Blog Posts by Kaboodle.com

While "What's in your makeup bag?" is often asked of women, we're wondering whether "Who makes your makeup bag?" is the next question du jour. That's because some big-name designers are adding their fashionable flair to top beauty brands' makeup collections--with hefty price tags to match. Fortunately, they double as swanky clutches and are considered a deal because they come stocked with fancy products, but we still can't help but wonder: Are these makeup-filled bags worth the investment?

Stila Loves CC Skye Set
Three of Stila's bestselling eye and lip favorites are stashed into an edgy "Benetar" clutch, designed by one of Hollywood's most in-demand accessories designer. We love the woven leather look with chain detailing. $100

Derek Lam Runway to Everyday T3 & Derek Lam SinglePass Styling Set
Inspired by the sleek schoolgirl-inspired hair T3's Orlando Pita created for the Derek Lam Fall 2011 runway show, this set of styling essentials includes an iron and

Bold short necklaces not only show a sense of style. They have the wonderfully practical purpose of drawing the eye upward and away from anywhere you don't want to accentuate from your chest to your toes. Bonus: They effortlessly take any outfit from a 4 to a 10. As Leighton Meester, Michelle Monaghan and Sanaa Lathan demonstrate above, there are tons of styles available to suit your look; here are a few of our favorites.

Statement Maker
Like attention and compliments? Try a bold necklace like this $2.80 rhinestone choker from Forever 21.

Keeping it Simple
If understated suits you, try a piece like this floral pendant necklace ($5.80 at Forever 21), which can also be layered for more impact.

Bead It
Like Leighton's beads, this Carole necklace ($16) is colorful and looks great with a solid black ensemble.

These days every penny counts more than ever. Ironically, millions of us practically throw away our hard-earned cash every day-all in the name of convenience. While a special meal at a restaurant may be worth the extra expenditure every now and then, some money-draining food purchases may be nothing more than wasteful habit. Following are six food and beverages that exemplify costly and potentially unnecessary expenditures that may not even save much in the way of time. Take a look at your food shopping practices and you are likely to find dozens of money-saving opportunities beyond those listed below.

Deli Sandwich
If you consider that two slices of whole wheat bread costs around 20 cents, four slices of Oscar Mayer turkey is about $1.50, a leaf of lettuce sets you back less than a nickel, a slice of cheese goes for less than 20 cents, and a dollop of mayo and mustard are no more than 10 cents combined, you can count on a homemade sandwich totaling about $2.05.

Whether you have trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep, waking up in the morning, or another common sleep problem, fear not. We've got rest-inducing gadgets for the following five exhaustion-inducing dilemmas.


Waking Up
If an everyday alarm clock doesn't do a great job of waking you, you may need one of the more aggressive varieties on the market today. The Sonic Boom Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker, (below, $30 from Amazon) is superloud and has a vibrating attachment you place under your pillow that goes off to ensure you wake up.
Sonic Boom Alarm ClockClocky (below, $30 from Nanda Home) not only buzzes, it jumps off the nightstand and rolls around the room so you have to chase it down in order to turn it off!
Clocky

Finally, Gun O'Clock ($90 from AC Gears) requires you to wake up enough to accurately shoot-three times-a target on top of the clock with a laser gun in order to turn off the alarm.

Gun O'Clock

Insomnia
If you have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep throughout the night, the best thing to do is create

If you're planning to shop for a car at a used car dealership, there are important things to know. For example, you have more negotiating and bargaining power than you think and you don't necessarily need their special financing or extended warranty. Read these tips to ensure you get the best deal when negotiating at a used car lot.

You can probably get the same car cheaper online.
It's true: most online car purchases save customers an average of $1,794 per purchase, according to J.D. Power. Does that mean you should buy your car online? Not necessarily. Many consumers want to drive a car before buying and others just aren't comfortable making such a large purchase online. But, the knowledge of what's available online is leverage you can use when you negotiate price at a dealership.

Dealers will give you a good price then low-ball your trade-in.
The biggest margin for profit for a used car dealer is when the customer trades in a car. And once you've already found a great

It's not surprising that homework battles are a common theme in households with school-age children. After all, for most kids evening schoolwork can't compete with the enticement of video games, TV, toys, and playing outside. While you may not be able to make homework the most popular after-school activity, you can increase its appeal and decrease the battles by heeding the following guidelines.

1) Create a special area dedicated to homework.
The right location for study time might differ for each child-one might prefer a desk in their bedroom while another might get distracted by all the stuff in their room and prefer the dining room table. But no matter the location, the environment must be quiet, comfortable, and properly lit. And last but not least: both of you should be involved in selecting the location-don't dictate.

2) Provide appealing equipment that's only available during homework time.
One way to help children settle in for homework is to make the whole idea of

Kim Kardashian reportedly commands upwards of $100,000 for a one-hour appearance at a club. "Jersey Shore" cast member Pauly D gets $40,000 just to show up at an event. And celebrity blogger Perez Hilton pulls in more than $200,000 a month for writing about celebrities from his desk at home.

With reality stars getting paid tens of thousands of dollars for 15-minute appearances and actors and actresses commanding $15 to $20 million dollars per movie, it's becoming clear that some celebrities are grossly overpaid. Here are some of the most startling offenders.

Kim Kardashian

The newlywed and her family famously pulled in $65 million in 2010-but how does Kim earn her share? Beyond personal appearances locally, she commands near $1 million to show up publicly abroad. The brunette bombshell also gets $25,000 per endorsed tweet. Adding to her overflowing coffers is the $1.5 million People magazine paid for the exclusive rights to her wedding photos this August.

The

Despite all the advertising out there attempting to convince us to buy the next great lipstick or face moisturizer at a premium, we've found some of the very best beauty products cost less than the price of three Starbucks lattes-and last a lot longer to boot! Following are five products that win the approval of beauty editors and consumers everywhere.

Revlon Lash Fantasy Total Definition Mascara

Savvy makeup lovers know the key to a great-looking lash look is a primer. That's why this 2-in-1 primer and mascara is as beloved as it is effective. The $8 price tag (at Drugstore.com) only adds to its allure.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick

Super pigmented and long-lasting, this lip color (shown in "Siren" color here) will set you back only $6 at Target.

OPI Nail Polish

Every nail polish lover needs a go-to red. This one, OPI's Vodka & Caviar, is the perfect medium-toned blue-red in a trusted formula-and it costs a reasonable $8.50 at salons everywhere.