Shopping Review: Westfield San Francisco

After a rather exhaustive trip through Westfield Centre in San Francisco, I definitely have a “best of” list to share:

Best Dressing Rooms: Martin + Osa, Level 2 Store 249. Had the most amazing hidden dressing rooms at the back of the store. We’re talking gorgeous dark wood panelling from floor to ceiling walls that had these gigantic floor to ceiling doors that open. Inside you get this entire lighted column. I could probably spend a couple hours sitting in that room. Also, store has amazing cashmere, but tends to run long in its sizing so if you’re a tall girl, head over there!

Best Place to Eat: Nordstrom Cafe Bistro. Great food with many plates under $20. If you ask for a window seat you can sit overlooking the city with amazing views. Service is very attentive and friendly. I like how they give you a chocolate mint stick after the meal. Much better than scrounging up food in the Food Court (down in the basement).

Best Place to Lounge: There are nice seats under the fantastic 1908 Steel and Glass Dome. Also a Borders (Level 4, Store 455) is nearby if you want to get some quick bites.

Most Fun Store Decor: Ruehl, Level 2 Store 251. It’s all set up like walking into a home that has a series of dark living rooms with spotlights on the clothing. Fun to explore and check out the sale room in the back. 

Most Overrated: Bloomingdales. I was shocked that store employees were rather inattentive and snobby. I even happened upon an employee who was chatting it up on his cell phone!

Person to Avoid: If some dude hawks Goji berry tea to you from a booth near Nordstroms, run the other way. If you accept it, he’ll proceed to try to sell you highly expensive Goji scrub, cream and peels that he claims are worth $65 retail. Fortunately I managed to run off anyways without buying. I realized despite my hands feeling amazing at the counter, after a few hours they were bone dry again. Not worth it!

Filed under: Shopping Review

Shopping Review: Dabble Cosmetics

Below is my review of Dabble Cosmetics, a new cosmetics boutique in Danville’s Blackhawk Plaza, (San Francisco East Bay), which is still undergoing renovation.

Pros:

Friendly staff – it seems like the owners themselves were still setting up shop when I went in for a peek

Beautiful interior design – has a retro modern black + pink theme that’s girly, yet still sleek enough for the store to brand itself the “sexiest cosmetic boutique to hit the Bay Area”

Store branded “Dabble” makeup brushes were of very high quality and very affordable (think something similar to the super soft brushes Alima offers)

Cons:

Focus seems to be on fairly mainstream brands: such as Smashbox, Stila, Bare Escentuals which you could easily find at any local Sephora (Walnut Creek for the snotty sales girls and Pleasanton for the nice sales girls).

Number of brands carried is rather limited and as far as I could see all were priced at full retail.

Marketing confusion: also offers jewelry, threading, and makeup services….are they a boutique, a salon? both?

Conclusion? 

Pretty exterior, a little empty on the inside. If I wanted makeup brushes or some Comptoir Sud Pacifique perfume I would go back. Otherwise,  I would wait for additional, less mainstream brands to be added. For a more vintage/romantic boutique bath-and-body shopping experience, I would probably go to The Soiled Doves Bath House (same plaza) which carries yummy Voluspa candles.

Location:
3454 Blackhawk Plaza Circle
Danville, California 94506  

Open 7 days a week

Filed under: Shopping Review , boutique, cosmetics, east bay

Shopping Review: Rockridge

Rockridge is a fun little destination near Berkeley/Oakland, CA for cute shops and restaurants. I wouldn’t book a hotel specifically to stay there, but if you’re local to the San Francisco Bay Area/happen to be in town it’s a lovely diversion.

Jeremy’s (Berkeley), 2967 College Ave

Jeremy’s is basically clearance store for designer goods. Now, unlike Marshall’s or heck even Ross, a lot of goods at Jeremy’s are damaged. We’re talking holes, stains, tears, missing buttons, you name it. However, there are some good items to be had if you look carefully and have some patience. The clothing storefront currently has a lot of J. Crew and Marc Jacobs merchandise.

One storefront down you’ll find the shoe branch of Jeremy’s, which in my mind is actually the better of the two when it comes to buying something in better quality condition. I bought a pair of J. Crew metallic slingbacks with flower appliques for $19, a true steal as long as you’re open to considering something from 1-2 seasons ago.

FIT, 5707 College Ave

Great little boutique with well-edited clothes for serious fashionistas that want quality and style, but are willing to pony up the money. Spotted some Vera Wang Lavendar Label and Diane Von Furstenberg on sale. This shop is definitely for splurging. Also has a good selection of undergarments and The Laundress laundry products.

 

Maison d’Etre, 5640 College Ave

An upscale home decor shop that has some really unique, though pricier items. The store also sells some body products. Definitely go for the eye candy, even if you don’t pick anything up.

La Mediterranee (Berkeley), 2936 College Ave

Fantastic Mediterranean eatery with large portions, reasonable prices, and great, fresh food. I had the Pomegranate Chicken which was juicy, moist, and tangy. Would definitely go back to try more items on the menu and leave room for dessert! 

Filed under: Fashion, Shopping Review , california, restaurant, rockridge, shopping, travel

Sephora.com versus Beauty.com

Here’s the best and worst (which I’ve personally experienced) from each:

Sephora.com

Best:

• Most extensive range of brands (about 200) and products
• Free returns for EVERYTHING and you can return to the store too (this includes products you’ve used and hated)
• Deluxe samples and exclusive products thru the Beauty Insider program

Worst:

• Rarely get dollar discounts except for the annual 20% off Friends and Family sale (usually around Thanksgiving)
• Major sample gift bags occur only during Thanksgiving/Xmas season

Beauty.com

Best:

• Continuous offerings of sales, gifts, sample bags, 5% back throughout the year
• Don’t pay any tax *grin*
• Can bulk up with purchases from Drugstore.com to get free shipping

Worst:

• Limited brand selection
• Opened products can only be returned if they fall under the 100% Color Guarantee

And now the summary:

Comparable features from both sites:

• Sephora now offers free shipping for $50 and above and Beauty.com offers it for $49
• Both offer 3 free samples with each order

And the bottom line is:

• Buy from Sephora if the product is new and you’ve never tried it before.
• If it’s available, buy from Beauty.com if the product is an old standby you are unlikely to return. Especially if there’s a special promotion going on.

Filed under: Shopping Review , online shopping