School supplies for my kids were out of control this year. This past summer, the teachers sent out lists with links to Amazon so you could online shop and fundraise for the school. My two older kids totals were about $100 each. I'm sorry, that's insane. My SIL on the other hand, paid a service at her school to buy their supplies for $45 a kid - and I thought she was nuts...but it seems she had the right idea after all. Although after dragging the kids around to three different stores I managed to find 99% of everything for a total of about $25 a kid - much better than my $200 Amazon total.
This year my older daughter's teacher asked for 20 glue sticks. Yes, 20. At first I thought it was a typo considering my son only needed one gluestick LOL. My son on the other hand needed $15 worth of index cards. Insane! I always try to stock up when school supplies get clearanced out after the school year begins but inevitably when the following year I check my stockpile, I always have the wrong color or size. Their lists are so specific. That didn't stop me from taking a peek at my local Targets to see what they had left...
Needless to say, when I saw gluesticks I may have gone a little overboard (but not as bad as when they had $.30 sunscreen) but they were $.11 a pack people! For 5.5 cents a stick I figured it was a no-brainer. Note that these were not marked at my store - I scanned everything to find the few sale items they had. It was a mess at both stores. Initially I was happy with my $.25 notebooks I got until I saw someone else found them at their Target for $.07 each. #targetenvy
I probably did the best in the beauty department today. I went in looking for a hair dryer that someone posted was marked down but it was only 50% off so I passed. I did find several endcaps full of 50-70% off stuff.
This may be TMI but I don't wax - although for 70% off I figured I should try these Completely Bare kits. From L-R they were $2.54, $3.24 & $4.24.
For some reason the Light/Medium Suave self-tanning lotion rang up 50% off but the cashier price matched it to the dark for $1.74 (70% off) a tube. The Loreal suncreen was $2.04 and the Revlon nail polish was $1.14.
When I went to meet my husband by the grocery section I found these K-cups on the endcap for next to nothing. They are of the iced variety but my K-cup stash is quickly depleting (we had a lot of visitors this summer) so I cleared the shelf. I did put one pack back at the register when I discovered it was open and missing a cup.
Right now I'm sitting on a broken computer chair (the back fell off) and while it doesn't bother me, it drives my husband nuts. He tried to buy me a fancy one for my birthday but luckily Amazon cancelled his order. Technically he still owes me a 40th birthday gift.
I spotted these for 70% off ($11.98) so we grabbed one. He wanted two and I'm glad we didn't take the second. It's not worth the $40 retail price. $12 seems about fair - it's perfect for a dorm or a kid.
I was checking to see if my favorite underwear was on sale (wasn't) and noticed these tights 50% off. I doubt they are as good as the $12 Spanx I buy on Ebay or at Burlington but they seemed quality. I only purchased the natural waist ones - I don't typically like or need the high waisted style. I'll try one and if they don't work I'll return the other...or buy more at 70% off if I like them. I'll keep you updated.
And that's my Target haul. It's been a while since I went Target hunting. As always, check out All Things Target for daily clearance updates and deals :)
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Confession - I keep checking in to Century 21 just in case more 90% off stuff would turn up. This week all I found were a few odds and ends in the sock department. I've never tried Yummy Tummie before but for $4.45 (from $75!) it's worth a try :)
Not on sale, were these gorgeous Dolce & Gabbana blinged out satin pumps. I thought $199 was an amazing price point for all the detail. They had Celine, Marc Jacobs, Sergio Rossi etc., but they were all priced at least $100 more.
On the Nordstrom Rack front, my best find this week was probably this 97% off Judith Jack bracelet. It was just 5 bucks. Score!
As a personal shopper, I keep getting requests for discounted Rockstuds. For some reason they keep sending my favorite Rack (in Paramus, NJ) lots of Tory Burch shoes (not interested!) and the few times designer shoes have been showing up they've been overpriced (for the Rack...) AND every other Valentino other than the Rockstud. At least this time they sent some studded ones.
First I spotted these barely discounted slingbacks.
Then I found these size 39 beauties, also $399.97 - only 33% off. Not good enough Nordstrom Rack!
They did get a huge shipment of Alexander Wang bags, mostly priced $250-350. Not a single Rocco in sight. Boo!
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So I did a little thrifting this week. I struck out at Goodwill but I did find a few pieces at my other haunts.
The first thing I always look at is shoes and I immediately noticed this sole and I thought 'huh.'
Then I looked at the top and noticed this and thought 'huh?'
And then I folded the cuff down a little more and things started looking up :)
And the price....
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| $5.95? |
This vintage leather skirt can probably pass for some of the Alexander Wang ones I've seen lately. The leather is nice and thick and I like that it's cut more generously through the hip area. A steal IMO for $12.95!
I love Vintage. One of my stores severely under prices older pieces. I scored both of these dresses for $2.95 each!
This dress reminds me of some Marc by Marc Jacobs dresses I've seen - plus I love the midi length and dolman sleeves. I'm thinking of pairing it with a thick black leather belt, a pair of my new Mellons (I now have many options) and some bold geometric jewelry. And my mom is gonna love seeing me all covered up. So ma, this one's for you.
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| #modest |
This one doesn't exactly work for my body shape but it looks so Cavalli...and that price...plus I noticed several women eyeing me when tried it on so I wasn't going to leave it LOL.
And if you know a little girl between the ages 5-12 (or you're a good 10 years younger than me) you probably know how excited my girls were to get these American Girl Samatha and Nellie's PJs for less than $5 total. The retail on AG historical pajamas is over $40 each these days (and these are retired).
And that's why I thrift.
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Yesterday I headed into the City to meet Stacy London. When this turned up in my Instagram feed (I follow her...) I knew I had to go.
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| I wish they used a darker color for the print - after working in publishing, stuff like that drives me nuts. |
I had been checking salonapprentice.com to see if anyone had any openings for color as you can see I'm overdue. I noticed a free blowout from Glamsquad on the same day as the event so I went for it.
Glamsquad is "an on-demand, in-home beauty service in NYC that sends the hair stylist and makeup artist straight to you." They are growing so quickly that they are training new stylists daily. The good news is that means free styling (if you have the flexibility) which is perfect for me! They are based on 7th and 28th (right by FIT) and I was told to email modelsny@glamsquad.com to book an hair model appointment from Monday thru Thurs, during the afternoons. Contact them directly for more info.
I was 15 minutes late for my appointment so they gave my spot away :( Fortunately Erin (who seemed to be running the show there) quickly sat me down and knocked it out of the park with this beautiful braided creation. I haven't sported a braid since high school when my very talented friend Dina used to french braid my hair at least once a week.
Their prices are pretty good for NYC - plus they come to you! I know during fashion week they had a $40 promo through their app for hair AND makeup. I will most definitely be modeling there again.
I popped into Sephora at 34th street for makeup (I ran out of the house with just some blush and BB cream) and I went for a free express mini eye makeover which wasn't even so express. I love when they take the time to chat about makeup, and trying new products. Emily helped me and gave me a very clean everyday look. I love how she did my brows but my very sensitive eyes didn't take too well to some of the products. They no longer carry Korres, which is really the only mascara I can do and the Tarte one I tried (my backup brand) was clumpy and didn't make my eyes pop. One of these days I really want to learn how to do a smoky eye that won't make me tear up...
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| Here I am made-up, sans lipstick. |
After makeup I walked over to Lincoln Center to do some fashion watching. I have not been in the tents (do they even still call it that?) in years. Sigh. Then I headed back for my event.
A Culture of Extraordinary is actually the title of an essay written by fashion expert (and personality!) Stacy London. The evening's panel included; Stacy (yay!), Marie Claire's Lea Goldman, Vixxenn's Nicole Sanchez, Dear Kate's Julie Sygiel, and TheLi.st's (they promote visibility, opportunity, and access for women in media and technology) Rachel Sklar. It was going to be a conversation about women, expectation, image and fashion. Right up my alley :)
And now let's talk about my look for the evening. I really wanted to wear my $100 ($2000+) Donna Karan, Nordstrom Rack suit but at the last second I decided to grab something I wouldn't need to wear with Spanx. (And that's why I was running late...)
A while back I won this adorable "Hearts of Cards" dress by Paint the Town through colorful and creative modest blogger Shira Rose, from A Sequin Love Affair. The designer Mel is an adorable college student who decided at 21 she was going to start her own company. Amazing! All of her hyperfeminine dresses feature the same silhouette but different playful prints and colors - and they all have pockets! I ordered the size 6 but I guess I lost a little weight (plus I'm smaller on top than bottom) so my dress is a little big - so I need to layer it for now. I was going to tailor it but I decided to wait a little longer to see if I could drop a few more pounds first.
As I was headed out the door I grabbed my Elizabeth and James 3/4 sleeve blazer that I scored for $30 at the Rack, a new pair of my Tamara Mellons (although I did cheat and run around in my Sexi Flips for most of the day), a $2 thrifted bracelet, and put them all in my trusty Balenciaga. I'm also wearing a pair of Nordstrom brand studs (like Rockstud studs) from the Rack that I scored at Clear the Rack for $5. I love this blazer but I think it's probably time to put it away. It's a size 8 and too big. I feel like a 4 or 6 wouldn't bulk me up as much. It's so hard to say goodbye to favorite pieces. I also have to keep fighting the urge to hide behind bulky, shapeless clothing. I really want to start taking more chances and being bolder with my fashion, like I used to be in my 20s.
That being said, I got a ton of complements from strangers on the hair and dress that night so I guess it's a step in the right direction. What's really funny is that the beauty people loved the dress and the fashion people loved the hair LOL.
My $55 Tamara Mellon bad girls were probably my best sample sale scores. Sure, I adore my studded Submission sandals, but these have a very wearable 90 mm heel and are pretty comfortable.
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| Tamara Mellon Bad Girl, retail $750 |
So here I am with Stacy - and it's a pretty awful picture but it's better than the other one I have :(
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| This pic does not need to be any bigger than this. |
I think Stacy is an amazing role model. She was a fashion editor, TV host, and among other things she's an author, mentor, stylist to the stars...sounds good to me! I'm gonna start thinking 'what would Stacy do' as she's who I aspire to be. Last night panelist Lea Goldman said that her biggest realization (and advice for us) was to say what you want out loud. So I'm saying it. I want more. I want to go to fashion week. I want to create. I want to do what I enjoy and get paid for it. And as Nicole Sanchez said, "Why not me?" And now the planning to finally take over the universe begins.
I just wanted to thank all of my friends and fans (online and IRL) for all your kind words and support since I started blogging (almost two years ago) and Instagramming (just 6 months ago). For the first time in years I don't feel so invisible anymore. Thank you.
On that note, go follow your dreams too. Or just have an awesome weekend - whatever's easier :)
-Shoppinggal
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