LuvCharlie.com: 30% Off Code!!

Labor Day Weekend is upon us and that means sales are everywhere!  It's easy to get carried away and buy, buy, buy because everything is on sale.  Resist that impulse and you'll be left with fewer buyer's remorse.  Two questions to ask yourself: 1) Would I buy it if it weren't on sale? (i.e., Do I truly like it?) and 2) Would I buy it if was a final sale (and in some cases, it just may be)?  I'm mentioning this because I just went to the Barneys Warehouse Sale and saw women buying things they would probably never usually buy and will probably never wear.  They were all caught up in the frenzy of the hunt.

All this being said, I found three fantastic items on sale at LuvCharlie.com to use with their current code "HOLIDAY" (expires 9/7).  This code works with the entire site, not just the sale section!  So what are the three fantastic finds?  In no particular order of fantastic-ness: (Note: Prices reflect the additional 30% off.)

• Botkier Uma Satchel ($333.20) in black:  The Uma is a great everyday back that you can take from work to drinks/dinner!  Here's my video review of it: Video Review: Botkier's Uma Satchel.

• Yumi Kim Joey Top ($83.30) in pink maui:  I am not a pink girl.  But lots of you are and if I were a pink girl, I'd be buying this top.  This top looked amazing on all the girls trying it on at the Yumi Kim Sample Sale.  Particularly if you have tan!

• Yumi Kim Devon Dress ($98) in blue juniper:  I was lucky enough to nab this dress at the Yumi Kim Sample Sale and I LOVE IT!!  It's comfy and it's chic.  And you can dress it up with heels or down with flip flops.  I like to pair it with my silver flip flops - half-dressy/half-casual, totally comfortable!

[Images Courtesy of LuvCharlie]

Reminder: If You're Buying On-Line This Weekend, Use Ebates.com!!

If you're buying on-line this Labor Day weekend, don't forget to purchase through Ebates.com!!  They're currently offering DOUBLE cash back in celebration of Labor Day.  Here's a few e-stores that you may be interested in:

• Bloomingdales.com: 6%
• Ulta.com: 6%
• Piperlime.com: 15%
• BananaRepublic.com: 10%

Today's Ebates Daily Double is UrbanOutfitters.com: 5%.

What I like about Ebates.com is that you can use promotion codes and still get cash back!  And if your credit card gives you points for purchases or cash back for purchases, you're getting an even better deal!!

Bermuda: A Nice, Quick Getaway (Part 2)!

The pink sand beaches in Bermuda are gorgeous!  But what makes them truly outstanding are the cool sand and warm ocean.  You don't have to tap dance your way to the water and you don't have to do a quick hold-your-breath-and-dunk-yourself-into-the-water move.

Sunshine fell in love with Horseshoe Bay:

We also went to Elbow Beach, but we didn't enjoy it as much.  Maybe because it was a cloudy day?

We did happen to come across this very amazing and very large sand-structure:

I wonder how long it took to build it?

Stay tuned for Part 3...

Bermuda: A Nice, Quick Getaway (Part 1)!

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when Sunshine sprung a surprise last minute trip to Bermuda.  We usually go to a sunny place where we can relax, drink and party.  But it's pretty well known that Bermuda is not a party island.  It is, however, a perfect island to go to for relaxation and drinking (I'll get to Rum Swizzles in Part 3).

Bermuda is a semi-tropical island...only about 1.5 hours away by plane from NYC.  Unlike the Caribbean, spring/summer is the high season and autumn/winter is the off season.  The weather was beautiful: sunny but not too hot (I don't think we experienced a day over 85F).  However,  it was pretty darn humid.

We stayed at the Royal Palms Hotel, a small boutique hotel in Hamilton.  It's up a hill, in a residential area, but still within walking distant to the the restaurants and shops.

Here's a quick tour of the property:

• Check-In/Lobby:

• Sitting Room:  All hotel rooms are equipped with free ethernet connection.  But since Sunshine and I only brought our iPads (which don't have ethernet ports), we had to go to the Sitting Room so that we could use the free Wi-Fi there.  (I'm thinking I'm going to get an AirPort Express, so that when I travel, I can create my own Wi-Fi network and avoid the no-ethernet port issue.)

• Our Hotel Room with a cute patio (that isn't shown):  It wasn't the fanciest hotel room, but it was spacious and clean.  Plus, it contained a kitchenette!  Since dinner portions were rather large everywhere, we were able to reheat our (or rather my) leftovers in the microwave for quick but yummy early-evening snacks.  

Going back to our hotel room at the Royal Palms felt like going home to a studio apartment.  By the end of the 2nd day there, we felt more like residents than hotel guests.

But what made our trip truly special?  The staff.

The staff at Royal Palms was genuinely nice and extremely helpful!  They did everything and answered everything with a smile.

Additionally, you get two GREAT bonuses with your room: (Food is very expensive in Bermuda...significantly more expensive than NYC.)

• Free Continental Breakfast:  The breakfast spread was more than sufficient.  I love soft boil eggs, so I especially enjoyed the option to soft boil eggs in a crockpot!!  For the kid in you, you also had the option to make your own waffles.  Personally, I couldn't stop eating the warm croissants and banana bread.

• Happy Hour:  From 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Royal Palms offers its guests free red/white wine for you to sip on while sitting on the porch.  Or if you had your own patio, you could enjoy your wine on your patio.

We will most definitely be going back to Bermuda.  And when we do, we will most definitely be staying at the Royal Palms Hotel.

NOTE:  There is an abundance of Whistling Frogs in Bermuda.  This means that there is a lot of loud (dare I even suggest harmonious?) chirping at night.  Bring earplugs and you'll be fine.  Seriously...bring earplugs!!!

Stay tuned for Part 2...

C&C California Romper For Cheap!!

The other day, C&C California was having a great sale on their website.  Coupled with an additional 30% off code and a one-day free shipping offer, I grabbed their Bemberg Romper in faded black for only $31.43!!

I wasn't sure about sizing.  When I called up, customer service said that the romper ran true to size.  I ordered it in S, and it's slightly bigger than expected but I love the fact that that means the shorts are not too short.  And it's perfect for the current heat wave that we're experiencing!!

If I Could Only Fit Into This Qi-Pao (aka Cheongsam)...

Every year or so, I bring out my mom's old qi-pao (aka cheongsam) and just sigh.  They don't make them like this one anymore:

I'm not fat but I'm not super tiny like her.  While I can fit into this dress, I cannot zip it up to my everlasting frustration!!  And yes, every time I bring it out, I try it on in hopes that the dress has miraculously gotten bigger or that I have miraculously shrunk enough so that I can zip it up.  Did I mention that I had a tailor undo the darts in the dress as well??  Pathetic, I know.  But they just don't do embroidery for qi-paos like this anymore.  And this dress is even lovelier IRL!!

Yumi Kim Sample Sale Loot!!

I wasn't planning on going to the Yumi Kim Sample Sale this past week, but I needed to go to Crate & Barrel and since the sample sale was only a few doors down...I couldn't resist!!

And I ended up with 5 dresses and 1 top.  And I was restraining myself!!  Silk dresses were $30 and silk tops were $20.  I arrived promptly when the sample sale began at 12:00 pm and by the time I left at 1:00 pm, it was a madhouse.  It was really hard to leave because they kept on bringing new items into the room. Alas, I couldn't stay there all day (and I only had so much cash - it was a cash only sale), so I left with the following:

• Love Dress in vine:  I'm usually not a fan of prints but the ones that I am a fan of are usually those from Yumi Kim.  This dress has me dreaming of Hawaii.  The flutter sleeves flutter sweetly around my arms.

• Goddess Dress in navy:  I adore the shape of this dress...hence my purchase of this dress in three different colors/prints.  The pockets clinched the deal for me.

• Goddess Dress in purple:  Purple is my favorite color, so how could I pass this up?

• Devon Dress in blue juniper:  This is a super comfy everyday dress.  It's much more flattering on  the body than on the hanger.  The only thing that would make it better would be pockets!!

• Goddess Dress in violet leaf:  Yes, I already have a dress almost exactly like this one but the print is slightly different.  If you look carefully, you notice that this one has a background polka dot print.

• Joey Top in violet leaf:  I loved the print of this fabric so much that I purchased this flowy/blousy top in it!!