It's my birthday!

Today I'm 40 years old. Holy cr@p.

I'm not sure why the number is stressing me out so much because I know I can pass for late 20s - or so I like to tell myself LOL. I did get carded at the bar at the last wedding I went to :) When I was younger I used to think I would have taken over the world by 40. Not sure what happened.

I popped into Sephora this week to pick up my free Beauty Insider birthday gift. This year it's a Make Up For Ever mini mascara and lipstick. I also stopped in to Ulta to get my free gift there too but for some reason they have me down with a January birthday so I had to call customer service to update my info (so they can send me an email with the code for the gift). I think it's just a CK mascara anyway.

 

Birthday swag 

I didn't buy myself a birthday present per se this year because I've treated myself to a few goodies along the way :) Other than a designer clutch, which I'm sure will eventually turn up at the Rack or thrift store, I'm not really wanting for anything right now. Note to husband - this is NOT permission to show up empty handed for my birthday.

While I was at the Mall visiting Sephora I popped into Neiman Marcus to check on things. No new Chanel finds (for now) and designer shoes are now 55% - and they said that was it for markdowns :(

I took pics of all the CLs they had left in bigger sizes. Even at just 55% off, I'm sure they're all gone by now. You can always call NM in Paramus and check.

I also spotted this cute Milly skirt (not on sale).

Love the color combo!

Do people really pay full price?

If you're hunting for designer bags or shoes, Saks went to 70% off but I've been good and didn't buy anything. I figure if G-d really wants me to have another pair of Louboutins, he'll send me a pair at the Rack.

On a happy note, there were tons of markdowns at the Rack this week. The other day I posted my receipt...

If my calculations are correct I saved over 90% LOL. Several of you have asked what I got. A little of this and a little of that...but here are my faves :)

I keep buying things in this shade of neon yellow...

$15 Rag & Bone refurb sweater

I'd been eyeing this Alexander Wang cropped vest for months so when it dropped to $39 from $475 I grabbed it - even though it's two sizes too big. I used to wear a lot of tiny vests and bustiers back in the day...

You want to know what's cuter than this Vince Camuto dress? The price!

5 bucks baby!

Yesterday I popped in and they had a bunch of refurbs but it was mostly bridge stuff - no designer :( But I did score this adorable Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC for just $35!

I couldn't resist this lil cutie!

Now that the Anniversary Sale has started at Nordstrom, they shipped all the sale stuff to the Racks. Keep your eyes open because good stuff has been coming in! I spotted Alex and Ani bracelets for just $15, and tons of Burberry kids shoes for $70 - I'll be watching those shoes for markdowns :)

Burberry!

All Burberry shoes and boots were priced $69.97

I die!

Last but not least, I saw this and couldn't help but smile.

How me is this? If it said Rack Girl it would have come home with me :)

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I thought TJ Maxx would go to yellow sticker clearance this week but it didn't. Maybe next week. (ETA- I heard they had another round of markdowns yesterday. I'll be investigating today.) I did grab this interesting Rebecca Minkoff ring for just $12.99!

One of my old high school friends basically called it fashion roadkill but I like how organic it looks. They actually had a whole display of Rebecca Minkoff jewelry marked super cheap.

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H&M upped the ante this week - now their sale stuff is buy 2 get 1 free. Last sale it went to buy 1 get 1 free...we'll see what happens :)

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Last weekend we threw a party for my niece's bat mitzvah. She lives out of the country and I don't think I've seen her in 4 years? We chat often and I was really looking forward to seeing her. I wasn't allowed to take her shopping (let's not get into that...) but I still got to play dress up with her - just like I used to do with her mom (my baby sis).

She wanted to straighten her hair but my other sister couldn't find her flat iron - luckily I had my trusty hot curlers. When we were done she thought her hair looked like a wig LOL. I told her it was because people pay to have hair like hers. All she needed was some concealer (pre-teen acne) and some lip gloss and we were good to go.

My niece, Eli

I don't remember looking so put together at 12. When did she turn into a person, let alone a woman??? She has a real figure now. I really wanted to put her in color but everything I found was black. It was either this or a black dress and I figured she'd get a lot more use out of the skirt. I actually got a cute chiffon crop top with a beaded collar to wear over this top (which was mine but for some reason she didn't own a black top) but my sister didn't tell me how skinny she got - and the beaded top was too big. My sister also gave me the wrong shoe size so most of the shoes I picked up were too small. FYI she's a 9/9.5 (like me) now. One pair of peach gladiator sandals (Nordstrom Rack, $14) fit but she had to take them off mid-party because she was so bitten up and her legs were irritated - so she had to switch to flip flops. Considering I hadn't seen her in years (and even her own mom didn't seem to know what size she was) and my instructions were keep it modest with nothing too tight, I think we did OK. Not my best work but she was happy.

Details:
Target 70% off gold plated earrings $7.99
Ariella necklace, Nordstrom Rack $7.49

Gerard Yosca floral bracelet, sample sale $3 - stacked with her gold bracelet from her late Grandmother

My other sister took her for a mani that morning :)

Top - Kosher Casuals black layering shell from my closet (now hers) $14. It's lightweight and I like that it cuts above the elbow unlike most modest shells.
Skirt - Free People pleated black lace skirt with leather waistband, $30 Nordstrom Rack

My mom managed to pack in every childhood birthday wish and want Eli ever had - there was a pinata, Carvel cake, trampoline...my kids were in heaven.

Love you Eli! Miss you already!

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I still have the Jimmy Choos, Fendis and Valentinos from the last blog sale. The Philip Lim dress is also available as well. I finally opened shoppinggalscloset on Instagram and I'll be posting my extras for sale here and there for now on :)

I picked up these refurb size 9 Tory Burch flip flops for myself but I decided I really don't need them. Asking $50 shipped in the US. PM me on my Facebook page if you're interested.

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And finally, yesterday I went to the Wacoal factory outlet sale at 50 Polito Ave, Lyndhurst, NJ. I'm obsessed with their ipant shapers and I was hoping to get some on the cheap. It's the perfect shaper -  so comfortable, smooths everything perfectly and stays in place. I called a couple months ago and asked to be put on the mailing list and for some reason I never got a card :( Luckily I called this week and found out it was already on. When I got there they were sold out of the shaper I wanted (black or the mid-thigh version) so I took a different one. Their pricing is 60% off retail, plus a bargain bin where everything is $5 or less. My well endowed SIL just asked for new bras so lucky her when I found a couple of these babies in exactly her size :)

I wanted the shorter version in black...

I got the longer leg one in nude.

For V - she loves patterned bras :)

I also grabbed a couple $5 basic nude bras for myself but next sale I plan on being there the first day to stock up. The are open to the public only 2x a year and today is the last day - and they close at 5 PM so if you're a Wacoal fan and you live nearby it's worth a look.

Have a great weekend! It's my birthday so I'm hoping I will too :)
-Shoppinggal

Summertime Sales and Reflections

I love summer. No homework (I hate kids homework!), I get to live in flip flops & beachy dresses and everything seems to go just a little slower. My kids are in camp for a couple weeks so I have lots of time to organize, shop and hang out with family. My husband has the summer off so every morning after we drop off the kids we do a little happy dance LOL.

Last week I scored my Chanel bracelets, went to the beach, did a little thrifting, my son fell out of a tree, and had a BBQ for my Grandmother's birthday. Thankfully my son is fine and just walked away with a few scrapes and bruises. Now maybe the kids will finally stop climbing that stupid tree at my BIL's house. The beach was fun - nobody drowned (always a plus with the kids) and I've always loved the feeling of the sand under my feet. I finally pulled out my Kate Spade sunhat that I found at the Rack last year for $5...and of course it blew into the ocean. It shrank a little :(

Love my Peter Pilotto tote!

Before camp started I had to take kids with me to the thrift store which is always a challenge. They get a bad case of the gimmies when everything is so cheap. My American Girl Doll lover was thrilled to find Felicity's Scenes and Settings for just $6! This is a hard to find retired item - it's basically a backdrop for the dolls and it goes for around $50 on Ebay and we found it just sitting on the floor by the books. Score!

It's half her size!

Grandma Rhoda is my last living grandparent. She's also my first style icon. As a child, Grandma always got me the latest European outfits and she was light years ahead of the fashion curve. I had tailored plaid skirts and leather neckties when all the girls were wearing frilly Jessica McClintock. She's 92 (but claims she's still 89 LOL) and she's a real character. Her mom lived until 103 so I figure she's not going anywhere just yet. In her youth she made friends with several NY clothing manufacturers. She would check out the windows at Saks and Bloomies then get the same designer pieces (custom cut) from the factories for close to cost. I've raided my grandmother's closet several times over the years and her stuff is amazing. Sadly I get my pear shape from my mother's side so there are many pieces that just don't work for my figure. I just wish she liked expensive bags. She said she never spent more than $100 on a bag. When I showed her my Balenciaga she thought I was nuts for spending $300 (I didn't even tell her it was an $1,800 bag). I'm sure she has some interesting pieces hiding but gone are my hopes for a vintage Chanel or Hermes.

Grandma just got out of the hospital after being trapped there for a week. When I visited her she was going stir crazy. As always, she insisted on doing everything for herself so when she had to go to the bathroom she unplugged herself (refusing to call a nurse for assistance) and went dragging her IV along with her LOL. She's been recuperating at my parent's house in NJ but I know she's itching to go back to her apartment in Brooklyn. Poor Grandma has lost so much weight that her clothing just hangs on her tiny frame. On Mother's Day we took her to Jersey Gardens Mall to shop and it was just too much for her. Here she is with my silly little Ella who is posing with a dollar from my dad and a paper bow she colored. Yes, Grandma still styles her hair everyday by herself. I'm happy to say she's been doing much better - I even saw her hobbling around without her cane.

Grandma Rhoda and Ella :)

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On the shopping front I've been hunting for clothing for my niece who is visiting from out of the country. She calls me rich Aunt Michelle. I keep trying to explain I'm actually thrifty Aunt Michelle who likes nice things. I was hoping to take her shopping so she can see how I operate and get her some pretty things but someone decided I was a bad influence and I'm not allowed to spend time alone with her. Instead I'll be bringing her bag loads of things for her to try on for her party on Sunday. I'm not going to share all her finds in case she reads this - I want to surprise her :) So now she's just going to keep thinking stuff just falls out of the sky and magically lands on her doorstep. Sigh.

Amidst my shopping travels I picked up a few goodies for me too :) H&M has more markdowns and $4 specials for the 4th of July. I grabbed a couple of these tunics. I wore the pink one with a slip (they are VERY sheer) and it's the cutest dress.

Stock pic of green print - very Missoni

Wore this one this week without the belt.

I also spotted lots of stuff for kids for $1-4. Take a peek at your H&M if you have the time :)


I'm closely watching Century 21 - things are now 30-65% off. That means 75-90% is coming soon!

Today started Clear the Racks at Nordstrom Rack - take 25% off all red ticket clearance now thru Saturday! I scouted the store yesterday to keep an eye out for what I would be taking home today :)

I picked up some gorgeous shoes for my girls and posted them on my Facebook page. So far the Blahniks are pending but the Fendi and Jimmy Choos are still available :) PM me there is you're interested.

Jimmy Choo size 39 Kafta

Fendi Size 39 Slingback Peep Toe Pump

Manolo Blahnik Size 38 patent leather Campari PENDING

I scored these Puma by Miharayasuhiro 'My 66' wedge sneakers for less than $40 (Retail $120) and I think they may be a little too big :( I'm a solid 9.5 in sneakers so I was sure these would fit. I've been looking for a wedge sneaker for a while and I was very excited to find these. I'm going to try with thicker socks so we'll see...

I also picked up a few odds and ends for 25% off. The polishes were around $1.50 each, The earrings were $5ish (they are jeweled lace and so light!), bracelet was less than $4 and the rose gold stack rings are so pretty - and only $12. I'm not even going to wear the ugly skull ring it comes with.

Oops - forgot to take a pic of the $1.50 blushes I got.

 Pre-Clear the Rack I scored a couple cute dresses - I'm really excited about this 94% off A.L.C. 'Ree' dress :)

She's even wearing my Fendi shoes!

Less than $40 from $635!

And for $15 I figured why not...

I was excited about this size 2 $675 Phillip Lim dress until I tried to get it over my bum. It's a little snug so PM me if you're interested. It would probably work best on a size 4 - it has a lot of stretch and a boxy cut. The patent collar is fraying a little at the edges but it was 91% off.

I also picked up this beautiful Dolce & Gabbana dress in size 40 (US 4/6?) for 85% off from $2475. It's too small for me so PM me if you're interested.

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And finally, new Julishland leather bracelets came the other day and they are so pretty! These are a little tighter than my last size small but still wearable. Here's my little model showing them off :)

Happy 4th of July folks! Enjoy all the weekend sales :)
Shoppinggal