MAR10 spells MARIO'S

Mario's helps you save the world, one Manolo at a time. 

"MAR10 spells MARIO'S," a 10 day shopping event to benefit The Coyote Central Foundation in Seattle, kicks off this Saturday. 

Here's the scoop (all proceeds from these activities benefit the charity):

• Beginning this Saturday, March 1, everyone who spends $200 or more receives 10% back in the form of a Mario's gift card, valid only on March 10.
  
• Also on March 10, customers will get to spin the Mario's prize roulette wheel to win merchandise from Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani Collezioni and more. Every spin is a win, and Mario's is giving away over $50,000 in prizes. 
  
• Customers will receive a special "Mar 10 spells Mario's" t-shirt when they make a donation to the Coyote Central Foundation, a cool org. that provides mentorship and "creative learning opportunities" to junior high-schoolers.

So, when you buy that pair of shoes that cost more than a month's rent, you can self-soothe by repeating this line to yourself: "it's for the children, it's for the children." 

top of the food chain

In the harsh world of retail, shoppers can be divided into two categories: Gatherers and Hunters.

Gatherers are perfectly satisfied grazing through the racks of new Spring merchandise, wracking up hefty credit card bills as they methodically hand-pick their favorite pieces, sparing no expense for quality (and quantity!) from their favorite designers.

Hunters, on the other hand, take a more merciless, cutthroat approach.

Forget Survival of the Fittest; more like Survival of the Hippest.

I am a Hunter. A cold, calculating Hunter who pillages* bargain bins, clearance racks, and outlet malls. With fierce resolve, I attack my Spring shopping with one simple, yet unyielding principle: I want all the current trends, and I refuse to pay full price for anything.

*ok, so I'm a hunter and a pirate, apparently. You get the idea.

Granted, upholding this principle is not easy. It takes patience and more than a little practice to sniff out the sales. But trust me, once you get your first taste of a delicious deal, it's hard to turn back.

And now, with a little help from ClayValet, I can finally conquer a new realm: online shopping. 

I recently took my meaty list of Spring must-haves and threw it to a new pack of wolves, the ClayValet shoppers. The catch? everything MUST be under $100. Here's what they came up with (NOTE: most of these finds were so good, we featured them on Northwest Afternoon):

1. crisp white women's dress shirt that never has to be ironed

2. thin belt in a bright color

3. fun, funky flats with a little sparkle

4. dark denim trousers

5. turquoise necklace

Bottom line: if you're looking for a fierce deal this season, try ClayValet. Because, if you're not a born Hunter--or even if you are!--it never hurts to enlist someone else to make your kill for you. You can still take all the credit.

I think Darwin would be proud.

that's rich

Anyone who knows me well*, knows that my love of bath & beauty products is surpassed only by my love of chocolate. 

So, you can imagine how delighted I was yesterday when Northwest Afternoon took me to the Northgate Gene Juarez (which, incidentally is where I get my hair done every 4 weeks) for a special Valentine's Day gift idea segment featuring their new chocolate-themed treatments and services.

I highly recommend the Massage de Chocolate and the Triple Chocolate Pedicure. Apparently, topically-applied chocolate has amazing heath benefits: antioxidant-rich chocolate helps protect skin from free radicals, exfoliates to increase moisture and smoothness, and works to decrease redness from dry, flaky skin. Chocolate's aroma is also said to decrease stress.

As if I needed multiple reasons to get on board with this idea! Please, you had me at "chocolate."

Also hopping on the cocoa treatment bandwagon: my favorite pedi-parlor Julep, near U-Village. I'm booking my Ultimate Chocolate Experience Pedicure this weekend, and I encourage everyone to treat themselves (and their friends) to a little sweet pampering this Valentine's Day.

*And no one knows me better than my best friend KIM LODDEKE, who wanted to see her name printed in this blog. Happy Valentine's Day, Kim! 

closet cleaning 101

What is it about February? It seems like we're all getting the itch to clean out our closets and purge our tired old clothes (presumably to make room for new, more fabulous items to excite us out of our winter blahs). It must be some sort of delayed New Year's resolve kicking in...

Cleaning out your closet is a very time-consuming process that requires complete concentration and total honesty with yourself. But, if you do it right, you'll feel like a weight has been lifted from your life. 

To help you all as you weed-whack your way through your closets, I wanted to share my go-to closet cleaning playlist. It's guaranteed to take the edge off. Enjoy!

1. No One (Remix)-Alicia Keys

2. It's Alright-Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions

3. Hit Me With Your Best Shot-Pat Benetar

4. I'm Coming Out-Diana Ross

5. Float On- Modest Mouse

6. Dreams Can Come True-Gabrielle

7. Suddenly I See- KT Tunstall

8. Misery Business-Paramore

9. The Good Life-Kanye West ft. T-Pain

10. Put Your Records On-Corrine Bailey Rae

11. You Get What You Give- New Radicals

12. You're Free (to do what you want to do)-Ultra Nate

13. Finally-Ce Ce Peniston