items are Marc Jacobs branded goods at a... not so Marc Jacobs price. Those familiar with the brand know that Marc By Marc Jacobs is a label that sells individual clothing items in the $150+ range. Luckily, the special items start at at just a few dollars. You can pick these up from any Marc By Marc Jacobs or Marc by Marc Jacobs Special Items store and I believe you can also order direct from any of Marc by Marc stores with a $20 shipping fee.

My top 5 picks from the special items:

Knock Out (ahhh, love that tooth!) and Paris Je T'aime necklaces, $16 each

USA tote, $18

Long scarf, $20 each

Mirror heart clutch in gunmetal, $22 (comes in 6 shades)

Shiny studded clutch, $47

20% off Endangered Species Chocolate

Endangered Species Chocolate is having a "black Friday" sale until the 30th of this month (tomorrow!) which means.... 20% off of everything including their 49 cent sale section. The 49 cent sale bars are now 39 cents, an even crazier deal!

Also, if you're looking for a gift, I highly recommend the African Wildlife Foundation "adoption" packs which start from $24 (normally $30). They all come with a 1 year membership to the African Wildlife Foundation, a donation to the AWF ($15 is donated with the $24 set), a cute plush of the animal of your choice and a selection of Endangered Species Chocolates. Pictured above is the $24 "adopt a lion set".

Fair trade, organic and 10% of the proceeds from every order goes to support great causes, yay!

Nijntje / Miffy T-shirt at Forever 21

I never thought I'd see an American clothing company produce a shirt using the name "Nijntje" rather than "Miffy" and I have to admit that I am pleasantly surprised with the decision. I actually prefer the name "Nijntje" as it's the original name for the character still used in the Netherlands and also makes a lot more sense than "Miffy".

I'm kind of tempted to pick up one of these shirts as Nijntje/Miffy is one of my favorite storybook characters of all time (along with Ludwig Bemelman's Madeline and Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad among others). I've never actually purchased anything from Forever 21 (crazy? wise?) but if I were to buy something, this would totally be it!

Links:

• Nijntje t-shirt at Forever 21
  

Shu Uemura x Tsumori Chisato

Has anyone picked up any of the items from the Shu Uemura x Tsumori Chisato collection yet? The packaging is super adorable x 23123213, but the prices are a little bit too rich for my blood. Everything looks really dainty and sweet and I especially love the accessories like the mini brush set and bag pictured above, $69. I mean, the makeup packaging is really cute and all (like the Cat Couture Palette pictured below, $65) but accessories really take the cake - I just wish there were more of them (makeup bags, mirrors, brushes, etc.). Cosmetic brands, take note!

Links:

• Shu Uemura x Tsumori Chisato @ Shu Uemura USA

Giveaway : Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss in "Fruitloose"

I was just thinking back on how I promised a giveaway from my own personal stash of cutesy items some time ago but haven't yet got around to it which is a huge YIKES! I'm looking forward to sharing some cute things with all my internet buddies so I'm building up a nice selection of goodies to share with you. Just as a teaser I'm giving away a brand new, sealed tube of Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss in "Fruitloose" (ARV $7) from my personal collection of beauty items. This lip gloss is a really cute shade of pink, but I had to reconsider keeping it because I'm not a huge fan of the all the little glittery friends in there. Also, VS is not sponsoring this giveaway, its just an item that I personally own and I would like to share with you.

To be entered simply leave a comment here. Tell me anything: your favorite animal, a yummy recipe, a how to for a cute DIY project, an item you want or are giving for Christmas, etc. Just make sure your contact info is in your blogger profile or you leave an email address with your comment (if I have no way of contacting you, you will be disqualified, sorry!) .

For extra entries you can:

• follow via google friend connect (1 entry)
• tweet about this giveaway & link to your tweet (1 extra entry for the whole duration of the giveaway, not once per day)
• post about this giveaway in your blog & leave a link to your post (1 extra entry)
  

You don't have to leave a separate comment for each entry as I'll be reading all the comments and keeping track of everything via a spreadsheet. The winner will be selected using random.org.

Oh yeah, this is giveaway is open to anyone no matter where you live! :)

This little giveaway will close in two weeks at 11:59 PM PST on Friday December 11th.

Giveaway winner: zachsgran

20% off all prints at L'Affiche Moderne‏

photo property of L'Affiche Moderne

From now until December 9th, L'Affiche Moderne‏ is offering 20% off all prints in their webstore (coupon code: 122009). They carry some of the most adorable prints I've ever seen and this is a great chance to pick up one (or more) at a discounted price. Small prints are normally 29€/~$45 and ~$35 with the coupon code (a framed print will run about $110). While I definitely prefer silkscreen over digital prints (L'Affiche Moderne‏ does digital) many these prints are so highly detailed that I don't silkscreening would do them justice.

And even if you find the prices to be steep, I HIGHLY recommend checking out the site and taking a look at all the great artwork.


Links: L'Affiche Moderne‏ print gallery

Sanrio Christmas items!

Sanrio Christmas items are now up at the Sanrio.com webstore!

I've actually never been a huge fan of holiday themed items as they aren't extremely useful for the majority the year, but some of these items are reeeally cute (loving the little HK plush with the cape). Pretty sure I won't be buying any of these, but they are certainly fun to look at. There's a nice range of items too: stockings, pillows, blankets, snow globes, and of course... a ton of plush toys. Check out the holiday themed items here and Sanrio's gift suggestions here.

endangered species chocolate sale!

Wow, I was just browsing the Endangered Species Chocolate site & saw that they were having a 49 cent sale on their premium organic 1.4 oz. chocolate bars.. yes 49 CENTS! That's about the same price as a traditional candy bar that 1) isn't organic, 2) isn't premium and 3) does not even come close to tasting as good as Endangered Species Chocolate! These are some of my favorite chocolates and although my favorite (dark chocolate and tangerine) isn't included, these are all extremely tasty.

The 49 cent sale includes:

• Organic Dark Chocolate with Blueberries

• Smooth Organic Dark Chocolate

• Organic Dark Chocolate with Cherry

• Organic Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter (not vegan)
  

All the flavors are gluten free, organic and kosher, with the dark chocolate having the benefit of also being dairy free/vegan as well. The only downside to this sale? Shipping is pretty expensive! However, I'd say it's still worth making an order as these are really delicious chocolates & normally in the $1.50- $2.00 range per bar (a pack of 16 is $22 on Amazon). If you plan on ordering a bunch of these, it is definitely worth it. Plus, they make excellent holiday gifts!

• Endangered Species Chocolates sale