February Shopping Reflections

One thing about having a rather hours-intensive and unpredictable job: It seems to help me stick with my more restrictive month to month budget this year. I don't end up getting as many of the sudden whims or impulses that would normally be the driving force behind maybe half of the shopping I did last year. Because I have considerably less free time than I did as a student, I just don't have quite as much time to think about shopping. Work stress also doesn't seem to inspire the shopping impulse as much as school-related stress used to.

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This month, my only fashion purchase was a pair of Everlane Modern Point loafers. The weather is still a little too cold to wear these outdoors, but once spring weather really takes hold in NYC, I'll write a fuller review. One note: I find that Everlane's sizing advice is spot-on, I typically wear a 7.5 and sized up to an 8 for a comfortable and just-right fit in the toe box. I also ordered the Everlane Silk Camisole to try, but that was just a nonstarter. That partial lining at the top doesn't work for me, I think it's because it's a design element that wouldn't work too well on more busty figures. I was a little bit surprised, though, because I'd once tried on what I thought was a similar silk camisole from Joe Fresh (flimsier silk, no partial lining) that actually worked for me. 

I also put in an order for that striped Uniqlo Ines de la Fressange sweater. Sadly, the white and blue color I ordered is already sold out. Because it was released only two days ago, the final decision on whether to keep it will occur in March. 

Fashion - (TOTAL: $160.00*)

• Everlane Modern Point Loafers: The quality of these is great, especially when compared to the shoes from the Sam Edelman and Cole Haan-type price point that I typically buy. The leather feels much nicer, sturdy while not being stiff. The construction was good except for one teeny-tiny, easily-remedied flaw: a speck of extra glue (I think) was sticking out near the toe of one of the shoes, but that was easily peeled off. Another blog has a review of both the Modern Point and the Modern Loafer, which I found to be very helpful when deciding which design to buy.

Beauty - (TOTAL: $16.75*)

• Cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser: I used a Cerave "buy one get one half off" coupon from Target to get both of these skincare products together at a discount. I'm currently on the last bit of my second bottle, and bought this one as a replacement. There are no bells and whistles with this facial cleanser, it's just a good unscented and gentle product. Admittedly, I do not have particularly sensitive skin, though my face is prone to dryness, and I've never found this cleanser to cause any problems. If I wore makeup on a particular day, I use oil cleanser or micellar water as a makeup-removing first step before washing with this.
• Cerave Moisturizing Lotion: This is my usual daytime moisturizer, and I've been loyal to it for years. Again, there are no bells and whistles, it's just a light to medium weight moisturizer. I find that the Cerave lotion takes a little while (30 seconds of rubbing in) to fully absorb into my face when I apply it on top of my other daytime skincare products, but it does absorb cleanly.

*Indicates that price includes estimated tax and/or shipping cost. 

Linking up with Franish and the Budgeting Bloggers this month, as usual. Definitely go and check out what everyone else bought this month!