Cool Finds of the month, March 2009

Leaving it to the last day of the month, eh Elisa? Cutting it kind of close ;-)

Here's this month's Cool Finds post!






One for our pregnant friends: Christian Siriano, Season 4 winner of Project Runway, has designed a line of pregnancy clothing called (what else!) Fierce Mamas, and , you can find it at Moody Mamas. And for designer pregnancy threads without the hefty price tag, check out InStyle Belly. I bet you are feeling lucky to be sporting a bump right now!

How I miss my InStyle subscription! I'm waiting to move before I start a new one. Luckily, InStyle also has lots of great features online, too: like this Spring Trends for Your Shape guide!

Have you seen the new Bonnie collection by Coach? As usual, they are slightly overpriced and a little too small for my taste, but some of them are stunning! Like the jeweled tote, priced at *gasp* $1,000! (bit steep for cotton twill, no?)

You already know how much I love Sephora. My only gripe: too many chemicals, not enough natural brands. Not anymore! Sephora is carrying more and more natural brands, and not just "fake" ones (read: botanical-based but including no-nos like parabens or sodium lauryl sulphate), also fabulously natural ones like Pacifica, which makes fantastic soy candles and essential-oil based fragrances, for those of us allergic to synthetic fragrance. My favorite: Brazilian Mango and Grapefruit - yum.
(If you prefer not to have to read labels, check out Beautorium instead.)

A new magazine has hit... the web. VIVmag, like DuJour, cannot be found on the newsstand, but it can be read online (or downloaded on your computer). The cool part: It's an interactive magazine, which makes the articles much more interesting, like an article on fitness that includes animated exercise moves, or a cooking feature that's the dream of every at-home cook, because it contains a step-by-step video demonstration! Click here for a FREE trial membership.

If you love Rebecca Minkoff's handbags as much as I do, you'll be excited to hear about her new apparel line - drats, now I don't know if I should save for a Nikki or a Tuesday Trench Coat.

Let's talk about shoes: Kate Spade has a lovely, colorful spring collection; SheFinds helps us find great sandals under $100, and the new book (including photographs, sketches, and drawings!! can I get a "squee!"?) about the fabulous Salvatore Ferragamo just came out this month. As PopSugar said, let's put on our reading shoes ;-)

- Shauna from Is it 5 o'clock yet? shares her thoughts on the whole "growing up/getting old" thing.

- The Bloggess gives a great example of why PR people and anyone pitching to bloggers should first read their blogs. (Seriously, please do.)

- Savvy Auntie gives us some ideas to throw the little girls in our lives a Fancy Nancy-themed party.

- Always ready to expand our horizons when it comes to food, Jessie tells us how to make surprisingly delicious eggplant fries.

- The City Sage tells us what online tool is "the human equivalent of a ball of string!"

and last but not least, go here to see Kristen's results on JM's 30-day Shred! Awesome job, Kristen! Great motiovation to the reats of us to get off our... sofas, too ;-)


This end one of my favorite Cool Finds posts! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed compiling it. As usual, if you want to suggest something to be included in the next installment of Cool Finds of The Month, e-mail me or send me a Tweet!

Who's bringing out the gorgeous?

I bet many of you are, but only one with my help... or rather, the help of the new Clarisonic Plus.

It's time to announce the winner of the Clarisonic giveaway! The prize pack:
- New Clarisonic Plus
- 2 brushes
- 3 face cleansers
- Refining Skin Polish

Congratulations Maggie! You are the winner! I have sent you an e-mail, please get in touch with me to claim your write within 72 hours.

Everybody else – stay tuned! There will be more giveaways coming.

Bring out the gorgeous - A Giveaway!

It's snowy outside, but I'm ready for Spring. I'm ready to swap the heavy clothing and thick sweaters in dark colors with airy, breezy tops in brighter colors. And I'm ready for warmer weather, that allows me to spend more time outdoors and trade my pasty winter skin for the naturally flushed cheeks and brighter eyes that come with spending more time outdoors, getting more fresh air, and running around with my daughters. No amount of makeup can replace that.

While waiting for spring, I thought I'd offer a giveaway that will allow you to get your skin ready to shed the winter makeup and be more beautiful, no retouching needed *wink*. I'm talking of course of Clarisonic, which has received lots of buzz in the past year for being a useful beauty tool to help busy women keep their skin clean and clear – 'cause I don't know about you, but I cannot just run to the spa for a facial every week, or even every month. (In fact, I don't remember when I last visited a spa for some pampering.)

I have been wanting to try Clarisonic for a while, since I first heard of it on BellaSugar. Being also a Sephora-holic, I also admired it on their website. I don't watch Oprah, but apparently she is also in love with it! My curiosity got the best of me and I finally managed to get one and try it (insert excited jumping about looking silly). I was amazed at the a change there was in my skin after only 10 days using the Clarisonic. My skin is softer, my pores are shrinking, and I think my face products are working better as a result of my skin being cleaner! And the Clarisonic seems to be finally clearing my skin, which after my second pregnancy seemed to have gone a bit crazy.

Woulnd't you like to approach Spring with clear, radiant skin, and not need makeup to cover it up? Just moisturizer, sunscreen, maybe a bit of mascara and lipgloss, and out the door?

Here's something even better: not only you have a chance to win your own Clarisonic here, but the latest model, the Clarisonic PLUS, that just came out last month and is only available at Sephora!

The PLUS model still uses sonic technology to deeply (but gently!) clear pores of daily impurities, but it also has several additional features:. So if you win, this is how your Clarisonic will be better than mine (this is how much I like you):
- the Clarisonic PLUS comes with a special brush that allows you to use your Clarisonic on other parts of your body, not just your face
- it has 3 speeds, with separate control buttons
- it has an international charging cradle, so you can use it no matter where you are
- it comes with the Refining Skin PolishOne lucky reader of Diary of an Unlikely Housewife will win a Clarisonic PLUS bundle, including the Refining Skin Polish and 3 different cleansers (for dry, normal and oily skin), and of course the extra brush for the body.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post telling me why you'd like to win. For extra entries:
- Blog about the giveaway (2 entries)
- StumbleUpon this page (1 entry)
- Tweet about this giveaway (1 entry - only once)
- Place the giveaway graphic on your sidebar (2 entries)

br /><a href="http://unlikelyhousewife.blogspot.com/2009/03/bring-out-gorgeous-giveaway.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Diary of an Unlikely Housewife - Clarisonic PLUS giveaway" src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a388/ElyMom/Clarisonic-giveaway.jpg" /></a><br /><br />

Feel free to tell me everything you did in one comment – I'll give you the right amount of entries, I promise :-)
Please include links to your tweets/posts. Contest entries will be accepted through March 25th. Contest is open to U.S. residents only.

Good luck everyone!

Cool Finds of the month, February 2009

Wow, I seem to be running late on everything this month (well, not everything, thank goodness - my baby dust deflector seems to be working ;-)). Someone might question whether I deserve a Swiss passport ;-)

Let's move on to what we are here for, shall we? Here are the Cool Finds Of The Month.



The beauty world seems to be having a midlife crisis: all of a sudden we see lines dedicated to iconic childhood characters, like Hello Kitty and Barbie. That's right, the MAC Hello Kitty collection debuted this month, and not only it includes makeup, but also designer Hello Kitty-inspired designer clothes, currently being auctioned off.

And what about the glamour girl of our childhood, Barbie? She, too, has inspired a makeup line. The latest of Stila's famous talking palettes is dedicated to Barbie, giving and excuse to those of us too old to play with Barbies to... you know, do that anyway. Oh, and just in case Barbie isn't happy with that, we should remind her of the fact that she'll soon be wearing Christian Louboutin heels, and that her 50th birthday celebration included a special fashion show (not too shabby!) during New York Fashion Week, and that Patricia Field also has a small Barbie-inspired accessory collection. Spoiled little thing.

The above is followed, quite expectedly, with an obsession with pink. Bergdorf Goodman shows us the prettiest pink things we can't afford now in it's current Color Story.

Craving more bright colors? If you, like me, are sick of the snow and cold, brighten up your day and accessorize for spring with Accessories & Beyond new colorful leather bracelets, available at Fragments, starting at $30.


Need a special outfit for your little princess? Look no futher. Alice + Olivia's new girls line is now available at Neiman Marcus, and if the Eloise dress (pictured here) isn't enough to make you melt into a puddle you have a black, black heart.



If you already love your MasterCard, I bet you'd love it even more if it got a little facelift... especially if it was done by Roberto Cavalli. The Italian designer, in association with MasterCard and a number of luxury retailers, has designed a new credit card for the fashion-obsessed. Together with the gorgeous python-print card you get VIP services at Cavalli boutiques, and some pretty exclusive perks. Salivating yet? You can apply here.

Last but not least: for those of us not so much into yellow (like yours truly), luckily coral is another hot hue for spring and summer. And here's a fabulous coral-inspired giveaway sponsored by Benefit and Banana Republic: Coralista Fashionista Sweepstakes (bad name, good contest!)

- KidCity staffers share the best chocolate treats in their Chocoholics Choice Awards.

- Whether you love crafts or like me, despise them, you must check out Craftastrophe. If you thought your craft efforts were a little less than awesome, you'll definitely feel better after seeing some of the... ehm... inventive crafts posted.

- Racked give us the scoop on the McQ line for Target (and the launch party - making me regret not going!)

- Bakerella showed us how to make a chocolate praline box... out of of cake.

- Six Revisions shared their list of 10 Features That Would Make Twitter Better.


That's it for this month! I hope you enjoyed this post. If you want to suggest something to be included in the next installment of Cool Finds of The Month, e-mail me or send me a Tweet!

Insider Shopping: January 2009

The first change of 2009: the "Insider Shopping" section of the Cool Finds of the Month post is going solo. The Cool Finds post was getting a bit crowded, so I decided to split it in two: the sales and offers will still be published on a monthly basis, mid-month; the Cool Finds post will still come out at the end of the month and contain cool finds, new things that come out, favorite blog posts from the blogosphere, and so on. So here's the first issue of Insider Shopping, I hope you like it!

Free shipping and a free Virtuose Mascara with any Lancome purchase, through January 18th.

Special offer at Clarins: choose two of your favorite products and receive two free products! Order by January 21 and get free shipping, too - just use coupon code NATURE.

Everybody loves the spa, but having to go back just to find that fabulous body lotion is annoying. No need: many hard-to-find luxury skincare products can now be found at Spalook, often at much better prices. And right now they have some great offers! Through February 25th, spend $75 and choose your free gift:
- FREE Avene Ystheal+ Cream and Ystheal+ Eye Contour Care with promo code AVENE2Y
or
- FREE full-size Janson Beckett Vitamin C&C Facial Serum with promo code JBCC

And for a limited time only, you can get free products with any online order - from Covet by Sarah Jessica Parker to a Juice Beauty travel set and many many more. Choose your free product among the many available here.

20% off all PureGloss on Jane Iredale. These glosses are fabulous. Great colors, not too sticky, and all natural! Check out www.janeiredale.com and use promo code INSTYLE09 through January 31st to receive your 20% discount.

25% off merchandise from popular celebrity makeup artists at Paula Dorf Cosmetics and Suresh Beauty. Use promo code INSTYLE09 through January 31st.

Receive a Stephanie Johnson make-up case filled with beauty samples and coupons with your beauty of fragrance purchase of $50 or more at Saks Fifth Avenue, using code SHAPEUP. Offer expires January 18th.

Receive a free Be Delicious DKNY fragrance with any purchase from Sephora.

Free Youthopia firming eye cream with any Origins order through January 20th with code YouthEyeLS.


20% off any purchase from Baghaus with coupon code 2009SALE, plus free shipping for any purchase $50 and above, and 50% off all wallets when you spend $75.

20% off all online shoe purchases at Chinese Laundry trough January 25th with coupon code CLFRIENDS2009.

Post-Holiday sale at Greenloop and NIMLI: enjoy up to 75% off the best in eco-luxury apparel.

25% off your purchase at CoutureCandy with coupon code 25DAY.

Through January 31, get free shipping and $15 off any order over $100 at Linea Pelle using code CJLP15, or get 10% off any order with code CJLP10. You'll find lots of great deals in the "Specials" section, including a Dylan Croco Double Zippy and Dylan Croco Shoulder Bag both at 40% off!

15% off all purchases on Rich & Skinny jeans with promo code INSTYLE09. Valid until January 31st.

Designer Modi Soondarotok launched her line Idom after working form Peter Som, Donna Karan and Armani in NYC. Get 20% off all purchases on Idom Designs with promo code INSTYLE09. Valid through January 31st.

Add Hayden-Harnett to your friends on Facebook and enjoy their special "Inauguration sale"! 50% off any online purchase, including sale items, using code PRESIDENT at checkout. Offer ends on January 21, so hurry up!

Accessory blowout sale on Editor's Note! All items that were not sold on previous private sales, at even lower prices. Hurry, quantities are limited!

An additional 20% off Net-a-Porter's fabulous designer sale items with coupon code WINTERUSA. Valid until January 18th.

Get up to 75% off in the French Connection Winter Sale.


20% off all purchases on Jules Smith Designs. Check out the intricate jewelery pieces loved by many celebs, including Cameron Diaz, Angelina Jolie, Leighton Meester, Blake Lively, and Eva Longoria. Use promo code JULES20 through January 31st to receive 20% off all purchases.

25% off all purchases on Laura Elizabeth Jewelry - her designs are worn by many celebrities, like Hayden Panettiere, Brooke Shields and Maria Menounos. Use promo code INSTYLE09 through January 31st.

20% off all purchases on Tejani. Find out why Stars like Teri Hatcher and Kim Kardashian love the timeless hand-crafted jewelry pieces designed by Urvi Prunier. Use promo code INSTYLE09 through January 31st.


Need help in keeping the kids' room organized? Save 20% on the Somerset Storage Collection at Pottery Barn Kids through January 20th. And while you are there, check out the Clearance section and save up to 75% on furniture, bedding and more.

Save up to 50% on baby gear, apparel and furniture on the Giggle Winter sale. Lots of great deals on strollers, diaper bags, crib bedding, and more lovely things for your favorite tot.

That's it for this month, I hope you found something you liked! See you next month with the February installment of Insider Shopping... and another surprise ;-)

Cool finds of the month: Holiday Edition, part 2

Hi everyone!

Here's the second part of the Cool Find of the Month, Holiday edition. Here you will find a few tips about things you'll need for the Holiday Parties you'll be attending: clothes, accessories, hostess gifts, and even party necessities like decorations and recipes, if YOU will be the one hosting.

I hope you find this helpful!



If you have trouble picking hostess gifts, consider this: those (crazies) who don't like chocolate are few and far between . And when we are talking about one of the scrumptious confections from Recchiuti, the number is even smaller. Order a bunch and be set for all the holiday parties you are going to attend – you'll get 15% off your order using coupon code ARTISAN.

If your hostess is a fashion maven, she will definitely love these cookies by Eleni's! The handbag cookies are fashioned after designer handbags, and will be delivered to your door already in a gift box, ready to give... or keep (they are so pretty!)

A gourmet gift basket is always a welcome present. It includes several things so you can be sure to cater to all tastes. GiftBaskets.com has many different kinds of gift baskets: choose a prepared one of customize it to fit your host's taste. Whatever you pick, you can get 10% off by using this code at checkout: ZK-8978.

If your hostess is a "green goddess", an eco-friendly gift is a must. Browse the Acacia online store for gorgeous eco-friendly gifts that will please anyone, whether they care about their carbon print or not ;-) They also have a clearance section with items priced at 50% off.


I just found the most delicious, affordable natural skincare line ever. Garden Girl is a fantastic line of natural skin care products that do not include parabens, mineral oil, petroleum derivatives or synthetic fragrances. They smell fantastic, have a great texture, and really work. After only 3 days using 3 Garden Girl products on my face, my skin feels incredible and I'm definitely hooked! Today (Saturday 20) is the last day to get $10 off your order, but after hearing my rave review Kristin, the owner of Garden Girl, created a special offer just for readers of this blog: use coupon code HIPMOM through December 31st to get 15% off your entire order!
(Though honestly, even without it, these products are fabulous and a real bargain for the quality!)
Unlikely Housewife pick: Pucker Up Coconut-Line Sugar Scrub, $22

Get pretty and save a pretty penny: use code SAVEGOOD to get 20% any order from Benefit Cosmetics today (Saturday 20) or get FREE next-day shipping (US) on Sunday and Monday with code LASTGIFT, so you can still get your gifts in time for Christmas!


Tobi is a special online store – and what makes it special isn't just the great selection, the multiple search possibilities on the site, the Beauty Bar section or even the section dedicated entirely to Eco-friendly fashion lines – though all those are definitely good reasons to love it :-) What makes it really special is that when you go on Tobi.com you get to chat one on one with a stylist, who will help you choose the best pieces for your party or occasion, suggest how to wear them (like how to accessorize a great dress) and all without charging you a dime more than the price of the merchandise. Yes, it's true. And on top of that, through December 31 you can get 25% off your Tobi purchase with this coupon code: INSTYLE08.

If you prefer a colorful, bohemian style for your party dress, InStyle helps us there too: December 31st to receive 20% off your purchases at the Oyouki online boutique using promo code INSTYLE08. You will find collections from international designers, and you will have lots of fun looking.

If you like the edgy vibe UK fashion has, you will LOVE the party dress/accessory selection at TopShop! Check out their Christmas offers, get recommendations with their party picks and get ideas on how to put your own party look together with their party looks.

The DVF Holiday Collection is on sale, 40% off! Go to DVF.com to see (and shop!).

You can score DVF and more at the Barney's Designer sale - designer clothes, shoes and accessories up to 60% off.

Other great online retailers where you can get fabulous party dresses:
- CoutureCandy: get 25% off already discounted merchandise with code 25DAY
- Fashion Chateau: get 20% off all orders, whether you shop for new designer dresses or choose to browse the sale rack (up to 85% off!!); just use code CHATEAU20. Also while there, enter to win a $1,000 shopping spree!

And if you need some lovely (but affordable) shoes to go with your new dress, check out Chinese Laundry, where you'll get 20% off any order (including new merchandise), through December 23. Discount is applied when item is added to shopping cart.

In other words, why brave the crowds, when you have a veritable goldmine of gorgeous fashion and accessories (and better sales!) at your fingertips?

Not to mention the private sales! If you are reading this on December 20, you are in luck: there is a Catherine Malandrino sale going on at GiltGroupe, and it closes tonight! No one is better than Catherine Malandrino at designing perfect party dresses, and with this sale you can score one at a fraction of the retail price!


If you still need a few decorations to get your home ready for the holidays, here are a few places you can get them at, at better prices:
- The Crate and Barrel Holiday Sale, where you can find ornaments, everything you need to set your holiday table, and even cookies for Santa :-)
- Wrapables.com, which already has lots of stuff on sale, including decorations and "Dining and entertaining" items.
- Pier 1 Imports, which has lots of items on sale at 50% off inclusing some really cute gift bags and decorations.

And if every year you scramble to find your favorite holiday recipes, you really need to get a custom-made cookbook at Tastebook. Find a cookbook, customize it or create your own with recipes from Epicurious, Allrecipes, Food Network, MyRecipes and more, or import your own recipes and mix and match! You can even select the cover. I'm totally in love with Tastebook – it was about time someone came up with this!


So there you have it, the cool finds for this month. I hope they make your holidays more fun, less stressful... enjoy!

Beauty Giveaway winners!

The time has come... to announce the winners of the beauty giveaway!

*drum roll* (yes, I like a little drama, I am Italian after all)

The winner of the first prize, a full-size jar of Elizabeth Grant Biocollasis™ GOLD Advanced Cellular Radiance, worth $300...

... is Marilyn, from Marilyn's Musings!!


The Winner of the second prize, which includes two full size products, Elizabeth Grant Vitamin C Eye Cream and Collagen Face Pads, for a total worth of $110...

... is Pamela, of Pam-Fried Family Life!

Congratulations ladies! Please get back to me within 48 hours to claim your prizes!

Thank you everyone else for entering! Stay tuned, there's more coming! I am about to host a really cool giveaway on my cooking blog, Unlikely Housewife in the Kitchen. Follow me on Twitter, subscribe to my RSS feed or just check back here to find out when the next giveaway starts!

Beauty giveaway - 2 winners!

I don't know about you, but after having my second child and turning 30, I started seeing a change in my skin – and not for the better! So I started looking into anti-aging skincare without toxic ingredients, and eventually found the right one for me.

During my little experiment, I realized that trying things out until you find the right one can end up being not only annoying and time consuming, but also expensive.
So in light of the fact that:
a. the Holidays are upon us
b. they are the most stressful season of the year (not to mention the most expensive!)
c. and stress contributes to aging... I decided to treat you to a little pre-Holiday gift and hold my very first beauty giveaway, with anti-aging products by Elizabeth Grant. I am currently using the Vitamin C Body Scrub and I really like it!

Here's what you could win:
1. Elizabeth Grant Advanced Cellular Radiance
2. Elizabeth Grant Vitamin C Eye Cream and Collagen Face Pads

So what do you say? Would you like to feel pampered? Here's how you can earn multiple entries for this giveaway:
- Tweet about this giveaway (1 entry)
- Blog about this giveaway (2 entries)
- Place the giveaway graphic on your sidebar (2 entries)

<br /><a href="http://unlikelyhousewife.blogspot.com/2008/11/beauty-giveaway-3-winners.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Diary of an Unlikely Housewife - Luxury Skincare giveaway" src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a388/ElyMom/blog%20stuff/EG-giveaway-final.jpg" /></a><br /><br />

Then come back here and let me know. Please include links to your tweets/posts. Contest entries will be accepted through November 30th. Contest is open to U.S. and Canadian residents only (sorry Sherry!)

That's it!

Good luck everyone!

An extra nugget of coolness...

... for the girly girls out there who are trying to be more "green":

I just found out that Alima cosmetics has extended their sale until August 4!

For those of you not familiar with Alima, they make absolutely gorgeous, totally natural mineral makeup. Let me tell you why I love this brand:
1. Unlike mineral makeup from Neutrogena, L'Oreal, or the ever popular BareMinerals, Alima cosmetics' ingredients don't include any chemical additive, but really only minerals;
2. Unlike many all-natural mineral makeup brands, they actually have some really gorgeous colors available;
3. They offer sample sizes! That's right, you can try as many samples as you like, even order only samples of various shades, so you can make up your mind of what colors work best without wasting money nor products!
4. You can send the empty jars back to them for recycling. If you send them 5 empty full-size jars you will get a FREE eyeshadow of your choice.
5. If all the above wasn't enough, every package you receive will include a few FREE samples they pick based on the shades you selected as part of your order. As part of my first order I got 2 shades I loved so much that I included both in my order this time around!

Until August 4, you save 15% on your order if you use this code at checkout: SUMMER08. And if you order 75 dollars worth of products, accessories and samples you will receive a limited edition set of 3 full-sized eyeshadows.

BTW, this isn't an ad. I just really love these products and I thought I'd spread the word. I think you'll love them too!

I found this lovely brand reading Gorgeously Green.

Super-makeover anyone?

I remember a scene of Judging Amy I watched several years ago, that keeps coming back to me every now and then. It went like this:
Lauren: Grandma, what is anorexia?
Maxine: A disease women get from reading fashion magazines.

Ok, I will likely be condemned now as non-PC, but that scene was funny and sad at the same time - it rang true, and I still think about it. I thought about it today because I came across this YouTube video on Postpartum Body, and I was shocked an awed at the same time, and then a little angry. I felt I had to share it, so here it is: