The laundress gets a day off

The Laundress by Pierre Bonnard

This lonely, bent, little figure is what I feel like lately. ~sigh

At least there is Memorial Day, a break from work, where one can enjoy some retail therapy.

Here's my newest find:

Mossimo Sateen Cuff Shorts in Burning Rose

size 2 ($8.98 clearance at Target in-store)

This Burning Rose color is so unique! I'm pleasantly surprised the size 2 fits me perfectly. I think this is the first time I've ever bought shorts from Target women's section.

I'm also wearing the Target C9 by Champion Power Workout Tee in Heather Grey sz XS ($9.99), which also fits me perfectly. I think I'm going to buy some more of these tee's in different colors when they go on further sale. I love a plain comfortable tee :)

Did you shop Target this weekend? Any great finds?

Like Orange Sherbet

Right now I'm loving orange-sherbet hues!

H&M scarf ($12.95) currently in stores.

How I wore it:

I believe this scarf also comes in neon yellow and aqua blue in-store. All very pretty!

______________________________________

Speaking of oranges, did I ever share my favorite facial moisturizer?

 Derma-E Ester-C Creme with E

(~$20 something at local Sprouts)

Oh no! Just learned that this product is being discontinued! Oh woe :( Seriously this is the ONLY moisturizer I've ever tried that doesn't make my face greasy and AMAZINGLY eliminates and prevents fine lines. All natural ingredients and a nice orange-scent. It has been my holy-grail for almost 4 years now. Each jar actually lasts me more than half a year. Can't believe I'll have to start searching for an alternative after I run out of this. I would totally stock up on whatever supplies are left out there, except natural ingredients tend to expire fast. Darn it! Derma-E, please bring this back!

______________________________________

On to other orange-y products...

GUD Orange Petalooza Natural Nourishing Shampoo

(12 fl oz - $6.99 at Target)

The Good: Smells orange-fantastic, cheaper than other natural shampoo brands.

The Bad: does not wash well, made hair waxy and harder to comb after use.

Verdict: Despite great scent, will not repurchase. 

Anyone one else tried these GUD shampoos or conditioners? Did they work for you?

So far, the best natural shampoo I've tried is still the Giovanni 2Chic Ultra-Sleek Shampoo.

High Waist Shorts

For awhile now, my "going out" shorts have been limited to Bermuda length styles. I personally love the long-length shorts for comfort, but they are not very flattering on my short legs, especially when wearing flats. This summer, I am feeling experimental in trying other styles of shorts for casual wear. On trend is the high-rise shorts. These are suppose to elongate ones legs and cinch the waist in a flattering feminine shape. Here's my first attempt:

Forever21 High Waist Cuffed Shorts

Blue sz XS - $17.80

I love the vivid blue color of these shorts, but I had the hardest time finding a top to match. The best I could think of was a black top. I tried to spruce up my outfit with a peach necklace and my cap-toe flats, but for some reason, my outfit felt incomplete or is still too bare. Perhaps I'm missing a peach/beige bag to hold or some big bracelets/bangles. I decided to put on my new H&M suedette moto jacket (that I adore! currently sold in-store), and it looked better.

But the jacket defeats the purpose of breezy summer shorts. Wearing a suede-like jacket in the sweltering summer heat is not recommended (despite how great it looks in photos, haha). After much debate, I decided to return these shorts because I felt like I needed to buy more items just to put together an outfit (...it made me want to buy a beige bag, perhaps a cream crochet top, or more shirts that can be tucked into shorts.)

Also, the tailored polyester fabric has no stretch, and my bloat-prone tummy area felt uncomfortable with the tightness at the waist, especially when sitting down.

Off topic, has anyone been having problems posting comments on other blogs?  I've been trying to post my comments on the blogs I read daily, and my comments won't go through. It keeps telling me to sign in, even though I am already signed in. After many futile attempts, I gave up. So everyone on my sidebar, I've been reading your blogs and loving your posts, but unable to express my thoughts and opinions! Guess I just have to keep them to myself.   Have a great Memorial weekend!

Purple morsel no. 7

I might have to change this title series to "Purple Haul" since I can't resist trying new things in purple packaging. This time, it's the Willa natural skincare line (sold online here, or at Target).

Being a girlie girl at heart, of course I couldn't resist the purple-theme, girl-with-bangs logo, and holographic silver lettering. Plus, the products claim to be all natural, paraben-free and so forth.

Review of the Willa Start Fresh Foaming Face Wash (5.1 oz) - $11.00

• Cute packaging won me over.
• I love cleansers that pump out in a foam (for easier and faster lathering and rinsing).
• Unfortunately, for a product that claims to be natural, it has a weird chemical-sour-like scent, or whatever fragrance it contains doesn't smell good, in my opinion.
• My face felt pretty clean after washing, despite the weird fragrance that lingers on my skin afterwards. Another negative is that it left my skin feeling dry, so a moisturizer is a must after using this.
• Overall: I will not repurchase this. The cleansing formula did nothing special for my skin. But I'm keeping the purple bottle and perhaps re-filling it with my best holy-grail cleanser: Aveeno Ultra Calming Foaming Cleanser (which is half the price, has a faint pleasant oatmeal-like scent that doesn't linger, leaves my skin feeling clean and baby soft after washing. The only downside is that Aveeno has parabens, but it keeps my skin looking better than any other cleanser I've ever tried, so it's worth it).

Here's how the bottles compare:

Aveeno has more product. The Willa foam is thicker and denser than the Aveeno.

But Aveeno still wins in my book.

I also purchased the Willa Lip Balm in St. Tropez Strawberry (0.25 oz) - $7.50:

• I'm always looking for a better lip balm, so I had to try this one. The scent/taste is like any other strawberry-flavor balm. The formula felt comfortable on my lips; kept them moisturized for maybe 3-4 hours. It is a bit glossy, but not sticky. This balm would have been perfect, except after it wears off, my lips seem to peel more often. I haven't found the perfect lip balm (that feels nice on lips, moisturizes, and no peeling) for the longest time, so I'll be using this one up until I find something better.  

 Again, cute logo. 

Hinged pot.

Huh, doesn't the ingredients look like a bunch of chemicals?

Overall, this lip balm is "okay"  but I'm probably not going to repurchase.

I'm a little disappointed with my Willa haul. Although this line is actually marketed for girls (tween/teens), it's still quite expensive. Again, such cute packaging, safe ingredients, but the formulas just didn't work for me. (Or maybe they might work for teens and not 30-agers, hehe).

Have you tried Willa products or any of the skincare line marketed for young girls lately? Any worthy ones out there?

Found my cap-toe

I'm so happy that I am checking-off items on my 2012 wish list! One of the items I've been longing for is some pointy cap-toe shoes. Finally found mine on Amazon for only $30! I wish they have more sizes available if you ladies are interested in them, but there are only random sizes left here or here.

Franco Sarto Rich-Burro/Black

The outer beige part is made of leather that is very soft to the touch, but sturdy on the inside. Patent cap toe is man-made.

I ordered size 5.5 M with my fingers crossed (since I'm normally a true size 6). Luckily, they fit fine. A little pinchy in the toes, which is expected since they are pointy-shaped, and a little stiff on the back of the ankles....but I think overtime, they will loosen a bit to be more comfortable.  

 Hurray for my new pointy-toe flats! If these didn't turn out so well, I was going to order the Ivanka Trump Fazio in cobblestone/black, which is fancier and pricier, so I'm glad these worked out for my budget.

Side note, I've also checked-off "coral jewelry" on my wish list, since I'm now a proud owner of an Amrita Singh. After drooling over everyone's AS pieces, I finally caved in.

 Amrita Singh Shelter Island in coral haze (~$28 on Hautelook) 

Are you checking-off items in your wishlist?

Coral-y summer time

Thanks to a birthday gift card and a coupon, I was able to splurge on these lovely nail polishes from Ulta!

Essie - Haute as Hello

I love nail polish colors that resembles natural jewelry stones (like turquoise, coral, lapis, jade, gold, etc...). It's my way of showing off some bling without the real $$bling, if that makes any sense, haha. Lately, I've been searching for a peachy color that resembles the popular YSL coral ring, and I think this Essie Haute as Hello is the closest match. It's a bright milky peach-pink that really pops. My only complaint is that this color was hard to find in-store, so I had to order online. The formula is also a bit streaky and hard to apply evenly on larger nail surfaces. My camera could not capture the pretty color accurately, but check out these other blogs for better photos: here, here, here

Layla Hologram Effect - Coral Glam

Now this is the most expensive ($15.50) nail polish I've ever purchased (yay for gift card and coupon)! It is totally worth the cost for me though. I've been mesmerized by anything holographic since I was a kid. It probably started with my grade-school teachers who occasionally awarded us with holographic stickers on "excellent" homework assignments. It was always such a treat to receive a shiny hologram sticker verses a regular sticker. To this day, I still become giddy over everything holographic from pencils, folders, holiday cards, candy-wrappers....you name it! At one point in high school, I even thought of designing a holographic dress to wear to prom. Thank goodness I ended up not going to prom at all, haha. Of course when I spotted the Layla holo nail polish, I had to try it!

Coral Glam is actually more a frosty nude-rose color than coral. It has a glittery-shimmer effect but dries smooth and fast (not gritty like some glitter polishes can be). 

The holographic effect doesn't show well unless in direct light. Thus it's a very neutral color indoors, but for outdoors it's like magic...beyond gorgeous with all the rainbow reflections...SWOON! Trust me, you will be staring and admiring your own nails like a crazy person with this! 

Again, for better photos, check out these other blogs: here, here, here

I will definitely be sporting these nail polishes this summer!

What are your favorite nail polishes this summer?

High on neon

Just can't get enough of neon! I decided to keep these ASOS pants. It's so cool that they compliment my boring neutrals. If I was getting married this year, I'd probably have a neon yellow-themed wedding, haha. Loving it that much! 

Ooh, Express is selling some cute neon yellow shorts here.

Purple morsel no. 6

It's probably a nostalgic elementary-school thing for me, but it's fun to drink out of paper cartons!

This one was definitely made for me...

Very vanilla (favorite flavoring) and comes in a purple carton (favorite color)!

What are your favorite drinks in paper cartons?