Get Your Group-On

As a consumer, I've gotten used to being on the favorable end of purchasing trends in the past year or so. Plenty of boutique and department store sales and an explosion of online sample sale sites (Gilt, Ruelala, etc.) has lightened my wallet but made me a very happy girl. Now, another creation (well, 2) has popped up in the form of online coupons that smart consumers should be aware of - Groupon and Scoop St
The sites use the power of collective bargaining to forge discounted deals with a variety of local venues - spas, yoga studios, hotels, restaurants, etc. - and only after a minimum number of people purchase the deals do they "go live" and activate. It's supply and demand at its most basic; the more people who want to buy, the negotiable and lower the price. It's not an original idea since consumers have been clipping coupons and buying in bulk since forever (Costco, anyone?) but taking it online is well-timed and appropriate in our tech-driven world.

Both sites offer one deal a day, with a smaller side deal, so users are not inundated with too many options. You don't even need to check the websites; subscribing to their daily newsletter will have each day's discount land in your inbox first thing in the morning. Customers are then incentivized to share the deal of the day with friends so they can buy into the deal and make sure the minimum number of buyers is met. This viral form of marketing means that Groupon and Scoop St. only need to focus on negotiating great deals with interesting places and the customers will naturally follow!

Discounts range from 40%-90% off original prices, and is a great way to try a new local place that you wouldn't have otherwise. It's great for you since it's subsidized, great for the local companies to attract new faces and hope they become loyal customers afterward, and great for Groupon 'cause they collect the fees without having many other costs.

Recently, my roommates and I got a Group-on on a house-cleaning maid service. Originally $99, we got the deal for only $49. This beats our regular maid service which is more expensive and refuses to clean out the refrigerator. Sweet deal!

Currently, Scoop St. only services New York City, but Groupon offers deals on 52 cities (although I can't vouch for the depth and breadth of discounts). Check them out, I'm sure there's something for you!

Spring Blossoms

The rain's really been coming down in LA and all I can think about is how quickly I wish spring and summer would be back already! The dreariness of cold, wet rain combined with long work days makes a girl quite sad. With a closet full of colorful dresses (and tons more on my to-buy list), I can't wait for this to be over! My sister was visiting the other day and had on a cute new floral dress that she picked up from UCLA neighborhood store, Kaitlyn. It reminded me that I can't think of anything I love more than spring blossoms.

Ruffle Tiered Dress ($29.90): This is the dress my sister had on and it's totally cute and girly! I'm going to pair this (when I steal it from her) with my favorite grey boyfriend cardigan for a weekend brunch date.

Collective Concepts B&W Dress ($59.00): This is one of my favorite floral dresses. I love the bold contrast of the black and white flowers and the structured fit makes this quite work-friendly (always a plus for us working girls). Adding sky high heels will easily transition this into a Friday after-work ensemble.

AE Floral Tube Dress ($44.50): I have a dress like this from the summer collection and it's one of my favorites! It hugs in all the right places giving me a smaller waist, bigger hips, and a good amount of bustiness (because that's what us petite gals could all use a little more of).
 

Why stop at dresses? This Kate Spade beauty is a MUST. There's something about red flowers that makes every girl a little weak in the knees.

And just for fun, aren't these the cutest earrings ever?!

Rain, rain, please go away so my dresses and shoes can come out to play!

Alternative to Skinny Jeans - Jeggings

Everyone has a flaw that they self-criticize the most (doesn’t matter if other people can’t really tell or try to make you feel better by saying “it’s not that bad!”). It’s a personal thing, and while it may not be as horrible as our own critical selves imagine it to be, there is still a naggy desire to change that one aspect of yourself. For me, that would be my calves. I have really large calves that are unproportional to my otherwise petite frame. With the skinny jean trend (actually, I shouldn’t call it a trend since I think it’s a style that will be a permanent part of any jean collection), my chagrin only increased, as I struggled to pull skinny jeans over my stubbornly jiggly calves. No such luck, so I had stayed away from skinny jeans this whole time and stuck with straight leg cuts.

That changed over winter vacation when I stopped by the Valley Fair Aritiza in San Jose. Love the store, the merchandise, and the large floor to ceiling mirrors in the changing room. They have a great jean selection, and it was here that I found a pair of stretchy jeans by Citizens of Humanity. The salesgirl told me they were in fact called “jeggings” (a combination of jeans and leggings, har har) and had the comfy feel of leggings with the thicker material and design of jeans.

When I tried them on, I heard angels sing because I had finally, miraculously found a pair of jeans that pulled over my calves and gave me the skinny jean look!! The ones I found had a 12 inch opening, but there are ultraskinny options with 10 inches (which would probably cut off my circulation). The jeans fit perfectly tucked into boots and look awesome with heels. The major difference between jeggings and leggings are the thicker fabric for warmth and also, jeggings look like you’ve actually got pants on. If you have a similar calf fate to mine, look for jeggings next time you’re jean hunting!
Mine were called Avedon Slick Skinny Jeans in Star. As far as sizing goes, I’ve heard that these stretch out a bit after wearing so I sized down. When I tried on my regular size, there was some bunching along the back so one size down was much better.

Lemonhead

Ever since discovering bikram here, I've been officially crushing on yoga - along with the clothing that are designed for the sport, especially those by my new favorite company, Lululemon. Back in Berkeley, a store opened during my senior year of college, but the prices usually scared me away from making a purchase, thus I admired from afar. A couple months months ago though, I finally picked up a pair of the Wunder Under cropped yoga pants in anticipation of taking classes (my philosophy is: buy the right workout clothes and the workout will eventually follow!), and was immediately hooked. The cotton is super soft and comfy, fit is great, it lifts and streamlines, there's an ID-sized pocket in front to hold cards, and the cotton wicks away moisture!

After my first bikram class, I was positively humming with excitement from this new discovery, and gathered the necessary tools for the next week's class (i.e. I found excuses to do some shopping!) I needed a yoga mat, towel, yoga bag, and sports bras (such a yoga green bean). Lo and behold, Lululemon was having a sale!! I never knew they did sales, probably because their sale section is cleverly labelled "Loot!", but there are some great pieces to be had at low prices. I picked up two bras ($5 and $9!), a Manduka Equa yoga towel ($40, not on sale but I needed something to absorb sweat during class), and a bag to put it all in ($24).

External and internal view. The inside is so spacious! I can fit my mat, Manduka towel, extra bag to put clothes in, large water bottle, and a Zico coconut water! There are also side zippers for keys, credit cards, and class passes.

New lulu gear! Clockwise: Hot Yoga bra, Cross-back bra, Sattvic bra, Boogie shorts.

Beyond the flattering clothes, I also really like Lululemon's corporate philosophy. It may all be part of its marketing scheme, but I'll admit it's one that works well for the brand and presents a cohesive theme. The company really tries to do right by their customers - offering free hemming on yoga pants (great news for shorties!), free online shipping, free yoga classes on the weekends, and their shopping bags feature the "lululemon manifesto" patterned with inspiring fortune cookie-esque phrases. My favorite is "Sweat once a day", a great reminder to keep active, benefitting our health and our beauty too!

Colorful Planning

Since I spend the majority of my day on my laptop and my iPhone is always within fingertip reach for instant access to notes/agendas/emails, I've forgotten the need to have a real planner despite being desperately addicted to them during my college days (I was a color-coding whiz). I realize now that although my Outlook calendar is excrutiatingly sync-ed for all my work meetings, projects, and deadlines, I don't have anything to keep track of personal matters besides the digital post-it note on my Windows Sidebar. With such little space and nothing to check-off, it's no surprise that I've been forgetting some very important dates here and there (such as credit card due dates and birthdays... uh oh).

Call me old school, but I'm going back to pen and paper! Hautelook is having a great sale on Moleskine planners and I was quick to pick up the Very Large Weekly Planner. I picked this one because I like seeing my week at once so I know what to anticipate. Each week is laid out on one page and there's free space for general notes to the right. I like to list all my events for the day using bullet points and list any additional details on the notes page (our friend, Jessica, discovered the beauty of lined Post-it notes for even more colorful writing space). The Moleskine planners are classy and sophisticated looking and very practical. Their high-quality design makes them a top pick for many people! I'm so excited about having a planner to take with me to remind me that there's more to life than work.

Sale ends tomorrow! Click here if you don't have a Hautelook account.

Tee-Time

Remember back in '08 when all the girls were running to Target to buy those multi-pack Hane's men's v-necks?! My roomie and I (and every other girl on campus) practically LIVED in these. After getting the okay to wear casual dress to work, I'm quickly rediscovering my love for t-shirts and all that can be done with them.

How effortlessly cute does LC look in her skinny jeans and deep v-neck tee? Maybe I can't pull off looking that hot at work, but I've been loving the fact that my shift out of biz cas has made way for some t-shirt and jeans days! Like Lauren, I go for the long and lean tees because they're perfect for creating that slim silhouette--especially on petite girls like myself. Since some of my shirts are a little more low-cut than others, I layer a cami underneath or drape a cute scarf across. For dressier days, I like to pair a colorful baggy cardigan over a ruffly tee. Lauren also dressed up the white tee look (below) with a belt and heels. Perfect way to transition the comfy outfit to night-time wearability! So many options, with such little effort! It really is as easy as 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4... My favorite tees for comfort, style, and quality are from American Apparel, Urban Outfitters, and J.Crew. Now I'm obsessed with buying moreeeee.

LC in a David Lerner organic roll-up tee. The sleeves give the shirt a little more femininity.

Barneys Warehouse Sale

While driving through Downtown LA this weekend, I noticed a ginormous banner hung outside the LA Convention Center bearing the BEST news. What better way to start the month off than finding some fashion goodies at the Barneys Warehouse Sale?!

Arriving in our two favorite cities (NY & LA, of course!), the warehouse sale is highly anticipated and offers 50-75% off regular priced items. I've never been to one before, so I'm SO excited for this!! See below for the dates and location details for both cities:

Los Angeles: 2/4 - 2/15
LA Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St.

New York: 2/11 - 2/28
255 W. 17th St.

The shopping frenzy begins at 8AM sharp on the first days of both sales! Can't wait to pick up some springtime blouses and shoes, shoes, shoes.