18. The Last Thrift Of 2011.

Before we get on to the thrifting, does anyone remember one of my recent posts "Forget diamonds, sales are a girls best friend" ? Well, they really are. I quite enjoy the store 'Cotton on' as their clothes tend to be quite comfy and relaxed. I had a quick look in there today as they had sales sign up and brought the following skirt for only $2! I was a bit surprised at the price, so inspected it before double checking the sale price was right, there was no flaws and it really was only $2. Needless to say I brought it. Not only was it a bargain, but it's my favourite style of skirt.

I love skirts with elastic waists like this and nice, comfortable material. They're perfect for my style as I love to tuck things in and this means they can be essentially paired with anything - blouses, singlets & t-shirts. I especially love pairing them with singlets as they then appear as a dress. Anyway, on to the thrifting:

Stripe Top - $2.

Okay, not exciting at all but sometimes it's nice to have some basics. I'm a great fan of nautical-inspired outfits and hopefully will be able to locate a bottom half to give this a more nautical flair. The shirt itself is nice fitting and in perfect condition, I don't think it's ever been worn.

Sheer Blouse - $4.

Before we go anywhere, yes, this shirt is massive - it actually basically reaches my knees.  It also has a long slit in either side which goes to the bottom of my underwear. The sleeves are also very long, almost reaching my wrists while I think they're suppose to be 3/4 sleeves or even half sleeves. There is no sizes or labels on the shirt so I have no idea what size it actually is.

Despite the fact that it's a massive shirt, once tucked in it appears to be of a loose fitting size (which is what I wanted). It's very likely I will shorten the hemline of the shirt (as atm there is a lot of material to tuck in) and either shorten the sleeves by removing some material, and then rolling and stitching them to create a cuff or altering them in some other way so they are shorter. 

While on the rack it does look somewhat navy blue, however, on & simply laying on my bed it appears more black. If you look at this inspiration post I made about sheer fabric, I'm sure you can understand why I instantly had to have this shirt.

I hope everyone is enjoying their last few days of 2011!

REVIEW: Positive Anniepopshop Ring.

Back on December 15th, I posted on my tumblr about discovering the above ring and how I wished to order it. I thought I would do a quick, very positive review of it for anyone else interested in ordering from Anniepopshop. The image above is from their website.

Basic Details.

Items ordered: Gold Serpent Nail Ring.

Date ordered / paid for: Late 15 / 12 / 2011.

Date posted: 19 / 12 / 2011 (apparently it is not posted until the payment is cleared and the payment did not show up as being taken out of my bank account until this date).

Date received: 21 / 12 / 2011.

Postage: Anniepopshop currently only posts to Australia for which she charges $3 for. However, she has provided her email dress so that customers outside Australia can email her in regards to what it would cost to have something shipped to them, and assumedly, work something out. You can read her postage & handling guide here.

Packaging: I received the ring in a small padded postal bag (images below), the ring itself was simply in a small plastic bag within it. The bag was simply placed in my mail box. There was no damage to the bag itself or the contents.

Total cost: $5 for the ring & $3 for shipping, total - $8.

The Ring.

Above is the postage bag I received my ring in. I'm assuming that it is pretty standard unless the jewellery you ordered is particularly large. I was very happy with the postage arrangements and have no issues with them at all. Below is the plastic bag the ring came within.

Now, please excuse my next photos as my camera is no where as good as the one used by Anniepopshop, however, I would like to say the ring looks exactly like it does in the images they posted.

Overall Opinion.

I am incredibly happy with this purchase and have no issues with it what so ever. Based on this experience with Anniepopshop, I have no trouble suggesting them. The shipping was prompt and I received an email informing when it was shipped as the website stated I would. Everything was in good condition and looks exactly like the pictures featured on the website.

I have worn the ring twice now (I always wear it on the finger I am wearing it on in the pictures, as that is the best fit for me) and both times have received compliments on it. At first I was worried that the ring would not be secure and that it would get lost, particularly because the first time I wore it, it was to a club involving alcohol and wild flailing dancing, however, the ring did not even budge.

The ring itself is not adjustable, thus if you have large fingers I would suggest to think carefully before purchasing the ring (and possibly email asking dimensions etc). It fits comfortably on my hands, however, I am quite a small person. An adult woman I spoke to tried it on and had quite larger fingers then me and could not wear it. On another note, the shop owner does not make this jewellery, instead she purchases it and resells it so you cannot ask for a larger make etc.

The ring also only comes in the colour pictured, however, googling 'snake nail ring' revealed various other colours from where you can buy in bulk. There are also far more expensive options to purchase this ring (ie. $160) which you can see here. The rings are different, but the basics are the same.

Overall, this has been a wonderful purchase / transaction. There has been no stress what so ever and I am left entirely happy. If you have any questions feel free to contact me here or through my tumblr ask, here.

17. Forget Diamons, Sales Are A Girl's Best Friend.

Now I'm a strong supporter of thrifting, however, this does not mean I completely ignore retail shopping, rather I shop very strategically there -forget diamonds, sales are a girl's best friend! The bag above is from Crossroads and retailed at 49.95. However, for some reason or another everything in the shop (and online) has been reduced to $19.95 or less (even better, as the Crossroads I went to is located in a small local shopping center, nearby clothing stores are having competing sales too). Crossroads is also having a "12 days of Christmas" event, and every day leading to christmas have a different sale, ie. Free shipping online, $10 off all shorts, selected dresses reduced to $9.95 etc.

I picked up the above bag as I have nothing similar and I really love the buckle pouches on the front. I was quite prepared to pay $19.95 for it, however, when I got to the counter I discovered it was only $9.95. Needless to say, I was thrilled.

So, to sum things up: Thrifting is not the only way you can get good deals on items. Also, I'll probably be doing a post about strategically shopping in retail sometime soon. I'm very excited for the after Christmas sales / New Year sales!