by The Budget Babe's Beauty Expert
Earlier this week while prancing through my favorite place on earth (the mall), my eye was caught by a lovely pink sign in the Victoria's Secret window advertising their new line of Pink collection scents.

Normally brought to tears by their idea of fragrance, I decided to check them out in order to write a nice scathing article...but, oops! I was totally wrong. These new Pink collection scents from Victoria's Secret are surprisingly pleasant! Even my poor guinea pig boyfriend enjoyed them.

Pink perfumes are cute, they come in fun brightly colored clear bottles, and are pretty darn cheap. They are very Escada-ish, which makes them appealing as Escada scents have a way of being very crowd pleasing. Granted, they're actually called "body mists," but oh well! At 2/$20 I'm not complaining seeing as I paid $60 for my last bottle of Escada.

The three scents are "Sweet & Tart," "Fruity & Bright," and "Fresh and Clean." I loved them all, and they all make you feel very—what's the word—pink!

Have you been pleasantly surprised by an inexpensive, store-brand perfume? Share it here!

Try-on any pair of Nine West Jeans and receive a complimentary corduroy cap at select Macy's locations.

Nine West has jeans??

Oh, yes, they do now. The shoe giant continues to expand their repertoire of accessories, apparel and denim.

See for yourself at the brand spankin' new NineWest.com. Fancy!

Seven-star hotels and world-class shopping regale international tourists in Dubai—but at what cost? The Budget Babe's International Shopping Advisor Fifi LaMode digs deep. —TBB



by Fifi LaMode
Last week, I wrote about how green Austria is and encouraged The Budget Babe's readers to shop there. Occasionally The Budget Babe also brings up the fact that we are all on this planet together and we have to shop responsibly, avoiding sweatshop-made goods, endangered species, retail (oops, snuck that one in!). So this week we're tackling Dubai.

The United Arab Emirates have oil. Fact: The oil will run out. Also Fact: In order to prepare for their inevitable petroleum-less existence, these tiny bits of land are heavily investing in other profitable industries, chief among which is tourism. Dubai leads by leaps and bounds. In the middle of the ocean they've put up a resort that's a series of islands called "The World" which from the sky looks like, well, the world. They have a real-estate venture in the water that looks like a palm tree, with each frond having some luxury property or other. Sort of a gated community gone berserk.

Their Burj-al-Arab 20-star hotel is huge and opulent, as is everything in this desert oasis of sorts. They're building the tallest building in the world. One of their mega-malls has a ski run, just to give you an example. Dubai's strong point is trade. Everything in Dubai is bigger, new er, more excessive, more gaudy than anywhere else. Great place to buy gold and lots of other goodies from the East. Now it's also a place where you can get Chanel, Hermes, and all their big-ticket buddies.

If you've been a shrinking violet all summer long, now's your chance to get in on some fun-in-the-sun action—before it's too late!

The Victoria Secret Swim Sale and Clearance is going on now with savings of up to 70% off select styles.

Pick up a suit and head to the beach, or keep it handy for that mid-winter tropical vacation you'll be taking in the not-too-distant future. (Hey, it could happen!)

If you're looking for the perfect outfit for a special occasion, look no further than this flirty red frock. Add a slinky silver purse and strappy satin heels, and you'll be little red rockin' hood in no time flat.


[1] Red dress, Mangoshop.com $145.00 $69.99
[2] Silver Patchwork Python Satchel Inspired by Marc Jacobs, Baghaus.com $39.99
[3] Satin heels, Mangoshop.com $99.00 $48.99
Total: $158.97