Weekend Treats

For the past two weeks I have been on vacation!  Thought I would share some fun treats I enjoyed during my time off.

Crumbs Bake Shop Sampler Pack!  I love cupcakes and this box gives you a little taste of the best cupcakes on Crumbs' menu.  For $18 this can be a little pricey but the presentation and taste make it well worth the cost.  Whenever I bring these home the green cupcake which is mint chocolate is never eaten.  No one in my family likes that one.  

Scorpion Bowl!  Last week I went out to dinner with my old roommate from college.  We went to a hip Japanese restaurant/bar.  The picture above is the cool drink we ordered called a Scorpion Bowl.  This bowl is a mixture of all different crap :P ...I'm not even sure what exactly is in it.  I think it is basically fruit punch with five different types of liquor.  The flame in the center is fun to look at.

Even though I did not go anywhere far away I had a great time off.  Monday I return to work!

Thanks for reading,

Isabella

My Favorite Clothing Stores

I wanted to share a few of my favorite stores for clothing.  Lately I find myself only purchasing work clothes.  I have not bought a new pair of jeans in so long!

Kohl's is great for basics.  I buy alot of tops from here.  There is always a great sale, never buy anything full price from Kohl's.

I love Bloomingdale's.  It is my favorite department store of all time.  One the perks of working in NYC is being able to visit Bloomingdale's on my lunch break.  I buy lots of shoes from here especially Sam Edelman.

I love buying dresses from Jones New York.  I usually shop at the Jones New York Factory Store.  Their online website has the same clothes for double the price.  On my last visit I found a dress for $39.99 and I was looking at the same dress online for $99.  The sales associate informed me that their is nothing wrong with the Factory Store pieces they just have outlet prices!

Ann Taylor is my ultimate work apparel store.  All my work suits are from Ann Taylor.  Usually they have some coupons and sales running.

Some other great stores and websites I love to shop at...

shoes.com

Nordstrom

Ann Taylor LOFT

Thanks for reading,

Isa

Wardrobe Organization

Since graduating college and beginning a "real job" my amount of work clothes has tripled.  It got to a point where my dresser and closet could not fit anything else.  Last month I purchased the wardrobe shown below.

This wardrobe is a great addition to my bedroom.  The design of this piece is great for storage and organization.  Below are more pictures of how I store some of my clothing.  I apologize for the quality of the pictures.  I do not have a digital camera so an iPhone camera will have to do for now.

There are two drawers in this wardrobe.  Both are spacious and hold plenty.  The bottom drawer stores all my denim.  To give you an idea of the drawer's size there are 8 jeans, 2 shorts and 3 capris.

Behind the double doors I have cardigans, dress shirts, skirts, and suits.

Another great storage area is the split mini shelves under the hanging section.  My mom purchased two small bins from Target to help me organize even more.  The one on the left holds scarves and gloves.  I still need to fill the one to the right.

Purchasing this piece put me into a cleaning and organizing mood.  Now I am working on the rest of my room with new storage ideas.

Thanks for reading,

Isabella

Fall Shoe Wishlist

I have not had a post since the beginning of June!  I am going to try post at least two times a week.  Let me start with an easy post about my fall shoe wishlist:

Corso Como

San Angelo Quilted Boot

$260

Nordstrom.com

Sam Edelman 

Hera Flat

$125

Nordstrom.com

LC Lauren Conrad

Platform High Heels

$60

Kohls.com

 DV Dolce Vita

Briar Pumps

$89

Bloomingdales.com

Corso Como

Richmond Riding Boot

$199

Bloomingdales.com

**SOLD OUT in my size, anyone know where I can find this exact pair?**

Very short entry, but thanks for reading,

Isa

Makeup Haul

Listed below are beauty products I purchased over the past two weeks.  I need to stop buying makeup.  Maybe I will try to do a "project 10 pan"...

Sephora Haul #1

I ran out of my Pro Lumiere Foundation from Chanel so I decided to try something new.  I bought the Silk Cream Foundation from Laura Mercier.  I LOVE THIS FOUNDATION!  I apply it with either a brush or a sponge and each time I get a flawless face.   

I ran out of my Shiseido moisturizer about three months ago and finally purchased a replacement.  The sales associate at Sephora selected this for me.  It is the Quenching Sorbet-Creme from Caudalie.  It is okay.  I do not plan on repurchasing, but it getting the job done for now.

On the right is a face cleanser I purchased on a whim.  It is the Soy Face Cleanser from Fresh.  This is okay also, but not worth the price. 

Sephora Haul #2

I went back to Sephora one week later and purchased a primer and Too Faced face palette.

The Leopard Love palette is the first item I have purchased from Two Faced.  I am very impressed.  This set is compact and perfect for every day use.  I really love the bronzer (far left) it is the perfect peach, tan color.

I LOVE this primer and I am very picky when it comes to face primers.  This is the One Step Correct from Stila.  As you can see in the picture it consists of three colors each of which "correct" your skin tone differently.  For example the green corrects redness.  I really like this primer because it evens out my skin tone and at the end of the day I do not look blotchy.

Mac Haul

I went to MAC last Saturday and picked up two items from the Surf Baby collection.

I bought My Paradise which is a peach blush with a gold flower.  A great summer color.  I wore it a few times and it looked very natural.  The gold adds a nice touch.

I have been looking for a great bronzer for a while.  The sale associate at MAC recommended this one, Solar Riche.  It gave me the sun kissed look I wanted.  I am happy with this purchase.  Hopefully I can achieve the same look when I apply it on my own.

Thanks for reading,

Isabella

May Birchbox 2011

Below is a review of my first Birchbox:

Juicy Beauty Green Apple Peel & Jouer Mini Tinted Lipgloss

A face peel to brighten skin.  I used this product once and LOVED it.  My skin looked radiant the next day.  My dark spots looked shades lighter! I was impressed.  Two days later I used this product for the second time and it was a disaster.  My skin became very irritated with red patches.  The tube does not have detailed directions on it so I did not know to use this once a week.  I think I became irritated because my skin was sensitive from using the peel two days prior.  It is a strong product and I plan to try it again this weekend.  Hopefully no reaction because this was the only item in the box I would repurchase.

A lip gloss that claims to plump lips.  I tried this once, it was a deep coral shade.  It applied nicely on my lips, but I did not see any plumping action.  Overall it was a good product, but I would not purchase because I do not use lip gloss very often.

Karastase Shampoo & Conditioner 

A shampoo and conditioner to add volume for dry and limp hair types.  I tried the shampoo once.  It was okay not worth purchasing in my opinion.  I will let Angela test it because she loves trying new hair products.

Archipelago Pomegranate Soap & Ahava Mineral Body Lotion

A dead sea mineral infused lotion.  I used this a few times on my legs.  I do not have much to say about this lotion.  It was a nice sample to try, but nothing I need.

A pomegranate scented soap.  Horrible soap it left my skin feeling try and tight.  I had to re-shower with a different soap because I was so uncomfortable.

Even though I only enjoyed one item I love having a subscription to Birchbox.  It is a small surprise to look forward to each month.  I am excited to see what June brings!  I hope you enjoyed this post because I plan to review each month's items.  Visit www.birchbox.com for more information.

Thanks for reading,

Isabella

IMATS Haul and Review

This is a very late post on IMATS NYC which was held on April 9-10, 2011.  I attended both days with my sister, Angela.  I expected to purchase a lot more.  Below are pictures along with descriptions of the items I bought:

Royal & Langnickel- 5 piece Travel Brush Set

I love these brushes.  I paid only $10.00 for the set.  This is perfect for traveling.  This set has all the basics you could possibly need.   I went to Las Vegas two weekends ago and these were the only brushes I brought!  

Eve Pearl Primer

On Saturday Angela and I attended a makeup seminar presented by Eve Pearl.  It was all about bridal makeup one of the products used was this primer.  I bought it on a limb because during the seminar the product was presented very well.  I love this primer.  I plan to repurchase it once I run out.  It really keeps my makeup in place more than anything I have tried in the past.  I paid $20.00 at the Eve Pearl booth, but the price is slightly higher online.

Eve Pearl Foundation

The primer was a hit, but this foundation was not.  I was informed that it would last four months.  I hit pan after 15 uses, it was not worth $38.00.  This foundation did not provide the coverage I was looking for and became very oily on my skin.

Overall IMATS was an excellent experience.  I plan to go again next year except maybe for just one day.  Please check out Angela's IMATS post --> CLICK HERE :)


Thanks for reading,
Isa