What I Want Now - Nude Pumps

Christian Louboutin New Simple Pump 90 - $735 at Barneys. I've been lusting after these pumps for weeks now. They have them at Nordstrom's too and I haven't even tried them on because I'm afraid I would like them too much. I love the nude colour that is so versatile and flattering because they will make your legs look longer. They would be perfect with just about any outfit. I figured that if I spend nothing on clothes for 2 months and beg someone who works at Nordstrom to buy them for me, then I may be able to justify spending that much on a pair of shoes.

Stuart Weiztman 'Swoon' pumps - $325 at Endless.com. These ares similar to the Louboutin's except the colour is not nude, but rather this sort of pinkish nude looking colour. I like the patent leather on these but for over $325, I wouldn't settle for what I really want.

Cole Haan 'Carma' Air Almond Pump - $199 at colehaan.com. I love Cole Haan pumps for their comfort and these are on sale! But the colour is just not close enough to what I want. If these were in nude I would so buy them.

Nordstrom Last Chance

Last weekend, my BFF and I took a mini break in Phoenix, Arizona. While we were there, we decided to check out Nordstrom Last Chance as one of our shopping stops. I had heard that this is where they send all of the stuff from the various Nordstrom Racks and you can get great deals here. I thought, why not, I love Nordstrom Rack. Anyway, when we walked in, we already sensed something was off. It was more cluttered and crazy than a regular Rack. We went straight to the shoes and you can find all of them in pairs to try on. I spotted a pair of those classic Tory Burch flats for $69. I was suspicious. I flip them over and saw they had totally been worn! I mean, the heels had been literally worn down by 1/2 an inch. I found another pair of Tory Burch where the bottoms were scuffed up and the leather was scratched up. It dawned on me that this must be where Nordstrom sends all of their returns by customers who decided it was perfectly OK to return shoes you've worn all season. I was more shocked by the fact that people do actually return shoes that are so obviously worn than the fact that Nordstrom actually takes them back. After scouring through all of the shoes available in my size, I did find a pair of Stuart Wietzman patent leather black pumps in mint condition for $50. Alas, they ran narrow and my feet were squished in them. I will say that if you're not particular about brands, you can find decent shoes for $18 that are new. Still, my BFF and I wanted to get the heck out of there because that place gave an erie feeling of a graveyard. It's where designer shoes and clothes go to die.

Nordstrom's Half Yearly Sale

The Half Yearly sale is not as good as the Anniversary sale in July but this year, I was happy with my finds. I also picked up some really cute stuff for my son, and guilty free too since I used my birthday money.

Tory Burch 'Daniela' metallic sandal - $129 at Nordstrom's. These are originally $250. I was unsure about these at first because the sole is so flat that I was worried there'd be zero support. But once I put them on I knew that they would be comfortable. I liked the straps around the ankle which give more support than your typical flip flops.

Stuart Weitzman 'Stoned' Sandal - $99 at Nordstrom's. I was looking for a thong with a sole that has a bit of support. This cork bottom adds a little height and a cushy feel. And of course I can't resist the bling!

How to be a Recessionista

With the US in a recession for the last few months, the media is full of "experts" giving everyone advice on how to be money savvy so they can ride out this low. So why don't I offer my own few pennies of wisdom? Before this recession hit like a cold shower, I would just buy whatever that was within my price range and usually if it was on sale. For clothes, anything under $50 probably wouldn't prompt much pause on my part before pulling out my credit card. But now, I've decided to be more selective about my purchases. Here are my new guidelines for making purchases:

1. Is it something I need? e.g. hair cut, facial cleansers. I will still buy those like before.
2. Is it something I really, really want? Often, I see something that I like but I'd ask myself, did I want it before I saw it? If I didn't, then it is an impulse buy and my money is probably better spent on something I've been wanting for a while.
3. But say, it was a great sale, like 90% off, it's usually really hard for me to resist. However, I make myself wait about 24 hours, to see if I still want it then. If I do, then I'll get it.
4. Finally, I've been reminding myself: "quality over quantity". If something is on sale, great, but I'd rather save that money and use it on something that I've been wanting for a long, long time and that's much more durable and special.
   

Happy Mother's Day

After becoming a mother I've been really missing the carefree shopping experience I used to enjoy without a demanding baby to stroll around. So for this Mother's Day, one of my treats was to go on a solo shopping trip. I decided to hit Forever 21, since I could never have enough time to go through that store. It's always so overwhelming to face such a huge selection. But I know you can find great buys there if you have the patience. Based on past experience, I learned that I have to have a few targets in mind when I venture into this store. So here was my shopping list: 1) casual dresses for weekends that I can wear with leggings 2) statement necklaces 3) fitted blazer/shrugs for wearing over dresses or tanks. I'm glad to say that after over an hour in that store, I was victorious in 2 out of 3 categories and only spent a little over $100.

Striped Babydoll Dress - $14.50 This dress is very cute on and would be great for summer. I can imagine wearing it with a denim jacket as a cover up.

Ruffle trim woven tunic - $22.80 I'm so glad that ruffle is in this season because it is totally me. I love this top for its sunny colour. I already wore it once with black knee length leggings. I can even see myself wearing it to work with a long cardigan.

Filigree Flowers Necklace - $7.80 This necklace looks nicer in real life. I chose it as a bold statement necklace to dress up basic pieces.


Linda Floral Pearl Necklace - $12.80 This necklace is such a steal at this price. It has rhinestones on it that makes it look like it could have cost $100 as some of these necklaces do often cost. I can't wait to wear it with a black dress to add a vintage, classy feel.

Clover Cluster Necklace - $5.80 This is probably the least interesting of the 3 necklaces I found but I immediately got compliments on it when I wore it last week. I didn't mention it was only $6, heehee!

I also got a floral ruffle top, very Blair Waldorf a la Gossip Girl, and another knit dress. I was so, so pleased with my Mother's Day shopping trip!

Tanning bed in a tube

Too Faced Tanning Bed in a Tube (face) - $21.50 at Sephora or Nordstrom

Ever since my late twenties, I've noticed that too much sun exposure to the face is baaad. I've that noticed freckles have started appearing on my cheeks. To call them freckles is really too kind, they're really sun spots, aka age spots. Yuck! Since then, I've always been slathering sun screen on my face and allowing my body to bathe in the sun. However, who wants to have a tanned body and a pale face? My friend Kayla recommended the Too Faced instant bronzer as her favorite. I tried it out and so far, I like! It smells sweet and yummy, no funny self tanner oder. It gives you a subtle glow. I put it on over my moisturizer and under my mineral foundation powder. I finished it off with blush then a little powder bronzer over the cheeks. Viola! Sunless and safe tanning for the face. This will be a must over the next few months while I work on the tan on my body but keep shielding my face out of the sun.

What I Want Now

Elliott Lucca Zafra Hobo - $298 at ElliottLucca.com

I saw this bag featured in April's People Style Watch and loved it immediately. Lucky for my budget, this bag is not available until May. I've been a fan of Elliott Lucca bags for a few years now. They have very current designs and with lovely, intricate weave or braid leather work. The bags are good quality but the price is very moderate, in the $150 - $300 range. I also found that their customer service is excellent. I bought an Elliott Lucca bag on Zappos and just a month or so later, one of the metal embellishments on the bag became unfastened and fell off. I lost it so I couldn't carry the bag anymore. So I called the Elliott Lucca customer service and they gave me full credit for the bag in a gift card. I immediate used it to buy another bag and have been happy with it.

Delayed Gratification

Given the current economic conditions, I'm trying to stay on a budget and not just buy whatever that catches my fancy. Since I blew my budget on my last trip to Vancouver, now I'm making a wish list of stuff I want in the next little while or try to find cheaper alternatives.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer - $42 at Nordstrom.com. While I was in Vancouver, my friend who works at Laura Mercier give me a sample of their tinted moisturizer. I tried it out a couple of times last week and really liked it! The consistency is between a light lotion and liquid foundation and it dries into a light matte finish. I then put on my usual mineral powder foundation over it. I liked the additional coverage from the tinted lotion without the caky feeling of wearing foundation. The SPF 20 is also a bonus. This was a beauty pick in the April In Style magazine as well. The price tag is a bit high so I'm holding off for now.

Jo Malone Orange Blossom Perfume - $55 at Nordstrom. I've been looking for a signature scent forever. I'm very sensitive to perfumes so I find that only certain ones will not cause me to sneeze. I sprayed a few spritz of this at the store and I really liked the feminine floral and fresh citrus combination. However, before I drop $55 on an ounce of this stuff I think I will ask for a sample next time I'm at Nordstrom's and try it out at home. The last perfume I bought was Sugar by Fresh. I liked it while I tried it at the store but when I started wearing it I had to spray it on my jeans so that it wouldn't make me sneeze. I'm pretty unhappy that I spent $75 on that stuff.

Fav Trend - Orange, White and Grey

While flipping through an issue of Lucky magazine I spotted a new fav spring trend: Orange, white and grey. Once it caught my eye, I started seeing it everywhere. Why, what a lovely way to give the neutral combination of grey and white a bunch of colour? I've been looking for these colours in my own closet and trying to put together such combinations.

Grey Cardigan at Banana Republic

Club Monaco Spring collection 2009

BCBG Outlet Spree

I went to Vancouver to visit friends and family a couple of weeks ago and as always I paid pilgrimage to the Seattle Premium Outlets on the way back. BCBG was having a good sale and I couldn't resist. I scooped up 3 dresses and trust me, I could have found a lot more but I had to control myself.

Got this brown, teal and white maxi dress for $29 in preparation for my Vegas trip coming up in April. I thought this would be a fun and comfy to wear over a bikini going to the pool. Fingers crossed that the temperature will be warm by then!

Also with the Vegas trip in mind, I picked this blue silk ruffled number out for going out at night. Only $69! I love it as a cocktail dress and I think if you add a black simple fabric belt you can also give it a different and more elegant look.

This black and white silk halter gown for $89 looks much cuter in person. The upper bodice has clear sequins for a little extra sparkle. It's a bit long so I'll have to get it tailored but I'm looking forward to wearing this for weddings this summer.

Basic Black Boots

Nine West Blondey Boots - $64.90 at endless.com

It was a typical morning in the office, I was sipping my coffee and checking email at my desk when I got the regular 'Friday deal' email from Endless.com. Why not check it out? I so innocently thought. Well a few clicks and a few minutes later, I ordered these Nine West black leather knee high boots. Sure, they're nothing spectacular or eye catching but every girl needs a pair of basic black knee high boots and I've been due to replace my current pair. I'm happy with them except if I wear them at work all day I am pretty anxious to take them off when I get home. They'll probably soften up after more wear so that they don't feel as constraining.

BCBGirls 'Cherie' Bootie

BCBGirls 'Cherie' Bootie - $78.95 at amazon.com

I got these BCBGirls booties a few weeks ago while I was shopping for some work shoes that would go with my trouser jeans. I like the Oxford-like the patent leather toes on these that are almost men's shoes inspired. The heel is thin enough to be feminine but thick enough to be stable. I've wearing these as a part of my regular work wardrobe and I'm happy with them. The only minor complaint is that after a full work day my feet do end up being a little sore.

Splurge or Save - Gladiator Sandals

I've been on the look out for some gladiator high heels for a while. I wasn't really into the whole gladiator flats trend that was all the rage for a while. But this strappy studded leather look on a pair of sexy heels is a different story.

The splurge: Tory Burch 'Francesca' Gladiator Sandal - $425 at Nordstrom. These were my wants when I first started my search.

The save: BCBGirls 'Lexs' Sandal - $97.95 at Nordstroms. I was thrilled to find these on sale at Norstrom's. I got the black ones for $88. They look really similar to the Tory Burch ones and at a fraction of the price. Now I just have to dream up what outfits I can wear with these...

Daanger! Fav new bootie

Steve Madden 'Daanger' bootie - $84.90 on amazon.com

Take your favorite slouchy boot from last Fall and make it into a lovely bootie for Spring and voila -- You have the Steven Madden Daanger bootie. This shoe is so adorable with it's ruching detail in the front and sexy cutouts. I can see myself wearing these for work with skirts and skinny jeans and I can wear these for evening and weekends with leggings and skirts. I went through quite an ordeal finding these shoes. I originally bought them on sale for $58 on nordstrom.com and I ordered the size 7's in grey because they were out of size 6.5. When I got them I absolutely fell in love with them but they were clearly too big. I took them back to Nordstrom's and they're completely out of the 6.5. I then found the purple ones on sale on Endless.com for $66. Well, when I got them the next day it turns out that the purple leather is not nearly as cute as the grey. So... I just decided to get the grey in 6.5 on Amazon.com for $84.90. Sure, I had to pay little more but I think I will be able to wear these all the time.

Laura Mercier Eye Basics

I've on the search for a long lasting, waterproof, smudge-proof eyeliner for what seems like years now. I've been liking the Makeup Forever waterproof eyeliner but it still smudges by the end of a night out despite being waterproof. Then my friend Catherine told me something that sounded very wise to me: just because the eyeliner is waterproof doesn't mean it's oil proof. And since you skin produces natural oils the make up still smudges after a while. She told me the solution to this problem is eye makeup primer. Brilliant! My friend Erica who is a makeup artist at Laura Mercier swears that their primer is the best. I've been testing it all week with 3 different liners and here's the low down.

With the Smash Box cream eyeliner. The liner is not waterproof so the primer didn't help much at all. Then I tried it with Lancome Artliner liquid eyeliner, which is a water-resistant liner. My eyes were watery that day because of bad allergies so it was a good test. My liner ran a bit but it didn't smudge on my bottom lid so I didn't have racoon eyes! The best results came from using the primer with my Makeup Forever liner. It only smudged a tiny bit after a whole work day! I was so pleasantly surprised. I think I found the perfect combination. Eye primer + waterproofliner = perfection. Yes!

Smashbox Try Me Set

Smashbox Try Me Set - $25 sephora.com

I've been on a mission to find the perfect waterproof eyeliner. I've tried a couple of liquid liners so far and they're OK but I have two problems: they're hard to put on and they smudge. I read good reviews on the Smashbox cream liner so I decided to give it a try. I found this sample set on Sephora and I liked that it came with brushes. Here's the break down on what's in the set:

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer

This foundation primer leaves your skin feeling silky smooth and poreless. I don't wear liquid foundation so I can't tell if this primer helps foundation stay on. I've tried this with my powder mineral foundation and I haven't noticed a huge difference.

Smashbox Cream Eyeliner Palette & Cream Eyeliner Brush #9

I thought this whole try me kit was worth the $25 for the mini version of the eyeliner palette and the eyeliner brush. The cream liner with the brush is much easier to apply than liquid eyeliners. The kit even comes with a DVD explaining how to use it but I was still a little confused about how much of the liner to use. I found that the cream liner finishes more like an eye shadow. It's a subtle way to add emphasis to your lash lines but it does wear off quickly. Since I was looking for a long lasting waterproof liner, I wasn't thrilled with the results. Now I'm using the liner mostly during the day when I feel like putting the extra effort getting ready for work. I'm hoping to use the liner brush with other cream liners I might try later.

Smashbox Brow Tech & Angle brow brush

The mini palette also has 4 brow tech colors. The eyeliner brush in the try me kit has the angle brow brush on the other end. Brow tech comes with 4 different colors to match your hair color and a wax to finish off. I really loved the angle brow brush for applying the brow color. I didn't really need the wax because my brows are fairly sparse but the wax hold in the color nicely as well. I like it!

Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener

I thought this brightener was a concealer. After reading the reviews on Sephora it turns out this is meant to be used over your concealer to brighten your under eye circles. I do have dark circles and I didn't find a lot of help with this brightener. I also use a mineral powder concealer, rather than a creamy concealer so I wasn't sure whether the liquid brightener would wash away my concealer. I find the brightener just so, so and probably not worth the extra step in your regular make up routine.

Lip Enhancing Gloss in Crystal

I haven't tried this gloss because it's clear and colorless and is meant to be worn over lipstick. *yawn*

Let the Stimulation Begin!

I've been away from my blog for a couple of months because of my self imposed shopping ban since Christmas. I was doing quite well in terms of not buying anything for myself that I don't absolutely need. However, how can you make someone who keeps a blog about shopping go cold turkey?! Besides, stopping consumer spending is like pulling all of your money out of the stock market and tucking it under your mattress. So in the last few weeks I've started to let myself buy a few things starting with some makeup, then some shoes (I can always return them!) and then dresses. Well, we all have to do our part to stimulate the economy, don't we? So finally, I have material for my blog again. Look for new posts in the next few days.

There is a Santa

Santa didn't disappoint this year, mostly due to my universal wish list and of course me being an all so nice girl this year. Here's the best of my loot this past Christmas.

Elliott Lucca Addison Leather Clutch - $109 I received this clutch in a bronze metallic color. It's beautiful. I now wish I have more opportunities to carry this and look fabulous.

Delicate Raymond gold monogram pendant - $165 This delicate package arrived on the afternoon of Christmas Eve through snow and ice and it was all so worth it! The pendant is made to order and is as lovely in person as it is in the picture. This is like my own "Carrie" necklace (Bradshaw not Underwood).

Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum -$19 I've read tons of reviews that Olay offers great quality at a low price, compared to department store brands. I've already tried Olay Denfinity line and it definitely lightened my sun spots or "freckles".

I Love My New Aldo Boots

I picked out these Aldo boots as Christmas gifts from my mom. Yes, I went shopping with my mom and like a teenage girl I pointed out to the ones I wanted and she bought them for me. I had to wait until Christmas to wear them and I'm so happy with them. I wanted leather slouchy flat boots to wear for the weekend with skinny jeans, tights and skirts and even to work. I've been wearing these almost every chance I get. They're super warm and comfy. I mean, it feels like I'm wearing slippers to work. I love how I can walk around in them for hours and feel so good and look cute too. They're the equivalent of ballet flats for the winter: functional and fashionable.


Aldo Cassella boots - $130


Forever 21 Mellisa Knit Dress - $19.95 One of my favorite outfits with my new boots is a casual knit dress with tights. It's feminine and comfy.

AE Classic Cardigan - $29.95 Another favorite outfit of mine is a white tank under a grandpa style sweater with faded blue skinny jeans and slouchy boots.