AliShopsBlog.com - The Twin Cities Shopping Blog

My recent Pioneer Press column about the sorry state of Southdale Center prompted Juut Salon/Spas CEO David Wagner to tell me that his company is in final negotiations to take over the vacant Louis XIII space at Southdale, with plans to open in August. Good move for Juut. It's a high profile space that will lend itself to a dynamic setting, and the mall could use a spa since Estee Lauder pulled out. No question this development will lead to many splendid afternoons: mani/pedi and lunch at P.F. Chang's. Now if only Southdale could figure out how to drive traffic into the mall.

The quest for the best beauty products never ends. Following today's interview on The Shopping Show on FM107, listeners are dying to know what is in the cosmetics bag of Hollywood makeup artist Mary Flaa. So here's her list of favorite products. (Read more about her experiences making up celebrities in Sunday's Pioneer Press)

Moisturizer: Olay Definity Correcting Protective Lotion with spf 15
Concealer: Laura Mercier Secret Concealer
Foundation/Powder: Bare Minerals
Cheek color: Sue Devitt Silky Blush in Vanuatu
Brow: Anastasia brow kit at Sephora
Mascara: Cover Girl VolumeExact in black
Lip sheen: Sephora lip gloss in a tube
Eyeshadow: Vincent Longo eyeshadow trio in Harem
Eyeliner: Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner in Sepia Ink (blended with powder shadow to soften)
Highlighter: Nars The Multiple highlighting stick in St. Barts (for cheek bones, under brows, bridge of nose and inner corner of eyes)
Lip color: Lorac lipstick under Sephora gloss

One of the questions I get asked most frequently is where to shop for clothes that are up to date, yet suitable for women over 40 (or 50 or 60 or 70). The first thing I tell these women is to stop limiting themselves. My mom just bought an adorable, age-appropriate sweater in the junior's department at Macy's and she's a regular at Anthropologie. But that won't work for everyone. And "mature" chains like Coldwater Creek and Chico's aren't exactly original suggestions. So I told the woman who cornered me today to try Sorrayah Studios, which does a good job of appealing to a range of ages and sizes with tasteful clothes. I should also have mentioned H.o.b.o. and Epitome. Another current, but casual shop geared toward grown ups in Hudson, Wis. is Elan and of course out in Excelsior, there is Water Street Clothing Co and in Wayzata, it's Side Door. National retailers are also getting smarter about offering fashion to women over 40. Case in point: Acorn at 50th and France and Mall of America. So there you go. I don't want to hear another complaint about every store selling skinny jeans and skimpy tops.

I love the look of layered necklaces, but I don't have the money or time to stock up on complementary ( not too matchy-matchy) strand upon strand. So it's great to have a relative who designs jewelry. My sister-in-law Tonia Kim of the Toki Collection is doing these cool multi-layer chains in various shades of gold. I only recently started wearing gold again (yes, I realize I'm a bit late to the game) so this is a nice, not overly glitzy way to ease in. I like the piece because it's more fashionable than a single chain, yet subtle enough to wear with just about anything -- day or night.

You don't have to be related to Tonia to get one. The Toki Collection is available at the Walker Art Center Shop, where a new shipment just arrived. Tonia says the spring collection emphasizes delicate details and 10k gold shaped into twig like forms, tentacles, and tiny seed like shapes juxtaposed against structural forms. Her multi-layer necklaces sell for $162 to $182

I'm on my way to New York Fashion Week to cover the fall '07 shows (and perhaps as importantly, the celeb sightings and behind-the-scenes gossip) for the Pioneer Press. Follow along on my Savvy Shopper Goes to Fashion Week blog.

And don't feel left behind, I've got plenty of Twin Cities shopping news to bring to you in the next week as well!