Saturday, April 30, 2011

What is all this?

Happy Saturday!!!


It's a Sephora haul!!!  Believe me the boxes are very deceiving...


15% off VIB haul!

Naked palette!!!  Yay!  OMG the eyeshadows are just amazing and creamy-like and look just beautiful. Pigmented like crazy.  I've ordered Urban Decay through Haute Look once and it was crap.  This palette is serious business.

I was so excited about the NARS Sheer Glow and hoping my foundation nightmares were over but it looked awful.  I got Deauville and it was just yellow on my face, like my nails the other day.  It has beautiful coverage and my face was super soft and dry, not greasy after application.  I really liked the way it felt but then when I took the hand mirror and looked at myself it natural light, it was quite scary.  I was afraid Mont Blanc would be to pink and Gobi was described as being for Asian skin and Deauville said neutral with balanced pink and yellow undertones.  I don't think so.  The next two shades are described as yellow undertones so I guess I striked out with NARS.  Oh well.  Try-try again!

The benefit to go "stay put" set includes Stay don't stry, Erase Paste and creaseless cream eyeshadow/liner in R.S.V.P. which I have wanted forever.  The Erase Paste is A-MAZING!  Yet, the medium included in the set is way too dark for me.   And I didn't realize how tiny this set was.  I mean, tiny, tiny.  So I need to order a full-size erase paste in fair.

The little pink box behind it is Tarino Tarantino Sparklicity Pure Sparkle Powder.  And it is sparklily.  Lots and lots of sparkles.  I just have to figure out a way to 1. put it on without dumping it every where and 2. put it on tastefully so I don't look like I'm trying to channel Tinkerbell.

I received the Philosphy happy birthday vanilla birthday cake shower gel and bubble bath for my birthday gift!  Yay!  And that is exactly what it smells like. 

And the rest are samples that I can't wait to try out.  I will of course we documenting my reviews for all of you!

Friday, April 29, 2011

I learned a lesson.

Never just a nail polish on one bottle alone!  I had to take off Unicorn for clinical this morning and decided on another bright!

This is Orly Fancy Fuchsia.  2 thin coats, beautiful application and a topper of Seche Vite.  Cotton Candy must have been a fluke or just a bad brush.  Fancy Fuchsia went on smooth and it dries really really fast!  Bonus!


Did you watch...

the Royal Wedding?!  Of course I was up at 4 watching every moment.  What an exciting day!  Kate or should I now say the Duchess of Cambridge just looked amazing. 

I loved her dress, simple yet elegant.  It was perfect!

Bath and Body Works I Love Fragrance Event!

Tomorrow you need to stop by your BBW from 1-5pm to grab some freebies!  Click here for details!




A full size Into the Wild Body Lotion and a tote with any Signature Collection Purchase.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Sinful Colors Unicorn

Had to stop by Walgreens for the Sinful Colors  99 cents sale!  I had 4 polishes in my basket including Hottie which is a dupe for Last Friday Night which I have so why have both.  I put it back.  Mom you would be so proud!  Then I swing back around front and I see the display for the new Revlon Summer Collection.  Which was completely empty btw except for one bottle of Sunshine sparkle and 2 of the blue lip balms.  Since I didn't have a coupon I hesitated and then put all the polishes back and left.  Strange...

I go home and look up Sunshine Sparkle.  Of course it looks beautiful on The PloshAholic.  But 5 coats?  Ugh.  I end up back at another Walgreens.  Specifically on both trips, I was looking for $2 bottles of Dove Visiblecare Body Wash.  But alas, none were to be had.  I noticed that Sunshine Sparkle was marked $2 cheaper than the other Walgreens!  And all 3 polishes were on the display.  I resisted.


Then I spot the Sinful Colors display and see Unicorn.  So I say, what the hey, I want a yellow, here's a 99 center. 
 
3 coats later...


OMG  I love it!  I could have used 4 coats.  These were 3 very thin coats.  Runny formula but I think that's par for the course for our yellows.  So guess what?  Yup you guessed it.

I want Sunshine Sparkle even more now to layer over Unicorn.  And I found a $1 Walgreens coupon and a $1 MC.  So there will be another trip to Walgreens in the very near future.  Or I might go ahead and see if my Wegmans has it.  Revlon's are usually priced at $2.99 so $1.99 with my MC. 

We'll see!

Beauty Sales the week of May 1st!

Walgreens

40% off Maybelline.  That looks promising.
GUM flossers $2 with $2 RR  FREE!
Noxema disposable razors $3.99, $3 RR  There should be a $2 MC this week as well!  Sweet MM
Renpure $5.99 with $4 RR

Rite Aid
Covergirl 40% off
Sonicare is $10 off and there are $10 MC's floating around.
John Frieda is on sale for $4.99
$2 SCR with Revlon foundation purchase
Physicians Formula BOGO!
Revlon Beauty tools 40% off, $4 +up reward with purchase of 2
Nair BOGO, get ready for summer!

CVS

L'OREAL $3 ECB with $10 purchase
Nivea, Eucerin:  $5 ECB with $15 purchase
Maybelline mascara $2 ECB with $7 purchase

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Pink Wednesday!!!

Today's weekly installment of Pink Wednesday is brought to you by...

L'OREAL Fleur de Lis

I picked this up during one of my 75% off CVS hauls.  Can't wait for another one of those!



It really doesn't look this streaky in real life. 

It is a fun pale pink.  If pale pinks are fun to you.  lol

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Walk with Walgreens

Still walking the dog and doing my exercises. I figured it was getting pretty boring reading my same fitness logs over and over again.  I know I need to step up my game though.  But I found this:

Walk with Walgreens 

Everyday you log in your walks by calculating the steps or miles.  I mile is about 2000 steps.  If you have a podometer, that would be even better!  Walgreens will randomly pick 4 walks every week and reward that person with a $100 Walgreens Gift Card.  Seems pretty sweet!  That will keep me motivated!

From the site:

"The reward of a thing well done is having done it."



-Ralph Waldo Emerson


From improving health to connecting with others, walking is a reward in and of itself. Whether it's your first step or your millionth, Walgreens will be there to inspire you, support you—and of course, make walking even more rewarding.

Do simple things like walk and log your steps, hit your goals, or just comment on other walkers' posts and you'll be rewarded with coupons, offers and exclusive surprises from great partners like Dasani®, Sprite Zero®, Degree®, Lipton®, Pond’s®, Vaseline®, Caress®, Bayer®, Aleve®, Citracal®, One a Day®, Omron®, Planters®, Neutrogena®, Wrigley Extra® , Famous Footwear®, and Lifetime Fitness®

And make sure you log every step, every day because it could turn out to be extra rewarding. Each week we will randomly select four members who have uploaded walks to the site and award them each a $100 Walgreens gift card—redeemable for just about anything in-store.


Keep on counting up the steps and adding up the rewards!

 So get out there and start walking! 


 

My very first blog giveaway!!!

I know how patient you all have been waiting!  I have wanted to do this forever.  I love giveaways!  I never win but I love to enter them! 

So I figured what better day to announce my giveaway than on my birthday!  Well yesterday was my birthday but I took the day off.  Well not really, I needed to catch up on some study time.  AHHH!!!

Speaking of which, the next 3 weeks will be quite insane for me so I will let you all enter at your leisure.  My first giveaway is only for my U.S. followers.  So sorry!  But I promise that I will be having another giveaway in the future that will be open internationally. 

The giveaway will end on May 25th, 2011, 11:59 pm EST!!!

So here are the rules!  Quite simple really...

1. You must follow my blog.  The giveaway is for all my readers!  Follow with Google Friend Connect.  (1 entry)


2. You must leave a comment with your email so I can contact you!  (1 entry)

3. Additional entries can be earned by letting all your friends know about my giveaway!

- Post on your blog and leave the link to your post in a comment so I can check! (+3 entries)

- Link on the side of your blog.  I will check! (+3 entries)

So spread the word!
See easy peasy!  Again the giveaway ends May 25, 2011. 

Now, here are the goodies!!!  All of these are my favorites!



Revlon Limited Editions of Rock and Star. 

Revlon LE Rock is in my top 10 of favorite nail polish colors!


This is Halle Berry's pure orchid eau de parfum and Revlon Cushion Grip Lash Curler.


A 6 pack of Biore Ultra deep pore cleansing strips, Neosporin over night reneweal therapy (which I use every night), planet spa greek seas soothing eye treatment (it's like putting an ice pack on your eyes without the uncomfortable cold), Jesse's giril tattoo pen in terracotta and NYX Ultra Pearl Mania Loose Eyeshadow in True Purple Pearl.


L.A. Colors Art Deco in Baby Pink and White and WnW fastdry in How I Met Your Magenta.


L'OREAL HiP Shocking Shadow Pigments in Visionary, Rebel, Intrepid, and Restless.  Love these pigments.  Amazing color payoff!

Eyeco Cheeky Colour Blush Duo in My Color Crush, Eyeco Magic Bronzer Brush in Rio, WnW Coloricon blusher in Mellow Wine, and Almay Intense smoky-i kit for hazels!

So there it is!  I hope you are just as excited as I am!

Thank you for all your comments and emails so far.  I have had so much fun writing about and reviewing products for the past couple of years!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Beauty Sales the Week of April 24th!

Here they are!  I guess this is going to be a weekly installment.  Sorry so late! 

Now that I said that, something will come up and I won't have time next week.  lol

Rite Aid

So happy with Rite Aid lately!

BOGO 1/2 off are just so, bland...  But BOGO 1/2 offs with +up rewards and coupons, are the best!

Sinful Colors are BOGO 1/2 off with $2 +up reward  $5 purchase.
EOS shave cream my fave is $2.99 with $2 +up reward. 
ROC is 25% off.
Revlon lip and nail, Almay eye, all Prestige are all BOGO 1/2 off and  you get + up rewards, either $3 or $5.
Essie BOGO 1/2 off $5 +up reward with $15 purchase.
Renpure BOGO.  I haven't tried this shampoo yet.  Too addicted to John Frieda.
BOGO 1/2 off Nexxus.  2 items with purchase will give you $3 +up rewards.

CVS:
Physician's Formula $3 ECB with $10 purchase.  We should all be totally stocked by now.
Rimmel BOGO 50% off.  Hopefully you printed out those $3 Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation MCs.
Dove Men's Care Deodorant is 99 cents.  I have a couple $1 MCs.  This smells really nice.  Not too man-ish.
Blink Tears $7.99 with $7.99 in ECBs.  FREE!
L'OREAL Spend $15, get $5 ECB
Maybelline Spend $10, get $3.  There are a ton of MCs out there.
Jergens, Biore, Curel Spend $15 get $5

Walgreens:

BORING!!!

Sinful colors are straight up 99 cents.  I might run in for some of those.
L'OREAL, Revlon, Covergirl:  BOGO 50%

Rite Aid Video Values

New RA VV's are up for your enjoyment and savings!!!  Go here and start your viewing.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Recent shopping

It's no secret if you have been reading along that I have been frequenting Rite Aid quite frequently lately.  (lol So much so that I have ignored Walgreens altogether.  What is going on with them lately?  Totally off my radar.  Anywho...  My sister was in town this weekend and we went shopping!  Yay! 

We got to compare coupon binders and exchange coupons and even set my mom up with a coupon binder of her very own!  I'm sad now that they left.  I wish we all lived closer.  Bummer.

So I went a little crazy with the PF as did everyone in the U.S. the past couple of weeks.  Unfortunately the $5 MC did not work out so well for me, thankfully all my products still had $4 peelies on them.  Yay!  Safe to say I am well stocked and super pleased at the quality of the products and how they all work very well with my skin.  Awesome job PF!

So Rite Aid and CVS with my sis last night.  I grabbed some Lysol wipes for 50 cents a piece.  The $1.50 MC combined with Rite Aid VV coupons worked out well.  More PF of course because of the $4 peelies and the $2 Go Green Bonus.  Oh and I was 16 cents away from the $5 +up reward.  I decided to let it go and not do any crazy returns.  I'm happy with the products that I bought.  I also grabbed some Kotex. 

Weird that both my Rite Aids have different prices.  The one last night has Kotex liners priced at $1.69.  Another RA that we stopped by earlier today had them at $1.49.  They are BOGO 50% off.  So either 24 cents or 54 cents for 2 after 2 $1/1 MCs.  Consequently, last night I had a RA VV coupon and 2 $1/1 MCs for the packs marked $1.69.  So basically I had 46 cents in overage to apply to my other items.  I had RA VV coupons for my hubby's Reese's eggs and my fave Cadbury eggs.  I had a $3 Nivea Body wash MC.  I actually dumster dived in my recycling bin just to make sure I really didn't get it and sure enough, there it was.  I didn't find the Men's Nivea MC though. 


So after all the coupons, I paid roughly $2 before tax.  Not bad.  At CVS I grabbed 2 travel sized Visines at the register.  I had 2 $2/1 MCs.  And my sister pointed out the $1.50 CVS wipes coupon that printed out at the Red Magic Coupon Machine.  The wipes are $1.49 so those were free.  I paid 12 cents.  The trip would have been sweetter if the Reach floss rang up at the correct price at $1.  We had 2 $1/1 MCs.  No worries though, I'm stocked on floss.

Funny story about CVS...  A women behind us asked me if I was "one of those extreme couponers" because she saw my binder.  I laughed and said no of course but my sister and I gave her a couple of pointers.

And here is Rite Aid today...



24 cents for both the Kotex liners, $1.99 for the got2b heat protect ($2/1 MC and $2 RA VV), $1 for both Lysol wipes (2 $1.50/1 and $1/1 Lysol wipes RA coupon).  I also got back $2 +up rewards for the got2be heat protect.   Sweet.

Upcoming First Giveaway!

So excited!  I've been setting aside things for months now!  My sister was in for the night and she helped me go through a couple things.   I'm trying to decide if I want 2 giveaways or just one big one! 

But I will have the usual rules, ie, have to be a follower of my blog to enter, will get extra entries if you blog about the giveaway etc. 

Hopefully I can get everything together and a picture up of the goods in the next couple of days!  Things are going to get pretty heated with my schedule for the next couple of weeks. 

Love Sephora

I wish I had a store close by though.  So I calmly explained my virus and of course they would extend Chic week for me.  Yay!

Moral of the story, it never hurts to ask!

So in my ever ending quest to find my perfect foundation, NARS Sheer Glow is the next on my list.  15% off is pretty sweet.

Fingers crossed!

Friday, April 22, 2011

UD Naked Palette

Hurray!  The Naked Palette is back in stock at Sephora.com.  Conveniently after Chic Week has ended.   I had this mysterious virus last night as I was doing some research on NARS Sheer glow in Deauville.  I clicked on what I thought was a review and BAM!  Virus.  It took my close to 4 hours to clean my computer and restore it.  I didn't get to place my order with Sephora either.  That's what I get waiting until the last minute.  Maybe it was a good thing.  But I just got the email that the Naked Palette is back in stock. 

Now I want the Naked Palette and the Sheer Glow.  UGH!

UPDATE 4/23:  To be fair, the rep that I spoke to on the phone just a little while ago said that Sephora themselves got the email Friday morning that they had a limited quantity of Urban Decay palettes in stock.   They had no idea when this was going to happen. 

Easter Nails

I think it is time to invest in a camera for the blog that takes good and realistic pictures!  I can't capture the color and it makes me sad.  lol

So this is 3 coats of Orly Pink Whisper.  Such a better formula than Cotton Candy.  And it was on clearance for $1.99.  Oh look, there's my doggie Nika in the background.

Then I layered 2 coats of OPI Significant Other Color to get my pink sheen in.


I hope it comes through in the pictures because it is really pretty.  So it's now Friday, I have 7 coats of polish on my nails.  1 coat of Seche Vite on top of Orly and then when I decided to do OPI another coat on that.  So this polish should stay put no matter how many time I wash my hands throughout the next couple of days, the number of dishes I do or the clothes I fold.  Right?  So we will see if it lasts until Sunday!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Coupons

Don't forget to head over to http://www.coupons.com/ and print out a $2/2 Nivea lip product which equals free Nivea which will turn out 2 for free at Rite Aid, CVS or Walgreens during a sale.

While you are at it, print out a couple of $1/1 NYC lip or nail products. 

Click on Personal Care on the left hand side to get to the coupons faster.

Earth Day Freebies

Starbucks:  Free coffee or tea if you bring in a resusable mug.  Awesome.

ZOYA: Trade in 6 or your Earth unfriendlies for 6 brandnew ZOYAs. Pay $4 each shipping and handling. Makes it $24 for 6 ZOYA polishes. Awesome.


Origins:  Free Full Size Cheeks and Balances, which is an amazing cleanser.  All you need to do is bring your current cleanser to an Origins counter to make a trade.  I can totally do that if I wanted to drive to Syracuse.

Bath and Body Works:  Buy 3 Get 3 free.  Which is insane but with a $10 off $30 purchase coupon code S114048.  Makes for a sweet deal.  It's never to early to set aside Holiday Gifts!  Well this isn't a Earth Day deal per se as it is good through May 8th, but a deal that will be on Earth Day nonetheless.

Disney Store:  Bring in 5 plastic shopping bags, get a free reusable tote!

Lowes:  Is giving out 1 million trees on April 23rd.

Recent Rite Aid Shopping

So the house is on the market and we had a showing yesterday so I had to stay away from the house for a little while.  Big mistake because staying away from the house for a little while means going shopping for me.  I went to Michael's looking for a storage solution for my ever growing mineral eyeshadow collection, Sally Beauty to hit up the Buy 2, Get 1 Orly sale (which all 3 will be returned today, I can't stand the thin brush or the formula, gross Orly... man, I've been returning a lot of stuff lately), then on to Rite Aid where they paid me $2 to take everything from the store.  It should have been $4 but I failed to hand over my $2/10 Go Green Bonus.  I forgot Physician's Formula was included.  Oops.


Look no John Frieda!  My total afte coupons and up rewards was $13 and I got back $15 in +up rewards.  $5 for the Physician's formula and $10 for the cleaners.  I previously bought other cleaning stuff earlier in the week at my epic fail at couponing.  I went to my neighborhood store and had zero problems.

So I am well stocked on Purex Complete.  I can't help these BOGO's with $1/1 coupons.  Same with the Purex crystals.  And I figure it is easier to move than liquid Tide. 

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Pink Wednesday

This is Orly Cotton Candy.  The lady at Sally Beauty went in the back to look for it.  Not sure if I like the color on me.  It looks good in the picture though. 

Horrible formula and a thin brush.  I know I have other Orlys. 

This is three coats.


My cuticles are a mess but you should have seen what my hand and nails looked like after digging in the garden (with gloves!) all morning.  It was a sight. 

Operation!

Do you remember playing Operation as a kid?  I do!  I grew up wanting to be a doctor and I would be so disappointed when I couldn't steady my hand to get the pieces out.  lol  I used to play all the time at my neighbor's house.

Well it has been over 20 years now and I bought one for the kids.  For $2.  Yeah, $2.  lol  Walmat has a Rollback price of $5 on the Toy Story version and I had a $3 coupon.

Can't wait for the Easter bunny to get here!

ZOYA news



So this is interesting.  Now through April 27th, ZOYA wants you to send them 6 bottles of your old non-zoya nail polish in exchange for new environmentally friendly ZOYA nail polishes!  Now it's just $4 for shipping per bottle.  But that's a 50% savings and no extra shiping charges.  Awesome!

Here are the particulars:

ANNOUNCING THE 2011 ZOYA NAIL POLISH EXCHANGE

Out with the old - in with the new! In honor of Earth Day from April 20, 2011 - April 27, 2011(11:59PM EST) Zoya Nail Polish will exchange* your old, out-of-style, unwanted nail color and replenish your nail polish supply with fresh Zoya fashion colors. All you pay is $4.00 per bottle for shipping and processing. Choose from over 300 formaldehyde, toluene, camphor and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) free, long-lasting, award winning, healthy colors to replace your old color! Zoya will properly dispose of your old polish.


Here's all you need to do!
1.Go to Zoya.com and pick out the polishes you would like and add them to your cart. You must select at least 6 bottles and no more than 24 bottles of polish (Salons accounts minimum 12 maximum 48 bottles.)

2.Apply the code: EARTHZOYA

3.Your order value will be adjusted to reflect the promotion

4.SUBMIT your order!

Then Zoya will ship out your NEW polish! YEA!

Once you get your order (Here is where the exchanging* happens)

Ship back the equivalent number of bottles to the ones you received to the return address below. (ie. If you got 6 bottles of Zoya – you would send us 6 NON-ZOYA polishes)

Include a copy of your order receipt and ship to the following address(please check with you carrier on the proper way to ship nail polish)

Art of Beauty, Inc.
c/o Polish Exchange
5060 Taylor Rd, Unit D
Cleveland, Ohio, 44128, USA
Once we receive your polish we do the rest! It’s that simple!

IMPORTANT!

The bottles you send in cannot be Zoya, Qtica or Nocti polishes (but they can be any other brand).

We are using the honor code here folks! We want to make sure you get your Zoya Nail Polish! We send you the polish first then you send your old polish back to us! If you do choose to send us your old polish we promise to properly dispose of it according to EPA guidelines. This offer is only good for 1 week so hurry – Don’t Wait!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Physicians Formula Bronze Booster

This is the Glow-Boosting Lose Bronzing Veil in Light to Medium 1140. 

Great idea, perfect color, awful applicator.

To get it on my cheeks, the bristles are so stiff and uncomfortable.  Then to get the color I want, my cheeks turn bright red from all the rubbing so I have to wait until the redness dies down to see the color.  What?


As you can see, the bristles are quite dense.  Oh, I forgot to mention the first time I used it, a bristle broke off and landed in my eye.  Ouch. 

Anyway, if I could figure out a way to de-pot it somehow, I would keep it.  I need a jar or something to put it in as well.  It is a good color but the delivery system just doesn't work for me at all.



This is very heavy application so it would show up and there might be some redness from me pounding the applicator on my hand to get the powder out.  But used sparingly, it leaves a nice healthy subtle glow which is perfect for my pale skin.

I think this is going back and I will grab one of the compact bronzers while they are still on-sale this week.  Not really motivated to head out in this gloomy weather though...


Revlon Colorstay Aqua Mineral Makeup

Here we go again...  I feel like this issue comes up every few months or so.  I'm on the hunt for a new foundation.  UGH! 

The latest try, Revlon Colorstay Aqua Mineral Makeup in Fair.  Well fair to say it was a bomb, as in glitter bomb.  Yeah I like a sheen, but this was all out sparkle. 

I couldn't get an even consistancy on my face, I used 2 different brushes and a kabuki.  If I still had a beauty blender, I would have tried that.  Settling in my pores, it was a complete mess.  I also couldn't figure out if this was a good color match or not as well.

Oh and when I put it on, it feels like it is wet.  When I tried it out, I thought my brush was still wet.  Then I tried another brush that I knew to be dry and then same thing. It really is wet or cool.  Very bizarre.

It looks like the perfect match in the pan.  Not too pink, not too dark... 

But alas, it just didn't work out.  Maybe I need to stop with the drugstore foundations?

Monday, April 18, 2011

Complexion Issues...

So here we go again.  I just found the perfect routine and I was just about to write all about it and then BAM!  My skin goes and acts up and changes color?  I know weird.  I have been using Origins Vitazing for a little while now and I was really liking it.  It is slightly dark but I was mixing in some of my Tarina Tarantino Pearl Glow Primer and then finishing off the two with my PF translucent powder.  Everything was great for two weeks and I thought I struck gold.  Then I notice that I am having serious greasy face by noon and my face is ruddy and clogged pores galore!  Not flattering at all.  I try using less of everything, still gross and orangey.  I don't know what happened.  The weather hasn't changed all that much, still cold. 

So off the Vitazing is going back to Origins.  I have it shot, tried my best to work with it, but I shouldn't have to "work" with a product just to keep it in rotation. 

But seriously Origins, if you make another Vitazing for fair complextions, I will be all over it!

So here we go again and again.  I'm looking for another foundation.  I just grabbed some Revlon Aqua in fair so fingers crossed!

What a bummer of a day!

So I was pumped, got up early, getting things done, etc, etc, etc...  Then I go to a new Rite Aid that I have never visited before since I was on a different side of town running errands.  Go in, grab some windex and some Purex 3-n-1, then I hit up the Physicians Formula section.  Huge PF section.  Tons of try me free peelies on all the products I want to try.  Yay!  I grab the blue mascara, a bronzer, a custom color compact and the pearl compact and go up with all my coupons.  Old lady alert, seriously.  She looked over all my coupons, looked at me, looked at all my coupons, read through them all once again.  Asked me where I got the PF $5 off coupons...  Then she starts scanning.  The PF $5 coupon doesn't scan.  She tries them again. 

On a side note, I've read all over the place that these coupons are legit, I even went to the coupon counterfiet notication website to check them out, and I've used one once before at CVS about a month ago now.  Then she calls up the manager.  He asks me where I got them and then proceeds to tell me that Rite Aid doesn't allow any internet coupons except for coupons printed from the Rite Aid website.  Well I know that isn't true, he is misinformed but since the coupons weren't scanning I didn't feel like arguing.  CVS is having a 40% off sale right and my coupons worked there before.  Whatev.

So I have her take off the 4 PF products,, she scans all my other coupons, the total is down to $11.34.  I thought anyway and I hand her a $10+up reward from John Frieda.  I swipe my card after standing up at the register for 25 minutes, she says, "Thanks for shopping at Rite Aid."  As I leave I'm looking at my receipt.  I thought I scanned my card at $1.34 but it really was still at $11.34.  So I go back in.  She scrutinizes the receipt.  "You never gave me a $10+ up reward.  I don't remember $10."  She goes into her drawer and there it is.  She hands it back to me.   Whatev again.  I don't feel like arguing, I've already been in the store for like almost an hour, my time is precious.  I take my up rewards.

Well I'm sure the next time I go into Rite Aid it won't work.  What a nightmare.   So I head to CVS to get some free kids toothbrushes and of course they are out. I go to the PF display and of course the 4 products that I wanted are not there.  UGH!  And to top it off, all the Sally Hansen Xtreme colors I wanted to pick up at $1.99 weren't in stock either.

But not to leave empty handed I grabbed some Revlon Aqua foundation and a Colorstay skin finish, I had $5 off 2 CVS coupon, $5 in ECB for the beauty bonus, $1.98 ECBs from I think last week's toothbrushes, $2 Revlon Aqua MC and a $1 Revlon Color MC.  Oh and Revlon is BOGO 1/2 off.  This lady seemed to be in a bad mood.  Looked through all my coupons, read through them all, then started scanning.  I definitely like shopping Saturday nights.  Lesson learned.

So just to share with you my frustrations, it really was a bummer.  If you coupon, you will have bummer trips but don't let them get you down!  In the grand scheme of things, not really a big deal.  Seriously, it's just make-up and coupons.  lol  Hopefully with the 3 other CVS's in town, I can find all those products or I will just go back to that Rite Aid at night, on a different day.  The PF display is worth it.  I have a ton of $4 off peelies anyway, so take that Rite Aid!

So there you have it, maybe someone is telling me that I have enough???  Hmm...  Maybe?  lol

Sunday, April 17, 2011

SNOTD

Nicole by OPI Stuck in the Chimney.  I do not do red very often.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Sephora

I was wondering when I was going to get my email! 

15% of for Chic week.  Runs April 15th through the 21st!  CHIC at check out for Beauty Insiders.

It's easy to become a Beauty Insider.  Fill out this form here!
I have a birthday gift waiting for me with my next order.  Hmm...  15% off, free gift and 3 free samples...  Too bad the Naked Palette is still out of stock.  Darn!

SNOTD on Friday

Well it's Friday and I will probaly paint them again on Sunday...


This is Hint of Mint by NYC, I believe a LE.  2 coats and a Seche Vite topper.


A little while later I thought, "Hey!  What about a little SC Green Ocean?!"  So here it is!  Love the blue flakies!

Weekly Deal Wrap-Up

So the week of John Frieda is coming to an end.  I went to Rite Aid 3 times. Umm  a little obsessive but getting $9 bottles of really good shampoo (for my hair anyway) for free is down right amazing.

Rite Aid trip #1
Shampoo and conditioner of the Go Blonder Lightening Shampoo and Conditioner.  I went to the Rite Aid with the giant bottles.  I also grabbed the "purple" shampoo, the Tone Restoring shampoo and conditioner.  I paid with:

4 $2/1 MCs
$3/$15 purchase from the surveys
$5 +up reward

Ugh and I had some other Rite Aid coupons to bring my total pre-tax to $5.  For the life of me I can't remember last Saturday.  I have my receipt in front of me.  What was it?  Hmm...  Anywho $5 pre-tax, $10 back.  After tax it was an almost $4 MM.

Rite Aid trip #2

I grabbed the Full Repair (red bottles) shampoo and conditioner and Enhaning shampoo and conditioner.  I went to a different Rite Aid later in the week.  I also grabbed some Visine at $5.29.  So 29 cents after ad-in coupon and $2 MC.

I paid with:
4 $2/1 MCs
$1/1 Rite Video Values Full Repair coupon
$1 Rite Aid VV non-Rx services coupon
$1 Rite Aid VV wellness coupon
$2 RA VV haircare extravaganza coupon
$3/$15 purchase
$2/1 MC for Visine
$2/1 in-ad coupon for Visine

Pre-tax total: $6.29, got back $1 for the Visine and $10 for the John Frieda purchase.

Rite Aid trip #3

This was funny.  I had 2 left over John Frieda coupons so I went to the Rite Aid with the giant bottles.  I also grabbed some Nexxus Promend because I had $3 Nexxus MC and $3 RA VV coupon.  Making it $4 but I also had a 10% off shopping pass.  I grabbed a bottle of the kids' Burt's Bees Shampoo and Bodywash 50% off so $3.99 and I had a $1.50 RA VV coupon.  I grabbed another Visine.  This RA had it priced at $4.99.  So with my $2 MC, $2 ad-in coupon and $1 +up reward equals free. 

I was out of $2/1 MCs so I grabbed 2 products that had coupons attached so a Frizz Ease products finishing cream and Any Time Volume Refresher.  They were both a $1 off.  And I grabbed a NYC polish thinking my $1 MC covered it but my coupon was actually for mascara.  I must have pulled with wrong one.

So I paid with

2 $2/1
2 $1/1
$1.50/1 Burt's Bees
$2/1 MC Visine
$2/1 RA Visine in-ad coupon
$3/$15
10% wellness shopping pass
$3/1 Nexxus MC
$3/1 Promend Nexxus RA VV coupon
$10 +up rewards.

Pre-tax $8.76, got back $10 +up rewards for the John Frieda and $1 for the Visine. 

So as you can see, I'm really liking Rite Aid lately.  I still have $22 in +up rewards to spend and another 10% off shopping pass.  I'm at 268 points now.

I certainly do not need shampoo for a while.  But I've been getting a ton of compliments on my hair and I made money off of buying this shampoo.  How could I refuse?!



Not pictured is the John Frieda Any Time Volume Refresher and a Go Blonder Lightening Conditioner.  They are already in use!

In my shower right now I rotate between the Full Repair, Tone Restoring and Go Blonder Lightening.  I use the Full Repair a couple days after I use the Lightening Spray which I use a couple of times a week.  It's really drying because it's heat activated so I really blow out my entire head.

Should I go get some more?  lol  No way.

April Birchbox!

My first Birchbox!


Love the box!


The products for April.



Zoya Jules, mini bottle.
Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel
Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair Moisturizer
LIV GRN Earth Eau de Parfum
Weleda, Wild Rose Smoothing Facial Lotion

Bloomin' hand made seed paper.  Can't wait to plant them!

Reviews to come of course!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Pink Wednesday!

What a dreary day!  I'm hoping Borghese Belissima Rose will brighten my day!


Now with Nubar 2010 it looks more red...  Oops!


Insomnia

Ugh!  I can't sleep.  It's going to be a rough day tomorrow.  It started with the dog being quite unsettled.  She is pacing all over the house.  I can't figure out what has her all nerved up so now I am wide awake!

But I've been productive!  I went to the Rite Aid adperk website and was checking out more videos and under Exclusive Rite Aid Offers, bottom left, there are 2 videos, one for Wellness and one for Pharmacy, each $1 off! 

So another $2 off to stack with your other coupons!  Of course I'm going back for more John Frieda!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Beauty sales the week of April 17th!

Beauty sales!  Yes!  I have a ton of +up rewards to spend, for sure.  Hope you guys do to!  But I don't think there is anything I want to spend them on.  lol

Rite Aid

L'OREAL BOGO 1/2 off and $5 +up rewards with $15 purchase.
Orbit gum is $1 and there are some MCs floating around out there to make some cheap gum!
Purex 3-n-1 laundry sheets are BOGO.  Love those.
Nivea and Neutragena BOGO 1/2 off and $5+ up rewards with $15 purchase.
BOGO 1/2 off Physician's Formula $5 +up rewards with $20 purchase.  But we all should be well stocked on PF right?
L'OREAL shampoos Ever Sleek, Ever Strong, Ever Pure...  $5.99 each, $5+up rewards with $15 purchase.  Rite Video Values $1 coupons stacked with MCs.  Pretty sweet deal.

Walgreens

I feel like I haven't been shopping at Walgreens in forever.  Seriously.
Hmm...  Betty Crocker Brownies and cake mixes are 89 cents with in-ad coupon.  Oh and those Warm Delights bowls are 2 for $3.
Starbuck's 4 packs are $4.99
The Say Yes line...  BOGO 50% off.  I've been wanting to try the Say Yes to Blueberries serum.  Hmm...
Maybelline, L'OREAL, Rimmel and Almay BOGO 50% off
Burt's Bees Spend $20, get $5.  Make sure you watch your Video Values.
Wet n Wild 69 cents!
Garnier Fructis hair 4/$14 qwith $4 RR
L'OREAL hair 2/$12 with $3 RR
Softsoap and Irish Spring Body Wash BOGO


CVS

Physicians Formula 40% off
Neutragena, Lumene, Rimmel and L'OREAL BOGO 50% off
Covergirl & Maybelline spend $10, get $3 ECBs
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear $1.99!
Roc Skincare spend $30, get $10 ECBs
Spend $25 on certain Aveeno products, get $10 ECBs.
John Frieda Hair $5 each, spend $10, get $3 ECBs.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Getting your veggies...

with Butternut Squash Soup!  Well technically it is a fruit because it has seeds, but...

Well it's officially grilling season here in the Southern Tier!  We fired up the grill and did some kebobs.  I had some leftover squash so I decided to make some soup.

I just kind of winged this recipe since I've made it millions of times.   So tonight I grabbed on of those pre-cut, pre-packaged tubs of butternut squash.  It is probably a couple of pounds maybe.  I also chopped up a vidalia onion, I love the sweeter onions.  I sauteed the onion with some olive oil and 2 pats of butter.  I let the onion sweat it out and turn translucent.  I added a couple shakes of nutmeg, garlic powder, onion salt and a few turns of pepper.  I also through in 4 boullion cubes.  Normally I would use chicken stock but I'm trying to use up my pantry in anticipation of a move.  Boullion cubes hve a lot of sodium, not sure how much in comparison to store bought stock however.  Instead of chicken stock you can use apple cider and you can certainly skip the butter as well.



To the onion and boullion cubes I added the package of pre-cut squash.  I let these items sautee for 5 minutes.  Then I added 5 cups of water.  I brought it up to a boil and then turned the heat down to let it simmer for 20 minutes.



After 20 minutes of simmering, I let it sit for 30 minutes to cool off a bit before I put it in the blender.  Now if you have an immersion blender, no need to wait that long.  After blending, serve!  You can finish it off with a little more butter and some cream, milk, or crème fraîche or just nothing.  It's really your preference.  If I had some cream, I probably would have splashed some in there.  And there you have it! 

Butternut squash soup!





Now butternut squash, something like a cup's worth will provide your body with 150% of the daily recommended amount of Vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene. We are talking some seriously, powerful anti-oxidants.  You can read up about Vitamin A here.  Among it's functions are skin and cellular health and immune function.  And it's a power food!

Saturday night shopping

at CVS of course!  Well I was totally running out of time this week.  I had that $5/$40 facebook coupon that was burning a hole in my coupon binder.  I was going to save it until Sunday, but I really wanted to take advantage of the PF $6 off sale and my $5 off coupons.  I just couldn't help myself.  $14 products for less than a $1?  Yes please!

So the Disney vitamins which the kids love were BOGO and I had 4 $1/1 MCs.  I also had a BOGO MC for the Oral B toothbrushes and a $2/2 MC for Oral B manual toothbrushes.  This past week at CVS was Oral B toothbrushes were $2.99 with 99 cents ECBs with a limit of 2.  So I grabbed 2 and got back $1.98 ECBs. 

The disadvantage of shopping on Saturday nights like I've said before is that they are out of a lot of products but I just couldn't get to CVS any earlier, in fact I rolled in at 8:40, they close at 9.  We were at the mall and they had all the doors shut and the one I exited out of was half way down.  I wasn't even the last customer!

So that being the disadvantage I was flustered when they were out of the Gum tooth pickers, whatever they are called, the Oral B dental floss and something else.  I also was flustered when a $5/2 Revlon face and lip product printed out of the Magic Coupon machine.  I was trying to make it work but I had no other Revlon MCs.  So I went back and grabbed 2 more boxes of vitamins.  Then I grabbed a Seche Vite because I was trying to do the math in my head quickly and I was thinking I was $5 short of the $40 if they didn't count the BOGO vitamins first.  Are you still following me?

So flustered I ran up to the register with my $14 in ECBs, $5/$40 coupon, $2 ECBs from my quarterly spending, all my MC's.  The total came up to $76.  I got a little anxious at the total but realized that he hadn't scanned my CVS card yet.  Boom down to $48.  Grand total?  $11. 


Since the kids were with me and they were being super patient, I let them grab those candy push pops.  Hopefully they forget about them because I'm not a ig fan of supplying them with unneccessary sugar.  But a 5 minute CVS trip turned into a 15 minute one when I couldn't crank out the math skills fast enough.  I did okay though.  I didn't need the Seche Vite to add to my total.  My OOP would have been $3.  But oh well.  I will need some soon anyway.  It has revolutionized my nail painting.  I can do my nails in 10 minutes.  I used to keep still and not touch things for an hour only to ding them up.  Now, 10 minutes flat, perfectly dry nails.  Love that stuff!



And I'm happy to get a Happy Booster which I've been wanting to try since I started seeing them in the stores.  I grabbed the Shimmer Strips as well because I noticed that my e.l.f. is making my face look "muddy."  I hope this gives me a nicer glow.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Mario Badescu

Mario Badescu is on HauteLook tomorrow starting at 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern.  I'll be checking it out.

If you don't already have an account with HauteLook sign up here.  It's a member's only sales site and you need an invite.  So there it is!  It's free, you just have to sign up and create an account.  Member's only baby!

The enzyme cleansing gel is amazing, I use the glycolic eye cream every night, and I love the Almond and Honey face scrub.  Can't wait to see which products will be discounted!

Yikes!

I was trying to print out my Rite Aid video values bonus and my printer went crazy, it cancelled my printing and I lost all my coupons!  There are a ton of bonuses, there is a Hair Care Extravaganza for $2/$10, Spring Cleaning $2/10 and a Go Green $2/$10.  I emailed the ad perk customer service to let them know.  This has happened to me in the past and they reset my coupons so I'm hoping that they will do the same this time.  I emailed this morning around 7 and haven't heard anything.  I wanted to use the Hair Care Extravaganza and the John Frieda Full Repair $1 to make my shampoo even free-er.  UGH!  Patience...

So if you haven't done so already, go to the ad perk site and watch those videos!  There is also a coupon for a $1.50 off Burt's Bees.  I've read on the blogosphere that Burt's Bees is on clearance at some Rite Aid locations.  I was there this week and mine hasn't marked down Burt's Bees yet but I'm planning on saving that VV coupon for that very moment.  If my coupons get reset that is. 

Homemade

For Christmas my sister gave to me lavender bath salts.  I forgot to review it for you.  It was very lovely.  I just love lavender and I use bath salts very frequently.  They are perfect for any ailment from dry, itchy skin, to sore, achy muscles.  She said it was super simple, just salt, a few drops of lavender oil, and she also put in a couple drops of pink to give it some color but not so much it would stain the tub. 

So after I finished what she made, I used the same jam jar.  I filled the jar with Epson salt and put in a few drops of some rose oil that I purchased from Botanic Choice.  After I finished that jar, I decided to make a foot scrub since I ran out of my Dollar Tree purchase of Sally Hansen.

So in an effort to clean out my vanity armoire in the bathroom, I've been using up random products.  One of which was a small box of Epson salt and some left over Argan oil.  I mixed the two together and voila!  A foot scrub! 






I also use it on my hands.  The only negative is at the mixture makes the tub super slippery.  But my feet have never been happier!  I also realized this week that I haven't painted my toes in over 6 months.  How I know this is that my son is now 6 and half months old and I remember taking off my toe polish shortly after he was born.  I know... super crazy! 

So I'm almost done with the present jar as you can see and I'm trying to decide what to mix up next!  I have some left over baby oil, Kosher salt as well as some more rose oil.  Not sure if this is going to be a good combination or not.  I think I want to make a sugar scrub next so I might be getting some Sugar in the Raw.  I will keep you posted!

SNOTD

I wanted something neutral today.  I needed a break from the sparkles.  Not sure how I am feeling this one.

Revlon Gray Suede.  Another $1.99 Wegmans Revlon purchase.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Looking ahead to next week...

Man the weeks are flying by!  It's Thursday already?  Where does the time go?

So pretty boring at Walgreens this week.  But Biore is on sale for $5.99, there is a $2 MC floating around on Biore's facebook page.  The deal is, buy 2 Biores , get $5 RR.  So use 2 $2/1 MCs and get back $5 RR so basically $3 for both.  Not bad if you need them!  I use 3 at a time.  Forehead, nose and chin.  I can never find the package with the face strips so I just use the nose ones all the way.  Since I've been using my Olay Pro-X, I really don't need the Biore strips as much. 

Lots of BOGO 50% offs.  No RR deals though.  L'OREAL skincare and Neutragena are 25% off.  There are some MCs out there.

Dove Bodywash, 6 pack bar soap and Dove clinical deodorant is 2 for $12 with $4 RR. 

Got 2b Styling Products 2/$10 with $5 RR. 

Carefree pantyliners 99 cents with 99 cents RR which is free.  I have a bunch of 50 cent coupons.  So small MMs.

CVS:

Lots of BOGO 50% off as well, like Milani.  I've been wanting to try their baked blushes.  Hopefully you have been on CVS's facebook page and printed out your $5/$40 coupon.  It's good through Sunday, April 10th...

Maybelline $10 purchase will get you $3ECBs

Garnier skin care:  Spend $20 get $10 ECBs.

When you buy 3 Biore, Curel, Jergens:  Spend $15, get $5 ECBs.

L'OREAL 360 clean or Youth Code, Spend $25, get $6 ECBs.

Dove Body Wash 2/$12 with $4 ECBs with purchase.

CVS hand sanitizer is BOGO and I think the coupon machine is printing off $1 off 8 oz coupons.  So scoop up 2 for cheap hand-sani.

$3.99 for ALL Tresemme so if that means the Color Defender, there was a $5/2.

Rite Aid:

Don't forget to check the bottom of your receipt for survey code.  Upon completion of the survey, Rite Aid will give you a $3/$15 coupon.  Make sure you are using a computer attached to a printer.

So I will be lined up at the door when Rite Aid opens on Sunday.  No joke.  I'm not fooling around.  lol

The John Frieda/Biore deal is still going on all month.  Spend $20, get $10 +up rewards.  I noticed this week that they have the huge bottles of John Frieda shampoo (25% more free bottles) and the price will be $5 a bottle instead of $6.99.  Get them!  I went on ebay and bought some $2/1 MCs since I ran out already.  I'm stocking up baby!  Even without coupons that's $2.50 a bottle.  Nice deal in and of itself.  Stack 4 $2/1 MCs and a $3/$15 for completing your survey...  OOP $9, get back $10.  FREE SHAMPOO and $1 MM.  I'm going to have $5 in +up rewards so I'm looking at a $6 MM.  I love the entire line. 

The Maybelline/Garnier Mix and Match sale is still going on, Spend $15, get $5.  I almost did this last week.  Totally free stuff, but alas, I really do not need foundation or blush.  Seriously.  You have to know when to say when, or say no in my case. lol

You can get your candy on this week too, 2/$5 with a $1 +up reward with purchase of 2.  So use 2 $1/1 MCs and you can get it for a $1 a bag.

St. Ives is BOGO. 

Wet & Wild 40% off.

Almay Buy 2, get 3rd free.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Extreme Couponing...

Kind of exited for the premiere of Extreme Couponing tonight on TLC.  I'm always looking for new tips.  I do get a little frustrated when I see these ladies clearing the shelves of things.  Umm, not cool.  I mean do a deal twice, but bringing 20 coupons in and sweeping your arm across the shelf and pushing 3 carts through CVS?  Really?  lol  I've actually never seen this but I know of people who have.  It's madness I tell you! 

I've only seen Extreme Couponing once over Christmas break.  It was insane to see some people's stockpiling!  It made me feel a little better about my small one compared to their filled multiple shelves in attics and garages. 

Mine is getting out of hand for my lifestyle so I will be cutting back a lot.  I do not need another free toothbrush.  I swear.  I'm done... for right now...  I mean it.  hahahaha

A new healthier you! A few random thoughts...

Healthy is beautiful.  We all know this.  As I was eating a bowl of oatmeal with blueberries earlier this morning I was thinking about Benefiber because I poured some in my coffee (since I have a ton of it from recent sales) and the difference between insoluble and soluble fiber.  I know both are super beneficial but I was wondering which one Benefiber was and which fiber is "better."  Turns out they are both good and they both do different things for the body. 

I found this site which gives a simple breakdown.

So the function of INSOLUBLE fiber are to move bulk through the intestines, which sounds disgusting but hey, it's life!  It also controls and balances acidity in the intestines.  Too much base or too much acid is bad, balance is key.  There are many benefits including the promotion of regular bowel movements and the prevention constipation.  Did you ever see that episode of Dr. Oz when he was talking about BM's?  Check it out here.  Love Dr. Oz!

INSOLUBLE fiber also removes toxic wastes through the colon in less time and helps prevent colon cancer by keeping an optimal pH in the intestines to prevent microbes from producing cancerous substances.  Phew! Sounds like a win-win to me!

So how do you get INSOLUBLE fiber?  Your veggies of course!  Green beans and dark green leafy vegetables but also fruit skins and root vegetable skins.  So whole apples, don't peel the skin! Whole-wheat products, wheat bran, corn bran, seed and nuts.

Now SOLUBLE fiber is a little different.  It is also super beneficial and it's the fiber that's in Benefiber.  SOLUBLE fiber binds with fatty acids and prolongs stomach emptying time so that sugar is released and absorbed more slowly, so basically you stay satiated longer.  I'm all for that. 
Benefits of SOLUBLE fiber are numerous.  It lowers total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the Bad cholesterol) therefore reducing the risk of heart disease and regulates blood sugar for people with diabetes.  Super important people!!!

Besides Benefiber, you can find SOLUBLE fiber in oats and oat bran, like my bowl of oatmeal this morning, dried beans and peas, nuts, barley, flax seed, fruits such as oranges and apples, and vegetables such as carrots.

So it looks like I am getting plenty of SOLUBLE fiber but I need to work on the INSOLUBLE fiber.

Now I was looking into the difference between Metamucil and Benefiber.  Both offer fiber that is completely disolvable and non-gritty.  You can pour some into a glass of water and it will disolve completely and clear.  Trust me.  Benefiber is from wheat dextrin and Metamucil is psyllium fiber. 

What's the difference? 

Wheat dextrin is a fiber made from wheat starch. Dextrins are defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a food ingredient manufactured from the starch of plant foods, including corn, potato or wheat. Psyllium comes from the seed husks of a plant identified as plantago ovata, which grows in Pakistan and India. Its use as an herbal remedy to relieve GI problems dates back centuries.

Read more: Difference Between Wheat Dextrin and Psyllium Husk
eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5054691_difference-wheat-dextrin-psyllium-husk.html#ixzz1Ikdzwqkz
 

Warning

Both wheat dextrin and psyllium are water soluble fibers. They will pull water from your body, so it is essential to stay well-hydrated when you consume them. You must drink adequate water when taking soluble fibers. Additionally, psyllium can be difficult to swallow, due to its thick consistency, and should be avoided by those who have difficulty swallowing.

Read more: Difference Between Wheat Dextrin and Psyllium Husk
eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5054691_difference-wheat-dextrin-psyllium-husk.html#ixzz1IkeNxk5E
 
So there you have it!!!

Oh fiddle sticks!

Monday in my haste to leave the house spiffy, on day #3 of the cleanest house in the U.S., I smashed my newer coffee carafe.  I was simply rinsing, swirling, and popping the crazy top on that I couldn't stand anyway and sure enough, glass is everywhere. 

Why the cleanest house?  We are on the market baby!  Oh yeah!  

Thankfully I bought enough FREE Nescafe coffee sticks to last me.  That reminds me, the other day at Target a coupon printed for a free 6 ct. box!  Yippee!  It's pretty tasty with my french vanilla coffeemate btw...  That will last me a day and a half.  I need 2 sticks per cup, one in the morning, one in the afternoon or 4 sticks per day...  I still have a headache.  I need STRONG coffee!  That's what happens when you have 3 kids and a dog and you are finishing up your RN...

So I run out last night to find a glass carafe.  Easy peasy, lemon breezy right?  Yeah right.  Not.  3 stores later, I head to Bed Bath and Beyond.  I get the willy's (whatever that means) everytime I pop into a BBB.  In fact, I avoid it.  I was stalked one day with my kids.  I was looking for a couch cover.  There was one on clearance for like $4 and ones on the shelves for $50.  Hmm...  Seems a bit strange for the price difference so I did my best to investigate.  Well I decided on the clearance.  Why not right?  The kids's diapers will leak on it or they will cover it in permanent black Sharpie.  So I had noticed that this associate was paying pretty close attention to me, even handing me my wallet which one of the kids had taken from my purse.  She made various comments, etc, staying pretty close.  I figured it was because I had two kids standing in the shopping cart.  I know, pretty dangerous.  I used to get yelled at all the time in Target.  I swear the kids would stand up as soon as I looked off for a second.

Back to my story...  it gets better.  So I head on up to the register with my $4 couch cover and that same associate is racing me and then passes me.  It was quite odd and I remember it vividly.  I looked in my purse and my wallet was in there...  I pull around with 2 now screaming crying kids and I see her with her hand covering her mouth, "whispering" well talking into another associate's ear, who I found out later to be the manager.  The manager then tells the checkout associate who had just scanned my item and I was about to swipe my card to, "Hang on a second."   Both the other associate and the manager run to the back of the store.  5 minutes go by, 10 minutes go by, I'm getting extremely ticked off...  The kids are crying louder.  Seriously, what could possibly be the hold up?  The line gets longer, now it is 5 customers deep.  I ask the check out associate, "What is going on?"  She says, "I don't know, she told me to wait."  They finally come back, seemed like eternity and the manager says to the checkout associate, "All set."  I swipe my card.

The manager never spoke to me, never gave me an explanation for what happened.  I was so confused wondering what could have happened.  So that afternoon I was speaking to a friend and told her the bizarre story.  She says, "Oh, they thought you were shoplifting.  Did you take the slipcover out of the package?"  She happened to have worked security for a department store in her past life.  Umm, yes, I need to see how big it was and what the material felt like.  And besides, that associate was with me the entire time, talking with me, asking me questions, etc.  WEIRD!

That thought never crossed my mind that I would ever be accused of such a thing.  So I was so mad I wrote a letter.  It ended up being 3 pages long about how uncomfortable that sales associate made me feel and my 15 minute wait at the register and how the manager never spoke to me directly or apologized.  I went back the next day with my husband and handed another manager the letter and told him how awful I felt.  He apologized, almost kind of laughed, I did feel pretty silly at that point for writing a darn letter but I was really upset that I was targeted and stalked in that store.  He gave me a coupon that I promptly ripped up and I never went into that BBB, anywhere, for 2 more years.  They lost some serious business.  I discovered lots of other stores that sell Bed and Bath stuff!  I went in this Christmas and one other time besides last night.  I still do not like the store.  Oh and I returned the slip cover.  lol

Okay, back to my present day story of smashing my glass coffee carafe to bits.  Since Target did not carry Cuisinart so I headed next door to BBB, in the pouring rain I might add.  I was soaked walking in.  So you can see my desperation to get a coffee pot!  I went to the coffee section, an associate ran right up to me asked me if I needed anything, almost jumping right in front of me.  Here we go again.  I said I need a glass carafe replacement.  He tells me they do not carry them.  UGH!  I know they do or did at one time.  He takes me up to the front to speak with another associate and that one sends us back to the coffee section.  Yes they do have them.  $25!!!  What?  I bought the coffee maker for $40, well less than that with coupons and a gift card.  Double UGH!  So of course I had a 20% off coupon, knocking it down to $20.  So I get home and this happens...



It's too big!  It's not the right size.  Dang.  Seriously?  Did they have to change the size of a 12 cup carafe.  Shouldn't 12 cups be 12 cups?  What the?  Thanks Cuisinart.  So now my bargain of a coffee maker just turned expensive.  If I had just bought the carafe-less one like I really wanted, also by Cuisinart, but couldn't come to terms with the $90 price tag, this never would have happened!

Oh, the perils of being cheap...  I mean, oops, savvy of course!