My Guilty Lil' Secret

Anthropologie, one of my favorite stores to browse in, recently opened up in Roosevelt Field, my local mall. While I was checking it out I saw a cute sunhat, and I needed a new sunhat. Unfortunately, it was $68, which I didn't want to pay (notice that I said Anthropologie is one of my favorite stores to browse, not shop in).

The other day I was in Manhattan and stopped in CONWAYS. If you're not familiar with the store, I'm sure you've seen the pepto pink shopping bags being carried around. I always buy my ribbed tank tops at CONWAYS, and was glad when I found THE SAME EXACT HAT as in Anthropologie for $5.99. I also picked up a pair of pajamas similiar to Victoria Secret's pink line (cotton elastic waistband pants and cotton tank top). Now if I can just get over my initial reaction to hide the very obvious pink bag once I leave the store.

IPL Hair Removal

About a year ago I started going to MD Reflections http://mdreflections.com/Home.html in Richmond Hill, Queens, for IPL Hair Removal. IPL stands for Intense Pulse Light. You wear dark glasses and the technician holds what looks like the handheld scanner at a cash register up against your skin. A flash of light similiar to that emitted from old flash bulbs goes off and ZAPS your hair follicle killing it. The pain is similiar to that of waxing, but with enough treatments, your hair won't grow back FOREVER. MD Reflections offers reasonable prices -- I get my bikini and underarm areas done for about $300 a session.

The BEST Body Lotion Around

I hate taking the time to put on body lotion, especially in the Winter when it's cold and gives me a chill. But what I hate even more is the SCALY itchy skin I get without it. I've tried tons of different lotions -- Nivea, Cetaphil, Bath & Body Works, Body Shop, Victoria Secret, etc. and I've found Olay Quench for Extra Dry Skin to be the BEST. My skin feels smooth, moisturized and has a nice shimmery gleam to it. Another great thing about it is it's cheap. Now if I could only find a face lotion that I love as much.

Cheaper than Botox

After reading about Frownies for years, and noticing an annoying facial line developing between my eyebrows a few weeks ago, I finally decided to buy a box. I figured it was cheaper than Botox. If you haven't heard about them they are flesh colored triangles that you stick on your frown lines. You're supposed to wear them overnight to train your facial muscles not to frown. I got mine at Harmon's Discount Beauty Store for $13.99. I'm on night two, so I'll let you know how it goes. http://www.frownies.com/ While I admit that it makes me look like I have a third eye, my boyfriend wears Breathe Right strips at night, so now we'll both look like weirdos.

Boracay

One of the most beautiful beaches I've ever visited was on the island of Boracay in the Philippines with my sisters. With the exchange rate, Boracay, which operates on the Philippine peso, is extremely affordable. We stayed at Fridays resort http://www.fridaysboracay.com/ where massages on the beach were only $17. I was able to buy white, beige and peacock pearl necklaces, earring and ring sets for just $40.

Since Filipino food is light, we even lost weight on our trip. Watermellon juice though, is a deliciously refreshing treat.

The Sweater Stone

A few years ago back when I had some free time on my hands, AND when it was the latest craze, I took up knitting. While I haven't knit in more than a year there's one knitting tool that has become a long time favorite.

The sweater stone is a pumice like stone that you rub against your sweaters when they become bally and it pulls them all off. I know it sounds too good to be true, but it works. Extend the life of your sweaters. My Ann Taylor cashmere sweater became bally under the arms and along my sides after just a few wears. I rubbed the sweater stone on it and it looks like new again AND it doesn't pull your sweater apart. This works 100 times better than the sweater shaver. There's one downside though -- everything that you rub off with your sweater stone falls on your floor. I use my sweater stone in the bathroom in front of my mirror. Then I can easily sweep up the mess.

The Sweater Stone company is offering a free sample, you just pay shipping and handling. Click on this link to get yours now: http://www.sweaterstone.com/free.htm

DSW - Designer Shoe Warehouse

DSW is one of my favorite places to buy shoes. They sell quality designer name brand shoes for discounted prices. This is the FIRST place I check when I go shoe shopping.

To match my new Kooba purses I purchased these Coach high-heeled sandals there for less than $100. On previous shopping trips to DSW I found Fendi slides, Pucci boots, and Givenchy heels.

Look Sun-Kissed Year Round

I had a wedding to go to last month and on the same day I spotted my co-worker looking oh so tan in the middle of March. She told me it was courtesy of Spa Blue spray tanning. I called and booked a lunchtime appointment and looked great in my halter dress for the wedding that night. The results were natural looking and took effect in a few hours. You're not supposed to wash for several hours, so my tan didn't deepen as much as it could have, but I didn't look as pasty white as I did before without the tan. I was happy with the results and the price -- $30. The solution was sprayed on and I had to stand for a few minutes to dry in a small room that was more like a large closet, but hey, I got a spray tan for just $30.

Spa Blue is located on Montauk Highway in Bayport, NY. The telephone number is (631) 472-6696.

This blog has been submitted for inclusion in The Budget Fashionista's Project Blog. "The Budget Fashionista" is a blog about being fashionable for less.

http://www.thebudgetfashionista.com

Mizu Sushi

Before going to the spa we had a light dinner of sushi and tempura at Mizu Sushi in the Flatiron area. Mizu has a fun vibe with good music, serves tasty food, and isn't too pricey for Manhattan.

http://www.mizunyc.com

Juvenex Spa in NYC

http://www.juvenexspa.com

My boyfriend and I went to Juvenex Spa in Manhattan last Wednesday. We had previously purchased Spafinder gift certificates from Costco ($75 for each $100 gift certificate), and scheduled the Basic Purification Package with a 1/2 hour massage. This is not their normal couple package, but they offer all services as a couple if you just ask them. It consisted of detoxing in the Jade Igloo sauna (pictured), soaking in the hot tub, the Diamond Steam Sauna, a Korean body scrub (that leaves your skin baby soft), Cucumber mask, and hair shampoo & conditioner. It cost $145 each. Juvenex was efficient, affordable and relaxing. We went right to sleep once we got home.

Warning: If you never had a Korean body scrub before you need to know that it is VERY personal. My friend Karen sums it up perfectly as " you have to surrender yourself as if you are a baby kitten being licked by it's mother". If you are going with a friend or your boyfriend, make sure that you are comfortable seeing each other nude. Also, do not shave right before going as the scrubbing can irritate your skin.

The Classic Wrap Dress

There is a reason that Diane von Furstenberg is known for her wrap dresses -- they are figure flattering in every way. First of all, she recognizes that not everyone has the body of a 25 year old, so they're made of a stretchy, silk jersey knit, which is extremely forgiving. The cut of the dress allows just enough cleavage that you can look sexy while still looking appropriate in any situations. The wrap around belt gives you a nice waistline.

This is one is called the Julian in the Banana Leaf pattern. It's part of a collection of vintage patterns that she has reissued. I wore this dress to NYC Mayor Bloomberg's Election day party back in November (no, that's not a photo of me). I like that it can be worn in the winter with black leather boots, in the spring with slingbacks, and in the summer with sandals. Naturally with a necklace of thick rounded beads.

Originally priced at $298, you can now find this dress on ebay for $200. Just make sure you're getting the real one and not a knock-off from China (or Australia). The knock-offs are made of silk, not silk jersey, so there is no give to it, and it is a sheer material.

Good Deals on EBAY

My boyfriend and I are selling all of our cast-offs on ebay to save for our Summer vacation to Ireland. We're having a lot of fun seeing how much money we can make for his old CDs (who needs them anymore since we all have iPods), promo DVDs, my old teaching books and Trixie Belden mysteries from when I was 10 years old. (Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it, our current total is $1,280, enough to pay for our flights.)

Unfortunately, every time I log-on eBay I find something I want to buy. I found this Kooba Marcelle (supposedly new and authentic, I'll let you know when it comes in the mail) in last season's Cognac. It was about 1/2 the price of my new Kooba, and I can't wait to try it. The only thing is that I know that so many of my bags sit in my closet unworn once the season is out, so did I really need 2 new Kooba bags. Hmmm, I guess I can sell the ones in the closet on ebay. I wonder how much we can make for that Versace clutch I have.

What to Wear Poolside This Summer

After all the compliments I received on the beach cover-ups I bought in Morocco, I imported a few dozen directly from Marrakech. I'm sure you've seen similar ones in Scoop NYC ($297!), Nordstroms, Victoria Secret's, etc. The perfect break from a hot day on the beach. On my Bahamas trip I was able to wear this down to the beach, at lunch poolside, and in town shopping. If you get sunburnt, the lightweight cotton doesn't irritate, and prevents your beach bag from chaffing your shoulder. Also, unlike the terrycloth cover-ups, if this gets wet it dries in minutes. Women have been wearing these in Africa's heat for hundreds of years -- who are we to argue with a good thing.

You can e-mail me at: cnacional@yahoo.com or check out my listing for tunics on eBay under the seller id wahawaha.

Every Girl Should Own a Pucci

Emilio Pucci patterns are amazing. I love the
swirls and colors, it's like looking at a kaleidoscope.

I had been looking to buy a vintage Pucci dress for years, but everything was too expensive, and I was afraid that with the different sizes that they had years ago, that nothing would fit correctly.

On a recent trip to Las Vegas I went to the Caesar Forum Shops and there was a sale going on in Emilio Pucci. The saleswoman saw that although I wanted a dress, I wasn't going to commit to one because why would I buy a $1,000 dress with such a wild pattern that realistically I could only wear it once (or twice). She wisely suggested I buy a long skirt with an elastic waistband for a little less than 1/2 the price of a dress. She showed me how if I wear a belt slung low on my hip bones I could wear it as a halter top over jeans, as a dress, or as a long skirt -- 3 looks in one, and suddenly my splurge became a good investment. Since Pucci is such a classic, if I keep this skirt in good shape, I can be one stylin' granny one day.

My Latest Splurge -- The Kooba Lucy in Sand

Sand is one of Kooba's Spring/Summer '06 colors for the Lucy. This bag is also STUNNING in Jade, but since it was pricey, I figured I'd get the most wear out of this shade rather than an aqua colored handbag.

I was visiting this bag in Nordstroms for the second time when I overhead a woman saying they were 15% off at Michael Klein's ($545 after tax, opposed to $595 before tax at Nordstroms). I rushed home and found the location of the store on the Internet.

All handbags (Kooba, Isabella Fiore, Carla Mancini, etc.) were on sale and designer sunglasses (Chanel, Gucci, Dior) for 20%. I snatched up the bag and hightailed it home to my full length mirror.

Originally I wanted the Cognac color (Fall '06) since I figured I could wear it in the all seasons, but after I found some shoes at DSW and Nordstroms to match, I really started to LOVE my new bag.

The real draw to this bag is the cushy buttery soft texture, AND the smell of fine leather that you experience every time you reach inside. The negative of course is that it gets dirty so easily. Alas, this is one item that the Kindergarteners appreciate. One little girl always comments how she loves the smell - a future fashionista in the making.