Shopaholic in Alabama

Happy Thursday, Shopaholics! I'm still suffering from a sinus infection and am not very happy about it, I've not been out of the bed much the past three days. No fun! Today I wanted to tell you about the Makeup Madness going on at No More Rack . Not sure if you are familiar with No More Rack, but they're a fairly new shopping site (think Rue La La or Gilt Groupe). However, No More Rack is very different. They only offer eight deals a day, and the deals are only good for 24 hours. As a result, they are usually very good ones and sell out quickly! In the past month, I've scored several fabulous deals on cosmetics from No More Rack. These are some of the same brands and products that I would normally purchase at Sephora. Think Lash Fusion, Stila, YSL, and more! If you're not a member, you are missing out! Sales start at 11:00AM CT every day. Membership is FREE and your invitation to join is HERE . Right now they are offering FREE makeup (The Makeup Madness prom...

Happy Wednesday, Shopaholics! Please forgive me for the lack of posts here. As you know, I blogged about going to Dauphin Island over the weekend. Little did I know, the internet was out, and the backup internet was out! I was stuck for three days with no internet . No emails . No blogging . No online shopping . We returned home late Monday, and lucky me! Now I'm sick with a raging sinus infection. Today I got a 10 day round of antibiotics. I'm hoping they work quickly, because I'm a pretty miserable pup! While we were on the island, the boys spent a lot of time fishing off the pier. The DH, BIL and my two nephews all had a great time!  The nephews are 6 and 3.5 years old, and they are so much fun! I wanted to share some of the photos, hoping they would bring a smile to your face today! This heron wanted to get into the ice chest - which was where the boys were storing all their fish. Every time he got close to my beach bag, I would get a little concerned as I didn...

Happy Saturday, Shopaholics! Today we're off to the Gumbo Cookoff on beautiful Dauphin Island... The Food Network's very own Alton Brown is making a special appearance, and will be handing out the ribbons. Hopefully your weather is beautiful (our forecast is 81 degrees) and you have a Super Saturday planned! Days like today are why I'm thankful to live on the Gulf Coast!  :-) Have a great day!

TGIF, Shopaholics! Any big plans for the weekend? It feels wonderful to say, we are planning quality beach time and that is it! :-)  As my frequent readers and friends already know, I have been doing quite a bit of shopping lately for my favorite brand, Lilly Pulitzer. Beginning around March 10, the market was flooded with a lot of opportunities to get my "fix".  (both online and in-store). Throw in the "Lunch At Lilly" promotion, then the Via shoppes online sales and you have one very spent out Shopaholic. Now I don't know about you, but once I make a purchase (at any retailer, Ebay, even Shopaholic's Preppy Closet) and the seller has my $$$ or card number, I want the merchandise to arrive quickly. And honestly, if it doesn't arrive within 7-10 days after purchase, I start to get a little squirrely. Now if the seller/store has a legitimate issue and notifies me of said issue, I do have patience and can deal with the problem without getting ne...

Happy Thursday! Yesterday I was so tempted by the Laura Mercier sale on Gilt Groupe. I absolutely love every.single.product Laura Mercier puts on the market, and own more than I care to admit. Who wouldn't appreciate the following quote? "Appreciating your own beauty does not come solely from therapy, makeup application, or plastic surgery... It comes from a little door that opens in our minds and helps us celebrate our differences and find pride in our uniqueness." - Laura Mercier Some of the products featured in the sale include: Mini Lip Glace, Set of 4, $25. This Shopaholic is a real sucker for lip gloss, and I have enough here to stock a small Sephora. Literally, I had to walk away from the laptop when I saw four glosses for $25. BODY & BATH QUAD, Crème DE PISTACHE, $45. This is one scent I haven't tried yet, but I do love all the others and am sure I would love this one. Again, I managed to abstain... Face Palette Collection, $75. Probably the ...

Happy Hump Day, Shopaholics! Today I thought it would be fun to bring back Wish List Wednesday. I haven't featured a wish list - at least on Wednesday - in a very long time!  So without further ado, a few things that are on this shopaholic's radar. Tory Burch, Dean Metallic Hobo, $395. This would be a great piece for me, as I generally prefer to carry a neutral, solid color leather handbag. I've been carrying my gold Lilly Pulitzer Mar-A-Lago tote for several months and it might need to be retired soon...the Dean appears to be a suitable replacement. Calypso St. Barth for Target, Shireen dress, Alexa tunic and Smock Neck dress , various prices up to $79.99.  Yes, you're reading this right. Calypso St. Barth will be available at Target on May 1, 2011. For those of us who live in a vacation state of mind, this collection is perfect. I predict a quick sellout on all the pieces and will certainly "need", at a minimum , the Shireen and Alexa. I cannot wait t...

Happy Tuesday! Have you recently experienced slow or just overall poor service from an online retailer or website? While I believe that in general, most stores do a fantastic job of communicating and shipping merchandise promptly - I've had some recent experiences that are causing me to rethink my buying habits. How about the order that was paid for on 3/10/11 and hasn't arrived yet? Or the one that was placed on 3/14/11 and I have no idea if the merchandise is in stock, or sold out; and whether any of it has been shipped? How about the retailer who promised free shipping because of website problems, but charged shipping fees anyway? I'm soooooooo frustrated that I can't even express it. While I'm tempted to rant today, instead I will publish a full review of my recent shopping experiences. Don't forget to tune in this Friday for all the details! Have you had any good - or bad - shopping experiences recently?

Happy Monday! The calendar finally made it official - spring has sprung! Here's the weather we will be enjoying on the Alabama gulf coast this week! Aren't you happy to see spring arrive? How is the weather in your town? Shopaholic confessions: I've been to the beach twice in the past three days. With weather like this, can you blame me? Have a Marvelous Monday!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, my friends! Although I'm not Irish, I really enjoy celebrating St. Patrick's Day! Today I'd like to share some of my favorite St. Patrick's inspired nostalgia. Obviously they are not all Irish in nature... Seriously - what is better than a bowl of Lucky Charms? Brings me right back to childhood. The DH would eat a box of Lucky Charms every other week, if I bought them. Just like a child, he eats the marshmallows first! :-) Pub crawls, green beer. Enough said! Corned Beef & Cabbage. I cook this every year only on St. Patrick's Day. Leftover corned beef makes yummy, homemade reuben sandwiches! (Yes, I realize that in other areas the dish is made with potatoes and carrots too, but it's what my Mother prepared and I'm obligated to carry on tradition). Although we don't buy or use it, I am not ashamed to admit that I love the smell of Irish Spring soap. Last year at the St. Patrick's parade in NOLA, we caught...

Dear Shopaholic Favorite Lilly Pulitzer Via Shoppes, Yes - I'm talking about you. Under The Palm Tree, Village Palm, C. Orrico, In The Pink, and The Pink Palm. You all "got me" yesterday. The 3-day sale event that most online stores are offering is obviously a huge success. Several of the stores even had website problems due to the traffic. (Reminded me of the Summer Sale Lillypulitzer.com hosted last year). Below are several of the goodies I ordered. Even though I'm slightly concerned about the accuracy of online inventory in a few places, I have fingers and toes crossed! Rylan Top, Tickle My Tassle (minus the wrap, of course) Sadie Dress, Shorely Blue Serenity (this is technically a Fall collection dress, but I can get away with it almost all year here in coastal Alabama) Lotus Top, Pink (after all, one must be stylish while exercising) Roslyn Skirt, Skye Blue Exbloomsion Worth Shift, Floaters Jett Half Zip, Turquoise (every now and then I b...

Happy Sunday, Shopaholics! Hope your weekend is wonderful! Do you celebrate "Lunch At Lilly"? This is an annual event (generally the 2nd Saturday of March) where the corporate Lilly stores, as well as some Via shops, offer a fantastic gift with purchase. The minimum purchase level is usually $500 but the gifts - they are awesome! Most of the GWP's are produced just for the Lunch At Lilly promotion and are not available for general purchase. Even more exciting than the GWP's, by making a purchase you are entered into a contest to win a trip to Lilly's corporate headquarters. Also known as "The Pink Palace" - winners will spend a day at Lilly's headquarters and have the opportunity to design their own print! Wow - wouldn't that be fun?!?! Talk about the experience of a lifetime! :-) So what if I don't live near a Lilly Pulitzer store? You all know I love to shop online and via the phone, so of course I participated in this year's promot...