Denim, Floral, and Grey

Temps here in eastern NC were a tad on the cool side this past weekend. Thankfully, the past two days have been absolutely lovely!

Top: Target   Scarf: Plato's Closet, Similar, Only 10 Dollars!  Pants: TJ Maxx, Similar

Jacket: Similar   Purse: Similar  Flats: Target

This was a simple little outfit taken by my wonderful photographer, aka my husband Casey. "Hey, hon, do you mind doing something completely random? Would you take a picture of my outfit? For my blog?" (Side note: I've got to take more outfit pictures outside! The quality comes out so much nicer! Blogger tips 101 that I'm slowly discovering.)

Let's take a moment to discuss this beautiful scarf. I found it at Plato's Closet for 4 dollars! Because you know how much I love that place. It has a nice fullness to it without being too hot and heavy, which just so happens to be my combination for the perfect Spring/Summer scarf. I didn't have a tag on it of any kind so I'm not sure what brand it is or where it originally came from. All I know is that this little beauty is now all mine.

I'm really in love with the floral + stripes trend now, and a floral scarf like this one paired with a striped shirt, skirt, or dress is the perfect way to do that! Now that I think of it, I should have worn a striped top that day instead of a solid. How cute would that have been? Oh well.

Also, I got these grey jeans from TJ Maxx for my birthday this past year. I. Absolutely. Love. Them. They're such an easy way to get out of the jeans and cotton top rutt that I find myself getting into when it's not quite warm enough for shorts, skirts, or dresses.

Thanks for stopping by :) Hope you have a great rest of the week!

Second Hand Steals

So recently I was looking through my closet and decided I have way too many solid options and not enough prints. I mean, I love a classic solid tee because it basically goes with anything. Is it possible to have too many?

Yes.

Solids with solids gets really boring after awhile. Thus my little shopping trip to Plato's Closet and these little beauties you see before you.

Skirts $8 a piece, Scarf $4!

I've been pinning a lot of outfits on Pinterest (Follow me here!) that entail floral skirts with stripes, graphic tees, and even solid tops. Because of course I have tons of those.

The floral skirt is from H&M. I feel like this pictures doesn't really do it justice. The coral skirt is really adorable too, and I can see myself pairing it with a turquoise top for a fun color combo!

How beautiful is this scarf? Four dollars.

Just in case you wanted to see what they looked like on. There's nothing I love more than an A-line skirt in the summer! So cool, comfy, and chic! (Love my alliteration there?) :)

Little Deal Finder

I love shopping. It's just a known fact.

Due to my budget, however, I can't afford to spend a ton of money every month on clothes. This means that when I do go shopping, I want to try to get the most that I can out of my money. With experience, I've learned that with a little digging, you can get a lot of cute stuff!

I took a little shopping trip to Kohl's earlier today and had awesome luck! The stuff in that store is usually overpriced to me for what it is, but if you dig you can find some great things!

That top was on sale for 9.99, and the bathing suit bottom was stinkin A LITTLE LESS THAN FOUR DOLLARS. Plus, it's so super adorable!

Overall, I spent about 24 bucks for a cute top, a bathing suit bottom, and three pieces of jewelry. I don't know about you but I think that's pretty awesome!

Earrings for $2.40, 80% off? Heck yes.

Here's a few tips I have for find good deals when shopping:

1) Search through all of the clearance items first. I like to see signs like "60 percent off!" and especially with an extra 20-50 percent. Know that not everything on the clearance rack is a great deal. For instance, when I went to Kohl's, there were pieces still 20-30 dollars with no extra percentage off. If it's something you really love and it fits you like a glove, and especially if it's good quality, then go for it! I'm just saying keep looking and you might find something discounted even more that you love just as much! I usually go through every rack at least twice to make sure I didn't miss anything!

2) Always take a trip to the jewelry section. There have been times that I went to a store that I would never think to buy jewelry from, and then I find that they have a ton of really cute stuff for super cheap! For example, the Payless here in Greenville is absolutely amazing about having jewelry on sale. I've gotten necklaces and earrings for 5 dollars and below before! Of course I went in to look at shoes, but you can't pass up a necklace for $2.50! (I was asked at the Loft once if I bought it from them! It's beautiful!) Basically, I would say I never pay more than 10-15 dollars for a piece of jewelry, especially if it's a trend, and as you see above I get some really cute stuff!

3) Get the Retail Me Not App on your phone! I just downloaded this, and it's amazing! Just put in which stores you like and it gives you online codes, coupons, and information about sales.

4) Know what you're missing in your closet. This is probably the most important aspect because it helps you search the sale racks, which can many times be disorganized and overwhelming. Do you need a graphic tee, or a floral skirt, or maybe a jacket to complete your outfit? Skim over the options looking for these things in mind so you can get the must-have item at a good price!


Hope you enjoy these little steals and tips for finding things like them!

New Makeup Bag! (Plus a few new products!)

While in TJ Maxx the other day, I found this adorable little makeup bag. For only 7.99, I might add.

I've been needing a new makeup bag for awhile now. The last one I had was a Clinique bag, so it was kind of cute, but not really "me". Not to mention I got it at the Goodwill in almost perfect condition for I think 99 cents? Not a bad deal, but it was time for a new one!

Pink, navy, and white. I don't think this bag could be any more me! I also love that this one has two compartments so I can put my face makeup like foundation, powder, concealer, etc. in one and things like eyeliner, mascara, and my eyelash curler in the other.

Also, since then I've made a little trip to Ulta and picked up some new stuff! I really went to pick up my birthday gift, this Ulta brand eyeshadow palette. I have to admit that I was a tad bummed because last year I got a Calvin Klein full-size mascara and next month they're giving away an Urban Decay product. Sigh. Well, I guess you can't really complain when you get something free!

Here's the eyeshadow palette. Maybe I'll write a post separately about it, maybe a review or some pictures using it. Of course I'll have to try them out first so we'll see how it goes!

Last but not least, here's my little stash of products I picked up at Ulta!

1. Cetaphil Daily Cleanser : My sister raves about this face wash. I've been breaking out for awhile now and can't seem to clear things up! Hopefully this will do the trick!

2. Tweezerman Eyelash Curler : I absolutely love love love my Tweezerman tweezers. Wouldn't trade them for anything! They work better to grab the individual eyebrow hairs which means less pain. I'm hoping this eyelash curler is just as great quality!

3. Revlon Nail Enamel in Fuchsia Fever : So all Revlon products (as well as Almay and Physician's Formula brands) are 40 percent off! Which means I snagged this nail polish for 2.99. I don't actually own a nail polish in a hot pink color like this, and I thought it would be perfect for summer. Can't wait to give it a try!

4. Utla Eyeshadow palette : Birthday special, not available online. Wrote a little about it above!

5. Revlon Lipgloss in Pink Pop : I must have really been feeling the hot pink! I got it because I wanted something really bright, but when I put it on it actually looked decently natural. Despite that fact, I really love it! It's moisturizing while still adding a great amount of color.

There's a little picture I snapped really fast in the bathroom. Ignore the hair frizz, please.

I love that it adds a pop of color to my black and white outfit!

What makeup colors are you drawn to now that the weather's warming up? :)

An Affordable Makeup Routine

I don't consider myself a pro or anything, but I just really enjoy the makeup application process! Thanks to a few beauty blogs I follow, I've really come a long way. (My two favorites are Kate at The Small Things and Essie Button...if you know of any more good ones please leave a comment below!)

For my daytime makeup, I typically keep it as natural as possible. I believe that makeup should not be used to amplify natural beauty, not to make someone look like an entirely different person. But I could do an entirely different post about that :) So let's stick to my general daily makeup routine.

1. Revlon's Nearly Naked Foundation : Foundation is definitely one of, if not the most important factors to your makeup routine. This is worth investing a little money into! If you just can't afford to pay 40 dollars on makeup product no matter how wonderful they may be, I totally understand. I'm right there with you. I have tried a few other drugstore foundations and BB creams, but this one has been my very favorite. It has a lightweight coverage that looks naturally beautiful! I get the color Ivory because I'm pale folks fo real.

2. Revlon's Powder Blush : Blush is essential to add some color back to my face in the right places after I apply my foundation. If you're new to blush and maybe a little afraid of it, I would start with the color Naughty Nude, or something similar to this pale pink, almost brown-ish color. The key to applying blush correctly is to smile, start applying at the cheekbone, and then come up to form an L-shape up to your forehead. I then blend it in really well by kind of randomly swiping back and forth. (If this makes no sense to you, there are plenty of visual examples on Pinterest, or try Kate's blog!)

3. L'Oreal Eye Liner : I'm not sure that the brand matters as much to me, but I definitely always go for a kohl eyeliner (I usually call it the marker kind...ha!) In my experience, it is a good combination of being easy to apply, decently forgiving, and a good amount of color. I like to get eyeliner in gray if I can find it because it's not as harsh as black on my skin tone, but black is perfect for dramatic smokey or cat eyes! The color you choose is completely up to preference/what works best with your hair and complexion.

4. L'Oreal Colour Riche Lip Balms : I love colored lip balms! They are perfect for daytime because they add just a hint of color while also moisturizing! I own this is Caring Coral, but it's really not as orange as I expected. Perfect! I also really like Revlon's ColorBurst Lipgloss.

5. Maybelline's Eyeshadow in Mocha Motion : For most days, I just swipe the brown color in the upper right-hand corner all over my lid and then apply the off-white color to my inner and outer eye corners as well as under my eyebrows. If I want a little bit of a smokey eye effect, I'll apply the gray color to my crease. Perfect combination! There's even a black included if you want to transition your look from day to night.

6. E.L.F. Eyeshadow Primer : And I wouldn't dream of using shadow without first applying this primer! Best thing is that it's only a dollar! I also use the E.LF. makeup brushes, which are also 1-3 dollars. Amazing!

7. L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara : I've tried a few different ones, but I'll always come back to this one! Perfect balance of length and volume, and I sure do need both!


So there you have it, my basic daily makeup routine which takes me around 10 minutes to do. The great part is that every single one of these products are under 10 dollars! What drugstore makeup products do you use on a daily basis?

Goodwill Scores

On my day off of both school and work,, I found some awesome books at the Goodwill in town!

1) The Story of Jonah : I remember reading this exact book when I was a kid, probably a dozen times. I thought that I'd keep it for my little sister to read...or perhaps even for my own kids a very, very long time from now! Children should learn from a very early age of the importance of obeying God wherever He may call.

2) Red Letters : This one is for my boyfriend Casey. I hadn't  heard of the author, but according to the back cover, he is the president of a Christian-based child-advocacy organization that helps orphans in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Africa. Author Tom Davis urges Christians to truly live out the "red letters" spoken by Christ in His Word by radically and recklessly reaching out to the abused, lonely, and hurting.

3) Radical : I must admit I already own one copy, but 75 cents for another copy in practically new condition is something I just couldn't pass up! This is a Christian non-fiction must read, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to have a spare to give to someone who hasn't yet experienced its compelling truth.

4) Persuasion : A Jane Austen classic that I actually have yet to read, this was a deal worth snagging!

5) The Reptile Room : This is the second book of the "Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket. I would love to have the other books to complete the series, but this is a good start :)

6) The Devil Wears Prada : I've seen this movie countless times, but I was so excited to find the book! 9 times out of 10, the book is tremendously much better than the movie. Even that may be a generous understatement, because I can't name one movie that is better than its parallel book.


So there you are, folks. The best part is that I got all six of these books for only 75 cents each! This was almost as excited as purchasing a 12 pack of Dr. Peppers from Target today for only 2.75 :) What can I say?

 

six awesome used books + Dr. Peppers on sale = pure bliss for this girl