Sale Alert: Nate Berkus Fall Decor

The Nate Berkus for Target collection of Fall decor is on sale this week (both in stores and online) at 20% off, including all the items you see here. And in addition, I notice that Nate's previous Spring and Summer collections are now on clearance online at 30-50% off.

Clearance Alert: FEED USA

Back in August I alerted you that some items in the FEED USA + Target collab had gone on clearance, and now the discounts are even deeper. Last night I had a few clothing items in my shopping cart (at 30% off) but never completed the sale. Lo and behold, I logged on this morning and found my items further reduced to 50% off! Which means this cute baseball tee (shown) is now only $10, down from $20. There seems to be a variety of items left in the FEED USA collection, so shop online for the best selection. In store the discounts are deeper - at 75% off - but there are precious few items left.

New at Target: Tanamachi Studio for Target

Target has introduced a very small collection (only 7 offerings in all) of prints & wall decor inspired by family, hearth and home called Tanamachi Studio for Target.  According to their Facebook page, Tanamachi Studio is "a boutique graphic design studio specializing in hand-lettering and custom typography for editorial, lifestyle, food, and fashion brands."

Founder Dana Tanamachi is a Texas-bred/Brooklyn-based graphic designer and letterer who enjoys living a quiet life and working with her hands. After designing Broadway show posters at SpotCo and working under Louise Fili, Dana opened her own design & lettering boutique, Tanamachi Studio. She has been commissioned by clients such as Google, Yahoo!, Rugby Ralph Lauren, The Ace Hotel, Tommy Hilfiger, West Elm, and Bloomingdale’s.

Product Review: Maybelline Master Smoky Eyeliner

The big fat Fall issue of InStyle Magazine had a "Best Beauty Buys" page, in which Maybelline's Master Smoky Eyeliner was touted as a "pro secret cheapie", boasting "this eyeliner makes creating a smoky eye super-simple". Of course, I just had to try it, so I picked one up at my local Target store.

The product packaging promises "long lasting smoky eyes in two simple steps" - those being "1) draw a thick line, and 2) blend with smudger". The pencil end glides well and goes on smoothly without having to exert too much pressure. The color I picked - Smoldering Violet - was a pretty purple and looked very close to the shade shown on the packaging, so no surprises there. Then I popped off the cap to the smudge applicator and began smudging the eyeliner... which resulted in basically erasing the entire line into my skin.  The result was what I would expect my eyeliner to look after a full day of wear, when my makeup is almost all worn off.  It didn't look "done" at all, and the color was almost non-existent. It looked just like a muddy smudge on my eyelid, as if I tested a product and then wiped it off with a tissue.

Needless to say, I'm pretty disappointed in this product. I'll still use the eyeliner part, but with a brush instead (FYI, Sonia Kashuk makes a great smudge brush for just $4.99) and I'll ditch the foam smudge applicator.

Unofficial preview of Peter Pilotto not flattering...

Target surprised just about everyone last month when they announced their next designer collaboration would be with Peter Pilotto: a brand known more for their vivid prints and cool fabrics than for their mainstream appeal.

The collection will feature close to 70 pieces - all womenswear - and will mostly retail for under $60. It's set to launch on February 9, 2014 and the official previews are undoubtedly months away. Yet one member of private fashion discussion forum The Fashion Spot not only says she's seen the collection, she also has details of what shoppers can expect.

According to Racked, the poster - who claims to know someone who is involved with developing the collab - said she got a "random peek" at the clothes a week ago. Her takeaway? "It looks like it's leaning towards a scuba-inspired collection. His signature print style is everywhere, but the fabrics feel so cheap. I remember seeing bathing suits as well. There was one sheath style dress that looked promising on the print level (a mixture of graphic stripes and some florals) until i touched it. I don't know if they were trying to emulate a textured neoprene, but no...not for me."

Target's "Cyber Monday"

Looks like Target isn't waiting for November to hold their first "Cyber Monday". I just got an email promoting that today only, if you spend $75, you get a $10 Target giftcard. Plus, they promise "doorbuster specials", like Vizio flatscreen TVs, Canon cameras, and Beats by Dr. Dre headphones.

Target to hire fewer seasonal workers this year...

According to the Associated Press, Target plans to hire fewer seasonal workers for the 2013 holiday season, or 20% less than last year. In trying to be more efficient in its hiring practices, Target will only hire about 70,000 seasonal workers this year, compared to last year's 88,000. This move comes as the Minneapolis-based chain saw that its own permanent employees wanted to get first dibs on working extra hours for the holiday season.

Target said it also wants to respond more quickly to the peaks and valleys of customer traffic, which have become more pronounced for many stores as shoppers time their buying for when they believe they can get the best deals. "We're getting smarter in terms of anticipating how many resources we need when guests are really going to be shopping the hardest," said Jodee Kozlak, Target's executive vice president of human resources.