RETAIL ROUNDUP

There are weeks when the retail stars seem to be aligned absolutely

perfectly, when the gods of commerce smile down upon us and make us feel

warm and cozy in the certainty of their mercantile beneficence.

This was one such week.

First, we got a bunch of bookmarks from makeup goddess Bobbi Brown,

who is promoting her new book, “Teenage Beauty.” The book promises to

teach young folks “everything you need to look pretty, natural, sexy and

awesome.”

The bookmarks, as one might expect, are tres chic. There are 30 of

them, each containing a tidbit of beauty wisdom from Brown’s book. We’ve

learned so much just from reading the bookmarks that we’re not even sure

we need to buy the book itself.

Anyway, the divine Bobbi Brown will be at Nordstrom South Coast Plaza

from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 26. Be there.

CELTIC HERBS ... OH MY!

We got a fax from Organics of Oz, which will be introducing something

called Celtica Herbal Elixir at Mother’s Market in Costa Mesa on

Saturday.

What is a Celtica Herbal Elixir? It’s something made from honey,

heather, rowanberry, elderberry, thistle, apple, Irish moss and a bunch

of other stuff.

What do you do with it? We thought it was probably a moisturizer or a

conditioner, considering all the weird ingredients. But it turns out it’s

just a drink. It’s supposed to be a nonalcoholic substitute for cognac,

brandy or an after-dinner liqueur.

Sounds great to us. We’re so happy and confident since we got the

package from Bobbi Brown that we’ve given up alcohol altogether.

More or less.

HEY, THANKS!

And have we mentioned that Mimi’s Cafe is having a “What I have to be

thankful for” essay contest? Kids are supposed to write one-page essays

explaining what they’re grateful for and submit them to the Costa Mesa

restaurant by Nov. 22. The winner gets $1,000.

We at Retail Roundup are grateful when a good press kit lands on our

desk. We are grateful for malls and air conditioning, window shopping and

fashion magazines. We’re grateful for that which is light and frivolous,

trivial and entertaining. We’re grateful for 30 bookmarks, though we have

no time for books.

Now write us the check.