Lucky Shops... oh yes she does!

On Friday, as planned, I met my friend PJ and we made our way to Lucky Shops. Contrary to what you might expect however, I didn't show up really early, bracing myself for several hours of marathon shopping. After being warned by a friend who had attended last year's event that most of the merchandise would be "cheaper than usual, but still pretty expensive" I had decided to follow my organizing-freak instinct and had already planned (almost scheduled) my purchases for the approaching holiday season; so I was going mainly in an investigative capacity, so to speak, and using the fact that I had won the tickets as excuse to have a girl's night out. Of course I am only human, and I'm a girl, so I left ample room for the possibility that I'd find something I simply must have (and could afford), and I took a credit card with me anyway.

We showed up a little before 5 p.m. (closing time was 7 p.m.) and started making our rounds. Here's a summary.

Lines & crowds: Doors opened at 10 a.m., but as I said we didn't show up until a little before 5 p.m., so I can't testify to the lines and crowds before then. But I can tell you that I was VERY impressed with the venue (Metropolitan Pavillion, in Chelsea) - it was airy, well-organized; the bar, the ottomans, everything perfectly placed so as to be easily accessible but not in the way, not to disturb the flow of shoppers. Impressive.

Cocktails/drinks and food: Beer, cocktails - including a delicious one with tangerine juice - bottles of Coke and Diet Coke free for the taking, as well as the newest iced coffee drinks by POM. Miniature Larabar fruit-nut bars, 100-Calorie Packs of Ritz crackers and Cheese Nips.


Gift bags: No giftbags, really - unless you count the miniature shopping tote from Shop Rock & Roll containing a Chevy notebook and a sample of Benefit "That Gal", which you got after taking a survey at the Chevy Maliboutique.
Other freebies:
- full-size Garnier Nutritioniste products (Skin Renew face moisturizer and Nutri-Pure Gel Cleanser), and skin consultation at the Garnier Nutritioniste booth;
- a sample of Benefit You Rebel tinted moisturizer and free shipping on the next purchase at the Benefit online store (use code LUCKYYOU) valid through tomorrow, November 11;
- a 25% online discount from Lizzie Scheck Jewelry using code LSJ25;
- a free silver Nintendo DS pocker mirror, exactly like the pink one I got at Shecky's Girls Night Out;
- free consultation with stylist Danna Weiss.

Merchandise and discounts: lovely clothes, jewellery and shoes, for the most part. Mostly designer. Prices were discounted, some even affordable, but not cheap. Example:
- Foley + Corinna city clutch, $220 (retail price $440)
- Chloe suede wedge boots originally priced at $1,150, 50% off at LuckyShops
- MINT by Jodi Arnold top, $138 (retail price $308)
- And these gorgeous Kate Spade peep-toe pumps, $135 (retail price $328), which I definitely would have bought if it wasn't for the fact that I have 3 brand-new pairs of peep-toe pumps that I have yet to wear, just sitting prettily in my dresser.


A few highlights:
- Shoes, bags and accessories from (as in: worn on) Project Runway.


- Conscious Jewelry by Danna Weiss: gorgeous necklaces. Thick gold-plated chains with perfectly shaped and polished crystals and gems, each related to a specific chakra. Designer Dana Weiss describes her line as "metaphisically designed and eco-conscious" and recommends choosing your pieces carefully, based on what you are drawn to the most, because that is the stone covering the area where you need to restore balance. This may sound ridiculous, but after following the instructions and putting on the chosen stone, I believe there is something to this.

- The Denim Bar was definitely brilliant. Several brands, all priced under $100 (discounted) and a Singer station where you could get your newly purchased denims hemmed for free. Smart thinking, Lucky!

- The Botkier booth was a thing of beauty. Lots of gorgeous bags and shoes in different sizes, models, colors and materials. When even a nylon bag feels and looks so rich and luxurious and you find yourself preferring it to more expensive leather handbags, you know that's a label to go for.


As closing time approached, the deals started popping up. A few we noticed:
- Siegerson Morrison flats for $30
- Rafe New York peep-toe flats for $30
- Gucci sunglasses for $90
- knee-high Dr.Martens patent combat boots for $60

That, of course meant that just as we were trying on shoes, the event ended and we were left to watch the booth attendants add more styles to the shelves for those same low prices, in preparation for Saturday's "Shop-a-thon" (Lucky's words, not mine).



Which is pretty smart when you think about it, because PJ and I were actually tempted to purchase a Saturday ticket and return the day after, to do some actual shopping. But since we were exhausted after only 2 hours and we had taken it pretty easy, we figured we woulnd't enjoy the "last man standing"-like atmosphere that was probably going to characterize the Saturday Shop-a-thon, so we decided to let it go - PJ had scored a lovely pair of leather pumps

A word of caution: if you ever plan on attending any such events and do a day of marathon-shopping, don't stop until you get home. Don't even sit. If you do, you might end up falling asleep, surrounded by your shopping bags, in an inappropriate place where you might be filmed and/or photographed. Don't believe me? Scroll down.



Told you ;-)


P.S. Didn't make it to LuckyShops? Don't be sad. Bluefly is now making the fabulous clothes and accessories from LuckyShops availalble online!

Men in tights and turkey legs

We finally made it to the Renaissance Faire! It was so much fun! If you are ever in the area, I would really recommend going. Heck, I'd recommend going even if you have to drive a couple of hours, because it's really worth it. I couldn't capture all of it, there was so much fantastic stuff! But here are a few things I did capture:

The opening parade
(those you see behind the pretty girl are Robin Hood's "merry men")

God save the Queen!

The Maypole Dance

Hot pirate

Robin Hood won the jousting tournament - and the hearts of many of the ladies in the audience

A segment of the Maypole dance (sorry about the poor image quality):



We had turkey legs for lunch! Tried to convince my husband to share some mead, but he refused because he was still recovering from the sugar-shock he got from the cheesecake on a stick and we still had to drive home :-)

All the girls wanna go to Shecky's

I know you want to know, so I won't keep you waiting until Monday to tell you about Shecky's Girls Night Out.

If you like shopping, if you are always looking for the next little boutique so you can have some interesting pieces to add to your wardrobe, let me tell you ladies: go. To quote Nike, Just do it.

I went with my friend V. Here's the summary of our night:

Lines & crowds: doors opened at 5 pm. We got there a few minutes after 5 to find a line half-way around the block - pretty scary. But they were well organized and the line moved very quicky - by about 5.30 we were in. The personnel was there to answer questions and give directions and they were polite and friendly(with one exception: yes, I'm talking about you, "security guy" on the 7th floor, Mr. "in a straight line ladies!" - I don't care about your straight line, I am NOT standing by the garbage!!)

Attire: Most of the girls were wearing feminine but casual outfits, like jeans and wedges, sleaveless dresses and so on, with a few erring on the overdressed/underdressed side. I was in wearing dark wash jeans, a black satin top and black wedges, accessorized with bangles and my beloved charm necklace. I felt like I was dressed just right - but I should have probably done what V. did and worn flats (learn from my mistakes!).

Cocktails/drinks: Beer, virgin mojitos (from Bacardi, go figure), Borba skin balance water, red and white wine, margaritas, French martinis.

All cocktails were made with Chambord, which is a black raspberry liqueur, so they tasted a bit different from the usual, but good.

All wine was from a company called Little Black Dress Wine - the bottles are pretty, but I had some of their Pinot Grigio and I was not at all impressed. It tasted more of less like the white wine I use for cooking (which is less than 4 dollars a bottle).

The Bacardi Mojito sounded good, but it was virgin as far as we could tell and very sweet, without any detectable minty taste - it kind of resembled Sprite, to be honest. We discarded ours after 2 sips.

Merchandise and discounts: Some very cheesy, cheap-looking jewellery, accessories and synthetic clothing, BUT also lots of very cute, very interesting merchandise, from several new boutiques/designers. A few highlights:

- Taylor Hayden: totes, clutches and makeup bags in different sizes, made of cotton with beautiful vintage prints. V. and I kept oohing and aahing at all the lovely totes and the bow clutches they had there. And I was happy to find a makeup bag with a lovely Amy Butler print. Very well made - I was impressed. Something cool: they have a "design your bag" service where you can pick the shape and fabric(s) and they'll make it exactly as you request.

- Fused Glass and Leather Bracelets by Fusing Colors: very unusual, a bohemian accessory with a rock n' roll vibe. Really cool.

- Mode Accessories: oh, I think I spend the longest time in front of this booth. Great bangles of many colors, shapes and styles, and some really nice bags. I totally fell in love with the Bee Bag! And I don't even like yellow!

- Accessories and Beyond: The charm necklaces with a suede strap inside the chain are really nice and can be worn as bracelets, too. I also love the charm bangles - they look MUCH nicer than you can see from the photos and they have them in several colors - perfect for accessorizing a simple outfit.

- bags and clutches by Nikita Lynn Designs: OMG, these were fabulous. The detail and fabric were fantastic. The clutches were so delicious, I wish I could have gotten one of each. She had several pieces there that are not yet on her website - but photos simply would not do these bags justice, you have to go check out her boutique!

The discounts varied, but overall this is a great night for shopping. For instance the charm bangles from Accesories and Beyond were being sold for about 50 dollars, but their actual price is $135. The bee bag from Mode Accessories was being sold for $85 and was then lowered even more, to $55, on Friday - but the actual price of the bag is $135 (but if you hurry up and go to the website, you can still get it for the discounted price - or you can get ME one, to thank me for the detailed review). These are just examples - a lot of merchandise was offered at much lower prices than usual. Next year I'll save my summer shopping for my Shecky's Girls Night Out!

Other complimentary services/items: manicures, makeup and hair styling were available, but the waiting list was miles long. There was a Nintendo DS corner where you could play for free and admire some new DS with a blinged-up cover. We also got a cute pink Nintendo DS compact mirror.

Gift bags: The gift bags were a major disappointment. See the contents below and tell me if I'm being picky:

Hair products: a can of Redken Fabricate 03 heat-active texturizer, a tube of Redken Satinwear 02 blow-dry lotion (sample size), a can of Göt 2b Smooth Operator (sample size), a jar of Alagio Trend Starter twisting paste.

Cosmetics: Bioré blemish fighting ice cleanser (sample size), Avené soothing moisture mark (sample size), Roc daily microdarmabrasion cleansing disk (1), Couvrance foundation.

Personal hygiene: Intuition shaver, Dove beauty body (sample size), Dove body mist (sample size), Aquafresh White Trays, DentaBurst freshening teeth cleaners, a full-size tube of Colgate toothpaste in MaxFresh Burst.

Other: 2 packets of Boost immune booster (sweetened with sucralose - stick with Emergen-C!), black Shine To Go shoe polisher (2), a booklet of Chambord cocktail recipes, Shecky's NYC Beauty Map and NYC Fashion Map (the maps are actually pretty cool).

But this I have to say: Hey Shecky's, what's with all the practical stuff in my gift bag? I can walk into a Target and get myself some shoe polish and Colgate toothpaste if I'm so inclined, you know? (I'm not because I despise Colgate, but either way...) Do you call this a deluxe gift bag? I know you know it's not - because I saw the merchandise you had at the Night Out and I subscribe to your newsletters, so I know you have higher standards than that. How about getting rid of all the stuff we may get while grocery shopping and instead include some fun stuff, like more makeup? If only you had included some mascara and/or a cool eyeshadow I would have already been much happier!

Also, considering how most companies are making an effort to include more eco-friendly practices in their business, I would have liked to see canvas totes instead of synthetic ones, but that's just me.

In short - was it worth the price of the ticket? Well, I paid $ 15 because I caught the advance purchase offer of 2 for 1, so yes. Considering the great boutiques featured and the special prices, definitely. But if I had paid 30 dollars mainly for the gift bag, I would be very, very annoyed.

Just as a note: it's not as posh as they make it sound. It's pretty crowded, it's very hot and the cocktails are served in small plastic cups, and I wish they'd been more selective with some of the jewellery, which resembled stuff I saw at my daughter's school Holiday Market.

That said, it was still fun. And if you are ready for it and don't make big purchases before going you'll be able to do your big (and some small) purchases there, often at a fraction of the price. So yes, I would go again!