I am not a morning person. I never have been, and a full-time job (for which I leave quite early) and two small children have done nothing to change that. All that those factors have done is force me to become more creative with my morning routine so I get the MAXIMUM POSSIBLE NUMBER OF EXTRA MINUTES blissfully nestled in my so-comfortable-it-should-be-illegal-or-at-least-heavily-regulated bed.

Here's my recurring winter coat dilemma: I live in a place where the winters are fairly mild, except for about three weeks in February when it's so cold and windy that going to the grocery starts to feel like an Arctic expedition.  When my kids were little, I could put off the grocery run for days and just hunker down in the nice warm house, but now that they're in school I am compelled to go outside every single day (because homeschooling is NOT an option around here).  And so I need a winter coat that is casual but not schleppy, warm but not bulky, well made but not expensive. 

I'm not the type of woman that takes a long time to get ready for work in the morning. Long showers? Not my style. Taking time to use a comb and put every hair into place? You must be joking. Spending more than five minutes on my makeup? Forget it.Any time a girlfriend of mine watches me get ready in the morning (you know, all those sleepovers I still have at my age!) she comments how fast I work on my face. Truth is, I have few products and can't be bothered with that slow-motion beauty routine. If I can't put makeup on in a reasonable amount of time, I'd rather not wear any.

Since I've already ruined the ending let's start from the beginning when I purchased what I still believe are The Best Shoes Ever: Patent leather ballet flats (worn at almost every holiday party I've attended in the five years since purchasing because they are perfect) from Stuart Weitzman for a price that at the time I laughed off since it was my parent's card anyway but then I realized that money doesn't come from the heavens and replenish my wallet each day so then I cringed when I remembered the price.

The office party offers a chance to break out of your workaday rut and get to know the folks in the other cubicles, but keep in mind that this is still a work function; after the party is over, you'll have to go back to the office.  Save your sexy party clothes for date night or that girls' cocktail hour, and spiff up your office wear for the office party.  Here are four simple tips to get you party ready without doing anything that you'll regret in the Tuesday morning staff meeting.

The election is over… and hopefully we’re on our way to an economic recovery. But, even if it takes Obama and his advisers a few years to resolve the economic malaise, at least we have the burgeoning category of online sample sales as our savior.

Here is the classic holiday fashion dilemma: you've got a long shopping list of family and friends and co-workers and teachers, a budget that has to cover all of that and more, and no extra time in your jam-packed schedule. But you're also invited to more than one party, and you would love to have something special and fun to wear. The temptation to buy a new dress is hard to resist, isn't it? But I have a better alternative.Change your makeup. Simple, fast, and easy to do without breaking the bank.

Do you think that eyeshadow application is an art form that can only be mastered by those impossibly chic women who are already good at everything? Wrong! Applying eyeshadow is ridiculously easy - anyone can do it, and it's fun - really! All you need are the right tools and a willingness to play.

Just to be clear, I mean hot as in, you know, hawt, but of course turtlenecks are also hot as in temperature, which is what makes them so perfect. It's totally possible to be all cozy and covered-up and turn heads at the same time.

So here I am with an Unexpectedly Hott assignment, wondering what the heck I think is worthy of that second t these days when, like divine intervention, the night before my post is due, it appeared in vivid color across the 600 million-inch flatscreen the sigOth talked me into: Michelle Obama.  Or, shall I say: Michelle Obama in Narciso Rodriguez.    

Aren’t we all looking for those Ooh La La moments? Knowing that I needed to be in Southern California for meetings on Monday, November 3, it was my calling to finally attend the much spoken about ‘Angelitos Sale’ at South Coast Plaza. Being that South Coast Plaza is one of Southern California’s preeminent malls, (yes, I objectively love malls and find them to be massively efficient) it never fails me at providing those Ooh La La moments.

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for a good facial scrub. I just love the concept of scrubbing away impurities from my impure pores to reveal fresh, beautiful skin. I've never found a scrub that I absolutely love until I discovered C.O. Bigelow's "Brown Sugar Crystal Face Polish."