The discovery of Chanel Beige hype

I try my best to not buy into hype as much as possible. If a product is great and I need it, I will buy it. But I am not the person who buys the "It" bag unless I love it, and I will absolutely not buy uncomfortable shoes, no matter what color the soles.

Truth be told I am a huge fan of Chanel nail polish. I love the formulations, the color palette, the unspoken swankiness of wearing something -- anything -- Chanel. I realize Chanel is now one of the top brands for young Hollywood starlets, but when I was a teenager, Chanel was worn by old white ladies who lunched at charity events. Someone my age wouldn't be caught dead wearing Chanel. If she was alive and wearing Chanel, she was most likely carrying her octogenarian grandmother's handbag while Granny adjusted her white gloves after fishing for the keys to her Cadillac DeVille.

When Chanel asked me to "discover" their exclusive new color, I was a rapt audience. I waited patiently for the email telling me what exclusivity awaited me, their loyal customer.

They had me discover ... Beige. Wow, Chanel. Really? Was this some type of joke? Where was Ashton Kutcher? Was I being punk'd? I even checked the email address to ensure that it actually came from Chanel. It was like being asked to discover my inner blandness.

But then there was the hook. I found a coupon code for free shipping. And for some reason, even though there is a Chanel boutique in my city, I wasn't going to pay sales tax either. And somehow, I felt sorry for these little boring boxes of Beige.

So I caved. And the blandness arrived today. At the very least, I guess it will be a good safe color for work.

Rockin' a Valentino

Valentino has always been glamour, sophistication and a little bit of haughtiness to me. I never would have thought you could add studs to various Valentino items and give them an edge while still maintaining their sophistication. The one thing that always gives me pause regarding Valentino is its higher price tags. A few seasons ago I was fortunate to nab some hot pink rosette ballet flats on sale at Saks for a killer price of about $240, but I haven't been able to repeat that unbelievable deal.

Now there are some big sales upon us -- specifically Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's -- and I'm wondering if I just might be able to snag my next Valentino item, the Rockstud Dome Satchel. I saw it in person at my local Nordstrom but it was months ago, and I'm not going to count on the fact that it's still in stock. However, given the fact that my office is within walking distance to Nordstrom, I might have to drop by and see if I can press my luck. 

Praise for Prada ponyhair

I am a sucker for a great deal. I am a sucker for Prada. I am a sucker for shoes. See where this is going?

Every once in a while, I find a screaming (and I mean really screaming) deal on eBay. Usually it's from a seller who is inexperienced, or doesn't necessarily know the value of what they're selling. It happens less often than it did when eBay was in its infancy, but sometimes I am lucky.

Last week I won these shoes. They were a great deal as they only cost me $10.50 (no that's not a typo), and they are Prada, and well, I am a sucker for shoes. I had another Prada lover authenticate them for me so I can wear my new (to me) Prada ponyhair flats with pride.