The Perfect Xmas Present. You're Welcome.

If there's one thing I love more than clothes, it is beauty products. I'm a beauty product whore and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Product monogamy is not in my vocabulary. I cheat on every product I buy with absolutely no guilt whatsoever. And I'm not alone.

 

I know a LOT of gals who share my obsession so this post is dedicated to those very gals. But don't fret if you're not (for some unfathemobale reason) into eye shadow and eye cream in all possible incarnations. Keep reading because I present to you the PERFECT Christmas present for the women in your life: girlfriend, wife, sister, best friend, mistress, whatever.
 

 

It's called Sample Society from BeautyBar.com & Allure Magazine and it's freaking genius. Every month a box of deluxe-sized, luxury brand beauty product samples arrives in the mail all sparkly and new like a Red Ryder BB Gun on Christmas morning. No more trudging through the hobbit-sized section of Target pretending like you're exited that Herbal Essences came out with a new travel-sized shampoo or that some genius put half an ounce of Vaseline in a tube and called it a "new product".

For $15 a month you can get a fancy box filled with 5-6 samples from brands like Philosophy, Diptyque, Dermalogica and Kate Sommerville. We're talkin' perfume, makeup, face cleansers, serums, shampoos, hair products, you name it. And get THIS....it comes with a $15 off code you can use to buy a product that's in the box, so if you like something the month is free!

Sample Society is not the only game in town. In fact, the sample subscription business is going crazy right now. Another favorite is Birchbox.com. I have currently managed to not sign up for every service I can find, so I can only speak to Sample Society, but in general I'm a pretty big fan of the concept.

You get where I'm going with this? Not only is it a MUST for beauty product whores like myself, it's a great present. Head to the website and you can buy a gift membership - 3 months, 6 months or 12 months. Trust me, you'll be the hero of the day if you get this for your little lady.

Here is the "reveal" of this month's box. Check back for reviews in the next week or so as I use the products.
 

 

Delaney Wellness Rejuvenating Eye Cream, Deluxe Sample

              

• Hanskin Super Plus Perfect BB Cream SPF37 PA++                  

• Hanskin Premium Perfect Super Magic BB Cream SPF30 PA++                 
                 
                    

• Murad Age Reform Time Release Retinol Concentrate Deluxe Sample
                  
                

• Philosophy Living Grace Gel, Deluxe Sample
   

• Vapour Organic Beauty Elixir Lip Gloss

 

 Ciao!

~ Sara

Mondays Blow: Let's Talk About Stars Hollow

I don't know about you but I've had some trouble getting into the Xmas spirit this year. Between work and traveling and the normal daily grind we call life, it has felt more like one of those crappy, cold, uneventful months (yes, I'm talking about you, March) than December. So this weekend I decided to take matters into my own hands and dive headfirst into this crazy holiday. And what luck - Saturday just so happened to be one of my favorite events of the year: Sutter Creek's Old Fashioned Christmas Open House!!

For those of you poor souls that haven't had the pleasure of attending this event, I can summarize it in 2 words: Stars Hollow. And for those of you even poorer souls that don't understand the Stars Hollow reference (Gilmore Girls. Netflix. Get on it.), you'll just have to trust me on this one. This isn't an event so much as it is an experience. It is literally like stepping onto a movie set of a small town during Christmas time and it's the absolute highlight of my December. I highly recommend you make it part of your Xmas tradition.

Unfortunately the weekend was marred by a tragic toe injury, so my outfits consisted mainly of Uggs (which do NOT belong on a pseudo-fashion blog. Ever.). After trying on almost every pair of shoes I own this morning, I managed to shove my club foot into a pair of low wedges and not cry, so I built my outfit around those. It was a perfect opportunity to wear my new black-and-white striped shell that I bought on Black Friday. It's a little prision-esqe yet it's striped, so I feel a bit like a preppy convict. Like I might shiv someone with a fountain pen at any moment. Watch out! :)

Blazer: Banana Republic (Shop, On Sale)

Shirt: LOFT (Similar, Similar)

Jeans: Gap

Shoes: Nine West (Shop)

Necklace: ILY Couture (J. Crew, ILY)

Ciao!

~ Sara

Birthday Celebration #1: Fur!

Last weekend was our trek up to the mountains (sans snow, just rain, unfortunately) to celebrate a friend's birthday and I was super excited to finally get a chance to wear my new (faux) fur stole! It was seriously colder than hell up there, so my outfit was my attempt to be warm while still looking feminine and avoiding the kid-in-A-Christmas-Story-stuffed-Michelin-Man look.

I'm not going to lie - my disembodied, invisible Polyvore model pulled the look off WAY better than I did (as usual), but I absolutely loved the concept. I felt like I was in NYC instead of South Lake Tahoe.

 
Coat: Banana Republic (Similar, Similar, Similar) 

Shirt: Banana Republic

Skirt: Old Navy (Similar, Similar)

Scarf: Banana Republic (Similar, Striped, Cream)

Shoes: Steve Madden (Similar, Similar)

Watch: Michael Kors 

Bracelets: Forever 21 (Shop)

Now that the holiday party season is upon us, I'm looking forward to coming up with other festive outfits. This was actually my Plan B outfit, so I'll be busting the Plan A outfit out soon. In fact, tonight is another birthday fiesta so Plan A might have to make its appearance! Hint: It's all about sparkle!

Friday Facelift

In honor of my 1,000th page view (yay!), I've switched things up a bit on my little blog. The new sparkly background makes me feel a tad more festive now that the holidays are officially upon us. I can't say I'm in the spirit just yet, but a few more Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Micheal Bolton Christmas songs may do the trick.

My house is currently tree-less and light-less and I haven't bought one damn present. I better get my butt in gear if I'm going to be Ho-Ho-Ho'ing my way through December, especially considering December starts TOMORROW! 

Well, shopping this weekend is out because a whole gang of us are getting bundled up and headed to Tahoe for a weekend of fun and debauchery to celebrate a friend's 30th bday. I couldn't be more excited! There will be lots of wining and dining going on - and awesome snow-worthy outfits, of course! So to kick things off, I leave you with my outfit for today.

Sweater: Target (Shop)

Shirt: Forever 21 (Shop)

Jeans: Banana Republic 

Boots: Steve Madden Intyce (Shop)

Scarf: ILY Couture (Shop)

Watch: MK (Shop)

Bracelets: Forever 21 (Shop)

Everyone have a safe weekend and we'll talk again on Monday. 

Ciao!

~ Sara

When All Else Fails, Wear Micheal Kors

It's official, I have the WORST camera phone ever. I also have the worst hallway lighting ever, apparently, which is why I've decided that I need to move my photos outside at all costs.

If you can somehow get past the horrible photography, please read on.

I see a lot of "Inspiration Outfits" on fashion blogs, and I realized that that's pretty much the only method I've ever used to figure out how not to leave the house naked every day. I have no innate style whatsoever, but I do have a highly honed talent for imitating others. It started with being able to forge my mother's signature in third grade, then evolved into learning how to dance like a pro by watching Paula Abdul videos. I'm the first to admit that everything I've learned about fashion and not looking like a total dog has been stolen directly from my sister, copious magazine subscription and most recently, Pinterest.

So when I ran across this picture and knew I had all the pieces to recreate it,  I decided to use it as my very first "Inspiration Outfit". I love that it used a mint scarf, a piece I bought last summer but have worn only a few times. I was also interested in the black/brown combo, which is usually thought of as a fashion faux pas. I would never think to pair those two colors together on my own, but seeing this brave soul pull it off I figured, 'What the hell, why not?".

I'm not sure I pulled it off quite as well. My boots are TOO brown, I think. I did omit the belt on purpose as I thought it broke up the torso line and looked a little sloppy slung down there on her hips.

I can't say it's my favorite outfit, but I did learn a valuable lesson: Don't think that something will work for you just because someone else is wearing it - even if that person made it on Pinterest. I believe this is where true personal style comes into play. Always wear what you feel GOOD (or hot or sexy or powerful or cozy or whatever) in, not what other people tell you will make you feel that way.  Homegirl looks OK in this, but to me it felt a little BLAH. My saving grace was adding another of my precious MK watches and suddenly all was right with the world. Seriously, you could be wearing a burlap sack and a MK watch will make you feel like a million dollars. Write that down.

You're welcome.

Ciao 

 ~ Sara

Preppy Comfort

Today was a work-from-home day, so my outfit was pretty low key but very comfy. I bought this sweater at the LOFT Factory Store on Black Friday, and I love it. It's preppy (my fav!) but still a little 80's-throwback-cabin-in-the-woodsy. To amp up the prep factor I added my new tan belt with gold hardware, my favorite MK watch/gold bracelet combo and red flats with more gold hardware to tie it all in.

(The best part about this pic is the appearance by two of my adorable dogs!)

 

Sweater: LOFT Factory Store - Similar

Jeans: Banana Republic Factory Store - (Old)

Belt: BR Factory Store

Shoes: Anne Klein c/o Marshall' - Similar

Watch: MK - MK Store - Shop

Bracelet: Lia Sophia (Old)

 

 

One more super exciting thing to share: I got a sewing machine!!!  I have wanted to learn to sew forever and  my wonderful Granny, aunt and uncle gave me one for a wedding present. I can't WAIT to start learning and sewing things (note to self: I need a new Pinterest board, STAT!). The first thing on my list are throw pillows. Those are up there on the list of vices I have (hey, it could be a LOT worse) and I am already dreaming about all the possibilities!

 

Here is my new baby (avec adorable sewing basket for all my goodies!)

 



 

Stay tuned for my sewing projects and feel free to offer up tips if you have them!

 

Ciao!

 

~ Sara

Local Wine.Dine.Love: Small Business Saturday on Sutter Street

 Folsom "Small Business Saturday" Wine.Dine Tour

My friend and I had great intentions when we started a little "adventure" on Saturday, just heading out for lunch and drink(sssss) on Sutter St. in Folsom. If you haven't been there it's kind of  like Old Sac without all the kitch. A old-fashioned street lined with little shops, boutiques, bars, restaurants, theaters, you name it. The geography makes it a perfect place to spend the whole day just eating and drinking and shopping your way from one end to the other....which, as you might have guessed, is precisely what we did. We thought that in honor of Small Business Saturday that we would stick to the small, locally owned places and basically be tourists in our little town. I hope everyone reads this and makes a trip to give Sutter St. some love. Here's our story of the day:





Stop 1: Hampton's - A new "Urban Drink and Eatery": This is a brand new place at the end of the street next to Powerhouse Pub and it drew our interest immediately because of the wraparound balcony overlooking the street. With beautiful, sunny, warm weather on the books, this place and its balcony was a slam dunk. We were pleasantly surprised - everything was fantastic! From the food to the drinks to the service, everything was relaxed, smooth and very, very tasty. Get the Fried Mac & Cheese Balls (to die for!) when you go, you won't be sorry.

Stop 2: Lockdown Brewery: A sister to the local watering hole in a random storage unit in Rancho, this place is just as cool but in a much better setting. Can you say "patio"?  They serve their own microbrew-type beers...and Coors Light. Weird, especially since the that's what the owners were drinking, which is an odd form of marketing - but what do I know? The bar area is attached to the Beach Hut Deli, so if you're in the mood for a sub and some suds, this is your place.

Stop 3: Samuel Horn's Tavern: A new English pub right there on Sutter St.! It feels like hopping across the pond and walking back in time, all at once. A little cavernous, a wide selection of beers on tap, greasy pub food and those little nooks with cushy seats that make you feel like you're getting drunk at a coffee shop. We didn't have any food, but that we'll have to try that next time. I had a Wydmer cider to mix things up a bit and lead us into our next stop.....

Stop 4: The Cellar Wine Bar:  My favorite wine bar in the area, this is a must when I'm on Sutter St. I usually opt for one of their flights which change occasionally to keep things fun. This day it was the Bold Reds flight - 3 nice pours of each of the 3 wine selections. Their wine is stored in those cool sealed coolers with taps so the wine here just seems better than most places - more fresh. They also have a selection of munchies and food, but we were still full from Hampton's and were still working on filling up our "drink" stomachs.

Stop 5: Hacienda: Truthfully, there's nothing spectacular about this place, but when you've been drinking since noon and are craving a taco, this place might as well be the The French Laundry. Oh, and if I remember correctly from my bachelorette party (ha!), their margaritas go down VERY nicely.

At the risk of sounding like a COMPLETE alcoholic, this is not where our little wagon train stopped, but this where we left Sutter St., so this is where our little trip down Sutter St.'s memory lane will wrap up.

Honorable Mention: Her Closet: In between stops we dropped in on a little clothing boutique and did some shopping. This little place is adorable, with a good mix of styles in a decent price range, including accessories and jewelry. I picked up a gorgeous burnt orange cowl neck sweater, a gray open wrap/cardigan and a comfy pair of black leggings (for only $10!). I like finding little places like that. It makes me feel better about spending so much money at the evil, large stores.

 

Bottom Line: Take a day to check out Sutter St. and all the fun places along its wood-planked banks. There's even an ice skating rink there for the holidays so your kids will have something to do while you're bar hopping. :)