Dior So Real dupe!

I first saw the Dior So Real sunglasses on Amelia Liana in one of her vlogs. I fell in love! I immediately looked in the down bar and comments to see where she had purchased them from. I was disappointed to learn they were by Dior. Only because it meant I would never own a pair. I just couldn't justify the purchase!

I waited and waited in hopes that stores would be bringing out similar styles. By then I had seen them on celebrities such as Rihanna and Olivia Palermo. Forever 21 had a pair that were larger and nice enough (I purchased the tortoise shell pair). However it was this past weekend I stumbled upon a better dupe in my eyes (no pun intended). They were from Aldo. They are $12/pair or 2/$20. I bought the black and clear and with my SPC card got an additional 10% off! 

They are not exact dupes as you would expect. The main difference is the bottom of the frames are still plastic not wire like Dior's. 

My favorite are the clear. I love the mirrored lenses. 

What do you think?! I think it's a great option for a trend piece. Especially at $9/pair!

-B

erin condren deluxe notebook.

I recently applied for a certificate program at the University of Alberta. I received my acceptance and quickly enrolled. This obviously gave me a reason to purchase one of Erin Condren's deluxe notebooks.

When you purchase a deluxe notebook and then add the 12 month calendar option the price is $50! That seemed like a lot to me considering this was just a notebook - $50 can buy you a life planner. So when I got an email from Erin Condren saying that they were offering a free calendar upgrade (worth $15) I decided to take the plunge. In addition I had a gift card which significantly lowered my total. 

I went ahead with the 8.5 x 11 pink geodes print. I opted for my initials to be capitalized. The colors are beautiful and I feel this is quite a trendy cover. I also love the durable lamination and sturdy coil.  *Sorry for the awkward angle - the covers are laminated which creates a terrible glare.

You are able to choose the start date for your calendar option. This is great so you don't purchase a 12 month calendar and only use 10 months. I chose September as that is when school starts. I received the calendar date dots to label my calendar (as it comes blank). 

The deluxe notebook came with a clear page marker/ruler which I find very helpful! 

It also includes two sticker sheets, a folder and clear pocket. 

I love this notebook and although I don't recommend it for kids to use for back to school (just too pricey), it is a great option for post secondary/work. I'm happy with my purchase and look forward to using it!

Take care!

-B

Happy Planner 2015-2016 Review

Hey there! Today I am featuring my latest planner obsession! I had originally ordered the Erin Condren  life planner for 2015-2016 but since it was delayed by over 2 months (gold foil process took longer than expected), I ended up cancelling my order. 

In the mean time, I ordered this planner (the Happy Planner) from Me and My Big Ideas website. Shipping was $27 internationally which isn't cheap but was comparable to Erin Condren. In addition the planner was cheaper ($24.99) and it had a tonne of cute stickers and accessories (most of which were $4.99 each). 

Above are some of the sticker books I purchased. Each book has 6 pages! Each book was $4.99.

I ordered two planners one for myself and one for my sister. Each planner was $24.99.

Monthly spread - nice colourful layout. 

The weekly spread is set up in a vertical layout, which is my favourite! As well it has an amazing colour scheme/theme. 

Cute monthly tabs accompanied by a monthly summary page. 

Pros:

-Disk bound

-You can remove/add pages

-Beautiful theme/color scheme

-4 different planners (all with a unique theme)

-Paper quality

Cons:

-Tabs for the first batch were not laminated. MAMBI has since started laminating the tabs

-Not extremely durable if you are taking your planner on the go (works great for me as I leave mine in my office)

All in all, I really don't have anything negative to say about the planner. At first I though the disks looked a little childish, but i have since come to really love their purpose. They allow the pages to turn so smoothly and you can flip the planner completely in half, if you wanted to. For my needs, it works great! I love the style and functionality! I can't wait to see what changes and new designs they come up with for next year. 

-B