Insider Shopping, February 2009

Ah yes – Insider Shopping is late this month. I apologize! I hope the shopping deals below make up for it a little bit ;-)


Receive FREE Standard Shipping on any $50 Clinique order, with code COMFORT09. Or use code FEBHM to receive a FREE trial-size High Impact Mascara and FREE Shipping with any $35 purchase.

Receive a free full-size Love Handler ($36 value) with any Bliss purchase, including the sets, where you already save 10%.

Need to get a gift that won't break the bank? Or maybe you just need a little pick-me-up for yourself? Check out the Tarte EcoEyes set. It comes in a nice purple cosmetic pouch and contains all of Tarte's eco-friendly essentials for great eye makeup. A $109 value, it's available at Sephora for a limited time for $39.

And if you want to get a nice present for a real girly-girl, snag something from the Limited Edition Juicy Couture for Sephora collection, now up to 75% off.



I told you about Tobi before – I really love this online store! Online help from a stylist, gorgeous designs from DVF, Botkier, Missoni and others, a section dedicated exclusively to eco-friendly fashion.... what's not to love? Especially with an additional 25 percent off sale items! Enter the code 25MORE at checkout.
And if you are ready to start indulging in some Spring shopping, today is the last day to get 20% off the new spring arrivals, with coupon code SPRING20.

Love the new sample sale websites? Check out Hautelook. This invite-only platform offers discounts on premium brands like Balenciaga and Christian Lacroix. Use promo code INSTYLE09 from February 13th until March 31st to receive 20% off purchases of $100 or more.

Do your New Year's resolutions include "get in shape"? Motivate yourself by getting one of the new bathing suits from the new Victoria's Secret lines and get a free tote with your purchase, with code SWIMVS. And if you shop by February 28, you can take $10 of your order with coupon code 10FORYOU (don't you love that VS lets you input up to 3 coupon codes?)

And speaking about getting in shape... Need new workout clothes? No? Want some anyway? Enjoy 20% off all purchases on fila.com and use promo code FILAINSTYLE from February 13th until March 31st to receive 20% off all purchases.

Valentine's Day has passed, but there's still time to share the love. Through Feb. 23, buy a pair of jeans for yourself at Joe's Jeans and get a pair for your sweetheart at 50 percent off when you enter JOELOVESME at checkout. Additional purchases will receive 25 percent off.

Yoox, the place to get designer apparel and accessories at a discount year-round, has marked down it's Fall-Winter catalog, so you can now indulge guilt-free by scoring items up to Extra 70% off.




If you are anything like me, Valentine's Day is definitely not the only time of year when you like to enjoy gourmet chocolate. Check out Lula's Chocolates and enjoy a discount for orders over $40: enter code CHATTER10 for 10% off. And for orders over $80, enter code CHATTER15 for 15% off.

A trip is a surefire way to fish the winter blues, but we are in a recession. No problem: take advantage of Travelocity's Silver Lining Sale and save up to 50% on hotels when you book a vacation package. Hawaii for $67 a night? I'll pack my bathing suit!

And with with JetBlue's March Into Spring Sale, you can book your flight as low as $39 each way. The deals end Friday, so book now for travel before April 1.

It may be still chilly out, but we are getting ready for Spring. Time to declutter and organize your closet to make space for the new Spring/Summer collections! The Container Store's sale coulnd't come at a better time: save 20% off sitewide, with code CLUTTERCREW through March 1.


That's it for now - happy shopping!

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 1

With the holidays approaching, it is only fitting that I dedicate the cool finds of the month to stuff that can make this lovely season more bearable ;-) No, seriously, with the shopping, the cooking, the planning, the spending, by the time we get to the part where we are supposed to let go and have fun, we don't want to be too tired to enjoy it, do we?

So this first installment of the Holiday Edition will focus on gift-giving and other holiday-related activities – I hope you find it helpful.

Multitaskers tend to get lots done but we also have the highest stress levels, and the holiday season is stressful enough as it is! If you are trying to cramp a whole lot of stuff into your lunch break, and you find yourself trying to catch up on unreplied text messages while out shopping, here's something to make things easier: install Vlingo on your Blackberry and you'll have your very own text-messaging assistant. Just say what you want to send and Vlingo will convert it into a text message. It's easy to use and it's a free service!

If you, like me, are expecting house guests for the holidays, and are getting everything ready for them, here's my tip: give THEM your pillow and get yourself a customized pillow from Sleep Number! Their Create Your Perfect Pillow program allows you to personalize the exact outer comfort, inner support and pillow protector materials in their pillow. I recently upgraded to one of these pillows, and I was very surprised to see what a difference something so small makes in the quality of my sleep.
Pillow prices start at $90, and gift cards are also available for purchase – check it out at any of the Sleep Number stores nationwide or online.

How gorgeous are Nancy Gonzales handbags? But who can afford them? Well, maybe you don't have to. Enter the Sweepstakes (hosted by Neiman Marcus) for your chance to win a $3000 Nancy Gonzales shopping spree!

Going on a trip for the holidays? Taking your little one with you? If you are staying at a Hyatt hotel, you can travel a lot lighter by using the Hyatt Travel Lite service, which allows you to order anything you might need, from formula and baby food to strollers and carriers, and have it delivered it to your Hyatt destination.

Need to get your home ready for the holiday parties you'll be throwing? Check out Amazon's Home and Garden Holiday Markdowns, to score kitchen equipment, cookware, table linens and tableware at 30-50% discount.
Also save on decorations on Amazon's Get Ready for the Holidays section.



If you think your sister or best friend would love to find something cute from Bebe under the tree, make sure you use coupon codes to get it for them: through November 30th, get $20 off your purchase of $125 or more with coupon code BBSAVE20 – heck, get something for yourself too, and get $100 (!) off your purchase of $300 or more with coupon code BBGET100.

If your favorite jewelry is feminine but edgy, you'll love Meredith Kahn's Made Her Think line. And you'll love even more that she has a lot of fantastic pieces on sale, up to 60% off! Perfect time to get a present... especially if it's for you ;-)

Women are so easy to shop for! Another example: makeup. Clinique is, in my experience, the brand with the best "gift with purchase" offers. This year Clinique has teamed up with leading designer Trina Turk and has a great offer at one of my favorite stores, Nordstrom. You will receive Trina Turk’s first-ever cosmetics bag, filled with 6 beauty essentials, plus a mirrored lipstick case, FREE with any Clinique purchase of $25 or more — exclusively at Nordstrom, until supplies last.
Or – if you already have too many make-up bags – you can shop at Clinique online get a free tote with your purchase of $50 or more.

This year, Drugstore.com is giving Clinique a run for their money! Their Kooba Beauty Bag is filled with goodies from Stila, Boscia, Sue Devitt, Oscar Blandi, and many more - a $200 value for just $85. The products sound lovely, but the Kooba wristlet is the real catch!

Another great, "no-brainer" gift is pre-packaged gift sets with products already paired up, where you can pick the type of product and/or the scent and get several items already in a lovely gift box. Origins is definitely my favorite place to get gift sets, because they products look and smell lovely, and the gift packages are always so pretty (in fact, I think some of them also make great hostess gifts) – check out this year's Holiday Sets!
Bliss is another popular brand, especially here in the NYC area; and their gift sets are very affordable, like The Big Orange set, which includes two products and a tote.

If you prefer natural and organic makeup and beauty products, you'll be excited to know that Lavera, one of the top natural brands in the world, is now running a Clearance Sale on their website where you can save up to 90%! There is also an Anniversary Sale going on, with newly released products at 15% off. Personally, I think their lipgloss is one of the best I've ever used, and that includes both natural and not-so-much ones ;-)

Send a positive message by gifting your favorite tot with a lovely organic slogan tee by Eco Ike, and enjoy free shipping on any order of $50 or more, and free holiday packaging (including a card) on all orders. My favorite is the "bee green" tee!

And for the mom of the eco-tot, you can't do better than a gift from NIMLI, which is possibly the most fabulous eco-friendly fashion online store! Right now you can enjoy the extensive selection in the fall sale (check out the pashminas!) as well as 20% off your order with coupon code FALL08, and free shipping on all orders over $100.

I don't know about you, but I usually do most of my holiday shopping online. You get great deals, can find coupons to apply (like those at RetailMeNot and CouponNerds) and you can even get money back when you purchase through Ebates. And on top of that, you don't need to go out with the baby in the stroller and fight the madness of the holiday crowds. There is one problem though: some items you really want to see before you buy them. I found a solution, at least as far as toys are concerned: Amazon's Holiday Toy List lets you narrow your choices by age or by price, and then actually see the toys in action! Check it out here.

If you don't know what to get as a Christmas gift for someone on your list, consider a magazine subscription. Get $5 off a one-year subscription to Cooking Light, Elle, Martha Stewart Living, Men's Fitness and others by using code MYPOINTS5OFF during checkout.

Get your little ones gorgeous wooden toys and playroom furniture for Christmas and save by shopping the Pottery Barn Kids online sale, with items up to 65% off.

One for the men: girls like jewelery. But we don't necessarily like the classic stuff, maybe we like more interesting pieces, pieces that will still be lovely years from now, but never boring. You can't go wrong with pieces from Melissa Joy Manning – and you can get 15% off any purchase by using coupon code ARTISAN.

You know what else girls like: bags.
Luna Boston is having a great handbag sale on designer handbags! Foley + Corinna, Hayden Harnett, Botkier, Gryson and more - great chance to snag a designer bag at a discounted price. LunaBoston.com also ships offers free same day shipping on all orders over $100, and free returns – can't go wrong.
But if your budget doesn't allow you to splurge on a designer bag, check out the wide selection of designer-inspired handbags at Baghaus. Through December 1, take $10 off purchases of $50 or more with coupon code TENOFF.

If you'd like more tailored recommendations, you cannot go wrong with GiftGirl. Provide some details about the recipient, and Jean will recommend several fantastic gifts. Whether you choose the 24-hour access option for $5, year-round access ($20) or a personal consultation with Jean ($200), you will get tailored, honest, unbiased suggestions (no paid endorsements!). Here's a little freebie from Jean:



Happy Holidays - and happy shopping!

Cool finds... and cooler ones

Did you like my post about Alima? Were you relieved to find a brand of makeup without any of the ugly stuff?
Then you will love these two brands of nail polish, both free of Formaldehyde, Toluene and DBP and unlike most non-toxic brands of nail polish, they come in great colors!
Zoya is very affordable and boasts an impressive selection: 300 colors. I don't know about that, but I'm in love with their Pulse Fall collection! If you prefer matte to metallics, you'll be happy to see they have a second Fall collectiion, Vibe. I love that you can get sample packs with several miniature bottles, so you can try several shades!
Butter London is slightly more expensive but everyone who tries it seems to fall in love with it. It has been featured on InStyle, Allure, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, you name it. They have some very unusual but gorgeus colors (with some cool names!), as well as treatments, base/top coats and so on (check out the foot care). The coolest thing? They sell color packs based on skin tone, so you there's no guesswork in finding the best shades for you.

I already told you about RememberTheMilk.com, but check this out: if you want something simpler, if you like to get precise directions and wish you had someone like YOU to do just that... or if you have a long to-do list and you get overwhelmed looking at all of it at once... I have the answer: NowDoThis! Input your tasks in order of priority and save - it will show you your tasks one by one, and jump to the next one on the list when you mark one "done". And if you like you can add it to your Firefox sidebar.

As you know, I was very excited about Amazon's Universal Wishlist feature - because sometimes people need a little (or a lot) of guidance to get the right present. But what to do if something is too expensive to add to your wishlist? (We don't want to seem greedy, do we?) here's what you do: create an account with ShoppingNotes, save the item you want and put the highest price you are willing to pay for it - and ShoppingNotes will send you an alert when the item is discounted at or below your selected price. Score!

And if you need a bit of relaxation, the Here Comes the Sun yoga festival (which I told you about here) is coming up, and I still have a $5.00 coupon available for online ticket purchases - just shoot me an e-mail! And if you need some yoga gear, check out the Gaiam sale.

Ahhh... ready for the weekend?

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.

Multi-event Alert!!!

Ok ladies, grab your calendars because I'm going to tell you about 3 different events that will be taking place this fall. Ready? Here we go:


HERE COMES THE SUN yoga festival

What is it? An event revolving around yoga, but with lots of other stuff. They usually have a famous guest teacher or two (last year it was Sara Ivanhoe and Kristin Mc Gee) plus several other yoga teachers from the area. They have a variety of yoga classes, for all levels and for all tastes. They have more physical types of yoga, like Yoga for Athletes, but also more mind-body classes like Ashtanga. Last year they also had a corner separate from the event, where the noise didn't carry, called Meditation Hill (cheesy, I know, but kind of cool too) and a separate section for Pilates Classes, some of them lead by Kristin Mc Gee.

There's also a live musical performance at the end (between 3pm and 4pm) - last year it was Joan Osborne.

Where is it? Central Park, New York

When it it? Saturday, September 27, 2008

Price of ticket: $25 online, $30 on site. I got a coupon to save $5 dollars but it's reserved to last year's participants so I cannot post it here. I will, however, give it to the first person who e-mails me :-)

More info here.






SHECKY'S BEAUTY NIGHT OUT

What: A night of pampering, cocktails, chatting with friends and trying new beauty products.

Where: La Venue, New York NY

When: Thursday, October 2 and Friday, October 3, 2008

Price of ticket: $10 for general admission, $30 including Shecky's Deluxe goodie bag (which I am expecting will be better than the GNO bag)

More info here.





SHECKY'S GIRLS NIGHT OUT

What: As the graphic says, a night of shopping, browsing emerging designers, free drinks. See my review of the Summer edition here.

Where: New York, Charlotte, Atalanta, Miami, Dallas, Houston, Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego

When: The first one, in New York, will be every evening from Monday, October 13 to Friday, October 17, 2008 - the others will follow (some dates are still to be decided)

Price of ticket: $10 for general admission, $30 including Shecky's Deluxe goodie bag.
Note: There is an offer right now to get tickets to both the Girls Night Out AND the Beauty Night Out for $45, including Deluxe goodie bags for both events!

More info here.

Are you going, Elisa? So far, I only got a ticket to the yoga festival. I might go to Shecky's, not sure. If you are going and want to meet, drop me a line! If you want to take me to Shecky's as your guest, call me ;-)

I'm back! and more opinionated than ever

Home sweet home. Or in my case, home messy home. After a weekend of unpacking while fighting the urge to go to sleep in the middle of the day (lovely jetlag) all our stuff has been sorted and put away, and the laundry is in progress (courtesy of my lovely dh), but somehow the place is way messier than we found it when we got back. I say somehow but I actually know how: Stella is so excited about finding her toys again that she keeps pulling stuff out and showing it to us or leaving it around, so now there are toys in the kitchen, in the living room, in the bedroom, in the bathroom, in the office and of course in Stella's room - but hey, I'm thinking that for a 2-year old 2 weeks are actually a pretty long time, so the toys probably feel almost like new to her, so she has a right to be excited! If I got home after 6 months and found several boxes of new shoes I would be pretty excited too!

But I got home after only 2 weeks, didn't find any new shoes but got lots of opinions to share. So without further ado, here are my DOs and DON'Ts for this summer:

DOs:
- the sale at ShopBop.com: of course, because I am... well, ME, I went straight to the shoes. Check out this L.A.M.B. Gaia sandal, also available in bronze, and this sexy sandal by Michael Kors, it is practically a crime not to get them with those prices! Now, let me see if I can fit them in somewhere on my overworked credit card...

- Netflix: yes, I admit it, I love Netflix and I am not embarassed to say it! Thank you, Netflix, for coming up with a way to watch our favorite shows or any movies we might have missed without having to brave the heat to go to the DVD rental place, and for filling what would have otherwise been a boring summer of re-runs and blah reality TV.

- taking care of our skin before it's too late: and no, I don't mean yet another "put on your sunscreen, stay out of the sun" spiel. Read one of Dr. Nicholas Perricone's books: I swear the man is a genius. Sure, his products aren't exactly budget-friendly, but you might find, like I did, that following his nutrition/supplementation recommendations plus just one of his products is more than enough. Try following his 3-day Nutritional Face-Lift and if you want to take it one step further, maybe take advantage of the introductory kits available at Sephora, so you get to try an entire line for the price of one full-size product. My favorite product is the Amine Complex Face Lift - don't let the fact that it's now included in the Age Correct collection turn you off: this is a great product! I'm 31 and I LOVE it.

- making a few efforts to make our lifestyle more eco-friendly: I don't mean you have to now go vegan and start composting (though you may do so if you are so inclined), but I do think that everyone should really make an effort to be a little more respectful of our planet so that our children and granchildren can enjoy it too instead of being left to handle the mess. Being half-Swiss and having lived in Switzerland for almost 10 years, I have some things down pat, like recycling, taking public transportation whenever possible, using "green" cleaning products. But there's always room for improvement. I found the book Gorgeously Green very helpful for tips on being more eco-friendly without radical changes - she includes info and tips about anything: household, beauty, day-to-day life, clothing, and more. And now it's fashionable to be "green", so noone will tease you ;-)

DON'Ts:
- harem pants: seriously, these look like a joke that got way out of hand. I saw a few people wearing them while on vacation and they are possibly the most horrifingly unflattering piece of garment I have ever seen. Just don't go there.

- Madonna's latest album: oy. I used to be a big Madonna fan... but I firmly believe that Ray of Light was her best work and it's been going downhill since then. Music was still good, American Life was sort of hit and miss, Confessions on a Dance Floor included several catchy tunes but the lyrics were pretty blah, and now Hard Candy... oh my. This would be ok if it was just another pop princess trying to make a name for herself, but for Madonna, who is 50, basically a legend and really should know better and do better, this is just awful. It comes across as if she is trying way too hard to show she's still young and hip and she's still got it... which only shows that unfortunately she doesn't. And no matter how great her body looks (though she might want to stay away from pumping iron for a while) I have seen her half-naked on way too many covers and videos. Enough already - you look good and don't look like your age, we got it. Now get dressed. In something nice possibly.

On the fence about:
- Botkier for Target: I got home to find that Target had released the collection before the 21st, and I wasn't happy. Then I saw the photos, and I wasn't entirely mollified either. Some of these look cute, some look cheap. But many reviewers say that the photos don't do the handbags justice, so I'm reserving judgement for when I get to see them live (now don't you all rush to Target and buy everything or I'll have nothing to look at this weekend!).

And now tell me... what are your DOs and DON'Ts this summer?