when in Europe…

the Europe trip actually kind of snuck up on me. i mean i knew about it… but there was so much going on at the time that i didn’t really look/research what to purchase to bring back to the states. my dad would call this PP = poor planning. normally i would plan these sort of purchases, because a designer bag isn’t cheap. you’d typically want to do your research, watch 1,002 YouTube video or blog reviews, or at least have a couple you’ve narrowed it down to. it’s been A LONG time since i’ve treated myself to a designer bag. definitely before the home-owning days! haha. but you know, like my brother says, “it’s just money.” haha and when you’re on vacation, #yolo (please tell me people still say this)

designer bags aside, Europe is a great place to purchase luxury goods, especially ones that are made over there, and most designer brands are! from leather goods, perfume, and beauty products. think about the distance these items have to travel to get the USA, people involved, and the import taxes. we all know that every little bit adds up! AND there’s something called VAT (value-added tax) that we’ll go over. it was also a really good time because the conversion rate from USD to Euro was almost equal. in this post i’m going to explain using my own examples that i purchased so you can see what kind of cost savings you’re looking at! more after the jump!

#BLACKFRIDAY2022 sales:

BIOSSANCE (30% off, with a 10-piece GWP with orders over $75) — one of my favorite skincare lines with an affordable price tag. i re-stocked on my staples: phyto-retinol serum, probiotic gel moisturizer, copper peptide rapid plumping serum, here’s a pretty good set with the lactic acid (not as scary as it sounds) which i also use 😁
Express (50% off for insiders, easy to sign up!) — anythinggg from the ultra soft line, particularly, i love this set: mock neck sweater tank, skirt, and duster. also really like this classic turtleneck sweater dress & one shoulder sweater
Mejuri (20% off) — waited a whole year to purchase the pave diamond pearl huggies! i also highly recommend the bold charlotte hoops or huggies, and the dome croissant huggies
Ann Taylor (50% off one full-price item with code: SHINE or 40% off your purchase with code: BRIGHT) — love the gold items such as this plisse texture wrap dress and of course a pleated skirt
Abercrombie & Fitch (30% off) — great time to try some faux leather straight pants or some wide leg tailored pants or their tiktok famous straight leg jeans (size up on all high rise pants!)
J.Crew Factory (up to 60% off everything) — this tartan top with the black bow is gorgeous, really like their headbands too: boucle, gold pleated, twill. top it off with these sparkly statement earrings or these green velvet bow heels!

side ramblings: i can barely believe it’s Thanksgiving week!! ACK! i usually get pretty reflective this time of year and wow, 2022 was such a great one to look back on. i plan on closing out the year with a couple of collaborations i’m super excited to share. one’s with J.Crew (yep, you read that right!)

currently on my playlist: lavender haze by Taylor Swift

bag | Loewe puzzle bag in sand grained calfskin (size small) — same from Nordstrom // also comes in a REALLY adorable mini size i also debated too!
wallet | Celine small wallet triomphe in shiny calfskin black leather
sunglasses | Celine S002 oversized sunglasses in acetate milky hazelnut
perfume | Maison Francis Kurkdjian baccarat rouge 540 extrait de parfum — regular eau de parfum

bag //

if there’s anything you bring home from Europe, it’s a designer handbag. from the experience of picking it out to the other memories made while on vacation makes the bag a more sentimental piece each time you wear it. most of my bags i purchased correlate with a milestone of something that happened in my life. my favorite designer brand is Celine, gosh i love almost all their bags. the quality, craftsmanship, and the designs are always timeless. but i wanted something… different. i actually didn’t know much about Loewe, but in a quick search i liked the unique designs and the fact that not many people wear or have it (at least that i’ve noticed).

i was looking for a multipurpose bag, one that you can wear a couple of different ways and originally, i was eyeing more of the Loewe small hammock leather hobo bag, but the fact that there’s really not much holding the bag together… i figured i wouldn’t wear it as much. but then i started looking at the puzzle bag and without too much thought (unusual for me), i purchased it in the small size! the mini is SO CUTE but i needed it just a smidge larger. this bag can be worn as a crossbody and the strap can be removed to wear as a top handle. she’s a beauty, the leather is such high quality and i read that one puzzle bag is handcrafted-stitched, and takes a whole day to make. hence the price tag. #merp.

the good news was the exchange rate at that time was a little less than 1 but we’ll use 1.00 for ease. and there’s something called VAT (value added tax), as a tourist you get this money back (about 12%) but you must pay for it upfront and ask the associate for the paperwork, file it at at Global Blue (best to do this after you’ve made the purchase as there are always offices near these shopping locations), and remember to SCAN it at the airport before you depart. sometimes they will randomly want to see what you purchased, so make sure to give yourself enough time, and don’t give too much reliance on the VAT refund because things can go awry sometimes, esp when it comes to submitted paperwork. i also believe Global Blue takes a small cut but honestly i cannot remember since i was happy for the cost savings!

USA = $3,150 USD
Europe = 2.250 euros x 1.00 conversion rate = $2,250 x .88 VAT = $1,980 USD [$1,170 USD savings]

wallet & sunglasses //

well… i couldn’t get away without purchasing ANY Celine. so i went home with a wallet and a pair of sunglasses. they also make my favorite sunglasses! i have A LOT of sunglasses but i only reach for my Celines! they just fit well and are chic without being over the top. i also picked out the triomphe wallet (newer design series to Celine) since it was semi-compact and has a little coin pouch, not that i carry coins, but that compartment will come in handy for something! i’m not much of a logo person but the triomphe logo is so classy and timeless.

wallet:

USA = $650 USD
Europe = 500 euros x 1.00 conversion rate = $500 USD x 0.88 VAT = $440 USD [$210 USD savings]

sunglasses:

USA = $440 USD
Europe = 340 euros x 1.00 conversion rate = $340 USD x 0.88 VAT = $299 USD [$141 USD savings]

perfume //

or should i call it parfum now!?! when i discovered Baccarat, it was actually a friend who was wearing it and i was like what is that perfume, it’s so unique?! she told me what it was, i went home and googled it and and my jaw dropped. it smelled luxurious, well guess what? so was the price tag. never did i think i’d spend so much money on perfume. but here i am. it’s my #1 go-to. while i have the regular eau de parfum, i decided to purchase the extrait de parfum this time while in Paris. with that let’s go into a perfume 101 of what these terms mean & here’s a good infographic/post!:

eau de parfum vs. extrait de parfum — eau de parfum has a lower concentration of 15-20% oils and made to last about 6-8 hours. extrait de parfum is the most expensive and saturated form of fragrance with 20-30% concentration of oils and made to last day and into the evening/night. the higher concentration of oils is makes it easier to “adhere” to your skin longer. most of perfumes out there are eau de toilette which is 5-15% oil concentration.

the extrait de parfum of Baccarat is in a red bottle so it’s super luxe on the vanity. but i always store mine in the box since light damages perfume, or so i read somewhere. it was a hefty price tag and in hindsight i should’ve purchased the 2.4 oz for more cost savings but i already had a 2.4 oz eau de parfum at home that i was frugally using (not anymore!!).