‘shopping’ Category

24 August 2010

Birthday recap with food and presents!!

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Food, Random, shopping

Hello everyone! I am back! Well, actually, I’m soaking up the last few hours of my day off because the painful wake of reality will crush against me tomorrow morning.

Dramatic, I know :)

But before I move on from my birthday bliss (okay I might extend it into this weekend, sue me!), I wanted to share some highlights from the weekend, including food and presents!!!

Yes, photos from Saturday night haven’t rolled in yet (I’ll be looking into that tomorrow) but I was a good girl and behaved, so nothing scandalous.

I love good food and dining out, and Chicago is a great place to indulge in this. So I made a list of three places I wanted to dine out for my weekend: Longman & Eagle, Epic and Sunda. I wanted to go to places that have been on my “list” for a while and these won out!

And of course, the food was yummy at all three. No food porn from Longman but here is some from Epic and Sunda:

Epic’s house gnocchi with lamb sausage and swiss chard (even got dad to try and like this!)

NY strip steak

Sunda’s Lemongrass beef lollipops

And then it was dessert time!!! I LOVE cake but last year was the last time I could have my childhood birthday cake because the bakery was closing :( But this year, dad surprised me with cupcakes from Sprinkles, look how cute this is!!!

For presents, I was a little TOO good to myself this year :) I say that I was making up from last year, when I got nada because…well I don’t know why.

So here’s what I got:

  • Roomba!!! She’s here!! Be on the watchout for adorable videos coming up
  • Dutch oven. It’s risotto time!
  • Big Buddha bag (the teal one I posted on my wish list here)
  • Mac iLife 09 update. I know, functional

I’m so happy with everything. And I was very fortunate to get a HUGE surprise from my dad:

OMFG. I nearly blacked out when I saw this.

So all in all, it was a great birthday weekend.

How was everyone else’s weekend? Do you like to treat yourself when it’s your birthday?

19 August 2010

I am a gift card hoarder

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Random, shopping

The first step in addressing an issue is admitting that you have a problem. This is true for Facebook/Twitter stalking, real-life stalking and an addiction to cupcakes.

So here we go: My name is Jessica and I am a gift card hoarder.

HOLD ME!

Yes, it is that bad.

While cleaning out my desk this week, I found a gift card I received a while ago and never used (likely because it was buried in a mound of crap in my drawer, but that is another post).

I went home and looked into it’s value and realized the $50 was now worth $20, thanks AMEX for monthly deduction charges!!!

Disappointed, I remembered that I keep all of my gift cards together on top of my stereo at home, so I couldn’t help but wonder (in my Carrie SATC voice), what else do I have hoarded up there?

The answer was….horrifying.

I found at least $300 worth of gift cards to the following stores:

  • JCrew
  • Nordstrom
  • Macys
  • Target
  • Sephora
  • Lettuce Entertain You (local Chicago restaurant chain)
  • Gap

I would not believe I had that many and to so many places, one of which I’ve had for TWO YEARS. I am a gift card hoarder.

Fortunately, none of them have lost value, but the Nordstrom ones need to be re-issued because they did expire, but thanks to a little complaining, that was resolved.

Oh my god, how do I do this???

It’s simple, I get them and think I will find something perfect to spend it on, only to talk myself out of it when I actually find it. For example, if I find a great jacket at JCrew that looks amazing on me and I love, I immediately remember that I have a gift card, but then think, “hmm, I could spend it on this but what if I find something better, then it would be a waste!”

Cue six months to go by and that gift card is still sitting on my stereo and I’ve purchased both dream items at JCrew at full prize (and 9.75% sales tax).

This is a bigger issue of me holding back to find something better, but I cannot believe I had that many.

My new plan is this: I only ask for a gift card to a store I already know I want something from, then when I get it, I FORCE myself to go buy it, no second guessing. Oy.

What about you? Are you good about using gift cards? Or are you a hoarder?

01 August 2010

Weekend recap: Shopping, Sprinkles and some amazing duck

By: Jessica B.

Happy Sunday everyone! I’m in the process of enjoying the most amazing leftovers ever so forgive me if I actually drool from joy on my keyboard. But I’ll get to that.

I’ve mentioned before that Nordstrom is my happy place, especially during sale time. So before the Anniversary Sale ended this weekend, my friend Liz and I went to check it out one more time…and I was a bad girl.

Being practical, I got a gorgeous deep purple cardigan and a pearl/gold necklace. Be honest, is the necklace too granny? I saw it in the older adult section on a model and now that’s all I can think about.

Being impractical, I found these adorable fingerless long gloves (cashmere, woo!) for fall and a matching cowl scarf. I cannot wait to wear them!

I fully intend on rocking the 80s that day, complete with Rick Springfield, WHAM and a little Tiffany. If only there were matching legwarmers!

And then I flashed back to another practical purchase I made with TC at the sale last weekend. I found this sweater in the teen section (I have no idea how this could fit me).

No joke, the teen section clothing is not very flattering in the boob area…for obvious reasons

Then some co-workers and I met up Saturday for lunch at Sun Wah BBQ in Uptown, where you can get peking duck and pig and it’s done with tableside presentation. Oh my god this food was incredible. Look at the ducks we got!

Yeah, I had a moment where I felt guilty eating them, but I got over it as soon as I tasted the deliciousness.

Add in some fried rice, bok choy, broccoli, homemade bao, plum sauce and noodles and it was a feast in every since. I needed a nap after.

Finally, after a nice workout today, I decided to hit up Sprinkles Cupcakes downtown because the curiosity to try it was killing me. And when I got there, I was shocked to see a line outside the door and almost wrapped around the block. So after a long wait, I got two cupcakes to bring home and a frosting shot. I’ll likely be awake until I have to go to work tomorrow. But in all seriousness, yeah, Sprinkles Cupcakes are really good. I won’t lie.

How was everyone else’s weekend?

29 July 2010

My latest obsessions

By: Jessica B.

Yes, I wanted to channel Usher and Nora with a post dedicated to “confessions,” but sadly, I have nothing worthwhile  or remotely interesting to confess (right now) so I’m focusing on something more healthy, like things I can’t get enough of.

I have an addictive personality and I can get fixated on stuff and then I cannot stop gushing about it. No, that is not meant to sound creepy OR stalkerish.

Let’s take a closer look at what I’m currently obsessed with:

  • Longchamp Le Pilage tote – I have this in the medium and large size and LOVE IT. I had to replace my medium one lately because I literally wore it out after three years. They are perfect for travel and everyday
  • Red wine – Yes, Napa has made me fall in love with it. I have started enjoying a glass more regularly at dinner (on the weekends for now) and it’s just so…yummy
  • Kiehl’s Acai Berry Cleanser - This was an impulse buy and I love it. The foam feels like kisses on your face. KISSES
  • Bethenny Getting Married – I love this show, so much that I will rewatch reruns! I would love to go get coffee with her one day, I think we would both have a good laugh
  • Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer – I wore this to Pitchfork in 90+ degree weather and it didn’t run down my face while sweating. Obsessed!
  • Homemade pizza – I made one this weekend with Mexican Jack cheese, ricotta and sweet onions. OMG it was SO unhealthy but delicious. Isn’t that how it always works?
  • Ice cream – Yep, still obsessed with this one. I have a tub of French Silk ice cream in my fridge and I have no idea how I will be able to resist it
  • Red velvet cupcakes - My coworker brought some in from Sugar Bliss today and I immediately dove for one of the two available Red Velvets. Yes, I love them that much

Yes, clearly I always have skincare, makeup, food and TV on the brain. That’s normal right?

What are you loving lately? Any big weekend plans?

Movie review: That’s right, another one. This time I’m keeping it lighter with Despicable Me!

01 June 2010

Cosmetic counter crack den

By: Jessica B.
Tagged: Fashion, shopping

Even though I was never interested in makeup as a kid, I pretty much love it now, specifically skin care products. I love checking out new moisturizers, cleansers, toners and SPF products. Sephora and Nordstrom are pretty much my crack dens.

But as much as I love them, I hate shopping at cosmetic counters because I am weak in front of the salesladies.

You know how it goes, you look for one product, maybe ask a few questions and then a sweet saleslady swings by you, smelling a new credit card and says something like, “can I help you find something?” or “oh my gosh you have gorgeous skin.”

Yes, that last phrase is my kryptonite. Once I hear that, I tend to open up my wallet as easily as a girl lifts her shirt on Girls Gone Wild.

No joke.

The saleslady always says how gorgeous my skin is but, of course, she has something to make it better.

Better? But everyone compliments me on my skin now! What is it missing??

That’s when she pulls out the mirror and magic light that makes every pore look the size of a quarter and makeup magically flakes under it and you wonder, OMG how did I go outside looking like this? HELP ME saleslady, help me!

And she does, putting on products, powders and creams that make you look amazing and sigh in relief that you now look like a normal person again and not a monster.

Now, I must have all those products too, I can’t NOT go without them anymore! And sometimes, rather than ask how much each is, you just buy, nearly choking on the bile in your throat when the total of $200 magically appears. Four products for $200? WHA?

Sometimes you pay it, sometimes you don’t. After being caught in that trap several times, I’ve learned to slow down and take breath and critically look at what I need now and what can wait. Just because you want them, doesn’t mean you NEED them all right now.

So Friday when I stopped in at Nordstrom and casually walked by the Laura Mercier counter, being drawn in like a praying mantis, I came out with only one product, one I actually wanted to get, but the lure of more is now planted in my brain.

But after going home and thinking more about it, the cosmetic counter deprogramming began and I’ll be able to resist…for now.

What about you? Are you able to resist the cosmetic counter unscathed? What store is your crack den?