Cheap Thrills

Went to the local Salvation Army on the way to visiting my parents and picked up a few things.  I love the one that's by my parents because I don't think I've ever walked out of there empty handed.  There are always one or 2 unique things I pick up.  I have a shopping problem and it's a good way to satisfy the need to shop without going broke.

First up is this top for $6 which looks plain jane but check out the back.  That's what I am talking about.... 

 

This purse is something I can use for special occasions or as a regular day to day purse seeing as how it still has straps.  This cost me a whopping $3.

Le Chateau Dress that I can wear to weddings or with a cardigan and leggings in the winter.  $6

 

Winter jacket that was half off for $10.  I like that there's a belt to cinch the waist because I have big hips, I find if my waist is not cinched, then I look like a big blob.

Finally, miscellaneous yarn ranging from $1-$2.  I want to knit a scarf again but don't want to spend $20 buying yarn from the store.  For that price, I might as well just buy a scarf from the store.

  Total spent: $33.95.  Not too shabby.

I heart California

I am sure people that live there can complain about the not so warm temperatures and the heavy winds but as a Canadian from up north where I've already turned on my heater at night, California this time of year was amaze-balls.

First off shopping is amazing.  I stopped by the local CVS and bought my Revlon Whipped Foundation for $10 ($14 with a $4 off coupon) which is pretty darn amazing considering Shoppers has them for $19.99 at regular price.  Even with the sale, I wouldn't be able to get it for the same price as in the US.

Here are some pictures from the trip....

First off, did you know that they have ipads at the pearson airport waiting area!  You can even order food on there and have it delivered to your table!  Pretty darn sweet.

Next up is the view from our brunch spot, Schooner or Later.

This was our sweet ride for the weekend.  I've always wanted a mini cooper for a car.

However, the inside took a little getting used to.  I didn't like that the control for the window was not on the windows as expected!

This was the sweet view from our resort.  See that?  Yup, that's the beach within walking distance!

Last was a stop at the Rubys Diner at the end of the Balboa Pier.  Had a nice apple pie a la mode while we enjoyed the view.

Tips for the gym

I am all for cute outfits @ the gym.  I shamelessly admit I have spent more than I should at Lulu but please do not wear pants that show your asscrack.  It's one thing when you squat and your ass shows, it's another thing when you start running or do any sort of movement and your pants start drooping & your ass shows.  Worse is when you decide to be at the front of the class and everybody behind you is subjected to it. 

Yup, that's my little rant...

More skinny cravings

I don't normally shop at Zara.  While I've always liked their clothing, for some reason I always thought it was pricey and wouldn't bother going in there.  Yesterday I was at The Eaton Center with time to kill before meeting a friend and went in.  I was surprised at how reasonably priced they were.  Not quite H&M but probably cheaper than Banana Republic.

While roaming the store, they added to my skinny jeans/pants wants that I am looking for this summer.  They had a pair of leggings with two zippers on them similar to the F21 post below but not in my size :(  I liked it so much that I stopped by Fairview on my way home to see if they had it but no luck there as well.  Guess it wasn't meant to be.  Here are a few other things that caught my eye....

If only I was ballsy enough to wear white pants

Wish this came in the material as the white pants so I could wear it to work

Want: Bright Colored Skinnys

Each season, I buy a few trendy pieces that I dig.  Typically I don't spend much because I don't know if I'll want it for more than a season.  If it's something I see myself wearing several seasons, I have no problem spending the money.  But bright colored skinnys aren't something I am sure I'll wear long term.  Either way, I am itching for a pair or two.

I also have a weakness for zippers and cheapness so I think I might get the one pictured above from Forever 21.  At $34, it's something I can fit into my budget.

Shoemint is apparently in Canada

and I am really tempted to sign up but then I tell myself $80 for a pair of shoes is money I could spend elsewhere and I come back down to reality.  For anybody that uses this in Canada, tell me how you like it.

Thinking about dyeing my shirt

I have this gorgeous white cream shirt that got a stain and I was lazy in washing it immediately and now it just won't go away :(  The thing is, I love this shirt so I googled for options and am thinking about buying some Rit dye and trying to dye it to see if I can bring it back to life.  It was originally white and over multiple washes sometimes not with other whites, it's changed into this creamy color which sounds gross but still looks good.  But this stain is a nono.  I am a little scared the shirt won't dye evenly and it will look a hot mess.  I am going to try stopping by Fabric Land one of these days and seeing if I can find some of this Rit dye that is all over the interwebs.

Want > Fold Over Clutch

Express is now in Canada and you Toronto folks can go to Fairview Mall to check it out.  I was never super impressed by them on my shopping trips to the US but I popped in to see what it brought to Canada and there is this clutch!  The most absolute gorgeous sparkly thing I've laid eyes on.  The issue is its $80 and I can't justify that so after pawing it, I walked out the store.  For $80, I might as well spend a little extra and get a BCBG one.

I did pick up a card to use before the end of January that gives me $40 off a $100 which if I am still lusting over this week, I might go back and get.

Boxing Day Shopping

So I was only out for about an hour but I did my fair share of shopping.  I can't stand crowds and I often find my sizes are gone if I shop later in the day, so I was at the mall bright and early at 8am when it opened.  I thought I was early but there were already lots of people at the mall.  Old Navy opened earlier than the mall and there was already huge line ups to the cash register that I didn't even bother looking inside. 

After going to a few stores at the mall, I stopped by some outlets that were near by.  I wanted some sweatpants from Roots but alas, they were not on sale.  The Jacob outlet however, rocked!  It was 50% off everything and if you don't mind buying items a season late, I'd recommend going there.

The damage

• 2 tops from Medicino ($50)
• 1 top from Smart Set ($10)
• A gazillion things from Jacob ($36).  Ok not a gazillion but seriously their outlets kicked ass.  I bought Ts for $2.50 and even this dress I had been eyeing when it was over a $100.  It would've rung up for $12 but when I looked at the receipt when I got home, I didn't see it on there.  I wonder if the lady missed it because I bought a bunch of items from there.  Regardless it would've been the most expensive thing I bought there.
• Ratchet and Clank All for One from Amazon.ca ($33 but paid for using the gift cards I got from swagbucks)
• Assassins Creed Revelations from EB Games ($20)

Work out capri tights

Now that it's colder, I sometimes want to wear something longer than my short shorts at the gym.  I like capris but my issue with the ones I have are they get stretched out in the calf area and end up looking a little strange.  Hard to explain but perhaps I'll have to take a pic of the ones I have to show what I mean.  I have a pair of adidas capris that were amazing at first and the dreaded stretched calf area happened.

If I ever find a good deal on them, I want to try under armor capris.  I have a few tops I bought when I was at their outlets in the US and they are fantastic.  Feel great, hold up well in the wash and look stylish.  Maybe on boxing day.

I spotted boy shorts swim bottoms @ Joe Fresh again

Last summer I posted that I found boy short bottoms @ Joe Fresh & I ended up buying two pairs because the price was right & it's hard to find boy short style bottoms. Well on my way out of Loblaws this weekend, I noticed they had super cute swim gear displayed already and sure enough they have a boy short bottom option as well for the basic colors! Last years style had a foldover thingie at the top that was super cute so slightly different but still solid.

Boy Short swim bottoms spotted @ Joe Fresh

I only ever wear boyshort swim bottoms when it comes to swim wear. I can't do bikini bottoms. They make me uncomfortable and erk me out. I like them on other people, just not me. Call it my insecurities if you want. The thing is, I have no problem wearing a super skimpy top. Go figure....

These guys are pretty hard to find though, so normally when I find a pair that fits nicely, I fork over $ for it because I don't dare wait for them to go on sale. Chances are the colour & size I want is almost always gone by the time sales come around. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found a pair at Joe Fresh recently @ less than $20. I can't remember the exact price but I remember trying to make a mental note. They only had a navy blue one when I was at the store but said they were hoping to get other colors shortly. If I see a black one in stock, I'll definitely be buying one!

Retail Therapy

I went to the mall with some of my new found cash and bought some things using the excuse that I was gearing up for spring. I also just went through my wardrobe this weekend and packed up a bag full of clothes to donate to goodwill which means closet space for some new digs and less guilt seeing an over flowing closet.

First up is a shawl sweater from Costa Blanca on sale for $20. I love shawl sweaters because they are comfy and......have I mentioned they're comfy?


Next is a tunicy type top similar to below to wear with tights! I am giving into the tights trend. I am not a fan of tights and think it's ridiculous that girls think tights=pants but I loved this tunic and feel it's too short to wear as a dress but at the same time too long and flowy to wear as a top. Dilema! I couldn't resist as the top was only $10! So tights wins unless I can think of a creative wear to wear this without subjecting the world to too much skin.

Finally, I got two sports bras on sale at Aerie. I am really digging aerie. At first I thought it was just a trendy little store for tweens but I was very impressed with a sports bra that I bought there last year that I decided to go back for more. It helps that it was on sale and they gave me a gift card that has a minimum of $10 for a future purchase and a free undie!

First snow fall...

It was wishful thinking to hope that the snow free days would last through December. The drive into work this morning wasn't too bad because I imagine lots of people are on holidays with the Christmas season close by. There are a ton of people at work taking days off because they can't carry over them over into 2010 so it's either use it or loose it! That's why I think the roads weren't as crammed as it could have been. The snow also turned into rain half way through my drive, making things easier. However when I got to my parking lot and trekked into the building, my socks & pants were soaked from snow getting into my shoes, reminding me that I still need a good pair of winter boots

Last year I debated investing in a good pair of boots. I ended up going through the winter freezing my little piggies because I never bought that pair. This winter, I am in the same spot thinking about a good pair of winter boots that will keep me warm & dry.

I still really like the North Face Hailey Boot below from last year retailing at a whopping $165!

A new favorite this year is also the North Face Payton boot retailing for $140.
I still can't stomach the retail prices for these even though reality is if I want warm + waterproof, I am going to need to bite the bullet. The plan for the moment is to hold off for a few more weeks and see if I can get them in the US when I am there for the holidays. I am crossing my fingers for my wallet & toes.

LG Fashion Week 2009

LG Fashion Week in Toronto starts tomorrow and I am hoping to catch some of the festivities later on in the week. I was walking by the venue today and I saw Jason Meyers from Project Runways Canada season 2! We were both waiting for the light to turn green....I felt silly going up to him and saying 'Hi' so I just watched from a distance. I am assuming he has a show this week and was doing rehearsals because he and his friends were carrying clothing & shoes & laundry bags, ect.

My favorite Project Runway designer is still Evan Biddell from season 1 though....

Costa Blanca Goodness

Seems like all I've been spending money on lately besides food is clothes! I guess it's the change in seasons that's got me riled up. Fall is my favorite season, along with spring. I don't like it when it's too hot or too cold.

So little old me was at the mall and what do I spot? 40% off everything at Costa Blanca! I have no shame, I am a Costa Blanca fan! Lots of people group them with UB, Sirens, Suzy Shier ect. but I find that their quality and style is often better. You can find Costa Blanca scattered throughout my wardrobe when it comes to tops: cardigans, shirts, long sleeved tops, sweater vests...you name it. Bottoms however are a different story as I find their pants are flimsy and not great quality. Maybe things have changed but I typically don't even bother trying them on. I have a few cardigans from Jacob and I would pick the Costa Blanca ones in my closet over the Jacob ones any day. They have also stood the test of time. The Jacob ones started out strong but after lots of washes, it looks dull and out of shape unlike the Costa Blanca ones which still looks new.

The 40% is only off regular priced items which I didn't realize till I took my items up to the cashier. I bought a regular priced wrap around ($17), a shirt (on sale for $9) and flats (on sale for $20) that I've had my eye on for a while. All in all, I am a happy girl.

Costco Girls Bomber Jackets

Went to costco today to pick up some medication. If you don't know, they have cheaper dispensing rates so the meds work out to be slightly cheaper than if I had gone to Shoppers for example. I was given a 20minute wait time to come back and pick up my meds so off I went to browse the store....

I like costco because their quality is typically great and also because you never know what hidden gems you'll discover. I am a big fan of their Tuff Athletics line for yoga pants and also if you don't know they're having a great deal on Heys Bags right now. My family ended up buying 3 bags! We orignally bought one over the weekend, loved the deal so much that we went back and bought two more. Check out this post at Listen To Lena if you want more details.

Anyhoos back to my browsing. Their girls bomber jacket similar to what's pictured above is on sale for $20 and I couldn't resist having a casual fall jacket to wear. I mean it's not something I'd wear to the office but for the weekend or just being casual, it's perfect. It's a girls jackets and either girls have gotten bigger or I've gotten tinier but I had no problems fitting into the jacket and in fact, I actually didn't get the largest size possible because it was too big for me!

H&M Hobo Bag

So I went a little overboard with the shopping yesterday. This is what happens when you have 3 hours to kill and you're in a mall. I bought a bunch of things but the highlight was my purse from H&M.

It's a Hobo type bag and I love it! The length is adjustable so I can make it shorter for a more formal look and long to take it easy and casual. The picture on the left are Nine West bags but it's the closest picture I could find online to how mine looks. I've been on the lookout for a larger purse/bag for quite some time now. I like my current purse/bag but it's not big enough for all my goodies. i.e. if I decide to carry a waterbottle w/ me or a book to read on the subway. So I decided it was time to upgrade. I went into store after store trying on purse after purse with no luck. I came really close to purchasing something at Aldo but something about their bulkiness turned me off. I want something big but not something ginormous. I found something that I was semi happy with at Le Chateau and it was on sale for half off @ $50 so I bought it. Then I went into H&M which was my last stop and low and behold there's the purse I needed. And only one left in grey! I don't know why but I get a kick out of purchasing the last item of a size or colour. I laugh to myself that nobody else will have it....from that store anyways.

So I promptly purchased the H&M purse @ $35 and returned the Le Chateau one that I was never really satisfied with and saved myself $10. I am just a little concerned about the material. I don't know how long it'll last but I am willing to give it a chance. I was willing to pay a few hundred dollars for a good quality purse but the high end stores left me disappointed. There was a Marc Jacobs hobo bag I saw online I thought about getting but I really wanted something to try on and see for myself and was why I ended up going with the H&M one.

I am crossing my fingers that this lasts. I've been using my current purse for 2+ years.

Roots = No, Jacob = Yes

Remember my post about Roots Yoga and not being sure if they still exist as I couldn't find the line on their corporate website... however, I found out they have their own yoga studio :S Well on my way home from work yesterday I stopped by the Roots outlet hoping that if they were phasing their yoga clothing out, I could find stock at their outlets. Well no success and the employee tells me the line is still being sold at corporate stores. Not only were there no yoga clothes at the outlet, the prices on their clothing weren't that great to be honest.

I also ducked into the Jacob Outlet store because they occasionally have amazing deals (i.e. 50% off entire store multiple times a year). Well no 50% off this time but great prices like it was pretty much 50% off. I was able to score two button up work shirts @ $10, a tank top @ $5 and a tube top @ $5. I really love the tube top because it's one of those flowy tube tops that you can wear with jeans for a casual look or with a cardigan for a more dressy look. Awesome because I love double duty clothing. If you have an outlet near you, I'd recommend dropping by. They had other great deals on baby ts, dress pants, dresses, jackets....you name it but I really don't need any of those things.

My button up shirt collection is fairly small as I typically only wear them when I have a client meeting and I need to dress corporate and snazzy all at the same time.

Roots Yoga

I went out looking for a gift for a friends baby and ended up splurging on a Roots Yoga jacket at the Sears Outlet! It actually was very reasonably priced @ $30 whereas the original price was $80. I was on the fence but I tried it on and it fit like a dream and the colour was stunning. To top it off, they had a scratch & save event and I scored 10% off my purchase.

There was a point in my life where I'd buy things just for the brand or that little logo in the corner but I am over it. I am all about quality over quantity. And I think quality is really important for workout gear. i.e. for those looking for quality yoga gear on the cheap, check out costco. Their Tuff Athletics branded yoga gear has served me well. I can also attest to Roots. I went on their website and was a little confused because I couldn't find their yoga clothes! What confused me even more is there's a Roots Yoga Studio downtown toronto. :S Does this mean that they are phasing out their yoga clothes or perhaps they already did?

Next up in my yoga clothing adventures is Lululemon. I've stayed away from this brand because of the price but people say it's worth it. One of these days I think I am going to give in and try them out.

Phew all this yoga talk is making me want to do some yoga.