Birthday Perks

Philosophy 'happy birthday, beautiful' freebie [via Sephora]

July is probably my favorite shopping month of the year because it's my birthday month. My inbox (and regular mailbox) becomes flooded with special birthday perks and it's the one month where I feel that subscribing for regular emails from 8347569 different retailers is truly worthwhile. Among this year's favorite offers was a coupon for an exclusive birthday freebie from Sephora (shown above), a coupon for $15 off any purchase from LOFT, and a $25 credit for Ideeli which I used to purchase a pair of cute, open-toe flats made by Adrienne Vittadini for just $6.37 after the credit was applied (shown below).

Adrienne Vittadini 'Kaleb' Flat [via Ideeli & no longer available] - $89.00 (orig. retail value)

I also received birthday offers from Talbots (10% off a purchase), Urban Outfitters (20% off a purchase of $50+), Foley + Corinna ($50 off a purchase of $200+), Gap (25% off a purchase), and American Eagle (15% off a purchase). If you don't like to clutter up your inbox with offers from various retailers you might want to consider setting up a free email account for junk mail. Just be sure to pay special attention to your inbox during your birthday month so that you don't miss out on all of the great offers!

Also, check with your local salon or any cosmetic/beauty retailer in your area to see about any birthday specials that they offer. I will be heading to my local Ulta on Saturday morning for a free eyebrow wax at the Benefit brow bar inside of the store. (ID is required and this offer is only valid on your actual birthday.)

Shoe Love: Nine West

Nine West 'Nuncio' Pump [via Macy's] - $41.40 (on sale!)

About a week ago, I spent an evening wandering my local shopping mall for the first time in what seemed like forever. I'm trying to keep my spending to a minimum this month (my birthday is in 2 weeks!) but there are tons of great sales happening now since so many stores are beginning to switch their focus from the summer lines to the new fall collections.

As I was browsing the shoe department at Macy's I came across these Nine West lovelies at 50% off (original price = $69.00). It was already a good deal on it's own but then I remembered that I also had almost $20 left on a Macy's gift card I've had since last fall. In the end, I paid a whopping $17.66 for these pumps. Winning.

Over the years I've owned several pairs of these same Nine West pumps in various colors. They are a great go-to pair of shoes for the office..a simple, classic design with a mid-height heel that is comfortable to wear all day. Since my cute as a button puppy decided to turn my other pair of patent leather, pointed-toe pumps into a chew toy I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to replace them.

Jumping on the bandwagon..

TOMS 'Ivory Glitters' Women's Shoe - $54.00

The TOMS bandwagon, that is. I've had these lovelies on my radar for awhile now but while husband and I were enjoying our West Coast honeymoon last month I saw them everywhere. No really, they were everywhere. There wasn't a single day when I didn't see at least a dozen people wearing their TOMS. So what's a girl to do? Go to the nearest Nordstrom and try a pair on, of course!

I have to admit I was a little skeptical despite hearing over and over again how comfy they are but as soon as I slipped them on my feet I was sold. I actually didn't buy them that day because I wasn't interested in any of the colors that were in stock so when we got home I submitted my email address to get on the wait list for these ivory glitter TOMS and as soon as I got the notification that my size was back in stock I placed an order. With a little searching, I even managed to find a $5 off coupon code to use and they arrived on my door step just a couple of days ago. It was love at first sight.