Unless you’re totally new to our blog, you know that Olivia loves designer jewelry.

She obsesses over it. She dreams about it. She blogs about it every day and thinks about it whenever she’s not actually typing furiously away.

Unfortunately, Olivia rarely buys designer jewelry.

Alas, she simply can’t afford it on her meager salary (no offense, boss — I love my job!). No, she must dream of Cartier, but shop at Claire’s.

But Olivia’s friend Donna the Sales Hound came through yet again with a fabulous website that provides an economical alternative to paying full price.

At Juxzy Shop, members can purchase designer fashion at discounted prices. And here’s a new twist: you can buy and sell items from other members, too!

Stores like Buffalo Exchange where you can sell your old clothes and also buy others’ castoffs are growing in popularity, as are clothing (and jewelry) swap events (when a bunch of ladies get together and bring stuff from their closets that they don’t want anymore to swap with one another).

So I can buy a Tiffany necklace at a discounted price — simply because it’s “gently used!” Or I can sell the earrings my aunt gave me for Christmas and use the proceeds to buy that David Yurman cocktail ring I’ve always wanted!

Who cares if they used to belong to someone else? It’s like I’ve been saying all week: “old” is the new “new!”

And, hey, if it’s new to you, then it’s new enough.

Reasonably,
Olivia

A few years ago, I picked up a book from a sale rack at Barnes & Noble. It was called In the Dressing Room with Brenda: A Fun and Practical Guide to Buying Smart and Looking Great. The concept intrigued me, and at 50% off, I just couldn’t resist.

I didn’t know that buying this book would change my closet forever.

Brenda Kinsel is a fashion & image consultant, and she wrote the book based on her observations of women and their closets over the years.

At the time I read her book, I’d practically given up hope of ever being stylish, despite the fact that my closet was brimming over with clothing — in stark contrast to my jewelry box, which was empty because I was afraid to buy anything for fear of looking gaudy.

Well, after finishing Brenda’s book (I couldn’t put it down), I promptly marched to my closet and pulled out all of the items that I hardly ever wore or only wore because I’d paid good money for them, and donated them to Goodwill.

I then went shopping and replenished my closet with clothes that looked good on me — the body I had, not the body I wanted. And, to my surprise, there were clothes out there that looked good on me! My self-confidence went through the roof!

And the jewelry — oh, the jewelry!

Never before had I accessorized with such abandon! I bought cocktail rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets — my old fear was gone! I knew that I had the confidence to rock some major bling!

It was at this point in my life that I really fell in love with jewelry. And I have Brenda to thank for it.

Brenda, if you’re out there: your book changed my closet. And my confidence. And my life. You’re a gem!

And if you want to check out more of what Brenda has to say, I highly recommend that you check out her website at BrendaKinsel.com.

I promise you’ll thank us both for this tip.

Gratefully,
Olivia

Do you ever look in your overflowing closet and feel like you have nothing to wear?

Most women have closets full of clothes and jewelry boxes full of… well, jewelry (what did you think I was going to say? Easter eggs? Pocket link? Very small rocks?), but often find it difficult to put individual pieces together in order to create a look. Some of us can’t even keep track of the clothing and jewelry we own!

Enter Weardrobe.

Weardrobe is a website where you can create a virtual closet and even share your style with the world! You start by uploading a picture of yourself wearing one of your favorite outfits. Once you upload that photo, you can tag the pic with descriptions of the clothes you’re wearing. The website even links to certain retailers so that others who covet your style can buy the same pieces!

Once the photo is tagged, the item tagged becomes part of your “closet,” which is separated into different categories, such as pants, tops, skirts, dresses — and, of course, jewelry! You can look at your closet and click an item in order to any photo in which that item has been tagged.

And you can also look at other people who have the same item to see how they’re wearing it! It’s a great way to get inspired! It’ll breathe new life into your old clothes!

Olivia recommends that you take immediate advantage of this wonderful tool and begin taking inventory of what you’ve got. And if you’ve got it, flaunt it.

A closet is a terrible thing to waste.

Rejuvenated,
Olivia

Some people call it a stereotype, but I call it the truth: we Asians love saving money.

Few things thrill us more than sales prices. We love to buy in bulk. My parents weren’t very demonstrative or given to displays of affections while I was growing up — they endured my high school graduation with expressionless faces and were genuinely puzzled when I asked them why they didn’t bring the camera — but I often had to endure their crowing exultations and ear-to-ear beaming when they bought ten giant packs of toilet paper on sale at Costco or when they found apples for less than a dollar a pound at the Mexican market.

The advent of the internet has been both a blessing and a curse to my sales-lovin’ peoples. On the internet there are sales galore. You’re almost guaranteed never to pay full price for anything ever again.

However, there’s also the fear that we’ll miss out on the best deal because we either bought too soon or bought at Amazon just before the same item was posted for less at Overstock.

So of course it was an Asian who thought of ShoppingNotes.

Meng-You Yang created ShoppingNotes as a tool for internet shoppers to get what they wanted to buy at the price that they wanted to pay.

ShoppingNotes works like so: you find something you want to buy, paste the URL into ShoppingNotes, and then provide an e-mail address at which to get alerts. From there, ShoppingNotes tracks each and every price change and sends updates on the price to your e-mail. Once it hits the perfect price, you can click the link to buy!

You can also track the same product on several different sites so that you make sure you’re getting the very best deal!

ShoppingNotes works with any website: you can use it to get the best deals on electronics, books, and, of course, jewelry!

Their motto is, “Never miss a sale again!” I know I won’t.

Sold,
Olivia

Don’t you just love a good sale?

I love the prices, but hate the long lines, crowded aisles, and messy piles that have been pawed at more than Paris Hilton.

If only there was a tidier way.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: Rue La La.

Rue La La is, in its own words: “an exclusive, invitation-only online destination where Members discover premier-brand, private sale Boutiques, each open for just a brief window of time.”

Basically, the way it works is like so: each “boutique” is an online collection of items in a certain brand (for example, there’s going to be a Dolce & Gabbana boutique opening soon) at can’t-be-beat sale prices. But each boutique is only open for two days, so you don’t have time to worry about buyer’s remorse!

The brands featured on Rue La La are all high-quality, reputable brands, and the sale prices made my jaw drop. I mean, a Betsey Johnson jacket for $99 (50% off)? Unbelievable!

Quantities are limited, which means that items do sell out, but the great news is that it’s a members-only site, so you’re not competing with every shopaholic in the world for that last Elie Tahari cocktail dress.

And they listen to their members: your feedback helps to determine which brands Rue La La will feature in their boutiques! What a unique opportunity to shape a store to your very liking!

My friend Hyo invited me to become a member, and, once I joined, I immediately began drooling when I saw that Rue La La will be opening an Ippolita boutique today. You can bet that I’ll be waiting, coffee mug in hand, for this boutique to open!

As tempted as I am to beef up my odds at getting the pieces I want, I’m going to be a good girl and share the wealth with you. If you want in, leave a comment with your e-mail address or e-mail me and I’ll send you an invitation.

I can’t believe I’m going to share my Ippolita finds with all of you. Well, at least I don’t have to put up with you elbowing me in the back while I look for the perfect piece.

Exclusively,
Olivia

I know you’re out there.

You’re like me. You love fashion. You love jewelry. But you generally can’t afford the hautest of couture, so you buy the cheapie imitations and secretly drool over the high-end pieces you see in magazines and on celebrities and on jewelry blogs (*sheepish grin*).

Well, Alexandra Galgano totally feels ya.

She owns and operates Charm & Chain, a Manhattan-based jewelry boutique. Charm & Chain’s goal is to give every woman access to the hottest designers, but without the high retail markups that we’re used to seeing.

Ali is also committed to finding rising stars of the design world and bringing them to the public eye. She searches far and wide for the most talented up-and-coming designers to add to Charm & Chain. Those of you Woobies out there who are talented up-and-coming designers ought to be able to appreciate her dedication to spreading the word for new talent.

And since Charm & Chain offers jewelry from a wide range of price points, you’re sure to find something that you love!

Lazy Livy couldn’t be gladder that there’s someone out there doing the work for her.

Charm & Chain’s guiding principle is that “jewelry is simply art that you wear.” And thanks to their commitment to reasonable markups, everyone can afford to “make a statement.”

Charmed,
Olivia

Steve's Orange Crush Guitar Pick Earrings, $6

Hippie Garden Earrings, $15.

Shopping for something different this Christmas?

Well, Design by Cassandra could probably help you out, there!

Cassandra Watsham is a jewelry designer from Toronto, Canada. Her designs are heavily influenced by Cassandra’s rock’n’ roll soul.

Her jewelry is full of imagination and edge. If you have someone in your life full of imagination and edge, this edgy jewelry might be just the gift to give!

And if that hasn’t convinced you to start your Christmas shopping before Black Friday, then maybe 50% off will! Enter coupon code “LAST CHANCE” and receive 50% off everything on the site! Christmas shopping (especially for jewelry) has never been easier!

Butterscotch Nebula Necklace, $22.

So get your shopping shoes on… and park yourself in front of the computer!

Indulgently,
Olivia

As promised, here’s one of the many cool links I found on ThisNext.com.

Wear Your Music Guitar String Bracelet with seal in 14K gold, starting at $300 at wearyourmusic.org.

The Wear Your Music Initiative is run by Relix Magazine(”The magazine for music”). They collect guitar strings collected from famous musicians that are taking part in the “Relix Band” and turn them into bracelets! 100% of the proceeds are then donated to the charity of the artist’s choice.

They’ve got strings from all kinds of artists from all kinds of genres: from Carlos Santana to John Mayer, from Ani DiFranco to Avril Lavigne. Personally, I’ve got my eye on a bracelet from John Mayer. Can you think of a cooler accessory to wear to one of his concerts?

Wear Your Music also has their own line of bracelets in all different colors. A portion of the sales is donated to MusiCares.

What a great way to make a statement about a great charity — and look good doing it!

Fashionably and Compassionately,
Olivia

Every once in a while, I hit a wall.

I can’t think of anything to write about and I just need to troll around the internet looking for ideas for things to write about.

That’s where sites like ThisNext come in handy.

ThisNext is a site where users can recommend products and show everyone in the World Wide Web their finds!

It’s a great place on the web to go if you’re looking for ideas. You can search recommendations by keyword or by popularity. There are tons of entries, and you know that they’re all legit because they’re recommended by people just like you!

As for me, I found a link to a great website… that you’ll find out about on next week’s Wookit Wednesday. Writer’s block, eat my dust!

Cryptically,
Olivia

Have you ever picked up a piece of jewelry that you liked and wondered what in your closet it would go with?

Well, thanks to the creators of Polyvore.com, you don’t have to wonder anymore.

“Blinged Out” by Olivia

Here’s a set that I put together around this Miu Miu LBD. I just started with the dress, added some hot red shoes, and added jewelry to my heart’s content. Finish off with a cute zebra clutch and voila! eLivia is ready for a night on the town! I can’t wait to create more “fantasy” (read: things I could never afford) outfits for myself!

And for those who have trouble with their own wardrobes, you can clip any image, so you can even take pictures of your own clothes and work with what’s already in your closet. It’s a great way to cure the “I have nothing to wear” blues.

Polyvore is a great tool for figuring out what looks good together and what doesn’t. Not that I ever have that problem, myself.

Always Put Together,
Olivia