Poppin Tags: Part Four

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In recent years, online shopping has changed the way we, as broke college students, find great deals on killer products. I cannot tell you the amount of hours I've spent scrolling through endless pages of Jeffrey Campbells on Nasty Gal, Karmaloop and, Eilatan. I can't tell you because quite frankly I'm ashamed. However, I have found some killer steals! Here are my rules of online shopping for your viewing pleasure:

1. Take some advice from Cher in the classic movie "Clueless": Never accept a first offer! If you find something you love, don't just buy it on the first website you see. Search around before you make your purchase. What I like to do is find out the name of the product and do a simple google search to see what comes up. For example, I'd google "Jeffrey Campbell Spike Lita" I like to try looking through each of the top 10 search hits. Then move over to the "Shopping" tab. See what deals you can find there.
2. After you've found the cheapest website, don't stop there! When you get to the checkout step of your purchase, you'll usually see some place to put a coupon code. Some websites will advertise their deals of the moment directly on the website, while some make you search for them a little more. Pay a visit to a couple sites that specialize in providing consumers with money saving codes! You can search by website or type of deal. Here's my favorite list of websites for saving some doll hairs! $$
• retailmenot.com
• cuponcodes.com
• promotionalcodes.com

Remember that these tips apply not only to clothes and accessories but to other products like textbooks! Want proof that my strategies work? This semester I got about $800 worth of books for $125!

This was my face when I saw how much I saved on my books!! Plus a kitten.... For good measure. 

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Poppin Tags: Part Three

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For the third installment of my poppin tags series, I'm going to fill you in on my thrift store shopping rules. When you're making your way through racks of endless used clothing its essential to have a strategy or you might just end up drowning in appliqué sweater vests and ill fitting blazers from the 80's. Here are my rules to thrifty success:

1. Go in with a goal in mind. What exactly are you shopping for? Make a mental list: dark wash jeans, sweater, black jacket... etc. If you don't have a specific item in mind, acknowledge that you are just browsing.
2. How much work are you willing to put into the pieces that you buy? If you're handy with a sewing machine or a pair of scissors, you have a lot to work with, but if you're trying to buy items as is you need to make sure you find exactly what you're looking for in good condition.
3. What is your budget? How much are you willing to spend today? Give yourself a soft limit and a hard limit. Example: I'd like to spend no more than $20 but if I find something I can't live without, I'll pay $30.
4. To find some high quality and brand name items, try shopping in thrift stores in rich areas of your community. If you live near LA, make a trip to Bel Air and see what there is to find there. This goes for consignment stores as well. You can find some AMAZING deals on designer pieces. 
5. This relates to #4, even if you find a piece that has an impressive label, never buy it unless you really love it! The brand is not worth it unless you actually will wear the item. This is especially true because the designer items are generally priced higher than the rest. A couple weeks ago at Buffalo Exchange, I almost bought a Wildfox shirt dress that I didn't love just because it was wildfox. I didn't even really like the dress! Then I realized it would be so much better if I just held out for something I really loved regardless of the brand.
6. Buying used clothing gives you a good idea about how the fabric/construction will age. For example, you will find countless pilled up cotton-poly blend sweaters, mountains of malfunctioning zippers, and seams that just don't hold up to the test of time. Look for pieces that are like a good bottle of wine; look for pieces that age gracefully. Chances are, if they're in tact now, you'll be able to wear your thrift store finds for a while.
7. Look for sales! I know this sounds super obvious, but many thrift stores tag their items with different colors and different days can be 50% off of each color tag day. (The sweater in my last post had a purple tag, and it was a 50% off purple tag day! Score for me!)
8. Accept that it will be a process. There really is no such thing as a quick thrift store mission. It really is a hunt, but trust me it's worth it! You'll get the thrill of the find when you score that killer maxi skirt for less than $5. Give yourself plenty of time and shop with people who have plenty of patience. 

Happy thrifting!!

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poppin tags: part two

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today I went to goodwill. We browsed the sweater section for a while, and I found this great large gauge knit sweater in this awesome grey color. 

Here's the sweater. It's super plain and enormous,  and I hate the collar... but i saw its potential.

 When I saw this sweater, it made me think of some awesome Wildfox sweaters I've seen online. Here's one. It's ripped at the bottom and baggy. The only thing is that this retails for around $200! I do not have that kind of budget... So I decided to make my own version.

Gorgeous, right??

You'll need a sweater with thick yarn and a loose knit like this:

 You'll also need a seam ripper. First off, you will rip the vertical threads of the knit however wide you want the hole to be.

Here's what it looks like to rip the vertical threads:

 This is what you're going to get. This is how wide I wanted my hole, but it will end up much longer.

 Next, start to pull the horizontal threads out of the knit. This will create horizontal threads that are loose but attached at either side like this:

 Keep pulling until your hole is as long as you want and repeat until you're satisfied. =)

This is what my sweater turned into... I kinda destroyed the whole thing, but I like it. I think I'll do another one more like the wildfox example i showed you that will be ripped only at the bottom. 

Anyhow, I just wanted to show you one way that you can turn something cheap, plain, and generally ugly into a unique piece of clothing! Also, this sweater was half off which meant it was only $3.50! What a score!

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spring colors

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i'm obsessed with nail polish. especially solid colors. i change my nail polish about once a week. and since spring is soon to be upon us (not soon enough though), i decided to do a post on spring nail polish colors! spring colors are some of my favorites. i love mints, bright pinks, and subtle purples.

here are some of the colors i've worn for spring:

(essie, mint candy apple)

(opi, green-wich village)

i'm a sucker for good nail polish brands. i want my nail polish to look nice and stay on for a long time. i would recommend OPI, China Glaze, or Essie. Spending that $8 is worth it!! if you want to go a cheaper route that's still a good polish, l'oreal is an good alternative. here are some of my favorite spring colors!

(sephora opi-i'm wired, sephora opi-metro chic, sephora opi-dear diary, opi-excuse moi!, china glaze-re-fresh mint)

pointers:

• if you still want to have a nice spring color, but it needs to be subtle and professional looking, try a light pink.
• if you want to add a little excitement to your nails try painting the ring finger a different color or add some polka dots! 
• if you're not so great at painting your own nails and want to try some new colors without buying the polish, try getting a color change at a nail salon! it's only around $7 and looks just as good as getting a full blown manicure (you just don't get those great hand massages...)
• remember to take care of your hands and nails! wash them, lotion them up, use cuticle cream! people often notice people with nice looking nails & hands

xx

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Poppin' tags: part one

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I'd like to share with you one of my greatest joys in life: finding a great deal. I refuse to pay full price for just about everything. TLC should seriously do an Extreme Cuponing special on me, but about clothes, not food. I will search the corners of the planet to save a few doll hairs ($) on something I must have; as a broke college student with expensive taste this is a must. I know there are many of you out there who are in the same boat as me... You see that hot Wildfox sweater on Tumblr only to die when you find out it would consume 3 months worth of paychecks... but I have good news for you!

There are many ways to look like your pockets are a bit deeper than they really are. In this series of posts, poppin' tags, I'll fill you in on all the tricks I know. I'd also love to hear yours!! Who knows, with all of our thrifty techniques we may be able to conquer the world of retail... I dream of a better world, haha...

A little sneak peek of what's to come:
Here's an outfit I wore today that cost me a total of $6.50!! (minus the shoes... :/ )
-shirt from the Reno, nv saver's $5 plus $1.50 worth of studs and bleach. (I did a little modification...)
-skirt $free (hand me down from a friend)
-shoes, let's not talk about it...

Let's end this post with a link to a magical video that you all should watch. Prepare yourselves for some thrift shopping! Stay tuned to my poppin tags posts to learn more!!

Macklemore-Thrift Shop

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