Splurge or Save: Eyelet Skirt

On one of my recent work trips {that helped lead to my accidental blog break}, I hit up a new favorite city of mine -- San Francisco. Besides squeezing in a couple of touristy stops, I also did a little shopping. {By the way, I'd totally recommend making time for Alcatraz if you are planning a trip to San Fran... I usually shy away from tours and tourist activities in general, but it was really cool}. 

Anywho, back to my shopping outing... I not only stumbled upon some great local boutiques, but I checked out the San Francisco version of a couple of my usual stops: Nordy, Gap, J.Crew, Forever 21, H&M, etc. Why do I spend precious vaca time in stores I have at home? Well, it's been my experience that the bigger cities have a bigger and better selection than our stores sometimes have here in KC. And on top of that, with traveling so much, I really haven't had a ton of time to shop in KC anyway, so I'll take my stores wherever I can get them!

So, while in San Fran, I picked up a cute little eyelet skirt from Forever 21. I was impressed with the great quality and cute coral color {the color is much more pinky-melon than this pic below shows}. It was a perfect addition to my spring work and/or play wardrobe. Shortly after I brought it home, I spotted an almost identical style at the J. Crew Factory Store in a fab red color! L.O.V.E the RED! Had I not already bought the F21 version, little red would have for sure been coming home with me!

Splurge {$79.50} or Save {$19.80}

So you already know which way I went on this debate, but what would you do???

Splurge or Save: Valentine Edition

So I did a quick round-up of some cute top options for your Valentine celebrations, but what about adding a cute pair of earrings to your holiday rotation? 

splurge / save

I like both of these so much, I'd keep wearing them well past Valentine's Day!

Splurge or Save: Sequin Mini

HI! Welcome back! Hope everyone had a great Christmas holiday! I'll be back later this week sharing all of the wonderful goodies that made this Christmas so special... it was definitely one for the record books!

But today, let's talk about what you should wear for NYE... and by what you should wear I really mean what I'm going to wear {maybe... if I can pull the pieces together! Nothing like waiting until the last minute!}.

First of all, I was inspired by this great photo found on pinterest, of course:

source

But this year, my NYE plans are a little more low key than what would call for a sequin maxi skirt... so I'm thinking a mini is more up my alley, thus brings me to the latest edition of Splurge or Save:

Splurge or $ave

Both skirts are cute, but the $ave version definitely is the winner for me... love everything about it! Plus it's on sale for $32 bucks and it's from Kohl's and they always have coupons {check out the "retailmenot app" on you phone!}. I bet you could take that baby home for $20-$25, which would be a HUGE savings over the $138 J. Crew version.

Anywho, back to my outfit... I'm thinking of doing a little flip flop of the inspiration pic. Mini skirt instead of maxi and long sleeve chambray shirt instead of short sleeve. Polish it off with a great pair of pumps {maybe even leopard if I'm feeling sassy!} and a statement necklace and I'll be all set to ring in 2013!

I hope you all enjoy your New Year festivities! What are you thinking about wearing?

Splurge or Save: Studded Slingbacks

I'm sure I'm not the only one that has spotted some variety of these Valentino shoes somewhere on the world wide web, and I would be lying to say it didn't cross my mind to want to invest in a pair of these beauties, but it turns out my bank account wouldn't like it so much! Lucky for me I have found the perfect alternative:

splurge / save

So for a whopping $850 in SAVINGS, I could afford a whole outfit + more!!! 

I'm so excited about the "Save" option that I have put together a look to go with them. My Mom always said, "start with the shoes!" I think the chartreuse pair are right up my alley! Here is how I would style them:

blazer / top / jeans / bag / bracelets / earrings

Splurge or Save: Sparkle

When it comes to dressing for the holidays, I'd love to invest in a sparkly dress for every occasion that pops up, but the truth is my budget won't allow. Bummer! Instead of splurging on a new dress for every occassion, I do what ever smart fashionista does and rely on my favorite LBD {little black dress, of course!} and try and mix it up with accessories for a new look.

It's no secret that anything sparkly is "in"  for the season, I even talked about it here, but if you're not ready or don't the budget for a new dress, a great clutch is the perfect way sparkle-up an old go-to favorite!



Splurge or $ave


Yes, I've blogged about the coordinating Kate Spade coin purse here, I can't help it... I love it! I think this clutch needs to be mine. And yes, I love just about everything Kate Spade, as proven here, here, here and here.

So based on that shocking confession, I think you know what my choice would be here. SPLURGE! It is the holidays after all, and you deserve to treat yourself!

Splurge or Save: Lip Scrub

For this edition of "Splurge or Save," I'm dipping back into the cosmetics world again and sharing one of my favorite products for winter! Without fail, I get a good case of chapped lips every year when the weather changes. A lip exfoliator is a total must for me {I better add it to my list of go-to products!}, but the question is, do you splurge or save?

For me, I think it's worth the splurge on Fresh Cosmetics Sugar Lip Polish, but if you are looking to save a few bucks, this DIY version would be a great alternative!