I succumbed to retail therapy.

I succumbed to retail therapy.  From yesterday through the next couple of days , I will be receiving a box from the evil discount online boutique sales via Rue La La, Ideeli, and GILT.  As I worked from home yesterday, I must have looked out the window at least 50 times to see if the UPS man arrived.  They come later and later now, but at 4pm, my first Rue La La package sat at my door with an adorable navy blue pique polo and chunky stripe shorts from Mikey Stars for my little Finn.

Munchkin wear by Mikey Stars

  The next few packages will include a winter coat, two pairs of maternity pants, two maternity tunics, boots, and an adorable La Perla bra/panty set.  Oops.  However, the excitement of getting a box at your door is wonderful because in our age we don’t get any mail at all except bills and junk, which makes me dread going to the mailbox.  The anticipation we used to have going to the mail box now exists when we turn on our computer or smart phone to look at emails, and even that has died off significantly.  But the truth is the excitement is very temporary as the garment gets tucked away in our closets.

While I totally support and LOVE the concept of Rue La La, Gilt, and Ideeli, signing up for them (for a bargain shopper like me) was a BIG mistake and a huge distraction.  Every morning (and now afternoon and evening too), I get a notification on my phone (like a text) and an email to tell me that some fabulous new thing is 60-80% off.  Once or twice is fine, but $30 here, $40 there, adds up quickly.  And seriously who can resist a pair of suede platform booties at $59.99 (down from $150) over and over again?  I’ve totally succumbed to the madness of putting something in my “cart” and then quickly clicking through the other two websites to see if I liked something better.  Of course the ticking clock of having only 15 minutes to check out only adds to the madness.  With that winter coat I bought, I spent $79 for a black down snorkel jacket.  Of course, two days later there was a Betsey Johnson sale for a cuter one at $69.  ARGH!  I think it’s time to cut myself off.  Best to go cold turkey and unsubscribe for a while.  Oh and then I got a Haute Look email invitation from my cousin who shares the same style sense as I do with a tempting $10 gift for signing up.  I resisted.  Miracle.

Warm Coat Chic by Betsey Johnson

Why the sudden surge in retail therapy?  I’ve realized that as I get bigger (quickly approaching 7mo pregnant), I’ve been getting more insecure about how I look and feel.  And since I can’t work out more or diet, I’ve taken it out on my wallet.  I’ve been trying to literally buy happiness, beauty, and satisfaction because of the discomfort of growing out of my usual look and favorite clothes.  Ugh.  Ladies, you can NOT buy anything to make yourself more beautiful.  You know this already.  I know you do.  How many times have you looked at someone and thought, Wow, that person (woman, man, or child) is extraordinary looking?  I’m quite sure they were not Christy Turlington, Heidi Klum, or any other typical beauty that embodied the traits of how our media and fashion magazines (I love Elle and Vogue) define beauty.  I’m sure there was something about how they carried themselves, comfortable in their own skin, and not what they were wearing or how their makeup was done.  There is just a certain spirit about beauty that radiates from those who know themselves, who love life, who are for the most part content, and who look at the world with a piercing regard so as to soak up all its wonder.

I’ve seen beauty in many forms:  all races, all ages, from the healthy to the handicapped, and from the rich to the poor.  Our beauty does not improve because of a pearl necklace or a cool pair of 4in leather pumps.  I know you know this already, but do you really?  Look at your bank statement and look what you’ve bought over the course of the last few months.  Add up how much of that was completely unnecessary or even an impulse buy.  I bet you’ll be surprised at how much that really is...Remember in the words of Gywneth Paltrow, "Beauty is determined by how comfortable you are in your own skin."  Easy for her to say!