Undecided.

Worth It!: Benefit's Brows A-Go-Go

One of my biggest beauty battles has always been something prominent: my eyebrows.

I plucked my naturally thick brows nearly invisible when I was in high school, and then continued to over-pluck them for way longer than I care to admit. I rocked what I call the upside down Nike symbol, which is not a natural-looking shape.

With much patience (do you realize what it's like to grow dark brown eyebrows out? It's as bad as you imagine it would be) and a wonderful woman named Luda from Charles Ifergan, my eyebrows are well on their way to complimenting my face instead of distracting from it.

With all of Luda's wonderful arch skills, some areas refuse to grow correctly. After waiting 3 months for the brows to fix themselves, I decided it was time to invest in a brow powder to make my brows look less difficult than they are.

Thankfully, Benefit, 3450 N Southport Ave., has a kit with all the tools I need. Brows A-Go-Go retails for $38 and contains a brow shaping wax, two brow powders, a highlighting powder for eyebrows, a highlighting powder for eyes, an angled brush, a talent brush and tweezers. It's heaven in a box, and a cutely packaged one at that.

xoxo,
Lisa Marie

Inbox insanity: it's time to organize that e-mail

I keep items neatly tucked into their appropriate places: file folders for all life's little documents, coupons in a drawstring pouch in my purse so I never leave home without them and take-out menus sorted in a cabinet.

But my online life is much different. My e-mail and Favorites tab could make me a candidate for A&E's Hoarders. I keep my work e-mail organized effectively but my personal accounts are different: I can't seem to keep them neat.

I try to use e-folders, but pretty soon there are too many e-folders to manage. I send myself links of articles I want to read, I sign up for store and e-newsletters and ... I hope you're seated: I have six e-mail accounts. And when I emptied my main account, I found lost invitations (one to go to the circus with friends!) and other e-mails I didn't see through the sea of craziness, and that's my real frustration.

So, what's the best way to keep your online home organized? I guess the first step should be to actually organize e-mail (note to self).

Microsoft lists some effective ways to organize your inbox. According to an article, they say to set aside time each day to go through and categorize e-mail. Organize into one of four categories:

- Delete it, self-explanatory but this option is also used to file items you're keeping for reference so they don't clutter your inbox
- Do it, especially if it'll take 2 minutes or less
- Delegate it, I don't know if this is an option unless you have a personal assistant, but I get the idea
- Defer it, schedule to do it at a later date. Don't forget to actually schedule or you'll forget like me!

An option to keep that Favorites tab clear is Delicious, a free social bookmarking site that allows users to organize, manage and search Web bookmarks. Count me in!

And the final step in organizing my e-mails is feeding them all into one inbox. This can be done through some providers, like Gmail and Microsoft Outlook.

All the tools are out there (and free!), so I should have a clutter-free inbox in no time!
Which areas of life are you unable to keep clutter free?

xoxo,
Lisa Marie

Whew!

If you visited Undecided in the last few days, there was a slight delay in service. Sorry for any inconvenience! I switched the site from its old domain - laidoffladies.com - to undecidedinthewindy.com and there were a few hiccups! Everything should be OK now and the old URL should redirect to the new URL, but if you notice anything weird, let me know by commenting here!

Have a great day. Stay dry!
xoxo,
Lisa Marie

PS. Remember it's the last week to enjoy the perks of the Toast event, Love You event and the Art Institute's free admission!

Worth It!: Beta Boutique's Stacked Rack Sale

Yes, it's the Mother of all sales. The one that will bring women and men from all over the Chicagoland area to one central location, 233 W. Huron, to paw over items until they find the piece that completes their wardrobe.

I've written about Beta Boutique in detail here and here, and I always enjoy walking into their store to adore the clothes. This weekend, on Saturday, Jan. 30, and Sunday, Jan. 31, the store will hold its Semi-Annual Stacked Rack Sample Sale from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and noon-5 p.m., respectively.

Their permanent store is located in Wicker Park but for this event they brought out the big guns and rented an 8000 square foot space in River North, which they will fill with designer stock and samples.

All items will be reduced 40 to 90 percent off, with prices starting at $5 and nothing marked more than $150. There will be items for men and women in sizes extra small through extra large. To get a sneak peek, click here.

I personally love the above dress from 5P1T and this sweater (left) from Lara Kazan. Heck, I like all Lara Kazan's designs. So back off if you see me Saturday - I will fight you for that last Lara Kazan top.

xoxo,
Lisa Marie

Worth It!: Body Shop lip protector, body butter

Back off, unwanted dry skin and lips: I'm guarded by The Body Shop. After using a lip balm my dentist gifted me and still suffering from a chapped pout, I went to my favorite beauty store and found the most amazing lip balm.  

With the guidance of the sales associate, I picked up Hemp Lip Protector, which restored my lips almost immediately. The only problem is it costs $8. Ouch. I've vowed to keep a watchful eye on mine so I don't misplace it and although $8 is steep, it's happiness in a tube. In this case, money does buy happiness (just ask my lips).

And if you want to be head-to-toe moisturized, grab some body butter while you're there (I like the Hemp, Vitamin E and Aloe body butters the best, as I think they're lighter than others). It also is pricey ($20) but keeps my skin glistening in the summer sun and quenched in the winter. Some users say it's too thick and greasy but I'm a huge fan. I generally use it before I go to bed and the next day, my skin still feels fabulous.

For a lot of reasons, I'm a loyal Body Shop customer and I can't help but rave about their products when they make me feel amazing in my skin. Plus, they have killer sales so I never pay full price for an item. Right now, there are sales on both body butter and lip balm (although I have lip protector) and their Love Your Body card will save you even more.

What products do you use to get through the winter?
xoxo,
Lisa Marie