Battle of the Brands - GIVEAWAY!

I have been completely crazy with schoolwork and stuff. However, I just needed to take the time to tell all of you about the fabulousness that continues to be Shop It To Me.

I've blogged about them before and they have certainly made me -- or should I say my wallet -- the victim of some fantastic purchases. Their latest service? Battle of the Brands! Think of it as a Sweet 16 of College Basketball. Each week, some of your favorite brands will go head to head and compete to be the last brand standing. So what's in it for you?? Well when you vote, you'll be automatically entered to win Marc by Marc Jacobs accessories each week! I adore Marc by Marc Jacobs so I'm sure these will be fabulous prizes. Some of the round 1 competitors include BCBG, LAMB, DVF, and Rag and Bone -- oops, guess you know my faves already! So just head over to the Shop It To Me blog, vote for your faves, and you're automatically entered to win! You must be a member to vote. And if you're not already a member I definitely suggest you join. You'll find the best deals in your mailbox as often as you'd like. Go there now!

That's my fashion news for now, but stay tuned. Be back soon!

I'm Like Santa

My grandmother used to say (in her best Spanish accent) "From mi to mi!" when she made a purchase for herself. While she had a really great mentality - I think I've been following her sage advice way too much as of late. Tis the season to go shopping. But I think I'm overdoing it a bit. I've made so many online purchases this season and I'm not done with my shopping yet! The reason: I seem to be buying myself quite a few presents.

Here's the problem as I see it. How in the world can I pass up such good deals? There are free shipping orders all over the place, as well as 20, 25, and 30 percent off sale price deals! I'm really trying to not get anything in excess - I really do think about my purchases carefully but I can't help it! I get such delight after making a purchase. Paying my credit card bill later on is another story.

I just bought a few things, two gifts included, from J. Crew. I was slightly miffed that the day after I placed my order, things went on even more of a sale, but what can you do? I still got awesome deals. My package arrived today and I was so embarrassed at the size of the box. It was so large and in charge that I could barely maneuver it back to my cube. It was so big because I ordered the cutest pair of rain boots. I haven't had rain boots since sophomore year of college, which was quite a few years ago. These are adorable and the price was certainly right. So what can I say? I'm excited for my purchases.

I think it's fine. A little retail therapy never really killed anyone, right? But I can't help but think to myself in the very back of my head, should I really be my own Santa?

Holiday Salemail!

My twice-weekly Salemails from Shop It To Me have been helping me through the holiday season. I've been alerted to fabulous holiday gifts and even some of my favorite products are on sale. Here are some of my fave pics!

I'm totally pumped for my red Michael Kors pumps I ordered on Shopbop. I doubt I actually needed these shoes, but as we know, shoes are my weakness and red shoes are so exciting to me (not to mention perfect for the holidays), especially when I like to wear a lot of black on my nights out. They were marked down to $58.50 from $195. And they only had my size - that was destiny, right?!

I was very excited to see Nordstrom put the plain Juicy Couture velour pants on sale. My Puerto Rican figure cannot sustain the pants with the back pockets - can we say accentuation? But these had no pockets and were fun colors different from the black that loves to find its way into my closet. Only $49.90, down from $128. Now how would I have known they would be so cheap - I don't look at Nordstrom.com every day!

So thanks to Salemail for giving me a little heads up. They even told me that this was a new price and that it sells out quickly. And that is certainly the truth because sometimes I'll go back on a site and there won't be any more of the product in stock!

Alas, the company holiday party is quickly approaching. What am I going to wear? I was thinking of building my outfit around my newly-found Michael Kors pumps, but maybe I can find something else? I'll have to keep watching my Salemail from my favorite Shop It To Me. Stay tuned.

My Reviews are Endless

I'm completely addicted to shoes (and nice ones at that), but let's face it: I'm not made of money. Being a writer/freelancer/blogger, I sometimes need to make lots of savvy decisions and less impulse purchases. And for someone who's as obsessed with beautiful leather bags and shoes as I am, that can be a hard chore to come by.

Enter Endless.com, where shoes start off at full price but in a matter of weeks miraculously decrease. It is a patience thing, but patience is a virtue, especially when this stylish writer is on a budget.

As part of Amazon.com, Endless.com has proven to be a great place to go anytime I'm in a bind. And the best part is that they have FREE OVERNIGHT SHIPPING. If it's one thing I absolutely hate about online shopping, it's those heinous shipping charges. But Endless.com takes care of that, has free returns and even has a 110 percent price guarantee.

They certainly stand by this, I know, as I recently ordered a pair of shoes and then a day later found them cheaper somewhere else. Not only did Endless.com match the price, but they beat it and sent me an email within 10 minutes telling me they would credit my card. Now service like that can't be beat.

I have a closet full of shoes now and who could know that I've never paid full price for them? My options and love for shoes are certainly endless.

I've Got a Personal Shopper

Now that Fall is here, we'll need to make sure we have the proper clothes to sport during the cooler weather. And what better way to do so than to have your favorites delivered to your email inbox throughout the week? ShopItToMe.com does just that.

I cannot recall how I first learned of Shop It To Me, but I know I signed up for it last November. I was intrigued because I'm such a shopoholic and have become, over time, quite the online shopper/browser. With Shop It To Me, so many possibilities were opened up. So many shoes were brought into view, new clothes into my closet, and money out of my wallet (but that's why I have a job, right?).

Shop It To Me is basically my personal online shopper. Upon signing up, you select your favorite brands (there are more than you could ever imagine!) and select your sizes. You also tell Shop It To Me which days of the week you'd like to receive your newsletter - you can get it once a week, twice a week (like me), every day - the possibilities are really endless.

I can't tell you how many great deals I may not have been aware of had I not been a Shop It To Me gal. A BCBG dress I had obsessed over for months one day showed up in my newsletter - it was on sale at Bloomingdale's. I snatched that dress right up! The same goes for a pair of plaid Juicy shoes I would never have noticed had they not been displayed prominently in my Shop It To Me newsletter.

With less and less time to thumb through the sale racks and more time to browse online between beauty blogs, Shop It To Me really is such a great resource! It can save you time, headaches, and lots of money on brands you really love. Sign up for free today!

Shopping and the Gym

"Shopping is my cardio." - Carrie Bradshaw

An article in the UK's Guardian from yesterday talks about how shopping is becoming a form of exercise. So for all you shopoholics out there - there's good news!

Back up the train. I know I'm walking when I’m shopping (and I frequently do this), but I think the least exciting part is checking out the bank account after I've made my fabulous purchases. And that requires movement of my arm, of my eyeballs, and of my mouth when I gasp in horror at the big bill I've just created…

Says the article:

"'Mallercise' - power walking while window shopping - is a craze sweeping the US and catching on here. It's free, safe and, because the weather's not a problem, you can wear what you want."

I'm not exactly sure when said "craze" became popular in the good old U S of A. I mean I've always loved to shop and all, but if this were the case, why would I need the gym I detest to get up for at 6am?! Additionally, I see it says free and safe. Although these mallercisers are getting up and entering the mall before the shops actually open, I'd see something totally cute in a window and just return later on that day to buy it. Or better yet I'd wait around in the mall, probably grab something to eat, and then make my lovely purchase - Costly and Dangerous! So really, they're not doing me any favors.

Nowadays I don't go to the mall every day, despite being the obsessive shopping freak that I am. But is Britain (where one American dollar equals maybe two English pounds) trying to convince me that I should take a little daily trip and do a couple of laps before my workday? I think I'll stick to online shopping and early morning drives to my gym membership. At least there I can get my CNN fix for the day.