September Shopping Reflections

Although this isn't too apparent from this month's shopping, my new commute really brings out the urge to online shop. My train ride is an hour and a half each way, and while I am able to get online and work on the train, my brain is often a bit tuckered out and it's so much easier to browse online shops for entertainment instead. We'll see whether it results in more actual shopping, as I am also more aggressive about returning things that don't work, given my reduced salary.

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I have a few things on my radar for the upcoming fall/winter period. I've had my knee-high riding boots (the Madewell Archive boot in black, not yet available this year) for almost five years now, and I'm in the market for something similar, but with a zipper and a sleeker look. With my frequent trips to the cobbler for resoling and, last trip around, weatherproofing, my old boots are actually in fine condition, but I just don't wear them much because of the extra minute it takes to pull them on. I'm trying out the Tory Burch Jolie boots (thanks to a recently ended 30% off promotion), and we'll see if I like them. Although I bought plenty of new coats last season, I also find myself tempted to add another, in a design similar to the frequently recommended blogger favorite J.Crew Lady Day Coat, but I don't like the colors on offer this year. My ideal color is probably a bright cobalt blue or a hunter green, and we'll see if this idea pans out. This Kristen Blake coat in cobalt is a possibility. 

No beauty or skincare purchases for this month, though a few were made in July and August. Quite a few are upcoming as I think about whether to switch from the Paula's Choice 2% BHA liquid to CosRx's BHA and AHA offerings. The Paula's Choice was and is a game-changer for my resistant-to-prescriptions hormonal acne, but the CosRx is cheaper and a lot of people in r/AsianBeauty insist its better, so maybe it's worth a try. I can always go back to the Paula's Choice BHA if this experiment doesn't pan out.

Fashion - (TOTAL: $104.92)

• Ann Taylor High-Low Cotton Cardigan - $14.99 - I needed more summer-weight cardigans, in colors that were not black or navy. This one is a little cropped, and it can look a little odd if worn with an untucked top, though that's not an issue with wearing it to work, with dresses or tucked-in tops.
• Ann Taylor Linen-Blend Cardigan - $11.93 - This one is now fully sold out. This was another summer-weight cardigan, one with a more relaxed look and fit, which I like. 
• Brass Clothing A-Line Dress - $78.00 - Brass is a fairly new woman-owned company with a commitment to ethical manufacturing (with factories based in China). I was mainly interested in trying out Brass's ponte pants, as I've vaguely been in the market for super-skinny-fit work-appropriate pants in black, but the dress ended up being the keeper. (The pants were, unfortunately, too much like leggings on me to fit the bill, even in my fairly permissive business casual workplaces.) This dress is also made of a ponte material, which feels nice on, but is a bit too heavy for NYC summers. I won't be able to wear this out until the weather cools down a bit more. I'll likely post a review with photos of this soon. Note that only the white color is lined. 

Beauty - (TOTAL: $0.00)

As always, I'm linking up with Franish and the Budgeting Bloggers this month. I'll be back soon with my very belated shopping reflections post for July and August!