LilSugar

Oprah's Favorite Things: Her Top Tech Picks Through the Years

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 25 May 2011 11:38:34 PDT

It's a sad day for Oprah fans all over the world: her very last episode airs this afternoon. While we've loved following her show (that never failed to provide insight, positivity, and inspiration), we have to admit - we're going to miss her "favorite things" episodes most of all.

For years, Oprah has surprised and delighted her fans to the point of tears with goodies she loves, including trips, cars, beauty products, and of course, tech. Check out how Oprah's tech tastes have evolved, and see which items I'd recommend today.

What Turns Grown Women Into Screaming Teenyboppers?

GiggleSugar — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:30:00 PDT

Have they just sent their youngest kids off to college? Or won the lottery? Or heard that they're the next contestant on The Price Is Right? Nope. These middle-aged teenyboppers are crazy happy cuz, well, they don't exactly know at this point. But Oprah is about to tell them. And whatever makes Oprah happy makes them happy.

A Few of Lil's Favorite Things: December

babysugar — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:04:26 PST

Tis' the season to be shopping. Sure you'll get some great gifts later this month, but these are must haves for right now.

The Grinch turned 50-years-old on Saturday, National Grinch Day! Make sure to get your special 50th edition of Dr. Seuss's How The Grinch Stole Christmas ($25) and cozy up with the family for story time. While the pages might get tattered and torn, the story remains relevant and entertaining year after year.
Flaunt your pregnancy curves in an Isabella Oliver outfit. She makes sleek and affordable designs for expectant mothers. So treat yourself to a fab new dress ($155 – $265) and feel divine at all of those holiday festivities.
Lots of families makes it a tradition to buy new pajamas for Christmas Eve. We don't encourage family dressing, but we do love the elfin striped organic cotton pajama ($28) from Hanna Andersson complete with the slipper socks ($18). Your lil munchkins will look delectable in the candy cane stripes.
We've seen the cute socks that Trumpette makes for lil ones, but now they have delved into making track shoes ($28) for baby, too. Your tot's sure to be the most fashion forward in her gang when she's rockin' the silver sneakers.
Who doesn't enjoy a snugly, warm blanket during winter? Baby deserves one, too. Made in Northern California, Robbie Adrian blankets are entirely organic and plush to the touch. The elegant blankets ($44-$116) are available in organic cotton fleece or velour with organic silk trimming in a variety of delicate hues.

How Sports Illustrated Cover Girl Kate Upton Stays Healthy and Fit

Michele Foley — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:48:16 PST

After being named the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition's "Rookie of the Year" in 2011, Kate Upton is this year's cover girl! The five-time equestrian champion has showed off her curves in campaigns for big names like Guess, Victoria's Secret, and Dooney & Burke. On being fit, Kate told The Daily, "It's really important to stay slim for the industry . . . but you still want to have a body." Here's the scoop on how Kate maintains her model curves.

Kate's fitness regimen: Like many of the industry's top models, Kate trains with former competitive swimmer Justin Gelband. Justin told Shape that he "incorporates multidirectional exercises" into Kate's training sessions. To keep things fresh, Justin changes up the types of workouts he and Kate do together (Pilates and kickboxing are favorites) and uses a variety of equipment like medicine balls and exercise bands.
Kate's diet: For Kate, it's all about living a healthy lifestyle. Kate has said in several interviews that it's important for her to watch what she eats, but she doesn't go on any sort of special diet to prepare for a shoot or runway show. Her splurge? The occasional treat of ice cream or french fries.

Photos courtesy of Sports Illustrated and The Daily

A Love Advice Columnist Has a Major Crush (on Her Home!)

Elka Karl — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:07:16 PST

Advice columnists are used to answering questions - though usually not about themselves. Today, love advice columnist Wendy Atterberry of Dear Wendy is revealing her crushes and love for all things home-related. Wendy lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband, Drew, their baby boy, Jackson, and their two cats, Simone and Miles (who make a cameo in the photos here). Keep reading to see what Wendy has to say about why she's majorly crushing on her home.

What she most loves about her home:

It's a tie for my favorite spot in my home between my bedroom (and specifically, my bed), and my "china cabinet" wall. My husband, Drew, and I painted all the walls in our place, inspired by the colors of the beach, so I love the shades of green in both spots. We have a king-size bed, which feels like a luxury, and I love Sunday mornings when all five of us - Drew, our new baby Jackson, our two cats, Miles and Simone, and I - all pile in the bed and read books, nap, and talk. Drew and I love to travel, so above our bed we framed postcards of all the places we've traveled together in the nearly six years we've known one another. The china cabinet in my other favorite spot of the apartment belonged to my great-great-grandparents and I just love it. It's filled with lots of glassware for entertaining, which is something we enjoy doing. Everything else in that spot is a second-hand buy, found at garage sales or thrift stores, with the exception of the gray wool blanket on the bench, which I found somewhere online.

What others love most about her home:

Probably our "bar," which is usually pretty well-stocked thanks to generous friends who bring bottles of stuff whenever we have get-togethers. People also comment that our place is "cozy," which could also be a euphemism for "small," but here in New York where most places are tiny, I like to think it's a genuine compliment.

What she'd love to add to her home:

Luckily, we already have most everything I'd want in a home - a walk-in closet, a big bathtub, a dishwasher, central air, and a washer and dryer. We even have a large balcony, which is pretty awesome in the warmer seasons. But if I could wave a magic wand and make this truly my dream home, I'd add one more bedroom (and maybe an elevator!); our second bedroom - now our baby's room - is awfully small and one day we'll outgrow this place, which will be sad. More realistically, I'd love to change the light fixture in the dining area, which is pretty ugly. We're renters, so it doesn't make sense to put any more money into the place, but if we owned, that would be the first - and maybe only thing - I'd change. Oh, and more original artwork. Oh, and a hammock! If only money were no object . . .

Need love advice? Head over to Dear Wendy for articles, advice, and much more!

Whitney Houston Funeral Plans

Allie Merriam — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:52:14 PST

Whitney Houston will be laid to rest in Newark - People
Does Gary Oldman have a shot at the Oscars? - Lainey Gossip
What's Oprah's latest controversy? - HuffPost Entertainment
See Ashanti's out-there look - TooFab
5 things you don't know about Kate Upton - Us Weekly
Are these your 12 favorite Grammy moments? - The Daily Beast
The best of Adele's 60 Minutes interview - BuzzFeed
Could Nicolas Cage top the box office? - Rotten Tomatoes
Katharine McPhee on life after American Idol - Wonderwall
Courteney Cox suggests new names for Cougar Town - Lifeline Live
Check out Taylor Swift's new video - Zap2It
A field guide to Grammy winner Bon Iver - The Frisky
Tax problems for Lindsay Lohan? - Celebitchy

Oprah's Favorite Things: Her Top Beauty Picks Over the Years

Jaime Richards — Wed, 25 May 2011 06:00:18 PDT

The "Oprah's Favorite Things" episodes featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show started back in 2002, when audience members were showered with goods and services. So popular the segments were, in fact, that the giftees were practically orgasmic when informed of the contents of their more-than-generous goodie bags.

Oprah's last show airs today, and since we've already taken a look back at some of her most memorable beauty moments, let's now take a gander at some of the beauty products she counted amongst her favorites over the years.

Getty

12 Things You Should Never Buy Full-Price

Business Insider — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:15:25 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Business Insider story here on Savvy!

With the Internet, helpful mobile phone apps, and retailers scrambling to keep consumers in their shops, there's no need to pay full-price for much of anything these days.

To give you a boost, we tapped a few savvy shoppers for their tips on all the ways you can save.

Theater tickets

"One of the greatest savings areas recently has been the theater ticket business," says Anna Aronovich, CEO of GovernmentAuctions.org.

Even if you're not going to be around NYC to score discount Broadway tickets this month, there are opportunities in nearly all cities to see shows on the cheap.

Some rewards programs like Optimum Rewards cost nothing to join and offer discounts on shows.

Beer

If you're looking to stock the fridge for your next poker night, don't hit the liquor store until you've checked out www.saveonbrew.com.

The company's been featured on a host of deals sites lately as one of the best ways to find discounts on brewski, says Jennifer Davidson, director of operations. (See some incredible uses for beer.)

Read on for more.

It's Not a Diet! Lose Weight With Lifestyle Changes Instead

Leta Shy — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:39:18 PST

Whenever you resolve to eat healthier or fewer calories, it can be easy to fall into the diet trap - thinking that you just have to power through for a few weeks eating only lettuce in order to meet your weight goals. But instead of dreading the idea of healthy eating, think of your new goals as a lifestyle change, not a diet, with these tips.

Get creative in the kitchen: When you've resigned yourself to eating the same healthy thing over and over again, you can get bored with your meals pretty easily. If you're apprehensive about trying a new healthy food or you just don't know where to start when it comes to making a healthy meal plan, check out our delicious healthy recipes index for endless ideas.

Don't use ultimatums: Crash dieting sets you up for failure; a better solution is to think of your new eating initiatives as something sustainable. That means that while you may have to cut back on your daily doughnut habit, you shouldn't deprive yourself of your favorite unhealthy foods forever. Have a cheat day or have treat or two, mindfully, so you'll be more apt to stick to your new eating plan.

More tips for staying away from the "diet" mentality after the break.

Kristen Stewart Talks Badass Fairy Tales, Bella Swan, and Her New Leading Man on Snow White Set Visit

Molly Goodson — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:01:00 PST

Last October, we were so excited to pay a visit to the set of Snow White and the Huntsman outside London. We got a sneak peek into the amazing world Kristen Stewart and her costars, including Chris Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Charlize Theron, and more, inhabited while shooting the action-packed fairy-tale movie. We have tons to come from our day poking around the remarkable set and learning about everything from the costumes to the fight scenes. While we were there, we even got to see the aftermath of Kristen accidentally actually punching Chris Hemsworth in the face filming a scene. Check out our chat with Kristen and stay tuned for lots from the set:

Is there something you admire about Snow White?

Yes. It’s strange playing a character that you actually could never truly embody. Her spirit affects people. . . I can’t have Snow White’s effect on people. I can’t actually be completely selfless because nobody is. You can only really play a character like that in a fairy tale and play it with an awful load of integrity. She’s very fully formed, but very farfetched-from-the-reality-that-we-live-in type of person. She also is strong in a very different way than you’d expect. Strength, yeah, but also gusto. I mean, she’s strong. She can kick ass. It hurts very much to do so and so it’s not like you’re watching her go take down a kingdom. You’re not watching going, "Yeah! Kill him!" Really it’s more like you’re watching someone having to do something that doesn’t just go against your sensibilities or that you agree with. It’s gutting. It’s physically gutting, literally. A million reasons, but she’s special.

Do you like that she’s not like your prissy fairy tale?

Yeah, because that’s just a very surface, though she is prissy sometimes. That’s the other thing. It takes her the whole movie basically to become who I’m talking about now. I’m really sort of talking in retrospect. It’s strange. It’s a total identity movie. It’s all about not finding yourself, but actually just being OK with who you always have been and not being ashamed of being the only one who sees the light. It’s an enormous burden and she’s so stunted. She was put away when she was 7 years old and your mother and your father were killed basically right in front of you. We’re not doing the version of a fairy tale that wouldn’t deal with all of those things, where you just sort of skim over all those things, and it's like all of these things are actually really important to the characters. She literally bleeds for her land and her people, and that’s just such a cool concept for me because it’s other people caring about people. It’s very simple, but it’s so common. Every day all the time you see people not caring about each other, and this is just about that.

She learns to be a leader or she’s born a leader inside, do you think?

She’s definitely a born leader. I mean, it’s literally pumping through those veins, but it’s been taken from her. She’s been so stolen from.

To read the rest of the interview, including her thoughts on Bella vs. Snow White and what it was like to punch Chris just

read more. Is it helping you get into the character's mindset to wear those cool costumes? Absolutely. If you look down and something doesn’t feel like you would definitely be wearing it, or if you go to grab your knife and it flops around or - basically [Colleen Atwood] thinks about every detail. It’s so wearable. I also have puffy sleeves. Somehow she manages to make puffy sleeves look butch. I was always expecting to personally wind up in a - basically what I’m wearing underneath it, like that little blue dress, which is just thin and wispy. I was really happy that she’s got something heavy on - a bit of armor before she actually finds her own armor. How did you feel the first time you put on the armor? Did you feel more badass? Yeah. That’s the first thing you want to [pound your chest]. Also, my armor doesn’t have a huge top on it. All the guys, unfortunately, they [raise their arms] and they hit themselves in the head. I can run around in mine. Somehow the armor on the men - unless they’re on horseback and they look amazing, but there’s also something kind of dainty about it, too, like pointy toes. It fits a woman’s body better, I feel. I don’t know, the guys running around suddenly look like little toys - slightly feminine little toys. Both Snow White and Bella had traumatizing experiences in the woods - being led out to die or have her heart broken - compare those two experiences? Well, it’s funny. I think [Snow White] genuinely lacks that innate fear of death that we all have. She’s got a serious, fierce survival - not skills, but insights. But she isn’t afraid of anything. What’s harder is to have dreams and hopes that you lived your whole life sort of be just shattered in front of you. So I think probably it’s totally impossible to compare the two. And I know that doesn’t make sense, but I kind of can’t compare. Can you compare the movies in general? Are there similarities at all? Bella and Snow White both come to find that they’re leaders. I mean, that’s definitely a similarity. They’re different. They’re very, very, very, different people. Also, I guess in a very sort of righteous way as well it’s all very like - everyone’s telling them “no” and both of them I guess see the light. Both of them are sort of a little more intuitive and spiritually, for whatever reason, connected and their gut is always sort of dead right. What about working with Chris surprised you? Did you have any preconceptions of him? Before I met him, I was like, "gosh, so charming." You know what I mean? Like he’s so ridiculously, seemingly nice. Movie-star caliber nice. But he really actually just is. But then again, it’s strange working - cause I mean it’s not a secret. It was completely different part before. It was totally like a rethought. So when he came in it was like "Wow! This is f*cking interesting!" I mean, it was like they really elevated it. Chris is an amazing, nice guy and also [has] great instincts and he can roll with everything on set. He’s really relaxed, whereas I’m always like, "oh my god!" I use my anxiety to do this and he’s always sort of like - he’s a good energy for me. I really like working with him. You actually punched Chris filming a scene and gave him a black eye? It’s actually a very confidence building experience. I don’t like punching anyone. So, you know, when you dream and your hand just slides right down their face, it doesn’t do that in real life. It really works. God, that really made me feel horrible, though. I mean, like instantly hot tears and I was like "oops!" We were watching it. It looks - it’ll be in the movie. Favorite fairy tale as a kid? I honestly don’t - somebody asked this the other day. I wasn’t here til the end of fairy tales. I really liked The Jungle Book. I was obsessed with The Jungle Book. Chris said Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. He is obsessed with Lord of the Rings and he was always like humming Enya as we were trudging up the mountain. I was saying basically, "You should make a remake of Lord of the Rings. Why are you doing this? . . . We’re doing Snow White and the Huntsman, Chris!" Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures