There comes a point in every presidential campaign when the candidates are closely scrutinized by a curious country with a single question: What does your necktie say about you? Barack Obama has said he doesn’t like neckties and is frequently seen without them, even when wearing a suit. When he does wear a tie it’s usually muted, a solid pale gray or blue, or one with slim stripes. John McCain is more necktie-friendly. He wears all manner of striped ties (albeit subdued) and sometimes opts for bright colors such as yellow or orange. Since we’re going to be seeing a lot of them, we’ve rounded up some nice ties that might give the candidates a few style points. Starting at the higher end, Armani Collezioni’s navy tie with thin light blue stripes is natty for $140. A more conventional striped tie from Charvet can be had in red and white stripes on a blue background ($185). Salvatore Ferragamo’s red, white and blue striped necktie is a little more striking, and if you’re rich, snap up the Stefani Ricci silk striped tie with a dominant red tone for $210 (pictured, left). A pair of ties that don’t scream American but would work for either candidate are the Armani delicate striped red tie, or Ermenegildo Zegna’s lovely Italian silk blue tie with tiny white dots. A little more down-to-earth, pricewise, is the Calvin Klein deep red “digi square” tie for $69.50 at Dillard’s, or the blue “microbead” striped tie, also $69.50. Also very striking and a lot less costly is Target’s Merona houndstooth blue tie for $20. Some serious but excessively patriotic ties include Krisar’s American flag tie for $10, a stars and stripes look from Sterling Apparel for $18 or Jos. A. Bank’s boldly striped tie on sale for $30. A tad wackier is the waving American flag tie at Wild Ties for $15, their tie festooned with presidential portraits for $35, and Zazzle’s ties dotted with the presidential seal. We even found an Obama tie for $17 on Wild Ties, but try as we might, we could not find a John McCain tie, although there are lots of nice apparel options from his website (like a snappy navy windbreaker). We did stumble upon a tie that might tickle a gung-ho GOPer (pictured, above), and for the racier Republican, there’s one decorated with a picture of a young Sarah Palin for $30.

Just when you think there’s nothing new to say about blenders, enter Blendtec. Actually, enter the Blendtec videosWill it Blend?. Call it a publicity stunt, but it’s a good one. Blendtec, which sells commercial-grade blenders akin to those you see in coffee shops, has entered the home-blender arena with their Total Blender and a series of short videos showing a lab-coated, safety-glasses wearing man blending outrageous things. He blends an iPhone, a video camera, glow-sticks, an iPod, golf balls, marbles and on and on and on. Call us gullible, but this blender reduces everything from cubic zirconia, a stuffed toy, a stun gun, a Rubik’s cube, a DVD and a hearing aid to tiny bits and pieces. Warnings of “Don’t do this at home” pepper the Web site. Of course there are plenty of videos and information about blending edibles such as smoothies, bread dough, peanut butter, hot soup, salsa, ice cream, etc. The blender is good-looking, with a digital display and lots of functions. It’s heavy and solid. The Total Blender isn’t cheap at $400, but will draw ooohs and ahhs from your party guests, even if you’re just blending a margarita, not a cell phone.

In honor of Labor Day, and all the hard work you do, we offer a few items that will save your energy for important tasks. Enough with all this pesky touching of things: The touchless trash can ($105) allows you to waggle a finger and it opens, while a $70 touchless dispenser will produce paper towels with a wave of the hand. That exhausting faucet and soap dispenser (pictured), too, can be made effortless ($60 each.) Sit down to dinner with automatic salt and pepper mills: no more grinding! Brush your teeth with the amazing Oral B Triumph with Smart Guide: a wireless screen that will tell you when you brush poorly, for $140. Then take your seat upon the TOTO Neorest 600 toilet, which will automatically flush, rinse you, blow your bottom dry, warm your rear if it’s chilly and deodorize all on its own, for $3,600. Elsewhere in the house, the latest state-of-the-art Roomba vacuum will clean without you ($430), and the Logitec Harmony 1000 advanced universal remote with touchscreen will operate all of your audio/visual equipment for $430. No more fumbling for keys at the front door with your fingerprint door lock, and with a wave of the handheld zapper ($23), irritating bugs that dare come near you will fry. For the car, use a keyless entry ($100), and a multi-function remote starter ($180). Does the cat want attention? Entertain it with a remote-controlled mouse ($20). And, to make the remaining tasks you must endure a bit easier, put the “to-do tattoo” on your palm and write away: No more wearisome lists on paper. You look more relaxed already.

The problem with lipstick is that it doesn’t really stick. All it takes is a cup of coffee and that beautiful burgundy you carefully applied is erased. Lip stains have been around for a while, but they’re enjoying a resurgance in some of the most popular make-up lines, primarily because lips (and cheeks) really do absorb the stain, and the tint lasts longer. It eventually wears away, but not as quickly as lipstick. One of the early popular stains is Benetint by Benefit ($28). The rose-colored liquid in a bottle is a sheer tint for lips and cheeks. Benefit also has a lip balm stain ($20) that’s thicker, and a convenient Benetint Pocket Pal ($20, pictured) that has a double-wand approach with lip stain on one end and a thick clear gloss on the other. Laura Mercier has a stain that comes in six shades that is also a little thicker in texture (like a gloss), for $20. Stila has two types of stain, both in a pen-like form: the cherry crush or the lip rouge, which looks and feels like a magic marker ($20). Then there are lots of other stain-makers: DuWop (which also is a lip plumper), Tarte (also a plumper), TheBalm’s Stainiac in three shades, Laura Geller, DKNY, Vincent Longo, Nars and more. A word of warning: be careful with the stains that are in liquid form. They, well, stain - more than just your lips.

Perhaps you’re a little too shy to don the season’s big chunky necklaces and oversized arm bangles. Are those giant hoops still a bit more than you can handle? If your fashion statements are small but still significant (or just plain silly) we’ve found nine pairs of earrings for you: 1. Are you a foodie? Then you’ll love the tiny fork and spoon earrings made by artist Victoria Mason at the Australian Web site Oyemodern. They’re $45 (yes, that’s in U.S. dollars). 2. If you’re a slow mover until you have your Starbucks double ex? Then the little bitty coffee cups by the same artist are yours for $45. 3. Just in time for Halloween (or any time if you’re into this kind of thing) two tiny skulls with rubies for eyes by Me & Ro are waiting for you, but they’re not cheap: on sale for $209. 4. We’re not really sure what tiny meany pirate ducks mean, but if that’s the look you want, then get them at Dawanda. 5. Still looking for more foodie earrings? Try these sterling silver whisks from Uncommon Goods for $65. 6. If you’re a handyman, or woman, then you’ll get a giggle out of these wee levels that really work. Look snappy in them, and then use them to hang a painting, for $65. 7. If dance is more your cup of tea, then you’ll want to snap up the hand-painted tiny dancer earrings from Etsy for $15. 8. Still holding onto that collection of LPs in the off chance that the turntable revolution will return? Then don the small replicas of LPs, also from Etsy, for a very reasonable $4. And, last but, well, maybe they’re least . . . 9. How can you resist a pair of very small grilled cheese sandwich earrings? We’re hungry just looking at them. They’re also from Etsy, for $17.

The football games are coming, and it’s time to start thinking about beer. Not just the beer you’re going to drink, but what you’re going to serve it in. Toss the plastic cups. It’s time to upgrade. You could go with some basic but classy glasses, like the assortment at PubGlasses.com, where you can pick from a variety that can be personalized for $15 a glass (or get the special football game glass for $10 each). CocktailVibe has the Oslo beer glass ($32 for a set of 4); Pottery Barn has a solid-looking set of six British pint glasses for $28; and at Williams-Sonoma you can find a set of four glasses and have them monogrammed with your initials for $59. If you want to have a bit more fun, consider a pilsner glass with a color-changing LED base or a set with a witty saying (”Half Empty? Half Full?”) in Italian from Sur la Table for $39.50 (pictured, set of four). Uncommon Goods always has amusing and interesting items, like their artful set of glasses that make the beer look suspended in mid-air, or the set of four glasses with your “house rules” for football game parties. Or go all-out for your team with a crystal freezer mug complete with team logo (3 for $12.99). Want to really get fancy? A pair of Lalique Louvre beer glasses will cost you $142, or a handsome set of four Waterford crystal beer glasses will run $250. But aren’t your friends worth it? Now that we’ve got you thinking about beer glasses, why don’t you just go all the way and buy real German beer steins? At BeerSodaSports.com, there are all kinds of steins such as a Bavarian beer ceramic stein with a metal lid, for $38. Or go straight to BeerGlasshopper, where the selection is as wide as your new HDTV: from a real ox-horn with a pewter lid and base ($285), a 3/4-yard glass (with stand) that holds 68 oz. for $80, a 40-oz. Hofbrauhaus Octoberfest dimpled glass mug (pictured), a Swiss hand-carved colorful stein complete with fancy lid for $130 or - and yes, they really do drink from these glasses - an 80-oz. Hofbrauhaus glass drinking boot for $70. And, when your friends have had a boot or two, and shatter your precious purchase on the floor, just remember: That’s what friends are for.