Have vintage-inspired clothing made to order at eShakti

In a discussion among my online friends about web-based custom dressmakers, one name recurred: eShakti. Founded in 2001, the site “specializes in mass-customization of designer clothes for women.” “These are much drooled over by ladies I know,” writes cataloging professor Cheryl Tarsala. eShakti offers a selection of stylish dresses, tops, skirts and jackets in sizes ranging from 0 to 36W. The garments can also be cut to custom measurements, since the clothing is not assembled until it is ordered. Prices range from $39.95 – $129.

“eShakti means the power of the Net since Shakti means power in Sanskrit,” says CEO B.G. Krishnan. “Our fashion has this rather well-defined retro-modern quality now. And the fact that we give customers the option to change the styling – the sleeve or neckline or length – makes it unique.”

Even though the clothes are made to order, in California, New York and India, they can be returned free of charge. “The business model is sheer genius,” writes Tarsala.

eShakti
http://www.eshakti.com

Drugstore.com offers special delivery to service members.

I have used Drugstore.com for years to get sundry over the counter medications and creams. What I did not know is that Drugstore.com offers special shipping to our military men and women. “We’re proud,” they write, “to ship all APO/FPO orders by express delivery at no extra charge.”

Military mom Janell Jorda loves the service. “I can find just about anything my son Mark needs on that site and they ship free.” Drugstore.com also gives a 5% discount on your next order and is a member of UPromise.com, a service that lets users get money back for college from their everyday spending. Janell enthuses, “I just sent, laundry detergent, foot powder, baby wipes, toothpaste and a few other things to Mark. I can get things to him sooner this way cause they usually ship the same day.”

http://www.drugstore.com

Learn how to apply the latest makeup looks at Smashbox

Ladies aren’t born knowing how to apply makeup. Smashbox makeup artists show us how to apply the latest looks (using Smashbox products, of course) with videos and printable step-by-step directions. Consider this a do-it-yourself site for your face! Dean and Davis Factor, the great-grandsons of Max Factor, are the founders of the Smashbox Studio Cosmetics company.

http://www.smashbox.com/Video-How-Tos

Are harmful ingredients hiding in your makeup? Find out at Skin Deep.

The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC, has created Skin Deep, a searchable database of cosmetics that assess their relative safety based on their ingredients. Uh oh. Both my hair dye and my face cream come up a toxic 7 out of 10.  On the bright side, I’ll have a beautiful corpse.

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com