Website Wednesday -- Etsy

If you've never heard of Etsy and you love unique items like I do, then you'll want to go. Now. Yes, this very minute. :) Etsy is one of the coolest sites I've ever found because I can satisfy my need for both unique and vintage items at the same time. It's just a plethora of fun stuff...you can find everything you possibly need for yourself or presents for others, from baked goods to body scrubs to vintage jewelry. I've made some great purchases over the year on Etsy and I plan to make many more in 2010!

Some of my favorite purchases on Etsy so far have been:

Ravine Repurposed Bag from Hoakon/Helga
Hoakonhelga is one of the coolest bag makers on Etsy. She takes vintage leather items and turns them into beautiful handbags. I love the fact that it's a unique bag no one else has that's reusing material that would normally just be wasted. (Photo of my bag here was borrowed from Hoakon/Helga's Etsy site.)

Tropical Love Necklace from Erinkeys
This necklace is so simple, but I get so many compliments on it! I purchased it for spring/summer last year and got a lot of wear out of it. Being much of my wardrobe tends to be neutral colors, this pop of color was just what I needed. I plan to wear it a lot this year as well! I'm also considering one of her pearl necklaces right now...they're classic, yet vintage and unique. (Photo borrowed from Erinkeys' Etsy site.)


Bath and Body Goodies from Mad City Sue
Unfortunately I haven't ordered from Mad City Sue in a while, but after reading her latest scent descriptions, I need to! MCS makes the most fabulous sugar scrub I've ever tried...it's scrubby, but so moisturizing! Her prices are great, her products are fantastic and she has amazing customer service. As for scents, my favorites are Et Une Rose type (very hard to find and her dupe is amazing!), Creme Vanille, and Pink Frosted Cupcakes.

New Etsy Purchases
I'm currently waiting on two recent Etsy purchases I'm really excited about:


Gunmetal Rose Earrings by Tianarutledge
It's not often you find someone that will make you clip earrings! These are so adorable...I can't wait to get them! (Photo borrowed from Tianarutledge's Etsy site)



Vintage Emmons Designer Earrings from Blisstiques
I saw these and just knew they had to be mine...they're so different and I love the mix of both gold and silver. They'll go with everything! (Photo borrowed from Blisstiques' Etsy site)

The After-Holiday Glow

I do love relaxing holidays and this was definitely one of those! Five days off of doing nothing but hanging out, watching movies, making cookies, and basking in holiday cheer...good times. :) I'm back to work today, but it's a short week...only 2.5 days! Nice!

This cardigan from The Limited is one of my favorite pieces right now. It's double-breasted, which I just think is cool! And I'm carrying my beloved Elliott Lucca bag...this was my first high-end bag and started the love. :)

I'm also wearing my fabulous new owl necklace...this was a vintage piece I had found on consignment at my favorite local jewelry store. I had it on lay-away until January, but my fantastic hubby surprised me on Christmas morning! I couldn't believe he paid for the rest of it...I'm still shocked and just touched at his thoughtfulness! Unfortunately the photos don't do it justice at all and my camera sucks, so I was unable to get a close-up. The necklace is a gold medallion with a raised gold owl in the center sitting on a branch with purple and orange jewels on each end of the branch.

Cardigan: The Limited

Tank & Jeans: Old Navy

Boots: Payless

Bag: Elliott Lucca

Watch: Skagen

Necklace: Vintage consignment piece

Ring: Vintage from antique fair

Bracelet: Vintage from eBay

Close-up of the cardigan.

Close-up of my bracelet

Website Wednesday -- eBay

eBay is hands-down one of my favorite Web sites of all time. Without eBay, my vintage jewelry collection would be nothing that it is today! I just have had extremely good luck when it comes to purchasing vintage and antique jewelry off eBay. Now, I'm not really a "collector" -- I'm not looking for signed pieces necessarily, or expensive ones. I love vintage/antique costume jewelry. While I do have some more expensive pieces, the ones I've gotten for $1-5 off eBay are the ones I get the most compliments on!

People ask me all the time how I find such great stuff. There's really no hidden tricks or method...I just know what to search for, I don't mind searching through endless lists of items, and I also save sellers that I know offer things I like and I check their stores on a constant basis. It's like any great hunt...you have to put the time and effort into it! :)


The following are a few photos of my favorite vintage/antique jewelry finds on eBay to date. 

This was the one that really started it all...a black vintage locket I scored on eBay for $5 a few years ago. It's my favorite piece and I wear it tons!

 

 This was a major score on eBay...this photo really does not do this watch necklace justice. It's in absolutely superb condition, works, and was like $12. 

I feel in love with this bracelet the first time I saw it and knew it was to be mine. I love that it's a double-bracelet, so you get this awesome effect, but they're one piece!

This silver bracelet I really wasn't sure about when I bought it off eBay, but for $5 I took a chance. For some reason, I get more compliments on this bracelet than any other jewelry I own! 

 

 And lastly are screw-back and clip-on earrings. I had to let my pierced ears close up when I was in college due to infections and such. And let's face it -- clip-on earrings in places like Claire's and such suck! LOL But that all changed when I started looking into vintage screw-back and clip-ons and my collection grew quite a bit! Below is my current collection...one board has gold-tone and the other are silver-tone. The majority of my earrings were purchased off eBay, with others from local antique shows and stores.

Got to Love Casual Days!

I love our Executive Director...we normally can dress casual (aka jeans) on Fridays, but since it's the holidays she's letting us dress casual this week and next week. So much fun! :)

I'm really loving this outfit today...I'm still not 100% from my flu last week, plus I'm feeling rather bloated, and I feel this outfit is nicely streamlined and slimming. I'm feeling good today! 

Jacket: NY & Company

Tank: Newport News

Jeans: Old Navy

Boots: Payless

Necklace: Cost Plus World Market

Earrings & Bracelet: Vintage from eBay

Watch: Skagen

New Revlon Goodies

It's been almost a week since I last posted due to the lovely flu. :( I'm finally feeling better and wanted to post about some Revlon products being seen in drugstores over the past week.

When it comes to cosmetics, I like it all -- while most of my collection is made of higher-end brands, there are some lower-end brands that make fabulous products. Revlon is one of those brands. So I was very excited to hear the buzz on Makeupalley.com's Cosmetics board about sitings of new Revlon products, including a new high definition foundation called PhotoReady.

Unless you've been living under a rock for some time now, you know about TV's switch to high definition. While this switch is awesome for TV viewers everywhere, it's not-so-much for people on TV, like news anchors. While their usual pancake-type makeup worked before, now you can see everything with HD...pores, makeup lines, wrinkles, pigmentation issues...the whole works. This caused some higher-end makeup brands, like Make Up Forever and Cargo, to launch their own high definition foundation and powder to help combat this issue. With Revlon's launch of PhotoReady, this is the first time a drugstore brand is doing something similar, thus the excitement!

I was lucky enough to find the new Revlon displays at a local CVS. I purchased the PhotoReady Foundation in Level 2 Vanilla and the powder in Translucent. I'm normally the lowest level on any foundation scale, however, being this is a new launch Revlon doesn't have all the colors available yet. However, I was quite pleased with how Vanilla worked on me and I think it will work fine. For once the lightest shade might be too light! :D The foundation has a lot of pros: (1) it comes in a pump, so no mess; (2) goes on very light, feeling like nothing is on your skin; (3) coverage is light by buildable; (4) it has SPF 20. I applied it with this morning and set with the PhotoReady powder.

So far, I'm impressed! After a full day in a warm kitchen making Christmas goodies, I had no oilies what-so-ever. Nice! The foundation stayed virtually perfect! And I really love the luminous quality the foundation gives your skin. Some claim there's actual sparkles in it...I don't see those myself. But in both artificial and natural light, my face had a luminescence to it...not a sheen or sparkle, just a nice glow. So if you're looking for a matte foundation, this is not a good choice for you. But overall, I'm liking this a lot!

In addition to the PhotoReady items, Revlon is also launching new lipstick and eye shadow lines. The lipstick is called Colorburst and the display had about 15 shades. I picked up Rosy Nude, the color of which is exactly as titled. It goes on semi-sheer and very glossy with slight shimmer, no wierd taste or color. And it's weightless on lips, which I love. What I really love about this new line is the packaging...it's definitely more upscale looking than you would think from a drugstore brand!

And the eye shadows are called Luxurious Color Eye Shadows. I picked up two of the Satin shades...Platinum Glimmer and Polished Bronze. They're both very shimmery in the pan and we'll see how pigmented and shimmery they are when I try them tomorrow. The line also had more glittery shades for those looking that love glitter.

Dresses, How I Love Thee...

I definitely have more dresses in my closet than anything...even shoes! Why do I love dresses so much?

• For my body type, dresses are extremely flattering.
• Putting one on in the morning makes getting ready in the morning a snap! It's just an instant outfit...throw it on and go!
• They're so comfortable, much more than pants. 
• Most dresses can be dressed up or down with ease, just with a change of accessories.
• Living in Northern CA where it's warm 9 months out of the year, dresses are great transitional pieces...I wear them as-is with sandals during the warm months, and for the few cold months we have I just wear them with tights, boots and cardigans over them.

This is one of my favorite dresses...I don't normally wear cuts like this as they tend to accenuate my hips (I normally like sheath or more fitted dresses), but the fabric of this dress is substantial enough that it works for me. And I just love the pattern and the pockets! You can see the pockets better in the side view.



Dress: Purchased at Marshalls

Boots: JC Penney

Tights: Assets by Target

Bag: Lockheart

Watch: Anne Klein

Ring: Vintage Avon

Bracelet: Vintage from eBay

Locket: Vintage from eBay

Manic Monday

I swear, this is just one day I can't seem to catch up on! I got up a little early this morning, and still ended up running late to work. And once at work, I just can't get ahead! Sigh. Oh well...at least I have the rest of the week to get what I need to done!

So, this dress is one of my favorites. I adore the color and it's very soft and just wears very well. It's sleeveless, but still has thick straps, making it perfect for all seasons. 

Dress & Cardigan: Ann Taylor Loft

Tights: Assets by Target

Belt: NY & Company

Boots: Naturalizer

Watch: Anne Klein

Necklace: Vintage from local antique store

Bag: Lockheart

Winter Wonderland

Things have just been nuts the past few days, thus my non-blogging! But things should get a bit calmer now...I had my last final of the semester yesterday. And to celebrate, I part-tayed at my BFF's annual Winter Wonderful party. I loved my outfit so much I may wear the same outfit for another holiday party next week! This dress is one of my best Target purchases ever...it's extremely comfortable and a very flattering fit.

Dress: Target

Boots: Naturalizer

Bag: Lockheart

Bracelet: FaCuff by Ava Austin

Broach: Vintage

Earrings: Vintage clip-on

And here's a shot of the yummy cupcakes I made for the party! :D

Website Wednesday -- Nail Polish Discount Sites

Lately I've been very into nail polishes. A lot of that is because I started hanging on the Nail Care Board of Makeupalley.com. However, I've always loved nail polish. Even as a little girl I loved nothing more than when my aunt would do my nails for me. And then as a teenager I loved how nail polish was such a cheap beauty fix that I could afford, thanks to great polished by Wet 'n Wild and similar brands.

As an adult with more money to spend, I started crossing over into the world of more expensive salon brands, like OPI, China Glaze and Essie. However, at $8-9 a bottle for a polish, it was becoming a rather expensive habit! So thanks to the Nail Care Board I found some discount Web sites that offer brands like this for almost half off, if not more!

Two such sites that I've purchased from and had great experiences at are:

• Head2Toe Beauty Store -- Here you can find the latest polish collections by OPI, China Glaze, Creative, Color Club, Misa, and Orly for a significant discount. You can also purchase Essie on here, however, they no longer offer a discount for that brand...I believe it was Essie's decision as I used to be able to purchase Essie for a discount on this site. 
• 8ty8Beauty -- Here you can get OPI, Orly, China Glaze, Creative, Color Club and Seche Vite.
  

And other discount sites I've been meaning to try: 

• Trans Design, Inc. --  They offer a lot of polish options, including OPI, Orly, Nicole, Sation, Entity, New York, Amour, China Glaze, Creative, Essie, Kolor Ring and Misa. This one seems to have Essie for a discount, so I'll be ordering sooner than later! LOL
• Ulta -- While Ulta's Web site doesn't always have the latest polishes online, they many times have sales on OPI, Essie and other brands they carry, plus weekly coupons and dollars off with Ulta Club Points can end up saving you quite a bundle!

 Right now my favorite nail polish is OPI Merry Midnight from the Holiday 2009 collection. The picture really doesn't do it justice...it's a very sheer deep purple with flecks of shimmer in different sizes, shapes and colors. This is with three coats on...it's fantastic!

Two for One!

Wow, these last few days at work have been absolutely insane and I've had know time to post to my blog. So I'm making it up with photos of both yesterday and today! :)

Monday's outfit...it was freezing! And parts of Northern CA had snow...craziness!

Sweater: NY & Company

Pant: Ann Taylor Loft

Bag: Hoakon/Helga

Boots: Payless

Necklace: Cost Plus World Market (awesome cheap find!)

Watch: Anne Klein

Frames: Lulu Guiness

Still freezing today!

Top & Pants: Ann Taylor Loft
Jacket: Target
Bag: Lockheart
Boots: Payless
Watch: Anne Klein
Broach: Thrifted vintage
Earrings: Vintage from eBay
Frames: Lulu Guiness

Here's a close-up of the earrings...I love these!









 

I Heart Casual Friday!

I don't think there's anything better than Casual Friday. I swear I'm more productive at work because I'm in my jeans and I'm just comfy and cozy! :)

Sweater, Tank & Jeans: Old Navy

Bag: Hoakon/Helga

Sneakers: Payless

Glasses: Lulu Guiness

Necklace: From Silver Jewelry Club

Watch: Vintage

I've Come to Realize...

That I have a lot of purple and black in my wardrobe. Since I just realized I'm wearing the same exact colors top to bottom as I did on Tuesday. LOL I guess I know what I like!

Sweater Dress: From a no-longer-existing retail Web site

Tank: Old Navy

Tights: Assets by Target

Boots: Payless (from last season)
Bag: Isabella Fiore

Watch: Anne Klein

Necklace: Elizabeth Cole

Earrings and Braclet: Vintage from eBay

Frames: Lulu Guiness

Website Wednesday -- Makeupalley.com

Ah, Makeupalley.com. I've been a member of this site -- lovingly referred to as MUA -- for 7  years now. This was the site that really started all my current obsessions in makeup and beauty products and fashion and has continued to feed them on a constant basis!

The main facet of MUA are the discussion boards. Over the years they've grown from just a few to currently 22 subject-dedicated discussion boards, some more popular than others. Two of the most popular boards are the Makeup and Fashion boards and they move fast! But the gals (and guys!) on these boards are in the know about everything from discount sales to product releases and discontinuations even before the sales associates are. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to a make-up counter to ask for something I heard on an MUA board only to have the sales associate look at me like I had three heads. LOL And it's a well-known fact that representatives from make-up lines lurk the Makeup board to learn what MUA members are saying about their latest products.

But MUA is not just about the discussion boards. One of my favorite features -- and the one that brought me there 7 years ago -- is Productville. Wondering how the latest mascara from Revlon or hair product from TiGi is? Don't purchase it until you check out the reviews in Productville! MUA members give very detailed descriptions in their reviews and rate the products, so you can filter them by the percentage of those that would purchase again and other important information.

Another great facet of MUA is swapping. MUA members can put together lists of items -- makeup, skincare, nailpolish, even clothing and accessories -- they want to get rid of, as well as a "wishlist" of what they want. You can search both swap and wishlist items and set up swaps with other members. I've been swapping for pretty much the entire time I've been on MUA and through it I've met a lot of great people and tried a lot of great products, even ones from other countries I could never get here in the U.S. otherwise. 


So that's basically MUA in a nutshell. If you have even the slightest interest in beauty and fashion, I would urge you to check it out just for the discussion boards and Productville alone. I know you'll be amazed at what you learn while you're there!

Back to the Grind!

I swear, being off from work is great, but the coming back after six days off? Not so much! LOL Between the 180+ emails in the inbox, 55 Outlook tasks popping up and everything else, I need more time off all-of-a-sudden! :)

Sweater: The Limited

Skirt: Old Navy, but thrifted from Crossroads Trading Company

Tights: Assets by Target

Shoes: Nine West

Earrings: Vintage clip-on hoops

Eyeglasses: Lulu Guiness frames

Skin Deep

During my shower this morning, I realized I was running low on my skincare regimen and needed to reorder more. That also reminded me it was time to spill the beans on my skincare regimen, which to date includes the greatest products I've ever used to keep my skin healthy and blemish-free.

During my teen years, I had occasional breakouts, but nothing too crazy. But for some reason when I hit my late 20s, all hell broke loose on my face. I had really bad cystic pimples and nothing seemed to cure them. I was at my wit's end and was considering going to a dermatologist or finally buckle down and try Proactive when I found out about Acne.org. The site was created by just an every-day Average Joe who suffered from acne and ended up developing his own acne-fighting products. The site also includes message boards, his blog and tons of product reviews from users on just about every product you could think of for your skin.

After reading reviews that Acne.org products were better than Proactive -- and cheaper! -- I took the plunge and gave them a shot. After day one I was hooked...the combination of cleanser, medicine and moisturizer was insanely effective for me. My skin has never looked better.

The other part of my skin regimen is something you wouldn't think would work on combo-skin, but it does! It's from a Japanese company called DHC and it's their Deep Cleansing Oil. I know, oil on an oily face so makes no sense! But this stuff is amazing...I use it at night to remove my make-up and impurities from my face before I use the Acne.org cleanser. The Deep Cleansing Oil removes everything without stripping moisture from your skin, so your body does not feel like it has to produce more oil to compensate. My face has never felt more smooth and soft than it has using the oil. Tip: I've been able to find the Deep Cleansing Oil for much cheaper on eBay.

Here's an outline of how I use these products:

Morning

• Cleanse with Acne.org Cleanser
• Lightly apply Acne.org Treatment in trouble areas
• Apply Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Sun-Damage Moisture Lotion SPF 28

 Night

• Apply DHC Deep Cleansing Oil and rub gently in a circular motion for approximately 1 minute. Wet hands and rub face so Cleansing Oil begins to foam, then rinse off.
• Cleanse with Acne.org Cleanser
• Apply Acne.org Treatment all over face and let dry completely
  
• Apply Acen.org Moisturizer

Alternate: 2 nights a week instead of applying Acne.org Treatment and Moisturizer I apply Acne.org AHA+

Feelin' Good Friday -- My Path to Fitness

While fashion is a big passion of mine, of recently attained an even bigger passion -- fitness. My weight has always been a battle for me. As an adult, I decided to give Weight Watchers a shot. Although a few years ago I hit my goal weight and attained Lifetime status, Weight Watchers has two major problems: 

1. They don't really teach you how to eat healthy.
2. They don't really factor in fitness. They'll tell you to get some exercise in there, but it's not as major a part of the plan as it should be.

So while I hit my Lifetime goal I never stayed there because I was still eating the same crap I was before (just less of it!) and I wasn't really exercising as I should. I was doing cardio, but no weight training, which I've learned is what you really need to see a difference in your body and get your metabolism revved up.


About a month ago, I decided enough was enough and I seeked out a personal trainer on Craigslist. I was lucky to find an amazing trainer who can give me guidance on nutrition and fitness like I need. After only training with him for about nine sessions, I've already lost body fat and inches. I'm already getting definition in my body, which is so exciting. And I'm down a size in my jeans! And I know as I apply myself and keep working harder, the benefits are only going to increase. Trust me, this method isn't cheap, but I'd rather spend the money on this than buying larger clothes! 


I'll periodically post updates on my fitness journey and sharing intersting tidbits as I go!

Happy Turkey Day!

Gobble, Gobble! :D

I have to say today was a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving. I spent the morning gorging on freshly-made Alton Brown's Cinnamon Rolls while watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in my PJs and Snuggie. If you haven't tried these Cinnamon Rolls before, I urge you to do so. They seem like a lot of work, but they're really not...it's just a lot of prep beforehand. We make them each year for Turkey Day and they're just the best!

Then I went to my BFF's house for Thanksgiving dinner, which was amazing food, lots of laughs and just tons of fun!

Top & Blazer: New York & Company

Jeans: Old Navy

Bag: Isabella Fiore

Boots: Payless

Broach: Vintage from eBay

Earrings: Vintage from antique store in Sacramento

(Close-up of earrings and broach below).

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Website Wednesday -- Designer Discount Shopping Sites

I'm certainly not a label snob, as my love for Tar-jay and Payless can attest to, but sometimes a girl just wants some designer goodies! And why not get them at a discount price when possible? 

Thus my latest obsession -- member-only shopping sites that offer designer items at a discount. I've seen everything from Chloe handbags to BCBG dresses to tarte cosmetics on these sites. Some even offer housewares as well...just the other day one had those Department 56 holiday houses that you can make your own "Christmas village" with. I also love that each morning the sites send you an email with the sales of that day, so it's a constant reminder to check out what's available. 

But of course there's cons to these sites. While signing up for them is free, some offer a "premiere status" where if you pay a membership fee, you get first crack at the good stuff, while those of us that are free have to wait another hour to get out hands in there. Also the shipping can be a bit high on these sites. Some things are returnable, but some are not, so make sure you read the fine print before pushing the purchase button. And lastly, there's the whole "sales goggle" syndrome -- just because the deal is good, doesn't mean you really need it.

Here's a list of the ones I'm currently on:

• Gilt Groupe -- This includes Gilt (high-end labels) and Gilt Fuse (low to medium-end labels). Click here if you would like to be invited to join.
  
• Ideeli -- Free to sign up, but offers an paid upgrade to "First Row" status so you can purchase items an hour before they open to everyone else.Click here for an invite to join.
  
• Editor's Closet -- Click here to join.
  
• Beyond the Rack -- Click here for an invite to join.
  
• RueLaLa.com -- Click here for an invite to join.
  
• Billion Dollar Babes --  Click here for an invite to join.
  

A Chilly Day in November

Wow, today was chilly! Plus today was my "Friday" as I'm off for six days from work! Yay! So I wanted to be comfy and cozy, which to me equals soft boots and tights.

Dress: Nine West

Tights: Assets by Target 

Boots: Payless

Necklace: Vintage locket from eBay

Watch: Anne Klein

I got my dress for a total steal on Gilt Groupe ... I'll be talking about that site plus others like it in my "Wednesday Website" post tomorrow.

However, I'm not still sure if I love this dress or not. I don't normally wear stuff that's so Bohemian-looking...my boss calls this my "gypsy look." LOL But it's very comfy and I love the pattern.

My First Post!

Hello and welcome to my little space on the Interwebz! :) At 33, I'm finally finding my "style voice," which is a mix of classic and vintage with a splash of modern sensibility. My "passion for fashion" really comes from the hunt for items that fit me and my style, but also don't break the bank! My closet is full of a mix of high-end to low-end items, from Lockheart handbags to Payless shoes.

But my love of style doesn't end at just clothing and accessories...beauty and health are also important parts of my style mix. I'm a total beauty product whore, from make-up to hair products. And health and fitness have also become very important ... I've recently signed up with a personal trainer and after nine sessions with him, I'm so impressed with what a change he's already made in my body, self-esteem and health. So these are all things that make up my journey and that I'll be posting about on my blog.

I hope you enjoy being part of my style journey and enjoy the ride as much as I am!