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Hot finds for March
2007-03-19 22:43:18
Looking for some interesting reads? Check out b5’s fashion and beauty hot finds for March . My personal favourite is Shopaholics Daily’s post on how to get free groceries, cosmetics and magazines from you credit card rewards scheme.


Sydney readers: blogger meetup tomorrow
2007-03-19 08:57:04
If you’re in Sydney and you’d like something fun to do tomorrow evening, there’s a Sydney blogger meetup that you might like to attend. I hope to see some of you there!
Read more: readers

Where to go for clothing alterations?
2007-03-19 01:51:37
I’d like to try something a little bit different here, which I hope you’ll find really useful and valuable. Between The Bargain Queen’s 10,000+ readers, I’m sure we know exactly where to go for practically everything, in every major city in the world. I’d like to tap that knowledge to create a great resource for you all. Let’s start with clothing alteration places — do you know a great one in your area? If so, leave a comment below! A great clothing alterations person can help you get the best bargains, because they can make not-quite-right garments perfect. They can fix items with minor damage; make too-big and too-long items perfect; remove shoulder pads etc. To get us started, here’s my recommendation in Sydney, Australia: Sew Special Level 3, 61-63 Market St, Sydney Ph: 02 9261 3550 Web site: sewspecial.com.au Got a recommendation for clothing alterations in your area? Please share it!


Links for March 17th, 2007
2007-03-17 13:01:28
My favourite web articles this week: Fashion and style for less Article: Fashion Fabulous at the Thrift Store A seasoned Goodwill shopper shares her best buys. Tip — Make your Own Lip Balm A DIY recipe for homemade lip balm — sounds yummy! Home decorating on a budget Designing With Books Interior designer Mark Cutler on some great ways to use books around your home. Edit Your Life, Part 3: Closets and Drawers I’m a little obsessed with staying tidy, because clutter spoils even the nicest decor. Check out this series for some great tips. Saving money Ponder it: to budget or not to budget Do you need a budget? Find out here.
Read more: March

The B(argain shopping) Team
2007-03-16 06:31:25
To be able to take advantage of the best bargain shopping deals on clothing and accessories, you need a team. In many shops, minimally damaged items are practically given away, because people don’t want the hassle of fixing them. With the right team at your disposal, you can buy these items and have them fixed in no time — and for very little money. Here’s the people you need to know. A clothing alterations person They can: Take up or let down hems Re-stitch seams that have come undone Invisibly mend small holes (although this is expensive, so only worth it for a truly amazing deal) Take clothes in to make them smaller Let clothes out to make them a little bigger Remove shoulder pads Add a lining to see-through items Adjust tailored items so they fit you exactly Patch larger holes if you don’t mind patches A shoe repairer They can: Stretch shoes that are a little too small Replace missing buckles Add non-slip coating to slippery soles Shorten leather belts t


How to hide ugly carpet
2007-03-15 06:33:11
Danny recently sent me this question: I just moved into an apartment and its beautiful besides the horrible blue carpets in all rooms. What is your advice for covering up the living room carpet? It is wall to wall, and bright blue, but everything else is gorgeous, exposed brick and bright and sunny. Ugly carpet is something many renters have to face when they decorate their apartment. Here’s how to hide it — and some pictures to get you inspired. Buy a cheap rug Image: IKEA Strib rug, US$149. The easiest way to hide ugly carpet is to cover it with a rug. If you want one immediately, IKEA’s probably your best bet. The rug above is a great pick for renters, as you can use it to tie together a colour scheme with any of the colours in the stripes… say, your landlord’s ugly bright blue carpet and your own things in any two of the colours above. If you can wait a little longer, try thrift stores, eBay and Craig’s list… or keep an eye on your lo


More Bargaining power with b5media
2007-03-13 22:43:44
The Bargain Queen has some exciting news to share with you. From now on I’ll be able to bring you an even wider range of bargain ideas, because I’ve just been accepted to join the world’s most respected professional blogging network, b5media ! As one of the leading blogs in the Beauty & Style channel for b5media, I’ll be working with some terrific pro-bloggers such as eBeauty Daily, The Daily Tee, Tops2Bottoms, Pretty by Nature, Aging Fabulous, Shopaholics Daily and many others. To see them all, simply scroll down the right-hand panel to the ‘b5media’ sign. All the Beauty & Style blogs are there, and they’ll bring you many hours of bargain bliss! Don’t forget to check out the other channels too, as there are some fantastic offerings in all of them, including Arts & Crafts, Celebrities, Entertainment and Travel & Culture. Happy blogging travels (just remember to come back and visit me as well some time)!
Read more: power

Guest post: cheap gadgets on eBay
2007-03-13 09:26:59
I'm running some guest posts while I'm busy co-writing a book chapter. Today, Matt from Jonk’s Bargains shares his experiences bargain-hunting on eBay — including some great cheap gadgets he’s found. If you’re anything like me, you feel as if you have heard all there is to hear about eBay. For many people — including me at first — it was a disappointing experience. Where were the famed $50 iPods? The $40 Armani sunglasses (and not fakes?) Making truckloads of money wasn’t so easy, either! But with a little more research, I found some great bargains on eBay, including for cheap electronics and gadgets. My goal for my site, Jonk’s Bargains, is to help people save money — heaps of it — by using the internet. Because of this I’ve been on eBay a lot and have found a lot of hidden gems. For example, my fridge, microwave, toaster and television all came from there. Just to demonstrate the savings you can make, these are t
Read more: Guest

Guest post: discount designer labels: bargain or fashion mistake?
2007-03-12 05:36:28
I'm running some guest posts while I’m busy co-writing a book chapter. Today, Meg from Faking Good Breeding shares her thoughts on designer labels, and whether they really are better. Designer labels at a discount — on the sale rack or in the lines for H&M or Target — can look like a brilliant deal. But being too overjoyed by the discount can lead to some big fashion mistakes. Here’s my biggest ever fashion mistake, and what you can learn from it. Every semester during high school I looked forward to picking out a dress for the school dances — Homecoming in the fall and in the spring (where the girls ask the guys out… I think this may be a Midwestern thing), and Prom during my junior and senior years. As much as I considered myself a non-conformist in high school, I totally bought into the idea that the senior prom was a momentous occasion, the highlight of high school social life. And of course, finding the perfect dress was my top priority,
Read more: Guest

Tip: use a charity bag to clear clutter
2007-03-21 12:39:56
If clutter is taking over your house, try keeping a designated charity bag handy — it can help you clear clutter before it becomes a problem. The charity bag becomes the one spot to put things you intend to give to charity. Any time you receive something that you don’t need, pop it straight into the bag. When the bag’s full, take it to the nearest charity bin. It keeps your house clear of clutter, helps a charity AND is a great way to re-use shopping bags.


Top 5 shopping movies
2007-03-22 01:51:48
This week’s Carnival of Shopping featured Tonic Gifts’ Top 10 shopping movies . What a great idea! Since my favourites are very different, here’s my top 5: 5. Clueless Cute 90s teen fashion, and Cher’s amazing computerised closet. Love it! 4. Mallrats Cynical, disaffected young people hanging out at the mall. Very, very funny. 3. New York Minute I mostly love this movie for the sequence where they try on about 100 ghetto fabulous outfits (and hairdos) in about 30 seconds. Wish I could get changed that quickly! 2. The Devil Wears Prada I hated the ending, but I loved the Chanel. ‘Nuff said. 1. Mean Girls A book about the inner workings of teen cliques becomes a movie, complete with adorable clothes. It’s worth watching just for the scene where all the kids hanging out at the mall start acting like baboons… even Mr BQ loves it! So enough about me. What are your favourite shopping movies?


Weekend reading: March 24th, 2007
2007-03-24 00:53:15
Looking for some interesting reading this weekend? These are well worth a look: The Festival of Frugality was hosted by The Frugal Duchess this week, and as always has some great reads. My personal favourite is this great article about Eating out for cheap. Fashion and style for less The Proper Shirt Sleeve Length One for the boys — how to pick the perfect length for your shirt sleeves. Sephora is Having a 75% Off Sale! Some great makeup bargains available online. I (hart) eBay How mis-spellings can save you money on eBay. Spring Cleansing A spring-cleaning routine for your skin, using mostly cheap products. Online outlets Outlet shopping in the comfort of your own home. Health and fitness 10 top tips for maintaining a healthy weight Simple (and budget-conscious) ways to stay healthy. Check for Coupons and Rebates Before Having Your Prescription Filled Some great tips for U.S. readers, to help you save money on prescriptions. Cheap travel tips Travel Registries: Asking for a Gif
Read more: Weekend , March

Idea: silk trim to makeover dull clothes
2007-03-23 04:08:07
Here’s a great idea for making boring clothes look a lot more stylish: give them a makeover by adding silk fabric trims. Icy from Individual Style says: Adding an unusual feature to something you already own is a great way of getting something new and original to wear. I had a boring plain black suit that I bought a few years ago. Nothing wrong with it, I just never wear it because it is too plain. I was about to donate it to charity when I was struck by inspiration. She goes on to describe how she added pretty silk fabric trims to give the suit a makeover — and the result is gorgeous. For anyone who likes sewing, this looks like a fun DIY project. Otherwise, find a good clothing alterations person in your area and have them do it. If you have some clothes that you never wear because you find them too boring, maybe some pretty silk trims are just what they need!


Wipe off the makeup wipe mark-ups
2007-03-23 02:57:42
If you use makeup wipes to cleanse makeup from your skin each night, here’s something you need to know: baby wipes are basically the same thing, and cost a lot less money. I started wondering about them when I noticed that the baby wipes my sister-in-law uses on her adorable sons’ bottoms look and feel almost identical to the makeup wipes I use on my face. Curious, I took a look at the ingredients and there didn’t seem to be many differences. It seemed like the makeup wipes I was paying $10 for 25, were the same as the baby wipes that cost $5 for 80. I asked the experts at The Beauty Brains, and here’s what they said: “These products have been developed for the essentially the same purpose — to cleanse and protect sensitive areas of the skin. So it’s little wonder that companies have come up with substantially the same solutions.” So I decided to test baby wipes and see if they really do work the same as more expensive makeup wipes. It&rs


Tidy=rich, messy=poor?
2007-03-26 08:51:22
An interesting question on WiseBread: Is There Such Thing as a Messy Millionaire? They’re writing about Suze Orman’s latest book, Women & Money, which claims that one of the 8 essential qualities you need to become wealthy is cleanliness. She says: I am here to tell you that if this quality (cleanliness) is not up front and center, wealth will elude you and you will be left with the mess that you created. Why? When you don’t know where your money is, when you have no filing system for your important documents, when you dive into your pocketbook to pull out crumpled bills, when your car looks like a garbage can, when your closets are filled with junk and clutter — you cannot possibly be a wealthy woman. What do you think? Does tidiness make you more likely to be rich? (More from the archives: Tidy your room, save a fortune)


Look great in separates: a week of tips!
2007-03-26 07:58:08
When I have a few spare minutes, I love to check out people’s outfits — in the street, on street style sites, in the Flickr Wardrobe Remix group, on their blogs… One thing I’ve noticed is that separates are much harder to wear well than dresses are. They’re versatile and flexible but there’s also a lot that can go wrong in pulling an outfit together from a wardrobe full of parts. So this week, I’m going to do a series on how to wear separates well. I won’t name-and-shame anyone who’s got it wrong. I’ve committed an occasional fashion sin too so I’m in no position to point fingers! I will offer some tips for getting it right, and some pics of women who do separates really well. Stay tuned for a week of tips and pics!


Tips for smoother shaved legs
2007-03-27 10:24:11
Christina at eBeautyDaily has some great tips for super-smooth leg shaving: Soak in the tub or stand in the shower for a few minutes to allow your hair to soften. Not too long though, or your skin will swell up and make your shave not as close as you think it is. Exfoliate your legs first with soap or a scrub and using an exfoliating glove (these are the BEST). Use a fresh blade on whatever razor you love (always a good idea for infection prevention anyway). Shave a couple of times, in a couple of directions, using long, smooth strokes. Finally, follow up with a good body cream. Sounds much better than the pain and expense of waxing to me, even if it doesn’t last quite as long!
Read more: smoother

Separates tip #1: make sure they all fit
2007-03-27 10:16:58
This week, I’m running a series on how to wear separates well. Today: tip #1. Tip: To look great in separates, you need to be aware of how every garment fits your body and how they all fit one another. Here’s what you need to know about making sure separates fit well, so you always look great in them. Separates are a lot trickier to fit correctly than a dress. Generally, a dress either fits or it doesn’t. Some styles have very exacting fits — and end up on the sale rack because no one matches the dress’ exact proportions. Sensible designers don’t make those dresses. Instead, they make dresses that will accommodate a variety of body shapes, so that if it fits reasonably well in two or three crucial points, you’ll look great in it. Separates pose a much bigger range of problems. Each garment has two or three crucial fit points (e.g. shoulder and bust for a top), and to look good, each piece has to fit correctly at each of its own fit points. On


Separates tip #3: keep colours consistent
2007-03-29 12:27:48
This week, I’m running a series on how to wear separates well. See also: tip one and tip two. Tip: To look great in separates, pick a colour theme and wear it from head to toe. Separates can be used to create practically any colour combination that takes your fancy — but not all of them will look good on you. Want to get it right? Here’s some tips, and some pictures of real people who’ve done it well. A dress in a single colour instantly gives you a single line from head to toe, which is really flattering… and if a dress has two or more blocks of colour, they’ve probably been selected by a designer to create a nice effect. You can create the opposite effect with separates — a separate block of colour for every part of your body. If you do this horizontally, you can end up looking like a bunch of body parts, as each colour block draws attention to itself separately. This is an incredibly unflattering look, especially if each block is wider tha


What do you like in a blog?
2007-03-29 01:42:23
Good news for all readers and writers of fashion blogs - you now have the opportunity to include your ideas and preferences in a forthcoming book about fashion blogging, from the The University of Technology, Sydney (my alma mater). As co-author of one the book’s chapters, The Bargain Queen has designed a survey which will enable everybody who is interested in fashion blogging to record their preferences, habits and other requirements of what they look for in the perfect fashion blog. To help make this the world’s best study into fashion blogging, you can simply record your thoughts at our fashion blogging survey. It will only take a few minutes, and your thoughts will help make fashion blogs around the world even better! Start the survey PS: Fashion Bloggers — you’re welcome to link to this post as well. If you encourage your readers to have their say, then we’ll all know more about what readers want from their daily dose of fashion blogging!


Separates tip #2: create a flattering silhouette
2007-03-28 08:38:08
This week, I’m running a series on how to wear separates well. See tip one as well. Tip: When you wear separates, make sure you create a flattering overall shape, or silhouette. Here's what you need to know to create a super-flattering silhouette whenever you wear separates. Separates can be used to create practically any shape… good, bad or downright odd. That makes them a little bit trickier to wear than a dress, because any well-designed dress has a flattering silhouette already created for you. So when you put it on, as long as the shape of the dress complements your own shape you look fab. When you wear separates, you have more control over the shape of your outfit, which also gives you far more scope to go wrong. Wear a skirt that adds a lot of weight to your behind with a top that down-plays your bust and you’re instantly pear-shaped, no matter what your natural shape. A can’t-go-wrong rule I picked up from Leah Feldon’s book, Does This Make Me


10 things you must have to be stylish
2007-04-01 00:53:06
If you think style can’t be bought, you totally haven’t seen Victoria Beckham lately! Here’s some things you must have this season if you want to be fabulous: 1. Expensive shoes Shoes totally make or break an outfit. Cheap ones spoil your whole fabulous ensemble, whereas expensive ones make anything look good. Especially if they’re Manolos. 2. Expensive bags Vuitton bags are totally chic and classic and just show that you have the best, most classic taste. You’re really smart to buy them because they’re great investments — they’re never going to get any uglier! 3. Expensive, impractical dresses Have you noticed how practically every new wunderkind designer makes fussy, hard-to-wear dresses? It’s because that’s what stylish people wear, so you should too. 4. Designer label everything No designer label? Toss it. It can’t possibly be good. 5. Some fabulous vintage No wardrobe is complete without some fabulous vintage. Not t


Separates tip four: wear fewer accessories
2007-03-31 04:07:05
This week, I’m running a series on how to wear separates well. See also: tip one, tip two and tip three. Tip: To look great in separates, wear fewer accessories than you would with a dress. An outfit made up of separates already has two, three or even more elements to it, before you’ve added a single accessory. Add a bunch of accessories and it becomes very difficult to coordinate. Here’s how to get it right (and some pictures of real people who have). When you wear a dress, you have a single look from neck to knee (or wherever the dress ends). That means you can go a little bit nuts with other items — shoes, bag, jewelry, watches, scarves, belts or sashes, hats or hair accessories etc. You could wear one of each of the above and look fine as long as they all worked. When you’re wearing separates, you already have two, three or even more things to coordinate, just looking at the garments. If you then pile on the accessories as well, you can easily look like y


Style means embracing your ‘flaws’
2007-04-02 09:39:53
I’ve seen a lot written about how to fix your ‘flaws’, especially in magazines that are supposedly about style. You’d get the impression that if you repair enough of the things that are ‘wrong’ with you, you’ll magically have personal style. Bull. Stylish, successful people don’t spend their days smoothing out their imperfections. They’re far too busy being themselves, and living great lives by virtue of doing what works for them. Most people who do remarkable things are in some way deeply flawed. Are they busy caring that they’re not perfect? Of course not. They’re far too busy getting things done. Perhaps we should all do the same. If you fix all of your supposed flaws, the best you can become is completely average. Everything that makes anyone special could be seen as a flaw, because anything that makes you different will sometimes cause you problems. The flip side is, every weakness is a strength in the right situati
Read more: Style

How to alter clothes?
2007-04-03 01:00:32
One thing I’m often asked about is altering clothes. For some reason, Google thinks I know a lot more about clothes alterations than I actually do, and sends a lot of people to me who are looking for advice. So I’d like to ask everyone reading this: can you help? Here’s three of the recent questions. Liz asks: I wish to alter a top. It is a strapless top which needs to be made smaller at the top. The bust fits but the top gapes open. Which would be the best way to take this in without spoiling the overall effect? It has bones in it at the front to the side of the bust and also in the back. Kelle asks: I am trying to alter my slacks (ladies). I want to lower the crotch so that I can raise them up at the waist. Donna asks: I have a few pairs of dress pants just hanging in my closet that are too big. I want to make them to a smaller size, but, while trying one pair, I messed them up because I don’t really know how to properly cut the crotch. Will you give me some


Your say: best cheap beauty products?
2007-04-03 00:32:04
What are your favourite cheap-but-great beauty products? I’m looking for some new things to try, and would love to hear your suggestions. Skin care, make up, other beauty products… which cheap ones are best?


Tip: keep a folder for receipts
2007-04-04 09:13:01
Have you ever been stuck with something that broke shortly after you bought it, because you couldn’t find the receipt to take it back to the store? Here’s an easy way to prevent it from happening ever again: keep a receipts folder. This is what mine looks like: It’s not very glamorous, but it has saved me a lot of money. The folder itself cost me a few dollars at Kmart, but you could find something similar in most stationery stores. I use the compartments to store different categories of receipts. My categories are: Clothing Shoes and accessories Household items Electronics Furniture (You’re welcome to copy my categories if they work for you, or customise them in any way you like.) Whenever I buy anything, I think about whether I’d take it back if it broke. If I would, I tuck the receipt into the relevant spot in the folder — and if it does break, I can quickly find the receipt to take it back to the store. I clear the folder out once or twice a


What to keep, what to cull?
2007-04-04 08:59:46
One of the things you need to look great every day is a wardrobe full of things that look fantastic on you. Achieving that is as much about what you get rid of as it is about what you buy. Here’s Fabulously Broke in the City’s wardrobe clean out guidelines — and anything that meets these criteria probably doesn’t deserve its place in your wardrobe either! Old-looking. Example: the black looks grey, or is pilling in noticeable spots. Doesn’t fit. Just doesn’t look right on me or doesn’t feel right on me. As in the colour is off for my skintone, or it fits but it looks… strange. It isn’t my style any more. I’ve been a goth, a punk, a clubber, a raver…


Best of: shopping advice
2007-04-07 01:41:09
The very best shopping advice I’ve written so far: Get insider info, get the best bargains! Having inside knowledge can help you get fantastic bargains. Here’s how to get that insider knowledge, without giving up your day job. Insider shopping tips: thrift shopping Thrift stores (aka op shops to Aussie readers, and charity stores to the Brits) can offer some amazing deals… or you might wade through stinky pre-loved underwear for hours, only to go home empty handed. Here’s how to make sure you get a great deal. Insider shopping tips: retail Here’s how to pay less-than-retail prices at your favourite retail outlets. Sale, clearance or quit stock: which is best? If the sign says ’sale’, you’ll get some great bargains, right? Well, maybe… Sample sales: what you need to know You’ve probably heard about sample sales, where fabulously dressed people pick up beautiful designer clothing for a pittance. But not every sample sale you s


Best of: personal style
2007-04-06 01:23:10
The very best personal style articles from The Bargain Queen’s first 14 months: Developing your personal style What is personal style, and how do you get it? Here’s some tips. The fashion industry’s biggest secret A series on a secret the fashion industry doesn’t want you to know: truly stylish people don’t follow the fashion industry’s dictates. Fashion editors don’t follow fashion. Fashion designers don’t follow fashion. Fashion icons don’t follow fashion. So who does follow fashion? Fashion victims do. Fashion advice from Tom Ford My favourite designer’s take on fashion? “Do what works for you”. Trendy or stylish: which are you? Find out the answer here.


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