CRAVE CRUSH the urban girl's blog to all that you CRAVE

Recession Proof Designer Shopping

January 25, 2010 by Gina | Comments (1)

High end gowns, shoes, and bags go mostly untouched, on the floors of Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s and almost every fancy department store. Even though times are tough you still CRAVE those designer duds, but how can you afford them? There are online stores that allow you to purchase designer goods for surprisingly discounted prices. So what’s the catch? There are two ways you can become a member of these sights. You either have to receive an e-mail inviting you to join from another member or you can put your name on a waiting list and they will e-mail you personally when you can join. The sites also put new items on sale at the same time every day for a limited period, usually no more than 24 hours. Check out some of our favorites.

Rue La La (ruelala.com) offers all kinds of designer goods from Betsey Johnson to Burberry to bridge lines, house wares, vacation packages, shoes and accessories. When you sign into Rue La La there is a list of “Today’s Boutiques”, where sales end either in 2 days, 12 hours or 30 minutes depending on what it says. Once you click the boutique you’d like to shop at, pieces are extremely discounted and some let you know there is only 1 or 2 left.

Gilt Group (gilt.com) carries designer trends from Seven for All Mankind, Jewelry from Kara Ross, Susan Hanover and Emanual Ungaro, among others. Although all of the sights carry high end goods, it seems as though Gilt Group reaches the highest, with the most exquisite couture and unique, almost quirky, lesser-known brands. If you get the opportunity to become a member of Glit Groupe you will have access to premier fashion and luxury brands at up to 70% off retail price. When you access their site it even lets you know what time of day their sales end.

Haute Look (hautelook.com) offers designer clothes for women, men and children. They also sell home goods and a good selection of make-up. They host their own private 36-72 hour sales. When you sign on under each designer, the site will let you know how long the sale is going to last and also lets you click to read about each of the brands.

If you ever wondered how your friends got Marc Jacobs bags and shrugged like it was no big deal, ask them to invite you onto their online discounter, because chances are, that’s where they got them.

* Copy editing by Melisa Miller

Spend the Holidays with Your Girlfriends

December 7, 2009 by Gina | Comments (0)

The brisk air is upon us, lit trees line the streets, and the feeling of giving is all around us. Oh, and did we mention the traffic, packed malls, and hectic shopping scene? This season, spend time with friends and family without any worries. Our advice: stay away from the malls and head out for some quality holiday time with your girlfriends. Here are some activities and ideas you can try this season for some holiday cheer.

Ice Skating
Most cities and towns open an outdoor ice skating rink surrounded by lights and holiday music. This is a great idea to do something active outside. You can usually rent skates at these locations, so don’t worry about bringing your own.

Tree Lightings
Check your community newspaper or online to find out when their tree lighting ceremony is. There are usually refreshments available, and of course, some great lights and holiday cheer!

Holiday Cocktails
Some restaurants during the holidays will have one or more special holiday drinks. Grab your girlfriends for a night on the town!

Holiday Shows
Whether it’s the classic Nutcracker or White Christmas, check to see what’s playing in your area and head to the theater. Make a night of it by going out for dinner first. Maybe the Rockettes are in your town—don’t miss that show!

Holiday Party
Throw a holiday party for a group of your girlfriends. Make cookies, egg nog, and holiday-inspired cocktails. Get the ingredients to make gingerbread houses and you can all make your own. Play Secret Santa or a Yankee Swap. A Secret Santa is when you put all your girlfriend’s names in a hat and you each pick a name. The name you get is the person you buy a gift for. Then at the party you exchange gifts. A Yankee Swap is when everyone buys a gift and brings it to the party. Then you put numbers 1-10 (or however many people you have) in a hat. Each person picks a number. Number 1 picks a gift first from the pile of gifts and opens it. Number 2 picks a gift from the pile and opens it, then has the opportunity to keep the gift or take Number 1’s gift. This goes on until you get back to Number 1 who then gets to pick from everyone’s already opened gifts.

Decorated Houses
Have a low-key night with your girlfriends. Take a warm drive around your neighborhood (cocoa in hand!) to see who has decorated their houses in lights. Some people go all out with so many lights you wonder what their electric bill is!

Holiday Shopping
Everyone has some shopping to do during the holidays, whether you’re treating yourself or giving to others. Avoid the malls, with their long lines and crazy traffic, and instead visit locally-owned shops this year. Some local boutiques have such unique gift ideas, including great clothes and accessories. Grab your girlfriends, map a route, and explore some local shops! Grab a CRAVE book to guide you along!

We hope these ideas inspire you to go out and enjoy this time of year with your best friends! If you and your girlfriends have any other holiday traditions, let us know by commenting below.

Happy Holidays!

Give Back to Our Community of Women: Volunteer Nationally or Locally

November 23, 2009 by Gina | Comments (3)

The holiday season is right around the corner. What better time of the year than now to show the community of women in our world that you care. There are several organizations, global, national, local, that help women. Volunteering this holiday season will leave you with a warm feeling in your heart and the hearts of those you help. Below is a list of national organizations that you can donate your time to and help those in need.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation’s mission is to save lives by increasing awareness of breast cancer through education and by providing mammograms for those in need. You can help by giving individual breast cancer donations, corporate sponsorships, fundraising for breast cancer, or volunteering for breast cancer. Every effort counts! To become a volunteer for The National Breast Cancer Foundation you can go to their website and fill out a form and they will contact you with volunteer activities in your area. You can also go right online and make a donation. Every little bit helps. (nationalbreastcancer.org)

Global Giving Foundation (globalgiving.com) is a organization and great online tool to use where you can find a cause to volunteer or donate to. You can find a cause or country to support then make donation and then receive updates on how your donation has effected the lives of others. It’s as easy as going to their website, clicking on the Find A Project button, choose a country or a theme (for example: women and girls). From there the site will give you different causes you can donate to. One example is “A Sanctuary for Empowering Refugee Girls” in Kenya. The Children’s Empowerment Project is a safe space where adolescent girls regain their physical and mental health, create a network of peer support and achieve skills which lead to self-sufficiency. This one cause lists denominations which you can donate and what that amount of money will give these girls, such as

$50 -Provides weekly bus fare for 5 girls to attend job-training classes for 3 months

$75 - Provides 3 girls with school supplies for one year, including books, notebooks, handouts and pens

$100 - Pays for one girl’s medical care assistance for one year

And so on. Global Giving allows you to decide what cause you are passionate about and want to help.

Another National Organization you could volunteer with is RAINN: Rape Abuse and Incest National Network. RAINN’s Mission: RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization.  RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE and the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline at rainn.org, and publicizes the hotline’s free, confidential services; educates the public about sexual assault; and leads national efforts to prevent sexual assault, improve services to victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice. There are many ways you can volunteer for RAINN such as staff a hotline, volunteer at your local rape crisis center, raise money to support programs, and raise awareness through public education efforts like RAINN Day. You can find out more information about these specific volunteer activities on RAINN’s website. One particular event that we found a great way to volunteer is a RAINN Day. RAINN Day is RAINN’s annual campaign to stop sexual assault on college campuses. You can register online to be an organization on your campus for a RAINN Day event. The RAINN website also offers materials you can use for your event and to pass out on campus. This is a great way to educate your college campus or community on how to stay safe. (www.rainn.org)

Another organization we’ve all heard of is Big Brother Big Sister. What a rewarding volunteer project to be a part of. Becoming a Big Sister is as easy as showing your little sister how to cook, play a game together or just spend quality sisterly time together. The impact is huge on children that need your friendship and guidance. To become a Big Sister you can go onto Big Brother Big Sister’s website and fill out an application form. A representative will then contact you to complete the process. It’s so easy, why not become a Big Sister and make the difference in a young girl’s life today. (www.bbbs.org)

There are many organizations you can find on the web, you just have to take the time to search. There are some websites dedicated to helping you find volunteer activities in your local community. One is 1-800-volunteer.org , where you can type in your city and see what opportunities are out there. Another site to search is idealist.org, where you can find volunteer opportunities near you. You can volunteer any time you want and trust me it can be so rewarding to know who or how many people you’ve helped. So have a Happy Thanksgiving and good luck giving Thanks to your community!