Big Purchase!

Just this past week i made one of the most exciting purchases ever! I purchased a new handbag. I've been waiting for the time to be right to actually buy this glorious item. This bag has been nicknamed the "blogger bag" or the "it bag" of the year so of course hearing this made me want it even more! i know... such a consumer, shameful. Believe it or not, i've actually already written a blogpost about this bag. so without further ado i give you.......

my 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli Satchel!!!

I have been lusting over this bag for over 2 years now, ever since i saw it on a blog.  They have completely redesigned this bag over the past year and i have to say i absolutely love the changes!  prior to fall/winter 2011 the Pashlis were made of smooth leather and did not include the shoulder strap, also the zipper pulls were different.  The leather of the newer bags are "shark embossed" textured leather, it has an amazing feel to it and is lower maintenance than the smooth leather.  The shoulder strap is almost essential to the bag, not only is it practical but it gives you 5 extra ways to wear the bag.  I chose the original sized Pashli in this lovely taupe color, which i believe is from 3.1 P.L. fall/winter 2012.  I contemplated for hours on what color Pashli to get, it was between the taupe with the gold hardware and the classic black with gold hardware.  In the end i chose taupe with gold hardware, obviously, for the fact that it was something different from all my other handbags.  Also, i tend to wear a lot of black, all black sometimes, and thought this would be a good contrasting color.  The interior of this bag is lined with a satin/silk fabic and includes one side pocket with a zipper, a leather flap closes over the whole bag and locks with a metal latch. For only having this bag for 3 days i can already tell i will have difficulties shutting/locking this bag when using it. Im not too worried about this because of the fact that this bag looks great both locked and unlocked.  The two zippers on the front are probably what catches most peoples attention.  The zippers give you the option to carry more items in the bag as well as more look options.  When the Pashli is zipped up it is sleek and structured, when zipped down it is a bit slouchy and casual.  I think the zippers make the bag look very edgy and sets it apart from the rest of the higher end bags.  

Here is a little more information about this bag, taken from the 3.1 Phillip Lim website:

• THE ORIGINAL PASHLI SATCHEL. A CLASSIC EMBOSSED LEATHER HANDBAG WITH DOUBLE TOP HANDLES, TOP FLAP WITH METAL PUSH-LOCK CLOSURE, AND TWO FRONT ZIPPER GUSSETS, AND INTERIOR ZIP POCKET.
• 100% COW LEATHER 11.5" H X 14.5" W X 5" D, 4" HANDLE DROP, 22" ADJUSTABLE STRAP DROP 

I purchased this handbag from Forward by Elyse Walker and i have to say i am very pleased with the transaction. Not only do they offer free 2 day shipping and returns on all orders, yep! you read that right, but Forward was the only site that had the bag i wanted in stock.  When i received my package the bag was placed securely in its dust cover and nicely wrapped with white tissue paper.  I gave the bag a good inspection and everything seemed up to par, no scratches, dents or loose threads.  I will definitely have to save Forward to my bookmarks for future online shopping sprees.

So far I am really happy with my purchase.  The bag is as wonderful as i suspected, the craftsmanship of it looks impecable and the overall likelihood of me wearing it everyday is very high. I will definitely be doing updates on haw this bag wears and ages. Also, be on the look out for OOTDs with this bag featured in them.  

If interested, i did an unboxing video for the Pashli on my YouTube channel.

xoxo Alice

Chalkboards EVERYWHERE!

Last week i decided to do a little room decor DIY, I turned a few things into chalkboards.  I sacrificed a mirror, an old picture frame and a mason jar for this DIY.  I'm in the process of redecorating so my room was in dyer need of some decorations.  I first saw this idea on Pinterest where someone took an old picture frame and turned it into a framed chalkboard. I thought this idea was pretty neat so i tried it for myself, but instead of just a framed chalkboard i tried it on 2 different items as well.

Here are my finished products!

For this DIY i used Krylon's chalkboard spray paint, painters blue tape (for the mirror and mason jar), new papers and chalk.  I am really loving these new additions to my room and really think they fit in nicely with my other pieces of room decor. 

I also made an instructional, step by step, video on haw to do this DIY if you are interested! please check it out. :)

xoxo Alice

Jo Malone English Pear & Fresia.

Last week i had the pleasure of purchasing my very first Jo Malone cologne. I chose the scent English Pear & Fresia, a classic by many standards.  This decision did not come easy as Jo Malone offers a wide variety of heavenly smelling scents.  The first time i approached the Jo Malone booth at my local Nordstrom, over a year ago, was really out of curiosity.  Right when i walked into Nordstrom i could smell the sweet aroma of Jo Malone colognes mixing in the air, the smell overtook the whole downstairs of the store. The smell was so appealing that i had to find out where it was coing from. I  scoured the beauty department until i found the source.

I had never heard of Jo Malone before and never really noticed the display of the colognes in the store.  I was greeted by a friendly sales associated, she asked if i had ever tried their scents and of course i said no.  She then briefly explained what the company was about and then went through all the scents with me.  The colognes were split into 6 different categories citrus, fruity, light floral, floral, spicy & woody. I tested a few of the scents which were lovely but just not right.  I told her i preferred more fruity sweet scents so she handed me English Pear & Fresia and told me this was one of their most popular scents.  I tested it on a paper strip and knew it was the one i wanted.  It was sweet and fruity but fresh and had a hint of floral.  The combinations of smells together were refined and delightful.

I had been putting off buying this perfume for a while now, my excuses usually being "It's too expensive" or "I dont need a new scent".  This past week i finally committed to buying it!  It was the perfect time, i needed a new fresh everyday scent for the spring and it was triple points at Nordstrom!

I was looking on the Jo Malone website and found this for the description for English Pear & Fresia:

• "English Pear & Freesia, a scent that is inspired by a walk in an orchard and captures the luscious scent of just-ripe pears, cooled by the autumn air, ready to twist free from the tree. Experience the surprising, sensuous freshness of sweet pears, wrapped in a bouquet of white freesias, on a subtle background of scrambling wild roses and skin-warming amber, patchouli and woods."

I think this description describes it so well and i could definitely immagine myself in the scenario when i wear this scent.  I have been obsessed with wearing it and love the lasting power it has. I can honestly say this perfume stays on all day and does not wear off. I am very happy with this purchase and do not regret spending the amount i did.  I am now planning on buying my next Jo Malone cologne, maybe within the next year, so i can layer my English Pear & fresia with another scent.  

xoxo Alice

Current nails: Pastel & chrome

For this nail look i started by applying 1 coat of "No Place Like Chrome" by Essie.  Once dried i placed circular stickers at the base of my nails to make the half moon shape. I then applied 1 coat of "Mint Sorbet" by Sally Hansen and as the top layer of nail polish was partially dried i took the circular stickers off to reveal the chrome color underneath.  After about 30 minutes of waiting for both layers to completely dry i applied a top coat to seal everything in. 

xoxo Alice 

Real vs. Steal: 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli satchel

This post will be the first of many of my real vs. steal blog posts.  This is where i will show you the cheaper alternatives of more expensive lusted after items.  hope you enjoy!

For about a few months now i have been drooling over the 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli satchel.  I've been wanting a new designer handbag for a while and I've been slowly, but surely, coming to terms with actually spending the amount the designers are asking for just to own one. I think Phillip Lim mixes edgy with classic so well with the Pashli satchel.  The classic structured box shape with the edgy zippers and hardware go amazingly together.  He has also come out with his fall/winter collections of handbags and i have been absolutely in love with the taupe Pashli. I have taken the last month to contemplate if i should purchase the Pashli or not.  If i did buy end up buying the bag what color would i get? the classic black and gold or the amazingly wonderful taupe.  As i was trying to make my final decisions on the handbag i actually found a Pashli inspired bag.  I spotted it one day while i was shopping at Francesca's.  Francesca's is probably the best place to find an "inspired" bag, in my mind, in fact i purchased an Alexander Wang Rocco inspired bag from there not too long ago.  The Pashli inspired bag i found at Francesca's looked extremely similar to the real Pashli. The zippers were in the correct spot, the size was relatively close to what the medium sized Pashli would be and it also had the bottom panel detailing!  Here is the comparison:

Medium Pashli Satchel With Strap $825

Lancaster Zipper Flap Front Satchel $54

I was amazed at how much the bag resembled the real deal as well as how much it was.  The price is only $54 but on top of that Francesca's is having 25% off all handbags making this inspired handbag only $40.50! 

Verdict: I really do like both bags and i feel with the price of the look-a-like it would be a great bag to own, but in this case i would go for the real deal.  The inspired bag looks very much like the real pashli but it lacked the weight and feel the real Pashli will give you.  Nothing can really beat the feeling of wearing a genuine leather handbag.  The substantial weight of the Pashli lets you know that you are carrying a high quality bag, something that i feel i didn't get from the look-a-like.  

So that wraps up my first real vs. steal, i hope you guys enjoyed it and look forward to the next one.

xoxo Alice

Feeling like spring!

Today was filled with shopping and catching up with a good friend.  We ventured to some of the shopping areas that are farther away from home. I didn't find many things to add to my collection but i enjoyed browsing through all the new merch stores were getting for the upcoming season.  I decided to dress for the occasion today since it was sunny out! Clear blue skies and sunshine is very rare in oregon so whenever i see the little sun icon on my local weather i get extremely excited.

I tried to dress as springy as i could but just couldn't say no to some of my darker pieces like my vest, bag and shoes. For jewelry i wore just my necessities, a watch and a bracelet.

muscle tee- UNIF (here) | vest- Forever 21 (here) | jeans- American Eagle | shoes- Converse Chuck Taylors | bag- H&M | bracelet- Charlotte Russe (here) | watch- Michael Kors 'Garrett'

xoxo Alice