Monday. Wait, Tuesday.

I know, I know, I missed a day in there- but I had to escape the city for a weekend in MPLS. Lucky for me, I not only got to sleep, but I practically made money by visiting. Not only do things cost less when you stay with Mom and Dad, who want to make you food and pay for things, but things in Minneapolis cost WAY less than in New York.

As you saw from one of our previous posts, NP girls like fake eyelashes. Here in NY, they can be found for $5, but it’s more likely that the drugstore amps them up to around $7.50 per pair, just because they’re greedy. In MN, a pair is $3.50, no matter where you go. Not tough math to see that it would greatly benefit me to buy 10 (or 20) pairs at home and seriously save! Shampoo and lotion fall into the same category. I got a $16 shampoo for $5 at home.

Ok, full disclosure; I even bought 4 boxes of cereal. I had extra space in my suitcase, and again, they cost half as much as in NYC. May seem silly but it added up to about a $12 savings. That can buy me a shot or a cab ride in the city Gotta love going home.

Happy Friday

via @alexandrasiwiec

Bat Your Lashes

Samantha and I Get Ready for Girls Night Out

Worth Its Wait In Gold

My Marc Jacobs Jacket.. Love at First Sight

Early last fall I was attempting to fill a serious hole in my wardrobe by finding a sweet new leather jacket. I spent loads of time scouring the web for that perfect piece that would add the oomph to my recessionista wardrobe. I know (as all good NP’s do) that one killer piece can make all the rest of the discount items stand out and look amazing. After many hours analyzing every leather jacket I could find, I found my ideal one… but it wasn’t exactly a bargain. I did my footwork, fully comparison shopping to find the best price. I was ready to buy it but the only problem was, was it truly the “perfect” jacket? Was it exactly what I wanted? Most importantly, was it worth the price?

It turns out my weeks of waiting and contemplating paid off. Later in the fall, I was browsing Neiman Marcus’ online sale section when I came across my jacket… for 50% off! I immediately hit the checkout button fearing if I didn’t, they would run out. The jacket arrived at my door a few days later and it was exactly what I wanted, at a price that didn’t eat up my entire paycheck. Not only did I fulfill my need for a amazing new staple piece, I also saved a ton of money on it. I definitely get more satisfaction wearing it knowing that I saved on it then I would if I had bought it at full price.

Fashion is constantly changing and the hottest new styles for the “season” always come out way early (I’ve been getting emails about the shoes and clothing trends for the Spring season even though there’s several inches of snow on the ground). I know if I wait a few weeks, most likely those hot new items will go on sale. If you are buying a classic piece, wait until it’s worth it. For the really trendy items, check out Topshop, H&M, or Forever21.. when the trend dies out in three months, you’ll be glad you didn’t make it a major investment.

<3Kristie Huang

Bootstrapping Yourself

Rockin my Members Only boots with the bootstraps

Here in America, we have the ability to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, and be whatever we want to be. What I want to be is a hardcore stylista. Lucky me, I can be! My latest DIY fashion project was making some great new studded bootstraps. These can be wrapped around any pair of boots to add automatic motorcycle-gang street cred to your outfit. I had searched online for the straps I wanted, but most involved chains, the wrong sort of studs, and a high price tag (think $50 and up) for the leather goods and shipping. I came up with the idea of fashioning my own from some pyramid-studded belts.

Hey There, Stud

I found two similar to this at forever21 for around $5 each. Check discount stores and cheap accessory shops for yours. I did surgery with scissors and a hot glue gun to move the buckle down so there was no “blank” space between it and the studs, and then wrapped it in an X around a couple of my pairs of boots. I figured out where I’d need a few new holes punched, and then cut off the excess leather. Et Voila! New, badass bootstraps for $10 and 10 minutes of work.

Now, cut up a men’s t-shirt, throw on some shorts and tights, and you’re off!

The Way to a Woman’s Heart Is Through Her Sole

Love and Louboutin's

Shoe story 2:

A guy we knew just did a very cute thing for his girlfriend. Upon the arrival of her birthday, he gifted her with a neatly wrapped package. She opened it to find a Gucci shoebox (10 points!) but after lifting the lid, immediately realized something was amiss- this was not the neatly folded and sealed Gucci tissue paper.. whatever was going on here?

She lifted the impostor paper to find… a pair of her own, old, worn out shoes. (uhm minus 10 points!?). She gingerly lifted them out and just as she was about to glance to her beau in confusion she saw a small slip of paper. It read “These shoes will magically transform into a new pair of shoes of your choosing, as soon as you decide what they are. Miu Miu? Louboutin? Gucci?” Not only did he gain 100 points for sweetness and originality, but she knew she’d found a keeper.

See, in my family, we know that one of the marks of a good man is one who understands the need for many different pairs of fantastic black shoes. He was out of his depth with the shopping, but he came up with the concept, arranged to get a Gucci box from a friend who had just gone shoe-shopping (we don’t hold on to those sorts of things in small, NYC apartments) and gave her just what she’d always wanted- shoes, and understanding.

Not A Glass Slipper But It Still Fits

It's Actually Called the "Relax" Slipper.. Don't Mind If I Do

I’d like to share a tale about love, and shoes.

My mother, Laura Ramsey Engler, has had a particular pair of Donald J. Pliner leopard print bedroom slippers for a while now. Like, a really long while, perhaps inappropriately long in the world of slippers. But what could she do? She loves them deeply and could not be persuaded to try just any other sort of pair. Alas, after years of love, the slippers had fallen into desperate disrepair. Mom had tried to get them fixed, and had been laughed out of several shoe-repair stores. After all, there wasn’t even anything left to stitch together. My dad sneakily stepped in just before Valentine’s day and stole the decimated slippers. When he also realized this particular pair could not be salvaged, he went on a hunt. He was able to track down a lone new pair left over from the original stock (which is, as you’ll recall, years old!). He had them shipped in post-haste, and was able to present them to Mom on Valentine’s day.. her very own Prince Charming! (Insert the Awww’s here!)

Men have to “get” the need for shoes.

That just reminded me of another good shoe-story.. stay tuned!

Ring In The New Trend

Warning: Does Double Duty As Brass Knuckles On Stupid Boys

Ok NP’s, new trend alert. Well, old trend re-born, in any case. We are absolutely LOVING multi-finger rings. I even have one that goes on three fingers. but that one scares me a little. I feel like I can’t use my hand to its full potential, but it looks cute so who cares. The two finger rings are really different and we haven’t seen many girls rock the look yet so try it while its hot! Samantha and I both have the custom cut name ring made famous by LC, but we’re looking toward new, chunky, blingy styles. Choose your style carefully. Don’t overdo it like J.Lo who wore a two finger ring of the Brooklyn bridge- that’s a little too much.

Go for style that fits your look, and it will be a unique addition to your go-to charms. Not to mention- it deff comes in handy if you need to knock a girl out (NP does not condone violence. Unless she deserves it.) We have found some really cute and great priced two finger rings at Aldo shoe stores. Etsy is another good place to check out, for custom creations or things that you can’t find in stores.

Can I tell you a secret? Samantha’s working on some jewelry designs right now.. you might be able to wear some Nouveau Ring Bling sooner than you think.

XOXMichelle Madonna