Hi denizens of PPP-city!
My Mum sent me an email the other day with a suggestion for a blog post (which, by the way, I am always happy to receive). She had recently purchased some opaque tights from our friends at Glassons and had discovered that they are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.
I didn’t think I could write an entire post about those tights (although truly, they are great) but it did inspire me to write a post about things that are better than you’d expect.
The first things are makeup. Now, we pay a lot more for cosmetics in NZ than our friends in the Americas and Ye Olde Englande. I recently bought a Revlon nailpolish in Canada for $3.97. The same polish here is $18. So my grubby makeup-loving hands are always looking for a sweet deal. Sometimes it’s just not the same ordering from Ebay and you need a hit, like, right now, you know?
I think my top two surprise makeup items have to be BYS eyeshadows and ELF lipglosses. ELF gets a lot of play on Youtube, and it’s easy to see why. While this ain’t no Chanel, the one I have is pigmented, not sticky (PET HATE) and lasts a decent amount of time. And, unlike Chanel, it costs less than $10. Wait for Bling to have a sale and it’s even cheaper. ELF also does eyeshadow brushes that don’t shed and do a pretty good job of blending.
BYS eyeshadows can be found at Bling or Glassons and again, are super super cheap. Good level of colour, however there is quite a lot of fall out if you don’t tap the brush properly. Just be ready to do a clean up. These really show their good side if you blend and blend and blend and blend, and I think they’re a great way to try new colours or looks without blowing tons of money on something you might not use again.
In terms of clothes, rather than recommending somewhere really horribly cheap, I’ll recommend a dark horse. Many moons ago, when I was a pre-teen/awkward teen Megan, I occasionally got clothes from Just Jeans and they were a special and much-loved item (thanks Mum!). Then, somewhere between 16 and 27, I stopped liking anything they made, ever. However, boredom will eventually lead me back into any store, and a few months ago I wandered into Just Jeans. Now I am at the point where I have put a ban on myself, because if I go into that store I will buy something every single time. And it’s reasonably priced! I mean, we’re not talking Jay Jays cheap but we’re not talking the laughable “we don’t realise we’re a chain store and our clothes are mediocre quality” prices you often sometimes see at Max*. I definitely don’t love everything in the store but it’s worth checking out, particularly as summer rolls in and our tolerance for boho increases exponentially.
Shoes. They hold a special place in my heart and BELIEVE I own some cheap shoes. Front runners at this time are the mauve suede heels from Rubi Shoes (in the back of Cotton On) that cost $15. The world loves those shoes and has no idea they were so el cheapo (well…I guess you guys know now). Generally however, cheap shoes are a false economy, because they feck themselves so quickly that you end up replacing them. The key is to find a balance between cost and quality, and I personally believe that Zensu, stocked at Hannahs, is a good balance. They don’t do very edgy designs but I do have a killer pair of stacked heel, bright orange, patent sandals that they released last summer (and which I wish I also had in the black). Unlike Hannah’s terrible Pulp line**, these last, and look good. They aren’t super duper Number One Shoe Warehouse cheap, but then they also don’t give you foot cancer. Just wait for a sale – there’s always a sale at Hannahs eventually.
Finally, undies. A while ago, I bought two push-up bras from the good people at Cotton On. They were on a deal, so I think they were about $15 each, which as you ladies know is BARGAIN TOWN for a bra. Naturally, I expected them to last about 5 minutes. I do use a lingerie bag to wash my bras, and I do have quite a few in circulation, but these have lasted incredibly well (and fit just as well as my much more expensive Bendon bras). I’ve also bought underpants from Cotton On during one of their deals and they are lasting really well too – excellent for bulking out the drawer so you can wear something nice even on wash days!
Do you have any items where you said “wow! That’s better than I thought it would be!”? Leave a comment and let the PPP kids know so we can try it out too!
*I’m just saying: don’t try to charge $150 for an unlined, polyester tunic dress. I can go to Glassons or Dotti and get comparable quality for much, much less.
**I have bought Pulp brand shoes before and every single time I have had to return them because they were unfit for purpose. Seriously – I think I tried at least four different pairs over several years.
