I'm pretty honest about the fact that I'm an impulsive shopper. It's not my best quality, but as long as I keep it under relative control, it just means I end up with a bunch of great stuff I'm super happy with. I thought it would be fun to pass along my knowledge and reviews of the great products I've bought or received in the last month or so.
1. Irish Coffee Mugs - Pier1 Imports
So I have this thing about glassware... I have a totally unreasonable affinity for having every glass in shape and color under the sun. Seriously, there's a whole shelving unit dedicated to it. My most recent acquisition in this category are these beautiful, classic irish coffee mugs. They're perfect for hot toddys, hot chocolate, or you know.. Irish coffee. They were on sale for only $3.50 a piece - how could I say no?
2. Pencil Dress with Pleat Wrap Detail - ASOS Curve
I'm always looking for a good winter dress that can be dressed-up or dressed-down. I'm also right on the plus-size bubble, so it's nice to find a dress that is available in both size ranges. This chic dress checked all the boxes for me - flattering cut, reasonable price, not another black dress - check check check. And hey, free shipping both ways!
3. Bainbridge Tote - Lauren Ralph Lauren
Oh man you guys, I totally hit the jackpot with this bag. It is seriously THE BEST and I think it will be my go-to tote for a long time. Its nylon exterior comes in a few different great colors, and keeps the bag super lightweight. The inside is lined with a very wipeable almost rubbery material that was a huge selling point for me because I'm always spilling my snacks or the caps are coming off my eyeliner, and then the inside of whatever bag I'm carrying is a crumbly smudgy mess. The small inside pouch and the zip-top are the cherries on top, and make this a great travel bag too. Don't take truly great bags lightly, they're hard to come by.
4. Ergorapido Essence Lithium Ion 2-in-1 Cordless Stick and Hand Vacuum - Electrolux
As I emphasized in this post on my house, I have a LOT of dark wood flooring in my house. They're beautiful when it's clean, but they stay that way for about 1.25 minutes until the next piece of hair, dust, or footprint shows up again, and everything shows. I can honestly say that this super lightweight, maneuverable vacuum has changed my life. It's cordless, so I just leave it plugged in my pantry, and can just grab it and pretty much do all of my floors in about 5 minutes with this little powerhouse. My broom is history.
5. Eyeball Sconce - Urban Outfitters
I'm currently in the process of gathering supplies for my eventual office redo, and I have been seriously hunting for some plug-in sconces for what will be my gallery wall above the sofa. Brass sconces are having a major moment right now, so I didn't have any trouble finding lots of great pieces, but I just couldn't stomach the price tag that came with them. Then someone suggested to me that I look at, um, Urban Outfitters! SAY WHAT??! But for real, Urban Outfitters has an entire apartment section online that has a ton of huge great household pieces. These are less than $40 a piece. That's crazy talk, but I love it.
6. Nikon D3300
So I didn't buy this...it was an extremely generous gift from my parents for Christmas. I had been going back and forth on getting a "real" camera for a while now, but it was one of my 2016 Goals (boooo resolutions) to take better pictures, and to really start to understand photography beyond instagram filters. I know there's Canon people, and Nikon people, and I know so little I'm not really a reliable reviewer, but I can say that this camera has been super-intuitive to pick up and learn. I'm beyond excited to continue to learn with this bad boy. Thanks Mom and Dad!
7. Threshold Blue Vase - Target
Because of my impulsive shopping tendencies, Andy has designated certain stores and sections of stores as "danger zones". He has this really adorable (eye rolls) thing where I get anywhere near the home decor aisle at target, and he veers the cart away while making siren noises. He does these things because he loves me, or something like that. But I ignored the danger zone siren noise, and went right for this beaut of a vase. It looks great with flowers, or with a singular tree branch, or with nothing at all in it. Good vases stand on their own. This one is the perfect mix of organic, glam, just everything I love in my house. Yay Target!
8. ThredUp Clean Out Bag - ThredUp
Hey guess what?! I didn't spend any money on this! I'm actually going to make money on this - WABAM. If you haven't heard of ThredUp, you really need to go check them out. They're an online consignment store for clothing, shoes, and handbags that has a genius way to get inventory. Here's how it works - I went online to ThredUp and told them that I wanted a clean-out bag, they send me a big plastic bag, I fill it with stuff I don't want anymore, they pay for me to send it back, and then pay me for the pieces before they even sell! My closet isn't full of high-end designers, so I probably won't make mega-bucks, but even if I make a few bucks I'll take it. Win-win.
9. Tri-color Cowhide Rug - Rodeo via Amazon
This was another impending office redo purchase. You can find cowhide rugs in many places and varieties, but I went for this great deal on a fairly large, natural looking one. I love the texture and the quality and the price seriously can't be beat. If you're in the market for one of these, be sure to check out amazon.
10. Nunn Bush Woodbury Plain Toe Casual Chukka Boot - Zappos
Andy thinks I mostly use this blog to make fun of him, so why stop now? He seems to have this fashion blindspot between couch-sitting athletic clothes and his shirt and tie work apparel. If we're going out to eat anywhere, his first question is always "Can I wear a hat?" Anyway, I bought him these boots so that we would stop wearing athletic shoes with jeans and a sweater to nice places. Now I just have to convince him to wear them more often.
11. NEST Indigo - Sephora
I ran out of my trusty evening perfume shortly before Christmas, and have been itching to try something new. I'm not a professional nose or anything, so I can't tell you exactly why this one spoke to me, but it did. I'm not a floral-sugary-pink-girly-celebrity perfume kind of person, so the unique masculine twist to this perfume totally fits the bill for evening for me. The description says, "Moroccan tea, Kashmir wood, and black cardamom are enhanced with hints of wild fig and bergamot. These notes combine to create a captivating fragrance that transitions well from day to evening." So there's that.
So there's where all my money went in January! :) Let me know if you've had any great finds or scored any great deals lately!