Free shipping on $21+ orders from Forever 21 today only

It's a good time to stock up on some nail polish or decent cheap jewelry. I've pinned a bunch of nice-looking shit from F21 on Pinterest. Use code SHIP21.

Free shipping with no minimum now through July 31 from Forever 21

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I have mixed feelings about Forever 21, but they are a good source of decent-looking, cheap accessories. Use code SHIPFREE.

Free shipping from Sephora on $25+ orders today until July 22; free shipping from Forever 21 on $21+ order today only

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
For Sephora, use code SHIP25. For Forever 21, use code FREESHIP21.

Want someone to pick out your clothes for you? Stitch Fix personal styling service review (picture heavy post)

FYI: There is some discussion of clothing sizes in the following post.
I heard about Stitch Fix from a friend, who gave me her invite link. It is a service where you fill out a profile, pay $20, and they send you five "hand-picked" clothing/accessory items to try on based on what you said you like in your profile. There are no charges for shipping or returns (i.e. that is factored into the overall cost), and if you decide to keep anything, the $20 "styling fee" goes toward the cost of the item(s) you buy. If you return everything, you've paid that $20 for the experience. You have 3 business days to decide what to keep and what to return.

Okay, so it maybe doesn't fit neatly into the "cheap" category, but I also cater to the lazy and/or incompetent around here, and it does suit those of us who identify that way. Someone else shops for you and sends the shit to your house? That's lazy as fuck.

I read some reviews online before I signed up, and they were almost all positive. My review is more neutral. I had one negative experience and one positive experience with the two packages they sent me. Customer service was good, but my first box was . . . not.

The contents of my first Stitch Fix package.

My cheap jewelry haul (picture heavy post)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Note: Forever 21 has free shipping today only (July 4) on orders over $21. Use code FREESHIP.

The people have spoken, and you said that you would like to see the shiny things I bought from Forever 21 recently, despite the general shittiness of that company. If we're talking purely in terms of affordability, I think F21 is the way to go for cheap jewelry. Costume jewelry, I guess? Do we still call it that? Anyway, you can get things very comparable to what you would find at places like Banana Republic or Bauble Bar, etc. - i.e. base metals, plastic (ahem, sorry, acrylic or whatever word they use to avoid saying plastic), and paint (ahem, again, lacquer or enamel, etc.) - for significantly cheaper. I have seen things from shops like those, identical in every way as far as I could tell to items at F21, selling for 2-8 times the price. Some of the F21 jewelry is just plain crap, and some is way too juvenile for me, but if you take your time and look carefully, you can find some really decent items.

Note: I've bought all my F21 jewelry online. I've never had luck in the stores. I don't know if it's just picked over too quickly in the stores, but I always seem to find way better things online.

But you wanted pictures, right? There are a lot of them below the cut, beware.

Here's one of my favorites. I got lots of compliments on it when I wore it the other day - it really does look like stone. It also comes in light blue and silver, and I had a hard time deciding which one to get.

Faux marble nugget necklace, $9.80

What do you think? (or: ethics and affordability)

So, I recently rewarded myself for finishing a major project by buying a shitload of jewelry from Forever 21. Ugh, I know. They are an evil company for a variety of reasons. But I wanted a big reward, and I got a huge box of really cute stuff for reasonable cost.

Anyway, I kind of want to take photos of them to show you, because I think I did a really good job picking things that look quality. But I feel a little weird linking to them, because of said evilness.

How evil do you think F21 is and what would you think of a post like that? 

This was partially inspired by a necklace I had seen on on blogs that costs $30-35 . . . but when I saw it in person, it looked shittier and cheaper than comparable things from F21 and cost more than 3x as much.

Do you think the jewelry you get places like Bauble Bar or other online shops is manufactured in a more ethical manner than the stuff from F21, or are they just marking it up more? I have sometimes seen items that look identical and are made from the same materials sold by F21 and for 6-7 times the price elsewhere.

So I guess my two questions are the following:

1) How gross do you feel about Forever 21 (in comparison to other sources of cheap accessories)?

2) How gross would you feel if I posted photos/links to items they sell?

Cute owl necklace for 95 cents + free shipping, anyone?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Here you go. Prices on Amazon seem to change rapidly, so you might want to be quick. (Found via Drugstore Divas.)

You need a dinosaur necklace, right?

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To go with your earrings? Of course you do. Of course you do! It's $6 (for all three).

Dinosaur earrings for $3!

I know Forever 21 is evil and everything, but . . . 3 pairs of dinosaur earrings for $3! COME ON!

There are some weirdly awesome pieces of jewelry on HauteLook right now

Pretty cheap, too. Here's my invite link, since you need to sign in to see the rest (go to: "Stock Up: Jewelry Blowout").

Octopus bracelet

Winged skeleton necklace

Modcloth Cabin Fever Sale (70% off a bunch of stuff)

There's some pretty nice jewelry for around $4, for example.

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link.

Where do you find affordable jewelry?

I just bought a bunch of stuff from Forever 21, because it’s pretty and shit-cheap, but they are kind of a gross company, so I would love other suggestions. (But for real, they are doing some really nice trendy, vintage-looking rhinestone stuff right now.)

If you’re going to say etsy, please suggest particular sellers!

I like beadycats. 

Bauble Bar (referral link) also has decent things sometimes.

And if you like little sparkly shit, this site has “free” jewelry. You pay $7 shipping, but it is nice. I have a ring and a pendant from here that I wear regularly.