I’ve been asked many times whether I think it’s worth spending money on expensive skincare products.
In a way I can’t answer that because it depends on your individual priorities: for some people, skin care is a higher priority than it is for other people.
I can answer the underlying question though: do expensive skincare products do the things they promise?
Read on for the answer.
FrugalForLife has a great guest-post up about sewing. It includes tips on learning to sew, as well as a discussion on the economics of sewing your own clothes. It’s well worth a read if you’d like to save money by making some of your own clothes.
Personally, I can only sew a little and always mean to practice more but never get time. I’m currently having zero luck finding attractive, reasonably priced sleepwear so maybe I’ll just have to make my own!
Thrift stores, op shops and charity shops (the US, Australian and UK terms respectively for basically the same type of store) are brilliant. They’re cheap, environmentally sound, help charities and are a lot of fun if you like a scavenger hunt. Op shopping, as we call it here in Australia, is also a great way to pick up things that noone else has…. and possibly some designer gear as well.
One of my favourite blogs, Punky Style, has a list of web sites with coupons and codes for online shopping. If you’re about to buy something online, take a look — you can often save 5-20% on your purchases just by checking for a coupon.
PS: The Budget Fashionista is another great place to look.
I regularly get emails from readers, asking me about various beauty products. Most of those questions fall into one of two categories:
I’m not a beauty expert by any stretch, but I do know where to find this information if I need it. Since I can’t answer every question individually, I’ll let you in on my sources instead.
I’ve just started following my search logs, which show what people were looking for on this blog. Developing personal style is by far the most common question, so I’ll continue my series on the topic shortly.
There are also lots of quick questions that don’t require a whole blog post, but I’d still like to answer. I’ll address some of the fashion questions first:
Longchamp bags:
Where to find inexpensive ones?
Where to buy them in my city?
Are the ones on ebay fake?
As long-term readers know, I’m obsessed with Longchamp bags and get heaps of questions about them. (So much so that I’m thinking of starting a Longchamp blog.)
The best place I’ve found to buy them cheaply are department stores. In Sydney, David Jones have had some lovely stuff on clearance in the past; their selection is getting boring now though. Duty free stores often have great ranges too — Marlene in Noumea (New Caledonia) is exceptional, with a WHOLE WALL of Longchamp bags. It’s basically my idea of heaven. Singapore airport was also great, wish I’d bought the brilliant messenger bag I saw there. *sigh*
If you’re looking for a Longchamp stockist closer to your home, there’s a complete list on the Longchamp web site.
There are definitely fake Longchamp bags out there; for example, this one on eBay. There are also many that appear authentic, but even if the bag in the photos is, that’s not necessarily what you’ll get. My advice: be really careful and if you do one, pay with Visa as it’s easier to get your money back if it does turn out to be dodgy.
Good alterations place in Sydney and other cities?
Another question I hear regularly is, where to get clothes altered? I know from experience that the right alterations person can make a good garment fabulous — and a bad one can turn a simple hem adjustment into the destruction of new $300 trousers.
In Sydney, I go to Sew Special; they’re brilliant and can even do complex alterations like changing the fit of a tailored jacket.
When I lived in Adelaide a few years ago, the best alterations lady in town worked at the Karl Chehade Drycleaning store in Wyatt St. She was formerly a dressmaker at David Jones (when they still did free alterations) and was fantastic. I don’t know if she still works there though… Adelaide people?
Elsewhere in Australia, you could check the Vogue Australia Forums for a recommendation; the topic comes up every few weeks so a quick search will probably get you what you need.
Where to find Alice McCall shoes on special?
Alice McCall is a young Australian designer who makes beautiful clothes and very edgy shoes that are currently on special at frockshop.com.au.
There are also Alice McCall sample sales once or twice a year; you can find out about them by subscribing to the saleguide.com.au newsletter.
Got a question?
Spring’s first warm breath has just arrived here in Sydney, and I’ve already bought a couple of new pieces to mix in with last year’s summer wardrobe. A couple of weeks ago it was pretty shoes; this week I bought this gorgeous skirt:
A couple of reader questions prompted me to write about finding your own personal style. (So far: purchases to avoid, some points to ponder in finding your style and a book recommendation.)
Today I found a new blog called Style Sense. This is how the writer introduced herself:
I’m Tam, a 19 year old girl starting her college life. Along the way, I hope to develop my own personal style and find my own niche in this chaotic world, with this blog as a chronicle of my style journey.
Her first step was to work through the elements of personal style I posted; you can read her responses here. It will be fascinating to see how her journey unfolds.
If anyone else is also blogging their own personal style journey, let me know and I’ll post a link.
PS: More to come on this fascinating topic…
Slave to shopping has just moved to Sydney from Vancouver and is making an in-depth study of the shopping opportunities here. If you want to know where to go for the best fashion, furniture and cupcakes in Sydney, take a look at her blog.
We’re in this week’s Festival of Frugality, hosted by Punny Money. It’s an interesting one, so go take a look!
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...for fabulous things at reasonable prices:
