KNOWING WHEN NOT TO PURCHASE

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I’m sure you’ve walked into plenty of stores only because you saw that tempting 50% off sale sign sitting outside the store door. The sign lured you in and mysteriously the sale section was calling your name. You find a skirt cuddled away in the corner of the sale section that’s just right for a night out with the girls. The skirt is your size and your now convinced you actually need it; as if it was destiny; it was waiting there just for you to purchase. You know you have a skirt from last year that looks exactly like it! Now the battle begins; you make up justifications as to why you should buy:
“The skirt from last year has a few threads coming out; it’s basically on its last leg”
“I don’t even know why I bought that skirt, black is so not my color, it washes me out.”
“They are practically giving this skirt away for free because it’s so cheap; I’m actually making money off of this purchase.”
Yep, ladies and gentleman, we’ve all done it! After the purchase, the item may sit in your closet with tags on it for months before we even wear. So how do you know if it’s really a steal?
KNOWING WHEN NOT PURCHASE
THE MIX AND MATCH
Can this item be mixed and matched with other pieces in your closet? You want to get your money’s worth out of the pieces you buy. Classic pieces like a little black dress or a solid colored scarf go a long ways because they can easily be paired with the trendy pieces you already own. Unless you have a specific event or outing to attend that requires a specific type of look, stick with pieces that you can reuse.
THE DREADED FINAL SALE
For some, final sale is not scary, but we all impulse buy. You may have fallen absolutely in love with the sale piece you’re purchasing and forget to even ask if it’s returnable. It’s not worth your time if you can’t return it. Unless you’re absolutely sure this is an item you would not think twice about bringing back and you’re sure you will actually use this item, I suggest letting it stay on the rack.
WINDOW SHOPPING
You just wanted to get out the house, ease your boredom maybe. This is the worst time to go to the mall or a shopping center because you end up buying stuff you simply do not need. Shop with purpose! Before heading out, check your closet and determine what pieces of your wardrobe can be updated. Window shopping usually leads to buying things that have nothing to do with your lifestyle. If you check out your wardrobe beforehand, you can go to the mall and purchase items you will actually wear, instead of items that you really don’t need.
GIFTING
I’m guilty of going to the mall to get a gift for a friend or for a family member and end up buying something for myself. Gifting is a tricky thing because you are shopping with purpose but temptation lurks on every corner. You may feel like rewarding yourself for going out to buy a gift for others. It’s so easy to want to buy for yourself while buying for others. Know why you are in the store and leave your own needs at home for another day. Stick to the plan because more often than not, you really don’t need anything.
CONVENIENCE FACTOR
If you’re shopping on a budget, take some time to look around. Don’t purchase the first thing you see or purchase from the first store you go into. More often than not, there are better deals at other locations. Sometimes shopping is not convenient, but if you’re willing to do your research you can save a bunch of money.  Avid shoppers do their homework before they spend their hard earned money. Make it worth it! The grass might actually be greener on the other side. Save your money and shop around!
These are just things I think about before purchasing. I’ve had my fair share of shopping mistakes, but once I started thinking about my lifestyle and my needs, I started seeing less items sitting in my closet with tags on it. I started making my purchases count. I had been looking for a denim dress to wear to work and for outings, but shopped around for the best deal and snagged this dress for $15 bucks! Yes, $15 bucks! I was shopping with purpose and with a little research, I found a dress that I can wear multiple ways. If you are on a budget, I’m sure you understand. Make it count!
Sincerely,
Deidra Marie

CHARTRUESE BLOUSE AND STATEMENT NECKLACE

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Sometimes you just got to get in the car and go somewhere. Go somewhere without a plan, without a destination in mind. Yup, that’s exactly what Charlie and I did. We needed sometime to breathe, sometime to getaway and drop everything. It was actually very refreshing, mostly for Charlie because his mind is constantly going and I’m sure he doesn’t know how to turn it off. We spent sometime golfing in a little town about an hour away and stopped in the downtown area of Clinton, NC and snapped a few shots with my chunky statement necklace. I’m in love with this necklace, mostly because I got it for under 10 bucks on sale at Talbots. Talbots has amazing statement pieces that you can pretty much mix and match with anything.  I decided to pair my statement necklace with a chartreuse blouse, white denim and glitter flats. Not that I ever followed this rule but I think it’s safe to say you can now break out your white bottoms for the season. I have a love-hate relationship with the color white. Wearing white makes me feel a bit vulnerable because anytime I wear it I get a stain on it, sit in something black, spill tomato sauce on it and the list goes on but I think white bottoms are an essential piece to any fashion-lovers closet. White is a basic, goes with everything and always looks clean and put together; similar to black and nudes. I topped off this look with a simple small diamond earring set and dark brown sunnies. This is a great spring/summer look with minimal effort required. If your rocking a solid colored blouse, when in doubt, dress it up with a chunky necklace or scarf that will help elevate your look and tie it all together, and don’t forget a funky shoe to finish it off.
May your whites stay white and far away from spaghetti sauce. 🙂
Till next time.
Sincerely,
Deidra Marie
Outfit
Sunglasses- Ann Taylor Loft, Earrings- Kay’s Jewelers, Chartreuse Blouse- Cato, White Denim- Ann Taylor Loft, Silver Glitter Flats- BCBG
Hair
5 day old bantu knot out using Mielle Organics Babassu Oil and Mint  Deep Conditioner and Mielle Organics Avocado Hair Milk

SPRING THINGS

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It’s all about the details! I enjoy putting colorful pieces together. I snagged this earring and bracelet set on a cruise to the Caribbeans in December because it was colorful and I knew I could wear it with just about anything. The necklace is a bit busy and you’ve probably seen it in a few of my previous post but the earrings and bracelet are my “go to” for solid colored pieces like the green dress I wore. I’ve purchased some pretty obnoxious accessories in my day and I say with complete confidence that these earrings and matching bracelet are by far the most practical pieces I own. Typically, if it’s not unusual or seems to be ordinary to the eye then I’m not purchasing. Like many things in my life, I like to go left and that does not exclude my taste in clothes and accessories. I  everything and anything bright, bold, shiny and unique. I have a bit of an obsession with color.
Charles captured some great shots of my precious pebbles over the weekend. Although I must admit, I can’t for the life of me figure out where the heck those earrings are now. LOL. I’m sure they’ll turn up when I least expect it.
As far as the hair situation is concerned, it may look like my curls are put together but this hairstyle is the result of a huge experimentation gone completely wrong with products that didn’t exactly love my hair. It was meant to be a wash n go but halfway through the styling process the leave-in conditioner started to make my hair feel dry and stiff, so I just twisted it up, used some perm rods on the ends and voila! I got a mix of stringy curls and big springy curls as well. I will definitely not try this style again as it doesn’t work for the multiple textures I have going on. As far as the products are concerned, I will consider this purchase a lose and donate them to a friend. My hair is wavy and loose in the front and extremely coily and curly in the back so I have to be strategic conditioners and twists and braid placement or the curls in the front will be over stretched and look very stringy. It’s a struggle to deal with multiple textures but it has it’s perks sometimes I guess.
In my 7 years of being natural, I’m still constantly changing, refining and tweaking my hair routine. I believe you will always have to adjust your routine to fit the needs of your hair for that time. That being said, I am a bit of product junkie, but I do have some products that I consider staples and keep in constant rotation. I’ll do a product review soon on the products I used to achieve this look and share my all time fav products that have never failed me.
Till next time.
Sincerely,
Deidra Marie
Outfit
Earrings and Necklace-Precious Expressions
Dress-New York and Company