This story is one I know y’all can relate to. It started so simply.
I had lusted for this Balenciaga bag for years. The most I had ever paid for a bag was $300 for a vintage Chanel quilted black number (I’m not going to talk about the Chanel red flap bag that whispers to me).
My friend talked me into it, though I talked myself into it just as much. The story really started in London in July, when I fell in love with a different Balenciaga bag in Harrod’s, and I didn’t buy it, even though my friend insisted that I should. I have thought about that bag every day between then and now. Well, that’s a little overstated. Not every day, but regularly enough that it is a big regret. It was a limited edition bag, not one that, I foolishly told myself, I could buy any time later. You can’t find it anywhere. Well, almost. But that’s part of the story.
Once I had my beautiful bag, I had no wallet! I mean, the bag I had before was about the size of a checkbook with compartments for money and credit cards built in. So I needed a wallet to go with it. Well, if you look in the picture, I did get a beautiful wallet from Chanel that really went with the bag. And it will work so nicely with my vintage Chanel bag.
Did you know Chanel had earrings?
Well, I might have known that, but was ignoring that fact until I ran across these cute little danglies while I was in the Rue Cambon shop buying my wallet. Every girl should make sure to go into the chanel shop and get a bracelet or earrings or ring or something there. But they didn’t give me champagne this time when I shopped? Must have been the extreme cold.
I closed my eyes and put on blinkers when I walked by the J12 section of the Chanel shop. Have I mentioned how much I really love those white ceramic watches? I didn’t want to spend that much for a watch, but I did set out after I got home to find a nice ceramic white watch for some more reasonable price and
——————————– LOOK!!!! ——->>>>>>>
It didn’t cost upwards of 4,000, it was only $200, but I didn’t want a fake’ish Chanel, and it looked enough like an original design for me to be happy with it.
The shopping accidents were piling up at this point. Have I mentioned the pretty bone china that they serve espresso in in Paris? I drink espresso every morning, two cups, but it has to be the big espresso cup, the 4 ouncer. The smaller one just won’t work. But when I started looking for those cups, I was a little surprised at the price.
And I tripped over them and bought them anyway. The point to this story is not, hey, look what I bought! But how one thing just starts another, and it’s like once you open your wallet for something extravagant, a lot of other smaller extravagances start piling up, eventually dwarfing the cost of the original extravagance. Anyone else ever notice that?
This has happened a lot with perfume – here’s an area where I know all of you will start nodding. Once you break that $200 for a bottle barrier, you soon find you have four bottles that you paid over $200 a bottle for, or you wind up buying 10 $50 bottles of perfume at the discounter, thinking you’re being virtuous, but it’s still $500. Or, yes, you toddle off to buy a couple of samples, they don’t cost much, and soon you find yourself checking out with over $100 of samples in your cart.
Shopping accidents in the singular seem to lead to an epidemic. Mine seems to be abating (crossing fingers!). So what was your worst shopping accident? Perfume or otherwise.
And that Balenciaga bag that I took a pass on last July is around, at least one of them, and it is taking everything I’ve got not to pull the trigger. But if I don’t, will I regret it for the next year?
And! We haven’t dont a drawing for a while. Again, I was going to review the Martin Margiela, which I’m so loving right now, but my nose is still enough off with this cold, that I just can’t be sure of everything, so let’s give away some samples of it instead. How about three winners of a MM sample from the comments.
Funny I should read this– I just recently had the equivalent of a freeway pileup of a shopping accident– a brand new bottle of vol de Nuit and a pair of Ugg boots. But I had to have the VdN, because it is so beautiful it literally brings tears to my eyes, and the last Uggs I owned, I sort of lived in whenever I wasn’t working. I hope your cold is all better, and if I am not too late, please put me in the drawing . . . .Mary
“When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.”
Chinese Proverb
Please enter me in the draw. Thanks.
$300 bags are not an option for me. So I did some damage on perfume samples today. Eeeek! Yes, those little items can add up.
Please enter me in the draw. Thanks!
Has anyone else gotten a bit of a queasy feeling reading all these shopping/enabling/rationalizing comments in one sitting? Urp. :-&
Raises hand.
Hallelujah.
ALL my worst shopping accidents have been while I was traveling. “I can’t go home and think about it! I have to decide while I’m here!”– or alternately, I don’t buy it and kick myself for years: “What was I thinking? You can’t get that at home!” On the other hand, if I were to win a sample in the drawing, there couldn’t be anything to regret, could there?
the J12 ceramic watches are so cute, aren’t they? I wish I had one, but they’re so pricey :-w
I know EXACTLY what you mean… shopping always snowballs for me, especially when I go out with this one friend of mine… she recently turned me on to B. Makowsky bags, and even though I didn’t buy it full price at Nordie’s, before I could stop myself, I had clicked and bought it at Zappos.com! Shopping is so very satisfying, especially when there are lovely goodies from the mailman waiting on your doorstep every day when you get home from work! That one click (under $200, but still,) started me on a spree: then it’s perfume samples, then it’s nail polish, etc. etc. etc. It never ends unless you just stop spending, period!
I broke the $200 barrier once, and it has been an year since I have not done it again. I hope to keep it like that for a while.
As always, please enter me in the drawing. Thanks
Purple IS my favorite color, but I must say that the coral is lovely- and one’s first choice normally ends up being the right one I think. I noticed too that the Chanel rings are one size only too- what is up with that? Most of their rings are like weird shapes that you couldn’t get sized too- like my mom’s which looks like a feather wrapped around her finger with a pearl on top.
I once saw in Bazaar the coolest piece of Chanel jewlery that I was never able to find anywhere for purchase. It was a “prescription” charm bracelet with the double c’s, little multicolored caplets and pills, and other rx stuff. In this day and age when the whole country (world?) is on Zoloft, or Prozac, or Oxycodone, and the pills are like accessories in and of themselves, I thought it was so cool. So sad never found one for purchase.
I believe that Musette just bumped out Jessica as the Shopping Accident winner! Building a NEW ROOM ON YOUR HOUSE for your sale-priced furniture is extreme shopping to the max. Congratulations Musette!! ^:)^
Yes…. can relate to the perfumista $200. bottle “barrier”… doesn’t take long does it?
My shopping accidents have been HUGE! Not the purchases, per se, more what happens after. To wit:
As Carter can attest to, I have a thing for vintage handbags, particularly Murray Kruger and vintage reptile and Hermes Birkin and Mulberry and okay, I’ll stop there…
so ….well the bags aren’t all that expensive usually but you can’t just throw them in a corner (my Murray got hurt in a scuffle with a Mulberry – $60 repair, minimum, dammit). So El O had to build a separate closet for my bags. And then my seamstress had to make bespoke sleepers for all of them (each one has its own color/material)
Then! I bought a gorgeous Deco-inspired escritoire from the Mart showroom where I used to buy a lot of my customers’ stuff, back when I had a design biz. Retail $1500. It has a chip (fixable) (and it’s below wholesale because they needed it out of there) so I got it for $250. Fine, right? Well yes…except there is nowhere for it to sit gracefully so after I started whining El O is building me a little sitting room (there’s room for a bump-out that’s the perfect size for a little Lady Sitting Room. I’m so excited. But it seems like a rather extreme end to that purchase, doesn’t it?
See how this escalates? El O is starting to get a twitch in his eye, every time I come home with yet another bubble-wrapped piece of something. Poor thing.
And don’t get me started on the samps – y’all remember that post about storage? Well I just hired the guys to laser-cut the metal pieces for my bespoke cabinet, which El O, who is a kind and patient O, will fit with pull out drawers.
See? HUGE!
so don’t sweat that bag, Patty. GET IT! Carter will also attest (I hope) to the beauty of getting THE bag. If you love it, get it. I still am hoping that aqua Choo lands in my lap, never mind that it’s 4 years gone.
xoxo >-)
uh…but not quite as huge as Jessica’s!;)
I will definitely vouch for the idea of getting THE bag, but I tend to prefer having one or two great bags, period. Over the years I have pared things down considerably, and as I wrote somewhere up there in the comments, I prefer not to carry a bag at all anymore. The ones I hang on to are either one-of-a-kind collectibles or classic designs, with one notable funky exception, also mentioned above.
I think that as a rule I tend not to want *things* in general. I’m tired of storing the stuff, and I crave simple elegance over abundance. When I was younger I had fun experimenting with fashion and there was always so much that I wanted to own, but now I really enjoy having less and only those things that I absolutely love, which definitely narrows the field because there really isn’t much out there that qualify.
“qualifies.”
What she said.
I totally agree Carter.
=))
I *so* wish I had a story about the perfect little piece of art acquired for a song, which required its own table, which needed a niche, which needed lighting, which required rewiring, which revealed a plumbing problem, which led to a new bath…
…but I don’t. Your tale rocks!
No, wait, I do have one…the perfect mid-century swivel barrel chair that simply needed re-upholstering…that husband chivalrously went to pick up…and got into a scrape with a car and a fence in a narrow city alley…the chair was cheap, but the body work wasn’t. This tale doesn’t count, though, because the, erm, automotive accomodation wasn’t made on behalf of the chair; it just would not have been needed had the chair not entered our life.
Didn’t Fergie sing a song about a Lady Nook? 😕 😉
Holy Crap!!! You do win, seriously.
but you have to tell me how you get a reasonable price on an Hermes Birkin? I need one of those, but am completely unwilling to pay in the multiple thousands for a bag. Yet.
Yes, I think that’s something we’d all like to know 😕
Oh, honey, no. Years ago, estate sales were/are my BFF’s final vice (she’d given up booze, cigs, prescrip drugs, and a whole lotta thing) – some of the things I got during those years …..yum!
Alas, those days are gone……:((
xoxo >-)
Hmmm…I was procrastinating writing my research paper for class and decided to buy a BMW convertible to relieve some of my anxiety. Ha! Now I have no money to procrastinate with when my current papers and exams come due. Sigh. Please enter me in your sample drawing so maybe I can enjoy it while I put off another paper 😉
You are the official winner of the Shopping Accident Mash-Up. :d
I’m going to have one of those accidents later this year. I’m putting it off, but the time for it is rapidly approaching.
Gaaah don’t get me started on cars, at least you bought one you really wanted! My last vehicle, I decided I didn’t really want it after a couple of months…. which I guess puts a couple of bottles of scent into perspective!!!!
Biggest shopping regret..buying the yellow sapphire and not the ‘sunlight on Caribbean water’ shade aquamarine. I morphed from rock collections as a kid to big girl rocks not long after I was old enough to have a job.(big girl rocks..you know…sparklies,pretty pretty shiny sparklies) I’ve seen lots of lovely yellow sapphires over the years, but to find an aquamarine of such a fabulous color and truely remakable cut..well, I haven’t seen one like that since, and it been over 25 yrs. I have too many frag regrets to recall them all. But for me they were about scents I bought not the ones I didn’t..that is until I learned to let the scent develope..sometimes as long as 12 hrs..(though I usually only takes 15 minutes to about an hour)and then go back and try it again. Now my biggest problem is finding something that will work on my skin. This blog has been such a blessing. So many possibilities I would never have known about otherwise..that and the decants and samples have saved my scent loving soul from the vast wasteland of department store SAs on a SPH mission.
We can’t talk about jewels. at all. It’s on MY LIST. You know, the one where I want to spend time crossing things off, but just know that bag purchases will look cheap compared to what can be spent on jewels.
so where is the best place to get a loose diamond?
That is true. However, you can find some magnificent jewels for fairly decent prices. What you need to keep in mind is that many gems come in a wide range of colors. I like to look at how well a stone will hold up to wear. Sapphires come in every color (and I mean every color) except red. Then we call them rubies. They wear well and with the exception of certain shades are pretty reasonably priced. Garnets come in every color except blue…though the green ones can be pretty pricey. Tourmalines come in an astounding range of colors. My point is that you can have some amazing stones without necessarily breaking the bank. Just beware of the trendy stones…many of them are marketed as rare (maybe) and they do come in some pretty fabulous colors (natural?)…but they can have some ‘interesting” enhancements and quite often aren’t really suitable for daily wear particularly in rings(too soft).
My best suggestion is to do a little research on gemstones. There are a lot of good books on the subject. Visit some gem shows. (Leave the checkbook and plastic at home). This is one of those things that the more you know and the more examples you see the better off you’ll be. Tucson, AZ has probably the biggest gem show in this country and I know that most states have a gem and mineralogical society…check them out. One of my favorite shows is the wholesale show in Detroit…they have it 3 times a year and even if you discount 2/3rds if the vendors you will still see some nice gems.
Diamonds are a whole ‘nother ball game. Keep in mind that the diamond market is an intensely regulated system. The difference between investment grade and generally available jewelry trade grade is VAST. I’ve seen stones I could only describe as faceted spit. On the other hand I’ve seen stones that really took my breath away. (And that’s saying something)
Send me a private e-mail if you want something more specific.
I do. But I can’t quite figure out how to get your e-mail. If you can e-mail me at the contact Us link, that would be great.
I’m thinking about doing a white sapphire instead of a diamond in a platinum setting that needs a stone. Diamonds just confuse me. I get the basics okay, but don’t know where you want to make the trade-offs on cost, or if you just don’t ever make them.
I understand completely, Momlady. Over 35 years ago I passed up an emerald ring that I have not been able to find the likes of since. That emerald is the one that got away. It may have been too early in my search and education!
*sighs* I know what you mean.
Gosh, what about the ‘cocktail ring’ thing now – how they are getting rocks of every dazzling colour XXXL, I was only ever a minor rock collector, but some of those actually make me think – maybe!
Hey Winifreida,I know what you mean about the dazzling colors. Just be careful that the stones are hard enough. I know..cocktail ring..only gonna wear it occasionally..still some of those stones are soft enough that an inadvertant knock can damage them..or just rubbing on something/anything hard than them will cause scratching. Makes my heartache just thinking about it(learned this one the hard way). I think my reply to Patty applies here..do a little research and have a look at what’s out there. I wouldn’t consider any stone in a ring unless it was at least a 7 on the Mohs scale. If it’s a 7 or harder…go for it..there are some amazing rocks out there! Dazzle on Darlin’!
Oh dear… Not many pieces of jewelry haunt my dreams. Not many at all. But a few years back, I used to work at Christie’s jewelry auctions and there was the most glorious fancy orange 1+ ct diamond ring. Simple, clean setting, shot fire every which way and a true, warm lit-from-within orange. Had had my eye on it all day. Then a middle aged man and his wife came in to fix her up with some shimmers and asked to see that particular ring. She tried it on, pronounced it a must-have (duh), her spouse took one look and said: “Nah. Doesn’t match your colouring. Now *she* (points at me) it’d suit *her* beautifully.” I think he might’ve read from my face that I was thinking Kill Me Now.
‘Course, a fancy orange diamond at Christie’s? Not my price range, wasn’t happening. But I still dream of that one.
I’m sure we all have deep instincts related to the survival of the hunter-gatherer genes! What else could it be???
I used to be a fashion binger, and living in the country, when I got to the shops – well, you can imagine! Now I’m over clothes (although live vicariously thru’ teenager)…
I do not know what made me start looking up ‘perfume’ on the internet a year or so ago; all I do know now is that it lead to many serious accidents with the add-to-cart button, including the full bottles even of things I ALWAYS KNEW I NEVER LIKED e.g. Joy, but because the collector gene activated….and don’t even go near the full bottles of things that sounded so good!
And now that’s sort of in control, I’ve broken the 200 dollar barrier, in fact it was the 300 dollar barrier with the bottle of Attrape-Coeur off the bay after a head-spinning damn sample from the Court, so I blame you guys! And the fact that the Myers Guerlain boutique in Sydney never answers their phone so I cannot be held accountable for price checking! Or waiting till I get to the Big Smoke next! I should be buying a bit of machinery fro the farm!
Ah, so you ended up with the Attrape-Couer! Enjoy!! (And maybe advise when you’ve spritzed…I shall try to follow in your wake… :d )
Hmm out of everything I’ve now got, this is the only one I’m likely to run out of! So yes, I was stunned when I saw that its being discontinued….these frag companies work in mysterious ways! I suppose its tainted with some life-threatening natural odorant that chemco/IFRA doesn’t like because it can’t be patented….
Actually, I was having a Mitsouko sniff-off the other day, and I can see quite a similarity between parts of A.C. and the very newest Mitsouko EDP. Its almost like new M’s got a peachy soft almost vetiver thing going while A.T.’s got a violet-rose soft almost vetiver, something….?
that’s it, we’re just gathering.
Oops, sorry about that A-C. You do know it’s getting discontinued? They still had some at the Guerlain boutique in Paris, which surprised me.
so it’s an investment!
:((
There was still some in the boutique? I actually had a friend in Paris over the holidays, and speaking of shopping disasters, was willing to toss caution to the wind to have her bring a bottle back if there was any left. But…she had the nerve to be overwhelmed by morning sickness. Which, as some of us (including her) know, can be a terrible misnomer…”morning”…if only!
Well, they had the bottle out on display. You know you can call there and they’ll ship to the U.S.? If I had known, I’d have picked you up a bottle!
Wow, so many replies! hey you went to Paris! of course you’d go to Chanel! I think those earrings are cool! It’s not so much a shopping disaster as a shopping pastime, as in it just got soooo easy to do on the internet and especially with the perfumes most of which aren’t in my local stores so you need the samples, then you love them, so you need the FBs and it’s my birthday coming up so yeah, I been busy! I’d love to be in the draw!
I know, everyone obviously has a lot of shopping accidents. 🙂
I try to wait a bit, even if I’m on a trip. I waited a day to say “yes” to Gucci sunglasses. I’d never bought expensive sunglasses before, but they truly are worth it — and fortunately they were half off.
One friend who is a careful shopper still has flashes of regret over not buying a Paul Smith tie — twenty years ago!
Half off?!?!/ Perfect!!!
Oh, my dears,
I am just as temptable as the rest of you.
But I found a pretty good method to prevent me from going overboard.
Don’t use your credit card!!!!!
Use cash – you will hate to part from it.
Now, “stroke of genius”, use your bank debit card. WHEN THERE IS NO MORE MONEY IN THE CHECKING ACCOUNT – well, then you cannot your pay your monthly bills or you cannot eat, or both.
Works for me … 10 little samples give more pleasure than one bottle and the best scent will tempt you anyhow, no matter what, into buying the bottle.
There we go: temptations, temptations
/:)
That does work. I spent like five years doing cash only, breaking myself from the cc habit a couple of decades ago. It really does work, and you do retrain yourself. Now I’m a huge believer in doing that same thing, but I do use pay-in-full cards or debit cards. Once in a great while I’ll put something really expensive on a cc, but it has to be paid off in a couple of months.
I say, if you’ve covered your needs (house payment, groceries, utilities, taxes, IRA contribution, etc…), and there’s some left over, buy what makes you happy. I myself would feel bad about tossing stuff onto the credit card that I couldn’t pay off the following month, but that’s me. The ensuing guilt and panic would keep me from sleeping nights.
The CEO argues with me over this one – but what makes *him* happy is cash in the bank. I think we each need a monthly allowance, to do whatever we wish with, and if he wants to sock his allowance into his savings account, fine with me. (He just dropped about $1600 on three new wool suits, two dress shirts, three ties, and a suede jacket, since he hadn’t bought any dress clothes for 18 years. He actually feels guilty about it, poor guy.)
Oh, forgot: please do NOT hat me for the sample. I don’t need another lemming.
I love hearing the voice of reason. Not when I want something, of course :-@
Yup, got all that covered. I’m not comfortable buying things that I can’t pay off immediately or within two months of the frivolous variety. Houses and cars are different, though I can’t say I like mortgage payments or car payments either.
Well then. Buy your bag and enjoy it, I say.
Oye. What a post! Exactly one year ago this week, I bought my first niche-ish perfume. It was a Sula (Susanne Lang) roll on. Super cheap, but I had been lamenting over whether or not to open my walled for months. I had smelled it and loved it and it had haunted me. At the time, I hardly ever spent any money on anything except absolute necessities. And I felt guilty about small splurges, like take out pizza here and there. So the Sula was a big splurge at the time.
So, I broke down and bought the Sula. That tiny purchase opened the floodgates. Within 2 weeks, I had bought samples of niche stuff from Aedes and TPC. And now, 1 year later, I am afraid to total what I’ve spent on perfume in 12 months. I’ve bought full bottles of LE or discontinued frags (L’A Jacinthe des Bois and Week-end a Deauville) some of decants, partial bottles and a few travel sprays. I am so happy with so many of these purchases, especially the LE, discontinued or ultra-niche. I’ve spent lots of money, but I was just commenting to my SO that I have amassed an extraordinary collection in this year.
Of course, I still want more. Untitled is actually on my must-try list (galbanum!), so please add me to the draw. I’m also lemming after a decant of IUNX No 2, and a FB of Escale a Portofino (which is a mass market one, but I really do love it).
OOps! 🙂 Sometimes shopping accidents can go on for a while, huh? That’s when they are mash-ups.
That was like my first year in perfume. It does slow down, you’ll be glad to know. You’ve got so many reference points now, and you can start being choosier!
Oh how this post speaks to me, except in terms of makeup. It started out so simply with buying my little pretties in the local Target/Walgreens. Then that darn Sephora had to appear and I can justify $30 lipsticks, $100 train cases, etc.!
Perfume is a given…I just can’t help myself. I’m always finding creative ways to “hide” the $$ spent on samples and fb’s.
Glad to hear I’m not alone–it’s a sickness I tell ya. 😉
Would appreciate being included in the draw please…
You guys crack me up. I had no idea this post would have so many people joining in.
It is a little sick. And even worse because I know that material things don’t make me happy at all and never can. But admiring the craftsmanship that went into a beautiful leather bag, the smell of the leather, the perfectly placed accents, it’s just a lovely experience.
For fragrance, the same.
There is a bag I saw several years ago at NM that I STILL regret not buying… I say get the bag!
As for my own shopping disasters, there have been a few – I’m selling them on ebay right now, in fact. Don’t expect to get back even half what I paid but oh well, that’s the breaks.
Please enter me in the drawing!
Oops, Lune bag
Okay, that comment was supposed to go up above.
Do you remember what the bag was? Horrible when you know it was meant for you, then you can’t find it again.
I was going to begin this post with a serene smile and zen-like admonitions about things being only things and the cravings shall pass…until I remembered the gorgeous grey pinstripe Vivienne Westwood suit I did not buy a few years ago. It was the same one Carrie wore when she visited Vogue on SATC and I adored it like I have adored no other suit. My mother offered to chip in half of the $400 tag (yes, $400 for a Westwood suit. down from $1200). I passed because I was going to some serious self-loathing at my post-Christmas appearance.
Today, I cannot watch SATC reruns for fear of seeing The Suit That Got Away.
Ha! 🙂
I’m normally very zen about shopping, figuring there’s always something else around the corner, so I don’t worry about missing something, but that Luna bag has haunted me. But no longer, thanks to all of you, I bought it, too.
Yeah, thanks a lot!
PS – would like to be entered in your drawing too please! Almost forgot about it in my fashion fervor… Chanel always gets me excited. :d
The thing I love most about Chanel is the tasteful logo thing. So even though they weave the C into things, it’s small or so nobody would notice, but you feel so ultra-girly and Holly-Go-Lightly with them on.
My shopping accident was a Pierre Cardin coat from the 60s, deadstock, for $200 or so on ebay. It is the heaviest coat I have ever encountered. I live in Florida. I almost need to move somewhere where I will be able to wear it and get my money’s worth…
I’d like to be entered in the drawing too!
So you kept it? Move to Colorado!
Shopping accidents happen to me all the time so I can totally relate! My mom and I actually collect the Chanel earrings – six different pairs between the two of us. She has a ring too, and of course the double C belt. They really do make the cutest jewlry (and their other accessories aren’t bad either ;)). LOVE those Balenciaga bags so congrats on your purchase! I’ve wanted one of those for quite some time too. The little ones are also adorable, but I prefer the big ones like what you got.
I loved them all, but the dangly ones cried for me to buy them. I loved their rings, but they only make them in one size, and I have “robust” fingers, so I can wear them on my little finger or maybe ring finger. So sucked.
My Balenciaga is mid-sized, I think? They have one size larger, which is too big for me. Then there is a smaller one, and one that is more barrel shaped. I would have been happy with any of them, though I still wonder if I shouldn’t have gotten it in Purple?
I’m trying to see how far I can stretch a $200.00 perfume budget. So far, I’ve just spent around $60 on decants. But it’s only Feb. (and I get dozens of emails every day regarding tempting bottle splits). So that’s why I “need” a free sample.
Excellent pitch. 🙂
Hi, Patty.
You deserve your treats.
Please enter me in the drawing.
Thanks,
Jill
:x:”>
I will, Jill!
I’m talking about the FB–unsniffed. Btw, I love love that gorgeous bag!
So which scent was it?
hate to admit it, but it’s Diptyque L’ Eau Trois. I read poetic musings everywhere, but it doesn’t work for me. Smells like an old straw basket from a cheap store, a really cheap store…actually, I just took it out of hiding, and it smells like an old can of turpentine in some rotting shed. Coming from a big family of artists, myself included, turpentine or anything weird smells good n’ sexy to me. I get a strong cat pee smell, too. Hope no one is gonna spank me too hard for dissing this one.:)
You could probably sell it at the scent splits wiki (google it).
Thanks for mentioning it. I’m sure someone would love it.
I’m going to say one of my accidents was buying a FB that most people raved about-don’t think I read a bad review about it, but it’s stinky on me. A friend once told me unless I could honestly say, while pondering a purchase that I absolutely love it, feel like I have to have it, won’t regret it — take out the wallet. I’d like to be in the drawing.
Hey, some things just don’t work. It may be a gorgeous perfume, but if it doesn’t work on you, it’s just not for you.
Well Patty, I am trying really hard not to look too closely at your pics, so as to avoid going into a Chanel frenzy. I narrowly avoided a Chanel accident myself just 3 short months ago. It was only on ebay though…all I wanted was a modest pair of black ballet flats and maybe a pair of earrings. And that led me on to a really good deal on some nice Gucci pumps…and…I ended up with several pairs of great shoes, outbid on the Chanel flats, but spending far more than the winning bid on those shoes. And I still NEED the Chanel pair. The narrow escape of a Chanel frenzy more than justified a few compensatory perfume accidents. Especially Chanel perfume accidents. Fair is fair.
Jarvis – “shopping natural disaster” – I love it! But you do have such good taste in fragrances…
Watched “Confessions of a Shopaholic” over the weekend. I was alarmed at how hard my husband was laughing – but at least he was laughing.
Please include me in the draw if it’s not too late. That Martin Margiela sounds so interesting.
That’s the way that always works for me too! I do wind up with some other lovely item, but my hands are completely empty on what I was trying to get in the first place.
I want those ballet flats too. :”>
Shopping does seem to do this to me – if I buy one thing, what’s one thing more? And it’s such a deal – look, it’s on sale! I’ll buy two …
Or your one sale item was really lonely and needed a playmate. Oh, yes, I play those games too.
but I’m staying home for a while, which is good, because outside of the Hermes boutique, there’s not too many places I can do horrible damage locally.
Oh Lord, yes! (That’s to buying the other bag, once your funds allow, and to my having some spanking great shopping accidents in my closet.)
My birthday is traditionally the worst time of year for me to fall by the wayside with the shopping. When I worked outside the home (i.e. earned my own money) I would invariably start April with a hideous overdraft and a hungover feeling, swearing to be more careful next year.
Oh and getting married was a doozy in the ‘oh what the hell, get out the chequebook’ stakes. The full set of Prescriptives makeup, the two pairs of boots (scarlet glitter spike heels for the ceremony and a pair of very expensive cowboy boots to dance in), the handmade tiara and veil…
I have had my binges with perfume and the deep discounters and sample sellers are the worst tempters. I always tell myself it’s just a couple of things, but then it’s ‘well, to make it worthwhile posting it to Switzerland, I’ll just have one of those and one of those and…’ before you know it, the cart is full and totalling over £100. After one blind bummer too many I’ve learned to let it go, but it was hard. And don’t get me started on partial bottles on evil bay!
Oh, and I’m also lured in to my doom by handbags on ebay too. I am so tragic.
I did, and I did. 8-|
I wish I had been at your wedding, it sounds like a lot more fun than most.
EvilBay is horrible. Once you sort through counterfeits, and you finally do find legit stuff, which is easier than it used to be, there’s about 4 million less chinese counterfeit listings per day, you just want to jump on it quickly. Verify later.
I am a Shopping Accident Waiting To Happen. Just got a little windfall and instead of wisely tucking it into my savings account (do I really have one of those?), all of my favorite shopping bookmarks are dancing before my eyes. :”> This is a tough time of year to resist the spendy siren’s song. I mean; Valentine’s Day is coming and you KNOW there is a big potential for let-down “must-treat-myself” syndrome…=((
P.S. Please enter me in the draw? 😡
JUst remembered my big shopping regret: I could have bought a genuine Schiaparelli rhinestone feather brooch (5 inches long!) for $95. Oy.
Oh, dear. That even makes me cry.
Well, since I’m on my own for this Valentine’s Day, I’m saying my two new bags are me expressing love for, um, myself? Okay, sure.
Little windfalls are much more difficult to deal with. It’s not enough to really count, but not so small that you don’t feel a twinge when you spend it all. It’s like the dad in my Fair Lady. You just want a little to spend, not enough to make you feel rich or that you should do something honest and good with it.
It’s sleeting here in Denver! I love winter and winter scents, but now I can’t wait for spring so I can pull out my vintage Diorissimo parfum.
I’m glad that didn’t last long. It’s weird when we hit our sunny and warm Januarys and Februarys, only to be followed by 3 feet of snow the first week of March.
I’m longing for Diorissimo parfum days too. Maybe some Guerlain Muget this year?
Patty, I am a walking shopping accident. I am wearing my accidental Cynthia Nixon black boots today 😉 Please enter me in the draw in case I accidentally win!
Squeee!!!! I wish y’all could post pictures of your shopping accidents on here. Hey, you can on Facebook!!!!
We should start a new Facebook Group called Shopping Accidents – a Place to post Snaps of your Credit Card Mash-up
I have definitely regretted my cheaper perfume purchases more than my expensive ones overall. They tend to be less impulsive and more something I really want. I should just avoid sales but every year I get suckered in. I would love to be entered in the drawing.
Exactly! Those kinds of shopping accidents are more painful because they are small, somewhat meaningless, but they add up to a lot of crap you have to throw away or give away that nobody really wants.
I say buy the bag! And while you’re at it, please enter me in the MM draw.
I have had regrets about not buying something that I then obsess about for the rest of my life, but I can’t think of any major shopping regrets.
No.
Wait.
That time-share up in Breckenridge. That’s it!!
I did!! And I will.
My only shopping regrets are the clothes I bought that one time withe my friend when we had been drinking. Weird how you can fool yourself into believe something isn’t that short or tight with three drinks in you.
I normally don’t regret not buying something. So when I do get the occasional one, it’s particularly noticeable.
My father told me that he had regretted NOT buying something more often than he regretted buying something.
A bag never qualifies for a shopping accident with me because they are useful. Like a tool is for a handyman. I bought my first Coach bag in college in the 70’s and loved them for years until Coach ticked me off a few years ago. My world of bags has gotten so much wider since and I am transfixed by the photo of your bag and wallet.
Please enter me in the draw for MM.
Wise father we have 😉
fathers rather, though you could be a long lost sister I guess..
Very smart man.
The bag doesn’t bother me as much because I love it and will use it all the time. I’m hard on my bags, so it’s good to have several well-made ones to rotate through.
Well, I have one more now. :((
My father’s cure for feeling down has always been to go and buy yourself something you wouldn’t otherwise buy in normal circumstances. And he is not a shallow man.
Extreme shopping can be therapeutic, if you know you can somehow afford it (by restricting yourself elsewhere or if blissfully you have very deep pockets…).
I still remember when I bought my Hermes H belt many moons ago and felt a weird mixture of joy and sickness as I left the shop with my beautiful orange box. :d:-&
So if you can pay for it and it makes you happy, go for it !
That’s the way I look at it. I don’t go into debt for this kind of stuff, that would give me oodles of guilt. If I couldn’t pay it on the spot or, for a larger, more extravagant purchase, within two months, I just wouldn’t do it.
the Hermes store and I aren’t speaking right now. I’ve had this thing for their mousseline scarves for about a year now, and I still can’t believe they are as much as their normal scarves, and I can’t bring myself to buy one, nor can I bring myself to stop coverting them so very much.
I collect vintage scarves and have absolutely no love for Hermes in that category…other French designers made incredible scarves and they can be had for a fraction of the price.
On the bag front, however, Hermes is untouchable. Other than my vintage Roberta di Camerinos, the Birkin is the only bag that interests me in the slightest. I do have I have a very fun “deconstructed” version of the classic Birkin by a designer called Slow and Steady Wins the Race, which is clever and totally fab, but the fact is that I almost never carry a bag anymore (house key, cash, iPhone, subway card in pockets) and when I do, it’s almost always a Birkin.
Oh, Roberta di Camerino, brings me back all the way to the 70s, think I still have one of her velvety make up pouches..
Carter, the things one learns from you are incredible. That sounds like an awesome bag!
What French scarf brands do you like?
My own preference is for vintage Balmain, Saint Laurent, Patou.
Okay, so which scarf brands? I’m a neophyte about scarves and am willing to learn! Etro, right?
I’m just mad at Hermes prices for scarves and refusing to buy them, it’s ludicrous, but I don’t know what other designers to go trolling for in vintage.
Teach me, O Wise-Scarfed One! 😡
See above, although there are certainly others.
70ties Leonard, Pucci, Escada maybe?
Oh, sure, though personally I prefer the French designers.
My darling sweetheart, my Sister of the Handbag! I hate Hermes like a mongoose hates a snake – but I LOVE the Birkin forevah!
xo >-)
I don’t often have shopping accidents because truth be told, shopping makes me nervous. I know what I want, I buy it (if they have it), I go home. Whew!
But recently my husband and I found some wonderful new stores in a pretty little CT town we visited. One in particular, had all kinds of eclectic things–jewelry, items hand-felted by the owner, gift items AND a rack of beautiful, not-size-two, *very* reasonably priced vintage clothing. So thinking I needed a get-well-to-me (I’d recently fractured a couple of vertebrae, as some of you know)I purchased a gorgeous camel colored “clutch” coat, 50’s or 60’s, for 70 bucks. Then I turned around and saw THE sweater. Handmade. Red. Beautiful detailing. I timorously asked the proprietor, “what’s the price of that sweater?” And she said “$225.00” OK, that’s more than I ever spend for a sweater, but still, it was only half what I thought the price would be, so I had to have that, too. I felt especially good when we went into different store, and saw a vaguely similar sweater, which I am sure was not hand-made, for $500.
All in all, I’d say that was a pretty frugal shopping accident.
That sweater sounds gorgeous! do you have snaps of you in it yet? Or did you and I missed it?
As I’m a perfumista newbie, I’m having “shopping accidents” all the time. My husband is starting to make comments about all the packages I get in the mail. So I can definitely relate.
Please enter me in the drawing. I need another package in the mail. 😉
Uh-oh. first they notice the number of packages. Then they start noticing the size of the bill. 🙂
Don’t worry about entering me in the draw, as I’m in the UK.
Oh dear, every month is shopping accident time for me! 🙂
I tell myself I won’t, but my wages just burn a hole in my pocket.
But I’ve never broken the £50 barrier on a bag, at least. I buy cheap leather ones, I don’t care as long as it’s practical. I’m not a particularly smart dresser. A good bag would look daft with trainers and a Dannimac. And my clothes are fairly cheap too. I can’t really buy more til I throw some out, anyway. I now have piles of sweaters I can’t find room for in my cupboards!
Perfume, though…:”> This month (and yes, it IS only the 4th..) I’ve made three sample/decant orders, plus some Juicy Couture from Amazon is due soon, I’ve ordered a bottle of Colony, I’ve been bidding (unsuccessfully so far) on fleaBay, and I’m eyeing some Paloma Picasso in the sale at my local department store.
I find that buying one perfume has a knock-on effect. It’s like peanuts – once you’ve started, you can’t stop!
Oh, I shop winners to the UK, it’s not a problem, if you want in!
You know, that’s why I always get the more casual extravagant bags, they look good with whatever crap I have on.
Perfume. It’s like shoes. They always work, even when you’re pms’ing or bloaty or gained 5 pounds.
Cool, please put me in the draw then – thanks! 🙂
That’s a good point, if the bag is casual it goes with anything. But I’m hard on my bags. Do expensive bags last better than cheapies?
Yes, perfume always works. That’s why I love it so.
I bought that Paloma. But I give up on eBay, for now anyway. The bloody snipers are too fast for me! It’s so frustrating, I feel the need for a button marked ‘You B*TCH!!’ to click when I lose yet again.:d
WHAT A HORRIBLE TOPIC!
It is ten in the morning here and I am about to book and buy our family holidays for this year – It is all your fault, if we must languish in some leper station’s kitchen in east Siberia peeling potatoes, because I’ve impulse-booked cheap socially and economically pc holidays to quench my bad consciousness!
(No, but seriously, I need a beautiful place for eight (3 adults, five kids) on/close to the beach to stay all August in L.A. or surroundings, on on Catalina Isl. Or anywhere on the Pacific Coast and neighboring states … any recomendations?)
It is frags, coloured glass and worst of all books I can’t stop to buy.
With the frags, I try to stop myself by moving everything to wishlist and sleeping over it. With the glass, at least I stopped buying ashtrays after nobody could be convinced they were free-form bowls. I don’t know what to do about the books. Normally I stop when the cart gets too heavy to carry. Here the internet is the ultimate curse.
Also my husband and sons are refreshingly sobering, if I’m in danger. They have this annoying habit of crouching behind me telling me ‘You don’t need this ..(perfume, vase, book,whatever)…because you’ve already got ONE’ How could one possibly contradict.
Might as well rent them out.
Please include me in the draw – need to save money to feed my family
Andrea
I shouldn’t be laughing. 🙂 Are you looking to rent a home? I’m thinking so with that many people. If you can get somewhere around Santa Barbara, that’s just beautiful. Not sure how the surf is for the kids around there, but probably decent’ish or within a short drive of decentish. Tom (he’s up above you a couple there) probably has some better ideas. But if you want to do a lot of swimming stay San Francisco south. Further north is awfully cold to get in the ocean. Have you tried one of those home exchange things? You don’t have to put your home out there, but you can snag someone else’s, I believe.
Books. I thought getting a kindle would help, but I’ve filled it up. It’s really pretty hopeless, the whole book thing. I envision having to have 10 Kindles around just to keep my book collection on.
Hello Patty,
just found your reply directly here on this post! Is my mail system not working properly or …? Thanks for your ideas – Santa Barbara -sounds wonderful. I’m the wimp in this familiy, taking my anorak to the beach in August for after-immersion warm-up – the others are totally cold proof. What else should one expect from people that are content with ONE of everything… Yes, we should rent or swap a house. Mine has the folling assets: many books. Lots of ashtrays. No perfumes, because I will lock them up in the wine cellar with the wine, measly me.
yes kindle… I’m waiting for the version with integrated paper-smell and rustling sound effects…if I only weren’t so old fashioned. Nothing more lovely than ONE open fire, ONE downer and ONE book and ONE man maybe…see how good I can be?
As always, Andrea
The bag and wallet are fabulous, Patty! Well done I say, and who can resist Chanel earrings? I still have mine from the 80s somewhere, and have started using the quilted chain-handle bag again too. This is quite timely as I very nearly had an extremely serious shopping accident in Bottega Veneta yesterday (the shop just kind of sucked me in as I went past); there are three bags and a pair of shoes I must have, but I managed not to indulge, not because I am virtuous but because of an impending monstrous dental bill.
Lee, your purchases sound wonderful, too. Enjoy!
Louise, I am also extremely vulnerable to eye makeup and lippy. And naturally, all of the above neglects to mention the frequent perfume shopping accidents……
Oh, dear, Bottega. I can’t even go close to that, there would just be a full-on headlight clanging collision of the worst sort with my credit card. Louis Vuitton I can avoid most of the time, because I just don’t like the Logo’y thing much. But their Suvahli collection is un-logo’ed and makes me very vulnerable, especially that doctor’s bag. I need to stop thinking about it.
I’m quite vulnerable to shopping accidents….they happen to me, completely unwittingly, rather often 8-| Blame, uh Louise.
They used to trip me up most during travel, but since the advent of the internets, the buggers come right at me. My defenses are non-existent at times.
Lately, it’s been eyeshadows. I now have enough to supply KFC with varied hued breading for the entire chain. Poor ~:>
Enjoy your goodies!
they happen more to me. I think it’s just getting the kids grown and having more cash available. It’s sitting there, not really *doing* anything.
Internets was the downfall, especially Amazon and their tricksy two-day shipping all year long for a set fee of $80. Somehow never factoring in shipping makes everything cheaper there.
Have you ever taken a picture of all of your eyeshadows? Maybe you can?
Oh, you wonderful bespoke person you (*). And a mighty quick study.
I’m not much of a shopper, so I don’t know how I excuse the recently ordered (and not yet delivered) made to spec suit, two shirts and two ties I’ve ordered, the $500 wool blanket for the bed (oh so beautiful), and the Italian chocolate leather briefcase / satchel for work… And Coze and MKK…. January has been busy.
Hmm. I’d put my hat in the ring for the MM, if I didn’t feel too much the slut being a posse writer and competing with our readers!
oh, my-how handsome you’ll look in that new outfit…:x
I’m with Louise–those made to spec items will surely look gorgeous on you.
We will need snaps, you know. You shouldn’t have told us! And you will be incredibly dapper in your new things.
Bespoke clothes are my longstanding fantasy. I dream of a nearly empty closet with four or five perfect things that I wear everyday. Why do men get to have all the tailored fun?
And count me in with another vote for pictures, Lee!
I think my worst may have been my first trip to NYC as a perfumista this past Labor Day. Previously I hadn’t really enjoyed New York, but now that it’s the seat of everything I desire, my position has changed. The Chanel boutique at Sak’s and the Malle/L’Artisan at Barney’s made quite the dent. But you know what? Don’t regret it at all. I love every one of those purchases. A similar thing happened on a shopping trip to Detroit where I decided I needed a new wardrobe full of Rock & Republic jeans. But, same thing. They are all well worth it. It does make me fear my spending capabilities though…shudder.
And you know, opportunity is not a lengthy visitor. I’ve been burned enough to know that, if you see something you like, buy it. Tomorrow it may be gone. I do generally try to stick to advice my sister gave me about shopping (and it applies to other areas of life, too, so bonus): If you have to think twice, put it back.
It does change your perspective, huh? And I’ve never regretted any of my ridiculous purchases, as much as I agonize over making them or feel some guilt after because I know I spent too much money on such a frivolous thing. It is always those things that I enjoy. I’m never one to put things away and just look at them. I’ll happily run through the mud with them as long as I’m enjoying them while I live.
Pull the trigger. I still regret not getting an apple green suede coat that made me look like royalty.
I did. :d
apple green suede coat? Oh, you’re killing me.
Full length!
Still waiting to break the $200 a bottle barrier – at that price it had better make me look like a young Ava Gardner as well as smell good. :d
(Of course, that does not stop me from making numerous smaller purchases, as you said – I just try not to do the math all at once.
Please enter me in the draw, I have been very curious about the MM!)
It will happen. 😡
My shopping “accidents” involve presents from friends. I have one dear friend who is employed, well, well and takes me at my word that I like to get gift certificates. So she gets me a gift certificate invariably to N-M in a nicely hefty amount for my birthday and Christmas. Thing is that I always seem to pick something that’s well over the amount of the GC (I know, cry me a river).
I have a watch that I need to get overhauled. One of my dad’s old Rolexes that I’ve been wearing for about 30 years. Maybe I should ask for a gift certificate towards that? Heck, I could use a bit of overhauling myself. Maybe I should ask for a GC to Doctor SuckandTuck…
😕
OMG, that would be so cool!!!! A GC for lipo. 😮
GCs are satan’s spawn. You never spend less, it is always more, so they wind up costing you.
That sounds like my kind of shopping trip! I think I do need a pair of new red boots. And a new purse. And a bottle of Imperial Tonka!
I’m jones’in to try that Imperial Tonka.
You may not believe it, but my friends that were there at the same time, but we didn’t go together, were some serious shoppers. They put me to shame in the worst way.
Totally with you on the watches. Settled for the black ceramic and diamond Tahitian by Michelle last year but the white color was haunting me. This year picked up the Toy white plasteramic with blinged out crystals. Incredibly fun watch to wear and I highly recommend!
Oh, Kim, I love that watch. Once I recover from January’s disastrous shopping, I have my eye on that exact watch, but not sure if I want it in white or black. This one I have on was just to tide me over to either the chanel or the Michelle. I love the diamond one so much better because it doesn’t have the Michelle around the face.
I did look at the plasteramics too. Too cute! I may have to have one of those eventually with all the bells and whistles.
I think I long ago transcended “shopping accident,” and went right to “shopping natural disaster.” Of biblical proportions. And what you say about breaking the $200 bottle barrier is absolutely right. 🙂
shopping apocalypse $-)
Ya’ll are killin’ me.
The four Horsemen of the Shopocalypse – Cash, Credit, Sale and Discount.
=))
xo >-)
Jarvis, I’ve been there for too long. Whenever I try and describe what kind of shopper someone is, and I say, “they *really* shop,” I have to add – “a lot more than me” and then the light bulb goes on and they have the appropriate expression of horror. 🙂
Nah, the only shopping accidents are when you buy something — even something cheap — that you end up not particularly liking. The only purchases I truly regret are those “But it’s on sale!” “But it’s only a decant!” mistakes, so I say that if you love the bag and you have the dosh to burn, go for it.
Free, however, is rarely a mistake (at first I typed “never,” then remembered some of the crap I’ve gotten from Freecycle), so please enter me in the drawing, and thank you!
Natalie, I couldn’t agree more! I hate the feeling of wearing something stupid and/or unflattering AND knowing I paid for the experience.
I say buy the bag and enjoy it!
This is true. I regret crappy stuff that I got on sale and never use far more than something I paid more than I should have for, but love for years and decades.
Hi, Patty, I hope you are feeling better.
Maybe January and February is Shopping Accident Season? I have pried open my wallet, and it seemingly has no intention of closing again. A little makeup, a few sweaters, a couple of necklaces, perhaps a book or two, and that’s since the beginning of the year.
My regret right now? I missed a really good price on SL Clair de Musc, because I’m experiencing waffle-itis. Somehow couldn’t pull the trigger, and I’m totally over-thinking this thing.
Anyway, your haul is *really* gorgeous. Regarding the other bag, go for it. Catherine’s comment about having the bag vs. regret sounds wise to me.
By the way, I would love to be in the draw.
I am feeling better, thanks!
It’s a shopping mash-up. I’m avoiding the makeup counter. I think I have every shade of eyeshadow and lipstick made, I just don’t need more, but why do I think I do when I’m standing there?
Did you almost snag the Clair at parfum1.com when they were doin gthe 25% off of their sale price? That was seriously sweet, I’m hoping they get some things back in stock and do it again.
Yes, it was Parfum1. I sent them an email asking if they will get more…we’ll see. And now I’m going to compare this thing to Musc Bleu, so that I can keep playing the Analysis Paralysis Game!
And I’m so with you on the ‘I have enough make-up’ thing. Doesn’t seem to stop me, though. (In my fantasy life, I have a minimalist cosmetic collection. heh.)
that is a great sale. They’re doing 20 or 25% off again through the 14th, celebrating their new website. I didn’t see it back up, but they still had a bunch of others!
Leslie, I’m so glad someone agrees with me!
Seriously, bags that stay with us are priceless. I’m not a bag person–most of mine are from the 1990s. But a good bag that makes you sing is just absolutely worth it.
So after all this shopping-till-you’re-dropping, is there any $-) in the purty new wallet?
My greatest six-car-pileup of a shopping outing resulted in the ownership of a vintage 1970’s Georgio di Sant’Angelo sable coat. Seriously collectible…just HAD to HAVE the sucker…but I’ve never worn it and I don’t even like fur. Eejit!
Well, a lot less than there was. 🙂
So are you gonna sell that collectible? You know, that’s what it’s for. Then you can buy some other collectible vintage thing you will wear!
Sold it lickety-split! You could have heard the ginormous sigh of relief all the way out there in Colorado. Damn, I miss sweet little Sigh Guy.
Actually, I knew I had made a huge blunder when my sister, upon clapping eyes on the thing, turned to me and said “Who ARE you?”
I am laughing so hard! Sisters are the best.
Want mine? They’re cheap!
Oh, yeah, I get that from The Shirl too often. It’s much more fun when you do it to other people. 🙂
Definitely wish to be hatted on this one, if you please :d
I find shopping at times to be quite hazardous (towards my own well-being). Yes, you go in and expect to only purchase a single, yet come out with more than one item. Nonetheless, I love that the bag matches the wallet! Please enter me in the drawing as well.
It was providence, no? Did I mention the other bag is reddish too? Red is the new black, except when purple is the new black.
I have shopping accidents all the time. Which is why being unemployed has just been killing me. Ha!
Oh well. Three weeks to the bar exam. Then hopefully all this work and time to become a lawyer will result in lawyer money, and therefore lots more accidents.
I forgot to say — please enter me in the drawing!
Did you see Confessions of a Shopaholic? When she got laid off, her whine, “But that’s my income, I NEED my income” in a way that was so not about the basics.
You will soon be happily shopping with all that legal cash that’s gonna be coming your way. And shopping more!!!
I’m always game for another sample – no such thing as too many, right?!
Well, exactly!
Oh, what a timely post this is! :d You might have just described my morning of shopping. I’ve been so terrified of the abyss I was potentially falling into that I’ve put this off for weeks. Makeup. We know what rabbit hole that is–as big a rabbit hole as perfume when you consider Chanel type prices. But, I need new basics. Almost new everything–fiercely dry skin, melting eyeshadow, *March’s post on cream eyeshadows and gel eyeliner*!! I’ve ignored the basics for the lusty pleasure of red lipsticks. So…. And once one opens that wallet…. Thankfully, the SAs were brilliant and helped me keep it all together. Still, that was a splurge, and one I can’t wait to have again. In three weeks, the new Armani lipsticks come in. I’m on the list for a call. :d
Your bag is gorgeous. It’s worth every penny. Get the other bag. In ten years, you’ll still have it–rather than the regret.
I would love to be in the draw. I haven’t tested a new perfume since Fall Sniffa.
Lord, I have to make sure never to read March’s makeup posts. I can kiss at least one $100 bill goodbye every time I do that.
so what di dyou get, give it up! It’s getting close enough to spring to get me all jacked up for the spring collections.
It’s only money, right? I have none left, but cute things to put it in once I get more.
I’m seriously behind on the makeup front for someone approaching forty, but I’ve always been terrified by SAs. They are SO intimidatingly put together. But a few weeks ago, the dermatologist confirmed how dry my skin is. So after plumbing the skin back up with good ole-fashioned moisturizer, I went out for creamier everything: foundation, concealer, blush, eyeshadow, etc. Found this great lipliner from Shiseido that’s very glossy, and it really seems to keep the lips hydrated under lipstick. Oh, I also seemed to have bought my first YLBB lipstick shade. See, I told you I’m behind on the makeup front.
The biggest hurt to the wallet happened when the Chanel SA of the Day truly matched a foundation to my skin tone. All the other SAs that work there always put something darker on me. I’m the lightest shade they have–I wouldn’t have guessed that, but the look! Oh! So I took the whole lot of things she put on my face. Luxurious? Yes. Worth it? Double yes.
Having someone that actually gets your skin and the shade and matches it is a revelation. It begins the love affair with your skin that we’re all entitled to!
BTW, I’m blaming that Luna Balanciaga mash-up on you. I thought I’d offered low enough that it probably wouldn’t get accepted? No, accepted, I own it.
Clapping!
Hey Patty, don’t you need a pair of spiffy shoes – no better yet, boots – to go with that ensemble? Red’s the new black and boots are the new shoes…:d
As always, I’d love to be in the draw.
I completely skipped over the cute pair of boots I bought before we went to Costa Rica. They’re not red, but, you know.
Y’all aren’t helpful. 🙂