Estee Lauder freebies are in!

As promised, here is a look at the current bonus FREE items offered with a $65 Estee Lauder purchase. I pre-ordered mine last week! My purchase was Modern Muse Parfum spray at $70 (15% off with Belk card). Love this stuff and hoping it lasts until my next birthday. Free promo items include peacock zip bag and card holder, Resilience Lift face and neck cream, RL eye cream, Perfectly Clean Foam Cleanser, Sumptuous Extreme Mascara, Pure Color shimmer gloss in Rock Candy, Pure Color shimmer lipstick in Tiramisu, and Pure Color eye shadow in Ombre warms (8). I don't usually buy Estee Lauder but couldn't pass up the great parfum and freebie deal. Happy Tuesday!!

Modern Muse

Have you smelled this stuff yet? Oh my word (as my little girls say) it is fab! I won't even try to describe the fragrance because I have never understood that concept. You just have to try it. I am seeing it for sale in a lot of stores so here's the scoop before you buy it. It is a little pricey at $70-$80 but I found it at Belk and they are offering (beginning Oct. 8th) a huge bag of Estee Lauder skincare and cosmetics FREE with your purchase. You can actually PRE-order it now and pick up your packet on the 8th because they sometimes sell out quickly. I will post all of the goodies next week!

These are a few of my favorite things!

It's Tuesday and that is like my Saturday. Free, happy, skipping, shopping...singing Julie Andrews! Seriously, Tuesday is my day so today I took a little trip to a store called TJ Maxx. Ever heard of it? That's a joke, btw. Today my cashier says, "Heeeey, how u doing? Haven't seen you in a few days". Hilarious! Anyway, I am just going to say it. I am a snob. A beauty product snob. It's not that I have loads of cash to spend on products but I just love looking at that retail sticker for a product that's retails $15 and I pay $5! I love u, TJ. Anyway, I buy gobs of stuff from TJ all the time but today it is official. I have found my fave tub treats. The blue bottle is Argan Oil Shower Crème by The Somerset Toiletry Co. It has that awesome argan oil scent and is a little creamier than most washes. It lasts forever and is gentle on my dry skin. What a steal at $6! Next up are Aromafloria Scrubs. I love my mother-in-law so much that I bought one for her today in Lavender (her fave!). These scrubs have essential oils and really moisturize especially when you shave but don't leave oily residue in your tub or shower. These are both $7, retail for $13. Oh and bonus, the scrubby part (salt/sugar, not sure?) totally dissolves so there are no "crunchies" in your tub when you are done. Ok, I will stop gushing over my bath treats now. I hope you will try them. They are really something to write about!!

I LOVE some Clinique!

For as long as I can remember, both of my grandmothers have used Clinique. My mom uses it and so does my sister. It is the best value in skincare because it works! My 2 fave products are the dramatically different moisturizer + which has recently been updated from the original. The sales lady tells me it now provides more moisture in a lightweight formula. I like it but loved the original version which was a little heavier because I have dry skin. My favorite product is the clarifying lotion, Level 2. As I mentioned, I have dry skin but this stuff actually helps my moisturizer work better by exfoliating every time I use it (2x daily). Cheap trick: use the cheaper cotton pads. They "rough up" your skin a little more for a smoother look. The #2 lotion also has a refreshing feel that always makes my skin as clean as it can be without stripping it. There are various formulas for different skin types if you are dry, normal, etc. If you haven't tried this stuff, trust me you need to see what it's all about (esp. you 30 somethings like myself)! I almost forgot about the really fun thing about Clinique: Bonus Week! If you spend $27 during this promotion week you get all kinds of freebies, both full and sample size, plus a cute bag to keep it organized. I like their cosmetics, but LOVE the skincare. I guess it's a tradition now.

Product Junkie

So what does a product junkie buy in a typical month? You're looking at it. I am not proud. I am vain. What can I say? Actually, I will say that I love a bargain and I didn't pay more than $10 for any one of these products except my knockoff Clairsonic which was $30 and I absolutely love it. The real deal retails for $150ish which explains my enthusiasm! They all came from Ulta, TJ Maxx or WalMart (my 3 faves for products). I have plenty to share on these items if you would like a review/price reference. I'd love to share my findings with you so feel free to comment. If you click on the photo, you can see a closer shot of the items.

Northside Elem. Lounge Makeover

Here are a few photos from my latest summer venture, the teachers' lounge makeover at my daughter's school. I only wish I had taken a few shots of the "before". The color scheme was gray and brown. Not pretty. It is a very long, narrow room with limited space so that was a challenge but I loved every minute of the transformation. Those staff members deserve this!! I am posting this on my with hopes to expand Y&I services to not only personal shopping for clothing but also home décor and small makeover projects. It is exciting to branch out into a new venue!

Grammy Fashion

Hi, All. Been a while, but I just couldn't wait to post my favorites from this year's Grammy awards. Were you like me and watched the whole thing? My husband & girls knew to keep at least 5 from Mommy on Sunday night while I watched. Put that one down as another check toward mother of the year!

I want to start with the fellas. Gotta say that the prayer LL said in memory of Whitney knocked him up a few notches in my book, and he was pretty high to begin with. There will never be another "Round the way girl" circa 1996. Anyway, I loved the velvet jacket/hats. He rocked it and was one of the best hosts. However, my favorite dressed man of the night was....drumroll, please....JASON ALDEAN! He is adorable, true to his own style but instead of rocking the country shirt and jeans, this guy was HOT in a tailored suit which I found perfect for Grammy night.

On to the ladies. I've had a little help from Fashion Police on E! because those hosts are SPOT-ON, you hear? Joan and George, love you both! My favorite dress was on Kate Beckinsale in Zuhair Murad, who has absolutely nothing to do with music, I am disappointed to say. Aren't the rock stars supposed to be the belles of the ball at the grammys? Anyway, a close second was Jessie J in Julien Macdonald, who I am partial to because of her music/style but the mirror ball dress was perfect for her body and the event.

I am left wondering, like many of you, why do these young stars want to dress so old and matronly for such a carefree event like the Grammys? Pretty dresses, yes on Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, and Carrie Underwood. Appropriate for your age, absolutely NOT! Actually, Miranda Lambert was my worst dressed for the evening. I will say this again in case you have missed it for the past 16 or so years via the homecoming court days. Are you ready? If you are blonde, please stop wearing this flesh-tones, blush hued dresses!!! They do nothing but wash you out, despite the craft and beauty of the gown. You can't pull it off, blondes, sorry. Accept it, and put on some jewel tones already!!! Are you listening Charlize Theron? Oh wait, wrong event but I am still reeling from that one. Sorry, Ange.

Please weigh-in and let me know your best/worst of the evening. I thought it was the best Grammy awards I have ever seen. PS Who loved Coldplay/Rihanna? Me, me, me!! Favorite performance of the night.

Until next time, friends. Can't wait to hear from you!

Green Jeans

Funny story. Six years ago I found myself in awe walking through the Bellagio hotel in Vegas. I was wearing these really cool kelly-green jeans with black and white accessories. I thought I rocked? Out of nowhere I was verbally assaulted by this belligerent young "woman" who yells "Hey, St. Patrick's Day was last month!" I. Was. Mortified. My boss was with me and offered a gracious, "I don't think she was talking to you." Yeah. If you saw the green on these jeans, you would fully appreciate the hilarity of that comment. I'm pretty sure I gave those jeans away soon after in an attempt to bury that fashion mis-hap forever. Which brings me to today...today, when I opened the Sept. 2011 issue of InStyle magazine. It's the size of a phone book, by the way. Thanks for making it easy on us, you evil-style-makers. Anyway, would you like guess what the new hot item for Fall 2011 is? Oh yes, friends. The bright colored jean has RETURNED. I said returned in case you missed it. That means they WERE in and guess who was on-point 6 years ago? Just to push this movement forward I brought reinforcements. Today, I purchased some hot pink skinnies, size 5 slim, for my little mini-me. This Fall WE will be rockin' these jeans & I will post pics in all of our 80's and (apparent 2005) revival glory. In the meantime I sure wish I could face that Vegas B.I. again. I'd say it looks like St. Patrick's Day has returned. Word.

Summer Shopping Tips

So today I was shopping for shorts--a big deal since these legs have not had adequate gym or sun exposure in quite a while. Here are 3 guidelines to consider when you are looking for new items:
1) Fit
2) Style
3) Color

Pretty obvious, right? Yes, but remember that the fit, style and color all need to work -- 2 out of 3 is a NO-GO.

Here's an example and I'll use myself--shame left me years ago. I found a top that was a great color (for me, coral), it was the right size (M), but the style was gathered in the waistline (in my case, right below my bust) and therefore I was back to looking 5 months pregnant in this top. Definitely a NO!

I tried on another cute top that fit just right in all the right places (not too tight and it was flattering to my waistline or lack thereof) but it was a shade of green that made me look like a corpse (note to self--any version of mint or sage green is forbidden in my closet). Another No! It was an aha moment that I wanted to share with readers because it is so easy to buy the wrong things. All 3 elements of fit, style, and color need to exist before you BUY!!!

If you have any questions about which colors and styles work for you, please email me. Lately, a lot of you are asking about shorts because they are so hard to find in the right size/style/color. Can't wait to hear from you all-- hope this helps in the meantime.