GWP Obsession

If you are anything like me, you are a complete sucker for the Gift With Purchase (GWP). Some GWPs are worth it (hello, any of the Lilly ones since I was obviously going to buy the stuff anyway!), but others tempt me to buy things I don't need (or sometimes that I don't even WANT) just because the GWP looks so cute/pretty/shiny/valuable, etc. My love of GWPs started at a young age when my mom or my aunt would buy makeup from Clinique, Lancome, etc and they'd give me the complimentary makeup bag or eyeshadow samples to play around with. In high school, I discovered that you could buy just the gifts at cosmetic outlet stores. Paying $15+ for something that was originally free (with purchase of course) is a total rip-off, but I couldn't help myself. Anyway, I was naturally thrilled to find that the Saks Fifth Avenue website organizes all their GWPs into one convenient webpage. Here are some of the current offerings:

A great deal, especially if you are planning on buying something from La Mer anyway.

I don't like and/or wouldn't use most of the stuff in this GWP, but I'm tempted to fork over my $75 anyway. Why? Because I have a problem.

I've never heard of Guerlain Idylle perfume, but the clutch is darling, no?

Seriously tempted by this cute gold and pink bag!

I've never heard of SK-II or what their products are. But surely, I could find something I need for the sake of this cute Birkin-inspired bag?!?!

Do you buy things because of a Gift With Purchase??

Kindred Connection Party!

It's Wednesday (Happy Cinco de Mayo!) which means it's a Kindred Connection party at Windy Poplars. Hop on over there to join the fun!

Here are this week's questions:
1. If you had a day from this past week that you could "live over" (either to enjoy the good all over again or to change something for the better) , which one would it be and why?

I'd want to re-live this past Saturday. I went to my boyfriend's cousin's wedding and had a wonderful time. His family is so sweet and so welcoming to me and everytime I see them I feel more and more at home with them. His dad even asked me to dance which I thought was so sweet! I spent the afternoon stressing about what to wear and being nervous though so I would like to go back and be waaaaay more relaxed.

2. Do you work outside the home? Are you a SAHM? Are you self employed?
I work outside the home (although luckily my job is flexible and I can "work-from-home" a couple of times a week if I want to).

3. What are two blogs that you really love, and why?
There are so many different blogs I love, but here are two that I recently discovered:

According to Nina - Nina's posts are insightful and fun! I love her style!

Summer is a Verb - Alice's posts are funny and delightful. I love hearing about all her great shopping finds and attempts to hide them from her hubby! Plus, she is definitely an authority on all things preppy!

Pretty Tough Jewelry!

I love Rachel Leigh jewelry, yet always seem to miss the sales on Gilt or Hautelook (case in point: this weekend). Luckily, Gilt seems to have Rachel Leigh sales pretty often so I'm bound to catch one sometime! I love Rachel Leigh's combination of cute (i.e. bows, ribbons, pink) and tough (i.e. snakeskin, chains). The pieces are feminine, but with an edge. All her jewelry is beautiful, but I really love the bracelets. Here is some of what is currently on my wish list:

Twisted Rope Bangle with Fuschia Snakeskin

Bow Bangle in Blue

Bow Wrap Bracelet in Fuschia Snakeskin

Hot Pink Enamel Hinge Cuff

Chain Ribbon Bangle

Millie's Ring in Lilac

P.S. I was not compensated in any way by Rachel Leigh. I WISH!

SXM: St. Maarten!!

I'm looking at pictures of my recent trip to cheer me up and remembered that I never shared my pictures from St. Maarten with you guys! I didn't take too many pictures is St. Maarten unfortunately. Here are some of my favorites: The condo we stayed in was gorgeous! I loved the kitchen and really wish I could find an apartment with a kitchen this big and shiny!

We ate lunch at the beach bar right next to Maho Beach which is that beach that the airplanes fly over to land at Princess Juliana airport. The beach is literally separated from the airport the airport by a single-lane road. It was so cool to sit at the beach bar and watch the airplanes land. As I may have mentioned before, my bf is getting his pilot's license so he could quite literally watch this for hours. My attention span is a tad bit shorter, but it was still fun!

We went to this piano bar in Maho Bay called Sopranos (I think). We went there last year too and remembered how much we liked it. The piano guy was awesome (and from Boston!) and played Elton John's Levon per my request!

We also explored the beaches on the French side of the island. We went to Orient Bay which is one of the most popular beaches on St. Maarten, but it was unfortunately pretty overcast that day. We also ate dinner in the French Quarter that night which was delicious. If you are ever in St. Maarten, I highly recommend visiting Phillipsburg, the capital of the Dutch side. The streets are lined with many shops - mostly JEWELRY! We walked around for a few hours and poked in and out of shops. I had decided that I wanted to buy a pair of earrings, but was really intimidated by how the salespeople jump all over you. I got so flustered that I almost walked away empty-handed (a travesty, I know!!)... but my bf convinced me to try another few shops and that he'd help me negotiate the price once I found something I liked. Little did I know that he was planning on buying it for me! I got a beautiful pair of black and white diamond earrings. I'll have to post a picture sometime!

Mixed Bag Monday

Today seems to be a mixed bag of good and bad things. I'm trying to focus on the good. The good hopefully outweighs the bad anyway. For starters, I had a wonderful time at the wedding this weekend. I wore my strapless blue and white Vineyard Vines dress and was so happy I did (thanks so much to everyone for all their advice and kind words!). I got lots of compliments on it and felt like I looked nice and appropriate. I don't have any pictures though! I forgot my camera and somehow I'm sitting down in all the pictures that other people took. Better than there being ones of me busting a move on the dance floor. ;) The bride looked stunning and the reception space was lovely. My bf's family is so fun and nice and as usual I had no reason to be nervous. His dad even asked me to dance which I thought was so sweet.

I also heard some great news last night - my cousin M is getting married! M is a great guy - smart, successful, and funny. I completely adore his fiance too - she's sweet, smart, and they complement each other so well. And she's an event planner so I'm looking forward to seeing how fantastic their wedding will be!

My other cousin, K, is getting married in a couple weeks and I gotta say that while I'm excited for that wedding, I'm feeling a little upset about it too. She didn't ask me or any of my other girl cousins to be in the wedding which I was actually relieved about. We're not super close and I figured if she asked me to be in hers I'd feel obligated to ask her to be in mine when I get married. Her wedding party choices are admittedly odd. Her brother is not one of fiance's groomsmen, but she has her fiance's sister and best girl friend in her wedding party. Anyway, my other cousin G told me last night that K asked her to do the readings at the ceremony. Now, neither G or I are close to the bride, but I'm definitely closer to K. I know it's no big deal and in the long run it saves me the hassle of having to drive down a day early for the rehearsal, but I'm still pretty hurt. Am I being silly? Would you be hurt/offended?

Also, and this is more of an annoyance than something "bad," there is a boil water order for Boston and the surrounding areas. A water main broke over the weekend and the city had to switch to the back up water supply which apparently isn't safe to drink. I'm extremely lucky to live in Cambridge which is one of the few cities that has its own water source. All the towns around me have to boil their water. My parents were in Kennebunkport this weekend and brought home 8 gallons of water! There's no water at my office though and no place to get coffee! I'll have to bring some from home tomorrow!

preppy bangles

I just saw these adorable bracelets on Henri Bendel's website and had to share.

Too cute, right??! And not too pricey either! I'm contemplating getting the pink and green ones of course!

P.S. I'll post my pictures from St. Maarten soon!

Vacation Part 1: Anguilla

I cannot tell you how much I heart Anguilla. The people are friendly, the beaches are pristine, the weather is perfect, and the restaurants are amazing. The only thing that would make it better is if there was more shopping! I think it's the best island in the Carribean (although that's a pretty uninformed opinion since I've only been to one other island!) because it is so peaceful and quiet. There is tourism, but it does not disrupt the island or infringe on its charm. Anguilla doesn't have the huge resort complexes that other islands have. Instead, it has small (and large) villas that dot the numerous beaches. Cruise ships do not dock in Anguilla as it is not a destination with a lot "to do" ... but we still love it! Here are a few of my favorite moments of the trip:

Mead's Bay - right outside the condo

Cute straw hat chandelier in The Straw Hat, one of my favorite restaurants and where we at dinner on our first night.

I'm basically obsessed with this chandelier at Cap Juluca, one of the more famous resorts on the island. I love it's laid-back Middle Eastern meets Carribean theme. We had drinks at Maunday's there one night and then came back another night for more drinks and for dancing.

The beach at Long Bay. Anguilla has many beaches and we tried to see as many as possible. I let my boyfriend handle the map and the driving, most of which was down dirt roads. Practically every beach we went to was deserted and so peaceful and beautiful. This beach, on Long Bay, is right near Oliver's, another one of my fave Anguillian restaurants (it's all about food for me!). The owner, Oliver, is a wonderful woman who recognized us from last year and immediately came up to us and hugged us when we came in! She's from Massachusetts just like me, but she came on vacation to Anguilla and decided not to leave! Oh how I wish that were my life!!

Me, on the beach. Note the long sleeves - I got a horrible sunburn on the second day and tried to cover my shoulders as much as possible afterwards.

There are so many brightly colored houses in Anguilla.

My boyfriend and I after dinner at The Barrel Stay, another great restaurant. We had so much fun and it was so wonderful to spend an entire week with him! I was bummed to leave Anguilla after the five days, but also excited to go on to St. Maarten for the rest of our trip!! Stay tuned!

P.S. If you're thinking about taking a trip to the Carribean, I whole-heartedly recommend Anguilla. You won't find the whole all-inclusive thing, but there are so many wonderful restaurants, beautiful beaches, water sports, beach bars, etc. You won't be disappointed!