Guilt stricken

So the week before finals I bought myself a little Christmas present.  I actually had been looking at this necklace on Coldwater Creek for some time.  I had spotted it months ago when the website was offering 25% off and free shipping and I of course had it in my cart.  Fast forward a month later and there was another 15% off coupon and the necklace was nowhere in sight.  I felt a little bummed.  I thought about the necklace from time to time and when Coldwater Creek was offering another 25% off and free shipping, I thought I would search for it and maybe pick up some Christmas gifts while I was at it.  I love to procrastinate.  So I look in the outlet and sure enough, there it was.  I couldn't believe it.  I bought it immediately and forgot all about the Christmas shopping or even the studying that I was supposed to be doing.

So I'm feeling pretty guilty but I figure, hey, I got it on clearance and on sale.  And I aced my finals...  So without further adieu, here it is the 20 inch Tangier Mixed Strand that I bought for $23.48.

And yes, it's very festive.  I'll be wearing it tomorrow for sure!

Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Make-up Remover

I also bought this along with Boots Cleansing Milk when Medco Health Store was having a $10 off purchase coupon.    So I got the cleansing milk for $7.99 and this for $5.99 and 99 cent shipping.  So I paid roughly $4 for these 2 products.

So I'll be honest, I am such a dud.  I didn't like this prodcut at all the first few times that I used it.  It was so oily and didn't remove my makeup at all, well a little.  Then I realized that I need to shake the bottle to mix the product.  Duh!  It's right on the label, all I had to do was read the directions!  Now it works perfectly and removes every last stitch of black eyeliner. 

It also says to put the product in the fridge to cool for a "quick pick me up."  I haven't tried that yet but I'm sure that would feel wonderful on the eyes on those mornings I wake up and my eyes are puffy and burning.

Great product and even better that I only paid $2 for it!

Boots Cleansing Milk

I have been wanting to try this forever!  Medco Health Store was having a $10 off $10 purchase so this was one of the items that I picked up.  It retails for $7.99 for  oz.  I literally have been using this for 2 weeks and it is almost gone!  So it may last me just under 3 weeks.  I love it though.  It's perfect for me in the winter.  Despite the fact that I do have oily skin which I have told you so many times before, I really have to watch it in the winter.  My skin can easily dry out and then I have massive amounts of oil.  A cleansing cream or lotion is great for my skin in the winter.  It doesn't strip my skin of it's natural oils and it keeps my skin hydrated in the dry winter air.

 I love the way that it smells too.  The label says Geranium on it so I assume that is the flower it is.  I'm not sure I have smelled a gerabium like this before though.  It is pretty strong so if you don't like perfumey products on your face, this isn't for you.  The botle is made of thick glass as well as a metal screw cap.  Perfect if you like to recycle.

Boots Cleansing Milk is definitely now on my top ten of facial cleansers.

Free Overnight Shipping at Origins

These retailers are not messing around this holiday season.  They are pulling out all the stops to get some business!  I'm almost tempted to grab some Starting Over. 

Offer valid until 6pm on December 23rd.  So all you procrastinators out there or wicked busy people, you still have options!

Free Shipping at Cherry Culture

Free shipping over at Cherry Culture!

I however, will be good...

Well maybe not that good.  I'm in need of concealer. 

I've been wanting to give the Milani HD concealer a go...

Ultimate winter hand lotion

So a while back I scored big on drugstore.com through ebates.com.  You all shop through ebates.com right?  Cash back for your purchases.  No joke, you really get cash back.  You can either get a check or they credit your paypal account.  I have $50 coming to me from Christmas shopping.

So through ebates, they were offering 5 de-luxe products for 1 cent on drugstore.com.  Still following?

Okay, since I had never ordered off of drugstore.com before or ever heard of de-luxe, 1 cent products seemed pretty reasonable to try.  Well of course I got whatever lavender de-luxe products that were available and I picked up this Shea butter hand cream for the winter. 

Great thinking on my part beacuse this hand cream surely delivers.  It is super thick and leaves the hands wonderfully soft and smooth.  Just continously work the product in and after about a minute, it has absorbed and is non-greasy to the touch.

It has a wonder ful scent as well.  I can't say enough good things about this product.   It will be the only lotion I buy for my hands from now on.  The only thing I don't like about the product is the fact the the print from the tube rubs off on your hand.  So don't handle the tube before the lotion has absorbed into your skin.

It retails for $7.99 which is still a reasonable price for this quality product.  I wish that I knew to get 5 of them for 1 cent.  Hopefully http://www.drugstore.com/ will have another sale like that again!

Merry Christmas to me!

I finally got my hands on Perplex!  Last night at the mall doing some last minute Christmas shopping I decided to pop into the CVS.  I notice that there are some leftover summer 2010 Revlon from their scented collection.  I grabbed Beach a shimmery lime green.  I also grab Orange Pop but I ended up putting it back.  So here I am wandering around the store and I see a sign that Revlon polishes are on sale for $3.99 with $2 ECB with purchase so final price for the polish is $1.99.  So I turn around to re-visit Orange Pop and for some reason I look up.  And there it is....  a tiny display of Revlon Perplex.  I couldn't even see the color of the bottles but instinctly I knew what they were!  I know this might sound a little ridiculus but I've been searching for 2 months now for this color and there it was!  So I grab 2 bottles and reach up on the tip of my toes straining my arms to get a picture.

This is a picture after I grabbed my two bottles.  One other soul found the display before me.  Yes Virginia, Perplex does exist.  It is a Christmas Miracle!  I ended up putting my other bottle back.  No need to be greedy!

My husband said that I need to wait until Christmas to wear it.  It goes in the stocking until Christmas Day.  I'll try to sneak a swatch though!

And the best part about it?  I have $4 in ECBs!

Garnier Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue

So I will be honest.  I bought this on accident.  Well actually it wasn't an accident per se, I really wanted the Moisture Rescue Gel because I had sent away for 3 samples and used up those samples and really loved the way my skin felt upon using the said product.  So I head to CVS on the Sunday of the 30% off in-store purchase weekend and a $1 Garnier coupon ready to purchase.  I ran out of day lotion that week and needed one ASAP.  Then I get side-tracked.  Hmm...  There is a Moisture Rescue lotion with a SPF of 15 and it is a pump bottle on the shlf next to the Moisture Rescue Gel.  Sometimes I get annoyed dipping my finger into a jar and getting gunk under my nails.  So I think to myself, I really need the SPF and I really like the pump action. 

And I've been wearing my Revlon Colorstay and I have no sunscreen at all.  Then I hem and haw.  Well I can finally use up that last bit of Bare Minerals, it has SPF in it.  But the fairly light is way too yellow in the winter and it takes forever to swirl, mix, tap, mix, tap and buff my perfect shade.  Then I have both the lotion and the gel in my hands.  I have 2 coupons mind you, well actually 3 from the 3 samples.  I'll just use the gel as a night cream.  Well I already have a night cream.  See my dilemma here? 

So I end up with the lotion and then come to find out the employees at the register have no clue about the 30% off in-store purchase, then one says I needed to print out a coupon on-line, well there wasn't one, I checked.  So now I am annoyed because I would have just bought it had Walmart for $2 cheaper but I specifically went to CVS to save 30 % plus the dollar coupon and CVS is way closer than Walmart.  So I'm still up there at the register, it's 8:30 pm and I need a day lotion so I buy the Garnier Moisture Rescue lotion.  Did I mention that I haven't been back to a CVS since that fateful Sunday?

Phew.  So on to the review...

I like this lotion, I really do though I loved the gel.  But I need a SPF.  It makes the skin soft and smooth.  I put it on my face, chest and the back of my hands.  Don't forget your hands folks.  They get hit with a lot of sun too and the skin there can age and wrinkle just like your face.  You have to work in the lotion as it is obvious that it has sunscreen in it, by texture and scent.  But it has a lovely clean scent with just a hint of sunscreen and after you work it in, the lotion is non-greasy. 

So when I run out of night cream, which won't be in the near future mind you, I will revisit the gel purchase, probably at Walmart this time and while I am at it, use up both remaining coupons and purchase another Moisture Rescue lotion with SPF 15.

Take care....  (Sorry, I couldn't help myself.  :)

EO Bubble Bath in French Lavender with Aloe

I love the scent of lavender, absolutely adore it.  I pick up anything that has a lavender scent.  So when I came across this deal on http://www.hip2save.com/ I couldn't pass it up.  Three 2 oz bottles of EO Bubble Baths French Lavender for... wait for it...  99 cents on amazon.  Now if you look it says $54.27.  It took close to two months ot actually receive the product and I just assumed it would be cancelled.  But sure enough, it finally came.

This is the most luxurious bubble bath that I have ever used.  To top it off, EO is a manufacturer of natural and organic products.  It truly leaves the skin baby soft and smelling beautiful.  I just love the bubbles.  What's a bath without bubbles?  Other ingedients besides french lavender and aloe include, hops extract, fig amino acids, chamomile, panthnol, allantoin, rice proteins, white tea, calendula, and vitamin A.   So a perfect balance of anti-oxidants and moisturizers.

I'm not sure that I would have paid $4 for 3 of them.  I'll have to see when I finally run out.  Fortunately 3 bottle are going to last me a while.  But if it ever goes on sale again, I will surely scoop more up!

China Glaze to release more holos!!!

Latest twitter pic from China Glaze!!!

The 12 new polishes from the China Glaze Tronica collection will hit the market March/April time frame.  So excied about this!  I have IDK from the last holo collection and just wore it last week when I was bored out of my mind studying for exams.  The sun was a-shining and I decided to take a picture...

How gorgeous is IDK?  That was just with one coat.  I never got a second coat on because I was running out of time studying for my exam. 

I hope I will be lucky enough to find these in my local Sally's.  I'm still looking for Revlon Perplex...  :(

Clinique Redness Solutions

Well unfortunately it was not a solution to my red face but in all fairness after speaking with a consultant on-line, I really wasn't a candidate for this product.  I do not have Rosacea but I do have broken capillaries around my nose and in the winter I do get some irritating redness on my cheeks.  Basically, I do not need blush... at all... even with foundation on.  Like Rudolf's nose, it doesn't matter what I put on my cheeks, the redness seeps through.

I'll start with what I did like about the kit.  The moisturizer.  It was soothing and it really did a great job at evening out my combination skin.  It took care of my dry areas and it didn't over moisturize my oily areas, namely the t-zone.  Al the products in the kit were a color correcting green which may have helped slightly to tone down my redness.

What I didn't like about the kit.  The fact that it broke me out.  I rarely get a pimple, maybe on my chin.  I mean, almost never so when all of a sudden I am getting breakouts on my cheeks, I'm either having a reaction to something or it is clogging my pores.  I don't think the cleanser was effective at clearing off my oil and make-up.  It was a very gently cleanser, probably what  person afflicted with Rosacea needs to combat the irritatedness.  Is that even a word?

So I ended up returning the set.  Returning was no hassle at all.  I ordered on-line and sent it back and I was credited within 5 days.  I couldn't keep it all just for the moisturizer.  Something about the kit was breaking me out and I really wasn't sure what it was.  Maybe the combination of the moisturizer and the primer was just too heavy or maybe the cleanser just wasn't cleaning my skin the way it is used to be cleaned. 

I guess I will just have to live with my rosey winter cheeks...

SNOTD!

12/12 make a wish!  This was a quick Sunday morning job and not the formula to rush around with.  Silver Screen 918.  My cuticles are super dry too..  Yikes!  But with just two coats, you can see why I love Revlon polish! 

The 12 Days of Christmas

Day #1

 

Day #2

Day #3

 

Day #4

Day #5

Day #6

Day #7

Day #8

Day #9

Day #10

Day #11

Day #12

I Squee'd: It's giveaway time!!

I Squee'd: It's giveaway time!!: "I Squee'd"

And she is giving away a bottle of Perplex! What?! I still can't find the stuff in the entire Southern Tier of NY. Well I didn't go out this weekend to look as I've been stuck in the house studying for finals. Speaking of giveaways, I too have some products set aside for a giveaway so as soon as my lovely readers decide to be followers, I'll have a contest! Yay!


Good luck!

ZOYA Color Spoons

Interesting concept...  ZOYA offers "color spoons" so that you can put them over your fingernail to see if that color nail polish suits you.  The feature a quick youtube video on their website, zoya.com  Brillant.  Also, the amount you spend on the color spoons, is applied to your next purchase of nail polish on-line so basically you get them for free.  And tomorrow, December 10th, ZOYA is offering 6 color spoons for free!  Additionally, they will give you a $3 credit towards furture zoya.com purchases.

I already know which ones I'm ordering tonight at midnight...  I'm not staying up for the event, I will probably still be up studying for finals!  AHHH!!!

Julianne, Valerie, Edyta, Kelly, Stacey, and Shawn

FIT ME by Maybelline

Spotted in my local Walmart in the back corner of the cosmetics section.  If I wasn't looking for potting soil to transplant some plants from their summer pots to their respective winter ones, I would have missed it!  So random I know...

I like that the have multiple lighter shades, perfect for complexions like mine where I usually mix 2 different foundations to get the right shade.  Currently I am mixing Lancome Teint Idole Fresh Wear in Ivory 2C which is too dark and Revlon Colorstay in Buff which is a good color for me, it needs some brightening.

So far they have liquid foundation, pressed powder, blush and concealer.  I like that they have brand new testers for each of the foundation shades.  I'll probably go back today and check out what color that I am!  There weren't any prices either and at the time I didn't have time to scan.

Apparently the line will be officially launched in January with resulting media blitz.  Right now, it's just making a quiet appearance.

So if you are visiting your local Walmart, check the way back of the store!

SNOTD!

This is my other Wet n Wild nail polish, #465 Wild Card.  Last week I wore #464 Rain Check.  The formula of this nail polish is the same.  Thin first coat and then you can load on 2nd and 3rd for a nice finish.  Another beautiful color from Wet n Wild for 99 cents...

Looks like I need some work on my cuticles!  Yikes! 

ZOYA

So ZOYA is giving away 3 bottles of nailpolish as soon as they reach 20,000 followers on facebook.  Not a bad deal!

So get to their facebook page and "like" them right away so you don't miss out on the freebies!

Don't forget 30% off at CVS this weekend!

30% off your entire purchase at CVS today and tomorrow (12/4 and 12/5)!

on-line use coupon code FRIEND30.  Apparently in the store you just need to have your ECB card.

Stack with some coupons and you'll score some amazing deals!

Olay!

So I've been pretty intrigued by Clarisonic, but certainly not the price.  I did go out and buy a cheap alternative, well the apparatus didn't even have a spin brsh.  Suffice to say, it ended up in the garbage.  However, Olay has come out with a new affordable cleansing gagdet which is on pre-order status at amazon.com and drugstore.com. 

Olay Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System

Two different prices and two different release dates.  Drugstore.com is $29.99 but available December 9th and amazon.com is $23.99 and it is available after December 20th.  Hmm...
 

A Nexxus review...

So I have never tried Nexxus prodcuts unless they were used on my hair in a salon.  I always passed them by in the drugstores because they are so dang expensive.  Well Rite Aid was offering a $6 off 2 purchase a while back and I paired it with some $3 coupons I received in the mail and from a friend and they were offering 50% off or $10 off $20 purchase or something along those lines.  So with all the savings, I could get Nexxus for like $3 a bottle.  Why not?  So I actually have 3 different varieties, the first I tried was Nexxus Dualiste Color Protection Volume Shampoo and Conditioner, the green bottle.

I was dying to finish up the shampoo that I had in the shower to try this out.  First of all it has dual formulas in each bottle, a color protection side and a volume side.  It has a nice scent, kind of fruity.  You have to take the cap off and pump your desired amount so it's a little more complticated than flipping the cap and squeezing.  I thought it was kind of fun, you do have to hold the bottle at a 45 degree angle and if you have some soap on your hands it does get a bit slippery...  The shampoo has a great lather but I found that the conditioner did not have enough for my type of hair.  The formula works amazing on my daughter's hair however leaving it tangled free.  I however have to follow up with a leave-in conditioner.  My hair is thicker and color treated.  Is it my favorite Nexxus product?  No.  I liked the Therappe Luxurious Moisturizing Shampoo much more.  But I would use John Frieda Root Awakening any day over this more expensive brand for sure.

And on to my second Nexxus review...

Nexxus Humetress Luxe Ultimate Moisturizing Leave-In Conditioner

Love, love, love this stuff!  Thankfully I bought it with the dualiste because I needed it!  Love the pina colada smell and how light weight it is.  Usually by this time of year my hair would be electrically charged.  It is also a wonderful detangler and it doesn't weigh down the hair.  However it is pricey and I would never have picked it up if it wasn't on sale.  But then again, I can be pretty thrifty... 

John Frieda Website

I was checking out the John Frieda website and discovered that they have hair tutorials!  And they show you what products to use and when.  I love the looks and I also love John Frieda products.  I use the Root Awakening products and Sheer Blonde Tone Correcting shampoo and conditioner very frequently.  In fact both products were on Last Chance at Walgreens recently.  I was able to pick up Sheer Blonde Color Renew Tone-Restoring Shampoo and conditioner for $4.49 a piece and some of the root awakening products were also Last Chance for $3.49 a piece and BOGO1/2 at that.  So I picked up 6 products for $15.45.  I had $4 worth of coupons for the Root Awakening Products. 

I love the looks of Harry Josh.  He also has renewed my interest in mousse.  I think I will be trying Frizz-Ease Take Charge Curl Boosting Mousse if I get a Conair Infiniti You Curl Curling Iron for Christmas!  Well if Santa doesn't bring me one, I'll be sure to drop by Walmart.  I saw that they are at $22.47.  The lowest price by far...

This past week's empties...

Well the past month and a half!

71.  BAIN de~luxe foaming body wash Lavender
72.  L'Oreal Paris EverPure Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner
73.  Origins Cheeks and Balances Foaming Face Wash
74.  Caress Evenly Gorgeous Exfoliating Body Wash, Burnt Brown Sugar and Karite Butter
75.  Dove Damage Therapy Conditioner Intensive Repair, 2 samples.  I used them as an overnight deep conditioning treatment.  Works quite nicely.
76.  ANEW REVERSALIST Day Renewal Cream spf 25
77.  ANEW REVERSALIST Illuminating Eye System
78.  John Frieda Sheer Blonde Color Renew Tone Restoring Shampoo
79.  John Frieda Sheer Blonde Color Renew Tone Restoring Conditioner
80.  Nexxus Dualiste Color Protection Volume Shampoo
81.  Nexxus Dualiste Color Protection Volume Conditioner
82.  Dickinson's 100% Natural Botanicals Witch Hazel daily facial towelettes.  These are divine!
83. + 84.  Almay Oil-free eye makeup remover pads x2!
85.  ANEW Clinical Crow's Feet Corrector
86.  Covergirl and Olay Simply Ageless Serum Primer

14 more to go!  (Until I start my new challenge...)

Up for review...

So I've been trying out a few things now and almost ready to review...

Clinique Redness Solutions
Olay Body body wash plus sheer moisture ribbons with mandarin oil
de~luxe luxury body lotion in Lavender
Nexxus dualiste Dual Benefit Shampoo and Conditioner Color protection/volume
Neutrogena Clinical with ion2 complex for eyes
EO Serenity Bubble Bath
de~luxe Hawaiian Cane Sugar Scrub in Amber Vanilla
Nexxus Humetress Luxe Ultimate Moisturizing Leave-In Conditioner

SNOTD!

Wet n Wild #464 Rain Check

I love this color!!!  I bought 2 Wet n Wild nail polishes on a BOGO with coupons at Rite Aid so I literally got them for pennies.  It is a bit thin so this is 3 coats.  I was worried after the first layer that I would need about 5 coats but it came out pretty good for a retail price of 99 cents.  Yes 99 cents. 

I'll be trying out the other shade next week!

Sales, Sales Sales!

Remember that tomorrow is Cyber Monday so if you didn't get everything on your list on Friday, you have one last chance to score some deals.  My inbox is literally filled back up with emails.  I just finished deleting all the Black Friday ones!

Here are some worth mentioning...

Elizabeth Arden  This actually ends today but free shipping on any order and a free 8-piece gift with tote with a $25 purchase.  BLACKFRI at checkout

e.l.f.  55% off storewide, free shipping with a $25 purchase SHIP25 at checkout.  And then a free 10 issue subscription to More magazine with a $30 purchase.  Or 55% off $25 purchase 55WIDE at checkout. 

Urban Decay  During the hours of 10am and 2pm you are able to purchase a set of 15 of the 24/7 . 2 deluxe samples with a $65 purchase, HFS65 at checkout.

drugstore.com  Free shipping with any $25 order and $5 off any $40 order.  You can also order off off beauty.com as well. 

Estee Lauder  I will be taking advantage of this one.  The hubs needs stocking stuffers for me right?  You can get a Coach make-up bag filled with Estee Lauder samples for $35 with any Estee Lauder fragrance purchase.  And if you order on-line, you can choose 4 deluxe samples... 
Here's what it comes with:


Golden Eye & Face Compact (New Pure Color EyeShadow in Ivory Slipper, Hot Cinnamon and Amethyst Spark, plus Estée Lauder Signature Blush in Nude Rose)  I've been dying to get Amethyst.


2 Pure Color Long Lasting Lipsticks (full-size, in Sugar Honey and Pinkberry)

New Pure Color Gloss (in Wired Copper)

Artist's Eye Pencils (great for smoky eyes, in SoftSmudge Black)

2 Deluxe Retractable Makeup Brushes (Powder and Eyeshadow)

Coach Signature Cosmetic Bag

Yankee Candle  Buy 2 candles, get 2 free candles.  They are awesome gifts and you can give one to your self. 

Bath and Body Works  This actually ends today.  I took advantage yesteray.  Buy 3, get 3 free.  I bought two lotions and two body washes for my elfster.com pick.  I get to keep 2 for myself!

Avon.com  Free shipping with any order FREE2010  For $89 you can get a Flip MinoHD™.  I did buy one for myself.  I was looking at them last year and they were well over $100.  Maybe I'll start vlogging. 

Sephora  Free shipping with any $25 purchase.  This looks fun.  LashStash Mascara Deluxe Sampler ($140 Value)  How many full size mascaras do you have that didn't work hanging aorund taking up space that you should have thrown away by now...  Now you can try a whole mess of samples and then decide what full size ones to buy!

Origins  The Origins Great-Super Set for $55.  What a great value!  And Origins will gift wrap on-line purhases.  Every time I order from them, my order arrives neatly packaged.  I like the time and care they put into it.  It makes me feel special!

GinZing™ Refreshing eye cream to brighten and depuff net wt. 0.5 oz./15 ml

Starting Over™ Age-erasing moisturizer with Mimosa net wt. 1 oz./30 ml

Modern Friction™ Nature's gentle dermabrasion 1.7 fl. oz./50 ml

Checks and Balances™ Frothy face wash 5 fl. oz./150 ml

Ginger Souffle™ Whipped body cream net wt. 5 oz/150 ml

Ginger Burst™ Savory body wash net wt. 5 oz./150 ml
 
 
 
Have fun shopping!!!

Black Friday Madness

This past Friday was not my best Black Friday experience.  It was my own fault really.  I wasn't prepared and did not have a complete list together even though I had been looking at ads on-line for a couple of weeks.  Most of my items were at Target and Target was untouchable.  The line was literally insane and I am not a diehard Black Friday.  I'm not going to risk my life in a crazy Target stampede to save $15 on a Wii Fit or what have you.  But by not attempting the Target madness, my list fell by the wayside and I found myself wandering aimlessly througout town. 

My alarm was set for three and I was out of the house with coffee in hand by 3:16am.   Old Navy opened at Midnight so I headed there first.  My niece and nephew had circled their desired items so I knew exactly what I wanted to buy.  At 3:30 the store was detroyed.  Clothes were strewn about the floor and other clothes items were thrown on to racks, totally disorganized.  It was a free-for-all.  I rummaged through the pea coats looking for a black in size medium.  Ugh, there wasn't a single medium.  Then I head over to the boy's hooded sweatshirts.  I couldn't find the circled item.  Then I realize that my nephew had circled the toddler hood sweatshirts.  I start walking around the store like a zombie. 

I see a puffy cream vest, I grab it, then a green scarf grab that too.  I go back to the pea coat scramble and after several minutes of digging, I find a size medium black under some sweaters.  I go to the women's section and find a black hooded sweatshirt for my nephew.   It's black, looks the same as a men's..  Okay, first store done.

Head to Target for 4am.  See the utter madness and flashing lights from police cars and high tail it out of there.  No way I was waiting an hour to get into the store.  I figure I will head back there later after the mall. Head to the mall.  Walk right into JC Penney.  I had $10 stainless coffee mugs on my list , a back up pea coat option if Old Nacy didn't work out and a 15% off coupon.  I look at the pea coats.  Hmm, maybe I'll get one for myself?  Then I walk by a Columbia Jacket display.  50% off.  And look, the jacket I wanted to get last year for $115 but wouldn't spend the money.  Grabbed it in cream.  But wait , I just got a puffy vest from Old Navy in cream.  Better go with the black.  Go to check out got the jacket for $48.  Sweet.

Then I head to the Children's place, 30% off entire store including sale items.  I grabbed the boys their Red Christmas sweaters that I have been eyeing and my daughter some tights.  Now off to Edddie Bauer for the hub's jeans.  40% off entire store and I have a 15% off coupon.  Grab two pairs of jeans and a sweater for myself.  Can't combine the coupon so I put the sweater back.  Now I leave the mall and head back to Target.  Go inside, the checkout line starts right as you walk in wrapping the entire perimeter of the store.  Forget it.

I then head to Michael's for my mother-in-law's Cricut.  It ended up being a door buster so I couldn't use the 30% off coupon.  Grabbed a couple items for the kids.  I was tempted to go back to Target but it was now 6am and I was feeling pretty guilty for buying myself a vest, scarf and jacket.  Mind you, I donated my winer jacket last year to the Salvation Army so I really needed one.

I go home and start reviewing my purchases and my husband tries on the jeans.  They don't fit.  I then realize that I never received my 30 % off at the Children's Place.  I'm still feeling guilty about the vest.  So yesterday I went back to Old Navy and returned the vest.  Went back to Eddie Bauer and exchanged the jeans and went to the Children's Place to get my 30% off.  Apperently the new saleswomen had made the mistake several times that morning. 

So did I save, yes I did.  Was it amazing savings?  No.  And get this.  When I returned the vest to Old Navy I of course walked around the store saw that the pea coats were still 50% off, some gloves were marked down even further and the hooded sweatshirt that I bought for my nephew, $10 less.  My husband ended up finding two pairs of jeans that he liked better and fit better than the Eddie Bauer ones.  So ultimately, I need to make yet another return. 

So was it worth it?  Umm, not really.  So will I go back shopping next Black Friday?  Probably, if I have someone to shop with and if I am more organized.

I definitely recommend a partner to bounce ideas off of and a list for a successful shopping experience.

Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipstick

Covergirl is launching their latest innovation January 2011 but you can get your hands on it now!  Free shipping if you order through Walmart, $5.94 a pop.  There are other retailers as well, drugstore.com, walgreens.com, soap.com...  But of course, Walmart will save you a couple dollars!

Limited shades are available during this on-line preview which ends on December 5th.  I've got my eyes on Hypnotic, Sweetheart and Fervor.

For more details check out Covergirl's facebook page.  They promise softer lips in 7 days!

L'OREAL Youth Code

Anyone getting excited about this?  You can enter to win a starter pack here.

I'll admit, I'm intrigued by the packaging and the hype.  You can pre-order on walmart.com, walgreens.com, cvs.com, and target.com.  I just might...

I picked up a couple L'OREAL HIP Kohl Liners at CVS today as they were 75% off.  Not a bad deal if you have a CVS near you!

SNOTD

Another beauty from Revlon's Just Add Sparkle Collection.  Silver and Belle!

Here is silver.

Silver with Belle topcoat.

Gearing up for Black Friday

For the past four yesrs, or about four years, I've been one of the crazies running around at 3am grabbing up sale items.  My mother-in-law got me all excited one year and I've been hooked ever since.  Last year my husband went out with me.  We started at midnight at an outlet mall in Massachusetts and came home about 8am.  Then I think he went back out after I crashed out.

I'm not sure how this year is going to work out with the new baby.  We'll have to go in shifts.  This year we will be home but there are still plenty of stores.  Kohl's and Target usually have great deals, so I'll be hitting them up for sure.

Black Friday ads have already been posted here.

If you can wake up insanely early, it's really best way to get all the things on your list for great prices.  Especially those big items like tv's.  My husband went out for televisions two years in a row.  Did I mention my husband is a shopper?  Almost worse than me :)

So what are you heading out for this Black Friday?

Paradoxal Dupe

Months ago I was on the Chanel website ready to click submit.  I just couldn't justify the $23 for one nail polish.  So I passed.  Then I regretted because a while later it was sold out.  Well it is now available on the website but there is other good news. 

The discovery of a dupe!  Revlon Perplex.  And it looks good enough for me!  It wasn't the Chanel name that had me wanting the color.  I thought that this was the case hence my order deletion.  I've been really liking Revlon polishes lately.  Not sure if they changed the formula or the brush.  But they tweeked something and the polish goes on nice and smooth.

Of course it's all over the blogasphere and I can't get my hands on it!!!  I've been a madwoman driving to every Rite Aid, Walgreens and CVS, in town with absolutely no luck!!! 

Steph's Closet tweeted an awesome pic.

So it's not quite an exact copy but I actually like the purple.

Patience is a virtue and I have a ton of it.  Eventually the display will come to the Southern Tier.  And of course, I will keep looking. 

Holiday Wish Lists

So I was making my list earlier, well not really but someone asked me what I wanted for Christmas and instead of saying "nothing" like I always say because I usually draw a blank at that moment of questioning, I decided to really think about it this year.  (wow that was a really long sentence!)

So still drawing a blank, fully knowing I want or have thought about a million things I might want, I went to the expert.  Oprah.  Yes Oprah.  Who else?  Every year Orah has her show, "Oprah's Favorite Things."  She doesn't mess around with her choices either. 

As I was perusing her selections for 2010, I came across Baker's Edge Brownie Pan.  Sure I've seen it before in stores but then I saw the picture of it being used as a lasagna dish!  What geniousness!

Oprah's Ultimate Favorite Things 2010

 

Definitely putting that on my list!  I love the lasagna edges but I'm more of the soft brownie middle girl.

 

This year my family decided on doing a "Yankee Swap."  But being the polar opposite of Yankee fans we opted for a "Red Sox Swap."  Then after another discussion, we decided to go with http://www.elfster.com/ to randomly assign us a person to buy a gift for.  More like a Kris Kringle so you know who you are buying for rather than buying a generic unisex $40 gift. 

 

Kris Kringle exchanges take the stress out of buying gifts.  Let's face it, it's fun when you start off shopping on Black Friday or early December and then you forget about that one person.  Oops!  You had a sweater picked out and forgot their size so you put it back and forgot all about grabbing something else.  Or you thought for sure you ordered something on line for so and so.  Then you are running out at the last minute.... Not fun.  Especially fighting the lines.  Not looking forward to that this year, that's for sure!

SNOTD

Revlon's Rock + Star make me a Rock Star Baby!!!  Rock is such a gorgeous color on it's own.  I bought two jars of it.  Thinking one will go into a blog giveaway some day!

Paired with Star you get: