Feelin' Good

Hey everyone! So I stopped by H&M last week to return a clothing piece, but of course I found something to try on while I was on my way to the register. I came across this beauty. 

I'd seen the black version on a mannequin in the store but I had no idea that there was a red version. I quickly found my size and made my way to the dressing room. As soon as I put it on I fell in love. It is a satin maxi dress with an amazing flow to it. I love moving in it and the tassle sash cinches me in at just the right point in my waist. I don't think I've ever fell harder for a dress, and I probably won't until it is time for me to find a wedding dress. 

I fell so hard for this dress that I decided to get it in black. 

After my clothing return, and the fact that these dresses are only $19.95 (!), my total came to just under $20. 

I am absolutely thrilled with these dresses and am so happy I found two pieces that I feel my absolute best in. 

Which pieces in your closet make you feel like a million bucks?

Dooney Heaven

This weekend I decided to stop in Belmont Army. It had been a while since I stopped in and I missed the wonderful vintage they supply for decent prices. In the past I found some treasures such as an American flag mini suitcase and a cute cardigan!

I stopped in with nothing in mind and one of the first things I laid my eyes on was a Dooney & Bourke purse. It was a little more worn than I would have liked but it was only $34, which I thought wasn't too bad considering you find them going for more on Etsy. 

I kept on with my search and found more Dooney's with varying states of quality. And then I found this:

Practically perfect condition, navy blue and it still had the metal Dooney & Bourke tag. I reluctantly picked up the price tag, expecting to see a number in the 50's, and was shocked to see it read $34. Woah! Could it be? How was a purse of this beauty still sitting on a shelf amidst the rest of the purses? I snagged it right away and continued on my walk around the store. 

I tried some things on but in the end decided to head home with this beauty. 

Have you ever come across a beautiful piece of vintage that had a lower price tag than you expected? Share in the comments below :)

Have a nice day!

New Profusion Holiday Palettes: Twinkle Twinkle

Hi everyone! Last night I stopped at a few Walgreen's to look for the new Revlon Matte Balm in Standout. Unfortunately I only found one and it was tampered with (Revlon needs to rethink how they sealed these new products) so I went on to take a look at all the new holiday palettes that are popping up. 

Pictured above is my mini haul. Everything together cost $7.63. Woohoo for affordable make up!

Today I will be taking a closer look at this Twinkle Twinkle palette made by Profusion for the holiday season. Profusion seems to pop up every holiday season in Walgreens across America. I remember them last year for the mini circular palettes and their attempt at dupes for the Naked palettes. I bought a lot of these palettes for friends for the holidays so I wasn't familiar with the quality of their products. I decided that this year I would try out some of their palettes. 

I was immediately drawn to the gorgeous colors in this Twinkle Twinkle palette. In the first Walgreens I went to, these were the only shades I saw in this type of palette but at a later store I noticed another 5 pan palette with bright colors. 

I thought the colors in this palette were beautiful for this time of year, and judging by the colors I had high hopes that the pigmentation would be spot on. 

In natural light

In bright light (no flash, just literally bright sunlight)

I was quite impressed with the pigmentation of the colors. A couple of the colors seem a little different than how they look in the pan. The first color comes off brassier than it looks in the pan (I was hoping for more of a taupe color) and the last color looks like a beautiful navy in the pan but transfers as a black. 

All of the colors are packed with shimmer. I'm absolutely in love with the teal shade and the chocolate brown shade is a great creases color for an everyday autumnal look. My only complaint color wise is that there isn't a highlight shade in the bunch. 

For the look I created I used the brassy shade all over my lid, the chocolate brown in the crease, the teal in the outer corner and the black as a liner. This look was created over the Urban Decay Primer Potion and so far I have been wearing it for 7 hours now and there is no sign of creasing. 

Overall, I am pleased with the palette. Like I said, I wish there were a highlight shade in the bunch but you can't win them all. I forgot to let you in on the best part: this palette is only $1! The shadows are a great size and they come in an easy to travel with palette. 

Have you seen these new Profusion holiday palettes in your Walgreens? What are your thoughts?

Be on the look out for a review on the Profusion Neo Perle eyeshadow journal. I am quite excited to try that palette next!

The Many Faces of Halloween

Hello everyone! It is that time of the year...Halloween is back! It is so weird to me having Halloween on a Thursday because I feel like all of the celebrating was this past weekend, but I am also hopeful that Chicago decides to celebrate again this weekend because I came up with one more last minute costume.

Below you will find the multitude of costumes I came up with this year, and some things you can find in your own closet to recreate these last minute looks.  

Black clothes + witch hat= witch

I started Halloween festivities last Friday and last minute came up with this witch costume because my original costume idea wasn't yet complete. I already owned the dress, jewelry, tights and shoes so all I needed to do was make a quick stop to CVS for this witch hat. This hat was only $5.99. I also found $3 witch hats at Target in both purple and lime green. All you need to achieve this witch look is to wear all black, find some cool jewelry and grab yourself a hat. I figured I could go down this costume route because the last time I was a witch I was 5 years old. It was about time for the witch to make another appearance.

Orange beanie + red dress + leather jacket + boots = Spinelli

My Saturday costume, and my main costume, was Spinelli from Recess! I got so excited when I thought of this and was super pumped when I already owned many of the components to this costume. I went to Old Navy to get these orange tights and the red dress (clearance!). I went to Michael's for red duct tape with the intention of creating the stripes on the tights but in the end it didn't work out. All in all I was super pleased with my costume!

Now that brings us to today. Halloween. I decided not to wear an actual costume but still wanted to be festive. I found this shirt at Old Navy for $4 and decided to build an outfit from there. You may notice that I also borrowed certain pieces from the other costumes I posted :) The key to this simple Halloween look is black and orange colors. 

Red polka dot shirt + black bottoms + Minnie ears = Minnie Mouse

Lastly, I am presenting to you the costume I will be wearing this weekend if there are more Halloween festivities to be had. I probably should have worn this last weekend but I completely forgot that I had these ears. I bought these from the Disney store last year but if you don't have one near you I feel like it should be a simple enough DIY using a black headband, tape and cardboard. I remembered that I owned these ears last night and found the rest of the pieces in my closet and voila! Minnie Mouse. I was Minnie last year but this outfit totally trumps last year's. Here's to hoping I can wear it out! And if not, there is always next year :)

What did you decide to be this year? Did you use pieces you already owned or did you go out and buy your whole costume? 

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!

Maleficent: A Look at the New E.L.F. Disney Villains Palettes

 Hello everyone! Today I am bringing you a review of the third Disney Villain E.L.F. palette: Maleficent. 

Maleficent is perhaps the Disney villain that I know the least about. She definitely looks the most evil in my opinion. Something about the angles of her silhouette screams "I'm evil!" to me. 

Anyway, onto the palette. 

Just like the other palettes, this one also comes with a mascara, pencil liner, liquid eyeliner, shadow brush, eye primer, 6 pan palette and lip cream. I realized that in my previous reviews I didn't review the other products of the palette such as the mascara, eyeliner, etc. so I thought I would do that now. 

When I used the Cruella DeVil palette I decided to use the other products and unfortunately I wasn't in love with many of them. I'll start with what I did like: the shadow brush. I have a ton of this kind of E.L.F. brush in my collection and I wasn't disappointed to get more. This is perfect for packing color onto the lid for an intense color. I also like the eye shadow primer, but be careful to use a light amount. Too much and it will make your lids greasy. The pencil eye liner is all right, but I have better in my stash. Onto what I didn't love: the mascara. This is fine for a day that you want your eye lashes to look natural...like really natural. It gives some length but almost no volume. I used the liquid eye liner from my Cruella De Vil kit and it completely malfunctioned on me and ran all over and into my eye. I have used an E.L.F. liquid eye liner before (a very long time ago) and I thought I liked it. I don't know if they changed the formula or if this one was defective, but I have been scared to try any of the others. 

Top: Flora, Fauna, Spell

Bottom: Deep Sleep, Thorns, Raven Black

I used Flora on my inner corner, brow bone and on my lid for a base color. Then I used Fauna in my crease and Spell in my outer corner. There was some fall out with Flora, so make sure to tap your brush to get rid of any excess shadow. I did find it sort of difficult to blend Spell, but with a little finagling I did get it to blend out to how I wanted it. 

I'm pretty happy with the look I created using the eye shadow colors but unfortunately it isn't one I would throw in my purse for on the go. You can't really create a light, day time look with this palette, and while the lip color is gorgeous, it is just too dark to match with the eye looks you can create with this palette. 

Shirt: Old Navy (on sale now!)/Jeans: Thrifted/Boots: Lost Girls Vintage/Beanie: Urban Outfitters

As for my Maleficent inspired look I stuck with black and green. Those are the colors I think of when I think of this Disney Villain, and now I notice that I have been wearing a lot of black with these Disney villain inspired looks. It is a very comfy outfit and the silhouette of the flowy top reminds me of her magnificent robes. 

All in all, more of a night time palette. You can create a really beautiful smokey look should you choose, and a lighter smokey look for the day time, like I chose. 

I was just in Walgreens yesterday and they have some additions to this Disney Villains line, like hair accessories and nail art. Will you be taking a look at those soon? 

I also noticed some holiday palettes they have out. I'm considering getting one of them to try out. Maybe you will see another drugstore palette review soon. And remember, my Ursula palette review will be out soon! Get ready for the most colorful palette of the bunch :)

Apple Lips

 Hi everyone! I thought I would make a quick post about a new favorite drugstore lip combination that I've been wearing the past couple of days. If you follow me on instagram (windycitythrifter) you may have seen my excitement about it yesterday. 

I am a huge red lip lover. I tend to go for the more blue toned reds but after discovering this combination I may find myself preferring a more "apple red".

It all started yesterday morning when I was in a rush to look presentable to the outside world. I decided to stick with just foundation, blush and mascara but knew I should add something else to look a little more alive. I immediately went to the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains and decided to go with Adore, a beautiful red with some hints of brown. 

I liked the color but thought I needed something to brighten up my face and last minute I decided to grab my Almay Liquid Balm in Apple a Day. 

Left: Revlon's Adore/Right: Almay's Apple a Day

After putting it on I knew right away that I loved it. There is something about a minimal face and red lips that I've been loving lately and I'm so glad I found a combination that looks good and also feels good throughout the day. My lips stay moisturized and they don't look dry. Adore does a great job of creating a solid base and then Apple a Day helps to keep your lips moisturized and looking nice and glossy. 

You can find either of these shades at your local drugstore. Go out and get yourself some apple lips for apple picking season :)

The Evil Queen: A Look at the New E.L.F. Disney Villains Palettes

Hello everyone! I'm back to share with you another of the new E.L.F. Disney Villains palettes. Today we will be taking a look at the Evil Queen palette. 

I don't know about all of you, but my favorite classic Disney villain is definitely the Evil Queen. I feel like she is the most evil and regal of the bunch. 

 

 The artwork on the packaging is just gorgeous. I'm in love with the watercolor aesthetic of it all, and it is definitely part of the reason I gasped when I saw the display at Walgreens. 

Just like the other palettes, this one has how-to instructions for both a day and night look. This is very good for people who might be beginners with makeup, or for people like me who need help branching out into other looks. One thing that did confuse me however, is that for the "night look" they suggest you use the color "witch" (the dark color in the bottom left) as a highlighter for your inner tear duct and browbone. Besides that strange instruction, I thought the suggestions were helpful. 

  Looking at the colors in the palette, I was pretty pleased with the colors chosen for this villain. My only complaint was that I was hoping for a darker lip color, but the shade is pretty nonetheless. 

 I find this eyeshadow palette to be another good one for fall. The colors have decent pigmentation and I had no trouble blending them when I used them. 

**With an eyeshadow primer, my eyeshadow look lasted my whole work day** 

 Top to Bottom: Evil Queen (lip color), Huntsman, Jealousy, Majesty, Witch, Vanity, Dark Magic. 

 For this look I used Huntsman on my inner corner and browbone, Jealousy all over my lid, Majesty in the outer corner and Jealousy again to blend Majesty. 

 I like the look of this lip color but unfortunately it didn't last long on my lips. 

Shirt: Thrifted/Skirt: Thrifted/Belt: Forever21 (old)/Boots: Urban Outfitters onsale now!

And as promised, I created a thrifted look loosely inspired by the Evil Queen. I thrifted this really unique, vintage skirt during the spring at a Goodwill outside of the city. I can't believe it took me this long to wear it!

Overall I am a fan of this palette as well. I like the Cruella De Vil palette a little better but that all comes down to preference. Again, the price of all the palettes are $9.99 and you can find them at most Walgreens.

Have you picked up any of these palettes yet? If so, what are your thoughts?

Stay tuned for my next reviews for the Maleficent and Ursula palettes!

September Favorites

Good morning, everyone! I wanted to take the time today to share some of my September favorites with you. I decided to take a step back from sharing beauty products that I have been loving, and so I decided to share with you some of my favorite clothing favorites of the month of September. All pieces I will be sharing were thrifted by me, except for one. 

 My first favorite is this black and white flower blazer, a.k.a. "flazer". I thrifted this blazer a few months ago, and it has been a staple in my instagram photos ever since. Every time I wear it I get at least one compliment, but this past Saturday it felt like everyone I passed liked it. This is of course an exaggeration but it reminded how much I really love this blazer. Not because people give me compliments, although that doesn't hurt, but because it is a good staple. It is a statement piece that I can throw on with almost anything. It also has the right amount of slouch to it. Cue the angel choir!

 My next favorite is a dress that I bought two winters ago for $4! When I first tried it on the all over pattern was a little out of my comfort zone but I showed my boyfriend and we both liked the cut on me. I wore this dress out in public for the first time two weekends ago for a fundraising event called Noir Bar. I got so many compliments and I felt so comfortable in it all night. I am now in love with the pattern and still in love with the silhouette :)

 This picture depicts two favorites of mine this month. The horse shirt and the polka dot, ripped jeans. I got the shirt from a new Salvation Army for $2 and the jeans from Goodwill, new with tags for $5. These jeans are still being sold in Target for $23! I've been a fan of animals on shirts lately and so I fell in love with this shirt right away. I cuffed the sleeves and styled it with these uber comfortable jeans and voila! 

 I wore this outfit on the last day of September but these black DKNY jeans have been a staple in my wardrobe the whole month of September. I have been on the search for a good pair of high waisted, black jeans, and I think I found them. They are not perfect. They don't have pockets and aren't as high waisted as I was looking for, but they are good quality denim and were only $4. Can't beat that. My favorite way to wear them are with the booties pictured here and a loose top. So basically what I'm wearing in this photo...

My last favorite is this beauteous flower dress. I shared it with you all in one of my recent posts about my Vintage Garage finds. This means I didn't thrift is myself, but it was thrifted by Lost Girls Vintage! I already shared my love for this dress in that post, but I have even more love for it after wearing it out. I felt so comfortable in it and absolutely loved pairing it with combat boots and a dark lip. 

That is all my favorites for this month! What are your favorite thrifted items of the month?

Dupes Day: Dark Lips

I'm thinking of making "Dupes Day" into a series. Let me know in the comment section if that is something of interest to you all. I love me some high end products but if I can find a drugstore (a.k.a. thriftier) option, then I will take it!

This past weekend I was looking through my darker lip colors due to the sudden fall like weather in the Windy City. I recently purchased Mac's Rebel and noticed a similarity between that and Milani's Statement Lipstick in Sangria, which I also recently purchased. 

But it didn't stop there. I also heard that Wet'n'wild's matte lipstick in Sugar Plum Fairy was a dupe for Mac's Rebel. So I put it to a swatching test. 

(I apologize for the blurriness of this photo. My camera would not focus.)

As you can see, all lipstick colors are almost identical. Sugar Plum Fairy is slightly darker and has a matte consistency while Sangria swatches identical to Rebel and has a similar finish. 

Mac lipstick in Rebel- $15.00

Wet'n'wild Megalast Lip Color in 908C Sugar Plum Fairy- $1.99

Milani Statement lipstick in Sangria- $5.49

Next up is a long time dark lipstick favorite of mine, Mac's Media. It may be hard to tell in the picture but when swatched on my hand Media looks identical to Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry. This is another color I'm loving for the colder months. 

Mac lipstick in Media- $15.00

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry- $7.49

The prices of these drugstore lipsticks vary depending on where you purchase them but they are all under $9. I think they are a great alternative to a Mac lipstick, and these colors are definitely popular for this time of year (although I like to wear them all year long!). My favorite way to wear these lipsticks is taking Rebel, the lighter color, and then layering Media, the darker color, over it for a beautiful combination. 

What are your favorite drugstore lipstick shades for the autumn months?

Vintage Garage Finds

As promised, I will be sharing with you some amazing treasures I found at the Vintage Garage Chicago this past Sunday. 

I arrived at the garage about an hour and a half before they were going to close. It was pouring outside but as soon as I stepped inside (can a garage really be considered inside?) I was taken by all the vibrant clothes I saw. It doesn't take much for me to be "taken" but I was really impressed with how many vintage clothing sellers there were. 

I first stopped at Bolted Vintage and this beauty immediately caught my eye. I've been obsessed with this shade of purple lately. I recently got a circle skirt in this shade but I was thrilled to find a longer, pleated skirt for the windier days in Chicago. I was also pretty excited when the owner, Michelle, placed my purchase in a reusable bag made from beautiful scraps of fabric. 

Next I stopped at the Weber's Antiques booth. They had little tubs of jewelry organized by type and as I was browsing the selection the owner told me everything was half off. I don't think I paid more than $2 for anything I bought. 

 I was so pleased with the selection but this arm party of bracelets may have been what I was most excited about. I'm not usually a bracelet wearer but something about this combination of bracelets wants me to wear them all the time. And yes, those bells actually jingle :)

 I was very excited when I found this diaper pin. I recently saw a necklace that someone made using a diaper pin and parts of a chandelier (which I also have), and I have wanted to make one ever since. Now I have no excuse. 

 I've also decided to wear pins more, and I thought these were a good place to start. 

Next on the list was to visit my good friends at Lost Girls Vintage. They always pull out some beautiful pieces for me to try on and this time was no exception. I may have gone a tad overboard with this shopping excursion but I just couldn't help myself and I don't regret any of my purchases. 

A beautiful autumnal flower dress. I swear, this dress is the epitome of fall. 

I couldn't bear to leave this dress behind. It has three things I love in a dress: flowers, some sheerness and a 90's feel. The sleeves on this dress are sheer and towards the bottom of the dress also. Vintage, and yet so modern at the same time. Gotta love when fashion is cyclical. 

I was about to leave the Lost Girls Vintage booth and make my way back home when I noticed these awesome hunter green boots out of my peripheral. I walked over and lo and behold they were my size. Ahhhhh! They are Eddie Bauer and the inside of the boots are lined with sheep wool. They were so comfy and fit me perfectly. The bottom of the shoes look brand new so it is possible they were never, or barely, worn. I am so excited to use these for the winter. They're suede so I will have to spray them to protect them, but then they will be good to go. 

I am so excited by all the purchases I made at the Vintage Garage on Sunday. If you live in Chicago, or near Chicago, it is definitely worth a trip out. October 20th is their season finale market so try and make it out if you can!