You can probably guess that being on the Fashion and Beauty team of Her Campus Exeter means that this group of girls are the first to splurge our loans on all the new fashion trends and beauty enhancing products! In theory we’d love to, but even we have to reign in the spending and face the cold, hard fact that we’re students! We just can’t afford to fork out for everything we want, it’s neither feasible nor realistic… we’d be broke within a week. So this week we thought we’d tackle ‘Accessories’ – a few of the team have decided to share with you what they deem as important things to save a little money on, and what they think is worth spending that little extra on!
So here it is, our Scrimp and Splurge list…
What we Scrimp on:
Amy Dicketts:
Despite having huge amounts of love and adoration for Mulberry bags, I know I won’t be purchasing one any time soon. All of my handbags aren’t treated with the respect that a designer handbag deserves. Instead, they are dragged up to campus every day, straining under the weight of daily library essentials – food, food, more food and my iPad. Their linings are ink-stained and littered with receipts, and their handles are threatening to break at any point. This isn’t the life that any genuine leather handbag deserves. Plus, buying bags cheaply gives me an excuse to buy lots of them, rather than investing in one wear-with-everything piece. One day I know I’ll welcome a Prada or Louis into my life, but probably not until I’ve learnt to leave pen lids on!
Leah Houghton:
Something that I would always buy on the cheap is a clutch bag. Although it’s an essential for a night out, I would personally never pay much money for one; I don’t use them regularly enough, and in the dark of a club you really can’t tell if it’s cheap or not! I like simple clutch bags in a black or neutral colour that can be used to dress up any outfit for a night on the town. A perfect example of this is this black clutch bag from Asos (£18). The design is minimalist and stylish and the tassels add a touch of simple detailing which is perfect for smartening up and outfit. Team this with leather leggings and a red lipstick and you’re ready to hit the top floor of Timepiece!
Jess Hamilton:
Jewellery is something that I tend not to indulge in. Don’t get me wrong, if I was presented with a beautiful bracelet encrusted with diamonds or some emerald earrings, I would squeal with excitement just as much as the next girl. Equally, I can drool over the engagement rings from Tiffany for hours. But unless you have some serious cash to splash I believe that cheap jewellery is the way forward. I could never justify buying a decent item of jewellery on a whim, as jewellery prices rapidly jump from cheap to expensive with limited middle market brands. As a result of buying the inexpensive stuff , If your bracelet snaps or you lose one earring in Timepiece (as is always the way!) your world doesn’t crumble, because it’s easy to replace, and usually just in time for the next batch of on-trend pieces to reach the shops! I view jewellery as the ultimate accessory to adapt an outfit, and therefore cheap, on trend bits and bobs from ASOS or Freedom at Topshop always hit the nail on the head for me.
Here is where I would do most of my browsing for jewels..http://www.asos.com/Women/Jewellery/Cat/pgecategory.aspx?cid=4175&pgeSize=200
Alice McAnulty:
Just the other week I lost two of my favourite rings in cellar door. I was extremely upset as you can expect, but then I reminded myself that they could have been worth a lot more money. The number of rings that I have lost over the years is unbelievable; I take them off to wash my hands and I forget to put them back on again…I fiddle with them, I lose them and to be perfectly honest an extremely expensive ring would simply be wasted on my finger. For this reason shops like Primark do me just fine when it comes to rings. Sure, they may leave a little green stain on my fingers and go a bit rusty after a while, but at least I only lose out on a pound every time one of them goes for a wander!
Hattie Beazley:
I am not a huge jewellery-wearer. I have a few pieces of nice jewellery that I have accumulated over the years, and although I used to wear rings and bangles from day to day, I have got very lazy recently and find myself wearing nothing but a watch and a simple chain. However, when I go out I feel that a pair of earrings can really make an outfit; not a ‘real’ pair, however, but a statement pair. I usually rely on a trusty pair of gold hoops as they’re a total failsafe and go with everything. Now, who would want to go out in Exeter in a pair of real gold hoops? I definitely wouldn’t and although I’m not one for losing things, even I would be nervous tackling the Friday Timepiece queues wearing the real deal. A cheap pair of gold hoops can be purchased for as little as £5 from Topshop and look just as good. It is true that they have to be replaced after a while as the gold colour will eventually wear away, but when you’re saving hundreds of pounds, (as a student..) this definitely seems like the better deal!
Coming soon: HCX Fashion Team’s Splurge buys….
Photo Credits: Boston.com, Asos.com, http://www.ceriselle.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/rings.jpg