Shopping can put a serious dent in your wallet, I should know! So it’s always great to find cheap thrills - stuff that’s cute but very affordable. Here are a few of the cheap thrills I spotted in stores now, all under $25:

This might be the best deal of the summer. A two piece bikini at H&M for under $12. Just under $6 CAD a piece - and it’s at regular price! It’s a bandeau top with straps and a bikini bottom. I tried it on, but bandeaus don’t really work on those of us with smaller assets, but my friend did pick this up. Love colourful bikinis and the gold detail is hot!

Rompers are one of those items you might not want to invest in because you really don’t know how much wear you’ll get out of one. Urban Planet had this fun ruffle top short romper in tan and black with a braided tan belt for $20 CAD. A summer score!

Everyone is coming out with nail polishes, including Aldo. Bold and bright, I asked the salesgirl how they wore, she said they were pretty durable and chip resistant $5 CAD each.

Ankle wrapped sandals are pretty trendy to me, not something I’d invest lots in. Luckily you can experiment with the trend on the cheap! Urban Planet sandals $24.99 CAD. I really like the tan colour and small wedge heel.

Erica Lam, The Style Spy
erica@thestylespy.com

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Walked by the American Apparel on South Granville on Saturday and spotted this awesome window display - must be my love of neutrals. Always impressed how they manage to make basics look this good. The Cotton Ottoman Rib Jacket $74 CAD in cream is super cute - a light coat to wear on a breezy summer evening. Available in six colours - only pet peeve - the coat is pocketless and only available one size. It may overwhelm a smaller petite frame and be a bit too small for a larger frame. I’m absolutely obsessed with stripes right now, so I’m especially loving the Stripe Double U-Neck Tank Top $32 CAD - so easy to tuck into a skirt or pants or worn loose with some denim cuffed shorts. The Polyester High Waist Pleated Pant would look cute with the ankles rolled up. I think the black shorts are the Unisex Chambray Welt Pocket Short $54 CAD. Classic shorts to beat the summer heat. Time to go back to basics.

Erica Lam, The Style Spy
erica@thestylespy.com

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Summer sales are officially in full effect. Naturally, I high-tailed it over to Zara this past weekend to see what I could scoop up. I really couldn’t do the major change room line-up, so shoe sale shopping it was! Size 6 where are???

I tried on these cobalt blue peep-toe suede pumps $50 CAD when they were regular-priced - a bold addition to any outfit with a very walkable heel. The brown sandals $40 CAD look super versatile, something to pack with you on a weekend getaway.

I have a habit of trying and buying things that look-a-like. I’m guilty. So when I spotted these peep-toe booties $30 CAD in size 6, I quickly grabbed them to try them on. Sadly, the shoe isn’t true to size, I couldn’t get the back to zip up. And a rule of thumb, never buy anything that’s hard to get on cause you won’t want to wear it when you get it home. No size 7 in sight, but probably for the best cause I really don’t need another pair of black peep-toes.

This is what I ended up with. I know, it’s summer right now, but when you spot something you like, you gotta scoop it up. It’ll be perfect for fall and well, I found a size 6, so it was meant to be. Boots $70 CAD.

Erica Lam, The Style Spy
erica@thestylespy.com

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Every girl needs a really good eye makeup remover, especially for those of us who wear eyeliner and/or mascara on a daily basis. My go-to product is Clean & Clear’s Soothing Eye Makeup Remover. It’s oil-free and infused with cucumber extracts and aloe vera to soothe the delicate eye area while dissolving long-wearing eye makeup. It’s gentle yet effective and I know this because I wear some pretty hardcore waterproof liquid eyeliner. I find that this particular eye makeup remover is very similar to Neutrogena’s Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover, but at a fraction of the cost. The Neutrogena 3.8 fl. oz. bottle usually retails for around $8-9 CAD while the Clean & Clear 5.5 oz. sells for around $6-7 CAD. Therefore, you get more product and more value for your money!

Nicole Soon, The Style Spy
nicole@thestylespy.com

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