Shopping in Suitland

Unlike your special lady's cucumber-melon rain-sprinkle lotion, the Combat-Ready Balm soothes razor burn and the effects of eczema and psoriasis, removes the itchiness from bug bites and scratches, and relieves sunburned, dry, or irritated skin. The balm has even seen combat while serving the dermal needs of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Skincando products, with their no-frills packaging and intense bold labels, not only mean business, they mean war.

Like the olive in a martini or the MSG in Funyuns, accessories are more than a simple garnish on your fashion plate: they're the essential spice that kicks couture into gear and makes even last night's wrinkled dress look stylish today. Whip your toes, wrist, collarbone, and elbow nook into shape with today's Groupon: $25 get you $50 worth of shoes, handbags, and jewelry at ShoeFly, the award-winning house of accessories that area shoppers voted Best Indie Shoe Store and Best Boutique for 2009. Though your Groupon is not valid for online purchases, you can get your hands on sale items and style-savvy finds at any of ShoeFly's convenient locations in DC, Arlington, and Bethesda. Stuff your sartorial stockings with today's Groupon or grab a pair of Fryes to stuff your stockings into.In 1798, a young American named Wilton Chamberlain invented what closely resembles the modern shoe, made out of ultra-plush designer leather and fastened with rope made from copper pipe. As Wilt invested more time perfecting the shoe, he began experimenting with designer fabrics and alchemy, eventually creating expensive shoes that could be worn to galas, balls, and outdoor rock concerts.

One can convey secret messages of love, friendship, and heartbreak through the symbolic colors and species in a flower bouquet. Send coded messages to fellow spies with an enigmatic mix of white daisies and pink roses in a cube vase ($32.95+), plus a small box of chocolates ($9.99+) to provide sustenance during a stakeout. Pair a dramatic yet simple arrangement of red tulips in a clear glass vase ($35) with three Mylar balloons ($14.99), or a pale pink glass vase with carnations, monte cassino, and lisianthus ($29.95+) with a medium stuffed animal ($19.99). Otherwise, use your Groupon to make an extravagant statement with a dozen red roses ($95) or an exotic arrangement of miniature bronze callas, with equisetum stalks styled in the vase ($234.95+) fit for an elegant spa. Ask Convention Floral about its flower-of-the-week special on seasonal flowers.

A well-placed splash of sparkle from Ice can transform even the dowdiest duds into formal wear while drawing the human eye to any place you want it to go. Draw attention to your slender wrists and away from your third eye with a 925 bangle studded with clear cubic zirconias ($52) or a large stone bracelet ($50). Likewise, you can show off the toned earlobes you worked so hard to achieve at boot camp with some platinum-bonded hoop earrings shining with Austrian crystal ($48). And nothing says "Hey, look, décolletage!" like a five-flower, cubic-zirconia necklace ($52). You can also get a two-tone black onyx pendant ($36) or square and round stackable rings ($32) without breaking your bling budget. The website offers only a sampling of what you'll find in-store, so be ready to browse, just like when you spent two hours at the pet store because you couldn't figure out which puppy took your wallet.

Unlike the vendors who in ancient times ran to the morning trade ships to view the latest fashions from across the sea, Treat is set in modern times and has plenty of affordable products for everyone. Between sea-foam green walls, the spacious and well-lit boutique organizes a well-edited stock of discount designer fashions on brilliant white shelving. Treat's inventory is updated every week or two, just like your mom's Facebook profile, with new dresses and tops from designers such as Diane von Furstenberg, Nanette Lepore, Milly, Vince, Trina Turk; denim from Joe's Jeans, J Brand, Seven for all Mankind; shoes from Bettye Muller and Loeffler Randall; and handbags from Kooba, Hayden Harnett, and Marc Jacobs.

La Muse gives customers a gift option that doesn't require careful strategizing with a claw crane and a decapitated piggy bank's worth of quarters. Operating under the mantra of "Gifts with Purpose," La Muse offers an inventory of heartfelt, handcrafted items, including jewelry, personalized gifts, quote- and saying-adorned gifts, and home décor, all from American artists. Wrap wrists in copper cobras with the bracelets of Sergio Lub ($22–$52), bring life-affirming levity to the walls of your man-cave with the mixed-media art of Kelly Rae Roberts ($14.99–$39.99), or class up catapulting coffee grinds into filter forts with a stainless-steel and tumbled-glass coffee scoop ($15.99) from Laurel Johns. Other items include bath and body products, area photographs, and comical figurines and pictures.