Skinny Tees

Hey guys! Check this out!

Skinny Tees is gonna be on Groupon!!!

The Groupon is $25 for $50 worth of merch and it starts Sunday.

I have two skinny tees and I am obsessed with them. Not only are they super slimming but they're one size fits all and made of a great stretchy soft fabric (and way less expensive then American Apparel/Splendid/C&C).

I have the Skinny Tees camisole in black and cobalt blue. They're perfect for layering because they're long, comfy enough to sleep in, and just the right amount of sexy to wear for a dressy night out! Plus, my order came with a cute tote bag! LOVES IT!!

Splurge or Save: Woven Heels

Tan wicker style woven heel will be hot for summer! One pair costs $795. The other $70. Can you guess which is which?

Okay! I'll tell ya!

Top pair: Aldo Rossetto peep-toes, $70. Save!

Bottom: Proenza Schouler wicker effect wedges, $795 Splurge!!

A Must Visit

Soto!

My new favorite store!

The clothes are adorable and affordable. Think higher quality Forever21 meets the charm and layout of a small boutique.

I bought an ombre white-to-grey "butterfly wing" sleeved sweater and a very Cameron Diaz-esque beige and red slouchy top (for $34!)

LOVE!!! IN LOVE with this store!!! Will be visiting again soon (like may go back tomorrow)!! Eee! Plus other shoppers are raving about it on Yelp.

Click here for locations.

Happy weekend everyone!

Net-A-Porter Dreams Come True

My first Net-A-Porter purchase, I am happy to report is this gorgeous toffee colored leather See by Chloe bag.

I admit I have a bit of a shopping problem, and I am usually not one to buy online, but it isssss a fraction the price of the Prozena Schouler PS1 bag ($2,350) and the Mulberry Alexa bag ($1,150) that I'm obsessed with (as mentioned here)... thus, a steal!! haha.

I love the perforated scalloped trim - it's so country chic! What do you guys think?

City Country Cool

If I could describe my personal style, it would be:

Country girl meets sex kitten meets bohemia meets sometimes-you-feel-fat-and-have-to-wear-big-drapey-tops. (A whirlwind of ideas and concepts... I know).

This dream outfit, as pictured below, would fall into my 'country' style with just a pinch of 'classic' and 'city sopistication'.

Ricky Tartan sunglasses, Ralph Lauren $250 (available in red or green plaid)

Forever 21 Polka Dot Ruffle dress, $24.90

'Love Bird' 18 karat gold nameplate necklace, $285 at LoveBerman (I already have this :) hehe)

Gucci Vintage Web Medium canvas bag, $1,160 at Net-A-Porter

Scalloped lace undies with silver polka dots, Forever21 $3.80

Diane von Furstenburg 'Faye' open toe leather clogs, $280 at Net-A-Porter

And just for fun... a woven picnic basket!

And red gerbera daisies!

And lemonade!

(Okay, now I'm done, I promise.)

Penny Chic

Check out my most fabulous, gorgeous, chic, and did I mention gorgeous friend, Shauna's new blog: Penny Chic.

She styles incredible outfits with pieces hand picked from Wal-Mart.

Yes, you heard that right. Wal-Mart.

Outfits put together so cooly and so tastefully, you'd think you were flipping through W magazine.

But don't take my word for it, check it out yourself. Penny Chic is soon to be a household name.

Tricks Up Her Sleeve

I find myself "inventing" some peculiar, yet very useful tricks as mentioned here. And now, a few more...

Insta-Save-A-Bra

You know how after time your best bras get stretched out... well no need to toss your bra just yet! Take that stretched out bra and hold one cup in your hand, and twist the other cup around and around, twisting the center material and bringing the cups closer together. Tighten the straps, and voila like new!

Sometimes I do this if I just want some extra cleavage! But please note, this trick works best for deep-v style bras as shown.

Insta-Wrinkle-Smoother

Is the dress you wanna wear tonight all wrinkled? Here are two tricks that can help smooth out the situation.

One: Use your hair straightener in place of an iron (on low or medium heat) to clamp over and run through the wrinkled material.

Two: Run your shower very hot until steam collects in the shower, hang your dress in there (careful that it doesn't get wet) for about 5 minutes and ta-da! Smooth as can be!

Happy Wednesday!

Wow wow Wednesday!

Today only take 50% off your entire order at www.LoveBerman.com. Sparkling Swarovski crystal headbands for half the price!

Enter coupon code: Sparkle50 at checkout.

Crystal Bow Stretch Headband originally $48, today only for $24!

Queen Victoria Stretch Headband originally $92, today only for $46!

Happy shopping everyone!

Go Green.. I Mean Blue!

Now this is a cool thing!

Bring in any unwanted denim to your local GAP store and receive 30% off a new pair of 1969 jeans.

I think I may do that!

Now question is... if I bring in 3 pairs of old jeans do I get 90% off? Gilly...

Two Foods Two Places

With no particular theme or order of importance, these few simple discoveries have made my life so much richer:

1. Morning Star Veggie Bacon

Everyone who I've turned on to this veggie bacon now swears by it! Even my meat-eater boyfriend loves it! It is the most addictive delicious salty treat! Plus there's zero fat and only 60 calories per serving.

2. Nordstrom Rack

Hello $59 J Brand skinny jeans! Other N.Rack treasures include: $7 Hanky Pankies, $600 Alice+Olivia dress marked down to $100, and seasonal Stila makeup for half the price!

3. Pho Siam Thai Spa

$50 for a one hour massage. This Thai spa is a hidden gem - the best in LA! I love going to Burke Williams, but sometimes you wanna treat yourself without the financial guilt. Pho Siam in Silverlake is legit ladies! They also offer a $60 one hour Dermalogica brand facial.

4. 'Miss Meringue' Vanilla Meringue Fat-Free Minis

I ate half a tub last night. Woops. They're part crunchy/part melts in your mouth. Sweet yet airy... Mmm mmm! Lots of yummy flavors at Whole Foods (vanilla's the best!). Must try NOW!

Movie Night With Milo & Otis

I am one of the few people who still go to the video store. Because of a certain $78 Blockbuster bill, my boyfriend and I no longer rent movies, but rather buy them. And sometimes you can find really great deals like 3 DVDs for $30!

As we're making our way through the isles my boyfriend is reminiscing on classic movies (I nod in silent agreement as I have seen hardly any classic movies, which is quite embarrassing, but my definition of a classic is more along the lines of 'Clueless' and 'Legally Blonde'), anyhow, he picks his few boring "boy picks". I choose 'There's Something About Mary', 'Enchanted', and 'Milo and Otis'.

Last time we had movie night my boyfriend made me watch 'Dances With Wolves' which he said was a classic. Actually, this was our third attempt to watch 'Dances With Wolves', as I fell asleep 20 minutes into the movie time1 and time2. I'm sorry but that movie was really dusty and boring, not a cute pair of shoes in sight!

So tonight is my pick, and we are going to watch 'The Adventure of Milo and Otis', a favorite from my childhood. It's a tale of a pug and an orange tabby cat who live on a farm and go off on an adventure. And they have English accents which makes it even cuter!!! I seriously thought this movie should have won an Oscar and I was extremely passionate about it in Blockbuster, ranting and raving about how great of a film it is. However as we started watching, things weren't exactly how I remembered them... It was really cute and silly, but more... "elementary" than I remembered and literally was 2 hours of a talking pug and cat done by the same voiceover guy. No CGI, this was before 'Babe'. The movie came out in 1989. I kept looking over nervously to make sure that the bf was enjoying my movie pick.

I made popcorn obviously - it's my favorite food to shove my face with. I am hunting for yellows, as we all know the white ones just aren't as delicious, and about halfway through the movie my boyfriend says, "Let me get this straight. You have NEVER seen 'The Godfather' but you've seen THIS movie FIVE times?!!!". He looks at me and laughs shaking his head in disbelief (and adoration).

I give him a concerned look... "Do you want to watch 'Enchanted' instead?"

Newsboy Bag: Splurge or Save?

My obsession with newsboy bags, as noted here, is nothing new, and these bags from Aldo and Proenza Schouler heighten my obsession in a profound, deeply spiritual way.

Question is, Splurge or Save? (I kind of want both.)

Synthetic snakeskin 'Harvley' bag in cognac, $45 at Aldo

Proenza Schouler PS1 brown leather bag, $1,595 at Proenza Schouler

What do you think? $1,600 for couture, or $45 for faux?

Christmas Coloring

Check out these knockout bags from Lanvin and Fendi. I want them both!!! When I can't indulge in fifteen hundred dollar leather bags, (which is most of the time) I indulge in fifteen dollar beauty items...

'Mini Pop' ruby metallic leather bag from Lanvin, $1,250. If your credit card says no, but the color says yes, try MAC lipstick in Russian Red, $14.50 at MAC

Fendi 'Baguette Maxi' fringe leather purse, $1,630. If you're loving green for fall, but can't splurge on Fendi, pick up some jade nail polish $23 from Chanel for more budget friendly couture.

Cargo Skinny Jeans: Splurge or Save?

Skinny cargos are all the rage for pre-fall. They're great for any season really! I've never really been one to wear pants (I think they make me look like a boy slash fat), so I mostly wear dresses, but I'm really loving these!

Question is, splurge or save?

At left, Delia's 'Brynn' skinny cargo pants in olive, $49.50 (ps: remember Delia's! OMG early teenage youth)

At right, JBrand '1229 Houlihan' skinny cargo pants, $231 and comes in a variety of army shades.

Stila My Heart

Attention! Attention! Stila jewel lipgloss trio majorly on sale at Sephora.

Valued originally at $66, priced at $32, and now on sale for $16, makes these bad boys about 5 bucks each!

Colors include: Amethyst, Golden Topaz, and Pink Diamond . J'adore!

Get it here while it's hot!

Bubble Sleeves

How gorgeous is this black crepe dress! With puff sleeves and sash ties at back, this dress is both romantic and sexy. $80 at Topshop. Tragic that there isn't a Topshop in LA!

BJ Nails

$15 for a mani-pedi.

Yes, you heard that right.

And yes, it really is called BJ Nails (which makes it even funnier).

This nail shop is a hidden gem! It's clean and the people that work there are really nice. They have a lot of no name polish, but they also have Essie. Hooray!!! Because I use my hands a lot painting and making jewelry, my manicures "expire" much more quickly than the average gal, so for me, that unbeatable price takes the guilt out of getting them so frequently!

BJ Nails
11653 Santa Monica Boulevard (cross street is Barrington)
tel + 1 310 231 1138

Secret "Recipe"

I have always been divided between my coffee house patronage. Starbucks or Coffee Bean? They both have so much to offer just in different ways!

I'd say that I frequent Starbucks more, but my favorite drink is at Coffee Bean, and it's a secret drink that I concocted (and by secret, I mean not really a secret, it's just that the baristas always ask me if I'm sure this is what I want)...

Served only before 11am Coffee Bean brews a flavored coffee of the day, delicious flavors like Cinnamon Swirl, Creme Brulee, French Vanilla, (FYI Black Forrest Cherry was really weird and gross so I don't recommend that one). Anyhow, I order the flavored coffee of the day over ice. Add some splenda and milk and voila! A zero calorie, latte quality drink. Plus its the cheapest thing on the menu! LOVES IT.

Thrashed Army Tee: Splurge or Save?

uhh... SAVE if you ask me!

This Forever21 top (below) is deffffinitely the broke man's Balmain, and by 'broke man', I mean reasonable woman.

$11 versus $1,625... I mean c'mon people!!! What do you think?

Bow Peep

How cute is this satin top!

Available in blush pink or taupe, it features an oversized bow and zipper at back nape. I could see this with jean cutoffs and gold bangles for summer fun or with dressy slacks and a cardigan for the office. Sweet and sexy.

$22.80 at Forever21.