Pick-Ups & Deliveries: October 2013

As it's the end of the month, I thought it was time to do my monthly haul post. October proved to be a very splurge-y month, perhaps more so than others (and I shop a lot, so this month was especially intense), what with new stores opening and a little cross-border shopping. Of course, this all started with — what else? — nail polish. A Sephora opened up about ten minutes from my house, which is extremely dangerous if you're me. Naturally, I needed to check it out and dropped by on their opening day, 'cause I'm a keener like that. I ended up picking up three Deborah Lippmann glitters plus a couple of the new Marc Jacobs polishes (oh, and yeah, I am a VIB Rouge member now, to absolutely no one's surprise). Then a few days later, I received an e-mail from Butter London regarding their latest promotion: free shipping when you spend over $50 and also get a free bottle of their Powder Room nail polish remover plus a bonus nail file. I figured I'd use the opportunity to get a few of their online exclusive shades.
Deborah Lippmann Glitter Nail Lacquers in Shake Your Money Maker, Stronger, and Glitter & Be Gay
Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer in Blue Velvet and Petra
Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer in The 444, Fishwife, and Inky Six
And then I found myself passing by the Dior counter one day and saw a whole display of their new Diorblush Vibrant Colour Powder Blushes. I absolutely do not need any new blushes, but blush fiends will be blush fiends, and I found myself swatching them, anyway. At $43 a pop, though, I decided to skip them at the time even though I was extremely tempted. A few days later, my friend who works at Dior offered me a 30% discount on everything, and then I could no longer say no to them blushes. So I bought my two favourites. And then on top of that, she gave me brand new tubes of my favourite Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara as well as Diorshow Blackout (my old favourite) because she received them as gratis but doesn't use mascara. Free Dior mascara? Yes, please!
Dior Diorblush Vibrant Colour Powder Blush in 986 Star Fuchsia and 676 Coral Cruise
Dior Diorshow Blackout and Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascaras
MAC Lipstick in Craving, Captive, and Media
I went to the mall with my friend and stopped by MAC to recycle some containers for some new lipsticks, and then discovered that The Face Shop had opened up there! Now, I'd never tried anything from The Face Shop before but I've always been intrigued by the brand. (I know they have a store at Pacific Mall, but I refuse to go there because the parking lot is absolutely horrendous.) They were having a grand opening promotion, where you get $15 off when you spend $35. Obviously, I took the opportunity to try a variety of products from the brand. I ended up going in at two different occasions to buy things because a 40% discount was just too good to pass up.
The Face Shop Herb Day 365 Peach Cleansing Foam, Green Tea Phyto Powder Cleansing Foam, Black Sugar Phyto Powder Cleansing Cream, and Real Nature Sheet Masks in Kelp, Lemon, Bamboo, and Rice
The Face Shop Green Tea Hand Gel Cream, Honey Citron Tea Moisture Hand Cream, Honey Citron Tea Moisture Body Wash, Honey Citron Moisture Body Lotion, and Lip Care Cream in Mango Butter and Shea Butter
As I had mentioned a couple weeks ago, Edward and I took a mini road trip to Pennsylvania to get out of the city for a bit and, you know, shop. We stopped by a few places, the first being Erie, which is about four hours from Toronto. A client of mine told me that the selection at the Burlington Coat Factory there is fantastic and the prices are often better than outlets, hence the detour ('cause, honestly, there's nothing much else to do in Erie). Though I saw some nice coats, I personally didn't get anything there because the styles I liked didn't come in my size or they ended up fitting funny on me. But Edward ended up getting quite a few things there so at least that made the stop worth it. The shopping for me didn't really start until we got to Grove City Premium Outlets, and I only bought things from two stores there. The first one was Old Navy, where I got a few pairs of The Flirt black skinny jeans (for $17.70 each from $36, and tax-free!). The second was at the Crabtree & Evelyn outlet store, where I made like a bandit. I love a lot of Crabtree & Evelyn products but I rarely buy anything there because it's so expensive. But at the outlet store, everything was at least 50% off, so I had to take advantage:
Pomegranate, Argan & Grapeseed Tote Gift Set (on sale for $35 from $75!): Skin Conditioning Hand Recovery, Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Therapy, Skin Quenching Body Lotion, Skin Cleansing Bath & Shower Gel, and Tote Bag (not shown)
Avocado, Olive & Basil Body Set with Skin Revitalizing Body Lotion and Revitalizing Bath & Shower Gel (for $15 from $40); Avocado, Olive & Basil Conditioning Shampoo and Pomegranate, Argan & Grapeseed Revitalizing Shampoo (for $12 each from $18)
I would've bought more at the outlets, but I had to save some money for shopping the next day. We decided to stay overnight in Pittsburgh because I wanted to check out Ross Park Mall. As many of you know, American retail prices are always lower and the sales tax rate in Pennsylvania is 6% (for luxury items; it's tax-free on necessities like clothes and shoes), so I wanted to take advantage of that since we were going to be in the state, anyway. The next morning, before we went to the mall, we decided to make a pit stop at Target (of course). Aside from a pair of black Merona wedge ankle booties, a couple of novels, and some snacks (hello, Oreo Coconut Delight Fudge Cremes!), I picked up a bunch of random goodies that I felt were significantly cheaper over there than here:
Up & Up Acetone Nail Polish Remover, EOS Pomegranate Raspberry Shave Cream, Hello Kitty and Strawberry Shortcake Band-Aids, Essie Nail Polish in For the Twill of It and Cashmere Bathrobe, Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat, Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balms (in Peach Kiss, Pink Punch, Grape Vine, Quenched, and Cherry Me), and EOS Lip Balms (in Blueberry Açai and Strawberry Sorbet)
And then we drove up to the mall, where we stopped by The Cheesecake Factory for a delightful lunch of fish tacos and pumpkin pecan cheesecake for dessert. Completely stuffed and totally satisfied (as I always am after eating at The Cheesecake Factory), we waddled inside the mall and I made a beeline for — what else? — Sephora. I put myself on a budget for this trip and wanted to make sure that I got things that I really needed before splurging on anything else, and thought I did pretty well. I had to buy my perfume (which is $12 cheaper in the US), my holy grail make-up removing cleanser and eyeshadow primer, and then decided to get my first ever Caudalie skincare product, which I will incorporate into my winter routine. The only item I bought that I felt was an unnecessary splurge was the YSL Rouge Volupté Shine Lipstick in 19 Fuchsia in Rage... but I had been coveting it since June so I took the plunge. For some reason, Sephora doesn't carry that particular shade in Canada, and it was sold out when I initially saw it in Buffalo this summer, so when I saw that they had two of them in stock at this particular Sephora, I had to snatch it up.

Fresh Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum (100 ml), Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Thirst Quenching Serum, and Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleansing Gel & Eye Makeup Remover
NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base and YSL Rouge Volupté Shine in 19 Fuchsia in Rage
I would say that I'm now on a shopping ban from this month's excessiveness... but November is birthday month and also IMATS Toronto, so it's actually very possible that I will have an even bigger haul next month than this one... 

April Pick-Ups & Deliveries: Part I

So, in between working a ton (wedding season has begun, folks) and reading obsessively, I found a bit of time to do some shopping... and, boy, you should see the damage I can do in a matter of five minutes. After weeks of careful budgeting, I found myself a little more financially relaxed this month and picked up some goodies here and there. I surprised myself by being more and more curious with lower end beauty brands, starting with a trip to Loblaws with Cynthia, followed by a trip to Target with Steph (which was actually quite disappointing — the small selection of NYX products they carry was all opened and touched resulting in a most disgusting display, and nearly all the Sonia Kashuik products were sold out), and, of course, my monthly stop by Bath & Body Works.

Joe Fresh Rose Gloss in Pink, Mauve, and Berry
Joe Fresh Powder Blush in Rose, Melon, and Pink
Joe Fresh Nail Polish in Aqua, Blueberry, Sour Citron, Tomato, Orange Sorbet, and Tigerlily
Joe Fresh Regular and Extra Strength Nail Polish Removers
Essie Spring 2013 Nail Lacquers in Maximillian Strasse-Her and Avenue Maintain and Essie Grow Faster Base Coat
Essie Resort 2013 Collection Mini Nail Lacquers in First Timer, In the Cab-ana, Under Where?, and Come Here!
L'Oreal Color Infallible Eyeshadow in Pepsy Coral, Forever Pink, Sahara Treasure, and Bronze Divine
Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm in Quenched and EOS Lip Balm in Strawberry Sorbet
Method + Orla Kiely Spring Collection Hand Wash in Honeysuckle, White Nectarine, Tomato Vine, and Cloudburst (x2) 
Bath & Body Works Scentportable Fragrance Refills in Mahogany Leather (x3), Eucalyptus Mint (x2), and Spring, and PocketBac Anti-Bacterial Gels in Eucalyptus Mint (x3)
Non-beauty purchases: eight new books from Amazon, a black disc-sequin top on clearance for $12 from $27.80 from Forever 21, and a pair of black The Diva skinny jeans on sale for $8.98 from $39.50 and an oversized red Hello Kitty tee (that I will use as a sleep shirt) on sale for $5.98 from $20 from Old Navy (I had a Friends & Family 25% off coupon). I totally didn't need any of this stuff (except for the nail polish removers 'cause I ran out of my beloved Zoya), but I just couldn't resist, especially given that most of it was either on sale or a total bargain. Also, I have since learned that I am obsessed with cosmetics shopping at Loblaws. Like, I go there maybe three or four times a year, and every time I go through their Joe Fresh stuff, I am always impressed and wonder why I don't shop there more often. I mean, the prices are affordable ($6 blushes and lip products, 3 for $10 nail polishes!), the packaging is cute and minimalistic, and the products are generally good quality (reviews are forthcoming!) — but then I look at my make-up collection, and I'm like, "Oh, yeah, that's why." But seeing as this is only the first half of my haul this month, I will be the first to admit that I went a wee bit overboard this month on the beauty products... Stay tuned.

Birthday Hauls

I got a lot of stuff over the past week, including my purchases from my trip to Buffalo (which basically means Sephora and Target) and IMATS (my friend went to get stuff for me because I was in the States), and birthday gifts received:

Disney Cinderella by Sephora Storylook Eyeshadow Palette

Disney Cinderella by Sephora Storylook Eyeshadow Palette (inside)

Urban Decay The Vice Palette

Urban Decay The Vice Palette (inside)

Tarte Fantastic Foursome Set

Tarte Fantastic Foursome Set (clockwise from left): Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Angelic, Stellar, Magic, and Fantastic

NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base and Fresh Sugar Kisses Mini Lip Duo Birthday Bonus (Fresh Mini Sugar and Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15)

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleansing Gel and Eye Makeup Remover

Lancôme Pure Focus Anti-Ageing Matifying Cream-Gel and Hydra Zen Extreme Soothing Moisturising Cream-Gel from Duty Free

Butter London Holiday 2012 Nail Lacquer in Fairy Cake, Shambolic, Fiddlesticks, Scuppered, and Jack the Lad

Essie Winter 2012 Nail Polish in Snap Happy and Where's My Chauffeur?, and China Glaze Bohemian Luster Chrome Nail Lacquer in Deviantly Daring and Unpredictable

Crown Brushes (IB120, IB103, IB101, IB102, C400, and C108) from IMATS

OCC Lip Tars in Yaoi, Psycho, Lydia, and Demure from IMATS

Lush Karma Kream Body Lotion, Calacas Shower Jelly, Whoosh Shower Jelly, Slammer Shower Gel, Twilight Shower Gel, Twilight Bath Bomb, and Fizzbanger Bath Bomb from my Lush friend, Fran

2 Broke Girls: The Complete First Season, The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fifth Season, Grey's Anatomy: The Complete Eighth Season, and Pretty Little Liars: The Complete Second Season from Ben

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and Brave on Blu-ray and DVD on sale from Target

Method Hand Wash in Pear Ginger (bottle designed by Orla Kiely), Fresh Currant, and Waterfall from Target

Many delicious Oreos (Peanut Butter Fudge Cremes, Double Stuf Heads or Tails, and Triple Double Neapolitan) from Target

Suffice it to say, I had a very, very good birthday, and I am also now very, very broke.