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Is it possible to make too much money?  Studies show that taller men attract the most women and that shorter women attract the most men.  Does it work the same way with the big M:  “money”?  Do girls with less “assets” attract the bigger fish?

Latest polls from Slice show …  Ask a Guy: What if she makes more money than the guy?

A: The same way guys handle it when they make more than the girl. Let us pay for some things, but don’t stress this one - our egos aren’t that fragile.
- Trevor, 25, Marketing Coordinator, sketch comedy writer/performer, single

A: With a Platinum card.
- Mike, 31, Marketing Consultant, married

A: Who cares.  Split it I suppose.
- Andy, 29. IT Consultant, single

A: Split it.  When it comes to booze the guy should always carry his weight.  Dinner is a different story.
- Richard, 32. Events Planner, lives with girlfriend

A: Most guys worth their salt understand that it’s the 21st century. It’s not uncommon for women to earn more scratch than men. It certainly would never be a shot at my ego if a woman offered to pick up the tab. Why would it? I just saved some cash.
- Rod, 32, Fireman, married, baby on the way

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I’m as big a softie and romantic as anyone else, but in these troubled financial times, it would be remiss not to ask the question:  should we boycott VDAY?

How much are we really spending on gifts this year and is it true that some single women feel pressurized enough to send gifts to themselves???

It is so much fun paying homage to Cupid and celebrating the big L but can we afford to take a little time out for luv?  I think so, but let’s read MP Dunleavey’s fully researched analysis on the topic and see what the experts think:

Romance is to be savored, sure, but must we spend nearly $15 billion on candy, flowers and other frivolous gifts? There are better (and sexier) ways to show you care.

In the latest sign of our hard times, recent retail polls indicate Americans are going to spend less on Valentine’s Day this year.

Say it ain’t so.

In the middle of a soul-crushing recession, with dire economic news unleashed upon us every day, the bad news is that Americans are expected to shell out a mere $14.7 billion on romantic gifts this weekend.

I suppose we should be grateful. According to a January survey conducted by the National Retail Federation and BIGResearch, that figure represents a 13.5% decrease from V Day 2008, when people spent about $17 billion.

Stop me if I sound stupid, but why are we spending one red cent on this so-called holiday — especially right now? Believe me, there are better ways to share the love and smarter ways to spend your money.

I have nothing against romance, love, sex, frilly red hearts or an excuse to eat chocolate (although I hate the sugary candies with dopey slogans like “Be Mine”).

* Talk back: Time to boycott Valentine’s Day?

The problem is that Valentine’s Day, like many other American occasions, has grown from being a celebration that once aspired to some meaning, to being a trashy, materialistic extravaganza.

Think about how much pressure there is to participate:

* Every schoolchild, practically, is expected to make or send cards to their classmates or bring treats to class.

* Some single women feel so left out on Valentine’s Day that they’ve been known to send flowers to themselves, so they won’t look like losers.

* And don’t assume couples are happier: For many, Valentine’s Day is a yearly excuse to have a nasty fight, with partners feeling unloved . . . because they didn’t get a stuffed bear or some candy. What?

I once had such a fight, eons ago, when a boyfriend gave me chopped liver for Valentine’s Day. I happen to love chopped liver. It was, actually, a real treat.

But I couldn’t get past the symbolism. The old saying kept running around in my head: “What am I, chopped livah?”

If he had spent five times as much on a cheesy negligee, I never would have worn the darn thing, I guarantee you. But I would have felt loved and adored.

It’s equations like this that lead millions of consumers to spend $14.7 billion.

What makes this ritual even more puzzling is that Valentine’s Day doesn’t even have a good story (see: Christmas, Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July) or spooky ghosts and pumpkins. In fact, we don’t even know the story.

Note this baffling summary on The History Channel’s Web site: “But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine’s Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery.”

Exactly. Mysteriously, even though we know nothing about old St. Valentine, we all go around spending our hard-earned money to say “I love you.”

Is it because Hallmark told us to? No, but perhaps you can blame it on retailers.

Valentine’s Day is big business. Hoofy & Boo take a look at what lovers do to celebrate the big day — as well as how some find each other in the first place.

Basically, throughout the millennia, February was always a slow shopping month. Then, because a couple of early Christian martyrs (both named Valentine?) might have died for love, a holiday emerged.

I’m not making this up. I found the following stories on Wikipedia and in a U.S. Census Bureau release:

* A priest secretly married lovers in defiance of a Roman emperor’s decree and supposedly was executed for it.

* Another man, as legend has it, was rejected by his mistress, and — you’ll like this — he carved out his own heart and gave it to her. Yech.

Somehow, about 1,700 years later, we’re stuck spending gobs of money on predetermined displays of “romance.”

Last year, Valentine’s Day-observing Americans spent an average of $123 on gifts, according to the National Retail Federation. This year consumers are expected to spend $102.50 on the same stuff as last year:

* About 36% will buy flowers.

* 16% plan to buy jewelry.

* About half (47%) will eat out.

* 58% will buy cards.

According to the National Confectioners Association, consumers will spend about $1 billion on candy alone. Good grief, Charlie Brown!

If my husband spent $100 on gifts instead of putting it into our emergency fund — a far greater gesture of love — I would make him eat the oil bill for breakfast.

For love and money
As I said, I’m all for romance. And during the dull days of midwinter, who doesn’t need a pick-me-up? But as a country deep in debt, we don’t need to spend billions of dollars on tokens of affection.

In the spirit of the economic stability that we’re all trying to cultivate, here are a few ways to spend your $102.50 giving loved ones what they really care about right now, the gift of financial sanity:

* Make an extra payment to your beloved’s credit card account. Take a photo of the check with your cell phone and send it to her with a loving text message: “This one’s on me, honey!”

* As a new V Day tradition, add $102.50 to the mortgage payment each year. Run some numbers and print out the amortization table showing how much faster you’ll pay off your loan. If we did this, we would pay off ours a full seven months ahead of schedule. Wowsa! Now that’s devotion.

* Buy stock. Now is the time to invest that $102.50 in some terrific bargains that are sure to grow when the market bounces back. Which it will. Do it every year, and use the money for something truly special down the road.

* Sweeten that retirement account. Secretly add $102.50 to Pookie’s Roth IRA. How much could that be worth in 30 years? More than $1,000. She’ll be thrilled when she realizes what that really says about your love.

* Pay bills early. Surprise your one and only by paying a couple of the March bills in advance (think small: car insurance, electricity, water or garbage). Point out that this builds in some financial breathing room rolling forward. Hug each other.

Valentine’s Day is big business. Hoofy & Boo take a look at what lovers do to celebrate the big day — as well as how some find each other in the first place.

OK, OK. Smart as those ideas might be, they kind of miss the spirit of the day. Devoid of romance, you might say.

I can’t argue. So here is one steamy gift that your lover will never forget, and it will cost you only $2.99.

Are you ready? No chickening out, now. You asked for romance, so I’m going to give it to you. AND I’m going to save you $99.51.

So if I share, you have to promise to do it.

Promise?

OK, then.

One cheap, sexy Valentine’s Day gift for 2

1. Buy a pint of whipping cream.

2. Go home.

3. Whip it up.

4. What, you need further instructions???

Published MSN Money Feb. 11, 2009
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/LoveAndMoney/boycott-the-valentines-day-madness.aspx?page=1

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You are all grown up. You have a full-time job. A great man in your life or you are happy on your own. You are a success and you indulge in designer accessories, shoes and bags. You’re a woman of the world.

So why were squeals heard all over the world from sophisticated women because MAC Cosmetics just released their Hello Kitty line?

For many women they coveted Hello Kitty products in childhood but they were simply too pricey. Now, with adult salaries, they are affordable.

Wearing a Hello Kitty accessory or having a Hello Kitty theme on your Blackberry is more than just a status symbol to show off to others, it’s something for yourself. Knowing you can indulge in your childhood Hello Kitty desires is so satisfying.

MAC Cosmetics has teamed up with Sanrio Global Consumer Products to create a Hello Kitty color cosmetics collection.

The line will arrive on MAC’s Web site Feb. 10, in North American stores on Feb. 12 and into overseas stores in March.

“MAC has been mining pop culture since the brand was founded,” said John Demsey, group president of the Estée Lauder Cos. Inc. “This is a sexy and innocent fashion line, and a true MAC moment. In these times, everyone can use a little fun — and a little Kitty.”

“The partnership was a no-brainer,” said James Gager, senior vice president and creative director of MAC Worldwide. “We cater to people who love to play with makeup.”

While in many licensing partnerships, the licensor shops his or her property around, MAC went after Sanrio, Hello Kitty’s owner, to do the deal. “They had never done makeup before, and I was certain that all those women who already own a bit of Hello Kitty would also want to own branded makeup,” said Gager.

“We are thrilled to partner with a brand that shares the vision of offering an innovative, authentic and transforming experience to our loyal fan base,” said Janet Hsu, president of Sanrio. Sanrio’s worldwide retail sales of licensed products for 2007 is estimated at $5 billion.

While the 34-year-old Hello Kitty character is usually assumed to be a cat, she is actually a girl, according to Sanrio. And a girl without a mouth, so she “speaks from the heart,” the company said. “She may not have a mouth, but she’s going to sell a lot of lipstick,” cracked Demsey, noting that a waiting list for the items will go live on Jan. 7 at maccosmetics.com.

“To me, MAC Hello Kitty embodies the ultimate beauty icon,” said Jennifer Balbier, senior vice president of product development for MAC Worldwide. “She’s sweet and sexy, slightly edgy, and appeals to a wide range of customers. We wanted to reflect that through a sweet side, but also something slightly mischievous when it came to the colors. I started out by creating a palette of pinks, since they fit and always trend well in the spring. And this look is so much about the eyes that we did two eye shadow quads.” The Lucky Tom quad has violet blue, brown, gold and pink-coral shades, while the Too Dolly palette has mint, blue-silver, pale pink and magenta shades.

“We incorporated glitter eyeliners because she loves anything that twinkles, and we took the coral and hot pink theme and did pretty, poppy [colored] blush,” added Balbier.

While this collection is intended to have a sophisticated presentation, MAC hopes to appeal to younger fans with two shades of lip conditioners.

The Hello Kitty offerings fall into two collections: the Hello Kitty Colour Collection and the more high-end Hello Kitty Kouture. The bulk of the items are in the former category: six shades of lipstick with names like Fashion Mews and Strayin’, each $14; six Lipglass shades, each $14; and two tinted lip conditioners, $14.50 each; two eye shadow palettes, which each contain four shades and retail for $38; two shades of pigment are $19.50 each, and two Reflects Glitter stockkeeping units — one blue, one pink — are $17.50 each. Four Glitter Eye Liners, each $16.50, two shades of Beauty Powder, each $22; three shades of nail polish, each $11; a black mascara, $12, and false lashes, $12, round out the color offerings. Shades range from pinks and turquoises to lavenders and greens.

Hello Kitty Kouture is intended to be the high end of the collection. Two shades of Dazzleglass, each $28, each feature a reusable silver chain pendant with Hello Kitty outlined in white Swarovski crystals on black with a pink crystal bow. Sheer Mystery Powder, $90 and available in three shades, is packaged in a silver powder compact with Hello Kitty outlined in white Swarovski crystals with a pink crystal bow on a black background.

“We wanted to have affordable luxury and a high-low aspect, so it made sense to do the Hello Kitty Colour Collection and Hello Kitty Kouture,” said Demsey.

The Hello Kitty Colour items, a Petite Makeup Bag, $22, and a medium Makeup Bag, $35, will be in all doors, currently about 581 department and specialty stores in North America including Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s, as well as MAC’s 138 freestanding stores in North America and at maccosmetics.com. Internationally, the items will be in 1,307 doors in 69 countries, including 296 MAC freestanding stores outside North America. Hello Kitty Kouture will be available at MAC stores and maccosmetics.com only. At the maximum, the collection will be available for eight weeks.

A plush doll, $42; purse mirror, $22, and three-brush collection, $49.50, will be available at MAC stores, Nordstrom doors and maccosmetics.com only. A mirrored key clip, $16; beaded bracelet, $34, will be sold in MAC retail stores and at maccosmetics.com only, and a tote, $45 and soft vanity kit, $55, will be exclusive to maccosmetics.com. These items are intended to animate the counter presentation and create an entire Hello Kitty world at retail, Gager noted.

While none of the executives would discuss sales projections, industry sources estimated that the limited edition MAC Hello Kitty collection could do upwards of $12 million in North American retail sales. That projection is slightly larger than that of the hit Barbie collection.

In-store visuals, shot by Nick Knight, show the polar opposite aspects of the collection. One is an image of a blonde model holding a black vinyl Hello Kitty doll, which will be part of the accessory line. The other visual is what Gager terms “more of a dominatrix creature.” The point, said Gager, is to show that makeup can be transformative. Makeup was done by Val Garland, with hair by Sam McKnight.

And Demsey promises the surprises aren’t over yet. “There will be more products to come in the next three months with this partnership,” he said.

Source: WWD.com

MAC Cosmetics Hello Kitty for Spring 2009

Hello Kitty Mild, meet Hello Kitty Wild! Sweet and innocent or out on the prowl: when she’s good, she’s very good, but when she’s bad, she’s unmistakably M·A·C! The icon adored by millions around the worldis causing a commotion with our special, limited-edition collection of colour,finishes, glitter and shine, and a fancifulthe range of exclusive, It-Kitty accessories: season’s most sought-after collectibles!

LIPSTICK

* Cute Ster Sheer peachy pink with pearl
* Big Bow Sheer brighti ntense blue pink
* Fresh Brew Creamed coffee
* Fashion Mews Sheer pale lavender
* Strayin’ Frosty midtone mint
* Most Popular Sheer deep berry

Lipglass

* Sweet Strawberry Sheer berry with blue pearl
* Mimmy Light creamy ipnk with pink and gold pearl
* Nice To Be Nice Sheer bright intense orange with pearl
* Nice Kitty Sheer neon pink with blue pearl
* She Loves Candy Pale blue pink with gold pearl
* Fast Friends Sheer bright intense purple with pearl

Keep reading for full details!

Tinted Lip Conditioner

* Popster Lively coral pink
* Pink Fish Soft neutral pink

Eyeshadow x 4: Lucky Tom ($38.00)

* Stylin Midtone violet blue with multi-dimensional pearl
* Lucky Tom Dark charcoal brown with gold pearl
* Creme Royale Yellow wheast gold
* Pardisco Soft bright pinky coral with golden shimmer

Eyeshadow x4: Too Dolly

* Too Dolly Frosty midtone mint
* Stately Black Rich blue with silver sparkle
* Yogurt Soft pale pink
* Romping Rich magenta with pink pearl

Glitter Eye Liner

* Her Glitz Blackened gold with multi-dimensional glitter
* Glitterpuss Orangey bronze with multi-dimensional glitter
* Kitty Power Pink with with multi-dimensional glitter
* Girl Groove Clear/white teal reflects and with multi-dimensional glitter

Pigment

* Milk Frosty pale silvery pink
* Deep Blue Green Rich, deep bluish green

Reflects Glitter

* Reflects Blue Sparkling blue
* Reflects Very Pink Sparkling fuchsia pink

Nail Lacquer

* Something About Pink Blue pink fuchsia
* On the Prowl Light creamy grey
* Vestral White Creamy white

Plush Lash

* Plushblack Black

Beauty Powder Blush

* Fun & Games Soft orange peach
* Tippy Midtone blue pink

Beauty Powder

* Tahitian Sand Soft coral peach
* Pretty Baby Soft sunny pink with gold

Lash

* Hello Kitty Lash Half lash with overlapping hairs to emphasize outer

Accessories

* Hello Kitty Tote ($45.00)
* Hello Kitty Petite Makeup Bag ($22.00)
* Hello Kitty Makeup Bag ($35.00)
* Hello Kitty Soft Vanity Case ($55.00)
* Hello Kitty Purse Mirror ($22.00)
* Hello Kitty Brush Collection ($49.50)
* Hello Kitty Mirrored Key Clip ($16.00)
* Hello Kitty Beaded Bracelet ($34.00)
* Hello Kitty Plush Doll ($42.00)

Available: February 12, 2009 in North America.

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