Save or Splurge: Nudist Heels

As you all know, I am going to be a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding this July. Well our dresses are finally in and I need to get mine hemmed, meaning I need to find my shoes for the wedding asap. Since the dress is a fabulous shade of magenta, an understated heel is needed so it will not detract from the dress. 

Stuart Weitzman's Nudist Sandal would be PERFECT, especially since the wedding is in July, but they are a little out of my price range at $398 (read a lot out of my price range). I love my cousin, but I am not spending that much on shoes for her wedding. Thankfully I came across these Steve Madden heels that are very similar to the Stuart Weitzman ones but at a much better price. Also, I love that the Steve Madden ones are patent.

Save or Splurge: Dry Shampoo

I hope everyone had a lovely three day weekend. Mine would have been perfect if it were not for this awful freezing weather that is plaguing NYC. I do have to say my Valentine's Day was probably one of my best in recent years. My good friend threw a brunch for all of our closest friends and then we saw Kingsman that night. If you are a fan of action/ spy movies, you will LOVE Kingsman. It was highly entertaining. Also, if you missed the SNL 40th special, you must watch it for some truly hilarious moments. I won't give anything away.

Now this is not my typical save or splurge, but I figured not everyone wants to spend tons of money on their beauty routine and little items add up fast. I have been trying all the dry shampoos from both drug and higher end stores to find the best ones that hide oil and keep hair feeling fresh (there is nothing worse than a dry shampoo that makes your hair feel like straw). The winners hands down are Batiste and Drybar.

Both made it impossible to tell when I had not washed my hair, which is a HUGE feat for me since my hair gets oily very quickly. I will say the Drybar dry shampoo is slightly stronger since I am able to get away with not washing my hair for two days in a row. With Batiste, my hair would look a bit oily be the end of the second day. I highly recommend both to anyone looking for a new dry shampoo.

Save or Splurge: Booties

While I might have gotten most of my Christmas shopping for my family and friends done early, I am the absolute worst at coming up with a list of things I want for Christmas. My mom has been texting me at least once a day reminding me to come up with a list as Christmas is less than 9 days away ( I know, scary thought!). 

One item I have been on the hunt for is the perfect pair of booties. I love the Rag & Bone booties, but there is no way I am willing to spend that much on booties. Especially since New York has a tendency to destroy shoes faster than the average city.

Enter these equally adorable Dolce Vita booties that are very similar to the Rag & Bone ones. While they are still not the cheapest booties, they are also not a bad deal for real leather booties. And with so many holiday sales going on every weekend, there is bound to be a place with a discount code that sells them.

Steal or Splurge

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween! I ended up going as Blair Waldorf since the NYC cold weather put a damper on my original plan of being Regina George. I have to say I cannot believe how fast October went by. Now we are pretty much in the craziness of the holiday season already. The holiday season also means that holiday dress shopping will be coming up for all the parties and festivities. Here is one Steal or Splurge to help you get a jump on the holiday dress shopping so that you are not left running around last minute looking for a cute dress.

Last year, Kerry Washington wore this gorgeous Vince Camuto Gold Polka Dot dress to an event. Unfortunately, it sold out before I was able to buy. While at Lord & Taylor last week, I saw this adorable Kensie Gold Polka Dot dress (it also comes in this cute silhouette!) that is very similar to Kerry Washington's dress. The best part? It's only $99 and since both Macy's and Lord & Taylor sell Kensie and they always have sales, it means you can get it for a lot less than the original. 

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Save or Splurge: Pearly Whites

It's that time of year where you can literally start to taste fall in the air. I spent most of August running around New York City making the most of the gorgeous warm weather while it lasted. Fall tends to go cold quickly here and I'm not quite ready for it yet. Make sure to follow my Instagram to catch all my latest adventures or as my coworkers like call it 'what didn't you do over the weekend?' 

I'm still trying to figure out what I want my fall style to resemble this year as I'm looking to do a major wardrobe update. I have been finding lots of accessories that I would love to incorporate into my wardrobe that will help transition my clothes from summer to fall.

I am sorta obsessed with Dior's "Mise En Dior" Tribal Earrings, especially the classic pearl edition. I think they are such a fun twist on the pearl stud that will never go out of style. Yet at $290, I could not justify buying costume jewelry for that price. Enter my favorite jewelry site, Bauble Bar, and their Pearl 360 Stud. Not only is it a fraction of the price of the Dior version, but it also comes in fun shades. I'm rather fond of the classic gold, blush, and grey versions of it and at $28, I can buy them all!

Save or Splurge

I originally was planning to do a beauty post for today but I am too excited about what I discovered this weekend to not share. Meet the new favorite brand of mine--- Ark & Co. Not only are the clothes stylish and affordable, but they are the great quality that you expect of more expensive pieces. I easily thought the first dress I saw made by them was going to be $200+. It was a great surprise that it was only $89.

Where am I going with this? Well as soon as I got home, I looked them up to see what else they had. They just so happen to have a dress that is a near exact duplicate of the Dolce Vita Valentina Dress that I have long lusted after. Yet I could never justify spending $275 dollars for a white lace dress that I would not be able to wear often--not to mention NYC is not very nice to white clothes.

 

Enter Ark & Co's lace dress for less than half the price of the Dolce Vita one. It has the same girlish lace details that I loved about the Dolce Vita one and the Ark & Co one has a better lining, so no need to have to wear layers underneath.

Perfect summer white dress? Check. Great price? Check.

Is anyone else in love with Ark & Co yet?

Save or Splurge

As I mentioned in my last post, I have a new apartment to decorate! I have been actively scouring interior design sites to get ideas for my apartment. I am in desperate need of sitting space that won't take up much room. 

Enter Moroccan pouf. It's the perfect size for my apartment-- and it adds a fun pop of color. Unfortunately, it is way out of my budget, even on those flash sites like Joss & Main or One Kings Lane. Enter the Kid's Version of the pouf. It's only slightly smaller AND you can wipe it clean if it gets dirty, which you cannot do with the real version. It also comes in a variety of fun colors just like the Moroccan pouf. Best of all it's 1/5 of the price!

Now the hardest part. Picking which color to buy!

Splurge or Save

I fell in love with these Zara ballerina shoes when I used them in my White After Labor Day post. Not only are they adorable but they are super affordable at only $40. I also couldn't help but notice that they bare a striking resemblance to J.Crew's Janey flats, which I have always loved.Yet at $178, I could never justify buying them when I have so many black flats, even if I do love the gold heel. Thankfully, I will be able to get my black flats with a gold heel thanks to Zara.

Which do you prefer--the splurge or the save?

Splurge or Save

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I am officially on vacation in Florida! I have some posts lined up all week though.

I have always loved Maya Brenner's initial necklaces, but at $220 they are not in my budget. I was delighted to find this initial Kate Spade Saturday necklace for only $30! It's practically a steal and looks nearly identical to the Maya Brenner one.

Which one would you do--Splurge or Steal?

Splurge or Save

While this is not an exact Splurge or Save, it is perfect for someone who wants the idea of the splurge. J. Crew's Lulu Frost number rings are super cute, but also really expensive at $440 each. Enter Nordstrom's Ariella number rings at $18 meaning you can actually afford to buy more than one.

Which one would you buy--the Splurge or the Save?

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Splurge or Save

Last year I was in love with this striped Equipment blouse, but with a $200+ price tag I could not justify buying it. While it is no longer available, there are a few save options now available. This Club Monaco blouse is almost identical to the Equipment blouse and at a much better price. Then there is this very similar to the Equipment blouse by Lauren Conrad for Kohl's at a price you cannot beat.

Which one is your favorite?

Budget Finds

This pink and white striped Kate Spade dress is absolutely adorable, but at $398 it's out of my budget. Enter this equally adorable although slightly different pink and white striped Loft dress. Even better, it is $98 and the Loft always has sales. This weekend alone, the whole store was take 40% off making the dress $58.80 aka a steal.

So which would you get--the splurge or the save?