Juicy in New Jersey

Have you guys ever heard of RueLaLa? It's a private, invitation only shopping website that has "boutiques" for all different designers. Each boutique lasts about 3 days, and the prices are majorly slashed. It's almost like an online sample sale. I am always impressed by their prices.

Right now, there is a Juicy boutique going on! I've already checked it out and it has some amazing prices on tracksuits and sunglasses. The stuff is selling out fast, but it will be up for another two days so if you already have an account then head over there as fast as you can. If you don't have an account, leave me a comment with your e-mail address and I'll send you an invitation so you can get a piece of all of the Juicy goodness!

Sigh, just yesterday I was dreaming about summer. It all started after I tuned in to an episode of The Hills and saw LC lounging by the pool in the late afternoon. It just seemed like the perfect summer day in LA.

Well Juicy must have read my thoughts, because tomorrow is SWIM DAY at the 5th Avenue flagship store in NYC. If you head up there between 12 PM and 2PM you can get a sneak peek at the Resort 2009 Swimwear Line. Apparently, you can also win prizes. Head up there for some good, Juicy fun. I absolutely love that they're having so many events at this new store. I might just make the trip.

Juicy Couture Flagship Store
650 5th Avenue
New York, NY

If I asked you to picture your Juicy Couture fantasy gift, what would it be? A customized track suit with anything you wanted monogrammed on it? A pair of gorgeous leather boots with a matching bag? Or maybe a $15,000 armoire designed and stocked by Juicy? If that's your dream, then you're in luck because that is exactly what Nordstrom is bringing to you this holiday season!

Today Nordstrom announced that they would be debuting the Nordstrom Ultimate Gift collection online, which features this incredible-sounding Juicy Couture armoire, along with other one of a kind gift packages from Tory Burch, Sam Jones and Ruben Toledo. Only 2 of the Juicy armoires are available so I am extremely envious of these two people that are able to afford the $15,000 price tag. I'm really curious to find out exactly what the armoire is stocked with. Maybe we'll eventually find out! Here is a sketch of it that Nordstrom had in their media kit:



I wish I would find THAT under my Christmas tree this year.

This weekend, Friday November 28th-Sunday November 30th, if you bring in the coupon to all Juicy Couture retail stores, you can get 30% (!!!) off all regular-priced tracksuits. I want a new tracksuit for Christmas, so I definitely think I'll be using this coupon- I can't pass up such an amazing discount.

They make fabulous clothes, adorable products AND they're charitable? Juicy Couture can't get any better. This year, they're doing something very important in honor of Thanksgiving weekend- launching "Juicy Gives Thanks", a localized philanthropy project.

Beginning November 28th, Juicy customers can bring in their old (in other words, loved) Juicy clothes to 7 different retail locations and receive 20% off their purchase of new apparel. Then, Juicy will be donating 10% of each purchase to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The old clothes will be donated to a local woman's shelter. This event goes until November 30th, but according to the official press release, this is only the beginning of their philanthropic efforts, which means that there will be a lot more events in the future.

Here is a list of the retail locations that are participating:

Madison Avenue (New York, NY)
Newbury Street (Boston, MA)
Mall at Millenia (Orlando, FL)
King of Prussia (King of Prussia, PA)
The Village at Corte Madera (Corte Madera, CA)
State Street (Santa Barbara, CA)
Houston Galleria (Houston, TX)

As for Gela and Pam, here is what they had to say about this initiative:
“We have always made it a priority to give back, and with Juicy Gives Thanks, the Juicy community can work together to make this happen. Everyone gives a little and it amounts to a lot. We are thankful for our Juicy fans and we are confident they will come together to do what they can as well.”

Aww. I knew Gela and Pam were incredible!

This year, Juicy Couture has definitely stepped up their advertising game. I can't go anywhere without seeing their vibrant and beautifully colored ads- I think I was most surprised when I started seeing them plastered on bus stops. One of my favorite additions to their new website is the downloadable computer backgrounds featuring all their best ads. My Macbook has been sporting the "Let them eat tracksuits" ad for a few weeks now- since I have no idea how to take a screenshot on a Mac, I stole it from the Juicy website in case you all haven't seen it:



Trend Hunter just posted a collection of illustrated ads for Juicy Couture Women, Children, and Men by Yeva Babayan. She does a great job of capturing the essence of Juicy, including the use of historical figures like Marie Antoinette, and their sassy slogans like "Go Couture Yourself". Fashion Indie has a great slideshow of all the ads for easier viewing.

Don't forget to take advantage of Nordstrom's Half Yearly Sale- there is TONS of great Juicy stuff on sale, including tracksuits and all of the adorable computer and desk accessories they put out for back to school. Most of it is 40% off, so the prices are very low. Also, right now, if you spend $100 or more, you can get free shipping with the code HOLIDAY08. So stock up on your Juicy! Buy Juicy for everyone on your holiday list...or just yourself.

If Nordstrom doesn't have anything that you like JuicyCouture.com has a lot of different things on sale. I want the Elle Mary Jane Pump. Too cute.

Say hello to Pam, Yours Truly, my roommate Nicholl and Gela. I still can't get over how gorgeous they are. My first thought when I saw them at the NYU Roundtable was "I want to be them". And who wouldn't? They are absolutely fabulous and I am so happy that I got to meet them.

The Roundtable was actually a very cool experience- it was nothing like I thought it would be. I was very lucky because by the time I got there at 3:01 (ONE minute late!) the small conference room that they held it in was already at capacity. They let me in so I could stand at the back and watch, but my roommate Nicholl who got there a few minutes after me wasn't even allowed in. They said that this was their second most popular Roundtable- after Judy Blume! Too funny. But even though the room was jam-packed, there were only about 30 people, so it truly got to be a conversation with Pam and Gela. It was around an hour of everyone in the room asking them questions.

They said a lot of important things about them and their brand, but what they seemed to keep emphasizing was that Juicy started as a way to create something that they wanted and needed and felt didn't exist and it continues to be this way. If they want it, they create it. And that's how our beloved tracksuit was born- out of the desire for sexy basics! They also told some funny anecdotes, including one about how when they were first starting out, all of their sample got stolen out of their van on the way to meet a very important buyer. Instead of getting upset about it or panicking, they laughed about it. I think that epitomizes Pam and Gela. Just from hearing them talk for an hour, I could tell that they really love what they do and have fun doing it every day.

I of course didn't miss out on the chance to ask them something. My question about Couture Couture somehow involved into a question about their Public Relations activities (of course), and they told me how important it had been to Juicy in the past five years. In fact, a lot of their marketing activities are based in New York City...hello opportunity!

It was such an awesome experience that I wish I could share with all you Juicy girls out there! If you ever get the opportunity to meet Pam and Gela, DON'T let it pass you by because they are so much fun to be around. I was seriously considering going to their appearance at the flagship store the next morning, but I'm not going to lie...i NEEDED my sleep. But they plan on opening a lot more stores, so I'm sure there are many more appearances in their future...

A quick update for the New York City readers: Gela and Pam will also be doing another event at the Juicy 5th Avenue flagship store while they're in town. They've been so active at this new store, I love it! You can meet them from 11 am to 1 pm on Saturday. In case you've missed my other posts about this fabulous store, it is located at 650 5th Avenue at 52nd St. The best part about this meet and greet is that if you spend $200, you'll get a free "Viva La Juicy" t-shirt! Don't miss out on yet another opportunity to meet the gorgeous founders of our favorite brand.

It's official- last weekend I registered to participate in NYU's Roundtable with Gela and Pam. I've never been to one of these before so I'm not sure what the format is, but I assume they're going to speak and we'll be able to ask them questions. Hopefully I'll get to meet them! Not that I would know what to say. But it is going to be a great opportunity to hear what they have to say.

The event is on Friday, so to celebrate, here is a fun video of Gela talking about Juicy at a store opening in Chicago a few months ago!

It was actually thanks to my boyfriend, Keenan, that I finally got to visit the incredible Juicy flagship store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan. That's actually very funny to me, because he's not exactly the most supportive person when it comes to my Juicy "habit". I planned on spending my 25% off friends and family coupon (how amazing is that!?) in the Paramus store while I was at home for Halloween. But since he wanted to stay in his town, he coerced me into using it at the new store when we got back to the city on Sunday. Very smart of him!

I apologize in advance for not having pictures to post. I wasn't sure what their rules were for using cameras in the store, plus I wasn't really into the idea of being "that freak". Maybe next time I'll sum up the courage! All I can say is that if you are a true Juicy fan, you HAVE to try and visit this store yourself because it is the ultimate experience for a Juicy girl.

After a short subway ride, I arrived at the store on 52nd St and 5th Avenue. It was located right across the street from a Salvatore Ferragamo store, among the best of the best of Manhattan's famous 5th avenue. The outside was astounding- a huge, gold, Juicy Couture sign with glass windows so you could see everything going on inside. I was amazed by how busy the store was, because at the other stores I was often the only one there. I guess this is the perfect example of how popular Juicy is becoming (and rightfully so!). I spent a lot of time wandering around the store and just trying to take everything in. There were two floors decorated in all of the styles that Juicy encompasses- girly pink, punk rock chic, California casual and 18th century french. You would think that all of these conflicting themes would completely clash but they all worked together perfectly as usual. I especially loved the huge, over-the-top chandelier hanging over the stairs leading to the second floor.

Some of the highlights: the shoe salon, a perfume counter straight from a department store, and the small and intimate Couture Couture room. I was slightly disappointed by the tracksuit bar because there was really nothing "custom" about it- it just had a bunch of original and exclusive styles that you won't find anywhere else. But after reading Pam and Gela's blog on JuicyCouture.com, I've learned that the custom, while you wait monogramming will start this month. Good thing I didn't give into my temptations and buy a new tracksuit last night- I can definitely wait until Christmas if it means that I can get one custom made. Any suggestions?

So what did I buy? I finally got a few things that I have been craving lately. First was a new charm for my bracelet! My Chinese food carton won't be so lonely anymore. It'll now find company in my new Limited Edition Champagne Flute Charm! I love my wine and champagne, so this one was perfect for me.

I've also been loving their hair accessories, so I picked out a black patent leather headband. Check it out, I'm wearing it today!


How did all of you spend your Friends and Family coupons?

CosmoGirl! may have just folded (so sad, I hate to see magazines go away), but they still have some pretty impressive contests going on- and one is of special interest to us. To celebrate Juicy Couture's new website, the magazine is giving away 5 Juicy cosmetic pouches! Who can resist potential free Juicy, especially when it's pink and sporting the official crest? Enter here.

On another note, I took my first trip to the NYC Juicy flagship store tonight! It's about time right? I haven't stopped talking about it since it opened. But I'm so bogged down with homework that I'm going to have to put that aside until tomorrow. Stay tuned to here what I thought...

I'm in desparate need of some new charms for my Juicy charm bracelet. It's so cute, but practically empty! One measly (but perfect) charm is hanging there all lonely- my chinese food carton. I've been browsing all the usuals- Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, the official site- to find my favorites so that I can potentially bulk it up soon. There are so many options!

Right now I can't think of anything but Halloween, which is my absolute favorite holiday. I think I'm going to take a trip to the mall and buy the Limited Edition Candy Corn charm. Who DOESN'T love candy corn? I think this is the perfect way to get festive for the most exciting holiday of the year.

But for those people who absolutely HAVE to think ahead to Christmas (and I know one too many of them) Juicy has just released some adorable charms for the holiday season. Some of my favorites are the Yorkie Santa charm, the sparkly glitter ornament charm, and the deliciously pink ice skate charm. You know whose Christmas list those will be on.

And speaking of fabulous bracelets, today I'm sporting the Her Majesty bangle that Keenan got me for my birthday. I haven't worn it in a while but now I've been reminded of how much I love it.

Quick update: The New York Times did a semi-mean article on the new Juicy Couture store in New York City in its Critical Shopper section. Some people just don't get Juicy...
Unfortunately, I have yet to visit the store, but that's only because I don't want to go until I can get my own customized track suit. What's the point of going if I can't take advantage of the tracksuit bar?! Anyways, the article, complete with tempting pictures, can be seen here!

On the same note, tomorrow from 11 am-5 pm you can go to the very same Juicy store to celebrate Viva Day! It's an event being held to celebrate the launch of their new perfume Viva La Juicy. If you go, you can "snap photos with models, enjoy hand massages at the fragrance bar, and take home samples for future primping". No word on whether you have to buy the perfume to get all the goodies. Sounds heavenly! Has anyone gotten a whiff of the new fragrance yet? Is it as yummy smelling as the signature fragrance (which I can't get enough of by the way)?

Juicy Couture: high-end, fashionable, and chic maker of...digital cameras?

Yes, you heard me (read me?) right. Juicy is now making their version of a mini digital camera, un-surprisingly clad in pink. As much as I love Juicy and everything they do, this one definitely made me stop and scratch my head. It seems like a very Hello-Kitty-esque move to me. From the $45 price tag, I'm under the impression that this Juicy Couture Mini Digital Camera is being treated as more of an accessory to go with your tracksuit than an actual piece of electronic equipment.



The camera has a 16MB storage capacity. I can't find any information on how many megapixels it is but I'm very curious to see the quality of a picture taken on this thing. I can't imagine it would be very good, which leads me to believe this camera was created to serve a "little girl's first digital camera" purpose. Cute, but I'd rather spend my 45 bucks on this Juicy Couture Champagne Flute Charm!

I just came across a very cool giveaway on the celebrity gossip blog, Just Jared. All you have to do is head over to the post (here) and leave a comment and you can win the Juicy Couture Striped Cardigan worn by Katie Holmes! Katie wore this sweater earlier in the summer but it is really perfect for the cool, fall weather. It would look adorable over a t-shirt and paired with some cute, navy flats.

So GO ENTER! I know I am.

Oh my god. This morning, I actually opened up one of my e-mails from NYU about some upcoming Roundtables that the Dean of Steinhardt is hosting. According to the e-mail, a Roundtable "features prominent and distinguished NYU Steinhardt alumni and parents. Created to provide a forum for industry-specific issues, the Roundtable Series offers students the unique opportunity to learn from and chat with some of today's top leaders in education, health, non-profit services, media, communications, entertainment, fashion, and much more."

Usually something like this wouldn't interest me. But I scrolled down, looking to see if anyone from PR was going to be coming. THIS is what was the very last on the list:

Gela Taylor - Date TBD
Taylor is cofounder of the popular clothing line, Juicy Couture. Acquired by Liz Claiborne (LIZ) in 2003, Juicy Couture has become one of LIZ's fastest growing divisions. More information and registration options are on the way!

I'M GOING TO MEET GELA!!!!! Well hopefully I will, if they send the e-mail out and I respond fast enough. Hope for me!

The first Juicy Couture store I ever went to was the one on 5th avenue and 16th street in NYC. I bought my first pair of Juicy tube socks there just because I had to buy something. I was so amazed to be in a store that had nothing but Juicy. I was even more amazed when a Juicy store opened in the mall by me. I seriously considered getting a summer job there for the incredible discount that I'm sure they get. But now there's a brand new flagship store opening in New York, and from what I can tell from this description, it will be the best one yet.

Juicy fans, take note. Juicy Couture's new Manhattan flagship store (Fifth Avenue at 52nd Street) opens with two floors dedicated to products including fragrance, shoes and a track suit bar that offers custom monogramming.
-From Newsday.com

A custom monogrammed track suit?! Two floors?! I can guarantee I'll be there sometime this week. And now I'm really happy that I didn't buy a new tracksuit on my 6 hour shopping spree today- I'd much rather get my own custom-designed one! I need to do some online investigation and find out exactly what you can customize about them.

By the way, when are Gela and Pam going to post a new blog entry on JuicyCouture.com?

Lately I have been craving a really fabulous clutch that would be nice enough for a night out yet classic enough for every day use. My co-workers have been sporting some really great ones so I think this is why I have a sudden urge to buy one (along with the thousands of other bags, clothes, and shoes on my "To Buy" list). I own a few clutches but they're really nothing to write home about- just some simple ones that I use if a handbag looks silly with my outfit. So I decided to see what Juicy had to offer in the way of clutches...



The first one I came across was the Juicy Couture Flap Lock Elongated Clutch.

Here are the three things that I love about this clutch- 1) The signature crown on the lock- so cute! 2) The colors that it comes in- I'm a sucker for anything pink but I also like having the options of black and brown for every day use or red for standing out at night. 3) The inside! I can't believe how many things I could carry in this clutch. I usually can't hold much at all, but this has room for my cell phone, change, credit cards, and ID (for my newly 21 self!). This is phenomenal to me.



I was also really drawn to the Push Lock Clutch. It's very similar to the other one (the inside especially) but I think what makes me like this one a little bit more is the lock on the side. It makes it a little bit more unique. But I'd definitely take either one!

Ahh, rainy days in New York City. The trash in the street gets soaking wet and sticks to my shoes, the subways get crowded and smelly, I can't avoid getting soaking wet because I can't just hop into my car, and my hair ALWAYS gets ruined. These are the kinds of days that make me seriously contemplate hopping onto NJTransit and hightailing it home to New Jersey. It lets me say everything I want to say about Manhattan (am I the only one that HATES it here?!)

But today when I woke up and saw the rain and checked the temp (a cool 61 degrees) I got sort of excited. As weird as it sounds, I finally had an excuse to wear my gorgeous Juicy Sammy Scottie-Print rain boots! And I decided I'd try and protect my hair with my Juicy military cap. I can just see Keenan shaking his head at me right now. I'm not going to lie, I thoroughly enjoyed my trip up to 14th street for Dunkin Donuts and food shopping. I even got to whip out my Juicy umbrella. Life is good.



This will be the first time since I moved back to school that I'll be staying in the city for the whole weekend. Tonight I'm making Rachael Ray's Lasagna Casserole and watching last night's episode of The Office that I missed (I watched Grey's Anatomy instead--so good.) I have to try and remember to take a picture of the food so that I can get back into posting the recipes that I'm impressed with. Anyways, off to do some work...maybe.

You've gotta love Google Alerts. The only one I have sent to me is "Juicy Couture" and once in a while it provides me with some great articles. I just opened my most recent one and saw that WWD.com had featured Juicy in an article about how a lot of apparel firms are now creating their own social networks and delving into social media. It's an interesting read and goes into some more detail about Juicy's new website- a perfect complement to yesterday's post. It's a long article but I'm posting the parts about Juicy below, for your reading pleasure!

"Inspired by the Internet and its potential to bring people together, brands and retailers from St. John to Sears are diving into social media in a big way, from adding social features to their online stores to actually creating their own online communities.

Juicy Couture Wednesday relaunched its online store with a slew of social features. “It’s the DNA of our culture now,” said Juicy’s Gela Nash-Taylor, referring to creating and sharing content online. “Everybody loves to do that. I laugh every time I make a hotel reservation and I see people’s comments.”

In the Juicy site’s Club Couture section, visitors can create a profile by finishing fun statements such as “Celebrity crush” and “Three words that describe you.” They can’t friend or message each other, but they can share and rate virtual outfits and photos of themselves wearing Juicy. They can also comment on the site’s blog, called “Love G & P,” referring to the brand’s co-founders, Nash-Taylor and Pamela Skaist-Levy.

Asked whether adding an online community to an online store could have an effect on sales, Nash-Taylor said, “I think everybody in our industry is moving toward being more interactive with their customers, and that kind of synergistic branding with others and the Web site should translate into sales. It makes you more engaged, you’re part of it, you’re in on it.”

The content is moderated for appropriateness, and the ratings system is designed to be positive. A note on the blog instructs contributors to be respectful.

“I know some of these blogs can get really vicious,” said Nash-Taylor. “That’s not our DNA.” "

And here is a fab picture of Pam and Gela from the article:

I can't believe how long it has been since I've updated! And now that i finally am, it makes me laugh because of where I'm blogging from- history class. I know, I'm bad, but I have an extreme case of senioritis- this feeling is so familiar from high school. The reason why I haven't updated in so long is because I've barely had a moment to breathe. My week is spent going back and forth between New Jersey for work and New York City for school. Even though I've felt like my life is so non-stop lately, I'm kind of enjoying it because I'm finishing up my college education while throwing myself headfirst into the PR world. I think I'm going to be very prepared when I graduate in the spring.

As busy as I've been, I definitely haven't been neglecting the Juicy Couture! I knew I had to get back into posting because Juicy just completely updated their website, and I'm already obsessed with it. As someone who's in love with social media and interactive public relations, they've definitely made me proud. I've had gripes with their website for a while, but now I really feel like they understand that they need to have a stronger online presence and they're moving in that direction.

My favorite new feature is of course the blogging! Gela and Pam have been semi-mythical figures, dwelling in the background of their brand (and through their barbie dolls of course!), but now their fans and users can finally get to know them a little better. I think this is important for them, because all of Juicy's products are signed with "Love G + P", implying a closeness to their devoted followers (like moi of course). I already left a comment on one of their posts, telling the readers to get to know yours truly. I think this might FORCE me to update more frequently!


The new website also includes a "Club Couture", Juicy wallpapers, G+P music playlists, complete with links to iTunes to purchase the songs, and a newsroom. And it's prettier, duh. Something tells me I won't be paying much attention to History today...

I was just browsing Nordstrom's Juicy Couture selection and fell in love with the Juicy Couture Wish Necklace.

Peace signs seem to be really in right now, I've been seeing them everywhere! Maybe I'll buy this necklace to go along with the Victoria's Secret Signature Zip Hoodie with Peace Sign that I've been eyeing. Have you ever noticed how similar Victoria's Secret's PINK and Juicy can be? That's OK with me, because I would gladly spend all my money on both.

On a completely different note, I'm away from school for the weekend to celebrate Labor Day in Keenan's town. It's a huge deal here so I'm looking forward to a lot of New Jersey fun. Last night I followed through on my promise to myself to try a new recipe at least once a week. Instead of just cooking for me and Keenan, I tried out a new Rachael Ray recipe on Justin, Genevieve and Keenan's dad. Besides burgers, Rachael is also known for her creative mac and cheese recipes- and mac and cheese is great for a crowd. I made Mac and Cheese Lorraine because I love quiche Lorraine and though this would be delicious. Overall everyone seemed to enjoy it, although I wish the flavor could have been a little stronger. Maybe this was because I used Swiss cheese instead of the ridiculously expensive Gruyere! However, the bacon went perfectly with the macaroni and next time I'll be sure to use more. I'm looking forward to trying out a new recipe next week, in my new, tiny NYU kitchen.

I hope everyone has a great holiday :)

Now that Juicy is charging full steam ahead into the fall season, I can't stop checking their website to see all the adorable clothes and accessories they are putting out. While summer is definitely my favorite season, when it comes to fashion my heart belongs to fall. Who can resist battling the chilly weather with warm (and totally cute!) jackets? I don't even mind trading in my flip flops for flats and boots. Since school starts in one week, I have to start doing some back to school shopping. Here are my top 3 most wanted choices from Juicy's fall collection.

Summer is my absolute favorite season- it's the time of my birthday, beach trips, lots of ice cream, and cute clothes. So it goes without saying that when August begins to wind down and September gets closer, I am generally not a happy camper. Even though I'm in college (which means I have a pretty light school load!) I still get that feeling of dread when I know that I have to leave my freedom behind and go back to spending my time in front of books- and NOT the kind of books that I enjoy! However, for some odd reason, I've always LOVED buying my school supplies. There's just something about a new notebook and some really cool pens. I know, huge nerd.

So you can imagine I was pretty ecstatic when I took a lunchtime stroll through Nordstrom and discovered that Juicy Couture had come out with a line of school supplies! My creativity when it comes to my back-to-school gear has definitely diminished over the year, so this might be my chance to spice things up again. The line consists of notebooks, a mousepad and mouse for the computer, and a school essentials kits.

Something tells me these products skew towards the younger set, but there are two grown up products in the line that i HAVE to have. First is a girly, pink laptop case that would be perfect for my new Macbook. My last laptop got really scratched up whenever I was feeling strong enough to haul it to campus. This would protect it and be really cute at the same time.



The second item, which I am really considering saving up for, is a puffy, nylon backpack (in pink of course)! I can't even remember the last time I owned a backpack because they're usually pretty unfashionable. Since my freshman year at NYU I have been using a Coach baby bag to haul my books around. It has worked incredibly well but sometimes it can be tough on my one shoulder- I bet it hasn't helped my posture at all. Backpacks have been looking more and more practical and this one is the PERFECT way to make a backpack stylish.



Too cute. But I'm still not looking forward to going back to school!

I was at work, doing my daily read of all the blogs in the Sugar Network, when I stumbled upon a mention of Juicy Couture in LilSugar post. Apparently, Juicy is now selling their own version of Barbie dolls- except the dolls are modeled after Gela and Pam- the two founders and designers of Juicy. They are wearing classy couture outfits, complete with jewelry and heels. In true Juicy fashion (not saying it's a bad thing!), the dolls cost $110 for the set- a much higher price than the typical Barbie price of $16.99. The post on LilSugar was asking readers to vote on whether the dolls were "Kid Friendly" or "Are You Kidding?". Sadly, the results were heavily skewed towards the "Are You Kidding?" side, and I sort of have to agree. While I don't think these Barbie dolls were a bad idea- of course I like to say that Juicy never has bad ideas- I don't think they are being targeted towards the right audience. I don't think that any young children who play with dolls and Barbies would exactly be begging their parents to have these G & P figurines. However, I would imagine that die-hard buyers of Juicy Couture would love to have these as a collectible or a unique addition to their Juicy collection. As for me? Personally, I would rather take the $110 and put it towards this Fleece Peacoat!

I present to you, Gela and Pam in all their Barbie glory:



What do you think?

I want to send out my love to The Food Network star that is Paula Deen. After seeing her on this Sunday's episode of The Next Food Network Star, I decided that I wanted her to be my new favorite foodie (over Rachael Ray?! NO!). I've decided all this without ever having tried one of her recipes. I was planning on making one of her pasta recipes with ground beef, tomato sauce and baked cheese, but that hasn't happened yet, due to things coming up and now Keenan's stomach issues . I picked this recipe because it seemed like it could possibly be her least fattening dish (she even suggested you use ground turkey) since it didn't contain her three favorite foods: butter, mayonnaise and sour cream y'all!

When you watch her shows, Paula's Party and Paula's Home Cooking, you just can't help but absolutely love her. She's funny and charming, and always has a great time while she cooks. Who can hate a southern lady who loves butter so much that she chooses to be a stick of it for Halloween? Plus, I just found out yesterday that she actually has her own recipe for a FAT DARRELL! Now that just warms the heart of a Jersey girl.

Since I'm at work (I know, I'm bad), I can't find the perfect YouTube video of Ms. Paula to post, but please, do yourself a favor and entertain yourselves by watching some yourself.

My birthday celebrations have finally ended so I think I can safely post about it. This was certainly the first time that I have extended a birthday over 5 days. But I really wanted to spend time with all my favorite people- my best friends, my family, my extended family so to speak- so I ended up doing a lot of different very fun and very celebratory things all over New Jersey.

Let me just say that when I started this Juicy blog, I did NOT expect it to help me in the present department- but it actually made my 21st birthday VERY Juicy indeed! (and I love everyone very much for it). I hate to brag, but I have to talk about how cute all my presents were.

I already mentioned in a previous post that I had asked for the Black Velour Daydream Toteso I wasn't too surprised about that. I also wasn't shocked to find out that my family had gotten me the Starter Charm Bracelet and the Charm Catcher Necklacewhich go very well together. They both have the same big, gold heart with the words "Juicy Couture" scrawled across the front. I haven't actually had a charm bracelet since I was very young but I think Juicy has found the perfect way to make them stylish again. I think everyone I know would say that this would be the perfect first charm for me to get.



I also got four other Juicy products that I was very surprised about! Keenan got me the bangle I previously mentioned in my blog, Donna really surprised me by giving me those incredibly cute and pink rain boots, and my grandparents got me a black wallet to match my bag (I can't find it online because I have no idea what it's called!). My last Juicy present actually came a day after- somehow my mom knew that I had been dreaming about the Military Cap ! My friends and family really know how to make me happy and I swear that I didn't make this blog to ask for presents, but rather to talk about my love for Juicy ;)

Of course it wasn't just the Juicy that made this birthday especially wonderful, but it certainly helped!

More updates are certain to come throughout the week, because I just got a beautiful new MacBook and I need any excuse I can get to use it!

For those of you who often wonder just why it is that I love Juicy Couture so much, The Chicago Tribune has provided you with one of the MANY reasons. They printed a short little blurb about their creative and fun packaging, thanks to the opening of a new store in Chicago (which by the way, carries the Juicy high-end Couture Couture label which is pretty awesome). Since it is short, I will copy and paste the blurb here.

Panties gift-packaged to look like lollipops are just one part of the fun fantasy world that Juicy Couture has created.

But those details are a big part, said co-founder Gela Nash-Taylor when she visited Chicago recently for the opening celebration of the Oak Street store, which carries the high-end Couture Couture line and, of course, the track suits that made the brand a household name.

The gift items, with their creative packaging, charm many shoppers, she said.

"We always like that surprise—that Cracker Jack mentality—of the packaging," she said. "If you buy a charm, it comes in a beautiful jewelry box, and we wrap our panties so they look like lollipops and cupcakes."



The brand recently launched its Sleep line of intimates, and is expanding its jewelry.

Its Couture Couture 14k gold-plated bracelet is $350 at the new Juicy store at 101 E. Oak St. A new smaller Juicy store also has opened at Northbrook Court.


It's very true, I am a HUGE sucker for Juicy's packaging. Even the shopping bags that you get when you buy something at the store makes me go a little nuts.

It's Monday, the weekend is over, and I am only 3 days away from my 21st birthday! I don't usually get too excited for my birthday because it's just not the same anymore. I miss the days when I would have real birthday parties like sleepovers in a tent in my backyard or going to the Rink to skate to 80s dance music and flirt with boys. But this year I get to travel up and down the Garden State Parkway to celebrate multiple times with my best friends, so I think it might actually feel as special as those early years. Plus I know that it will be a very Juicy birthday...my very intuitive mom has already spilled the beans about all the goodies she'll be giving me this year. But since I don't actually HAVE those things yet, I'll save that for my next update, post-birthday.

On the same subject, Keenan couldn't help but give me one of my birthday presents when I was at his house for the weekend. I usually have a feeling about what he is getting me but this year I have been completely stumped. He tried to fake me out and make me think (for a split second!) that I might be getting a MacBook, because the present did come in Mac packaging. But it actually was MUCH better than that. He made me a gorgeous iPhoto book filled with pictures of me and him from over the (2.5) years. I don't think anything, even the Juicy goodies, can top that! (GASP!)

Now I just have to get through a week filled with getting in touch with my Internet PR side...

I leave you with a shout out to one of my favorite girls, Genevieve. I can't decide whether I hate or love Miley Cyrus's new video for 7 Things. I'm leaning towards the love, but you can decide for yourself (I think I just love love love the song). I also think my music taste is completely random...

I just realized that I left out one of the JUCIEST parts of weekend...a trip to the Juicy Couture outlet at Woodbury Commons! I have been there before and was never too impressed- the store almost entirely consisted of Juicy's famous tracksuits, which is lovely of course, but they were hardly marked down. Not exactly what an outlet is made to be. Even so, as soon as I saw the cute, pink little sign, I was drawn like a magnet to the store, leaving Keenan struggling to catch up.


I was DEFINITELY surprised at the drastic changes the Juicy outlet store has undergone. They carried the full range of Juicy Couture products- bathing suits, clothes, shoes, wallets, bags, socks, etc. etc., even the Juicy Crittore line (I was dying to buy Abby her own special carry bag). The prices were even slightly reasonable (but once again, you can't put a price on the beauty that is Juicy Couture). And I certainly won't be forgetting the look of the store anytime soon- pink EVERYWHERE!


Even though I had Keenan looking over my shoulder to make sure I didn't spend any money (I cutely suggested that maybe HE should be the one spending money...on ME), I was sorely tempted to buy a couple of things. First, I really wanted a this gorgeous bangle that I saw hanging out by itself on the jewelry table (even more reason to snatch it up, it was the last one!). I love bangles lately, I'm always stealing my mom's Coach ones. Isn't it nice?

It's (obviously) called the Juicy Couture Her Majesty Bangle. Juicy has been really into making bangles lately, so I might just have to save up for one.

I also considered snagging a wallet to go with the Juicy Couture velour tote that I will be getting for my birthday...thanks mom for making it so obvious. But I might just have to hold out on that until I see which one I get...I'm hoping for a very Juicy birthday.

Since I went off to college, I've become a girl of many hobbies. I've always loved food (if I had kept going at the rate I was going, I wouldn't be able to FIT into my velour Juicy suits) but once I moved into a place of my own, I decided to take control of what I was eating by cooking for myself. In the last year or so, cooking has moved from a way for me to drop a couple of pounds to an obsession. I've dragged Keenan into it with me- while he doesn't agree with my love for Rachael Ray, we're constantly making fun of Paula Deen and her accent to cover up the fact that we're obsessed with her, and Guy Fieri is the chef that we turn to when it's late at night and we're starving. He's also become my guinea pig; he doesn't like to cook himself (unless its Kraft or a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch), but he will never say no to one of my experiments in the kitchen.

At school, we have a tradition. Since neither of us have class on Friday, we use Thursday night to relax and kick off the weekend. We watch Grey's, drink wine, and I'll cook something. Since it's the summer and we don't get to see each other on Thursday's for now, I try and cook something once a weekend. Unfortunately, it's almost impossible for it to be relaxing with my family running around the house. Especially when Marissa is in the mood to sing (read, always). But it's still something that I love to do.

This week, while reading YumSugar, I came across a recipe that I instantly knew Keenan would love because it combined some of his favorites: broccoli, chicken, alfredo sauce, and lemon. So that's what I ended up making on Saturday night: Chicken and Lemon-Broccoli Alfredo. We both really enjoyed it, and I had fun making it because it was a departure from my usual pasta creations (I love to eat pasta, therefore I love to make it). I was too hungry to remember to take a picture, so for now I will present you with someone else's take on it (yeah, mine looked NOTHING like this).

I'm hoping this will be a weekly post (providing I get the opportunity to cook once a week!), so I promise from now on I will take my own pictures. Expect some food network stars to appear next week.

Besides wearing and buying lots of Juicy Couture, one of my other favorite hobbies is to read anything and everything. This has been the case since I was just a mini Juicy girl in my crib- my mom loves to tell the story of how I wouldn't go to sleep unless I had exactly three books with me. This being said, i ALWAYS have a book that I am reading, even in the middle of the school year when I should be reading my textbooks and those silly course packets.

Right now I am reading a book called This Charming Man by Marian Keyes. Marian Keyes is an Irish author who I really fell in love with when I studied abroad in Florence last spring. That was the first time I had been out of the country and while I had a great time, the homesickness was really hard for me. The one thing that never failed to comfort me was buying a book from Martelli, the international book store. I don't remember what made me pick up my first Marian Keyes book, but I spent the rest of the semester plowing through her whole collection. So I was ecstatic when I went to Barnes and Noble the other day and saw that she had a new book out. I bought it for the ride to Pittsburgh but didn't really get into it until yesterday. Since then I haven't been able to put it down.

This Charming Man employs one of my favorite Marian Keyes techniques- the stories of multiple women are told separately and then are (eventually) weaved together in a creative way to show how their lives intersect. This book focuses on four Irish ladies who are all connected in some way to the biggest politician in Ireland, Paddy deCourcy. I am only about 200 pages in (the book is about 600 pages!) but so far I am completely hooked on these four women. I especially love Lola, whose story is told like a diary entry and everything is abbreviated.

Today Keenan told me about a story on that he saw in The Daily News about the way that Marian Keyes manages to inject dark topics into a genre that can only be called "chick lit". I wasn't aware of this, but this largely comes about due to Marian's past struggles with alcoholism. It was really great to learn some more about my favorite author: check it out.

Still getting used to the whole "blogging every day" thing and the whole "coming up with clever and interesting anecdotes from my life" thing. I honestly did not have time to update this weekend as I was many miles away in Pittsburgh without a computer of my own (or the time really). Thankfully, the wedding weekend's fun made up for the 6 hour bus ride- the cookie bar alone was worth it. The reception had basically been extracted from my imagination- there was pink EVERYWHERE. And not just the light pink that most people might image is appropriate for a wedding, but hot pink, my absolute favorite color. Why do you think I like Juicy Couture so much?

Speaking of Juicy, these just appeared on the website and I don't think I have any choice but to get them:
Ahhh, the Sammy Scottie-Print rain boot. I do love my Coach rain boots, but these are definitely more my speed. And I just have to mention how amazing I think it is that rain boots have become stylish. Living in New York City for 2/3 of the year make it imperative that I own a pair (I never miss my car so much as when its pouring buckets and I have to walk to class).

If I thought it was exciting when I got my boss the opportunity to speak about his book on one of the biggest branding sites on the web, then I had no idea how awesome it would feel to be on the road to securing your first media placement. I've been developing online media lists (blogs, internet magazines) since I started my internship and I finally got to put them to use last week in an e-blast for a certain diet product. I started my follow ups today- which was scary by the way since I already got yelled at by one blogger. I had only sent out a few e-mails when I got my first reply asking for a sample! I know I am being overly optimistic by assuming this will lead to a placement, but I like to think that sometime in the near future I might be able to put my name up on the media hits white-board of fame. The world of public relations is a cutthroat one kids.

I had a huge drama queen moment this weekend, thanks to what my mom would call my "dumb blonde side". Unfortunately our plans for fun were somewhat altered this weekend because Keenan puked all Friday night and topped it off with a 103 degree fever. I was fine taking care of him; I knew the chances of me catching what he had through the air were slim. But any confidence that I had in my immune system completely disappeared once I realized that I had used his toothbrush Saturday morning...and he had used it the night before...DUMB BLONDE MOMENT.

I never knew I was a hypochondriac until that moment. But apparently I am, because I left that night at 1 am, convinced I was going to get sick, and wanting to be home in case it happened. But it didn't. And Keenan told me I was retarded, basically repeating what Justin had said to me the night before. Oh well, I'm dramatic, what can I say? It's the Juicy in me.

Apparently I'm also completely incapable of using any form of sunless tanner. Last night I tried using Loreal's Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Lotion against my will and it did NOT work out so well. I went to work today looking like a giraffe, especially under the fluorescent glow of the conference room and kitchen lights. I tried my best to hide my arms under the table during my meetings. Actually, now that I think about it, it definitely wasn't my fault because I had an amazing experience with Bath and Body Work's Glow and Steady. I will definitely be picking up some more of that tomorrow so that I can be nice and (fake) tan for the wedding I'm going to this weekend.

I'll be missing work on Friday, so I'll only have to make it through a four day week, sans my usual Thursday night cycling class. You can't beat working out to Kate Nash. I think I will leave you with a video of her playing "Baby Love" live in Toronto.

This is a little crazy for me. It's the first time I have done any sort of blogging since I had my last LiveJournal when I was 17. Except we didn't call it blogging back then- it was an "online journal" or "eljay" (what ridiculous people my age liked to call it). Now I'm 20, about to turn 21, and I've decided that it's time to give it another stab. I read about 15 incredible blogs every day, so why shouldn't I have my own? Even if no one reads it, I definitely have a lot of things to say ;)

To be honest, one of the main reasons why I'm giving in to the trend is because I've been absolutely surrounded by blogs at work. About a month ago I started an incredible internship Rosica Strategic Public Relations. Instead of being a typical PR job, where I would spend all my time compiling media kits or doing mass mailings full of unsolicited products, I've been given the amazing responsibility of launching the company's Internet PR division. This means that I've had to dive headfirst into the world of social media- and I LOVE it. So it seems pretty silly not to have a blog, wouldn't you agree?

So welcome to my incredibly random life. After seeing the title of my blog I bet you expected a post filled with "likes" "uhhhs" and "ohmygods". But I'm here to dispel the myths about Juicy girls- yes we do spend $95 dollars on t-shirts. But we also would take that $95 and spend it on books, or food to experiment with in the kitchen, or even tutition for Social Media University, Global.