You know how much the Czarina loves a sample sale, especially when there are FREE cocktails involved along with the discounts. Shecky’s is both an online and mobile event that partners with over 1200 designers across the US – and Shecky’s Girls’ Night Out is coming to Chicago!

SAMPLE cool cocktails, beauty treats, games, and more from Shecky’s partners.

SCORE up to $100 in beauty products and fun freebies in Shecky’s Famous Goodie Bag.

SHOP hundreds of hot, one-of-a-kind items from indie designers and boutiques across the U.S.—all at up to 75 percent off!

Aside from their events, Shecky’s synthesizes the hot trends and lets you know where to find them, with links to the online retailers. I really enjoy this feature, as who has time to comb through all online sites to find the best options? For instance, their feature on lace tights included the best of the best and what to wear them with. It reminds me a bit of The Lucky Shopping Manual that I have previously recommended, only the writing style is more friendly and the links make it easier to find what you want.

Sign up to be a Shecky’s Insider on the website to get emails and watch Stylefool for a sponsored giveaway!

Shecky’s Girls Night Out Chicago

Date: Wed.-Fri., Mar. 18th-20th, 2009
Time: 5pm-10pm
Place: The Great Hall at Chicago Union Station
210 S. Canal St. (entrance on Jackson Blvd.)
Price: $25 in advance, and $15 if purchased before February 25th!

Recently, The Washington Post published an article entitled, “Can Beauty Be Dangerous?”

The Czarina thinks that is an endlessly fascinating philosophical question, and we can talk about history, feminism, history of feminism, evolutionary biology, ecology, sociology, and many other fun topics for liberal arts and biology majors deep into the night in shabby coffee houses with bad art, over a too-toasted bagel.

However, it stops being a fun mental exercise when this happens:

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The Czarina is very, very picky about her cosmetics and skin products, and she is always looking for something new and improved that doesn’t break the bank.

Accordingly, she was very impressed when she met Gina Garrubbo, the CEO of Terralina, at the BlogHer ‘07 convention. Gina is a true entrepreneur who is extremely passionate about creating luxurious skincare products that are all-natural. She was fed up with the existing products on the marketplace and set out to do something about it.

Terralina’s use of olive oil, olive leaf and white tea as major ingredients stands in stark contrast to the list of items that Terralina does not contain: parabens, PEGs, ethoxylates, glycols, acrylates, silicones, or artificial fragrance. The best tool on the Terralina website is the Glossary of ingredients found in Terralina and/or mainstream cosmetic products. Another good idea is the Articles of Interest webpage, where a shopper can read recent articles about ingredients in cosmetics.

Since the Czarina hates to be told what to do (in case it wasn’t obvious yet) she likes that she is able to read articles and make an independent decision about Terralina’s claims. The Articles webpage is reflective of Gina’s confidence in her product. She encourages people to do their own reading and is confident that they will come to the same conclusion that she did: what you put on your skin matters. It matters a great deal.

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