high class, with a low budget

Anyone that knows me knows I like a good bargain. Actually no one knows I buy things at such cheap prices but that's the beauty of places like high end consignment and places like Marshalls (my personal fav) and TJMaxx. Raleigh, NC has amazing consignment shops, however, some mark their prices up too high. Prices in some consignment shops are almost as high as the item would be new. The best thing about buying high end clothing brands at a bargain is no one can tell, the only way to tell is if it looks out of style already or if people have the seasons of the brand memorized. The top brands that have a long life span is the classics, like lilly pulitzer, nautica, izod, lacoste, and other preppy brands. Anywho, I digress. I found a few great deals this weekend and would like to share them.

My mom bought me this cute and springy Michael Kors shirt for only $24.99 at Stein Mart compared to $59.50! The best thing about Michael Kors is his great style and you can usually find him at any discount store such as Stein Mart, Marshall's, TJMaxx, etc.

I got this neon orange shirt from Marshall's for only $12.99 compared to $18, it's made by Say What?, which is popular at Belk. The only reason I got it is because of its trendy spring color, and the front is made of like a summer sweater and the back and the bottom of the front is made of chiffon. This would be great paired with white jeans and nautical jewelry.

 the chiffon backing

 Sorry for the sideways pictures but I scored these three adorable skirts.

 The first is a vineyard vines patchwork skirt I got at a great store in Raleigh, NC, its name is "dress", I kid you not. It has different patches of typical vineyard vines fabric and it will never go out of style, it is very nostalgic and typical vineyard vines. The fabric pieces have things like sailboats, golfclubs, palm trees, and golf balls. I got this great skirt for only $28.00 compared to a similar looking skirt by vineyard vines at $128.00 seen here.

 Another great Marshall's find is another trendy look of coral, white, and tan which will be very popular this spring. It is very thin and not very hot, it has the summer sweater feel and would be great for cold summer nights. I got it for $14.99 compared to $22.00 and it is also by Say What?. (The picture does not do it justice, plus I've already worn it so its very wrinkled.)

 The second skirt I bought is from Marshall's as well and it is a soft cotton casual skirt that is perfect for an event such as a cookout. I got it for $19.99 compared to $49.50 as written on the Nautica tag.

I got this simple seersucker skirt made by SANDRO at Marshall's for $16.99 compared to $32.00.

 Also from Marshall's is this IZOD cotton polo to match all of the skirts I bought, plus the pants below. It was only $12.99 compared to the $36.00 price on the tag.

 Like I said before, Lilly Pulitzer items can never be out of date, they are classic that are in style every spring and summer. However, it is crucial that you try on the lilly item before buying regardless of what size it is. Because almost everything is close to 100% cotton they can shrink and I have tried on numerous lilly clothing and the previous owners had wash them too many times or put them in the dryer. I bought these adorable mom and baby monkey print (from what I got from ebay it is called "mommy and me") capri pants, the tag is an older lilly tag unlike the newer pink tags so this print is probably a few years old. I got them for $36.00 dollars compared to the normal price of lilly pants at $168.

 The biggest excitement of all the things I bought were these wonderful Jack Roger wedges. I own a black pair and silver pair of the typical jack roger classic navajo but I have never seen the heels until I ran into them at Dress. These heels were only $38.00 compared to the $188 pair on the Jack Roger website. They are made with the signature Jack Roger leather with detail and wooden heels.

 Because summer is coming I just had to get these starfish earrings at dress for $12.00.

And last I bought this gorgeous plate with the words "to believe is to have faith". 

from the bargain princess herself, 

Savannah

Girl's Night IN?

Ever have one of those nights where you want to do absolutely nothing but pamper yourself? Or maybe you are like me and the leg touch ups before you leave the house are desperately needing a complete shave. Another possibility is that you just refuse to pay almost twenty dollars for a simple pack of razors. If you have answered yes to any of these scenarios then I'm here to resolve your issue.


This Venus Tropical pack of disposable razors are amazing. Not only do they get the job done. They are cheap, VERY sharp (almost like men's razors), and the handles SMELL! Not even joking, the handles smell amazing and they're supposed to. I applaud Venus for being so smart and thoughtful.







    In case you make a mistake while shaving there is no reason to be upset. You do not have to put an ugly nude  or childish printed band-aid on your cut. Cynthia Rowley has debuted the cutest band-aids ever for a limited time. The prints include black lace, runway models, sequins, gems, gold chains, and her very own cynthia rowley logo. There are twenty to a pack and are a collector's series.

"Never Pay Full Price For Fabulous" -Marshalls

         While putting on my makeup this morning I realized I was hitting pan on an eyeshadow and running out of my eye pencil. I decided to run to Ulta during lunch and happened to make it to Marshalls also. Marshalls is the reason for my cute little title. I never noticed but their trademark is just too cute and true. My journey started at Ulta, I needed a few NYX products. Low and behold I walk in and I see that NYX is having a HUGE sale on their products. (Okay maybe not HUGE, but it made me really happy that I paid nearly half for every NYX product.) I got...

A NYX mascara, eyeshadow, lip gloss, and jumbo eye pencil.

NYX Za Za Zu- $3.59

Buying the mascara was not my intention at all. I walked in Ulta and was instantly fooled into partaking in the sale. A variety of NYX mascaras were on sale because they were all from the same line (Boudoir) so I'm thinking they were just trying to get rid of them. But anywho this is the NYX Za Za Zu luscious volume mascara in BMC 07. It doesn't specify the color but from my own understanding its in black. The reasoning behind my picture is that when I saw it it reminded me of my L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes. We shall see if they compare. Below is the difference between their wands. The NYX wand is a brush but the L'oreal is a smaller plastic wand that evenly distributes mascara to your lashes. I LOVE my L'oreal mascara so I hope the NYX mascara can do the same. 

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in "Sugar Pie"- $3.29                                                                      

The next purchase was not an intention but I've always wanted to try their lip glosses. These lip glosses smell amazing and if you look closely in the picture you can see the adorable bow at the top. They have the best coverage and the applicator is wonderful. This color is very nude and gives a subtle look of gloss but isn't shimmery. 

NYX Eye Shadow in "Aloha"- $2.99

I obviously needed a new eyeshadow because the one that I use on my inner eyelid is gone and shattered. The eyeshadow on the left in the picture is on of the best NYX eyeshadows, "My Favorite Color." No really, that is the name, it's the perfect champagne eyeshadow and I couldn't find it anywhere in my Ulta. So I decided to go with "Aloha", it's really similar. It's so similar in fact that I think its the same color just given a new name. 

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Yogurt"- $2.69

I love this eye pencil so much! I actually put it on my whole eye lid and put my eyeshadow on top of it to give it a pretty shimmer. Not only does it look good but it helps to keep my eyeshadow on ALL day. I put "Mulch" eyeshadow by MAC on half and NYX "My Favorite Color" on the other half. The "Mulch" is blended enough to make it look like a smokey eye. Needless to say as you can see in the picture I needed a new pencil. 

Swatches

These are the swatches of all the cosmetics I bought. The first (closest to my wrist) is the lip gloss. The second is the eye pencil with the eyeshadow on top. The third thick swatch is the eyeshadow by itself. And the last swatch is the eye pencil also by itself.

Madden Girl Toriie Platform Pumps in Fuschia Fabric 4' Heels- $25.00

I can't even explain my excitement when I saw this gorgeous lovely heels. They are a beautiful satin fuschia with matching glitter on the platform and heels. Thankfully my Easter dress will match these and they were on sale! On Amazon.com they are 55 dollars and I got them for less than half at Marshalls!

                                                                                   

HAANI shirt- $14.99

This shirt is the PERFECT spring/summer baggy shirt. The popular style for the spring are the baggy or boxy non flattering shirts. I just do not care for this trend at all. I have a small body but thanks to my genes I've been blessed with a huge but and chunky arms. Thankfully my arms are very big and I keep them under control but my butt has a mind of its own and I've come to love my body the way it is. Whew, I'm off my soapbox now haha. Anyways these boxy unflattering shirts make me look HUGE because they make my small upper body look big. I have the Kim Kardashian problem, I have to wear fitting clothes up top like her to accentuate my body. So I love this shirt, its baggy in the perfect spots.

 I don't know about anybody else but this weather to me is very odd. I live on the east of North Carolina and go to college in the middle so I'm used to odd weather. This spring weather has confused me so much, its 82 degrees in April! What makes it even more strange is the rest of the week will be in the 60's. I hope everyone has a great week no matter the weather! :)

Monochromatic

Who knew matching so well was going to be a trend? Monochromatic is definitely IN for this spring and I'm thinking maybe even for summer. Even though color blocking is a new popular trend (coming soon), matching perfectly is also popular. Celebrities are doing it, stores are advertising it, and it has made its way into the spring time.

Ciara, Rihanna, and Heidi Klum in their monochromatic outfits.





Forever21.com and their monochromatic promo section. To access this pink monochromatic section on Forever21.com click here.

Never be scared of a little color, monochromatic can be achieved with little effort. If your wearing a blue shirt, add blue heels, and blue accessories and you already have your trendy monochromatic look.

DIY: lets get CORNy :)

It's almost Thanksgiving and everytime I think about this particular holiday, corn instantly comes to mind. So why not celebrate it with a little corn. With just a few steps and craft items you probably have laying around the house, you can make your own corn headband!

Items needed (in picture above):
-a glue gun (bought at A. C. Moore for 2.99 it is a mini glue gun and doesn't get too hot so you may touch the glue after application and not get burned and it gets the job done)
-glue sticks (it only took me half a stick for the whole project)
-scrapbooking paper in yellow and green
-head bands (glittery ones were found at A. C. More from the line "LALiBERI" by Julie Comstock, they come three to a pack for around $3.00)
- yellow rhinestones
-green glitter puffy paint
bought: at Michaels and A.C. Moore

1. Cut out a lemon looking oval from the yellow scrapbooking paper.
From the green scrapbooking paper cut out leaves.
2. Glue the green leaves to the yellow corn by overlapping the green onto the yellow and make sure the corn doesn't stick out the bottom. (Glue gun was used to glue them together)
3. Take a paint brush and your green glitter puffy paint and paint the glitter on the leaves to add pizazz. After it has dried, glue the corn to the headband. (Also glued by glue gun and very easy)
4. To add "bling" (which is what every glamour girl needs) glue yellow rhinestones to the corn.


The finished product: very cute, catches the eye, and the most glamorous DIY accessory for the fall season :)
(disregard my pitiful hair in the picture, I'm a college kid and I woke up very early this morning for class and I go to a women's college, so it doesn't matter haha)