Flats for Spring

On a recent trip to Las Vegas, my adorable and very fashionable friend Tara was unexpectedly caught in a downpour coming out of a show on the strip-while wearing incredibly high heels. After several near falls, she very sensibly ducked into an Ann Taylor store and swapped her heels for these flats. She loves them, and they're now her go-to shoes. I love the simple, elegant design, I think these are so rich looking. I love the slightly squared toe too, it makes them a little more unique looking. At $98, they're a great price. I think I might need these in my Spring wardrobe, they would look great with everything from cropped khaki's to circle skirts.

Ruffled Top

How gorgeous is this silk ruffled top from J.Crew?? I love it in navy--it's so pretty and feminine. At $98, it's a great buy--you can wear this everywhere, from work to weekend.

Oh DVF. How I love thee.

Yet another fabulous email came in from Saks the other day and I have purposely left it in my inbox so I can stare longingly at another beautiful Diane Von Furstenberg creation. This woman designs just absolutely stunning and amazing dresses. She really just understands what looks good on a woman's body and incorporates amazing prints and silhouettes.



I was literally speechless when the email came in featuring this new DVF masterpiece.





I tried to find it online, but apparently I am not the only one who loved this dress since you can only preorder it from Saks (and in a print which I am not exactly in love with). I love the drapery of the fabric, and especially in the back, where I feel like a lot of designers ignore the "walkaway" look. I want people to be just impressed when I walk away as when I walk towards them. I also think the plunging neckline is sexy without overdoing it. And really, its a great flattering fit, where I wouldn't feel like I was bulging out everywhere. I could see myself wearing this on the streets of Greece in summertime. Unfortunately, I can only love DVF from afar or at my desk, since this dress costs a cool $495. Oh, and if you want to look exactly like the model, you can also pick up those great Jimmy Choos she is sporting on her feet for another $950. So, for the low, low price of $1,445, you too can look like the girl who popped in my inbox the other day.

My fave new Spring dress

Oh my gosh, I need this dress by Marc by Marc Jacobs. Seriously, need. This is exactly what I want to wear this Spring. Love the pattern, love the colors, love the banded waist, the full skirt, the puffed sleeves, the pockets (yes, you guys, it has pockets!). Eh...not so crazy about the price. $328 at Shopbop, and I'm sure worth every penny (sigh!).

Pajama Jeans

Just saw this article about "pajama jeans"--basically lounge pants styled like denim.

"The aptly named PajamaJeans are made of a mixture of cotton and spandex with a gray jersey lining to provide a snug and relaxed fix, complete with pockets and rivets to give the illusion of trendy denim."

I can't really tell what they look like from the picture, but I kind of like this idea! Immediately when I get home from work, I change into sweatpants and look like a total slob. This jean/sweatpants hybrid seems like a more presentable option. They're $40. I have no reaction to this price because my reaction depends so heavily on the pants. I can't tell if you would actually want to wear these out of the house, in which case $40 seems quite reasonable, or if they should be relegated to the house, in which case, $40 seems like a lot for cute sweatpants. Either way, I am very intrigued. Anything that would let me wear jersey pants out of the house is going to get my stamp of approval.

Nars Spring Makeup Collection

I just checked out the new Nars Spring makeup line, and it got me very excited about makeup that I have absolutely no place to wear. Actually, that's not fair--most of it looks extremely wearable and PRETTY, like the gorgeous beigy pink lipstick. But my eye went straight to the electric blue glitter eyeliner. Here's the description from the Sephora website:

"Inspired by New York's infamous 1970s discos, these chunky crayons of translucent color are laced with glitter and can be worn on the eyes, cheeks, lips, and body."

Oh my gosh, it's enough to make me want to hop the next plane to Vegas. Sadly, the only place I have to wear it to is daycare, so probably not too practical for my lifestyle, but let me tell you, 10 years and a baby ago, I would have rocked this. Love the bright violet nail polish and hot pink lip gloss too, but I'm pretty sure I can find a Wet n' Wild version of both.

In someways I am sad Spring is upon us

I agree completely with Kari's post below...those shoes are incredible and I am sure I would wear them everyday for at least 4 days. I have a very short attention span.
However, with Kari's latest blog, I realized that winter is once again coming to an end and with that tall boots. Now I know you can transition your tall boots into Spring but this is Texas people. In just a few short weeks, it will be 85 and I would probably catch on fire in tall boots. So with the inevitable hotter weather arriving in a few weeks, I realized another fall/winter season has passed without me having acquired a pair of tall, grey boots. See the Harlot "Rake" boot below, available at Nordy's (aka Mecca).




I am obsessed with tall grey boots ever since I saw a picture of Hayden P. wearing a pair with skinny jeans. Infact, I already own the pair of skinny Hudsons, but my dynamic waist measurements have been holding me back. I love the versatility of the grey boots. I like to think I would wear them with my skinny Hudsons, with a long open cardigan, and my Rayban aviator sunglasses, with the papparazzi chasing me and taking my picture as I sip Starbucks and stroll around the celebrity hotspot that is San Antonio. I suppose there is always hope for next year. Sigh.

Is it Spring yet?

So, I was checking out The Sartorialist, as I always do (and you should too! amazing, gorgeous street style pics that will instantly make you feel both underdressed and undercool), and I fell in love with this whole look. It's so simple, but just effortless. But I am obsessed with her flat strappy leather sandals. They look totally natural and comfortable and I'm pretty sure I would wear them all the time. I have a feeling this girl bought hers in, like, a little shop in the Greek Isles where an elderly man cobbles them by hand. I will be hoping to find something similar at DSW. I feel like J.Crew used to have sandals that looked exactly like this, but I guess they've moved on to fancier shoes (see Joc's post yesterday). No luck so far, but I'm hoping it's because it's so early in the year, so I will keep you posted on my quest!

Long Time Shopper, First Time Blogger

Hello world! First of all, I should introduce myself. My name is Jocelyn and I am a friend of Kari's, who has graciously allowed me to become a co-blogger. I feel so incredibly honored and I hope that I can only blog to just half of Kari's capabilities!

Now let me first say that I just feel so 2010. I feel very techy...like I should be living in San Fransisco, sipping a nonfat latte and wearing black rimmed glasses. Instead, I am sitting on my couch in San Antonio, hair pulled back in a funky ponytail and drinking Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper.

So for my first blog ever...I get daily emails from a plethora of retailers and today I received "Jenna's Picks" from J. Crew. Now usually, I don't really agree with Jenna and although I love J. Crew, I sometimes find the items a little bit pricey for what you get. But today were a few pairs of shoes that I wished I could have reached into my computer screen and yanked out and immediately put on my feet.

Welcome Dani Neon Leather Heels. Give me a peeptoe and a retro looking heel and I am a happy girl. I love the neon strap and how it makes them a little edgier. Unfortunately, since they run for $235, it will be a while before I am prancing around my office in these cuties.

Okay, I am now going to admit to my blogging ignorance. I would like to post an additional pair but my computer is not cooperating. I will need to get a lesson from Master Kari. More later!

Drugstore Find: Mineral Foundation

Okay, first, sorry for the complete lack of blogs for the past few months. I'm going to try and do better now!

So, you guys know I love my Smashbox mineral makeup, but on Christmas Eve, I ran out. There was no way I was going to brave the mall on Christmas Eve, so I headed to CVS instead! I picked up this Maybelline Mineral Power Powder Foundation. Um, I'm still using it. I actually really like it. The color is really natural, the coverage is great, and it's pretty long lasting. I definitely like it as well, or possibly a little better, than the bare escentuals bare minerals foundation. I do not like it as well as Smashbox, but...it's $8! I mean seriously. The one thing I do NOT like about it is the brush that comes with the foundation, so I strongly recommend you find a good brush you like. (I LOVE my Smashbox brush...yes, at $50 it's crazy expensive, but I think it makes all makeup look better.) If you're looking for a good mineral foundation, I would definitely recommend it.

Nordstrom Rack Grand Opening!

Sorry for the lack of posts, readers, my real job has been pretty busy lately and I just have been too exhausted. BUT wanted to at least post ONCE this week, and what better topic than the grand opening of Nordstrom Rack at Gateway on October 22?? Here are the details:

At the grand opening we will hold our 'Race Through the Rack' sweepstakes. One lucky person will be chosen to be the first customer to enter the store and have 90 seconds to select up to $2,000 worth of merchandise. Arrive early—the drawing will be at 8:45am in advance of the 9am grand opening. The first 1,000 customers will receive a Nordstrom Rack tote bag as a gift with their opening day purchase.

Okay, the tote bag I have to tell you does not excite me, but if anything can get me to stand in line for a store opening, it's a shopping spree.

Vera Wang Rock Princess Fragrance

So a few weeks ago my friend Kim was in town from Dallas visiting, and of course, we headed straight to the mall to shop. We were crusing through the fragrance counter when we spotted this sort of crazy looking black bottle. It was Vera Wang Rock Princess. We both sprayed it on and were completely enraptured by it. As we kept shopping, periodically one of us would just stop midsentence and say "...we smell sooo good!"

I am terrible at identifying fragrances, so here's the (very weird, actually, in my opinion) description from Sephora:

Each verse is equally captivating in the dark, fruity scent that channels
sultry rock-star attitude. It takes the stage with an exhilarating intro of
succulent white peach, bittersweet red raspberry, and an illuminating flash of
vibrant bergamot. The chorus reveals itself in lovely layers of ultra-feminine
florals. Hypnotic heliotrope, vintage-inspired rose, night-blooming jasmine,
delicate lily, and an unexpected riff of sharp, spicy accents. The melody
bridges to a finale, cloaking the essence in the warm, sensual glow of plush
cashmere woods, smoldering musk, elegant iris, and creamy coconut.

I don't know about all that, but it seriously smells amazing, sort of sweet and musky at the same time (I know...I could not write for the Sephora fragrance department).

Don't let the bottle scare you, it sort of looks like it's designed for a goth teenager, but I think you'll really like the fragrance. It's $72, so I'm hoping someone will buy it for me as a gift (so wish my husband read this blog!).

Sweater Boots - Separated at birth!

When I was in Wyoming at the Texas/Wyoming game a few weeks ago, an adorable Wyoming fan was wearing these Ugg sweater boots over jeans, and I loved the whole look, just totally cozy and comfy. They're adorable, but they're $140, and I'm just not prepared to pay that for sweater boots. Maybe if I lived in Wyoming, but how often can you really wear sweater boots in Texas??

Well, imagine my surprise and delight when I saw this incredibly similar pair at Old Navy. I mean seriously, these look almost identical to the Ugg pair. And at $34.50, the price is much easier to justify.

Clinique Mineral Makeup

You guys know I love my Smashbox mineral makeup, with its awesome delivery system by which you shave off just the amount you need--so much neater than traditional mineral makeups, which just get everywhere, especially when you try and travel with them.

Well, Clinique has entered the mineral makeup fray with their Superbalanced Makeup, which has identical packaging to my Smashbox fave. And it's $34.50 for 18g, versus the Smashbox, which is $59 for 21g, so it's quite a bit cheaper. My friend Shelly, a girl who knows her makeup and a fellow mineral makeup devotee (she got me into bare minerals to begin with), tried this and really likes it.

Here's the thing: the Smashbox version has all sorts of vitamins and antioxidants in it, and supposedly reduces the appearance of wrinkles. And I feel like it really works! My skin responds really well to it. And I feel like my skin really glows after I use it. So I'm not sure if the Clinique version will do the same thing or not. But at that much of a price difference, I think I'm going to try it once I run out of Smashbox. If anyone has used the Clinique version, or if you've used both Clinique and Smashbox, let me know what you think!

Skinny Cords

Well, I like my Martin + Osa skinny jeans so much, I'm now seriously considering these velvet slim jeans! They're the same slim fit as my jeans, which I love because they are not skin tight, and thus very flattering. Also, I love the idea of wearing these tucked into my new brown riding boots! I love them in the kettle brown color. They're $69.50, so very reasonable.

On the other hand, I also like these matchstick cords from J. Crew, just a little more at $79.50. Serious dilemna. Can only be solved by dragging one of my friends to both stores with me to watch me try them on and advise.