A long Memorial Day weekend means nothing more than sitting back, relaxing and of course shopping the great sales. Our most anticipated sale is Nordstrom’s Half-Yearly Sale. for women and kids.

Save 33% off or more on everything you’ve eyed but didn’t buy these past few months. Summer sandals for all occasions and winter boots are still available. Clothing, handbags, and all the latest fashion trends were now worth waiting for Nordstrom’s Half-Yearly Sale.

The BCBGMAXAZRIA ‘Mandy’ Platform Sandal with a 40% off sale tag will look great with any pair of jeans and mini dress.

The skinny jeans under boots will still rock your fall and winter, so how about a pair of Born ‘Nylin’ Boots at 40% off?

The Nell Couture Print Jersey Maxi Dress makes a great casual, or going out maxi dress for the summer. And there’s definitely nothing couture about this price tag.

Hurry now and shop in store or online till May 23rd.

More fashion from the trendsetters themselves, the always attention grabbing celebrities. This time it might not be so bad. Check out these new fashion lines from seductress Carmen Electra and new mom Nicole Richie.

Super sexy Carmen Electra is designing a lingerie line. Her inspiration? Agent Provocateur. Model/Actress Carmen has been collecting lingerie and corsets for years, and her new lingerie line will have a “sexy, Goth” style. With her new lingerie line she should consider promoting it in her upcoming eight-page nude photo shoot for Playboy. But will she?

Nicole Richie is doing her fans a favor by making it easier for them to steal her style. Funny, huh? Anyways, with her jewelry line, House of Harlow, already in stores, Nicole Richie is looking to create outfits that are sexy, comfortable, and that represent and A-list attire for the average girl with a budget. The new line will be more personally branded and is scheduled to launch as early as February of next year.

nitro:licious has a preview of the Comme de Garcons for H&M Collection. It’s (expectedly) dark and a little twisted. We’re perplexed by the polka dots. And the price tags have us head-scratching, a $350 dress at H&M in These Economic Times? Nevertheless, we want the jackets, all six of them.

Check out the

Comme des Garcons for H&M Look Book on nitro : licious.

We’ve found the silver lining in the dark cloud that is our crappy economy: sale, sales, and more sales! Our favorite stores have merchandise to move, and while our wallets are lighter these days, they’re making it easy for us to feed our retail need.

Today’s sale spotlight is on the Puma Store.

Puma is offering 20% off your entire purchase now through September 30, 2008.

Use coupon code BTS77 at checkout in order to receive this great offer.

We really like the Puma Yin in the shiny orange.

The Sporty Spice in us wants a pair of Puma ballerinas like the Icon.

I freely admit that a lack of sleep and an inordinate amount of stress has me shopping like it’s my J-O-B. Ok, so shopping is sort of my job but retail therapy has been a true lifesaver this week.

And happily, I’ve found a new fab place to spend my paycheck! The bonus? Everything I was coveting was in the realm of affordability. Meet modcloth.com.

The highlights:


Wildflower Negative Dress, $54.99

Great for end-of-summer AND this little frock will transition into fall just switch your sandals for booties and toss a cardigan around your shoulders.

Office Romance Heels, $34.99

White is quirky and pairs perfectly with fall’s darker color palette. I like the funky buckle and sexy librarian feel.

Twisting Tree Ring, $6.99

This ring makes me think of that wonderful kid’s book, The Giving Tree. It’s definitely statement-making, for only $7!

Calling all fashionistas and label snobs on a budget! Check out our latest likeWise Shopping Guide: Bluefly Special. We’re always browsing the goods on Bluefly to see what’s hot. Every day there is a different sale with deeper discounts on designer must-haves.

If you’ve never shopped at Bluefly before (really?!) now is the time to get in on the action. Shop our little guide for the summer staples that every girl should have in her wardrobe this season. First-timers get a little extra sumpin’ sumpin’ when they purchase $150 worth of fashion goodies. Use code AFF20 at the checkout and you’ll knock $20 off your order total!

Stay cool in the Rebecca Beeson moroccan blue cotton knot tank only $21 at Bluefly.com.

Every now and then, several of stores and department stores have various promotions that offer you a free item with a certain amount of purchase. So, what do you with those freebies?

Well, just yesterday, for the first time, I used a silver sparkle clutch that I had gotten for free from Victoria’s Secret. I had gotten this silver sparkle clutch last December and I thought I’d never use it. But, now that silver is huge, it’s the perfect time to take advantage of this cute freebie. Two years ago, when doing my Black Friday shopping at another Victoria’s Secret store, I spent $75 and got the Victoria’s Secret Supermodel Tote. I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t be caught carrying it while having coffee with my girlfriends, but it made one hell of a bag for all my sewing materials and fabrics, when I took sewing classes in college. And those of you that have taken a sewing class before will know exactly what I’m talking about. Last week, I left with a pair of free lime green flip-flops from Bath and Body Works, and another time I left with a free make-up bag, filled with lotion and cosmetics goodies when I purchased a Clinique Foundation from the Cosmetics Department at Macy’s.

Bottom line is, that you don’t have to spend tons of money to look good. All you have to do is take advantage of all the freebies given to you, and make as much use as you can out of them. Right?