Fashion Feature: New Accessories from Charming Charlie

Hi lovelies! I wanted to share a recent discovery with you, or maybe I've just been out of the loop and the last to know about this hidden treasure! Either way, I thought this post could benefit all of you fashionistas on a budget out there.  In fact, I want to make this a regular thing on my blog. I'm going to start posting more on fashion-related trends and tips that I'm loving.

To kick it off, I give you: Charming Charlie!
*cue the trumpets*

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram (@MakeupbyAlli), you may have noticed many of my recent fashion and OOTD posts have featured baubles from Charming Charlie.  It's easy to see that I'm obsessed.

So.. what is it? This place is like crack for accessory lovers. The actual store is surprisingly large, comparable in size to an Express or H&M - and it's all accessories, all day. The first thing that made me drool was the fact that all of the jewelry is sectioned off into every color group you can imagine.  There's a gold area, silver, green, blue, purple, white (just to name a few), a separate nook for pearls and rhinestoned jewelry, and my personal favorite: the black and gold section. Le sigh. As if that weren't enough, each color group also has racks of matching watches, purses and clutches.  All equally adorable of course. If I remember correctly there's even a mini shoe and hair accessory "department" as well.

Why I love it? The second drool factor is the pricing. With most items ranging anywhere from $5-$15, it's a great place to stock up on trendy pieces without breaking the bank. A few items are more pricey, watches tend to run closer to $20. I say that with a chuckle because it's still extremely reasonable compared to higher end versions - and let me tell you, these watches are cute!

The downside? Besides spending my grocery money on shiny spikes and studs, the only downside that I can find is that there isn't a Charming Charlie on every block. On the website you can find store locations in most states, minus a few in New England and the Midwest. I first discovered their online store and then after a little browsing found a store location a few miles from my house.  SCORE! I was pleasantly surprised to see that the actual store location didn't possess the cheesiness of the website, which didn't do the quality of the jewelry much justice.  However, they are currently revamping their site so let's hope that means a better online shopping experience for those who don't have a store location near them. Unfortunately, it looks like that won't be launched until Spring 2013.  Kind of a bummer but hopefully it will be worth the wait!

A few of my favorite items from my first C.C. experience.  I especially love the chunky chain necklace and Chevron ring set!  I also thought the geometric bangles were unique and adorable, they even came with that tiny chain bracelet.

For the price, these jewels are surprisingly detailed, check out the trendy python accents on these pieces.

TIP: I would recommend making a list of specific trends/pieces you are looking for ahead of time. Otherwise you could spend 2 hours in that place! I didn't even make it to the bags and clutches on my first trip, the shopping side of my brain was on overload so I'll have to save that for another day ;)

That does it for now, just wanted to show you some of the pretties I picked up at my new guilty pleasure! Have you ever been to Charming Charlie? If so, what do you think? Tell me in the comments below!