My Monthly Purchases: October 2013

Welcome to my once a month breakdown of the clothing items I bought, while trying to keep my budget in mind. My disclaimer for the month is that I had a trip to Toronto thrown in... my budget does not apply the once or twice a year I go on a "shopping trip".

I tried really hard to not buy much until Toronto, but then there was a sale at Smart Set and a few pieces I had my eye on were on mega-sale.

Bracelet: Le Chateau
Discounted from $15.00 to $5.95
I like skulls.

Skirt: Smart Set
Discounted from $35.00 to $12.00
I bought this in black with a grey panel. Great length for work!



Discounted from $35.00 to $9.00Pants: Smart Set (no longer available on website)
R calls these my police pants. I guess he has a point.

Top: Smart Set
Discounted from $39.00 to $6.00
I love this basic top that I can wear to work or on the weekend. It was basically free :)



Shoes: Gap (no longer available on website)
Discounted from $39.95 to $12.00
I went through a big camo phase circa 2005 and have been waiting for it to come back. These loafers are cute and add just a touch of the print to a casual outfit.

T-Shirt: Zara
Regular Price: $19.90
I can't get enough of graphic print tees lately. This one made up for the fact that I missed Fashion Week in Toronto (okay, not really....)


Boots: Aldo
Regular price $100.00
I was so picky about black boots this year. I tried on a ton in Toronto and then ended up picking these basics from Aldo here in Halifax.



Other items with no photos (sorry, you'll see them in blog posts later!)
Forever 21 jewelery : $21.00 (regular price)
Forever 21 pink tank top: Discounted from $3.80 to $1.80
J Crew Navy v-neck sweater: Discounted from $54.00 to $32.00
Cole Haan black belted puffer coat from Holt Renfrew H2: Discounted from $395.00 to $198.00
Target blue studded flats: Discounted from $18.00 to $10.00
H&M: Blue sleeveless blouse: Discounted from $17.95 to $5.00
H&M: Navy blue trousers with zipper details at the waist: $29.95 (regular price)
H&M: Army green faux leather leggings: $9.95 (regular price)
H&M: Patterned ankle length trousers: Discounted from $29.95 to $7.50
Old Navy: Bow earrings: Discounted from $7.00 to $4.90

Total purchases for the month: $484.05
Total value of items: $870.45

I checked some big items off my list this month, including a winter coat that is warm but still fashionable for wearing to work, black ankle boots, and a basic navy sweater.

I'm going to make every effort to keep my spending to a minimum for November and December.

Did you score any big deals this month?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

High Contrast

I'm normally not a fan of black and blue together. However, if the blue is bright enough to contrast well with the black, I'm all for it!

Details

Sweater: Gap

Pants: Smart Set

Shoes: BCBGeneration

Watch: Guess

Bracelet: Gift

Necklace: Etsy

I wore this my last day in Toronto and it's a little dressier than I usually go for plane rides.  We were going to Yorkdale Shopping Centre before my flight, and I wanted to look presentable in a fancy-schmancy mall (even the food court is beautiful). 

Besides black and blue, I'm now fond of wearing pink and red which I used to hate together. 

Do you have any color pairings that you've warmed up to?

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

Boo-ti-ful Things

It's almost Halloween! I wish I had more spirit in me to get costumed out this year, but the summer and fall have been so busy that I didn't have the energy to focus on dressing up. I'll have to live vicariously through others and check out the festivities on Facebook and blogs.

Friday's Fancies this week was all about creating a Halloween outfit. I chose to go with mostly grey and a pop of orange. Continuing with my skull obsession of late - check out the cute studs!

Boo-ti-ful by jennifer-merlin featuring a matte nail polish

Topshop dress / MiH Jeans denim jacket / Nine West pointed toe ankle boots / Alexander McQueen clutch, $1,370 / Betsey Johnson jewelry / Blue Nile sterling silver necklace / Matte nail polish


Pop over to longdistanceloving and see what the other bloggers came up with for spooky looks.

Do you have party plans for Halloween? 

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

Skulls and Camo

 I got a little pattern happy here, but kept it to small doses. This is the first of two posts from my mini-vacation to Ontario on the weekend. Fall was in all it's splendor, and I took the opportunity to pose with the creative yard stuff my BFF had going on. The most creative thing I have in my own yard is a yellow patch on the grass from over-fertilizing (perhaps my own take on camo?)

Details

Shirt: American Eagle Outfitters

Pants: Uniqlo

Shoes: Gap

Scarf: Gift from BFF

Bracelets: Forever 21

I like how this scarf looks floral and feminine from a distance, but when you look closely... there are skulls! I love girly skulls. 

Do you like skulls? Camo? Stripes? Polka dots? Plaid? What's your pattern obsession? All of the above for me please!

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

Zara Home

I've been a big fan Zara's clothing for a few years now and I had no idea until recently that they also sell home decor!

Our starter home is pretty basic (and we're still struggling with the decision to renovate or move) so you wouldn't think I'm that big of a fan of interiors. Someday when we have a house I'm excited about, I will want to pretty it up!

Here are a few of my favorites from the Zara Home website (free shipping when you spend over $50).

Towels

Snakeskin bedding

Feather-trimmed pillow

Monkey lamp- too cute!

Striped throw

I have this post scheduled to go up while I'm still in Toronto. I hope to share my mini-vacation with you later this week!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

The Canadian Tux

Last year, I was obsessed with getting leather pants. I didn't. You're welcome.

This year, I was obsessed with getting pants that looked kind of like leather but "breathed" more. There are lots of leather-like leggings out there, but I wanted something I could wear with more tops, since we all know leggings aren't pants and therefore must be worn with a long top.

The solution? Waxed jeans. They give the sheen of leather, but the comfort of soft denim.

Details

Jeans: Gap

Cardigan: Joe Fresh

Tank: H&M

Scarf: Costa Blanca

Shoes: Keds

Jacket: Old Navy

I believe this is the first time I've sported the "Canadian Tux" - aka denim on denim. I've been scared of trying it, but I think all the layers going on here help to break up the two denims.

Nails: Joe Fresh "Pumpkin"

I'm busy tonight packing for my weekend trip to Toronto! A few days with the BFF and some retail therapy are just what I need. A new job and no vacation since May makes for a much needed getaway! BTW... my monthly clothing budget doesn't apply when I go on vacation.

What are your thoughts on the denim on denim look?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Turkey Troubles

Nothing ruins a food-filled holiday weekend like a raging stomach virus. Fortunately this didn't hit until very early Monday morning so only one day was affected. I intended on posting yesterday, but t be honest, I was running super-low on energy and fluids so I needed to save all my efforts for clicking my remote. Today, I'm still laying low but hopefully will be back to the grind tomorrow.

I was so sad to miss out on Thanksgiving! R's family has a huge dinner with a ton of food. This year, my parents and one of my friends were supposed to join in. There is a plate for me in the fridge and I might try to tackle it later today. Despite being ill, I still have a lot to be thankful for this year. I am a lucky girl, even if I missed the turkey.

Here's an outfit I wore to the mall and Target this weekend. There's still 3.1 Phillip Lim stuff at my Target! It's on clearance now, but there was noting left I was interested in.

Details

Sweater: Vince via Winners

Tee: American Apparel

Jeans and Sunnies: American Eagle Outfitters

Shoes: Cole Haan

Bracelet: Club Monaco

Necklace: Stella & Dot

I wish I had enough energy to start packing... this weekend I'm headed to Toronto!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Celebrations

A big congrats goes out to my blog-friend-I've-never-met (I have a lot of those...) Alison on the 150th edition of My Friday's Fancies. I love checking out her blog every Friday to see how other bloggers style the theme of the week. We were to put on our party best this week so I decided to share what I wore to the last hurrah of a very active wedding season.

Details

Dress: Gap Factory Store

Cardigan and shoes: Le Chateau

Clutch: Coach

Bracelets: Forever 21

I have worn this cardigan so many times to weddings. It's my staple. Congrats to the lovely couple - Leanne and Jason! The wedding was in Mabou, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and the scenery was beautiful although he weather was a tad bit breezy!

Make sure to check out the other bloggers' looks!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Little Loves Lately 08.10.13

These three things are bringing me joy these days, in no particular order.

Moroccan Oil Intense Hydrating Mask (image from website)





My hair stylist has been telling me to try this for years. I finally did. Yes, it's pricey which is why I've been stubborn about not trying it. Whatever the price (around $40 if I remember correctly), you need to use so little of it that I'm sure it will last over a year with weekly use. One thing I found confusing. . . the instructions on the product say to use a teaspoon and the instructions on the website say to use "a generous amount." I'm sticking with the teaspoon, it's enough to coat my hair. It makes my hair really soft and shiny and my co-workers asked me if I just had my hair done after I used it.

The Social (image from website)



Canada has needed a talk show like this for a long time. The Social has four lady hosts, which sounds familiar, but is far more fun than The View in my opinion. The hour-long starts with a segment on hot topics and then usually progresses to guests - sometimes celebrities and sometimes not. I have a serious love for their outfits, and you can find out the brands they are wearing every day on the website.The ladies are not afraid of voicing their opinions, and I adore that the content is relevant to Canada. Totally worth the DVR space.

Maybelline Color Show Polka Dots

Gone are the days of dotting my own nails when I have this polish to do all the hard work for me.

It needs three coats for opacity and lasts almost a week with normal tasks. The bad part... it's murder to get off, as are most glitter polishes. I'll be putting a base coat on next time to see if it helps. I bought this for $2.50 on sale at Superstore. I should have bought the other colors too!

Have you fallen in love with anything lately?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

In the Mix

Pattern mixing can be fun, but it can turn into a hot mess if you don't stick to a few basic rules. 

First, choose at least one common color to connect the two patterns. Here I took the easy route and used grey and black as common colors. 

Choosing patterns that are relatively the same size is another hint. For example, large flowers paired with these small stripes would probably look unbalanced.

Details

Shirt: Vero Moda

Skirt: Old Navy

Shoes: Le Chateau

Bracelet: Joe Fresh

Necklace: Forever 21

Have you had success with pattern mixing?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Let's Talk About Teal

I'm so excited about my new blog re-design that I wanted today's post to match! Teal is a color I will never get tired of, so I chose the shade for my new header. I also found a few stylish teal treats to show you for the blog link up on My Friday's Fancies.

Teal Things by jennifer-merlin featuring a teal nail polish

Nicole Miller dress / Theyskens' Theory blue suede jacket / Rebecca Minkoff studded crossbody purse / Oscar de la Renta teal jewelry / Kenzo sunglasses / DSQUARED2 Teal Brushed Leather Hiking Boots / Butter London teal nail polish

I can't decide which item I like the best! The dress is stunning, and how fun are those boots?

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and if you want to see more color crushes, click the button below!

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

September Sun

Saturday was a lovely day for having an afternoon in downtown Halifax with my mom. We had some wedding dress fun at Chester & Felicity, browsed the grand opening at Mills Halifax, and had lunch at Your Father's Mustache. I picked up some DAVIDsTEA to take home - Organic Buttered Rum and Mom's Apple Pie - both are great!

I was a bit hot in this sweater as it warmed up to an unseasonable 24 degrees.

Details

Sweater and socks: Club Monaco

Skirt: Gap

Scarf: Mexx

Handbag: 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target

Booties: Call it Spring

Sunnies: Coach

What do you think of the fun socks? I've picked up five pair of bright or patterned socks lately and I love wearing them with booties. 

XOXO

Glitterary Girl