Great deals on men's shorts at Macy's

It can be hard for men to find shorts that aren't too long, too short, or too casual.

Cargo shorts and athletic shorts don't do it for me, nor do pleated ones nor plaid patterns. I like plain and classy shorts that look tailored, and I don't mind a little bit of decoration but I don't like a lot of it.

Here are some shorts that pass muster, and for an added bonus, they are on sale right now at Macy's!

$26.99 Dockers 3D Fancy Cargo Shorts
I know I said I don't like cargo shorts, but these don't count because they aren't baggy and they don't have a million pockets and flaps all over them

$21.99 Geoffrey Beene shorts big and tall extender waist
Good color and shape.

$34.99 Champion Golf Tour Performace shorts
Good length and not too wide or narrow.

$39.99 Perry Ellis Flat front Herringbone
A longer option that looks more like pants.

$34.99 Kenneth Cole Reaction Cutoff shorts
The slim cut and smooth style contrast with the cutoff bottoms.

$34.99 Kenneth Cole Reaction Ticking Stripe
The stripe is small and barely noticeable but still cool.

$24.99 Club Room Slim fit conductor stripe shorts with belt
These might be my favorites- and what a good deal with the belt included!

$34.99 Tommy Hilfiger Academy Chino shortsWhite shorts are great when your legs are tan.

Etsy finds of the day: Mother's Day edition

Mother's Day is this Sunday, and if this is news to you, you are a terrible child.
All is not lost, though; you still have time to buy something and express ship it to your moms.
For Mother's day, try some mother of pearl (that way, you also get to imply that you are a pearl):

$40 Mother of pearl brooch and earrings set from CranberryManor

$68 Pearl and mother of pearl clip-on earrings from fadedglitter42263
A note about clip-ons- they aren't just for non-pierced ears! The Kara Ross ones I got are clips and the woman in the store said that many earrings would be too heavy for posts so they are clips by necessity.

$12 Vintage Mother of pearl pin
I like the idea of giving an heirloom-type piece from children-up instead of always from parent-down.

$125 Nacre shell case from MademoiselleChipotte
Wouldn't this be elegant as a pill case?

$12 Mother of Pearl fish hat pin from OpheliaVintage
A nice stick pin that would also look good on sweaters, scarves, in hair.

$23 Set of 7 mother of pearl handle knives from 40szen
These would be a great gift along with a cheese board or some ramekins to hold spreads.

$17 Mother of pearl sweater clips from andraliz
Would look especially pretty on a yellow or blue cardigan a la Michelle Obama.

Upscale men's briefcases

Here are some laptop bags and briefcases that will last a while and look great in the office or just with jeans.

$425 Rawlings Baseball glove leather briefcase

$595 Col Littleton 1 Saddlebag briefcase

$260 Zegari Barcelona bag

$396 Apolis+Filson Philanthropist briefcase

$411 Saddleback leather thin dark coffee briefcase

$248 Fossil Max E/W messenger

$295 Hartmann Messenger

$145 Vintage Coach messenger

$199.50 Duluth Trading Bashful Billionaire's leather briefcase

$478 Temple Laptop briefcase

$365 Jack Spade Canvas pocket briefcase

$375 Jack Spade Davis Leather Briefcase

Hats in the belfry

It is such a good month for hats!
Remember that insane hat you bought to watch the royal wedding and pretend you were there with them?
Well, you have a great excuse to wear it the very next week; it's the Kentucky Derby on Saturday!
I could care less about races and gambling but I am a fan of minty drinks and stupid hats, and I am all about dressing up to celebrate.

If for some reason you didn't buy a crazy hat for the royal wedding (wtf were you thinking?), here are some funny but pretty options for the weekend.

$34.99 Top hat headband
It's a fascinator...No, it's a headband...No it's a MINI-TOPHAT!!!

$33 San Diego large ribbon hat
This one is a little too classy and wearable for the look I like, but if you want to look like you are a nice lady and not someone who just escaped a mental ward, you can try this.

$60 Turquoise fascinator
This is perfect for when you hate the person behind you and you want to make sure they can't see.

$55 Vintage straw hat
This one reminds me of the strikingly flat saucer hats I saw at the royal wedding (I'm just going to leave the sentence like that so it looks like I was really there.)

$20.69 feather church hat
What up, porcupine head?

$25 Pink church hat
Make sure the bag and shoes match!

$59 Champagne net hat
This one reminds me of that fruit holder I just bought that keeps out the flies!

Etsy finds of the day

$89.90 Brown leather tube bag with noose strap from dandyflorence
Different and a conversation starter for sure.

$34.50 Mac blue cufflinks from iseevintage
Is there an Apple lover in your life?

$495 Pearl silver and gold women ring from wingedlion
I like this as an art piece and as an idea but I don't really like it as an actual ring to wear.

$396 ring from seldaOkutan
Here is another unusual ring with human figures on it. This looks like a depiction of a dystopian novel.

$85 Green fern printed silk purse from redrubyrose
Great for all the environmental cause galas you are going to this Spring.

$46 Silver acorn brooch from terminy
This would be better for Fall, but a great addition to a peacoat or to keep a scarf in place

Redbook's Most Valuable (beauty) Products awards

Racked.com has a rundown of the awards given out at Redbook's MVP event.
The ones in italics are the ones I especially want to try.

Face:
Best Primer: Shiseido Refining Makeup Primer SPF 21, $30
Best Foundation: DiorSkin Nude Natural Glow Crème-Gel Makeup SPF 20, $48
Best Concealer: Revlon PhotoReady Concealer, $10.99
Best Face Powder: Laura Mercier Mineral Finishing Powder, $32
Best Bronzer: Dr. Hauschka Powder Duo, $34
Best Blush: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush, $25
Best Tinted Lip Balm: Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm, $6.99
Best Lip Gloss: Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss, $32
Best Lipstick: YSL Rouge Pur Couture, $30
Best Eyeliner: Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner, $20
Best Eye Shadow: Make Up For Ever Professional Aqua Cream, $22
Best Mascara: Almay One Coat Get Up & Grow Mascara, $8.49

Skin and Nails:
Best Makeup Remover: Benefit Remove It Makeup Remover, $21
Best Face Cleanser: Avon Anew Platinum Cleanser, $15
Best Face Exfoliator: Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta Extra Strength Peel, $85
Best Antiaging Serum: Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum, $24.99
Best Night Cream: RoC Multi Correxion Lift Anti-Gravity Night Cream, $29.99
Best Acne Treatment: SkinCeuticals Blemish + Age Defense, $78
Best Eye Cream: Prevage Eye Ultra Protection Anti-aging Moisturizer SPF 15, $98
Best Body Wash: Dove Visible Care Renewing Crème Body Wash, $7.99
Best Body Moisturizer: Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter, $35
Best Self-Tanner: Rodial Brazilian Tan Airbrush Instant Self-Tanning Spray, $49
Best Daytime Fragrance: Vera Wang Preppy Princess, $60
Best Nighttime Fragrance: Estée Lauder Sensuous Noir, $60
Best Bright Nailcolor: OPI Nail Lacquer in Do You Think I’m Tex-y?, $8.50
Best Neutral Nailcolor: Essie Topless & Barefoot, $8
Best Nail Treatment: Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle Serum, $9.99

Hair:
Best Shampoo: L’Oréal Professionnel Série Expert Delicate Color Shampoo, $23
Best Conditioner: Pantene Pro-V Medium-Thick Hair Solutions Frizzy to Smooth Conditioner, $3.99
Best Leave-In Conditioner: René Furterer Okara New Radiance Enhancing Spray, $26
Best Hair Treatment: Fekkai Essential Shea Ultra Rich Mask, $30
Best Shine Booster: Alterna Bamboo Smooth Kendi Oil Pure Treatment Oil, $24
Best Volumizer: Privé Concept Vert Volumizing Froth, $24
Best Flyaway Fighter: John Frieda Full Repair Touch-up Flyaway Tamer, $9.99
Best Frizz Buster: Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Smoothing Cream, $4.89
Best Hairspray: Serge Normant Meta Luxe Hair Spray, $25
Best Curl Definer: Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk The Original Curl Definer, $20
Best Dry Shampoo: Got2b Fat-tastic Dry Shampoo, $5.99
Best Curling Iron: Keratin Complex 4-in-One Keratin Curling System, $159
Best Blow Dryer: Brazilian Heat After Dark blow dryer, $120
Best Flat Iron: T3 Single Pass Compact Flat Iron, $79

White sandals

I like white sandals but they can sometimes make you look like a nurse or an old lady when done wrong.
When done right, they look fresh and make outfits more cheerful and fun.
The key to pulling them off is to not have a ton of solid white (strappy and delicate is better) and to make sure the soles don't look anything like lugs.

Here are some summery white sandals that pass my tests:

$38 Havaiana slim crystal bow

$175 Gentle Souls Hey Gabe

$59 Lucky Brand

$60 Sam Edelman Gigi

$20 Volcom Forever Creedlers

$89 Fitzwell Bombay

Etsy finds of the day

$28 Ceramic pitcher from TheVintageParlorI think this would be great for milk or juice at a breakfast table. The tilt of the spout makes it look like it wants to go somewhere, and the brown glaze is reminiscent of a water line.

$45 Silver earrings with pussywillows from klimbimberlin
Fuzzy! These remind me of my bunny.

$59 Woman on bicycle tightrope necklace from klimbimberlin
This seller has a lot of cute "tightrope" style necklaces with human figures doing various things and the pendulum below them keeping them straight up. Great idea.

$11 Umbrella giclee print by drawgabbydraw
Good tonal piece with a spot of color. Perfect for someone moving to Seattle.

$52 Sterling silver saw necklace by missyindustry
Look at all that detail! Very cute. Would be a nice men's necklace as well, and I don't see many of those.

Tiaras of victory

It's hard to concentrate on shopping at times like this, but I'll do my patriotic duty and attempt to live my normal life while history unfolds.
Wills and Kate got married, and Navy Seals killed bin Laden, so here are some tiaras to wear for your own royal wedding/victory dance.

 $14.99 Oriental Trading
Delicate, good for hair half-up

 

$73.58 White and Rum Pearl floral

Colored and festive, good for hair down

$38.99 Target Madeleine
This reminds me of peacock feathers and would be nice with a bun or poof behind it

$13.99 Crystal Flowers
The organic shape is unusual and would be good for free-flowing curly hair

 $34.99 Wedding
This one really looks like a crown and would look good with a sleek up-do