BUY THIS (So We Don't Have To): Last Call Sale

Last Call is one of those stores I forget about until they send me an email all, "okay, so how about if we just take 30% off everything? And a 4 hour flash sale on clearance? Now will you look?" Yes, yes I will. So right now there's an automatic 30% off everything "For Her" (plus the flash sale on clearance) plus free shipping over $99 with code LCSHIP plus an instant $10 coupon if you sign up for their emails PLUS 8% cashback from eBates. Holy crap.

And there's a lot of stuff, y'all. So much stuff. Some of it is disappointingly one-off, like this amazing Joie striped tank (size large only) and this beautiful Joie snake print top (small only) but they also have a bunch of the really crazy Alexis Bittar and really good basic stuff like Lesportsac bags.

This incredibly well-priced Joie Masha silk top looks like the kind of blouse you end up reaching for over and over again:

It's just such a easy, floaty shape! It also comes in a blush pink colorway but the black pattern is more my kind of thing. It's $53.60 until 3pm today. Get on it! And I basically freaked out when I found this incredibly cool Foley + Corinna Venus canvas metallic tote bag:

It's $66.50 and also comes in a beautiful white/silver colorway. I just looooove it. 

There is a ton of crazy jewelry on LC but with summer coming I'm starting to think about more delicate pieces. I really like this Rebecca Minkoff Fringe Y-Drop necklace (in silver here) and the price is quite good: 

How cute is this Foley + Corinna leather crossbody bag? So cute and under $100:

It also comes in black but I really love the grey/gold combo. In the non-bargain portion of this entry, there are several bizarre and wonderful Alexis Bittar parrot things, none of which are reasonably priced, and this bracelet is my absolute favorite:

It's so stupid you guys but I just can't stop gawking at it. And, I think I've posted this Equipment dress before, but I still dig it: 

I just love me some snakeskin, what can I say? And ooooh, fancy jeans. This pair of Current/Elliott destroyed jeans to be specific:  

Those zippered pockets, right? And they're $58! That is not bad at all. Finally, there's this dress:

The Rebecca Taylor Batik Mirage silk dress which is (until 3pm today) an extra 50% off and oh, I just love it. So, so pretty. Still more than I want to spend but $139 is a lot better than $375, right? Wah. 

Review: Gap Embroidered Split-neck Dress.

As I mentioned last week, I ordered the Gap embroidered split-neck dress because it looked too cute to resist. It arrived and I gotta say, it's really damn cute:

I love the dark navy/white colorway and the skirt is lined, which is a nice touch. The sizing is generous - I'm wearing a small and it's roomy, so if you're between sizes, size down. 

The embroidered split-neck dress has pockets which I normally complain about, but the skirt has enough volume that it isn't an issue. But... I do got issues. First, this dress is SHORT. I don't mind showing a fair amount of leg but it's too short for me to wear to work, even for me. Second, it's summer-time short yet has long sleeves. I love long sleeves but I'm a little confused about when to wear this. The elastic makes the sleeves easy to push up, but you can't roll them. Finally, there's this:

This puppy is low cut. Nothing a quick stitch won't solve and this would be perfectly fine for throwing over a swimsuit or running around on a Saturday or whatever but it definitely ain't work-appropriate by any stretch (and I do tend to stretch.) 

I'm still on the fence about this one! Not sure if I'm keeping it or not, but it certainly is damn cute and I guess I'm asking a lot from a $36 dress, right? The retail price was $79.95 which is insanity. However, they've marked it down and the 40% off code SPRING brings the price down to $35.99. That's more like it, Gap! This dress also comes in an odd peachy neutral color and a non-embroidered denim version which also marked way down. 

PS. the SPRING code also works on shoes, which is rare. That means you can order Marianne's cute leather espadrilles which have sold out in my size. Weeping. 

Weekend Window Shopping: J.Crew Sale!

There is a lot of good sale action at J.Crew right now! Right now code LOTSTOSHOP gets you 30% off of select full-price items (and 30% off all sale items!) Pair that with 1.5% cash back from eBates and free shipping on all orders for a pretty nice discount. The code also gives you 50% off all final sale styles! These beautiful brown chelsea boots? They are an extra 50% off (final sale) which means they are $65! That is crazy. Seriously. Here's what I think looks good in the regular sale section:

         

     

Stuff I Like: Flowers + Reading/Watching/Listening

Liking
Many of you will probably think this is a total "like, duh" kind of thing but a few years ago when I got divorced and had my own place for the first time in years I decided to really try to make it a space that was exactly what I wanted - stylish, comfortable, and cheerful. (This is where you feel sorry for Marianne who patiently dealt with my "this lamp or this lamp? Maybe this side table? What about this side table?" texts.)

Then one day I walked past the grocery store floral display and was like, yep, I need these Gerber daisies. I didn't grow up in a fresh flower household and it just hadn't occurred to me as an adult that I could buy myself flowers. So now fresh flowers are part of my daily life and decor- a tiny, attainable luxury. My grocery store offerings are mostly terrible but the $5 half dozen roses are now part of my weekly grocery trip and sometimes I find really nice bouquets in the deep discount section (I call them rescue flowers.)

Also! Shoutout to reader Kim who mentioned Diptyque candles in the comments a few weeks back. I ordered a couple small ones (Baies and Figuier) with my Spring credits and I love them. Does anyone go for super-fancy candles? If so, please tell me your favorites!

Watching
I am a big fan of House Hunters International but I mostly love the European locations. I love country cottages and tiny city houses and glorious high-ceilinged apartments with crown molding. I don't generally love the buyers but that's part of the fun. So, when I heard about the BBC show Escape To The Country (on Netflix) I was all over it. It's essentially a British country version of HHI, but at a much more relaxed pace. The only thing I don't love about it is that the buyers almost never actually buy one of the houses they view. In the closing interview they're like, "Oh, well, we did like that thatched cottage but we really need to sell our existing house first." UGH. I AM AN AMERICAN AND I NEED CLOSURE. However, it does mean that they're not faking their reactions and the locations are amazing.

Reading
I am finally reading Shonda Rhimes The Year of Yes. Overall I'm enjoying it and I really love the spirit of this book but I really wish I'd listened to the audiobook instead. Her writing style is...meant for listening. I mean, she writes dialogue so it makes sense, right? I just got to the point where the constant repetition of "I'M A SHY INTROVERT WRITER WHO OWNS THURSDAY NIGHT TV DID I MENTION I HAVE THREE SHOWS?" got old after a while. But, I like her and I like her message. Women tend to downplay their strengths and abilities and I appreciate that she faces this problem head-on and in a personal way. (Just listen to the audiobook, don't read it.)

Listening
I need your help. I am generally pretty good about finding new music I like but I'm terrible about exploring an artist who I already like. So, Ryan Adams. I love Ryan Adams Gold. It's one of my favorite albums and I've had it as part of my regular rotation for years. It would stand to reason that I would buy another Ryan Adams album, right? Ha. Every time I try I make the mistake of reading the reviews on iTunes ("This is his best!" immediately followed by "This is his worst!") and then I get decision fatigue and buy nothing. If you're a Ryan Adams fan will you PLEASE just tell me what to buy next?

That's all for this week! Thanks so much for the comments and feedback, always appreciated.

We Discuss Birkenstocks. A Lot.

M: I just found myself pining for these:

M: So, duh, I went ahead and ordered those leather Gap espadrilles. Stay tuned.

A: Yay! I really like that Gap pair - let me know if they're good. I am currently pining for the coppery metallic Birkenstocks because I made the mistake of trying them on. I just don't know if they're versatile enough.

M: Hmmm. They are fun but I like my Birks a little less attention-grabbing.

A: Yeah, I suspect they are the kind of trendy I'd grow tired of.

M: Right. Like, ugh stop being so SHINY and then I would wear my navy blue waxed leather Arizonas which are all I really want.

A: I really want a pair of Arizonas so badly. I love my Gizehs but sometimes I don't want crap in between my toes. Like, ugh. Stop tounching my toes.

M: YES THE TOUNCHING. My Gizehs aren't nearly as comfortable. I'm really helping your cause aren't I?

A: NO YOU ARE NOT.

M: SORRRRRRY.

A: Just for the sake of research, do you have leather or birko-flor Arizonas? There are 800 options, many of them hideous.

M: I have the leather, my Gizehs are birko-flor. I think the leather will ultimately hold up better plus you can't fake the oiled leather look. they took longer to break in but man, I love them.

A: Yeah, my Gizehs are birko-flor too but I think I want a leather pair. I just can't decide which color.

A: Maybe not these:

M: Ooh. Shiny. These are mine:

A: No, I'm NOT getting the shiny orange snakeskin.

M: It would really open up a whole new avenue for you.

A: Holy shit:

M: What the actual fuck.

A: "Persian gold textile."

A: There is also an orange pair:

A: THEY ARE SOLD OUT.

M: They look like Ramen. Or Cheetos.

A: They look like nasty 1970s rec room carpet.

M: Shiver.

A: I really like yours quite a lot. I also like this pair with the gold buckles:

M: I like the black ones too! I sometimes think I want a white pair but I talk myself out of it pretty quickly.

A: I know white is really in right now but they just always look like nurse shoes to me. If anyone could pull them off, though, it would be you.

A: Now I'm thinking about copper again. Or gold. Or silver. Ugh. Why.

M: I like the idea of the shiny ones but when I see them in person I don't love them.

A: My practical side will win out. If I'm going to shell out for leather, I want to be able to wear them forever.

M: For you I think the black. I really like them.

A: Black leather, gold buckles. They definitely appeal.

M: Yassssss

Adrien: Finally Spring!

The weather has finally dictated that I can safely leave the house without a coat or tights so I decided it was time to dust off my favorite dress and sandals:

My dress is an old one that's been on the blog a bunch of times - it's Old Navy via Marianne and I will wear it until it dies. I always keep an eye on Old Navy in the springtime hoping for a similar, flattering, easy dress but I'm not sure this is the year. I do like the look of the Pintuck Swing Dress but everything else is sleeveless or off the shoulder. Nope. I say spend a bit more and check out the cute Gap dresses or Loft - I really like the Lacy Flutter Dress and the Mosaic Split Neck Shirtdress. It's all about easy and fun. 

Just to torture myself, I also checked to see what's new in dresses at Boden. There's a lot of nice stuff there but I think the Casual Jersey dress is a total "easy spring dress" winner. So cute! Not that expensive! Great prints! Comes in a striped version! I also like this Avril dress but it's a bit more money. On to details:

I'm wearing a Luv AJ necklace that I got in a Box of Style last year. I love that it actually works with this neckline. This one by Rachel Rachel Roy is pretty similar but I love this more dramatic lariat at Madewell. My bracelet is Lisa Freede but this one by Vince Camuto is really similar and on sale and I also like this knotted version from Kenneth Cole. 

My super favorite Too Hot To Handle Hobo in cement. It's still available on TJ Maxx in two colors (though I question if it's the style I have or the updated version with a zipper. Hm.) I'm also wearing my Lotta From Stockholm peeptoes! I don't have the Hasbeens version so I can't compare, but I've been happy with them. Red sandals for spring/summer is a must! If you want something more dressy, check out this pair from Sam Edelman. (Then tell me how they are because I want them. Thank you.) 

Adrien: My No-Buy Month.

So, I tried not to make a big deal out of not shopping in March but that was my goal. The rules I set for myself were thus: I could spend "free" money on things (referral credits, a rebate, eBay sales) but I wasn't going to spend any of my paycheck on unnecessary things.

How did I do? Well, not that great, to be honest. I did buy a few things with "free" money but I also bought a few things that were definitely not within my guidelines. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a really good sale and sometimes shit happens. (But, I'm going to try, try again in April because I'm  disappointed in my lack of discipline.)

So, what did I buy? First, with Spring credits (my referral link gets you $20 off your first order and I also get $20. Thanks to those of you who used my link!) I bought a Diptyque candle to see what all the fuss was about:

I haven't received it yet but I did go to Nordstrom and sniff them to see if they are worth the hype. I think they probably are, but it's definitely the kind of splurge I'd only make with free money. It is really nice to get something completely frivolous now and then, right?

I also received a rebate in the form of a virtual credit card so I used it for some online shopping. I bought my favorite Sunday Riley moisturizer which I'd been out of for a few weeks:

and I used my Sephora points to get a bunch of samples as well! Hooray. I used the rest of the rebat to buy a new sport bra from Lululemon because my favorite style was on sale and my old ones are looking pretty sad:

Exciting stuff, right? Now, what else did I buy? Well, Athleta had an extra 20% off sale going on so I bought a few things I'd been wanting to try, almost all of which I returned. I did keep this pair of running shorts:

Annnnd, I also fell prey to the recent Gap sale and bought this dress:

I'm pretty sure that karma will make sure it does not fit me, but hey, it was Friday and 50% off and ugh. I'm not proud of it.

Finally, I bought one of the NYX Micro Brow pencils (which is seriously just as good as that Trish McEvoy Precision Brow Shaper which I've already used up. I'm still mad about it.) Unfortunately the color I chose in the NYX pencil was a bit too red so I bought a different one from L'Oreal which is slightly too dark. Obviously I texted Marianne about it:

A: I have a really important question.

M: Okay

A: I bought two eyebrow pencils.

A: One is "auburn"

A: The other is "brunette"

A: Related: I hate myself.

M: Haha what's the question.

A: The question was going to be: is the auburn too orange but now I think they both look exactly the same.

M: I like the brunette slightly more.

M: Because I feel like your eyebrows shouldn't 100% match your hair.

A: This is why you're my favorite.

A: It's creepy that I made the exact stupid face in both photos.

Solution: I use them together which is not high maintenance at all. Shut up.

Anyway, so yeah. Not that great for a no-buy month! I'm going to try a bit harder this month and will dutifully report back. I'm also going to try not to think about those copper Birkenstocks that I totally don't want at all. Nope.