Hasta La Ideas

Ah, beach weddings: the sunset, the sea breeze.. and, ugh, the sand. Whatever will you wear on your feet to capture the look of elegance without getting that pesky beach caught up in your heels? To be the ultimate beach bride, consider this alternative to those expensive white satin designer pumps: barefoot sandals. They’re bottomless, so they let you enjoy the soft, pillowy waterfront, but their enchanting charms adorn your feet in a special way that Cinderella’s slippers never could. Barefoot sandals are often also referred to as slave anklets, but there’s a special market for brides to be that are planning to say “I do” in the sand dunes. While some are simple, tailoring your toes in pretty beads, others sparkle to an extravagant extreme — all priced well below the standard full-foot-covering shoes! For all you beautiful beach brides, take a look at the slideshow for some fun and fancy footwear to make your feet as beautiful a sight as your ceremony’s locale!

The Commerce Department released GDP figures recently and– gulp!–we saw the biggest decline in over 25 years. In layman’s terms, that means that we fashionistas will be minding our pocketbooks for a while. But that doesn’t mean we’ll stop shopping entirely. I mean, the economy might be in a tailspin, but oh, the bargains! Stores are practically giving things away! I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many full page Bloomingdale’s ads that feature the word “SALE.” And Macy’s is advertising values up to $100 for the low, low price of $4.99! My parents grew up during the Depression and went through some pretty tough times, so I was taught how to be frugal. In times like these, you need to pay a little more attention to quality over quantity, choose classics over trends, look for items that can do double duty, and hunt for bargains. And vintage fashionistas can find bargains galore on eBay and Etsy! Just click the slideshow to see a selection of great vintage items that are all $50 or less!

Okay, we know you’re a busy lady (or fella) and you may not think you have the time to play video games, but if you really think about all the time you spend waiting on a regular basis – even on your busiest days – you’re likely to realize that there are loads of occasions you’ve wished you had something to keep your hands busy. Whether you’re waiting in the lobby for your dentist appointment, stuck in a frustratingly long line at the grocery store, unable to sleep on an endless plane flight, or even up before dawn anticipating the start of a door-busting sale in the freezing cold outside the mall, this posh little portable entertainment system, appropriately named the Nintendo DS Lite, is the perfect time-killing addition to any handbag. Plus, with its sleek design and a pretty palette of colors to choose from, it’s hard to find an excuse to leave it behind! Nintendo‘s wide variety of stimulating games like Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir give women of any age or background a valuable “snack” of entertainment, and it might even spare your phone bill from all the meaningless texts you’d normally send just to keep busy when you’re idle. Even the busiest business gals are maximizing their down-time and giving their brains a boost by playing Nintendo DS! Click READ MORE to see how to enter to win your own Nintendo DS Lite in stylish silver, complete with an accompanying Mystery Case Files game!

Let me guess – you’ve been single for so many years that you sort of just forgot that hell has frozen over and pigs have flown and you actually have a sweetheart to shop for this Valentine’s Day! And since you failed to remember until just now that February 14th (as in tomorrow) isn’t just another day on the calendar this time around (an honest mistake), you’re pretty much just planning to show up empty-handed and present-less on the big night with the assumption that your sympathetic sweetie will “understand.” Lucky for you, unless your honey came up with the genius idea to hand-make your gifts this year (and in turn has set you both up for a Chandler-and-Monica style hand-puppet fiasco), this little problem of yours can easily be solved with a super-quick dash to your nearest Walgreens or Target. It may sound desperate, but let’s get real – you are desperate, and unless you feel like committing sex-life suicide on the supposedly most romantic day of the year, we suggest you get off the chair and get your hiney hoppin’ to the nearest makeshift gift shop – pronto! From Valentine’s-inspired collectibles and retro candy gift sets to discounted perfume and cologne, these last-minute gifts may not be the smoothest of souvenirs, but you’re just going to have to use that forgetful noggin of yours and figure out how to make it work! After all, you’ve always been complimented on your power of persuasion, and if there’s ever been a time for your BS-ing skills to save your behind, it’s now! Check out the slideshow for more last-minute gift ideas that you can hopefully salvage with a little dash of faux sentiment – good luck!

Hair products are an essential part of any beauty routine– trust me, nobody with fabulous-looking hair got it looking that way without at least a little help from gels, creams, sprays, and serums. Scott Fontana, stylist and creator of super fun line Badass Hair, knows what’s up- his collection of hair products caters to every need your mane could possible have. Last week we introduced you to Scott and his line, and told you all about how you could win a set of Badass Hair products. I’m kind of relieved that it’s time to choose a winner because I’ve had the products sitting on my desk for weeks now, and let me tell you, you want these products. In order to be entered to win them we asked you to tell us about the celeb who you thought has the most badass hair- was your answer the one we chose? Just click READ MORE to find out.