Shoe Leather: Behind the seams of Shoestring Magazine

Bargain Beauty: Spa Week 2009 Kicks Off Today

Sometimes in the work hard, play hard life of an editor, one totally gets lucky.

Last Thursday I was a real lottery winner as Kara Butterfield, our stylist and market editor extraordinaire, and I were invited to The Movement Center of Boston for a press open house they co-hosted with Bella Sante spa, kicking off Spa Week 2009 here in Boston (which starts today and runs through April 19th).

We were treated to free 10-minute chair massages (that's me, to the left, blissing out) and 15-minute mini-facials, a fantastic treat especially these days, as stress is at an all-time high—not just for us, but for everyone dealing with the uncertainty of the economy. I'm a huge proponent of bargain beauty treatments and pampering, and wholeheartedly believe that you have to take care of yourself first in order to be the best you possible—for your S.O., your family, your colleagues, your pets, what have you.

Now, as with most editors, I'm great at giving this advice and horrible at following it. I skip the gym more often than I go, racked with the guilt of taking personal time when my to-do list is never-ending, and I rarely treat myself to the doctor-recommended massages I desperately need (to combat old skating injuries and the lovely carpal tunnel acquired since my laptop and iPhone each became appendages). Especially these days, I even have a hard time rationalizing my monthly $26 mani/pedi at the Vietnamese shop down the street (I should be putting that cash in savings!) As with most women, I wait around for someone to give me a gift—and the waiting seems to never end.

Ladies, get your hands up with us and say it into the mic: I will take time for me, and I will start today. Spa Week currently has partners in dozens of cities around the country, and the deals are insane. If you can't bring yourself to buy one of these bargain beauty treatments, at least enter to win a $1,000 Spa Week gift card or one of their many other sweeps. You won't be sorry. In fact, you may just get the boost you need to get back on track. They're not free like mine were, but full-service spa treatments for just $50 at 600 spas nationwide is pretty damn close to "too good to be true." Go to SpaWeek.com for more info, a complete Spa Guide, and to find participating Spa Week spas near you.

Have you participated in Spa Week before? What were your experiences like? Did you get great deals? We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts with us by posting a comment below:

Bargain Beauty: e.l.f and Nordstrom makeup hoax

My friend Kimmie just forwarded an email to me, supposedly from Nordstrom, announcing that they were buying the budget-friendly makeup line Eyes Lips Face (or e.l.f, as it's more commonly known) and are having a 50% off sale. It's simply not true, according to Nordstrom's fraud alert department.

Here's the text of the bogus email so you don't get swindled:

"Nordstrom is changing the logo on their makeup, so they're selling everything for $1. The make-up line e.l.f. ( eyes-lips-face) has been bought out by Nordstrom and will be re-packaged with the Nordstrom name on it. They are getting rid of all the make-up in ELF packaging. They are selling almost everything for $1. You do have to pay shipping for orders under $75. They have everything - powder, mascara, lipstick, a mineral line (100% natural), brushes & cases, nail polish, lotions, you name it - it's there.  A few things are out of stock already. The website is X. When you check out there is a space for a coupon code. Use CAROLINA and  save an additional $7.50 if your order is over $15.00. Shipping is free on orders over $75."

True, they are currently having a free shipping over $75 promotion, and you will save 50% on orders over $15 through November 2008 using the CAROLINA coupon code, but the relationship with Nordstrom is patently untrue. Plus, most of their makeup is just $1 normally, not just during the sale. As an ardent Bargainista, I have long been a huge fan of e.l.f products, and Meghan and I jumped at the chance to join their partnership program when we created Shoestring, Bargainista, and our blogs. (Note: The advertisements and text links you see in this email are not paid for by e.l.f, they were chosen by us and endorsed by us—we only make money if you decide to purchase their products of your own accord.)

If you do decide to shop, my personal favorites are the Nail Polish Remover Pads, always $1 each, which I carry around with me everywhere in case of unfortunately-timed chipping, and the "Fur Free" tweezers for $10, for which 50% of all sales go to support People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) efforts and advocacy to end animal cruelty. I also love their brushes, currently 50% off or $6.00 for the complete 12-brush set—especially compared to my true loves, from Laura Mercier, at $29 a piece. I would also suggest signing up for their newsletter and mailing list, through which they regularly send out "the look for less" emails comparing high-end cosmetics products to their $1 to $5 versions. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.

Get great deals AND support the budget-friendly scoop you love by clicking on any e.l.f link or ad in this post. A portion of every sale goes to support Shoestring and Bargainista Media so we can keep telling it like it is, cheap and chic.

Shoestring Beauty: The seductive power of the PedEgg

The last few weeks, as Meghan and I wrap up all the loose ends and pull college-style all-nighters pushing towards the Shoestring launch, have wreaked havoc on mind and body. Especially my feet and shoulders.

Call it succumbing to either overwhelmingly effective viral marketing or a sad and sudden realization (thanks to opening a Mint.com account for article research and seeing all my shopping sins laid out in pie charts) that a shocking slice of my weekly budget goes to nail care. Whatever it was, I walked into the CVS in my hometown for cat food and toilet paper last weekend, and walked out with none other than the "As Seen on TV," $9.99 PedEgg.

My friend Jeff, who has made chronicling infomercials somewhat of a passionate hobby, is especially going to love ragging on me for this impulse buy. But try as I might to be skeptical and find it a total waste of money, the truth is: I'm hooked on the damn thing.

Not since my middle school adolescence and the awkward mix of hormones and anxiety that led my entire generation to the Biore Strip have I found something so grotesquely satisfying. Without oversharing, let's just say that unlike the Biore strip, this sucker actually works, stripping away dead skin and callouses, making it that much easier to stretch my $32 mani-pedi from the lovely Vietnamese ladies around the corner, and hopefully helping to shrink that shameful Personal Care slice on my Mint.com pie chart.

I've been told that having a razor used during your regular pedicure does the same thing (if not better), but never have my nail shops asked to use or produced one during a visit, and on my last trip to Manhattan, it seemed they were actually illegal there according to the board of health...anyone care to add their thoughts or share their experience?

Until then, I'll be on the couch watching HIMYM with dog, Ginger, and my new BFF the PedEgg, dreaming of the day they unveil a magical home remedy for cuticles.