Must Have Monday

Every year I attempt to begin my holiday shopping early. The thinking is smart. Instead of spending x amount of dollars in a two week span of time, I should space it out so I only feel the effects a little at a time. Last year I began my quest for earlier shopping, only to find that by the time Christmas came around, I couldn't remember what I had gifted, or wasn't as excited about the gift and end up buying more to add to it. Last year I ended up spending more than I had budgeted for, because I would buy more and more for each person forgetting what they already had. The economy, and my boyfriend won't let that happen this year, and so I will begin my smart, planned out Christmas shopping.


When I saw this Sephora creation in it's two page spread in this month's Lucky, my heart skipped a beat. This amazing piece of make-up art goes for only $48 and is a limited time offer. This kit includes every color a girl could possibly need, as well as pencils, brushes and lip glosses galore! There are a few fashionista's in my life who could benefit from an item like this, and with the price so low I'm inclined to stock up! I happen to have a gift card of my own saved up from there so I may be including an extra to gift for myself as well.

Now onto more Must Have's for myself. These shoes have haunted me for months. This is the Chloe shoe from Baker, and I first fell in love with this shoe when I spotted it at Karla's Closet. Baker sells this shoe for $80 in store and online, but the price is just too high for me. For a moment in time, Wet Seal offered a knock-off of this shoe. It didn't come in this amazing beige color but the black shoe was just as attractive. I pranced around the store in the shoe contemplating the purchase. I loved how sexy these shoes felt on, but I couldn't immediately come up with outfit options in my head, which meant that the shoe went back on the rack. I took photos with my camera phone to bring home for Johnny's opinion. Imagine my surprise when he confirmed that he really liked the shoes as well. That's two yes', and sometimes I girl just has to make impractical decisions! I rushed back to the store a few days later only to find that they had magically sold out of every size of this style. I'm back to the original and all of these months later I sometimes peak my head in the store to drool a little more. Maybe with my birthday around the corner, I should save up as a present to myself. Or I could print this photo out with purchasing information and slip it into the purse of every friend I have!

My love of photos is largely motivated by the time I spent working at a local Best Buy in their Digital Imaging department. I still don't have an SLR to call my own, but my point and shoot is always at my side. When I spotted this vintage Brownie camera on Etsy, I just had to resist from quickly purchasing this piece. ( http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32090362 ) It is just an interesting little piece and would make such an amazing conversation piece for any coffee table.

I can't explain why I am so drawn to these shoes. I think it's the perfect fall shoe. Covering your feet against the cold, the perfect black to contrast with this season's colored tights, and with a small little peep toe to add a hint of warmer days. This shoe retails for $30 at Payless. On my last trip I tried this shoe on and was so impressed with the comfort that it offers. With their famous BOGO sales still going on, now is the perfect time to grab this shoe!