Fabric, cut and fit is super crucial. I wanted to feel confident and presentable, and Express ties that all in for me. And the best part about their line of suit wear is the fact that they fit a short Asian girl's body to the tee. I've never had any of my express suits tailored. The last time I stocked up on business attire was during Black Friday sales. Everything was 50% off and there were additional coupons. I walked away with pants and blazers for around $35 each. For that amazing fit, I'd be willing to pay that and a little more. Ever since then I've always referred people to shop there if they are in need of a sleek business look. I love the feeling of walking the streets in a full suit and heels.
Here's an important tip that I learned in my business courses in college. My professor had us all dress up as if we were meeting the head CEO while giving our presentations. He had us all line up, one group at a time pointing out what was ideal and inappropriate to wear in a work environment, and ESPECIALLY for first impressions. My professor said that for men, it's all about the suit and how it fits, and the tie. And for the ladies, it's the suit and the SHOES. No matter what your shoe collection is like, you have to have that one pair that is super professional. We never wear the heels into work, honestly ladies, who would want to commute in heels and still be able to walk in them for the rest of the day. It's important to invest in a comfortable pair of flats or even sneaks that you can switch in and out of for the commute. The heels shouldn't be comfortable looking, it should be fashionable for a business setting. And the last piece of accessory that's crucial for any meeting is a genuine smile. The initial 7 seconds of a first impression fall on the smile and the firm, confident handshake.
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| Suits is one of my favorite TV series. (On the run from a drug deal gone bad, Mike Ross, a brilliant college-dropout, finds himself a job working with Harvey Specter, one of New York City's best lawyers.) ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
I always assumed makeup products were best from stores that were solely dedicated to makeup. For example, I never thought much about Macy, JCP or Sears. Nancy introduced to me the perks of gift sets! I never knew about this, and I've always walked right passed them. Birchbox was a great starter for me, it got me the basic to fill my own makeup bag. Now that I'm learning more about what works best on me and how the products work, Macy is my new go to. I love freebies and who knew you could get a whole gift set for one minimum purchase. This was my first time, I couldn't help myself. I was so thrilled, that I ended up getting two gift sets! We stopped at Clinique first. I'm not too familiar with Clinique but I've heard a lot of good things about it. I couldn't settle for anything for myself, but I did find something that'd be perfect for my boyfriend. To get a gift set from Clinique you needed a minimum purchase of $27. Next stop was Lancome. There was a special promo for a free makeover with a minimum pre-purchase of $25 in addition to a free gift set at Lancome. Nancy and I both bought bought the 'Tonique Confort' comforting rehydrating toner.
With Nancy's help I'm slowly building up my skincare routine and makeup set. After this little mall adventure, I feel like I've just got a VIP pass to the secrets of smart shopping. I might end my subscription to Ipsy now that I've learned this new trick with Macy. Shh, don't tell Ipsy...
I'm not quite ready to stop Birchbox just yet. I've got a special love for Birchbox.
Did you know... that Sephora sells perfume sampler gift sets for $60. Here's the trick, courtesy of Nancy. You might freak out like I did when you heard $60 for samples.
And its the samples you'd find given to you for free at cosmetic shops. And this set came with 14 (between 0.03-0.06 oz) small spritz tubes...for $60. After having a mini panic attack over the ridiculous price. Nancy assured me that with this purchase you get a FULL size bottle of perfume ...FOR FREE. That's right, I didn't believe her at first...and I was skeptical all the way up to the register. Nancy found out that I liked the Daisy perfume by Marc Jacobs, and she surprised me with this gift set so I could get the full size bottle! At retail price the full size 1.7 oz bottle Daisy by Marc Jacobs cost $76.00, but if you were to purchase this sample gift set (retail price plus tax $65.33) and use the free bottle voucher, you'd be saving! So I ended up getting the Daisy perfume for only $65.33!!! If I hadn't learned this little trick, I would have eventually bought this perfume at full value $76 not including tax (that's almost $80). Seriously though, that's $65.33 for a full size bottle of perfume AND an additional 14 FREE samples of popular fragrances! That's right, that whole perfume sampler gift set just became free. Take a moment and let that sink it...free. It also helped that the sample set had the exact perfume I wanted.
One last thing that I learned at Sephora:
I never understood the difference between 'Eau de Toilette' and 'Eau de Parfum' for the bottled perfumes. I just knew that Eau de Parfum was always more expensive. I finally got around to asking a sales rep. For Eau de Toilette, the fragrance does not last very long. Unlike the Eau de Toilette, the Eau de Parfum has a higher concentration of the oil fragrance which makes it last longer throughout the day.
I'll eventually upload a picture of my very first full size bottle of perfume ever, a gift from Nancy, when I find the heart to open the pretty box. It's so pretty, and I still haven't fully recovered from how excited I am to finally have a bottle of my own!
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