A World of Frugality

Sarah Munguia, 18, is currently a freshman
studying Business Law at the W.P. Carey
 School of Business at Ariz. State Univ.

Raised by a frugal mother, Sarah certainly considers herself a savvy shopper.

While she desrcibed  the ideas of frugality that her mom taught her to perserve, Sarah posed a look of nostalgia as she recalled the days she shopped with her mom. "My momma has always been a savvy shopper and taught me to go o the sales rack first. She instilled frugality within me," Sarah said.

Most struggle to avoid succumbing to overly priced items; however, Sarah has developed a nifty method for avoiding these situations.

"I never spend mopre than $15 on a shirt -- everything has to be under $15," she said. "I don't just buy things out of random; I look at the price first, and [even] if I really want it, I convince myself to put it back."
Not only is Sarah penny-wise, but she also puts forth her creativity in creating newer, up-to-date looks with her older clothes. The shorts she is pictured in were originally bermudas which she cut herself. Her wardrobe consists of other DIY projects as simply as sleeveless shirts and blouses.

"I usually try to do [a simple look], but it doesn't come out that way. At least I don't think so."

"It's like a sophisticated bohemian," Sarah says, describing her style. "Well, I like things that are flowy. First of all, it's really hot [in Ariz.], so flowy is weather-smart. Over the course of six months I began to appreciate my belts collection and I started tucking my shirts in to show off my belts."

Sarah finds her clothes at Marshall's, Sears, Papaya, and occassionally Forever 21. Without further ado, the following list states the various prices for Sarah's outfit and the stores where the garments may be found:

Tank top - Found at Sears for $4 at the clearance rack, original price being $24

Shorts/bermudas - Found at Mervyns for about $10-15

Cushioned Flats - Sam's Club for $9-11

Bracelet - Her mom bought it at a shop in Mexico

Nail Polish - Unknown brand for $2 (Sarah describes it as a ruby red color.)

A Blast From the Past

This blog was posted and written by Noemi A. Gonzalez, freshman at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications -- ASU 


Remember the fierce red-head that helped initiate our blogging? If you're mind was directed to Sarah Munguia, our dearest friend, then you recall correctly. 


Because we've been patiently awaiting our next "featuree" to walk up the streets of Downtown Phx and/or GCC, I thought it would be nice to feature Sarah, because her style is truly attainable. It's simple and quite frankly, dainty. 


As I walked out to greet her downstairs from the dormitory, my first thought was that she faintly reminded me of Jennifer Lopez. However, her look wasn't as treacherous as a J-Lo looks on TV. 


Although something about her reminded me of J-Lo, Sarah stated that the song that kept playing in her head in relation to the outfit was "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head" by B.J. Thomas. 

Scarf - F21, $7

Sweater/Shirt - F21, ~$15

Pants - JCPenny, $12

Boots - World of Shoes, $30

Earrings - Wal-Mart, ~$5

Sunkist Skirt & Chocolate Cake

Excuse the hole on the closet door. Not sure how that got there. 

It's always awkward when I take photos of myself, but because I'm currently infatuated with this orange/grey skirt along with another skirt (Candies brand and is black & white with a neon yellow belt), I attempted what brings me to embarrassing giggles.

Of course, I can't go on without mentioning my adoring mom; thus, my mom and I love to rifle through the clearance racks just about anywhere. At Target, this was clearly the case after I decided to carry a dress priced at $30 with me until I found something that could soothe the pain of having to leave it behind. Sure thing, I found this perfect summery high-waist skirt that had the belt as an accessory. My next move: Ran back to where I found the dress I thought I loved (I still have these moments when I have an urge to drive to Target and SPLURGE!) and took the orange skirt that my mother persuaded me to buy.

And we all lived happily ever after... until my mom took a trip with my dad and sister to Calif., and I had to stay behind.

Now that we're on the subject of great deals: Today, Sarah, Gabee and I took a trip to Red Lobster (my first time there). I was under the impression the place would reek of fish, and I'm a vegetarian, so this wasn't going down well with me, but Sarah had me sold when she described to us a chocolate cake dessert that is close to perfection. Seriously. We took our first bites and had to stare at the cake to make sure it wouldn't disappear. I suggest you take a trip to your nearest Red Lobster and grab some dessert that embodies perfection.

Mermaid in Polk-a-dots

One of the first things Sarah told me when we were about to go downstairs from my dorm room to meet Melissa Fitrro was that she was tall, thin and looked like a mermaid.

I thought, “Alright, mermaids are cool, as far as folk tales tell me.”

As soon as we stepped out into the warm, yet windy day in downtown Phoenix, fiery red-orange hair and a black and white polk-a-dot skirt caught my attention.

She looks like a mermaid. That was my thought.

Beautiful Melissa Fittro came outside of Starbucks, and as we made our way to find random spots that would make for great settings, I couldn't help think how her resemblance to what I think mermaids look like was perfectly complemented by her style because it was so thoroughly dangerous! 

Her suave and cool personality also just added to her fierce vogue that belonged in an issue of NYLON Mag. 

Her style is raw and simple.

The girl with bold style who makes everyone look her way with her natural and humble nature answered a few questions for us, Chatoyant Diary, via Facebook. Read more to get a look into her wardrobe and how you can go about emulating it.

Where do you shop?

Forever 21, H&M, Nordstrom Rack, and Sunset Exchange. I get most of my designer clothes for cheap from Sunset Exchange. It’s on University Drive in Tempe next to Oreganos. 

Do you consider yourself a savvy shopper? Why?

Yes, not all the time, but most of the time, I do. I tend to only buy 1 or 2 things at a time and usually only if I find things for cheap. I’m a pretty cheap person, hahaha!

What is your typical budget for when you go shopping?

It depends on what I’m shopping for… I usually won’t buy a shirt that’s more than $30. And I mostly buy shirts. I only have a couple pairs of jeans and a couple pairs of shorts. My shorts and jeans, also, mostly come from Forever21, as well. 

Where did you get each piece that makes up your attire (ex., shirt, skirt shoes)? And what was the pricing for each? Which item was your biggest bargain? Why?

I was wearing a skirt from Forever21 ($17ish, I think), a shirt from Nordstrom (My boyfriend bought it for me, but it was like $35, I think.) And my flats were from H&M ($12). I would say the flats were my biggest bargain because they’re super comfy and were only $12!

What about your makeup (brands, colors, etc.)?

The foundation I wear is Maybelline; I use a liquid foundation, and then, a little bit of a powder foundation. The blush I wear is by E.L.F. from Target. E.L.F. make up is all like $3 or less, and it’s super good. That’s the type of eyeliner I wear too, if I’m wearing any. This day I was wearing London whatever it’s called. I don’t have a specific type I go by, just whatever is on sale. 

Who inspires your style? Who do you look up to because of their style? Or, how do you go about pairing up your clothes to create an outfit?

I really love Whitney Port, the most. I’ve been told I look like her like when my hair is pulled back. I also really love Mary-Kate and Ashley, but more Ashley because she’s clean and sophisticated looking. I like Mary-Kate more for winter style, with the big sweaters and scarves and type of thing. 

When pairing my clothes, I guess I just kinda’ go with what I feel like for that day. I usually try to mix and match a lot to try and not repeat outfits. 

Define your style in 3 words:

Matchy, sophisticated, hippy. 

What school do you attend? What's your major? What are your future aspirations?

ASU—Walter Cronkite School; I’m an online media major, and I want to work as a social media person who works on websites or blogs.

A Night Out With The Cats

We cats have been at this for a little over a year and we've finally reached our 100th post! This is both a celebratory and huge thank you post! (So many exclamation marks; please pardon my excitement!)

We thought we'd take you all along on our Friday night in this special post-- okay, this was not planned, but what the heck:

One thing our group of friends is particularly fond of is Red Lobster's delicious dessert, so we hang out there sometimes.

As always, the food was great, except they were out of their chocolate filled cookie, and I, Gabee, had way too much coffee.

Typically, we'd finish off the night with a movie but opted for a late night hangout session outdoors instead. It was cold, but Noemi lent us all jackets (more below), and ran into an old friend and had an impromptu shoot that will be posted soon! Overall, it was a wonderful night as it always is with good friends.

Once again, thank you so much for reading!

More on our individual outfits below

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In all honesty, I had one of the worst weeks I've had in a while, so I aimed to have a super fun and good Friday. My morning unfortunately sucked.

You can only imagine how much I was looking forward to seeing my friends and pigging out that night.

In another attempt to cheer myself up, I thought I'd dress up for the occasion and pulled out this top I've been dying to wear for weeks and the only pair of heels I own.  I'm not sure what I like more about this blouse: the mustard color or the sparkly Peter Pan collar. I also think that the combination makes it look super classy and high end, but not ladies & gents, I got this at my favorite Ross location (off the 101 and Northern for those of you in the valley). I wanted to pair it with my black pants but my sister had worn them the day before, so I borrowed black jeans from her which work fine as well.

I've told you guys how I'm not a super fan of shoes but how once in a while I'll come across a pair I fall in love with. Well, these are one of the few shoes I have ever fallen in love with and practically begged for them a Christmas or two ago. And I just realized I also found them at the same Ross. 

Later when we decided to continue the night out, I also borrowed more comfortable shoes (and socks!) from Noemi. Yes, I own the same pair. 

She also grabbed a chunky cardigan that I almost feel like completely transformed my look. That girl should be a stylist. And those pink socks just made me so happy. 

Oh! And of course, I'm wearing my Raspberry Pie Revlon Lip Butter, which also looks great on Noemi. 

Top: Ross $14.99

Jeans: Sister's

Black shoes: Ross (Madden Girl) Gift

Cardigan: Noemi's

Shoes: Cathy's $15

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Oops, we did it again: Gabee and I, inadvertently and more subtly, dressed alike. It's happened so many times, that we've provided enough evidence to make fact of the the saying that great minds think alike (totally just complimented ourselves). 

While she sported a fabulous sequined Peter Pan collar sewed onto the most beautiful mustard yellow shirt, I threw on what I've named my Peter Pan jacket -- a favorite of mine. As I mentioned last winter, this jacket is an Ellie Tahari and is a precious hand-me-down. My outfit originally consisted of the buttoned up collard shirt I'm wearing - it's a more girly and stylish cadet type of a shirt -- with a belt around my waist along with the skinny jeans and my Target boots, but with a knitted cardigan that just has a country feel to it. However, once I got reunited with my pals and Gabee at Red Lobster, I was beyond exhausted and just wanted my dessert and to fling my belt across the restaurant! It's been a busy week for me with late nights at school staring at a computer screen.

But I digress. After dessert, we went to a quiet nice area to chat it up, so before we did so the girls asked me for a jacket...and it was then that I decided that I would be a great stylist. Just kidding! Although that would be sweet. I took like 20 minutes with the girls and Juan sitting outside in the truck deciding which jacket would complement their outfits. I almost chose a long knitted cardigan for Sarah and a pleather jacket for Gabee, but decided to give Sarah the pleather to contrast her hunter green sleeveless button up and lend Gabee my Volcom tightly knitted soft lavender blue(?) to contrast the yellow and offset the dark blue of the oxfords. And of course, socks are just fun. I love socks, so I grabbed one of wild pairs that had no stylish nature to them and decided that with socks, you just don't meddle. They're perfect just the way they are. 

My hair is the product of having had it in a messy bun all day after a long day of shooting and editing video footage for the school's magazine.

Um, and my lipstick that is NOT lipstick but is butter for the lips made a great contrast with the dark nature of my blazer.

I hope you've enjoyed our celebratory post! 

*Pump fist in the air! 

Priceless

Photo on top: Picture of my favorite setting from last night. It's never ending, which is quite beautiful. Photo on bottom: Sarah being silly!

May Favorites

I was inspired by some of my favorite YouTuber's to do a favorites post. This means that at the end of each month, or start of a new one, I'll be posting my favorite buys or things I've rediscovered.
I think I will try to keep the items fashion oriented,but I might throw in some cosmetic/beauty products from time to time.
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My first and only clothing purchase this month is lace top from Burlington Coat Factory for $3.98.
Although I think it's meant to be a shirt, it's actually really large so I didn't buy it for that purpose. I haven't worn it yet, but I plan on wearing as a dress over a plain dress-- or a shirt, of course.
I found it while browsing the clearance rack after awkwardly running away from the crowded shoe section and the baby section, and I got plenty of looks as I walked around with it. May not seem like much, but I see great potential.

The next two were gifts from Lynda and Sarah, respectively.

I've talked about this nail polish, Wet N Wild's Wild Shine in Sparked,  before here, and I absolutely love it! I've worn it all my nails on top of a nude base, as an accent nail on a minty blue base, and on a couple nails as an accent on a neon pink base. It has also been on my toes for weeks. It sells for less than a dollar and is pretty longlasting.

This one was a belated birthday gift. I have also been wearing this one pretty often. I like that it's big but not bulky, and the leaves are just a perfect staple for the summer. I especially like wearing it with collared shirts. *These pictures were taken with Instagram.