Splurge VS Steal - Céline Horizontal Cabas Zip Tote

I'm sure you guys have seen the Celine zipper tote all over the blog world by now. If you haven't, this is the one I'm talking about below. I know there was a frenzy to get the look-a-like one from Forever21 that was around $24 and a lot of people said they were sold out. I actually got the one from F21 and ended up returning it. I thought it was too big for my frame (I'm a size 0 for reference)

I believe the Celine tote retails for around $2,000 if i'm not mistaken.  While it is a gorgeous bag, I think that price tag is a bit outrageous for a simple leather tote with side zippers. 

You can get this dupe here for much less!

This one is $63 on chicwish.com while it's not leather, it still looks like pretty good quality and the overall rating was 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

If you would prefer leather you can get the one below from Etsy

This one is $95 and is handmade with Genuine leather.  It appears a bit smaller than the Celine, but for me that's a good thing.

Were you guys able to get the F21 dupe? Do any of you have the real deal?

not a sponsored post

Aviators

I was recently (2 weeks ago) in Miami Florida for a cruise. What I noticed when I got there was that I needed a pair of aviators ASAP. It seems like that's all everyone was wearing. I've been rocking my cat eye frames all summer, but I needed to mix it up, so I got these polarized ones. 

They're actually rose gold with a dark brown lens. I love them and it's all I've been wearing lately. I seriously can't get enough and I really want to try the colored lens.

 I just ordered 2 pairs on ebay for a silver frame w/ blue lens and another with a gold frame and green lens. I'll share them once they come in. I also need to do a post on my recent vacation. Work and my Etsy shop has been taking up most of my time now and unfortunatly I'm not able to post as much as I would like. 

What shades have you been rocking lately?

Accessories Haul & an Upcoming Trip

I've been hauling up a storm lately, mainly accessory type things. Here's what I got within the last month (with the exception of the lion necklace which I got about 2 months ago)

Almost all the earrings came from F21 and a few are from Burlingtons

I've really been loving the look of cat eye sunglasses. I never bought a pair cause I didn't think I could pull them off...I got 2 pairs and still am not sure I can pull them off lol, but I love them! I saw these tortoise shell ones and the black pair below them and couldn't decide which ones I wanted so

 I got both. The black pair is my favorite and I've been wearing them non stop. I get them from Forever21

 I had to get this infinity scarf because I live in scarves as soon as it hits 60 down here

 I also got these Jessica Simpson sunglasses, but I may be returning them. I think they are a little too wide for my face.

 I'm going to NY for a week next month so I figured I should get myself a pair of comfy lightweight shoes. I NEVER wear tennis shoes except for going to the gym. They just make my feet too hot. When I saw these at TjMaxx I thought they were cute and they seriously weight almost nothing, but besides that they are incredibly comfortable so I had to get them.

I've been needing a jewelry tray for forever, but I've been holding out because I wanted the bigger one that has about 15 or so compartments. Well after waiting for months and not being able to find it I just caved and got this one that has 9 compartments. It has a Parisian theme and matches my wall color perfectly so I think I did alright. 

I "needed" new luggage so I figured I would treat myself to this fancy embossed ostrich one by Adrienne Vittadini. It's a 28 inch 360 spinner. I swear, if those baggage handlers at the airport jack it up I'm going to to lose my sh*t. That's actually the main reason I never buy nice expensive luggage in the first place.

Have you been hauling anything lately? Any summer vacations planned?

Work Flow ~

Just a few shots on how I dress at work. I love flowy chiffon button down tops and black slacks from either Express or New York and Co. I love how they carry petite sizes

I've been wearing my hair in a messy top knot a lot lately. I'm always running around and super busy at work so this hair style works best for me.

New Purchases

 I put myself on a strict no dress buy rule, but when I saw this at TjMaxx for $20 I couldn't resist. Panel dresses are so hot right now and this dress fits like a dream. I love how the sides look leather, it gives it that edginess I can't wait to pair it with gold accessories. 

I got this after sun moisturizer for my cruise that's coming up next month. I love the the golden shimmer to it. The swatch at the bottom of my hand is heavily applied and then I blended it out above it. I think this lotion would also work great for a night out when you just want some shimmer on your legs. I plan on using it for that too. 

VS goodies and Lacoste perfume. Touch of pink smells great. It's going to be my everyday causal fragrance.  The shimmery spray is scented just like the Heavenly perfume. This was actually a gift from a friend who knows I have a thing for shimmery things like this. I may bring this on my cruise too. 

This is what the shimmer looks like. 

I picked this up at Walmart on impulse. It kinda reminds me of the Clinique product. I think it's called chubby stick or something. Anyway, I didn't really care for this. It was pretty drying on my lips and the color didn't work for me either. 

I got this jewelry over the course of a month. The necklace and bow tie earrings are from F21. The white earrings are from eBay and the Swarovski crystal earrings I've had for a few months already. 

I haven't really talked much about my cruise so for those who don't know. I'm going to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel for 7 days at the end of February. Now would definitely be a good time to get that camera off my wishlist. I'm just waiting for the price to go down a little more =/

Geo Dress

Can you believe I got this dress for $12.50 at Forever21?! I think it's perfect for so many occasions. I wore it to a wedding here, but it can also be worn for a night on the town. 

 Earrings and necklace are from F21, necklace is from Charming Charlies.

 I ended up switching to a different necklace right before leaving the house. I thought this heavier one looked better with it. This necklace is from Ebay $6

Watch: Michael Kors, bracelet: vintage 

Fall Inpiration

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I can't wait to start dressing in layers. I love scarves too so I'll be able to pull them out, I even wore my Givenchy one yesterday for the first time. Here are some outfits that are inspiring me this season

 

Perfect for a night out

  

Great transitional outfit

                     

                      These boots                                                        and this scarf. Amazing!

definitely can't go wrong with white on white. It looks so chic and expensive. 

To see more, check me out on Pinterest :)

What's inspiring you this season?

Dressing / Vanity Room Updates & Organization

As some of you may know I've recently changed made the spare room in my house into a dressing/vanity room. I'm completely obsessed with it and while I'm not the most organized person, having this room makes me want to organize everything! Here are some updates. 

My favorite thing is this makeup desk. It was Jason's school desk when he was little so I just touched up a little of the black paint that had chipped off, repainted the top w/ a high gloss paint and bought a piece of glass to go over the top. My absolute FAVORITE thing would have to be the Chanel logo. I found the logo on Google, printed it out, stuck it on the desk and layed the glass over it. I feel like it really makes the desk. 

I got this cushion from Walmart since sitting on that hard piece of wood was no fun

This piece above is a letter holder from TJ Maxx that I got for $6.99. It holds 8 MAC palettes perfectly. I currently have 3 MAC palettes in front and 2 larger ones behind them.

This drawer in the middle of my desk basically held all my lashes, misc palettes and other stuff that I didn't use much. It was kind of messy since I would just throw stuff in there. Sooo...

I went to the $1 store and got these little white baskets to better organize it. 

This thing here is actually a shoe rack that a neighboor of mine threw out. Nothing is wrong with it and it looks brand new. When I first saw it I immediately thought it would be perfect as an accessory holder. Plus I had this bare section of the wall that I've been wanting to cover up a bit. I find that having my accessories on display like this helps me use more of them. Before I would just rotate through the same 2 or 3 bracelets.  

I'm not sure if I will keep this thing long term. If I find something better to put in that spot I will probably end up giving it away, but for now it works perfectly. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

If you wondering what I did w/ my paper towel holder that I was using as an accessory holder. 

I re-purposed it as a toilet paper holder since we already have one in the kitchen.

What do you guys think of the updates?