Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Helping women love what they wear on a budget

Celeberity Looks- Kate Middleton Maternity looks

by Katie Haller

You didn’t actually think that I could go for 9 months and not do a blog post on Kate Middleton’s maternity style, did you?  I just love her style way too much to not talk about her fashion during her two pregnancies, while I’m pregnant.  Her style during pregnancy was no different than her normal non-maternity style; simple, effortless and classic.  She wore some beautiful dresses that fit her baby bump perfectly.  I just love how polished she always looks.  
Here are just some of my favorite Kate Middleton maternity looks. 

When you’re married to a prince, you’re bound to have a fabulous closet.  This is why it can be hard for the average girl living on a small budget to recreate these royal maternity looks.  But it’s not impossible when you get creative with what you already have.  You will be surprised by how easy it is to recreate some royal looks.

 Here are a few looks that I came up with from my own close in my closet that was inspired by some of Kate’s maternity outfits. 

The Duchess has often worn wrap dresses; pregnant or not pregnant.  For this look, I pulled out one of my favorite wrap dresses that I bought at a thrift store last year.  I wore a tan sweater and nude shoes with the dress to complete the Kate look.  
I loved the look that Kate Middleton wore on a tour of the Warner Brothers Studio in 2013, seen here wearing a polka dot dress and a black blazer.  I really wanted to recreate this look, but my closet is lacking when it comes to polka dot dresses, so I substituted black and white polka dots for black and white stripes with this sundress from Target (worn here before I was pregnant).  I wore my black blazer and black wedge shoes to finish the look. 
Many of the dresses that Kate Middleton wore during her pregnancies were very simple and tailored to fit her body, with some kind of pattern.  I thought that the style of this striped dress from Target was similar to some of Kate’s dresses.  I wore it with my nude pumps and a statement necklace to dress it up.

I’ve got to say I’m pretty jealous of Kate’s coat collection.  She has so many fabulous coats, that I would love to have.  I loved this look that she wore here, with a Burberry trench coat, while pregnant with Prince George.  I have a knock off trench coat from Forever 21 that I really love.  I recreated her look with it and a simple outfit with leggings and black flats.

  The best ways to recreate Kate Middleton’s looks is to just stick to her basics and copy her classic style on your own budget.

Weekend Wardrobe- Maternity Style

by Katie Haller

It’s officially my last month of pregnancy!  So that means only a few more weekend wardrobe post with maternity outfits.  I’ve really enjoyed dressing up my baby bump, but now I’m really looking forward to getting my body back and putting together normal outfits.  I can’t wait until I can start rediscovering all the clothes in my closet that I haven’t been able to wear for a long time.  For now, I’m going to have to continue working to dress my baby bump, I’m sure I’ll have days when I miss it. 
So here are my weekend outfits this week. 
Blazer- Forever 21
Top- Walmart
Leggings- Forever 21
Necklace- Charming Charlie
Boots- DSW

Top- H&M
Leggings- Forever 21
Denim Jacket- Meijer
Scarf- Old Navy
Shoes- Target

Here is my week 36 baby bump picture.  There hasn’t been a whole lot of changes from last week. I’ve had a little more energy this week, but I’m still not sleeping well.  That’s okay because I’m sure it will be years before I can get a good night’s sleep.  I’m keeping busy, by trying to organize my house and get ready for this little guy’s arrival.  It’s only 4 weeks away…hopefully no more than that.
36-week baby bump

Have a great week!

Favorite Budget Beauty Products

by Katie Haller

It’s time for me to take a break from talking about pregnancy and maternity outfits, to turn my attention to another one of my favorite things besides my clothes…my makeup.  
I love makeup and I love looking for new inexpensive products to try.  Lately, I’ve been wanting to share some of my favorite beauty products that I’m currently using. 
Here they are…

My latest beauty product purchase has been Garnier BB Cream Renew Miracle Skin Perfector.  So far, I’m very happy with my purchase.  I’ve been wanting to try a new BB cream to switch up my daily foundation routine.  I love that the cream gives you full coverage, along with a moisturizer and SPF protection.  Most stores sell this BB cream for around $12.99.  It’s a little more than I wanted to spend on a BB cream, but since it comes in a 2 oz tube instead of a 1 oz, I figured it will last much longer than the other BB creams.  So far I like the feeling of this BB cream.  It’s natural and light weight on my face, plus it helps a lot with shine control, which is good, because of my oily skin. 

Currently, my favorite everyday mascara is L’Oreal Voluminous Volume Mascara.  I’ve been using this brand for a couple years now and it’s my favorite brand by far.  It gives my lashes a full look, while still looking soft. 

I’ve been using Maybelline The Nudes palette for a few months now and it’s been great!  At $9.99, it’s the perfect price for someone looking for great neutral colors at a low price.  For Christmas, I got the Urban Decay Naked2 Basics palette.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my Urban Decay eye shadow and how smooth it goes on, but I still like the colors in my Maybelline palette better, so I switch it up daily between the 2.  

Essence Silky Touch Blush was definitely a surprise find for me.  For $2.99, I wasn’t expecting anything great, but after trying it, I love it.  It’s become my everyday blush and I’m in love with the price.  It goes on so nicely and never looks caked on.  Just like in the title, it has a silky touch to it.  It’s for sure worth a try! 

Those are 4 products that I use almost every day.  All of these beauty products can be found at Ulta.  I find Ulta to be the best store to buy makeup at.  Not only do they have great prices, but they always have great coupons and I love their rewards program.  (No one paid me to say that, I just really love Ulta.) 
Next on my makeup list is to buy a new bronzer.  If anyone has any suggestions on a good bronzer under $10 leave a comment below.  I’d love to hear. 

Weekend Wardrobe- Maternity Style

by Katie Haller

As I said last week, getting dressed is getting to be a challenge.  It’s not only difficult finding outfits, but it’s hard to find the energy to look cute.  I still feel like it’s important to try to dress cute through these last few weeks.  It helps me have better confidence in myself and confidence is important when your pregnant, especially in your last month.

Last weekend I used a gift card I got for Christmas on a couple new tops from Nordstrom Rack, my new favorite store.  Nordstrom is my favorite department store, but I don’t always get a chance to shop there. Plus, it takes a lot of trips to the department store to find the great deals that I’m always looking for.  That’s why their Rack store is amazing!  It’s all the great styles and brands that the department store sells, at such great prices.  I bought a grey print tunic tank top for $9.54 and a striped long cardigan for $11.54.  Any clothes that I buy now, I’m also hoping to wear them after the baby comes.  This is why I will only buy loose-fitting, comfy clothes. 
Since I spent most of my weekend lounging around the house, getting it ready for the baby, I wore my new comfortable clothes.
Here are my outfits from this weekend
Saturday 
Grey Cardigan- H&M
Tunic- Nordstrom Rack
Leggings- Forever 21
Shoes- DSW
Sunday
Cardigan- Nordstrom Rack 
Tank top- Old Navy
Leggings– Kohl’s
Boots- DSW
Here is my baby bump picture for week 35.  I feel huge!  I’ve been feeling a little moody lately.  My moods have been pretty normal all throughout my pregnancy and now I feel like the hormones must be catching up to me.  I’ve also been feeling extremely uncomfortable, which makes sleeping hard for me.  I think I may have set the record for how many bathroom trips I take during the night.  With the lack of sleep, I’ve been losings my energy levels during the day.  On a positive note, I’m getting so close to my due date that it’s hard to believe that I’ll be holding my little boy in my arms before I know it!  I’m getting pretty anxious to meet this little guy.  I cannot wait!
35-week baby bump
Have a great week! 

Weekend Wordrobe- Maternity Style

by Katie Haller

Dressing my baby bump is getting to be pretty challenging for me lately.  Now that I only have 6 weeks to go, I feel like it’s pointless to buy actual maternity clothes that I won’t be able to wear after the baby comes, but at the same time, I’m popping out of all my clothes.  To keep me from shopping I’ve been trying to dig up anything in my closet that will fit my expanding tummy.  It’s not always easy, but I’ve been doing my best to keep my outfits creative and new. 
Here are my outfits from the weekend. 
On Saturday, I wore my gingham button-down shirt from Target with a plain navy t-shirt that barely covered my belly, so I wore a longer tank top under the top to help give it some length.  Then I belted it up at the top of my belly just for some shape.  I also wore my jeggings with my brown boots.
On Sunday, I wore my grey sweater dress from Old Navy as a top (similar here).  It worked out well because I don’t have any maternity sweaters and this sweater dress is a perfect size.  I wore one of my normal pair of jeans with a pair of black flats.  I also accessorized this outfit with my brown belt and an infinity scarf.
Here is my 34-week baby bump.  I wouldn’t really call it a bump anymore, it’s more like a mountain.  I’ve been feeling very pregnant lately.  I feel like a walking belly.  All I heard during my first 2 trimesters was how great I looked and how I didn’t even look pregnant.  Now the comments are all changing to things like “you look like you’re due any day” and “wow, you look like you’re ready to pop”.  I still have 6 more weeks until my due date, so as much as I would like to have my baby now, I’m not popping any time soon.  

All I can do for the next 6 weeks is keep myself busy to help me patiently await our little boy’s arrival.  Kevin and I are both getting really excited, especially the closer we get to the due date.  I hope time goes by quickly, and in the meantime, I’ll just keep finding cute ways to dress this baby mountain. 
Have a great week!

Shopping Finds for Baby!

by Katie Haller

I am definitely getting into the nesting stage of pregnancy.  I’m counting down the weeks until my little guy is finally here and I’m trying to prepare for his arrival.  Babies need a lot of stuff, and I am just hoping that I have everything he will need.  With all the major items already purchased, I felt that it was time for me to get a few extra little items with the leftover money on my gift cards.

When it comes to clothes shopping for my baby, I want him to look cute, but I also don’t want to spend a lot of money on his clothes.  Babies grow so fast, and not to mention, they also dirty up their clothes so quickly.  I feel like it’s a waste to spend full price on baby clothes.  This is why I plan to look for the best deals I possibly can find for this little guy.  I plan to be just as frugal with him as I am with my own clothing.

Here are some of my purchases from Babies R Us this past weekend.  All clearance clothes were 50% off the already marked down price.  I just couldn’t resist stocking up on a few things.

3 sleepers- $3.49, $2.99, $1.49
2 pack of pants- $3.49
Newborn mittens-  $1.49
Socks- $2.99
Total- $15.94
  I went to Babies R Us thinking that I would spend what was left on my gift cards, but I walked away still having money on my cards, which is never a bad thing. I guess I will just have to do some more bargain shopping soon.

Follow

@thriftywifehappylife