Bargains – Blue Collar Red Lipstick

Category: Bargains

26
Feb
2018

Favourite New (Non-Fashion) Finds

categories: Bargains, Favourite things, Shopping

I have a love-hate relationship with Amazon Prime. I hate the fact that the whole 2-day shipping thing is largely an empty promise, but I like free shipping no matter the wait involved and I cannot resist the vast array of inexpensive products (and books, natch!) at my fingertips. So there is a fairly regular stream of packages arriving at my door courtesy of Prime, especially as I have grown to abhor large retail establishments of all kinds – the parking situation alone is reason enough to stay home.

Not surprisingly, one of my favourite things to do now is read about other people’s cheap-but-amazing Amazon finds and testing the promising ones for myself. I am actively working on keeping my house as clutter-free as my collecting hobbies allow, so I am fairly picky about the things I actually buy. They need to be functional and/or make me look 10 years younger. Not every single thing has been life-changing, but I have found some nifty things along the way, so I thought I’d share some quick reviews.

Acupressure Mat

I bought the $30CAD version (link to Amazon US site), which I doubt is all that different from the $45 one. Both my husband and I experience tension and pain in our backs on a regular basis (likely from being desk-bound, largely sedentary stress bunnies) so I thought this might help fill the hole between our monthly massage appointments. It’s okay. I can’t say that I have noticed a marked improvement in terms of pain relief, but I like using it as a form of relaxation before bedtime. Not life-changing, but not a complete waste of money either. If you end up purchasing this, just make note that the spikes are extra sharp if you’re suddenly saddled with 40 lbs-worth of dive-bombing pre-schooler; I speak from (painful) experience.

Conair Fabric Defuzzer

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For the price, this does a pretty good job. I find that it works best on tight knits/stiff fibers; it doesn’t do as much on my fluffier sweaters. But seriously, can’t beat that price.

Jiffy ESteam Handheld Steamer

I finally did it, you guys. I bought a steamer. The Jiffy was not an inexpensive option, but it had good reviews so I just sucked it up. So far, so good. It gives off a good amount of steam, which seems to work well with silks and similar lightweight materials – the extent of what I’ve tried so far. One fill is enough for a thorough steam of one piece, I find; I’m talking something fairly wrinkly to begin with. I will say that it’s pretty bulky, so I’m not sure I would pack it for travel as some reviews seemed to suggest. It seems like it would be easier to simply pack un-wrinkable pieces instead.

Bathroom Counter Organizer

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In principle, I like the idea of using assorted cute trays for make-up storage, but in reality this approach ends up taking over my whole bathroom counter and it doesn’t look as Pinterest-ready as I imagine. Did I mention that I hate clutter? When I saw this $40CAD lazy Susan for bathrooms, I pounced. And it’s fan-freaking-tastic!

[Note: I can’t find the exact listing on Amazon US, but this one looks identical.]

Assembly could not be easier, even for someone as un-handy as yours truly, and took about 2 minutes. The organizer itself is sturdy, looks nice, and does a fantastic job of organizing my beauty stuff. Full disclosure: I don’t have a ton of palettes and similar, bulky make-up products. The only thing remotely resembling a hoard is my collection of lip crayons, and I keep those in a separate jar. But other than those, the organizer handles all of my daily beauty products. It keeps my counter tidy and takes up way less space – highly recommend.

Highlighters Galore!

I am the kind of person who likes to use different colour pens, and highlighters, and sticky notes … and if you’re like me, you’ll probably like these Zebra pastel highlighters. Sometimes, you want something a little more subtle, you know? These are dual-tipped, so you get two different thicknesses; the finer tip is basically like a marker. I find these are great for day-planners and other papers where you’re writing on both sides of the page because the colour doesn’t show through as can be the case with regular highlighters.

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I also tried these Pilot Frixion Erasable Highlighters because …c’mon, how cool does that sound? These are also pastel, but I don’t find they are as smooth or as vibrant as the Zebra ones. Even fresh out of the box, they seem almost … a little dry. They do erase, as promised, which is definitely cool in my books.

Woolite At Home Dry-Cleaning Kit

This is not a new discovery but it’s worth another shout-out. It costs between $9-15 for a pack of 6 sheets, each of which can do a load of up to 4 items. I like using this to refresh dry clean-only clothing. It does not get out stains, so keep that in mind, but it works very well otherwise.

OK, your turn: what awesome gadgets/finds have you discovered on Amazon lately?

29
Jan
2018

DIY Wool Rehab

categories: Bargains, DIY, style, Success stories, Thrifting

I am not a very handy person – in life generally, but especially when it comes to the so-called domestic arts. For the most part, this is not something over which I lose sleep; I have mastered enough basic life skills to pass for an acceptably responsible adult, and I am fortunate to have money to throw at problems I can’t solve. Still, there are times when I wish I had spent more time in my youth learning practical arts – for example, every time I have to pay $20 for someone else to fix a basic hem on a dress. Sigh. Recently, though, I find that I am more inclined to take an occasional risk and attempt a solution myself; thrifting is often the catalyst because, well, the downside of a failed experiment is much less painful at thrift prices.

Such was the case with this red wool Smythe blazer.

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This was my second time spotting Smythe at the thrift store, though it was a far more readily explainable occurrence. My first thrifted Smythe was in impeccable condition; this one … not so much. Commensurate with its retail price, the blazer had lovely design details. Real leather elbow patches; a windowpane print that lined up at each seam, and over the lapels too; that signature waist-nipping tailoring. The only problem? It had been shrunk to hell and back. In fact, it looked like it had made a trip to hell – wash ‘n dry cycle hell. The collar had shrunk into a permanently popped state, and the whole thing looked like a sad, misshapen child’s jacket.

It was also $6 (VV was running a random 50% off sale).

I suddenly remembered reading something online about how wool fibers have “memory” and can be un-shrunk. Without so much as trying on the blazer, I turned to my BFF and said “I’m going to try to fix it.”

When I got home, I decided to see how bad the damage really was. I wish I’d had the presence of mind to take a photo when I tried it on, but the image was comically horrific and my optimism took a nose dive; I pretty much wrote off my $6 then and there. No point in taking a photo to document my certain failure, right?

Well, as it turns out, this story has a happy ending after all. Behold:

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There is no secret to this “magic”. I mean, all the instructions are right there on The Google. Here’s what I did:

– Soaked the blazer in a bathtub of lukewarm water with a bunch of Johnson’s baby bath shampoo. Don’t ask me how much; I eyeballed it. I realized belatedly that baby bath stuff + running water = foam, but luckily there were minimal suds to contend with. I left the blazer to marinate for about 20 minutes.

– Rinsed the blazer in lukewarm water, then gently squeezed (without wringing) the excess water out.

– Gently pulled and stretched the (wet) blazer back to a more natural shape/length.

– Put the blazer on a padded hanger, then proceeded to stuff it with towels until it looked like a dummy. The arms were difficult to stuff, so I used two small towels – one at each end. I closed the blazer button to hold the inner “stuffing” in place. Then I hung the (still wet) “dummy” and left it to air dry.

– Every so often, as it dried, I would gently pull and stretch – especially the bottom flaps.

The blazer dried much more quickly than I expected; it took about 36 hours. The lining remains fairly wrinkled, but the blazer is otherwise in great shape, including the leather. I think the elbow patches might benefit from a bit of conditioning, but they don’t look the worse for wear. This was surprising to me, though it should not have been; I had read accounts of people who have rehabbed vintage (leather) Coach bags by soaking them, re-shaping, and drying them (followed by conditioning) … still, I have always cringed at the idea of putting leather in water. This was a good lesson for me on that score as well.

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As successful experiments are wont to do, this one has given me the confidence and desire to test my newfound rehabbing skills on new subjects. Next time I find a beautiful, shrunken Wilfred sweater at the thrift store, I shall not be disappointed; quite the opposite, in fact …

30
Jul
2015

Tibi Or Not Tibi

categories: Bargains, style, Success stories

Dress, Tibi; blazer, J. Crew; shoes, Ferragamo (via Etsy); bag, Marc Jacobs (via eBay)

I know, you guys: WORST punny title ever. But, I couldn’t resist. Or, more specifically, I couldn’t think of a more creative answer than the umpteenth variation on “floral … something or other”. Wardrobe rut? I prefer to go with signature style. Pota-toe, pota-toh.

Anywhoodle.

I scored this dress for a steal of a deal, and I will bore you with the details here again, even though I’ve already crowed all over Instagram. So. I noticed this dress months ago at Winners, and started eyeing it seriously when it hit the clearance rack. Still, at $120, it was too pricey for my taste. That might seem wholly arbitrary but hear me out. It’s (a) a pretty memorable print in a dressier silk fabric, (b) a non-versatile silhouette (dropped waist plus a low, open back that’s NSFW when worn alone), both of which mean I can’t really wear it at the office very often. It’s a once-a-month-tops kind of dress. I already have a lot of special occasion dresses I rarely wear, so I can’t justify buying a new one on that basis. However, when the price finally dropped – to $60! – you can bet that I was all over it. At that price, it will only take about 2 years to get to a reasonable CPW, which is doable. Plus, I can now brag about getting this dress for 90% off the original retail price which, as a friend pointed out, is practically FREE. That’s a pretty good brag. [Winky face emoticon firmly in cheek]

So, the outfit. It’s cute, yes? Dropped waist silhouettes can be tricky – they have a tendency to look toddler-esque – but the dark floral and office-appropriate hemline (plus the always classy Ferragamo flats) balance things out.