Fashion: Tips for Bargain Shopping

I recently discovered the BEST bargain shopping location ever. Sadly, it's all the way in Arizona (for those of you who live there RUN to Last Chance). When Jay and I were visiting my mom and step-dad she took us to her new favorite place to score a major deal. I was in awe of all of the super low prices however, it wasn't easy to find things I wanted to buy. Here's the thing, when you go to a bargain store, you're usually hunting through racks of clothes and shoes and you might walk away with an item or two if you're lucky. You need to have lot of patience and time but trust me, it's well worth it! 

I usually ask myself if there is anything missing from my wardrobe or if there is anything I've been wanting to add to my collection. During this visit, I wanted some new dresses for the summer and my honeymoon so I went to that section first. I found a ton of dresses to try on (including a wedding dress!) and was excited about the possible options I had. 

Make sure to check ALL of the racks. Even the ones that say they are for a specific size. I found most of my favorite items on the wrong rack! If I didn't take the time to look, I would have never found these great items. A lot of shoppers will find something, walk away from the rack it actually belongs on and for one reason or another put it back. However, they usually put it in the wrong place -- so make sure to check all of the racks! 

It's so worth your time and energy to dig. I found four amazing dresses that cost $12.97 each! I would have never been able to buy these full price at the department store and I couldn't be happier with the ones I found. The black dress on the bottom was previously a contender as a bridesmaids dress (in coral). It was around $150 and we decided to go with different ones. I can't believe I found the exact dress in black for so cheap! And even though the wedding dress that I found would have only been $60, it didn't seem worth it to ship, get altered and cleaned to only wear a few hours during my reception. My original dress is beautiful on its own. :) 

See -- told you it was worth it! Some of my other favorite bargain stores for fashion and beauty products are TJ Maxx, Ross, Marshalls and of course outlet stores. 

Do you like bargain shopping? Do you have any other favorite stores or tips to share? Leave them in the comments! 

Review: Physicians Formula: Shimmer Strips in Nude

My mom picked up the Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips nude palette for part of my birthday present and I was so excited to try it out. She had seen reviews comparing it to the Urban Decay Naked Palette (read Adrianne’s review here) and thought I would want to give it a try. I was intrigued because the Urban Decay palette looks awesome and I’ve been debating if I should drop the money and invest in it myself. This was a much more affordable version for a fifth of the price!

The biggest difference was the size. The Physicians Formula version was way smaller and instead of 12 shadows it included 9. The dark shades are also smaller than the other shadows and it was hard to use my normal brush to apply it. This wasn't a deal breaker though.

I haven’t tried out all of the shadows on the palette yet but so far I really like the product. It was really natural looking and when I wore it with primer it really enhanced the colors. There are three different sets of colors with a light, medium and dark shade to enhance the look. I have used the first two sets of colors so far and am waiting for a date night to wear the deeper color shades ;)

I’m excited that there is such variety and plan on mixing and matching different shades in the palette to experiment with different looks. They are all very bendable and easy to apply.

When I compare this palette to some other pricey eye shadows that I own -- it doesn’t disappoint. I thought for sure that I would be able to tell a difference in the product and that it wouldn’t last that long. I was proven wrong. More expensive does not always equal a better deal. 

 Have you tried any of the Shimmer Strips from Physicians Formula? Are there any other affordable cosmetics you swear by?

Fashion: Red Hot Sales!

I'll let you in on a little secret. Now is the time to shop and score some major deals in stores. They will soon be putting out their fall clothes (CRAZY!) and they are starting to get rid of their spring and summer inventory. Another great time of year is right after the holidays but I happen to think you can score some great stuff right now.

Jay and I took advantage of our day off and got a ton of really great stuff for even better prices. Here's a breakdown of the great deals I found:




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1. Loft: Ruffle Button Down Short Sleeve Top $9.88
2. Loft: Sun-Kissed Flower Print Pencil Skirt $14.88
3. Loft: Linen/Cotton Embroidered Drape Back Dress  in white $32.99
4. Gap: Stretch Twill Espadrilles in natural $19.19
5. Banana Republic: Sloan Fit Straight-leg Black Pants $22.49
6. Macy's Beaded Turquoise Necklace $15.00 (mine is all turquoise)

Have you taken advantage of these great deals yet? Is ther any other time of year you like to stock up on items?

Wedding: My Bargain Wedding Shoe Find

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Calling all brides out there: let me tell you a little secret ... it's possible to wear high end accessories on your wedding day for a fraction of the price. How you ask?

Enter discount stores such as Nordstrom Rack, TJMaxx, Marshalls, etc. I frequently visit these places to see if there are any good deals going on and just happened to find some amazing shoes for my wedding.

Here's the thing though. You have to be patient and you have to hunt. Sometimes I go into these stores and sadly walk out empty handed. However, if you're willing to wait you can find incredible deals.

The shoes I found are Vera Wang and retail for well over $300. I paid $99. Yes - for the same shoes you can still find online and at major department stores for three times more. This is insane. They are not last season and there is nothing wrong with them.

I wasn't even searching for wedding shoes when I found them but I was freaking out when I did. I knew they had to be mine immediately -- it was too good of a deal to pass up on. I have about a year still to look but I didn't think I would find shoes that looked as good for the price between now and then so I scooped them up.

It's worth the hunt - trust me! When you're spending hundreds (read: thousands) of dollars on all other aspects of your wedding - saving a few bucks here and there adds up quick!

I can't share photos of the actual shoes on the blog because my loving fiancé (Hi Jay!) reads this and I don't want him to see. I've got to leave some elements of surprise out there for him!

Have you found an incredible deal at a discount store? What's your favorite bargain item to hunt for?