So Good Jewelry...Just Sparkles

My latest shopping adventure happened at Woodfield Mall where a new store, So Good Jewelry, just opened up. It is located right outside of Field's, right next to Mac.

It is this amazing store filled to the brim of any kind of jewelry a woman's heart desires. Brooches, rings, earrings, belts, tiaras, necklaces...anything that is glittery and sparkly and just plain fun can be found here. If the store included Indian bangles, they would be all set. It is also very tastefully decorated and not kitschy at all. The stones may be fake, but it's not one of those places with tacky pieces that just scream "FAKE PASTE AND GLASS!" (or cubic zirconia, but in my shopping experience, cubic zirconia can run up to the hundreds of dollars...oh those wannabe diamonds.). They don't have hairpieces either like SoHo does (I hear a collective sigh of relief.)

Prices start at around $10 and go up. A lot of the rings are $10. A lot of the brooches are $25. Necklaces start from $15. They do take credit cards, but be sure to fall in love with the pieces you are buying because all sales are final. However, this is the one stop shop for all your jewelry needs for anything from a wedding to prom to just casual going out affairs.

So Good Jewelry, according to my research, started from Manhattan street fairs. There are nine stores in total, the majority actually in Boston. This is the only branch in the Chicagoland area.

I would definitely suggest checking it out if you're in the area. It makes me very happy.

In other news, the Bath and Body Works Semi-Annual Sale is in its second week. Lots of deals; each store has different things on sale so I would recommend checking out more than one! Some of the things that I picked up:

• $5 True Blue Spa foot cream, normally priced at $14
• Little bottles of Pleasures Sweet Pea body lotion, at 4 for $10
• $5 16 oz. True Blue Spa Body Mask, normally priced at $20
• $3 velour shoulder bag in black
• 40% off gift sets
• $1.50 True Blue Spa Shea Butter Hand Cream, normally priced at $6
• $1.50 16 oz. Apple Lotion, normally priced $10
• $1.00 Bath and Body Works little shovels (for scrubs and such), normally $1.50 (I think these are long gone now because I wanted to get more, but I can't find them anymore)

There are lots of stuff on sale, including the Tutti Dolci collection at 50% off and its lip glosses at $5. Some stores have all its True Blue Spa line at 40% off. Some stores are selling Molton Brown at a discount. I adore Molton Brown lotion; it hails from the U.K. and is about the creamiest lotion I have ever used and does wonders for dry skin. The candles are also all on sale. I think they are trying to get rid of the Pure Simplicity line because those are all on sale. Finally, I hear rumors that they are renaming the Bath and Body Works Pure Silk Line so they are trying to get rid of all the bottles with that name on it. At $5-$10 for something that usually goes $17.50, it's a steal. The sale will probably last for another week and a half.

On a different note, the Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual Sale will start June 21st. One of the things I have my eyes on is the new bronzer lotion which is only in three flavors: pear glace, strawberries and champagne, and endless in love. It serves the dual purpose very well. I'm not a fan of those three smells, so I'm waiting for it to be an endless hit so they parade it out in the other scents!

Rewards 'R Us

The folks at Express wised up to their $15 gift certificate giveaway with their new 2005 pants line...and cancelled the offer. Now they are offering a knit camisole for $15 if you BUY one of their pants. A huge bit of a letdown. It's also a shame because this weekend, some of the dress shirts went on sale for $29.50, and with the $15 free, it would have cost $15 to get a shirt. But with everything going on, I didn't get to Express until they had changed the deal. Grrr.

In other news, Express is also offering their huge leather tote bag for $30 with a $75 purchase. Not that there's anything worth buying in Express right now!

Bath and Body Works has an email offer for a free True Blue Spa Island GetAway Lotion with a $15 purchase from the True Blue collection. With the purchase, they'll also give you a coupon for a free lip balm from the new C.O. Bigelow collection with purchase for next week. The C.O. Bigelow collection rocks. I recommend that everyone try it. When I went to take advantage of this offer, the metrosexual of the decade made me sample the entire new Island GetAway line from the margarita scrub to the bodymilk rinse. In my opinion, it's not a good line. It's really oily, the scents are overwhelming, and it was at best ordinary. I would stick with the original True Blue line; at least they have some excellent products. But the C.O. Bigelow collection? Amazing. Everyone should try their lemon body lotion. I cannot wait for the lip balm next week.

Other business tidbits: Krispy Kreme may be filing for bankruptcy soon...that's what you get for expanding too fast without a cohesive vision. Marshall Field's is set to unveil their shopping site online this spring...financial advisors estimate that Field's has lost millions of dollars by not utilizing their online potential sooner. Ann Taylor is still having their clearance sales. So is Banana Republic.

Finally, per a conversation with Kunjali, as I work on this blog, I realize more and more how emotionally tied I am to shopping, as I am with other things in life. It is interesting to realize that no matter how hard I try, I cannot take a distant, unbiased, or unfettered look at the stuff that centers my life.