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.