Friday, August 31, 2012

My New Prada Tote

You guys know I've always wanted a Prada tote from way back.  I even made a post about it here and here.  I was never in a rush to get it but I knew I'll get it eventually.

School is almost starting and I thought I needed one last treat before I become a frugal student.  This time around I'll be paying for school so I'll have less disposable income for pretty things.  I always neglected to purchase a staple: a classic black bag.  Every time I see a beautiful bag, I always stray from  it in the colour black for some reason.  The only black bags I have are: a MBMJ Natasha cross body bag or a Chanel lambskin medium flap - which are horrible everyday classic bags.  They are either too small, too dressy, not durable, or too casual.

I walked into Holt Renfrew one night just before closing and decided I wanted something Prada.  I initially intended to purchase a Prada wallet to replace my Louis Vuitton vernis zippy wallet in rouge fauviste that I lost in Las Vegas (so sad!).  But then, I saw the beautiful Prada saffiano tote bags in all different sizes and colours.  I saw one beautiful double zip taupe one with a strap but it wasn't it black.  It was everything I hoped for, but the colour was wrong.  The Prada sales associate told me if I was serious, that he would do a store transfer from Toronto (because they had 7 of them!).  This bag in this colour and in this size was highly coveted.  I was serious about it.  So after giving my credit card info, the bag would be delivered in one week. 

So here it is!


It's the Prada BN 2274 tote.  The one you see in Mission Impossible 4 where the blonde villian puts the stolen diamonds in her purse.  

picture from the Google images 

These are the measurements for the bag.  
picture from the official Prada website

It is called the medium tote with a strap technically since Prada bags don't really have actual names and just codes.  The colour black is called Nero.  

The leather is saffiano - it is a textured leather that's very durable and has a unique shine to it.  It comes with a detachable shoulder strap as well.  There are two zippered compartments and one open compartment.  There's more slots and another zippered portion as well within the opened compartment.  Basically, there's lots of compartments for this bag.  It was $1810 Canadian.  It's also $1810 USD so the price difference isn't much for Prada at the moment.  I suggest buying it in Canada.  Also, the paper bag and the box it came in was huge!  The box is very thick and leathery feeling.   

My friends and I decided to take some photos one day with their DSLR and I got some blog photos during the process.  Thanks to my friend Vanessa S. for taking these photos for me.

Outfit of the day consists of:

Zara skinnys in mint, T. Babaton Finley blouse in cabernet, Aldo shoes (that broke on me), YSL arty ring in love pink, Chloe sunglasses and Prada tote.

With my favorite ring :)

Another way to wear the bag


My Forever 21 necklace in mint!  Totally forgot about this.  

Oh god, I've gotten so tan that my foundation doesn't exactly match my skin tone anymore.  Time to buy a new foundation unfortunately.  


With some of my friends

I hope everyone is going to have an enjoyable long weekend!  I intended to go to Kelowna but the plans with the accommodation we were staying at fell threw.  So the back up plan?  I'm going to Portland!  Good old Portland, home of great eats and shopping.  

Also, my blog is going to hit it's 1 year Anniversary on September 11, 2012.  I know, what an ominous day.  I'm considering doing a blog giveway to celebrate this event soon.  So keep your eyes open.  I can't believe it's almost been one year since I started this little hobby.  

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Aritzia Warehouse Sale 2012

I went to Aritzia Warehouse Sale today! 

I sadly was not a friend nor a family of someone who worked at Aritzia.  However, I was lucky enough to get invited to tag along with Emicably Yours because she knew an important person who's in charge of the operations of this sale.  



The sale for Friends and Family apparently started at 4pm.  I got to Canada Place at 5pm and the line was very long already.  I felt like there was 150 people ahead of me.  I took about 20 minutes to get in. Everyone in line had these little cards that signified that you were indeed invited to this private sale before it goes public tomorrow.  



After spending 4 hours at the sale and charging $211 and some change on my credit card, I walked away with 6 awesome pieces.  This is my Aritzia Warehouse Sale haul:


I got black TNA spandex cropped leggings (hits me mid calf) for $30 in XS (reg $50).  I needed these because my mother keeps on stealing my leggings and I seriously have one pair now down from 10.  My favorite purchase of all was the T. Babaton Elliot pants in grey in size 2 for $50 (reg $95).  These I found thrown ontop a clothing rack bunched up in a mess.  It was a miracle, a size 2!  I found bigger sizes like size 6 or 8 in grey and surprisingly one size 4 in black.  I have these pants in black and periwinkle blue and I love the fit.


The second best steal I got was the Wilfred silk cashmere blend blob print sweater.  They are so soft to the feel.  I got it in a size S for $50 (reg $115).  It's a baggy sweater so the sizing is forgivable.  I had a girl ask me if she could have it if I didn't like it.  But I liked it so I kept it for myself.  As I was walking around, I saw the same sweater in the same size but felt bad that I never saw that girl again.  These sweaters were hard to find.  


I got this Talula lace tank top for $24 in XS (reg $48) .  There wasn't a price on it so the cashier gave it to my for 50% off.  


I got some of the signature tank tops I wear, the T. Babaton second skin tank tops.  I got the dark grey floral one for $20 in a M (reg $40) and the beige lace print in a L (reg $40).  For the T. Babaton tanks, I find one has to go up several sizes because of the stretchy material.  


Here are my tips for surviving the Aritzia Warehouse Sale and coming out fruitful:


- Don't bring a purse because it's unnecessary weight.  Just bring a wristlet or your wallet because you have to coat check your purse anyways

- Drink lots of water and eat a good meal before the sale.  You don't know how long you are going to stay here.  I didn't intend to stay for 4 hours but it just happened.

- The best items are found NOT on the neat clothing racks but on the floors in messy piles discarded by others on the sale floor and in piles in the change rooms.  Go through these piles because technically, they have been filtered by others.  Smaller sizes and better selection are usually found here.  Just make sure you don't take others stuff and ask if a pile belongs to them first before you dig through it.

- Wear modest underwear and bra.  The fastest way to try things on is just stripping down to your undergarments and trying the clothes in a corner.

- Take a friend with you.  There's only one mirror in the change room.  Most likely, you won't be able to see yourself and how you look in your clothes.  Ask your friend for their honest truth and let them be your mirror. 

- If there is any doubt, don't buy the clothing item.  If you wanted it so bad in the first place, you wouldn't have to convince yourself to buy it on sale - the decision would have been quick and obvious if you knew it was a 'yes'.  Don't buy something for the sake of buying something.  If you walk out empty handed, that's fine as well.  At least you didn't waste your money on something mediocre. 

- Go into the warehouse sale with an open mind.  If you have a set list of things you want to buy, chances are.. they won't have it.  Classic pieces are rare to find at a warehouse sale.  

- Don't bring your boyfriend.  It's hell for them.  They serve no purpose during this sale so why torture them with boredom.  Sure you can persuade them with the idea of girls changing out in the open but it's not like everyone is a Victoria's Secret model changing for a fashion show.  My eyes see more unsightly body parts than erotica.

- Inspect your clothing items thoroughly!  Silk clothing items are prone to snags.  Cotton items tend to have holes.  95% of the knitted sweaters I saw had rips and pulls on them.  Make sure the zippers are in working order and the zipper pulls are there. 


The deals:

- Wilfred and T Babaton wool/winter coats were $150.  I saw the Wilfred military trench (greys and blacks) and the Wilfred Howell funnel neck coat (grey, black, olive, dark beige, cream)! Such a good deal.  Not anything for the smaller sizes by the time I got in but lots of mediums, larges and XL.

- T Babaton second skin tanks for $15-$20 in charcoal gray floral from S-M, beige lace print in S-L, green stripped for $15.

- Wilfred bustiers $10 in all colours of the rainbow

- J brand pastel pinks, lavenders, yellows skinny for $100.  All jeans (Citizens - thomspon, avedon), Rag & Bone (in burnt orange, yellow, mint, coral, bright red), J brand (pastel colours, regular dark blue, hunter green, indigo blue), Current Elliott leopard print/snack print were $100.  Some were $75.  I saw a J brand in hunter green for $75.

- Lots of those sleeveless and half sleeve T Babaton (or Wilfred?) silk wrap style dresses for $75 down from $165 or $175.  Mostly in the colours cream, mauve, purple, plum, black, olive green, sky blue, burnt coral, black star print, burgundy floral and black floral.

- Wilfred silk sundresses (georgette silk material) with the ruffles for $83 in sky blue, light pink, mint, bright yellow.

- Lots of winter coats/parkas with furry hoods from Talula for $100. Great for winter time.

- Wilfred Crepe de Chine parachute pants in dark purple and dark beige for $50.  Also the linen versions were $40 in black.  Lots of silk dress pants for $50 in general. 

- T. Babaton dressy blazers for $100 in black, light grey and charcoal grey.  The cheapy looking cotton Talula blazers were there too but didn't remember the price.  The lightweight Talula blazers in black and royal blue were present as well. Lots of blazers in general.  Saw very few Crepe de Chine blazers for $100.  It was either a burnt orange/rust colour in a size 4 or 10.  I saw one short tuxedo version for $100 in a size 2 but I have the longer version already so no go. 

- Different styles of Wilfred silk tanks ranging from $20-40.  There was the buttoned front slouchy silk tank in mint, hot pink, white, black or royal blue.  It didn't look flattering on.  Lots of sky blue wilfred u neck silk tanks.  

- Lots of bright neon pink TNA hoodies for.. who cares I'm not in high school anymore. 

- Wilfred silk Cannes shorts in lavender, mint and grey for $40. Lots of Mediums and Larges though. I found a grey one in size small. 

- T. Babaton gauze material sweaters for $40 in sky blue and black.  Byline open knit sweaters with long sleeve and short sleeves in taupe for $50 but all had snags on them. 

- Winter native style wool knit sweaters were $60.

- Wilfred silk rompers with the single pocket in the front and cross back design had a wide range of sizes and was either $50 or $60 and it came in royal blue, mint, hot pink, and black

- Lots of accessories like cell phone cases, ipad cases, tna backpacks and bags (didn't look at the price of these because they don't appeal to me)


In the end, was the sale worth it?  

Yes and No.  Yes if you are on the bigger end of the spectrum (M-L) but if you are XS - S, you will have to be pretty ninja and hunt for longer.  But if you like hunting, then it's right up your alley.  The sale is more worth it if you are buying bustier tanks and winter coats because there's so many of them.  Good luck finding classic pieces though - if you do, it's one of the bigger sizes.  Also, size 27 and up in jeans have better selection than 26 and under.  There's lots of silk wrap dresses if you are looking for that and believe they are worth $75.  There's not much sweaters in my opinion.  

They claim to bring out new stock everyday.  I can't guarantee that you will find the same things I bought so if you see something you like, grab it and never let go.  You can decide later if you want to purchase it. 

Oh yeah so the cashiers forgot to take off 2 security tags off my items, so annoying.  
Looks like I have to go to an Aritzia store to get them removed tomorrow.  

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Stila Set and Correct Baked Powder Trio

I got some more Stila goodies to test out.


I'm in love with this finishing powder from Stila.  The Set and Correct Baked Powder Trio goes on translucent with a hint of a pearlescent glow.  I use this powder after I finish putting on my mineral foundation.  The trio of colours work together (peach gives off the pearlescent glow, green hides redness and lavender corrects darker areas) to give your skin a silky warm undertone glow.  This product doesn't have that horrid talc smell like other translucent powders.  


The packaging is great because it comes with a device that you turn and it shaves off a bit of the chuck of powder so it minimizes messy powder fall out.  The compact comes with a mirror as well.


This product goes for $34 USD at Sephora

Friday, August 10, 2012

Stila "In The Moment" Eye Shadow Palette

I had the privileged to test out this eye shadow palette from Stila. 

Stila's eye shadows are known to be highly pigmented and very shimmery.  Stila's In the Moment palette is the perfect neutral palette for creating a day and night look.  This palette contains 10 eye shadow shades and 1 Smudge Stick Waterproof eyeliner in Tetra (a deep shimmery purple).  The palette retails for $39USD at Sephora.  The price is excellent because it would have cost $118USD for 10 individual eye shadows and the eye liner. 

Top (L to R): Instinct (shimmery cream), Impulse (shimmery lavender), Glance (matte bright purple), Improvise (shimmery deep eggplant), and Catalyst (matte black)
Bottom (L to R): Desire (matte peach), Wonder (shimmery pinky brown), Spontaneous (shimmery gold), Whim (shimmery medium brown) and Captive (shimmery brown purple)

Instinct, Impulse, Glance, Improvise, and Catalyst
Desire, Wonder, Spontaneous, Whim, Captive and eye line in Tetra

The colours are very romantic with purples, pinks, coppers and creams.  The eye shadows have very high pigmentation.  One time when I was putting on make up before work, I forgot to put an eye primer before putting on these eye shadows.  At the end of my shift, I noticed that my eye shadow did not melt off my face and was still visible and bright.  

This palette is great for creating a day and night look.

For day, I use desire under my brow line, wonder on my crease, captive on my lids and catalyst on the outer corners of my eyes and to line the bottom half of my lash line.

For night, I use instinct under my brow line, wonder on my inner crease, glance on my outer crease, improvise on my lids catalyst on the outer corners of my eyes and to line the bottom half of my lash line.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Forever 21 Blue Flutter Dress

I don't have many summer dresses.  I guess they never appealed to me because most summer dresses look over the top girly (think 70's poofy bottoms, sweetheart necklines, huge floral patterns and cotton material).  

I snapped some photos in one of the few summer dresses I have.  You can dress this dress up or down. I dressed it down with flats but I wore pumps with it one time on a date. 


Forever 21 dress, Louis Vuitton Eva in damier ebene, and Aldo Warnack flats

(over flowing closet decided to burst open)





This dress from Forever 21 sparked my interested because it's has a romantic feel to it because of the chiffon like material, the flutter neckline makes the dress look sexy but the placement of the buttons makes the dress look casual and innocent as well.  I paired the dress with nude flats, my Louis Vuitton Eva in damier ebene and my Wilfred Chevalier satin lapel blazer (not pictured).  

I wore this to have dinner on the patio with friends at Steveston and then we watched a movie afterwards.  

Monday, August 6, 2012

My Favorite Things!

Some of my favorite things that belong to me...

My boyfriend .....and his extensive sneaker collection!  

This is one of his favorite shoes.  It's the Air Jordon 11 Concord.  I think I met my match when I found a guy who likes shopping and working out just as much as I do.  

My Chanel lambskin medium flap.  

It's one of the most iconic bags out there in the fashion world.  The classic flap will never be mistaken with any other brands.  Other brands may borrow the idea of it's quilted texture, woven straps double straps and kiss lock closure but it's not Chanel.  Almost every (fashionable) girl dreams to own a Chanel flap day.  I say go on and purchase it if you are living within your means.  

My YSL Arty ring in Love Pink

Sure every other girl and their dog has the turquoise, lapis and coral one... but I like to be a bit more unique.  The love pink one is a special edition ring made especially for Valentines Day 2012.  It has the word love handwritten and embossed on the back of the ring.  Yves Saint Laurent will be no longer YSL...since the brand has changed their name to Saint Laurent paris

My Zara gold sequin clutch

It may not be designer but it goes with anything and everything.  I got it for half off on Boxing Day 2011 since I had to stalk a girl who was holding onto the the last one for 30 minutes!  In the end, she abandoned the said clutch and decided not to buy it... that's when I went in like a vulture and scooped it up.  Best boxing day purchase ever.  Since then Zara made another sequin clutch with clear rainbow sequins but it doesn't compare to this gold one that looks like a blinding pot of gold.


My Alexander McQueen silk scarf in coral

Sure I could have easily purchased the black and white scarves but what would be the fun in things when an item isn't super exclusive?  I got the last coral scarf in the whole Holt Renfrew company..it was fate.  


My Car

It gets me to point A and B even though I don't drive a lot.  I nicknamed it Lil Wayne because I'm random like that.  Sometimes I abandon this car and take a more economic car depending where I drive to.  



Christian Louboutin Iowa Zeppa

The most comfy 5 inch heels ever!  

Forever 21 Jewelry

I bought 2 necklaces, 1 bracelet and 1 ring from Forever 21 when I went to Las Vegas.

I'll model some of the pieces for you.  I love jewelry from Forever 21 because it's cheap and stylish as well.  It's my go to store for jewelry when I don't want to invest in something super trendy.


For bold statement jewelry, I'm a fan of gold pieces.  The colour gold warms up an outfit compared to silver.  I find that gold looks better with people who have an olive complexion and people who are more pale look better with silver.  The necklace was $10.80 USD.


The colour mint is so trendy at the moment.  Perfect against cream, greys and hot pink outfits.  The necklace was $9.80 USD.


I love the sky blue oval ring because it reminds me of the ocean.  It's a little too big for my personal preference but the colour is just mesmerizing.  The ring was $5.80 USD and the bracelet was $6.80 USD.  The nail polish I'm wearing is from Joe Fresh in Iris $4 (or 3 nail polish for $10) and the white flower stickers cost $2 and were from Daiso.  

Since the inventory of Forever 21 is constantly changing, it is difficult to link stock photos of these pieces.  So my apologies for no retail links. 



Recent Purchases Clothing Haul

I haven't been shopping that much lately.  
I bought a few things here and there in the span of 2 months.


These are the two dresses that I wore, respectively, to my friends' wedding ceremony and reception.

The yellow dress was bought at Forever 21 for $29.80 and the mint dress was bought at Bedo for $94.50

My Aritzia private pre-sale haul cost me about $900 for 3 T. Babaton silk blouses, 3 T. Babaton silk bias cut tanks, 1 knit Talula sweater, 1 T. Babaton jersey blouse, 1 T. Babaton periwinkle blue ankle pant and 1 Wilfred tapered crepe trousers.


I bought this T. Babaton Finley blouse in black, grey and burgundy (waiting for it to arrive)
 $115 retail (got 20% off that)

I bought this T. Babaton silk bias cut tank in white cap grey, olive and black $85 (got 20% off that). This tank is awesome because it's super flattering and there are a snap closure string mechanism that allows you to secure it onto your bra straps so the straps of the tank won't slip off

I bought this Talula knit sweater in oak. It's $75 but I got 20% off that. 
The sweater comes in pink, robin's egg blue, neon yellow, taupe, and black.




I got these T. Babaton Elliot pants in periwinkle blue for $95.
I have these in black as well and they are my favorite ankle pants.
They come in periwinkle blue, emerald green, navy, coral, khaki and seafoam as well.


I decided to purchase work out clothes that are more fashionable.  I hate spending a lot on work out clothes because gym clothes were always old clothes that were demoted in my wardrobe.  Here's some stuff I picked out from Forever 21.  Until the end of this week, Forever 21 has a free shipping code for over $25 "FREESHIP25".  

$16.80 buy here


$21.80 buy here

$11.80 buy here


$11.80 buy here

Friday, August 3, 2012

Black Crochet Shorts and Gucci Bag

Hey guys!  Sorry I went missing in action.  You be glad to know I didn't die.  I know I have been slacking lately but so much has been going on with me.  Aside from mini vacations, full time work, repercussions of an eye injury, a new boyfriend and being a gym rat.... I finally took some time to snap some photos to blog.  A beautiful sunny day is the best time to take photos in my room! 



I got these shorts from OASAP. I have a pair in beige that I adore.  The black ones are just as nice.  They cost about $30 and they are a good price compared to the Zara ones which look similar.  The only downfall is sometimes the seams come undone so I have to manually re-enforce them.



I have converted multiple of my blog friends like Initialed, xoxoCat, Style Rhapsody, Oh So Vonnie and more to these OASAP crochet shorts.  

I'm wearing:


OASAP shorts, T. Babaton bias cut silk tank, Forever 21 necklace, 
ALDO shoes, and Gucci bag.


I've got a slight tan due to Las Vegas and it's still lingering for the summer.  


I'll be selling some of my clothing and accessories on my blog.  
I'm selling the Gucci purse that's pictured with me. 


BUY MY GUCCI PURSE for $1000!  

It fits everything and the kitchen sink. it's NOT the cheapy basic gucci purses because it's the one with awesome studs. I think it's called the studded pelham bag. 9.5/10 condition. Authentic of course because I'm me. It retails for $1480 so it comes to $1650 after tax. I have the dust bag, the price tag, all the cards that came with it. Selling a pair of turquoise Christian Louboutin pumps soon and purple vernis Louis Vuitton bag because I want to buy a new purse before school starts.



Some fading and thinning at the crease which is very minimal


Metal magnetic snap closure and inner zippered pocket


The best part of the bag - the metal studs!


Inner tag


The paper work


If you have anymore questions, just leave me a comment.  Also, I'll be responding to your comments shortly to my other posts.  For some reason my left side photos have gone wonky.  I really need to get some assistance to make a banner with my blog name incorporating those photos.


Okay so a short life update.  

I've been working out pretty hardcore.  I run 5km after dinner and after work I go to the gym for one hour.  Let's just say I met someone who's super determined in terms of working out and it just makes me want to better myself as well.  I have had my gym membership at Steve Nash for almost one year now.  The lightest I have weighed was 122lbs last August and now I'm 130lbs (I'm 5"4 and a half).  Yes, it's depressing to know that I've got heavier in the past year and people don't believe me when I tell them how heavy I am.  After a while, I stopped caring about the number on the scale.  I'd like to think it's muscle I've gained.  I looked at some of my older blog photos and I have got more compact.  So girls, in the end... it doesn't matter what the scale says.  If you are healthy and happy - that's what matters.  

I was a "skinny-fat" person before... now I'm just a "toned" person.  I know I won't achieve those slim long chicken legs and probably won't weight 115lbs anymore because that's not in my genes.  I rather be curvy and healthy than flat and slim.  

Anyways, have a great long weekend readers!



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