cruising the web this week, i’ve come across a couple of new shoe shops that have me so excited (courtesy of feather, one of my fave new fashion blogs)!  lately, i’ve been feeling like i’ve seen every shoe out there, and i’m just sick of all of them.  discovering these shops has restored my faith in the (shoe) world…and opened up a whole new world of retail lust.

gwyneth shoes is a fantastic new discovery.  designed by a woman who’s worked for kenneth cole, steve madden and sam & libby, the line is perfectly priced, often under $80.  and they’re all incredibly stylish and fashion-forward.  these snakeskin peeptoe flats remind me too much of a pair i own by hogan (definitely not $80).  they’re perfect with literally everything – i wore them to death last year.  but my favorite are these sweet rose-covered metallic t-straps.   they’re a great way to dress up casual looks, as well as those summer dresses when you just can’t do heels.  loads of great ruffled and gladiator-style sandals as well…and all at awesome price points.

higher on the pricing scale, i was lured over to gimme shoes by these grey biviel heels.  nudes and greys can be hard to get right, but they’re the perfect option for summer.  the last thing you want in hot weather is black, but neutrals are still a must.  besides the biviel, i fell hard (oh so hard!) for these sweet flats by sigerson morrison, available in both nude and taupe.  i’m telling you, nothing lengthens those gams faster than a shoe that vanishes, even if it isn’t a heel.  and, even though they’re not my normal style, the spring dries van noten collection is well worth a look – they’re practically art!

just a little friday eye candy fun – i hope you find something to lust after.  have a great weekend, dear readers!  more summer essentials to come next week…

i spend a lot of time talking with beauty experts these days…call it an occupational hazard.  and, without fail, when i ask them what one thing women can do to keep their skin at its best, every single one yells “sunscreen!” without hesitating.

even as a girl with fairer than fair skin, i resisted sunscreen for a long time.  bad smell, bad skin results…just bad.  but the technology has finally caught up with the need, and in the last few years, i’ve noticed that it’s possible to get sunscreens that are pretty near flawless these days.  in case you’re as skittish as i am about the whole thing, i thought i’d share my 3 favorites.

last summer, i discovered clarins uv plus sunscreen spf 40, and it’s still one of my absolute favorites.  because it’s a physical sunscreen (as opposed to chemical), it’s great for sensitive skin, lasts all day (chemical typically lasts 2 hours).  plus, the little bottle is TSA-friendly, which is a major perk.

for a little more heavy-duty protection, i’ve recently fallen hard for kate somerville’s new protect spf 55 serum sunscreen.  because it’s a chemical sunscreen, i’d normally turn up my nose.  but this formula didn’t produce any of the negative skin reactions i’m used to with chemical blocks – in fact, my skin’s in love!  it does have a bit of a “sunscreen smell,” but when i layer kate’s addictive deep tissue repair (it smells just like fresh peaches, and makes my skin oh-so-happy) over the top, it’s undetectable.  and, it’s definitely the most moisturizing yet non-oily sunscreen i’ve found.  

last but not least, when the weather turns warm, you’ll find a bottle of kinesys spray-on sunscreen somewhere near me at all times.  it’s just the thing to spray on your neck, shoulders and chest when you decide to sit outside and enjoy an iced latte.  the tiny size makes them perfectly portable, and they go on without any effort (or nasty smell).  plus, at $6 each, i can afford to stash one in every makeup bag i own.

whichever sunscreen you choose, lather it on, ladies.  most experts will tell you no one uses enough.  now that you’re armed and ready, head out and enjoy that sun while it lasts!

i recently got an email from shopflick.com, asking me to check out their site, and some of the deals they’re offering.  i couldn’t resist sharing a couple of pieces i loved.  

these lifesaver rings by jules smith are impossibly cool.  at $29 each (down from $95), you can afford to stack a few together…completely necessary, i think.

and this gorgeous agate necklace by jessica matrasko is exactly what i’ve been looking for as a summer statement piece – not earth-shatteringly cheap at $98, but half price helps (down from $170).  i think it’s the dream version of the agate trend – light but bold chain, ideal drop (see the styling pics here), and not too heavy.  perfect!

the site takes a little digging to find the best steals, which i’m the first to admit is annoying.  but there are a few pieces at great discounts that are well worth your summer spending money (notably, deals on a few pieces by sublet and zova la).  head over soon…the sales are over tonight, and a new batch will start later this month.  happy hunting!

welcome to summer!  i thought we’d kick off the season of sun and fun this week with a look at a few items i simply have to have in my closet when the weather heats up.

first on my list is a collection of gauzy, lightweight summer scarves.  at first glance, i realize that a scarf might not feel like the perfect warm weather accessory.  but i love their ability to turn summer ensembles, which can be a little dull (tees, tanks, shorts, jersey dresses…) into something sensational, without the weight and bulk of big jewelry pieces.  

also, let’s face it:  most of us spend our days going in and out of highly air-conditioned offices, stores and cars, until we hardly know whether we’re going to freeze or melt.  a light cotton scarf is the perfect solution, and so much less preppy than the cardigan-over-the-shoulders look.

over the weekend, i picked up this gorgeous chevron stripe scarf from epice (left, but in green) – i’m thoroughly addicted to this line.  the cotton is light as air, the pattern is incredibly bright and delicate – it’s as close to perfection as a scarf gets. i got mine at covet here in portland, but until they’re online, you can find more styles at goldyn, barneys and kate boutique.

if you’re still new to the scarf game, you might want to give this trend a try with a more budget-friendly option.  virginia johnson makes some of my absolute favorite scarves – they’re light, fun and so beautifully made!  normally on the high end of the scale, they’re having a pretty outstanding sale that’s well worth a look.  my picks are the fig leaf, sailboats and chevron – all under $50 now.

i also love the scarves over at echo – they do a fantastic job of mixing style and value.  my pick for summer is this gauzy block print scarf (far right), which looks like something you picked up on an exotic euro vacation – but really, it’s hard to go wrong with any of their designs!

it’s going to be a lazy friday, i can already tell (this could be because it’s 10:30, and i’ve only just gotten around to throwing on my yoga pants).  with the three-day weekend looming, something tells me you’re all feeling a little lazy today too…am i right?  

as a countermeasure, i thought i’d put together a few of the ultra girly things i’ve been craving this week – nothing makes me sit up straight and cross my ankles faster than a few ruffles and frills.  and hey, if you can’t live it, at least you can love it from a distance.

shopjake.com is one of my favorite fashion browsing destinations – i’m practically a groupie for their buyer.  don’t all of these frills and ruffles just make you feel warm and fuzzy?  i love the idea of wearing any of these with some distressed denim and a flat metallic sandal – just the thing for flawless summer chic, don’t you agree?

speaking of girly goodness, artist jen corace has just released a few new prints at art star.  i tweeted my favorite yesterday, but here it is again, just because i’m so, so, so in love with it.  sigh!

and last but not least, if you haven’t yet caught the anna wintour interview from 60 minutes, it’s well worth your 12 minutes.  i don’t care what the haters say, i heart vogue, and i heart anna wintour.  if you do too, i suspect you’re also going to love in vogue.  it’s a pretty fascinating look at the magazine’s history, and includes reprints of all of their best photo shoots and covers.  really stunning, and worth it for the annie leibowitz alice in wonderland shoot alone.

sigh…mission accomplished.  all of this girly-ness has me wanting to go paint my nails.  happy weekend, everyone!  i hope there is a barbecue, a beach and/or a picnic in your immediate future.

in case you haven’t noticed, i’ve toned down the exorbitantly expensive features of late.  not that we shouldn’t all be supporting the economy, but well, i know i’ve been spending more time at gap than nordstrom lately, so i assume the same is true of most of you.

that said, i’m always a fan of the occasional, well-placed splurge.  but how do you decide whether something really is a “worthy splurge”?  today, i’m going to share my cardinal splurge rules with you (exciting, i know).  

at $246, this bold “lollipop skirt” from tibi certainly qualifies as a potential splurge.  plus it’s bold, colorful, and definitely unique.  i spied it over at chick downtown, and decided it was the perfect test case.    

before you even start, make sure you love it.  really and truly.  not just that it’s “fun” or “pretty” or “useful.”  if it’s truly worthy, it makes you smile when you wear it – plain and simple.  once that’s decided, i use a pretty straightforward “3-2-1″ formula to weigh a splurge, as i find that pure logic sometimes helps in the face of unrelenting temptation:

wearability:  can i think of at least 3 completely different ways to wear the item?  

longevity:  can i envision it being worn in at least 2 different decades (other than this one)? 

uniqueness:  is it unique?  or, put another way, do i have even 1 other item in my closet that could do what this item does?  

in the case of this lovely tibi:  wearability options seem pretty endless.  make it classic with a sleeveless white shell and sandals, turn it tomboy with a ribbed tank and boyfriend blazer or leather jacket, or add a cardigan and a scarf to wear it to the office.  as for longevity, i can definitely see this in the 60s and the 80s, and even the early 90s – can’t you see your mom wearing something like this when she was in high school?  and as for being unique, i certainly don’t have anything like it in my closet.

on my 3-2-1 scale, the tibi skirt measures up pretty perfectly.  of course, all of this hinges on fit:  the one rule that trumps all of the others.  a splurge simply has to make you look and feel amazing…or really, what’s the point?

so, what do you think?  is this tibi a worthy splurge to you?

if you haven’t heard about and/or tried the new superbly restorative collection from kiehl’s, get thee to your local kiehl’s store or counter, stat.  i’ve been testing out the line over the last few weeks, and i have to say, it’s pretty fantastic.

the product line is based around something called argan oil, which kiehl’s tells me is packed full of goodies like antioxidants, vitamin e, omegas, and all other manner of lovely things.  plus, it’s harvested by a women’s cooperative in morocco…so buying the products ends up helping out some very deserving women.  the entire collection offers great all-around moisture without an overpowering scent – just a faint, very unisex orange/cedar-y kind of thing.  

my favorites from the line, especially with summer drawing near, are the body cleansing oil and the dry oil.  the body cleansing oil is amazingly moisturizing.  it does require a leap of faith, as you can’t quite see it going on as easily as some cleansers.  but my skin is certainly softer, and it works wonders if used before shaving.

and the dry oil…well, the hubs would say i’m obsessed.  i use it on my hair to increase shine, and hide split ends and flyaways, on my skin as an instant moisturizer that needs zero time to sink in and do its work, on my face for especially dry days, and it does wonders for my cuticles.  hurrah for multi-tasking products!

head over and check out the entire line at kiehl’s – as always, i’m sure they’ll have samples galore for you to try, which is half the fun!

gah…spring sales started this morning at barneys, anthropologie, nordstrom and shopbop - i’ve been so overwhelmed, i almost forgot to post!  overall, i’m trying to be good, but this dress may be too perfect to pass up.

once you return from all of that orgasmic sale goodness, i thought i’d share a few bargain bracelet finds that have caught my eye this week.  

yesterday’s internet browsing led me to the new dana buchman collection for kohl’s, of all places.  to save you some time, most of it looks a little iffy, but this coral bracelet is actually pretty perfect for summer, especially for $20.  it reminds me of something you’d get at banana republic, but for a lot less. don’t you think it’s just the thing to dress up those breezy, neutral summer frocks?

and then, there was this gorgeous rainbow of enamel bracelets i spied online at target.  love!!  i’m dying to buy the lot of these (at $18 each, i actually could!) and mix and match colors to my heart’s content.  if nothing else, they’re a great opportunity to play around with color combinations that might scare you.  i very literally can’t pick a favorite…but i will say the black is a little blah for summer.  pile on a stack of these beauties, and your tee-and-shorts ensemble will suddenly be insta-chic.  promise.

happy monday, dear readers.  i hope you all had a fantastic weekend!  mine was actually pretty great, as weekends go, so i thought i’d try something new:  sharing a bit about how i actually spend my time.  you’ll have to let me know if it bores you to tears.  the hubs took friday off as a surprise, so there was plenty of much-needed lounging and loafing.  plus:

- major heat wave this weekend, which you’ll have heard me whining about if you follow me on twitter.  i am not a fan.  the only advantage is that heat = barbecue season!  so, good eats all weekend, courtesy of my hubs (aka, the grillmaster).  including, notably, an excellent version of bobby flay’s pork tenderloin.  yum!

- wandered around a local art festival, packed with too much tie dye, and some very pretty jewelry.  finally saw this artist‘s work in person (i wrote about her for daily candy once upon a time).  

- ordered a bevy of flip flops, now that i’m convinced summer may actually appear.  more on that later.

- saw the new star trek, and talked through the entire thing (apologies if you’re the person who was sitting in front of me).  afterward, went for late-night cherry pie…yum!

- hubs treated me to a tour around my favorite jewelry store of all time, where i found a new bauble to covet.  shocking, i know – but wasabi designer jill pearson just never fails to give me the happy feelings.  cannot find it anywhere online, but imagine a longer version of this, sans the ruby beads.  so summery!

- a last-minute trek out to suburbia to catch up on my fashion mag reading.  i’ve decided i don’t need to clog my mailbox with each and every one any more…so i just snuggle up to a mint tea at the bookstore and take copious notes.  discovered a new magazine, perfect for you crafty design types.

 - decided i need more loose, flowy dresses, and a light, oversized clutch if i’m going to avoid going completely insane this summer.  shopping shall ensue, have no doubt.

what about you?  how was your weekend?

for those of you still stalking the online sample sales (and really, aren’t we all?), i thought i’d let you know there are some pretty fantastic options out there this morning.

at gilt, choose from loeffler randall shoes (!), alexis bittar jewelry and perfect-for-spring clothes by tibi.

at ideeli, there are killer deals on gerard yosca jewelry and a handbag line i hadn’t seen before, called trace – lately, i’m big into the unlabeled bags, so this is particularly appealing to me (as are the low prices).  fortunately, the green one i was loving is gone now – a penny saved.  but the very pretty purple hobo is still available…for the moment.  as is a very gorgeous orange satchel that looks much more expensive than its $160 pricetag.

if you’re still looking for the not-so-elusive invite into any of these clubs, allow me.  just click here for a gilt invite, or here for ideeli.  and happy friday!