Friday, August 29, 2014

Hello & Goodbye: July 2014

I really cannot believe it's the last week of August. I've had a lot going on (including a job change!) so time has not-so-literally flown for me. I even didn't do a post for June, because I just couldn't be bothered. I'll probably catch up with that later on; I did actually get some interesting things that month. Anyway, here's what I had for July:


Hello
 
Wardrobe
 
J. Crew Cobalt and White Striped Shirt
This shirt I purchased in a thrift store, which is very dangerous for me when it comes to J. Crew items. I'm really fond of the brand's clothes, and given their (rather inflated, let's be real) prices, just seeing their name on a tag secondhand blinds me to whether or not I'm actually going to use (even like!) an item, because I know I'm getting such a deal. I was also blinded by the fact this shirt could easily replace a well loved one I'd had to discard after it was stained beyond repair, so I ignored the fact it wasn't exactly a perfect fit. That's not really a big deal, because it's easy for me to alter - I just don't know why I keep thinking I'll ever find the time/inclination to do so! I do wear the shirt fairly often, so it wasn't exactly a bad purchase. However, I've been re-arranging my wardrobe needs some lately, and it seems like it may be a little too casual to go well with the looks I wanted it for. I guess I'll see.
Criteria: Fiscally Responsible (Inexpensive, worn regularly), Ethical (Second hand)
Price: $5.24

Walmart Beige Short Sleeve V-Neck T-Shirt

Another thrift store purchase, attesting to the fact I can be so cheap, I refuse to pay even Walmart prices. The shirt fills a hole for a casual, neutral colored top well enough, though, again, the fit could be better. Overall, I'm not super excited about it, though it's definitely functional, and worn at least once a week. But, I'm thinking this may also be too casual for what I'd need it for now.  More than likely it will be replaced in the coming months, but I guess I'll see with it, too. 

Criteria: Fiscally Responsible (Inexpensive, worn regularly), Ethical (Second hand)
Price: $2.24

Levi's Stonewash Mid-Rise Skinny Jeans
I've only had two pairs of jeans for the last 3 years, and unsurprisingly, they're about to go. Actually, one has already become work/painting pants, while the other is still acceptable to wear out, if I don't mind worrying that the knees just may rip apart at any minute. Normally I wait until something is destroyed before I purchase a replacement, however, this time I figured I'd start looking for one ahead of time, so I wouldn't be so desperate for something that worked I'd buy something I didn't like just to fill the need. (Definitely happened before.) This particular pair of jeans I also found in a local thrift store, which kind of surprised me, since I don't usually have a lot of luck finding pants there. These are cute, very comfortable, and get worn often. I'd say their quality is about average. In the future, I'll probably look for something a little more sturdy, but I still don't expect to be needing new jeans for a while.
Criteria: Fiscally Responsible (Inexpensive, worn regularly), Ethical (Second hand)
Price: $7.49

Nike Running Shorts
Yet another thrift store buy. This was not an intended purchase, but something I had in mind that I might want to buy, which is often how items find there way into my cart. For the justification: I've been using my one pair of running shorts for probably over three years, so, yeah, it was time for a replacement. I kind of have a personal rule against buying athletic wear secondhand, but, eh, these looked cute and functional, and were super cheap - my sense of cleanliness could not possibly win in the face of the opposition of all my favorite clothing requirements. (I mean, the shorts are even navy!) They do work, and I haven't gotten any weird diseases from them yet, so I'm alternating them with my aforementioned, nearly dead shorts, because wearing something completely into the ground, then picking the pieces up to see if they can still be put back together so you don't have to buy a new one,  is a proud tradition in my family that I would never dishonor. :)
Criteria: Fiscally Responsible (Inexpensive, worn regularly), Ethical (Second hand)
Price: ~$4

Banana Republic Sky Blue Button Down
Like a white button down is a staple for many people, the sky blue is one for me. It's flattering and the shirt itself is very versatile. It can be dressed either up or down easily, and adds that "casual chic" look to otherwise very informal outfits, which is about as dressed down as I am willing to get. (In public. At home is a whole 'nother story.) Of course, while it looks nice, the fabric is pretty thin and not the greatest quality. I think I might try looking for a shirt like this in the men's section next, as their fabric tends to be more substantial. Not to mention maybe looking for one that's no-iron, because, boy, does this shirt wrinkle!
This was also secondhand, although not from a thriftstore, but a website called ThredUp, which buys and sales used designer/name brand clothing, similar to Plato's Closet or Buffalo Exchange in the U.S.
Price:  $11.70
Criteria: Fiscally Responsible (Inexpensive, worn regularly), Ethical (Second hand)

Heritage Cream Camisole
Also from Thredup. It's a cute replacement for a very, very worn out white-turned-grey camsiole that actually did get to the point where the pieces couldn't be put back together. This new one has taken over its job, and seems to be doing it well, so I am perfectly content with this purchase.
Criteria: Fiscally Responsible (Inexpensive, worn regularly), Ethical (Second hand)
Price: $4.47

Bathing Suit, Black Maxi Dress and Turquoise and Gold Flip Flops
This was all a giant impulse buy. My friend spontaneously invited me to her family's beach house, but since I didn't have a bathing suit anywhere nearby, I decided to just buy a new one, and a couple other things seemed to come along for the ride. The black maxi dress I've been using fairly regularly, so it ended up being an alright purchase. The others not so much.
Criteria: Nothing, really. Oops.
Price: ~$30



Beauty
 
Paula's Choice Healthy Finish Pressed Powder
I think it's pretty clear by now I have a Paula's Choice problem, but if that is wrong, then I do not want to be right. This powder is just what I wanted: something to keep my foundation looking matte and intact during the workday. It's not indestructible (I could probably use a touch-up midday, if I could be bothered!), but for the price range, it's an excellent product, and as it's totally sufficient for my needs, I do plan to buy it again when I run out. Thankfully, that doesn't seem like it will be for a while. It's been over a month since I've bought it, and I don't think I'm quite halfway through yet.
Criteria: Fiscally Responsible (Inexpensive; used regularly; long lasting.), Ethical (Not tested on animals)
Price: ~$ 12.21 (w/credit and shipping)

Paula's Choice Custom Color Bronzer
I bought this to replace my Physician's Formula bronzer I used for contouring, but it didn't really work for that. The color wasn't subtle enough, which, okay, several comments on the PC website did warn about, but I chose to ignore to them in lieu of the success I've had with my other PC purchases. Looks like I encountered a learning experience here. :) I'm not too concerned, as I'm pretty much done with contouring, anyway. I've gone back to thinking my face looks fine without it, so I  doubt I'll even be buying bronzer in the future - I've never used it for anything else. Those I share a bathroom with will  surely support that decision, glad that they'll have a slightly less sprawling mess of my cosmetics to deal with on the counter.
Criteria: Ethical (Not tested on animals)
Price: ~$12.21 (w/credit and shipping)

Giovanni Frizz Be Gone
I straighten my hair about every other day (sometimes more), so I'm very diligent about using heat protection on it. I had definitely built up a supply of different ones I'd bought over the years in my attempt to find "the best", but in July, much to my surprise, I managed to finally use them all up. I wanted to do that before I bought anything new, as they were all mostly adequate, but unfortunately either too expensive or not effective enough for me to consider repurchasing. When I did a little research on heat protectants (and found these very helpful blog posts at The Beauty Brains and Brightest Bulb in the Box), I decided to try the Giovanni product, basically because it was about the only one I could find with the right ingredients that wasn't tested on animals. Honestly, that has been such an issue when I've been looking for beauty products - but I digress. And I could digress a LOT about that. So! As for the Frizz Be Gone, it works well at keeping my very stubbornly curly hair under control in my very stubbornly humid environment. :) My hair also seems pretty healthy for being exposed to such high temperatures all the time. I'll definitely be re-purcashing it when I run out, and I'd recommend it if anyone else was looking for a similar protect, so I guess this was a pretty good buy! 
Criteria: Fiscally Responsible (Inexpensive; used regularly; long lasting.), Ethical (Not tested on animals)
Price: $8.58 (w/ shipping)

Arbonne FC5 Invigorating Body Cleanser
I got tricked into attending one of those Tupperware style "parties", this one being for (supposedly) all natural beauty products.  Since I'm nothing if not weak to peer pressure, I ended up buying this bodywash, resigning myself to the fact that I might have just paid over $30 for glorified soap, but at least I would smell good. (Which it did, I will not lie.) The "hostess" also claimed this cleared up her husband's back acne, which I didn't really believe, but hope springs eternal, right? Well, I think this actually what caused me to get a weird bumpy, rather acne-like rash all over my chest and back, so that was perhaps not totally as advertised.Needless to say, I will not be repurchasing this, not that I was really ever planning to.
Criteria: Bleh.
Price: $36.24 (w/ shipping)




 
Goodbye
White Longsleeved T-shirt
Some old loungewear I no longer needed.

Black Slacks
I never wore them, and as a rule I really (really) dislike women's office/work pants. They're such an unflattering piece of clothing - what vindictive creature decided they needed to be de rigueur for ladies in an office, anyway? And why did we all go along with them?


Monthly Total:  $147.38/100 (including some discard items)


Overall ...

Obviously impulse purchases hurt me in July. I'm thinking I'll probably wait until the end of the month to start purchasing items I can plan for from now on, just to make sure no surprise "needs" come up that will push me over budget. I have plenty of clothes and beauty products right now to be able to wait a little longer before adding anything new, or having to replace it. That's a nice feeling! Particularly with my beauty regimen, I like not having to worry about what to replace something with. I recognized that I put a lot of time and effort into researching and experimenting with those sorts of things, but how relieved I feel about not needing to is pretty of telling to how much I actually enjoyed it. I mean, I did, generally, but that area is so hit or miss, every time I bought a product, I half expected it not to work. So it got tiresome. Honestly, I'm think I might need to limit the amount of time I spend overall actively thinking about/looking for either a piece of clothing or a beauty product. It is important, even objectively, to look nice (especially since I work with the public), but it's not worth obsessing over. That'll be something to work on.

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