End of an era

Farewell Marshall Fields
Legendary Chicago department store, Marshall Fields has been bought out by Macys and it's associates (Federated Dept. Stores) . The purchase happened a few months ago and up till this point, was hardly noticeable . However- today the classic green awnings that are synonymous with Marshall Fields are coming down and the awnings with the red star are going up, officially changing Marshall Fields to Macys. The name change will be in full effect on September 9, 2006. It will take Chicago some getting used to. Marshall Fields and Company has been a mainstay in the Windy City since 1852. I will not bore you with all the details, but it originally burned down in the Great Chicago Fire, but was rebuilt on and remains on the original State Street location.

Personally this makes me sad. Marshall Fields was Chicago's store. It was our thing. Chicago and Marshall Fields were identified by each other. Sure it was looking a little shabby, and sure the sales staff sucked for the most part, but it was Chicago through and through. In the past few years they tried to reinvent themselves by putting in higher end brands and implementing the idea of boutiques within a store. The Thomas Pink Boutique and the Merz Apothecary Boutique are two examples of this. I hope Macys keeps the history and ideas of Marshall Fields alive.

I am anxious to see what changes Macys makes. Let's just hope they do not screw it up. If anyone has been there recently and witnessed any changes, please let me know what they are. I am very curious to know.

(photos from yelp and igougo)

Come back to me Ester....please

Ester- ESTER can you hear me sweet (yet kinda mean looking) Ester?

Where on earth have you been dear Ester??? Come back little Ester. You look so nice when you smile, so why do I like it more when you look mean?

I stopped dead in my tracks the first time I saw a magazine lay out with Ester Canadas in the 90's. She was so gorgeous in an androgynous, huge lipped, slightly scary kind of way. She looked different than anyone else in the 90's when she became famous and I LOVED HER -because she was from Spain and she was unique.
Ester was everywhere...then *POOF* she was just gone. She faded away, and I missed her. I have not seen her in an American Magazine (nor European magazine) in a very long time. Where were you Ester? Rehab? Asia? Pregnant? I think after she married Dutch model Mark Vanderloo in 1999 she put modeling on the back burner, and I didn't like it--I wanted her back.
Then, last week I was drinking my Riesling and thumbing through the pages of one of my favorite European magazines and J-lo and behold, who was there looking hotter and meaner than ever? ESTER that is who! A full 8 pages of gorgeous Ester photos!
I hope Ester comes back to me...and by me, I mean magazines, and by magazines I do not just mean the social pages of Tattler. Humor me Ester--if for no other reason, for the fact that America is T. I. R. E. D. of seeing Carolyn Murphy EVERYWHERE. I know, right?

I look forward to seeing you Ester!


(photos from Askmen.com and estercanadasfanpage.com) Oh and no offense to Carolyn Murphy but jeez--chica is everywhere!

Elliot Lucca Jamin Bucket Bag

I am loving Elliot Lucca's new line of bags. They are totally casual, but manage to be interesting and unique. I bought this bag a few weeks ago at my local Nordstrom. So many bags at Nordstrom and the likes, were starting to all look the same--then Elliot Lucca mixed it up a little. I have this bag in the color "honey" (swatch shown underneath the purse) and I get more compliments on this bag lately than I do some of my higher end bags.

This bag is roomy and comfortable, and I personally love the big ring that connects the handle to the bag.
This particualar bag can be found at Nordstroms or at www.ElliotLucca.com .

The price is right at around $170.00.
Give Elliot's line a try. He has tons of great bags.

Photo from ElliotLucca.com

Lorac Snake Charmer

Lorac Snake Charmer palette is a must for fall. The colors are beautiful and wearable for just about anyone, but the gorgeous packaging is what caught my eye. Carol Shaw always knows what is right and what is right now!

You can find this gem at www.sephora.com .

Yes, but can it block flamboyancy rays?

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to attend the 2006 PGA Championship in Medinah, Illinois. I had a new facial sunscreen I was wanting to try out, so a golf tourney was the perfect opportunity.


As a rule, I have very sensitive skin. My skin is especially sensitive when it comes to sunscreen. They seem to make me break out, turn red, or just feel like I have grease on my face--YUCK. It is a double edged sword, because I NEED to wear sunscreen, but most of the time it just feels so gross. The fact that this sunscreen was for sensitive skin made me all the more excited to test it out.

I had read about this Alba Botanica Facial Sunscreen SPF 20 for Sensitive Skin and I was very excited to try it. What better place than a golf tournament to give it a spin. I was outside all day with little to no shade-so it was perfect.

When I first applied the Alba Botanica sunscreen to my face, I was pleasantly surprised by how light and clean it felt. No heavy, greasy feel at all. My makeup went on nicely over it and even with makeup applied over it, it still did not feel too heavy.

I was out in the sun for over 7 hours(which without the right sunscreen would FRY a natural redhead) and I am happy to report that I did not get any trace of a sunburn--not even a freckle. I kept my hopes high, but my expectations low, but I was very happy with the Alba Botanica facial sunscreen. I find it much better than the Oil of Olay or Clinique facial sunscreens I usually use. The Alba Botanica has an SPF of 20, and some of you may want a higher SPF, but I just applied this 2 more times throughout the day, and it worked like a dream. Even with 2 more applications throughout the day, it still felt lighter than lots of other sunscreens.

Although the awesome Alba Botanica sunscreen was able to block the harshest rays of the August sun upon my face at the PGA Championship--it was not able to protect me from the rays beaming off this:


Nor were my Tom Ford sunglasses able to save my retinas which are now burnt like 2 pieces of charred coal. What this photo does not show, are the Kimora Lee Simmons style rhinestone logos on his shirt and the butt of his pants. God love Ian Poulter for bringing color, style and....
flamboyancy back to the game of golf. GO IAN GO!!!! If you have a glass of wine and squint--you will swear this is Tommy Tune. Fabulous!


Nor was my sunscreen able to save me from the bright sparkle in Mike Weir's eye. Mike is one of my favorite golfers . This photo does not do his sparkly eyes justice. The sparkle is blinding---Trust me!
And last but not least, my sunscreen, my sunglasses, and a full body suit of shade could not save me from the glow that radiates from Tiger Woods---or his lovely smile. Tiger has a glow around him. Some people in this world are truly gifted.
Congrats to him on his PGA Chamionship win.




All in all I give the Alba Botanica SPF facial sunscreen for sensitive skin an A+. I love it. I found mine at Whole Foods Market, but I have seen it on Drugstore.com and also at Meijer.


Have a sunny day!

(photo of Alba Botanica from www.drugstore.com . Photos of golfers from SI.com, Callaway.com , and Getty Images)

Busy Monkey

The Monkey has been busy as a bee lately. I have not had time to post in almost a week--sheesh! I will catch up on e-mails to answer questions this evening. My YAHOO account has been messed up for a few days--but all seems to be back in order now.

I have a new sunscreen to review soon-as I am ALWAYS hoping to find the perfect sunscreen. This one is made especially for sensitive skin--so my hopes are high! I am going to the PGA Championship today, so it should get a good test run--pending it does not rain all day.

Have a great day!

Happy Birthday Forrest!

Today my sweet Dalmation, Forrest turns 11 years old. This is a picture of Forrest and his Westie brother.
I cannot believe Forrest is 11. Everyone tells me that is old for a Dalmation.
Forrest is like my baby--an 80 pound lap dog.
I love him more than anything.
Pimpin Live Since 1995!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful spotted monster brat dog!

I love you!

I love these Christian Dior boots. They are so "Motorcycle Chic". Even though the whole Motorcycle Genre does not interest me in the least and it conjures up images of men with walrus moustaches, ponytails, and American flag bandanas on their heads, I still like these boots.

I love when someone can take a boot like this and make it fashion forward and very "shopping SoHo on a Sunday afternoon" as opposed to the tragedy that is all the "Suburban moms crowding the Harley Davidson clothing/accessory stores" that seem to have cropped up everywhere.
No offense Suburban moms--but serioulsy with the Harley Davidson wear--who are you kidding? You drive a mini van and your husband has a BMW. You are fooling no one and saddening many. HA.

Have a fashionable day!

Boots available at and photo from www.saks.com

(no offense to Suburban moms--this post is meant for entertainment purposes only).

Embarrassed

This week, The Monkey has been embarrassed on more than one occasion. Anyone who knows me in real life, knows a lot of my behavior warrants embarrassment. So here is plenty of fodder for those who wish to make fun of me.

First off--I am totally embarrassed that all week I craved fried cheese. I am not talking about cheese sticks which are breaded then baked--no I mean FRIED CHEESE CURDS. As if cheese were not bad enough--I want it dipped in grease. That is just shameful.

I am embarrassed that I bought the soundtrack to High School Musical for my cousin (who is a child), but I listened to it first --and liked it so much that I made myself a copy--and I listen to it way too much. Have you heard it? It is touted as the new "Grease". WRONG! It is like the squeaky clean, more boring, cornball version of Grease. But the music is fun--Gotta getcha getcha getcha getcha head in the game! Ok- I hate to be snarky and talk bad about anyone's dental orientation, but Kirsten for the love of Jesus.....you have tons of money.....you live in the veneer capital of the world--get some orthodontics or something. In this picture she literally has FANGS. It is disturbing on so many levels. Her eyes also look mean--like she really is a vampire. This photo of her scares the heck out of me. Plus she is dating Andy Samberg whom I love, so if it were not her fangs, I would just find something else to rip on her about. But the fangs--seriously Kirsten, this is just embarrassing.

I am also embarrassed that I plan to go see The Ballad or Legend or something of Ricky Bobby and I plan on loving it. Even though I loathe all things pace car, Indy, or Nascar--this movie looks hilarious.

This is how my dog Forrest (who loves all people of all religions) felt when he heard about the debacle that is Mel Gibson. Forrest was so embarrassed for Mel's behavior, as was most of the world.
Last but most certainly not least--I am mortified AND embarrassed about this photo I happened to run across this weekend. This photo was taken many many years ago at some sort of night club--that may or may not have been called Fritzi's and may or may not have had a room in the back with male strippers that may or may not have been known by some as the Weenie Wagon. I am not making this up people. I never went in the back room with the strippers because I went to college with most of them and they grossed me out--also I was just there for the music. The whole front of the club was for dancing--and that is what I liked to do--DANCE. I am with my friend whom we will call Jolene*--she is on the right, I am on the left and mystery man is in the middle. I look like I have a death grip on Jolene*, and I am holding her up--and she does not look happy about it. She is sure as hell rocking that vest though. The guy in the middle is a mystery to me, I swear I do not not know him--he must have been just some random guy who decided to get in the picture with us. He obviously smokes a lot and sent in 147 Kool Cigarette box tops to win that kick ass T-shirt though. Maybe he was with the band. It looks as though I am cracking up laughing in this picture--maybe I knew at the time how utterly ridiculous the whole scene was. I do remember Jolene* and I having a blast that night.

I am embarrassed of this picture for so many reason--none of which happen to be my big rock and roll hair, my high waisted shorts, nor my chiclet acrylic glamour length fingernails. No, not for any of that. Nope.

Care to share any of your embarrassing moments with me?

(* names changed to protect the innocent)

Hugs to Jolene*

Shiny Happy People

Ok, maybe not shiny and happy , but definitely supple and luminous and happy. One of my holy grail skin care items is Nivea Creamy Conditioning Oil. I mean seriously--this stuff is amazing. Sometimes it is not to be found at my favorite drugstore haunts, so I stock up whenever I find it. Right now I cannot even find it a drugstore.com, and that is usually my go to resource when all others fail me.





AND











To add a beautiful, summery (no matter what the season) sheen to your skin, add just a few drops Tarte Celebutante Dry Oil Shimmer to your skin after applying the Nivea Creamy Conditioning Oil-or your favorite body moisturizer. The Tarte Celebutante has lush avacado and apricot oils and gives a beautiful shimmer that is all sexy and not at all disco. It has the light, delicious smell of creamy coconut--so what's not to love?


Viva la beautiful, luminous skin, and happy people!


(photo of Nivea from dermstore.com, photo of Tarte Celebutante from www.Sephora.com)

There's no place like home.... or Saks Fifth Avenue.

This is what Dorothy would wear circa Fall 2006. However, she would not be on the Yellow Brick Road--I bet she would be frolicking down the cobble stoned Corso Venezia in Milan straight to the Miu Miu boutique to find more great shoes and of course, many accessorios for herself and her traveling companions as they shop thier way through Italy and over the rainbow.The Scarecrow definitely needs this straw Miu Miu bag, no?
And the Cowardly Lion would be so well matched with this shaggy Miu Miu bag, don't you think?

Unfortunately for the Tin Man, gold is really in this season, and frankly gold accessories would just clash with his silvery ensemble. Sorry Tin Man.


(The gorgeous Miu Miu shoes are from www.Saks.com
Straw bag is from www.styledrops.com . Shaggy Yarn Miu Miu bag is from www.NeimanMarcus.com . Wizard of Oz photos are from Getty Images)

Have a beautiful day!

Beautiful outfit by Jeffrey CHOW. (style.com)

CHOW Magazine -Food. Fun. Drink. (chowmagazine.com)


Some of my favorite snack type CHOW (Chile's.com)CHOW CHOW (puppydoglinks.com) Another beautiful outfit by Jeffrey CHOW (style.com)

CIAO Bella!!! ( photo of Sophia Loren from SophiaLoren.com)