We all know that A list celebrities can afford the very best of the best. We also know that most of them are following strict diets to maintain their famous figures.

What if you have a sweet tooth and a fat bank account but you’re on a calorie budget?

It’s all about quality not quantity…

Featured in our very first Celebrity Icing article, Jessica Simpson might want to sweeten up with some of these tasty treats  now that her and Tony Romo’s relationship has gone sour. (See “Jessica Simpson Covered in Icing“, September 2008.) The couple got together in 2007 and there were rumors in 2008 of engagement ring shopping, which Jessica denied. Rumors of an impending wedding surfaced again as recently as January 2009 (USmagazine.com).

I never met a chocolate I didn’t like. (Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation)

The Best Chocolate in the World (and most expensive chocolate)

Amedei Porcelana

The Chuao bar from Amedei has received Chocopaedia’s highest rating so far (9.3 out of 10). It shares this rating with four other bars – you can see the entire list at Chocopaedia – they describe themselves as an “encyclopaedia of fine chocolate, with lists and information about fine chocolate makers and reviews of the chocolate bars they produce.”

Chuao, Baby!

wikipedia

“The often-quoted price of this chocolate is $90 a pound” (wikipedia). The cocoa beans used to make this chocolate are very rare so that only limited quantities of the chocolate can be made each  year, contributing to the high price.

While Amedei Porcelana has often been called the world’s most expensive chocolate, the truffle pictured  below is $250. For. Just. One.

La Madeline au Truffe, by Knipschildt Chocolatier

$250 at knipschildt.com

Knipschildt Chocolate

According to their website, Knipschildt Chocolatier was “voted as one of the top 3 chocolates in the world by Gourmet Magazine” (knipschildt.com). Not all of their chocolates are priced so high – you can get their Giant Chocolate Box for $25.00. Warning – it only contains 9 chocolates (the term ‘giant’ refers to the fact that each chocolate is slightly larger than the regular size).

“All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt!” (Lucy Van Pelt, Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz)

Not Rich and Famous, But Still Want a Taste the Sweet Life?

Pralus

In contrast, the ‘Le 100%’ bar from Pralus is ranked equally with the Amedei bar mentioned above – and you can buy a 3.5oz bar online for $7.75 .

worldwidechocolate.com

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Let’s face it, it’s hard to come up with good names for your kids. You might go out of your way to give your child a unique name only to have 5 other kids with the same name in his or her kindergarten class. A few years ago, no one would have said Isabella was common but now the playground is teeming with Bellas and Ellas. Isabella (or a version thereof) is the new Jennifer and Ava is the new Stephanie…

The trick is to come up with a name everyone involved is happy with, that isn’t too common -but that is also easy to pronounce and spell. My own pet peeve is ‘unique’ spellings of common names – the Jenyfurs, etc –  I’ve always thought it just makes it look like your parents can’t spell. Is your child really going to thank you after the thousandth time they’ve had to correct the spelling of their name? 

Celebrities seem to be be very challenged in this area – I guess their approach is different because they know that little “Rebel” or “Free” will never have to put their name on a resume or seek employment in the real world. A world where studies have shown that any name that is too hard to pronounce, or even just too ethnic – means less interviews… 

Well, here at Celebrity Icing we like to celebrate our favorites, so rather than making fun of all the goofy names selected for celebrity spawn we thought we’d spend some time featuring some of the names we like!

Beckett is the bee’s knees

Melissa Etheridge and Julie Cypher named their son Beckett and their daughter Bailey (presumably before Grey’s Anatomy went on the air…). The name Beckett means ‘Bee Cottage’ which is rather cute and inspires one to all sorts of nursery room decorating ideas. Beckett may have been named after the famous Irish writer or (and I hope it’s this one) Scott Bakula’s character from Quantum Leap. What child wouldn’t want to be named after the mysterious and adorable time traveler?

Coco is classy yet cute 

Courteney Cox Arquette  and David Arquette named their daughter Coco (rumor: after Courtney Cox). This name meets all of my criteria: if you see it in writing, you immediately know how to pronounce it – yet, at the same time, it’s very rare. According to thinkbabynames.com it is originally from Spain and is the short form of Soccoro (which means ‘lover of soccer’? no, just kidding…). It is cute, yet with a classy hint of Coco Chanel. My only fear would be that people might not take my daughter seriously – but that won’t be a problem if she turns out to be funny like her dad or a strong personality like her mom… 

Tallulah springs to mind

Bruce Willis and Demi More AND Simon LeBon and Yasmin Parvaneh both named a daughter Tallulah. This name means “leaping waters” in the Choctaw language (behindthename.com) or “jumping water” (babynamewizard.com). There is a waterfall named Tallulah in Georgia, where famous Tallulah Bankhead came from. It’s a beautiful sounding name and very rare. According to the namevoyager at babynamewizard.com – it’s never been in the top 1,000 names in any decade on record. (In contrast, Gertrude was ranked #24 in the 1890′s and Isabella was #2 in 2007.)  Tallulah Bankhead was actually notorious for her promiscuous behavior, boozing, drugging, and is actually thought to be the inspiration for 101 Dalmation’s Cruella Deville so I’m going with the idea that these children were named after the waterfall! Then again, so many parents named their daughters “Paris” in 2004, that it is ranked #156 in popularity – so nothing can surprise me anymore… yuck… 

ngeorgia.com

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This week Celebrity Icing is starting a new series of posts about how your astrological sign can influence your accessories. And, in true Celebrity Icing style, we have celebrities to back up our story! First up, Aries -

Aries Star Style: Shannon Doherty

You may not like every Aries you meet, but you will certainly not forget them. Aries let those horns on their heads lead them to all sorts of trouble. They can be impulsive but they can also be great leaders, too – it just depends if they use their powers for good, instead of evil.

DARING DROP EARRINGS MAKE AN ARIES IMPRESSION

Aries love to travel. They send out a vibe that they are ‘going places’ and their natural energy can light up a room. Aries may not be attention seekers but they definitely draw attention to themselves. If everyone in the room is going to be looking at you (and talking about you afterwards) you might as well look good, right? Bold accessories complement the Aries character. Chunky necklaces and rings, big earrings, and bright colors are all perfect for you if you are an Aries…

-

BOLD HOOPS ARE THE PERFECT ARIES ACCESSORY

Later this month, we will feature some famous Taurus fashion. If you have any suggestions for who you would like to see, please submit the names in the comments below!

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Celebrity Ring Bling

If you admire a celebrity’s style- why not get inspired by her engagement ring?

Here is a great slideshow of celebrities with their engagement rings.

(The youtube subscriber disabled embedding so just click this link: SLIDESHOW )

Nicollette Sheridan

Nicollette’s ring is estimated at $200,000 but you can get something very similar for much less. You might even be able to get her ring now that her engagement to Michael Bolton has been broken.

Katharine Mcphee

Katharine married actor Nick Cokas in Beverly Hills.

Katharine may have been a runner up on American Idol, but her engagement ring is a real prize! Katharine’s ring is valued at $100,000. The centre is a pale pink stone, here is a similar ring with a diamond in the centre. 

Scarlett Johannson

Scarlett recently got married to Ryan Reynolds in a small ceremony held near Vancouver, British Columbia. They announced their engagement in May 2008. Her ring is estimated at $30,000. It looks very similar to the one below, which you can buy for under $500.

Or Do Your Own Thing

Or your ring can express your own unique style. Here are some of my favorites:

So Sweet

Are You Red-dy?

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Well, it’s November and my city is officially drizzly, wet, and cloudy. This is my only excuse for why I got sucked into watching one of the shopping TV channels more than once this week.

I’ve never ordered anything and I’m not usually interested in the products – what I am drawn to is the back story behind the celebrities flogging their wares. I like to watch them closely as they chat with the shopping host. I like to listen to the little anecdotes they throw in about their personal lives.

Luckily I write for this blog so I can tell my husband I’m doing research for an article when he catches me. And, luckily he would only read this blog if it was about software, gadgets or design-related stuff so he’ll never find out about my guilty pleasure.

Most recently I’ve seen Joan Rivers, Suzanne Somers, and an intriguing chicken roaster (not all at the same time, of course).

This led me to wonder about what other celebrity-branded jewelry is out there. Here is what I’ve found so far and what I think:

Suzanne Somers

Suzanne Somers’ most famous product has got to be the thighmaster (which she still sells, by the way). However she has branded so many different things that her website is almost as well-stocked as your local Walmart. She sells fitness equipment, supplements, books, skin care, a teeth whitening system… she even has her own line of pasta! Imagine if she had hooked up with Gene Simmons: what a merchandising match made in heaven – they might have taken over the entire world.

Here is an example of her jewelry.

Rhodium Cross Pendant

To be fair, she does offer some jewelry that is less offensive, but this one just jumped out at me.

Rhodium is also used to build catalytic converters – too bad this bit of Rhodium escaped from the car manufacturer.

Rhodium Cross Pendant

If you bought this cross after seeing it on a shopping show, don’t fret, I completely understand. While I was watching her, she addressed the camera spoke to us directly. She instructed us to order now and then stared intensely into our eyes. I watched, hypnotized, as the number of sales rolled up and the bauble she was selling sold out right in front of my eyes. Only then did I let the breath that I was holding out, smug that I had escaped purchasing earrings and a matching gold necklace for almost two hundred dollars.

Joan Rivers

When I saw Joan Rivers on the shopping channel it kind of looked like the host was afraid of her, and probably with good reason. Joan Rivers would just speak right over the host on topics not entirely related to the products on hand. She seemed a bit impatient, like she was late for another appointment – and, possibly, a bit out of it. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was going on and this mystery kept my attention for a very long time.

Photo Watch

This is a watch offered in the Joan Rivers collection.

Photo Watch

Because every crazy cat lady wants to bring photos of all of her ‘children’ with her when she is taken away to the hospital.

It also helps recluses keep track of when their favorite programs are coming on TV.

Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Williams is considered a super producer in the music industry. He is also the lead singer and drummer of N.E.R.D.

Charming N.E.R.D.

Last January, Pharrell came out with a jewelry line. I thought his stuff was pretty nice until I found out that they were selling for up to $621,000. Now I’m just wondering which of my single friends I should set him up with!

Charming Prince Pharrell

Nicole Richie

Nicole Richie named her jewelry line House of Harlow, after her daughter and there are some interesting pieces in her line.

This is not one of them.

Leather Cuff

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

If Suzanne Somers and Gene Simmons had married their merchandising and licensing empires, they could have spawned commercial mastermind super twins like these two.

Robert Lee Morris for Elizabeth and James

The twins teamed up with one of their favorite jewelers to create a line of jewelry for their brand Elizabeth and James.

Just in case you didn’t watch them grow up on TV, here is further proof that Mary-Kate and Ashley are just not regular, ordinary people.

Elizabeth James

If they had grown up like plain old you and me, they would know that you can buy jewelry exactly like this from most street vendors, carnies, and flea market vendors in pretty much every city in North America.

I’m not saying I don’t like it, just that I’m not willing to spend more than twenty bucks on it.

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Don’t Be Afraid To Accessorize On Halloween

Get your inspiration from these celebrities!

I’m not sure if Ice-T (below) is supposed to be a 70′s pirate, a boxer, a pimp, or just Hugh Hefner but whatever he is, his skull and cross bones necklace is pretty cool!

Ice T

Heidi Klum

Make Your Special Event Even More Memorable

Make your Halloween a night she’ll always remember by giving her a gift that alludes to her costume. Was your first date on Halloween? Or maybe you met at a Halloween party?

Let’s face facts boys, the reality is she has probably put a lot of thought into her Halloween costume while you are probably going to throw something together at the last minute. Why not show her you appreciate the effort and thank her for making you the guy with the hottest girl at the Halloween party? 

Here are some ideas, if you know what her costume is going to be this Halloween so you can surprise her with a gift. 

Gift Ideas

Is she going as a Queen Bee?                    

 

Bee-utiful

 A princess?

1955 Disney Castle Charm on Ebay

Little Bo Peep?

Or, maybe it’s your little girl’s first Halloween party?

   

Little Lady

And just so the guys don’t feel left out…

Kyle Mclaughlin

This gift suits his costume to a ‘tee’. 

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If you are engaged or married – do you wear your ring all the time?

I was surprised to find out that men have only started wearing wedding bands recently. In the old days, only women wore wedding rings. My perspective is that if you don’t want to wear your wedding band all the time then you don’t want to be married all the time either.

Last year a fan stole Tim McGraw’s wedding ring right off his finger during a concert but then later returned it. If I was Faith Hill I would understand if he wanted to take it off before work, but other than that I can’t really think of a good excuse a husband could give for not wearing his wedding ring.

Fingers Tattoos as seen on outaroad.com

Celebrities often don’t wear their rings in public because they are trying to keep their marriages private. Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z were apparently married on April 4,2008 but still have not publicly denied or confirmed their marriage to this day, as far as I can see. In this month’s issue of Vibe Magazine, Jay-Z says that it’s a part of his life that he wants to keep to himself. Married or not, the couple do have matching finger tattoos which might just be their answer to a  wedding band that you can never take off!

Sometimes, keeping marriages secret can have unromantic side effects. Ellen Pompeo (Grey’s Anatomy) and Chris Ivery wanted to keep their marriage out of the news so Ellen sent her manager to Cartier to buy rings for them. Unfortunately they didn’t fit and they both took them off right after the ceremony.

When do you take your ring off? Does your spouse wear his or her ring all the time?

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Celebrity Icing will focus on the jewelry of the stars…and beyond. Come to Celebrity Icing for an up to date style watch on the stars.

Sometimes the trends are hot…

…sometimes they’re not.

Sometimes they are in good taste…

…and sometimes they are just too sweet.

Whatever they are, you can count on my honest opinion about it because when it comes to my two favorite topics, celebrities and jewelry – my blog Celebrity Icing really takes the cake!

Feel free to send me some sugar in the comments. On the other hand, if any of my views leave a sour taste in your mouth go ahead and leave something more frosty – just keep it clean!

Disclaimer: Content on this site is sometimes provided by paid writers. In some cases writers are paid  by the company for a review or mention of the company or the company’s product.

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