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This week at Clothingline: Milly!

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Petit Four Cupcakes

Got my inspiration from Hello Cupcake book. It was really easy to do this, you just microwave the frosting with food dye and dip the cupcakes in it. Then decorate little patterns on the top! They look and taste great.

Are all the young single/child-less women making all the dough?

Today, Time had an article regarding workplace salaries. Titled, Workplace Salaries: At Last, Women on Top.

It stated: "...As for the somewhat depressing caveat that the findings held true only for women who were childless and single: it's not their marital status that puts the squeeze on their income. Rather, highly educated women tend to marry and have children later. Thus the women who earn the most in their 20s are usually single and childless."

I can definitely agree that women tend to wait longer to start a family but I also find it hard to believe that young women in NYC, LA and San Diego make "17%, 12% and 15% more than their male peers..." because I think women have difficulty negotiating their salaries and asking for raises vs. their male counterparts. It can be a difficult task to bring up salaries in the workplace. There is a book I received at a networking event that discusses tips on how to develop a comfortable and personalized negotiation style as well as overcoming fear and gender stereotypes. It can really help to hear other success stories on this topic to help motivate yourself if you feel like you are at a disadvantage. However, if this article validates this trend, I will be curious to see if it continues to hold true in the future.

Saving money on cosmetics

There was a great post from DailyWorth and here are a few points taken from Beauty and the Budget by Heather Allard:


Samples, Please
Shop sites and stores that are generous with samples, like Sephora, BobbiBrown.com, Drugstore.com and MACCosmetics.com. It pays to try products before you buy (and keep a stash for travel).


Steal the Deals
Coupon sites like Dealigg, CouponSuzy and RetailMeNot feature gorgeous deals, steals, coupons and codes that'll save you BIG money on products and shipping. Blogs like the Budget Babe and Mr. Cheap Stuff deliver chic on the cheap.


Kick It Old School
There's a reason why Vaseline, Dove Soap and Ponds Cold Cream are still around. They work—and they're super cheap! A tube of Vaseline costs $3, lasts forever and works wonders on crow's feet. Ditto for Ponds, which removes makeup in a flash.


I personally use MAC and they will give you a free lip gloss if you return 6 empty products! I think it's a good idea to spend money on cosmetics that last a long time and are high quality. However, I tend to experiment with eye shadows at various price points because sometimes inexpensive brands can be pretty good. Drug stores offer a good variety of options at prices that are very affordable. I use Dove soap to wash my makeup off and Cetaphil lotion to moisturize...I refuse to spend money on anti-aging creams.

Winners are not afraid of losing

One of my favorite sections in Rich Dad Poor Dad is in chapter 6 when Kiyosaki goes on to explain how most people are not rich because they are terrified of losing: "Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success."

As a young working professional, I want to be able to make more money but I also must weigh the risks of investing in a volatile market. Although the stock market has ebs and flows, this past year I jumped at the opportunity to buy blue chip stocks for well below the valued price. Then, I got a little too excited and invested in more risky stocks. I am hoping that in the long run the investments I made in both stable and risky stocks will be worth it.

Yet, the fact that I was able to buy stocks in a bad economy gave me the confidence that taking a bit more risks with my money can pay off because if the fear of trying to make money takes over I can never have a chance of enjoying the success.

Continuing Education?

Today I saw an ad in Time Out New York for Cooper Union's Continuing Education classes. I always thought it would be fun to take a conversational class in Spanish or Italian just to brush up. However, they offer some really great choices: painting, green building design and New York history to name a few. I really want to sign up but I am procrastinating.

Recipe: Spring Flowers Cupcakes

Recipe: Spring Flowers Cupcakes

What a cute idea!