Don't Discount Target (A K8 Flashback)

Originally published: 2/18/08

As you know, I love Target for everything from peanut M&Ms and knock-off Vitamin Water, to a $25 Mossimo dress and cheap sunglasses that are only "99% UV protected."  But I've recently discovered yet ANOTHER great thing about the Big T (I refuse to pronounce it tar-jay - it's Target, and I say it with pride).

I recently bothered some of you about whether or not I should read "The Other Boleyn Girl" (I like the idea of reading something other than chick lit or young adult books now and then).  I got a resounding YES from everyone and have been haunting my local (HUGE) 1/2 Price Books for the past month now, but they're always sold out of it (typically happens when a book becomes a movie, such as this one).  Anyway, I popped into "my" Target (NW Hwy and Lemmon), and wow, they really have a great book selection!  I picked up "Boleyn" for only $5.99 plus two other paperbacks (okay, one was a trashy romance - Lori Foster has some great male leads that are typically Ultimate Fighters, which I'm currently way into, but that's another story...).  They also have a great magazine selection, good kids/young adult books (I always get suckered into buying at least one coloring book), and obviously tons of cheapie DVDs that somehow end up in my cart (surprisingly, I still haven't actually opened the $5 copy of "Rudy" I "had to have" several months back).

Anyway, next time you head to Target for "just a couple of things" and haven't yet met your normal $100 spend, head over to the book/magazine/media section (usually at the back or far side of the store) and peruse for a bit...no doubt you'll find a cheap DVD or the latest copy of "Cat Fancy" magazine that you've been looking for.

Happy Targeting,

K8

Oh My Gloss!

As you know, lip gloss is one of my fave beauty products (come to think of it...most beauty products could be considered my "fave," except for maybe any lip "sloughing" stuff - it never works, always leaves gritty residue, and you'd get better results with a decent daily lip balm).  When it comes to glosses, I've tried, bought, tested, loved, hated, discarded, cherished, and recommended many different brands and price ranges (you all remember my "you must buy this!" dictate for Chantecaille's Charm gloss).  And even though I have a special love for Chanel Glossimers, lately I've become a tad disenchanted with how it tends to leak out the top (translation: impossible to throw in any handbag without discovering a new pack of gum all goopy w/gloss).

 To that end, I was determined to find a "less complex" (and cheaper) version of my beloved Chanel Twinkle gloss (it really looks great over ANY lipstick) - I needed something almost as good and certainly more portable.  Be happy, dear K8ers, because I found it!  May I introduce you to Rimmel's Stay Glossy Lip Gloss in Unlimited Gold (don't worry, it's a gorgeous pinky gold, not golden nugget bling).  Not only is it only $4.99, but it has a smooth texture (not tacky), looks lovely alone or over a lipstick, and despite the claims, it doesn't really last for hours (a "long-lasting" lip gloss?  Seriously, that just sounds gross).  I've already bought another darker color and been giddy about that one too.  And at $5 a pop, who cares if it wears off after your morning latte?  Just reapply and re-buy!

Rimmel Stay Glossy Lip Gloss
Magic K8 Ball Says:
7 (Outlook Good), but also 4 (Ask Again Later)
...because I've been burned before by judging too quickly only to be disappointed later, so I'm being cautious on this one...

A Total Frye Baby

Hmm, what's that lovely smell that's wafting through my house?  Fresh-baked cookies?  A bouquet of lilies? No, it's the totally disarming scent of fresh, new leather boots!  You know you know that smell, and you know you love it.  This recognizable fragrance is coming from my new Frye boots that I fell in love with last week and literally had to have.  I didn't buy them on the spot (God knows why), but when I realized I was thinking about them non-stop (and pretty sure I dreamed about them that night), I almost immediately jumped online to find them.  They're no cheap date, but they're worth every penny and last a lifetime!

My love affair with Frye began over ten years ago when they were just getting popular (again).  I of course appreciate that they are a US brand and originally all made in the USA (now most are made in Mexico which I also support because Mexico makes seriously great boots).  Plus, what other boot do you know that manages to look rugged, sexy, and comfortable all at the same time?  (Not to mention the wearability factor with jeans, skinny pants, leggings, skirts, and dresses!). 

My first pair was the traditional harness style and cost $200 approx. eight years ago - it was the most I had paid to-date for any pair of footwear (although I've certainly surpassed that in recent years).  But to this day, they still wear, fit, and look great (and possibly even better than when I bought them).  These boots truly get better with age, they always garner compliments (it helps that mine are a limited-edition olive color), and are totally worth the investment.  So next time you want to do the right thing by your tootsies and your wardrobe, don't think twice - harness up your handbag, mosey up to the mall, lasso yourself the best gall-darn boots you'll ever have, and get ready to inhale the pleasure that is Frye leather.  Ahhhhh....  

Frye Boots
Magic K8 Ball Says: 8+++ (Gotta Have It!)

Nailed It!

Just how many cotton balls does it take to fully remove "Chick Flick Cherry" or "Cajun Shrimp" from 10 fingernails or 10 toenails?  Typically, way too many.  And there's nothing worse than all those icky, wadded-up cotton corpses smelling up your trash.  Aren't you "Fed Up"?? 

I started using Cle de Peau Le Coton a few years ago to take off makeup, but I soon discovered that it's "Braziliant" for removing nail polish as well!  I literally only use ONE cotton square for all 10 fingers or toes (okay, maybe two if it's "Lincoln Park After Dark").  Sure, it's a bit pricey and seems like "Mucho Dinero" at $20 for a box of cotton, but it usually lasts for six months.  Plus, the squares are "Flawless" in that they don't leave stray bits of cotton stuck to your cuticles or eyelashes, and you can just feel that it's higher quality cotton (it comes in a very elegant box and is called "Le Coton" after all). 

Cle de Peau Le Coton pads

Magic K8 Ball Says: 8 = Gotta Have It!

As for polish remover, your smelly stand-by needs a "Curtain Call."  I highly recommend Deborah Lippman's The Stripper - not only is it a fun name and has a nice lavender scent, but you'll be "Sew Psyched" by its ingenious pump that you'll never use too much at once. And when you pair it with Le Coton, you can truly kiss your "Chubby Cheeks" goodbye and will definitely live "Happily Ever After."

Lippman's "The Stripper" Lacquer Remover

Magic K8 Ball Says: 8 = Gotta Have It!

And yes - all of the pithy quoted phrases above are real nail polish colors.

Leaving My Fashion Footprint on Our Youth (A K8 Flashback)

Originally published September 26, 2007

Update: My nephews are now 9, and my niece is 14, and they ALL definitely still know what Prada means to Aunt Kate.

A recent conversation between my 5-year-old nephew, Riley, and my sister-in-law, Amanda...

Amanda: So how was school today? (Riley started Kindergarten this year)

Riley: Fine...Miss B. wears "those shoes with the..." (indicating high heels with his fingers)

A: You mean high heels?

R: Yeah, those!

A: Were they like Aunt Kate's?

R: Mmm, no...they weren't Prada.

A: Well how did you know they weren't Prada?

R: I just know.

A: But you'd only know if you saw the inside of her shoe.

R: I did see the inside of her shoe - sometimes Miss B. just wears her piggy-toes around the class room.

How I love kid-speak!

Even more, I love that I've already had such a profound fashion impact on my nephews.  Thank God I also have a niece, and anytime she smells leather now says all dreamily, "Mmmm...smells like Prada!"

See, if more kids learned about fashion in their formative years, there would simply be no war, famine, global warming, nor panty lines.

I Heart Sharpies

I proudly admit it - I LOVE school supplies.  The appeal of a pristine new spiral notebook, the oh-so-familiar scent of a new glue stick, wooden pencils sharpened to the perfect point...ahhh...almost makes me long for school again (on second thought, I'll just revel in the supplies because God knows I don't ever again want the stress of writing a 20-page paper about the organizational challenges at Boeing on Sunday at 4pm - gives me cold sweats just thinking about it).

But my all-time favorite "grown-up" school supply has to be the Sharpie.  I'm not sure when it began or exactly how, but this obsession has been going on for many years.  As a marketer, I completely admire their campaigns - they're like the Converse of the marker world.  You just feel cooler using one, not to mention the confidence required knowing everything you write is permanent.  Sharpie.com

Fortunately, my love for this gloriously fun writing instrument is shared equally by my sister (she even has the stainless refillable one), and I'm pretty sure she's the only one who understands my excitement when Sharpie launches a new product.  In fact, when Sharpie first introduced their pen that doesn't show through paper, she and I bought them together and were barely out of the store before ripping open the packaging - it was like two smokers who couldn't open the pack to get their fix fast enough.  A little pathetic?  Maybe.  Harmful to our health? Not a chance. Passionate about our pens?  Definitely.

I will say that not all their products are a home run, like the Liquid Pencil (I'm not a fan) and the 1980s "fashion colors" (do any of us really want to relive horrible pastel on paper?).  But you can never go wrong with the Ultra Fine or Extra Fine tip (the latter of which is extremely hard to find - hey Sharpie, if you're listening, time to broaden the distribution and color palette of that one). 

So next time you're in Target or Office Depot, don't forget to peruse the ole' Sharpie section and pick up a few fun colors to punch up your next To-Do list or buy a good chisel-tip highlighter to rekindle some fond textbook memories.  Before you know it, you'll be a Sharpie Devotee too.  I warn you - you'll fall fast, and remember, it's 100% permanent.  Now if I could just find a grown-up coloring book...

Happy Doodling,

K8

Watch Out Resse, I'm Stealing Your Hairstyle (A K8 Flashback)

Originally published Sept. 21, 2007

Update: I did end up getting bangs (see photo below), and they definitely were not my best look, but I'm still a huge fan of the InStyle makeover tool!

Okay, I've just discovered this very fun tool on instyle.com - you upload your own pic and try on all these celebrity hairstyles.  Sure, other sites have this idea, but this one is really good because you can manipulate your own pic (size, tilt of your head, crop out background, etc.).  It's really easy to use, and you can save your fave ideas.  Very fun for those of us who always bring pix to the hairdresser (where she usually says, "Uh, Kate...you're not exactly blonde w/those cheekbones, so we may want to remember that when trying to 'recreate' Cameron Diaz's cut on your head."  Translation: she's famous and has people fix her hair every morning while you work in an office and only have 32 hair products and a semi-decent blowdryer to work with).  Whatever - I still think I can pull off bangs.

Me with Reese's style and color circa 2007