Pocketful of Joules

This post could also be called “Researching the BeJezzus Out of my Thrift Finds”

It starts like this; I find something awesome at the thrift store.

I can tell that it’s awesome because of how it feels (or fits), but I’m not necessarily familiar with the brand. So, I do a quick google search while standing there in the aisle.

This just gives me a ‘heads up’ on whether it’s a fancy brand or something cheap that I shouldn’t pay a bunch for secondhand. {I’m not saying I’d never buy a less expensive brand, but if an item was originally $10, I’m not going to pay close to that to purchase it at a thrift store.}

In this case, I found a leather hobo handbag with the logo/name “Andrew Marc”. In a sea of plastic-y pleather and rigid cheap leather purses, by the first touch I knew this bag was something special.

Then, I did something that you typically NEVER want to do in a thrift store…
I held it up to my nose and took a big sniff.
I know, kinda scary.

But I was rewarded for my bravery… the bag smells like expensive leather. Like REALLY expensive leather. The kind I love from afar, but can’t actually afford.

So, I googled a little more to make sure I wasn’t wasting my money. The bag was marked “up” at $29.99… so I wanted to make sure I was paying up for a reason!

And that is when I fell down the rabbit-hole of internet stalking.
I just wanted to know MORE!
I like having more information about stuff!

According to Wikipedia: Andrew Marc is an American luxury fashion brand that originated as a leather goods label established in 1982.

Here’s where it gets tricky, every time I would click on a handbag from Andrew Marc, the logo on the bag would say “Marc New York by Andrew Marc” and not just his name with the “AM” logo. So, I dug and dug and dug a little deeper and it seems that anything marked with the AM Andrew Marc logo is much more expensive (especially the leather jackets), which leads me to believe that Marc New York by Andrew Marc is a diffusion line.

So, I put on my detective hat (I don’t actually have a detective hat, but if I had one, I’d totally rock it. Probably with a dress…) and fondled the purse again.

The leather is super incredibly buttery soft.
The chain is heavy and the clasps are in great condition.
There are no signs of wear on the inside or outside of the purse.
Each zipper pull is heavy-duty and has the Andrew Marc name on them.

These are all good signs that the bag could be worth paying up a little bit.

Then, I found this:

So, the brand is known for their superior leather and luxury products… that’s another good sign.

After a ton of searching, I found some other Andrew Marc bags with the proper logo, for sale on a few sites like Tradesy and eBay. All of them list the ‘retail prices’ of the bags between $450 – 650. Which sounds pretty awesome, but can I really trust random sellers to be honest? As much as I search, I can’t find any current Andrew Marc handbags on the big store websites, like Nordstrom, Saks, or Bloomingdales. Even the ones on the Andrew Marc website are all branded with “Marc New York”

Then, I turned my stalking up on high and looked through the Andrew Marc Instagram account. After scrolling and scrolling, I finally found an Andrew Marc branded handbag posted in February 2014.

Finally, I used the chat feature on the Andrew Marc website to try and get to the bottom of things.

Of course, after the chat I checked both Macy’s and Nordstrom’s again… only to find NO Andrew Marc bags with the proper logo.

So, I’m stumped!

The bag is gorgeous and great quality, so I’m happy to own it. I just wish I knew a bit more about it! Are you familiar with the Andrew Marc brand? Have I gone off the deep-end of my internet stalking?

I posted a silly photo on my Instagram stories recently and called it Mask Mondays… and then I realized I haven’t really posted much about my favorite face masks at all. I think it’s probably been around 6 – 8 months since I’ve started setting a reminder on my phone to do a mask each Monday, and I can really see the difference in my skin!

I have a few favorite masks… which vary by what time of year it is. For winter months, I tend to go with a more moisturizing mask and in the summer I pick one that is more exfoliating.

Let’s get on with it and check out my favorites!

Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask
Find it here
Cost: $62 for 1 ounce
When I use it: Year-round

Source: Nordstrom.com

I received a .25 oz jar of this from somewhere – maybe from Birchbox when I was getting that subscription? I found it a few months ago in my beauty crap drawer and I’ve been using it constantly once a week for a few months now.

This is my absolute favorite mask. You spread on a super thin layer and let it sit for about 20 minutes. It claims that it “delivers instant glow, helps minimize the appearance of pores and is formulated to purify and remove surface debris and dead skin for a refreshed, instantly revitalized appearance.”

It totally lives up to the hype! My skin immediately looks more even and glowy and when I use it before going out I’ve actually gotten unprovoked compliments on my skin.

I’m at the point where my jar is almost empty and I still wipe at the sides trying to get at any leftover trace of the mask. I need to buy it again, but $62 for 1 oz jar hurts a little bit. My teeny jar has lasted quite a while though, so I need to just bite the bullet and make the purchase.

GlamGlow YouthMud Tinglexfoliate Treatment
 Find it here
Cost $25 for 0.5 oz or $59 for 1.7 oz
When I use it: Summer

Source: Sephora.com

I bought this mask for a steal when FabFitFun was doing one of their annual sales. When I use it, the mask literally looks like I ground up some salad and stuck it on my face — complete with random leaves. It is really tingly though, which is awfully cool. It is supposed to “moisturize, exfoliate and lift away impurities without disturbing skin’s essential oils.”

I like this mask for summer time, because I feel like it sucks up any gross humidity/oil yuck that my face does after being outside in August. After I leave this one for about 10 minutes, I wet it a bit and smush it around a little to get in on some exfoliating action.

This one makes my face as smooth as a baby’s bottom and I like to follow it up with my Anti-Aging Power Serum (my recent post about aging skin).

Karuna Hydrating+ Face Mask
Find it here
Cost: 4 for $28
When I use it: Winter

Source: Sephora.com

I was first introduced to Karuna face masks when I got a pack in a FabFitFun box and I totally fell in love with them. I’ve tried a few different varieties and the Hydrating + Face mask is my favorite. Next time you’re at a TJ Maxx or Marshalls, be sure to check the beauty area because I’ve totally snapped up some 4-packs for $10 – 12.

These are sheet masks, so each mask is for one use. According to them, “in a clinical test it results in 40% increased hydration.” I don’t know if my hydration is increased by 40%, but it is noticeably better!

Do you participate in Mask Mondays? What is your favorite face mask?

Disclaimer: This post contains ShopStyle affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Remember earlier this week when I asked you to vote on which dresses I should purge from my closet (you can find it here) if you skipped that one?

Here were the three dresses you all voted on:

And here are the voting results:

So, it looks like Dress A is outta here! I just listed it for sale in a few different places using the original photo from the Anthropologie website, as well as a few in-person photos of my dress:

Source: Anthropologie.com

Thanks everyone for your feedback! I like this little exercise, so I may be doing it again soon…

I tend to have a bit of a rotating closet. I’ll find something for a steal, wear it a bit and decide to release it back into the wild. Or sometimes, I’ll find something and keep it forever and ever… but that’s less likely.

On days that I go into an office for work, I like to do an Outfit of the Day photo (aka #00td) and share it on Instagram. It’s a nice way to keep track of what makes me feel great, and what doesn’t quite work out for me.

Every so often, I go through my folder of previous outfits and inevitably HATE an outfit in hindsight. It’s funny how that works. Of course, I don’t automatically throw the offending garment from my closet and light it on fire. However, I do kind of frown and snark at it when I see it in passing. And probably won’t wear it again for quite a while. {And then I sell it}

So I decided to go through some of my so-so outfits and let you vote. I’m not going to go into any narrative about each contender – because it really doesn’t matter if I spent a lot or a little on a piece if it doesn’t look very good on me.

You can pick more than one if you’d like… or all of them, if you think I should purge them all!

The Survey is CLOSED. Check out the results here: Results of the Dress Purge Voting!

Feel free to leave any additional comments below!