Katie is giving away three jewelry pieces (of under $100 each) to three random people who select their favorite item and write a comment about it under her video. The contest closes Feb 15th. Download this free jewelry app on your iPhone or iPad to view the selection. If you don't have an iPhone or iPad you can still select one of the items from the stores listed on the sidebar of the related jewelry site. See the video below and give it a shot, the odds of winning are quite good compared to most contests.

Here's a fun video parody of the stuff we see daily in beauty magazines and beauty product commercials. Filmmaker Jesse Rosten created this video after watching yet another infomercial for some beauty product. "The commercial showed before-and-after portraits, that to my eye, looked like the same photo just Photoshopped. I laughed to myself. Then I made this video."

"Rosten skewers the breathless tone, too-perfect imagery and dense double-speak of beauty-oriented spots and magazine spreads."

Here's an easy recipe for a fancy but healthy cocktail snack. Spicy almonds. It makes a great, inexpensive gift as well.

Check out this fab tutorial on achieving a glamorous holiday look with cheap drugstore makeup. It's inspired by the Dior Holiday Makeup line for 2011.

If you're one of the many people joining us in New Year's fitness and weight loss resolutions you might really enjoy this iPhone/iPad app that shows your weight loss progress in a visual, virtual way. The pics are based on your height and weight. You can see pics of your heaviest weight, your current weight and your ideal, goal weight. It's lots of fun for less than the price of a chocolate bar (99cents) and newly updated versions were released today. Check out the male version and the female version of the apps (links to Apples' iTunes store).

Ann Bocchi started a blog a few months ago to write about her passion - jewelry. Check out her wonderful jewelry blog here. She's agreed to do a short interview with us.

Hi Ann, thanks much for this talk with us. Our readers should know you are in the process of obtaining a graduate gemologist certification. Can you tell us about this schooling? Is this like a graduate degree at university? What kind of training is required to become a certified gemologist?

Right now I am actually in the process of obtaining a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from The University of Nevada, Reno. After my graduation in December I plan to apply to the gemologist program sometime in either January or February. I will obtain my degree from The Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The gemologist program is very exciting! Those wishing to pursue a career in jewelry will learn the grading and identification skills to become a buyer, appraiser, retailer, and senior professional across the entire gem and jewelry world. Through a series of gem labs and classes, one will be able to speak the language of jewelry throughout the industry! What is great about this program is that it can be done online or at a physical GIA location. The training required to become a gemologist is achieved through their laboratory classes—learning how to use the equipment including the microscope, spectroscope, learning how to identify different gemstones, learning how to detect synthetics, and learning the latest stone treatments. The gemologist certification program lasts around 6 months. I cannot wait to start!

Once you become a certified gemologist what would your typical workday look like?

Once I am certified I hope to find a job at an upscale jewelry gallery. I would love to eventually work my way to Tiffany & Co., or to a jewelry store at the luxury level. My typical workday would involve a lot of sparkle and bling! I hope I will be able to physically work with gemstones and diamonds, and also work with and educate customers about different gems and their meanings. I would love to assist customers with their jewelry questions, and also help them purchase a piece that best fits their style and personality. I have also brainstormed about going into the jewelry design process as well. Basically, I will be swarmed by jewelry 24/7!

How did you first become interested in jewelry? How did this passion evolve into the decision to pursue a career in the jewelry industry?

I honestly think my love for all things shiny began when I was born! Ever since I can remember I was just captivated and mesmerized by anything that sparkled. When I was about 6 years old I even named my pet rabbit “Diamond”. I remember when I was a little girl (probably about 7) my dad would buy me jewelry from QVC. I still have the rings he bought me in my jewelry box. From then on my passion has grown into an obsession. I would definitely say in the past couple years I figured out that my passion had to become my career—I knew that jewelry was the only thing that would make me happy. As a result I have surrounded myself with basically anything and everything jewelry, also known as Heaven!

Can you give us some broad overview of the big trends you are seeing in the jewelry industry over the past few years?

I would say that large/bold statement necklaces, rings, earrings and bracelets have definitely made their way into the jewelry world. A lot of celebrities wear statement jewelry to big events. I am also seeing a lot of layering in the jewelry industry. Layering necklaces, rings and bracelets are a cute way to add some bling to your wardrobe. Rose gold is also making a comeback— as is gold in general. Customizable jewelry is a huge craze right now; a lot of jewelry companies are promoting jewelry that is specific to their customer’s wants and needs. One of the biggest jewelry trends (and my favorite) is bold/daring colors. I love wearing a simple outfit with daring jewelry.

How do you think the Internet is changing the jewelry industry?

I think it has completely changed the jewelry industry. Now instead of having to go to a physical jewelry store, customers can sit in the comfort of their own homes and order to their heart’s desire. And not only that, so much education regarding diamonds and gemstones is on the internet. I would say I have gained a lot of my diamond and gemstone knowledge simply from surfing the web. I would say that smartphones are absolutely changing the jewelry industry with so many jewelry and gemstone apps. Now customers are able to compare prices, investigate different brands, and find what jewelry best fits their style and price range.

Is bold statement jewelry here to stay or will we see a return to the fine dainty stuff anytime soon?

In today’s society bigger is better. I think bold jewelry will be here to stay for awhile, but I also think that there is a time and place where dainty jewelry is more appropriate. I love both styles. I have many bold pieces of jewelry in my collection, and I also have delicate pieces. In some cases, I think dainty jewelry makes more of a statement than bold jewelry! Especially with the recent auctioning of Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry collection, I think American can’t get enough of daring, one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces.

Thanks so much for this interview. Wishing you an absolutely dazzling career in jewelry!

Please check out Ann's site here .

Check out this video previewing the iPad/iPhone jewelry shopping app. It's easy to buy the best jewelry gifts this Xmas directly from the comfort of your couch.

Download the free app on your iPhone or iPad here.

Check out this beautiful makeup tutorial where a younger Selena Gomez look-alike ends up looking just like Selena Gomez. Via Katie Stiles at Before & After TV.

My son (who will turn eight in January) has been our test user for the new Toy Shopping App we just launched. He really seemed to enjoy browsing the different toy categories but it took him no time at all to come up with his favorite toys. His letter to Santa now includes three toys. (He wanted to pick more but I told him Santa does not look kindly on kids who ask for too much.)

LEGO Walkie Talkies (which apparently work for up to a mile distance and have great customer reviews). He's really excited about running around the block with his friends and doing the walkie-talkie spy thing. (at Target, $19.99)

He also really wanted the Lego Star Wars Ewok Attack (at Target, $24.99)

And he is a huge Beyblade fan right now. So he picked the Beyblade Spin Control Ray Striker Set.(at Target, $29.99)

If I had let him choose a toy that cost more than $100 he would have ultimately wanted the Lego Republic Frigada which costs about $120.

Based on a sample of one (but also knowing what toys his friends are crazy about) it looks like Lego will be selling a lot of products to 7-8 year old boys again this year.

Target is currently offering free shipping for total purchases over $50 so it's an easy, painless way to get your xmas shopping underway.

Sears also has a huge toy selection and they are offering a (online shopping only) coupon savings of $5.00 for any purchase over $50 through to the end of the year. You'd need to use the coupon code SEARS2011. Kmart has the same deal.

YoYo.com is the giant new toy company owned by Amazon.com. They have a huge selection of toys and you will find many more eco, green and educational toys here than at typical department stores. They are offering a great deal of 10% off to any first time customers (up to a total of $20). Use coupon code YOYO10 to get this deal. They are also one company that does ship to countries outside the United States.

If you are thinking of buying any funky bling or fine jewelry for this holiday season, check out our newest app in the Apple store.

Whether you seek the most dazzling engagement ring or simply a bold and inexpensive necklace - you will find it here!

This app provides you with an easy gateway to the best online jewelers. You can choose from tens of thousands of jewelry items. Featured retailers include Allurez Jewelers, Buy.com, BodyCandy, Charm & Chain, Gemvara, Jomashop.com, My Jewelry Box, Sears, Target and Ziamond.

Expect fantastic savings and free shipping on most products!

The app is lots of fun to browse and it's free. Download at the Apple iTunes store and start shopping now!

Wow, check out this beautiful mom makeover, before and after video. Tababatha is a grandmother in her sixties and she is also a mom of six(!) kids. In this video she gets a wonderful uplift with a new hairstyle and makeup.

The popularity of leather bracelets has surged in the past three years. They'd make a great gift idea and you can find many different styles for under $20 online. The four bracelets above are all under $20 and available at Target.

Check out this easy makeup tutorial for how to create a fab dracula vampire look for Halloween. Via Before & After TV.

Gemvara is an online jewelry retailer that lets you customize your own jewelry pieces. They have been creating some excellent YouTube videos of their products. The one shown here features their "Capture My Heart Pendant". Retail value is $257, sale price is $134. See more examples of the pendant here.

See their Top 10 Gift Ideas.

Check out this easy to follow tutorial on how to put feather extensions in your hair. This look is super trendy right now.

The hottest nail colors this summer are metallic turquiose, pastel purples, pinks and corals. Also hot this summer are metallic gun metal/silver colors. Check out the video below for details;

Check out this video on how to easily make homemade bubbles using water, glyceryn and dish soap. Katie and Jackson show us how. Congrats to Katie on her new HD camera. This footage is amazingly high quality.

Check out this nifty makeup tutorial featuring an Adele-inspired makeup look as shown on the cover of her "Rolling in the Deep" Album.

Researchers have found that liposuction on the thighs will result in slimmer thighs, but the lost fat will return to other parts of the body within a year. Mostly in the upper abdomen, shoulders and triceps.

Check out an interesting article about this in the New York Times. (See also their funny before and after images.) They note that liposuction has been a popular procedure for more than thirty years but there has never been a study measuring if the fat comes back until now. Over 450,000 people a year choose liposuction at a typical cost of a few thousand dollars.

If instead, the fat came back on the breasts, that might not be so bad. But these study results would make us think twice about opting for this procedure to reduce saddlebags.

Check out this great video tutorial on how to make easy playdough at home. It's hours of fun for the kids, completely non-toxic and colorful (with Koolaid colors).