It's a New Day - Featuring Jennifer Hudson

I will never forget when I heard news of Jennifer Hudson's family tragedy. I was chauffeuring my family from Detroit and we were on our way to Rosco's Chicken and Waffles when the devastating news hit the airwaves. Jennifer could have let this calamity take her life in a different direction but with faith, friends, and determination she didn't. Fast forward two years later; Jennifer is living life to the fullest, despite the past. We must push through whatever comes our way and deal with stuff the best that we can, while keeping in mind there is a rainbow somewhere in the picture. I know that I have had my fair share of pain, sorrow, and distress. My circle of friends and family pulled me through, along with my faith.  My friends, let's begin a new day, a new year with the people whom we love and cherish and find inspiration in everything surrounding us.

VH1's critically acclaimed 'Behind the Music.' Jennifer stated the following.

Every day, Hudson says, she gets a little stronger.

"In a way, my brother drives me in my music. My son reminds me of my nephew and being a mother reminds me of my mother, and in so many ways, I channel her because she was such a great mom," Hudson said.

Jennifer is looking fabulous in her new campaign for Weight Watchers.

Zara - Part 2 ...The end!

I had fun with my friends at Zara. I snapped a few pictures of items that were Crystyle!

See ya'll on the next shopping adventure. Peep the video of Sharana after the pictures, with a big smile on her face...it's funny how shopping can can bring so much joy!

Zara's online shoe collection...click here



Zara.com

20% off at Sally Beauty

Get 20% OFF any order of $25 or more by typing in PROMO CODE 555938 at checkout.  Act FAST, this deal ends December 31st!

For over forty years, the name "Sally" has been synonymous with "Beauty." And no wonder--Sally Beauty Supply is the largest professional beauty supply retailer in the world. With over 2,700 locations all over the world, Sally Beauty Supply serves both salon pros as well as retail customers. Sally Beauty Supply offers over 6,000 products for hair, skin and nails. Whether you're equipping your salon with styling chairs and neck duster or stocking your bathroom with your favorite shampoo and conditioner, Sally Beauty Supply has what you need at a price you'll like. Want to make yourSallyBeauty.com purchase even more affordable? Check out more coupons promo codes at Savings.com!

Shopping Adventures with Friends @ Zara

My friends and I hung out at the Grove while showing a friend around from Detroit. We had a blast just walking around and talking. Of course, we stopped at our fav stores Zara and Forever 21. While at Zara my BFF Sharana spotted a blazer that we all gave her thumbs up to buy! Check us out shopping and having fun!

Click here for blazer information

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays from F3!

Picture: Cici Ali for Kate Spade’s Holiday 2010 Campaign. Source

Don't wait for the New Year!

Scholars Program 10,000 Small Businesses is a five-year initiative to unlock the growth and job creation potential of 10,000 small businesses across the United States through greater access to business education, financial capital, and business support services. The program operates through a national network of public and private partner organizations, including community colleges, business schools, and Community Development Financial Institutions. The initiative is currently active in Los Angeles, Long Beach, New York and New Orleans, and will continue to expand to communities across the country. The core elements of the program include:      · Business and Management Education:  Small business owners will develop a business growth plan and receive practical business and management education delivered through partnerships between local community colleges, universities and other institutions     · Access to Capital:  Goldman Sachs will commit a combination of loan capital and philanthropic support to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) that are focused on serving small businesses and other entities in underserved communities     · Business Support Services:  Business advice, technical assistance, and networking will be offered to participating small business owners through partnerships with the community colleges and national and local business organizations, as well as the people of Goldman Sachs     · Because Goldman Sachs will provide loan capital to our CDFI partners, the CDFIs will directly administer loans to small businesses across the United States Applicants must be the owner or co-owner of a business that meets the following criteria:     · Business in operation for at least two years     · Business with $150,000 to $4.0 million in annual revenues in the most recent fiscal year     · Business with a minimum of 4 employees In addition, broad characteristics of business owners targeted to participate include, but are not limited to:     · Limited access to a business and management education program     · Limited financial resources to obtain a similar level of education     · Limited access to capital     · A desire and the motivation to grow the business and create jobs    If interested please contact Warren Cooley at VEDC for more details (818) 907-9977 x224 or wcooley@vedc.org.  If no other information is needed, and you’re ready to sign up please contact either Los Angeles City College or Long Beach City College at the websites listed below:

Long Beach City College       www.lbcc.edu/10000smallbusinesses          Applications due Monday, December 13, 2010 ·          Los Angeles City College       www.lacc10ksb.com         Applications due Monday, January 3, 2011

Oh Sherry!

Dinner Party Beverage Budget

Oh Sherry!

According to Victoria Moore, sherry is a delicious an affordable drink that has a bad wrap simply because people serve it ALL wrong!  Most people have opened sherry sitting around their house year after year only bringing it out at Christmas time.  Well, if you’ve only tasted it at Christmas, you probably think all sherry tastes like turpentine!

Victoria says that you can buy a bottle of beautiful sherry for about ten bucks.  The key to keeping it’s taste is to serve it chilled like a white wine.  This also means, once it’s opened, it’s only going to last in the fridge as long as a bottle of white would last.  She recommends purchasing a  Manzanilla or Fino sherry for cocktail hour.  “It will make for a great first drink of the evening”.  Pair it with scallops wrapped in prosciutto or some salty almonds and cheese!

Simply Prosecco

There’s nothing more elegant than handing your guests a champagne flute of bubbly goodness.  Much much cheaper and lighter tasting than champagne, Prosecco is easy to drink, serve, and looks fantastic.  It also compliments most tapas and is fantastically refreshing anytime on it’s own too!

Wine with Dinner

Save the wine for your meal, and really pick a nice red and white that will compliment your meal.  There are plenty of spectacular wines that are under twenty dollars a bottle – and many under $15.    Get a recommendation and buy just one type of red and one type of white.  Keep it simple!  If you’re buying multiple bottles, ask about discounts.  And if  people offer to bring a bottle of wine to the party, make sure to let them know what you’re serving!

You all know that our go to wine guru is Jill Bernheimer, of Domaine LA.  In addition to her Fab store in Los Angeles, she has an online store as well.  Luckily for us, Jill scours the world for the best wines for all budgets, so we don’t have to!  Here are just a couple of her Fab & Fru selections for the season – be sure to check out her website for many more as well as great gift ideas!

The ‘White’ Stuff

Jill recommends the 2009 Floresta White, Emporada, Spain – at only $10.99 per bottle, this white is priced just right! According to Jill, “This blend of Macebo, Chardonnay and Xarel.lo will impress you – for a mere $11 a bottle! This has aromatics (flowers!), ample fruit (lemon!), and great acidity (zingy!) to make it a full package

Fab& Fug

MAC Wants You!

 MAC Cosmetics is searching for new faces for their Fall 2011 campaign. The best part? You don’t have to be a model, or even great-looking. You just need style and sass.

You can enter the contest, called “MAC Me Over,” at the microsite macmeover.com. You have to be at least 18 years old to enter, and must submit a photo or video using the phrase “MAC me over because…” My favorite on the site so far? A young guy saying, “MAC me over so that I can look better on the second date than I did on the first.” It will be interesting to check back and see what the site looks like once the real entries start rolling in.

While their campaigns are usually color saturated, dramatic, and sometimes campy, MAC wants you to know that they’re not all about intense makeup. James Gager, the creative director of MAC Cosmetics Worldwide told WWD, “We can also give you the most flattering makeup possible. We wanted to showcase the versatility of the brand.”

Entries will be accepted through December 20. MAC makeup artists will be tweeting tips for the contest and you can follow their Facebook page for updates and news about the contest. Six people will be chosen from the entries received and flown to NYC to shoot the campaign.

MAC’s tagline is “All races, all ages, all sexes.” So if you’re NOT a 19-year-old conventionally pretty Caucasian girl, you’re in luck. Grab your mom and grandpa, put on your favorite outfit, and convince MAC that you can be the face of their brand. At least for a season.

Good luck!

For-Profit Shopping?! | Fabulous & Frugal: A Girl's Guide To Living Well & Spending Wisely

This past Black Friday, Nicole got up at 4am to cash in on the door buster deals going on at Best Buy.  Nicole’s best friend Cynthia couldn’t join her that early because she has a new baby at home.  However, Cynthia asked Nicole if she wouldn’t mind picking up a HP scanner and a printer if she found a deal that was at least 30% off.  Happy to help her friend, Nicole said she’d just charge everything on her card and let Cynthia know the total when she got home.  Thankful, Cynthia said she would write Nicole a check that afternoon…

Well, as many Black Friday expeditions go, Nicole fought the crowds and stood in line for five hours before collapsing in her car to make her way home.  She did however score Cynthia’s printer and scanner for 50% off! But because of the her extreme effort and the extra serious discount she found, Nicole felt she at least deserved something in return.
Later that afternoon, Nicole delivered the items to her friend, but when she told Cynthia how much everything cost, she also told her that she was only able to get a 40% discount.  Thrilled by the deal, Cynthia happily paid Nicole and was none the wiser that Nicole had just made a small profit.
So, what do you think of Nicole’s logic NOT to extend the full discount to her friend?  Was she being cheap or frugal for expecting something in return for doing her friend the favor?  If Cynthia was happy with the price, was it necessary for Nicole to be totally honest about overcharging Cynthia?  Or was it only fair that Nicole get something for all her extra effort?  Tell us what you think!

For-Profit Shopping?! | Fabulous & Frugal: A Girl's Guide To Living Well & Spending Wisely

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Adventures in Shoping: Ted Baker event and other LA Adventures

We had a fun filled night from admiring the clothes from the Ted Baker store to hitting the Stone Rose at the Sofitel Hotel in Los Angeles and a few unexpected guest while on the streets of Los Angeles. We met at an in-store shopping event hosted by 944 magazine that served complimentary"Tedtinis" courtesy of Bombay Sapphire. This stretch of Robertson Blvd is where the celebs shop (and others who can afford the high price tags) from Ted Baker to the Kitson store. Well, just because I can't afford or fit the clothes gives me no reason to scan the clothing racks! Afterwards, we parked at the Beverly Center and walked to the Stone Rose and hung out with friends, enjoyed a drink (okay two drinks for the night), and listened to live entertainment! Take a peek at our fun-filled night, you don't want to miss these pics!



Photography:  Greg Ripko





Spotted



Ted Baker coat





On our way out we spotted someone who caught our attention and others attention. The streets of Los Angeles, where anything goes!





After parking at the Beverly Center, we walked across to Stone Rose. As we approached La Cienega there were a group of campers outside the mall. We stopped and asked, what was the item that led them to sleep on the street and to be the first for bragging rights. To our surprise, Lebron shoes Nike LeBron 8 “South Beach” was the hot item for the sneakerheads (I learned that term by the anonymous person that we met). BTW, who was quite interesting. We will call him the mystery man. Click the link to see a pic of him and us with friends at the Stone Rose lounge. 



I do what I do for the shoe!



LEBRON 8 "South Beach"





Michelle Shaprow - Loved her music - Click Here to Listen







The DJ - Checkout his website - very talented and a really nice guy  http://beatventriloquists.com/





The end of the night with friends, fun and fashion!



Nordstroms Designer Shoe Sale

Shoe Blog

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Nordstroms Designer Shoe Sale – Presale Now♦ Posted: 18 Nov 2010 12:47 AM PST Nordstrom’s Designer Shoe Sale commences on Friday November 26th, but pre-sales are being accepted NOW.  For the best selection and sizes, we would advise you to contact your favorite SA (or use ours, Henry from Nordstroms Houston at  832-201-2700 Ext 1600)  to reserve your items because for perennial favorite shoe designers like Louboutin, Manolo,  and Brian Atwood, the early bird truly does catch the worm. To save you time, check out our gallery to see an exclusive look at the selection of Louboutin styles going on sale, along with prices (note: may need to click on the gallery twice).   For our Facebook fans, we will also be posting other brands/styles that will be on sale on our Facebook page.  Please let us know what brands you are interested in seeing by leaving a comment.               Authentic Shops:  Designer Shoes at Zappos.com Saks Fifth Avenue

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