Store Appeal

Forever 21 Fabulous Finds

Forever21 Chain And Pearlescent Necklace

Forever 21

$5.80

For years Forever 21 did not sell their clothes online and it was a source of major frustration for me because they have such cute stuff and sometimes your faves got picked over in the store before you could grab them.  Now, however, there are tons of fabulous finds to grab at Forever 21 online.

For one thing, Forever 21 has super cute jewelry for bargain basement prices.  I used to think nobody could beat the jewelry prices at H&M but they do.  Check out the necklace above – really great, on trend and only $5.80.

Another thing I really appreciate about Forever 21 is their plus size line, Faith 21. 

The Faith 21 Line includes dresses, outerwear, pants, sweaters, jeans, skirts etc at terrific prices starting at around $10.  The clothes are junior plus, with fitted silhouettes and most of the  dresses and skirts are quite short, but very wearable with leggings or tights.

Clutches on Sale!

One of my favorite places to look for sales is Beso.com.  Beso is a shopping site that lets me browse products from hundreds of websites all in one place.  The best part is that whatever you search for (for this blog I put in “clutch“) you can then narrow down by items on sale, and then even what percentage the bag is off the original price!  Here are some of the best deals I found!

Michael Kors ID Chain Envelope Chain Clutch, was  $495, now only $173 at 6pm.com

Michael Kors Id Chain Envelope Clutch Handbag, 6pm.com

Frye Heidi Clutch Bag, was $248, now $148 at Zappos.com

Frye Heidi Clutch Handbags

Zappos.com

$147.00

Botkier Trigger Moto Clutch, was $399, now $198 at Zappos.com

Botkier Trigger Moto Clutch at Zappos.com

The Botkier Handbag and the Frye Handbag are both sold at Zappos.com, which I would definitely recommend checking out for sales as they frequently have them.  Also make sure to check TheOutNet.com frequently as sales are their speciality – they sell high end designers at heavily discounted prices.

Shopping for Handbags: Modern or Classic?

If you love handbags, chances are you have a “type.”  You know what you like. Your handbag type may be more flexible, like being able to switch back and forth from a clutch for a night on the town to a satchel for work.  But I find that most women have a consistency to their “every day” bag – like a love of leather, or a certain shape or strap length.

I tend to be more a handbag traditionalist – eschewing modern looks and trends for big sturdy leather bags with a plethora of inside and outside pockets.  My most common brand of choice is Coach because their handbags are incredibly made and manage to be classic and stylish at the same time.  But in the interest of branching out, I’ve been investigating two new options: B Makowsky and Anya Hindmarch.

B Makowsky handbags tend to be traditional designs but with modern touches like funky hardware or unusual colors.  The price range is relatively affordable, with the average bag under $300, and some for as little as half of that. 

Anya Hindmarch bags tend to be a bit more than B Makowsky.  Here are some that I like:

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Anya Hindmarch bag at Beso.com

Tie Dye Leather – Tory Burch Florence Skirt

It’s hard to find designs these days that are truly “new.”  Most of what happens in fashion has already been done in a previous decade in one form or another.  This isn’t necessarily a complaint, because a fresh take on an old design can still feel new and, of course, vintage and retro fashion is usually popular. 

But I saw this Tory Burch Florence skirt and thought, wow, I’ve never seen that before:

Tory Burch Florence Tie Dye Leather Skirt, $495 at Net-A-Porter.com

Sure, I’ve seen leather skirts by the thousand.  Same with tie dye.  And bubble skirts, that was last year’s big thing.  But honestly, I really don’t think I’ve ever seen a tie dyed leather bubble skirt.  And I LOVE IT.  I think it’s the leather that really throws me for a loop here – I can definitely see a tie-dyed bubble skirt, but putting that into leather is definitely a really creative design choice.  I don’t normally consider Tory Burch to be an innovator (although I do really like her designs), so I am even more impressed with this piece.

Neutral Tone Handbags

I recently extolled the virtues of bright, outrageous handbags on this blog, but today I am talking about the exact opposite – neutral tone handbags.  Sometimes an outfit has too much presence to upstage it with a hot pink bag.  It’s perfectly ok to let your outfit be the star and let your bag hang out in the background.

But a neutral tone bag doesn’t need to be a boring bag.  Take this Calvin Klein handbag for example:

Calvin Klein Eyelet Hobo, $120 at Amazon.com

The Calvin Klein Eyelet handbag is a perfect example of a more interesting neutral bag.  This suede bag is covered with grommets, which add a really fun detail to what otherwise could be a little blah.  This bag is only $120 at Amazon.com which is a pretty sweet price for a Calvin Klein handbag!  Calvin Klein has lots of neutral bags so he’s a great designer to check out.

Another bag I saw that would work well as a fun neutral is the Kooba Caitlin bag.

Kooba Caitlin Bag, $525 at Piperlime.com

I love Kooba handbags, and the Caitlin is no exception.  The buttersoft Italian leather is gorgeous, and the big casual bow worked into the bag’s design makes it a real winner.

Favorite Kiehl’s Products

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Kiehls at Beso.com

I remember the first time I tried a Kiehl’s product.   It felt so trendy to be not trendy, that is, to use a line that was all about the product and not about some over the top marketing concept.  Their skin care didn’t have any crazy scents or overly cute names, instead things were presented in a very straightforward way, in almost old fashioned looking containers with matter of fact labels.  And they were and still are very much into giving generous free samples.  It is my opinion that established and successful lines with that kind of free sample policy do so because they know no matter how much they give away, you’re going to want to come back and buy.  They believe in their products, period.

My favorite product is one of their most basic, the Gentle Foaming Face Cleanser.  I challenge you to find someone that finds their skin irritated by their cleanser.  It is so gentle, smells so neutral and makes your face feel clean and soft.  It’s a great product and you only need a little bit so it lasts a while.  Some of my other top picks from Kiehls are their Supremely Gentle Makeup Remover and their delicious Gardenia Scented Hand Lotion. 

You can find Kiehls at Kiehls.com as well as most fancy department stores like Bergdorf Goodman.  And online, of course!

Fashion Bug: Something for Everyone

How many women’s clothing stores can you shop online where you can find clothes that are both stylish and affordable – and come in sizes 4-32?  This is what FashionBug.com has to offer, and they’ve got a huge selection!

Their motto is “Look Great, Spend Less” and their prices really do stand up to that – their best selling dresses are all $40 or less, some for $25.   You can find sexy bras for $19.99, panties for $12, and summer capris for $19-25.  Another great thing about the prices at Fashion Bug is that they are very promotional, you can almost always find good coupons for the site to get a percentage off your sale. 

In addition to their simple, stylish clothes they also carry a pretty decent line of accessories and shoes.  I saw a pair of gladiator sandals I just adored, and then almost squealed with joy when I realized they were $14.99!

Gladiator Tess Sandals, $14.99 at Fashion Bug

Chinese Laundry: What’s in a Name?

If someone told you they were wearing Chinese Laundry, would you assume they’d been washing their clothes at the local laundromat?   Well, in fact they’d be wearing a pair of fierce shoes.  Chinese Laundry has been making fabulous women’s shoes for almost 30 years.  They make everything from killer boots to vegan shoes.  

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Chinese Laundry at Beso.com

Now, I’m a flats girl.  They have a lot of good flats and sandals on their site right now, including a pair of black flats covered in black roses (sounds tacky, but it’s really cute!) and even pink jelly shoes with rhinestones. 

But if you are more into heels, check out these boots.  I love the western style and I think the perforated shaft of the boot (they are perforated stars no less!) is really unique and makes the boot a total must.  Ankle boots are really popular right now too, so this is good on both the western trend and the bootie trend.

Most of the shoes on Chinese Laundry’s website are under $100, so they are affordable as well as cute!

Cost Plus World Market: International Affordable

Novica Mate Gourd - Owl, $9.99

I am always a fan of stores that sell a wide variety of goods.  Even better if they are eclectic, obscure or otherwise interesting.  That’s why I am a huge fan of Cost Plus World Market.  This store sells crafts from all over the world at affordable prices.  You can find unique and beautiful furniture, accessories and decorations from multiple continents and dozens of country.  A quick browse of the site today lead to these great finds: a Balinese Kite shaped like a boat, ornate throw pillows from Central Asia and and a decorative wood bowl carved from a tree from Thailand.

The best part are that these items are all available for such reasonable prices.  Even the bowl, which is literally hand carved out of a tree, with the bark still surrounding the outside of the mango wood, is only $67.  Who else is going to have an actual piece of a tree from Thailand as a decoration in their house?

A lot of ex-pats are also a fan of Cost Plus World Market as they carry a lot of food items from other countries such as digestive biscuits, although most of these items are only available in their retail stores. 

Cost Plus World Market online has a huge selection if items ranging from furniture to towels to sculptures to baskets to accessories, rugs, lamps – you name it, there is a chance they’ve got it! 

This store is highly recommended for:
*Gifts
*Home Decor
*Affordable Furnishings

Clinique: Pretty, Simple Beauty with Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion

I remember the first time my mother took me to a makeup counter.  It was seventh grade, and I had a special occasion coming up.  My mother promised I would be allowed to wear makeup to for the first time.   She took me to the Clinque counter at the mall and I remember how special I felt as the makeup artist sat me in one of their chairs and gave me a “makeover”.  I am sure there wasn’t much more than one eyeshadow and lip gloss, but it began my love affair with cosmetics that has lasted to this day. 

What I like about Clinique is the straightforward presentation, the almost clinical feel to their skin care and cosmetics – their makeup artists even wear lab coats at the store counter!  There are no super funky names or wild crazy colors, this is makeup presented in a a straightforward manner because no gimmicks are required to sell quality.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion

Neiman Marcus

$24.00

One of Clinique’s most well known products is the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion.  This light yellow moisturizer is often called a moisture “drink” because it is so good at rehydrating super dry skin.  There are a few different formulations of this for different dryness levels for skin but if you are on the dry side at all, I highly recommend this product.

A Clinique product I’ve loved for years is their Eye Makeup Remover.  I prefer the one in the blue bottle, it’s oil free but yet gets even the toughest clumps of mascara off my tired eyes at the end of the day.

If you are not sure whether you are a lipstick or lipgloss girl I recommend their Almost Lipstick.  It comes in a lipstick-like applicator, but provides a light glossy color to your lips.  InStyle named it one of their 2009 Best Beauty Buys and I agree.

If you’ve never tried Clinique before and not sure it’s right for you, I’d say if you are a MAC girl who likes to look total glam day and night, this might not be the right line for you, as subtlty is key.  But I would still recommend you check out their skincare, self tanner, and makeup remover.  If you’re more of a Bobbi Brown kind of girl, who likes soft color palettes, then I’d definitely recommend you try this line.