shopping

All pictures: Alabama Chanin - featured designer of the month

I love NYC's Elizabeth Street and not just because of Le Labo. It's full of indie designers and retro stores and I always manage to find something special to wear. Last weekend it was a gorgeous dress by Anya Ponorovskaya. The tiny boutique feels like Wonderland for those of us who likes exquisitely cut feminine dresses. There's a vintage vibe there, but Ponorovskaya's designs are timeless and very sexy and the fabrics- cotton and silk- are modern and crisp.

There are also shoes and accessories, but it were the dresses that mesmerized me. They are so well-made and have no other purpose than to make you feel pretty. The dress I got has a similar shape to the one above, but is made of a lace overlay and a red silk slip. It's figure-friendly and made me feel like I just stepped out of the Mad Men set.

Just call me Joanie.

Anya Ponorovskaya has four boutiques- the one on 235 Elizabeth street as well as a bridal store on 167 Elizabeth (there's a gorgeous white version of my dress), and two other locations: in Brooklyn and in Miami. If you're in the area, check out Caffe Falai on  265 Lafayette Street. It's a great Italian place, as authentic as they come. I love their poached pigs with ricotta cheese and their crepe cake is dreamy- layers of thin delicate crepes with perfect creme patissier. Seriously- don't miss the desserts.

Photos:
examiner.com
cherrypatter.com

The other day I was sorting my makeup brushes, mentally going over what I need for upcoming travel. The result was a quick visit to Ulta. The store is five minutes from my house, right next to Whole Foods. Nothing like getting your Urban Decay primer and organic broccoli in the same outing. I found the brushes I needed from Smashbox- not exactly Chanel, but efficient enough. Then it was time to look around. I wanted to see Urban Decay's Naked Palette, just to confirm that I didn't need it. They had the palettes in stock, but no tester. A well-meaning SA showed me the single eye shadows that also appear in the palette. They're ok, but the amount of shimmer and shine is not my thing, and I have so many nicer neutrals, so it was easy to move on.

The thing I love best about Ulta is the huge selection of nail polish. Essie, OPI and the occasional China Glaze among many others. I wanted a good look at the Swiss collection, which is really beautiful. The problem is that I'm not really a nail polish collector. I buy them, I wear them and I stare at the pretty colors, but my version of OCD doesn't include a burning need to own every special release and limited edition if I already have enough version of the colors in question. OPI's Swiss collection is beautiful. The jewel tones, the reds, the cremes and shimmers- all are gorgeous and I could get lost in the blue shades. But I don't really wear blue polish, I have enough reds already and as much as I loved the pale gold glitter of Glitzerland it was just too much. Instead, I went back to the Hong Kong collection (spring/summer 2010) and picked Meet Me On The Star Ferry, a shimmery medium purple that won my heart right away. I don't know why I skipped this collection when it first came out, but Meet Me On The Star Ferry is a great color for transition  into fall. Swatches and review coming soon.

Next was Essie. The fall collection really hit the spot for me and I love the packages of four minis.This season's set includes Merino Cool (taupe/mauve), Limited Addiction (dark blood red), Little Brown Dress (espresso coffee) and Sew Psyched (sage? celadon? smoky jade?). I also picked a full size bottle of In stitches, the kind of dark rose I love. It's not that Essie has reinvented the wheel here or anything, but the colors are beautiful, wearable and I don't own too many similar shades. Officially this collection isn't supposed to be out until September, but it's already available online from Nordstrom and obviously Ulta in Paramus has it.

A shopping report from NYC will have to wait another day or so. There's quite a bit to talk about, from the new By Killian (MiN New York on Crosby street already got the tester) to a fashion designer on Elizabeth street that makes Joan Holloway worthy dresses. Stay tuned.

Photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1942, life.com

Unable to contain my curiosity and not entirely satisfied with the swatches I've seen online so far, I headed to Nordstrom to check out the new Burberry makeup collection. It meant going to the Garden State Plaza, a place I try to avoid at all costs, but the promise of fabulous lipsticks and gorgeous packaging was too much to resist. Since the Paramus store is one of the few locations that actually carry Burberry, I went there full of Jersey pride. Except that the launch date has been pushed back to August 10th. They're doing a pre-sale but there are no testers or any information about the makeup other than a handful of items in one of those display cubes you can't open.

Since the place was cheerful and abuzz with brand reps, makeup artists and the general anniversary sale fun I stayed for a while to see what's new and pretty. I'm glad to report that the Dior counter still has the Nordsrom exclusive palette, so if it's already sold out at your location you might want to give this store a call. At the Armani counter, a young SA whose misfortune was to have me as a customer tried to convince me the summer collection was actually the new stuff for fall. I didn't even bother to argue.

I decided to head towards Neiman Marcus. The place was eerily empty and silent. The fashion floor was in that limbo stage between seasons, when there's absolutely nothing interesting and/or in my size. The beauty department was equally ghostly (to be fair it was still early-ish, about 11:30 am), and most counters were empty of SAs. A couple of employees and the floor manager were running from counter to counter just behind the handful of customers who walked around.

The good news is that the Le Metier de Beaute counter already has a tester of  the fall Kaleidoscope eye Kit (no other fall testers, though, and the products only go on sale September 10th), so if you're in the area that alone is worth the visit. At the Guerlain counter I was assisted by the Lancome specialist who was awesome, helped me play with the testers and rang my purchase:


These are two of the gorgeous eye shadow palettes for fall. Review and swatches are coming as soon, of course.

The previous scene from Armani was repeated at the Nars counter. An overly made up SA tried to insist that the dirty and abused testers of the summer collection were of the newest items. I know that several locations, including some Sephora stores, already have all the fall items, but apparently Paramus isn't one of them (our Sephora didn't have them, either, but I wasn't surprised. This store is always behind).

A quick stroll through the mall made it clear it was time to run for my life. The crowd has thickened and the nasty aroma of the food court reminded me why I haven't set foot in the Plaza in the last 10 months or so. I went home and did some highly satisfying online shopping.

Top photo of the Garden State Plaza in its previous 1960s incarnation from mallsofamerica.blogspot.com
Guerlain palettes: photograph by me.

Makeup:
Le Metier de Beaute's growing success has earned the brand an upgrade. The Bergdorf Goodman counter is relocating to a much more central space on the beauty level. There are some beautiful new summer products coming out, a skin care miracle and a lot more to talk about. Stay tuned.

Perfume:
The fragrance department at Henri Bendel is slowly but surely reclaiming its rightful place in the city's shopping scene, thanks to Giuseppe, its new(ish) manager. There are plans to move and change the current floor plan and allocate more (premium) space to perfume. New brands have been added and there are some exciting surprises in the works, including lines that have never been seen in NYC before. I'll report the details as soon as the launch dates are set.

In the meantime, there are a couple of interesting events scheduled at Bendel for the next few weeks that should interest many of us-
6/12 A personal appearance of Robin Coe Hutshing of Memoire Liquide
6/15 (5:30PM) OsMoz Workshop (see bellow)
6/17 (5pm-7pm) Tilda Swinton will sign bottles of Like This, her perfume collaboration with Etat Libre d'Orange.

As for the perfume workshop:
Perfumer Sabine de Tscharner of Firmenich will conduct a fragrance workshop where attendees will learn about notes and accords in perfumery. The  $100 fee includes an OsMoz kit of 12 accord bottles. Naturally, space is limited. To reserve a spot call 212-904-7990.

1. Annick Goutal is back with a vengeance. While I've heard some kvetching about Barneys not having most of the scents online, the NYC store has everything, including the newest one, Ninfeo Mio. The latter (and several other Goutals) is also inexplicably available at Antropologie.

2. Speaking of Anthroplogie, I just looked at their website. If you dig deep enough to find their perfume section (someone on their web team needs some lessons in information architecture), you'll find not only Goutal and the rest of the brands they've been carrying for a while (Tokyo Milk, Tocca, Lollia, Anna Sui), but also an edited selection from Histoires de Parfums and D.S. Durga.

3. While not much is left at Takashimaya's closing sale, there are some worthy perfumes to be found. Mona di Orio, Neil Morris and several Histoires de Parfums bottles are still available, as well as Debut and Emotionelle by DelRae. Everything is 40% off.

4. The SAs at Barneys are becoming pushier than ever.

5. I saved the best for last. MiN NY (117 Crosby Street ) is a good reason to deal with SoHo mess and masses even on the weekend.  The store is spacious which allows for sniffing without suffocating. There's a good selection of skin care and grooming products, home fragrance and, of course, perfumes. The entire L'Artisan range, Parfum d'Empire, Frapin, Linari (I think I love Angelo di Fiume in all its heavy caramelized glory) and Miller Harris. Speaking of which, MiN is not only getting the classic line, but will soon be the exclusive US retailer of Miller Harris Nouvelle Edition, body products, home fragrance, oils and teas (I can't wait. Thé Bigarade sounds especially amazing). Everything is (or going to be) available online. But it's not just about exclusive brands and wonderful products. There's also friendly, welcoming and super knowledgeable service. That alone is a reason to celebrate.

Photo: People inside a perfume store by Hans Wild, 1947. Life.com.

The closing sale at Takashimaya started on Monday. Everything is 40% off, including fragrance and cosmetics. From the way things looked today, only three days into this sale, I doubt there's going to be much left after the weekend. The housewares floor is already nearly empty and it's almost impossible to find a complete set of anything. But we're not here to talk about napkin rings, right?

 Some perfumes are already sold out, but as of Wednesday afternoon there's still quite a bit left (apparently perfume is less popular than scarves and table linens). A partial list:

Yosh
Keiko Mecheri (Loukhoum is already sold out)
Neil Morris
Ineke
DelRae (Bois de Paradis might already be gone)
Mona de Orio
Esteben (some are already missing)
Santa Maria Novella (stock greatly depleted)
Histoire de Parfums
Ulrich Lang
Caron (a bunch of the EDTs in fancy leather atomizers)
Fragonard (Grain de Soleil and a couple of others)
Ramon Molvizar

Home fragrance tip: While there are still quite a few reed diffusers on the entrance floor (mostly Antica Farmacista), if you go up to the Bed & Bath department (5th floor), there are several other brands (including Takashimaya's private label).

Leaving the store for the very last time was very sad. I'm thankful for the bargains I found, since everything I bought are items I wanted and planned on buying anyway. But it will be a long time before anything even remotely comparable to Takashimaya will open again in our area.

In other not good news, I wanted to check and confirm an unsettling suspicion that something was up with Miller Harris. If you check online, the US e-commerce site is closed (it's a fairly recent development. Last time I checked it was in February and everything looked normal). Furthermore, both Saks and Bloomingdale's no longer carry the line (I hear some Bloomie's stores are selling what's left at discount). A visit to Saks 5th Avenue flagship revealed the Miller Harris counter is gone completely. It used to be the only place you could find the Nouvelle Edition range other than online.

Luckyscent is sold out of several Miller Harris perfumes and there's no date or information when (or if) they're coming back. The same goes for MiN New York- almost everything is already out of stock. A quick Google search shows many online discounters now offer them, so it seems like full stocks were dumped everywhere. Prices aren't all that attractive, though, and some of these sites look a bit too shady for my liking. It's not that I suspect these bottles are fake- Miller Harris isn't that popular of a brand counterfeits would bother imitating. I just don't trust sites with names like dirtcheapperfumes4u (not a real one, but you get my point) with my personal or credit card information.

The thing is that Miller Harris main UK site looks alive and well. It's updated for spring and the e-commerce is operating. So I suspect a US distribution issue, the kind we've experienced with MPG before the house made its comeback to our shelves. To some this up and before an online rumor begins- Miller Harris is alive and possibly well in the UK, but at the moment there is no official and legit retailer in the US (the list of stockists on the website is clearly outdated- they only list Bloomingdale's and Saks locations).

Photo by Alfred Eisensstaedt, 1940, life.com

We're having a serious demonstration of April Showers the last couple of days, but Saturday was gorgeous and as springy as they come. It was a perfect day to walk the streets of Nyack, NY, and visit antique stores, galleries and my favorite patisserie on this side of the Atlantic, Didier Dumas.

Another high point was Klay Gallery on 65 South Broadway. Most of the space is dedicated to pottery and there are some gorgeous pieces there, all handmade and at least semi-local. There's also a selection of the cutest baby items- clothes, blankets and toys, including tiny crocheted sleepers (including in boy colors). And jewelry...

Anne Koplik Designs is a small family business from Brewster, NY, that has steadily built a reputation and an impressive client list. This necklace called to me with its happy spring colors and cute details. The flowers were enameled by hand, but unlike other enamel pieces I have, this necklace is very lightweight. The chain is very casual and almost rough-looking, which is the only thing I might have changed, but it looks great either with a sun-dress or a simple white tank top.

Anne Koplik has a website (annekopik.com) that needs quite a bit of spiffing up to do the jewelry any justice. As I said above, I bought the necklace ($58) at the Klay Gallery in Nyack, NY.

Photos and neck are all mine.

I just got a call from Giuseppe at Henri Bendel: The Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier line is once again available. Since Henri Bendel is somewhat stuck in the early nineties ecommerce-wise you'd have to give them a call (212-247-1100) to order your bottle(s) or go to the store in person.

Update: Luckyscent (Scentbar) in L.A. is also selling MPG now.


MPG bottle store display photo by me (from a couple of years ago in Paris).

The Blond and I celebrated spring in the city. It was a gorgeous day, perfect for walking our favorite blocks between Madison and Fifth and stopping at most of the usual suspects to see what's new and fabulous.


We started with the Frederic Malle boutique on Madison and 72 to check the home line. I was especially curious about the spiffy diffuser, Fleur Mécanique, a retro-looking small appliance (yes, it's the thing in the photo above). There are five or six scents you can use to fill it, all are floral. We both liked the gardenia best, but not enough to shell out more than $300 for the diffuser and then start buying refills. These scents also come in candle form along with four others which I liked much better- they smell of wood, incense, spice and my favorite one, Coffee Society by Carlos Benaim that would have been a good reason to at least consider the diffuser if it actually came in that form. We don't use candles (fire and nine cats just do not mix), so it's out of the question.

Next stop was Creed, where I was surprised to see that the Private Collection line was available again. They no longer come in the ridiculously huge splash falcons, instead they are sold in the leather covered spray bottles. I love Vintage Tabarome, but the Blond was not impressed, which is probably a good thing. I didn't ask for the price but I hear it's more atrocious than ever before.





There's a newish tenant in the fourth floor of the Mauboussin store. Francois Payard closed his famous Payard and opened the much smaller Francois Chocolate Bar. The last time we were in the now defunct Payard we were quite disappointed- the cakes weren't as fresh as they should have been and the atmosphere was too touristy. The Chocolate Bar is swankier, better and makes every calorie count. We both chose a verrine- a layered parfait in a small glass. My Bergamote was divine with its cherry cake, Earl Grey tea mousse, a gelee of red berries and tiny salty tea cookies on top. They sell the three Payard scents at the counter. While I'd skip the lychee-something, the only reason we didn't leave with both the Pistachio Ganache and the Bergamote Truffle was that both are an eau de cologne concentration and don't last much. They were completely gone by the time we got to Barneys.

You know what brought us to Barneys. I didn't know if I really wanted to smell the newest Lutens, L'Eau Serge Lutens. The whole idea of Uncle Serge making a Clean Scent that doesn't smell like perfume (his words, not mine) was too painful to take. But you know the drill- I try stuff so you don't have to (and the husband is apparently along for the ride). And let me tell you, with this one you really don't have to. It's not bad. Not at all- it's a crisp, clean, pleasant laundry smell, like a high-end version of the original Clean perfume. But that's hardly a compliment.

In a surprising twist of events, Bertrand Douchaufour is now doing a Lutens-Light. I've sniffed L'Artisan Al Oudh a couple of times before, but it was the first skin test and I like it a lot- it's a non-violent Arabie, and while I don't think it's the greatest oud scent ever, I'd be happy to wear it had the Blond not hated it quite so much. He doesn't deal well with cumin, and while he admitted it's not half bad on my skin, he'd still rather not have this aroma lingering in the air at home. Too bad.

Speaking of L'Artisan, it's time to clear up the confusion over who carries what, at least in NYC: Barneys has to full range, from their home pomander to the newest releases (Al Oudh and Havana Vanille). The same goes for Henri Bendel and Aedes. So there are no distribution issues and everything is easily available, including online.

There's some news from Takashimaya- They're getting rid of the Eau d'Italie line and selling all that's left at $50 instead of the regular $120 price.  Just as promised, Mona di Orio is back, including the newest two- Chamarre and Jabu. I tried Jabu for the first time and loved it. Like everything else Mona di Orio does, it's complex and shapeshifting between heady flowers and something musky in the best possible way. I see more of it in my future. The best part is that Takashimaya is now offering more perfumes online, including several of the di Orios. Why not everything? Who knows. The same goes for the Histoires de Parfums line- they have all of them in the store, yet only three are online. And speaking of which, three new Histoires de Parfums releases, Tubereuse 1, 2 and 3 are there, as well as the other one I've never tried before, Moulin Rouge. I can't tell you what Moulin Rouge smells like even if I tried, because the moment I turned my attention to the Tubereuse everything else was gone and forgotten. While No. 2 Virginal was a bit too much on the fruity-floral side and smelled like (nice) stuff we all tried before, No. 1 Capricieuse was quite interesting with its distinct powdery suede note. But the winner for me was No. 3 Animale.

I rarely buy a perfume nowadays after only one try. I prefer to get several samples and often decants before committing. Except when something grabs my skin and starts doing a Brandi Carlile "I was made for you" imitation. This tuberose is drenched in honey and immortal, and now, 12 hours after I applied 1 spray, what's left is a sweet tobacco note.

Serge who?

The last stop of the day was Henri Bendel (we skipped Bergdorf  since I'm planning to be there later this week). The bad news is that MPG is still not on the shelves. The SA didn't know what was the status and Giuseppe, the department manager, wasn't around today, so I don't have any news yet. The good news is the tester of Annick Goutal Ninféo Mio.  After reading Tom's review I had no doubt I would love this green fig with a dirty backbone, and indeed, the scent twindom wins again. I'm getting a bottle as soon as they're available for sale. It's also great on the husband, who usually avoids my fig scents for a reason known only to him.

And one last thing in case you were wondering: Sécrétions Magnifiques is still revolting.

Photos:
Audrey Hepburn and William Holden in Manhattan during the filming of Sabrina (1954)- myvintagevogue.com
Frederic Malle Fleur Mécanique- editionsdeparfums.com
A Francois Payard Verrine- Serious Eats: NYC

This wouldn't be the first time I'm kvetching about Sephora. Maybe it's my fault for still occasionally shopping there, because it certainly looks like the company has lost interest in me as a costumer. I can still remember that ten years ago Sephora was a lot more fabulous. The stores (at least the ones I frequented in NYC and NJ) were better maintained, the brands offered were more interesting and even the perfume selection was better- more prestige/luxury houses, less mass market. They used to offer the entire range of Cartier perfumes, for example, not just the latest/bigger sellers. There was more Chanel (including makeup!) and Guerlain parfum extraits- can you imagine buying L'Heure Bleue at a Sephora store today?

There were also smaller high quality makeup brands that weren't necessarily geared towards teenagers. I first discovered Skin by Alison Raffaele at Sephora. The same goes for Paula Dorf makeup, Becca Cosmetics and Anna Sui nail polish. All of them are no longer available there, and the bad news keep coming: Both Cargo and Laura Geller makeup brands are being withdrawn from Sephora. You'd be able to find them on QVC, but seriously, I'm not a fan.

But beyond the kiddy brands, the disappearance of old favorites and the clueless SAs (what else is new?), the biggest turn off is the state of the makeup displays. It's the same in every store I visited over the last year or so, from Paramus to the brand new store on Times Square. Testers are broken, missing and dirty. The general feel is that you're going to get a serious case of cooties if you touch anything there, and that, my dear LVMH friends, is the total opposite of luxury.

Photo by me.

Strange things happen when you are just twenty five minutes away from Bergdorf Goodman. The place I regularly call "my local mall" isn't your average Jersey strip mall. The Shops At Riverside, formerly known as Riverside Square, is where you can find an Hermes boutique as well as a Tiffany store, Louis Vuitton, Burberry and other pretty nice options to spend a not-so-small fortune. There are also two department stores: Bloomingdale's and Saks Fifth Avenue. Neither would be considered as slummin' it.

I went makeup shopping last week. There were a couple of items I already knew I wanted and a few others I wanted to check in person before making decision. And, of course, there's research. After all, I'm here to try stuff so you don't have to.

Online swatches, photos and reports from fellow bloggers have left me undecided about the Giorgio Armani spring collection. The palettes and most of the colors seemed several degrees too light, but I had to try them on skin first, so I headed to Saks. There were four SAs in attendance at the counter, something that rarely happens- the place is deserted more often than not, so I expected to be helped and get some good suggestions. However, all four ladies were busy doing their own makeup, often blocking my access to the products. One of them informed me that they were getting ready for a special event at the country club, which apparently required piling on the eyeliner. I finished testing and swatching, considered buying one of the palettes, but as I just couldn't catch the attention of any of the SAs, decided to move on and go to Bloomingdale's.

I wanted to decide between two colors of the new Guerlain Rouge G Le Brilliant and to have a good look at the new version of pressed Meteorite powder. I already knew I should avoid the new eye shadow quad for spring. That black violet color makes me look like I got a shiner, which the SA agreed would not be a good thing. Instead, she suggested I tried one of the regular quads, which had a gorgeous teal with some more questionable silvery shades. Since I wasn't too sure about it, I asked the SA to show me how to apply and make it work.

She was very nice and friendly, just chatty enough and a complete opposite to the four Armani ladies with the eyeliner of doom. I sat happily in the uncomfortable high chair and expected some magic. It is Guerlain, after all. Red flag number one appeared immediately, when the SA didn't bother to remove my makeup. I was wearing Chanel Black Jade eyeliner with eye shadows from the Kashka Beige spring quad mixed with a Shu Uemura something or other. It was a pretty neutral look, but you still couldn't miss the fact I was already wearing a full face of makeup.

Wielding her brushes, the SA told me enthusiastically about the training seminar she had the previous day at the Guerlain Spa, how well the company treats the employees and how lucky she felt to work there. It was nice to hear, really, and I was concentrating on the conversation more than on some strange looks I got from passers by on their way to the YSL and Laura Mercier counters. When she was done with my eyes and took a minute to help another customer and bring some blush and bronzer I looked in the mirror and was horrified.

First, there was a ton of teal and silver fallout on the apples of my cheeks. I'm quite familiar with Guerlain eye shadows and have never seen them create such a royal blue mess. My half educated guess is that the eye color was applied with the wrong brushes. I wish I paid more attention from the beginning so I could know for sure.  But that can always be cleaned up. The problem was what used to be my big brown eyes now lost in a sea of teal and blue that were smudged all over and not necessarily in the most symmetrical manner. Hideous doesn't even begin to describe it. When the SA got back to me I requested she'd clean and tone it down significantly, which she tried, but the rich pigments weren't cooperating too well. Some makeup remover and frantic smudging later I was left with a little less teal which was still way too much. She tried  to blend it with some peach toned base only to create a bigger mess before deciding the problem was lack of balance between my pale face and the dark eye. So to balance things out she fetched a blush in a scary red tone and some bronzer and proceeded to try and find my cheek bones.

Crusty the Clown was looking back at me from the mirror.

I thanked the SA for her effort, paid for the items I intended to purchase in the first place and escaped into the darkness and the snow flurries.

Then I couldn't remember where exactly I parked my car.

I'm super annoyed right now - why you may ask? It's actually from going shopping at lunch.  Now shopping is usually my happy place but today a five cent plastic bag managed to change all that.

Let me explain - I don't know what the deal is where you live, but here in Toronto, stores now charge you five cents for each plastic bag you need. Don't get me wrong, I have no issue with stores charging for plastic bags - I think this is a great idea at the grocery store, grocery shopping is not a surprise trip, you know you're going so it's easy enough to bring your own bags - I haven't taken a plastic bag from the grocery store in years - not since Loblaws introduced their very clever bin option.  But when I'm going someplace and plunking down several hundred dollars for clothes, I expect them to give me a free paper bag to carry my purchases home in!  The problem is when stores don't have a paper option and I then have to choose between paying five cents for a plastic bag or carrying my purchases out in my hands.  Both options piss me off - I'm not talking about buying something small that I could just shove in my purse, it's a large pile of clothing or something else big! 

If I'm so environmentally conscious, why don't I just bring my own reusable bag?  Well sure, if I know I'm going shopping I do, but today I hadn't intended to so I didn't have one with me.  I sucked it up and paid for a bag but it is still galling me.  If the store I was shopping at knew how I was feeling right now they would be rightfully concerned that they may have forever lost my patronage.  They should also be worried that I am rethinking today's purchases and seriously considering taking the whole lot back for a refund, including the bag! 

Why are you getting so irate about this Lisamarie?  It's just a plastic bag! Principle people, principle!!!

There are two things that annoy me about this:

1) The price of that plastic bag that they used to give me for free is already built into the price of each item - I haven't noticed the price of anything I am buying going down so they are still padding my bill for the "free" plastic bag and on top of that, wanting to charge me for one!
   
2) I shop many places that offer paper bags that they will happily put my purchases into, thereby earning my gratitude and goodwill - Club Monaco, LUSH, Roots and Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutique to name a few - they seem to have clued into the fact that now that they don't have a choice but to charge for the plastic bag that it just makes sense to offer a paper alternative. There are also stores that will give you a free reusable bag which is smart, it makes their customer happy and it gives the store free advertising as most people will continue to use the bag for carrying other stuff around. By not giving me a your customer an alternative to plastic, you appear greedy, not be mention stupid - other stores are doing it so why aren't you?

And really on top of it all, they can make plastic bags out of biodegradable materials now so why isn't that an option?! Stores would not be required to charge the five cent fee for a bag that could go in the compost.

In these tough economic times and especially in this retail-important holiday season, certain stores should really be considering their customer goodwill and realizing that something as small as a bag, can make a big impact on where their (former) customers shop.

I'm going off to breathe into a bag to calm down now - don't worry, I'll make sure it's paper!

Where do you stand on the issue?  Does paying for plastic bags make you crazy or is it just me?

Toronto ladies have a new destination for 6appeal!  With natural skincare, travel sized beauty and grooming products, accessories, handmade fragrances as well as all kinds of unique gift ideas 6 By Gee Beauty is the place to be!  Newly opened and located at 6 Roxborough Street West right next door to Gee Beauty - making it awfully convenient to get pampered and go shopping all in one trip!



You will love the Le Labo Fragrance Bar which is having it's Canadian debut here - the products are handmade and personalized which make them a fabulous gift idea (and don't forget to get one for yourself of course)!
As well as travel and lifestyle books.  I saw so many things that would make perfect hostess and holiday gifts!  What was my favourite find? Seeing that they carry the whole Nude Skincare line!