D&G Fragrance Ad starring Matthew McConaughey

One of my favorite commercials :-). I would love to see the sales trends after it airs on television--my guess is growth.

Breitling To Open First US Store in NYC

Breitling, the luxury watch maker, is slated to open its first American store on East 57th Street in New York City the day after Christmas. The retail space which formally occupied Nokia is three stories high and will feature a bar on the top floor. Breitling was previously in a battle for the retail space with Louis Vuitton who wanted to expand their existing store. Womp, womp, womp.

FTC Revises Buying Guides on Platinum Jewels

The Federal Trade Commission has produced revisions for its two publications that serve as a guide for consumers buying and businesses selling platinum jewelry. The FTC hopes the guides will be useful for businesses to describe and advertise items and for consumers to understand what they are purchasing. The FTC states that marketers are adding base metals such as copper & cobalt to platinum jewelry to make it a more affordable to consumers. This is considered an unfair and deceptive practice under the FTC Act if not properly disclosed. To learn more click here.

Consumer Moxie: Asked & Answered (A²)

Greetings my Foxie Moxie's! I'm pleased to announce that CM is penning a consumer column for community newspaper The Mt.Vernon Inquirer. You can send your questions to consumermoxie@gmail.com. Can't get to the actual paper? Click here for this month's edition--the column is on page 30!

Verizon Wireless to Payout $90 Milli to Customers

Apparently Verizon is issuing $90 million in refunds to 15 million customers who were being charged $1.99 for erroneous data charges. The FCC has yet to issue a fine for this debacle but I hope it is a hefty charge that will curb companies from price gauging practices. If corporations continue to operate with impunity they will continue to dupe consumers and categorize their tactics as a "cost of doing business" let's do better people...read more here [NYT]
For the official Verizon press release click here

Nickelodeon shuts off programming urging kids to be physically active

The percentage of childhood and adolescent obesity has increased to alarming rates in the United States. In an effort to get the kids to take a break from the TV and computer, Nickelodeon, a Viacom company, in partnership with our First Lady Michelle Obama is shutting their TV programming off for three hours tomorrow. That's right at noon (ET) tomorrow (9/25) the First Lady will appear promoting and encouraging kids to partake in the "Worldwide Day of Play." Kudos to the network for keeping this going!

Scandal at IBM: The Mata Hari edition

It reads like a cheesy Lifetime movie but it is not a movie at all. Robert Moffat a married (former) senior manager at IBM, who was rumored to be groomed for the CEO position, is involved in a major hedge fund insider-trading ring. But do you want to know the best part? He allegedly didn't receive a penny! What he received most in exchange for the info was lots of lovin from a Wall Street analyst named Danielle Chiesi who loved "stocks, sports and sex." Yikes! Read the story here

Ivanka Trump will debut affordable shoe line

Ivanka, Donald Trump's daughter, is debuting a collection of moderately priced shoes for spring ’11, which includes a mix of stilettos, flip-flops, sneakers and ballet flats. The line, Trump said, showcases her affinity for sophisticated and elegant looks. The shoes will be made by Marc Fischer Footwear and she is involved in the design process and guarantees that consumers that appreciate her style will find that reflected in the line. I like this girl and can't wait to see her shoe line!
WWD

Manhattan & Bronx retail stores fined for being too cool

I guess in an effort to put a dent on the city deficit *ahem* the Dept of Consumer Affairs has issued $200 fines to nine stores in both boroughs. This was based on a law enacted in 2008 that prevents store owners from leaving their doors open on hot sweltering days hoping to lure consumers with cool air conditioning. The law really tackles energy conservation while curtailing this marketing tactic. Stores such as DSW, Filenes Basement and Armani Exchange were fined. The Bronx stores that took a hit were Jimmy Jazz and V.I.M.
Ummm DCA you collected a mere $1800.00. During a recessive economy stores do what they must to stay open, keep people employeed and vendors paid. Now, cool it! Haha, for more on this article click here.

Unlocking your smartphone is now legal

Consumers who were previously bound by cell phone carriers due to restrictions with iPhone via At&t or Google's Andriod ala T-Mobile can now legally have their phone unlocked a.k.a jailbreaking. The United States Copyright Office issued exemptions to a law that now provides consumers legal protection if they decide to unlock their phones if they choose to do so. Choices people choices!

The New C-Note

The redesigned $100 bill...like it? Ten years of research produced the bill which features a blue 3-D security ribbon on the front and contains images of bells and 100s that move and change as you tilt the note. The Bell in the Inkwell on the front of the note is another new security feature, the bell changes color from copper to green when the note is tilted. The new security features are designed to curtail counterfeit production. The new bill will start circulating in February 2011.

Fab ways to don your favorite scarf...

Good morning foxie moxies! It has been awhile huh?! I felt totally inspired to post some photos displaying create ways to accessorize with a scarf or wrap and of course wanted to share. Peep it!





Fab!

GIANT STEP™ | Event - Sade Listening Party for iSoldier of Love/i (NYC)

GIANT STEP™ | Event - Sade Listening Party for iSoldier of Love/i (NYC)

Happy Holidays My Foxie Moxie's!

The Fabulocity that is Sade...

She's back...yes!!!

Bloomingdale's Beauty: A Moxie Makeover

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting the newly remodeled Bloomingdale's Beauty Department "The New Bway" at its flagship location on 59th Street and I am so impressed! Huge, I mean grande!, improvement from the previous floor space. There is a great flow of open space among all beauty stations and the aesthetic is euphoric. Think high tech flat screens, lacquer, chandeliers and tons of pretty mirrors to try on all the luxurious beauty products. The best makeovers in my opinion are Bare Escentuals, La Prairie and Benefit cosmetics who features a brow bar boutique that offers waxing (face only $12 & up) and lash applique ($20 & up) which btw is a very smart strategy. I missed the Tokyo Lash Bar at Shu Uemura (sigh) I'll have to check it out next time. For men The Art of Shaving features a Barber Spa. For more info click here.

The Carrie Diaries...A SATC Prequel

The Sex And The City franchise is about their BI. Candace Bushnell the author that made all of this possible is penning a book entitled "The Carrie Diaries" which revolves around Carrie Bradshaw's teenage years. Look forward to reading about her first love, relationships and her budding writing career. The book debuts April 27, 2010. I love the cover but I'm not interested...
For those of you who are click here.

"How You Doin'?!"

Apparently well if your Wendy Williams. Fox has renewed her show for 2011-2012. Her ratings have increased and the network is pleased. It must feel good after the debacle with WBLS. She's made a smooth transition from radio to tv and to that I say Congrats!

And The 2009 Word Of The Year Goes To...

"Unfriend" yup that's right. The Oxford American Dictionary's winner of 2009 is unfriend. It means to remove someone as a friend on a social networking Web site such as Facebook. It reminds me I have a few people I will unfriend before the new year...the other contenders were netbook (small laptop) and sexting (sending sex text and pics). Whoa.
Thanks for the link DB!

Big Changes in Mobile Banking

An article in this weeks Business Week highlights the U.S. banking industry's plans on providing person to person mobile money transfers to existing mobile banking features. Remember Craig and 'em that owe you $40 bucks that you haven't seen since?! Well any excuses will soon be finito. Pay up...via mobile all you'll need is an email address or mobile number. This service will be available sometime next year and is considered to be secure. Banks are considering charging senders a nominal fee (e.g. 25 cents).