Dorothy Perkins has popped up a time or two on plus size blogs but it wasn't until I saw it on Sydney's Fashion Diary that I decided to take a more extensive look at the site. It's not quite as awesome shipping wise as ASOS (they're both a UK brand but ASOS has free shipping on everything) but the prices aren't exorbitant and all in all I'd have to call their selection nicely diverse. I am really (really) not in a place where I should add another piece of anything to my closet (except possibly a peplum skirt) but here are a few pieces that caught my eye....



*Dorothy Perkins has free shipping on any $75 purchase (not sure about returns though)

Thanks for letting me play with your face Natasha - I had a blast.

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on a mani/pedi. Which I haven't had in FOREVER and have almost not regrets about (the only slight regret I have is due to me being OCD about nails I pay to have other people do - I don't like asking for a redo, so I just exist a little upset with every f*ckup).

2. Today I am thankful for attending an unbelievably fantastic wedding this past weekend in NC. Two of my favorite people got hitched and I know I get to party with them and more cool kids in a few months.

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was spend some time at my complex's pool. I'm not really  great at relaxing in the heat for more than hour but it was still glorious.

4. I will consider this week a success if I do what I mean and clean my room/apartment (& wash my hair because let's be real - it needs it).

5. My favorite part of the day is mid-morning (on the weekends). By this point I'm usually awake, have had coffee and some kind food, and start contemplating what makeup I want to wear that day.

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Weekly Money Check-Up is a weekly series on My Pretty Pennies.

Thanks to Nouveau Cheap I was able to break my May fast with some super cheap makeup goodies from CVS's clearance sale. If you're not following her on Twitter or at least checking out her blog you're definitely missing out! And if any of these products are still available in your area I recommend checking them out for yourself - I've been happy with everything I've purchased.




Click below for Eyes and Face!

I love me some brights! I was inspired after watching a MakeupGeek video. I wish my orange was a bit more POW! but I'll try for better next time.

Wow, I am just full of posts this week huh? Well this one I lay at the feet of Nouveau Cheap, who is kind enough to keep n00bs like me informed when cool free stuff is up for grabs :). The Target Summer Beauty Bag was something you signed up for via their Facebook Page and so far, if this the kind of stuff they like to send out, I'm going to keep my eyes open for the next one. Now on to the pictures!


Not bad right?! I'm probably most excited about the sunblock because that stuff is expensivo and if I can try a trusted brand like Neutrogena without hurting my pocket, I am not going to complain. Next favorite would have to be the lip butter sample because so far I have resisted being a lemming and thus have no idea what these look like on me. I tend to prefer lipsticks with a bit more POW! factor so...we'll see. You never know.

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on a credit card payment. Sad but true, but at least now I can say I'm actively looking into getting a personal loan to consolidate things and get them out of my life!

2. Today I am thankful for my neon jeans. I'm super tired and feeling all allergy-y so I can't say I'm particularly thankful for that, but my neon jeans I like.

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was visit two museums - one in Dupont and one in Georgetown. I can't say I'd ever pay for them but for a free trip I can't complain.

4. I will consider this week a success if I survive it? Lol, I've got a wedding to attend next weekend and I'm defintiely not prepared outfit wise. I don't want to spend a lot of money but there are very specific things I want....we're gonna see how that goes.

5. I am currently reading The Shadowing by Joan Overfield. I picked it up for $.50 at the Gaithersburg Book Festival because of its ridiculous cover. So far so good, it's actually turning out to be better than I expected.

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Weekly Money Check-Up is a weekly series on My Pretty Pennies.

Sorry that the phone pics are so blurry :-/. I stopped by Anthropolgie's 'sale' this weekend and I wanted to share some of the pieces I tried on. Hope this helps and happy shopping!

1) Things I thought while watching Snow White & the Huntsman
    - Why is their Christian theology in this movie? What? What? WHY? How does it make any sense especially when you're turning Kristen Stewart into Jesus?!
    - Why does Kristen Stewart only make that one face?
    - Charlize has got the best makeup in this movie (and the best wardrobe)
    - I'm not sure if I'd actually take the time to watch Thor but I'd have to say Hemsworth doesn't suck so much here
     - Battle scenes: A-/B+, everything else: C-
     - "Iron will melt but it writhes inside!". What. The. Fuck. Kristen Stewart did you really think that made any sense? Perhaps switching your inflection or at least pretending to know what the hell you were saying might have helped?
    - Did these writers just refuse to watch Lord of the Rings? Aragorn had the best 'let's go fight and probably die' speech ever and this ridiculousness didn't even come close :-/
    -Maybe Charlize took all the good lines from the 'possible lines' grab bag? I'd believe it since she is the most consistently badass throughout this whole movie.
    -Why is Snow White holding a branch? And wearing the worst dress known to man? Can a Queen do nothing about her sleeves?

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1b) I like this Snow White review by The Mary Sue if you're interested in learning more about the movie (THANK YOU to the reviewer regarding that Princess Mononoke bit - it took almost every fiber of my being not to stand up and yell at the screen).

2) Battle of the K-Pop Bands! In singles released this past week or so (Wonder Girls and 2NE1) I'd have to say WG takes it. "Like This" is just so eminently groove-able and a lot of fun to watch.



3) Nerd Quirks. Why did no one tell me of this nirvana before?! I've been robbed of hours of time that  could have been wasted!

I thought everyone did this?

So yeah. I'm a bit of a geek (BIG SURPRISE) and to cement my place in the world of geekdom I bought tickets to the Star Trek TNG 25th Anniversary Event happening on July 23rd. I'm super excited about it but I have a dilemma

WHAT TO WEAR?!

I could go with something like this from Ebay, I did have intentions to cosplay as Uhura at some point, but the stickler in me can't get over the fact that Uhura is from the original Star Trek and not TNG.

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This one's getting a 50% on the satisfaction scale. Blaah city I tell you.

The question of 'worth' is interesting to me. I like to shop. As a hobby it is an activity that I enjoy taking part in, because not only do I like finding new pieces that make me feel pretty, I like knowing that I've found a bargain. But bargain, just like worth, is incredibly subjective.

During the month of May I didn't buy any new clothes. But do I feel like I saved any money? If I really think about that question my answer would probably have to be 'ehh' because even though I may not have spent it on clothes I don't think I worked to put that money into anything else either. Not buying new clothes did more for my mental sanity, as I was growing increasingly frustrated with the size of my closet, than my budget. And I probably spent a good half of the month annoyed that I wasn't allowing myself to shop at all.

It's not as if I don't understand debt or interest or all of those other annoying little words that lay out in black and white the state of one's finances. I guess somewhere in the back of my mind it's almost inconsequential since the debt itself doesn't feel real to me. I chose to pay off family debt in my name because the option of fighting with them to resolve it was worse. I picked my mental health over fiscal responsibility and while I'm sure there are people out there grinding their teeth, I'd have to say that given the same circumstances I wouldn't make a difference choice.

What does all this mean? Not a lot. I'm returning some stuff to J.Crew because even though I like it, I don't think I like it enough. Or at least I don't think I'd wear it enough to make even a good investment piece worth it to me. But do I regret the capris or the skirt that I'm going to keep? No, because they're new interesting pieces that I'll get a lot of wear out of that I really like. Do I regret the skirt I picked up at LOFT this weekend or the hot pink trench coat from Marshall's? No again, for the same reasons. I want to feel confident that I'm making smart thoughtful choices for my wardrobe and the style I think I want to project. I can't predict if I'll love everything with the same enthusiasm next year as I do right now but I don't want to live in a state of regret that I didn't get it because oh 'that money could have gone somewhere better'. My happiness is a pretty damn big 'better' to me and I like it that way.

Though this roundabout conversation with myself has inspired me to take the money I'm going to get back from J.Crew and split it between my savings and my credit card.



1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on clothing. Or possibly the ticket I bought today to Hong Kong!

2. Today I am thankful for my stomach not hurting. Boy do I take that for granted.

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was go to yoga. I almost died but I did it!

4. I will consider this week a success if I get Star Trek TNG tickets!

5. One craft I’d like to master is cooking. Does that count? I'm trying to introduce new recipes and combinations into my repertoire. It's kind of working if I do say so myself.

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Weekly Money Check-Up is a weekly series on My Pretty Pennies.