Nordstrom Anniversary Purchase #1

For the first time ever I took advantage of the Nordstrom anniversary sale. Most of the stuff I bought was for others but I did manage to snag a couple things for myself. First up is pretty boring purchase. Hubby is a fan of Anthony Logistics products and there was an amazing deal on the facial cleanser. I got a 32 oz. bottle of the cleanser for $35! Normally the 8 oz bottle costs $20 so this was a deal I couldn't pass up! Definitely pick this up for the man in your life. :)

Beauty Review: Yves Saint Laurent MASCARA VOLUME EFFET FAUX CILS Luxurious Mascara

A lot of the blogs I follow rave and rave about YSL's Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils. I really wanted to try it but was not a fan of the $30 price tag. After months of thinking about getting it, I used a gift card and purchased it. I will say all the hype was right. This mascara is awesome. It lengths my lashes and makes them very full. There isn't any caking or flaking. Overall I was very happy with the product. That being said, I still think Favorite Thing #173 - Maybelline's Colossal Mascara works just as good and it's less that half the cost of YSL's. So for now, I'm gonna stick with my $6 mascara. Maybelline has a new mascara Volum' Express the Falsies Washable Mascara that I want to try next. Stay tuned for a review of it.

Free Rue La La Credit

If you haven't already signed up for Rue La La then you must by August 9 so you can get $10 in credit! Enjoy the free money!!! For those of you new to the blog, Rue La La is a By-Invitation-Only Sample Sale site. Click Here to sign up using my personal invitation link. This link will grant you immediate access to the site after you sign up. (FYI - If you just sign up the regular way you will just be put on the waiting list.)

Favorite Thing #193 - Beach Towel Clips

Favorite Thing #193 is thanks to my sister-in-law Meghan she turned me on to these fabulous beach towel clips. It's clips to hold your beach towel in place. These clips are so convienent. You literally just clip your towel to your beach towel and it stays in place the whole day. She got them at Bed, Bath and Beyond but I can't find them on the website. I did find them on Amazon. Hubby's jealous of my clips because when we were at the pool this weekend his towl just wouldn't stay in place but mine did. I'm gonna head to BBB this week to see if I can find him some manly clips. :)

Crate and Barrel is still one of my favorite things!!! My house is full of stuff from there. Hubby and I actually just purchased a new bed frame from there. We are supposed to put it together soon so I should be posting about it this week.

The last of my Rue La La credit...

I used the last of my Rue La La credit to purchase this Tibi silk top. I'm not sure how this is going to fit but I really like the print so I hope it works out. I think it can be versatile and I can wear it the rest of the summer and even into fall...just need to throw on a cardigan. If it doesn't work out at least I can return and get the credit.

For those of you new to the blog, Rue La La is a By-Invitation-Only Sample Sale site. Click Here to sign up using my personal invitation link. This link will grant you immediate access to the site after you sign up. (FYI - If you just sign up the regular way you will just be put on the waiting list.)

Favorite Thing #192 - Louis Vuitton Neverful MM

The newest addition to my handbags is the Louis Vuitton Neverful MM and of course it is a favorite thing! Sorry about the pic, I snapped it with my blackberry at my desk at work. I've had my eye on this bag for a while. It's the perfect bag because it fits EVERYTHING. I take this bag to work everyday. It fits my lap top, wallet, small make up bag, coupon organizer, notebook, sunglasses, etc. I'm so happy with this purchase. I know I will have and use this bag for a very long time. My LV collection is complete for now, I've got a small, medium and large purse so I'm set for any occasion. I have to thank Hubby for the bag because if he hadn't won a sales contest at work this bag wouldn't be mine. He's the best!

I heart Boden tunics

Here's another one of my summer purchases. I picked up this tunic from Boden and absolutely love it. The pic quality isn't great since I took it on my blackberry. It's a light linen tunic but long enough for me to wear as a dress (I'm 5'1"). Right now its on sale for $58.00. I'm a big fan of Boden's tunics. This is the second season I've bought one. And if you use Ebates you can get 3% cash back.

Don't know about Ebates? Here's how it works:
Sign up for an Ebates account (send me an email christinasfavoritethings AT gmail DOT com for an invite). You can decide if you want CASH or a GIFT CARD (not sure what stores they are offering now) then just start your online shopping. Search for the store you want to shop at and click on the link. This will link you to that store. Each store has a corresponding percentage of cash back. For example I just ordered if you order from the GAP, you get 2% cash back on your purchase (spend $100, get $2 back). It doesn't seem like much but trust me it adds up. And each purchase is secure. This is directly from the website -

The company was founded in 1998 by two Deputy District Attorneys in Silicon Valley who used to prosecute online fraud & identity theft before starting Ebates (so you can be sure we are very into secure online transactions!).

I've been doing it for over six months and I've gotten almost $150 back. And this isn't just from my clothes shopping. I got almost all the wedding gifts this year via Ebates, my Snapfish purchases, and Sephora stuff. I can't wait to see how much money I get back with all my Christmas shopping.

If you want to sign up (and I highly recommend it) send me an email christinasfavoritethings AT gmail DOT com). Another perk is for every person that signs up and uses Ebates to make a purchase you get $5.

LIVESTRONG Challenge

Every year Hubby and I participate in the LIVESTRONG Foundation's annual LIVESTRONG Challenge in Philadelphia. We do this in support and memory of the people we know who's lives are and were affected by cancer. This will be our fourth year participating in the 5K race. If you can, please make a donation of any size to help continue the fight against cancer. Click here for the donation page. Thank you!

Shopping Freeze

I decided to put myself on a shopping freeze until fall. I have so many summer clothes there is no need for me to add anything else. I did a good bit of shopping so far this summer and have lots of things to share with you. I picked up this super cute dress at a local boutique.


You can order it online from ModCloth. I looove this dress. The boutique didn't have my size but I got the medium anyway and had it altered. It's very versatile and is perfect for both work or play.

Rue La La Love

Picked up this super cute Calvin Klein sweater from Rue La La today with my credit. It sold out pretty quickly. Hope it looks as cute on me as it does the model.

For those of you new to the blog, Rue La La is a By-Invitation-Only Sample Sale site. Click Here to sign up using my personal invitation link. This link will grant you immediate access to the site after you sign up. (FYI - If you just sign up the regular way you will just be put on the waiting list.)