Fashion Show! Fashion Show! Fashion Show At Lunch!

Hey lovelies!  So I just finished watching the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, and I know it's not strictly shopping-related, but I just HAD to talk about it.  I absolutely LOVED it!!  I loved how all the Angels were smiling and having fun up there on the runway--it really let their true beauty shine.  Plus, it made wearing all of that look like a party--how many times have you seen fashion shows where the models looked so grim it totally put you off the clothes? 

I also have to admit...I almost cried when Chanel walked out with her first pair of wings.  Okay, so I'm really emotional right now anyway, but still.  She was so happy and beautiful and you could tell that she was just loving life right then.  I got all choked up--she was LUMINOUS!!!



The beautiful Chanel Iman with her first pair of wings!

I wasn't a huge fan of Katy Perry's performance/outfits, though.  I thought the first one kind of made her look like a giant purple queen ant, with a big old egg sac right on her bum, and the second dress was cute except for the bit in the front where she was wearing something that looked like high-waisted chastity knickers.  Umm, okay...  And I was less than impressed by her performance.  She was seriously upstaged by the vivacity and stage presence of the models, and honestly her voice didn't sound too great.  Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy her music, but her performance was not particularly good.

Akon was wonderful, though.  I loved how the models interacted with him--it was so cute.  I also really loved the song he sang--"Angel," so appropriate!

I think the message we should all take away from this show is that beauty--true beauty--really is lit from within.  You don't have to be a Victoria's Secret Angel to be beautiful.  You just need to be happy and have fun and love life, and your natural beauty will shine out.  Remember the wise words of that most beautiful and elegant of women Audrey Hepburn: "I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls."  Go out there and be happy and beautiful!!!!

xoxo,
Eli

Eli Shops!: Martha Stewart Edition

Hi there lovelies!  I'm sorry I haven't posted recently, but I'm a college girl, and we're getting down to the wire here with the end of the semester just around the corner. 



My tree all lit up!



So I have a confession to make: it's not just Christmas shopping that I love, it's the whole season.  I love the lights and seeing Santa at the mall and snow and watching Love Actually every day and yes, I even love hearing Christmas carols all the time.  I especially love how everyone seems to be in a good mood.  One of my favorite things to do to get into the holiday spirit is to decorate (and fortunately I have a roommate who agrees!).  To that end, this past weekend I made a trip to Target and Michaels to get some fun decorations.

This time of year, I live by the words of Diana Vreeland, who said "A little bad taste is like a nice splash of paprika."  Amen, sister!  I am unabashedly tacky around this time of year, hanging tinsel garlands and lights and paper snowflakes all over the place.  I bought a miniature tree for my dorm room from Michaels, and I will tell you right now, it is pink.  And sparkly.  And pre-lit.  So naturally I bought a silver star and colorful ornaments for it.  Then at Target I also got some fetching magenta-and-red tinsel, plus a beautiful sparkly wooden sign for my door that has a snowman on it and says "Let It Snow."  Oh, and the best part about all of this?  The tree (together with decorations) cost me $15.  The tinsel cost $3 for 18 feet, and the sign set me back a grand total of $6.  Who needs to spend a fortune on decorations when you can be tacky and fun for so little?? 



I wasn't always the class act you see now.

Happy Decorating!!
xoxo,
Eli

Eli Makes Plans

Hello all!  Exciting news for your girl Eli here--my amazing mama has registered us (her, my sister, and me) for a shopping trip to New York City on December 11th!!!!!!  Yay!  So in a month I'm going to be prowling the fabulous selection of purses in Chinatown/Canal Street, and nomming delectable cannoli from Mulberry Street/Little Italy, and swooning over designer stores on Fifth Avenue.  I can't wait!

Buying purses and pashminas in Chinatown is one of the great joys in life.  I love accessories, but being a poor college student, I can't afford the truly yummy designer labels.  But I CAN afford the knockoffs, and hey, why drop several hundred dollars on a purse if you can get nearly the same thing for twenty?  Also, I L-O-V-E buying scarves and pashminas from Canal Street.  See, the thing is, when I went to Spain, they sold beautiful scarves on the street for about three euro, which works out to be around five or six dollars.  When I came back Stateside, I had a deep thirst for scarves, but I soon discovered that here they sell for thirty dollars and up.  WHAT?!  But in Chinatown, they sell gorgeous scarves and pashminas for European prices--about five bucks a scarf.  Shopper's paradise.

As for Fifth Avenue, well, I can't really afford anything there, but I can go and look, and the stores are so classy that if I drool on the cases, the staff just whip out monogrammed paper towels and clean up after me.  Especially in Tiffany's.  In fact, every time I go into a Tiffany's shrine--er, store--management assigns someone to follow me around with a mop.

xoxo,
Eli

Some Handy Tips

Hello all! 

Really, I should not be allowed to get in the Christmas spirit this early--I am waaaay too excited, and we've barely even started November.  They aren't even playing Christmas music in the stores yet!!  But actually, this kind of makes sense.  I mean, we're all busy, aren't we?  And it always seems like when the holidays roll around there's never enough hours in the day for just our daily activities, never mind buying presents.  So why not start as early as you can, so as to minimize the stress?  And okay, I'll admit that I prefer to spread out my spending over a larger time period, which in the long run is easier on my bank account.

That being said, I've decided to offer some useful tips about how to tackle your present list.  Read on!

1.) Make a list.  I can't emphasize this enough.  Make a list NOW of every single person you need to buy something for.  Start with the most important (parents, siblings, spouses, children, close friends) and move on down to "optionals" (work friends, etc.).  If you find that your list is climbing to over thirty or forty people, STOP.  Reevaluate.  Do you really need to get a gift for every single person in your department?  Consider giving a group gift or bringing in holiday cookies instead, and giving a personal card.  Once you have a list, try to get an idea of what you want to get each person (see next tip) and write it down too.

2.) Decide what to buy. Now don't get me wrong, I love going into a store and getting inspired about what to get someone, but it definitely simplifies your life if you decide what you want to get someone BEFORE you hit the stores.  Even if it's just a general idea (e.g. "I want to get my sister a necklace") it will give you some direction.
     -Help!  How do I decide what to get someone??  First of all, relax.  It's not that hard.  Second of all, think of how well you know the person.  If it's someone close to you, think of their interests, what's special to them, and try to think of something that reflects that.  For example, does your father love coffee?  Consider getting him some gourmet beans and a fun mug.  If it's someone you're not particularly close to, like a work friend or a neighbor, it's perfectly fine to be a little more generic.  Maybe a nice box of chocolates would be good, or even one of those pre-made gift baskets. 
     -What if I'm short on funds?  Are you at all crafty?  Try making your presents!  I knit, so I plan on whipping up some cute cowl-neck tube scarves this season, and I'm also planning on making some headbands.  Check out your local craft store (like Michaels, A.C. Moore, or Jo-Ann Fabrics) for ideas.

3.) Plan your shopping strategy.  Personally, as previously mentioned, I can't get to the mall very often, so I do a lot of online gift shopping.  If you're short on spare time, this can be a great way to go.  You can spend ten minutes online making an order and then get it delivered to your door.  If you do decide to go old-school and hit the stores, go armed with your list.  Resist the urge to deviate too far from the list.  For me, I always find myself saying, "Ooh!  This would be perfect for my sister!" when I already have three presents for her.  When you find yourself in a similar situation, STOP.  Put the item DOWN, and step away.  Stay focused on your goal.  Also, if you can, avoid shopping during peak hours.  Stores are much busier then, and not only will it take you longer to navigate them, it's more likely that they will run out of whatever you're looking for!  By shopping during non-peak hours, the store will be much calmer, and you're more likely to get personal attention from the staff, which is always a godsend.  Oh, and forget about Black Friday.  In my opinion, they have not yet made the TV that will induce me to get out of bed at three in the morning to buy it.  Really, you have to ask yourself, "Is this even worth it?"  Most often, the answer is NO.  Until Manolo Blahnik starts having 97%-off sales on Black Friday, I'm staying home.

4.) Don't worry!  Shopping is supposed to be fun.  If you can't find what you consider to be "the only perfect gift" for someone, don't stress it.  Just find something else--maybe not as perfect, but if it's thoughtful, it will be appreciated.  Relax, breathe, and enjoy yourself.

I hope these help!  Here's to a stress-free holiday season!!

xoxo,
Eli

'Tis the Season!!!

Hello all!  I am getting VERY excited for the holidays, so forgive me if I blog a lot about that between now and December 25th.  I did some of my shopping online last night, which was very exciting--I love etsy.com and VeraBradley.com.  I ordered some adorable presents from both of those websites.  Be sure to check out Vera Bradley's SALE section; there are some adorable pieces for much less than full price. 

Also, some tips for shopping etsy.com: it helps if you go in with a general idea of what you're looking for.  It's a difficult site to browse, because there are so many things on there.  So if you have NO idea what to get someone, it's not the best, but if you know you want to get your sister a snowflake necklace (or whatever) by all means investigate.  It's very precisely sorted, so it's super-easy to navigate if you know what you want.

I'm going home this weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to get some in-person shopping done too.  I'll keep you all posted!

xoxo,
Eli