Shopaholic in Alabama

TGIF! Are you getting ready for a fun weekend, or have you already started your 4th of July holiday week? Of course summer on the Gulf Coast means fun in the sun - and let's face it - the folks at Southern Tide know all about having fun in the sun. Since the brand's inception in 2006, it has become wildly popular. We love it here at the beach because it embodies the lifestyle we are lucky enough to live. (Work, beach, boat, fish, repeat).  Speaking of the upcoming 4th of July holiday, what essentials are in your beach bag? My perfect beach bag would include all the above items - which would guarantee a fabulous beach day. What's in the bag, you ask?   1.  Ray Ban Wayfarers - I'll be honest, I grew up wearing these glasses and I'm thrilled they are back and more fabulous than ever!  2.  Dior Addict Lip Glow - I love all of Dior's products, especially the Addict fragrance. Recently, I tried the Lip Glow and am now addicted (just as they promised)! ...

During the peak of spring and summer, I find myself wearing a ton of fashion jewelry. Some of my favorite brands include Kenneth Jay Lane, Amrita Singh, Meg Carter Designs and Lilly Pulitzer.  If you are a fan of these brands, you've probably noticed the recent trend of coral branch shaped jewelry and coral colored palettes. Not just for the beach girl, these pieces are also perfect statement items and will really get people talking! I have a particular fondness for the items shaped like coral branches... Just yesterday, I wore the Amrita Singh Coral Bib Necklace (pictured above) to work with a solid black top and a white linen skirt. Since I work in a fairly conservative environment (it's a financial institution, after all!) I try to keep my wardrobe moderately tame and have fun with accessories and shoes during the week. At work, I had at least a half dozen people comment on my necklace. They were all wondering - where did you get that? Who is the designer? After work...

TGIF! After starting a new job this week and being stuck in a classroom for training, I'm ready to get outside and enjoy a beautiful Gulf coast weekend! What about you - any big plans for this weekend? Before you get the weekend started - you might want to hop over to Hautelook and check out the Fornash boutique. They have so many wonderful finds - including the Octopus Pendant Necklace pictured above. It normally retails for $46, and is priced at only $23 on Hautelook. I have this necklace and wore it to work yesterday - everyone loved it and I got so many compliments!  The Crystal Starfish earrings pictured above are another favorite of mine. These retail for $46 and are also only $23 on Hautelook . I don't have them yet, but today might be the day I order a pair! I love those pink and green stones, and am sure they'll match a large portion of my wardrobe.  I have a recent obsession with the Fornash leather bracelets, and they are perfect for layering. I love...

Happy Summer! Even though our temperatures have been summer-ish for quite some time here on the Gulf Coast, today marks the official 1st Day of Summer!  This day is also known as National Wear Your Lilly Day.  So the question is this: are you wearing Lilly today? Many of our favorite Lilly Pulitzer stores are offering Gifts with purchase as a celebration of the day. Are you shopping today? For the record, I am wearing Lilly today - but I'm not shopping! Can you believe it? :-)  Tell me - what Lilly are you wearing? I'm kicking it old school style in my Newbury tunic in Speckle & Hyde...

It's time for a true confession. Please don't think I'm too vain, but I tried Latisse. And ladies and gentlemen, guess what?!!? It works. It REALLY works.  As they say: the proof is in the pictures. The above picture was taken after two months of using Latisse. (I'm on the right, my sister is on the left).  The picture below was taken three months after my I ran out of my Latisse supply.   Obviously, I'm on the right side again. With my short and stubby eyelashes. :-(  Clearly, I need to reinvest in my Latisse. All this maintenance is really getting expensive, and the DH thinks I'm totally ridiculous to want long eyelashes.  What do you think? Have you ever tried Latisse, or any of the other lash enhancing products? What were your results? Let me hear from you! 

             Tuscaloosa, AL, Alabama vs. Tennessee, 10/22/11  Happy Father's Day! Today I hope you are enjoying a day of fun and festivities with those who are important to you! Whether it's your Father, your husband, your grandfather, uncle or adopted family - today is the day to pamper your favorite people.  As you all know, family is very important to me. Me and the hubby spend a lot of time with my parents, and we have a very close relationship. When something good happens, I call my parents. When something bad happens, I call my parents. I truly value every moment I spend with them, and have always been close with my father.  My father is the one who always tells me like it is. His advice is quite famous around these parts. Some of my favorite advice and general sayings over the years: "Lori, you need to dump that guy. He's a loser, and he can't even afford your hair products". (regarding an old boyfriend - needless to ...

TGIF! Wow, what an incredibly long week it has been here. I'm looking forward to a weekend spent in the sun - doing what we planned last weekend but couldn't do because of all the rain!  Are you wearing your flip flops today, in honor of National Flip Flop Day? Originally created by Tropical Smoothie Cafe, on National Flip Flop Day you can wear your flips to a Tropical Smoothie location (certain hours only) and receive a free Jetty Punch smoothie. Sadly, I won't be near a TS Cafe today to get a free smoothie, but I still love my flips and try to integrate some of the dressier ones into my Friday work wardrobe!  Some of my favorite flip flops include: Bahamas Jelly by Jack Rogers - I only have one pair of these but am coveting more! Maybe soon... Havaianas Slim - I would conservatively estimate I have at least 15 pairs of Havaianas, in different colors and styles.  You can't have too many of these!  I also love to wear crystallized and blinged flip...

...In my humble opinion, of course!  For years, I've refused to use eyeliner pencils and have instead opted for liquid eyeliner. My favorite liquid liner has long been Artliner by Lancome. The biggest reason I like the liquid liner? Because I didn't feel like it was pulling my eyes as it was being applied. I hate tugging on my eyes and fooling with a pencil. However, I have now changed my mind about eye pencils. And it's all because I tried the one above - this one is called Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner by NARS. This eye pencil has a built-in sharpener and a retractable applicator, so you don't even have to carry a sharpener around with you.  NARS always cracks me up with the names of their colors (like the blush "Orgasm" or my favorite lipstick "Sexual Healing", the folks who name the colors have a sense of humor!). My new favorite eye pencil is named after some of the most famous and iconic streets in the world - think Abbey Road, B...

So, my age (41) is really not a big secret around these parts, right? Pardon me while I actually show my age... When I was young, Dallas was part of my family's Friday night ritual.  "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "Dallas" were the shows to watch on Friday night; Saturday night was "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island". (Honestly - Dallas debuted in 1978, there weren't very many channels of television then anyway. And by the way, you had to get up off your tail to change the station, there were no remote controls. haha) My Father jokingly recalls a time when we were going out of town on a family vacation, but my Mother refused to leave the house until "Dallas" was over because it was the famous "Who Shot Jr?" episode. (We didn't have DVR's or DVD's back then either). If you missed an episode, you just missed it. You couldn't watch it online because frankly, Al Gore had not yet invented the internet eit...

Source: dricksramblingcafe.blogspot.com via Lori on Pinterest Here's what happens when it rains allllll weekend (anywhere from 12" - 21" from Mobile, Gulf Shores to Pensacola). We stay inside and we cook, then we eat! We watch old movies and we eat some more.  I don't even want to confess how many HOURS I spent on Pinterest this weekend (those who already follow me probably know, I was a pinning fool for the past few days). Pinterest is dangerous to me, because I find so many new recipes I want to try. Friday night, I found the above recipe for "Dauphin Island Shrimp Salad" - and hey, I was at Dauphin Island already...so I sent the DH and my Father to the seafood market on Saturday morning and viola - Shrimp Salad!  Giving credit where it's due: if you enjoy southern cooking, especially with seafood - you simply must check out " Drick's Rambling Cafe ". His blog is chock full of so many marvelous recipes! The author is from...

Source: bing.com via Lori on Pinterest Source: countrymusicfans.tumblr.com via Lori on Pinterest You all might remember - I have been looking forward to my three day weekend that started on Friday! And wouldn't you know it? As I write this post, it is pouring outside! We were planning to go boating today, and possibly do a little fishing as well, but so far it's not looking too good!  Source: Uploaded by user via Lori on Pinterest Source: jacklail.com via Lori on Pinterest Here's hoping the sun will peek out - if only just for a few hours! In the meantime, enjoy some images of our fabulous Alabama beaches. Hopefully I'll have "real" photos of my own to share again soon!  Source: google.com via Lori on Pinterest Enjoy your Saturday! 

And while you're at it, can you erase any card numbers stored in my memory? Heaven help me. Lilly Pulitzer will be a featured boutique on Rue La La today, starting at 10AM Central, 8AM Pacific. I have to admit, I've been a little disappointed in the past few Lilly Pulitzer events on Rue La La. However, you just never know what Rue La La has in store. My advice? Be there early, and use the "Quick Buy" feature if you "need" something. Chances are, if you want it, someone else does too! (your free invite to Rue La La is HERE , if you're not already a member). Side note: I love that RLL accepts Paypal!  As if this wasn't enough, the Trina Turk for Banana Republic collection is now online. I am dying over sooo many pieces in this collection, and trying to be reasonable about my purchases at the same time. Isn't that an oxymoron? HA! My plan is to limit purchases to items I can wear to work. (stop laughing now, please). I've narrowed my imm...

Hello and Happy Tuesday! I really consider this Wednesday because I have a 3-day weekend coming up, with Friday off work. You can't believe how much I am looking forward to that! :-)  This morning, I am thrilled to announce the winner of the $50 gift card from SwimSpot. (please see original post HERE ). Please join me in congratulating blog reader "Love Jenny XOXO". You are the winner of the $50 gift card with the following comment: love jenny xoxo May 29, 2012 2:58 PM i like Shopaholic In Alabama on Facebook Reply Delete Please contact me via email (lori.driver@hotmail.com) to coordinate the receipt of your gift card. Thanks to everyone who entered, and a huge thanks to my friends at the SwimSpot for sponsoring such a fantastic giveaway. Please remember to check them out if you "need" a new swimsuit, they have so many wonderful suits and styles!  Have a great day!