Splurge vs. Steal

Make-up Brushes = SPLURGE!

It's definetly worth the $$$. Make-up brushes are lifetime investment. Personally, I love MAC brushes. I have their foundation brush that I bought three years ago and it is still in great condition. My roommate just purchased Chanel's powder brush. She is in love with it and of course, it was a total investment. The lady told her if the brush ever starts falling apart to bring it back and she will give her a new one.

I have gone the cheaper route & it was not worth it! I received a gift certificate to Sephora and decided to try out their brushes. HORRIBLE! The eyebrow brush fell apart two weeks later and the powder brush bristles fall out everytime I use it. To this day I am mad at myself for spending that $50 gift certificate on their makeup brushes...grrrr

Foundation & Concealor = SPLURGE!

When trying to get the right color you need to try on the product. You are better off going to a make-up counter than the drugstore. There you can find your exact color and try it before purchasing it. If you opt for the drugstore you may end up buying 2-3 different colors that don't even match your skin tone.

Blush = SPLURGE or STEAL!

Revlon has a great blush out called, Pinch My Cheeks that you can find in the drugstore. Or you can splurge on NARS amazing blush in Orgasm, this blush looks great on everyone.

Eye Shadow = STEAL!

You can find great eyeshadows at your local drugstores. Maybelline and L'Oreal HiP are great steals when it comes to creating a chic eye. If you want to splurge, of course, I recommend MAC. Can you tell I am a big fan?

Eye Pencils = SPLURGE!

High-end eye pencils are creamier, which makes it easier to put on and a dramatic impact. I find the less expensive eye pencils to be waxy and barely show up when I put it on.

Lip = SPLURGE or STEAL!

If you want to steal, then go for Sonia Kashuk line at Target. You can get a lip color pallette with a variety of colors for a reasonable price. If you want to splurge, try MAC's Lip Glass or Lip Glaze line.

Snow is chic

As my vacation comes to an end, I decided to take today to just enjoy the snow falling outside my window.

Once I started getting cabin fever, I went for a walk along the East River and then headed over to Central Park. I love how the city looks when it snows. The city seems so quiet and slow paced whenever snow is falling.

So take a minute to enjoy...

H&M Bonanza

Today I ventured back downtown to meet up with some of my NYU people for Happy Hour. Before meeting up with them I headed to my favorite H & M on 5th Ave and 17th St.

H & M has put out their spring line and boy, did I feel like a kid in a candy store! I scored a black raincoat for $34.90. Scarfs are a big accessory this spring and H &M has a large variety to choose from. I grabbed the spring issue of H & M magazine. You can get it off of their website if don't have a chance to get to the store.

Welcome to the good life

Ahh, a break from work...

A week off from the maddness of teaching 4 and 5 years old. Definetly perfect timing for some R & R. I am taking full advantage of the city and catching up with my people. Today I ventured down to my old neighborhood Greenwich Village aka The Village. I caught up with my friend CJ and we lunched at The Pink Cup, which I recommend if you are in the mood for some good ol' soul food.

After we ventured down the street to the MARC by MARC JACOBS store on Bleeker Street and the corner of W 14th Street. This use to be a hidden gem where you could get MARC's goodies for extremely low prices. T-shirts and bags from $14.00 and up, Rainboots for $5, Wallets and clutches $20-38. Right now all of MARC cashmere scarves, hats, gloves is 70% off. CJ scored a killer pair of cashmere gloves for $13.

Of course, we could not leave the Village without a trip down the block to Magnolia's Bakery. My personal favorite is the their vanilla cupcakes(mmm mmm). If you have not experienced Magnolia you need to put it on your to-do list - ASAP! I swear to you there's nothing like it.

Sitting in Bleeker Park enjoying every last bite of our cupcake, low & behold in front of us was a new MARC by MARC JACOBS store! The man is a genuis. Their is a women and men store clearly labeled and not as undercover as his other store. Inside are pretty much the same goodies but also some of his more high-end stuff like shoes and bags. There was one bag I just feel in looovve with...but let me tell you, it was not 70% off. Sadly, I put the bag down and walked away.

After leaving the second location of MARC by MARC JACOBS empty handed, we ventured down Bleeker enjoying window shopping at Juicy Couture, Ralph Lauren, Cythnia Rowley, etc. My favorite is visiting Bond No. 9 of New York to try on every single fragance. They are all so delicious and I love how each one of them represents a part of NYC.

As I made my way back uptown I kept thinking about getting to sleep in tomorrow and venturing some more around the city - I couldn't help but sing to myself Kanye West's "Welcome to the good life"

To all my fellow educators out there, I hope you are having a fabulous week off too - you deserve it. xoxo

Lazy Sundays

My idea of a perfect Sunday?

Laying in bed until mid-afternoon & having brunch with friends.

WhoWhatWearDaily.com have launched a podcast of ideas for perfect lazy Sunday entire.

Check it out...

Lazy Sunday Entire

Can you stand the anticipation???

Ok, so who else is counting down the days until Sex and the City The Movie comes out?! The SATC Movie advertisements are covering Manhattan right now & I will admit I get the butterflies every time I pass one. Let's just say I am excited those four fabulous ladies are making a come back.

...and that dress SJP is wearing is to die for!

Unfortunately, I missed the memo that Patrica Field was designing for Payless. For those of you who don't know who Patrica Field is, she is the incredibly talented designer for the cast of SATC. This was during Fall/Winter 2007. My roommate received a chic silver snake skin clutch from her Payless line as gift. Since then I have been to several different Payless locations in Manhattan and they are sold out of her goods - go figure.

Run, I mean RUN, to your local Payless and see if they are still carrying her line of accessories. It's simply chic and the prices are just as chic.

Fashion Week Reportings

This past week was one of my favorite - FASHION WEEK!


The tent was buzzing with action and it seems everyone is ready to spring ahead. Spring Fashion Week is perfect for curing those winter blues. I attended the first two days of Fashion Week with a friend who was working at a few shows. While she was behind the scenes, I was mosing around the tent checking out the goods.

Lycra Booth

Swarski Crystal & American Heart Association Booth

I happened to run into Nikki Taylor and those crazy kids from BRAVO's Make Me A Supermodel. They were taping for an upcoming show where there next challenge was walking down the runway at Fashion Week. The cast was super-excited and almost in tears when they found out their challenge. I am personally routing for Jackie & was able to tell her personally myself. She's a sweetheart. Other tent goers were eager to take pictures with the cast but they were under strict orders not too. Oh well, that didn't stop me from snapping pictures...

Space was limited inside the Nicole Miller show, but have no fear I was able to catch the show on the plasma screens that acted as the center piece of the tent. Those of you who have not been inside the tent are probably wondering, "What is everyone wearing???" Besides watching the shows, people watching is something I definetly enjoy doing at Fashion Week.

Well, here are some of Fashion Week's tent goers...






Ok, I am still shaking from drinking too many of those energy drinks.
Signing off from Fall 2008 Fashion Week
xoxo

I heart Fashion Week

Ohhh, Fashion Week...how I love thee!

This week kicks off Bryant Park's Fall 2008-2009 Fashion Week. And thank goodness to the connections I have made in the fashion world. I will be reporting from inside the tent making this my 2nd Fashion Week experience (*huge grin*).

Stay tuned for my adventures...

Online Sample Sale

I was just introduced to The Art of Shopping website. This is an online sample sale website that carries brands such as 7 for All Man Kind, True Religion, Lacoste, Juicy Couture, etc. They also have sample sales located in NYC. Although I missed the January sale, I signed up to be notified of their next one. However you don't have to live in the city to enjoy their sample sales.

Check out the goods & sign up for notifications on future sales at The Art of Shopping