Monday, June 20, 2011

Shop It To Me: HomeGoods, Part Deux


We came. We saw. We shopped.
From left: Aileen, Arcelie, Jess, Sara. I'm the one with the glasses and the cart full of practical towels... what can I say? I know how to party.
Not pictured: Beth and Laura.
Yes, at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning, seven women braved bed head, fatigue, and unreliable train service just for the chance to spend free money at the new HomeGoods store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

When we got there, the sky was overcast but the store was bright and buzzing with bloggers--and bagels! After a brief but warm welcome, the HomeGoods staff handed out our gift cards and set us loose.

I'd never been in a HomeGoods before. Turns out it's kind of like a Crate & Barrel but folksier, and with merchandise you're not as afraid to touch. The upper level had dishes, cutlery, and kitchenware--including prepared foods, which I was incredibly tempted to buy but which I knew would sound ridiculous when I explained it to my husband: "Honey, you'll never believe what I scored: five cases of root beer and a three-month supply of biscotti. No, no, listen... almond and espresso"--while the lower level housed more substantial furnishings like lamps, rugs, and tables, bedding, towels, and linens, and various decor and gifts. I had imagined myself tearing through the store throwing items into my cart with targeted precision as a price tally dinged above my head, but instead I wandered, kind of awestruck, unsure of what to buy. Why is it that when we're broke, we covet everything, and when we have cash to burn we can't make a commitment?

I think much of my hesitance had to do with my oh-so-practical spouse. I am convinced that we can use pretty much anything in our apartment--it is a fact that Jeff once had to physically restrain me from accepting an offer of a rolling wicker bar cart from a family friend that looked like something Blanche Devereaux might have designed for HSN while intoxicated. (If you are thinking, Wait, that sounds awesome!, you are totally right and I still regret not going back for it)--while Jeff takes into consideration things like floor space and whether things are actually, you know, useful.

My original plan was to buy things for our nursery, but the baby section was limited, so I ultimately decided to spend my time in the bedding, bath, and beyond. I knew we needed towels (our current motley bunch bore tears, stains, and an unmistakable air of sadness), so I picked out a set of eight by Ralph Lauren (four a shade of moss green, four the color of fresh-churned butter), and threw in a new bath mat (moss green) for good measure. My imaginary Supermarket Sweep overhead tally jumped to $70.91--more than 70% of my total spent in one aisle!--but it was cheap for what I was getting and I knew I'd be happier choosing things we actually needed rather than impulse buys like, say, a trio of patriotically-dressed mice:

Kidding. I had no impulse to buy this. But I'm sure someone will love it very much.
I paused to pose for a baby bump shot with my friend Arcelie...

That may or may not be a plate of food in the top of my cart.
 I'm pregnant, so shut up.
... and then made my way back upstairs to spend my remaining $30.

(Meanwhile, while I was loading enough towels into my cart to soak up a monsoon, my friends were making out like bandits. Sara scored a rubber spatula, a set of bowls, a pretty picture frame, a lettuce knife, and an outdoor tablecloth; Aileen bought a ceramic pan, a low-fat cooking pan, a veggie slicer, and wine glasses; Beth found a Le Creuset pie dish, floral napkins, two sets of 10 Vera Wang notecards, a set of her favorite Crabtree & Evelyn products and--most importantly--candy; and Laura picked up sweet fig liquid hand soap, a Ralph Lauren fitted sheet, and a citronella candle in a stone pot. Jess, however, was so indecisive that she bought 20 felted hangers and spent the remaining $39 of her $50 gift card on another gift card. Hahaha.)

With time running out, I set about finding something else that Jeff would be proud of, and that we could actually use. As I passed the kitchen section, my mind drifted to all of the times we'd carve chickens or turkeys on the quaint $4 cutting board I'd purchased the year after I graduated from college (2003) and watch in helpless horror as the juices rained down upon the floor. I grabbed a sturdy wooden cutting board twice the size of our current one with skid-resistant legs and a well around the perimeter specifically designed for roasts. At only $16.99, it was a steal. And I still had cash left to burn! And then, as I was waiting in line to pay, I spotted it: an adorable lemon yellow package stuck in among the check-out tchotchkes. The brand was Mrs. Meyers, so I figured I'd like whatever it was, and at $5.99 it would bring me right up to my $100 limit (I really wanted to come as close as possible without going over, so that I would win on the imaginary Price is Right episode I was living). As luck would have it, it was a tube of lip and cheek balm... for babies! So I managed to get my little bun in the oven a gift after all.

Sure, it brought my total to $102.22 (I'm sorry, Bob! I failed you!), but it was worth it.

Check out our shopping guns!
OK, now's the fun part. What would you buy with $100 at HomeGoods? This is an incredibly relevant question, because by answering you will automatically be entered to win a $100 HomeGoods gift card, provided by BlogHer (sadly I am not choosing the winner based on the strength of his or her answer, so no extra points for creativity, but feel free to let your imaginations run wild). You can find the HomeGoods nearest you using their store locator, and visit their Facebook page or blog to get more information on their products.

Rules:

This giveaway is open from June 20th-30th.

No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.

And don't forget--BlogHer is still giving away ten $25 gift cards on their Promotions & Prizes page, so check it out and enter by June 30th! (Those rules can be found here.)

UPDATE: Congratulations to jerseygirl137, who was selected at random to win! Yay!

They Had Me At Granola: Alpina Restart Yogurts


I love yogurt. It is a fact that I once dripped yogurt onto my cell phone and, without thinking, licked it off, even though said phone had been dropped on the grimy New York City streets more times than I would like to recall. I love sweet yogurt and savory yogurt. I love it in a cup and I love it in a portable tube. I love frozen yogurt and would probably love hot yogurt if that became a thing (get on it, science!) I especially love yogurt now that I’m pregnant, since it’s a great source of both protein and calcium, two things my growing parasite baby needs in spades. So when given the chance to taste-test Alpina’s new Restart line of yogurts and get paid for it, without resorting to putting my tongue on electronic equipment, I was on board faster than you can say “OMG, there’s granola in the top part? I love that kind of yogurt the most!” (Which not only takes awhile to say but also happens to be true.)

A few days later, a package arrived at my office bearing a perishable cold-packed box of the four Alpina Restart flavors--strawberry, vanilla, blueberry, and peach--complete with the aforementioned granola packets, which rustled in the clear plastic container tops like delicious little maracas. I was going to take them home, set them all out, and do a proper, controlled tasting, but of course I ate the strawberry and vanilla ones immediately, because I have no scientific method... or willpower.

Restart is fat-free and 170 calories per container (in the interest of full disclosure, the granola brings it up to 230 calories and 2 grams of fat, one saturated) and provides 8 grams of protein, 21% of the average woman’s daily calcium needs, and 3 grams of fiber. The verdict? It tastes good, and the granola (can you tell I’m obsessed with the granola?) adds a nice texture that makes a container of Alpina a more satisfying snack than your average yogurt. The fruit flavors have small flecks of fruit in them but no giant chunks (a plus if you ask me), and the yogurt is perfectly sweetened--not cloying but also not tart. If I had to pick a favorite it would be the blueberry:

Oh, yeah, that's the stuff.
Yogurt takes granola into its tender embrace.
I am so virtuous, and calcium-filled.
It's impossible to look sexy while eating yogurt, OK? 
Another great thing about Alpina is that it’s committed to supporting women (in my hometown, no less). If you share a wish for women on Alpina's Facebook page, they will make a donation to Women in Need, an organization that provides housing, job training, childcare, and guidance to New York City women and their families who are homeless, fleeing from domestic abuse, or otherwise disadvantaged.

And now, for the chance to win a $200 Visa gift card... What’s your favorite way to eat yogurt? Give me your most inspired mix-ins, your bizarre secret rituals, or the way you sneak it into batters and baked goods to make them healthier. (And, obviously, if you eat your yogurt hot, for the love of God, tell me how!)

Rules:

This sweepstakes will run from 6/20-7/31.

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry
methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment
on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on
this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about
an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be
selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

There's No Place Like HomeGoods


When I was sick as a kid, I had a tried-and-true routine that consisted of grape flavored popsicles, The Price is Right, and Supermarket Sweep. I could have done without the popsicles, though, because all I really cared about was watching people go on shopping sprees, whether they were chaotic and physical (as when the contestants on Sweep booked it through the aisles, tossing honey hams and gallons of Drano into their carts) or measured and cerebral (can you say Showcase Showdown? I still quiver when I think about the tension on people’s faces as they struggled to decide whether to take the bedroom set and golf clubs or pass and see what was behind Showcase #2! Ah! Sweet agony!) So you can imagine my unbridled glee when I was invited to participate in a shopping spree of my very own.

The store? HomeGoods, with its refreshingly literal name (try to buy a pier at Pier1 and you will be, as Cher Horowitz might say, brutally rebuffed) and affordable décor and furnishings. As part of an expansion across the country, the haute housewares chain recently opened a spot on Columbus Avenue in Manhattan, just a brisk 50-minute subway ride from my apartment in the outer-boroughs.

The time? 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 11, which means I have to get up before 7. But it’s for a shopping spree, so, I’ll deal. Also, I get to bring a few friends, and they get to shop for free too. Which is how I’m making them get up before 7 on a weekend.

The goal? To get some much-needed décor for our soon-to-be nursery, which currently looks like this:


(I hope the baby likes three year-old campaign posters and professional camera equipment, and can sleep comfortably in a crate once used by my corner bodega to store cat food.)

The cash? $100. How far can I stretch it? The sky’s the limit (and/or probably until I get hungry for brunch).

I’ll be posting after the event about what I scored (along with a great giveaway), but for now, head over to BlogHer’s Prizes and Promotions page, where you can win one of ten $25 HomeGoods gift cards (enter by June 30th).

You guys, I'm going to make Bob Barker so proud.

Some additional details/resources:
The official giveaway rules
HomeGoods' blog
HomeGoods' Facebook page
HomeGoods' store locator

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Olay, Olay, Olay, Olay, Feelin' Hot, Hot, Hot!


This is a sponsored review from BlogHer and OLAY.

I’m not a beauty blogger per se, but longtime readers know I’m fully committed to keeping myself looking at least moderately presentable most of the time. Like, remember when I turned myself orange in an attempt to seduce Jeff with my “natural” golden tan? Or that Hannibal Lecter mask from La Mer that prompted Jeff to give himself a porn ‘stache? I should get extra points for the full-time job that is taming my natural unibrow, not to mention the considerable artistic skills required to camouflage my exciting new adult acne and spider veins. But no one, save for the overly blunt Korean ladies at my local nail salon, who inform me that I really should wax my upper lip, seems to be keeping score.

Anyway.

I don’t have a lot of time to--as Jeff so lovingly puts it--“paint my face” in the mornings, seeing as I generally hit the snooze button at least twenty times in order to let the pillow lines really settle into my cheeks. So when Olay offered to send me its Total Effects Line and Dark Circle Minimizing Brush (visit the official site), which promises to simultaneously tighten and plump my peepers, lighten my cobwebby under-eye area, and deliver 7 anti-aging benefits in all of the five seconds it takes to apply, I jumped at the chance.

Because I am nothing if not super-scientific, I am presenting my findings in the format of a high school lab report. Ahem.

Introduction:
Here are my crow’s feet and under-eye bag in their natural state:

Bloodshot eyes included at no extra charge!
I once got into a bar without ID just by smiling for the bouncer. TRUE STORY.

The purpose of my experiment is to determine whether Olay’s Total Effects Line and Dark Circle Minimizing Brush will help to ensure that this never happens again.

Materials:
1 Olay Total Effects Line and Dark Circle Minimizing Brush
1 Bathroom mirror
1 Middle Finger (N.B. for application purposes, not for bird-flipping)
1 Nikon SLR camera, for documentation purposes

Method:
Each morning and evening for a week, after washing my face and applying moisturizer, I clicked the Olay TELADCMB (sorry, could not continue to type that out) to release a pea-sized pearl of product that I gently applied to my under-eye circles and lines using the middle finger of my right hand. Then I stared at myself for awhile, examining my pores and contemplating the ramifications of finding a gray eyebrow hair.

Discussion and Conclusion:
I am between eye creams, so it felt incredibly luxurious to use the Olay TELADCMB. After a few weeks, I did notice a small improvement in the condition of my skin in the ocular (fancy word for eye!) area, and my bags seemed less pronounced:

Natural light: nature's Photoshop!
The drawback, for me, was the color. The Olay TELADCMB formula is a bronze-y beige--the better to blend away imperfections with, my dear--but on my Edward Cullen complexion, unless blended well, it kind of looked like my eyes went to Miami without the rest of my head.

Still, that was easy enough to correct, and I’m glad to know that my blogging-abused eyes are getting a little R&R from 7 anti-aging benefits. Plus, it’s fast and extremely easy to use, a virtue in any beauty product.

Okay, now’s the fun part: You tell me how you simplify your beauty routine when you’re tired or strapped for time, and you could win a $100 Spa Finder gift card! (Visit the BlogHer roundup page for other chances to win).

Rules:
No duplicate comments. The sweepstakes runs from 4/14 (today) through 5/14.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry. (Visit the official rules)

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail within a few days of the end of the sweepstakes.
You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.