Blog Posts by Jennifer Romolini, Shine editor in chief

Because the market for perfume is seemingly bottomless and recession-proof, high-end fashion label Emanuel Ungaro is joining forces with word-of-mouth brand Avon to design two fancy new fragrances. U by Ungaro for Her and U by Ungaro for Him will both debut in August. Avon's ambassador (yes you read that right), Reese Witherspoon will appear in the print and TV ads. Both scents are described as "woody." [Cosmetic News]

Dear Urban Outfitters,

We've been together for a long time (Where would I be without your ruffly, pubescent panties and your signature tank circa 1998? I'd be in No-Boyfriend Town, that's where.), and I care about you, UO, I really do. So let me give you some advice: Don't make weird, freakishly cheap-looking, ironic (?) ads about towns you don't understand. I don't even know where to begin with this new Brooklyn store poster. I can see it working in, say, Cleveland or Marfa or any place where people don't know that the Domino Sugar Factory is in Wiiliamsburg, the L train goes to Canarsie, the Beasties Boys' Paul's Boutique was filmed on the Lower East Side, Mr. Kotter hasn't lived here since 1979-AND NONE OF THIS IS ANYWHERE NEAR YOUR NEW STORE.
Love,
Jennifer Romolini

Yesterday was my birthday, and I had a party and like the responsible old-lady drinker I am, I attempted to thwart a hangover with some very interesting "hangover prevention" pills. Um, yeah. If feeling like your own butt was the intended result: SUCCESS!
But, there's good news of course. I splurged on a new dress for the party (is $289 a splurge? eek.), which is something I never, ever do. It was patterned in silver and lilac and deep, warm gray waves and it made me feel pretty and feminine all night. Which is always my goal with clothes. And even though I feel like heck this morning, I have to say, looking at my fun party dress crumpled on the floor made everything a little better. The line is called Saja. All the pieces are beautiful. You should treat yourself to something from it.

I've been flying a lot recently, like once a week, and have grown to despise each and every one of the tiny, plentiful indignities of air travel: Disrobing in the sweaty, frantic security line; the Dasani water monopoly; the grade-D-edible snacks that now pass as dinner; the seemingly filthy poly-blend "blankets" that don't really keep you warm but just serve as added bulk in an already meant-for-a-toddler size seat. But two things have really, especially stuck in my craw lately: bad movies and foot smells. I mean, not to get all stand-up comedian, but does a plane full of 300 grown-ass adults really need to see the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie? And why would you take off your shoes if you had feet funk?
Anyway. My cross-country flight last Sunday was a perfect storm of badness. Smelly feet on the left, smelly feet on the right; the completely, embarrassingly (I'm sorry Keri Russell, I still love you) trite film August Rush playing in the front; and my iPod dying on my lap. And I

You know who has great style? Rachel Bilson. Honestly, her outfits are always inspiring and creative-a great mix of vintage and new-and they work without looking like a costume or feeling like they were thought about for hours. So, you know what we're excited about? Rachel's new line for DKNY, called Edie Rose, out next September, sure to be fabulous. [WWD]

The Lucky Beauty Department blog has a great post on three stellar eye creams that won't cost you more than $30 (one of which is just 6 bucks-I mean, it really does not get cheaper than that). Of them, I'm leaning toward this Burt's Bees Beeswax and Royal Jelly version, because the texture is super-emollient and the ingredients are mostly natural, which just feels better for something I'm putting that close to my eyeball.

Much like an ex who wants you back and shows up to meet you wearing their best outfit and an over-eager smile, for the past few seasons the Gap has been giving off a kind of panting, "Please love me. Can't you see how cute I am?" vibe. Sometimes, say with last summer's Roland Mouret capsule dress line, this tactic has worked. Sometimes-like with their idea to get us all back in ill-fitting khakis-not so much. (I don't care if Claire Danes can dance in them. I am not wearing the tawny equivalent of mom jeans.)
In any case, our friendly mainstream retailer is at it again, with a line of shoes from renowned Balenciaga cobbler Pierre Hardy. You wouldn't know this, of course. The shoes are being marketed as part of the Gap Design Initiative Program and don't even feature Hardy's name. But they're all really stylish looking, even, ahem, a bit edgy, for the Gap. And the $98 price tag, while not cheap, is a deal for any kind of fashion-forward shoes. I like these Chloe-esque platforms the