I am officially obsessed with the “Caviar” Nail look! Its really easy to do and SUPER cheap! That kit that I bought online was only $2.39!!! GO ME!!
I LOVE the way it turned out ans I cant wait to try the other colors! Here is a link you can click if you want to get a kit for yourself 🙂 Merry Christmas!
~ Hugs and Smiles ~ R!LEY COUTURE
Who would have thought that some $5 champagne and Kroger brand orange drink mix would be so good! I love mimosas but there are so many calories in OJ that I wanted to improvise. The beauty of thus concoction is that the orange packets come in a single serving. Perfect drink for the holidays!
~ Hugs and Smiles ~ R!LEY COUTURE
How adorable are these combat boots that I found at Ross the other day?! I must admit that I really should not be shoe shopping right now. Holy crap did i really just right that? I guess i’m taking into consideration that I gave up a lot of closet space when I moved into the new place (poor me I know). But for what I payed for them I would have regretted it if I waked away.
Am I right or am I right? Even the zipper on these boots is adorable.
Sigh…. sweet shoe love.
~Hugs and Smiles~ R!ley Couture
Home is truly where the heart is. Sorry that I have been MIA for the past couple of weeks, but I have been busy building a new chapter in my life and I’m so excited!!! Before I get into that let me do this the right way, and say farewell to the last chapter of my life in Memphis. The best word to describe the five years I spent in the land of Elvis would have to be bittersweet. Memphis really taught me a lot about the highs and lows of life. What truly matters, and what should just be chalked up to spilled milk. It seemed as though whenever I was truly in the slums and wishing I had never decided to move there something amazing would happen to me. Some listener would tell me how I made their day by doing what I do. I would find out that I’m going to LA for the Grammys and American Idol. Or I would just so happen to meet some of the most amazing people I have ever encountered and make them my lifelong friends. Memphis for me was always a “calm before the storm” type of experience. My time there was sprinkled with some pain, a little regret, a lot of love, and exciting times that I will never forget. Kind of like most major chapters in life I suppose. And not to mention I did get the greatest furry gift ever while in Memphis, my little P!nk Presley Couture. Dang I love my puppy girl!
Some people say once a Memphian always a Memphian. If you said this to me before I left there I would have scoffed at you!! But now that I am sitting in my brand new apartment in Nashville feeling so blessed…I realize that a huge part of this is true, even for me. So with that said…Thank you Memphis! You will always have a special place in my heart. So enough of the wah-wah talk. I suppose I should get back to what this blog is truly about…being a CHEAP DIVA. Well let me start with that Home Sweet Home door mat that you see above. I got that sucker at Ross for $6.99! Your probably wondering why I am so excited over a door mat, but seeing as how they run about $15.99 at Walmart you would be excited about that deal too. I mean who likes to spend money on something your going to wipe mud on? So is it just me or do you get the itch whenever you move you tend to toss the old and look for the new? Well that is exactly what I did with my knife set.
I’m not normally a chick that gets excited over cutlery but $30.00 for this stainless steal set makes me happy 🙂 I know I have posted about the deals I’ve scored on Yankee candles at Ross before, but I figured I would share this because its the holidays….
I cannot get over how yummy this limited addition holiday candle smells. I light it and five minutes later my whole apartment smells like Christmas! What’s even more yummy is that I payed ten bucks for something that usually costs $26.00.
OK. So I suppose I could end this post with something mushy, but for me new beginnings and the sentiment that goes along with them usually comes with a lot of boo-hooing ( which I have done plenty of). And we all know that equals…..WRINKLES. No thank you! So for now i’ll just end this one like I always do….
~ Hugs and Smiles ~ R!LEY COUTURE
[youtube=http://youtu.be/O2gahPOAhTY]
~ Hugs and Smiles ~ R!LEY COUTURE
New York. What can I say about that city other than it is amazing. It is a city that is a symbol of power for the United States of America so when it is in peril it seems to effect us all in one way or another. I was visiting family there this past week for one of my aunt’s birthday. If I’m honest I know my family truly planned that trip to distract my mind from being depressed about the big day that was to go down on Saturday. My sister, my mom and I were all flying out but due to Hurricane Sandy our trip was almost called off. We anticipated either our flights being cancelled or sitting in traffic for who knows how many hours because of the gas shortage. Much to our surprise most everything ran smoothly. My Titi had an amazing birthday and I got to have some bonding time with my family. Now mind you bonding time with my crazy Puertorican family has its stresses but it was good to spend time with them. It wasn’t until I was sitting in the airport bar waiting for my flight to board that I realized how monumental this trip would be. I was reading my book and sipping a beer while feeling sorry for myself. Sorry that my dream wedding wasn’t happening, annoyed that I had to sit there for three hours waiting for my plane…blah blah blah right? Just when my self pity had reached its peak this man by the name of Keith came up and asked if the seat next to me was taken. I quickly moved my purse and told him to have a seat. But before he did he apologized for possibly being smelly because he hadn’t showered in seven days. Immediately it hit me like a ton of bricks that this man was effected by hurricane Sandy. He asked the bartender for a double vodka and water which I promptly said was on me. Of course Keith objected but I was having none of that. I got to talking to him and found out that he was military and had only just moved to New York. He went on to tell me that he, his mother and sister had lost everything. All of their possessions washed away in one fell swoop. But the worst of it all was that he lost his only companion…his dog. I’m ashamed to say that I cannot remember what he said her name was. The most gut wrenching part about losing his beloved pet is the way he found out she was gone. Apparently his landlord called him and callously said that his dog was floating in his back yard. This really put a knife in my heart as I cannot imagine how that would feel if I lost my little P!nkers in such a horrific way. He must have seen the sympathy in my face as he gave me a little reassuring smile but I could see the pain behind his eyes. I showed him pictures of Pink but not before I asked him if it was alright. Keith gushed over how cute she is and said that in a way it helped him to see the pictures. My heart swelled for this man who had nothing, and had been through so much but still seemed so gracious. The military had apparenlty given him some money but he had given it a lot of it away to others in New York that needed it. Keith was on his way to stay with some military buddies in Virginia with nothing going with him but a wounded heart and a backpack full of clothes that Fema had given him. He finished his drink and just as I was about to buy him another he politely declined and said that his flight was leaving in 20 minutes. I asked him if I could give him a hug and after a meaningful squeeze and a thank you for listening he was gone. I just sat there in amazement and guilt. I felt so awful that I was felling so sorry for myself when I am blessed with so very much. Then a miracle from God happened. Keith reappeared with a Hello Kitty wallet that he had purchased from the gift store. He told me that it was to remember him by, and that through all of his troubles I was the nicest person he had encountered. He gave me another hug and was on his way. I swear I could have broken down crying right there. All I did was buy him a drink and listen to him. And he was spending what little money he had on a gift for me!
I will cherish this forever. And if I ever have a daughter I will give it to her and tell her Keith’s story. GOD BLESS YOU KEITH. Wherever you are I pray that you have nothing but blessing in your life from here on out!
~ Hugs and Smiles ~ R!LEY COUTURE
.So Halloween is usually a bid deal for me when it comes to the selection of my costume, but this year I wasn’t really into spending the money on it. Plus I did’t have any plans so that was ay-ok with me to not have to worry about obsessing over finding the perfect look. Well two days before Halloween I was asked to host a party at Rain Sushi and Bistro so I had to get creative with my costume and my budget. This is what I came up with…
Cute right? The sweet part about this last minute devil deal is that I only spent $5 bucks! I went to Walmart and bought the horns, bow tie, mini pitchfork , and tail…. Yes Tail
Teehee. All of the rest of my outfit was stuff I had in my closet. I’m So glad I didn’t give that pleather skirt that I never wear to Goodwill.
And what a perfect time to bust out with my red suede pumps….never enough occasions for a hot red shoe.
~ Hugs and Smiles ~ R!LEY COUTURE
I must admit that I spent a little more than I normally do on shoes for these boots. I new I would have buyers remorse if I bought them right then and there because they were a brand I have never heard of and they were $50 bucks. But they are SO ADORABLE!
In situations like this I have a good philosophy for justifying a little overspending. I walk away, and if I’m still thinking about them in three days and they’re still there, then it was meant to be. Well I did just that and as fate would have it, these are my new favs.
~ Hugs and Smiles ~ R!LEY COUTURE
It is a known fact with me that when I decide that I’m into a certain style I become borderline obsessive about it. My current fashion lust is stackable rings. All of those rings you see in the pic above I already had in my jewelry box but like any good OCD fashion stalker I decided that I had to have just one more.
How gorgeous is this dainty little ring I found on ETSY for $19.00! If your planning on stopping by Etsy be a doll and check out my shop while your at it! Its called LoveLaceCraftoure. Shameless plug I know 🙂
~ Hugs and Smiles ~ R!LEY COUTURE
Haha! I bet you were expecting to see some weird Snooki-esk Halloween costume! Nope just wanted to show you some cute goodies I found at Ross the other day. Pinerest has been showing a lot of leopard print on its style boards so of course I got inspired to add a little RAWR to my wardrobe for fall. After a little searching for some little leopard treasure I was bummed and about to leave when that scarf jumped up and bit me! I was happy to have found it among the mass of scarves on that were stuffed onto a small rack on the side of the store. It was a steal at $6.99 seeing as how it retails for around $40.00. I figured it would look good with a simple black sweater, my black skinny cigarette jeans and possibly some tan boots. I’m trying to get creative with what’s already in my closet. I may be a cheap diva but I have what I like to call Cheap Buyers Tourette Syndrome. Its basically what happens when you think that your getting such a good deal with one item that you but like 5 more things than you set out to. Before you know it you have spent like fifty bucks more than you set out to. Happens to me all the time in Walmart. Anyhoo…
I also found these ADORABLE Steve Madden Skull flats. Buying flats is always a problem for me because I whenever I’m trying them on I get sidetracked by some fabulous pair of stilettos. But these were just too cute for words! Plus they were only $14.99 and retail for like $80! Yay!
~ Hugs and Smiles~ R!LEY COUTURE