I'm hoping you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with delicious noms and quality family time!
(I know I did) - and we all know what comes after Thanksgiving: Black Friday / Cyber Monday! I have never been one to really fully embrace Black Friday or Cyber Monday before… the thought of shopping when everyone else is shopping has always made me wanna vom. I can't stand shopping at a crowded store, so I have always avoided going out to shop on Black Friday. I also have never really been a fan of online shopping (for clothes) - because I am one who always needs to try shit on before buying it so that I don't buy something that looks ridiculous on me / doesn't fit right. I'm also generally pretty careful about how I spend money, and rarely (if ever) go on a shopping binge of any sort ever. This year, however, was different - and I decided to treat myself to a few goodies. Life is too short to hold onto all your money, and sometimes you really do deserve something nice! ;)
I didn't set out for this to be a fashion blog from the get-go, but I'm open to branching this thing off into more realms - so I have added on the new category! :) Just a little background on where I stand with "fashion" as we jump into this new puddle of fun together… I've never considered myself one to really immerse myself in fashion culture nor "follow fashion trends" - so I'm not sure what help I will really be to any of you *pro* fashionistas out there who do… lol. I am here merely to share with you some of my favorite things / brands / places to shop at. I like to say that I'm a bit of an "unsung fashionista" lol, and am here for other fellow members of the "unsung" - but if you really know your stuff and find some sort of inspiration in what I post too - then great! :) To me, an "unsung fashionista" is someone who may not appear to care for fashion on the surface - but does have some sort of interest / *knowledge* in it. Heck, I think we all have our own sense of style whether we really full blown flaunt it or not. What I choose to buy and wear has always been and always will be a reflection of myself and what I think looks / feels "good" for me. I'm a firm believer in wearing what makes YOU feel confident and comfortable, and never have been one to dress for others (and probably never will be). Growing up, I was never really into reading fashion magazines, getting dolled up before events, etc. - and I still don't really dabble with any of that (although I do keep a bit more in *the know* now thanks to social media ;)). I don't have a sister, and my mom isn't really into any of it either - so that is probably why I am the way I am. In a weird way, I think all of it has helped me shape who I am today - someone who's pretty comfortable in their own skin. Of course we all have our insecurities - as we are all human, but I try to block those out as much as possible. With all of that said - that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good purchase every now and then! I'm a pretty frugal spender, and usually don't go too crazy when I do buy things. You can often find me searching for treasure in the clearance racks when it isn't a special day such as Black Friday ;).
On Black Friday (around 1 AM-ish), my first stop was Rifle Paper Co. They were offering 20% off of basically everything on the site, so naturally I bolted over there to see if there were any iPhone 6 cases left in stock. I have been wanting a Rifle iPhone case for the longest, and refrained from getting one on my 5 because I was waiting for the 6 to come out. The 6 came out, (but the cases were not set to release until November), and I had actually gotten my phone and was trying to wait until the cases were released before buying a case for it. Long behold, that was a slightly terrible decision… as I ended up going about life without a case and cracking my phone screen (by dropping it on a rock...) before the cases could come out (I know, #fml). You can read more about how that all happened here if you wish… lol. I had to replace that first phone… and so when the new one came, I was paranoid and ended up buying a quality Dual-Pro case in periwinkle / haze blue from Incipio for the time being - because I didn't want another cracked screen fiasco. I had an Incipio case on my 5 and it never failed me - so I trusted the brand. I learned my lesson, but still ultimately had my heart set on a Rifle case… and so when Black Friday came around…. I decided to finally splurge and buy one. I ended up going for the violet floral case - which was more or less the same color as the Incipio case. I also I ended up purchasing a set of two notebooks - which again is another thing I have been eyeing but have refrained from buying for awhile - and a Christmas card (which only came out to a $1 and change because it was on sale and the 20% stacked, lol). I also debated buying an art print, but decided to save that for another year so that I wasn't homeless and broke on the streets after check-out. ;)
When the case came in the mail, I was somewhat surprisingly underwhelmed.. and ended up actually returning it. I was expecting to be totally in love with it - and while yes, it was pretty - it felt flimsier / cheaper / less reliable than the Incipio case. I decided I didn't need two cases, and between the two - I would rather have a less fancy case that protected my phone over a prettier one that was thinner and not as sturdy. I also wasn't a fan of how the Rifle case's inlay was black. It felt too stark in contrast with the white face of the phone - and the Incipio case has a light grey inlay which goes better with the white in my opinion. Rifle's cases are still super cute and probably do offer some decent protection. I am probably just too paranoid about dropping and breaking my phone again… hah.
Later on Black Friday, I actually went to Macy's to check out their shoe selection. And oh man was that a mistake, LOL. I do NOT recommend going to Macy's during Black Friday to check out shoes (or a mall in general to check out anything). It was a fucking shit show and a half. Shoes were everywhere, and there was hardly anywhere to walk. It looked like a herd of elephants stampeded the place, and it made me nauseous. I ended up not staying long and left empty-handed. I was looking for (and have been looking for) a pair of affordable, simple, black chelsea boots - nice enough that they could qualify for being worn to work. I have been looking probably since last year I think… which is quite some time to be searching for one specific pair of boots, lol. I have wide / square ass feet, so shoe shopping of any kind is always a pain for me. I'm also not a fan of buckles and shiny metal details of any kind on boots (or any shoe for that matter)… and also hate pointy toed shoes. I don't know about you man, but my feet are definitely not shaped like triangles. On top of all that - I cannot walk in heels for my life - so finding a low heel was also a must.
Cyber Monday rolled around, and at 4 AM (Sunday night into Monday) I decided to try my luck online. I don't think I've ever bought shoes online before, and this is a fact believe it or not. Again, I like to try stuff on out of habit before I buy it (especially shoes) - so this was a pretty big step for me LOL. I decided to check out what Asos had in store since they were offering 30% off site-wide (PLUS free shipping) and was thrilled with their selection of boots. They had all kinds of styles - all simple but bold with a little bit of edge - just the way I like my boots! They had similar styled boots with differing heel heights, colors, etc - and this made me super happy because it felt like there was something for everyone - including me haha. ;) I felt like my painful search was finally over, but unfortunately, the styles I liked most were out of stock. I ended up ordering a pair of wide-fit black boots in a size 8 which (was about the only style they had left in stock). With the 30% off, it came out to $30 something (a steal in my eyes for boots, even though they weren't real leather). I was afraid that if I waited, they would sell out like the other styles. However, I didn't love them. I decided to go to bed and try again later. I woke up and checked the Asos site again and to my surprise I found that they had restocked the boots I initially had my eye on! :D *happy dance* I whipped out my credit card and was never more thrilled to order something online before, lol. These boots (unlike the ones I ordered the night before) came in half sizes, which again made me even more happy (because I could order a 7 1/2). They were also made of real leather! I was a little concerned the 8s would be a little too big, but was confident that these would fit well. They were originally priced at $70 something, but with the 30% came out to $50 something (a steal for real leather). I felt crazy for ordering a second pair of boots, but planned to send whichever one I didn't fit or like as much back. I ended up keeping the second pair and cannot wait to wear them - they are so comfy and have a soft cushion-y material on the inner lining! :) Despite not being wide fit, they don't pinch my feet at all. I'll be sending back the first pair because I don't need both. I am totally converted to buying shoes online. Next stop: clothes! (lol) #bbsteps
I felt pretty awesome about my boots find / purchase as I watched them quickly go out of stock again within the hour of me ordering them. I thought to myself: "Good thing I ordered them when I did!" and felt stupidly proud that I beat the crowd or something. They had gone from being out of stock to being back in stock to being back out of stock within the span of less than 12 hours. #littlevictories
I told myself that after Rifle and Asos, I was done spending money (LOL), but I lied to myself. I then went on a spree of looking at everyone's Cyber Monday deals - as discounts were blowing up my Instagram feed like nobody's business.
For the most part, I was good and didn't spend much more… but I did buy one more thing: a wild floral canvas wallet from Kate Spade Saturday. I absolutely loved the little neon green / coral / navy abstract floral pattern, and the inside has black and white stripes. I've always drooled over the pretty color schemes and designs of KS / KS Saturday, but have never brought myself to splurge on anything from there as it's all pretty out of my budget range (hah). However, the extra 30% off had me hooked - especially because this included sale items! :D So, obv. I bolted and checked out the sales tab first. I came across the wallet (originally $95) - and it was marked on sale down 20% (making it $60 something). The additional 30% knocked it down to $40 something. :) $40 something is still kinda a lot for me as far as a wallet goes - but for a KS Saturday wallet -- a total steal! I couldn't resist and decided to get it - no looking back. #treatyoself I also have to say that the packaging of the KS Saturday order was so fun to open! As a packaging design nerd, I was practically salivating. I loved the grid tissue paper juxtaposed with the fun bright yellow "Kate Spade Saturday" sticker. In fact, I even carefully peeled off the sticker, placed it on a thick piece of card-stock , and cut it out to use as prop for the photo, lol (yeah yeah I know what you're thinking' - I'm a bit c r a y...) #graphicdesignproblems
So in conclusion, I think I am officially converted to cyber Monday, lol. (Not so much the in-store Black Friday shopping, though). I can't believe I held out all these years… what was I thinking?! Buying stuff online is so much easier than going to the actual store… but also a danger zone (because of how easy it is, hah...) Hopefully in the future I will share some more of my favorite brands / purchases / fashion finds! I know that Rifle isn't fashion-related, but the other two were. ;)
What were some of your best Black Friday / Cyber Monday steals this year?
(share them with me in the comments below!)