Haulin': Loeffler Randall Sample Sale

Loeffler Randall's twice-yearly sample sale has begun, and that can only mean one thing - I'm several hundred dollars poorer. I stopped by the VIP preview last night, and was pleased to see a well-organized (shoes are bagged, and grouped by size) assortment of shoes, boots, sandals, and clogs for anywhere from 50 to 70 percent off. Most styles rang in at about wholesale, with select flat leather sandals and clogs under $100.

My haul:

Nadia Espadrille Platform Bootie, was $395, here $200.

Loeffler Randall + Suno Wedge, originally $595, here $275.

Best of all, checking in at LR HQ awarded me this very special new badge from my friends at foursquare - the Kicks badge! It's well-deserved, if I do say so myself.

Shop the sale today through Saturday at Loeffler Randall, 525 Broadway nr. Spring St., 4th fl. Hours: Thurs–Fri (10–7), Sat (10–5).

Haul of the Day: The Face Shop

As I frequently remind myself, "When in Rome, do as Romans do." Whatever that means. I tend to interpret it as "Go with the flow." In the case of today, I found myself deep in the borough of Queens (far, far away from Astoria) so I did as as Koreans do.  That involved an epic trip to the one and only Spa Castle (review to come, think of a giant Las Vegas casino, without the gambling but WITH saunas, steam rooms and spa treatments galore), the carb-licious Kyorodang bakery and a jaunt through The Face Shop, where I snagged the beauty bounty above.

For just under $30, I picked up 5 single use cloth masks (love these - brightening, hydrating, soothing and more), a scrubby towel, makeup removing towelettes, 2 gorgeous nail lacquers and nail crystals (so that I can try to replicate my crazy adorned Sakura manicures at home!)

I'm not sure what made The Face Shop so mesmerizing, but I could have gone broke in this store.  Do you go gaga for foreign beauty products or am I a special snowflake?

Haul of the Day: Forever 21

It's pretty rare that I have the patience for shopping at Forever 21, but something possessed me this past weekend and I felt compelled to stop by the Union Square store. Though it packed to the gills with aggressive shoppers,  I gritted my teeth, put my elbows out and was rewarded for my retail belligerence with two fantastic finds.

1: An uber cute pair of low cut zebra print ballet flats adorned with faux gems

2: A chic silk tank that's perfect for layering

Each was just $22.80...it's hard to beat that!

Have you hauled any cheap thrills lately?