Casual Sunday OOTD

When it's a lazy Sunday and you feel like being a bum but looking cute at the same time, whats a girl to do?! DO BOTH! The trick is to find comfy clothes that are also trendy, can't be frumpy and grumpy girls pick one.  Here I am wearing plain black leggings, flip flops, a graphic tank from Forever 21, with a neon Aerie bandeau underneath.  The bandeau gives this outfit that visual interest that it needs while I get to feel like I'm in pajamas.  Most importantly, hide those bags under your eyes with oversized sunglasses, no one will know how late you were out last night.

Little Black Bag.. worth the price?

A while back I stumbled upon the site Little Black Bag.  At first I was really into it! I remember thinking wow 2 or 3 items for $50 is such a good deal considering these items clearly total more than $50! After playing around with the site, I purchased my first bag choosing a pair of designer sunglasses as my first item.  Much to my surprise I ended up with two cheap looking jewelry pieces as my auto selected items 2 and 3 but I wasn't worried because through trading I expected to rid my bag of these items in favor of things that were much better.  Unfortunately, I ended up trading those two pieces for a scarf that I have yet to wear because the material feels cheap and itchy.  This experience really turned me off to the site.  I realize that $50 isn't a terrible amount of money, but for a college student who barely works part time, it feels like chopping off a limb.  For about a year I skipped my bags each month.  This month I saw a bag on the site that I really loved so I decided to give Little Black Bag another go.  This time around I was still a little disappointed with my auto selected item but much happier with my final "bag".  As my item of choice, I selected a yellow duffel style purse with stud detail on the bottom.  

I was slightly nervous about the quality of this item but upon receiving the bag I was pleasantly surprised.  Again, this time around I ended up with a scarf as my second item but this scarf is much nicer than the first I recieved.  In my opinion, the concept of Little Black Bag is fantastic! Seriously, kudos to the creators of this company.  The only problem that I have is the quality of the items as part of the auto select process.  I think that if you see an item on the site that you love, then $50 is definitely worth it.  However, if you were using this site as a monthly box I don't think it is worth the money.

OOTN- date night

Lets be honest ladies, when it's 100 degrees it's hard to look cute. For my date night OOTN I tried to keep it cute, simple, and most importantly cool. It's so  important to have one basic lbd (little black dress) they're so versatile and always fashionable.  It can be dressed up or down, and it goes with everything. Mine is cotton and spandex and super comfy, and most importantly super affordable from H&M. I dressed up this outfit with this triangle Aztec necklace from forever 21 and chunky gold tone watch from Francesca's. My sandals pick up the turquoise from my necklace and are from target. My boldest accessory is this yellow duffel purse by Street Level. I am loving pops of color this summer and this bag is just that. I will be doing a post just on this bag later in the week. Until next time, stay trendy and cool ladies. 

OOTN - One of the guys

This is my OOTN from going to a sports bar to watch the All Star game.  If you know me at all, you know that I'm a sports junkie so going out to see this game was a good time for me.  But I was going with all guys so I needed to carefully choose my outfit so that whoever saw me wouldn't think 'look at that hoe over there pretending to like sports to get it in with those guys'.  And don't even pretend you haven't judged a girl like that because we all have.  Anyway, I decided to go with this casual yet not boring look.  I think the pops of color in the bag and the shirt gave a trendy look to this otherwise basic outfit.  In my opinion, chambray goes with just about anything.  If you don't already own a chambray shirt....what are you waiting for? Its comfier than a denim jacket, yet equally as versatile, definitely a worthy purchase.  Mine is from Forever 21, along with my shorts and bracelet.  The blue tank is from Express and the sandals are Steve Madden.  My bag was from Target and I think the pop of lime really spices up the look and just ties everything together.  I got it on clearance in my local store for $7.50, it was a must buy at that price.  I couldn't find it online but I did find a similar one at a great price if you're wanting to put together a similar look, you can find it here .  I realize that this bag will definitely not have a long life, but when buying trendier items that won't be in style for very long, I feel that finding deals and spending less for a lesser quality item is the best way to go.  

Guess who's back at it

So after taking a blogging hiatus I decided to make a comeback.  Not because I have demanding readers, or because the things that I post are so unbelievable that you can't live without them but because, well, why not?  So yes, you are all welcome for these words of wisdom that I'm about to drop on you.  NEVER PAY FULL PRICE.  I know what you're thinking....were the caps really necessary?Well the answer is, heck yes.  I was raised as a seeker of sales.  I cannot take credit for my savvy ways, at the risk of sounding cliche, I got it from my momma.  Now my mom may not be the coupon queen (cue Honey Boo Boo's mom), but it would be a cold day in hell before she paid full price for an item without googling a possible discount code.  When I was younger, this totally embarrassed me.  Why did my mom have to keep 900 pounds of clipped coupons in her purse at all times? Why was I not allowed to just get the damn shirt I wanted from Limited Too even though we didn't have "Too Bucks"?  Why did my mom go to 15 different stores when school supply shopping for us?  I remember my aunt saying to me "You live in this beautiful house because Mommy clips coupons."  As I got older, I began to realize that using coupons and searching for sales doesn't mean that you're poor.  At the ripe age of 22, I can happily say that in this respect I am turning into my mother.  When being a frugal fashionista one must be patient.  Yes, there are times that I am in love with something and decide to splurge despite having no discounts.  But most of the time, I take pictures of the item I want, go home, google the hell out of it, and stalk those sites for a sale so I can get two things that I love instead of one.  Listen ladies, I'm no fancy shmancy economist but it just makes good plain sense.  Why spend $75 on a pair of shoes at Lord & Taylor when you can wait 2 weeks for a sale and probably get two pairs for less than that?  Patience is a virtue that one must have if they wish to dress like they got their shit together, when really they make $10 an hour.  Keep in mind that end of season sales, aka the ones that go on in the middle of seasons like right now, are the best times to stock up on things!  For instance, if you have any semblance of a brain and think that spending $100 on a bathing suit top sounds worse than selling your liver on ebay, wait until July and spend half of that on the top AND bottom.  I think that you get the point I'm trying to make here.  So go forth and save.  May your closets be full, and your wallets be fuller.

Flats Flats Flats!

If you tell me that you're not petrified of putting away your Uggs for the season, I know you're a liar. Its almost that awkward time of year where its too warm for Uggs but too cold for sandals, WHAT DO WE DO! Well, I'll tell you what we do, we wear flats! Where do we find these oh so adorable things you ask? Get ready for it....TARGET! I know that most of us don't think about Target (or Tar-jay some of you fancier folk might call it) when you think of buying cute shoes but let me tell you ladies, start! This week at target these flats by Mossimo are on sale for $14! I haven't purchased mine yet so I cannot attest to the quality but for $14 if they last you a year, WHO CARES!  I know that most of us college students are preparing for internships and observations and face the constant struggle of needing to buy adult clothes on a college budget so this price fits perfectly!  This is one sale that I would not miss! Happy saving! :)

My favorite pair from the collection!
Dress formal without looking boring

These look very similar to a Lucky Brand pair that I saw
but who needs to pay double!

Sigma Brushes

So I don't know if I'm alone in this one BUT I have nightmares about buying new makeup brushes.  NOT because I don't love love love the idea of them, but because the price tags attached to these tiny tools are more than most of us can bear!! So after much back and forth in my head I finally decided to take the plunge and FINALLY get some new brushes.  It was absolutely time considering on my old brushes the bristles were starting to fall out and the paint chipping off of the handles.  So I did my research and I finally decided on Sigma brushes!! They have so much hype around them and really are not as expensive as a lot of other brushes.  I purchased the Essential Kit which has 12 brushes for eyes and face for $89.00! I know thats a big number, but considering the brushes go for about $11 individually you're getting a pretty hefty savings! AND as my valentines day gift to you savings savages, from now until February 29th, if you use the code LOVE2012 at checkout you save 10%!! And from what I understand you will receive a free gift, the gift will not show up in your cart but will be included in your shipment.  I will be sure to let you all know my opinion on these brushes as soon as I get them which I hope is SOON!! Happy Valentines Day!! xo