Smelling Sweet!

This is my all time favorite deodorant.  FAVORITE!  It does everything that you want a deodorant to do.  It goes on well.  Works all day.  Works all day.  Works all day.  Any questions?!  Oh, and it also has a pleasant, subtle smell.  And, one stick lasts a very long time!  The first day I wore it, I felt like I could smell it all day, but no longer.  I don't notice it at all.  Nordstrom used to carry it for $17.00.  During their anniversary sale, it was always marked down to $12.  But now, they have lowered the price permanently!!!!  

This has been my gift of choice this past year.  I bought many, many sticks and have given it for every birthday lunch/dinner/celebration I have been to.  It has become my signature gift and a bit of a joke.  There are no hidden meanings when I give this gift.  It is just truly, "one of my favorite things."  But the best part is, the recipients have all LOVED it as much as I do.  Many of them are on their second stick! 

Party in a Bottle

I love Deborah Lippmann nail polish. It stays on the longest of any nail polish I've tried. I especially love this new fun glitter color called, "Happy Birthday." It's a fun toe color for spring/summer.

Princess & the Frog Deal

Here is a coupon for $10 off Princess & the Frog. It is on sale this week at Target for $15.99 which means I got it for $5.99!! It expires on the 21st and I am sure the Target sale ends this weekend. I am going to put it in Brooke's Easter basket. Thanks to my friend Karen for sending it to me. It's too good to pass up. I even think boys will like the movie.

Click Here (once printed, it says it's for Blue Ray but it works for the standard one too).

Go Green!

Whenever my friend Ashley K. comes over, she always packs a snack for her boys in these cute reusable bags. They are the perfect alternative to plastic baggies. The inside has a lining that is easy to clean and the top is velcro. There are hundreds of them on Etsy (search reusable sandwich/snack bags). Here are some cute ones I found.

I love my trench!!

I maybe totally wrong about this but I hear that trench coats are the latest (not that they ever go out of style). It's sad that I don't really know what's the "latest and greatest" anymore. When I worked at Neiman Marcus, I knew what was going to be in style 6 months - 1 year before it ever hit the sales floor. I miss those days. Anyway, I was at Forever 21 and saw this cute trench coat as I was on my way out the store. It immediately caught my eye because it looks very Jackie O and I about fell over when I saw the price. The heavy sticker price will be revealed at the end of this post. I brought it home and put the perfect outfit together: skinny jeans, a matching necklace and my glitter wedges.
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My mom had this beautiful moonstone necklace made for me. I LOVE it (it was hard to photograph it well) and looks perfect with the coat.

I also wear it with skinny jeans and my glitter wedges. We'll see how much longer I can squeeze my pregnant self into this outfit! I give the jeans one more week and the coat 1 month.

What was the damage? If you can see through all the red lines, the final price was $12.99!!

M*A*C in Lillyland

Two of my favorite companies (MAC and Lilly Pulitzer) have gotten together and put out this fun line of cosmetics. Here is a link to see the complete line.

Cookies Anyone???

It has been way too long since any of us has posted. What has happened sisters? I know we all have lots of new "favorites" still! Well to kick off 2010, here is one of mine:

Kari's Cookies

Kari is a good friend of mine and a registered dietitian. These cookies are, in Kari's words, "the tastiest and healthiest on the market!" And they are. They contain healthy ingredients like whole wheat and oats, flax, soy protein and egg whites but then she throws in a little chocolate and butterscotch, or dried cherries and dark chocolate or raisins. I love these cookies but the good news is, Kari just developed an even lower sugar/higher protein version. They have only 5 grams of sugar per cookie. That is less than a serving of cottage cheese my friends. I don't think the lower sugar variety is on her website yet, but it should be soon.

I think they make a unique gift or a fun treat for yourself. Kari has been very busy baking. She has a big group of followers now (including myself).

www.kariscookies.com


ENJOY! GUILT FREE!

Time to Get Crafty

Last year, I had a few friends over the night before Thanksgiving to make wreathes. I am going to make that night a yearly tradition. It would also be fun to do this for Xmas in July. I found a wreath at Pottery Barn (on the right) that I used for my inspiration. I am now looking around for inspiration for this year's craft. I am liking what I am seeing! Ann and Mir, I've found some projects for you!!

Craft Idea for Ann:
Ann's whole house has a beach theme and I LOVE how she's incorporated that into her Christmas tree. I love your beach tree, Ann!! I found these shell Christmas trees at Neiman Marcus that would be really easy to make. Click here to see a bigger picture.






Craft Ideas for Miriam:
Two things: since you know how to sew (right?!?!) , pillows like these would be cute. However, they are only $20 so it's probably cheaper to buy them. They are from Neiman Marcus and so are the cute red trees. These trees reminded me of your decor. Here is a link for the trees.



Ideas for Me (Laura) :

These are both from Pottery Barn. The one to the left is a grouping of oversized ornaments, hung outdoors. The retro ornament trees would be easy to make too.

90% Off at Restaurant.com

There are only a few more hours left on this great deal from Restaurant.com. They sell discounted gift certificates to restaurants. For example, a $25 gift certificate usually goes for $10.

But for the rest of the day, their gift certificates are NINETY PERCENT OFF! That means you can get a $25 gift certificate for $1!

Each restaurant sets their own terms--some require that your bill total at least $35 to use a $25 certificate. Others set restrictions on dates the certificate can be used. Most are good for one year after purchase.

So check it out and see what's available near you!

Don't Have to Pay Full Price @...

Several months ago, I was in Express, buying a lot of clothes. I know they send out coupons but I didn't have one with me. I went to the check out and asked if I could get a discount without having the coupon in hand and she said she'd give me 20% off!! SCORE! I was in there tonight and found these jeans (to the left)that I really liked. My friend had a $30 off a $75 purchase coupon. I asked at checkout if they could give me a coupon deal on the jeans even though I didn't have one. He asked me if I had seen any discounts in particular. I told him my friend had a $30 off coupon and he said he'd give it to me too. SCORE AGAIN. Express has EXCELLENT customer service in my book. Stores usually won't give discounts without a coupon but Express will!

Never Too Early

It's never too early to start thinking about fall. It's my favorite time of year! I am so excited for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm already scoping out the the Halloween decorations and costumes for this year. I haven't seen anything in stores yet but Pottery Barn Kids has stuff online. I take that back. The grocery stores have Halloween candy. I think Children's Place is coming out with their costumes this week. Here is my post from last year. I can't wait to get out my Halloween decorations!!

Pearl Swimwear

I have found a fantastic line of swimwear! Everybody may already know about this...but I just discovered it! I was invited over to a friend's house for a private showing with the designer herself! We are so lucky that she lives in Laguna Beach! :) I tried on all her suits and she adjusted them on me, critiqued them, and then chose the best! Her suits are modest yet not frumpy!!! They are classic and incredibly flattering with a great style.

The suit I bought is like wearing a girdle underneath a swimsuit. I have a heck of a time getting it on but then it sucks it all in and looks fabulous! At first, I was a little skeptical of the lower cut legs, but I am sold! They are so flattering. Her suits have a 40's feel to me. I wore one to the beach and received so many compliments. What more can you ask for? :) The suits are different and so cute! Unlike anything else out there on the market. And very well made. Check them out...

http://www.pearlswimwear.com/

She is starting to get a celebrity following too!

Garden Party Jewelry

I am so in love with "garden party" rings right now. I love the big bold look and I think garden party is the prefect description. Here are a few of the fabulous rings that I found. They first came on the scene last year during Chanel and Dior runway shows. They can be found in every price range and I've seen them at Aldo Accessories & Forever 21.