I am a big fan of OTT jewellery and it’s therefore not surprising that I’ve been sucked in by Urge the Boys, a local jewellery designer.

I absolutely love the Weapon of Choice bangle, pictured above, which sells for $80 but you can currently pick it up for $70.40 - everything on the site is 20% off for a limited time. How cool are the lions’ heads and the Swarovski crystal detailing? I have a thing for feline jewellery and have pretty much made it my only goal in life to one day own a Cartier panther ring. Aim low and all that.

I also like the Thin Disguise Trinket Bracelet, on sale for $72, which reminds me of the Disney Couture wrap bracelets, but much, much cheaper.

If you’re going to wear a flamboyant piece of jewellery, don’t crowd it with other pieces. The best idea is to keep the rest of your outfit very simple, and any other jewellery should be subdued (basic studs in your ears and so on).

You can buy online or otherwise a couple of smaller boutiques in NSW, Queensland and WA also stock selected pieces from the Urge the Boys collection - check the website for locations.

By Caroline Warnes

Sony has announced it will release the X-Series MP3 players in April, intended to rival the Apple iTouch.

The X-Series will be the first line of MP3 players from Sony to feature a three-inch LCD touchscreen. YOu use the touchscreen to perform most operations - although buttons are included for volume, noise cancelling and there is also a hold switch.

The X-Series players also come with WI-Fi and a web browser, as well as streaming for YouTube. Each player ships with EX Monitor headphones.

This series of players is very slick to look at - complete with black and chrome finishes and glass surfaces. Size comes in at slightly smaller than the iPod Touch.

Two players will be released in the X-Series in April, with either a 16GB or 32GB capacity. Pricing will be available closer to the release date.

Click here to find offers on Sony MP3 players from retailers near you.

By Caroline Warnes

If there’s one thing master shoe designer Christian Louboutin specialises in, it’s classic black pumps.

Any time you see a celebrity wearing a spiky black heel these days, it’s likely to be a Louboutin. See fashion victim Victoria Beckham here, Nicole Richie here and the three skanks here for some examples.

Those vertiginous numbers Nicole Richie is sporting are a style called Alti and while it’s sold out pretty much everywhere except second-hand on eBay, I’ve found a more affordable version at Wittner. Thankfully, they’re nowhere near as high, too - if you want to get an idea of how high the originals are, check out the pictures here.

The Wittner interpretation is a style called Yvette and will set you back just $169.95 - less than a quarter of the price of the originals. Check them out here.

The Yvette pumps also come in fire-engine red if you’re feeling particularly bold.

By Caroline Warnes

Along with shoes and dresses, I have a bit of a “thing” for perfumes.

A current estimate puts the numbers of bottles on my bedside table at around 15, which I regularly use perhaps two.

I also hate throwing out empty perfume bottles because most of them are just so pretty, so I also have a couple of empty bottles cluttering up my table.

Suffice to say that I really don’t need anymore designer perfumes, but the OO.com.au perfume sale is making me reconsider. Some fragrances are reduced by up to 70%.

One of my old faves from many moons ago is Cerruti 1881, which is going for $49.95. I haven’t worn this one for years, though I’m sure I still have an empty bottle of it somewhere.

Some other bargains include the Cartier Declaration travel set, reduced to $99.95 from $270; and First by Van Cleef & Arpels, down to $59.95 from $184.

I really have to stop trawling Internet sites looking for “bargains” that I don’t really need.

By Caroline Warnes

We have 30 double in-season passes to the Academy Award-nominated film Rachel Getting Married to give away.

When Kym (Anne Hathaway) returns to the Buchman family home for the wedding of her sister Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt), she brings a long history of personal crisis, family conflict and tragedy along with her. The wedding couple’s abundant party of friends and relations have gathered for a weekend of feasting, music and love, but Kym - with her biting one-liners and flair for bombshell drama - is a catalyst for long-simmering tensions in the family dynamic.

Filled with the rich and eclectic characters, Rachel Getting Married paints a heartfelt, perceptive and sometimes hilarious family portrait. Director Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia), first-time writer Jenny Lumet and the stellar acting ensemble create the drama of these difficult but compelling people with wry affection and generosity of spirit.

What’s more, Anne Hathaway has been nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for her role in this film.

To be in the running to win a double movie pass, email competitions@lasoo.com.au with the words RACHEL GETTING MARRIED in the subject line and tell us in 25 words or less why you want to see this film. Entries close next Thursday.

You can view the trailer below.

Rachel Getting Married is only at the movies! February 12. Rated M.

Competition terms and conditions

Dick Smith is giving away one notebook or desktop PC per day for 21 days.

The 21 winners, to be drawn on March 6, will be awarded one prize from the pool, which includes two Acer Aspire 6930 notebooks (as pictured here), six Toshiba Satellite L300 notebooks, five HP MiniNote 1001TU notebooks and more.

Each prize also comes with a Logitech accessories pack worth up to $1267.

You can find more details of this competition and enter in-store. Find a Dick Smith store close to you here. Full terms and conditions can be viewed here.

If you’re looking for a basic compact digital camera to point-and-shoot on the go, the Pentax Optio E60 is a likely candidate.

In terms of image quality and customisation, the E60 isn’t about to win any awards, but given the $149 RRP, it would be ridiculous to expect it to.

The Pentax Optio E60 is a very compact camera that can be carried comfortably in most bags and some pockets, weighing in at well under 200g. It features a basic black-and-silver body with big buttons, which is handy for anyone with larger or unsteady fingers.

Given that the E60 is intended to be an entry-level camera, it’s no surprise that features are thin on the ground. There are 17 shooting modes, including a program mode, which lets you select the ISO sensitivity and focus area - this is about the extent of any possible customisation with this camera.

While image quality isn’t a world-beater, it isn’t too shabby either. Colours are vibrant and photos turn out relatively natural-looking. It can also record JPEG video in 640×480 quality.

Click here to find offers on Pentax digital cameras from retailers near you.

By Caroline Warnes

I’ve known girls in the past who have had feet size 10 and over, and they often complained about the lack of stylish options in most shoe stores.

Most shoe stores pretty much stop at a size 10, at the largest, leaving taller women with bigger feet to pretty much take whatever they can find.

Luckily, the Internet has helped with this problem, thanks to stores such as Barefoot Tess. Four years ago, the owners of this US-based site collaborated with popular designers such as Steve Madden to offer stylish shoes up to a size 15.

The site has recently opened an Australian section - you can view it here - and is offering free international shipping for orders over $300.

There are some really cute styles here, such as French Sole Rebel, pictured above, which is on sale for $179 and is available in a size 13.

The Something Bleu Claudia heel is also cute in black and is available up to a size 14.

By Caroline Warnes

The winner is:

K. Forde, 4170.

When I was at high school it was pretty much de rigueur to dowse oneself in perfume oils from The Body Shop.

This was back in the day before anyone could afford the pricier fragrances from the department stores, with the exception of Calvin Klein perfumes (I seem to remember one year during my teens where every moment was spent in a hazy cloud of CK One).

Eventually my budget allowed me to buy the department store designer perfumes and and for the last 10 years I’ve favoured the likes of Gucci Envy, Chanel Allure, L’Eau d’Issey and more recently, Marc Jacobs.

But in recent times I’ve noticed that everyone seems to smell the same. Walking down the street, I constantly catch a whiff of someone’s scent, and I can usually identify it because there seems to be a list of about 10 favoured by most people. Frankly, I am sick of paying $100 a bottle to smell like everyone else.

So I have decided to revert to The Body Shop perfume oils, at least until I can afford the $200-plus for a bottle of Bond No. 9 Chinatown. I’d forgotten how nice some of them are, and they are so affordable (prices from $17.95). My current choice is Ananya, which features top notes of bergamot, peach, melon, coconut and violet; middle notes of jasmine, rose, freesia, tubersoe and ylang ylang; and base notes of sandalwood, cedarwood, vanilla and musk. Plus, it makes me feel like I’m 13 again. Which is a more appealing proposition with each new wrinkle I identify.

There are heaps of oils to choose from in store, including vanilla, strawberry, white musk and neroli jasmin.

By Caroline Warnes