As you know I just got back from Chicago, but not all of you know what I was doing there!
You might have also noticed this badge on my sidebar:
So here goes:
I was contacted by Verizon Wireless to participate in their Fashion and Style Blogger program a couple weeks ago, and at first it seemed too good to be true! They offered to fly me to Chicago, pay for my hotel, take me out to SAIC Fashion show and a dinner at a hip restaurant, get a chance to meet other bloggers, and have fun!
And to top it all off I was also given a new device to play with.
Needless to say I agreed to come even before I asked for that day off at work
The device turned out to be a Samsung Galaxy Camera that comes with 4G LTE, a touch screen, a 21x optical zoom and a whole bunch of other perks (which I am going to talk about in one of my later posts), plus you can upload photos and videos directly to your social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube), it’s packed with editing apps, which definitely saves a lot of time! The only thing that it can’t do is make calls. And the funny thing is, Sam and I were at Best Buy the weekend before looking at that exact camera! So now my camera dilemma is solved and my husband won’t have to listen to me whining. Though he will be definitely taking more pictures for sure!
But I think I am going to stop talking now, and show you what the camera can do!
Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Style Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.
At Marla Mullaney Art Studio
On Lake Minnetonka
We also got some ice cream at licks unlimited…
And I spotted this ceramic sewing machine figurine at one of the other artists’ studios! Isn’t it the cutest?
I am WEARING:
//White Denim Jacket – GAP//Boots – Steve Madden//Purse – COACH//
//Dress – The Webster Miami at Target//Sunnies – Lucky Weekender//
Today’s post is probably not going to be something you usually see on my blog! I am sure by now some of you have the impression that I am a girl who spends all of her paychecks thrifting! And I can see where this can come from! I’ve been posting a lot of hauls and outfits lately! Let’s be honest, I do sometimes get carried away at a thrift store, and I need to watch my budget, but most of the time it really is not that much compared to a grand scheme of things, or let’s say a recent study by InStyle magazine that says – An average woman spends about $15,000 on makeup during her lifetime, and that’s not including skincare!
Before Sam and I got married, I lived on the East Coast nannying for some families. I wasn’t making a lot of money, in fact I was barely making anything (I never thought of myself or my family as rich or poor, I knew I had enough, and I think that attitude helped me a lot in life) through the Cultural Care Au Pair program, but I had my ways! When I moved to New York, I learned about Freecycle.org, and almost all of my clothes, books and health care products came from there! I also went to monthly swap meet ups organized by GrowNYC, where I would bring all the stuff I didn’t want, and go home with something I liked. Sam had a hard time believing I had all that clothes, without spending as much as a couple bucks on the subway ride, but I had my savings account to speak for me!
I was an Au Pair for 2 years, making under $200 a week, this is the time when Sam and I were in a long distant relationship. So even though I didn’t get to see him that often, I spent a lot of money flying to Minnesota almost every other month! But by the time we got engaged I had saved up over $12,000. Then I went to Russia for 10 months, where I was able to work from home and add on to the savings.
Now that we are looking into buying our first house, having saved enough for a downpayment, I reflect on where I came from and can’t express how thankful I am for everything I’ve been given!
I was born in a small town 3 hours east of Moscow. My mother was a civil engineer, my dad was a college drop out. My grandfather was a retired military man, a former KGB agent as I discovered later in life, my grandmother was a pediatrician, and if you ask me, the biggest workaholic I’ve ever known! We never had much! When I was in 6th or 7th grade I wore the same pair of jeans, the same turtleneck and the same sweater my mother knitted for me to school every day! And I couldn’t care less, until one of my friends, who was a year older than me came up and asked why I was wearing the same clothes everyday. To this point I am still grateful for that comment! This is when thrifting and hand-made clothing came into my life! My mom went above and beyond herself knitting and sewing outfits for me! Going to fabric stores was exciting! Going to thrift stores was an adventure!
By the time I was in 9th grade I was getting constant compliments on my outfits from peers and even teachers, even though I had the same pair of jeans as one of the guys in class! But that’s when unisex was in, so I didn’t care! I also never said no to hand-me-downs, and even though I didn’t have older siblings, I had plenty of friends and knew enough Missionaries who always left clothes behind!
College came around, and I made sure I got good grades to get a monthly stipend through the University. Yes, I got paid to go to school! This is probably going to fall into the “Only in Russia…” category. This was also the time when more and more thrift stores popped up all over our town, and they often had great sales, that I couldn’t resist!
Thrifting is what helped me continually save up money for my trips to Europe and the States, and now that I live here, it’s becoming my meal ticket! Finding a great thrift store takes time, so today I am going to share some of my favorite locations here in the Twin Cities, and the best times to shop there!
- Salvation Army in the Warehouse district – 900 N 4th St, Minneapolis, MN - every day is a 50% off a certain color, so stop by often! Plus they offer 50% off clothing during most major holidays! I am not even going to mention the Target overstock located in the basement – you have to see it for yourselves!
- Steeple People on Lyndale and Franklin – 2004 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN – I blogged about it before, and I will do it again – they have great vintage selection, beautiful artwork and prints, great household section, etc., etc. The only downside is – they only take cash or check!
- Goodwill in Hopkins – 1025 Hill St, Hopkins, MN - This was my go-to Goodwill when I used to babysit for a family in St.Louis Park! And I always referred to it as the Hopkins Goodwill, or Goodwill on Excelsior Blvd. Now why this particular Goodwill? – It’s cheaper, it has more vintage and authentic items, it’s been good to me! Generous if you want to put it this way! I can always find something that I like there! Now why am I not mentioning the Goodwill in Minnetonka, or Goodwill in Roseville, you may ask? The Minnetonka Goodwill will always be famous in my book for the Xanax pills I found in a pocket of one of the sweaters bought there! And Goodwill in Roseville is too good for me to be sharing it with you, but now I did, and now you know!
- Savers – I am yet to find a Savers that I don’t like! Seriously, they need a Savers in every state and county! They never overprice vintage items, and the only pieces of clothing that can be pricey are the brand new ones, with original tags still attached. And don’t forget to sign up for a Super Savers Club Card, they will send you emails with special promotions and coupons!
So here you have it, the story of my life that revolves around thrifting! And I couldn’t be happier! After all, it’s not all about the money!
Happy Thursday everyone! And don’t forget to stop by tomorrow for a DIY friday fashion and style project and an important BeingZhenya announcement!
XO,
Z
PS. Please keep in mind that my husband and I don’t have any student loans to pay off, our monthly expenses are limited down to rent, groceries, gas and car payments, plus the occasional going out and thrifting shopping sprees!
In the next post on money related subject, we’ll talk about freebies and the best websites where you can get them!
This is a review I wrote for one of my friends here on WordPress back in January, I am only publishing it now, hope this is a helpful review that will prevent you from buying another unnecessary product out there!
Mary from Budget Grad Student has recently asked me to review one of the products she received in her Influenster Cosmo Vox Box. Which I agreed to do! Unfortunately with all the holidays and somewhat hectic work schedule, I am only able to do it now. I actually think it’s better this way, because I’ve been using this fragrance for almost 2 weeks now.
Of course every girl loves perfume, but not all perfume is good. And even though “Bath & Body Works travels the world to find the latest trends and most beautiful scents. They never rest in their commitment to bring the world’s newest freshest fragrances for body, hand and home” I was a tad bit disappointed in the scent.
The sample came in a cute little 0.25 oz/7 ml bottle, which made it super portable and easy to carry around, which I did! Took it to work almost every day!
To me the scent was very sweet and floral, turns out my nose wasn’t all that wrong! Here is the Overview you can find on the website:
Our most luxurious longest lasting fragrance blends opulent notes of fiery red pomegranate and delicate peche de vigne, a rare and fleeting French peach. Soft petals of red osmanthus give way to notes of addictive velvety marshmallow and a surprising finale of rich vanilla rum that leaves an unforgettable impression.
Top Notes: Fiery Pomegranate, Rare French Peach, Luminous Apple
Mid Notes: Red Peony, Night Marigold, Red Osmanthus
Dry Notes: Rich Vanilla Rum, Velvety Marshmallow, Oak Wood
Marshmallow! That explains it! Mary, you would’ve totally had a headache!
Now long lasting factor was something that I was looking forward to! Not a lot of fragrances last on me, but after trying this one, I have to say one thing:
I had fragrances from CVS pharmacy, that lasted longer!
And even though the scent decided to stay on me for only two hours or so, it did make it way into my head, and gave me a headache as well!
Then I discovered that the perfume itself cost $44.50 (of course it comes in a 2.5 oz bottle!), add a few more dollars and you can afford a really nice Lancome or Estee Lauder fragrance.
All in all it wasn’t very long lasting and too much Vistoria Secretish to me, I’d definitely think twice, even thrice before purchasing this scent! There is so much more one can do with 45 bucks!
Don’t forget to check out Mary’s blog and let me know if you’ve tried this fragrance!
Cheers,
Z
Недавно одна моя знакомая блоггер – Мэри с Budget Grad Student попросила сделать обзор на присланный ей продукт. Многие из вас знают про сайт Influenster.com и про коробочки пробников, которые они высылают абсолютно бесплатно. Я конечно же согласилась. К сожалению со всей этой праздничной суматохой пост выходит только сегодня, но лучше поздно, чем никогда!
Так вот Мэри пришла так называемая Cosmo Vox Box, в которой находился пробник нового аромата от Bath and Body Works Forever Red. Дело в том, что у нее аллергия на запахи, они вызывают у нее головную боль, поэтому обзор делаю я.
Какая девушка не любит парфюм. Но духи духам рознь. И, хотя, Bath and Body Works заявляют, что “они ищут новые тренды и самые утонченные ароматы по всему свету, что их миссия принести в ваш дом новые и самые свежие запахи”, я была немного разочарована в их последних духах.
Пробник пришел в милой 7 мл бутылочке, это позволяет носить его с собой в сумке, что я и делала!
Мне запах показался сладким и цветочным, и как оказалась, я не ошиблась! Вот как описывают аромат сами производители на сайте:
Наш самый люксовый и стойкий аромат сочетает в себе нотки огненно красного граната и утонченного peche de vigne, редкого и мимолетного французского персика. Мягкие лепестки красного османтуса придают запах притягательного бархатного зефира. А в самом конце как будто сюрпризом раскрывается глубокий запах ванильного рома, оставляющий незабываемое впечатление.
Высокие нотки: Огненный Гранат, Редкий Французский Персик, Яркое Яблоко
Средние нотки: Красный Пион, Ночная Календула, Красный Османтус
Зефир! Теперь все понятно! У Мэри точно была бы головная боль!
Аромат был также заявлен, как стойкий, чего я очень ждала! Не все ароматы на мне держатся, но попробовав этот запах, могу сказать только одно:
Now long lasting factor was something that I was looking forward to! Not a lot of fragrances last on me, but after trying this one, I have to say one thing:
I had fragrances from CVS pharmacy, that lasted longer!
And even though the scent decided to stay on me for only two hours or so, it did make it way into my head, and gave me a headache as well!
Then I discovered that the perfume itself cost $44.50 (of course it comes in a 2.5 oz bottle!), add a few more dollars and you can afford a really nice Lancome or Estee Lauder fragrance.
All in all it wasn’t very long lasting and too much Vistoria Secretish to me, I’d definitely think twice, even thrice before purchasing this scent! There is so much more one can do with 45 bucks!
Don’t forget to check out Mary’s blog and let me know if you’ve tried this fragrance!
Thanks to Product Hoochie, I have recently joined BzzAgent, and unlike other “freebies” websites, this one seems more legit than others. Maybe because I’ve been getting and will be getting a lot of products to try and review, maybe because it’s easier and hassle free?!
Today’s post is dedicated to the Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips, that I got in the mail last week!
What was in my box?
A FREE full-size bag of Green Giant™ Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips with Zesty Cheddar
A FREE full-size bag of Green Giant™ Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips with Sea Salt
4 Sample pouches that were immediately utilized by my husband as an addition to his lunch (that I pack every day!)
Pass-along coupons
Here is what Green Giant says:
Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips with Zesty Cheddarare crispy tortilla chips made with real vegetables like carrot, broccoli, and tomato, plus 17g of whole grain
Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips with Sea Salt are made with real sweet potatoes and 14g of whole grain, with 40% less fat than regular potato chips*
*Green Giant™ Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips (6g per 28g serving) have 40 percent less fat than regular potato chips (10g per 28g serving).
Here is what I think:
Sweet potato chips taste just like any other sweet potato chips, and are nothing extra ordinary. They are a good snack, and that’s just about it! I am not a huge fan of sweet potatoes to begin with, but I can tolerate it in this shape and form!
Zesty cheddar taste very similar to Doritos, but don’t leave you with orange fingers like the latter, so I guess that’s good! But they aren’t that healthy, as you might think they are in the beginning! I tried them with hummus, and that tasted good, but again, nothing that made my taste buds explode!
Am I going to buy this product? Maybe, depends on whether or not it’s on sale, and whether or not I can use my coupons on it. Otherwise, it’s really nothing new and different!
Let me know what you think of these, whether you got them for free, or bought at the store!
Cheers,
Z
PS. This product was sent to me for free through BzzAgent
Hey everyone, I hope you all had an amazing week and a Happy Easter I know a lot of my friends and readers in Europe will be celebrating later this spring, so get ready for the Easter Bunny to hop overseas!
Today’s blog post is about furniture, and since some of you know my minor (*COUGH* yeah, right) obsession with Freecycle.org, the post is going to be about “not so new”, but beautiful, vintage and FREE furniture!
I finally got tired of not having a coffee table in our living room, and wrote a Wanted post on Freecycle, and here is what I got:
The lady who gave it to me was so nice, she even delivered it to my apartment building! I am serious! I was shocked too! Trust me! Most of the time it’s your responsibility to go and pick something up off of freecycle, but this time I guess I got lucky! It’s a wooden table, definitely vintage! I looked under it, and it said Massachusets! I am such a sucker for vintage furniture! It’s so beautiful and elegant, that Ikea and Target simply become a blasphemy!
I’ve acquired another piece of furniture this week – a night stand/end table, thanks to my mother-in-law! Since our bed is so high, very few nightstands work with it! I have been looking for a tall nightstand for months, because that corner between the bed and wall started to feel more and more empty with every day that went by. So Sandra, dropped off this beauty last Tuesday, and it fit right in!
I love it, don’t you? I immediately took Sam’s old green lamp out of storage, and placed it on the table:
Now it reminds me of a short story by a Russian writer Alexander Green, called the Green Lamp, which I am planning on translating and posting on here this week! I love Russian literature, makes me feel nostalgic, but at the same time appreciate my background and culture!
An oldie, but a definitely goodie is my console table, which has been recently featured in my “Early Stages of Hoarding” post, and is another great freecycle find, that I got from a woman, who said her husband was a hoarder (Oh-oh!)
Some other items that I have freecycled include (but are not limited to )
- books
- clothes
- vintage
- kitchen appliances
- arts and crafts supplies,
and the list goes on!
It really is a great source, but don’t forget that it’s not all about getting, it’s all about GIVING!
I am so excited to announce this Giveaway on my blog today. I have partnered up with Blue Nile a couple times to announce their Facebook Giveaways, but this time I am going to do my own! I will be giving away a pair of Blue Nile Sterling Silver Leaf Chandelier Earrings. I have my own pair, and love them – they are so light weight, but elegant at the same time.
Giveaway starts at midnight Central time 2/20/13 and ends at midnight 3/8/13!
It’s open internationally, I will ship it to you if you win no matter where you live!
I am excited to be using Rafflecopter, I hope you are too!
And don’t forget to subscribe to my blog
Good luck everyone, I can’t wait to see who wins!
Cheers,
Z
Всем привет, сегодня у вас есть возможность выиграть чудесные серьги от фирмы Blue Nile как раз к восьмому марта! Я уже несколько раз сотрудничала с этой компанией, писала о разных конкурсах и розыгрышах, которые они проводят на своей странице в Facebook. Теперь пришло время и мне провести свой конкурс!
Как вы уже поняли по фотографиям выше, у меня самой уже есть такие серьги, они очень легкие, и одновременно элегантные.
Конкурс продлится с 20 февраля по 8 марта и для его проведения я буду использовать Rafflecopter.
Конкурс международный, так что не переживайте, ваш приз найдет вас в любой точке земного шара!
It’s this time again! Review time that is. I received another product through my Influenster membership, and this time it was Palmolive Fresh Infusions Dish Soap.
We don’t have a dish washer in the apartment, so everything has to be washed by hand, and if you know what it’s like, you know that it’s nothing but pain. I have never met a person who enjoys doing dishes.
Since we first moved here, we were dedicated Dawn users. Our first bottle lasted us about a year (I kid you not!) and the Palmolive that we received as a mocking move in gift from the rental company lasted only about a month, and of course I thought, never again!
Until I got this box! The quality of the soap is great, it washes dishes wonderfully, foams up well, looks nice standing there by the sink Yes, that’s important too!
I didn’t like the dispenser though, and the scent wasn’t as strong as I was hoping for. Out of the the three scents: Lime Basil, Lemon Thyme, and Ginger White Tea, Lime Basil is the strongest.
I also got several coupons for this product, though I think I am pretty set with dish soaps until 2015 or something like that
The soap retails for about $2.60 and is available at Wal-Mart and Target.
Overall it leaves the dishes clean, fights tough stains and grease, and next time I need to buy dish soap, I will definitely consider it!
Happy dish washing to you!
Z
И снова настало время для обзора. В этот раз мне прислали средство для мытья посуды от Palmolive. Прислали его бесплатно через сайт Influenster.
Так как в нашей квартире нет посудомоечной машины, всю посуду мы моем руками, а вы сами знаете, как это! За всю свою жизнь мне еще не довелось встретить человека, который обожает это делать.
Когда мы въехали в эту квартиру полтора года назад, мы пользовались только Dawn, и первая бутылка у нас простояла около года, а средство Palmolive, которое нам подарила компания, владеющая домом, закончилось за месяц!
Я зареклась никода не покупать Palmolive, пока не получила эти средства на обзор. Новое средство оказалось отличным, хорошо пенится, отмывает грязь, экономно расходуется, и хорошо смотрится на раковине (что тоже важно!).
Мне не очень понравился дозатор, и запахи оказались не такими сильными, как я ожидала. Из трех, которые мне прислали: Белый чай и Имбирь, Лайм и Базилик, Лимон и Тимьян, второй оказался самым сильным.
В коробке также были купоны на скидку в $1.50, но мне кажется что средств для мытья посуды мне теперь хватит до 2015 года!
Одна бутылка средства Palmolive стоит около $2.60 и купить его можно или в Target, или в Wal-Mart.
В итоге хочется также отметить, что посуду это средство моет хорошо, и если когда-нибудь мне понадобится купить новое, то это вариант!
Disclosure: Crest 3D Whitestrips were sent to me free of charge through Influenster. To learn more, please check out the link.
Poor Sam… It all started 10 days ago, after we came back from Fargo and I received this in the mail:
These are no ordinary Whitestrips boys and girls, these are Advanced Seal, which means you can drink water while wearing them!
Here is the sad thing though, back when I was in college I used to whiten my teeth using Crest White Strips, and I did it a lot. I seriously think I overdid it! My teeth became super sensitive (I can only use certain kinds of toothpaste and mouthwash now), though they are still pretty white! I guess something good did come out of these.
It took me a few days to realize that even though I can’t use them, Sam can! To my surprise, he gladly agreed to whiten his teeth!
I do apologize for lighting in some of those pictures! But I hope you’ll be able to see the difference! I can definitely see it, and so can Sam, and plus he still has 10 more days to go!
Before:
Day 1:
Day 2:
Day 3:
Day 4:
Day 5:
Day 6:
Day 7:
Day 8: I totally missed out on taking a picture that day :/
Day 9:
Day 10:
Well you get the idea! I’ll definitely post again in 10 days, after the course has been complete! I know it’s a rather pricey product! We saw it for $43.99 at Target today. But the cheaper versions work just as well. And I know that Crest offers a lot of mail in rebates, or you can get ExtraBucks for buying WhiteStips at CVS!
I definitely recommend the WhiteStrips, unless you have very very sensitive teeth. Even though instructions say that whitening won’t harm your teeth, any kind of whitening harms your teeth! So in the end definitely talk to your dentist and make a decision!
Cheers,
Zhenya
PS. Sam has also been growing a beard because it’s Novembeard. Let’s all support Prostate Cancer Research!
Goody is probably the go-to brand for me when it comes to bobby pins and hair ties (hair elastics, hair binders, whatever you want to call them ) So when I received the Goody Simple Styles Spin Pin, I got really excited, because I hate it when there is a million bobby pins jabbing my scalp!
I have mentioned these pins before in a post dedicated to my Mad Men party outfit. But today it’s all about Goody!
Here is some info about the brand before we dive in: The Goody brand is the most widely-recognized manufacturer of hair accessories and styling tools in the world. Through proprietary brands such as DoubleWear™, QuikStyle™, Simple Styles™, Slide-Proof™ and Ouchless®, Goody has introduced smart innovations like the exclusive Spin Pin and Quik Style Brush. With products inspired by the latest designer trends and innovative solutions, Goody offers an inspiring range of hair accessories and styling tools.
Price range: $7.29 at Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreen’s, Kroger, Duane Reade (I actually think it’s more expensive at CVS than Walmart, and prices do vary zip code to zip code!)
The instructions are as follows:
So here we go! Here is what my hair looks like:
It’s rather fine, but should be long enough for a spin pin, right?
Eh…
You can definitely see one of the pins sticking out, which is so not cool!
Then I tried to do two buns, and well that was a pretty bad idea:
This product makes me think that I don’t have enough hair, it’s a serious hit on my self-esteem! Not cool Goody, not cool! Plus the above picture definitely shows that I need to use bobby pins to control the fly away!
I do appreciate Influenster and it’s complimentary services. There are definitely hits and misses in every box. So no hard feelings!
I am going to be honest with you – I am not a huge fan of false lashes. So when I received my complimentary Influenster VoxBox 2012 Kiss Ever Pro Lashes were the last thing I’ve tried. Don’t get me wrong, I have used falsies in the past, but they were individual ones, that you simply add to the corners of your eye bunch by bunch. These lashes were a full strip!
I made sure to read the instructions and watch a video (the package says that there is a video on the Kiss website , but I couldn’t find it, so I ended up finding this one on YouTube) because I really wanted these to work!
I did have high hopes for this product, the reviews on Influenster were 97% positive! Everyone wanted to give it an A. Plus the product description intrigued me: Made from highest quality human hair. Use with Kiss adhesive for optimal results. Latex free, odor free, waterproof, flexible formula for 24hr hold, easy applicator. The only thing that concerned me was the price – $4.99 seemed too cheap to my “I used to work in cosmetics at Macy’s”. But let’s see how it worked out for me:
Before:
Getting Ready:
And after:
I think it looks super tacky, the color is too dark, even after I put a coat of mascara over my natural lashes. The base to which the falsies are attached seems too thick, it makes you look like you are wearing a thick eye liner. The glue smells like Elmer’s (I am a teacher, I know ) And I honestly thought twice before applying it, because the smell really stopped me at first! The applicator (which was supposed to make it easier) made it really hard for me to apply the lashes. I looked at myself for about 2 minutes in the mirror, then took it all off! Applied another coat of Lancome mascara, and that was it I will probably never use these lashes again!
Let me know what you think of that product! Cheers!
I know a lot of my friends and readers in Europe will be celebrating later this spring, so get ready for the Easter Bunny to hop overseas!
