I love bargains, but one thing I've learned is to not buy items that are very trendy. You'll wear it once, probably twice, then you won't want to wear it again. Now that doesn't really help you save money while being fashionable, does it? I'm starting to invest in pieces that I know I'll wear for a long time, and I've also disciplined myself into properly trying things on because while they look good on a hanger or sitting pretty in a shoe box, they might not fit you well or flatter you (I've sworn off of patent leather shoes, which are cute but can cause a lot of chafing on the backs of your heels!). Anyway, these are two outfits that I've worn in the past few days. Get ready to see the amazing deals I got for these items ;)
Outfit 1:
Top: LOFT - $15 from $50 (from their 60% off sale)
Jeans: H&M - $10 from $35
Leather sling bag: Banana Republic - $35 (?) from $120
Vegan leather flats: Urban Outfitters - $20 from $40
Necklace: (from the Philippines) $5
Flowers and vases on cast-iron holder (?) from Michaels :) Balloons from my roomie's birthday!
Outfit 2:
Top: Forever21 - probably around $12 (I have two of these, the other one is just black and white)
Pants: LOFT - $5!!!!!! Clearance bins are THE BEST :D
Heels: Diane von Furstenburg - FREE. Won these babies in a contest ;)
I LOVE THE PRINT ON THIS BLOUSE. One day I'll be able to do similar ones in Photoshop.. :)
These DvF sandals have a wooden heel and luxurious suede leather straps. Lovelovelove <3
I can't wait for the FUN. concert tomorrow, it's the second time I'll be seeing them live and the first time that I'll be THISCLOSE to the stage. I'll show you the shirt that I DIY-ed for the concert in another post very, very soon! Until then :)
"Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him. She soon finds companions in Mogget, a cat whose aloof manner barely conceals its malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage long imprisoned by magic, now free in body but still trapped by painful memories. As the three travel deep into the Old Kingdom, threats mount on all sides. And every step brings them closer to a battle that will pit them against the true forces of life and death—and bring Sabriel face-to-face with her own destiny."
Above are the best artwork I could find on the 'net which were inspired by one of the best book series I've ever read. Sabriel (the main character from the first novel in The Abhorsen Trilogy) is a far cry from the wimpy, only-brave-because-she-became-a-vampire female protagonist we all know of, because Sabriel is headstrong from the get-go, smart and a true inspiration to teen girls everywhere. Sure there's also a love story (a well-written one, too), but it's just one facet of a truly interesting, page-turning series of events revolving around the plucky heroine. The trilogy box set is available at Amazon for $18.81 (from $26.99) :)
I came across the first book through one of my good college friends. Since I came from a science background (both in high school and college), it was never hard for me to meet people who shared or, oftentimes, exceeded my fondness for science fiction/fantasy literature. Anyway, he gifted me with a dog-eared copy of Sabriel (which I made even more dog-eared due to re-reading the book numerous times) on my birthday and I did not anticipate how much I would come to love it because the synopsis did not do the book justice (my way of saying that I was bored with the write-up but quickly changed my mind once I did start to read it). It's similar to Harry Potter and LOTR in that it sucks you into its own universe and you end up wishing that a slice of it or at least a portal to it exists somewhere tangible/hidden. If you have a tween/teen, have them read this instead of Twilight. They'll learn so much more from it rather than read about how gorgeous vampires are in every chapter or that throwing yourself off a cliff in the off-chance that your "true love" will come save you is OK as long as you have a male werewolf friend around *facepalm*. Sorry, I just think that Sabriel deserves more attention than Twilight. Here's to hoping that it will finally get a movie deal and that I'll be an extra in it. Heehee. A MUST READ :)
Can you believe that Hanson has been around for 21 years? In celebration of this milestone, they created their sixth studio album named ANTHEM (full of uplifting songs) and right now they're touring the country to showcase their new songs and celebrate their old hits. I was lucky enough to live near their stop in the tri-state area and that I got to watch them last June 15 at The Fillmore in Silver Spring with my new housemates/roomies! It was nostalgic alright, and of course we were one among many of fan girls ladies whose shrill screams were unlocked after decades of daydreaming of seeing them perform live. I still can't believe that they're all (handsome) fathers and husbands now, but then again I think it's their way of keeping themselves grounded since they're touring a lot and are constantly surrounded by girls ladies who've had crushes on them since they were teens. Their new music is lovely as expected, and I particularly fell for the song Juliet (it's almost my name! lol But seriously, it's the beat that gets me plus the sweet lyrics). Here's a video of the said song from a fellow fan who went to the same concert:
Bonus: a picture of my tired face next to a HANSON chalk-drawn logo. Bear in mind that I also went to the NKOTB/98degrees/BoyzIIMen concert the day before this pic was taken. I don't have a lot of "evidence" from that concert though, because we were seated in the farthest area at the Verizon Center. Next time I'll save money so I'll have a chance of receiving a red rose <3
I covered the second N in HANSON lol but you get the gist
The song below is 13 years old but it hits home hard, more so that my birthday's coming up.
I'll just sing along to Taylor as motivation :) "And we won't go down!"
I already mentioned this song before but I will NEVER get tired of promoting it hahaha. I love it, very reminiscent of college crushes <3 Penny and Me will forever be my favorite Hanson song, unless they come up with something that has the perfect balance of being unapologetically mushy yet sweet and innocent at the same time. Juliet comes close, but not quite.
Cause Penny Julie and me like to roll the windows down
Turn the radio up, push the pedal to the ground
And Penny Julie and me like to gaze at starry skies
Close our eyes, pretend to fly
It's always Penny Julie and me tonight
I love the fact that they didn't go through the route of the Bee Gees, who despite being brothers, were not particularly close to each other outside their performances. After learning that tidbit, I couldn't help but feel sad for them, because they let fame and creative differences come between what could have been the closest and purest bonds you can form in this life. Hanson, on the other hand, are obviously close-knit, otherwise how could they keep coming up with fresh, new heartfelt songs? I also love that they let each other shine when performing, and how they harmonize really well (see video below. Don't go comparing them to Boyz II Men though, because while B2M are better at singing, these guys play instruments. Apples to oranges!). Ego schmego, when it comes to true brotherhood they got it down pat! Brb, calling my brothers on skype to see if we could come up with a project that will bring the ka-ching in :))
I've been lonely
I've been cheated
Been misunderstood
I've been washed up
Put down
And told I'm no good
But with you I belong
'Cause you help me be strong
There's a change in my life
Since you came along
Just lovely <3
You can buy their new album on Amazon for $10. Help artists continue to churn out songs that you'll love :)
Up next: Hanson's opening acts, Parachute and Honor by August!
P.S.
A shout out to The Fillmore in Silver Spring, which is hands down the best concert venue in the area! I love intimate venues like these because you really get to connect with the artist/performer, plus an added bonus is that the crowds here are well-behaved. Also, the acoustics are great, and the lights (if harnessed properly) are awesome. It helps too that it's in the same city where I live hehehe.
This is the part where I post some of the lovely things that caught my eye at Anthropologie's online store. Why must they torture me so with their price tags :( *sigh*
I don't know why I just thought of this now, but just in case you guys have not seen my barrage of posts/messages about the Kmart Fashion contest ("How do you style a pencil skirt?") I recently participated in, please help me win a chance to be a part of their Spring photoshoot in New York (I looooove that city :) I wrote an entry about it here somewhere..). There are only three hours left until they close the voting period and this might just help me clinch the coveted prize *sigh* Here are the looks I came up with, and I hope they catch your fancy enough to press the VOTE button. Thank you in advance!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) :) Click on the links, pictures or titles to vote for that look. One vote goes a long way :D
