Thrift Haul!

Hey ladies, so this weekend I went and decided to do a little thrift shopping. Over the years I have perfected the art of thrifting. I mean, I have it down to a science. I know exactly which stores to go to, I'm signed up for the email alerts, and I know what days they get new inventory. Yeah, my friends don't really get me. I have tried to explain the thrill of spending $15.00 on clothes that are worth $100.0+ retail. Even though thrifting is a popular pastime in the blogger world, I have found that many of my friends are still weirded out by thrifting...which is fine with me... more stuff for me!

Today was a particularly great day for thrifting and I found several things that I didn't expect to find, and some materials for my newest DIY project! Two of these items are also from Plato's Closet, which I mentioned before that I  LOVE. 

$2.99 brand new Target brand Jeans.

$5.00 must have chambray piece. 

Headband, $3.00 and Target jacket $5.00

Agaci oversized blouse, $8.00

Jessica Simpson Slim Fit Jeans, $8.00

Target Faux Leather Jacket, $4.99

Target Jacket, $5.99

How do you thrift shop in your town? Do you have any suggestions for getting the best finds?

Rocks Box Unboxing!

Hello loves! So recently a coworker of mine suggested that I try out the new Rocks Box subscription packages, and this weekend I just received my box. 

For those who don't know what Rocks Box is, it is a monthly subscription service, much like Birchbox, but with jewelry! 

You complete your online survey, and within a few days they send you a handpicked selection of high end jewelry for you to wear. You wear the jewelry for as long as you want and then when you are ready to return the items, you simply send them back in the prepaid postage and they send you new items. The cost of the box is $19.00 a month, and you can send the items back and forth as much as you want. If you want to buy the items that you get in the box, you can and at a discount. I will say that some of the items I received are definitely outside of my budget, but I have already found dupes for these items on Etsy, and I can wear the pieces that I have for as long as I want, so it's definitely worth it. 

The box that it comes in is so precious. I love the feeling of untying a bow. Definitely an endorphin release. Am I right? 

Look how cute the packaging is! So cute. 

I'm in love with this bracelet. It fits my personality and style perfectly and I know there are many things that I can style it with. 

This is really adorable and once again fits perfectly with my style. 

I am DYING over these. This picture does not do them justice. They are so perfect. 

Has anyone else out there used this subscription? Thoughts on more subscription boxes for me to try?

MONDAY SHOE UNBOXING- NOWAY FLATS

Hello ladies, today was not only the first day of school, but it was a Monday. Basically the worst, to top it all off I have been sick all weekend and I had an asthma attack. I basically felt like a 500 lb whale trying to walk across campus. So that being said, when these babies arrived earlier then expected today, I just had to share! I've posted about these before and I am just dying over these.

They are SO comfy! I'm usually a size 8.5 (or even bigger depending on the shoe), but I order this in a 8 and they fit like a glove. I actually ordered these off of Ebay (ebay is my jam guys) and I paid about $28.00 and they arrived brand new with all original packing. Normally, they retail at $60.00 or around that, so definitely a steal. 

I love the feeling of opening up a new shoe box. Honestly one of the best feelings in life. 

As you can see they are the black faux snakeskin with black studs. The material of the shoes are really high quality and feels like they will hold up for a long time. 

The shoes are zip-ups, which personally I prefer.

So gorgeous!

Does anyone out there have these? What are your thoughts on Jessica Simpsons other shoes? Personally, I never really cared for her line till I found these. 

Let me know in the comments below!

Back to School HAUL

Hello loves, just wanted to do an update of some of the things I stocked up on this weekend, and some new purchases that I'm going to try out so I can do a review on. Let me know if you have tried any of these beauty products, and if you liked them!

I recently purchased this at my local health food store and I'm really curious how this will treat my skin. It's slogan is "Like a vitamin pill for the skin." Clearly they sold me. The smell is amazing and so far it is not greasy at all. I'll do an update on this in about a month!

{Also no animal testing with this company, thank the lord}

I 've never used either of these items so I'm really curious to see how they hold up. The mascara was from Milan, and since I've never had any of their mascaras before I figured they deserved a try. {the sale price of $4.99 helped too}

The L'Oreal hairspray was also a cheap buy at $3.99, but I have had good luck with L'Oreal in the past, so I'm hoping they don't let me down.

Has anyone out there tried this before? I have really been looking for a long lasting eye liner that will actually stay all day. The last few eyeliners I use have been smearing off leaving me looking like a raccoon. {not the look I'm going for}. I'm hoping this works out, and I'll keep you guys updated!

I bought these two items from Plato's Closet today, and I am really excited. If you have a Plato's Closet in your town, I highly recommend going. The bracelet was $3.00 and the shirt was $5.00. I mean it doesn't get much better then that. 

Oh Forever21. You can be the best and you can be the worst. Either way I never fail to have minor anxiety attacks from your store, and I am always overwhelmed. I went in today and didn't find many items I was impressed with, but I did find these two pieces, which I think I will get good use out of (until they fall apart of course)

I recently saw this on ThatsHeart blog, she said they are super pigmented and long wearing and I'm so excited to try this one out. I'll update on my opinion, but I have high hopes so far!

What are you guys stocking up for this week? With school starting soon it's a good idea to have everything ready to go! Let me know and leave me a comment below :)

ART SPOTLIGHT

Today, I really want to share an artist who is a personal favorite of mine. I discovered them via Artchipel (here), who features a different artist and his/her art work every day. I am absolutely in love with this site, and I find that it is an excellent way to explore new artists and to find out about up and coming artists across the world. 

The artist I wanted to showcase today is, Alyssa Monks, a Brooklyn based artist who uses a variety of mediums to achieve her surreal art. Her obsession with recreating realism is absolutely stunning, and achieves artwork that is like none other. Ms. Monks surely has her own reasoning for her paintings, and these are only the emotions that I was struck with.
I was immediately hit with a mixture of emotions that related to the constraints of femininity, as well as the struggles that women face everyday. Her recreation of steam, water  and cellophane, somehow struck home with me. The simple recreation of material objects, and various forms of water molecules was somehow a representation of looking behind a veil. A representation of women who are trapped behind the murky expectations that we as a society are suppressed to fulfill, because our gender requires it. With the stroke of a paintbrush, Mrs. Monks brings to life sexuality, stereotypes, pain, joy, and the constraints of our gender. This art is inspiring, its mind blowing, and it's whatever you want to see it as. She has blended a mixture of mediums into something that is beyond real, but is yet surreal and real at the same time.

 {Please not all of these images were gathered from here and I have no association with Artchipel or the artist, I'm simply an admirer hoping to spread these beautiful pieces}

Back to School UpDATE

Hello Pretties, I wanted to do an update on what I'm planning on wearing for my first day back to campus this fall, what do you guys think? Some of the links below for the items can be pricey, but I was able to find dupes for these on Ebay and at local shops around my home town.

What do you think? What will you be wearing on the first day back?

THURSDAYS THOUGHTS

Hello everyone today I wanted to do a quick blog about something that has been weighing heavy on my mind.  That thing is kindness. More specifically women-women kindness. I interact a lot with women, at my job, in my career and just in general on my college campus. Often times I've noticed that some of the most hostile and unfriendly people in a group are when girls meet other girls. Its like a bell goes off in our head.. and BAM WE HAVE TO BE HOSTILE. I mean god forbid we are nice to each other. I mean it's not like the only supporter that really understand what a women goes through in this world is OTHER WOMEN. 

Laddddies, we should be our support system. We are the only other beings on this planet that can reach out and understand the pain of that special time of the month (bring on the chocolate), understand exactly why we are truly upset. I mean I get it, not all women are the same, we all have different issues and likes. I've always been a bit more tom boyish then other girls, but that doesn't mean that I don't like to surround myself with supportive women in my life. Sure, I've got lots of guy friends (and I love them to death!) but hey if when I'm ready to drink an ungodly amount of wine and talk about meaningless stuff, I don't call my guy friends...I call my girlfriends. Even though I have an amazing support system surrounding myself, I still find myself in situations were I can't find a friendly female face in the crowd. Were I feel like every girl is judging my outfit, or my hair, or just downright hates me. Maybe these are my own insecurities, but I sure don't feel those insecurities around men. I can walk through a crowd and feel like Beyonce any day, but that confidence is often looked down upon by other women, or other women avoid me because that confidence is mistaken for just plain bitchyness.

Ladies, I think its time that we support each other. WE ARE ALL WE HAVE. No one else in this world will understand trying to safely transport your tampon from a dinner party to a bathroom. NO on else will understand that sometimes you just want to eat your body weight in queso and watch Ryan Goslings movies. There are truly some things that your girls will only get. 

That being said, I think we should all challenge ourselves this week to being kind to each girl that we meet. This may be a smile, or just a kind word to someone you normally would over look. I think if we all did this to just one person a day that we would make a huge difference in this world. 

What do you guys think? Share some times this has happened to you, and what you think we can do to change this! 

Cheers, 

Jean