My Latest Obsession: Dressbarn (AND a giveaway!)

So remember how Dressbarn used to be for middle-aged women who wanted a new sack-like floral-print dress? Well the store has definitely kicked it up a notch (or a million).  Believe me, I was shocked!

After checking out their fab website, I'm ridiculously obsessed with oodles of their frocks, handbags, jewelry and adorable scarves!  My fave find so far?  This super cute Sequin Bodice Party Dress.  It's perfect for any holiday party.  Pink and black look amazingly gorgeous together and the sequins at the top of the dress add just enough bling to make the dress fancy enough for nearly any occasion.  I'm also a huge fan of the big pink bow that ties in the back. I mean, how can you not love a big pink bow??! It's just the perfect little cocktail dress--I can't get over it!  The dress is around $50, which is really decent for the quality and fabulousity it has.

Their Gloves with Beaded and Bow Trim are def on my wish list too (hint, hint, Santa). Not only are they toasty warm, they're also super ladylike and ultra chic.  The bow detail is classic and I absolutely love the beading.  A pair of gloves like this never go out of style.  They'd make a great Christmas gift for all the ladies in your life.  And since they're under $15, you can even afford to grab yourself a pair (or five)!

The store has so many goodies--I can tell a shopping spree there is in my future.

Here's the exciting part:  I have one $25 Dressbarn gift card to give away to a lucky reader!! You can use it towards a gorgey party dress, or on some amazing gifts. 

To enter the giveaway, send an email to sassyalana@gmail.com with the subject line reading "DRESSBARN".  The giveaway ends 12/5 and the winner will be alerted via email.

AND I have a fab coupon to share:

Awesome, right??! Good luck, ladies! Even if you don't win, check out the site! You'll be amazed at all the cute things they've got to offer.

Disclosure: This post contains a product sent for review and giveaway consideration. My priority is to you, and I honor that commitment by being honest! If you have any questions about this, please email me.

Press On Nails that Work!

My nails are awful.  They're brittle, jagged and I can't stop biting them.  So I usually have incredibly short nails that I try to wear polish over, but honestly nothing covers up the fact that my nails simply suck at life.

When I was younger, I used to try press on nails.  Back then, I remember having my mom put them on for me, only to have them immediately fall off the second I touched anything.  The glue was horrible and the nails themselves looked super fake.

As I got older, I went back and forth between having acrylics put on, but my nails grow so fast that I needed to get them filled practically every week and that can get pretty pricey.  Just getting the nails themselves put on can cost about $60. 

Well, my problem has been solved!  My amazingly fabulous pseudo-sister, Lauren, introduced me to these Kiss Everlasting French Nails.  I saw her the other day and her nails looked amazing so I asked where/if she had gotten them done.  When she told me that they were from this kit, I was SHOCKED.  They looked so natural, gorgeous and chic!

I tried them myself last night (with her assistance) and really love the results. The little tab on the top makes applying them really easy--you just use it to hold the nail while you apply glue, slide it onto your nail, hold it for a few seconds and then break it off.  I suggest filing a little afterward because the tab does leave behind a slightly jagged tip.

These things are seriously amazing though.  I've been cleaning, doing dishes, typing, eating, writing, applying makeup...basically everything--and these nails have not come off or even budged the tiniest bit!

The best part:  You can buy a pack of 'em for under $7!

For Anyone Who Loves Shoes!

I don't know what's getting into me, but I've got Christmas on my mind.  Big time.  So forgive me in advance for going on a holiday season tangent.

I realize that we still have to get through the daunting family fun fest of Thanksgiving before we make it there, but seeing this super adorable Dazzling Heels Ornament set from Avon makes getting ready for the holiday oh so exciting!

The set comes with four gorgeous mini heel ornaments (each is about 7/16" W x 2 5/8" H).  To be honest, I wouldn't limit myself to using these doodads to decorate my Christmas tree--they'd look great almost anywhere.  Some examples?  In place of a bow on a gift, dangling over your desk, as a stocking stuffer, or even as a decorative fashion-y trinket anywhere in your home (just remove the string).  The colors do look a little holiday-esque, but the silver and gold shoes look like they could be used year-round.

Each set is only about $10.  These are def great to stock up on and give to all your fashionista friends (and of course keep some for yourself).  Avon has oodles of other fab ornaments like their Cosmetic Ornaments (the lipstick is my fave!!!), their Knit Sweater Ornaments, and their Dress Ornaments.  All of them are fairly inexpensive and really add a bit of fashion to the season!

I see Paris, I see France! I see...Weight Loss Underpants?

Umm...I have to be honest.  This is kind of the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen.

Japan has come out with these Calorie Shaper "panties" (the site is in Japanese, so good luck reading it!)  Apparently there's some sort of product inside the underwear that makes burning calories easier.  Personally?  I think it's a huge rip off.

ABC did a little investigating on the product, an the video confirmed my suspicions...the whole idea is just weird and the commercial is pretty hilarious (it's included on the ABC video).

If you feel the need to try them out, you can get a pair for under $40.

Best Idea Ever: Hem Gems

Buying pants really sucks when you're short (I'm 5ft even!)  Sometimes I can find a cute pair of petite pants, but they're usually too short to wear with heels, and "normal" length pants are always waaaay too long on me.  I usually end up hemming them myself by hand with a needle and thread, but it takes so much time and is just ridiculously irritating to do.

Now there's a quick, stylish solution (cue cheesy infomercial music), Hem Gems. Adorable name, right?! They work like little pins to hold pant legs at your desired length.  And they're super cute, to boot!  Each pack of Gems contains 8 pins--enough to quickly change the length of one pair of pants.  They also come in a few different styles (I'm partial to the pyramid studs).

The best part is that they don't actually alter the pants, so you can adjust them based on whatever footwear you choose for the day.

Here's a quick video showing how they're used:

Super easy, right? And they look incredibly chic. You can get a pack for about $20. Love it!

Gorgey Holiday Dress for Under $40!

I know, I know...it's still the beginning of November and even thinking about the holidays is ridiculously depressing.  BUT the one thing that's awesome about this time of year is that you get to buy pretty dresses for going out to all your amazing holiday parties!

I'm always on the lookout for dresses that are on sale (believe it or not, I am crazily poor and writing doesn't pay well!)

So I found this fabulous American Living V-Neck Satin Dress from JC Penney. And it's only $40. I can't get over it!!

The sapphire blue hue is flattering on nearly all skintones and is def an in color for the season.  I'm so in love with this dress--I want to buy five of 'em just so I have backups and can constantly wear them.  The style is great because it's totally timeless and can be worn for virtually any event.

You can pick up the dress in stores or online.  Get shopping, ladies, before they're all sold out!!

Victoria's Secret Goodie Bag for $25!!

So my lovely mom actually tipped me off to this.  She is quite the fashionista ;).

Victoria's Secret has this adorable bag 'o delight (or as they prefer to call it, their Must-Have Essentials Beauty Bag) and I'm crazily obsessed with it.

As most of you know, I'm a huge sucker for mini makeup bags filled to the brim with awesomeness. This is pretty much on the top of my list.

Here's what you get in the set:

• Love Spell® Hydrating Body Lotion, 2 oz.
• Victoria's Secret Bombshell™ Body Eau de Parfum, .25 oz.
• Beauty Rush® Lip Gloss in Strawberry Fizz, .46 oz.
• Clarins Instant Smooth Line-correcting Concentrate, .04 oz.
• skyn ICELAND® Icelandic Relief Eye Cream™, .06 oz
• StriVectin-SD® Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Marks & Wrinkles 3-week supply, .75 oz.
• VS Pro Air Brush Primer, .14 fl. oz.
• Booty Parlor Flirty Little Secret Firming Cream, Bronze Firming Cream and Luminizing Body Butter with pheromones, .17 oz. each.

 It's got to be worth at least $100.  StriVectin alone is super expensive. So spend the 25 bucks and get yourself lookin' gorgeous!

Nicole by OPI Holiday Glitters!

I know that Halloween was just yesterday, but I'm already in the Christmas spirit!! The latest Nicole Holiday collection is right up my alley and is totally getting me ready for the holiday season ahead!

The collection contains four gorgeous glitter hues.  They're a bit sheer, so they work perfectly on top of other colors, or even on their own.  Here's what the new shades look like:

Snow-Man of my Dreams  is a really pretty blue and silver (and even a tiny bit of red) glitter polish.  It's probably the sheerest of the bunch, so I'd definitely layer it on top of a solid blue shade for maximum bling power.  The blue is cool-toned and looks fab on all skinones.

Glitter in my Stocking is a yellow-gold glitter with tiny flecks of tomato-red in it.  It's my fave color in the collection and is great for dressing up an outfit for a holiday party.  It's a bit more thick than the other hues, so it looks fabulous on its own.

My Sleigh's in the Shop is without a doubt my fave color in the collection.  It's a great color to wear now and fabulous for the Fall to Winter transition.  Since this one is a bit sheer as well, I like to layer it over deep plum shades.  it looks super pretty!

Orna-Ment for Eachother is THE perfect holiday red.  It's got fiery-red glitter, mixed with some gold and orange bits.  The quality of the shade is great and this hue in particular makes me want to bust out some Christmas carols!

Look for the line in Walmart, Target, and Ulta!

Disclosure: This post contains a product sent for giveaway consideration. My priority is to you, and I honor that commitment by being honest! If you have any questions about this, please email me.