a nail polish day :)

Since I was ridiculously bored two day ago....oh summer days....I decided I was going to do something productive...and fun!  What better to do than go to the mall to return some stuff...and do as little damage as possible?  I'd like to say I'm doing much better when it comes to spending on things I don't really need.  However, there's nothing wrong with treating yourself to something special every now and then :)

I returned a Butter nail polish top coat kit I received as a gift to Nordstroms....got about $25 back.  Sweet!  I was debating on whether or not I should purchase a Butter matte finish top coat.  Couldn't find a tester...meh.  Forget it.  I most likely wouldn't use it that much anyways.  Then I started looking at the glitter polishes.  Butter....deborah lippman....all the names and colors I see on pinterest.  The lady who did my return was wearing a deborah lippman glitter polish, and the glitter cover was pretty impressive.  Looked at the price tag of that little glass bottle....$20.  Hmmm...I had to try the tester to see if it was really worth it.  Does it need 1-2 coats for full glitter coverage or a bajillion coats?  I was quite impressed!  Only 2 coats and I was satisfied.  Still....$20 for a nail polish?  I had to wait, even though I just received store credit that would fully cover it.  $20 is a pretty penny for some nail polish! It better be worthy. 

I left Nordstroms to check out this shop called Daisy Shoppe....seriously the cutest store ever! I would purchase every item in there if I could. They have the best dresses for a wedding...bridal shower...baby shower..Easter.  I could even wear most of their dresses to work....well actually student teaching now :)  

 Here just a few items from their online shop, which doesn't do their actual shop justice in my opinion. 

Birthday girl hat! 

a new coffee mug?  There is never enough!

This piece is for my G-Phi sistors!!

Now that you have an idea of what Daisy Shoppe is all about...back to my adventure!  Anyways, I happened to have store credit here.   Win....I wouldn't have walked in if I didn't.  The store is that dangerous! Remember, this was a " return some stuff and do as little damage as possible" trip!  In the end...I found a beautiful dress {on sale!} to wear to a fall wedding I'm attending in a few months.  Since it was on sale, it was a "final sale".  That meant I had to be SUPER sure I wanted it.  I put it on hold to think about it while I meandered around the mall some more.  

Next stop...found my self in for love 21...ahhh more nail polish!  I had never bought forever 21 nail polish before and I tested this beautiful peachy color. The color went on really well, and it was a color I've been meaning to get. Price?  $2.50!   If I was seriously considering a $20 polish {being someone who is trying not to spend too much}.... a $2.50 polish is a must.  Sold!  I now have my peach polish AND it matched the dress I was looking at at Daisy Shoppe :)  It's all coming together.  

Here's my $2.50 polish in "Peach". 

Before I headed back to Daisy Shoppe, I was STARVING so I had to get my all-time favorite pepperoni pretzel from Wetzel's Pretzels.  Mmmm! During this time, I had been texting my mom about the dress to see what she thought about it, and the picture she recieved from me wasn't an accurate representation.  The colors were all off, so she thought the dress I was sending her was a shade of army green....when in fact it had more light beige and brown tones.  We talked back and forth about it, and in the end I decided to buy it.  Only had to pay $9 extra dollars on top of my store credit.  So far...I've spent about $11.50 excluding tax on things that do not include necessities.  Yes, I consider my pepperoni pretzel a necessity.  Food is ALWAYS a necessity :)  

Final stop before heading back to my car....another look at that $20 little glass bottle at fancy Nordstroms.  Is it really worth it?  I was also thinking about this Marc by Marc Jacobs stretch bracelet....$28.  Only $8 dollars more...  Hmmm....

I really liked the black  bracelet, and it felt really good when it was on.  The fit was perfect and I loved the stretchiness.  However, I had a feeling that I would do what I always do with jewelry accessories and I would wear it for a while and then never wear it again.  I usually buy my jewelry at more affordable places because that's what ALWAYS happens.  At least with nail polish I can use it for a long time after I buy it. I feel the same way about perfume fragrances too.  I feel like I get more of my money's worth.  You might think my logic doesn't make much sense...but it makes sense to me :)  So the decision was made....I bought the $20 bottle, with about $5 left of store credit!

Just in case you were curious, the color is "Today Was A Fairytale"

Finally, after what seemed like a long trip full of decisions I made my way back to my car where I was ready to return two more articles of clothing to Nordstroms Rack.  I got $60 back, and I didn't make any more purchases.  Win!   That return made the whole trip greatly dominated by returns...which was my goal from the start.

Once I got home it was time to test my new polishes...still feels kinda crazy that one cost under $3 and the other one was $20.  At least now I know that Forever 21 polishes are worthy of being purchased. No more $20 polish for me after yesterday....that's it.  I've got my fix of fancy polish.   But seriously, I can see getting a good glittery polish for $20 because of the glitter coverage...but why spend that much on a solid color? I just can't wrap my head around that.  I'm a big fan of OPI and Loreal's new Color Riche nail polishes...I think they look just as good.

Here's the outcome!

Not too shabby, in my opinion.  Yes, my nails are pinterest inspired :) 

See?

:)