Destroyed Boyfriend Jeans

OK, so I have a slight obsession with Boyfriend-fit jeans. I just love them for their versatility and comfort, and how summery and fun they are.. I could go on. Naturally, one of the first items on my summer shopping list is a pair of distressed boyfriend-fit jeans. Imagine my dismay upon finding my dream pair that I've been searching for all this time, only for the price tag to be a little under $300. My student loans are about to kick in! No way! Never fear, Express is here.

The original dismay-inducing pair by GOLDSIGN - $278

(I have to admit, if you've got the funds, these might be worth the splurge.)

Frugal Doodler version! From Express - $69.90

AND there's a buy one, get one half off sale going on at Express right now, too! Jump on it!

New York trip

Ahhh, it's been a while, but I'm back! Finally graduated and whoo has it been a ride! I recently took a trip to New York City for a very exciting interview, so I thought I'd share a few pictures and some neat findings. My wonderful mom decided to come along on this trip, so we started our short visit with a little sight-seeing and of course, a lot of good food.

The third picture was taken at a bar/restaurant called Dinner on Ludlow.. I had two of the most fabulous cocktails I've ever had and then topped it off with some truffle oil risotto. TO. DIE. FOR. The bar seemed to specialize in cocktails with house-made syrups (I had "By the Bayou", a tequila and jalapeno-infused drink.. awesooome.) and super cool hipster get-togethers, as we seemed to have been crashing some kind of DJ-ed art opening at the time. Anyway, I'd highly recommend it. Check out their website for more info!

Next.. The big interview! Here's what I wore.

blouse: TJ Maxx
Necklace: DKNY, TJ Maxx
Blazer: Express
Skirt: Ann Taylor Loft
Purse: Nine West
Belt & Shoes: Target

The only stuff you may still find in stores are the belt and shoes, as I bought everything else at least a season ago. BUT none of this outfit cost over $100! Actually, most of it was under $50 when I bought it... thus proving you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to look fab (if I do say so myself). I am standing in an amazing store called This Is STORY.. but more on that in my next post!

Now that the interview is over, all I am doing is...

Hopefully I'll hear soon! That's all for now, folks.

Designer vs. Discount

I just saved you sooooo much money. Buy now. Thank me later.

Why buy these?

B Brian Atwood - $495

...When you can buy THESE!

GoJane -  $39.20 (BOOM! You just saved $455 BUCKS!)

And these lovely boots?
Zadig & Voltaire - $395

FOUND! CHEAPER! BY A LOT!
Ruche - Only $42.99 and they are so similar!

And finally...

Rag & Bone - $550

..Frugal Doodler version: Ruche - $42.99 (Different color, same super cute cut-out texture and for about $500 less. New boots never felt so good!)

Happy shopping!

Be mine.

Although I don't have a Valentine this year, I refuse to be a scrooge. It's still a wonderful day to celebrate the people you love! I thought I'd come up with a dream Valentine's Day date outfit, just for fun since I won't be going on one myself. Ahh well! Everything on this board is under $50 (except for the Sergio Rossi shoes.. a girl can dream, right?), so shop away, friends!

Forever New lace peplum top, $39.95

Zara Boyfriend jeans, $59.90 (okay, I lied, but that's cheap for jeans!)

Sergio Rossi heels, $650.00

Mango Heart-Shaped purse, $19.99

Betsey Johnson lovebird rubber stretch bracelet, $25.99

Bright Valentine pink rose stud earrings, $5 from Etsy

Forever 21 black studded belt (similar), $4.80

My favorite online shopping sites

Who doesn't love online shopping? It's so easy.. just browse, click, type in your credit card number, and it's at your door by the weekend. It's also easy to spend way more than you intended to and then have to call up mom asking for 50 bucks while your waiting for your next pay check to come in so you don't have to eat Ramen noodles for the rest of the month (I'm not the only one that does that, right?). So, here are a few of my favorite clothing sites that are super cheap (or at least super discounted) and won't break the bank.

A few notes: Ruelala, Obaz, and Ideeli require memberships. They're worth it, and you can totally unsubscribe to any emails you might receive from them. Alloy is geared mainly towards teens, but there are still a lot of casual weekend pieces and a great jean selection of longer sizes, so they're worth a shot, too. GoJane has an AWESOME shoe selection, just so long as you can handle super high heels. Finally, NastyGal is not necessarily the cheapest site on the internet, BUT they carry tons of awesome trends for a lot less than what you could find at somewhere like Nordstrom or Saks.

Purple eyeliner on a budget

I love experimenting with new makeup ideas, but buying makeup all the time can really break the bank. So, when I saw purple eyeliner on a fair skinned lady like myself in a magazine last month, I had to try it. The only problem was.. the magazine I saw the idea in was suggesting some very expensive (at least for what it is) stuff! So, off to ULTA I went to try to find a middle ground.

Above, NARS Larger Than Life Long Wear Eyeliner, $23 at Sephora online.

Above, my bargain find: NYX Slim Eye Pencil for just $3.50 (!) at ULTA online.

The result! I'm in love with adding color to my makeup palette. And yep, just saved almost $20, too.  I'm wearing Too Faced Fuschia lipstick here, which you can find at ULTA online as well.

1 shirt, 3 ways

Normally, it's really hard to get me to pay $40 for a top, but in this case, it was worth it. I bought this top in the summer, so unfortunately shopruche.com no longer carries it. BUT ShopRuche is the best online shopping experience I've had. Check out their tops section, it's full of beautiful and unique pieces that you can build your wardrobe around.

Ruche carries really high quality clothing for a very decent price, so this is one place you definitely won't regret paying a little extra :)

I used cheap and not-so-cheap lipsticks for these colors, but it's proof you can create the same looks that you see in magazines for less than $50. Some of the lipsticks I used were less than $10!

Cranberry - darker pictured Stila lipgloss ($22 for a pack of 8)

Bubblegum - Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Pink Blush ($5) as a base, lighter pictured Stila lipgloss ($22 for a pack of 8) over the base

Nude - Clinique Stay-Matter Oil-Free Makeup ($23) as a base, lighter pictured Stila lipgloss over the base

Red - Lorac Breakthrough Performance lipstick ($22) I LOVE THIS STUFF

Fuschia - Too Faced La Creme in Fuschia Shock ($21) NEW FAVE <3

To the one person on the internet who may have read this post (if you're out there) ... THANK YOU!!!