i really shouldn’t be talking about shoes today, because when i start our giveaway next week, you’re going to be going shoe crazy (hint hint!).  but there are so many lovely new spring shoes at tobi this week, i couldn’t resist sharing a few favorites.

those bright purple sigerson morrison suede flats are going to be the shoes my husband is sick of seeing by the end of this spring. there’s literally nothing about them i don’t love (well, except maybe the $250 pricetag).  that bold color is about as close to the neon trend as i’ll be navigating, and i think it’s a great compromise.  i love the cutout details on the vamp, which give you a nod to fringe and a nod to punk, both without committing to either.

next up are these modified peep-toe t-straps from chie mihara.  i’ll admit i don’t normally have the love affair with this brand that some of my stylish friends do.  but these are simply amazing.  the graphic details keep the styling fresh, and the grey/black color combo makes these a great shoe to transition from winter to spring.  these would definitely work with tights, but envision them bringing a bright, swingy spring dress back down to earth.  perfection.

and i’m thrilled to see my beloved TOMS getting a frilly facelift.  this new floral pattern is just what the doctor ordered for a cheap, chic spring casual shoe.  plus, these happen to be endlessly comfortable.  i’ll be picking one up in every color.

i simply can NOT wait for this wet winter weather to abate – i’m oh-so-ready to break out the suede, peep-toed and canvas footwear.  how about you…what has you dying for spring to, well, spring?

the very sweet designer behind boutique label kristinit let me in on a fantastic sale going on at her site right now.  she’s sample-sale-ing out a huge portion of her spring line, as the economy has not been kind to some of her stores.  sad, yes, but you’ll be reaping all the benefit.  

kristinit is sold in some of my favorite stores, including fred segal and kate boutique, and you can score deals on stunning pieces like that beautiful, bias-cut pencil skirt you see above.  it retails for $265, but on sale for $55.  oh, and did i mention you get an extra 20% off that price with code “ilovekristinit“?  yeah.  so, $44 for that lovely, perfect-for-spring skirt.  

check out all of the goodies on kristinit’s site, but do it quick, before the best pieces are gone!

according to my random number generator, i’ll be sending my extra copy of the commoner to comment #8, alyssa, who sounds as if she needs it quite badly:

“Funny- I love those both too. Especially anything with asian culture- i have no idea why, but its so interesting! Last book i read was for school and it was: A Moveable Feast by Hemingway. i need something light and fun.”

alyssa, drop me an email with your mailing address, and i’ll get this out to you!  editor at shoppingsmycardio dot com.

thanks for playing, all….next week’s giveaway is a-w-e-s-o-m-e.  seriously, be here monday for sure.

there’s just nothing i love so much as a multi-tasking beauty product.  i remember a frightening story about my first experience with makeup (wet ‘n wild liquid foundation, thank you very much) – i was convinced it could be used as eyeshadow and even lipstick.  yes, clearly, you should take your daughters to a cosmetic counter when they turn 13 so they never have to suffer as i did.  

now that i’m older…and hopefully wiser…i still love my multitaskers, though i’m a lot pickier about what it takes to make that category.  but ever since it arrived, this baked highlighting brow kit from anastasia beverly hills has been front and center in my makeup case.  the darker matte colors can be blended together to produce the perfect brow tinting shade – just cover with brow gel, and your brows are brooke shields perfect.  and the colors also work beautifully as eyeliners, with just a change of brush.  ditto for the trio of shimmery highlighting shades.  they’re great for brow highlighting, of course, but i’ve been using them as eyeshadows, and even facial highlighter (try it on cheekbones instead of bronzer!).  in fact, take that eyeliner brush and try the gold shimmer as a liner underneath your eye.  genius!

the kit even comes with a travel size of anastasia’s signature clear brow gel…so, unlike my wet ‘n wild fiasco, this little box really can do triple duty in your powder room.  pick it up for $32 at nordstrom, or online at anastasia’s website.

two fiction genres i just can’t get enough of:  profiles of royalty (the other boelyn girl) and stories about asian cultures (memoirs of a geisha, snow flower and the secret fan).  both are varieties of historical fiction, but they focus on worlds that are completely and totally foreign to me, and i find both just fascinating.  so, when i spotted the commoner on a shelf at my local barnes and noble, i had to take a look.

the commoner tells the story of the first empress of japan to enter the royal family as a commoner.  the book chronicles empress michiko’s days in school, her meeting and courting the crown prince of japan, and, most interestingly, the trials she encountered once she entered the royal family.  author john burnham schwartz paints a remarkable portrait of a woman who entered into a world she couldn’t possibly have anticipated, and one that she quickly realized was far more than she bargained for. 

what i loved about this book was the portrait schwartz paints of the lead character…i couldn’t help rooting for her at every turn, wanting her to find her way in the maze of tradition and rules in which she found herself.  and, i admit…i couldn’t stop reading this one, if only because i so desperately wanted to see…well, let’s just say (to avoid a plot spoiler) that i kept waiting for some of the characters to get their due.

if you’re like me, and the newest philippa gregory or lisa see book has you running to the bookstore, pick this one up – i predict you’ll have a hard time putting it down.

oh, and i happen to have an extra copy of this one on hand…so if you’re interested, drop a comment here with the last book you read – i’ll draw a winner tomorrow morning

i’ve been trying to hold off on featuring rebecca minkoff’s spring line until a certain wallet i’m craving hits the shelves.  but then i saw this fantastic studded version of her classic morning after bag, and i couldn’t wait.  sigh!  every season, a new crop of styles and colors of this now-iconic styles shows up, and i’m tempted to buy a new version, but i hold out.  something tells me i won’t be able to resist this time.  the studs give this such a hip edge, but the bag isn’t so downtown that it can’t be carried by a yuppie like me.  now that’s what i call the perfect dose of punk.  $685 at saks.

first, a little confession:  i’m actually writing this before the actual awards show has even started.  as a style writer, for me, the awards are beyond secondary – it’s all about the pre-game red-carpet festivities.  while the filmgoer in me is rooting loudly for kate winslet and sean penn to win (update:  they did!), the fashion critic in me really cares only about the looks strolling down the red carpet.

this year’s fashions provided much less fodder for complaint than in years past.  there were some really amazing looks, and only a handful that caused my inner fashion police siren to start screaming.  the vast majority of the looks were understated and classic – a nod, i’m sure, to the drama in the economy.  fortunately, a few stunning stars took it upon themselves to remind us of what we love about hollywood:  the escapsim and glamour.  

my favorite look of the evening was kate winslet, a perennial favorite of mine.  she never fails to deliver hollywood glamour in spades, and tonight was no exception.  her stunning gunmetal gown, by yves saint laurent, boasted an asymmetrical one-shouldered bodice, crisp belting at the waist, and then dripped drama with a delicate and detailed black lace overlay.  i loved that she let the dress speak for itself – her only jewelry was a pair of classic drop earrings and a diamond bangle.

sarah jessica parker’s gown ran a very close second in my book.  her gown, by dior haute couture, was everything we’d expect from this fashion icon.  referring to the color of her gown as “barely mint,” parker simply radiated style and stardom.  the gold accents in the fabric, that fantastic belt, and the extravagant, floaty ball skirt were a perfect combination.  in a perfect world, i’d have covered her decolletage a bit more, but…

other winners in my book:  amy adams took the prize for best accessory, with her stunning fred leighton choker, and marisa tomei‘s gown was museum-worthy in its gorgeous origami detailing (though i didn’t love how she carried it off).  and i loved the subtle detail on taraji p. henson‘s gown – it was the perfect blend of elegance and drama.

of course, there’s nothing like a night of glitz and glamour to bring out the cattiness in fashion critics everywhere…present company included.  i freely admit i used to feel so badly for the stars who end up battered and bruised in the hindsight commentary from the fashion police.  but the more i’ve learned about this incredible industry, the more i realize that with all of the hours of planning, shopping, prepping and primping that go into putting a star on the red carpet, there’s just no excuse for the worst of the worst.

i was so excited to see what freida pinto would do with her oscar look – her lovely skin tone makes her an ideal candidate for bold, bright color, and showing off a little skin.  sadly, while the color was there, the skin wasn’t…and the asymmetrical bodice just didn’t work for me.  the whole thing was made worse by a single long sleeve made entirely of lace….just far too dowdy and old-fashioned for her hip, sexy vibe.

jessica biel’s was another look that really disappointed me.  with a figure like hers, the possibilities are endless.  so, unless she’s hiding a baby bump, there was little to explain away the gratuitous draping on the front of her gown.  but the real crime was her footwear – a black closed-toe pump with a cream column gown?  i would have loved to see a metallic shoe, and open-toe seems so obvious…i just have no idea what she was thinking.  add on a very lackluster half-up hairstyle, and the look just fell flat.

as for other misses, i wasn’t thrilled about miley cyrus‘ over-the-top style, which just seemed to completely overpower her.  ditto for beyonce‘s look, which i wanted to love at first glance.  but it’s no small feat to overpower someone like her (not to mention the fact that the gown was completely unflattering, adding at least a couple of hours to her hourglass figure).  and then there was mickey rourke…but really, i think the photo just speaks for itself.  just as well, as i was left speechless.  

ultimately, this just wasn’t a year for shock and drama at the oscars.  but if you’re looking for trends to take to the bank, there was clear evidence that classic glamour is back, statement jewelry can make even a lackluster gown fabulous, and when in doubt – a belt provides instant structure and style to nearly any ensemble.  nothing we didn’t know before…but sometimes, a little validation is all you need.

*all photos courtesy AP and eonline.com

i admit…i was oh-so-skeptical about this one.  no matter how many people swore to me that tourmaline dryers were working wonders on their hair, i was convinced it was all smoke and mirrors.  not only that, but i have a pretty serious mental block about spending a lot on hair hardware.  when you can buy a hairdryer for $19.99 at target, why would i spend $160?

but, i’m always game to give something a fair shot, and i love my barbar flat iron so much that i was more than happy to give their dryer a try.  and can i just say, thank god i was?   because seriously, that $160 dryer i tried (the barbar bt professional) is going to save me at least 3 times that amount, by the time i add up all of the super conditioners, serums, oils, and other potions i was using to keep my hair from looking like a pile of straw. 

i can’t think of a single product i’ve ever used that has made such an immediate difference.  literally, the first time i used the barbar dryer, my hair went from soaked to styled in about 7 minutes.  when i was done, i was prancing around my living room, asking my hubs to feel my hair every 30 seconds.  all of a sudden, for the first time in a year, it wasn’t dry and dull!  it was shiny, and bouncy…it was like a freaking pantene commercial.  turns out, i didn’t need all of those super conditioners after all…i just needed to stop frying my hair every morning.

if you’re looking for the technical explanation, it’s something about the tourmaline emitting negative ions and infrared heat to protect your hair from the full force of hairdryer heat that it normally endures on a daily basis.  but to be honest, the science escapes me.  all i know is that it works, beautifully.  and, because it’s professional-grade, i don’t even worry about it burning out in six months (and it comes with a fantastic product warranty to back that up).

if your hair is misbehaving and acting out, i just can’t recommend the barbar dryer enough.  it just might change your life…or at least your hair.

okay, i swear i wasn’t planning for that to be as alliterative as it turned out.  

anyway, when i was in hawaii last month, i stopped by chanel (hey, i was on vacation), where i spied the most lovely new rendition of their classic cap-toed ballet flat.  mirrored silver with patent black details, exclusive to the hawaii store….and sold out in my size.  tragedy!

ever since, i’ve been a little overly obsessed with picking up a chanel flat.  my wallet, however, disagrees.  so i was thrilled to find these new stylish flats from bloch london, all of which average about $150 (rather than the $500+ i’d drop on the chanel version).  

while i love many of their styles, it’s the cap-toe version that first caught my eye, and that fuchsia/black combo is destined for my shoe closet.  but i’m also loving their foldable classic flat – i’ve tried to track something down like this for the longest time, and suddenly i have all of these options at my fingertips!  and that fun tri-color version is going to be the perfect accent to my spring wardrobe – it’s one of those great transitional pieces you can use to accessorize your winter wardrobe into warmer weather.

check out all of the styles (i warn you, tread lightly…not all are as stylish as these) at endless, where you’ll have the added benefit of (near) instant gratification!

we’re going to be talking a lot about florals in the next couple of weeks…after all, it’s spring, and florals are a perennial stand-by for the season.  but this year, the styling is a lot more hip and nontraditional…which i’m loving.  these bags are a great case in point.  i love the abstract leaf patterns, and they’re a great twist on a classic floral, which can get a little laura ashley.  (i do, however, love taking a really traditional floral pattern and mixing it with an ultra-mod design…something along the lines of this fab charlotte ronson dress, or that steven alan top we talked about.)

either of these bags would be a great way to bring a little of that hot spring floral into your life – i’d add one to a winter-friendly ensemble like slacks and a blouse to warm things up a bit.  your choice:  left is marni, $600 at net-a-porter; right is hayden-harnett, $49.99 at target.

so, which one would you choose:   luxe or less?