Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to Mexico I go!

We are off to Mexico soon so I will not be posting for a bit. I think I have finally convinced DH that we should we leave our laptop at home. One of us always has our face stuck in it and I want to devote my time to relaxing by the pool. Shortly, I plan to be on a beach with a drink in my hand.

Martin & Osa Order

My Martin & Osa order came last night. Here are my goodies.

Sophia Refined Trouser in black. I love these pants and, in fact, wore them today. I think, however, they will be added to my dry clean pile. I imagine that the fabric will be hard to get to today's crisp, newness level again. DH and I have recently realized that at-home ironing sometimes does not achieve the crisp look we want, especially with cotton dress shirts.



Sophia Refined Bird's-Eye Trouser in ebony black. I don't know how these pants can be called black as they are definitely a gray. Although they are 100% wool, the wear like polyester. The material clung to every little nook and cranny on my body. They are not flattering and are going back.




Refined Cotton Shirt Dress in autumn brown. This dress is made out of a heavy cotton and will be perfect for early spring. It is very slim fitting; no vanity sizing here. If my chest grows any more, I will not be able to wear this dress. I'd like to wear this with a red cami underneath and the red wedges I bought a few years ago at Old Navy but have yet to wear. This dress will also be a must dry-clean, in order to keep its stiffness.

Rayon Pointe Dress in mercer burgundy. I love this dress. It is very comfortable and defines my waist nicely. I also love pockets on a dress. I'd like to wear this with a J Crew Merino Lea Cardigan in black (if I can ever successfully order it).





Silk Charmeuse Ruffle Cami in street gray. I usually size down in most tops from an 8 to a 6 as I carry my weight on my thighs. The last M&O cami I bought was a 6 and it fit perfectly. This cami was a 6 and fit, but it wasn't pretty. There were big gaps between each button hole. The fabric is very soft, but I don't like wearing a cami under another cami. So this is a return.

I packed up my two return items and went to attach the enclosed paid return shipping label. My heart sunk when I realized it was for American addresses only. I would have never ordered pants if they didn't have free shipping. However, when I called M&O, a pleasant CS rep assured me that it was a mistake and a Canadian return shipping label is on its way. Yay Martin & Osa; I will be ordering from you again. Although the site does not carry loads of inventory, they have great basics and awesome prices. I also love the free shipping and returns and normal tax rate. I have my eye on a few more pieces (like this and this). But I will wait for another additional percentage off sale.

Playing with Polyvore

Inspired by my new items that I received today, I spent some time tonight playing with Polyvore. Here is what I plan to wear tomorrow.


Pink & Pearls - by KDot on Polyvore.com

J Crew Kelly shirt in fresh quava
Martin & Osa refined a-line trouser in ebony black
Mexx gray patent belt
Chaps black and white checkered shoes
Diamond earrings (wedding present from DH)
Dollar store off white pearls (which I plan to knot)

Finally, I think I've come up with an outfit using my metallic-flecked pencil skirt.


Cornsilk & Black - by KDot on Polyvore.com

J crew metallic-flecked pencil skirt
J Crew merino ruffle-neck cardigan in cornsilk
J Crew chiffon-trim tissue tank in black
I will pair this with black tights, my mini booties from The Bay, and one of my many cheap strands of pearls. I think DH is getting the hint that I could use a real set of pearls!


Green & Blue Casual Friday - by KDot on Polyvore.com

J Crew Merino Lea Cardigan in navy
J Crew ringspun boatneck painter tee in kelly green
Joe straight leg jeans (from the superstore)
My brown hushpuppies
My brown coach purse (slightly different than this picture)
I haven't yet decided on accessories for this one. I'll probably keep it simple with my diamond pendant necklace and pearl earrings (both gifts from DH).

My last J Crew order

My last J Crew order arrived today. I say it is my last because they have raised their taxes for Canadians so much, I don't think I can stomach ordering any more. Today, intrigued by the extra 20% off promotion, I started placing an order. But when I saw the taxes were going to be $48, I quickly closed the browser. I just can't do it. However, on a brighter note, I loved everything I received today.

Merino trois-rosette tank. I have this already in putty but ordered it in black and gray. These shirts are great for layering over blouses, under cardigans and just for wearing by itself. Today when playing around with my new clothes, I tried the black tank over a crisp white shirt and it looked sharp. I also tried the gray with a pair of white J Crew shorts. That look was cute too and will be added to my suitcase for next week's vacation. I bought fray check from Michaels and plan to apply it to the flowers as they do fray quite a bit.

Merino Lea Cardigan in navy. I have a love affair with this cardigan. I also have it in melon and adore it. I wish I could have gotten it in more colors like black and gray. I love how the buttons on the navy cardigan are slightly different than the melon version. In melon, the buttons are silver and sparkly. In navy, the buttons are gold with blue accents. In my opinion, the unique buttons make this cardigan.

Ringspun boatneck painter tee in kelly green. I have this shirt in another color as well; bright fushia. It's a great layering piece. In fact, I plan on wearing it to work on casual Friday paired with jeans and my new navy cardigan.

Perfect-fit flower tank in bright poppy and golden avocado. I love the flower detail on these tanks but I think they will fray. I will treat them with fray check before wearing. But, other than that concern, I love them. They are on the way to my suitcase for next week.

Sunwashed cotton swing skirt in soft graphite. I wish I had sized down to a small in this skirt. It's a bit too loose and long. However, I think I can still pull it off and it will be comfy on hot summer days (if they ever come).

Small Amagansett tote in tropical. This is a brightly striped cotton tote that will be perfect for lugging sun screen and books to the beach next week. Can you tell that I am excited about our trip?

And finally, my last item was the solid Kelly shirt in fresh guava. I'm glad I got a piece in this color. It is bright and "springy". I think I can wear it in many different ways. If I have a chance tonight, I will play around with some of my new treasures in Polyvore.

What I'm Wearing Today

orange and yellow - by KDot on Polyvore.com

Today's outfit consisted of:

My new gray checkered pants from The Bay
Izod orange sweater (it's brighter than this image)
Burberry white cotton blouse
My brown hushpuppies
Coach purse
Gold and pearl necklace from The Bay
Pearl earrings (gift from DH)

Snow, snow go away!

We were hit hard with a snow storm last night.

My car is out there somewhere.

Poor DH had to wade through this snow to get to the shed where the snow blower is stored. Halfway through his job, one of the snow blower's tires went flat.

School is canceled so I'm staying by the fire drinking coffee all day. I'm cozy in my Juicy pants. There's a pile of marking that I need to get through so I will be doing some work. I'm hoping the UPS man can make it through the snow because I'm expecting a couple of packages today. DH also has a snow day, at least for this morning. His work's parking lot has yet to be plowed out.

This is our biggest snow fall this year, and hopefully the last storm! I hope all of you who live in a warmer climate appreciate what you have!

Mexico Outfits

6 more sleeps until I am in Mexico! I checked The Weather Network today and the temperature in Los Cabos was +30 C . Here, it was -2 C with 25 cm of snow predicted for tonight. I really need this vacation! As the always organized neat freak, I started packing today. Here are a couple of my J Crew outfits I have planned for next week:


Flippy Floppy - by KDot on Polyvore.com


Sunny days in Mexico - by KDot on Polyvore.com

Friday night adventures

After our supper last night, DH and I stopped at The Bay. I used to be there everyday but haven't been going in awhile. I recently decided to make more of an effort with accessorizing and wanted to see what The Bay carried. Our plan was a quick stop for some special latte and a few minutes of browsing of me.

Then we walked in the store and I saw the sign, "Take an extra 40% off the lowest price." I was gone; KBear sale shopping mode hit . Poor DH. Our quick visit turned into much more.

First, I hit the shoe department. I'm trying to get away from my normal brown or black shoe. I usually wear a pair of black Clarks or brown Hushpuppies. I found these little gems marked down to $17. They are still brown but they are more trendy than I usually wear. I'm a bit wobbley when I walk in them as I am not used to thin heels. My shoes usually have a chunky heel. But I was practicing last night and by the time spring actually comes, I should be able to wear them without wiping out.

Next we hit the clothing department. My wonderful DH became my shoe carrier as I rifled through the clothing racks. I found Izod velour pants and a hoodie similiar to the Juicy style that I love. They will be perfect for our long plane journey next week and were less than $40 for the two.

My next purchase was a pair of grey pants, perfect for school wear. They have a slight plaid detail with threads of metallic silver running through them. Again, this is not a crazy different style change for me but it is different from my normal black work pants. I'm taking small steps to becoming more fashionable.

Finally, I found black cotton blouse with a ruffle detail. It kind of reminded me of J Crew's Victoria blouse but with a smaller ruffle. In my quest to add color, I will try to add a pop of brightness by wearing it with a colored necklace and a bright tank underneath. This blouse only cost $9.44!

By this point, DH's patience had disappeared so I didn't get a chance to look at the accessories. However, as I walked by the jewellry section on my way to the checkouts, I did spy some necklaces that look like they will be perfect for layering. I see so many ladies online who wear layers of gold chains and pearls. I love this look and want to give it a try. I might have to sneak back out to The Bay this afternoon.

J Crew Presents for Me From Me!

Shhh! don't tell DH but I placed a couple more orders from J Crew. But these will be the last ones, I swear. After trying to order a black Merino Lea cardigan seven times and having it canceled seven times, I am a bit frustrated with the JC right now. I also don't understand why their taxes for Canadians have increased so much. This recent order, placed about a week ago, was $90 and had $5 tax added. A few days ago, I thought about placing another order. It was about $120. I came to the checkout screen and saw that my tax had been calculated at $26. No way! So after this order and another one which is due on Monday, I am on a J Crew purchasing ban.

Here is what the UPS man dumped on my doorstep today. I apologize for the lack of pictures. All the items have been taken off J Crew's website.

Polka-dot airy knotted blouse. On the J Crew site, this was listed as navy, but in real life, it is a pretty gray. It is a sheer material but it does have a lining, which makes it school appropriate, yay! Another plus; it has polka-dots and I LOVE polka dots!

Enamel-cabochnon bangle. This is a narrow gold bangle with black dots. I like it better than J Crew's wider bangles which sometimes are hard to slip onto my hands. This one glides on without giving me the feeling that I might break my knuckles. And at $14.99, it's a hit for me.

Solid washed favorite tank in cerise. It fits perfectly. It's a bit more orange than red, but at $4.99, I don't care. I think I will get some wear out of this next week when I am in Mexico. Woot, woot!

Chiffon-trim tissue tank in black. Why do I keep ordering dressier J Crew tanks? They are ALWAYS like tents. I even sized down. I take a medium in most, switched to a small for this one and it is still inches too big. I wish I could sew because this is the 4th tank that is too big. They are all stashed in our guest room (aka, my second closet) still with the tags on. Ehh, what a waste.

Perfect-fit short-sleeve V-neck tee in black. It fits me perfectly and will be great for layering. And it was only $7.99; can't beat that.

Argyle knee-high wellie socks in grey and polka-dot trouser socks in yellow. I love J Crew socks, polka-dots and argyle. Enough said.

Tissue sequin-placket henley in champagne and navy. I now have four of these tees. As you can tell, I love them. The material is soft and I love the little twinkle of the sequins. They are too low cut and casual for school but are nice for weekend wear. And DH likes the occasional downshirt peek he can snatch while I'm wearing them. Tonight, we're going out for a casual dinner so I am wearing the navy shirt layered over my new cerise favorite tank. I paired it with some cheap-o jeans from the Superstore. I really need to upgrade my jean brands. I find it hard to find jeans around here. We are kind of off the beaten track so there are no stores that carry "brand-name" jeans. I can't order pants online as it is REALLY hard to find anything that fits. I have thighs of thunder with a little waist.

Here is my outfit for tonight. I promised DH I would try to stay dressed in it until at least 9pm. He is too used to seeing me in my juicy pants. I put them everyday when I get home for school.


Friday night - by KDot on Polyvore.com

Edited to add: I made it to 10:08 pm before the pj's came out.

Wear pink in support of anti-bullying

Today was our school's pink day in support of anti-bullying. Here is what I wore:


Anti-bullying day - by KDot on Polyvore.com

J Crew Merino Lea cardigan in Melon
J Crew Boatneck tee in bright fushia
Gap checkered trousers
Black boots from The bay (I really need to start wearing different colored shoes, I know)
Pearl Earrings (A gift from DH on my very first day of teaching)
My white and pink polka dot swatch

What I'm Wearing Today

Pink and brown - by KDot on Polyvore.com

J crew Perfect-fit short-sleeve crewfit tee in champagne
Merino tres rosette tank in putty
RW A-line skirt in brown
Pink pearls from the Great Canadian Dollar Store
Pink, green and gold bracelet from The Bay.

I was inspired by a JCA's blog to layer the tank over something else. I tried on a white blouse but found this combination to be the best. The two shirts are close in color but not close enough so that the outfit is matchy-matchy.

Martin and Osa Love

A few weeks ago, I placed my first Martin & Osa order when the site was having an extra 30% off sale. My items arrived tonight and I now have Martin & Osa love.

First of all, I love additional percentage off sales so that is one point for M&O. Secondly, shipping was free. Yes, I live in Canada and shipping was free. As a Canadian, who orders from many American websites, I am often hit hard by the shipping costs (looking at you J Crew). The duty and tax can only get crazy as well (ahem, J Crew and V Secret). As my package came from Ontario, there was also no duty. Woot, woot.

As I opened up the box, I was immediately impressed. My items were carefully wrapped in plastic and crisp white tissue paper. My invoice came concealed in a thick, smooth blue envelope.

My first item was a pleated silk blouse in twilight. It is a soft silk with a slight hammered effect and fits perfectly. I think this will be great for layering and, when warmer weather hits, for pairing with my new beige pencil skirt that I acquired at Cassis a few weeks ago.

The second item I ordered was the moody rose silk shift dress. Unfortunately, I estimated wrong with the sizing of this dress. My trunk has more junk than this dress will allow for. It is a beautiful dress, however, with a lovely print, soft fabric and lining. It was the same story with the stretch satin shift dress in green. It was just a tad too tight around my thighs of thunder.

It was a bit of a sad day until I looked more closely at my invoice. Free returns. . . for Canadians??? Fantastic. So my two dresses are now repackaged waiting to go back to Canada Post. I called M&O and spoke to a very pleasant young man who assured me that they will send out my dresses in a larger size, still free of charge. The two dresses are still in stock, although I may have to switch the color of the satin dress to black. But I love it so much, I don't care about the color.

I am in love with Martin & Osa. They may replace J Crew as my go-to shopping site, especially with all of J Crew's problems. I do not think it is acceptable to pay $45 tax plus $20 shipping on a $165 order that is final sale and cannot be returned. I have played the restock game lately and have been chasing a Merino Lea Cardingan. I've ordered it FOUR times only to have it cancelled everytime and reappear on the site the next day. The love affair with J Crew may be drawing to an end.

Now I'm off to shop at M&O. Psst, they have an extra 20% off today. Get shopping!

On the quest for a pearl cluster necklace

Ever since spying J Crew's pearl cluster necklace, I've ached for one of my own. But I am unwilling to pay $125 for a piece of costume jewelry. Many Americans have been lucky to find similar version at Target or Forever 21. Canadians have a tougher job finding a knock off. So I am on a quest to find a pearl cluster necklace at a price I can stomach.

Canada's Forever 21 site does have a version of this piece for only $9.80. However, the shipping is just as much as the necklace ($8.95) which made me stubbornly refuse to purchase it. The necklace is also not a white pearl, but is silver. I worry that it may be too flashy for my taste.

I was in Mexx today and spied a yellow version of this necklace. At $35.00, it was a price I could deal with. But the yellow was kind of a puke tone and not something that I would wear.

The quest for the perfect necklace at the perfect price continues. Have any Canadians been able to track one down?

Tomorrow's Outfit

Tomorrow we are going to visit the in-laws early in the morning so I have my outfit already laid out. I need to maximize my sleep time.


V-Day outfit - by KDot on Polyvore.com

J Crew Argyle V-Neck cardigan
A denim pencil skirt from JC Penney (I found it there a year ago for 3 dollars and have not yet worn it)
Basic back shoes (not the ones shown)
J Crew Zebra bangle in yellow and white (again, not identical to the one shown)
J Crew Ringspun Scoopneck Painter Tee in golden yellow


This continues my trend this week of wearing sunny colors in the hopes of feeling like winter is coming to an end. It is not working so far. It is still spectacularly cold here. But in two weeks, we are heading to Mexico. Woot, woot! I'm planning some great outfits for our trip.

I'm a very bad girl

J Crew has taken over.

Today, at work of all places, I had a moment of calm, quiet in my classroom around 10 am (AST, aka J Crew restock time). So I wondered over to my computer, appearing to check my email. Magically, my fingers hit "j c" in my browser. I cruised the site quickly, looking around me in case a student caught me. I easily filled with cart with goodies and hit "check out", thinking I would stop if my credit card number was not saved in the system. My number was there. I knew I was bad, but I could not help it. This week's promo codes came out of the depths of my memory and my order was easily placed within five minutes.

This is a bad habit to begin. I think I need to place a work ban on J Crew and blogging.

I managed to snag my favorite Merino Lea Cardigan in black and navy. Yay! I'm planning so many new outfits in my head already.

Oh J Crew, how I love you

My recent discovery of J Crew has perhaps ruined my clothes shopping forever.

I used to be the queen of the deal. If it was cheap and it fit somewhat, I bought it. As a result, I had a closet of poorly made, poorly fitting clothes and had little sense of personal style. I didn't even realize I didn't have a style.

And then last December I discovered this great website called J Crew. Every link I clicked on, every picture I viewed held a piece of clothing that I loved. There it was, my style. My own closet suddenly was lacking. My regular outfit of dark pants, black shoes and a dark sweater or blouse suddenly seemed so boring.

Over the last month, I've gone on a little (ok, big) J Crew shopping spree. However, everything I've bought has been highly discounted even though it is still higher than my usual clothing budget. Oh, who am I kidding. I don't budget for anything; I spend. But I have come to realize that one J Crew cardigan bought on sale is worth more than 3 or 4 tops from Old Navy or Walmart. My new pieces fit better, feel better and look better. I get compliments on my outfits almost daily.

Last night, I had a sudden realization of my style change when I was grocery shopping. Our grocery store here, the Superstore, also carriess clothing. The best part of their clothing line is that it is CHEAP. Last night, the Superstore had a huge clearance sale. I'm talking about 5 dollar blouses and sweaters. I spied a purple blouse very similar to J Crew's Gianna blouse (item 97882) but at a fraction of the price. The thought came into my head that maybe I could get the J Crew look and still be the queen of the sale. Then my hands reached out and touched the fabric and I knew I could never go back. The blouse felt plastic-like and cheap. It was not something I wanted to put next to my skin for an hour, let alone a day.

J Crew has spoiled me forever.

Shoes, shoes, glorious shoes

Five minutes after I arrived home tonight, my doorbell rang. The shoes I ordered Saturday arrived (well, four pairs out of the six). Yay for Canadian shipping! I'm so used to delays with everything I order from the US.

First of all we have the Margaret in medium grey. I couldn't squeeze my wide feet into them so they are going back.

Then I tried the Flomare in taupe. There is a little scuff mark on the side but, at $14, I don't really care. They fit perfectly. It's a different show color for me as I usually do just black and brown, but I am looking forward to experimenting a bit this spring.

Next were a pair called Froagii in red. I'm not too big on red shoes but on the website, they looked more pink so I ordered hoping they would not be too red. I think Spring should check their definition of red because these shoes are a definite pink. I love them and they fit nicely.
The final pair belongs to DH and he is not yet home to comment. Overall, I am pleased with my shoes. 2 out of 3 keepers is not bad.

Sunny days in February

Today it was a mean -25 C outside so I decided to wear my new sunny J Crew cardigan.


Sunny in February - by KDot on Polyvore.com

My outfit consists of:
J Crew merino ruffle-neck cardigan in cornsilk
Gap Wide Leg Cuffed Pants
A white tank from Walmart
My black boots from The Bay
A white pearl necklace found at my local dollar store

Tomorrow, it looks like we will have an extreme weather change and temperatures up to +4. I might be able to wear a skirt for the first time in months. Woot, woot!

J Crew Treasures

My last J Crew order from my J Crew January shop-a-thon arrived today. I was expecting lots of treasures but instead found a few duds.

Perfect-fit short-sleeve crewneck tee in champagne. This tee is not as soft as my other J Crew t-shirts and is a bit snug. But it will be a good layering piece and it was only at $4.89.
Wool jersey satin trim tank in navy. This tank is awful. It is one of the most poorly fitting garments I have ever seen. It is like a rectangle of fabric sloppily sewn into a shirt and it looks like a tent on me.

Ruffle-collar piqué henley in lemon twist. This golf shirt is cute, although a bit bright. It will be great for summer paired with my white J Crew shorts that I received a few weeks ago.

Merino ruffle-neck cardigan in cornsilk. I'm having troubles with J Crew's yellows. My last order had a Quinn cami in buttercup, which online looked like a soft yellow. In person, it turned out to be baby puke yellow/green. The Merino ruffle-neck cardigan in cornsilk online looked like a bright yellow. In person, it is out orangish. I still like the cardi just for the amazing fit and quality. In fact, I plan on wearing it tomorrow. I need something to brighten up these cold February days. I was also disppointed by the fact that one button was broken in half and no replacement buttons were included. I wonder if I call CS, if J Crew would send me a replacement button. This half a button is really going to annoy me.

Soft rib long-sleeve scoopneck tee in golden yellow. This tee is a hit; it is soft and fits well. The only drawback is that it is too low of a scoopneck to wear as a layering piece to school. I don't like to wear anything too lowcut as I teach 14 year old boys. The hormones are sometimes raging in my classroom.


Wide hand-painted enamel zebra bangle in deep yellow. I stumbled upon this gem accidently. It was not listed in the main sale selection but in a sidebar on an indivual item's listing. I'm so glad I snatched it up as it is beautiful. And unlike my cerise 1" enamel bangle that I received last week, this bangle has a clasp. I can open it up to put it on and not have to shove it on my hand, feeling like my bones will break.

All in all, I was kinda bummed about this order. I think that is it for me and J Crew for awhile. Unless there is another promotion and the Merino Lea cardigan comes back in stock in black or navy. I have defintely decided not to order any more J Crew tanks. The fit is just too weird for me.

Let's go to the mall!

Last night I was feeling restless and having a hard time resisting the urge to shop online so I decided to head to the mall and use a Christmas gift card. I usually tend to avoid the mall as it is a prime place to run into students. Last night I only saw five students. The first looked shocked to see me outside school. Sometimes students have a hard time believing that teachers do have a life. The next two ignored me. One run up to me and gave me a vigorous hand waving. And the last one I managed to avoid by quickly ducking into a store.

Our first stop was Second Cup when I used a 2 for 1 coupon to get a treat for me and DH. I had a Skinny Vanilla Bean Latte (yum!) and he tried some sort of butterscotch flavoured latte. We then headed to Walmart to spend my gift card. I usually never shop there so I wanted to make sure to spend every cent to avoid another trip.

We hit up the electromics department first where I found two great car cds: Billy Joel and Michael Jackson's Greatest Hits. We swung by the accessories department as I am on the hunt to find a cheaper equivalent of J Crew's Pearl Cluster Necklace ($125.00 item 14503). No luck at Walmart. To finish off my gift card, we picked up a huge package of hangers to help store my growing clothing collection.

Next stop was Cassis. I love this store because of its simple, elegant style and soft fabrics. I am always on the look out for pants that fit my chunky legs. Cassis was having a decent sale so I tried on four pairs. None were keepers. They were all skinny pants. That style does not look good on my thighs of thunder but is more suitable for my 14 and 15 year old students. I was disappointed in Cassis. I thought that because they are geared towards a more "mature" woman, they would not fall prey to fashion trend. I left empty handed.

I then hopped across the mall hallway to an accessories store while DH was preoccupied with Lacoste gold shirts. I was looking again for the elusive pearl cluster necklace but did not see anything close. However, I did find some great deals on scarfs. This is the best time of year to buy winter outerwear and I have been watching for a white scarf for next year. I found a great white Burberry rip-off and it was marked down to $3.99. I snatched that up.

We then headed to FeetFirst where I spied some moccasins. Ever since seeing J Crew's Lizzie patent-leather driving mocs (item 95894), I've been craving a pair. Unfortunately J Crew never has them in my size or in a colour I can pull off. FeetFirst has a similar pair called Frocary. I didn't buy them because I still unsure if I will actually like the moccasin look on me. DH tried on loafers, including the Dodinas, which he did like. Again, he didn't purchase the shoes because it is a style different from his usual and he wasn't sure if he would actually wear them.


In the end, it was a mall trip that was easy on my credit card. I only spent about 10 dollars on my scarf and our coffee. Unfortunately, I got in trouble when we got home.


I was still feeling a bit bored and restless and decide to check out RedFlagDeals. I saw that Spring had knocked down some prices and clicked on the link intending to just"window shop". I found very similar styles to what we were looking at FeetFirst but at MUCH lower prices. Spring and FeetFirst are actually the same company, like Old Navy is to Banana Republic, so it makes sense to see similar styles in the two stores. I found a great pair of mocassins for only $8.98. Score! At nine dollars, I don't mind trying a different style of shoe to find out if I can pull it off. I sent the link to DH, figuring if he could find something too, it would make me feel less guilty about about purchasing them in a time when I am suppose to be cutting back. He found a pair of loafers remarkably similar to the FeetFirst shoes but at half the price. We popped these in my shopping bag too. I found a few more pairs of shoes, all less than $20. In the end, I ordered six pairs of shoes and it only cost $100! I found a promotion code for an extra 10% off and got free shipping. The best part is that if we don't like the shoes, we can return them at the Spring store in our nearest mall.

Even though I did do a bit of shopping on my Saturday night, I found great deals. It's almost guilt free spending. Almost. My best deal of the day goes to my $4 scarf which DH thinks is softer than his real Burberry.


Edited to add: After a few days of wearing this scarf, I have discovered that there is a reason that it was only 4 dollars. It sheds lint like there is no tomorrow. Perhaps when DH is in San Fransisco next month, he might visit Burberry and find me the real deal. Hint, hint DH.

Kiss Me Mascara Review

A few weeks ago, some of my regular forum reads were talking up the benefits of Kiss Me mascara, whose advertisement reads, "Stops painting your lashes, tube them." It sounded like a neat thing to me but the only place I could find their product was online. In an effort to curb my online shopping, I did not order.

Last week, I entered our city's newest Shopper's Drug Mart, hoping for a wide selection of Smashbox makeup. Instead, I found, buried on a counter, a stash of Kiss Me mascara. Yay! No shipping fees for me. I scooped it up and headed off home to try it out.

At only$21.99, it was less than my usual Diorshow mascara and promises "No running, No smudging, No flaking,No clumping, No make-up removers… No Compromise." Sounds good to me. I sometimes have a hard time removing my Diorshow Waterproof mascara without leaving dark rings around my eyes for the next day. Kiss Me mascara does meet the claim that makeup remover is not needed. A bit of soap and water and the mascara disappeared off my lashes in big clumps, leaving no black streaks on my face. And it actually does make tubes around my eyelashes. How neat is that! However, there are drawbacks to this product. The tubes make my eyelashes clump together sometimes producing the dreaded spider eyelash effect. And I notice that my eyelashes do not appear as thick as they do when coated with Diorshow.

My verdict: a great product when I want to wear "light" makeup. This product will be great for hot summer days and lazy Sundays when I want a little polish on my face but not the whole makeup deal.