I got an e-mail from H&M for a 15% off any item of your choice. This coupon is valid until 2/26/2012. You can print this image and show it in stores. There are a lot of great bright spring pieces on the racks now and many great/affordable basics! Happy shopping 
[ click to enlarge ]What goodies have you picked up from H&M lately?
This was the most current Sephora V.I.B. bonus gift offered by Sephora. I got this e-mail on Valentine’s Day, made a purchase the next day, and received my goodies in the mail 2 days later (Sephora delivers super fast to me since I’m on the east coast). The e-mail mentioned that this promo is valid for V.I.B.s and until supplies last — so hopefully there are still supplies left if you’re a V.I.B. and didn’t claim your gift yet!
It’s been a while since Sephora has had a decent V.I.B. offer, so I couldn’t turn this one down. I don’t own these NARS products, so I wanted to give them a try. Without further rambling, here are some photos of the goodies:
The travel size products came in a black NARS drawstring bag:
Standard NARS packaging:
I love travel-size products, so cute & convenient:
NARS pro-prime smudge proof eyeshadow base:
NARS Bronzing Powder in “Laguna”:
(I love how it came as a “mini” – so cute)
Swatch:
NARS Illuminator in the color “orgasm”:
(They are also offering “copacabana”, which may be more suitable for fair/light skin tones)
Swatch, unblended:
Illuminator blended:
(my flash kind of washed out the color; I like how the shimmer is subtle)
I definitely think this V.I.B. package was one of the better ones Sephora offered lately!
Did you get a chance to pick it up? Do you own these products already?
Super quick post regarding a current 20% off coupon for H&M, valid for any item of your choice now until 2/14/2012. Choose wisely 
H&M has a lot of spring pieces out already!
Printable coupon can be found here: http://www.hm.com/us/coupon-20-off
OR, if you have an iPhone, just show the following to the cashier:
In the H&M app (free to download) > My H&M > *shake your iPhone* and this will pop up:
I don’t think this promo is valid on sale items since a sale is considered “any other offer”.
I tried it last time they had it and the cashier said it couldn’t be applied; it may depend on the person ringing you up.
Happy shopping
I am always looking for a good deal, a good bargain, a good sale. I love brands, but will only dish out the money if I think the quality/style is worth it. Sometimes it’s a better decision to go with the brand name, and sometimes it’s okay to settle with a dupe/more affordable alternative. With that said, costume jewelry is a perfect example in which I prefer going “generic”.
JewelMint has taken YouTube by storm and become an ever popular site to purchase costume jewelry. It’s an online subscription service where you pay $30/month and receive one piece of jewelry of your choice. You take a “style quiz” so the site can collate a selection of pieces that fit “your style”. I consider this site a “brand” because pieces are designed by actress/fashionista Kate Bosworth and her stylist Cher Coulter.
I personally have not seen any one piece on JewelMint that I am willing to pay $30 for. The good thing about this site is that you do have the option of skipping a month, thus, you will not be charged the $30. Just don’t forget to skip by the end of the month. Anyhow, that’s just my personal opinion about JewelMint: not worth it.
I find costume jewelry pieces at a variety of stores; I am more than happy with the pieces I purchase for less than $10/piece. Here are 3 pieces I picked up in the last week:
Carol For Eva Graham Necklace & Earring Set ($4.99):
(bought at Burlington Coat Factory)
I absolutely love this necklace! I love the twisted wire ball!
It makes a statement while keeping the piece lightweight since it’s hollow.
Charles Klein Necklace & Earring Set ($5.99):
(bought at Burlington Coat Factory)
Forever 21 “Upper East Side” bracelet set ($5.80):
Gold bangles with different textures, faux pearls,
black satin ribbon intertwined with gold chains.
Where do you buy your costume jewelry from? : )
Walking in heels isn’t always the most comfortable experience, especially if they’re loose-fitting and/or slippery due to lack of grip on the bottom of the heels. I already shared a quick fix for how to make loose-fitting heels fit; here’s a quick post regarding how to fix up those heels/flats that have no grip.
Whether shoes come with no traction or they get worn down, I can’t stand it when there is no grip at the bottom! It makes walking so difficult and dangerous! Lack of grip is especially dangerous when walking on smooth tile floors or slick, wet surfaces. There are many adhesive products out there that add traction to the bottom of your shoes — I just happen to come across Sole Stopperz at Marshalls (I love Marshalls!).
These Foot Petal Sole Stopperz retail for $6.95 on footpetals.com, but can be found at more affordable prices at Marshalls. They are also sold at Amazon.com, Target, and other stores.
I bought mine at Marshalls for $2.99 (2 pairs/package):
Notice how textured it is:
Back has a peel-off adhesive:
Clean and dry the bottom of your shoe very well, then stick it on:
Yes, it’s that simple to make walking in heels that much easier.
Happy Walking : )
Hello to my lovely readers! The other week I was browsing around slickdeals.net and came across a great deal for free prescription glasses from coastal.com — but didn’t want to post about it until I received my glasses and ensured that this deal was legit. Good news: it’s legit & still going on!
I thought it was too good to be true, but apparently this site does promotions like this quite often. It’s super easy, so if you’re in need for a new pair of prescription glasses, check out the wide selection on the site. All you need to do is pay for shipping (I paid $9.95).
Here’s all you need to do to get free glasses:
1) Visit www.coastal.com and select the frames you like
2) Enter your glasses prescription information
Note: if you select any special lens types or extra coatings, it’s not included in the promo
3) At checkout, enter the promo code: FIRSTPAIRFREE
Yes, it really is that simple. They don’t even require you to create an account! You just need a valid e-mail address and a credit card (or Paypal) to check out.
* promo is valid for US residents only *
What you will receive with you order:
Hard glasses case, cleaning cloth, a tightening screw driver, and your glasses:
My Glasses Collection:
I figured I’d show you all some of the different style frames I have. While glasses are a necessity for seeing clearly, why not utilize it as a fashion accessory as well? I wear glasses more often than my contacts because I often times work long (10+ hours) days in front of a computer and I like to have the option of taking my glasses off and resting my eyes during my breaks.
Note: Pair 1 & 2 can be found on coastal.com, just do a search by brand/model
There are similar styles available for the other frames I own.
Pair #1:
Brand: Derek Cardigan, model: 7008, color: rootbeer
Pair #2:
Brand: Joseph Marc, model: 4029, color: olive
Pair #3:
Brand: Vera Wang, model: v072, color: tabac
Pair #4:
Brand: Cosmopolitan, model: divine
Pair #5:
Unknown brand. I got these a long time ago. O_O
That’s it for now!
I hope you get a chance to snag a pair of free glasses while this promo is still valid
Until next time,
Lisa
Many purses/bags (including high-end designer purses) look amazing, stylish, and chic on the exterior — but often times you open them up and there is just one large compartment and a small interior pocket. It’s really difficult to keep a purse organized with just one small compartment, especially if you love carrying small items in your bag. I personally use the Purseket as my purse organizer (and have for a whole year now) and it works great for me; here’s my review!
What is a Purseket?
A Purseket is a insert-able/removable purse organizer that creates multiple interior pockets for your purse. It’s pretty much fabric sewn around a sturdy yet flexible cardboard-like material so it sits snugly against the sides of your purse.
What styles/sizes are available?
There are many different styles, patterned and solid-colors; visit the Pursket.com to see which are in stock.
I don’t love the style/design I chose for my Purseket, but it was the best one they had available at that time.
* Small (size I own) – 7” height x 20” length, with 5 pockets measuring 3″, 3.5″, 4.5″, 5″, 5″ (left to right)
* Medium – 7” height x 25” or 26” length, with 6 pockets (pocket measurement depends on design/fabric)
* Large – 8” height x 36” length, with 8 pockets
Positives of the Purseket:
* significantly reduces clutter
* saves time when swapping handbags
(one easy transfer from one purse to another rather than moving each item over individually)
* key post (see photo below) to hang keys eliminates the need to dig around for them
* creates multiple pockets in bags that only have one large compartment
* provides structure to bags that are otherwise flimsy/slouchy
* flexible frame (but DO NOT fold it!)
Negatives of the Purseket: 
* limited design selection; I don’t like most of the designs/color-combinations. I’d recommend a solid color.
* if you fold your Purseket, it’s pretty much done for. I’m pretty sure the interior is some kind of cardboard.
* if your keys are heavy, it can weigh down your Purseket and may prevent it from snugly hugging the side of your bag
* (in my opinion) quite pricey for the material it’s made of (cardboard & fabric?)
* shipping cost if ordered from Purseket.com (I paid $5 for S/H)
Photos:
Packaging:
Out of the box:
I own the small size:
(but I don’t really like the color-combination/design)
I love the sturdy key post for hanging my keys:
The small Purseket in my Longchamp Le Pliage Medium Shoulder Tote:
This is what it looked like before the Purseket… stuff everywhere & not tucked away:
Pens, hand sanitizer, keys and tampons flying around! Not cool.
I also use the small size in my LV Speedy 30:
(It doesn’t wrap all the way around, but this is what I intended for)
If you want it to wrap all around, try the medium or large Purseket.
Overall: Very useful purse organizer, but can use some minor improvements.
Other purse organizers that seem handy: (images from sites listed above each photo, respectively)
* Pouchee.com ($24+):
* Lady Elegance via Amazon.com (~$6):
* Search “purse organizer” on Amazon.com and find similar organizers:
* The ContainerStore Purseket ($19.99) – cheaper than Purseket site!
* Or if you are crafty, make your own purse organizer!
Please do share your purse organization tips/tricks!
The Longchamp Le Pliage bags have been quite popular (at least on the East Coast here in the US) for a few years now. It seemed like every other woman owned one — which was the exact reason why I resisted buying one for years. However, after doing much research and searching endlessly for a versatile yet practical every-day bag… all arrows pointed to the Le Pliage shoulder tote.
Detailing of the bag:
Which Longchamp bag do you own? Are there any you’ve had your eye on?
On the contrary, I wouldn’t say this is a must-have. The quality of the shadows could be better for being Smashbox; I found these shadows to be a bit chalky without primer (swatches below are without primer). However, I can say that the quality of these shadows is better than drugstore brands.
Also, the packaging was not the quality I’m used to from Smashbox. The packaging is a coated, shiny, cardboard material. The other palette I own (Classifeyed Palette, was $15 from Sephora a while back) has a sturdy plastic encasing and it came with 6 shadows, a duel-end brush, and large mirror. If I see that palette on sale again, I will definitely inform you all.
Bottom line: great palette for $12, but not a holy grail item.
Will you be picking up this item? Do you already own this palette — what are your thoughts?
P.S. – Current Sephora Beauty Insider promo going if you’re going to make a purchase:
This is a quick post to share information/photos of a clutch I recently bought from Macy’s; I wanted to post this for those interested in buying it because it’s currently on sale for $20.99 until Jan 16, 2012 (see here). This clutch is also available in silver or black.
Side note: Macys.com currently has a promo code “SUPER” for 15% off your purchase. Unfortunately this code doesn’t apply to this clutch — but applies to many other clearance items.
I have been searching for a simple yet classy evening clutch for a really long time now, but have been reluctant to spend too much on one since I don’t use evening clutches too often. With a lot of window/online shopping, I found the ones to be affordable to look cheap or too small in size, and the ones I really liked to be quite pricey ($100+). I’m so glad I came across this one at Macy’s the other day.
Why I love this clutch:
More photos (click to enlarge):
Macys.com also has a bunch of other evening clutches on clearance right now; check out these similar ones for $15.99, $18.99, $23.99, $21.99. I still like the one I bought best … I didn’t really like the straps of the other clutches.
Let us know: What’s your go-to evening clutch?
