It's that time of year again - when the air has a particular chill, women begin to wear furry hoods, boots and scarves, and Holiday themed gifts begin busting out of every storefront.  After working at a particular store 60 hours a week during the Holiday season, my spirit dwindled.  However, this year I have a renewed energy for gift giving, generosity and stimulating the economy.

Starting now through December 31st, I'll be sharing with you some of the greatest treats of the Holiday season.  I've even created an entire site devoted to all your gifting needs - giftguide.styleitonline.com - there you'll find gifts ranging from cozy, sexy, beautiful, fashionable, and gadgets.

If there's a particular gift you're searching for - email me at sarah@styleitonline.com.

If there's one thing you notice about a fashion show (sometimes even moreso than the clothing), it's the music.  We received the following Fashion Week Soundtracks, compiled from the hottest runway shows in Milan, Paris, New York and London.  Do any of these songs make your most played list? Do they make you feel fashionable?

1: Great DJ/The Ting Tings

2: Viva La Vida/Coldplay

3: Jungle Drum/Emiliana Torrini

4: Electric Feel/MGMT

5: Jager Yoga/CSS

6: L.E.S. Artistes/Santogold

7: La Vie En Rose/Grace Jones

8: O Superman/Booka Shade

9: You'll Find A Way/Santogold

10: Light Years/Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve

One of the greatest aspects of fashion is it's ability to intersect seamlessly with other art forms.  Richie Rich, half of the design duo behind Heatherette - has taken his party people attitude and network of famous friends to organize one heck of a fashion/party/glam dance album. In fact, Richie actually sings the lead single, "Celebutante".  If you can listen without busting out a few dance moves, you should have your groove checked.

Tracklisting:

Take What You Take/Lily Allen

Whatever Bitch/Mya

Filthy/Gorgeous/Scissor Sisters

Hot Girls In The Bathroom/The Dallas Austin Experience ft Sy Scott & B Star

Celebutante/Richie Rich

Smash N Grab (Fashionista Mix)/Purple Foam

It's Me Snitches/Swizz Beatz

Bossy/Kelis ft Too $hort

Get Into It/Cazwell ft Amanda Lepore

Sidewalk Talk/Jellybean ft Madonna

Heart of Glass/Blondie

Native New Yorker/Odyssey

Other great standouts from the album include "Get Into It" by Cazwell featuring his famous transsexual girlfriend Amanda Lepore, "Native New Yorker" by Odyssey, and "Smash N Grab" by Purple Foam.  This cd is the perfect music to listen to while getting ready for a hot night out.  Promise.

Richie Rich Presents: Celebutante is available on Amazon.com for $16.98.

There are very few specific products I can't live without - my ipod, Kathryn Kerrigan shoes, IGIGI dresses, and FACEAtelier Ultra Foundation.

My addiction to this foundation runs deep.  Firstly, whenever I use the product, I receive compliments on my skin which has not happened since I was a small child.  Between my ongoing battle with adult acne and my oily skin, I fet there was sincerely no hope for my skin.  That was, of course, until I got my Dashing Diva manicured fingers on this bottle.

Sure, the bottle is non-descript, and you probably haven't heard of the brand.  It doesn't have some flashy ad campaign with the latest up-and-coming supermodel wearing some seriously dangerous smokey eye.  Not saying anything against those other companies, but FACEAtelier doesn't need all that flash.  When a product is good, it sells itself.

Ultra Foundation utilizes silicone, the same ingrediently likely found in your primer, to make the foundation lay on top of your skin instead of settling into pores and wrinkles.  If it was good enough for Madonna's Confessions tour, it's certainly good enough for my evening of cocktails with the gals.

Five minutes with FACEAtelier founder Debbie Bondar and you're hooked on her infectious energy and passion.  She's determined to make good products better and truly serve the needs of the women she is marketing to.  With her common sense, business smarts and sharp wit, it's easy to understand how she managed to create a successful product without all the distracting flash.

FACEAtelier Ultra Foundation retails for $42.  I'm so convinced that every woman I know would love the foundation as much as I do if given the opportunity to try it that I'm offering 5 samples of Ultra Foundation right here on StyleITOnline.com.  Contest ends October 28 at 11:59pm, open to United States residents only.  Winners will be chosen at random and contacted via email for their shade preference and mailing address.

If you've tried FACEAtelier Ultra Foundation and love it as much as I do, I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.  If not, good luck!

Dear Readers,

As the owner of a fashion & beauty blog, I have daily interactions with various members of the industry.  From makeup artists, publicists, designers and company owners themselves have by and large been a delight work with.  It has been wonderful to see how what started as a hobby from a small town in Arkansas has blossomed to be known as Style IT.  Since I started Style IT over 2 years ago I have been honored to be a member of the rapidly growing online media marketplace.

As you may have noticed I am putting together an extensive Holiday Gift Guide starting November 1 running through December 31.  To find the most exciting new products on the market, I am reaching out to new companies and current relationships.  One such new company I was delighted to discover was Purse-Lights.  A novel idea, these clipable lights retail for $17.95 for 3.  I reached out to the company for a press sample, a standard practice for media, so the author has experience of using the product, evaluating it's quality, and the company receives honest coverage.

While speaking with a represenative of the company, I notified the company of my policy of requiring a sample for any product review that appears on the site.  The represenative responded by informing me that a sample would be sent only after I signed a form stating the product would be included in my Holiday Gift Guide and the review would be a positive one.  While I can understand the company is looking out for it's best interest and bottom line, I cannot help but to feel offended and shocked at the request.

True, in the past I have received items from goody bags and publicists that I was not thrilled with, and I felt a fair amount of guilt for not mentioning a product no matter how much I disliked it.  However I have always put the integrity of my writing and website above a company's return on their investment.  As the popular saying goes, you canont make everyone happy all of the time.  Not every product is for every person, and these simple facts are a business basic.

To put it simply, every review posted on Style IT is honest - pure and simple.  If I don't like it, I don't write about it.  Each feature comes straight from the heart and my belief in the product/brand.  It is never my intention to badmouth a product or ruin a company's good reputation, however I have no desire to be associated with such questionable business practices.

Whew - feels good to clear the air.  I look forward to bringing you a fantastic Holiday season filled with honest-to-goodness great products designed to make your holiday shopping easier.

Thank you for being a part of Style IT.

Warmest Wishes,

Sarah