Beautiful Shoe Collections

Shoes are are sometimes sexy, sometimes beautiful, or cute, or fun, ethereal, magnificent, sometimes works of art, and sometimes all of the above or maybe something entirely different. Whatever they are, I think they should be displayed to show their full glory. Below are some of the fantastic displays I've found.

Nubby Twiglet

Cupboards are a super convenient and cute way to display a collection.

www.laurawimberley.com/

Book shelves and nick nack shelves work just perfectly. More examples of such below.

Buzznet

I collection doesn't need to be massive to be impressive.

From Buzznet

Each shoe has it's own little home.

ShoePerWoman

A shoe raiiiiiiiinbow!

And then there are the magnificent custom shelves...

Jane Aldridge would have an AMAZing closet

Chaoticgaze

5inchandup A fantastic blog.

FSMagazine

The most impressive for last, Pink Kitten

Alice & Olivia

Designer lines for stores like Target, H&M, and Payless are pretty much the average girls only way to attain the high-end labels at an affordable price.
Without an H&M nearby I'm often missing out on many fantastic pieces, but truth be told, I could care less about designer clothing. Give me the shoes baby!! Payless has done some awesome designer shoes.
My favorite so for is the Alice & Olivia line. The '08 Rivington Ankle Boot (in red) was a fierce, space-age, shoe with a removable collar, and my favorite part--the zipper tassel.

 

I really wanted this shoe but discovered it too late to get it in stores. Instead I scoured Ebay, but as it turns out, a LOT of people wanted this boot. Prices were beyond what I was prepared to pay, so alas, I passed. 

Then, I had a second chance! The BA Madison Biker boot. Everything I love in a shoe, edge, wedge, and bite--yowzer!!

This boot is dead sexy! It's definitely in my top 5 shoes, not just for its looks but the wedge makes super comfortable for a 5.5" heel. At $50 they were more expensive than my average shoe but definitely have proved their worth.

Bargain or Bust?

Bargain or bust are my reviews of products. My final decision on whether it's a worthy product is whether it is effective AND budget friendly. I'm reaaaallly *ahem* frugal (hey I'm cheap I know it, it's my blog title!) so I may be a little harsh in my judgments.

Today's Product

Sally Hanson Effects

These strips look super cute and are easy to apply. My one application tip would be don't rip the blue tab off like the directions say (see below). The tabs are perforated and leave a fuzzy edge when ripped, snip it with a scissors.

The cost summary: 

• There are 16 strips per box retailing around $8. Short nails like mine can get 2 nails out of 1 strip (most of the time), so I'm going to say 3 total applications. Compared to a bottle of polish that's a expensive (I buy $2 bottles of nail polish), compared to a manicure it's a deal.
• The box I bought was on sale plus I had a $1 off coupon which was by the display at the store. Total cost for my box was right around $5 which I deem a bargain!
• Without the coupon and regular size nails (2 applications), I'd rather just get a manicure. I feel like as soon as I scratch myself these are going to come off. Some reviews say they lasted up to 8 days! We'll see about that... 

 

Cute, cute!!

P.S. My camera broke :( So I'm in the processes of looking for a new one. Of course my low budget is making things difficult. My last camera was an SLR which was awesome but I can't afford that right now. So point and shoot it is and hopefully better, non cell phone pics to come!

**Update: I take it back! The strips stayed on fantastically, through cleaning and everything!

Best of Pinterest 8.16

I love Pinterest! If you don't know, Pinterest is a site that lets you make mood boards quickly and easily. You can download the Pin It button for your particular browser which shows up on your bookmarks bar. The button allows you to pin a picture from any site you're browsing to your boards.

So here are the fashion favorites I've recently found.

The new generation of accessories. Found on Etsy

Beautiful! Orly makes a well reviewed black matte polish which can be found for only $2 at Amazon.com.

So cute and affordable! Only $15 on Etsy.

Beautiful, I would wear this in a heartbeat! Una Burke. Discovered on Dirty Flaws. 

Right now these are #1 on my fantasy wishlist!! Iris Van Herpen X United Nude.

Aaaamazing!! Louboutin Daffodils as worn by Beyonce.

I discovered the shoes the wonderful Litas (right) were "inspired" by, Charles Anastase (left).

???????

I write notes on my hands as reminders...then I don't remember what they mean.
I should just write everything out like this

Larissa Felsen, Flikr

My Shoooes!!

So these are my babies. There are about 50 pairs of heels here, so you're thinking "That's not cheap!" Ok, you're right. BUT most of these shoes are around $20-$30. There are 2 pairs over $100 and 4 that are $50-$60.
So here are my ways of getting cheaper shoes:

1. Haute Look--A site that features discounted designer styles of clothes, shoes, and more.
2. Ideeli--Same type of website as above.
3. Amiclubwear--You gotta wade through a lot of hooker/hoe bag shoes but there are some real gems here w/ free shipping of $50 or more!
4. GoJane--Basically the same shoes as Amiclubwear, just less slutty styles. Also free shipping over $50
5. Urban Originals--Same styles as Ami & GoJane, free shipping over $50.

Architectural Wedges (or Heels?)

I purchase these sweet heels from Haute Look, I believe the sale price was $65. They are actually super easy to walk in, much like how wedges provide less of an incline and are more comfortable than heels.
Here is a pic of me wearing them on my honeymoon in Mexico.