Halloween is near, the one day where you can feel free to escape the norm, leave your inhibitions behind, dress up, dress down, pretend, be sexy, be spooky, be whatever you want to be, just don't be yourself!

So what's it gonna be this year? Not sure just yet? No worries I've got you covered! I found just what I was looking for and more at Halloween Express. From super heroes to villains, from horror to fairy-tales, TV & movie personalities, mask, wigs, plus size, and everything in between. They have got your whole family covered too, with a large selection of costumes from babies to teens, women and men, pet costumes, even family & couple themed costumes. The selection is great, the site is easy to navigate, they offer FREE exchanges, same day shipping, and they guarantee their low prices!

For even more savings watch the Couponology Corner segment on 10/18 at 8:30am on the PIX11 Morning News for a special reveal promo code!

Yes it's August which means whether you like it or not, Fall (my favorite of the seasons) is just round the corner! Before you head out on a shopping spree check out the great deals you can only find online for Spring/Summer Fashions that could totally carry over into Fall!
I'm head over heels with this look that can work right into your Fall wardrobe! A shirt dress is a super easy and an essential part of every girl's closet. You can pair this with season appropriate footwear, accessorize, and GO no matter what time of the year it is!

Dress up or down, work or play!

Red Hottt!!!

Shirt dress, Sandals, and Bag all from DJPremium.com! 
DJPremium.com is a one stop shop for premium denim and contemporary trendsetting apparel for men and women. Featuring the latest fashions from the names you know & love. Dolce Vita, BB Dakota, L.A.M.B., Diesel, Betsy Johnson, 7 for all mankind, Rebecca Minkoff, House of Harlow, MM Couture, Motel, 10.Deep, MINKPINK, Just to namedrop a few and all at affordable prices. For even greater savings on these already awesome deals check out Couponology.com's exclusive discounts, promo codes, and FREE Shipping deals on everything DJ Premium!


Danielle is wearing Red Mixed Print Dress with belt by DJP Boutique (MM Couture), Judy Sandal by Luxury Rebel, Mid City Tote by Foley & Corinna, all from DJ Premium. Campari Necklace, Secret Garden Ring, Soiree Studs, Renegade, Bardot Spiral, and Luxor Link Bracelets all provided by stelladot.com/aida,  Her own Prada Sunglasses (style unknown) and  Michael Kors Runway Watch. 

Totally loving the retro, vintage, edgy styles of Motelrocks.com! Their fashions are a modern take on women's street wear with everything from the super fitted body-con dresses to retro chic, flowy styles, and everything in between.

From the dance floor to tea time they've got you covered!

A heartfelt THANK YOU to the following very special people:

Max Gershenson (Photography & Editing)
Joshua Rivera (Asst. Creative Director & Editing)
Krystal Cordova (Makeup & Asst. Creative Director)
My beautiful models:
Julissa Ortiz, Stephanie Ortiz, Samantha Gonzalez, and Krystal Cordova
All jewelry & accessories provided by stelladot.com/aida
And last but certainly not least, a very special thanks to my friends at Couponology!

Remember the days when wearing prescription glasses was a drag. I mean who wanted to wear glasses, they were usually big, bulky, or just not complimentary. And who could afford the really cool high end designer ones, the ones your insurance didn't cover and neither did your pocket!

Well call me four eyes no more because now-a-days glasses are more than just glasses they're a fashion accessory. Thanks to company's like EyeBuyDirect.com we don't have to spend a lot to be in trend with the latest designs in eye-wear minus the big price tag! EyeBuyDirect not only carries the latest trends in the hottest colors but shopping on the site is super easy. You can even upload your photo and virtually try on different specks to fit your face with easy to follow instructions.

EyeBuyDirect's mission is to make eye glasses affordable and accessible to everyone who needs them. For even greater savings check out Couponology for the latest promo codes & discounts.

For a consultation or appointment call Monika at 917-515-9331                              
Monika Day Spa 109 West 38th Street Suite 400 New York, NY 10018

Norma (L) Electrologyst/Laser Tech, Monika (R) Licensed Esthetician/Massage Therapist

By now Valentine's day is just a memory (hopefully a good one) but LOVE is always in the air. Check out Raqquyah of Adorn New York and her series of love stories in a blog she calls Love Happens. The stories are short, sweet, & delightful or as I like to call them a little break from the everyday.

In her own words "Love Happens is a blog full of wonderfully fanciful stories discussing, celebrating and…well...poking fun at LOVE.  Forget where you are to find yourself lost in stories of passion, love, and romance." Read on.....

Raqquyah is a New York based jewelry designer. She's the creator of the savvy & chic line Adorn New York. She's been featured in multiple publications, fashion blogs, and shopping events throughout the city.

I came across these two articles on YouBeauty and just had to pass them along. Fun, interesting, quick read. Hope you enjoy as much as I did, please leave your thoughts/comments below, thanks!

Better-Looking Partner? What it Really Means.

Think your partner is better-looking than you? You're in love!

Thinking that your partner is the better-looking one is actually a good thing. It may mean you’re in love. As it turns out, we’re more attracted to people with similar levels of education, IQ, socio-economic background, and looks. However, researchers have gone even further and found that the old cliché “love is blind” is actually true.

In a study where people were asked to rate their own attractiveness, their partners rated them higher than they rated themselves. Furthermore, there is some science to back up the idea that finding your mate more attractive actually means that you are in a committed, passionate, intimate and satisfying relationship. So don’t try and see through the honeymoon haze, embrace it! The good news continues, because science has found that the haze can extend well beyond the honeymoon.

Find the second article here: 

Is Your Mate Hotter Than You?

Awww, February 14, Valentine's Day. A day for celebrating Love or is it? Everyone's got an opinion on this, either you love it, hate it, or you're just going with the flow because you feel the pressures of the holiday breathing down your neck and if you didn't do anything to celebrate it well that could spell TROUBLE! Now I'm not just talking about singles or someone who's gone through a terrible break up and has given up on love all together. I know some perfectly happy people who don't particularly care to celebrate it at all. Some believe it's a made up holiday by a popular card store (I won't mention any names) for the sole purpose of making a buck. It's hard to argue with that when the price of a dozen roses just went through the roof because you guest it, it's Valentine's Day! And try going out to eat......You will need a reservation to eat from the pre-fix menu at a price that's, well you get the picture. Someone's definitely making out on this holiday and i'm not talking about the lovers.

My opinion of Valentine's Day? I think it's a nice day to do a little something extra or perhaps something you normally wouldn't do for the ones you love. I feel we shouldn't wait for a holiday to show our gratitude & appreciation but can understand how busy our lives have become that perhaps on this one day we can set the routine, the norm, the chores aside and just focus on the love. I heard someone say "my kids are my valentine" I also read a sign that said "F V-Day, buy yourself a gift" and I say to each it's own. I mean who dictates the rules of any holiday and how it's celebrated or not. What's special to me may NOT be to anyone else, and that's OK!

This Feb 14 went like this: Me, the hubby, watching the NY Knicks as Jeremy Lin led the Knickerbockers to a win on a tie game with 0.5 seconds to go, it was FREAKING AMAZING!!!

A little FYI, Dictionary.com's definition:

Valentine Day,  noun  February 14, observed in honor of St. Valentine as a day for the exchange of valentines and other tokens of affection.

I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions, or what you did this V-Day, please leave your comments below. Much appreciated, thank you!

So I want to tell you about this wonderful shoe store I discovered in Williamsburg Brooklyn, DNA Footwear.  From the outside looking in through their huge glass windows I was attracted not only by the vast selection of footwear but also by the decor of the store. If you know me I LOVE decorating & design (I watch a lot of HGTV). Well, let me tell you this store is gorgeous. From the warm brick walls, to the beautiful lighting, high ceilings, the decorative fixtures, I could go on and on but enough about the decor after all it is a shoe store so let's talk SHOES!

DNA has a large selection of footwear, from top names like FRYE, Steve Madden, Chinese Laundry, Birkenstock, Rachel Zoe, Bebe, Carlos Santana, the list goes on and on.....Whatever your budget, from low to high end, casual to evening, men's, women's, or kids, even accessories, they've got you covered! They carry the latest styles and trends so whatever you're looking for I have no doubt you will find it here.

I have to mention the staff because they were great! They were so friendly and made me feel welcomed. Not pushy or bothered by having to go back & forth getting me every shoe that I wanted to try on, and trust me it was a lot. I truly felt like they wanted me to leave a happy & satisfied customer. Well mission accomplished DNA Staff cause I'll be back!

DNA has 5 locations throughout Brooklyn but if you don't live near by, no worries they're on the web too!

 
 
 
 

After spending a day at the beach I love the way my hair gets these tousled messy waves. I'm not quite sure if it's the sand, the sun, the ocean water, or a combination of all but it's a look that I love and have tried to recreate, sometimes with success sometimes not so much.  After trying a few drug store brands and not being completely satisfied I decided to spend a little extra and go for a higher end product. At Sephora I found a couple of options, I asked a few questions, and decided to go with the Bumble & bumble surf spray ($24).

After washing my hair I combed out any knots and sprayed Bb surf spray all over, with a blow dryer I began drying my hair in sections. With the exception of my bangs (which I used a round brush on) I began scrunching and twirling my hair as I dried it. It was pretty easy and dried quickly. For extra volume, when my hair was almost completely dried I flipped it upside down and dried some more. When I was done I sprayed a little more Bb spray and just twirled some hair pieces here & there.  In the end I was satisfied with the look, happy with the amount of time it took to achieve, and glad I spent the extra cash, because for me it was worth it.

I recently cut off a hefty length of my hair but I do think this would look great on long layered hair as well. This was an easy look for those days when you just don't want to bother with the styling, flat ironing, curling iron, etc. Wear it messy as is, add a hair barrette on one side, wear a head band, or even create a messy ponytail, and GO!

So yesterday was Superbowl Sunday but it was also MY BIRTHDAY!!!! Yay!

My friends make fun of me because I start counting down the days way way in advance (like around Thanksgiving) and some even question why I or anyone for that matter would like (love) their birthday so much and come to think about it I really can't explain it. I mean yeah it's nice to be acknowledged on your big day, get treated like a princess (no cooking for me), and not to mention presents, who doesn't like presents Duh. All I know is that the thought of my birthday nearing just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I love it, I love celebrating it, and my hope is that the people around me, celebrating with me are having a great time too.

So I finally treated myself to a professional eyebrow shaping! I really wish I had done this a long time ago but the fact that I could walk into a nail/hair salon and get my brows done within walking distance or a very short ride from home just made it all too easy to do otherwise. I happen to be at Bloomingdale's this weekend and there it was "Benefit's Brow Bar" so NO excuses, I mean it was right there starring at me.

The very lovely Raquel helped me. She was friendly, easy to talk to, answered all my questions, and best of all she was not pushing products on me which I really appreciate. At the Brow Bar unlike other salons she did my brows while I was sitting upright and facing her, this was a first for me I'm usually lying down or sitting way back in a reclining chair. I don't know if that was the reason they came out so nice, all I can say is that I was very happy with the results and I actually got compliments at another store I went into.

At my request Raquel matched me up with the perfect eyebrow pencil and showed me how to fill in my brows without looking too dramatic but more natural. I loved the look and it was so easy to apply.

While having my brows done at The Brow Bar ($23) is more than what I pay at my local salon, it was worth every penny!