Marc by Marc Jacobs, $15

Marc by Marc Jacobs, $15

BCBG, $35

Lola, $16

BCBG, $90 from $225

Banana Republic, $18 from $45

Lola, $26

Banana Republic, $26 from $89

In Vegas, I shopped. But I shopped smart for the most part, right? So that’s okay, right?

XO,

Zara, Sale $30

I went into Zara the other day to exchange a Christmas gift. One of my new year resolutions is to save, starting from banning myself from the mall for a while after all the damage I did over the holidays. With this in mind, I walked into Zara and headed straight to the cashier, head down, making sure to avoid the crazy sales going on all around me. So I stared at the floor. Looked to the right. Looked to the left. And looked to the right… shoes. A table full of sale shoes. And on the floor, this pair in my size. Mine.

I really tried.

XO,

If I did all of my Christmas shopping at Sephora 1) my girlfriends (and some boys) would be very happy 2) I would spend 5 hours only in 1 store as opposed to 20 3) I would end up with a lot of good shit (for myself). In reality…. you probably could get a lot of holiday shopping done at Sephora. Have you seen all the holiday value sets and exclusives they have?? Ahh, I die. Here are some of my favorite sets and gifts for the season.

1. Korres Buttered Up set in Pomegranate. Includes lip butter and lip glaze. I got it, I used it, I kissed. Everyone. With my soft, supple, lips. Yeah.  Limited edition.
2. Urban Decay Naked Palette. This is it. THE universally flattering palatte featuring their most gorgeous colors, and their awesome eyeshadow primer as a bonus. They once had a 7 page waiting list for this. Now it’s mine. You can’t go wrong.
3. Philosophy Funnel Cake Stand. A yummy smelling, pretty looking, versatile set of shower gels that triple up as a body wash, shampoo and bubble bath.  Limited edition.
4. Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb. A sweet floral awakening.
5. Clarisonic Skincare Brush. Sonicare cleaned your teeth. Now they want to clean your face. The brush moves 300+ per second, leaving you the cleanest, healthiest looking skin you’ve ever had. It’s like sex skin. You glow.
6. Paperself Eyelashes. Die cut falsies inspired by the art of Chinese paper-cutting. The newest concept on the market. Gorgeous.
7. Hello Kitty Noir Palette. 25 silky eyeshadows, 10 sweet lip glosses, and oh-so-cute. How can you say no to Kitty? Limited Edition.
8.  Nars Yorokobi Super Orgasm set. Kick it up a notch for the holidays with this gold-fleck infused peachy pink color for lips, cheeks and nails. Tis’ the season for flirting. Limited Edition.
9. Sephora by OPI. Sparkle and glimmer. Sugar Plum Fairies Gone Wild, Traffic Stopper, Don’t be Eggnogious, Be-Claus I said so.
10. Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish. Yes, magnetic particles in your polish can create 3D nail art… with the influence of a magnet. So revolutionary. So cool. So serious.

XO,

You’re smart. You know all the best boutiques carrying the most unique and sought after pieces. You shop in Los Angeles, then head over to Chicago. New York. And up north to Montreal. It doesn’t stop there. You’re a die hard shopaholic. Munich? Sure. London? Was just there. Florence? Milan? I’m a regular. Paris? Oui, s’il vous plait!

I came across FarFetch.com. Instantly, my eyes widened. Breath froze. Throat closed. And then it happened. My heart started racing and a squeal started forming in my throat. EEEEEE! Grab your Balenciaga, put on your skinny jeans, slip into your Jimmy Choos. and order a Starbucks latte… because we’re going shopping! (Don’t forget your wallet.)

Now that we’re well into fall, I’ve been drawn towards things I can snuggle in. Snuggle in while looking good. I couldn’t help but daydream about frolicking in some fall pieces by Isabel Marant. So French, so chic, so unique. And of course to frolic, one must wear some good looking shoes. So after 2 hours of boutique shopping for designer shoes, I’ve come up with the perfect fall-frolicking outfits.  The combinations are endless, and pants for most, are optional.

1. Isabel Marant collarless coat / Alexander McQueen heelless bootie
2. Isabel Marant Melina dress / Burberry buckled ankle boot
3. Isabel Marant alpaca cardigan / Officine Creative lace-up boot
4. Isabel Marant tweed blazer / Pollini fur boot
5. Isabel Marant fringe sweater / Vivienne Westwood skyscraper pirate boot
6. Isabel Marant silk skinny trouser / Baldan biker boot

So get this: FarFetch.com is a hand-picked collection of the world’s most fashion-forward independent boutiques. You can shop boutiques in North America and more excitingly, boutiques in Europe — think Belgium, France, Italy and the UK. You get to shop unique pieces from each boutique, and order what you like…. because FarFetch ships worldwide. They also do free returns. If you shop Europe, you won’t have to pay VAT. It’s already covered in the price. There may be import duties though. Still, sweet.

So for the next while, if you’re looking for me, I’ll be shopping in Europe. Wanna come?

XO,

PS. Did I mention you can also shop handbags, including vintage Chanel? Oh, and men, you get to shop too.

Before I get into this, I have to mention that I have been unable to post over the last 2 weeks due to lack of space I had remaining on the server I was using. My biggest concern was that you’d all be gone. I’m back now, so you can continue loving me. :)

Yup, bad habits lead to me getting some awesome new… shit. Because of the rainstorm that hit Louisville right when my flight was supposed to take off, what was originally a super inexpensive trip turned out to be…. not so inexpensive. I spent the next day exploring the Mall of America by my lonesome — a bunch of awesome stores combined with no tax on shoes, no tax on clothing . Dangerous. But so badass.

The Friday after, I also had the day off. So…. I went shopping in the States.

I have a problem. It’s shopping. But it only comes in phases. And always at the worse times. Here’s just a portion of the goods.

Vera Wang Lavender

Forever 21

Victoria’s Secret

Finally, after 2 long years.

Michael Kors

Jessica Simpson

How’d I do?

XO,

It’s no secret. They’re real.
So go ahead, and be jealous.

At one point in my wise life, I started wearing false lashes everyday. The more I wore them, the more I was addicted because obviously, they make you look prettier. They make your eyes look bigger. And they make you look more feminine. However, I HATED the fact that they were fake. And I hated that they would start peeling and come off through the day. Not to mention, you can’t go swimming, go for a body massage… and a lot of other things because well, you’d ruin your lashes or they’d fall off.

And then… all of a sudden, a whole bunch of lash growing serums started appearing. And as skeptical as I was, I couldn’t stop imagining how sweeeet it would be to have naturally long lashes… and to be able to apply mascara to something longer than a 5mm stump. (Not really, but almost.)

And it worked.  I used the FDA approved treatment, Latisse, and my lashes have grown longer, thicker and darker. They say a bottle lasts you 1 month, but I’ve been using Latisse for 5 months and I’m only on my 2nd bottle. When I first got it, I used it everyday. Now that my lashes are at a good length, I use it every few days.

Like all things, there are some potential side effects such as darkening of the eye lid area (which is reversed if application is stopped), iris pigmentation (which did not occur in clinical studies but would be permanent), dryness etc etc. And, it is only recommended to be applied to your upper lashes… because if you apply them elsewhere, unwanted hair growth my occur. And it’s true. I used it on my lower lashes and they grew… but so did some peach fuzz right under the lower corner of my eyes. BUT it was not noticeable. And I stopped. So it’s gone.

Main point is, it works. But there are side effects. Just like tanning, laser eye surgery, laser hair removal, vitamin supplements, using your cell phone too much… consuming alcohol. Aside from Latisse which you need to get prescribed, a few of my gal pals have used over-the-counter lash growth serums and they seem to work too.

What do you think?

XO,

PS. I think this is the most content I’ve ever written. Kudos to me!

[ Note: mascara applied to lashes in both images ]