for the love of accessories and good bargains

It's the midyear sale again and I've noticed that recently, I couldn't skip visiting my favorite stores. Good for my wardrobe selection but bad for my bank account. But since there's really not much to be done now that the clothes and accessories have been purchased and have taken their rightful places in my closet, I'll just recap my recent bargain finds.


First stop, Accessorize. I love accessories. I remember that I used to go through my mother's magazines as a young girl, ogling at diamond rings, necklaces and bracelets with precious stones, earrings of all shapes and sizes, and bags of all colors. When I was in grade school, I had full bangs and I'd always wear headbands. I can't remember if it was me who liked headbands or my mother but I vividly remember she had a rack made especially for my headbands. The selection grew to a point that it was a challenge selecting which headband to wear. I clearly recall having a favorite, though I'm not quite sure I got to wear every piece of headband I owned. I remember my aunts teasing me that we can sell my selection of headbands already because it was quite a lot. So yes, I love accessories and it goes back to my childhood. I just can't help it. I can't quite decide what type of accessories I love the most. But if we were to base it on numbers of what I have right now, I'd say necklaces, rings and bags.

I frequently drop by Accessorize in Robinsons Galleria. They have a lot of cute stuff in there. The only thing I don't like about it is that the prices are all in Euros or Pounds and you have to ask a sales personnel if you want to know how much something costs. They launched a sale recently, which began with a 30% off on selected items. As of last visit, they're already on 50% off. The last time they were on sale - which was sometime in February - I bought a bow ring, a small black sling bag, a tiny purse and a set of plain headbands. This time, I bought 3 necklaces.

This is one of the items I bought. It's a long gold necklace with a small minivan as a pendant. I like the three hearts detail of the necklace. I think they add a quirkiness and cuteness to an otherwise simple long necklace. I got it for about Php 340. For some reason that I can't explain, it reminds me of London. I like wearing plain tops so this will be a perfect addition to add a bit of variety to the accessories I use.

I also bought a short necklace in antique finish with an umbrella and a rose charm. When I saw this necklace, I immediately thought of my love for rain and how I enjoy celebrating the rain. I can't remember how much I got this for, maybe Php 240?

The last one I bought is a short necklace in silver with a cute cupcake pendant. I'm not a fan of pastries but I was just instantly smitten by how cute this is. I think I got it for Php 180.

I've already written about my lovely finds from Mango, that was actually the second stop. They're still on sale. I dropped by last weekend and saw good fitting trousers for Php 890 and above. I tried on a few - I really liked the ones in khaki and green - but they were just too long and I didn't want to go through the hassle of having them altered because then it wouldn't be such a bargain anymore.

Third and - thankfully - last stop is Una Rosa. This is one of my favorite local brands because 1) they have clothes that actually fit me like they were tailor-made and 2) their staff are nice, friendly and very accommodating (I think I end up buying more each time because of their service!). I wasn't able to take pictures but I bought a skirt and a top from this store. The skirt is in a shade of khaki and the top is in light brown. They're both very pretty. I think I spent about Php 1,460 for both.

I just have to say how much I love Una Rosa. I buy mostly office clothes from them. I like their skirts a lot. Their size 0 fits me really well. If a size 0 is not available though, I also get size 1 but only when I really like something like the black skirt I bought early this year. I just couldn't walk away from it! Their staff are the nicest. They are never unfriendly and one of the nicest in the retail industry. I like how attentive they are to your style like whenever I pick clothes, I tend to stick to skirts and feminine tops. They notice that, so while I'm fitting the clothes, they get other stuff similar to my style and recommend them to me. I find that very helpful. If you didn't like anything - because honestly best looking does not mean good fitting - they won't take it against you and you can walk away happily and not feeling like you've made someone's work a bit harder than usual.

To be honest, I sometimes feel bad whenever I fit clothes and ask the assistance of a sales personnel and end up not buying anything because nothing fits the way I want them to. On those instances, I walk away feeling embarrassed for having made someone go through all the trouble of finding size this and that in this and that color. Anyway, Una Rosa's staff has never made me feel like I'm just a customer trying clothes but not buying them. They were always pleasant and attentive. I like them a lot. I've recommended the brand to many of my girl friends. BTW, they have branches in Shangri-La Plaza and Megamall.

So that's my latest bargain haul. I just visited Accessorize's website and if I have the extra money (and if they were available in the country), I want these necklaces.

I think this is a long necklace. I like the welly pendant. It will go well with my umbrella short necklace. Celebrating the rain full on yeah!

I think this long necklace is just charming. I like how the pink goes well with the gold. It's so pretty!

There's something charming and laidback about a pink bicycle as a pendant.

I love the colors of this pendant.