Tuesday, December 8, 2009

My Favorite Lipstick of the Moment - Prescriptives


As I was perusing my massive lipstick collection the other day, I came across a tube of Prescriptives in "Rose" and put it on. Man, that is a good lipstick! Not only was the color ultra flattering, but it stayed on all day. I have about 9 tubes of Prescriptives that run the gamut from fuschia to coral to burgundy and pink, and I'm going to start using them. A lot of lipsticks are too creamy and they slide right off your lips or start feathering around the lipline. I have not experienced that at all with this lipstick and I've worn it almost every day for a week. They no longer carry the lipstick in the colors I have because they've renamed them all, so I can't really recommend any colors to you. That is kind of personal anyway. Have fun finding one that works for you!

Monday, December 7, 2009

SUPER SHOPPING SECRET #16

Acrylic pendants $24
Shop for fun jewelry at www.alltherageonline.com. There is a wide variety of styles available, and while some of it may not be your taste, you should be able to find a good bit of things to your liking. They have many unique and creative pieces of costume jewelry. I wouldn't make any guarantees that any of this will last you a lifetime, but if you are looking for some affordable accessories that will add some character to your outfit, then this is the place to shop. Through January 1st, they are offering 50% off all orders $15 and over and free shipping for orders over $75. Here are a few things I found that I liked:

Kismet pendant $20
Stacked ring $6
Geode Necklace $36
Pearl drops $8
Chandelier earrings $21
They also have hand-painted jewelry, wood pieces, glass pieces, and the new fabric bib necklaces. You are able to return an item within 15 days of receipt if it is not to your liking. Check it out!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

"Shooties" and other Ugly Shoe Trends


Is it me, or have shoes gotten really ridiculous looking lately? Maybe I'm showing my age, but these new bootie shoes (or "shooties") are just not my thing. Especially now that they are being worn with dresses. You see them in all the fashion magazines, but this is one trend I will not be following. Here are a few examples of ugly shoes I found in last month's magazines:
I would call these "Stripper Shoes." I mean, who really wears these outside of a nightclub?
Victoria Beckham says these are her favorite shoes and she feels really sexy when she wears them. When I look at these shoes, all I can think of is Minnie Mouse. And what the heck is sexy about that?
Hayden Panetierre. What a beauty. But these shoes are probably the last thing I would have picked to wear with this soft pink dress. I guess I'm just not "with it."
Dalmation spotted "shooties" in the latest DKNY ad. I don't think it's necessary to say anything else here.

I would call these "bandage shoes." Not sexy. I think this outfit would have looked so much better with a different pair of shoes. What do you think?

Please post a comment and vote in my new poll at left. Thanks!

Monday, November 30, 2009

SUPER SHOPPING SECRET #15


SUBSCRIBE! SUBSCRIBE! SUBSCRIBE!
This is my advice: Think of every single store you love to shop at, and every single restaurant you like to eat at and subscribe to their website. I can't tell you how much you will benefit from this! Today being "Cyber Monday" I got more offers in my inbox than I could possible shop in a day. Here are just some of today's offers:

Ann Taylor - 40% off entire purchase plus free shipping on $100 or more.
Cole Haan - 40% off a single full-priced item or 30% off all sale items plus free shipping & returns.
Smashbox.com - 20% off your entire order plus free shipping.
Ralph Lauren - 25% off your entire purchase
Benefitcosmetics.com - Free Shipping plus free samples with every order.
Bobbibrown.com - 20% off your order plus free shipping on $65 or more plus free gift wrap.
Piperlime - 20% off and free shipping.
Ann Taylor Loft - 30% off entire order plus free shipping on $100 or more.
Banana Republic - 20% off
Old Navy - 20% off plus free shipping on any purchase
Anne Klein - 30% off sale merchandise and regular priced shoes plus free shipping
Gap - 20% off plus free shipping on any purchase
Naturalizer - 20% off plus free shipping
Kate Spade - %25% off plus free shipping
Henri Bendel - 30% off plus free shipping
Bath & Body Works - 25% off entire order

And if you subscribe, you are better apprised of sweepstakes and other contests you can enter. I highly recommend doing this. I won a $500 shopping spree from Bluefly and a $100 Express gift card from Lucky Magazine. I also receive many coupons and free offers on my birthday. Every year I get a $20 gift card from Pappa's Steakhouse, and last year I received a free ice cream from Ben & Jerrys, a free dessert at Lubys, and a free beauty product at Ulta among other things.

So get on that computer and start subscribing!!!

Monday, November 23, 2009

SUPER SHOPPING SECRET #14


This week's Super Shopping Secret is www.myperfectsale.com. This site shops for you, finding all the brands you love at the stores and websites you love. They consolidate all the best deals on designer apparel and accessories and send them right to your e-mail address. My Perfect Sale takes its cues from you. You select your favorite designers from a list of 100's. They shop 100's of stores and websites and send you literally 1000's of sale items to peruse. Of course the more designers you choose, the more sale items they will e-mail you. Almost one million people use this site to shop. I love it, but to be honest I hardly ever have time to look at all the wonderful things on my personal sale e-mail because it is so comprehensive. They shop stores like Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Macys, as well as smaller, lesser known shops. They also shop sites like YOOX, Zappos, and Overstock. They offer everything from Michael Kors, Juicy Couture and Kate Spade to Dior, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada. Once you open your sale of the day, you may sort your items by price, by designer, by store or even by the percentage off. Have fun shopping!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Repurposing Your Altoids Tins


I came across this great idea for repurposing Altoids tins in "Girlfriend Getaways" magazine. I'm a major fan and consumer on Altoids, as many people are. (Cinnamon is my favorite!) Here are just a few ways you can use these little tins for storage. Great idea for when you are traveling or just for everyday! And this can be your small contribution to "going green!

1. Jewelry - necklaces that don't tangle too easily or multiple pairs of earrings. Great idea for travelers.

2. Aspirin - Instead of paying an inflated price for the travel size bottles, just pour some in a tin.

3. Hair Accessories - Hair bands, bobby pins, small barretts or clips. I'm always digging for them in my purse.

4. Sewing kit - buttons, thread, needle, safety pins

5. Ipod earphones

6. Almonds. Tis is my favorite idea. I read that an Altoid tin holds exactly a single serving of almonds. Great healthy snack when you're on the go.

Other things you could store in the tins are bandaids, throat lozenges, and loose change (if you can stand the noise!) The possibilities are endless! If you think of something not included on this list, please post a comment so we can all share!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Great Gifts from Bobbi Brown & Benefit!

Continuing with our Christmas shopping theme, each of these items are $40 or less.
1. Bobbi Brown Velvet Plum Eye Palette - $40. This is one of Bobbi Brown's "greatest hits." Touted as "the perfect day-to-night eye palette." Beautiful.
2. Bobbi Brown Tube Tint Trio - $28. Includes 3 full size lip tints that are supposed to flatter all complexions. Great stocking stuffer!
3. Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss Trio - $40. A set of 3 gorgeous glosses. What more could a girl want?
4. Bobbi Brown Basics Eye Palette - $40. A slim compact with 4 eyeshadows "that flatter all complexions."5. Bobbi Brown Basics Lip Palette - $40. Beautiful color palette that once again claims to be "universally flattering."
6. Benefit Realness of Concealness - $32. Benefit's top selling concealers and enhancers in miniature. Great for travelers. Includes many of the products Benefit is famous for: Ooh la Lift, Lip Plump, High Beam, Lemon Aid, and Boi-ing.
7. Benefit Celebutante - $34. A complete makeup kit for eyes, lips & cheeks. Includes a few of the items Benefit is famous for like Benetint, High Beam, and Dallas. A great value!
8. Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes Palette - $32. Love this natural color palette!

Shop Bobbi Brown cosmetics at www.bobbibrown.com. They are currently offering free gift wrap and I think you get free shipping with a minimum purchase. Also shop Benefit at www.benefitcosmetics.com.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Great Christmas Gifts for Product Junkies!

I recently received my Sephora Holiday Catalog in the mail. I picked out 10 of my favorite things that I thought would make great gifts for product junkies like me. All of these items are $40 or less.
1. Smashbox Wish for the Perfect Pout - $29. A lot of brands are offering lipgloss sets, but I picked a couple that I thought had the best colors. This was one of them. It contains 2 full size and 4 travel size glosses.
2. Sephora Favorites Radiant Skin Regimen Skincare Deluxe Sampler - $38. This set contains great skincare samples from Bliss, Cosmedicine, Perricone, DDF, Kinerase, Murad, Philosophy, Clinique, and Peter Thomas Roth.
3. Philosophy Classic Cookbook - $35. Contains six 2oz bottles of Shampoo/Shower Gel/Bubble Bath. The food inspired scents are : Gingerbread, Pumpkin Spice, Warm Pear Cobbler, Cinnamon Buns, Red Velvet Cake, and Hot Cocoa. Yum!
4. Philosophy The Recipe Box - $18. Contains two 6oz bottles of Shampoo/Shower Gel/Bubble Bath. Scents are Red Velvet Cake and Sweet Creamy Frosting. Comes with actual recipe cards for Red Velvet Cake and Frosting. What a great gift idea!
5. Philosophy Bake Shop - $30. Contains two 4oz bottles of Shampoo/Shower Gel/Bubble Bath in Raspberry Mousse & Pink Frosted Layer Cake. Also includes a 2 oz tube of Sweet Creamy Frosting Ultra Rich Body Lotion and a Raspberry Mousse Lip Shine. Okay, so I included 3 Philosophy items on my list. I love to smell like delicious food and the boxes these items come in are extremely cute! No wrapping required!
6. Sephora Favorites LashStash Mascara Deluxe Sampler - $39. Includes 10 mascara samples from Hourglass, Urban Decay, Korres, Benefit, Smashbox, Laura Mercier, Fresh, Sephora, Tarte, and Cargo.
7. Sephora Favorites My First Makeup Kit - $32. Includes 9 product samples from Korres, Givenchy, Smashbox, Lorac, Sephora, and Tarte. Items include lip butter, lip gloss, bronzer, eye shadow, nail polish, cheek stain, and mascara.
8. Lorac Couture Shine Gloss Collection - $22.50. Includes 5 high gloss miniatures that contain light-reflecting mother-of-pearl.
9. Sephora Favorites Lip Service Deluxe Sampler - $38. Includes 8 lip products from Duwop, Smashbox, Sephora, NARS, Korres, CARGO, Tarte, and Laura Mercier. This is a great gift for lipstick lovers like me!
10. Laura Mercier Almond Coconut Milk Duo - $40. Great for women who love bath products! Includes a 6oz jar of Honey Bath and a 6 oz jar of Souffle Body Creme. Laura Mercier also has a Creme Brulee version of this duo for the same price.

Monday, November 16, 2009

SUPER SHOPPING SECRET #13

This week's Super Shopping Secret is www.beyondtherack.com. This is another private shopping club that offers up to 70% off retail. They are very similar to www.hautelook.com and www.ruelala.com. You can sign up for free which will give you access to the sales. Today they have Prada accessories and Dolce & Gabbana on sale among other things. Tomorrow one of the sales will be on Burberry. Have fun shopping!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Microdermabrasion - Key word: Abrasion


For those of you who are curious about microdermabrasion, I thought I would share my experience. Microdermabrasion is an exfoliation procedure that is achieved by spraying microcrystals across the surface of the skin. It is supposed to leave the skin glowing, improve the texture of coarse skin, and reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and large pores. I went because a friend of mine had it done and raved about it. I decided to give it a try. I went to a well known spa in the area for numerous visits. Each time, all of my makeup was removed and a headband was put on my hair to keep it out of the way. The crystals shoot out of a wand or pen-like device at very high power. I was surprised at how uncomfortable it was. It felt like someone was scratching the skin off my face! Am I bleeding? Is it supposed to feel like this? I was assured that everything was okay. The technician said some clients compare the feeling to being licked by a cat's tongue. Really? It felt more like someone was rubbing my face on a cheese grater! I bore through it and held out hope I would go home with a smooth, glowing complexion. Well, the glow eluded me. I went home looking, and feeling, like I had a sunburn. Next day - sunburn effect still there. People at the office are looking at me funny. The next day, somewhat back to normal. I think I went once every 2 weeks for about 5 appointments. The bad thing was that with each appointment she increased the pressure of the spray. My face started to break out in between visits and eventually started weeping from too much abrasion. I told the technician and she didn't seem too concerned. I quit going. As I researched this topic on the internet for this blog article I read on spas.about.com: "Microdermabrasion is not recommended for sensitive skin, skin that easily reddens, or skin with acne breakouts." Well, hello! I meet all three of those criteria! So needless to say, I will not be going back for microdermabrasion treatments and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with sensitive skin or thin skin. I know there are a lot of people out there who have had great experiences with microdermabrasion, but it is definitely not for everybody.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Lunch Hour Shopping


So the other day I wore some shoes to work that I thought would be comfy but turned out not to be comfy at all. So on my lunch hour I went on a quick search for some comfy flats. The only shoe store in the vicinity was a Shoe Carnival. So I went in and found these cute black Eurosoft flats and since they were having a BOGO sale I bought a pair in muted gold too. Shoe emergency solved, I ran over to Icing in search of some earrings which I didn't find, but I did find this cute hair clip which also has a pin on the back so you can wear it as an accessory on a jacket. I love it. It's got a few feather mixed in with the lace rose. Very pretty.

Monday, November 9, 2009

SUPER SHOPPING SECRET #12

Today's blog article will be short and sweet but very useful. The following websites provide you with current discount codes for your favorite shopping websites and retail stores:
www.couponshack.com
www.retailmenot.com
www.dealtaker.com
www.currentcodes.com
Check these out. They are fairly easy to use. Just enter the name of the store you are hoping to find discounts for, or use their drop-down menus to find your favorite stores. This will take you to a page that will provide you with the current discounts codes that will give you percentages off your purchase, or free shipping, etc. Great tool for serious shoppers! They have listings for everything from Ann Taylor to Sephora.

P.S. - www.hautelook.com is having a sale on Shu Uemura today. Limited selection but there are some great lipsticks and eyeshadows available, as well as a mini eyelash curler. Shu Uemura's eyelash curler has been rated #1 year after year. Here's your chance to try it at a discount!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Ralph Lauren's Fall Collection

How can you not love Ralph Lauren's Fall advertising campaign?  I mean, how stunning is this picture?  When I saw this ad, I just had to go online and see what other delicacies Mr. Lauren had to offer.  Ralph Lauren's Fall collection is equestrian chic of course, with a little country and a little preppy thrown into the mix.  His clothes are very versatile.  They can be dressy or casual.  I love all the leather in this collection.  There are these stunning black leather pants featured in the ad, but there are also leather accents on sweaters and riding pants that just really add such a richness to the collection.  I also love the color combinations of red and black and camel and brown.  There are some great plaid shirts in this collection too.  And can we talk about the Ricky bag?  I mean, how fabulous is this thing?  The one pictured here is almost $17,000!  There are other Ricky bags in the low $3,000s but nevertheless, I won't be owning one in my lifetime.  In the words of Gwen Stefani: "If I were a rich girl, na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na."




Tuesday, November 3, 2009

My Favorite Shampoo



My favorite shampoo of the moment is Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Shampoo.  I picked this up primarily because I love the smell of coconut, but I had also read about this shampoo in Lucky magazine where a fellow coconut lover raved about its true coconut scent.  I am always in need of a very nourishing shampoo, and this one includes organic coconut milk, whipped egg white proteins and coconut oils.  It is safe for color treated hair and is sulfate and paraben free.  The product is not tested on animals and the bottle it comes in is eco-friendly.  I love this shampoo!  I have been using it in conjunction with Neutrogena Triple Moisture Daily Deep Conditioner which I wrote about in a previous blog.  In the last 8 weeks, I could tell that I had a lot less damage to my ends in between haircuts.  That is enough reason in itself to keep me coming back for more.  The best news of all is that you can purchase it at Walmart for less than $6 a bottle!  I have spent 3 times that much on salon shampoos that didn't work nearly as well.  Now I'm curious about the other Organix formulas.  They have Pomegranate, Shea Butter, and other formulas that sound very nourishing, as well as conditioner and hair styling products. 

What is your favorite shampoo?

Monday, November 2, 2009

SUPER SHOPPING SECRET #11

This week's Super Shopping Secret is http://www.covet.com/. I just found this site last week and I think it's a lot of fun. When you go to the site they will give you a series of 2 celeb fashion photos side by side. You pick the one you like best from each set. When you are done they will give you the results of your style analysis based on the choices you made. I was absolutely amazed that they hit the nail right on the head with me. My main style is "Classic Preppy" with a mix of Classic Minimalist and Classic Professional. Once they have identified your style, then they will show a list of stores you probably shop at. My best stores are Ann Taylor, Ellen Tracy, J. Crew and Eddie Bauer. Again, mine were right on the money. Then they let you choose via photos what kind of colors you like and don't like, what kind of shoes you like and don't like, what kind of clothes, etc. Based on all this data they will send you a daily e-mail of items on sale that fit your criteria. Below each sale item in your e-mail is a red heart or a broken heart. If you hate something they put in your e-mail, then click on the broken heart. If you love it, click on the red heart. This helps the site continue to tailor your e-mails to fit your preferences. This site is reminiscent of http://www.shopittome.com/ which was a previous Super Shopping Secret. The difference is that covet.com is more personal. While shopittome.com lets you choose the brands you like and sends you daily e-mails, they do not do a style analysis to personalize those items. Please check out this site and have fun! Let me know your thoughts. It would be fun if you would put in the comments section what your style turned out to be!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

ORGANIZING JEWELRY

I started running out of room to store my jewelry, which sent me on a problem-solving quest and led me to write about it. This is my jewelry cabinet. The wings on the side open up to allow me to hang my necklaces, but there are only 8 hooks total which required me to hang multiple necklaces on each hook, which in turn resulted in monstrous tangles. I don't know about you, but when I'm getting ready in the morning, I'm always running out the door at the last minute and I don't have time to untangle necklaces! So I told my husband to take to The Container Store so I could find something that best suited my needs. I ended up going with a basic tie rack which he installed on the back of my closet door. I was able to hang 25 necklaces on it without having to double, triple and quadruple stack them. What a relief! I think this is going to work out quite nicely! I decided to use the tie rack to hang my large costume jewelry so I can still use my jewelry cabinet for my more dainty necklaces. I keep my earrings on a shelf in these divided trays. One tray is for silver, the other for gold. It just helps keep things moving quickly in the morning. I also keep my scarves folded on a shelf in my jewelry cabinet. They are just large fabric necklaces after all!