Cheap and Neon: Two of My Favorite Things

Aero Dot Cosmetic Bag

I've wanted Tepper Jackson's Chain Link Carry-All for quite some time.  I always have the Aero Dot Cosmetic Bag on me.  The bright pink is the perfect shade and it's so easy to clean, which is a big deal for me as I'm grateful for the popularity of acrylic tumblers so I don't have to carry a sippy cup .

Tepper Jackson's line is of good quality and design, I love the neon colors, and I'd use it for the gym and for traveling, but it's not like I need another bag right now (well, at least that's what my head says).  I feel $100 is a bit excessive for a coated canvas bag when I already have three gym bags within my line of vision at the moment.

Chain Link Carry-All

It all changed though, when I was looking on Amazon the other day and saw it on sale for $40 with free shipping.  Now that's a price I can get behind.

I wound up selecting the last available Carry-All in white since the pink stood out more, but there's still one in black on Amazon for around $40 which is eligible for their "Free Super Saver Shipping" the last time I checked.

Cosmetic Bag and Purse Available on Amazon:  Tepper Jackson Aero Dot Cosmetic Bag,White,one size and Tepper Jackson Chain Link Carry-All,Black,one size

La Portefeuille Magnifique

I found the most wonderful wallet.  I was browsing on etsy and fell in love with this beauty from zenokleather.  It's made of beautiful leather (reminiscent of the superb quality of Louis Vuitton's vachetta) and is gorgeously hand-stitched.  

I've been obsessing over the neon on untreated leather look and figured this would be a good basic to which I could add neon accents.  Upon arrival, I'm finding myself less inclined to mess with its aesthetics as they are currently so clean and lovely and will only improve with time and wear.

Any opinions on whether I should add a splash of color to it or should I leave as it and let time enhance its natural beauty?

Botkier Charlotte

Ah, for the love of purses.  I love neon; however, my other wardrobe staple is gray.  It pairs with most any of my neutrals and any of my neons.  Just as flattering as black; it avoids the gothic stereotypes.

I saw the Botkier Charlotte and loved the shade, the details, the hardware, and the shape.  I've been looking for a neutral bag to wear daily as my current collection is full of pinks or clutches.  The gray will go nicely with almost all of my clothes and the design is classic without being stuffy.

I tend to like larger bags, but as I'm petite, can't go too large.  This won't overwhelm me, but will carry everything I need.  It's currently going for $575, so I may wait for it to go on sale, but I think it's the perfect everyday bag for me.

Purse available on Amazon:  botkier Charlotte Satchel,Grey,one size

In a Quandary

I'm in a quandary.   Awhile back, I purchased a purse online.  Since it's a small shop, they advise, "All items are shipped within ten business days of your order, unless otherwise contacted."

I waited for the requisite two weeks and decided to contact them as I'd not received any communication.  They advised it would be at least another week before it would ship.

I decided to cancel the order as I'm one for instant gratification and receiving it a month from order was a bit too much, especially considering I'd not been notified of the delay.  They offered an unspecified "free ship" (for this order?  for the next?), but I'm disappointed and broke and requested the refund, which I saw appear on my statement that day.  I used a virtual card number, so I closed it out thinking all is well.

Fast forward a week and a half and I've received notification that I have a package from the shop.  I emailed them thinking they can log in to the shipping site and have the package redirected, but they advised that it should be delivered tomorrow and then I can send it back.  Once I received it, I opened the envelope to obtain a return label and found it was not sent with one. 

I've emailed them requesting a return label be sent to me, but the thing is, I still kind of, sort of want the clutch.  I understand that companies get busy and mistakes happen; however, I feel it is how you handle those situations that define you as a company and obtain lifelong customers.

So here are the options that I see:

1. I can do nothing and wait for them to send me a return label.  My money being returned is not a point of contingency, but I don't know when they'll send it to me and I'd prefer that if I return it, it's out of my hands sooner or later.
2. I can ship it, at my expense, back to them and request reimbursement.  It will take care of the sooner part, but I'm at risk of losing money for something for which I was not at fault.
3. The last option is I can open a new virtual card, have them charge it for the price of the clutch, and keep it.  While I would like to keep it, after all this, I'm not sure if it's worth rewarding a company for inconveniencing me.

What do you think I should do?

Also, as a side note, when deciding whether to cancel the order or not, I had flipped a coin, heads I'd keep the order, tails I'd cancel it.  It came up heads, but I still cancelled.  Is this fate's way of telling me I ought to keep the clutch?  Did I anger the coin flipping gods?  Is there really karmic retribution for me returning a purse in the face of a heads verdict?

Miu Miu Microbag IRL

Here are some quick shots that I took.  My apologies for the poor quality.

From the front:

See more pics after the break.

Miu Miu Microbag

It came, it came, it came!  It's so adorable and I love it.  I'll post pictures once I have more time.

Anticipation

Something about waiting for things I ordered to arrive makes me reminisce of days past.  It reminds me of when I was younger and I'd order something from the Delia's catalog.  I would check the mail daily to see if there was a package for me, tank tops and t-shirts for me to wear to school.

Nowadays, I'm not one for patience and prefer instant gratification. I would almost always go to the store and pick an item up over ordering online. 

Alas, I have no choice but to wait. I purchased one of the Miu Miu microbags from Mindy at the Las Vegas boutique and am currently left in anticipation of its arrival.  I want it so much that I was tempted to go out there for the weekend for some serious shopping.  

Instead, I'll remain here hoping for the delivery truck to arrive soon.