Cheers to Sunshine!

For the second day in a row, the sun is out in the Boston area!  It seems that the spring/summer has arrived just in time for Memorial Day weekend.  I for one can't wait to get a fresh pedicure and exchange my cool weather ballet flats and heels for my sandals and peep-toe shoes!

My photo of tulips in the Boston Public Gardens

Ladurée à NYC

Is anyone else as excited as I am that Ladurée will will be opening in New York City this summer!  I must plan a trip ASAP. 

My photos from Ladurée in London, September 2010

Happy Saturday!

An Elephant + A Monkey +

I saw these candlesticks in Anthropologie last weekend, aren't they the cutest?  There are also smaller versions with 2 animals and 3 animals (always with an elephant!).

Savannah Quartet Taper Holder

I can't say that I buy things often in Anthropologie.  But the home items are always worth a browse and make lovely gifts.

p.s. 

Dearest Sunshine, 

Please return to the Boston area as soon as possible.  I haven't seen you since you made a brief morning appearance last Saturday and I miss you!  And so do my spring clothes, they are getting quite restless in my closet!!!  

Sincerely, Pink Maple

What I'm Reading Now . . .

As Always, Julia:

The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto

Shopping Luck? When do you have it?

Milly Marcella Combo Dress

It always seems to be the case that when I plan a shopping day, I find nothing, but on a quick fly-by into one store I find just what I need.  Be it a rack chock-full of Lilly at TJ Maxx, a huge table of marked-down handbags at Nordstrom, a gorgeous top in the window at J Crew--such shopping luck always seems to happen when I'm popping in at lunchtime or when I find I have an extra 15 minutes before a salon appointment or a dinner with friends.

Today my mom and I set out early, intent on finding her a new outfit for her birthday in 2 weeks.  Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, J Crew, Talbot's, Marshall's, Nordstrom Rack . . . not a thing was even worth trying on!  But what did we see in Nordstrom at full-price?  The dress above that I scored during a quick lunchtime fly-by visit to Wish, a little clothing boutique on Beacon Hill in Boston.  They had literally just moved it to the 50% sale rack (it's a little shop so they move inventory quickly to make room for new things) and I made it mine for an event next month.  Now if I had gone out intentionally looking for a dress, I doubt I would have found something--does that ever happen to you??

p.s. Don't worry, my mom's not out of luck in the outfit department!  I ordered something for her from J Crew online, hopefully she'll like it!

The Beauty Report

Not all lip balms are created equal.  For a long while I was a big fan of Kiehl's Lip Balm No. 1, but 2 birthdays ago a good friend gave me Bobbi Brown's Lip Balm SPF 15.  It's the only lip balm I've been using since!  Unlike the Kiehl's balm it is very moisturizing, but not quite so thick and slick.  A thick layer before bed keeps my lips moisturized and unchapped until morning and a thin layer works well under lipstick or lipgloss.  For a while I was having terrible trouble with my lips getting super dry and peeling overnight and I tried lots of more basic balms by Burt's Bees and Badger Balm but none solved the issue (in fact, I think I may have been allergic to one of the ingredients in these more "natural" lip balms).

The one thing I've never liked is that the Bobbi Brown lip balm only comes in a tin.  Definitely not very easy to use on the go.  So when I popped into Saks for the friends and family sale recently I was happy to discover that the Treatment Lip Shine SPF 15 in clear is a very similar formula to the lip balm!  One is pink and the other is white, but they feel virtually the same on your lips.  Now I keep the tin in my makeup bag and the tube in my purse and I am good to go!

I also want to follow-up on my April 20th post about Philosophy Shear Splendor shampoo and conditioner.  I've now been using them for a couple weeks and I have to say they are just as good as I had hoped. A lovely scent that lingers and thorough conditioning for my rather unruly hair.  I've been using the shampoo and conditioner along with Phytomist Instant Hydrating Conditioner--a spray-on, leave-in condition I got as a Beauty Insider reward from Sephora.  During a super busy time last fall, I made the mistake of trying a new hair salon that was convenient for a lunchtime appointment as I couldn't make it over to my regular stylist in another area of Boston.  Believe me, very bad idea!  The salon was well-reviewed in local magazines, but the stylist used an odd cutting technique and honestly, my hair has only recently recovered!

Happy Mother's Day!

 

Believe it or not, my mom's pick for Mother's Day is to go to this afternoon's Red Sox game.  She's so easy to please!  Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Love--Hate Relationship

I have a love--hate relationship with sales associates at stores.  I think we've all had the experience of the over-zealous, annoying sales associate who pounces on you as soon as you enter the store and makes you feel uncomfortable when you'd like to enjoy a nice, leisurely browse.  Or the store with the sales associate who ignores you or can't be found when all you want them to do is let you into a dressing room.  Last weekend though I had a bit of luck and struck "sales associate gold"--the nice, helpful salesperson.

After a massive closet clean-out last weekend, I resolved to make better use of some of my older pieces and make them work anew for this spring and summer.  So I brought into J Crew a skirt from last July and last April to see about getting some new tops to wear with them. 

Within a reasonable amount of time of my entering the store, a sales associate asked if I needed help, I showed her the skirts, and together we found a bunch of tops and cardigans for me to try one.  One of the tops she suggested was the Silk Blythe Blouse.

I would not have ever, ever even considered this blouse.  I'm never one to go for silky, drapey things.  BUT I'm so glad I did.  It looks lovely with both skirts (bonus to the salesgirl for thinking economically!) and it goes well with the flowered skirt tucked in and paired with a rich brown cardigan and with the pink/black skirt worn out and belted with a thin silver belt.  Cheers to J Crew at Copley Place in Boston!

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