my new five minute face...

I've mentioned before that I have only two go-to brands for beauty/skincare - that way when I need a product I am not willy nilly picking up things here and there.

However.... These two products caught my eye this weekend at Target (of course!) and against my "policy" I picked them up!

I am so glad I did and they are now the components of my NEW spring five minute face!

More No7...

More No7...

Both are INCREDIBLY easy to use and combined with a bronzer blusher (that I also picked up this weekend of the same brand but can not for the life of my find onlind - boo!) and mascara are my 5 minute face! What's yours?

handbaggin' it.

I love handbags, purses, satchels... whatever you will. And I tend to like the expensive brands A LOT. I am not even ashamed to say.

I'm not soon to get over my love of expensive handbags and why should I at mark-downs like this!? Check them out for yourself!

Gustto Parina Bag, $193.50 (from - an offensive - $645)

More Gustto...

(click on pic for shopping details)

Lanvin Duffle $500 (from - a ridiculous - $2,130) Likely still out of my price range, but still. LOVE.

More Lanvin...

Kooba Zip Clutch, $25.50 (from $85)

More Kooba...

Marc by Marc Jacobs, Miss Marc Goes Green Earth Shopper, $38.40 (from $128)

More Marc by Marc Jacobs...

February Finds... 24!

With spring... and "leg" season, just around the corner, I don't know about you - but I need some color on my skin!

I am always so hesitant to use self tanners, because I see what they have done to other people (streaks, orange skin, smell, etc) - but I saw this, Aveeno Continuous Radiance, highly rated in a magazine last spring and decided to give it a try! I had a business trip in April to Florida where I would be baring legs and arms and didn't want to scare people away with my ghost like skin!

I started using it daily a week before I left... and I was so impressed that just like it promised, my skin slowly and subtly looked more bronzed (er, healthy)! At about $8 - it was one of the cheaper options at the store as well! I also liked that it came in two shades for greater personalization. (pale and paler... well, not really, but you get the idea!)



Do you use self-tanners? Bronzers? Which is your favorite?

spring planning...

I love how Rachel at Heart of Light describes her online shopping these days as "research."

Since there is no buying these days, I too have been doing a lot of "research." It feels good though, to be thoughtful and mindful before making purchasing decisions. To lay it all out on the table, set a budget, a list of wants and needs and then go from there. I am planning on making some additions to my wardrobe for the upcoming warmer months (which seem like forever from now) - and this is where my planning has led me so far.


spring wardrobe - by Jill GG on Polyvore.com

Because I am stay-at-home mom, I need easy items that wash well, wear well, and get dirty well (unfortunately). I also want to add some items that are on trend for the spring and summer for those days that I leave the house other than playdates and grocery shopping (but when do I do that? hmm... I'll have to find more things "to do" this spring). I am pretty set for bottoms (seeing as there are none listed) with some bermuda shorts, white pants, gauchos (are those still "in" - I say yes) and jeans. You probably think I am crazy, but yes I do wear jeans even in the summer. I hate my legs... but really, who likes theirs? Over the next couple of weeks I will try to hone the list down a bit or add things as I see fit. Until I start making some purchases in March or so.

Are you planning on adding spring/summer clothes to your wardrobe? If so, what?

on being content (again...)

It's on my list. I've mentioned it before. But this year a huge goal of mine is to be content. I've got more to say on it, and I suspect I will all year long.

Yesterday I had a "mirror" moment with my four year old son. You know those times your children become a mirror, reflect you, and it's not pretty (sometimes it is, but this one was more eye-opening)? If you have kids, you likely know what I mean. If you don't. Bless you and your oblivion. It's a very challenging part of parenthood for me. For me though, the silver lining is that I am recognizing these moments, coming to terms with them, learning from them and moving on. So the "mirror" moments, while maybe unkind at the moment, turn into life lessons. And for that I can be thankful.

~~~

I was playing a board game with my son yesterday and while we were playing I noticed some typical four year old behavior. But in a new light. Every time it was his turn and he had a success, he would be SO excited (as would I for him)... we would whoop it up and have some fun and then move on. Then when it was my turn and I would have some success he just couldn't take it. He would cry and pout and be a general four-year-old about it. This started spiraling. Before I knew it, he couldn't even play the game anymore. Couldn't concentrate enough on his own turn because he would be so upset about a match I had previously made (the game was Memory). Prior to the spiral, he was playing a great game... we were neck and neck. But when he started comparing, he lost his footing.

Decor8 has an amazing series she just started this past week on living a creative life. (If you haven't checked it out - you must! And read the comments too - such great stuff!) A lot of the comments mirrored my own thoughts. And a lot of them were to this effect: "But the creative pool is so flooded... where do I fit in?" "I'm not as good as other artists, I'm afraid that I'll seem a fraud."

While I am making room in my life for contentment - there can be no room for comparison.

Don't forget to visit The Inspired Room for more on how people are making their lives more beautiful. Inside and out!

More Black Friday Sales!

Shop today or shop Friday, either day offers great deals!! On Friday you can take part in their 10 for $10 specials or shop now for 20% OFF your order of $50 or more! Use the links to get the deals!!

move on... move up...

one great thing about paring down your closet, is that if you shop smart to begin with you can move on and move up at the same time.  what i mean is this... by buying high quality pieces the first time around.  you can use ebay, craigslist or a consignment shop in your community to sell items that are a year or so old and getting a little eh to you and then turn around and use the money to continue to invest in additional quality pieces for your closet.  it's recycling - for money!

i don't know about your community, but mine has GREAT consignment shops.  in fact i've found two new ones in the past couple of months.  i am particularly drawn to the ones that have great window displays.  of course they are putting great stuff out there to draw you in, but then of course you know that they have great stuff!

i like consignment stores over the online stuff for two reasons.  the first is i am a tactile person, i like to see the clothes, touch the shoes, try on the purse, swing the skirts, flaunt the scarves, etc.  and because i usually "run into" things that i would have never thought to search for on ebay.  or maybe that's why i shouldn't shop them. er.

lastly, a good quality consignment shop will offer a donation service as well.  when i drop clothes at my local c.s. - whatever isn't sell-able or is out of season will get donated, in my name, to a local women's shelter or women's clothing mission and i get the tax benefits for it.

life the good life and spread it around.  it'll make you feel good.

closet secrets...

there was a point in my post college days (when i actually had money to fund my closet) that quantity ruled over quality... i'm sure we've all been there before.  a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear.  in fact i was complaining about that recently in front of my toddler son and he literally walked over to my dresser, pulled out a shirt and handed it to me and walked away.  like "yes you do mom, here."  he didn't even look at... to him it was good enough. 

unfortunately for most women, "fashion" isn't as easy as opening a drawer and pulling something out quick.  it has more to do with our mood, our plans for the day, the weather, the trends and more.  with all of those variables, it's no surprise we can never find anything to wear in a sea of clothes.

lately i have been focusing on contentment in all areas of my life, including in my closet.  friends, this is not easy.

there are two things i have found that help me feel content and inspired in my closet.  the first is *paring down* - eliminating those things from the closet that even though you may not "love" them, you still keep them around.

the second is *shopping smarter* - buying things i love even if they are a bit more expensive.  sometimes investing a little more money and a little more time in your wardrobe can pay you back in the future.  

this is by no means a fashion blog - but check back for more closet secrets...

go live it!