Have fun while supporting dogs!

As you all know, Secondhand Mutts is a cause very near and dear to my heart. What you may not know, is that it was my involvement with this organization that led N and I to adopt Clair. Although Clair did not  graduate from Secondhand Mutts, she is a rescue pup, and I can't imagine that N and I will ever go the breeder route again. Its not that all breeders are bad, its just that there are SO MANY unwanted dogs out there, and all they need is someone to give them a second chance.

Now, not everyone is in a position to rescue a dog, but if you ARE a dog-lover, there are some very fun ways you can help! There are some really fun events coming in June, all to benefit Secondhand Mutts. The two events I really want to talk about are coming up in the next couple of weeks, so please consider attending- they really are a lot of fun!

On Friday, June 8th, my favorite spin studio psycle is playing host to a Happy Hour ride to benefit Secondhand Mutts. This is an all-levels ride, so even if you've never been spinning, but really want to try, this is the ride for you! The ride itself starts at 6:30 pm, but Secondhand Mutts will be there around 5:45 pm with some of the pups that are available for adoption!!  Jenn will be leading the ride (she also has a rescue pup) with some awesome music- you WILL sweat a LOT, but I promise it will be fun! PLUS, you will get to meet a number of fellow CLE puppy-loving bloggers like Alana and Suzanne!! Yes, Yes, I know its during happy hour, but one hour on your Friday will make in a difference in the lives of so many pups!!! SO, if I have successfully convinced you that you need to sign up (please please?), you can sign up RIGHT HERE.

If drinking patio-style is more your thing, Tremont Tap House will be hosting a Yappy Hour to benefit Secondhand Mutts the SECOND TUESDAY of every month in the summer! This is a dog friendly event, so feel free to bring your dog (leashed, please) to join you on the Tap House patio!! The first Yappy Hour is on Tuesday June 12th, and begins at 5.

So there you have it! I will be at both these events, and I hope to see you there too!!!

Fun in the Sun

After two weeks involving lots of work-related travel, I was SO ready for this past weekend! Friday night, after a long hair appointment, N and I went over to our neighbors for drinks. It was supposed to be one glass of wine, and then it turned into two, and more neighbors came over, and the next thing I knew, it was midnight, and I had a serious pizza craving.  More wine followed, and luckily I didn't have to go far to get to bed.

Saturday started with a quick ride at psycle, which was necessary but NOT FUN AT ALL. I swear I was sweating wine. Its disgusting, a phenomenon my neighbor refers to as stigmata. LOL. We then headed over to N's parent's place, where our nephew was visiting. We took the pups, and its a good thing our nephew likes to share, because Otto and Clair TOTALLY TOOK OVER his pool.

Saturday night, we headed over to our friend Jon's yacht club, and had another late-ish night hanging out with friends.

Sunday brought yoga with Allison which involved LOTS and LOTS of sweat. We both headed to Einstein bagels for sustenance, where we ran into Alana and Dean. Later that afternoon, N and I headed over to Chagrin Falls for Blossom Fest, although I can't tell you a single thing about Blossom Fest since we spent it hanging out with our friends that live down there!! And even though we got caught in a thunderstorm, it did nothing to dampen our fun!

Monday brought more psycle, and honestly, it was so hot that I didn't want to do much besides hang out in air-conditioning. You would think that since I'm from India that I'd handle the heat better, but not so much. I caught up on sleep and some movies, and indulged in some Honey Hut.

Puppies like ice-cream too. Don't worry, its doggie ice-cream.

Overall, a completely satisfying and wholly enjoyable weekend! I could get used to this!!

Listening Now: Hot Right Now

I really wish this song were on iTunes all ready because I really want to have a dance party while singing very loudly to this song!!!!




P.S. Have you noticed that bra-tops are back this year? There is NO WAY I'm getting in one. Right, time to do some planks.

Cleshopaholic Travels.... To Columbus

First things first- if you haven't entered the giveaway for the $25 gift certificate to dots, please do so here. They just had some new arrivals, including a cute colorblock dress  and this lace romper- both of which would be super cute at Sunset Grille or for one of the many summer festivals that begin next weekend!!

 N and I were in Columbus for a family wedding. It has been a long time since I was in Columbus, and since we were staying in the Arena district, I knew we were going to be visiting the Short North for sure!!
My overall impression of Short North is certainly a positive one- it reminds me a lot of Tremont and Ohio City (but with way more retail), and certainly a lot of Chicago's neighborhoods as well. Well done, Columbus!!

We followed Renee's recommendation and visited Northstar Cafe for Saturday brunch- I absolutely fell in love with this place. The atmosphere reminded me of a coffee shop I used to visit in college (I miss you, Buzz), but with the added bonus of really yummy food!

After brunch, we decided to walk it off by visiting some stores. There is a LOT of retail clustered together in this part of town, and while this is by no means a comprehensive list, here are my top 3 from this weekend!

1. Tigertree: 787 North High St. This store reminds me a lot of Urban Outfitters, in that its really well curated, and carries some really unusual stuff. 

2. le Chocoholique: 601 North High St. Honestly, this store makes me happy I don't live in Columbus. Why? Because I would be eating their salted caramel and salted toffee EVERY.SINGLE.DAY!!!! Wow. It is seriously so so so so good. And they also serve cocktails and desserts in addition to chocolate.

3. The Candle Lab: 646 North High St. I luuurrrvveeed these soy candles!! I didn't end up buying any because I'm really well stocked on candles, and I think N would smack me if I brought another into the house. That said, I really really really wish someone would carry their line (or at least part of it) in Cleveland. 

After some fun shopping, it was time to attend Bart and Erin's wedding. I'm not going to post many pictures from the wedding, but I did want to highlight Erin's beautiful dress- I really love the lace overlay that's popular with wedding dresses these day. Absolutely gorgeous!

The reception was hosted at a winery in Columbus-- lots of wine, lots of dancing, lots of fun family. Good times were had by all!!

N and I having fun with instagram

Random Musings, and a Giveaway

UPDATE: THE WINNER OF THIS CONTEST IS ASHLEY T. Ashley, please email me with your address at cleshopaholic@gmail.com, and I'll have the gift card sent out to you! Happy Shopping!!!

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A few unrelated things:

1. I took the RTA to work and back today. I can't understand why I haven't done this sooner. Benefits, as I see them (a) less expensive than parking downtown (b) the walk is closer than my parking lot, and (c) there is nothing dangerous or illegal about texting/tweeting and riding.

2. I'm a side sleeper- right side. Yesterday I discovered that the side sleeping is smushing the right side of my face. I'm now temporarily a left side sleeper to even out the smushing

3. Cleveland Fashion Week begins this weekend, and it is the 3rd largest Fashion Week in the country. GO CLEVELAND! I'm really bummed that I will be missing both the kick-off and closing festivities, but I hope some of you will attend and let me know your thoughts. Speaking of Fashion Week, did you know  Dots is a sponsor? And did you also know that Dots is a Cleveland-based company (I didn't realize that until today)??? AND, did you ALSO know that Dots has kindly offered a $25 gift card to shop their stores to ONE LUCKY READER? All you need to do to enter is follow Dots on Twitter (@dotsfashions)  OR Facebook and leave me a comment saying you did. Deadline for entries is 5:00 pm May 10th, and we will announce a winner May 11th!!

If you're not familiar with Dots, they actually have some SUPER cute, SUPER affordable stuff. I will have a follow up post on them in the near future, but I found a super cute outfit while browsing their website

Pleated Tank Dress $19.80

Source: dots.com via cleshopaholic on Pinterest

Sequin Zebra Hinge Wallet $6

Source: dots.com via cleshopaholic on Pinterest

Are you kidding me?? A summer outfit for under $30?!?!?!?!

Please note that while I'm not being compensated for this post, Dots has generously offered a $25 gift certificate to the winner of this contest. As always, all opinions are 100% my own! 

Product Testing: Mascara's Brush-to-Brush

So I stopped into Sephora today to pick up a few things, and while I was there, I decided to try out two different mascaras that both claim to mimic false eyelashes.

The contestants:

Benefit They're real: $22 at Sephora

Too Faced Better Than False Lashes: $35 at Sephora

How to:  The Benefit mascara is just like a regular mascara, except with a special formula and special brush. But as such, you just put it on like you put on any other mascara, wiggling your wand as you make your way up your lashes.  The Too Faced mascara is the three step process: apply mascara, then apply the white nylon fibers, then apply mascara again.

The claim: both claim to make your lashes look as thick and long as falsies

The verdict: 

The eye on the left has the Benefit product, and the eye on the right has the Too Faced product. Please ignore the dark circles under my eye- I'm not wearing concealer

So, I will preface my verdict by saying that I was using the Sephora mascara wands, so any impact from wand design was negated. As you can see, both eyes look pretty comparable- a nice improvement in length and thickness overall, but nowhere near sticking on falsies. In the end, I ended up buying the Benefit They're Real because I liked the feel of it way better. The Too Faced felt very tacky, and even now, I feel like my top and bottom lashes are going to stick together on that eye.

So there you have it: Great products if you're looking for thicker, longer lashes, but they won't replace your falsies!

Have you tried either of these mascaras? What did you think? Do you have another brand that's your favorite? 

Listening Now: April playlist

So I thought I would do something different today- instead of bringing you a single artist I like, this week, I'm bringing you a whole playlist! Almost every month, I create a CD for my two favorite instructors at psycle- Jenn and Hallie. Although they both mix in a lot of different genres, I would say that each have distinct styles- Jenn is heavier on hip hop and rock, while Hallie has more alternative and pop. My playlists vary between all these genres depending on my mood. Here's this month's (well, its actually April's) playlist (song- artist):

1. Corner of an English Field- Tribes
2. Earthquake- Labrinth feat. Tinie Tempah
3. Give Me Love- Ed Sheeran
4. Gold Forever- The Wanted
5. Radio- Lana del Rey
6. Demons- Fenech-Soler
7. Chasing the Sun- The Wanted
8. Rome- Phoenix
9. Destroy Everything- Anya Marina
10. Chapel Song- We Are Augustines
11. This is the Life- Two Door Cinema Club
12. Betty's a Bombshell- Grouplove
13. Teenager- Mona

I'd love to hear your ideas on inclusions for my next playlist!!