Dreaming of swaying palms on a Monday morning

Perhaps it is the fact that I am sitting in my office on a beautiful Monday morning, but all things coconut or otherwise tropical sound especially appealing to me today. I must say that I have been very impressed with everything I have bought from Alba (http://www.albabotanica.com/) so far, including my weeklong night cream experiment, so while perusing their website this morning, this product sounded divine ($11.95 for 20 oz)

Their Coconut Milk Cream Body Wash, from their Hawaiian Spa line, sounds soooo relaxing and good for my skin, with cocoa butter, shea butter and flax, safflower and borage oils, as well as coconut and aloe, all packed in to 7 fl oz of tropical goodness for only $8.95! WOO HOO!

This sounds de-lish as well - their Passion Fruit Bath Salt (also from their Hawaiian Spa line) is a blend of epsom salt and sea salts combined with passion fruit, pinapple, mango, vanilla and papaya extracts (and some hibiscus too!) for what sounds like a really really nice bath experience.

I am also currently completely addicted to Alba's Terragloss in Bloom (42 oz for $5.95)
This substantial but subtle gloss is once again a perfect shade of JUST SLIGHTLY blushed pink, totally natural looking and soothing to wear with lots of shea butter and vitamin E in it. Plus it smells like vanilla (good vanilla, not bad vanilla). Yesssssss......

MORE SPRING FASHION FINDS PART II

Time for more stuff from Heavenly Couture (http://www.getheavenly.com/) and a continuation on my blog from yesterday!

1. Good for this transition weather from winter to spring, this Brown and Blue Military Influenced Dress ($17.95) is really cute and low key, with a solid brown body and dark blue piping by the shoulders

I actually think this dress would look sweet with the shot of color that these pink Mary Jane Heels from GoJane ($19.99) provide. Yeah. I love these shoes, and if you aren't digging the bold pink, they also come in brown and black.

2. For a super casual but feminine look, I dig this Peppermint Top ($17.95). I have to admit, a friend of mine actually has this top, and EVERY time she wears it I think to myself how totally cute and flattering it is. It really drapes well (although my friend would look great in a burlap sack, I think it would drape well on most frames). So when I saw it here, I had to take note

And although I have a sincere love of dark denim and always will, everyone is talking about how lighter jeans are coming back in again. So what if you wore this with these Boot cut Faded Grey Jeans ($17.95)
and some sweet white Leatherette Round Toe Buckle Heels from GoJane (only $15.99). Mary Janes are BACK people!

3. All 3 of these dresses are super breezy and transitional. First the Sailor Sleeveless Top ($17.95) is so cute with its little blue buttons, polka dot neck, waistline and hem, and little anchor pattern
The Red Circle Dress ($17.95) has a great print and goes with the whole vintage day dress/shirt dress look
And the Butterfly Silk Dress, which is almost a maxi dress actually, is just so cute and I'm sure would feel great on, plus I love the neckline on this one so much ($17.95)
I think all of these would work with a simple white summer wedge like the Pleated Knot Cork Wedge from GoJane (surprise, surprise) ($13.99)

These are not too high, not too fancy, but really feminine and cute.

So what do you think of these heavenly couture styles?

MORE SPRING FASHION FINDS

Ok, its finally gotten a little nicer and more springlike out here today (its been cold by LA standards this week), so I thought I would share a few more cute spring finds. All the clothes in this post are from Heavenly Couture (http://www.getheavenly.com/), a store which I found online and which you can shop from online, but which also apparently has 4 southern california locations, so you could check it in person too if you are local. Also, because my awesome friend Monika pointed out to me that the 15DollarStore from my previous post doesn't take returns, I am now going to start checking for that stuff too. Heavenly Couture takes exchanges within 15 days of shipment for online shopping, and I don't know about their in-store policy, but hey, with so much cute stuff, I'm down with exchanges. :-)

1. This cute printed Wide Strap Halter Dress lists for $17.95, is 100% cotton, and just embodies warm weather relaxation

I would totally wear this with these wedges from GoJane (which is quickly becoming my go to for cute non-leather shoes, thankyouverymuch)

2. This Ruffly Lighweight Wraparound Top is cute and breezy at $17.95
It would be cute with these Wide Flared Dark Blue Denim Jeans ($24.95)

and these most excellent Floral Platform Heels from GoJane ($18.99). By the way, these heels come in 4 really pretty colors. I want all of them - now.

3. I loooove the neckline of this Lace-up Sleeveless Geometric Dress ($17.95). So boho, but still sort of modern too.
Throw it on with this Strappy Stacked Wedge ($20.99) from GoJane and you are styling

4. One more. I love love love this long Floral Dress ($17.95). The print is really cute and sixties feeling. I really, really think I might get this dress.

I was thinking that this dress would pair well with green, pink or blue as well, because of the print, but I couldn't stop picturing it with these from GoJane
This outfit makes me ache for long flowing hair blowing in the late afternoon sun as I read under a tree. But my hair is short. Oh well, at least I can still have the dress and shoes for next to nothing. Yup.

More tomorrow! I found so many cute outfits on this site I'm gonna split the entry. YAY for awesome spring/summer threads!!! What do you think of these?

CELEB LOOKS FOR LESS

Ahhhh... Kate Beckinsale, no one can deny this beauty generally looks great, whether its on the red carpet or out and about. I particularily liked this extremely simple but elegant look I saw recently

This is a really easy look to re-create for next to nothing, and without buying real leather. First I found this top from GoJane.com

The Weldon Top ($17.99) comes in several colors including this nice dark blue (which they call teal for some reason). This totally would capture the cut, color and drape of Kate's top.

Pair this with some straight leg dark denim, like this pair from ModaXpress (Modaxpressonline.com)

These are called the Dark Denim Flap Pocket Junior Jeans, and list at $19.99. The leg is just straight enough to move nicely over a set of killer black sandal heels, like the ones Kate is sporting (although here I have to say I went with a slightly different style as I think hers would be a bit much for a lot of us girls just running around town). Once again GoJane delivers, with these cute heels

I thought these Woven Platform Heels captured the platform sass but were a bit more wearable, plus they are just fierce. At $22.99, they aren't too steep. (I seriously need to get some shoes from GoJane soon, their selection is amazing and SO REASONABLE!)

Lastly, the cute beige oversize tote. After a bit of looking around, I ended up on the old standy Target site, and was pleased to find this Mossimo Tote in Tan/Natural for $29.99 (made of polyurethane)

So, there you have it! An easy way to get this look for $90, including shoes and bag :-) And no leather (you know you'll never miss it!) YAY!

Time to test

Ok, so at lunch I had to go to CVS to pick up a new nightguard so I stop grinding my teeth, and while there I grabbed a couple more things as well.



1. Mineral Makeup: First I picked up the NYC mineral makeup powder I blogged about earlier. Then, for good measure, I grabbed the Revlon version of the same thing in "fair", just so I could compare the two. I put the Revlon one on in the car after I left, and at first was sort of frustrated because as most loose powders are, it was a little messy. But that is just klutzy me, probably. I looked in the mirror and thought it pretty much looked like powder, but I realize that I put it on a half day old face, which is not the best testing ground for this sort of thing. Once I got back to the office though, I checked it out in the mirror in the bathroom and it does look smoother and more substantial than regular powder, but without the makeup look of foundation. Not sure yet, must experiment. I will let you know.



2. I also needed a new night cream, and wasn't yet decided on what I wanted, being relatively new to high tech night creams (for years I avoided them for fear of breaking out). So after perusing the aisle, I settled on Alba's Sea Plus Renewal Cream.

This retails for $14.95, which was within my budget (some nightcreams are insanely expensive!), and I like that it includes Alpha Lipoic Acid (derived from vegetables), avocado and kukui oils, and their unique Marine Complex (several kinds of algae extracts), which I secretly think I dig on all the more because I am a pisces. HA! This is my first non-Proactiv high tech night cream, so we shall see how it goes. I dig Alba's other products, however, and their cruelty free, nature-based stance combined with their ok prices. Sweet.

Another fashion find

During my online budget fashion hunt, I also came across the website http://www.chicstar.com/ , which, alongside some "clubby" outfits delivers an interesting mix of slightly goth, slightly rockabilly inspired threads at a fraction of the price of such retailers as Stop Staring, who can't be beat for cute stuff if you are in the mood to splurge. If the purse strings are pulled in a bit too tight for that, however, this site might just fit the bill. Check out these cute pieces:

1. High Waiste Lace-Up Corset Pencil Skirt

This skirt, which is 100% polyesther and machine washable, comes in black and red and lists at $29.95. I would totally sport this with a simple black top and some killer heels.

2. Sexy Plunging Polka Dot Dress

This dress comes in black/white and red/white, and the white piping, boat collar, and buttons in the back are excellent. Once again it's polyesther, machine washable, and lists at $39.95.

3. High Waist Suspenders Pencil Skirt
I have this skirt! I didn't get it here, but it is exactly the same skirt and every time I wear it out I get compliments. This also comes in black and red (are we sensing a trend here??), cotton/spandex, machine wash, $29.95

4. Ruffle Neckline Wrap Dress
Ok, at $44.95 this dress is a little more of a splurge, but how cute is it? And still a fraction of the cost of most other retro/rockabilly retailers. It comes in... guess... red or black, cotton/spandex, machine washable. SO CUTE!

5. Belted Piping Wool Dress

For an awesome wool dress, I would do most anything. This is listed at $59.95, but is SO FRIGGIN CUTE! Check out the great cut, piping, and ruffle at the back of the skirt. This one is wool/polyesther, dry clean, but I think its worth it. Drool....

6. Crochet Lace Bell Sleeves Boho Mini Dress




This dress comes in black or navy, is only $29.95, and is cotton/machine wash. This. Is. So. Cute.


7. Oversize Buttons Dolly Swing Wool Jacket Coat

Ok, this coat is $79.95, but that's not bad for a full swing coat, right? It is wool/polyester, comes in black and grey. They have TONS of cute vintage looking trench and other style coats on this site.


Bottom line: I started making a list of stuff I thought was cute enough from Chicstar to post in this entry and I had to cut it because it got too long!!! But they have too much cute stuff, check it out for yourself. I still haven't found anything over $100 on their site, and tons under $30. Sweet.

Get on the SMASHBOX bandwagon

It's time I posted something about one of my favorite companies ever - SMASHBOX. I had known about Smashbox for some time, but as a certified cheapskate I hadn't gotten around to trying any of their oh-so-talked about products, until a friend of mine who works there changed my mind with the help of a few of their staples. First of all, let me say that everything, yes EVERYTHING, I have tried from Smashbox is excellent, you really can tell it is very high quality. Here are a few of the standouts that I think are worth a few extra bucks for what they deliver:

1. EYE SHADOW TRIO

I tried this little wonder in "Twilight", which includes a shimmering white, silver, and black, all colors that I didn't have too much experience with in terms of shadow. I needn't have worried about that though, the color was intense, so a little bit went a long way, but at the same time surprisingly low key. Perfect for that kicked up night on the town look. The trio comes in a range of color combinations, from bold to subtle, and once you try it you WILL notice the difference (I think the quality is even better than most of the other "higher quality" department store brands I have tried over the years). I admit, I still use other shadow too, because at $28 a pop this is an indulgence, but worth every penny.

2. PHOTO OP UNDER EYE BRIGHTENER

Ever since I can remember, I have what my family lovingly dubs "swedish circles", in an apparent effort to chalk up our dark under eye circles to our partial Scandinavian heritage (my family is odd). Regular old cover up helps, but until I tried this under eye brightener I had no idea how much the right product could completely transform the look of my under eye area. WOW! I'm going through my tube of this like there is no tomorrow. I am completely sold on this product, and at $18 a tube, its still a bit pricey but lasts for a while.

3. PHOTO FINISH FOUNDATION PRIMER

Holy flawlessness, batman! This is my favorite product hands down right now. I wasn't all over the primer idea, even though I had heard a lot about them, until I tried this product for myself. Not only does it add a whole other level of flawless finish to my makeup when worn in combination with it, if I don't feel like wearing a full face of makeup but don't want that "no makeup" skin either, I just apply this over my moisturizer and I'm so good to go. It goes on matte, lasts all day, and doesn't clog my pores. It is a bit pricey at $36, but seriously, if you get only one item from Smashbox, get this. You WON'T regret it.

Now, these are the products that really stuck out to me and justified the extra money, but you may be looking for something else. Whatever you are looking for, if you are in the mood to splurge while supporting a cruelty free and totally glamorous company, check out Smashbox first. They are totally TOP NOTCH.