The hastiest of pre-finals posts.

This should be another themed post about Saint Patrick's Day, but alas, I have thirty minutes before I leave town for the day to visit one of my friends. Time management has been a saving grace and a stumbling block for me this year, all rolled up into one little package of "AHHHH!" This post at Get Rich Slowly about avoiding timesuck pretty much is an accurate description of some of the trade-offs I’ve had to make—her list of after-work goals matches up almost identically with mine, and so do her distractions.

And the sad part is? I'm not even one of those crazy kids who's doing full-time work and full-time school. I still manage to fit in three yoga sessions a week and I'm adding in two hikes/jogs a week. I’m loving the energy, not loving the constant hunger while my body gets used to cardio again. But running is easy to fit into the mornings before work, and of course my WiiFit yells at me if I don’t do my yoga. All of this should be a good build up for my dance class next term, which I am unbelievably looking forward to. However, it’s going to be even more of a struggle to fit everything in considering I’m now going to have less than 12 hours in-between classes. Scheduling school around work is no joke here.

Good thing that extra glass of wine I’ll be having to help me cope might actually be a good thing.

I have never been so excited about spring break, if only so I have time to get a haircut, drink some green beers with friends, and write a blog post about shopping for workout clothes.

Image from ign.com.

Planning a Viewing Party

The Oscars are coming up on Sunday, and Gossip Girl is back on Monday. What better time to plan a little viewing party for your friends or yourself? Epicurious has a detailed entertaining guide for everyone who’s a planner. It’s a little too detailed for my personal tastes, but I’m basically a fly by the seat of my pants entertainer. I’ll have themes picked out for months, but wait until the day of to throw everything together, including costumes, food and music, which keeps me from getting too perfectionist-y about it.

But sometimes I like to plan a little in advance, especially where food is concerned. It’s not a secret that Gossip Girl is my favorite night to eat snacks and vegetate, a joy that will soon be taken from me once my Hip-Hop class starts. But I still have three weeks to enjoy the last snackfests of this season.

What am I thinking about eating?

There’s always the classic Strawberries and Champagne—classy and delicious, just like these two events!

It’s pretty hard to go wrong with veggies and dips—instead of ranch or blue cheese, there are a million other options. One of my favorites is salsa (even more veggies!) or artichoke parmesan dip-- something I only eat at parties. I can’t have it in my house without gaining five pounds, hahahaha.

For the Oscars, cute little bags of parmesan pepper popcorn sound like just the ticket. Or if you want to get even more movie themed, Epicurious has a list of menus and recipes based on the best picture nominees here.

For Gossip Girl snacktime, there’s always the infamous truffle grilled cheese from the Gossip Girl pilot. But even more themed? Brunch food! Time to bust out the waffle irons, it’s waffle time. Josh Schwartz has always had a thing for breakfast food in his shows, and right now our waffle love is coinciding. Melted cheese and fruit on waffles? Yes please! Maybe even some cinnamon and other spices? Yes!

Although, knowing myself, I’ll probably just make some sushi.

Do you like viewing parties? Or are you all viewing partied out after the Superbowl and the Olympics?

Image from youknowyouloveme.org.

Things for Spring

It’s been atrociously warm here the past week for February, and I got spoiled with three great days of sunshine and shorts weather. It made me long for spring, and even the renewed rain isn’t dampening my springthinglust. Here are some of the things I’m digging for this:

Waffles! A cute waffle place just opened up down the street from my work, and my friends and I are loving up on it. Sweet waffles, savory waffles, it’s all amazing. Yes, savory waffles—It’s like a sandwich on a waffle and it’s amazing.

Quinoa- nothing is beating fresh quinoa salad for me lately, I love it! And Self just published a recipe for Quinoa stir fry in their Feb issue that I can’t wait to test out.

Gossip Girl- March 8th, save the date! It’s been long awaited in these parts. Gossip Girl is the only show I live-watch anymore, given the craziness of my schedule. I love setting aside some snacks and a nice glass of wine and settling in for an hour of tv. Can’t wait for my little dorky Gossip Girl viewing parties again.

Rainboots and Dresses by kitkati

Seasonal weather—I want the rain and the sun and the balmy temperatures. I love getting up and puzzling out an outfit based on the weather. Rainboots and little dresses, yes please!


Yoga- I have some back issues right now which are improving, but I’m not at my prior level of fitness yet. (Don’t look for me to be taking up roller derby anytime soon!) I’m kind of like Payson in Make It or Break It—yeah, I’m cleared for exercise as long as I don’t push it too hard, but getting back on those uneven bars (or weights and dancing, in my case) and possibly re-injuring myself is kind of terrifying. Thank god for yoga. It doesn’t tweak my back, and it actually helps soothe it, while I’m getting a mild workout. My abs are ridiculous right now. Side benefit—I’m more focused in all aspects of my life (hence this return from the dead post! Let’s keep it up, yoga!)

What’s everyone looking forward to this spring? Or are you still hoping for more winter weather for your snowboarding and winter Olympics?

images from polyvore.com and periodicstyle.blogspot.com

Holiday Gift Guide: Bath and Beauty

Jeanne:

It's always kind of hard to buy beauty products for other people, especially since both colors and fragrances are really personal. And when you get more than two sets of scented bath products from separate people, it's almost like they're trying to give you a hint to go take a bath or something... So no hints, just good stuff!

Plus, you know, you can always take a look at our Beauty category or see what we've got up at Periodic Beauty Reviews for more ideas...

- I know I said you only need three nail polishes, but if you feel the need to truly bestow the gift of polishes, Rescue Beauty is selling a nail polish library. 47 colors. $750. On the plus side, you will never ever need a new nail polish again, right?

- I received a Dermalogica Ultimate Buffing Cloth from Fashion Week, and it's been in my shower ever since I moved. Stuff it in a stocking along with a Philosophy shower gel and you're golden.

- I bought myself the Korres Vanilla Plum Collection Set after my last trip to Sephora University; the plum lip butter is really pretty (even if I have to put my fingers in the pot, sigh!) and I'm still digging the scent.

- Earlier this year, Bliss and Sephora had a competition between three scents to determine which would be the next Bliss scent. I actually went into my Sephora purposefully to vote, and I'm pleased that my choice, Blood Orange and White Pepper, was the winner! You can pick up the Big Orange set at Sephora for some citrus-y goodness in a gift set.

- Karen and I stopped into the Fresh cosmetics boutique on the border of Chinatown this past weekend, and the sweet sales associate showed us their various gift offerings. At the boutique you can put together your own soap trios, while they offer two online: Trio One, with Hesperides, Patchouli, and Linden, and Trio Two, with Freesia, Verbana, and Vanilla. They also had a really nice-smelling set of Christmas soaps in Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh, which it looks like they only carry in the boutiques or at Neiman Marcus.

- Finally, if you really aren't sure what to get, you can't go wrong with a Sephora gift card or a gift certificate for a massage or facial at a local spa. Because honestly, yes, whoever it is you're buying for, they probably need a massage. I know I do!

Kati:

- Figgy Pudding gift set from Product Body. I love their stuff and I like that they're offering special stuff that you can only get in the gift set.

- As always, Lush has a bunch of specials for the Holiday, and Candy Cane Bubble Bar is my pick to try this year.

- I'm a little biased on this one, because I'd love a bottle of OPI in my stocking this year... in fact, I just bought half of the holiday collection--I'm especially loving all the metallics for gifting.

image from rescuebeauty.com

Holiday Gift Guide: For the Dudes

Jeanne:

I have my dad and my brother, and until recently, I had to buy boyfriend (or we-broke-up-but-you're-still-pretty-much-my-boyfriend-so-you-get-a-present) presents. But not this year! I am actually kind of relieved by it, and have decided I'm going to hold off until 2009 because then I don't have to buy another guy present. (It's kind of like the opposite of the Margaret Cho bit about breaking up: "There's never a good time to break up. You just bought concert tickets. A war broke out. You want your birthday present first." Except for me right now, it's: "No, sorry, I can't date you, I don't want to have to buy you a present.")

Last year also added a complication in that I was supporting the WGA strike and didn't buy any DVDs. Well, since they settled the strike, I feel I can recommend DVDs to you this year now!

- BUT FIRST: books. I've already purchased my brother's gift, the delightful John Hodgman's newest book, More Information Than You Require, the sequel to his hilarious first book, The Areas Of My Expertise (which he will also be receiving). The Areas of My Expertise audiobook is amazing and features the wonderful and adorable Jonathan Coulton, whose music is also a good gift choice. I wrote about them both last December, and I am still a fan. (You can also follow them on Twitter, which I highly recommend -- @hodgman and @jonathancoulton.) ALSO: that is all.

- I was among those who were pretty dang peeved when Fox cancelled Futurama. And then when Fox restarted Family Guy after Family Guy's popularity soared on Cartoon Network, I was one of the people shouting, "AND WHAT ABOUT FUTURAMA YOU GUYS C'MON." So when they announced that Futurama's "back, baby!" at San Diego Comic-Con in 2007, I was (and remain!) thrilled. The deal is for four straight-to-DVD movies that will be cut up into four new episodes each, so sixteen new episodes of Futurama made out of four movies. Three of them are already out: Bender's Big Score, The Beast With A Billion Backs, and the newest, Bender's Game. Hooray, Futurama!

- Now that the strike's over, I have been buying a lot of DVDs. And I tend to be pretty generous with letting people borrow them. Unfortunately, some of the guys in my life have kidnapped some of them. Luckily, two are with my brother, and I know where he lives, but the other... may be gone forever. I know that I can get my copies of Freaks and Geeks and the first season of Flight of the Conchords back at any time from my brother, but he's holding on to them for me right now. Tragically, I am probably never going to get the complete series of Arrested Development back. That one is a heartbreaker, and has been killing me since the break-up. Keeping a girl from her GOB Bluth? That's just cruel. COME ON.

- If I were to buy something for someone this year, I would most likely get him the Amazon exclusive DVD of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. It was a side project for Joss Whedon (hooray!), Neil Patrick Harris (hooray!!) and Nathan Fillion (hooray again!) during the writer's strike, and originally was all online. Now you can have it in a DVD! Also, we are in full support of blogs, even if they are run by mad scientists who have unrequited crushes on the girl at the laundromat. Seriously, this is worth buying and having for yourself, not just as a gift. And! It's on pre-order now for only ten bucks. Yay!

- Finally, I have two words for you: Soap Stache. Yes, it is soap in the shape of a mustache. dennisanderson.etsy.com sells Soap Stache and many other wonderful soaps that everyone can enjoy, including beer soaps (!!), so you can pick your (or his) favorite brew. (Blue Moon, anyone? Or maybe you're more of a Guinness or Sierra Nevada drinker...) I have found that boys do like soaps and skincare and cologne if you buy it for them. So don't be afraid to do so. (Sephora can help with the cologne-finding, too.)


Karen:
Like Jeanne, I've just got my dad and my brother to gift this year. At my house, we have a very, very low-key Christmas because we do a bang-up job on New Year's in the grand ol' Japanese fashion. (Sukiyaki this year! Yes!!) Every other year, my brother and his wife come out to California to celebrate Christmas with us. This year, it's no big brother, and I already know what Dad's getting, so it's very simple:

-I've composed a Mad Men-themed stack of goodies, including the Mad Men Season 1 DVD set, Meditations in an Emergency, and to put a personal spin on it, a great bottle of sake. Apparently my grandfather drank rye a la Don Draper, so that's another option for your liquor-connoisseur father figure. Is that weird, to give your tee-totaling father alcohol for Christmas?

-I actually take after my father in several ways besides our shared lantern-shaped jaw. Both of us will be chained to our office desks when the rest of our respective companies have forced shut-down over the holidays. Fortunately, I have the solution to office doldrums, and it's these totally sweet Origami Post-It Notes. What better time to perfect your nimble paper-folding skillz than when it's quiet?

-Gifts that hark back to a family tradition are great for dads, who want to always think of their daughters as their little girls. My dad and I always loved listening to Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion on weekends together. Probably because we are mysteriously drawn to stories of Americana, it seems foreign and familiar at the same time. NPR.org has a specially-recorded session of songs by Garrison Keillor and his Guy's All-Star Shoe Band: When I Get Home.

-For the well-seasoned traveller in your life, Bedol has an amazing eco-friendly, water-powered clock. Isn't that great? Personally, I hate scrounging around for batteries for a travel clock when I'm traveling, so ta-da! I imagine a guy being endlessly captivated by this kind of wee device.

-In a perfect world, we'd have these hot, new technological marvels on the market for our male comrades to ogle and enjoy. The pod-dining-set looks like interior design FROM THE FUTUUUURE. I love it!

Have a happy holiday season, everyone, we'll be back soon we another gift guide for you!

image from periodicstyle.blogspot.com

Holiday Gift Guide: For Your Favorite Foodie

For this installment of our holiday gift guide, we're cooking up great ideas for your favorite connoisseurs of cuisine, the epicurean elitists, and the hopelessly kitchen-inept! Enjoy~

Karen:

- Everyone loves a gorgeous salad bowl and utensils to toss with, it makes otherwise boring salad dinners a little more fancy and fun. Bamboo is a simple, renewable, elegant option for the kitchen, or a lovely glass serving set can double as a punch bowl. Obviously in my mind, the recipient of your gifts is a huge fan of tiki style. Punch and bamboo for everyone!

- Delight.com also has stylish, eco-friendly and artisan options for the home and kitchen, like this serving set that looks like branches sprouting leaves. Why not throw in a few simple recipes while you're at it and add a little touch of healthy encouragement?

- We love ModCloth and their chemical elements salt and pepper shakers. How cute are they? Cooking is really just delicious chemistry, right? I am a huge sucker for adorably twee kitchen items. Check this one out, it's a salt and PEEP-er shaker! Love it.

- For your favorite dinner party maestro, the always adorable Fred Flare has the most amazing finger food plates. Just don't gesticulate too much with one of those perched on your mitts, or dinner will go flying everywhere! They're so dainty, I just can't stand it.

- Once upon a time, Jeanne gave me a copy of the best gosh-darned book on entertaining ever written: I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by my personal heroine, Amy Sedaris. It is quite possibly the best gift I have ever gotten, and so useful! Amongst the many and varied things I've learned from Ms. Sedaris since Strangers with Candy, seriously, exfoliating before shaving your legs to get a closer shave ranks up top. I highly recommend it. (Jeanne: Kati gave me this, too! So I think we all have a copy, except for maybe Kati. Karen, obviously this is what you need to get Kati to complete the circle.)

- Often at California's best antique malls, you'll see walls packed with vintage produce advertisements. Local restaurants have labels framed as wall decoration, and if you're a design nerd, produce labels offer a real plethora of font styles and a different kind of pin-up girl. The Antique Label Company has prints already framed and categorized, so get searching! How about some twins with lettuce, or a fun Pop Art cucumber?

- Make your own personalized cookbook for that special someone. Base it around a theme, like the recipient's favorite flower, a special meal you shared, or foods that trigger memories. I love the idea of this recipe from Wandering Chopsticks: Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Base Stew) for your relative/friend/associate with Korean connections. A similar recipe for those with a fondness for Japan is our perennial favorite here at the Periodic Elements of Style, nikujaga. A personalized cookbook is also a great way to encourage an adventurous palate. Why not nudge your "regular" meat-and-potatoes giftee towards a little bit of Bamboo Shoots with Ground Pork the Japanese Way to share? This year, I'm making a batch of Panamanian empanadas for my grandmother who has complained about the lack of authentic empanadas since she left the Panama Canal zone in 1974. (Shh, don't tell her!)

Jeanne:

My family loves cookbooks; my late grandmother had an entire library of cookbooks that she collected over the years, and some of them made their way to me. She always had the right cookbook, and so I always love looking at them and discovering new things, even if I'm more of a "boil it! microwave it! whatever!" cook.

- Of course, the new cookbook is the internet, especially since there are some amazing foodbloggers out there. Not only does Karen have a bunch in her blogroll here on PeriodicStyle, but there's also the new BlogHer Food Blog search widget, where you can type in a recipe title or an ingredient and find something amazing to read and eat. Awesome.

- Last year, my brother and my two male cousins (both college students) received these cookbooks from my mom: A Man, A Can, A Plan or A Man, A Can, A Microwave. Besides the initial laugh of "oh, ha hah, cooking with a can and a microwave because I can't really cook anything without using can of microwave", they're put together by Men's Health magazine and actually look like something you'd want to eat. If you're trying to wean someone off of fast food and into the kitchen, this would be a good first step. (That said, I give everyone, dude or lady, full credit that they can definitely cook whatever they want if they put their mind to it.)

- The San Francisco area has the most amazing food and incredible restaurants, especially those that focus on local produce. I visited the girl & the fig in Sonoma a few weeks back and loved it, so I was excited to see the the girl & the fig cookbook in a cooking supply shop after leaving the restaurant. I didn't get a full look at the book, but I'm sure it's amazing. Another legendary restaurant in San Francisco is Greens, the vegetarian restaurant at Fort Mason. My mom gave me a copy of Everyday Greens, the most recent Greens cookbook, last year, and (again) while I haven't had the chance to make anything from it yet, the sandwiches and salads all sound delicious and incredibly realistic to make.

- Maybe you have a little cook, or just the imagination of one. As a kid, I loved cookbooks that tied in to the stories I loved, whether it was fairy tales or the Boxcar Children. (How many hours did I spend pretending I lived in a boxcar? Many.) So while there's a whole range of childrens' stories cookbooks out there, two we particularly want to highlight are Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes (highly recommended by Karen) and the Little House Cookbook featuring recipes from the Laura Ingalls Wilder canon for those of you who always wanted to eat a roasted pig tail or a bear's drumstick. (Related: Have you seen HalfPintIngalls on Twitter? Hilarious!)

- Finally, the final course is my weakness, desserts. From San Francisco's Citizen cake comes Demolition Desserts, head chef Elizabeth Falkner's guide to amazing desserts. Again, I haven't poured over this one yet, but the cupcakes at Citizen Cake are amazing. (Alas, Citizen Cupcake, the satellite location in Virgin Records, has closed!) And then, of course, there are the amazing Paris Sweets, a recipe book that collects recipes from the finest (and most famous) Paris bakeries. I popped "paris sweets" into the BlogHer Food Blog search and found this amazing-looking black and white cake, eclairs with lavender white chocolate mousse, opera cake, world peace cookies (chocolate with fleur de sel salt!), and punition cookies. Oooh.

- Not related to cookbooks: tea. Buy tea. Buy Mariage Freres tea (there are more varieties here, but I can vouch for Marco Polo) and a nice teapot and you will not go wrong. I promise you.

Kati:

Despite having cook in my job title, I don't actually cook that much when I'm off work. Why? Well, one of my main problems is I never seem to have all the ingredients and I have little desire to go out and procure foodstuffs to make things after work, when I can just go out and procure prepared food.

- Apparently Mark Bittman's cookbooks, How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian are amazing. Good to know!

- But what if you want to create your own recipes? Etsy has some adorable recipe cards, including these (kitties!) or these (bunnies! squirrels!) from BoyGirlParty and these from nutandbee.etsy.com.

- Need a spice rack? This one rotates and comes pre-filled with twenty different spices.

- After all of your cooking, you'll want to keep your leftovers and eat them later. Here's a set of Pyrex containers, which are microwavable (yay!).

image from modcloth.com

You know you love me -- Gossip Girl on DVD tomorrow!

At last! Tomorrow is GG-Day -- the day that Gossip Girl finally comes out on DVD!! So if you've been wondering -- and waiting -- what all the fuss is about, there's enough time to snag the first season, sit down, and watch the whole fun first season before Season Two starts two weeks from today (!!).

It's pretty clear that everyone's looking for inspiration from the Upper East Side girls, whether it's Blair, Serena, or Jenny, Kati, and Iz. (Don't forget Miss Georgina Sparks or Vanessa Abrams, either!) And what's kind of hilarious is how brands are responding.

Check out just a few of the items we found with the names "Blair" or "Serena":

- Zoya Nail Polish in "Blair" is a gorgeous cranberry red, which we can totally see Miss Waldorf wearing. (I kind of want this too. And not just because it's named "Blair".)

- While we couldn't find it at Sephora.com or Stilacosmetics.com, Beauty.com has Stila High Shine lip color in "Serena". You know the Upper East Side's Golden Girl probably has this in her bag, right? (Right next to her favorite lip gloss from the books...)

- Perhaps the funniest use of the names "Blair" and "Serena" to name products comes from Oh Deer! shoes (who make a lot of money off of their Faux-boutins). These shoes are basically the same except for the colors (taupe and navy for Blair, orange and black for Serena) location of the detailing: Blair gets a cap toe, and Serena gets a fancy heel. I totally see it.

- Steve Madden pays tribute to Serena with this slouchy Serena bag that wouldn't be out of place on her arm.

- Naturally we pulled things from Etsy for our two shopping guides, so we wanted to see what else we could find for B and S. Serena gets a lovely crystal necklace, while Blair is more of an inspiration than a namesake with this vintage rhinestone headband. (Of course it's a headband!)

With that, we have some predictions for Season Two of Gossip Girl:

- Bart Bass dies in the Season Two finale because he looks like Caleb Nichol. (The important question is, will they play "Hallelujah" when he does? My guess would be YES.)
- Chuck's mom comes back from "the dead"; ideally she will be played by Melinda Clarke.
- Little J gets (gasp!) a REAL boyfriend. ...or drops off the face of the earth, because Eleanor Waldorf eats her for lunch.
- The girls go to Fashion Week. Wooooo.
- We find out what Lily actually does all day besides Rufus Humphrey.
- Chuck will have amusing sartorial choices.
- Blair will continue to gift-wrap her head with ribbons and other headband finery.
- Serena and Dan get back together... and break up again. Ad nauseum.
- Nate has a slut spiral.
- Vanessa continues to not be as cool as book!Vanessa.
- Blair gets a sibling! It's Rachel Bilson! (Or not. But she'll probably show up at some point. At least, we hope so.)

Are you looking forward to the return of Gossip Girl as much as we are? Or have you been waiting to sit down and absorb it all in one go?

It's like I always say: too much of a good thing is even better... so enjoy! xoxo!

image from amazon.com

It's like waiting to grocery shop until you're starving.

Hello my lovely blogging friends! How is everyone? Did you miss my blogging while I was in the pit of despair (aka I can count on one hand the number of days I have had off each month for the past two, and I'm leaving for work in ten minutes for more overtime!)? I missed you all, and right now I miss Jeanne too, since she's off gallivanting at BlogHer, hopefully with some of you lovely readers too!

But I didn't come here to chat about how much overtime I've been working, no. I came here to discuss a far more serious issue.

Bikinis.

Now I know that word strikes fear into the hearts of even the most confident girls, as well as the girls who have been working so much overtime that they've dropped a pants size. I hate bikini shopping so much that I have had my two bikinis for over three and five years, respectively. (you can see one of them above!) But there comes a time in every bloggers life when she has to bite the bullet and start looking for a new one.

That point for me came about two weeks ago, when the weather finally warmed up to around 80 degrees, instead of in the 60s where it was for most of June. Imagine my surprise when I went bikini shopping on one of my rare days off, and what did I find? A bunch of fall sweaters and clearance bikinis.

Now I'm generally okay with the weird seasons in retail, because after all, it doesn't really get that cold or hot where I am, so most of what's sold whenever can be worn whenever. But bikinis? On sale two weeks after school gets out, and stores crowded with back to school stuff when school doesn't start out here until September?

Something is wrong with this picture.

And now that I've added my two cents to our ad nausem discussion of the downfalls of retail, let's pick some cute ones off the sale rack, shall we? Because what's better than cute bikinis? Cute sale bikinis!

(For those of you that prefer a little more coverage, I'll be picking out some cute one-pieces and tankinis next week, stay tuned!)



Speaking of unseasonal things... this Cute Nautical Halter Bikini from Delias. is not one of them. There's something that always says Summer with a capital s about blue and white stripes to me.

Polka dot halter, also from Delias. I'm not entirely convinced on boyshorts for swimsuit bottoms-- I find they make most people's thighs look chunky-- but these look like a cute compromise between boyshorts and bikini bottoms. Plus, tiny little polka dots! So cute.

And then there's this ruffled suit from Victora's Secret. I would not personally wear this suit, since my D cups would look ridic under all those ruffles, but I think it would be adorable on one of my smaller busted friends, and it's actually interesting. Most bikinis are just the same old, same old, but I like occasionally taking risks, and a ruffled top is one.

And finally, Victoria's Secret has come out with a cute line of mix-and-match bikini stuff this year. If there's any place I trust to buy a well fitting swimsuit from, it's the place were I personally find the best fitting underwear. (...don't get all up on me, everyone, I know that it doesn't fit everyone perfectly. We are all about finding what works for you personally here.)

So! Where did you buy your bikini this year? Or did you forgo swimsuit shopping entirely since it's July and they're already on the clearance racks?

Image from periodicstyle.blogspot.com.

Cute Cheap Summer Dresses

It's that time again-- time to go internet dress shopping with me! I know it's a little early to start looking for summer dresses, but I have a themed dance next week, so I need a sundress asap! As always, everything I look at is under 50 bucks.


Green and White Halter from Old Navy.
I like the twist on the classic halter neckline on this dress. The print is fun without being overwhelming, and it looks like a great dress to throw on with some flip-flops on a lazy summer day.



Blue Romper Dress from Urban Outfitters.
I may have picked this one based solely on the name itself. Jeanne's been super excited about her new hoop for weeks on end, and here is a cute little number named "Hoola Hoop," with cute buttons and a removable ladybug pin. It has Jeanne written all over it.



Striped Sundress from Delia's.
I love the classic shape of this, and the little details that make it extra cute-- the great stripe pattern and the three buttons on the waistband.



Floral Sundress from Charlotte Russe.
I love everything about this stupid dress. The only reason I didn't buy it when I went dress shopping is because it is not a dress I could dance in (too short, not enough flare in the skirt.) I love the colors (they're my best colors,) I love the print, I love the neckline and the straps. I am probably going back next week to buy this dress.


Blue Halter from Charlotte Russe.
And the winner? This gorgeous blue number. I love halters on me (I've got a swimmer's build-- good shoulders and long legs) and the skirt is flowy with room to move, and will look great while dancing. The color is amazing in person too-- really vibrant blue that matches my beloved Sephora #55 nail polish.

Now I just need to find a slip to wear underneath! Anyone have any suggestions?


Images from charlotterusse.com, delias.com, oldnavy.com and urbanoutfitters.com.

Lab Accident: "Take a Taxi to the Darker Side of Town"

So this is a slight departure from the normal Lab Accident: A bit of a double theme and a bit of no theme at all. It's Jeanne's birthday mix, and it's also a Gossip Girl centric mix, because if you haven't noticed yet, J and I are total dorks about the show.

Take a Taxi to the Darker Side of Town: 16 songs, 60 minutes.

1. The Wombats- "Let's Dance to Joy Division." (Serena and Blair)
2. The Kills- "Sour Cherry." (Chuck)
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs- "Way Out" (Nate)
4. Washington Social Scene- "Diamond Hipster Boy" (Dan)
5. Hot Chip- "And I Was a Boy From School" (Nate to Blair and Chuck)
6. Interpol- "Slow Hands" (Blair/Chuck)
7. Starlight Mints- "Submarine #3" (Blair/Chuck)
8. Violent Femmes- "Eep Opp Ork Ah Ah (Means I Love You)" (Dan/Serena)
9. Mike Dougherty- "I Hear the Bells" (Nate/Serena)
10. Metro Station- "Kelsey" (Blair/Nate)
11. Dresden Dolls- "Coin Operated Boy" (Blair to Nate and Chuck)
12. The Sounds- "Queen of Apology" (Serena)
13. Mirah- "This Dance" (Blair)
14. The Unicorns- "Les Os" (Dan/Serena)
15. Rilo Kiley- "Wires and Waves" (Blair/Chuck/Nate/Serena)
16. Explosions in the Sky- "First Breath After Coma" (Blair, Serena, Manhattan)

Image from youknowyouloveme.org.

Burt's Bees Super Shiny Lip Gloss

So I was out shopping yesterday, trying to get everything I needed for tonight's masquerade ball (possibly more on that later,) enjoying my first day off in eight days and signing up for a MAC Studio Talk Class (definitely more on that later,) when I stumbled across these little tubes in my favorite Target aisle. (You know, the one with Boots and Burt's Bees and now Philosophy stuff!)

"What's that?" I thought. "Burt's Bees... LIP GLOSS?"

And thus one in Sweet Pink went into my basket.

I'm generally kind of hit or miss with Burt's Bees Products-- absolutely love their cuticle cream (as evidenced by last week's post,) like their chapstick and lip shimmers, do not love their hand creams. But I like the way their lip products moisturize and generally act as a balm as well as being a lip product, and Super Shiny Lip Gloss does not disappoint.

The name is a bit of a misnomer, it's not actually that glossy, which is fine by me considering the Lip Shimmer is mostly shimmer-- a bit much for daytime wear. There's just a hint of gloss, a hint of color, and a lot of moisture in the Super Shiny Lip Gloss. It's a great daytime gloss, and I love the grapefruit scent of the Sweet Pink.

The only thing missing is SPF, but then it wouldn't be all-natural, I guess!

Image from burtsbees.com.

Hand Repair!

I work in a kitchen for my day job, which is a lot of fun. However, being around the constantly changing temperatures (cold in the walk-in, hot everywhere else) has been playing havoc with my hands, and my normal routine of just throwing on some Dream Cream or Celestial while I moisturize the rest of me has not been cutting it lately. Plus, the weather here has been freaking out-- rocketing between spring and winter and back again, so it's not just my hands that are drying out.

So what have I been doing to help repair my super dried out hands?

Burt's Bees Cuticle Cream

This has a delightful lemon-y scent that really is a true lemon scent, not one of those icky lemon scented topnotes with base notes of ick. It's great for cuticles, but I also love to spread it all over my hands when they're super dry. Plus, it's available at Target, so it's really easy for me to pick up more when I run out. (You know, once I get a day off.)


Product Body Shea Butter

Okay, so I have to admit I have not bought the full size of this product-- I'm still working my way through a sample sized tub of it that Jeanne sent me. I'm a big fan though! I've been using it on any ezcema flair ups I've had for the past year, and it really works well at getting rid of them. And now that my hands are insane, I've started using it there too, and am about ready to spring for a full sized tub. Love their products. I've been using it in Sweet Vanilla Mango, which smells like a pina colada to me, but I think I'm going to get a replacement tub in Pink Grapefruit (my tub of Crush on You is in Pink Grapefruit and it smells so delicious!)

What is everyone using on their hands? Anyone have any suggestions on pump bottle hand lotions?

Images from amazon.com and productbody.com.

Lab Accident: "Do You Want To See The World?"

This was a difficult mix to make. Normally I'm limited by song choice when I'm making themed mixes, but when I started this mix I had over a hundred songs to work from. And yet, there were certain countries/cities that I did not have in my music at all! Whiter the Australia songs? Then there are certain iconic cities (Paris, New York, San Francisco) with a million songs written about them, and all of the songs are good, which makes narrowing them down difficult. (One of these days I will just make a East Coast Vs. West Coast mix, pitting the songs about New York against the songs about California.)

So if I left your city out... well, make me a mix with your city in it!

Do You Want To See The World?
17 songs, 58 minutes.

1. Reitzell / Beggs "Intro Versailles"
2. The Kooks, "See the World"
3. Siouxxsie and the Banshees, "Hong Kong Garden"
4. The Decemberists, "Los Angeles, I'm Yours"
5. Neutral Milk Hotel, "Holland, 1945"
6. Utada Hikaru, "Tokyo Nights"
7. Everclear, "Santa Monica"
8. Guster, "Amsterdam"
9. Taking Back Sunday, "Timberwolves At New Jersey"
10. Benny Goodman, "Swingtime in the Rockies"
11. Peter Bjorn and John, "Paris 2004"
12. Hot Hot Heat, "In Cairo"
13. Cake, "Mexico"
14. Matt Pond PA, "This is Montreal"
15. The Wombats, "Moving to New York"
16. Tegan and Sara vs. Mylo (Party Ben mashup), "Walking with a Ghost In Paris"
17. Bloc Party, "Kreuzburg"

Images from periodicstyle.blogspot.com.

Cute Cheap Spring Dresses

I've had a one track mind lately. I've been playing a ton of pupe.jp lately (I blame Jeanne!) and all of my uploads have been giving me adorable spring time dresses (go here if you need a primer on pupe.jp!) So, I figured, why fight my desire to talk about cute dresses all the time? Clearly the universe wants me to talk about them. So here's a couple of cute dresses, all under 50 bucks.

Bow Tie Dress from Charlotte Russe
I wore this dress in red to a formal, but I was ridiculously underdressed, and hello, SO CUTE IN GREEN. It's also super comfy to the point that I didn't care that I was underdresssed.


Polka Dot Dress:

This dress is very 50s housewife meets 70s acid tripper, and I love it for it. The polka dots are insane! I love the detailing on the bodice too, and the wide waistband.


Floral Halter:

For everyone who likes their clothing a little more sedated, this dress is perfect. Adorable white halter with an elegant floral pattern coming up from the hem.


Cute Cloud Dress from Urban Outfitters:

This one is slightly more spendy (but still under 50 bucks, as per my requirement to be featured on cute cheap dress posts) but I can't resist the adorable clouds on this dress that look like something out of a Japanese woodblock print. The braided straps are fun too. If it wasn't a babydoll dress, I'd buy this in a second flat (as it is, I'm still very tempted.)

Now I just need to pick which one to buy!

Images from charlotterusse.com and urbanoutfitters.com.