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Best Sale Sites on the Web

Posted by Katie Gutierrez Painter Categories: Advice, Fashion, How To

I have to say: If there’s one upside to this economy, it’s that department stores, boutiques, online shopping sites, and designers alike are so desperate to clothe us (a.k.a. sell stuff) that prices on everything from sunglasses to wedding gowns are slashed. Which is great for girls like me, who are, well, still desperate to be clothed by them! The bottom line is that, if you know where to look, you’ll never buy a full-priced handbag, pair of It jeans, or must-have dress again.

Shop it to Me

Shop it to Me markets itself as your own personal shopper, and it’s a pretty accurate tagline. Sign up on the website; tell it what types of sales you’d like to hear about (i.e. women’s clothing, bags, and shoes and girls’ clothing); input your various sizes; select your favorite brands/designers from dozens of options, including Marc by Marc Jacobs, BCBG, Theory, DKNY, Nanette Lepore, See by Chloe, and many more; let the site know how often you’d like to receive Sale Mail (I choose twice a week) and, of course, the minimum percent off you’d like to hear about. Voila! Every Tuesday and Friday at 9 a.m. I have a lengthy list of sales from Nordstrom, Shopbop.com, Zappos, Macy’s, and more. Plus, for every 10 friends you recommend who sign on to the site, you get a $10 gift card.

Gilt Groupe

Gilt Groupe is a dream find for designer-hounds. The equivalent of exclusive New York sample sales, the site offers access to women’s, men’s, and children’s luxury designer merchandise reduced by up to 70%. Home decor items are available as well. The way it works: Everyday, you’ll receive an email letting you know of that day’s sale, which will last only 36 hours and usually feature less than a dozen items hand-picked by the designer. It’s not unusual for items to sell out very early, but you can always put yourself on the waiting list. Today, I had my eye on a vivid tangerine silk ruffle dress by Miguelina, reduced from $495 to $198. Unfortunately, my size was already sold out—lesson learned!

Eluxury

Check out the sales section of Eluxury.com for reduced-priced goods from such coveted designers as Versace, Dolce and Gabbana, L.A.M.B., and Marc by Marc Jacobs. If you’ve got a spare $1,300 stashed in a sock drawer somewhere (ha..ha), do me a favor and splurge on this mink-fur stamped suede Fendi bag reduced from $2,450. Fendi purse For the rest of us, how about this edgy snake bracelet from Roberto Cavalli, down to $139 from $350? Roberto Cavalli snake bracelet

Edressme

Full disclosure: I own more than 50 dresses. Knowing it’s obscene won’t stop me from buying more, and when the compulsion hits, I turn to edressme.com. It is the site exclusively devoted to dresses, and you’ll find a ton of bargains on their “under $99” page. How about this adorable black and white tank and ruffle combination by edressme.com for only $61.20? edressmedress

Retail Me Not

Retail Me Not offers online coupons for more than 20,000 stores. So before the adrenaline rush makes you hit “Pay,” make sure you’re not missing out on a coupon for free shipping, an additional 20% off, or buy-one-get-one-half-off. I’ve saved up to an additional 30% on purchases through this baby!

And Don’t Neglect to Shop Local

Many local boutiques ask for your e-mail address when you check out. If you love the boutique, give it to ‘em. You’ll be the first to know about sales and events. Just this week, for example, I received an e-mail from one of my favorite local boutiques advertising its spring sale with 20% off new merchandise… and champagne during shopping! Sometimes, boutiques along the same street will put together a joint sales event or host trunk shows by some of their designers. Half the time, these events also offer nibbles by local restaurants and complimentary wine or champagne. If you’re worried that your reserve will fail if you get a little tipsy, just BYO non-influencing beverage.

Happy sale-ing! Let me know what you find. smile


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What’s Your Locker-Room Body Image?

Posted by Katie Gutierrez Painter Categories: Advice, Celebrities, Editorials, Entertainment, Health

Dove campaign for real beauty Shortly before I got married last May, my amazing mom—who knew I’d been wanting to get back in shape—gifted me 20 half-hour sessions with a personal trainer. Fast forward five months. I received a call from 24 Hour Fitness; it seemed they checked their records and I still had 18 of my 20 sessions remaining. (Oops.) Did I want to come in and use them? Damn, I thought. But my summer of blissful post-wedding eating had taken a toll—ten pounds, to be exact—on my figure. I’ve always been pretty small, so that increase made a major difference in the way my clothes fit and the way I thought about my own body. So I said grudgingly, “Okay. I’ll go in tomorrow.”

Since then, several things have happened, all amazing in their own right. (1) I weigh the exact same as I did in September… but my body fat has dropped by 6%. I’ve gone from the “Acceptable” to the “Lean” range! (2) I’ve committed to participating in a triathlon in May… How did that happen? (3) I renewed my training sessions—twice—and am now in another class three days a week to prepare for the triathlon. All in all, I’m working out seven days per week—crazy! (4) I can do awesome man-pushups, and I feel strong and powerful. (5) My skin is clearer… a happy surprise, to be sure!

Of course, to be fair, half my pants still don’t fit, and I’ve been sore every day for, oh, five months.

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Why Guys Can’t Ignore Valentine’s Day

Posted by Vicky Lane Categories: Advice, Editorials, Humor, Marriage, Relationships, Sex

vday

No matter how silly and ultimately meaningless this “hallmark holiday” is, every girl hopes that someone will acknowledge her on Valentine’s Day.  When I was a single girl, I dreaded Valentine’s Day (and most holidays for that matter). But like most single girls, I still hoped and prayed that some secret admirer would send me flowers, candy, or some cute stuffed bear wearing a red tee shirt with some cheesy phrase like “be mine” on it . Hey, I’d even settle for a card.  I just wanted something that day. Just to feel loved, appreciated, alive. And sometimes I would get something. There are some sensitive gems out there that are willing to play along.  I had a male boss who always brought a single pink rose to every woman in the office as a gesture of appreciation. And of course there’s Dad.  Even a Garfield or Snoopy card from Dad could cheer me up on a day that depressed the hell out of me.

I think the majority of men think Valentine’s Day is just plain stupid.  But the bottom line is no matter how cool the girl plays it, she is most likely desperate for some offering on this day. She’s actually waiting and waiting for that moment to happen. When the delivery man comes to her desk at work with a huge monstrosity of roses, instead of passing her by and delivering to her neighbor, she is completely elated. Having flowers delivered may seem overboard for some guys but if she works in an office environment with a ton of women, you best be sending flowers.  And mind you they don’t have to be roses.  If you ask a woman what her favorite flower is chances are it’s not a rose.  Whatever the flower arrangement is though, the worst thing that can happen is being surrounded by bouquets that aren’t for you.  Even if you have a night out planned, send the flowers!  You’ll have a much better evening if you do. (In order to make this even easier for you, here’s a ProFlowers coupon for 20% off any order + free vase - or you can enter to win one of five $70 ProFlowers gift certificates we are giving away, just in time for Valentine’s Day.)

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5 Multitasking Products To Make Over Your Entire Beauty Routine

Posted by Katie Gutierrez Painter Categories: Advice, Editorials, Entertainment, Fashion, Health, How To

Two-Faced Makeup Kit

In a tight economy, we’re all struggling to make our dollars stretch. So, while multi-tasking beauty products are nothing new, I’ve scoured the Internet (and, yes, my own deliciously cluttered bathroom shelves) to give you a shortlist of the best. Bonus? After-Christmas sales!

* bare-Minerals Multi-Tasking Bisque: For $18, you get a soft, shimmery eye shadow base and an ingenious concealer for pretty much any facial imperfection, from blemishes to veins to scars. The product also carries SPF 20.

* Two-Faced World Domination All Access Backstage Beauty Collection: At $42 (down from $150), this little set comes with eight shadows, a duo bronzer, a blush, a face illuminator, six lip glosses (!), a brow powder, and an eyeliner cake. If it’s time to clean out your makeup bag, this’d be a smart way to replace all those crusty old compacts.

* Philosophy Cinnamon Buns Ultra Rich 3-in-1 Shampoo, Shower Gel, and Bubble Bath: You don’t want to smell like a hot, gooey dessert, you say? This $16 product could—and probably will—change your mind. Did I mention it’s 3-in-1?

*Smooth Glow Stubble Reducing Daily Moisturizer: Get your glow on in preparation for spring—and shave half as often—with this lotion. Get it for $5.69 at AmericaRx.

* Nu Bra: My personal favorite, these light, self-adhesive cups will save you from wardrobe malfunctions. Wear under halters, strapless tops or dresses, racer-backs, keyhole fronts, looooow v-necks, and even your ordinary, everyday t-shirt. I could rave about this brilliant bra (and have) until somebody shuts me up, but I’ll end with one last, whispered note: You choose your cleavage. Want va-voom, even if you’re an A-cup? You got it. And you D-cups—want to tone it down (as if that’s possible)? No problem. At In the Mood Intimates you’ll find the Nu Bra Ultralite for $24.99—need I say more?

There you have it—five products that will take you from the shower to your front door and beyond (after you put clothes on, of course). The best part? All five combined are less than $100. That’s about as guiltless as a skinny cappuccino…Happy shopping!


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