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! 

Art Around Your Neck

This past weekend I stopped by the Vintage Garage at 5051 N. Broadway in Chicago. They set up the third Sunday of every month but next month (October 20th) is their season finale so make it out if you can!

It was a rainy Sunday but when I arrived it was pretty hoppin' in the garage. I stopped by a few booths (I'll go into more detail about the treasures I found in my next post) before I settled in at the Lost Girls Vintage booth. These two women are good friends of mine and I can't help but purchase a lot of things when I visit them and Winnie, their awesome orange and white chevron RV. They have a wonderfully curated collection and while it is all vintage, each piece can easily be integrated into a modern wardrobe. 

Like I said, I will be going into more detail about my garage purchases in my next post because today I would like to pay homage to the most beautiful scarf I have ever laid eyes on. 

Unfortunately my camera didn't seem to pick up on the vibrance of this scarf, but it sure did pick up the gorgeousness of the watercolor/tie-dye effect. As Kyla started pulling out scarves to display my eyes fell on this scarf and it was love at first sight. I kid you not. I probably said, "This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen" a million times. It is 100% silk and feels so wonderful on the neck. It keeps my neck warm but is breathable. I knew right away that this had to go home with me.

And evidently, it did! I decided to pair this scarf with a white tank to keep the focus on the beauty of the scarf. Not to mention, there is so much going on with the scarf that I didn't want anything clashing with it. 

I am big into accessories but scarves might be my favorite of all. I often forget to wear jewelry but somehow it is so easy to throw a scarf around my neck, especially when the weather gets cooler. I have found so many beautiful scarves in my adventures and I often feel as though I am wearing art around my neck. I find that a scarf like this is an unexpected accessory to an outfit and spices it up without trying too hard. 

Do you often find scarves like this one? What is your favorite way to accessorize?

My Childhood, Thrifted

This morning I came across a friend's status stating that she had purchased an old school Polly Pocket set on eBay because she had been reading so much on the 90's. This of course made me nostalgic for my Polly Pockets of the past, which then led me to scold myself for not keeping them all these years. Hindsight is 20/20. 

So, while I plan to also scour eBay for Polly Pockets of my own, I will have to be happy with my most recent thrift haul where I purchased some other things that remind me of my childhood. Oh the joys of buying back our childhoods...

Let's start with this beauty. I found this in the men's section of Goodwill and gasped when I saw Ty! Anyone else a Beanie Baby fan? I had so many when I was younger. Too bad they don't go for much these days. 

The sweatshirt itself is a men's XL. I plan on cutting it up in someway. I will probably cut the sleeves shorter and the length of the sweatshirt since it hits me in a weird spot. I would also love to stud the shoulders. Too much?

Next, I found this Walt Disney World Mickey State University tee. I also found this in the men's section! It is from Walt Disney World Parks and the tags were still attached. Score! Oh, and it fits perfectly. 

In a previous post I wrote how excited I was to finally find a genuine Dooney & Bourke purse, and while this isn't a real Coach bag, it is close enough for me! It is a little hard to tell if it is black or navy (I'm leaning towards navy), but it is in great condition and is a perfect, simply cross body purse. My favorite. 

I had to do a double take when I found this scarf. I thought I saw Franklin D. Roosevelt's signature, and I was right! I just recently saw The Butler in theatres (it is amazing, go see it) and so I was pretty excited to find a U.S. Presidents scarf! It has signatures of past presidents and a color scheme that'll go with my heavily nautical wardrobe. 

This last item was a toss up for me. I have quite the collection of velvet (velveteen?) blazers. Ok, I have three, and this one makes four! I picked it up because I love this color for fall, and I was thinking how easy it would be to throw this on over a graphic tee with some skinny jeans and booties. This too came with its original tags. 

My entire bill came to $24.85. Not bad considering I bought nostalgia and something nice for fall. Have you come across your childhood in the thrift stores lately?

Cruella De Vil: A Look At the New E.L.F. Disney Villains Palettes

A little less than a week ago I came across the new E.l.f. limited edition Disney Villains kits. I purchased last year's palettes (and gave some away for Christmas) so I was very excited to see a new batch with some improvements. The villains this year are the Evil Queen, Cruella De Vil, Maleficent and the addition of Ursula as the newest villain. There are four different makeup kits, a cube of different nail polishes and make up cases featuring each villain. Each product is $9.99, which is an especially great deal for the make up kits because you get to try so many different E.l.f. products.

I decided it would be a fun idea to go in depth with each villain kit and also put together an outfit based on the villain. Today I will be starting with Cruella De Vil.

These palettes come with: A mascara, pencil eye liner, liquid eye liner, shadow brush, eye lid primer, 6 eye shadow palette and lip cream.

One of my favorite improvements of these palettes, over the palettes of last year, is that the look book has a magnetized closure. I also absolutely love that the palette of eye shadows is removable. Perfect for throwing in your purse on your way out the door. 

This may be my favorite palette. The colors, in my opinion, are perfect for fall. The pigmentation of each shade is incredible. It may be hard to tell in my swatches, but even the highlighter shade is pigmented. I also love the lip color in this kit. Looking at the packaging I thought it would be a weird orange on me but it turns out being a nice peachy nude. 

Here is a glance at the look I created with the shadows. I used Maniac on my inner corner and brow bone, Puppy Love on my lid and Fur on my outer corner. I also have the lip cream, Cruella De Vil, on my lips. 

And my Cruella De Vil inspired outfit:

Shirt: Thrifted, vintage Black Jeans: DKNY, thrifted Boots: Urban Outfitters (here)

Have you seen these Disney Villains kits in your Walgreens? They're a great value for your money, and who says being thrifty is only for the thrift stores? Be on the look out for my upcoming posts on the Evil Queen, Ursula and Maleficent!

The City of Vintage Love

Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a relaxing Labor Day weekend and that some of you were able to hit up the Labor Day sales.

My boyfriend and I took a trip to Philadelphia to visit his family. On Sunday his father had the idea for us to take a tour of downtown Philly and hit up some of the vintage and thrift stores. Who knew there was so much vintage in Philly? We had just enough time to check out five stores before our dinner reservations.

We started out at Sazz Vintage. As soon as I walked in I fell in love. The colors were bright and you could tell right away that the pieces were good quality. I made a bee line to the denim jackets and they were to die for. There was a particular flower jacket that I fell in love with but unfortunately the price tag kept me from picking it up. I didn't end up buying anything from Sazz but it will definitely be on my list of pit stops the next time I'm in Philly.

Our next stop was next door at Briar Vintage. This store sold exclusively male vintage but this might have been my favorite store. Much of the clothing here was military based and everything was in amazing condition. I felt so much history walking around the store and I got really excited when I spotted this treasure. As the daughter of a die hard Yankee fan I couldn't help but take a picture. Not to mention, the pom pom on top made it so cute!








Next on our list was to take a walk to Philly AIDS Thrift but along the way we came across a store called Lost and Found. Most of the items were boutique items (if that makes sense) but they had a small vintage section in both the men's and women's sections. This is where I finally found a Dooney & Bourke bag! I immediately picked it up and started inspecting. I have never come across a Dooney in my thrifting adventures and so I was very excited by the minimal marks on this bag. I turned to the price tag expecting to see a $70 price tag but was shocked to see $35! I clutched the bag to my chest and ran to my boyfriend to share my excitement. It turned out that his father had noticed the bag too and was also impressed with the price tag. Two minutes later I left the store with the bag in hand...after paying of course.

We then wandered to Philly AIDS Thrift and as soon as I walked in I was overwhelmed with the size of the store. I even got lost upstairs trying to find my way down. The store is chock full with anything you could possibly imagine, and I am not over exaggerating. My boyfriend's dad even said he saw a Keurig there. I set to work, brought way too many clothes into the dressing room, and in the end this is what I bought.

Our last stop was Retrospect Vintage. We spent about ten minutes in here because of time constraints but I was so impressed with what little I saw. I picked out four skirts that I tried on over my dress and this is the one I ultimately chose. I fell in love with the pattern of this skirt. It looks like art work and I cannot wait to wear it!

Overall I had a wonderful experience scouring the vintage of downtown Philadelphia. Were you able to explore a new city this past holiday weekend?