Shopping Again: Great Bargains Under $30 and New Lace-ups at $70

Now that winter is finally coming to an end, I feel like the real me is coming out of hibernation. Gone are dark Saturdays sitting in a quiet corner on the couch watching endless hours of shows on the idiot-box. This weekend the sun shone and I spent the entire day out and about in the quest to find new and exciting bargains to refresh my wardrobe for the renewed and rejuvenated me. Here's what I found....

Bardot Marley Longline Cardigan in Black was $99.95 now $30

Bardot Stunner Skivvy in Black was $59.95 now $20

Sportsgirl Boyfriend Distressed Jeans in Light Blue was $99.95 now $29.95 (similar here)

Sportsgirl Lace up Flats in Black Micro $69.95

Sportsgirl Orange Crush Lipstick $9.95

10 Things Under $20

So, I needed to buy a few essentials this weekend and also just wanted to cheer myself up at the end of a long work week doing what I love most i.e SHOPPING! But as usual, here comes the 'B' word...you got it, 'Budget'! I'm on a budget I can't bust. So I only allowed myself things that wouldn't break the bank. And this search inspired this post...10 things that cost less than $20 that you need to buy right now to update your wardrobe, home or even beauty-kit.

1. Hooded Cardigan: *$19.95 (Dotti)

2. Open Bar Cuff: $14.95 (Sportsgirl)

3. Lace Push-up Bra: $19.95 (H&M)

4. Nail Polish in Peach: $14.95 (Witchery)

5. Grey/Cream Long Sleeve Top: $20 (Target)

6. Braided Waist Belt: *$11.97 (Seed)

7. Glasshouse Mini Candle - Coney Island: $18.95 (Peter Alexander)

8. Natural Leopard Print Scarf: *$12.95 (Forever New)

9. Metallic Cushions: $12 (KMart)

10. Nivea Moisturising Fluid SPF 15: $7.99 (Priceline)

* = sale prices

I only bought 4 of these...

....how many will you buy?

Sparkly Sparkles

Just dropping in quickly to say that - Finallllllllllly! I found the perfect embellished top on Thursday! The right colour, fits with the trend but it's still a bit different from everything that's out there, fit my budget (well, almost) and most importantly fit me! ;) No points for guessing where we met - my favourite store (these days) but ofcourse, Zara.

Isn't she pretty! (Needs a bit of an iron though)

No, for once it wasn't on sale - but since I wanted it SO badly (if you've been reading this blog you'll know how badly), I made the exception and paid full price.

The damage = $79.90.

What I can wear it with: 

Blue jeans + a Blazer/Cardigan if its cold + Ballet flats in the day.

Black Pleather mini-skirt + Ankle Boots at night.

If I had a nice off-white, pleated, knee-length/short skirt, I could even wear it to the Races (but sadly I'm not going this year!)

So versatile! I'm sure I'll think of more combinations. Hopefully I'll do an outfit post soon.

Oh! I forgot to mention in my last post about this great bargain I got for my Mani+Pedi - $29 only with hot oil treatment from Diva & Co. in Hawthorn East, purchased from Ourdeal. And for only $10 more I could have bought an OPI nail-colour except they were sold out of this shade, so I didn't want to buy one for the sake of buying :(. But all in all, a great deal! Would definitely go there again.

I leave you with the photo that's currently on my iPhone Lock-screen so that I can remind myself to...

I did it! 30 days of NO SHOPPING!

Yaaay! I haven't shopped for 30 days! My last purchase was at Melbourne Airport Duty Free when I bought Marc Jacobs' Daisy (50ml) on 2nd of Aug on my way back from Thailand (so really, 1st Aug cause I was still on Thai-time). I'm so proud I managed to honour the commitment I made publicly on the blog after the massive shopping spree(s) (but then Thailand happened so I had to tweak the rules a little). Honestly, I hadn't given myself a set time-limit, I just knew I had to cut down and save money after spending on my trip etc. Plus I've been so busy with work and stuff that I haven't had the time or the energy to shop (which was a blessing but very well-disguised, I must say). I just went with the flow and before I knew it, I had lasted a whole month!

And that is why, on this gorgeous first day of Spring I decided to celebrate and visit some of my usual digs again ;)...

Chapel St around 5pm

Ok, we are moving backwards now...I actually, went to Chadstone first. My first (and pretty much only) stop at Chadstone was Zara. And to get myself ready for Spring, I got these pants...

I'm loving the candy colours that are out this season. I have a few tops and scarves to fit the trend  but I needed bottoms, and these were the perfect colour - the only colour that is part of the trending pastel rainbow that I didn't already own (except mint, I really don't like mint, even as a flavour...let the gasping begin....just a personal choice - I don't mind it on others). But, but, but I had a gift-card for Zara so these pants at $45.95 technically cost me $0, so I still haven't broken my ban! And you've gotta reward good behaviour, that's the best way to keep going.

What was even better was that I was ready to walk out with a US size 6 pair but when I tried them on they were loose! And for the first time after a reallllly long time, I fit into a US size 4 (don't be deceived by the angle of this pic which is making my hips look massive)!! Even in this slim-fit style! WIN WIN WIN! So, I decided to reward that behaviour with a Red Velvet Cupcake :)...

After that, I went to Topshop but just to browse. And I bought an iPhone cover from Dotti for $9.95 which is something I really needed but you can't count that as shopping now, can you? No you can't! So, 30 days and counting....:D

Sunday Afternoon Tea

After all the picture-heavy posts, I've decided to take a break and give you a break and only do a very short update with very few photos. (Also, I've updated my previous post on Blake Lively with more info about her outfits and where the photos are from)

I went to an Afternoon Tea Party today, and the day started of looking really springy and the sun was out, so my outfit reflects that, but then it ended up being quite a crappy day - ah Melbourne! Here's what I wore:

 

Brooke Pocket Shirt: *$29.40 (Forever New)

Siri Pleated Skirt: *$23.99 (Forever New)

White Clutch: *$16 (Forever New)

Shoes: *$40 (Novo)

Necklace: Gift (Just Jeans)

Bangles & Bracelets: Gift (Assorted from Lovisa)

Outfit Total: $109.39

* = sale prices

Oh! And I forgot to mention in my Thailand posts about the best bargain I found on my trip! And it wasn't even in Bangkok or Phuket or Singapore (where I had a stopover)...

I found the best price for Daisy by Marc Jacobs 50ml at Melbourne Airport Duty Free - $58 only! Who would've thought!

Anyway, that's all folks! Have a great week ahead! xx

Bangkok Diaries - Part 1

Let's start at the beginning...

Checked in at Hotel Grand Millennium Sukhumvit 

And this ^ is how far it was from the nearest shopping mall - Terminal 21. Photo taken from footbridge linking to T21.

Rooms were great!

See-through windows to the bathroom, which make the room look spacious (but don't worry, you can shut the blinds if you want to ;)). Can you spot my reflection, taking photos? 

Spent the afternoon strolling through T21 which is a mall that kind of has an airport-like theme to it and every floor is named after a different city like Paris, London, Istanbul etc.

Strawberry Daiquiri

Had lunch there which was pretty mediocre - but this gorgeous drink I had tasted just as good as it looks whilst enjoying city views!

Got straight down to business the first evening and headed to Siam - the shopping district with all the best malls!

I really enjoyed walking around bricks & mortar versions of brands that I normally only get to experience online. Central World Plaza has the biggest, effin' Forever 21! Even I got lost in that store, and that's saying something (I'm usually great at finding my way around malls, even ones I've never been to before - its a gift). I did most of my shopping at Forever 21 - 2 tops, 2 skirts and 1 necklace (which is not a lot by my standards). All this for a total of around $100. Not bad, eh?

Amphawa Floating Market

The next day, we combined shopping and sight-seeing and drove 1.5 hours out of Bangkok to visit this amazing place called the Amphawa Floating Market. Open daily from about 9am - 4am (more than enough time for even someone like me)! Its accessible by boat and is a truly unique experience!

This lady made us THE BEST PAD THAI I'VE EVER HAD!!

Served with a piece of lime, chilli powder, crushed peanuts and a pinch of sugar, all to be mixed while eating. Made on a boat! Served and eaten on a boat! All for less than $1!!

We then stepped off the boat to stroll around the market. You'll find all kinds of stalls and shops selling everything from cheap fresh food to jewellery, clothes, toys etc. Everything a good market has to offer.

But I also ran into the occasional quirky, fashion boutiques which I absolutely didn't expect to see but was pleasantly surprised by. There is something for everyone at the Floating Market!

And amidst all the street-food stalls, there was this swish cafe+bar+restaurant which looked very inviting.

So I sat and enjoyed a "Mai Thai" as I watched the boats float by (whilst Mr_Pre continued shopping - funny things happen in Thailand!)

Tourist Outfit - 1

And here's what I wore to the Floating Market (and then some mall-shopping afterwards), this is what I like to call a "Tourist Outfit"; comfy+functional and still fashionable:

Top: *$10 (Gripp Jeans Liquidation Sale)

Coral & White Striped Skirt: $10 (Forever 21)

Crossbody Bag: *$15 (Glassons)

Colour Block Ballet Flats: *$25 (Forever New)

Necklace: $19.95 (Stellar)

Assorted Bangles: Gift (part of a larger set from Lovisa)

Outfit Total: $79.95

 * = sale prices 

Ok, this post is getting realllllly long! So, I'll have to stop now. I'll add more outfit photos and sight-seeing details to a new post tomorrow. See you then. Off to bed now. Ciao! xx

OMGG!

Gossip Girl (GG) is one of my FAVOURITE tv shows! And like the many million fans of this show, what attracts me most to it is the fashion and the brilliant styling. All hail, Eric Daman! The storyline is of secondary importance. Like most television dramas its a roller-coaster ride of sometimes intriguing, sometimes predictable and often annoyingly unrealistic plots. But 'fashion' is the constant star of the show! I rarely go back thinking 'I really want to see what happens next', mostly its 'I really want to see what they wear next'. 

Some of my favourite moments from the show...

Blair's (Leighton Meester) pretty, playful, girly yet sophisticated outfits & Serena's (Blake Lively) sexy, sassy, über chic looks:

Even the minions of the show like *Jenny (Taylor Momsen), *Vanessa (Jessica Szohr) and Ivy (Kaylee DeFer) had/have well-defined, individual styles...
* = characters no longer appearing on the show

Jenny Humphrey: Rock Chic

Vanessa Abrams: Boho Chic

Ivy Dickens: Wannabe Serena

I have to admit, I only watch GG around pay-day because every time I watch this show, it makes me want to go on a shopping spree and make myself look like Eric Daman styled me (on a tight budget, ofcourse). I can't resist things that look to me like "very Serena" or "very Blair" styles. 

IF Serena and Blair, fondly referred to as S & B, were to shop in Australian shopping malls on my budget (and that is a verrrrrrrrrrry BIG "IF"), I'd say their favourite places to shop would be categorised as follows:

"Very S & B" stores = Forever New, Portmans   

"Very S" stores = Bardot, Charcoal, Sportsgirl  

"Very B" stores = Dotti, Barkins, Myer Miss Shop

  

Recently, whilst watching the "It Girl Interrupted" episode I fell in love with Serena's look...

...and her skirt reminded me of one that I had seen at Forever New that I'd liked, but didn't realise how much until seeing S in something similar.

Siri Pleated Skirt

Lucky for me it was down from $59.99 to $49.99 less 40% off sale price and a further 20% off because the belt was broken (which is fine, I have many belts that go with it) and so I ended up paying $23.99 for the last one in my size! Patience pays. Now all I need is the perfect Bretton top and I'm all set.

You know you love it! XOXO, miss_pre.

Pretty in Print

If summer's biggest trend was colour-blocking, this season's biggest trend is bold prints in bright colours. Everywhere I look I see these eye-catching prints...

On runways:

L: Prabal Gurung, NYFW Spring 2012, R: Mary Katrantzou, NYFW Spring 2012

On celebs:

L: Delta Goodrem at David Jones AW 2012Launch, R: Kate Mara at Ferragamo Fragrance Launch 

In the shops and on the Internet:

Topshop

Whistles.co.uk

They made my wardrobe of solid (albeit, bright) colours look boring and ended up becoming my (s)inspirations for my most recent ASOS purchase (along with the Pieces Weekender Bag mentioned in the previous post): 

Vero Moda - ASOS

Imagine my delight when I got it for a further 20% off the already reasonable GBP-22.00 price, and ended up spending only about AU$ 25! So at that price, I shouldn't feel too guilty, right? ;)

Autumn...and a new beginning

Spring, generally, marks the beginning of something new - but my new beginning starts on this cold, rainy Autumn day (errr, night)...and it feels great! Plus even though its Autumn here in Australia, its Spring in other parts of the world, so its not as weird. I've been planning this blog for a while now and I'm super-excited that this is FINALLY HAPPENING!

Well, so lets get right into it, shall we? Here's a snippet of what you'll be seeing on this blog: 

- My fashion inspirations (which, when cause me to become obsessive and frantically search all over the internet and high streets till I find something similar and buy it, I'll call "sinspirations"). 
For example, my Autumn Style Inspiration comes from these pictures...

- My latest purchase(s) (this one isn't technically the most latest purchase, but its the last one from ASOS). 
This vintage-style, Pieces weekender bag from ASOS which was perfect for my weekend getaway to the Dandenong Ranges over Easter Break...

- And finally, the AWESOME price that I snagged the bargain for. 
This Pieces bag was originally GBP-45.00, but I bought it with a 20% off promo code, so it came down to GBP-36.00, approximately AU$56.00. Great price, I think, for something so unusual!

So, now you've got a taste of what I'm about, keep checking back for posts like these and much much more! Until then...ciao! xx