lack of sleep can be a good thing

my sleep cycle is completely off right now for two reasons...my little precious one isn't sleeping through the night yet and she is fighting her first cold. so i took a huge long nap this afternoon and am consequently wide awake. what else can one do at this ungodly hour? online shop, of course, then blog about it.

i am rediscovering le target lately and have been popping in and out whenever mood strikes. my recent pop-in was due to yahoo luring me to read this article. basically the article reports that target is finally whoopin' uncle wally's butt in the price department. finally.

so anyway, wide awake, i log onto target.com and start snooping around. i remember a recent commercial about target's five year anniversary collaborating with celebrated designers, so i was click happy in that department for the better portion of an hour until this nagging little box kept catching my eye.

"guests who viewed this item ultimately bought..."

it nagged relentlessly. i kept ignoring it until i saw this...

say whaaa? now, i am a huge, huge fan of dolce vita. huge. so this definitely caught my attention! (1 - target online marketers, 0 - me)

Dolce Vita for Target Black Vita Lace Up Boot

$17.48 vs. $34.99 Retail

i am not the regular i once claimed to be at target, so i admit, i didn't even know that there was an ongoing dolce vita/target affair until today. and to think these have been around since last summer! to be quite honest, i would have probably paid the full retail price for these lovelies back then. i have been wanting to get a pair of feminized combat boots all fall/winter but just couldn't find the perfect look for the perfect price...until tonight!

after i secured those boots in my shopping bag, i quickly typed 'dolce vita' in the search box and beheld what else popped onto my screen. not only was i tickled pink that more shoes were available for my choosing, but i was more than elated to find that some of them were also ON CLEARANCE! ::cue heavenly music::

In addition to the boots, these two sly buggers found their way into my shopping bag...

Dolce Vita for Target Studded Ballet Flat - Black

$10.48 vs. $29.99 Retail

Dolce Vita for Target Studded Ballet Flat - Gold

$10.48 vs. $29.99 Retail

on top of these major dealies, i spent enough to qualify for the free ship. even better, if i do say so myself. nothing like some satisfying online shopping to kick start the melatonin. but, i did shop the dolce vita spring collection first! so jump on asap before they're gone and the links just become invalid portals to target's nowhere land.

i found this photo of the entire fall 2010 collection here:

p.s. i would kill for the pewter flats too! oh, and the zippered boot is just the inside view of the lace up boot, not a different boot.

i found this photo of the entire spring 2011 collection here:

p.s.s. i love the cognac leather espadrilles! which also comes in a to-die-for nude color. ah, ok goodnigh-er-morning!

deja vous

Am I alone in this? Is there anyone else out there who's eyes zoom right on to the red stickers?

Going through Target tonight, I was being extra good and didn't even let the thought of going near the clothing section enter my mind. But as we were heading toward the cashiers husband casually asks, "Hey, don't you want to check out the clothes?" Totally out of character BTW, but um, yeah! That was the drop that broke the dam. So he led the way and I kept my hands in my pockets and tried so hard to be good. But then I saw the racks with their vibrant red clearance signs and my feet went right on over of their own accord.

This is where I ran into the last remaining Rodarte items...

I believe these items retailed for about $39.99 each and I got them for $9.98 each! I like how the peachy mock wrap dress fits. It has a very vintage feel to it and uber feminine. I can definitely wear this to a Summer wedding. I am not sure why I picked up the blue dress. Maybe because we had just watched Alice in Wonderland (great movie!) right before heading into Target? I don't know, but it was so cute to me. Even my little one was smitten with it and I let her wear it around for a bit. The only downside to this awesome find is that both dresses were not in my size (sizes 7 & 9). Oh well, can't be choosers when waiting for things to get marked down!

suckerfish

Don't know how or why I do this to myself but I plant a little seed of curiosity and it bugs me until I scratch the itch. What am I talking about? Well, all that blabbering about Target the other day got me curious to see if maybe I missed something interesting within the Rodarte line. So I was visiting family in an obscure town in CA where I don't think the demographics there is much into fashion. I won't say where I was for the slim chance I may offend some closet fashion fiend out there.

Logic had me thinking that I may be able to find some pieces left in the collection. So before we made it to the family's house I had the hubs make a slight detour to the Super Target. Why is it super? Because there is a super market inside of it now. Clever. We get there and as suspected there were some straggler pieces hanging in the clearance section. I was surprised to see that some were in my size, which does not happen often. Of course that lacy dress wasn't there and...

Neither was this lace overlay dress, but had it been I would've shrieked like a banshee and ran for the cashier humming the SATC theme song.

It.is.so.adorable.

This tulle turtleneck type blouse and tulle slip skirt was there. I got it on clearance for $7.48. Not bad. I am getting more and more into the navy on black. I couldn't find a picture of it but I also got a simple black lace/silk cami for $9something. There were also these items in mustard and fuschia. Both colors completely unflattering on me so I let them be.

This sequin leopard print dress was there and adorable but it was missing a few sequins at the neckline, so I passed it up.

This leopard print lacy dress was there and I am so sorry fashion gods, but I thought it was utterly hideous in person. The lace was crunchy to the touch and itchy and the color looked drab. There were also three bows on the back that didn't do a thing for it.

Now that I am back home and thinking more and more about Jean Paul Gaultier, I am getting all giddy and antsy. I will be out of town that weekend and probably road tripping it home that Sunday, but I will find a way!

Style Targeted

So it's not new that high end fashion designers have been getting their hands into the American commercial retail hot spot Target but when I was flipping through March's InStyle and saw an ad for Target announcing Jean Paul Gaultier as it's new designer collaboration I nearly fell out of my chair. I went straight to the web and searched and couldn't believe it to be true. I also felt behind the times because this news has been buzzing around the fashion community since back in October.

With other designers, I wasn't s curious about what designs they came up. Rodarte almost got me with the now infamous lacy number but I didn't bite. I also missed out on the McQ line as well because I haven't been inside of a Target since I don't know when. I am not letting it happen on JPG day! I am very excited about this collaboration and will have to make an appearance on the actual unveiling day! Some of the dresses have me at hello.

Read it straight from Target here.

See looks here.

Mark your calendars! March 7th will be a day to remember.

[More] Target Steals!

L'Oreal HiP Color Rich Cream Crayon in Attentive 812 and Unmistakable 142

1.0 g $9.00 Retail

$2.12 at Target (75% off!)

So I went to a different Target to check out what I could find in the bargain bins and found a totally different stash. This other Target had tons more L'Oreal HiP products. I was pretty impressed with the paint, so I thought I'd pick up two of the crayons at 75% off, just so that I could do a more thorough investigation of this brand. ;p  It seems that the drugstore brands have gotten a bit more sophisticated since I entertained them last. Now, I am not saying that I think I am "too good" to use drugstore brands. I am by no means a brand snob. Perfect example? I am OBSESSED with NYX lip liners. I just LOVE the consistency of them. They are much creamier and easier to apply than most lip liners I've used and at $0.99, I probably have every color. No exaggeration! Anyway, I guess I just got so used to the quality of prestige brands such as NARS *swoon*, Smashbox *double swoon* MAC *triplequadruple swoon* for eyeshadows that it was kinda hard to turn back. However, since coming across these great deals, I figured it couldn't hurt. As soon as I got home, my sister and I did a quick test swatch of these crayons. WOW. They just glided on easily and once dried it didn't budge, smudge, or flinch when we screamed at it. Which can be a plus and a minus. Case in point; we applied a swatch of MAC Shadestick in Beige-ing (1.5 g $16.50 Retail) next to the HiP Attentive, MAC required a bit more pressure and tugged at the skin while HiP just glided on. We then applied a layer of MAC E/S over it. The E/S adhered to both swatches evenly. We then administered a smudge test by pulling a finger down the swatches. The MAC swatch was still sticky, smeared just a bit and there was residue on our finger tips. For the HiP swatch, it was completely dried, it didn't smear at all, and no evidence of it was on our fingertips. Neither swatches had a distinct odor. When it came to removing the product, MAC was wiped off with ease. HiP, however, required a bit more pressure and rubbing, which can be a negative and too abrasive for sensitive skin such as the area around the eyes. Both product has its pros and cons, but in my opinion, they are probably the closest in shadow stick formula. 

Update: 09/09/08 - So I finally applied the HiP Crayon to my lid as a base and the results were not too great. First, it glided on easily but was inconsistent with the coverage. It would apply well with one coat, but with another pass over, it took off color in some areas and built on in others. So that wasn't fun. Then when the product dried, my lid became really tight and almost itchy, as if all of the moisture was sucked out of my skin. Packing color on the HiP was fine, but don't bother with the blending or shading. The HiP won't allow it. If worn as a single color or as an eyeliner, I think you would like the results, but it won't be easy if you are planning on adding other colors to your look. But as always, this is just my opinion of the product and how it worked for me. Try it for yourself and tell me your thoughts!

L'Oreal HiP Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss in Honest 842

$9.00 Retail

$1.98 @ Target (75% off!)

I thought about getting the glosses also, but they had a tad more sparkle than I like, so I left them in the bins. They are there for the taking!

Tomorrow, I am on assignment at another stakeout. I got wind that a well known chain of stores that sells department store seconds, returns, and overstock is recently carrying many reputable beauty products. I will debrief ASAP.