In last week’s Win It and Wear It contest, Baylily won a free facial with Beauty 360 Santa Cruz, and Maria G. won a free ring from August Mae. Up next are a T-shirt from Idle Hands and a necklace from its next-door neighbor Wallflower Boutique. The side-by-side stores offer a collection of unique clothing and accessories. Wallflower specializes in the hippie chic look, while Idle Hands makes a nod to Western-inspired wares. The T-shirt here says it all: “I Don’t Wanna Play House.” And for those obsessed with all things floral, there’s a lovely  “red celluloid rose” necklace up for grabs. All you have to do is leave a comment here at this blog and tell us about something that you’re obsessed with. Deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 9, and the winners will be announced on Wednesday, Nov. 10.

Most fashionistas are top-secret wannabe seamstresses. We wish we could figure out how to use a sewing machine, and use it well. We’d love to sketch drawings, piece together patterns, thread a needle, and create a gorgeous new shirt, a pair of curtains, or even just pajama pants. For those of us with great desires but little know-how, Obsessive Beauty has a few handy resources that might help you out.

Madebylex.com is a website run by Alexis Meschi, a Santa Cruz County resident whose inspired and educational blog is a perfect place to start. Meschi writes blogs almost daily and they cover all topics of fashion—from tutorials on how to make an Anthropologie-looking T-shirt, to a clutch, to paper weights and much more. She also details her own journey as a self-taught seamstress, and she even offers up myriad ideas on how to transform your wardrobe and stay current with the trends without going into debt.

This time of year always gets me excited. Not only do I get to release my entire box of sweaters from solitary confinement, polish my knee high riding boots to gleaming perfection and start drinking extra hot pumpkin spice lattes, but I get to start the once-arduous process of choosing the perfect day planner for next year. When I first began using day planners in college, any old one would do. But now that my tastes have developed and my calendar has become increasingly jam-packed, finding the right day planner is as important as finding the right shade of lipstick—it must perfectly accent your specific lifestyle needs.

Many people these days are using PDAs and iPhones as their go to planner of choice. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer good old pen to paper when planning the daily grind. The best and most aesthetically pleasing date book I have ever found is produced by Cavallini & Co. an Italian paper company specializing in journals, planners, stationery and other high end paper products. This planner, called the “Moderno” is small, sleek and stylish, yet the pages—one dedicated to each day of the year—are more than adequate to track even the busiest executive’s schedule. The supple bonded leather cover of the planner comes in gorgeous hues from mint green to cherry red and can even be monogrammed for the utmost in personalization. Buy one for yourself, and one for everyone on your holiday shopping list. Trust me, these little date books are so perfectly chic that you will never want to chart your course electronically again.

Beyonce sang, “Put a ring on it,” and that’s exactly what followers of August Mae Designs are doing. These romantic, vintage-inspired rings, made of salvaged buttons, jewelry, and the treasures in your grandmother’s jewelry box, are quickly becoming a hit to those who discover this up-and-coming jewelry line. Bottom line: See it. Want it. Must have it. That’s the response we hear over and over when people discover a timeless August Mae ring. Created by designers Sarah York and Jan Reehm of Santa Cruz, you can see more of their work at Stripe, 107 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz, or etsy.com/shop/augustmaedesigns.

This week in Obsessive Beauty’s “Win It and Wear It” contest, we are giving away one of August Mae’s gorgeous rings. Simply leave a comment here at this blog for a chance to win. Tell us about something that you’re obsessed with. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, Nov. 3.

You cannot call yourself a true bubble bath connoisseur until you have used a LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics bubble bar. Vibrantly colored and shaped like a hunk of play dough, bubble bars last forever and smell divine. Craving sweets? Try the Ma Bar Bubble, a tempting concoction of milk chocolate and toffee; or the Marzibain for an almond scented soak. For a sheer dose of relaxation, the Karma, Bathos or French Kiss bars offer Eastern spices, jasmine and lavender respectively. Each bar is handmade and 100 percent vegan, so you can feel good about feeling good. Grab a glass of champagne for added bubble induced bliss, and soak away your worries in no time.

Get your bubbly on at www.lush.com.

In this week’s Win It and Wear It contest, we feature a stylish, charming necklace from Stripe, a Downtown Santa Cruz retailer on Walnut Street. Dangling from a gold chain are three enticing charms—a bird to remind you to take flight, a gem because you’re worth it, and a dagger, for, well, getting to the heart of things. To enter the contest, leave a comment at this Stripe necklace blog and tell us about something in beauty or fashion that you’re obsessed with. The contest ends Oct. 19 and the winner will be announced on Oct. 20.

Stripe, a romantic, vintage-inspired store, sells gifts, clothing, jewelry and more. We just swung by the store and here are a few of our current obsessions (in addition to this lovely necklace): fingerless gloves by local company, Nuala; infinity scarves from Made by Lex; a slew of candles by Lucia; several to die for blouses from Dear Creatures; leather cuffs with a broach from Nuala; and enticing, creative, inspiring journals hand-made by the staff at Stripe. Take a look. Stripe, 107 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz, 421-9252, stripedesigngroup.com.

Don’t you just love when you are walking down Pacific Avenue and see
some smartly dressed person, who just “works” their amazing outfit? Okay, so this may not always be a daily occurrence in Santa Cruz, but
it can be! How, you ask? Well, let me tell you about the amazing blogs
you can visit for your endless inspiration and viewing pleasure of people
rockin’ their look on the street. They may not resemble folks on our particular streets, as
these are images culled from fashionable trendsetters worldwide.

What exactly is a snood? A) A furry, ape like creature living in the jungle canopy of Borneo, B) A netlike piece of fabric that covers the back of a woman’s hair, or C) A cream filled Croatian pastry similar to an éclair. Did you choose B? Congratulations! You know your fashion history. Since the Middle Ages, women have been wearing snoods, essentially a type of hood, to keep their intricate hairstyles intact. Snoods eventually fell by the wayside until the Civil War era, when they came back into fashion in the form of net like headbands that were woven into elaborate up-dos. Snoods went out of fashion again, only to reemerge as this season’s must-have accessory. Among the more enviable snoods are the papaya orange Missoni or the iconic checked Burberry variety. Get your snood quickly before it disappears from the fashion landscape for the next 100 years.

Fergie sings about Lovely Lady Lumps, but for those of us who struggle with not-so-lovely bumps on the backside of our arms, and sometimes on our thighs, we aren’t singing. These bumps are the result of an un-curable skin condition called Keratosis Pilaris. My dermatologist explained to me that it’s actually hereditary. If you have KP, you need a solution for the red bumps on the backs of your arms and legs that won’t go away, no matter how much you scrub at them. Even though it’s an un-curable situation, you can keep those pesky bumps at bay by using a few choice products that genuinely work—if you use them regularly. KP is caused by blocked hair follicles. So here are a few products that will help clear things up for you: AmLactin, an over-the-counter moisturizer that helps significantly; DERMAdoctor KP Duty Dry Skin Repair Kit; Papaya Body Lotion by Mario Badescu; and A.H.A. Botanical Body Soap by Mario Badescu. Good luck, and say good-bye to your lady bumps.