Favorite Things Friday

Another week is over, another new favorite things is up.

For as long as I can possibly remember, I have never been a fan of costume/fashion jewelry. Don't get me wrong, I think a lot of pieces are pretty, and I have received quite a few as gifts, however I was never a huge fan of trends, and I never understood the point of buying cheap jewelry to only wear for one or two seasons, or that would only go with a few outfits. To me, it has always made sense to invest in slightly more expensive, timeless, classic pieces, that you could always own and wear. Since this week I have spent an exhorbitant amount of time looking at jewelry websites, this week's favorite things is devoted to jewelry items. It can also be called the things that MRM wants but cannot actually afford post.

I have always loved Hermes scarves thanks to my mother, and this week, after Preppy, 50, and Loving Lilly posted a picture of an Hermes bangle, I have not stopped looking at the jewelry on the Hermes site. Also, I have not stopped obsessing over this bracelet. The Clic H in pink, $510. I have sent TLS this link so many times that he can now navigate the Hermes site to get to it blindfolded. I was not able to upload the picture from the website, and this was the best I could find. I want the bracelet in pink. The lovely and adorable Summer at B is for Brown has this in white and I got to see it in person at the Britney Spears concert and I have to say that the picture does not do it justice.

Also from Hermes, another one I love, the leather Jumbo bracelet, $230. This one is not as elegant as the Clic H, but is still simple and can be worn with a lot of things.

Since I always, always, always have to check the Tiffany site for jewelry, a sweet, simple necklace at a price that I can actually afford. Bow mini pendant, $100.

Since I was not able to get myself a piece of Yurman for my birthday as I had originally wanted to, I still have a craving for one. I think this Petite Albion Parasolite ring will satisfy it nicely, $590.

Most of my blog readers know my love of pearls. If I'm awake, I'm wearing something with pearls on it. I am dying to own some Mikimotos. I love this floral set. I think that it would be a lovely "something new" to wear to your wedding. $980 for the earrings, $850 for the pendant.

And lastly, speaking of weddings. I am not one of those girls that has had her entire wedding day planned out since she was 5. However, I have had my engagement ring picked out since I was in high school. I love simple, classic settings, but prefer sidestones and baguettes. I am also not a fan of round cuts or fancy cut diamonds. When I discovered the Radiant Cut diamond, I knew that it was the one for me. Sadly, I am not able to post the picture for this one, if you would like to see it, go here, select three-stone rings, and it is the last one, the Classic.

While I am a ways away from having one of these on my finger (unless I buy it myself and wear it as a right-hand ring) I love going to the website and looking at it. My college boyfriend who wanted to marry me had the page with it bookmarked. While that relationship did not work out, I was not ready to get married at 22 and he did not want to wait, I still want the same ring. On days when I am having a bad day, I go to the site, and seeing it just makes me smile.

discussion topic of the day- recession, take 2

In this post, I asked you what is the one thing that you can never scrimp on, or go without, regardless of finances. For today's post, I'm going to do a follow-up to that and ask what is the first thing to go or that you are willing to go without when money is tight? For me, it is my Starbucks habit. While I love Starbucks, I can go without it, and considering the cost of the drinks, I'm willing to sacrifice it if money is tight or there is something else that I really, really, really want. For your daily dose of irony- I am typing this post with a venti Chai Latte a mere 2" from my keyboard.

snail mail

One of my favorite things to do when going on vacation is to send my friends postcards of where I am. I also love receiving postcards from my friends while they are on vacation. I have already promised the PrepEGirl that I would send her a postcard from England. If there is anyone else who would like to receive a postcard as well, send me your info to whaleflipflops {@} gmail {.} com and I will be sure to send you one. :) (KMH, no need to send me your info, I know it by heart and obviously I will send you one.)

boy update

I have to thank all of my readers for your concern and apologize a bit here. I wrote my previous post about the boy when I was in a bad mood, and when I reread it, I realized that I made him sound like a bad guy, which is not true at all and isn't really fair to him. My friends who know me well know that he is a great guy, and a lot of people didn't get that sense from reading my previous entry.

To those of you who have suggested that I talk with TLS- believe me, all we do is talk. There's not really much else we can do being so far away from each other. I have generally avoided talking about my relationship on here for two reasons 1) because there are a lot of times when I need him and he can't be there and I get upset and I don't want this to turn into a "woe is me" blog, and 2) because I know that while the situation may suck, I do have it a lot easier than a lot of other military girlfriends and wives out there. At least he is on a base in England where he is safe and is not off fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan and I know that is coming home every night, and there are a lot of women out there who don't get that peace of mind.

TLS's tour ends in May 2010 and we may not know until February where he's going to be stationed next. The waiting and the uncertainty are driving us crazy and the distance and time difference and all of the other joys that go with being in a long distance relationship just aren't helping any. There are times when I really just need a hug or a good backrub from him and I can't get that and with the time difference, we both end up staying up until like 1:00am in our respective time zones just so we can talk during the week, and we're both a little sleep deprived because of it. Because he is in the military, his job and all that goes along with it always have to take priority over me and my needs which can get really frustrating and make me feel like a second-class citizen. With all of that, it's easy to get frustrated and start to wonder "is it really worth it?"

I'm sorry if I misled anyone in my previous post. We are doing fine, just really trying to take things one day at a time.

hair post

I know what you're all thinking- "another one? does she ever stop talking about her hair?" I do when I'm asleep, and on those rare occassions when I'm actually happy with the way it looks. Today is one of those rare days. As you know, this weekend I got my hair Japanese straightened. Since I've received a few questions about it, I figured I'd do a post on how it works.

The first thing that you need to know is that aside from the technical aspect of it, the process is 1) pricey, and 2) long. It takes several hours and most places charge $100/hour. There are a few "budget" salons that offer the service at a significantly reduced price- usually $250-300 instead of $500+ but don't be fooled, those salons either a lower-quality product, or what they are advertising is actually Brazilian Keratin treatment.

What is the difference between the Brazilian Keratin treatment and the Japanese straightening? The Brazilian treatment does not aim to make your hair straight, it aims to relax your hair a little bit and to make it frizz-free. If you have super-curly hair and want to go pin-straight, then this is not the option for you. However, if your hair is naturally wavy or on the straighter side or you have looser curls and are looking to save money, then this will work for you.

The Japanese straightening process is much more labor-intensive and takes a longer time. Before you get it done, I urge you to do a lot of research on salons in your area and to get recommendations, if possible. The treatment is permanent, and once you get your hair done, you can only get your roots redone as needed, you cannot fix any problem areas or patches since putting the solution on twice could damage your hair to break and fall out. If you are serious about wanting to get this done, do not scrimp on cost. For any of my New York readers, I highly recommend Le Salon Chinois for this.

Because the process takes a few hours and requires a lot of product, most salons will 1) require a down payment to make sure you don't flake out on them, and 2) will schedule you for an early morning appointment so that the stylist can have ample time to work on you and them potentially see another client. Be sure to eat beforehand because you are going to get hungry. If you go to a good salon, they may have menus of places where you can order lunch from or may provide you with snacks.

When you get to the salon, you will just get a regular shampoo and blowdry. After that, the stylist will apply a white goopy product to your hair in small sections and wash it out section by the section. The other sections will remain covered in foil and there will be a time when your head begins to resemble a baked potato. Embrace it. The goop needs to stay in your hair for around 20 minutes, so this process will take a few hours. After all of it has set in and been washed out of your hair, you will get another blowdry, and then the stylist will use a thin (0.5" or so) straightening iron to make your hair completely straight. At this point, it will also be a lot silkier and shinier and you will start to question "is this really me?" Just when you think you're done, the stylist will then put more goop on your head in the form of a neutralizer, this time all at once. After 20-30 minutes, he or she will wash it out, blowdry it, flat iron, and then you're good to go! After you get the treatment done, you can't wash your hair or put any clips, headbands, elastics, etc. in it for 72 hours, otherwise it will retain that form. If you are someone whose hair gets greasy easily, don't schedule a date or other important event for the third day.

The treatment is permanent so you need to get your roots touched up every few months. Depending on how quickly your hair grows back, you are usually told you have to wait 3-6 months before it can be redone.

Sadly I don't have any before and after pictures to show you, but believe me, the results are amazing and worth every penny. Today I brushed my hair for the first time since Saturday, and that's only because I toss and turn in my sleep.

I was there only to get my roots done, and the entire process took 5.5 hours. I was starving by the time I left the salon. Thank G-d for Thai food. If you want to get this process done, I highly recommend that you plan ahead and bring granola bars or other snacks with you just in case, along with books, magazines, etc. I brought my cell phone charger and spent all day emailing TLS.

On a somewhat related hair note, I have been lusting over this headband from the Gap. It is a thin silvery-grey color with two rossettes on the side. This weekend I went into two different stores and neither one had it. Of course, as my luck would have it, it is not available online. It retails for $12.50 If any of you see it in a store near you, can you please please pretty please get it for me and I would be more than happy to send you a check for that plus shipping?

relationship slump or just a case of the Mondays?

I have a relationship rant. I feel like we are in a slump. I love TLS dearly and he is my best friend but I'm just feeling down lately. I believe that an ideal relationship should be 50/50 and we definitely don't have that. It seems like everything centers around him and his needs and I'm put on the backburner. I know that this is a common gripe in military relationships. We've talked about this before but considering things are so much easier for him then they are for me, I don't think that he can get what I'm feeling. Case in point, this weekend I went an hour and a half out of my way and walked 40+ blocks to get him a six pack of Yuengling to bring with me to England because he loves Yuengling and you can't get it over there. While I love being able to make him happy, I know that if the tables were turned, he would not do the same for me. Am I just overreacting? What do you do when you are in a slump? How do you pull yourself out of it?

The British Invasion

Well folks. It is now exactly just two weeks and 6 hours until my plane takes off for London. I could not be more excited. It only seemed appropriate to make this week's favorite things the British edition. Partly because I love England so much, and partly because I have realized that instead of paying high prices for shipping, I can order things offline, have them sent to TLS's British address, and they'll be waiting for me when I get there. Someone hide my credit card from me. All prices are in GBP. Currently the exchange rate is: 1£= $1.65.

Many of my readers know my love of fun coffee mugs. When you are in London, obviously a trip to Harrods is a must. I love the quirky elegance of this mug. It's pricey, but makes a great souvenir or gift. £11.95

Another fun, quirky gift idea from Harrods is this "Lovers and Other Strangers" address book. I absolutely love the color. £14.95

A beautiful pearl bracelet from Harrods by Thomas Sabo, £29.95.

A beautiful blue and white tea for one set from Harrods, £26.95.

From another British staple, Fortnum and Mason, a luggage tag in my favorite color. £17.62

When I first when to England with my mother in high school, I saw this darling little box from Wedgwood and knew I had to have it. My mother talked me out of it because it was £17 and I couldn't store anything in it. Since then, I've always wanted it. It is now up to £22.50, but I don't care. I am determined to make it mine by the end of this trip.

Another gift idea from Wedgwood that I am lusting over is this teapot candle. It is a single person sized Jasperware teapot that is filled with an Earl Grey scented candle. At £20.00 the price is a bit high, but it would definitely make a nice hostess or other gift.

From Marks & Spencer, a cute umbrella at a great price. £5Also from Marks & Spencer, a pair of Mr. and Mrs. mugs that would make a great gift for a newlywed couple. £9.50