I'm a Maxxinista!

I love a great bargain, and I love going on "treasure hunts" at your various discount retailers to see what goodies I can score.  I just cannot justify the cost of an item if it doesn't make sense to me.  I've never felt right spending over $20 for a T-SHIRT, and up until a couple of years ago, you would never catch me spending over $40 for a pair of shoes (that has since changed.  By a LOT).  The only things I could splurge on without feeling bad, was my handbags (and even that was a stretch.  I've gotten suckered by the "AAA" counterfeits before, but that story requires its own post ;) ).  Bottom line is, I have to truly feel that the item is worth the money I'm spending on it, regardless of what it is.  The phrase "investment pieces" really comes to mind, and that's my whole new outlook on anything I buy. And I LOVE me some TJ Maxx for helping me score stuff that fits into this category!

After getting my fill of online makeup shopping this week (yikes, overboard I went yet again, but you my lovely will be able to get my haul posts on all my new bellas), I decided to try my luck at scoring some wardrobe pieces.  Unfortunately, that was a fail.  But I did come up on some other awesome finds!

Clockwise fr left:  Michael Kors gold loafers, DermOrganic Argan Oil Hair Masque, and sunnies from Dollhouse and Nine West

Now, I'm always always always looking for sunnies.  I have my share of high end pairs, to those 2 for $20 deals you get at your local mall kiosk.  But, I lose sunnies like I lose chapstick/lip balms.  I've cried over a lost pair of Chanels. It's not fun.  So, here's my alternative.  On top of that, with being a mommy to a very active little boy, I can't always be watching out for the $300 pair of sunnies and making sure they don't get yanked off my face, thrown on the floor, or stepped on "accidentally".  As long as the "cheap" sunnies have full UV protection, they work for me.  And I don't have to care about them getting scratched up in a bag if I have to toss it in quickly.

The top pair are from Nine West, and they have a great subtle cat eye shape to them.  In this shot they look pretty see-through, but when I put them on, you can't see my eyes, which is a must have when it comes to black framed sunnies for me.  The bottom pair are from Dollhouse, and they're a fun nod to the 80's with the square shape and neon orange side pieces.  Top it off, I got both pairs for about 16 bucks!

At first glance I was not impressed with these loafers, but I'll admit I got "star struck" when I saw the gold Michael Kors plate.  I tried them on, and though they're a tad bit snug (needs some breaking in), I was pretty impressed at how comfy and cute they were ON.  Since Spring has decided to show its face early, I'm afraid my Fall boots will have to go into retirement a lot sooner, so cute loafers and ballet flats are going to be in heavy rotation for toddler chasing come Spring.  They were half off retail (see inset for price) so I couldn't resist!

My hair is color and heat treated, so if I don't take care of it, it will turn into a pile of hay.  I absolutely LOVE this masque by DermOrganic, and this bottle is HUGE.  After using this masque, my hair is soft and manageable and I can actually go out with air dried hair and not feel like I look like Princess Mia from the Princess Diaries.  Again, about 50% off retail!

And last but by no means least, my favorite purchase of the day.  The vintage-y look of this 5 drawer piece really caught my eye, and I saw it as a huge makeup organizer!  I just have to work the drawers so that I can see everything easily.  AND, it was another 50% off retail piece!  That's way better than what I paid for my vanity table at IKEA!  I had to rework my vanity corner to fit this in, so I'll do a follow up post on that a little later.

Aside from my Maxxinista trip, I'd say today was pretty productive.  Little Man and I enjoyed the sun, stopped by Babies R Us to "Cars-ify" him out, and even picked up some Girl Scout cookies.  I hope yours was a great one too!