Fashion Fridays: Ann Taylor Holiday

Love the black and white sweater on the left and the black peplum top with the orange belt on the right.

I don't often think Ann Taylor (AT) as super fashionable, but a few years ago, AT hired the head designer away from Club Monaco.  The last few collections have really been on trend, feminine,and fitted.  Since I have been covering entertainment news non-stop with my radio spots and SheKnows gig, I came across the press release for their holiday line with current spokesperson Kate Hudson.  Not only did she look amazing after having a baby, the outfits were ideal for some of my on-camera work.  I literally bought a dress right off of her body.

There are a couple of other pieces I am eyeing, so I will post the photos here.  Weigh in with your opinion and let me know what you think.  And I'm including a little discount secret for you in case you would like to shop the Ann Taylor Holiday Collection:

The dress I bought right off of Kate Hudson!

$98 dress

-25% off 

and a 2.5% Ebate=$71.66 Total

Ebates:  Get at 2.5% "Ebate" off of your full Ann Taylor purchase. Go to this site first and enter "Ann Taylor" in the search function.  Click on the link and Ebates will track your purchase.  I've written about this genius FREE service before here.  Click on this link here to get started with your account and get a $5 credit.

Discount Code:  ANNWELCOME1
25% off 1 full-priced item and free shipping if your order is over $175 or more

Blue peplum top with a pink belt is hot.  I love the color of the shirt on the right, but I am not sure how I feel about the big back bow.  Might be too cute.  What do you think?

The Friday Five: July 5, 2012

We reached Friday rather quickly with the holiday smack dab in the middle of the week.  My weekend will be filled with another visit to Disneyland (I know, I know!), a fun interview, and hitting the PopCon LA event at the Convention Center.  Here are the Top 5 things I'm musing about this week:







































1. Stella & Dot:  They have been making a huge splash in Hollywood lately with a big PR push.  I have seen their collections on countless celebrities in the last few months, so I was thrilled to see their Fall 2012 collection at the Fall 2012 Fashion & Accessories Preview.  I cannot stop raving about cuffs lately, so I now have one of their new cuffs to add to my collection.  The Lindsay Bangle in Turquoise is the exact splash of color you need to add to your summer wardrobe.  It is hand-poured enamel with silver accents and a simple yet clean clover design.  Take a look at their beautiful collections here.

2.  Online Deals:  It's been awhile since I talked about online shopping, but I got a great deal and I just had to share.  I need to purchase Philosophy's Miracle Worker with SPF 55.  On the Philosophy site, it is $57 with Free Shipping and 2.5% back from Ebates.  I decided to see if Drugstore.com had the same product in inventory.  They offered the same price with Free Shipping, a coupon for $5 off a $40 order from RetailMeNot.com, no sales tax and $3.67 off in Drugstore Dollars from a previous purchase.  (They always give you 5% back to use on a future purchase.) My total?  $48.33......but wait.....Ebates is going to give me 12% back!  Final Total:  42.53!  To join Ebates and get money back for your online purchases, click here.  You won't be sorry.

3.  PopCon LA:  I will be hosting two Q&As with celebrities during this fun pop culture convention this weekend.  If you are in the LA area, come join me at Noon for a screening of Nighthawks followed by a Q&A with the legendary Billy Dee Williams.  Or, see the sci-fi cult classic, Blade Runner followed by a Q&A with James Hong beginning at 2PM. It's going to be fun and I hope you will join me.  Purchase your affordable tickets here.

4.  Scientology:  Earlier this week, I broke down some of the myths and urban legends of Scientology.  To follow up my article, head over to The Hollywood Reporter and find out why experts have labeled "Katie Holmes 'Biggest Nightmare' in Scientology History".  It's a fascinating inside look at the religion/cult that strikes the fear in many.



5.  Daily Grace:  I think I have a bit of a girl crush on Grace Helbig from My Damn Channel.  She's so darn quirky and weird in the most hilarious way.  Let me know what you think of her amazing 4th of July song and the fact that she calls people, "Gorgeous Popsicles".   I'm so hooked, I subscribed to her YouTube channel, I bet you will too.

Let me know what you are up to this weekend and be sure to follow my adventures on Instagram: @KristynBurtt or join me on Facebook where this week I posted my Happy 4th of July photo.....very typical pose for me or Tweet me, I tweet A LOT.  


If you are on the East Coast, I will be on the Cocktails and Conversation show for a full hour beginning at 8AM ET (yep, 5AM PT, West Coasters!). We will be breaking down the TomKat fiasco and dishing on the latest entertainment news.  Join me here.  Happy Weekend, everyone!




Disclosure:  The Stella & Dot cuff was gifted to me.  All opinions are my own.

Friday Online Bargain Shopping

I woke up this morning to an email from one of my favorite sites, Ebates, letting me know that Nordstrom was running a double ebate special for Friday.  Now, normally, I wouldn't run and just buy anything because there is a sale, but I had a $50 Nordstrom gift card burning a hole in my pocket.  How could I maximize this deal?  After clicking on the Ebates link, I head straight to the clearance section of Nordy's to try and find a pair of wedges for the summer.  I feel like I am completely behind on the wedge trend, but I didn't want to spend a fortune on the shoes.  Bingo!  A cute pair of Jessica Simpson shoes in my size pops up and in a variety of colors.  I choose "Birds of Paradise" for a fun summer pop of color and head to check out.  Here is where my deal gets exciting:

Jessica Simpson Jungle Espadrille Sandal in "Birds of Paradise"
Original Price:  $68.95
Sale Price:  $49.90 (25% off)
Tax:  $4.87
Shipping: $0 (I never pay for shipping, it's just my shopping rule.  Stores make plenty of money in the retail mark up to pay for shipping for the consumer.  Nordstrom allows you to pick it up at your local store instead.)

So, my total should be $54.77.  So, I plug in my $50 gift card.  Now my total is $4.77.  But wait!  I am getting 12% back from Nordstrom/Ebates.  That 12% works out to $6.57.  So, if I subtract the tax I paid from my Ebate, that means I got PAID $1.80 to shop at Nordstroms today plus I received a new pair of Jess Simpson wedges.  Not a bad day at the office.

Total Profit:  $1.80 (and a new pair of shoes!)

For tips on online shopping, see my previous post here.
To sign up for an Ebates $10 bonus, click here.  (New customers only)

This post was created entirely by me.  Ebates did not ask me to post for them.  I like their services and thought I would pass the information on to you.  I like shopping and I like saving money.  

Oscar Nominations Dress Winner

I just returned home and changed back into my pajamas to file all of my Oscar Nominations stories I have to take care of before I nap.  I wanted to post the winning dress before I hit slumberland. (My call time for the Nominations announcement was 3:30 AM!)

Congratulations to Lula for choosing the Banana Republic dress.  It was perfect for the occasion.  I looked professional, but I was comfortable and I was pleased the dress had pockets.  I was constantly on my phone or camera during the event, so they were very useful to me at 5 AM.  I was thrilled with the color and the stretch of the fabric because I don't usually have a lot of luck with Banana Republic. I decided to buy one from their petite line and that was definitely the right call for a 5'3" gal like me.

The cost of the dress is $150, but with free shipping, a 25% coupon, and 6% back from Ebates, my total cost was:   $116.72.

Dress:  Banana Republic
Shoes:  Guess, DSW
Jewelry:  Ring, Bracelet:  ShopTheLook.net
              Earrings:  Roni B

Lula, be sure to contact me so I can send you a $25 gift certificate to the store of your choice. Congratulations and thanks for picking such a great dress for me!

Cyber Monday

While I am not a fan of Black Friday shopping, I am a huge fan of Cyber Monday.  I love sitting on my couch and shopping all with a click of a mouse.  Given that it is my birthday week, I will probably buy myself a treat or two.  I have had my eye on these for awhile.  If you are going to the laptop for your holiday shopping, remember these three rules:

1.  Never pay full price.
2.  Never pay for shipping.
3.  Try to avoid sales tax.  Look for sites that either pick up the sales tax for you or an out of state site that does not charge sales tax to your home state.  (This is a big one for me as California sales tax is now flirting with 10%.)

I wrote a huge online shopping article awhile back, so start there and find out how one site will pay YOU to shop.  You will thank me later when you get a check back for your holiday purchases in January.  The article also has a link that adds $5 to your account for your first purchase.  Remember, that is $5 for you to add to your bank account, not $5 off a purchase.  Happy Shopping! Be smart, be safe, save money!!

Let me know what is on your holiday list too. I would love to hear what you are buying this holiday season.