BUY THIS (So We Don't Have To): Steals and Deals!

I'm always looking out for bargains and good prices and I've seen a few lately I thought I should tell y'all about. First, my favorite Everlane sweater is on sale in that Everlane way, where they make you pick your price (between $77-$116, depending how you roll.)

Included in this are the Cashmere V-Neck in charcoal and black as well as the Slouchy Cashmere V-Neck in moss and spice.  I know it's hard to think about cashmere in June, but $77 for a cashmere sweater? Do that. Worth it. 

Next I wanted to mention that a few more Lulu Frost pieces have shown up on the TJ Maxx site. The Ravenna necklace for $34.99:

And the very fabulous Istria Statement Necklace for $39.99:

So fancy! Finally, bags. I’ve been keeping my eye on this MBMJ mini tablet case for a while now because it’s SO cute:

And it’s $23.20! And there's only one left! I don't even have a tablet computer! WHY AM I EVEN LOOKING AT IT. MOVING ON. Someone please buy this Marc by Marc Jacobs New Q Hillier Hobo because it's marked down to $209.97 on Nordstrom Rack:

And it's so handsome! So shiny! So slouchy! I love it. Sigh. Nordstrom Rack also has some other MBMJ bags marked down. Just saying. Don't get mad. Okay, I'm done. 

Adrien: Summer For Reals.

Yay! I can finally just wear summer clothes without worrying about the temperature. It's good stuff and I have the farmer's tan to prove it:

This dress! I bought it a few years ago from the Gap. I love a cute shift dress with an off-kilter animal print. This one by Amore Vert is right on the money (but pls not to wear over a turtleneck) and this one at Nordstrom is gorgeous. I am also loving this cool plus option from Calvin Klein and eep! This Trina Turk shift! Damn cute. 

Ha, my arms! Nice. I am sure by now you're wondering about that large, blindingly white lump I'm carrying. It's my latest eBay mistake, a MBMJ Faridah:

It looks great, right? Nope. It's painted. It must have been a total mess because it's been coated with some kind of white leather paint. It looks good but it feels...painted. I got my money back and was told to keep the bag so I guess I'll use it anyway. I do absolutely love the Faridah style - It's a big bag but not heavy and comfortable to carry. There are always lots of them on eBay (just avoid white.)  This one in dark blue looks good and this one in Fool's Gold has a bit of wear but it's such a great color! If eBay isn't your thing, this quilted straw MJ tote is pretty nice too.

Details! I'm wearing a scarab pendant from BR. How much do I love a scarab beetle? These Lucky Brand earrings are so cute and how beautiful is this necklace? Banana Republic has apparently moved on to sea life. So Fishy! My bracelets are both Giles and Brother. I'm wearing an encrusted Tiny Cortina cuff and a Pied-De-Biche cuff with Tiger' Eye hooves.

My sandals are Chie Mihara but every time I pull out that shift dress I wish I had yellow sandals to wear with it. Maybe a little too matchy-matchy but I still think this pair of Chies would be perfect. Of course. This pair of Lucky Brand wedges is probably a more realistic choice, but the heart wants what it wants. Sigh. 

Adrien: Online Shopping. It's How I Do.

I wrote this entry back in 2012 and thought it could use an update! Here you go:

Okay, so let's say you want to buy something online. You go to the website where you found The Thing, put it in your cart and paid for it and now you are waiting patiently for it to arrive.

Yay! You just did it wrong.

First of all, it makes me angry to pay for shipping. This is not rational but so many websites offer free shipping these days so it seems like throwing money away if I have to pay it. 

Some sites, like Zappos, will upgrade to free overnight shipping (sign up to be a VIP!) and Amazon is always tempting me with a free trial of Prime, which gets me free 2-day shipping. Yay free! You just saved yourself $8-$10 right there. I also look for sites that offer free returns (or allow in-store returns) because paying to return something is not a good feeling.

The next thing you should be doing is signing up with a shopping rebate site. If you aren't doing this, I will give you this look:

Because YOU SHOULD BE DOING THIS. They want to give you money! I use eBates (that's my referral link) but there are all kinds of rebate sites out there. The main trick is to remember to use them. 

Now, if you are patient you will wait for a promo code to be emailed to you or if it's not a retailer where you've shopped before, go find one. Actually, now you don't even have to do that!  There are extensions that will do it for you. I have eBates and Honey right on my toolbar and when I go to an online retailer there's a little popup that reminds me to redirect through eBates and also lists coupon codes. Honey has a list of codes and will automatically apply them all for you while you sit there and drool on your computer. (Sure, they're also sending all this info to Google Central to better dominate and assimilate you, but DISCOUNT. Eyes on the prize.)

If you're not into a plugin option, try RetailMeNot. Also, some retail sites will give you 10-20% off if you sign up for the newsletter. This is why I get so much junk email but I have a separate email account just for that purpose. I want that discount.

Finally, and I don't actually recommend this unless you are a very fiscally responsible person, a store credit card will also get you discounts and free shipping and whatnot. So, if you have a Banana Republic or Gap card you'll usually get free shipping and will also earn rewards, which can be stacked with promo codes. On my last Old Navy order I used a reward that brought my final price way down.

I am just going to stop right here for a second and tell you that I LIVE for stacking promo codes. It's the best. I get mad when retailers won't let me stack (AMAZON) because that is some bullshit. I also live for further discounts on sale merchandise which, if you read this blog, you probably already know. An extra 30% off sale stuff? I AM THERE. 

Okay! So, I am going to break this down. Say you want to buy a cute top, crossbody bag and cut-off shorts from Old Navy. I don't know about you, but I find it physically painful to pay full price for that stuff. But hey, Old Navy just emailed you a 40% off code! That helps. They also offer free shipping and returns, even better. And you have a $10 reward you haven't used. And hey, eBates is offering 2% back! That is a lot of discount, you guys. 

Now, this is math, and the space where math is stored in my head is actually full of Duran Duran lyrics, so bear with me here while I try to break this down:

Merchandise total: $65.88*
40% code: - $26.35
$10 reward: - $10.00
cash back: - $0.76
shipping: free

Final price (minus sales tax): $28.77! That's whole lot better, eh? Not mind-blowing but it breaks down to less than $10 per item. 

Now, what did I forget? And please, tell me about your best online shopping bargain!

*Old Navy prices are, uh, fluid at best, so my math is based on my order from last month. All of these items are probably $2.00 by now. 

Weekend Window Shopping: Cute Bags, Fun Colors, All On Sale.

The title says it all. These bags are all from 6pm.com, my favorite source for interesting bags at great prices. Here are a few that I liked:

Cute Boy Friday: Showing My Age.

Are y'all watching Grace and Frankie? Season 2 just came out and I am SO excited. I love it so much and Lily Tomlin is just amazing. Also amazing are all the old hotties they keep trotting out in front of me. Now, I should start by saying that Sam Waterston and Martin Sheen, while talented, don't really do much for me unless we're talking about young Martin Sheen in which case, let's take a moment:

I had to keep checking to make sure I wasn't actually posting pics of Emilio or Charlie. Dang. Those are some strong genes. Anyway, the real breakout Cute Boy for me is Ernie Hudson. Yes, I know he was a Ghostbuster. But you guys:

HE WAS THE HOT GHOSTBUSTER:

I know, right? How am I just seeing this? Maybe I needed a little age on me to recognize what a fine looking man he is:

He's currently my favorite thing about Grace & Frankie right now. Hi there, hot yam farmer. Also! They just trotted out Sam Elliott and I am all, THAT IS RIGHT, SHOW. PLAY THAT CARD. Because who doesn't love Sam Elliott? Remember him in Mask? (Uh, I do. I am old.)

SO CHARMING. SO SMIRKY. THAT HAIR. Also, he apparently looked like this once upon a time:

Holy cow. The current Sam Elliott is just as smirky and charming as he ever was:

PS. Sam Elliott reading Bad Blood with his amazing voice. Yep. Thanks, Internet. 

Adrien: Summer Stripes.

Yay for summer weather and striped dresses. I went pretty simple for this outfit because it's a strong stripe and doesn't need a whole lot else going on:

This is a Gap dress from a few years back and I like that it's a grey and white stripe which seems less common, somehow? Gap is all weird rompers right now but Old Navy has a grey and white shift dress that looks pretty cute. I also like the flattering graphic striped design on this Joe Fresh dress  and the pure potato sack comfort (really!) of this cute Max Studio dress. 

My dress is a bit short for work (but not, like, I-forgot-my-pants short) so I paired it with a low heeled sandal and a distractingly large necklace and bag. Details: 

My giant tassel necklace is an old one from Ann Taylor but tassels are a thing right now. This one at LOFT is my current favorite and this beautiful Lulu Frost tassel is basically my dream. And oooh, check out this one at J.Crew! That's the stuff. 

I've talked about my bag many times - a "vintage" LV Epi Speedy that I adore despite it not being entirely practical. There's just something really satisfying about a bright red satchel. This Cole Haan satchel gets the color exactly right and I love the dome shape of this red satchel at TJ Maxx. This bright red ZAC Zac Posen saffiano tote is basically my dream. Ugh, I love it.  For my bargain pick, this sharp Gabriella Rocha bag looks way more expensive than it is. 

My sandals are Sam Edelman "Trina" in whiskey and they are so good, you guys. Comfortable and cute and I love the metallic heel. They come in a few different colors and I'm seriously considering another pair. Yoox has a similar style in beige and black (also Sam Edelman) marked down to $49, but sizing is limited. Also, the Trina is better. Just saying. 

My Totally Simplified Summer Makeup Routine.

When the weather gets hot my makeup routine simplifies quite a bit, or so I thought until I wrote it all down like a crazy person. Oh yes, instead of eleventy billion products, I only use eleventy million. I'm only joking a little bit. But aren't you curious? Don't you want to know every single product I slap on my face every morning? No? TOO BAD. Here we go!

First I do the following:

Wash my face with a non-foamy cleanser. Currently I'm using Indie Lee Rosehip cleanser which is very pretty to look at and also smells really good. Oh, and it's nice on my face too.

I moisturize with three drops of Juno Oil followed by CeraVe PM (I'm out of AM) and I also pat on some Boots No7 eye cream. After all that I apply Shiseido Senka sunscreen. If I'm feeling fancy I might put some primer on, but usually I don't.

Now, the makeup part:

My everyday foundation is Smashbox Studio Skin. It's really good and stays put. Sometimes I want to be a bit glowier and less made-up so I'll use MISSHA Signature BB Cream, which my friend in Japan sent me. It's wonderful stuff with a dewy finish and a high SPF. Not as long wearing, but I love the way it looks.

After foundation I conceal under my eyes and spot conceal my dark spots. I've been using It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye for a while now and I'm still happy with it. I also recently got a generous sample pack of Anastasia concealer that works great on dark spots so I've using that too. I might buy it when my sample is gone because concealer, man. I can't quit it.

I've completely thrown over my beloved Benetint for Visee lip and cheek cream! This was another gift from my friend in Japan and I love it. It's just the right amount of pigmented and looks really natural. (Lisa Eldridge loves it, so you know it's good.)

I dust on a little loose MISSHA powder and then start on my eyes. This is where things have gotten a bit more simplified. I fill my brows with Anastasia Brow Wiz and then dust my lid with a pale neutral eyeshadow from my Urban Decay Naked Basics palette. I curl my lashes and then line with Urban Decay 24/7 in Mushroom. (Do you know how long it took me to figure out I should curl first? If I don't, my eyelash curler messes up my liner. It's so annoying.)

Then, it's mascara time. I'm happy to report that my FairyDrops Platinum Volume & Curl Mascara (reviewed here) has finally aged enough to be useful. It's too splattery when it's new but now it's perfect - waterproof, lengthening, lasts all day. Good luck getting it off.

Finally, I swipe on some lipgloss. Either Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask,  Clinique Chubby Stick in Super Strawberry or Marc Jacobs Lip Lacquer in Rebel Rebel.

At this point I'm totally running late for work, but hey, simple, right? So pared down! So low-maintenance! (Seriously, do not count the number of products you use every day.) #themoreyouknow