STYLE || Shopping Tips & Tricks.

If you're a regular reader of LydiaLulu then you might have already gathered what I'm about to say but I'm going to say it anyway. Hands up here - as a lover of all things fashion, beauty, and pretty stationery related, I am also a total and utter shopaholic. For someone as money-conscious as I am (#studenylyfe), it's actually kind of ridiculous. But I when I really want something, it becomes my mission to own it - you know when you find the most perfect snuggly yet oh-so-stylish jumper and you picture how happy it will make you and how you'll wear it with everything and you'll live happily ever after. Yep, I'm guilty of that shopping habit big time. But working in WHISTLES and my recent trip to New York has taught me a lot about the best ways to shop. Here are a self-confessed shopaholic's tips and tricks.

1. Know What Works For You.

I've spend enough time in shops and/or trying on clothes in the past twenty years to know what suits me and what doesn't. But sometimes, I can't even tell you what happens - I pick something up that I know won't look good on me and buy it because it's pretty. Zero logic.
Take last week for instance, I did some panic holiday shopping, went into Brandy Melville on my lunch break, picked up a skater dress without trying it on and didn't wear it once in New York because it made me feel like I was wearing a sack. It's a lovely dress - a very simple breton skater style - but I like wearing structured dresses to give me a bit more shape. And I knew that when I bought it. So this is a tip I clearly need to start enforcing! Button-down A-Line skirts are my current obsession and I can justify owning three because they suit me.

2. Wait and Think.

If I had a penny for every time I said this is to a customer ha. Although this may not be the best selling technique, it's something I implement if I'm ever unsure of a purchase. Walk out the store, get some headspace, and see how you feel. Are you relieved that you didn't buy that overpriced jumper? Or did leaving it behind make you want it even more? There's your answer.

3. Snap Sale Up.

Don't wait for further reductions - just buy it before it disappears. Trust me, Sale time is mad for stores and the average sizes are always the first to go. Fact.
And a side note, don't pester Sales Assistants to try and track it down for you - chances are that the item is like gold-dust in the mania that is the Sale season.

4. Will It Go With Items You Already Own?

Always a good question to ask yourself before indulging. Is this piece of clothing going to slot seamlessly into your wardrobe? Can you see yourself styling it a number of ways?
The same goes for make-up - because buying an electric blue liquid eyeliner when you're notorious for only wearing peach-based products probably isn't going to end well and it'll end up sitting on your dressing room table forevermore. Save your money and invest in things you know you'll wear and love.

5. Don't Follow Trends Religiously

Make the trends work for you. As much as I love it, fashion is such a fickle industry. And even if you do buy into ever 'Stylist's Edit' that's out there, you're probably won't even be that well dressed - have you see some of the pieces they put in these features? Yikes.
Inject your own personality into your wardrobe - clothes are a reflection of you, after all - and don't stress too much about being deeemed 'Stylish' at all times. Have fun with your clothes and invest your hard-earned money on an item you'll own wear for one season.

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