Ballin on a Budget
1. Know your style.
You can't be a random shopper, it really burns a hole in your pocket trust me, if you're not sure about what you want, do a little eye shopping first. If you're a student, try to do this outside of your uniform to avoid barred entry as well as those looks of suspicion. Store owners are always weary of students, anyway eye shopping helps you to develop an idea of what's available and how it can make your outfit. Also try to remember that you may not always find what you want so it'okay to substitute. (I struggle with this because I'm so stubborn , if I want a white shirt, nothing is diverting me from getting that shirt) Also knowing what you want can help you to resist the pressure from that friend who wants to go home and get out of the hot sun so they try to persuade you to get something else that you might regret purchasing and go out looking for another article of clothing because that one just didn't work.
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Here, in Jamaica there a two fashion hubs for clothing. Half-way Tree and Downtown. Half-way tree is for the rich , to put it plainly and Downtown has everything for half the price. Obviously higher prices mean better quality but not in all cases. I'm not a fan of downtown and I avoid shopping there as much as I can but in recent years I've realized that you can find really good stuff there, for example jeans, jeans in Halfway tree are generally $2500 or $3000 , maybe even more, while jeans Downtown range from about $1500-$2000, and even $20 would make a difference to me.
3. Online Shopping.
Prices are hiked in Jamaica, a dress online can be $10 and here you're paying a whopping 5g for that. Uh no... ordering that dress online can save you $2000 dollars after you've paid for the dress as well as shipping cost. Recently a lot of shipping companies have popped up, the most popular is ShipMe, others include Redbarrel, Shipwise and others. Utilize their services, you'll save a lot.
4. Accessories.
My favourite store to get accessories is BritBran, wide variety and affordable. Jewelry is tricky, you don't want to get anything cheap and it starts rusting and fading so i'd say get quality jewelry or if it's just too expensive, take care of the items you already have, avoid water and coat them in clear nail polish so it doesn't rust.
5. Makeup.
Quick story, one fine day I was going home after leaving my friend's house. I had an event to attend and decided I'd wear some lipstick (this was before I even got my first brush set so I didn't know much about the price of makeup) so pretty much more of an amateur in the makeup wizarding world than I am now. Previously , my cousin had a burgundy matte lipstick that I loved and I decided to get that exact one, I looked up on the second floor of one of those plaza's in Halfway Tree and saw a pink sign proudly displaying the stores name and nature of their business. So I took myself upstairs and entered the store, now I intended on getting a LA girl lipstick, however that brand was nowhere in sight. So I was like okay, let me just ask to see the other lipsticks, I asked and the employee displayed their wonderful EXPENSIVE stock, I literally had only $500 and these lipsticks were $1500 and more. So you know, I told her I didn't remember the name of the brand and I don't see it in the store but thanks for assisting and I scooted out of there. Listen!!! you have to be careful when purchasing makeup, it's expensive out here. Buy your stuff online , maybe get your foundation here cause it's safer in terms of testing and selecting the right shade but otherwise get the stuff elsewhere. Makeup is generally expensive but honestly sometimes you can get cheaper stuff that does that job. But I'd say if you love makeup and you're an aspiring makeup artist, get the quality stuff.
!!Bonus!!
Lol , I just wanted to say that, consider this what you want really.
Okay so I'm a Seventh day Adventist to some extent but we can attack religious aspects later. Last week my family was going out and I was helping my grandmother prepare her outfit so because of the neckline of the dress I suggested a necklace to which she and my cousin staunchly denied. I looked at them funny for a bit, then dropped the argument because you know, don't argue with people over religious beliefs and practices I thought about it and persons associated with denominations such as my own have a really hard task when trying to look cute and not drab and bland. So I came up with some tips that apply,
1. Wear watches.
Nice watches help when you can't wear bracelets and all that. and some watches add a touch of class.
There are some clothes with jewelry , as seen in the picture below, my dress has a neckline adorned in beads and some other stuff so I didn't have to wear a choker(not a fan) or a necklace or anything. Clothes like this can eliminate the use of jewelry and I doubt your parents will have an issue because it's not actually jewelry.
Sunglasses or even your regular glasses (If they're fashionable) work so well , hats too, you can place the glasses on your top and it works, or a really nice bag or clutch (I prefer clutches or a purse).
4. Avoid Bland outfits.
Some outfits need jewellry and accessories to spice them up, others don't. Avoid bland clothing and you're in the clear really, stylish hairstyles help too. Also, Brooches and I know you're probably like "my grandmother wears that kinda thing" Brooches are cute and I can bet your parents wouldn't mind because they probably don't see it as jewelry.
5. Jewelry.
I wear really fine necklaces and small bracelets, nothing over the top and for the most part my family is okay with that, and I think most families would be too, they're more concerned with piercings and extravagant jewelry. My ears still aren't pierced and that doesn't hurt my look, earrings are cute but , they're not needed. Thing is, you can't expect your mom to buy them for you, so if you want jewelry, buy them yourself, for cheap cause face it, you might end up not wearing it after a few months. Always reverting, but anyway test the waters.
6.Attitude.
If you don't feel good then you don't look good. My smile is 10 times brighter when I'm happy than when I'm in a mood and just smiling for the camera and honestly take off all the adornments and that outfit still pops with the help of your body language and smile.
*You Define Your Style, it's not Reversed
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