Since my beloved Marshall Field's has been bought by Macy's, I have been browsing Macys.com alot more frequently. They are having an awesome 4th of July Sale at the moment. They've got tons of cute sandles and flip-flops for $9.99, as well as really cute summer outfits. It's always great to find a summer sale in the middle of summer as opposed to the middle of fall when you'll have to wait until next year to wear your new great finds.

Thanks to Angelina Jolie, it seems like everyone and their mother wants fuller, plumper lips and everyone and their mother is coming out with a new lip plumping gloss. At the moment, I am partial to DuWop Venom Gloss in Buttercup for such purposes. But lip plumping glosses can be pricey (some go for $75!!!) and what about your current favorite glosses that don't offer lip plumping agents? Cinnamon Oil offers the same effect as lip plumping glosses for less. It also allows you to use your favorite lip glosses that don't contain lip plumping ingredients. I absolutely loooooooovvvvvveeee Stila Lip Glaze in Plum, but can't find a lip plumping gloss in a similar shade. This trick allows me to use the Stila gloss and still have plumper lips. Cinnamon Oil can be found at many grocery stores, health food stores, and gourmet specialty stores. It can also be found online at a number of stores including Amazon.com.

I am anal about white teeth! Remember that episode of Friends where Ross leaves the teeth whitening gel on too long and gets rediculously white teeth??? Yeah, I wish that was me! As anyone who reads this blog knows, I'm on a budget and can't afford professional whitening; so it has become my mission to try out every affordable at home whitening product until I find the perfect one. This new White & Shine toothpaste by Aquafresh is AMAZING! I first saw an ad for this toothpaste in Cosmo or Glamour about a month or so ago and for some reason I actually fell for their marketing and ran out to the store the next day to buy it. I can't believe how well this toothpaste works! It really does make your teeth shine. My teeth are pretty white to begin with, but the shine makes them look even whiter! Aqaufresh.com is offering free samples of this product as well as $1 off coupons. Try it out! I'm sure you'll agree that it's a great new product.

Fresh Cosmetics is having a huge three-day sale. Until Friday, sale prices range from $2-$20. I haven't used Fresh too much. I have played around with it at Sephora and have to say that I liked it. At these prices, it's affordable to buy some pieces to dabble in without breaking the bank on a product you might not like. If there is anyone out there who has experience with Fresh, feel free to post some comments!

So today I thought, "I need a new purse." Okay, so I guess I don't really need a new purse, but I WANT one! So while doing a Google search for some brand names I came across some great buys at Amazon.com. I could not believe my eyes when I saw their prices on Prada handbags and accessories. The average sale price was 70% off!!! I chose the above pictured Prada Rectangle Nylon Handbag on sale for only $69.89 from $230!!! What I love about Prada is the fact that their look is timeless. It is the perfect, classic black handbag. I never had a problem paying more for a Prada bag because I knew it was going to last forever and it was never going to go out of style. The amount of complements I receive while toting a Prada bag also make it worth the price of admission.

If you live in Albqueque, New Mexico and don't have any plans for Thursday night then are you in luck. WildAboutMovies.com is giving away free passes to the sneak preview of The Devil Wears Prada opening this Friday. Not only does this look like a hysterical movie, but I hear that the clothing is to die for. Wish the tickets were for a theater in Chicago! For those of us that don't live in New Mexico, the site is giving a special coupon for Sephora.com. Use the code "SEPHORA4" and receive free shipping with any $40 purchase. The code is good until July 31st. Sephora is offering a lot of deals on the Dior Cosmetics used in the film. I might not be able to catch a sneak peek of the movie, but at least I can go shopping!

Okay, who is tired of the Hollywood baby boom? I am getting tired of opening the latest magazines and all of the latest fashion and accessory trends focus on new moms. Don't get me wrong, congratulations to them, but as a 20 something year old with no babies I don't really care which is the hottest diaper bag and what stroller Angelina Jolie is using. Even the jewelry that a lot of magazines are talking about feature babies' names, birthdates, birthstones, etc. Come on! Get back to talking about fashion and accessories for everyone, not just new mommies.

There's a little known program offered by Dior Cosmetics that rewards you for buying Dior products from any store, not just the official Dior.com website. Just save your receipts for all of the products you have purchased and when you are ready to redeem them just send them into the address provided. The more you spend, the greater the rewards are. I can't remember the last time I have found a rewards program that rewards you from buying products from anywhere they are sold. If you're going to buy Dior Cosmetics anyways, you might as well get the freebies that you have coming!

Dior Diva VIP Rewards Program

Yeah!!! Bare Escentuals is the Today's Special Value at QVC. The Friendship 9-pc Color Collection w/TravelBag is a must have for the summer. The today only price of $44.98 makes it even easier to say "I've gotta have that!" The pink, copper, mauve, and plum shades included in this kit are perfect for every skin tone. You get to choose which colors of foundations you want. The best thing about this kit is that it comes with two different shades of foundations allowing you to change your shade throughout the summer when you get that I just came from the beach glow. Hurry! This deal is only available until midnight eastern time tonight!

This DiorShow Mascara in black is one of my obsessions at the moment. Thanks to celebs like Jessica Simpson and Eva Longoria (who happen to be new BFFs) I have been craving "celebrity/runway eyes." Well, since I cannot afford my very own stylist to professionally put tailor-made false eyelashes on my eyes, I have been testing out every mascara in existence to see if any can give me a look that's even close to false eyelashes. DiorShow Mascarsa does it!!! With one, that's right...one swipe of the mascara wand, my lashes were full, curled, and elongated perfectly. I had sexy, runway eyes. No clumping, no spidereyes. And best of all, my eyes actually looked semi-natural. I say semi because no one naturally has dark, longer than anything lashes, but the point is they did not look like a science experiment gone wrong as is sometimes the case when trying to apply false eyelashes. This one is definately a keeper.

When I first started receiving ads about e.l.f. Cosmetics I was soooooooooooo skeptical. Being someone who can't get enough overpriced cosmetics, I couldn't give any cosmetic that only cost $1 any type of credit. I began looking all over the web, trying to find info from other people who had used the products. No luck. So I ordered a few products...well ten actually...and figured I had just wasted $10. Let me just tell you, best $10 I have spent on make-up in a long time! There are sooooo many shades, textures, items to choose from. These cosmetics are perfect for stashing in your purse, school bag, brief case, car glove compartment, gym bag, and on and on and on. At only $1 a piece, you can afford to purchase enough to stash in every purse you own and won't have to worry about changing out purses and forgetting your lip gloss. The other thing that I love about e.l.f. is the fact that even those these are smaller products (after all they do only cost $1), they are large enough that they last for awhile. On average, each product lasted me a little over a month. If you are someone who is constantly on the go, but can't go without make-up, any product from e.l.f. Cosmetics is perfect for you!

I have been a fan of Bare Escentuals products for years. It was all thanks to a free sample of eye shadow I signed up for on their website long before they were available at tons of stores. Their eyeshadows continue to be some of the best I have ever used. This new Bare Escentuals Foiling Glimmers set makes me love Bare Escentuals even more than I already do. The four shades (Glimmers in True Gold, Sterling Silver, Platinum, and White Gold) are so versatile and easily go from day to night wear. Really, it's like getting eight shades when you take in the wet/dry effects. My personal favorites are Sterling Silver and Platinum. Put them on dry for a subtle day look and then take your Wet/Dry Shadow Brush (which is included!!!) and wet the tip and put on a wet shadow that gives the most metallic without looking like you're a 10 year old wearing glitter look for an evening out on the town.

Since I am lucky enough to live in Chicago, I was able to join Sephora's Beauty Insider program when it was still in beta form. Let me just tell you, it is the greatest shopping rewards program ever! I don't know how I survived without this program! For every $100 you spend at Sephora, you get a free deluxe sample. On you birthday (well actually starting 14 days before your birthday and up until 14 days after) you get a free gift. How smart is Sephora to give you a month to claim it? I mean, I love Sephora, but generally I have other plans on my b-day and don't really have time to run over there...even for a free gift!!! There are also tons of specials, free gifts, and Beauty Insiders only promotions. In April, Sephora was giving away a cute swiss army knife like beauty gadget with any purchase. This month, I got the coolest Tarte Cosmetics palette that had 8 eye shadows, 3 mini duel ended lip glosses, and an eye liner in a sassy little clutch for the oh my god rate of $40!!! Look online and you'll find that an 8 eye shadow palette generally costs $42, but Beauty Insiders were able to get so much more for only $40!!! There are also tons of extra perks online for Beauty Insiders. There are special how to sections, ask a question sections, an order history section, and so much more. Oh!!! And how can I almost forget that the Beauty Insider card is so stylish that it even has a mirror on the back!!! What woman does not need an extra mirror on her?!?! So if you haven't signed up for Sephora's Beauty Insider program RUN and do it now!!!

Sephora Beauty Insider