YOUR SHOPPING GUIDE

WATCH OUT! It’s time for the spring sales to begin! Now is the time to plan your purchases so you don’t give in to wild temptation.
Don’t you believe for a second that we professionals are immune to this type of thing. I sometimes find myself heading toward the dressing room with twelve indiscriminate articles of clothing in tow – a couple of sale items, a couple of new items to update my wardrobe…you know.
The other day I was reading on MiImagen about different pieces that subscribers had purchased on sale. Some of them made out rather well, while others did not. I found these comments to be all very interesting. Thanks to everyone who posted! I guess the moral of the story is that the most successful way to shop is not to look for items that are 70% off, but rather to enter the store with your shopping guide in handJ. Today I’ll give you my best advice for making the most of your purchases this month, both on sale items and seasonal pieces.
WHAT IS THIS NEWSLETTER ABOUT?

YOUR SHOPPING GUIDE
I know I always say you need a plan, but it’s true – especially in the world of beauty and image. If you don’t have a plan, you could end up broke with a closet full of things you neither need nor will ever wear. (But we all give into temptation sometimes!)
What should your plan include? That’s easy. I always (OK, almost alwaysJ) ask myself these three questions when I’m shopping:
What do I need?
How much can I spend?
What style am I looking for?
So when you grab something and think of going to try it on, put it to the test by running over your questions in your mind… Do I need this piece of clothing?... Can I afford it?... Is it my style? Also keep in mind that if it doesn’t fit you very well or you don’t love it, don’t buy it!
A FASHION RULE OF THUMB
If you try something on and you don’t love how it fits…don’t buy it! The greatest secret to good style is to make sure that you love everything in your wardrobe, and everything is flattering and makes you feel fantastic.
- Go shopping with someone you trust
I almost always shop alone, but I love to go with my mother, because if something doesn’t fit well, she won’t let me buy it! She’s very honestJ.
Make your own book
If you follow this suggestion when shopping, it will be much easier to find the pieces you are looking for, because you’ll know where to start.
When you see outfits you like in fashion magazines, cut them out and analyze the pieces you like. Paste your clippings into a book and you will begin to create your own style and your own source of inspiration.
That way the next time you go shopping you can peek at your clippings and decide what it is that you need to buy…
If you still don’t have a good foundation for your wardrobe, work on that first. Once you have the basics, it will be much easier to combine seasonal pieces, accessories, etc….
When should you go shopping?
Another good trick for making the most of your shopping time is to choose when and where to go…you’ve probably noticed that there are a lot of malls with the same stores as all of the others, yet they have a lot less people. I don’t know about you, but I prefer to be alone in the store so I have the chance to look at everything. It’s also nice when you don’t have to wait in line for the dressing room, and you are more likely to find your size.
If there aren’t any of these “lesser visited” malls in your area, try going first thing in the morning – it will be a lot less crowded.
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