Oct 29, 2010

Another Reason to TGIF

While I have yet to do a lot of posts (or any???) on design, trust me I will once I have something to talk about. I live with one of my girlfriends and my decorating is pretty much confined to my bedroom and bathroom. When I initially moved in, I took care of the 'musts' like painting and bringing in furniture (to make a really long and boring story short, I was starting from scratch so the only thing the room had in it was a bed frame and mattress) and have slowly started to incorporate more accessories to make it feel like 'home'.

All the babble to say: one of my favorite design blogs is hosting a $45 giveaway from CSN. In case you aren't familiar, CSN is a huge umbrella site that has something like 200 stores in it. Come to think of it, some of those stores are shoes, etc. so I guess this does go along with my normal posting??? Hmmm...whatever.


Check out It's Great to be Home to enter (I really don't want you to enter, so you know, I can win, but I'm trying to be nice). Liz is extremely adorable and she and her husband house flip from time to time: they've done some really great work! They are currently on their second (?) flip and things look like they are going well. Her blog is also a great source for inspiration; check out the link to her flickr page!

Party (Dress) Like it's 1999

You know what I love? Party dresses. How fun is it get super dolled up for a night on the town? Very. I'm already starting to see several bloggers bust out their wish list for New Year's Eve, the quintessential party for a dress that's just the right amount of over the top.

I was perusing ASOS (as I tend to do) and I stumbled upon the most perfect option for moi.

Holy freaking awesome Batman. Stop the presses. I need this. Right. Now. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Hello New Year's Eve 2010:

ASOS Lispy Loves Dress
{here}
Can you believe this gorgeousness? Black is always right and look at that embellished neckline and structured shoulders!!! If the Heaven's ever parted, I think this would fall from the sky. Preferably in my little hands.

However, all my dreams were dashed when I saw my size was sold out. Damn you fellow tiny people! I blame the UK's.

In other news:

I received my patent pumps (posted here) from Ann Taylor yesterday. The 5's actually fit very well but the toe box is a tad on the narrow side. Thankfully, Ann Taylor only uses genuine leather for it's shoes so these can be stretched. In case you were unaware, man-made patent is garbage and can hardly ever be stretched using the traditional methods without staining or cracking.

Enjoy your weekend!

Oct 28, 2010

Retail Therapy Thursday

Does everyone know what time it is?

Yes, that's right, it's the (new) weekly edition of Retail Therapy Thursday! My bank account is officially on lockdown for the remainder of the month (boo! Look-Halloween word play! Hardy har har) so until November rolls around, window shopping will have to suffice.

Here's what I've been dreaming about this week:

Madewell Sequin Sweater Vest


Forever21 Lace Dress

Jcrew Cece Leather Ballet Flats in every color but the icky olive green


SM Dahlia Booties in Gray. Sold out in my size so might have to 'settle' for black

ASOS Gypsy Polka Dot Tights

ASOS Gypsy French Back Seam Tights

ASOS Heart Suspender Tights. Note to self: do not wear flats with tights. Unless you want to look 5.
If only...

Oct 27, 2010

Hump Day Celebration

In honor of the questionable nickname that Wednesday has, I thought I might show what I really think about when someone wishes me a Happy Hump Day. Now let's get down to business (pun intended)!
All images courtesy of Polyvore. Links to all Lovelies can be found {here}
Every girl lusts after their own incarnation of a little somethin-somethin that she can feel sexy in. Here's to Hump Day; may you all go forth and be sexy!

Oct 25, 2010

Super Sales

Is it just me or have there been some killer sales lately?

Case in point: I received an email this morning from Talbots about a shoe flash sale: 40% off any regularly priced shoes plus free shipping! I have been eyeing some serious foot candy over there and since I've never purchased any shoes from Talbots thought this might be a good time to do it.

It was a really tough choice readers with so many awesome picks like these, these and these. After much deliberation (and a quick check of the old bank account) I decided on these:

Suede Kiltie & Plaque Platforms in storm grey
We all know how I feel about a tassel and I've been on the hunt for a nice gray (grey?) shoe for work for a while. There are several other shoes on the site in this same color but they all read less blue than the color above. More of a seal gray? I guess I won't know until the they get here! These were $149 with 40% off so they came to about $94 total. Not too bad. They don't carry 5's or 5.5's in the store so I'm not sure which size I am but I went with a 5; here's hoping they fit!  

In other news:

Over the weekend I also bought these:

Ann Taylor Perfect Platform Pump
I've really needed some classic black pumps for work, etc. and honestly just haven't found any that fit right. Pumps are super hard for me because my feet are kind of in between sizes. If I had my choice I'd go for some Loubs but alas, I'm poor. These are already on sale down from $175 to $99. I wanted to take advantage of the 20% off $100 so I also threw in these to pump me up on the cheap:

Ann Taylor Addison Flip Flop
Can you believe these were actually $58 originally? WTH Ann Taylor!?!? Are you freaking crazy? Moving on. These were final sale at $9.88 and the only size left were 5's. Flip flops are very forgiving in the size category so I felt good about the ominous 'final sale' badge.

Those put me over, I took my 20%, threw in some Ebates and shazam.

I also won this off Ebay last night:

Ann Taylor Sparkling Necklace
I fell in love with this necklace online and went to my local store to see it in person. They only had one left and the back had a few sharp points where the metal didn't get melted properly. I would think for $68 this wouldn't be the case. Later I went back to hit up the massive 40% off everything on sale promo (which I totally scored on: reviews to come!) and it was no longer there. I checked out Ebay and there it was for $19.99. Yes, please and thank you.

 Happy Monday!

Oct 24, 2010

Undercover Lover

Sadly, the weekend is almost over but I did have a productive one so I'll make it.

I've been on the hunt for a new undereye concealer recently. I currently use some cheapo from Neutrogena and it's not quite cutting it. It's a little drying and both the color and coverage is a little too light. Sad thing is, it's my second tube. I know. I said it was sad.

I've been hearing a lot of good things about Bobbi Brown products but have never had the opportunity to try any of them. Sephora began offering BB (again I believe?) but unfortunately, my local one doesn't carry it in store yet. This poses a problem. You see, as much as I shop online, I can't shop for makeup. Well most makeup. Since I moved to Florida, I've developed some sort of eye allergy or sensitivity and the vast majority of products out there cause serious redness. This means if I have a 'reaction' to something I've had to order online, I can't return it in most cases. This causes an empty bank account and a pissy Cari. Such a bad combo.

I was on the BB website this weekend and checked out where the closest BB counter was (I was expecting it to be Miami or Tampa, both of which are about 2.5 hours away). Wouldn't you know it there's a counter in Saks which happens to be literally 5 minutes from my house. As a side note, Saks has the worst hours ever! They close at 6 every day but Sunday which is 5. WTH.

I hopped in the car and headed over to try these two products (the colors shown are actually 'my' colors):


The Corrector is sort of a pinky primer and as the name implies, corrects any discoloration issues for dark under eye circles. The Concealer set goes on top of this and is more yellow (to match foundations) and then there is a little pot of transparent setting powder underneath. Am I crazy for looking at trading in one step for three? Hmmm.

The girl at the counter was very nice. She had me sit down while she matched me with the correct color and applied it. After she was done, she handed me the mirror and I had some mixed emotions. The coverage was A-MAZING and the colors were a great match BUT the poor girl's application was awful. It was incredibly thick and poorly blended. I kept thinking, "Who wears this much makeup?" This of course is coming from someone who wears concealer and bronzer for her 'face'. Maybe I'm just out of touch with the norm?

Anyways, despite these distractions, I really liked both products. There has definitely been some creasing but I think that's because there was just too much product. Also, its been a few hours since then and my eyes don't seem to be bothered. I think overall we have some winners!

These items aren't that expensive, 50ish for both, but there's no need not to take advantage of a little promo action going on at Sephora. It's Friend's and Family time till November 3rd so there's 20% off, plus free shipping on orders over $50 PLUS I can throw Ebates in there. Score!

Hope everyone had a beautiful weekend!

Oct 23, 2010

Christmas in October

Let me preface this post by saying that some say that I can be hard to shop for. Me?! REALLY? That's funny because I have absolutely no problem going out and buying lots and lots of things I love...

The other day I was chatting with my mom about Christmas. I was excited because I had finished purchasing all the gifts for my older sister (I would tell you what I bought but apparently she is reading this blog now so not so much~hi bunny!). This never happens because in reality, she in fact is the one that is hard to buy for. True story. Moving on, my mom asked me what I wanted (we don't mess around in this family) for the holidays and I told her that I'd really been eyeing this purse from Talbots:


Beacon Ava Textured Leather Dome Bag in Koala
Ohhhh! Sooo pretty. I can't stand it, I really can't. I told good old mom that this was the only thing I wanted.

A week later, it arrived at my door step. Merry Christmas to me!

Introducing, the Beacon Ava. Oh. And me. :)


The leather is very supple and the hardware is quite substantial. I was actually worried it might be too pink (I don't have anything against pink, it's just that too pink would be inappropriate to wear immediately since we are coming into fall) but thankfully, I had nothing to worry about. It is the most lovely shade of gray-pink-purple. Like a really soft mauve almost? I don't know but I do know it's beyond amazing!

Also, should this count as an OTD? It's not very exciting but I wore this out to a casual dinner with my good buddy Kyle. Love that kid.
  • Top: Ann Taylor Loft, PXS
  • Shorts: G by Guess, O
  • Shoes (not shown): Steve Madden black t-straps, 5

Oct 21, 2010

Retail Therapy Thursday

Apparently my lack of motivation to blog has turned into a full on MIA status over here at SS. Where have I been all your life?! Relax readers, I'm back in action.

I thought it might be fun to start a series that shows just what I'm lusting after the past week. I'm going to call it Retail Therapy Thursday. See, there's even a graphic. Fancy.



Right now I'm thinking that's just sooo clever but if I am indeed not as clever as I thought and this already exists (which come on, I'm sure it does somewhere out in blogland), just don't tell me so I can bask in my awesomeness just a wee bit longer.

I'd start today but everything I've been eyeing...well...I bought. Hmmm...opps. Yes major damage to the old bank account this month. Seriously. Will be eating top ramon for the next 8 to 85 weeks. But as these mishaps tend to do, there is a silver lining! Lots and lots of fashion fun for me to share! See, I told you I was back!

Now if only I could do something other than whine about that crappy camera I have...

Oct 6, 2010

Runway Giveaway

I joined Rent the Runway sometime ago and although I've yet to 'rent' anything, I always enjoy looking over their goods. I was especially pleased when they started offering jewelry: sometimes a good statement piece is all you need to spruce up a dress you already have.

Jean over at Extra Petite is providing an awesome giveaway on her blog today: a $100 gift card to Rent the Runway for anything of your choosing. What a great way to try out this service first-hand!




Good luck to all who enter!

Oct 1, 2010

Happy Friday!

I was feeling particularly uninspired to do anything blog-related this week, except read blogs, and how I read them. Lots of them. Since I started this fashion-ish blog I've noticed I've really been neglecting the design-love side of my life. And this, dear readers, just will not do. So I've been catching up and rekindling my love for viewing millions of pictures of other people's amazing homes, because frankly, my place sucks.

Today a small group of friends and I are heading to the East coast of Florida to hit up Hardrock and have a little R'n'R. For most of you fashionable ladies out there, you've long forgotten swimsuits. Oh, but not me. I find myself lusting for them all season long.

Here are some swimmys I wish I were bringing with me: