I previously noted my love for these Rimmel Underground Kiss Off Glosses. The texture is beautiful, the shimmer is unique, the colors aren't exactly the most pigmented, but they work, especially over lipstick.

I think I am slowly on my way to collecting all of these, but this time I picked up The Morning After & Addicted.

I talked about Addicted before, I passed it up previously b/c I have way too many shades like this. Clearly this time I couldn't resist, but when I got it home it was even more obvious I had to many shades like this.

It looked suspiciously similar to something I had just purchased, the Bourjois Effect 3D Gloss in Beige Elastic. I investigated further. As it turns out, it is pretty damn close.

I'll admit not the greatest picture, but can you really tell the difference?

Kind of hard eh?

The Beige Elastic is on top, and Addicted is on the bottom. Didja guess right?

Basically, they are extremely similar, enough to be called knock offs or lookalikes in my book. The only true difference is Addicted is pretty heavy with the gold shimmer, whereas Beige Elastic has very fine almost colorless shimmer.

Now if I had to choose between the two I would stick with Beige Elastic. Not because it is the "high end" one or anything like that (well actually if you want to be honest, Bourjois is kind of a drugstore line in Europe/Australia heh). I simply prefer Beige Elastic for the simple fact that it doesn't have gold shimmer. I didn't realize how intense on the gold shimmer Addicted was until I purchased and applied.

That said & done...here is a swatch of Addicted:

Finally.. The Morning After.

I truly wish this pink shade was more pink but to be totally honest, I bought it mostly for the shimmer. The shimmer is blue! With some violet mixed in. It falls into my "that's pretty bad ass" category for makeup lol

The blue shimmer is really striking..and well in order to like this, you're gonna need to like blue shimmer on your lips. It also really stands out against shades that are gonna reflect it... such as over lipstick shades of icy cool pink, blue based reds...ect.

I couldn't get the shimmer to photograph well at all, but trust, it is blue and shimmery.

These have the same gel like texture as the other ones I tried...moisturizing, sheer & high on shimmer.

Let's be Clear folks...Knock-offs are NOT fly! If you can't afford the real thing than leave it alone. Just buy something else. It's not your time, find something more your speed. The Fila Helmsman (top) are quite disgusting. Sorry, But why would you seriously want to wear something that is obviously crafted behind a more intricate more expensive shoe? Do not pass Go, Do not collect $200....Game Over. The Prada American Cup Patent Leather joints are Fly and expensive! Fly folks don't wear Knock offs...we work with what we have and keep it movin! You need patent leather in your life minus the $ 350 Prada Price? We got you check it out...

Creative Recs $150

Converse $80

Michael Kors $ 60

Stay FLY

So, it looks like you may have to stick to the streets of Downtown LA to purchase your designer knock off goods. Herm�s International just landed a court ruling against online bidding site eBay. Herm�s said eBay, plus the individual seller, had "committed acts of counterfeit" and "prejudice" against it by failing to monitor the authenticity of goods being sold on its website.

So what does this mean for you? Now eBay will put into place new practices--eBay said it "takes counterfeiting seriously" and since the Herm�s case was brought has put new procedures in place to fight it by "more closely scrutinizing sellers.� Last spring Dior won a similar lawsuit

If you have seen the Sex and the City film, (and I'm sure you have), there is a more affordable way of obtaining the new "it" bag. I mean, really, who wants to be caught with a knock off anyways? Bag Borrow or Steal offers the hottest "it"bags for rental, sort of like Netflix but with designer bags.

--Mikey

That's the difference between Fendi and Forever21 (F21)...or is it? How about Tory Burch and Steve Madden?

And if you ever find yourself luring towards the lovely handbag in an upscale Soho boutique but it costs too much, the chances are that you can find the exact same one on the internet for 500% less in a few months. 

Some examples of girly secrets....shhh.

• The BagAddiction
• HighReplica
• SofiasReplica

Guys, don't even think about buying one of these for your girlfriends. They can tell instantly a fake vs. real one...then you'll be screwed for life ^^.

Charming aloof apathy....................Aggressive obnoxious behavior

iphones........................................................................all the others

environmental everything........................................excessive living

glass, stones, recycled plastic........................gold, platinum, bling

vodka, wine, beer.......................................whiskey, scotch, tequila

"man"mel toe....................................................................Camel toe

Non-designer anything.......................................Coach ANYTHING!!

Young hot 21 year old guys.............................................old people

eating healthy.................................................starving cocaine diet

adderall, clenbuterol....................................................crystal meth

syphillis....................................................................................aids

Asians........................................................................black people

pubic hair...........................................................................shaved

Cheap tacky sunglasses.......Expensive designer glasses (or knock-offs)

Both rooms, the section and the junkstore, is set with a very unrealistic Medieval background. In his own bogus blog, Ham, in his own sick, delusional mind claims,

"Dinosaurs received their “independence” at the Creation Museum on July 4. Instead of being captured by evolutionists, they have been released to be able to have their “freedom,” as explained in a biblical context—which is the correct way to explain their history."

You call that independence? You called that freedom? How are evolutionists capturing the dinosaurs, Ham? Or is it just another one of your stupid, empty-headed declarations of ignorance, denial, and distortions of biblical context that promotes no freedom and no correct ways of explaining any history let alone dinosaur history that's entirely all made up to just rally your fool-hearted followers into believing all your stupid lies?

The dinosaur and pterosaur models dotting Dino Den and the junkstore, shown on flickr and on Ham’s bogus blog, are made by Buddy Davis who’s notorious for claiming to have allegedly found “fresh” unfossilized dinosaur remains in Alaska that were really fossilized after all. The exhibit also claims to have “real” fossil bones and eggs of dinosaurs shown along with the models. But are they really real, or are they just faked, cast versions of fossil eggs and bones made to look real? Knowing their blatant dishonesty in what they claimed about, I’d say the fossils shown at the exhibit are all fakes in which some are forged from Buddy’s studio and made to make it as if they are real while it’s not.

Other dinosaur models, which in many cases are animatronic robots shown in other parts of the crackhouse, also in very unrealistic settings, such as a wall of a city are just knock-off versions of Jurassic Park dinosaurs made by a man who formerly works for Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

The exhibit is said to also contain a badly built cast skeleton of a Triceratops that’s not as accurate as the real skeletal mounts of Triceratops as shown in real museums based on the latest studies on the dinosaur’s bone structure. The mount, as shown in Ham’s crackhouse, is built to portray Triceratops in an old fashioned pose while modern reconstructions of Triceratops shows a more accurate dynamic pose based on modern studies of the anatomy of this three-horned dinosaur.

The exhibit will also feature videos and a theater where tourists can go in and see a 12 minute film promoting the dragon/dinosaur fallacy which I’ve shown to you all to be nothing more than fabrications creationists have rigged up by taking ancient literature out of context and twist them to fit their "baby earth" perspective and to make it as if they are accounts of people meeting live dinosaurs instead of what they really are. Then, the tourists will be escorted to the junkstore, the so-called “dragon bookstore” unrealistically resembling a castle reading room where dotting the area are unrealistically made pterosaur models and a Baryonyx that isn't and scores of crappy junk being sold at, including a book that targets young children entitled, It’s Designed To Do What It Does Do, which is also made up by Davis (Based on one of his idiot songs, no doubt.) who along with Ham has made this book up to compete against Ten Little Dinosaurs and other toddler-style wiggly eye books for the minds of little toddlers, who are extremely vulnerable to be exposed at by even the most dangerous and venomous of lies ever spew out in front of their faces by Davis and Ham’s’ fairy tale literature.

It’s without doubt all made up to take advantage of both the huge popularity of dinosaurs and the people (mainly children) who love dinosaurs deeply and plan to use such models to proselytize people especially children into believing all their stupid lies, pseudo-histories, pseudo-bible stories, pseudo-Christianity, and empty fantasies creationists made up about dinosaurs for their own criminal ends. Thus, Dino Den is, without doubt, the worst dinosaur exhibit ever.

Let Us start with the Vii Basicaly a Chinese Console in China. Now other than this being called the Vii it is in actual fact bit bigger than the Nintendo Wii. Altho the gaming on the system really do Suck.

The Best way to show you this is from a Dude on youtube showing you the Add for Vii!! which mind you is a very long repeated advertasment much like those shopping shows on TV ><"

And now the images.

http://www.wiiwii.tv/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/vii-big-top.jpg

Inside the Vii

And The Games for Vii

For example, when Harry Potter first arrived on the scene, everyone and his or her dog had a wizard story, or a story about magic and apprentice witches or wizards.  Yes, many of them were published, and often they were designed to look a lot like the Harry Potter books.  But the fact is, they weren't as good as the original, and these copy cat books didn't arrive first.

Now it seems that everyone and his or her cat is writing about vampires.  The success of the Twilight series is the catalyst for this movement.  After all, if the writer of Twilight can break the rules of over 100 years of vampire tradition, then certainly every Bob, Carol, Ted, and Alice can do so likewise and be just as successful, right?  Well, not so fast there, fang face.

Here's the problem with trying to write to a trend: timing.  It's not just that you need to be the first person to market with your book, but when you consider how long it takes for a book to become a book, by the time your particular version of the trend arrives, the trend itself is probably waning, and the public's attention is shifting to something new and different.

A book released today was most like written two to three years ago.  It was submitted to an agent or publisher - quite possibly rejected by a few of them, too - before being accepted by the editor or agent who ultimately sees something of value in the story.  That process alone can take anywhere between three months and a year depending on the publisher's acceptance policies.  There are committees involved in making these decisions (very few editors have the ability to by a manuscript on the spot), and as the old saying goes, "For God so loved the world that He didn't send a committee."

Then there is the revision process, which takes anywhere from a few months to a few years depending on the writer, the deadline, the editor, the publisher, etc.  Then there is cover design, scheduling or calendaring (which works the novel into the publisher's release schedule), then the time it takes for printing and so forth.  That's why a book accepted for publication today may take 18 to 24 months before it is released.  And many publishers are actually backlogged, meaning the books they are scheduling now may not see a shelf for almost three years.

All of this means that by the time the book is released, the kids who are interested in wizards or vampires or space travel will have aged two to three years and the trend will be dead.  The new group of kids may or may not share that same level of interest in the subject.  And series books are even harder to accomplish with trend writing because of the realities of writing series.  The first book may sell well, however, subsequent books very rarely do as well.

When I wrote my critical thesis for my Masters degree, I studied series books and compared them against individual novels.  The truth is that, even with books like Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, after book one, subsequent books do not sell as well.  R. L. Stein's Goosebumps series is evidence of this, too.  Though there were close to 100 books in that series (perhaps more, I forget at the moment how many), only book one ever sold a significant number of copies.  The other books in this series lagged quite far behind.  And these are books where the publisher was releasing a book almost every three months to keep its prepubescent readers adequately supplied.

Writing to trends is a waste of a good writer's time.  Leave that to the writers who aren't original enough to come up with innovative story lines and unique characters who actually speak to contemporary readers.  Yes, there are still publishers who are looking to cash in on the latest thing in the middle grade and young adult market, and they will produce a book that fits that thread.  In fact, they may even rush it through production to get it on the shelves as quickly as possible.  But the next time you walk through your local book store, see if you can't identify these books.  Here's a hint: they are typically located on the "bargain" table, selling for less than half their retail value.

A better suggestion for writers with integrity: write from your heart.  Tell the story that only you can tell in the way that only you can tell it.  This keeps your soul intact and satisfies your desire to write, rather than giving in to some Faustian need to achieve success at all costs.

Now go write something GOOD!

Too bad for most of the rest of the fashion world, because jewelry and prints are two of the only things that designers can get copyrighted.

Exhibit A: Is this dress design copyrighted?

Forever 21 Denim Trim Tunic, $29.80
Marc By Marc Jacobs Indigo Sweater Dress, $338

Answer: Not even a little bit copyrighted.

Exhibit B: What about this dress?

Forever 21 Woven Colorblock Dress, $22.80
Vince Colorblock Dress, $195

Answer: NOPE, SORRY.

There really is no point to this post, except that I have fun pointing out knock-offs. And for the record, as much as I love Vince dresses, I like the coloring of the Forever 21 version better.

My dad recently got back from a business trip to China. Among his many adventures, he told me about these huge open air markets full of counterfeit goods. From "Rolax's" to fake LV's (seriously people, anyone who knows anything can spot a fake from miles a way... you look ridiculous) its not hard to find a knockoff. Chinatown used to have this one place that had really good Birkin knockoffs, but I think it got shutdown when they raided the area...

Anyway, the bottom line is knockoffs are bad. One, they look bad. Two, they're usually badly made. Three, they're bad for the industry. Harper's Bazaar (who knew that magazine still existed?) is taking a stand in this matter with their, "Anticounterfeiting Alliance." They actually have some cool things going on. For all of you designers out there, they have a t-shirt design contest-- the winners will get their t's printed and a spot in the magazine. For all you unfortunate counterfeit owners, they have another contest in which you can trade in your fakes for a chance at $1000. They also have some pretty informative guides on how to spot a fake, as well as the latest legal developments in this area.

If you're interested in this topic, you should also check out Susan Scafidi's blog, Couterfeit Chic.
Feeling guilty yet? Check back tomorrow for some great clothes that look great and are good for the conscience.

Hogo (Hugo Boss)

Cilin.Dion (Celine Dion)

Blueberrys (Burberrys)

Doodoff (Davidoff)

Daniel Blue Hills (Dunhill)

DRNY (DKNY)

A heated debate has been raging over recent months in the American fashion industry over designs being copied. Copying, which has always been rampant in the fashion market, has become so insidious in the “Internet era” that it is now the No. 1 priority of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, which since last year has been lobbying Congress to add copyright protection clothing. The U.S. is one of the last nations without protection of fashion designs. Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., is co-sponsoring a bill and held a news conference in August to rally sympathy for designers. "It's illegal to copy Harry Potter for sale, and it should be illegal to copy Nicole Miller too," said Schumer, adding that U.S. companies lose $250 billion annually to sales of illegitimate goods. An expert working with the designers' council estimates that knockoffs represent a minimum of 5 percent of the $181 billion American apparel market.

The designers seek to ban clothing that looks very similar to their originals but is sold under someone else's label. They want to extend laws that already ban counterfeit handbags and sunglasses with designer logos, which reportedly account for as much as $12 billion of sales. A reliable estimate of knockoffs cannot be determined, because designers and retailers disagree on which clothes are copies and which merely "inspired" by a trend, a normal part of the fashion food chain.

Prohibiting knockoffs is certainly no easy task, since many shoppers see nothing wrong with them, especially as prices for designer clothes are skyrocketing. Critics of the designers' group even argue that copies are good for fashion, because they give up and coming designers more exposure to a broader market and they push established designers to continue to invent new merchandise to stay ahead of the mark. New York designer Zac Posen somewhat agrees, as he wants a law to protect his fashion designs from knockoffs, he says imitations are not such a bad thing because they help promote growing brands like his.

Designers argue and say that is pre-Internet thinking. "For me, this is not simply about copying," said Anna Sui, one of more than 20 designers who have filed lawsuits against Forever 21, for selling what they claim are copies of their apparel. "The issue is also timing," Sui said. "These copies are hitting the market before the original versions do." Diane Von Furstenberg is another designer who filed a large copyright-infringement lawsuit back in March against the retail chain after they copied her Cerisier dress down to a T. The similarities go beyond appearance. Both dresses are 100 percent silk, and both are made in China. To the untrained eye, the construction seems almost the same.

While the fashion industry has long been plagued by counterfeiters selling knockoffs on street corners, seldom do reputable mass-market retailers so boldly copy high-end designers’ current-season offerings. “The so-called ‘legitimized’ versions are slightly better in quality [than knockoffs] but none are the same as the original genuine product,” said Harley Lewin, of law firm Greenberg Traurig [who is representing von Furstenberg’s studio]

“The harm done is probably greater. Consumers are more likely to think they’re buying the real thing at a retail outlet like this one, as opposed to a street corner,” Lewin said. “When the quality isn’t there, as it ultimately isn’t, the consumers blame the brand.”