Chic little notetaker

I ABSOLUTELY love these.  What a find at target!!  I’m always making lists…lists lists lists (kinda like Claire Dunphy in Modern Family), and I’ve tried using my Blackberry, but then I just forget that the list is there.  Kind of like the physical planner, I needed a physical LIST MAKER.  Lo and behold, I found these little gems at target!  They are little notebooks, pretty thin, but come with GORGEOUS covers- vibrant covers, and the inside is a watersketch of each city’s respective subway systems.  Of course, I’m a little biased.  Three of my favorite cities in the world are Paris, New York, and London.  The paper is DIVINE to write on…I’m ordering like 10 more of these so that I am well-stocked FOREVER.  Pencil writes on the paper beautifully, and so do ink pens!  I LOVE THESE!  They are so cheap, and look SO great when you pull them out of your bag.  ”Hmmm I need to make a grocery list…I’ll just pull out my nifty and oh-so-chic notebook and start jotting away!”

Image courtesy of www.target.com

To view, click on picture!  $3.99

Ruuuuun, Forrest…RUUUUN

My favorite scenes in Forrest Gump are when he’s running through all these different climates.  Now that it’s winterish here in the East Coast, my running plans kinda fail a little.  I prefer to run outside because it’s just a better workout.  I’ve tried a couple pairs of Nike tights, and the Pro Combat lines are my absolute favorite, but while they’re fine for a cool fall weather-day, it’s not fine for a winter day.  THESE are the best tights ever.  THey are lined in fleece, fit well with the body, and do not roll down when running or moving about.  It’s pretty great.  In fact, I’m looking to buy a couple more pairs since it looks like they’re going out of stock/going on sale!  These are the perfect winter running tights for the serious runner!  Sometimes I wear these around the house to lounge in just because they’re so comfortable

Image courtesy of www.dickssportinggoods.com

To buy, click on image.  $50.

 

Perfect Mary Janes

To buI. LOOOOOOVE. THESE MARY JANES.  They are seriously THE best shoes that are out there.  At first, the Mary Janes reminded me of my grade school/middle school shoes, but these are just so much more sophisticated.  The straps hit at just the right spot to elongate the legs instead of shorten them.  The leather is super soft.  And to top it off, it is one of the most comfortable pair of shoes I’ve owned.  It’s a great height, and a great pair of shoe.  Gives  a little twist to an ordinary LBD or even a suit.  Comes in three spectacular colors- red, beige, and the black below.

Image courtesy of www.ninewest.com

To buy, click on image!  $89.

Be different than Apple…

…as much as you can anyway.  Nowadays, EVERYONE has a Mac, as you can see from the picture below:

Image courtesy of www.mauriciomazzariol.com

Anyway, with this world of macs, iPads, iPods, and iPhones taking over the freakin’ world (God rest Steve Jobs’ soul).  And because I don’t want to pay $60 for the stupid cover that Apple basically tries to force upon you, I went hunting for the perfect cover.  The Apple cover is fine, except the cheap ones are the ugly colors, with the colors I ACTUALLY like being around $60.  Plus, it doesn’t protect the back of the iPad.  So…lo and behold, TUMI.  I LOVE TUMI.  I’ve been drooling after their luggage and accessories since I’ve laid eyes on it, and I will be sure to blog more about Tumi in the next couple weeks.

This iPad cover does everything.  It turns the screen on and off as you take the cover on/off.  It protects the back of the iPad.  The front cover folds back so you can have your iPad sit while watching a movie.  It’s pretty awesome.  It’s so durable I dropped my iPad on the airport hard floor and I didn’t even think anything of it.  Sure, it’s an investment, but it’s so much more worth it than the generic Apple cover.

Image courtesy of www.tumi.com

To buy, click the image above!  $95.

Some great colors…

So, I blogged about Urban Decay’s Naked palette when it first came out.  Well, it was such a big hit that it came out with the Naked 2 palette!  It is sooo much better than the first one.  The colors are much more versatile and subdued, and even includes a black shadow for a smoky eye.  The browns are beautiful, and can be layered, used as eyeliner, etc. etc.  I cannot say enough good things about this palette.  The eyeshadows are silky, goes on extremely smooth, and stays put pretty well with eyelid primer.  This is an extremely good buy and will last you forever!

Image courtesy of sephora.com

To buy, click on image!  $50

Best Mascara Has Come to Town!

I have just recently gotten my hands on this little nifty mascara, and it is an awesome review of Dior’s Diorshow New Look mascara.  It is only available in Sephora now, and will be available later on in Saks, Bloomies, Macys, etc. etc.  Let me tell you, this mascara is a GEM.  It has a little tiny little brush, and rubber-ish bristles, but you can literally put on like 10 coats of mascara and it WILL NOT CLUMP.  In fact, it separates and makes your lashes fuller, thicker, and longer with each brush!!!  Color is also shiny, which makes this gorgeous.  It also works pretty well with a curler.  Really, this mascara does EVERYTHING.  Give it a try.  I’ve begrudgingly put away my Armani mascara which I had been using for the past year.

BEFORE with no mascara

AFTER picture with New Look mascara

Image courtesy of sephora.com

To buy, click on image!  $28.50.

shampoo for oily hair!

If you’re like me, you need to wash your hair every day.  My hair gets gross at night (aside from my running), and so I’m not able to skip the hair-washing that I’m supposed to.  Apparently it strips the hair of nutrients or something…bah.  Anyway, I picked up this shampoo bar while visiting Lush today.  I’ve blogged about two shampoo bars so far, and I’m SO hooked on them!  They’re seriously the most amazing things ever, and SO great for the gym and for travel.  So anyway, I’d never seen this one in the store, and so I picked it up bc 1) it was purple, and 2) it was lavender.  It smelled SO good that I bought it!  Used it tonight.  Makes my hair squeaky clean, but still really soft.  Must use a conditioner with it,and afterwards, I rub Moroccan Oil on it.  Lathers amazing, smells great, and leaves hair shiny and healthy and oil free

www.lush.com

To buy, click on image!  $9.95.

best work bag. EVER.

So right now I’m in school mode, and so my bags must be super sturdy, light, carry a ton of stuff, and dirty-ok.  That’s why I carry my Marc by Marc Tate Tote at school.  Let’s get real…casebooks + laptop + legal pads + my gigantic wallet = no place for a backpack (which, by the way, I have a vendetta against bc they don’t even hold that much stuff to start with) or a small dainty cute bag.  Anyway, a bunch of my friends have recently graduated, and moving onto professional careers, so one thing I’ve thought to gift them were always work bags.  These bags are neither too big or too small, and still must look professional.  Lo and behold the Coach Madison bag  This is an AWESOME shoulder bag.  It’s funny bc one of my best friends has it too, and she brought it with her to a girls’ trip in Orlando, showing that this bag works in AND out of work.  It comes in a variety of colors, and is just…classy.  It has beautiful silk lining on the inside, and is divided into three compartments, for easy storage and access.  It is big enough that it holds my iPad, my coach planner, my checkbook wallet, all the makeup I put into my bag, and other little things.  It looks normal-sized on the outside, but stores a TON of stuff.

www.amazon.com

This is what it looks like on the outside.  You really need to click the link to see the three separators that make this bag so freakin amazing, and to see the size against the mannequin.  It is my go-to work bag, and I have it in black.  I got mine at the Coach outlet, and it was .. I think $150.  If money is not a problem for you, it is $358 on the Coach website!

grecian goddess

I’ve started to recently become unhealthily obsessed with Alice and Olivia’s clothing line.  Everything is just so..ethereal and pretty, and dainty, yet sexy all at the same time.  I’ve bought two dresses thus far that I’ve yet to wear, and I just become more obsessed.  Sigh.  Alice and Olivia is great for weddings (younger crowd though), and going out.  Not appropriate for church, at least I don’t think.  There’s also a “working-girl” line they’ve established, but I don’t really think it’s appropriate unless you work at Elle Magazine.  This is my latest obsession that I’ve been stalking for a while:  :)  When the sales really do come out, you can get an A+O dress from between $80-$110

www.saks.com

It is an absolutely beautiful dress in a beautiful color (though you need a tan first)…and it fits well and drapes perfectly everywhere…le sigh.

If you’re lucky enough to buy it, click on link…or just admire…$368.

On your mark…

So…somehow I got roped into doing two half marathons.  I’m an excellent sprinter (well, kind of), not distance runner, and so running anything above 3 miles seemed almost impossible for me.  Well, lo and behold the Nike Women’s marathon  that I signed up for…which gives an exclusively designed Tiffanys necklace by both Nike and Tiffanys, when you cross the finish line.  I was sold.  I love Tiffanys.  I love Nike.  Now I just have to love running 13.1 miles in freakin’ San Francisco.  So what do I do?  I get my butt to run at least 4-5 times a week.  Now I’m at 5 miles, and I am proud to say that I can go further.  I’m comfortable enough where I can still hold a conversation in my fifth mile.  And I do have these shoes to thank for.  I’m into barefoot running (I guess from my track days), and love shoes that are super light.  The running store by me suggested these New Balance RevLites, so I decided to try them, and they are amazing, both on the treadmill and outside.  I strongly recommend them!  I’m also trying out the Nike Free next, so I will blog about that when the time comes!

www.newbalance.com

To buy, click on image.  $99.99.  Comes in a variety of colors.  I own the purple/black

LBP = Little Black Pump

Everyone needs an LBD.  Well, on that same note, everyone needs a Little Black Pump as well.  I absolutely love these from Zara, and while I don’t own them, I really desperately want to, save for the fact that I have a TON of black pumps (Ann Taylor has amazing round-toe ones, and BCBGgirls makes a good one too).  Anyway, the shape and heel of these are reminiscent of Christian Louboutin’s black pumps, stylewise, just without the red sole.  These are very classy, and would jazz up an all-black outfit.  For us in professions where black/navy suits are a must, a little patent leather pizazz would help.  I also feel that pointy-toe pumps elongates the legs better.  That, and the length of the point matters, and this one is pretty perfect.  Lo and behold:

www.zara.com

To buy, click on image!  $79.

softest PJs

I am SOOOOO hooked on these PJs.  They are seriously the softest things ever, and feels amazing.  Victoria’s Secret recently came out with a “One Size Sexy” line, consisting of little biker shorts and Tshirts/Tank tops.  It’s supposed to be one-size fits all, and I think I believe it.  They stretch like none other, but not in an uncomfortable way, just enough so that it’s still snug.  SO SOFT.  I think this is great for everyone, even people who are preggo.  The shorts are great for the summer.  I’ve always liked biker shorts.  Played volleyball in high school/college and always thought that these shorts were the most comfortable.  There’s a good deal right now, and I managed to snag them on an even better deal when I had some coupons!  I own the navy and black 3-piece collections and I strongly encourage you to do the same!

www.victoriassecret.com

 

www.victoriassecret.com

To buy, click on image!!  2/$35 or $22 for one.

Royalty

A designer I absolutely love is the powerhouse brand of Zara.  Zara originated in Spain, I believe, and it was super popular in Europe before it came here to the States.  The thing about stores like Zara, H&M, and Topshop is that it makes me realize just how behind in fashion the U.S. really is.  I feel like the styles that were popular in Europe when I was in high school were just starting to get popular when I was in college here.  Anyway, Zara also recently received a boost in sales because the very very famous and stylish Kate Middleton has been seen wearing Zara left and right.  And rightly so.  The clothes are classic, with a little edge, and so…effortless.  It’s basically Kate Middleton’s M.O.  I bought this dress about 2 months ago, and absolutely love it.  The blue is much brighter, and looks better accented with a belt.  I love that I can wear heels with it, or flats, and paired with a black blazer (which K.Midd also brought back), it looks absolutely wonderful and work-ready.  Also great for summer weddings, cocktails, etc.  Depends how you want to dress this dress up, you really can’t go wrong!

www.zara.com

To buy, click on image!  $79.

H&M!!!!!!!!

Yay!!!  H&M is online!!!  Not that you can shop online, but at least you can view their clothing online.  I’ve been obsessed with H&M since I was 17 and in England, and at that time I don’t think there were any H&Ms in the U.S. yet.  Now they are EVERYWHERE, and that makes me extremely happy bc it’s affordable, and an upgraded version of Forever 21.

Now, first post about H&M:  these colorblock dresses make me absolutely happy, because they are very effortless.  I love the fabric, because while it isn’t breathable in any way, shape or form, it looks professional, and is crisp when there are no wrinkles involved.  That being said, I strongly believe that these dresses need belts.  But in general, pairing these with flats or heels, and a blazer is PERFECTO.

www.hm.com

To check out the dress, click on image!

BEST curling iron

I’m always jealous of the way my hairdresser can make effortless curls out of a CHI flatiron, because whenever I do it, it just looks like a crimped hot mess.  I tried traditional clamp-style curling irons too, and those made my curls a little wonky as well because of the clamp.  I just about gave up when I was perusing Target and saw the Remington curling wand.  There is no clamp involved, and it seemed pretty foolproof.  I read some reviews online and the reviews were FABULOUS, so what the heck.  It was $25, and I figured if it didn’t work, Target had a pretty good return policy.  Wow, this thing is AMAZING.  You literally just take section of your hair, wrap it around the iron, and voila, perfect curls.  The size of the hair depends on how much hair you take to curl.  That’s it.  No hassle, no mess.  I can curl my entire head in under 10 minutes, and I have pretty long hair.  I say this is an amazing investment.  They sell the exact same thing at Sephora, but it’s $130.  Try this!  It’s foolproof!

 

www.amazon.com

 

www.amazon.com

To buy, click on image!  $24.99