A Spring Salute to Target

For the past few seasons, Target has been disappointing me with their selections. But my last trip there, I was thrilled to see so many options...and it made me eager for the weather to warm up.

Purse Fiend

I have always been obsessed with purses. I remember eyeing my mom's Gucci purse collection as a child and wondering what I could possibly find to put in a purse. Crayons? Madonna tapes?

Although my perspective on a Gucci purse has changed, I still love a good bag to complete an outfit. I also commute every day, run around all weekend long, and need something that isn't going to fall apart. When I first started purchasing manmade bags last year, some of them did just that. Thus began my search for a high-end vegan bag, and a friend pointed me in the direction of a great Chicago boutique, Fixture: "I think Fixture has vegan bags, and really cute ones."

They also have online shopping, for those not in Chi-town. I ordered my Melie Bianco bag from them in the beginning of October, and they were a bit backed up due to the high demand...so they sent me a lovely email apologizing, promising me the bag in a few weeks and gave me FREE SHIPPING. Immediately I was reminded why it's so nice to order from an actual store versus a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. It's now the middle of February and my bag is literally still in perfect condition.


Fixture's fall/winter handbags are now 40% off and they just received a new shipment of Big Buddha bags. Check them out.

And thanks to Fixture for giving us vegan girls an option.

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Look these shoes. Italian, vegan and eco-friendly. They are basically my shoe twin. They are also sweat-shop free. Amazing! I could see myself prancing all over town in these babies....

This will be the next addition to the JJBC library....

Could potentially become a weekend staple....

It is suppose to snow 8 inches here in Chicago this weekend. I'm dreaming of cuddling up...

Have a great weekend everyone! Thanks again for reading.

Shiny Happy Hair

For me, finding great vegan haircare products was hard....until my stylist threw Pureology into my hair and it looked and smelled better than ever. Avaliable in Ulta stores. Or on Amazon. This is a HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Summer Shoe Watch

The catalogs are pouring in. Although it doesn't feel it in Chicago, spring is right around the corner and so I've begun my 2009 Summer Shoe Watch. My all-time favorite vegan shoe spot? Chadwick's. Oh yes. Not only do they have a wide variety of manmade shoes, they also are very clear (even in their catalog) about what each shoe is made with. So you can easily determine manmade from leather and suede. And girls like me appreciate that information more than anyone at Chadwick's probably realizes. Another thing to appreciate? Chadwick's great prices. And once you order from them once 15%, 20% and 30% email coupons will be rolling in.

You smell ridiculously good...

A quick "vegan perfume" search on etsy* assisted in an amazing find. The Wylde Ivy shop had so many scents to choose from I felt like I had stepped into a Vegan Scent Wonderland. The clincher? Scented oils! I love oils. One might say I'm an oiloholic.

Ok, so I ordered the Black Cat Oil Perfume, and received it a few short days later. I was beyond pleased. First of all, the Black Cat scent is like nothing I've ever smelled. It's a musky sort of sexy scent, just decadent. Secondly, it was packaged adorably. I would love to give this as a gift. Really unique bottling. Thirdly, they included samples! Oh, who doesn't love a free sample?! Especially when you are taking a risk and ordering something you have never smelled online.

As it explains in the description on the shop's site, reapplication is necessary to keep the scent going all day, but so what? It's oil and seeps into the skin. It frightens me to think of what's involved in keeping a perfume smelling on my skin for 12 hours straight. And I only found I had to reapply once to keep it going all day. Anyway, I'm sick of the overload of "products" in my cabinet. I'm eager to use things up. I currently have about 5 half-full perfume bottles from the summer of 2004, where I went on a little perfume spree. I'm so sick of looking at them! So I will be reapplying vigorously.

Wylde Ivy is featuring their Valentine's Day Inspired Perfumes right now. How adorable. Take advantage.

*If you are not yet familiar with etsy, you need to get familiar. If you thought facebook was addicting, you have no idea...

Yes. Another vegan blog.

Welcome to my very first blog entry on my very first blog. Bare with me as I figure out exactly what I am doing.

I am coming up to my one year anniversary as a vegan. With this, I have made a promise to myself and the animal community to rid my entire lifestyle of anything nonvegan. For the most part, this has been no problem. Pretty simple: Identify and destroy (or, less dramatically, give to a friend or goodwill).

But now comes the fun part. Replacing everything I have been using for years and wearing for years with items I like just as much but can use without the guilt. I am one of those people, if I like a product, I'm a dream customer. I will use that product and no other. I will recommend that product to everyone I know and buy them their own and follow-up to make sure they are as satified as I am.

So, let's get going here. Let's find those cruelty-free, vegan items we cannot live without and celebrate them. And that is what this blog is all about.

Thanks for reading.