You’ve taken a look around and, sigh, you’re having a rough time figuring out how to get a really kickass gift but not break your holiday budget. Never fear! We can help.

Every week, we’ll put together a collection of great Lippy gifts that will not only make your Lippy Addict squee with joyful fashion-freak excitement, but won’t break the bank, either. This week, we focus on mixing and matching, with 10 gifts that add up the savings … all for 100 bucks or less.

We’ll be next week with a guide to affordable gifts by style. Until then, happy shopping!

Under 50

#1 Cat’s Meow $31 – 33

Babydoll Set
$25.00

or

Mini Slip Dress
$23.00

+

Ruffled Wrist Gloves
$8.00

#2 Pin Me Up $37

Fingerless Gloves With Bows
$15.00

+

Garter With Lace And Bow
$22.00

#3 Men’s Jeans + Service Collection $39 – 48

Junkie-overdyed Denim
$25.00

+

Service Logo S/s Screen Tee
$14.00

or

Service Logo L/s Screen Tee
$21.00

or

Honor S/s Work Shirt
$23.00

#4 Vinyl Classics $43

Neck Corset With Zip Front
$21.00

+

Unisex Gauntlets
$22.00

#5 Cat’s Meow $46

Bra And Bikini Brief Set
$20.00

+

Garter Skirt With Thong
$15.00

+

Ruffled Wrist Gloves
$8.00

Under 100

#6 Vinyl Classics $78 – 100

Take #4 ($43) and add

Itty Bitty Micro Mini
$35.00

or

5-pocket Hipster Peg Leg
$57.00

#7 Men’s Jeans + Steampunk Tee $88

Mens Suspender Tee
$37.00

+

Mens Rocker-dark Blue Vintage Wash
$51.00

#8 Black Fetish/Clubwear $90 – 93

Coated Spandex Leggings
$24.00

+

Waist Cincher
$36.00

+

Cami Top
$33.00

or

Long Sleever
$30.00

#9 Casual Pin-up Style $97

Sweater With Faux Fur Collar
$52.00

+

Black junkie fit jeans
$45.00

#10 Men’s Vinyl Fetsh/Clubwear $100

Mens Vinyl O-ring Pants
$78.00

+

Unisex Gauntlets
$22.00

Photo by: Inkeri, winner of the Halloween photo contest

Congratulations to Inkeri, the winner of our Halloween costume photo contest and a $150 Lip Service gift certificate!

Her subject (and boyfriend) is styled as the Mad Hatter, with clever and stylish use of the dapper pieces of early 2011 Step In Time. We not only love the creative use of Lippy styles, but the wonderful details and extra touches that realy make the costume great.

Anjuli: Your Twitter fan favorite

Our three finalists for Twitter fan favorite were Anjuli, Caden, and Moonhoar. We posted their photos Friday and you voted all weekend. Congratulations Anjuli, your fan favorite and winner of a $50 Lippy gift certificate.

Of course, we got a lot of great photos from everyone who entered, so would hate for you to not be able to enjoy them as much as we did.

So, first we’ve got a gallery of all the photos submitted by our winner and three finalists. Then, we have a gallery of all our favorites from everyone.

Enjoy!

Winner & Finalists:

Inkeri, Anjuli, Caden, and Moonhoar

[Show as slideshow]

Some more of our favorites. Thanks to everyone who sent in their photos!

[Show as slideshow]

It’s easier than you think. You just have to rock your Lippy for Halloween.

We’re having a new Lip Service photo contest! Just use a Lippy style from the 2011 collection as the featured piece of your costume, take a badass photo (or three), and send it to us with a little info. That’s it!

We’ll select two finalists and a winner. The winner will receive a Lip Service Gift Certificate for $150, as well as have their photo used in a Lip service promotional ad campaign. Finalists will be posted here in the webzine, as well as in an album on our Facebook page (and maybe more … ).

Finalist photos will be posted by @LipServiceCult on Twitter November 4th, each with a distinct hashtag. The hashtag with the most unique retweets will be named the Fan Favorite and receive a $50 Lip Service Gift Certificate.

Here are the details:

• Costume must prominently include a 2011 Lip Service style to be eligible.  Details re: eligible groups/styles are below.
• Photos must be at least 500 pixels or no more than 1500 pixels on the largest side (No high resolution images, please!)
• Only one entry per person please. Up to three photos may be submitted per entry. Each photo may only be submitted once, so no duplicate entries, please.
• Entries must be sent to webzine@lip-service.com between October 26, 2011 and November 2, 2011 to be eligible.
• All entries must include the following:

1. Entrant’s name
2. entrant’s email address
3. entrant’s location (city + state/country)
4. 2011 style featured
5. one to three photos (which adhere to size requirements listed above)

• Two Finalists plus a Winner (chosen by Lip Service) will receive
• Winner will receive a $150 Lip Service Gift Certificate to be used for purchases on lip-service.com
• Finalists’ photos will be posted on Twitter by Lip Service, with a distinct hashtag given to each photo/finalist. The finalist whose hashtag is retweeted the most during the Fan Favorite voting period (starting Nov 4, 2011) will be named Fan Favorite and receive a $50 Lip Service Gift Certificate. Please note: the winner selected by Lip Service is not eligible to receive the Fan Favorite prize.
• Finalists and winner will selected based on costume originality and execution as well as photo quality and execution.

Happy Halloween, Fashion Freaks! We can’t wait to see you rocking your Lippy costumes!

Eligible Lippy Groups and Styles:

All groups included in the 2011 Spring, Summer, and Fall collections are eligible. Classic Lip Service groups (such as Step In Time, Patent Vinyl or Looks That Kill) will include only styles offered in the seasons listed. Should you have any questions regarding eligibility of a particular group or style, please email the webzine.

click to view full size

Lippy is having a big 4th of July Sale? Free credits to buy more Lippy gear just by shopping this weekend and entering a code?

That’s right!

Celebrating our Independence by getting MORE hot Lip Service gear in your next order  … ON US!

For every $50 of Lippy you order this weekend, we’ll send you $10 of credit toward your next Lip Service webstore purchase. That’s it. It’s that simple!

Just enter the code:
INDEPENDENCE2011

• Orders must be completed at lip-service.com between Friday July 2  at 5:00 PM and Monday July 4 at 11:59 PM (all times are Pacific)
• Promo code INDEPENDENCE2011 must be entered into the discount/promo code box at time of order for credits to be issued
• Please make sure the email address you use on your order is current, valid, and lip-service.com and theoriginalcult.com are whitelisted to better ensure you receive your credits.
•  Credits will be issued based on subtotals excluding tax and shipping.

•  Offer expires 7/4/2011

Just shop in the Lip Service webstore Saturday and Sunday and use the promo/discount code at checkout to save 10% on your order. When you get to the checkout screen, you’ll see a box marked “Promo Code”. Just type in the phrase:
WAREHOUSEWEEKEND11

That’s it! You just saved 10%! Pretty fucking cool, huh?

Here’s the fine-print:
Discount code is only effective between 12:01AM Satuday, April 9 and 11:59 Sunday, April 10 (Pacific). Code must be entered into the checkout screen at the time of order and cannot be applied retroactively.

The discount Promo code can be combined with a Lip Service gift certificate or webstore credit. Just enter the credit code into the appropriate box and add the discount code into the Promo Code box to purchase your discount order with credit.

NOW GO SHOPPING!
Happy saving!

So this, my fine Fashion Freaks, is exactly what we’ve done.

Age (Adrian) Velez has a wonderful knack for creating beautiful, whimsical pin-ups. He not only has his own book of his original art out, he’s also had his work emblazoned on everything from tattoos to billboards and even slot machines. His deft skill with the female form as well as his finesse with the pin-up style is wonderful to see, especially in a time when even photographers seem to be losing touch with the delicately brazen appeal of the form. Where others may attempt to bend and twist the form into something far less refined, his work shines with the original (and much more visually appealing) qualities of managing to mesh coy innocence with bold sexiness and just a touch of madcap glee here and there.

Here is just a small taste of his work. If you would like to see more, which I assume you probably will, there are more treats awaiting you on his DeviantArt page. Thanks again, Age, for letting us share your work!

** Oh, and, do most of the clothes look awfully familiar? Because they should! **

[Show as slideshow]

Memento Mori, translated from Latin, means “remember you will die”, or “remember your mortality”. A memento mori is an object or talisman a person keeps with them, or a depiction or painting drawn to remind them of their own mortality.

The phrase dates back to ancient Rome, where a servant would shout the words to the General as he paraded through the streets of Rome in his Triumph (a parade to honor his victory in war). The servant’s job was to stand behind the general and remind him, even though he was on top of his game, tomorrow he could die.

"Danse of Death", by Michael Volgernut, 1493.

When Christianity swept across the world during the Medieval period, so too did a fascination with death and divine judgement. Memento mori appear in funeral artwork on the tombs of noblemen – including the gruesome cadaver tombs, where the funerary artist depicts the decaying body of the deceased.

Another popular Memento Mori scene from the 15th Century was the danse macabre. In this scene, a dancing Grim Reaper summons souls from all stations and walks of life to dance alongside him. The danse macabre reminded people of the inevitability of death, whether they were a king, a child, a worker, or a slave.

When it came to mourning those who had already passed, the Victorians had some of the most unique and sombre rituals. In a society bound by strict rules of etiquette, it’s no surprise funerary and mourning customs had strict rules and customs. Victorian Mourning consisted of two stages:

At first glance, this looks like a normal photo, but this fireman is dead. Behind his left leg, you can see a stand which is holding him up. (As if his creepy, white eyes didn't give it away)

Deep (or Full) Mourning: The length of Deep Mourning depended on the age and sex of the person who died and your relationship to them. Men wore an armband to signify their Deep Mourning, but women were thought to be in more emotional turmoil than men, so were subjected to special rules.

If your husband died, leaving you a widow, you would remain in Deep Mourning for a year and a day. You would wear clothing made only from black crepe – a dull fabric with no shine. All your adornments, including your handkerchief, gloves and parasol, had to be black.

You would draw the curtains, and stop every clock at the time of death. You cover all mirrors, in case the deceased’s soul becomes trapped in the glass. You stand guard over the body until it is buried. You cannot leave the house except for church and to visit relatives.

Half Mourning: After the period of full morning finished, half-mourning began. In half-mourning, grey, white and purple were permitted, although trimmings, jewelry and accessories would remain black.

Victorians took the idea of memento mori to a new and macabre level, often carrying lockets and items of jewelry containing hair from their dead loved ones. These pieces usually contained jet or other black stones.

They were mad about post-mortem photography, where the deceased would be posed in a portrait, dressed in their usual clothes and made to look as though they were still alive. Photographic equipment had just being invented, and was considerably cheaper and quicker than painted portraits, so the Victorians took every chance they could to pose for a photograph.

In most post-mortem photographs, the dead are shown in a serene sleep, but in some, given that the portrait sitting might be the family’s only opportunity for a photograph, the body will be propped up, dressed and made-up, eyes held open with glue or clamps, or painted on over closed eyelids, and surrounded by the family. Children would be posed with their favorite toys, giving a more lifelike scene. Unlike memento mori, these pictures were thought of as memories, not reminders of mortality.

Read More:

In this picture, you can see the girl's pupils have been painted on, and the stiffness of her hands, which would have been held in place with lengths of wire. The stand behind her feet would run up her body with clamps at her neck and waist, and her clothing would be open at the back.

• Memento Mori from Wikipedia
• The Museum of Mourning Photography
• Victorian Death Rituals by Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens in Ancestry magazine
• Victorian Death and Mourning – a Flickr set
• Art of Mourning Blog

Memento Mori Fashion

Get the look of a Victorian lady in Full Mourning with some of Lip Service’s dark designs:

• a Princess Tears Blouse or Dark Delphine Jacket from The Blacklist, to keep off that graveyard chill
• Victorian Long Dress from the LS Step in Time collection
• a piece of mourning jewelry from Art of Mourning, to remember your departed lover
• Lace-up long gloves
• conjoined skull memento mori ring from Blood Milk Jewelry

Maybe we can help. You know they love Lip Service, but aren’t quite sure which stylegroups would be the ones to make their heart beat just a little faster. Well, here is a little quiz to help you over that hump and find the Lip Service gift that’ll make them thank you in extra-special lovey ways.

If you know just a few things about their favorite stuff, we can narrow down those choices and make your job that much easier. Check out the options and mark the answer you think suits them best. At the end, check out your results. Then follow to the links to check out all the hottest gear to find the perfect gift.

What would they consider an average fun weekend?

A – A fabulously dark club filled with vintage Victorian décor.
B- Rat that hair and rock out with your cock out, baby!
C – Discipline and more discipline.
D – A girl party? Burlesque show?
E – It all about otaku … hacking, manga, gaming and cosplay
F – Polishing their wardrobe and heading to the dungeon club
G – A seedy dive of a pool hall and maybe a car rally
H – Building gadgets for their pirate airship

What are their favorite movies or TV shows?

A – Edward Scissorhands (anything Burton, really), The Crow, Tales From the Crypt, all things vampire, The Addams Family, Dark Shadows
B – Rock n Roll High School, This is Spinal Tap, Rock of Love, VH1 Behind the Music, The Great Rock n Roll Swindle, Foxes (Cherie Curry … helllooooo)
C – Full Metal Jacket, Old Klaw reels, Secretary, The Night Porter, 1984, Lawrence of Arabia, Apocolypse Now, Excalibur
D – Behind the Burly Q, Gypsy, Some Like it Hot, The Josephine Baker Story, The Night They Raided Minsky’s
E – Blade Runner, Metropolis, Max Headroom, A Scanner Darkly, Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, Escape from New York, Tank Girl (even though the movie kinda sucked), Tron, Videodrome
F – Secretary (a kinky people two-fer!), The Hunger, Blade, Kill Bill, Boogie Nights, Wild at Heart, Real Sex, 54
G – The Wild One, Twilight Zone, Jailhouse Rock (pretty much any Elvis movies), High School Confidential, Drag Strip Riot, Hot Rod Rumble, Rebel Without a Cause, The Blob, Untamed Youth
H – The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, anything Sherlock Holmes, The Time Machine (not the crap one with Guy Pearce), Time After Time, The Wild Wild West, The Prestige, The Golden Compass

Most of the music on their iTunes?

A – Bauhaus, The Cure, Joy Division, Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Alien Sex Fiend, Nico
B – The Ramones, Black Flag, Elvis Costello, Patti Smith, Iggy & the Stooges, Ozzy, Classic Van Halen, AC DC, Metallica, The Last Vegas
C – Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Thrill Kill Cult, Marilyn Manson, VNV Nation, Kraftwerk, Skinny Puppy, Combichrist
D – The Stripper (old school bump and grind music in general), Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Etta James
E – Angelspit, Deus Ex Machina, Front Line Assembly, Devo
F – Enigma, Soft Cell, Kraftwerk, New Order, Cabaret Voltaire, The Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method, Propellerheads
G – Johnny Cash, X, The Cramps, The Blasters, Tiger Army, The Chop Tops, Elvis, Carl Perkins, Cold Blue Rebels
H – Abney Park, Doctor Steel, The Men That Will Not Be Blamed for Nothing, Unextraordinary Gentlemen, The Clockwork Dolls

Okay, here’s where all your deep thinking and pondering pays off. Which option, A-H, is closest to their tastes? Have you made a choice? Cool! Just scroll down to the right letter for some awesome gift suggestions and links.

A – Blacklist

The Blacklist Fashion Freak has a penchant for the dramatic sartorial flourish, particularly with a dark edge. They love black and deep blood-like colors, especially in old-school fabrics like brocade, velvet, antique lace. Virtually anything in the Blacklist division would be ideal, but the actual Blacklist group is the best choice. Great basics and extravagant accents make this the go-to group for any gothic wardrobe.

B – Classic Lippy

Whether it’s punk, old-school rock, or metal, Rock-n-Roll represents the first roots of Lip Service and is still at the heart of Lippy fashion. Do they lean toward the punk side? Check out the tasty treats in Punk and Disorderly and hot basic (and not-so-basic) jeans in the Rock n Roll Jeans Hardcore.

Old school and glammy hair bands more their speed? Look to the Lippy über-classics, like the Dagger-emblazoned 25 Years (now 10% off, too, SAVINGS WIN!), the more daringly fashion-forward Rock n Roll Jeans Street and the newest rocking styles for her in Batz N Bones.

Is their rocking self a bit darker, more intense? Try our Rock n Roll Jeans Classics and, for him, the brand new Dead-Nation jackets and shirts.

C – Military and Fetish

So they’re all about the clean line and put-together look of military gear? A bit more challenging in their fashion, with a touch of hardcore fetish? Check out our fantasy military group, Das Bunker, or the clean-lined Fallout (now 50% off or more … sweeeet!), and, for him check out the badass Dead-Nation with all that awesome hardware and straps!

D – It’s a girl thing … Burlesque, frills, and lace

She’s all about being a girl, lots of frills, bows, and femimne touches, but she’s also got a distinctly naughty side, which you REALLY dig. Give that naughty side something delicious to wear from the brand new Nocturnal Rendezvous or Lolita Candy (now ON SALE!) or, if their girliness has a darker side, try the slinkily vinyl Black Diamond Dynasty. Or maybe just go for the gusto and pick her up a super-sexy ensemble from our hot leopard lingerie, Cat’s Meow.

E – Cyber Sexy

They’re not just fashion forward, but fashion WAY forward? Giger and Gibson make their heart go pitter-pat? We’ve got a lot of great sexy cyber looks, from fetishy to cyberpunk. Check out the futuristic looks of Cyber Sniper or Dead-Nation, the fetishy futurism of Desensitized (on sale!), or the colorfully club-friendly Circuit City (on Sale!) Or, you can go full-tilt cyber fetsish sexy with the Giger-inspired fishnet slice of awesome that is Erotomechanics (now 10% OFF!).

F – Shiny, shiny sexy

So they like a little taste of the fetish, but just a hint. They like to let their freak flag fly at chic clubs with slinky, shiny, sexy gear and whimisical dress-up looks. Mmmm yeah, we dig that, too, and have lots of killer looks to cross the lines between fashion, fetish, and funky in style. Check out the eclectic groove of our Patent Vinyl collection, the naughty fun of Looks That Kill, club-friendly monster fur and vinyl of Burning Fur You, and straps and only straps of Caged. Or, for a classic crossover look, check out the classy clingy pinstrips of Gangsta Pranksta our hot fishnet styles in Fash-ist Fishnet or the studded hotness of Pretty Woman.

G – Retro Chic

They’re all about the fashion flashback? She’ll adore the slinky, tulle-fluffed, and polka-dotted pin-up looks of Pin Me Up. He’ll dig the retro gearhead classics of the Service collection: badass tees with killer graphics, work shirts, jackets, hoodies, and straight-leg Greaser fit jeans.

H – Steampunk and Steam Pirate Flashbacks to a Future Past

Their Victorian era is filled with speculative visions of gears, steam, and airship pirates? We have just the thing for their sartorial pleasure. Try looks from Step In Time for the height of steam fashion, from the casual to dress pieces and brass-decked accessories. They lean more toward a more nefarious character? Check out the badass looks of Brocade Piracy.