This was what I wore to work today! Black top, black skinnies, and black wedges. But I wanted to showcase my accessories. I wore my teal necklace I bought from American Eagle (they have a lot of cute jewelry, by the way!!), my new (shhhh!) bracelets from Target, and a black belt to spice things up a bit!
So today, I had to pick up my overpriced prescription at Target, and when I got there, they told me it would take about 25 minutes to fill it. I was already running behind with my to-do list, because of my run in with insomnia last night. As frustrated as I was that I couldn’t go on a jog this morning, that 25 minutes gave me some time to shop around. And spend money I shouldn’t have.
Surprisingly, I did well…considering I was drooling over jewelry, hats, scarves, tops, shoes, glasses, etc.
I bought this dress off the clearance rack for $12.48, a new pair of black panty hose, and some stuff to do my nails.
I only spent $30ish … which wasn’t too bad. I’ve been known to do a lot more damage in 25 minutes. And it gave my confidence a little boost to have something new to wear…FINALLY. 🙂
That’s all!
Okay so we’re gonna rewind a little bit once again.
Flash back to December of 2011. A friend of mine, Iris, asked me to take a shopping trip with her for a winter photo shoot she had planned, and she wanted me to help her pick out some cute outfits.
We got a bit of a late start, and I told her I wanted to stop by Plato’s Closet before heading to the mall, so we could find me a new pair of jeans. My favorite Guess pair were rapidly unraveling, and I wanted to get a pair to tide me over until after Christmas, when I could afford to buy a brand new pair.
When we arrived at the Plato’s parking lot, we noticed a nail salon, and decided we wanted to get our nails did. She offered to pay for mine, in exchange for helping her out (how sweet, right?!?). I got the gels (FINALLY!!!). And we socialized a bit with the owner of the salon and his family.
The owner gave me $5.00 off and they lasted for a little over a week (not great, but normally, my nails only last a few days). And I absolutely LOVED the gel. My nails felt soooo much stronger, and it wasn’t like acrylics at all. I will definitely be doing gels again, if I ever get my credit card paid off.
So after getting our nails didddd, we went into Plato’s Closet, searching for jeans, and coming out with nothing near just jeans.
Iris ended up getting all her stuff at Plato’s, spending only a fraction of what she would have, had she bought brand new. She got everything from jackets, to sweater dresses, to boots, to a new purse. She did awesome!
And while I intended to get jeans, I ended up buying a few items… that were not, in fact, jeans.
I spent maybeeeee $60.00 total. Which I really didn’t haveeee, but I bought a bunch of awesome items. Forgive me, I don’t have exact prices or pictures, considering Plato’s doesn’t have an online store, and they’re all previously owned articles of clothing. But I found some pictures and estimated pricing:
$20.98 @ Target
This is pretty close to the blazer I bought (and I had been wanting a blazer for FOREVER). I spent maybeeee $15.00 on it, and it’s in great condition. I roll the sleeves up, and there’s a black and white striped lining, super cute.
Old Navy
I couldn’t for the life of me find a price on this beauty. But this is the vest I bought, for $4.00! Holy cow. I was innnnn love. I wore it on New Years underneath my blazer, with gray nail polish and my lovely gray boots.
This was one of the only pictures of me that night. Wasn’t the greatest night ever, but hey, I looked pretty cute 😀
Abercrombie & Fitch
I also purchased a top similar to this one! The whole back is lace, the front is plain white. It was super cheap…maybe $5.00. I wear it alllll the time, even though it’s a tad bit big for me.
Juicy for $140.60
This is most definitely not the hoodie I bought, even though it’s adorable. Mine is from Forever21 originilly, and the stripes are smaler, and it doesn’t have the black on the bottom or the sleeves. It’s so adorable, and I love a good hoodie. Wear it all the time, and I can’t imagine I spent more than $20.00 for it.
And last, but not least, I bought the shirt I’m wearing underneath my leather jacket. For like $5.00. It’s a tank, from Forever21, of course. And I LOVE it.
As you can see, I did pretty good considering I probably shouldn’t have spent ANYTHING. I never knew I could bargain shop so well; usually I just buy it if I like it, even if it’s full price, and the price is ridiculous. But I was pretty dang proud of myself after our little trip to Plato’s.
Not much to say about this one… except that these are one of my favvvvv pairs of work shoes. Little booties <3! They’re pretty comfortable, I bought them at Target and I wear them literally all the time. Great shoes.
I’ve decided to start a new project. While I’m not done with catching y’all up to speed with everything that’s gone on the last month or so, I’d still like to start a daily project. I’m going to post a photo, every day for a year, showcasing something that relates back to my personal style, and my shopaholic syndrome.
I’m very excited about this, considering it will give me the opportunity to post daily. I can’t wait to see where this project goes.
My inspiration for this was a good friend of mine, Jillian, who has also done some photography work for my blog. Her project is amazing, and I really wanted to try something similar for the blog.
So here’s day one:
Day 1: transition from school to work. This outfit is versatile enough to be for work or school. The outfit is from Windsor, where I spent a little too much money on Friday. I went shopping, BUT I’m not sure that was a great decision on my part. The top was $22.90, and the pants were $29.90. I paired the top with my favorite black belt and my booties from Target, and I was ready for my busy day!
I’m so far behind, I didn’t even know where to start. So I decided to start with yesterday, my first PAY DAY at my new job! And holy crap, it felt good. I haven’t had extra cash in a few weeks, and relief washed over me when my father texted me and said “your paycheck came in the mail!” YESSS. It’s the first of many.
Now, this probably wasn’t my smartest decision. But, I haven’t been shopping in who KNOWS how long, and I was literally itching for new clothes. After depositing my check, I had to go to Target to pick up my prescription. And I thought, it couldn’t hurt to take a stroll through the clothing section. And even though I bought quite a few items…. IT DIDN’T HURT! Woohooooo!
So, here’s what I bought:
$16.99 @ Target
They also had this top in leopard print, and looking at it now, I might be regretting that I bought the plain gray. But oh well. I love this top either way!
After browsing through the clothing section, I wanted to see what Target’s shoes had to offer on Black Friday!
$29.99 @ Target
I didn’t plan on buying anything, but uhhhh I REALLY liked these shoes. And there was a deal for Black Friday, so I made them mine.. They sort of remind me of Robin Hood…. Don’t ask why; I couldn’t tell ya.
Then I decided I needed some new tights. I’ve been wanting some sheer black ones. So I made my way over to hosiery.
$10.00 @ Target
As you can see, those aren’t sheer. The one’s I bought were, and I thought they’d look great with a black dress, and my new booties!
I also wanted to check out the jewelry section…. I needed some new accessories.
$14.99 @ Target
Lovingggg this ring. I really like to wear rings, but I buy cheaper jewelry, so they end up turning my fingers green. But this ring is nickel-free … so my fingers stay my lovely pink skin tone. SCORE.
I also bought some teal feather earrings, that are super adorable, but I couldn’t find a picture online. They were $7.99, and I can’t WAIT to wear them. I’ll post a picture later!
Now, again, this may not have been the smartest way to spend a portion of my first paycheck, but I needed to CELEBRATEEE.
I’m so far behind, I didn’t even know where to start. So I decided to start with yesterday, my first PAY DAY at my new job! And holy crap, it felt good. I haven’t had extra cash in a few weeks, and relief washed over me when my father texted me and said “your paycheck came in the mail!” YESSS. It’s the first of many.
Now, this probably wasn’t my smartest decision. But, I haven’t been shopping in who KNOWS how long, and I was literally itching for new clothes. After depositing my check, I had to go to Target to pick up my prescription. And I thought, it couldn’t hurt to take a stroll through the clothing section. And even though I bought quite a few items…. IT DIDN’T HURT! Woohooooo!
So, here’s what I bought:
$16.99 @ Target
They also had this top in leopard print, and looking at it now, I might be regretting that I bought the plain gray. But oh well. I love this top either way!
After browsing through the clothing section, I wanted to see what Target’s shoes had to offer on Black Friday!
$29.99 @ Target
I didn’t plan on buying anything, but uhhhh I REALLY liked these shoes. And there was a deal for Black Friday, so I made them mine.. They sort of remind me of Robin Hood…. Don’t ask why; I couldn’t tell ya.
Then I decided I needed some new tights. I’ve been wanting some sheer black ones. So I made my way over to hosiery.
$10.00 @ Target
As you can see, those aren’t sheer. The one’s I bought were, and I thought they’d look great with a black dress, and my new booties!
I also wanted to check out the jewelry section…. I needed some new accessories.
$14.99 @ Target
Lovingggg this ring. I really like to wear rings, but I buy cheaper jewelry, so they end up turning my fingers green. But this ring is nickel-free … so my fingers stay my lovely pink skin tone. SCORE.
I also bought some teal feather earrings, that are super adorable, but I couldn’t find a picture online. They were $7.99, and I can’t WAIT to wear them. I’ll post a picture later!
Now, again, this may not have been the smartest way to spend a portion of my first paycheck, but I needed to CELEBRATEEE.
Okay. Lemme just telll you.. Having Saturdays off, is probably the best thing ever. Except for one thing….. It’s also the day after pay day. Which means it’s time to SPEND.
Yikes.
Let’s recap the last two Saturdays, (by the way, where the HECK did September go!??):
Saturday, September 24th, 2011:
I wanted to see a very close friend, Mara Ray. We decided to hit our favorite spot, Forever21. We’ve been going there for….welll forever. No pun intended. (;
I was a little hesitant at first… considering this place is probably the biggest reason for my shopping addiction… but I sure do love Forever21. For as long as I can remember, Mara and I have taken regular trips there. We used to go on a weekly basis. Favorite store ever.
So anyway… since I was so nervous, being that I hadn’t been there in so long (which would be basically torturing myself, considering I had to break my ridiculous bad habits)(ranting…), I made a promise to myself that I could not spend ANY money, except for on a Mango Chill smoothie from the cafe at Nordstrom… another of mine and Mara’s traditions. This was partially because I had pretty much no money from my paycheck that had I had only gotten a week before (….uh yeah). Ugh. And partially because I wanted to test my strength. See if I could actually go into Forever21, and NOT buy anything.
Side story: One time, I was on one of my weekly visits to Forever21, spending way too much money, for absolutely no reason. Probably charged to my credit card. Anyway, When I was at the register, the guy who rang me out, looked at my credit card, looked back and me and said “Keven? I recognize that name.. You come in here a lot, don’t you?” … Are you SERIOUS? You come in here so much, that they recognize the name on your credit card. Wow.
Back to Saturday… We walked in, and I fell in love all over again. We took our usual route, and circled the store. I loved so many things, and got tons of ideas for fall, but I didn’t pick anything up. I decided to not try anything on, because I knew I couldn’t buy it. And the weird thing is… I didn’t stress about it. I think I’m making some progress here!!
So here’s kind of a list of things I like for Fall, from Forever21:
This outfit was inspired by a picture of Jennifer Aniston, that I can’t find ANYWHERE, of course. But it’s adorable nonetheless.
And a few more things on my list for Fall from Forever21:
$7.80 @ Forever21
$2.80 @ Forever21
$2.80 @ Forever21
I love tights and socks for fall. It’s a great way to accessorize, and show off your legs, and keeps them warm! Excited to try this out!
$9.50 @ Forever21
$10.80 @ Forever21
Scarves are another accessory I LOVE for fall. I usually layer basic tops, and jackets, and mix and match with different bottoms, and then change it up with scarves.
$19.80 @ Forever21
$29.80 @ Forever21
Sweaters are great for winter in AZ, because it’s too warm to wear heavy jackets. I like to buy neutral colors, so that I can mix and match. And let’s face it, I pretty much always wear black, gray and white anyway.
$27.80 @ Forever21
$29.80 @ Forever21
I also love both of the above jackets; I’ve been wanting a denim one for so long, but I wanted it to be cropped, because I like the look of that better than a full length. FOUND IT!
I was so proud of myself for not spending any money! I’m glad I went, it felt good to be back “home” AKA the mall… and also was stress free, because I wasn’t spending money I knew I didn’t have.
Since it’s still triple digits most days here in AZ until mid October (ridiculous) it was completely irrational to buy anything, because I can’t wear it for another few weeks. But like I said, I got some great ideas!
Friday, September 30th, 2011:
Obviously, Friday does not equal Saturday, but since Friday was pay day, and I had plans with my coworker/work bestie, Joelle, I decided I had to have a new outfit for the night. Plus I was overdue to get my nails done.
I spent around $50, and bought the following items:
Red nail polish (for my toes), “Pink Slip” by Sally Hansen for my manicure, a gray top, and my perfume, “Go Couture Yourself” by Juicy.
And this was the finished product:
Saturday, October 1st, 2011:
I technically didn’t spend any money on Saturday. Just relaxed, and ran a few errands with my mom. I also tried out the news print nails, and they turned out GREAT:
Funny story: I had decided that since I had to work early the following morning, that I was going to stay in and get homework done, and possibly blog a bit. Joelle had texted me to ask if I wanted to go out with her, her boyfriend, and their friend. I politely decline, fully intending to actually finish my homework…
I went to my friend Jeremy’s apartment, because it’s a quiet place to work, with limited distractions. Or so I thought. Apparently, my guy friends, Jeremy, Pete and DJ decided they wanted to stop by our friend Delaney’s party. I was inclined to say yes, but I assured them that I wasn’t staying long.
We headed to Delaney’s and after hanging out in the basement for a bit, I decided to go outside and get some air, because it was a thousand degrees, from so many people being down in the basement. I made my way upstairs, and the first person I saw wassss…Joelle’s boyfriend. Uh oh. Caught up. Being a liar, and a horrible friend. Sorry again Joelle, but it definitely makes for a funny story. And seeing her, made my night!
My outfit for the night:
My newspaper print nails!
(Unfortunately, I didn’t get any good pictures, so this was an idea of what I wore).
So that’s been my past two weekends, and GUESS WHAT! I’m off again next Saturday, YESSS.
A lot of my friends say I have my own “scent.” I’m not really sure what this consists of; probably something like shampoo, hairspray, cigarettes and perfume… It doesn’t sound like it’d smell good, but I promise, I always smell good (p.s. you may have noticed I mentioned cigarettes; I have yet to quit, and obviously broke my promise. Sigh…).
I have a few perfumes that I loooove. And a new bottle of perfume is definitely on my “to buy” list.
$37.09 @ Target
This is my number one FAVORITE perfume right now. I bought the bottle at Target, but it was so freaking tiny, so I ran out really quick. I plan on investing in a larger size this time, because I love love love this scent.
$68.00 @ Nordstrom
I also love this fragrance, Chance by Chanel. My ex-boyfriend bought it for me a while back, and I just recently finished the bottle. I miss it. I really like wearing this scent for going out, it smells a little fancier, if you know what I meannn.
$62.00 @ Nordstrom
This is another favorite scent. My best friend bought this for me for Christmas one year, and I used it all up super fast. It’s very casual, and light. It’s not too girly or flowery or overpowering which I like… I like to have just a hint of scent, versus walking into a room followed by a cloud of heavy perfume. Not my thingggg.
A lot of my friends say I have my own “scent.” I’m not really sure what this consists of; probably something like shampoo, hairspray, cigarettes and perfume… It doesn’t sound like it’d smell good, but I promise, I always smell good (p.s. you may have noticed I mentioned cigarettes; I have yet to quit, and obviously broke my promise. Sigh…).
I have a few perfumes that I loooove. And a new bottle of perfume is definitely on my “to buy” list.
$37.09 @ Target
This is my number one FAVORITE perfume right now. I bought the bottle at Target, but it was so freaking tiny, so I ran out really quick. I plan on investing in a larger size this time, because I love love love this scent.
$68.00 @ Nordstrom
I also love this fragrance, Chance by Chanel. My ex-boyfriend bought it for me a while back, and I just recently finished the bottle. I miss it. I really like wearing this scent for going out, it smells a little fancier, if you know what I meannn.
$62.00 @ Nordstrom
This is another favorite scent. My best friend bought this for me for Christmas one year, and I used it all up super fast. It’s very casual, and light. It’s not too girly or flowery or overpowering which I like… I like to have just a hint of scent, versus walking into a room followed by a cloud of heavy perfume. Not my thingggg.
keven 