Sonia Kashuk Lip Palette in Sorbets

Today’s item is the Sonia Kashuk lip gloss palette.  There are 3 versions (Nudes, Berries and Sorbets), each feauturing 5 shades in a cute compact with a mirror and a lip brush for maximum portability.  They’re all such gorgeous colors , and the texture is perfect.  I’m a major lip gloss user, and texture is such a major influence in my choices.  I hate sticky, thick-feeling gloss (unfortunately, some of Ms. Kashuk’s tubed glosses fit this bill.  Sorry, Sonia), but this feels lovely and has a great, glossy shine without a lot of sparkle.  The consistency actually reminds me of my other favorite gloss manufacturer, Prescriptives, but at $11.99, Target’s offering is less than half the price of Prescriptives’ current pallette (and I actually like the presentation better, too).  Just be careful, because the gloss is softer than you might expect and you may end up with a LOT on the tip of your brush the first couple of times.

I just love the limited edition high-end designer collections at Target!  The clothes don’t always work, but the accessory lines tend to have amazing stuff across the board.  My jaw dropped when I saw that Botkierhad a new line.  Handbags are one of those things that I typically like to go ahead and spend the money on, but as soon as I saw this line, I knew it’d be ok, just this once.  I walked out with this gorgeous fuchsia hobo bag.  I’ve gotten so many compliments on it (people actually stop me on the street) and the vibrant color really perks up any outfit.  The whole collection is very urban and sophisticated, I was very tempted to pick up this beautiful metallic rose satchel (the metallic color is much more expensive looking in person, and it’s a nice change to the usual silver/gold metallic options ), but ultimately the fuchsia seemed like it would work well through the seasons and better offset my many neutral outfits.

The downsides:  It’s PVC, not leather, and the material is a bit flimsy.  the construction is solid, but I’m not sure how well the material itself will stand up to my abuse.  Same goes for the lining,  I’m a sucker for pointless details like an adorable lining that makes me smile as I dig for that wayward lipgloss, but this is just flat black cotton that may tear when jabbed with a handful of car keys for the millionth time.  The zipper sticks a little, but doesn’t seem to have any major issues.  Overall, the appearance, roominess and hardware of the bag outweigh any faults in the materials, and I’m confident that it should still last me at least until my next favorite handbag comes along, and at $39.99, what does it really matter?  Buy it!

Today’s Target item is this awesome pair of moccasins.  This is one of those rare items that actually looks much better in person than on the website.  The golden tan color is nicely saturated through the thick, supple leather and the contrast of the strap across the front is much more subtle than it appears in the picture.  The hardware is sturdy and looks like real brass, regardless of whether or not it actually is.  They’re comfortable and substantial-looking, and the metal studs and buckle take them from the costume-y appearance of typical mocs and more into loafer territory.

These are perfect, WASP-y, “going to the country home for a long weekend” slip-ons.  They go with pretty much any preppy outfit and add a nice touch of warm color against dark jeans.  Buy them and look like you just returned from your holiday watching the regatta.

A favorite pastime of mine is hunting for expensive-looking items that may or may not have a price tag to match.  I know that sometimes you get what you pay for, but I also know that there are a lot of ways to cheat the system.  As a result, I’m obsessed with Target.  I shop there at least twice a week, and I could honestly get by in every aspect of my life if all other stores closed forever (although I’d miss Ulta a lot).  Target is amazing if you know what to buy.

With that in mind, I’ll be presenting one awesome Target find per day.  I’m only going to post things that I’ve physically seen and can vouch for the quality of, because as all Poison fans know, every rose has its thorns, and even my beloved Target sells some cheap things that just look… cheap.  Because of this, I’ll also periodical point out products that look nice online/in their ads but are of poor fit or construction in real life to protect against online shopping disappointments.

First up in the AWESOME category is this metallic bubble dress.  It’s regularly only $19.99, but is on sale through 8/23 for $17.99.  Bubble dresses can fit beautifully or repulsively depending on the cut, and this one looks fantastic.  It’s rather short, but the bubbly-ness helps in that regard by A: diffusing any thigh-related issues you may have (drapery hides a multitude of sins) and B: covering your ass when you bend over.  Now you don’t have to worry about holding the back of your dress down, the elastic does it for you!

It comes in several colors, but I’d stick to the lighter ones.  the black and dark purple versions look cool online, but hopelessly chintzy in person.  The sparkle blends nicely with the taupe and silver versions, making them look pretty luxe.  It’s also 80% cotton, so you don’t have to worry about any of the scratchiness that often accompanies sparkly clothing.

Retro-cool without being too Sonny and Cher, drapey and slimming without looking trash bag-ish, this is a great party dress for late summer (so cute with flats) OR fall (just add dark tights and heels/boots).  Buy it!