Brand Spotlight- Mansur Gavriel

As Christmas fast approached I decided I would post one brand spotlight a week to help people with Christmas presents annnd to help people make their own Christmas lists.

This weeks brand spotlight is on MansurGavriel. If you are a handbag addict like myself they probably came across your radar when they released their now infamous bucket bag in Cammello/Ballerine and Black/Flamma. These original Mansur bags sold out so quickly it wasn’t even funny and sparked tons of knock-offs from brands like Forever 21. But if you haven’t checked on MG since the release of these bags you are missing out.

Why you should buy a MG bag:

1- MG has really branched out in the last couple of years in terms of style, colors, sizes, and materials. Most styles now come in an array of sizes, colors and materials. Take for example the classic bucket bag. The bag now comes in four sizes- regular, mini, mini mini and baby. It comes in patent leather, suede, tumbled leather, calf skin leather and the classic vegetable leather.

2- The price point is reasonable for the quality of bag. The vegetable leather is the cheapest option and personally my favorite as it stays the more structured. My second favorite is the calf leather but recently I have been eyeing a tumbled leather sun bag.

3- The quality of the bag is amazing! For the price point the bags are really well made and in my opinion they wear really well. I love how the vegetable leather tans and ages especially the cammello! My only warning is to be careful around water and oils. Water can be somewhat buffed out of the bag with a good cleaner and conditioner but I have had no luck getting out oils.

These are my personal favorites right now!

Mini Brandy Vegetable Leather Bucket Bag

$495

Large Black Vegetable Leather Tote

$585

(I own this bag in two colors and I love it! Perfect for work!)

Mini Peony Tumbled Leather Sun Bag

$1,095

How to Shop a Sale

Black Friday is coming up and with one of the best shopping holidays approaching we all need to be prepared. So below I listed some of my best shopping tips for shopping a sale and not getting carried away by a great buy.

1- Make a Budget

This is probably the hardest one for me but it’s important that you go in with a budget of what you want to spend. Black Friday can be overwhelming and having a rough estimate of how much you want to spend can help you realize you don’t need that shirt in a Fourth color no matter the price. I always try to budget by item. Like for example if I want a nice good quality coat I would give myself a budget of around $150. I would then do the same for other items for myself or for others. I normally hand write out my budgets (which drives my fiancé crazy) but you could easily do it on your phone or computer as well. I then write down exactly how much I spent!

2-Check your prices

I have learned this the hard way- Black Friday is not always the cheapest price for goods and the same goods on different websites can also vary greatly in price so make sure you do some prior research. I have seen companies mark up items and then put them on sale during Black Friday making the item literally $5 cheaper than its initial retail value so be careful. One quick way to do this is Google the item. Thanks to Google shopping it will often pull up various websites that have the good with the price.

3- Use Ebates

Make sure to make money while you shop! If you are online shopping or even in store it doesn’t hurt to see what cash back you are going to be getting. Even if you return the item you still get to keep the cash back!

4- Don’t buy it just because it’s on sale

This is one I always have to remind myself. Sometimes we see the item we want on sale… but not necessarily the color we wanted. Sometimes it’s better to save up for the classic color you wanted then buy the one sale color because a lot of the time you end up not loving the one you bought. Or even worse you end up with both and hen don’t use one. Also if even it is reasonably priced but don’t use it then what was the point of buying it?

5- Remember there will always be another sale

You don’t have to feel like your missing out if you are trying to save money or you don’t see the perfect item. There will always be another sale! Especially after the holiday season!

Macy’s Free People Black Friday Sale

Macy’s has become my go to for Free People items. They always seem to have the best sales and this Black Friday is not exception. Check out my quick picks below!

1- Lofty Boucle V-Neck Sweater

$63.99 (normally $128)

Comes in 7 colors!

I find that most free people stuff runs really big so I bought and xs in this in wine and white.

2- Too Deep Turtleneck

$63.99 (originally $128)

Comes in 4 colors!

I also got an xs in this in the ivory and the terra-cotta!

3- Park City Turtleneck Sweater

$64.99 (originally $108)

This sweater has been sold out everywhere but Macy’s fully restocked it in all colors and sizes. I already own the cream but just snagged the terra-cotta! I always wear an xs in this.

4- Changing Horizons Oversized Top

$43.99 (originally $88)

Comes in 5 colors!

Again I own this but in an xs! While it’s supposed to be oversized I can only do a little bit oversized as I wear it tucked in to work.

Missguided 50% off sale!

Need some sweaters? A dress for a holiday party? A coat to keep you warm? Well Missguided has all this on sale for 50% off with the code “GoGirl”! (You might have seen their items on Asos and Nordstroms before!) Plus even better since it’s a uk company their are no taxes and shipping is only $5!

Bargain hunting blonde tip- make sure to use ebates to get 4% cash back!

Velvet Burgundy Scoop Back Velvet Dress $15.50 (originally $31.00)

Camel Cable Knit Sweater

$19 (originally $38)

Chenille off the shoulder sweater

$19 (originally $38)

Grey Oversized Boucle Coat

$55 (originally $110)

50% off at Old Navy

Today Old Navy gifted us with the present of 50% off. With their already cheap prices this really allows you to get quiet the deal. Below are some of my favorite pieces that are on sale!

Long Wool- Blend Coatigan

$40 (originally $79)

Available in 3 colors

Quilted Frost-Free Vest

$17.50 (originally $34.99)

Available in 3 colors

Trench Coat

$30 (Originally $59.99)

Available in 2 colors

Sherpa-Lined Moto Jacket for Women

$35.00 ( Originally $59.99)

Classic Cable Knit Sweater

$17.50 (Originally $34.99)

Available in 5 colors

Presents for a Fashionista

Seriously how is it already November?!? This year has flown by and somehow it is almost Christmas! To give you all some great present ideas for the fashionista in your life I have rounded up some of my favorite classic pieces and their less expensive but equally cute dupes! Happy Shopping!

1- Gucci Princetown Genuine Shearling Mule Loafer

Nordstrom– $890

Comes in Navy Velvet and Pink Velvet

Cape Robbin Women’s Your Majesty Faux Fur Velvet Loafer Slides

$29.99

Two Colors- Ocean and Fuchsia

2- Karen Walker Super Duper Strength

Nordstroms

$250

GrinderPunch Sunglasses 

2 Pairs for $15.99

3- Givenchy Antigona

Nordstrom- Mini Antigona in Sugar Leather

$1,790

Four Colors

Rebecca Minkoff Perry

$199.97

4- Burberry Quilted Coat

Ashurst Quilted Jacket

$595

Comes in 5 Colors

Annadale Quilted Jacket

$119.90

Comes in two colors

Favorite Jeans on Sale!

Yes it’s Friday night and yes I am just casually scrolling through 400 and something odd pages on the Nordstrom website! There are some great pieces on sale (I am working on a round up for tomorrow!) but I had to let you all know my favorite jeans are on sale!!! These classic Levi 721s are flattering on literally every figure. I normally wear a 26 in jeans with little to no stretch and these were no different. At 40% off make sure to snag yourself a pair!

Levi 721 Rugged Black

$53.70 (40% off; originally $98)