Want this, get that - Sparkle for every budget

So, I love shows / articles / things where professionals show you how to get a look you want 2 ways - one super expensive, and one more budget conscious. 

I'm getting into the High-Low project on HGTV (click here).  Designer Sabrina Soto shows people a super-high-end room design, then re-creates it on the homeowners' actual budget. 

The other day I was picking up a few things at Target, and saw a display in the handbag section of these beautiful sequin purses that were extremely budget friendly.  I knew I'd seen similar bags elsewhere.

I also spied some super cute glitter flats that looked strikingly similar to my Stuart Weitzman flats at a substantially lower cost.

This got me thinking - I know there are similar sparkles that fit into just about anyone's budget...

So, here we are - I've found a bunch of sparkly things that I love and one or two alternatives that won't break the bank.

To the left is a beautiful Michael Kors black sequin bag.  Price tag $368.

If that doesn't meet your budget, how about this similar bag from Target on the right?  Price tag $24.99.

If black isn't what you're looking for, they both come in gold / blush as well.

The Michael Kors version is to the left.  Price tag $368

The Target version is to the right.  Price tag $24.99

How about a super cute cross-body bag?

On the right is a gun-metal gray sequin cross-body from Coach (Occasion sequin flap crossbody).  Price tag $198.

On the left is a similar cross-body bag from Target.  This one comes in gold as well.  Price tag for each? $16.99.

Interested in some sparkly flats?

On the right are some stunners from Stuart Weitzman.  Price tag $275.  I have these in silver and absolutely LOVE them.

Need a pair that is a little friendlier to your pocketbook?  Try these on the left from Target.  Price tag $19.99.

How about a sparkly little jacket?

This stunner on the left is from Anthropologie.  Price Tag $138.

This cutie on the right is from Urban Outfitters.  Price Tag $89.

The little bomber jacket below is also from Urban Outfitters.  $89.

 

In the market for a long-sleeve sparkly top?  

The one on the left is from Rachel Zoe.  Price tag $350.

The one on the right is from J.Crew.  Price tag $69.50.

Mad for sequin hot shorts?  Here are 3 sparklies that might suit your fancy.

On the left is a lovely pair by Halston Heritage.  Price tag $260.  On the right is another pair by Express.  Price tag $59.50  And, below is a pair by Urban Outfitters.  Price tag $138.

What about a stunning sparkly top?  Here are three that I'm loving.

First, on the left, a striped T from J.Crew.  Price tag a whopping $499.99 (and that's the sale price - yikes!). 

I found two significantly less priced alternatives.  On the right, from Express, price tag $49.90.

And below, from Old Navy, price tag $34.94.  Old Navy has some diamonds in the ruff - this is one of them.  Beware though, this top is sheer - you'll need to wear something underneath.

 

And, here are three similar white-ish sparsely sequined tops that I like.  First, on the left, from Anthropologie.  Price tag $158. Also comes in a lovely green.

Second, on the right, a tank from Gap.  Price tag $54.95 (also comes in black).

And, lastly, below, a top from Urban Outfitters.  Price tag $69.  This one also comes in navy.

Want a silver sparkly scarf?

On the left is from Anthropologie - $188.

On the right is from Express - $34.90.

How about a wristlet / clutch?

On the right is from Kohls - $41.30 on sale now.

On the left is from Coach - $78. (Poppy sequins small wristlet).

There are lots and lots of lovely items out there that fall well within anyone's budget.  Just try doing a search for "sequin" or "glitter" on your favorite sites and see what comes up.

Here are the search results for "sequin" on a few sites that I frequent, and some new ones introduced to me by my sister:

• Bloomingdale's
• Urban Outfitters
• Gap
• Old Navy
• Piperlime (some really cute stuff here!)
• J.Crew
• LuLu's
• Topshop (thanks to my sister)
• Mod Cloth (also thanks to my sister)

There's never a shortage of sequin out there!!!

Keep on sparkling!

Until next time...

Adventures in Nail Polish - Part 1

So, it is pretty obvious that I'm addicted to sparkles.  I'm also addicted to manicures / pedicures.  They are a little luxury I enjoy once per month - what is better than a warm soak, a comfy chair, reading a frivolous magazine, and having someone make your feet and fingers look luscious?

I've recently had a few color combinations that I'm still crazy about.

For my sister's wedding in June, I got a gel mani (gelish brand) with Gossip Girl with Emerald Dust silver sparkles over.  LOVE!  Super cute hot pink with sparkles.  Wish I could have that every day.

For my birthday this year, I got another gelish gel mani with only June Bride on it - no solid color under.  It looked like layers upon layers (actually 2 coats) of very light peachy-pink with golden sparkles.  Absolutely am in love with this color.  Wish I could have this every other day.

My toes for my birthday got 2 coats of OPI Russian Navy with 2 coats of Sally Hansen Rockstar Pink on top.

 

Sally Hansen has a ton of really fun colors that don't break the bank.  Check them out here.  I found a blog that has swatches of most of the Sally Hansen XTreme Wear colors - check them out here.

Most recently, continuing on my sparkle kick, I got on my toes OPI Lucerne-tainly-Look-Marvelous underneath OPI Crown me Already.  Silver upon silver - love love love!

  

What kind of colors are you sporting?

Until next month...  Wonder what color I will get then...

Keep shining!

Incomplete Sparkles - major pet peeve

So, I have to say I'm a lover, not a hater.  I generally look for the silver lining, rather than the doomsday.  I like the positive, not the negative.  I don't watch some reality TV shows purposely because I can't stand watching people get cut down by the "judges."

I love sparkles - duh.  I don't love incomplete sparkles.

What do I mean by this?  Incomplete sparkles are like a mullet - looks one way from the front, and awful from the back.  I mean, what is worse than a beautiful sparkly, ruffled, patterned, etc. blouse, skirt, dress, etc. whose embellishment doesn't continue onto the back?  It's like a mullet.  Or socks with sandals.  Or visible panty line.  Just plain wrong.

I've heard arguments that it is a cost thing - too cost prohibitive to continue things on the backside.  I don't buy it (in belief or in purchase).

A few items to illustrate my point...

A cute sparkly argyle cardigan from Asos - $115.

But all wrong.  Especially the sleeves - they continue all the way around, but the sparkly pattern on the bodice does not.

 

A cute black sparkly T from Asos - $65.

Looks great from the front.

But all wrong from the back.  A plain, non-special black T.

A cute black cardi from Banana Republic - $98.

Granted the name of this item is "sequin front cardigan."

Why can't it just be "sequin cardigan"?

An uninteresting, un-whelming view from the back...

A striped tank from Banana - on sale for $59.99 (down from $79.50).

Love the tone on tone stripes of sequin.  A great layering piece, or all on it's own.

Utterly unremarkable (and disappointing) from the back.

Super cute tank from Gap - $69.95.

Love the paillettes and the chiffon straps and under-layer.  

Super cute for the holidays with a pencil skirt or cigarette pants & great colored heels.  Equally as cute with jeans for a night out on the town.

Sad from the back.  At least there is a little bow to add a slight amount of interest.

I really liked this dress in the French Connection catalog I got in the mail the other day.  Interesting with the wrap-front, nice sparkle.  Super cute.  $248.

I couldn't wait to go on-line to take a closer look and see it without the fur shrug.

So disappointed.  Not one embellishment on the back.  And this LBD costs $248.

One of my go-to stores - J. Crew.  Super cute sparkly tank - originally $118, on sale now for $79.50.

Sadly, the sparkle covers only the front.  

Another unremarkable, boring back.

Why oh why?

Case in point for continuing sparkles (or other embellishments) all the way around a garment that doesn't have to break the bank.

I found 2 super cute dresses from LuLu's that do just that - sequin & pattern is continued all the way around.

This silver number costs only $77.

And the sequins continue onto the back, along with a nice plunge.  So adorable.

This LSD (little silver dress), also from LuLu's continues the sparkles all the way around.  This will set you back $91.

$91 well spent on a dress with sequin on the back too!

All of the retailers that I frequent, and have mentioned here with misses on their backsides sell items that continue the sequin all the way around.  Why oh why can't all of their items?

Black tank.  Cute exposed zipper on the back.

Finished all the way around.

Banana Republic.  

On sale for $79.99.

J. Crew

Tank - $78.  

Finished all the way around & available in 4 colors.

T-shirt - $79.99 (regularly $118).  

Sequins all around.

Want some sequin leggings that don't look like chaps because the sequins are lacking on the backside?  Found 'em at Express - $98.

Want some other options for finished dresses?  Found a bunch also at Express.  This Black / gold striped one is on sale now for $75.60.  They have others too.

How about a sequin cardi / jacket?  Urban Outfitters - $89

If you look, you can find finished garments that don't break the bank, and that are absolutely adorable.

You always hear people say that you want to make your exit as memorable as your entrance.  How can you do that when the back of your garment is only ho-hum...

Here's to finished garments that carry their embellishments all the way around your lovely frame.

Just say no to mullets.  Turn your back on socks with sandals.  Don't give visible panty-line the time of day.

Look fabulous from the front and back!

Until next time...  Love sparkles on your front and your back.

Bananas for Yonanas

So, I'm officially bananas for Yonanas.

What exactly is Yonanas, you might be thinking?

Yonanas doesn't really sparkle, it doesn't really shine, it isn't glittery, and it isn't pink.  But I love it.

Yonanas is a kitchen appliance that makes frozen-yogurt-like deserts from frozen bananas.

I'm a child of fro-yo.  Remember Penguin's frozen yogurt?  I got yogurt there A LOT when I was younger.  Yummy yogurt, yummy toppings.  Yum Yum Yum.  More recently, I've become obsessed with PinkBerry, TuttiMelon, and a hand full of other local Fro-Yo shops.  I'm a huge fan of the signature "tart" flavor with rainbow sprinkles, blueberries, and mango.  Occasionally, I'll add in some "crack cookies" as my friends call them - the pink and white circus animal cookies from Mother's.  Super yum.

But all of that Fro-Yo comes at a pretty high caloric cost.  Now, I generally try to eat pretty healthily and take good care of myself.  So, when I read in some magazine a little snippet about Yonanas, I was very much intrigued.

I looked up Yonanas on-line (click here).

It seemed a little gimmick-y - after all it is one of those "as seen on TV" gadgets.

But it also seemed like it could really be super yum!

I eat a banana almost every day along with strawberries, blueberries, and sometimes blackberries mixed in with some Kashi Go Lean Crunch, ground flax, and nonfat plain Greek yogurt.  Super yum.

So, turning frozen bananas into fro-yo seemed like something I would like very much since I already like bananas, and I absolutely love fro-yo.

As it turns out Yonanas is available at your friendly, local Bed, Bath & Beyond stores, and if you are like me, you have a ton of 20% off coupons lying around, it isn't all that cost prohibitive. (about $49.99 less the coupon discount).

So, I liberated one of the Yonanas contraptions this weekend, got some frozen blueberries, some chocolate, and some ripe bananas, and tried it out.

First - it is very noisy.

Second - it is very easy to use.

Third - it creates a very tasty treat.

It comes with a little recipe book, but really sky's the limit in terms of what kind of fruit to use, and what other additions to include.

So, what does it taste like, you may be wondering...

Well, it doesn't taste overtly banana-ish.  The bananas serve as the base of the faux fro-yo, and the other fruit you add in makes the flavor.

I made mine with blueberries.  (By the way, for those of you who follow points on weight watchers - bananas and most other fruit are zero points - yes, zero points.)

I made some for my boyfriend with frozen grapes, and some chocolate-peanut butter.

Both were super YUM!

My boyfriend was a little sad when I packed up my yonanas to bring home with me this afternoon.  He admitted to actually wanting one of his own...

Bottom line.  If you like fro-yo, but want a lower-calorie healthier alternative, Yonanas just might be the thing for you.

You can read some other reviews on the Bed, Bath & Beyond site and on on Amazon.com.

I'm definitely a fan.  I'm bananas for Yonanas! (And, no, I'm not a paid lobbyist for Yonanas).

What would you mix with your Yonanas?

Until next time...

Glorious Gold!

So, clearly I love sparkly things.  I have a blog dedicated to sparkly things.  I've recently been obsessing over gold.  Glorious gold!  It shines and sparkles; can be shiny or muted, yellow, white, rose, or a myriad of other colors; mixed with other metals or stand alone; basically a majorly versatile color that I have always loved.

My most recent pedi consisted of a gold base coat with 2 coats of gold sparkles on top.  Absolutely love.  It's almost time to get a new pedi and I will definitely be very sad to see this glorious gold glitter go.  But, I guess I have some solace in the fact that I can get it, or something equally as glittery again.

I almost got a teal base coat with hot pink sparkles on top, but in the end, opted for the gold.  I may rock the teal / pink sparkles for my next pedi...  It may need to be a game-time decision.

Over the weekend, a friend noticed my toes and my gold leather purse and asked if I purposely matched them together.

I hadn't but had a little chuckle that my purse and toes were perfectly matched.  I know you don't have to match shoes, belts, and bags any more...  What about matching toes and bags?

The pic above is one that my friend took.  It's a little crazy that they match so well.

This is the actual bag in full view...  I absolutely LOVE this bag.

It is super-soft dark gold sparkly leather with brown leather braided handles.  I purchased it several years ago from Anthropologie.  I had seen it in the catalog for a while, but couldn't bring myself to pay that much for a bag.

Then several months after I initially saw the bag, I was at Anthropologie shopping one of their sales and when I was in line for the dressing room, I saw this magnificent bag just sitting on one of the bed displays.  I stepped out of line and picked it up.  I peeked at the price tag, and to my pleasant surprise, it was on sale for a much more reasonable price, and this little gem came home with me.

Also this weekend, I undertook a little home decorating improvement project.  I had an unfinished night stand, book case, and step stool that I have been wanting to paint for some time.  I decided on hot pink / fuschia for the book case and step stool, and gold (shocker) for the night stand.  Off to Home Depot I went to get supplies.  The hot pink I wanted was the color if my ipod.  The nice man in the paint department tried to color match it, but ultimately said the pink was too bright (boo), but I found a great fuschia alternative in one of the pre-made colors.  I'm almost done painting.  I'm sure I'll dedicate a blog in the near future to fuschia.

The night stand was a different story.  I wanted a metallic-ish paint for it, but not all out glitter.  The nice paint man showed me this stuff from Martha Stewart that I thought might work.  It is textured metallic paint that comes in an assortment of colors.  I opted for a dark copper / gold with just a hint of sparkle, but not over the top glittery.

Here are my thoughts...  Great idea.  Love the metallic likeness of the paint.  The color in the container is just lovely.

 The negatives...  It is not liquid-y like regular paint - it has a much thicker consistency.  It is also not smooth.  It is VERY textured, and I'm not yet sure how I feel about it.  It was really hard to get a uniform finish / texture with it.  I finished the night stand (pic below) and think I may take some fine sand paper to it to remove some of the texture.

 
I don't hate how it came out, but I'm not overwhelmingly in love with it either.  I will relegate the night stand to the "other" side of my bed.

I replaced it with a super cute night stand from a local store in my neighborhood.  It is white with a decoupaged bird pattern on the top of it.  An early birthday present from my boyfriend.  Love it & him.

And now on to some other glorious gold pretties I've spied lately and may be added to my wishlist.

A rail road spike bracelet in copper.  From Giles & Brother (click here).  $55.  I am a newcomer to this site and like what I see.  Lots of unique statement-y jewelry.  You can even have this made custom with words stamped into the bracelet.

Satin Mona pumps in gold-ish satin from J. Crew (click here).  $248.  Not sure I'm sold on them with that price tag.  Also can't vouch for their comfort, but I think they are pretty cute!

Another pretty shoe find from J. Crew.  Lula glitter flats, $135 (click here).  Super cute & glittery.  They come in a few different color combinations - notice the subtle cap toe in a slightly different shade of glitter.  Love.

Ok, I think that is all of the glorious gold I have to share for now... until I find more!

I mentioned in a previous post (click here) the coolness that is Pinterest.  I'm adding new pins almost on a daily basis, and just started a Sparkly Wonderland board dedicated to all things sparkle.  Check it out some time...  http://pinterest.com/jen_ni_fer/

Until next time, bask in the glory of gold!