3 Hot Luxury Items for Less: Diamonds, Gold & The Most Expensive Perfume in the World

When it comes to shopping for clothes and home goods, I'm a Maxxinista, but there's nothing like scoring a gorgeous pair of Louboutins or an ornate Alexis Bittar cocktail ring at sample sales.  There's something to be said about luxury.  We all want it, but have to be strategic in the ways we obtain it.  Retailers are now finding ways to bring their luxe items to the masses and I, for one, couldn't be happier.  Here are some covetable beauty buys that you may rethink purchasing. Perfume

Deemed the most expensive perfume in the world, Clive Christian No. 1 will have you smelling close to a million dollars.  The original retails for $865, but it's made with the rarest ingredients, of course.  This fall, V Perfumes was launched for half the price at $405.  Not bad considering.  The scent contains notes of honey and sandalwood on top of jasmine, orange blossom, rose and chamomile.

Manicure

How much would you actually spend on your nails?  When it comes to nail art some go to extremes.  Take Kelly Osbourne for example.  At this year's Emmy's she flaunted a $250K black diamond manicure by the jeweler, Azature.  The most expensive nail polish in the world has 267 carats of diamonds in it.  What happened to the diamonds when she took the polish off?  Crazy!  The company created a bottle of the sparkle for only $25 so you can DIY.

Gold Accents

This fall, ornate gold accents are in.  Whether it be in head pieces, makeup or jewelry.  A Dior cuff would run you about $500, but the brand just came out with these Golden Tattoos made out of 24K gold leafing.  From charms and rings to cuffs, the delicate tattoo jewelry is a true form of luxe for less, but less meaning $120.  Would you spend that much on a tattoo just to have something Dior?

5 Glam Celebrity Manicures for Much, Much Less

When on Pinterest, the one thing I find myself getting lost looking at for hours is nail art and I have to think that celeb manicurists and even celebs themselves are with me on this one... and as are you, of course.  From Rihanna's liquid gold to Zooey Deschanel's swarvoski crystals and of course, who can forget Kelly Osbourne's $250,000 black diamond manicure from the Emmys, A-listers have been dropping major cash on their tips in order to make a statement and showcase their personal style.  I rounded up my top five of the year along with DIY ways to get the look.

At this year's Grammys, Rihanna rocked a $5,000 liquid gold manicure.  By Amor 24, each bottle contains an ounce of 24K gold.  Fancy!  Red Carpet Manicure came out with one for less., but I'm a huge fan of this Sephora by OPI top coat with 18 K gold flecks.  You can get it at Sephora for $30.

To promote her upcoming movie, Part of Me, Katy Perry was in Tokyo worked with the manicurists of ES Nails Tokyo to have each of the characters of Daria painted on her nails.  Yes, Daria!  Each nail costs her about $120, which makes the total about $1,200.  She tweeted this pic.  For this kind of skill, I recommend using decals!  There are a ton of cartoon character ones on Amazon, eBay and beauty boutiques like NailDelights.com for under $10.

Rihanna Instagramed this pic saying, "Rubies in my damn gel polish!" from the iHeartRadio show in Vegas this year.  Manicurist to the stars, Kimmie Kyees painted the songstresses tallons with Red Carpet Manicure in Your Fortune Awaits, which contains 4 carats of ruby dust.  The cost? $5,000.  Red Carpet Manicure is coming out this fall with a version called Draped in Rubies at Ulta for $24.

Kelly Osborne wore a $250K mani by the jeweler, Azature to the Emmys this fall.  Her polish has 267 carats of black diamonds throughout it.  Imagine it chipped!?  Now, you can get a bottle of Azature nail polish with a glittery sheen for just $25.

Zooey Deschanel is known for award winning manicures and this year at the Emmys she donned a mini TV on her thumb and had her manicurist, Tom Bachik, use Swarovski crystals on her other fingers to create a peach galaxy.  A full manicure with Swarovski crystals can cost up to $300.  Try adding these Kiss Nail Art Stones for only $2.99 and a hint of glamour.