Etienne Aigner's Stag Bags are the ultimate gifts of style & function for this holiday season

Hi lovelies,

Holiday season is in full-swing and one of my favorite things to do, in general, but especially during this time of the year, is to shop for my friends, family, and loved ones. I'm always on the hunt for the ultimate item to bring a smile to my friends and family faces. Luckily for me, I stumbled upon the Etienne Aigner's Stag Bag collection.

With four sisters and a slew of fashion blogger besties, the Etienne Aigner Stag Bag collection has something for every girl in my life. They are the quintessential 'Cool Girl Bag' and each bag tells a story and is your fashion partner-in-crime when you are out creating your own Stag Stories while running around town. It's a one bag fits all so you can carry all of your stuff with ease and comfort and in style.

The Stag Bag was born out of the Creative Director's Florentine's love for her father-in-law's vintage 1970's Etienne Aigner's camera bag. Like any good fashionista and creative leader, she reinvented the bag to appeal to women and they were especially designed for fashion-insiders, influencers, and high-profile clients.

Made famous because of its shape and functionality, it quickly became one of Etienne Aigner's signature bags and is highlighted in its Fall '14 November/December campaigns. Key elements of the bag include being crafted out of authentic Italian leather, a card holder included inside of the bag, and a double top zip entry to optimize organization. It also comes in two sizes, its standard size and in the mini Stag Bag size. You can stay in-the-know about their latest looks, bags, and designs on their Twitter and Instagram accounts. 

For the city chic fashionista on your list: The Stag Bag in Leopard-Multi

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For the boardroom fashionista on your list: The Stag Bag in Ivory-Multi

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For the boho-chic fashionista on your list: The Stag Bag in Sand

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For the preppy fashionista on your list: The Mini Stag Bag in White

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For the edgy fashionista on your list: The Stag Bag in White Dalmatian Multi

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Splurge and treat yourself: The Stag Bag in Pewter

*Although this is a sponsored post by Etienne Aigner, the opinions are my own.

PINCHme Celebrates One-Year Anniversary and One Million Members

Hi lovelies,

PINCHme just celebrated its one-year anniversary in style at the Acme Lounge in NoHo, NYC. In their own words, “PINCHme is the first site of its kind in the US, allowing consumers to choose samples from hundreds of leading grocery, beauty, and OTC brands in exchange for only their honest feedback. PINCHme works with many of America’s favorite household brands to offer consumers a taste of the newest and most popular products in the market.”

The night included music, friends, guests, hors d’oeurves, cocktails, and celebrity attends like Billie Carrol from “Made in Chelsea: NYC” that is debuting on Bravo on Sunday, November 16, 2014. The party also marked the fashion and lifestyle brand's one-million user mark. Guests received coveted PINCHme subscription boxes that contained goodies from brands like Bobble, Shea Moisture, Boots No7, Kleenex, Skinny Cow, Clear, Tom’s of Maine, ROC, Gevalia, Montagne Jeunesse, Kisstixx, Suave, Revlon by Marchesa, Bullet, Eco Tools, and Paris Presents.

Fun and interactive activities, provided by Printstagram and Insta Print, that guests experienced throughout the night included taking photos of their favorite moments of the night and posting them to Instagram using #PINCHmeParty and then receiving a real-life hard copy of the snaps. The winner of the best snaps of the night received cool prizes from Target.

To subscribe to PINCHme and join in on the fun, visit them here. 

3 Ways to Rock a $15 Shirt from Target

Hi lovelies,

While perusing the magazine and beauty aisles at Target, which admittedly, is one of my favorite pastimes, you never what goodies, steals, and deals that you will find at Tar-jay, I luckily mosied on over to the clothing section.

After checking out the shoes, boots, bags, and new clothes for Fall, I stumbled into the Girls clothing section - don't judge me, at a mere 5 feet tall I take my perks where I can get them - and immediately fell in love with a soft sweater with pink floral designs on the arms, a soft white front and back, and the quote, "Enjoy the little things," scribbled across its front.  It was instantly a must-have for my closet and at only $15, there was no guilt when I happily dropped my new fashion find into my cart and headed toward the check-out. 

As I smiled to myself, my mind started to play and wander on how I would rock my new pretty-in-pink sweater.

Check out below the 3 ways I plan to rock my new sweater in style this season. Hope you enjoy and feel inspired as well. You can pick up the sweater in Target stores and online here.

Look #1: Sweater, leather pants, and heels

This is the ideal look for cocktails with the girls, a night on the town, or when you stand-out in a crowd. To achieve this sleek and sophisticated look, pair the $15 Target sweater with black leather pants and black heels, to make a fashionable statement without breaking the bank. 

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Look #2: Sweater, denim cut-offs, and tall boots

For a more casual and relaxed look, opt to pair this $15 sweater with faded denim cut-off shorts, and camel-colored tall boots. This look is perfect for running errands, casual outings, shopping, and just hanging out. 

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Look #3: Sweater, pleated black skirt, and grey booties

For a griller look that can take you from the red carpet to a first date, rock the $15 sweater with a pleated black skirt and grey booties with a medium heel. The skirt adds a level of flirty-ness that enhances the already feminine qualities of the pink floral pattern on the sweater's sleeves. The grey booties also elongates the legs which is perfect for walking the red carpet, date night with your beau, or when you are in a mood to be a girly-girl.

If you found this article helpful, please comment below, share with your friends and tweet @CandyWashington.

Tea with Candy: Holiday Gift Guide to Stocking Stuffers

Hi lovelies,

I wanted to quickly share with you my favorite holiday stocking stuffers! What are some of your favorite gifts to receive?

Shop my favorite holiday stocking stuffers:

Flight Song wine by Brancott Estate, shop here.

RevitaBrow Advanced Eyebrow Conditioner, shop here. 

RAP Protein Gummies, shop here. 

Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate, shop here.

Apothia IF Body Lotion, shop here.

Voluspa Santiago Huckleberry Candle, shop here.

Meet the new sustainable fashion company VIDA and CEO Umaimah Mendhro

Hi lovelies,

I wanted to introduce you to the recently launched new e-commerce fashion company, VIDA. You can shop sustainably and responsibly just in time for the new holiday shopping season. Read on for the fashion-insider scoop below and an exclusive interview with the co-founder and CEO Umaimah Mendhro.

The sustainable fashion scoop on VIDA:
“VIDA brings global consciousness and an impeccable sense of taste to style-seekers through carefully selected artistic partnerships and luxurious, responsibly produced clothing and accessories—starting with a line of tops and scarves.

VIDA is able to produce limited and one-of-a-kind items to meet demand, giving you a say in what designs are produced.

VIDA will launch with 200+ designers and artists from around the world, including photographers, graphic designers, painters, sculptors and more, from Karachi to Kuala Lumpur, San Francisco to Sofia, London to Barcelona and Venice to Tokyo.

VIDA offers more than 75 designs on 5 types of products:

• 100% modal scarves: $40

• Cashmere-modal scarves: $75

• 100% silk square scarves: $95

• 100% silk modern short sleeve top: $65

• 100% silk modern sleeveless dress top: $75

• VIDA gives shoppers access to high quality silk, modal and cashmere products and unique designs at reasonable price points.

Through carefully selected manufacturing partnerships, VIDA is able to ensure fairness and economic empowerment at every step of the process. VIDA has partnered with responsible producers and offers all craftspeople a living wage and literacy classes.”

Interview with co-founder and CEO Umaimah Mendhro:

Candy Washington: What was the inspiration behind the collection?

Umaimah Mendhro: Growing up in Pakistan, I dreamt of becoming an artist, yet couldn't get myself to pursue that path because I was worried I might not be able to make a living. Throughout my professional career in the US in technology and business, I kept my love for design and remembered the huge footprint that the textile industry has in Pakistan. Many of the millions of people working in the industry are struggling to make ends meet. 

We founded VIDA to give emerging, global artists an opportunity to share their gift with the world while getting an opportunity to make a living. And to give shoppers access to beautiful, original pieces that are made in a way that create a positive impact. 

CW: What are the eco-conscious elements within the collection?

UM: We create products to meet consumer demand. So, unlike other retailers and designers who may have excess inventory from season to season, we drastically reduce waste by sticking to a model that only produces what consumers will buy. To that end, we also keep very little product on hand. 

VIDA believes in sustainable and fair manufacturing practices. We work with our manufacturing partners to ensure that our producers receive literacy classes and a fair wage, enabling them to build a better life for themselves and their families.

CW: How did you select which artistic partners and brands to collaborate with?

UM: Artists can post their designs (any type of art--from watercolor to photographs to digital art) directly onto our site. We produce those designs and make them available to our shoppers, encouraging our shoppers to be a part of the process. 

We focused on finding emerging talent all across the globe. We looked at artists showcasing at Fashion Week across cities all over the world, those recognized by the industry, as well as those who already had a fanbase on social media.  VIDA designers include: Elle Magazine’s ‘Up and Coming Fashion Designer from Sweden,' Emma Lundgren, Vogue.com’s top 10 fashion grads to watch, Cigdem Keskin from Turkey, and Tokyo based ‘Top Hat Designer of the Year,’ Honoyo Imai. We've really tried to include work from artists we personally admire, and we've found that those were often the pieces that resonated with our shoppers as well.

CW: What are some of your favorite pieces from the curated collection?

UM: The beautiful part about the collection is that it offers such a rich diversity of artistic perspectives - across over 20 regions around the world - from Milan to Tokyo and San Francisco to Sofia. I am particularly excited about our tops. They're very easy to wear and flattering, yet strikingly beautiful. And the slate and white palette will pair well with everything. I also think that any of our warmer cashmere-modal scarves are perfect as we head into winter. We have vibrant, colorful designs based on watercolor paintings like "Maria" (by Maria Virginia Montiel from Barcelona) along with more understated pieces based on photography like "Project Rare" (by Jennifer Corrales from San Francisco) -- it's a curated collection with something for everyone.

CW: Where can we go to shop the new line? 

UM: VIDA products are available at http://www.shopvida.com/. 

Beauty Scoop: Get flawless skin for the holidays with Jergens BB Cream

Hi lovelies, 

One of the busiest times of the year is the holiday season when we are bouncing from cocktail parties, holiday soirees, fashion events, to happening happy hours and more. This means that we have to be equipped with every fashionista's secret weapon: healthy, beautiful, and glowing skin. It is hands down the best accessory to carry with you everywhere you go and no look is complete without it.

My personal secret weapon to achieve flawless skin during the holiday season is to trust my skin to Jergens BB Cream. Famed make-up artist, Pati Dubroff, uses the BB Cream to give her celebrity clientele amazing looks that have graced international fashion magazines, beauty ads, and red carpet events.

But don't fret, my fearless fashionistas, you too can easily achieve beautiful, healthy-looking, and flawless skin by visiting your local Target and/or CVS and picking up your very own bottle of Jergens BB Cream and you can always find the latest beauty scoop on Jergens Facebook page here.

It only takes 5 days to quickly and effortlessly achieve picture perfect skin that is even, firm, and corrected, for the holiday season by using Jergens BB Body Perfecting Skin Cream. You'll quickly see 5 visible benefits and you can even use it as a moisturizer because it goes on sheer, dries quickly, and over time it visibly improves the look and feel of your skin.

Additional beauty benefits include evening of your skin tone, the firming of your skin, hydrating your skin, the lessening of the appearance of imperfections, and moisturizing your skin while illuminating it. So let's face it, that's pretty much the best gift any fashionista can receive this year.

What makes Jergens BB Body Perfecting Skin Cream different from other creams, is that it effortlessly matches all skin tones and the all-in-one moisturizer that is a blend of natural Shea Butter, a patent pending 'Self Adjusting Tone Technology,' emollients that help to smooth your skin, and a 'Firm Perfecting Complex' to elevate texture and luminosity.

Consult the BB Body Cream Chart to find the best shade for your skin:
When applied to the skin, the cream is sheer and then adjusts accordingly to the varying range of skin tones and shades.

*This post is presented by Jergens

Business Powered by Good Deed: TWILLORY Changes Charitable Landscape

Hi lovelies,

I was just introduced to Twillory, a new menswear e-tailer brand. They create charitable and philanthropic designs of men’s dress shirts and menswear fashions. Twillory manufactures their own fabric and is reinventing the charitable landscape with their new campaign RE:PURPOSE.

Details on how they give back:
For every Twillory shirt purchased online, with it comes a pre-paid mailer bag for the buyer to send any old dress shirts (gently worn) they no longer want to donate to Career Gear, an organization that provides professional clothing, mentoring, and life-skills to help men in poverty become stronger contributors to their families and communities.

Fashion scoop on the charitable brand:
Twillory has partnered with CareerGear, an organization committed to helping underprivileged men get back on their feet by providing professional clothing, mentoring and life-skills to improve their chances of finding gainful employment.

Twillory Founder, Asher Weinberger comes from a non-profit background, and notes "We thought long and hard about our charitable initiative. We wanted to galvanize our community, and have our customers actively engage in the giving process. It’s one thing when the company donates on your behalf. It’s another when the responsibility is passed along to the purchaser. When two people interact, something good should happen for a third person. That’s what Re:Purpose is all about. It’s so much more meaningful for the Twillory man to pick out an old shirt hanging in the back of his closet that he will never wear again, and know that it is going to a man in need.”

In keeping with that sentiment, Twillory has looked to simplify and streamline the process. Asher remarked, "For as long as we can remember, the status quo has been clothing drop boxes, and we felt that they needed a millennial upgrade. We’ve brought the dropbox to the consumer, along with a pre-paid mailer bag to make it easy. We inspect, launder and repackage donated goods for distribution. We joined forces with CareerGear, a forward thinking charity so that the re-purposed clothing will help the jobless, homeless, and disaster stricken. This is our version of enhanced social responsibility in business."

Partnering with CareerGear was a natural fit. "The RePurpose program is a fantastic alliance. It allows the Twillory customer to literally give the shirt off his back to a Career Gear client who has an upcoming interview, but cannot afford to purchase a new dress shirt. And it keeps clothing out of the landfills. So really, it’s a win - win - win for everyone.” said Gary Field, Founder/Executive Director of CareerGear.

By the end of 2014, Twillory hopes to have at least 2,000 shirts donated via their customers. Armed with a new shirt through Twillory and mentorship via Career Gear, Twillory intends on giving hope to thousands of men in need, while growing the Twillory brand one customer at a time.

Garrett Leight California Optical Runway Show with Ruffian

Hi lovelies,

One of my favorite ways to accessorize any look and make a fashion statement about our personal style is with a unique pair of sunglasses. Luckily for us, Garrett Leight California Optical just created an optical accessories design collaboration with the fashion label Ruffian. I received the insider's information and a front-row seat at their runway show. Read below for the behind-the-scenes fashion scoop on the show and the latest designs from their Spring/Summer 2015 collection.

Garrett Leight California Optical is pleased to introduce its newest collaboration with New York lifestyle brand Ruffian.

The capsule, which includes limited-edition custom frames, successfully debuted last week at Ruffian's Spring/Summer 2015 runway show during Los Angeles Fashion Week.

Hosted at the Sarah Gavlak Gallery, Ruffian’s exquisite ready-to-wear collection was unveiled alongside a mix of classic frames exclusively created in custom bright and neutral hues for the brand.

"We are thrilled to be collaborating with Garrett Leight California Optical," says Brian Wolk and Claude Morais, Ruffian's creative directors, in a joint statement. "American made luxury and the spirit of entrepreneurialism is a cornerstone of the Ruffian brand, much like it is for Garrett Leight, which makes this original collaboration particularly exhilarating for all of us."

The Garrett Leight California Optical x Ruffian collection frames will include the following styles: pink crystal Dillon 50 with rosé mirror lens, black Dillon 50 with black solid mirror lens, ivory Pacific 48 with pink flash on clear lens and black Pacific 48 with pink flash on clear lens.

A selection of the capsule collection is currently available for purchase on www.garrettleight.com.

Shop the hottest holiday look with Tagspire

Hi lovelies,

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is having an excuse to dress up and look fabulous - not that I need one, but it's nice to justify my shopping sprees and splurges. After all, it is the season of giving.

Another one of my favorite things to do is to share with you all one of my secret fashion tricks to standing out in a sea of other fashionistas during this holiday season so you can look your best while making your fashionable mark.

First, I'll share with you guys the easiest way to shop my standout look for the holidays with Tagspire. Tagpsire is a fashion blogger and fashion lover's dream that provides an easy and fun platform for social shopping. You can join in the fashion and shopping fun during the busiest time of year for online shopping and sales, October – March, at Tagspire, visit them here. 

Watch below for more on Tagspire:

What I love most about Tagspire is that I can use the power of social commerce, by sharing my ideas and allowing you guys to shop from the looks, without losing my integrity as a blogger. I simply share with you guys what I'm obsessed with at the moment through my social channels, blog, and word-of-mouth, and I hope that I am able to inspire you and you get to score a hot new look.

I can easily upload photos and other images of fashion inspiration and then tag them with quick links so you can grab the latest tops, bottoms, accessories, shoes, and more to complete any look. Tagspire even allows me to post personal style photos that you all can shop from with ease. It's an easy and unique way to monetize images, pics, and photos online with a minimum of $50 commission payout level. Tagspire also goes beyond fashion to include home décor, travel, consumer electronics, and beauty. 

Shop my favorite holiday look:

Click to see this post on tagspire!

Now let's talk fashion. Since everyone will be wearing cocktail dresses and skirts, my fashion secret for the holiday season is to rock sequined pants with a solid top and blazer to add an element of glitz-and-glam to your holiday look but elevate it with a splash of sophistication and individuality. You can also opt to rock sequined shorts instead of pants for a sexier look. Either way, complete the look with a pair of tall stilettos for an add a layer of style and sleekness. 

*Sponsored by Tagspire

Fitness secret weapons: Sunscreen, RAP Protein Gummies, music, and more

Hi lovelies,

Now that I'm an official CaliGirl, living a happy, healthy, and productive lifestyle has become one of my top priorities. After all, Los Angeles is the land of the beautiful people. I have four key fitness secret weapons that help me stay fit, toned, happy, and healthy while living the dream in the city of dreams. Read on to see how to get the most out of your workout while looking your best.

Lather up on the sunscreen

I love working out at the gym, but what I love even more is going for a run on the streets of LA or hiking on the trails of Runyon Canyon. I also lather up with sunscreen on my face and body. My favorite sunscreen is L'Oreal's Paris Sublime Sun Advanced Sunscreen Crystal Clear Mist Spray SPF 30, 4.2 oz.  

Key tip: Don't forget about your lips. I use Torn by Ronny Kobo for TAGS sunscreen lip balm in SPF 15 Passion Fruit and Aloe. I also sport a baseball cap for added protection from the sun and to protect my face. 

RAP Protein Gummies

My pre- and post-workout fitness secret weapon is RAP Protein Gummies. I take one 30 minutes before I workout and 30 minutes after I workout for best results. RAP Protein Gummies helps to prepare my body for intense workouts and repair and replenish my muscles once I'm done working out. They come in 3 yummy flavors: strawberry, orange citrus, and mixed berry.  

More info on the RAP Protein Gummies:

• A convenient, refreshing alternative to protein bars and shakes, which are often heavy in fat, available in a limited flavor profile, and can be time consuming to make at home.
• These new gummies are fat free, gluten free and come in three delicious fruit flavors: Strawberry, Mixed Berry and Citrus.
• A single serving pouch delivers 25-35 poppable gummies and features Whey Protein Isolate, a fast-absorbing, high-quality protein.
• With 20 grams of protein, each pouch offers the protein equivalent of eating three hard-boiled eggs, helping to keep adults feeling satisfied longer.

Workout soundtrack: Music is your fitness best friend

I love turning on one of my Spotify's workout mixes and just getting lost in the music while out for a run. My favorite types of music to workout to is pop, hip-hop, and top 100 hits. I like the keep the tempo high and fast to motivate me to go faster, higher, and longer.

Check out my Best Body Ever playlist here and my my Workout Forever mix here.  I also have another playlist that is a mix of relaxing music, for yoga, pilates, and meditating, with higher tempo beats at the end of the soundtrack, check it out here.

Don't forget to hydrate: H2O

I drink plenty of water before, during, and after my workouts. It's also a great way to get glowing and healthy-looking skin. Your body needs to stay hydrated to function at its optimal level and to prevent fatigue.