SHOPPING THERAPY: Clarks "Ruby Diamond Booties"

SOURCE:  ShopStyle.com

My Black Friday shopping bled over to Saturday today.  While I was shopping at Macy's yesterday, I found TWO pairs of shoes that I wanted.  I know, I really do not need more pairs of black shoes, but I honestly can't help myself sometimes.  The first pair was the BCBGirls "Ariel" peep toe pump, which I blogged about yesterday, and the other was this super cute bootie.

While I was trying on shoes, the lovely and helpful Macy's sales associate admitted to me that these booties from Clarks was part of the store's morning specials.  She explained that if I bought these shoes that afternoon, it would be on sale for $79, but if I came back on Saturday before 1:00 pm, I would get these shoes for $48!  For that discount, it was totally worth coming back down to Downtown Macy's the next day for a great deal!  She even placed my shoes on hold for me!  Thanks!

Clark's "Ruby Diamond Booties" are suede low ankle booties with shoe string laces and a 2-1/4 inch chunky heel.  The OrthoLite footbed provides extreme comfort and Ultra-Flexible Bendables TPR outsole conforms to your gait, which creates a comfortable and stylish walking shoe.  These shoes are great for traveling and wearing with slacks or a comfortable pair of jeans.  I am planning on tossing my other mid-calf boots and replacing them with this pretty pair!

The original price for these shoes is $120, but today's morning special value deal was $48, which with tax brings the grand total to $50.26.  I saved $72!  What a steal and totally worth me fighting the crowds again.

SHOPPING THERAPY: BCBGirls "Ariel"

SOURCE:  Amazon.com

Today was the infamous "Black Friday."  I am not a fanatic of Black Friday.  I loathe crowds.  I'd rather spend the day after Thanksgiving sleeping in and nursing my indigestion from my binge eating the night before.  In fact, for the past four years, I've avoided making the decision about whether I should brave the crowds by reporting to the office instead.  However, this year was different.  I didn't have work to save me and my mom was itching to get out of the house.

As a result, I developed a Black Friday strategy because no matter how much the sales may entice me with flashy big discounts, the crowds of eager and aggressive shoppers are enough to keep me home where it's safe.  My mom and I figured that the stores in Downtown would be far enough away from the malls and super stores where most of the crowds would be clamoring about.

Now, I realize that Black Friday is supposed to be the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season where the theory behind the ordeal is to buy gifts for others.  However, I am embarrassed to report that I spent more on myself than on others today.  One of things I found was this lovely pair of super comfortable peep toe pumps!  This BCBGirls glossy patent leather open peep toe dressy pump has a square open peep toe and rolled edges that are super comfortable for your toes.  The pump has a 3-1/2 inch curvy heel.

I've seen these heels at Macy's for several months now, but never on sale.  BCBGirls shoes usually have a pretty price tag, which scare me away.  Besides, I have more than enough black peep toe pumps.  However, when I saw these pumps on the clearance rank in my size, I knew the shopping gods were sending me a divine message from above.  The original price is $79.00, but today's value is $39.50 (50% off the original price) with an additional 10% off by using my Macy's card.  Thus, the grand total with tax came out to $37.22.  Yay me and I didn't have to fight the crowds to score my prize!

SHOPPING THERAPY: Nine West "Leopard Jacquard"

Source:  ShopStyle.com

I keep telling myself that I don't need another handbag.  I have a huge pile of handbags from tiny clutches to enormous travel totes in the corner of my bedroom.  Some of these items, I am ashamed to say, still have their price tags attached to them along with the tissue paper stuffing.

I admit it...I think I have a problem.  I just can't seem to resist taking a peek in the handbag section.  I try to resist the temptation, but the gravitational pull is just too strong for me sometimes, especially when I am stressed out and am in desperate need for some retail therapy.  It's been a really long and bad couple of months at work, so I've been long overdue for some therapy.  At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Today I accompanied my mom to Macy's (aka my home away from home).  I was not in the market to buy anything in particular (isn't that how all shopping spree stories start?), but just had an urge to look at what was available.  We took a peek at the handbag department and started perusing.  And then...I saw it!

The Nine West Leopard Jacquard is a medium shopper style printed tote bag with silver-toned hardware, buckle detailing, a bold embossed faux leather panel, and a metal logo plate.  The inside of the handbag is divided into three compartments with a center zippered compartment that is perfect for wallets and other valuables.  There are separate side compartments for your keys, cell phone, and other electronic devices along with an outside zip pocket for additional items.

I have to admit that I instantly feel in love with this handbag, especially when I found out the price.  Macy's was having a special sale today and many of the items in the handbag department were marked down with an additional savings when using your Macy's card.  This handbag was originally $89, but today's value price was $44.50 with an additional 15% discount by using my Macy's card for a grand total (plus tax) of $39.60.  I saved a total of $51.18!  With that level of savings, how could I pass it up?  Again, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

BEAUTY REVIEW: Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish in "Houses of Parliament"

A shelf of magnetic polishes at Sephora.

Several weeks ago, I found out about magnetic polishes through one of the lovely ladies I follow on Twitter.  I was instantaneously intrigued by this striped look, especially without the application hassle of the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips.

I was excited to get my paws on one of these bottles, but a little hesitant once I realized that each bottle costs a whopping $16!  I admit that I indulge in makeup from time-to-time, but I always justify my high-end purchase with reasoning such as, "Look how many colors I will be getting in a palette," or "Look how much I will be getting in a bottle."  Unfortunately, those lines went out the door with this bottle because I found out that there are only two color choices available at my Sephora and each bottle of polish contains less polish than a bottle of OPI polish (which is cheaper).  What to do...what to do...??

Still, I had to get my paws on a bottle.  I watched the product reviews on YouTube and scoured over blog posts regarding this polish.  I had an urgent need for some retail therapy after a terrible day at work, so I walked into Sephora and acted as though I was leisurely perusing through their merchandise when really I was desperately casing the joint for the magnetic polish.  Voila!  I found it!  Several rows of Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish calling my name and chanting, "Buy me!  Buy me!  Buy me!"

Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish in "Houses of Parliament"

Then came my next dilemma:  Which one?  Sephora had a silver shade in "Trafalgar Square" and a deep purple shade in "Houses of Parliament."  Note:  Since my purchase, Nails Inc. has released a third color, which is a teal shade in "Whitehall."  After a lot of private deliberation--after all, I refused to get BOTH shades in fear that I may not like it and then be $32 in the hole--I decided on the deeper purple shade.  While the silver shade was gorgeous in the bottle, I thought "Houses of Parliament" was a little more versatile. I decided I needed a little more retail therapy and picked up a bottle of Sephora from OPI in "Be-Claus I Said So," which is a glitter polish with small and medium bright red sparkles.  I thought it would be a perfect overlay on my OPI "I'm Really Not A Waitress" for the holiday season.

I intended to use my new magnetic polish for Halloween, but got busy and wasn't able to try it out until last weekend.  After watching several videos on YouTube, I was confident that I would be able to achieve the magnetic effect correctly.  The bottle has two caps:  The larger outer cap has the magnetic strip that is needed for the magnetic waves on your nails, and a smaller inner cap that contains the brush applicator.  Remove the larger outer cap and place it away from the bottle.  This is the process I used to achieve my magnetic effect:

• Applied one coat of Revlon Base Coat.
• Applied a thin coat of Nails Inc Magnetic Polish in "Houses of Parliament."
• Working one nail at a time, applied a thicker coat of Nails Inc Magnetic Polish and then using the magnetic strip located on the top of the outer cap, carefully placed it above each recently polished nail.  Use the small lip at the bottom of the magnetic strip as a guide by placing the lip at the base of your cuticle.  Be careful doing this because your don't want to hit your wet nail against the magnetic strip and ding your polish (like I did on one of my nails!).  You can also slowly rock the magnetic strip cap from side-to-side to cover more surface area.  It only takes a couple of seconds to achieve the magnetic effect, so do one nail at a time--apply second coat and then immediately use the magnetic strip--for best results.
• Applied a top coat.

My nails using Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish in "Houses of Parliament"

This is an opaque polish that has a metallic sheen, but a matte finish, so a top coat is necessary for a high glossy finish.  It took me a couple of nails to figure out the best way to achieve the magnetic waves on my nails, but once I got the hang of it, it was pretty fast and easy.

I followed the instructions on the Nail Inc website, but I saw a couple of videos where only one coat of polish was applied.  The polish is on the thick side, so I slowly and carefully applied it to my nails.

These were my nails the morning after I applied the polish.  I wore my polish for about a week and got rave comments from the ladies in my office.  Even my boyfriend thought it looked pretty cool and he usually doesn't notice my nails (i.e., typical guy!).  It lasted okay with moderate chipping around the edges, but not too noticeable.

All in all I am completely satisfied with this polish and am thinking about buying the silver and teal polishes as well, but perhaps at a later time.  I am still getting over the fact that I bought a $16 bottle of nail polish!

RAMBLE: Get Ready for "Blog-cember!"

Santa and Mrs. Claus in front of Honolulu Hale

Can you believe it?  The holidays are fast approaching and as usual I am no where near ready for the holiday flurry of excitement (and stress).  Pretty soon, 2011 will be over and 2012 will be ringing in.  One of my 2011 resolutions was to start a personal blog, which I did, but failed to keep up with it regularly.  So, in order to fulfill my New Year's resolution, I declare the month of December--"Blog-cember"--where I vow to post an entry daily through the month.

I haven't decided what I am going to post everyday.  It will most likely be an outfit of the day, favorite product, mini haul, etc.  Something fast and easy that I can post.  I'll also try to post reviews as well or maybe even some shopping ideas for the season!

I really want to get back to committing myself to this blog, so I am hoping that Blog-cember will help motivate me and keep me on track.  So, wish me luck and stay tuned!