Pura Vida

A while ago, I came across these bracelets and immediately fell in love with the brand.  I always appreciate a brand with a great back story and that is exactly what Pura Vida has.

Here's a little bit of their story:

Two friends went on a college graduation trip to Costa Rica and met two men selling bracelets on the streets.  Basically the two friends loved the bracelets asked them to make hundreds of bracelets that they could take back to the United States and from there, the brand Pura Vida was born.

What I really love is what the brand itself represents.  The name, Pura Vida translates to 'pure life'.  It symbolizes "enjoying life slowly, celebrating good fortune and not taking anything for granted."

The selection of bracelets on the website is so overwhelming!  There is literally a bracelet for everyone, from bright neon colors to simple black and gold.  
There is also a section of bracelets made specifically for different charities such as 'Save the Dolphins', 'Breast Cancer Awareness', and 'Give2TheTroops'.

I decided to gift some of these bracelets to friends & family this Christmas and had no trouble finding a different bracelet for each one.

I even bought one for myself!  This one benefits Hurricane Sandy victims, a cause close to home.  It's really fun to layer with other bracelets!

What is even greater about this brand is that every purchase helps in providing full-time jobs for local artisans in Costa Rica.

 It's great to know that the product you are purchasing helps others! #guiltfreeshopping

Click below to shop Pura Vida!

Pura Vida by aglitzylife on Polyvore

Let me know what you think!
xoxo

Spotlight On: Joie [+Help Philippine Typhoon Victims]

I've been meaning to write a post about Joie, one of my new favorite brands, for awhile now, but just haven't gotten around to it.

However I received an email today about a great opportunity to score 20% off your shoe purchase by doing a little good!

Basically, the deal is if you bring a pair of old gently worn shoes to Joie boutique, you'll receive 20% off your shoe purchase!

By donating your shoes, you are helping victims of the Philippines typhoon, who desperately need whatever they can get.

I know you have those shoes in the back of your closet that you never wear anymore (we all do!)...so why not trade them in for 20% off a new pair!

[and maybe get the AMAZING pair of cobalt heels below??]

Click here, to check out a blog post on Joie's website for more information!

So now a little more about the brand: Joie (pronounced juh-wa) is a contemporary brand based out of LA with boutiques located in New York City and Los Angeles as well as products in big department stores like Bloomingdale's.

Over the summer I purchased a Gilt voucher for $150 worth of store credit after falling in love with the brand.

The Joie boutique in SoHo has a great selection and the sales women there are really sweet!

I bought two sweaters and they have become two of my favorite tops to wear.

They are unbelievable soft and great quality for the price!

If you are into simple, chic pieces - then this is the store for you!

Spotlight On: Joie by aglitzylife featuring a colorblock sweater

xoxo

Clothes 4 Souls

  I recently discovered this website, sevenly.com, which sells different tees each week to benefit a non-profit organization.  This week, a portion of the proceeds from every shirt purchased will go towards providing children in Bolivia with clothes.  The charity, Clothes 4 Souls distributes clothes to those who are living in poverty.

  I went onto the organization's website because I was really intrigued by their mission and the statistics shown in their movie clip.  It shared that the average American discards 68 pounds of clothing per year as well as that over 85% of all clothing purchased ends up in our landfills.  These numbers are completely shocking to me. 

  Being someone who is a clothes hoarder, I definitely have some stuff that I don't wear anymore.  Knowing that someone else needs clothes, and I have something I can give to them, makes me want to do something about these statistics.

  I feel like if everyone did a little something to help others, there wouldn't be as many people homeless, starving, and struggling.  To me, just doing the smallest, little, thing such as giving a few items of clothes, makes me feel good because I know that in some way, I'm helping better someone's life.

  You don't have to buy this t-shirt to help benefit the cause. There are numerous other ways to help this cause.   

To check out the organization and find out how you can make a difference, please go to clothes4souls.org.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." 

-- Gandhi

xoxo