This made my day.

Love these color ways!



&



Yum.

(images/info via C'est La Vie)

Follow me on instagram!:
rcmarie

and know how much it has been part of the trend reports this year,
so these would be my choices which are much reasonably priced & affordable versions of the "sneaker-wedge" shoe:



The "studded sneaker" shoe by Zara retailing for only $99.90 (to be precise)
available soon.




Steve Madden's very closely resembling to Isabel Marant's sneaker wedge shoe,
named "Hilight" for $149.95

And of course, one of the originators for the sneaker-wedge craze;

The "Bea" shoe by ASH;

(available on shopbop, asos, karmaloop)

for about $235.00

Ash also has a ton of variety when it comes to the wedge in their shoe,

even if it's an ugg, boot, etc.

Now this post is to pay a little homage because in my eyes, her jewelry has been the most imitated from probably 2010ish - 2012.  You know those little ads on the borders of those gossip/blog sites you like to visit?  Well Ive seen so many online boutiques copying her items, from the "Bad" ring to her "Queen of The Jungle" necklace that Rihanna has been parading around in recently.
This may seem like a contradiction between my last post about saving $$ on products that are the same under a different label, but it's not.  Why? because there's that key phrase: "products that are the same", meaning manufactured from the same factory, same details, same quality.. just for a different price.
But this post is about purchasing lower quality items just because it looks the same, or faking it until you buy it.. or not.

You know those cheesy online shops that look appealing because they sell the hottest trends in accessories,
for instance, these lion chain necklaces I googled that are apparently trying really hard to morph into the Queen of The Jungle necklace:



But fail.

Even Leona Lewis didn't get the memo:


But it's ok!
I got you Leona girl!

The Original Deal:



images Via: Melody Ehsani's online shop:
http://www.melodyehsani.com/shop/queen-of-the-jungle-small/
For only $69.

Tae Heckard got it (The next best doorknocker earrings version) :


& the lovely Rih (of course) :


Melody Eshani also has much more unique/stand out/one-of-a kind jewelry
on her site, so get the real thing & visit:
http://www.melodyehsani.com/

♥

                

Back to school.
New Beginnings.
Reinventment.

(img via Tumblr)

Available on Amazon

On sale for only $12.79

& Also this handy knuckle iphone case by Rebecca Minkoff;

Which also comes in Pink & Purple :)

Available at Nordstrom

Price: $58.00

"Melt Ice Cream" iPhone case
Available at Amazon
for only $7.00

Recently,
I've been on a little shopping project I've given myself, to find the exact same or similar product at it's true retail price (i'm talkin' straight from the manufacturer) versus the expensive/well-known brand.
Let me further explain..
While on Steve Madden (boldface/underline/circling STEVE MADDEN) I always come across shoes for $90+ that i'm sure i've seen in a Dr. Jays Window of some sort, or even those private boutiques in Soho, for wayyyyy less, i'm talking on sale for about $15 or originally priced at 30 to 40 bucks? amazing I know.  I've always thought about how Huge brands like that get away with selling to their consumers by overpricing their items.  I probably shop too much to even notice things like that but I have to share it with you guys so you can start saving & stop being fooled aswell :)

Here's a pair of shoes I saw online on Steve Madden for $99.95;


(photos courtesy of ohlalablog)
called the 'Winnona' shoe as seen on Eva Marcille
And here's the exact same shoe I found in a little boutique in soho for half the price -- $29.99;

As seen on..my feet! lol
.via instagram.
(my instagram name is rcmarie by the way)
Don't be fooled by the tag!



I purchased Ka'oir after seeing their beautiful vibrant color ways they have as well as the quality from pictures via twitter or different blogs and thought 'I have to try that',
Now if you know me, you'd know that I don't discriminate when it comes to anything really,
but the quality has to be on point. QUALITY is everything.
I've always knew of NYX, but BEFORE they revamped themselves I disliked the quality of their products so I never really bothered with them after that.. until recently, which was my encounter with them while in a local beauty supply store.  I loved their new look and their lipstick even had a Matte collection and Shimmer collection called 'Diamond Sparkle Lips' but due to the prior experience I had with them, I only bought one lipstick from their Matte collection which was only $4.99 just to try it out again to see what the difference would be this time around;

Notice how Ka'oir' & NYX's containers are quite similar;

& notice how the Matte lipstick also has a Matte finish container (I love that).

So I went back to the store and racked up on a bunch of their lipsticks and I must say I'd rather buy NYX than to pay $15 a pop for Ka'oir, since their so much alike,
and NYX has many different colors/shades/types to choose from.
But I do respect Keyshia Dior's hustle & I do understand that NYX has a longer history and is a more established brand.
Moral of this post is,
Don't be fooled by who is selling or promoting the product just because they're "famous",
well unless of course you'd like to support your favorite celeb/brand etc.
Just do your own research and you'll start to automatically notice the differences & start saving up.

This may be a new thing I may do for my blog in the near future,
like a 'look for less' kind of idea :)

nyxcosmetics.com
kaoircosmetics.com
stevemadden.com

TBA's new chrome addition.
Purchase here; on Solestruck