My First Purchase with Thredup and Review

If you are a long time reader of LBH, you know I love digging through thrift and charity shops.  However, finding a good score in the shoe department has always been a bit of a fail for me.  Let's face it, do you really want to shove your feet into a pair of boots that have been...sweated in?? At the end of this summer, my sandals were completely thrashed.  I couldn't find anything that was both comfortable AND stylish during the end of summer sales and fit my budget.  As the weeks ticked by, summer slipped into fall then winter and summer sandals disappeared from the stores.  That's when I happened to check out Thredup.  It is an online consignment store based in the US.  The prices are so, so easy on the wallet.  My very first search yielded these J Crew sandals.

I was in shock because I had missed out on a pair of J Crew sandals (new) a year or so ago that were almost identical.  These are made of black suede.  The low 1 inch heels are wrapped in gold foil which you can just make out.  I took a gamble as I don't think black suede photographs very well.  Every bit of lint and dust was showing up on the Thredup photos.  However, the price was such a bargain and with the discount for signing up, it was lower still.  Shipping took about 10 days which I felt was reasonable as it was coming from the US. Items are initially shipped to a distribution center and a third party handles the shipping.  This process is probably what impacts the shipping time.  The sandals arrived in a plastic bag.  If you are in the US, don't make the mistake that I made and rip into the bag in a frenzy of excitement as soon as you receive it as you can reuse the bag for returns.  Unfortunately, because I am in Canada, returns aren't allowed.  I am not able to sell items on consignment either.

Thankfully, the sandals were a hit.  Even though they are described as used, they look like they have barely been worn.  The material content stickers were still affixed to the sole.  I have to say that Thredup is a fantastic resource if you want to shop sustainably, have a limited budget or like me, looking for something out of season.  There a lot of items that are new with tags and items are constantly coming and going.  They even ran a Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale!  Now, all I need is somewhere warm to head to in order to escape the doldrums of a long Canadian winter.

Have you ever shopped at Thredup?  What was your experience?

This is not a sponsored post.

The Weekly Roundup: Cole Haan Boots

I have been inspecting my Autumn/Winter Capsule Wardrobe and have known for some time that there were a number of gaps, namely a comfy but stylish pair of flat heeled ankle boots.  I love me a sexy pair of boots.  Is there any sound more tantalizing that the heel strike coming off a pair of killer boots?  The problem is that I am on my feet for hours every day and even the chunky stacked heels on my beloved J Crew ankle boots begin to feel uncomfortable at the 4 hour mark.  I was gutted when I came across Cole Haan's Harrington Slouch Boots last Winter only to find that they were completely sold out online.  When Cole Haan brought them back this Autumn, I didn't bother waiting for a sale but ripped off to the nearest Cole Haan store.

These ankle boots are Cole Haan's interpretation of the 80's slouch boot.  I loathe 80's fashion.  I am sure that to a millenial, 80's fashion is new and exciting but for me, it is a case of "been there, done that, don't need to do it again."  BUT, and this is a big but, I absolutely adore these boots.  They are that perfect blend of 80's redux with a modern twist. The ruching around the ankle means there is a lot of give so there is no painful breaking in of stiff leather. I love the fact that there are 2 zippers (!!), one on either side of the ankle.

The goldtone hardware adds subtle glamour.  The flat heel means I can wear them all day and don't have to worry about sore feet.  Amazingly, they were comfortable straight out of the box.  I was surprised that dustbags weren't included.  I was told that Cole Haan got rid of dustbags as a cost cutting measure.  Considering that Cole Haan footware isn't dirt cheap, I was a tad disappointed.  Over all though, I am in love with my new ankle boots.  The 80's never looked so good.

LBH Weekly Roundup: J Crew, LOreal Magic Roots Cover Up, Haagen Dazs Ice Cream

Bring on Autumn!  Having a capsule wardrobe, means that a change in season elicits enormous excitement at the prospect of changing over one's wardrobe.  With the addition of this cotton eyelet blouse from J Crew, my wardrobe for Autumn is just about set.

via jcrew.com

Even though it shows up as white in the catalogue, it is a dark cream in real life.  It has bell sleeves which are the sleeves of the season and it looks really nice with a bright cardigan thrown on top.  

I have never coloured my hair in my life but, lately, have been toying with the idea.  My hair stylist warned me that, if I go that route, I will be colouring my hair forever.  If any of you colour your hair, please chime in with your comments!  I picked up a can of L'Oreal Magic Root Cover Up in Dark Brown because I wanted to try out what it would be like to colour my hair without actually having to commit to it.

There is a thin straw coming out of the nozzle which you aim at your roots.  I don't have a huge swathe of grey roots showing so I sprayed it at my head in a somewhat haphazard manner.  The force of the spray took me by surprise.  For some reason, I expected a wet, inky jet to come squirting out and not a fine, powdery mist.  I think it takes a bit of practice as I had to rub in the excess with my fingers.  It is good for one shampoo so no worries if you mess up.

And lastly, what to do when Old Mate announces that he is going on vacation WITHOUT ME and only tells me 48 hours in advance?  This...

The horrid diet goes flying out the window, that's what happens.  By the way, the above ice cream tastes like a frozen pina colada which is not a bad thing in such circumstances.  The next thing that happened was a decluttering marathon of all his shiz that has been annoying me since, umm, forever. Pffttt.  Let's see if he is brave enough to dare complain when he gets back.  Adios until next time!

LBH Weekly Roundup: Mid Summer Haul at J Crew

Even though I am a fan of the capsule wardrobe, the downside to having one is that items that are on constant rotation get worn out very quickly.  Summer basics like white t-shirts acquire mysterious stains and fabric begins to pill.  Two of my blouses became so worn that holes appeared in spots that were nowhere near a seam line thus rendering them unrepairable.  So, even though it appears as if I am breaking the basic tenets of having a capsule wardrobe whereby you take a step back from acquiring new additions for your wardrobe, with now only a couple of tops to see me through the rest of a hot, humid summer, a dash to the shops was in order.

via jcrew.com

Luckily the summer sales are in full swing.  I picked up a smocked cotton top from J Crew.  I was told that it could be worn either on the shoulder or off.  The blouse does have a habit of constantly sliding off my shoulders so it isn't very easy to wear it on the shoulders.  The loose, flowy fit keeps me feeling cool and aerated but, a word of warning if you are considering this top, depending on what you wear on the bottom, you run the risk of looking preggers.  It isn't called a "Smock" for nothing.  I pair it with tight fitting jeans to compensate for the top's fullness.

A flash of green drew me to the cardigans.  If you are a long time reader of this blog, then you'll know that I love me a good cardigan and the colour green.

via jcrew.com

Cardigans make such a great layering piece.  J Crew has already brought in their new colour lineup which includes a green called "Juniper" for fall but their summer lineup is on sale which included a green called "Warm Jade" which was an ever so slightly more intense green than Juniper (pictured above).  So even though, I was on the lookout for a second top, the cardigan came home with me instead.  Never mind as the cardigan will transition well into Autumn.
Do you have a capsule wardrobe?  If you want me to chat more about a capsule wardrobe, please let me know in the comments.

This is not a sponsored post.