A few of my favorite things. (photography courtesy of Blinc)

One of our favorite local spots, Blinc, is now online. In addition to the Park Cities and Plano locations of this contemporary boutique, you can now browse the merchandise from the comfort of your own computer screen. The site showcases a limited number of pieces–if you’re searching for denim, you’ll only find a few pairs–but this edited selection is true to the store’s style. And if you’re in need of something more specific, you can always stop by one of the physical locations.

Jessica Mitzner is a ShopTalk intern.

The telescope necklace by Love Nail Tree at Relativity Outdoors

My job is to cover the local shopping scene. My mission is to be a wealth of knowledge on where to shop (for just about anything), who’s having a good sale, which local designers are making exciting things, and what new stores you have to visit. That being said, I won’t pretend I don’t occasionally shop online. I love hiding Zappos.com behind my inbox. But nothing beats walking into a store, running your hands over the racks of clothing, trying things on, finding the perfect fit, and walking out of the the door with your goods wrapped in crinkly tissue paper, ready to be worn that same evening.

These days, you can have the best of both worlds. Local shops are doubling up and moving their wares online, too. New to the web world from Dallas, Demerara, a men and women’s shop in West Village, and Relativity Outdoors, the absolute coolest and most stylish outdoor boutique in town. Shop them online, visit them in person. Go crazy.

Beautiful jewels come from England, India, Italy, Singapore, Thailand, and Turkey (photography courtesy of Les Amis)

I have to have this tri-top ring with vintage Rajastani patchwork fabric.

Dallas based fashion e-tailer, Les Amis, is founded on the principal that luxury should be as responsible as it is beautiful. In that spirit, headed up by Dallas gals Ami Doshi and Amisha Patel, the newly launched website peddles colorful, exotic artisan accessories that give back to charity-of-choice Global Fund for Children. Silk and leather wrapped bangles, bracelets with South Asian gemstones (called Kundan), funky, eclectic necklaces from Singapore, and patchwork three-top rings are just a few of my new favorite things. Along with resumes boasting a healthy dose of humanitarianism (Ami for United Nations and Amisha’s extensive volunteer work), both women appreciate the joy in beautiful things. (Ami was once a buyer for Neiman Marcus and Amisha owned a cosmetic laser skin-care center.) Shop the glorious goods by country, designer, price, or by product, and enjoy knowing 10 percent of every purchase will benefit The Global Fund for Children.

High-waisted shorts.

Dallas girls got moxie. I meet women all the time who tell me about how they took clever ideas they woke up with in the middle of the night and turned them into businesses. (I am neither clever nor brave enough for this, so I write about other people’s ingenuity.) In my job, and I say this as kindly as possible, I see a lot of “meh” ideas, so when I see local girls like Michelle Parker and Lindsay Jenkins, who have launched a pretty cute online consignment boutique, I’m totally impressed. I’ll admit I was skeptical, checking out PocketfulofPearls.com. It’s not easy to make buying used clothing feel cool. (It didn’t help when I saw the clothing was divided into categories: jaded, important, controversial, etc. Hmm…) BUT, somehow these ladies do a really decent job of selling $26-a-pop clothing. The pieces up for grabs are right on trend (notice the ladylike animal print wrap dress, leather vest, and pussybow blouse above), sizes run the gamut, and prices are bottom-of-the-barrel. (Like, often under $30.) Part of the fun here is checking back every couple of weeks, when the site’s reloaded and ready for action. Check out the work of these Big D girls.

If the Tudor ladies could see themselves now...

Rescue Beauty Lounge made that happen, and in honor of Anna Bolena playing at the Winspear, I thought I’d show you. The four polishes created for King Henry VIII’s Queens, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Catherine of Aragon, and Catherine Howard, are for history buffs and polish lovers. You can order each one for $18 a piece on rescuebeauty.com. That may sound like a lot for one bottle, but trust me, these polishes apply smoothly and last long. They’re worth it.

Locally based Xen-Tan has got a 35 percent-off deal going on until 11:59 tonight. You should definitely take advantage if you read this. Xen-Tan is, without a doubt, one of our very favorite sunless tanning options. The faux glow comes out olive-based, not orange. Promise. And although the creams have still a bit of fake tan after-smell, the Transform lotions are subtle enough to wear to work every day. (Even sandwiched in a cubicle setting, don’t worry.) The Deep Bronze Luxe gives a solid burst of color and the genius $6 tanning mit is the perfect way to apply all the products without getting a single stain on your hands. It doesn’t hurt that Xen-Tan was established here, in Plano, either. To get 35 percent off your order, just enter “xentansweeps” at the checkout. This sale is only going on today, so head to the Xen-Tan site asap.