This is a scheduled post, as I am not around a computer much with this LA trip. I sure want to keep you posted with things going on in LA, but it all depends on my access to a computer and internet, which is slim.
Here are the Borghese I managed to own. It is a great brand, good quality polish, wide brush, good staying power and fun bottle shape and colours.
Though the brand is available at the drugstores, their price range isn't in that of a drugstore. I got these on sales (CAD4-5/ bottle) but regularly they are about CAD13-14.
First row, from L-R: Roma Scarlet C and Expresso Brown F.
Second row: Festive Fushsia, Magnifico Magenta, Ectasi Indigo and Gusto Gold Dust (from the holiday collection).
Borghese's shade selection isn't that great, we don't get many LE colours at all. I didn't even know about the holiday collection until it was on clearance. Don't think I saw a special display for this brand ever, everything is stacked away on the shelf.
And these are the kits I found at Winners on clearance, reg. CAD29.99.
The Luxury Pedicure Kit includes:
- Delicato Exfoliating cleanser
- Crema Divina Hydrating Leg & Foot cream
- Brilliante Base/ Top coat
- Santina Softening Callous remover
- Nail polish, and
- Deluxe Foot file.
The items fit tightly into the slots in the box, so I had a hard time taking the polish out to see what shade it is. Still have no idea, lol.
This one is the Luxury Manicure Kit, with:
- Delicanto Exfoliating cleanser
- Radiante Brightening Hand cream
- Maximo Nail Growth treament
- Rejuveneta Cuticle oil
- Finale Fast Set Nail spray, and
- Crystal Nail file with case.
So obviously our hands need more work than our feet, as there were more treatment in this kit than the other kit. No nail polish, for that reason :) Have you tried any treatment from Borghese?
Hope everyone has a good weekend. I'll be back soon.
I'm back home from Toronto and back on the blog too. Sorry for not posting during the last 4 days. I was without internet at the hotel room, and then was out and about most of the weekend. But I have some fun things to post today :-)
As you might have known, Rexall Pharma Plus is having 50% off sale on all nail polish and nail treatments starting last Saturday, I certainly couldn't miss it. The items in the pic were accumulated from a few different Rexall's during my "treasure hunt" with some lovely friends.
First row, from L-R: Del Sol Ruby Slipper (from a small display of about 5-6 shades, wish they had more, CAD5.49 after discount), Sally Hansen Complete Salon in Commander in Chic, Gray by Gray, Fairy Teal, Purple Pulse (CAD3.99) and Del Sol Pretty in Pink.
Second row: Revlon Grape Icy, Peach Smoothie (Scent of Summer collection) and No Shrinking Violet (CAD2.75 each), Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro in Steel Grey and Marine Blue (CAD2.49).
These are basic popular shades from each brand, I always wanted to get them but couldn't bring myself to pay full price. Half price? I could do, lol. There wasn't any great deal on makeup, so I didn't get any.
My free time in Toronto wasn't all about shopping though. I was very lucky to meet up with a few Toronto bloggers, and my best friend from uni. We talked, we ate (Indian, Korean, Vietnamese food, sushi, dim sum, omg), we drank (bubble tea, milkshakes, Frappucino, martinis, etc.) and we talked some more. We even had a haircut together, lol. Time seemed to pass by too quickly when I was with them. Love you, my dear friends!
And look what they gifted me, out of kindness. I was so touched, didn't know what to say except thanking them.
First row: Etude House Mini Heel Pedicure 02, Borghese Rome Scarlet C, NYC Frightful Fingers in Phant-asmic and OPI Jade is the New Black.
Second row: Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Admiral Blue and Emerald Green, Sally Hansen No Chip in Endless Claret, Sally Hansen Star Opal in Crystal Opal and a pink Sally Hansen Nail Prisms.
I am over the moon with this stash, as I either never own anything like it (expect lots of "My very first..." posts soon), or they are hard to find/ discontinued shades. I feel so blessed.
Toronto is a great place to hang out, with great company from you, ladies, plus good selections of food and entertainment, and public transportation makes it a little easier to get around. I had a lot of fun and hope to be back in November for IMATS. Can't wait to see you all again.
Yep, hauls (in plural). I've been collecting a bottle or two, here and there. Thought I should put them all in one post :-)
If you haven't already owned Revlon Minted or the whole Day Dreamer collection, read up.
This week Superstore has Revlon polish on sale 3 for CAD10, sale stickers were all over the regular display. I found 2 new full LE displays of Day Dreamer and Scents of Summer, CAD4.99 each. No sale stickers on these though, as the staff said they weren't part of the sale.
But get this: when I took one from each collection to the price check, Scents of Summer rung in CAD4.99 but Day Dreamer was CAD3.34! Omg, I ran back to the display, got Minted, Lilac Pastelle and Gray Suede. Passed on Peach Petal but I might have to go back for it, now that I see nice swatches of it online, lol.
Note: you don't have to buy 3 bottles at a time to take advantage of this deal as the price is broken down to CAD3.33 or CAD3.34 a bottle already.
And the Sally Hansen Complete Salon is Commander in Chic, which I waited so long to get. Well, this line is normally sold for CAD8 or more, not really my affordable range. But, Shoppers has them on sale for 30% off (Sat - Mon), so they came down to CAD5.89 a piece, the best price I have seen. I couldn't help myself :-)
This is a surprise find at a Shoppers I don't normally go to. This store has a small beauty section and is not near to me, which explains why.
It was totally by accident that I saw a little clearance shelf with polishes for CAD5 each. There were some Gosh, Nicole by OPI, but I had my eyes on the Borghese bottles.
I picked the 2 shades that appealed to me the most: Festivo Fuchsia (from the Holiday collection) and Expresso Brown F (don't know why it has F in the name).
I love Borghese but it's not typically affordable unless on sale :-) I'm happy that I now have the 4 shades I wanted from the Holiday collection. The other 2 - Prima Platinum (silver) and Brava Blackberry (maroon) weren't that special to me.
This is from April, when Sally had B2G1F. Sorry I'm late to post on these.
From the first haul I decided I didn't need 2 bottles of Blue Suede, so I exchanged it. Plus from hauls I saw on blogs, I wanted a few more Orly shades. So here are: Orly Prince Charming, Petit Four, Alabaster Verve and Merlot Mist, CAD6.49 each.
I don't know why it took me that long to get into this brand more. It's fab, big bottle (18ml) with fun rubbery cap, and lots of fun colours. I love it that I took advantage of the sale to get a few and build my Orly army :-)
So if you are a polish junkie, check out Shoppers and Superstore this week. Have a lovely day!
Last time Winners had the "Final Clearance" sale where lots of stuff have those pretty red tags on, I got a few things.
Korres Little Natural Products travel set, CAD8 (originally CAD12.99) with 50ml bottles of:
- Vanilla Cinnamon shower gel
- Vanilla Cinnamon moisturizing body milk
- Basil Lemon shower gel
- Aloe & Soapwort shampoo and
- Achillea conditioner.
Orly Glitz, CAD3 (org. CAD5.99)
Simple Pleasures 7-piece lip balm set, CAD3 (org. CAD6.99)
Baby Phat 2-pack tights with cosmetic case, CAD8 (org. CAD12.99).
Nothing exciting, and no makeup, as their shelf was almost empty at the time, a few elf sets and old makeup items that I had no intention to buy.
And this is what I got last weekend. This Borghese hand care set was CAD16 (org. CAD29.99), came with:
- Delicato Exoliating Cleanser
- Radiante Brightening Hand Cream
- Finale Fast Set Nail Spray
- Maximo Nail Growth Treatment
- Rejuvenata Cuticle Oil, and
- A small crystal nail file.
The items are of good size, with the clearance price, I don't mind giving them a try.
Another set that I saw in store came with a nail polish and some cuticle/ callus remover products, on sale for CAD23 (org. CAD29.99), just in case some of you are looking.
Now the highlight of the trip: Dollhouse's Hugo Cuffed Angkle Boots. I don't own anything like this.
Lovely fold-over cuffs, nice zipper details, pattern on the sole bottome, fun heels, etc. They are a bit higher than what I'm normally comfortable with, but they look lovely on :-)
The thing is: I paid CAD50 at Winners, and Dollhouse has them online for $28.99 at the moment (org. $60). Winners normally has great prices, but not this case :-(
The navy colour is gone (no sizes left) but the site does have the red ones in my size. What to do, ladies, what to do? Shipping to Canada is unfortunately $16 while within US is $6. Do you think they are worth the trouble? I suck when it comes to clothes and shoes, so fashionistas, help me out! If you think they're ridiculous, tell me now, lol.
1 question: Are Dollhouse shoes of good quality? There are quite a few funky styles on their site that I like too, but I'm thinking they might not be too practical, lol.
My very first... Borghese.
This is Gusto Gold Dust from Borghese 2009 holiday collection.
The colour: A gorgeous, pure metallic gold goodness kinda colour, I am so impressed. Note that somehow my camera made the colour a little darker (a bronze gold) than IRL (a rose gold).
The finish: It almost looks like foil on my nails which I didn't expect, as in the bottle it seemed to be more of a shimmery shade.
The bottle: Very different from any other polish brands I own. Vintage and luxurious looking. The non-slip long handle is a plus too.
The brush: It's huge, only takes 2 strokes to cover each nail (one for the pinkies). Talk about convenience. It is also short and stiff enough for a stable application, not the flimpsy/ floppy one for sure. I had a really great time applying this polish, quite a treat I must say.
Oh Borghese, why do you have to be so expensive that I can't own a lot of you? I think they are around CAD12.49 a piece at Shoppers. Good thing I grabbed a few on clearance. Love it! Can't wait to try more from this brand.
I was in Shoppers on Thursday, looking for the air cast for my ankle (expensive stuff, I was surprised). Passing through cosmetics, I saw the little bucket again. Remember my little polish haul for CAD3.99 a bottle? It's the same bucket, and this time it's even fuller. Omg!
Turns out the cosmetics manager was doing some "cleaning" and more polishes ended up in the bucket. The staff even brought out another plastic bag for me to pick from as she knew I was saw most of them last time already, lol. Unfortunately, there were a lot of repeats/ multiples.
Want to see what I found this time?
Nicole by OPI, the dark side, lol. I don't know what it is about these bottles, but I couldn't stop myself from getting them all. I found some before at Winners, CAD9.99 a pair but not to this extent.
From L-R:
- Blues in the Night (black with micro teal glitters)
- Black to the Future (black with purple glitters)
- Shimmy Shimmer (dark purple)
- Turn out the Lights (black with green glitters)
- Party at 3am (black with purple/blue glitters).
I don't know whether the glitters would show up on the nails as beautifully as in the bottles, I guess we'll have to see swatches later :-)
Also found something I haven't seen much around here: L'Oreal Resist & Shine Tatanium - the Black Gloss collection. I only found them on L'Oreal UK website, guess North America wasn't supposed to have them.
I chose 2 shades: 734 Black Red and 735 Black Gold. The colours are gorgeous but the cap is funny (I'll do a close up shot with a NOTD later), and the bottle is small (9ml).
Also found a Borghese colour I didn't see last time: Ectasi Indigo (same holiday collection as my previous 2 bottles).
I went a little crazy with the nail polishes lately, I admit, but the idea of owning these hard-to-find colours excited me so much. Hope you don't mind haul posts, as you know it's not meant to be bragging or anything, right? If any of you have been looking for these, I could get you some too, while they are still on sale.
On the way out, I saw the sign the store put up a little early - $10 gift card with $50 purchase starting Saturday. Well, I could have waited to buy these for that gift card, but the colours might also be gone by then. Who knows! Decision, decision :-)
I was on a mission trying to hunt down Annabelle fall shadow colours, so I went to 2 more Shoppers. Didn't find what I came for, but found something unexpected - discounted nail polishes :-)
First Shoppers, these polishes were on clearance for CAD3.99 each. There were quite a few in the bin, assorted brands, I tried my best to restrain myself and got 6 :-)
First row, from L-R: Nicole by OPI It's Up to You, It's Gold Outside and Let's Get Star-ted.
Second row: Borghese Magnifico Magenta and Gusto Gold Dust (from Holiday collection) and Sally Hansen Salon Mulberry.
These brands normally sell in the CAD8-10 range, so this was a steal. I tried to find swatches to justify my purchase but couldn't, except for Let's Get Star-ted and Gusto Gold Dust. The brands aren't very popular I guess. Please let me know if you have these colours and how you like them.
Second Shoppers (not on the same day, mind you, lol), these polishes were on sale too.
First row: Nicole by OPI Winter Glitterland and Faux Fir (from Holiday collection), CAD4 each.
Second row: Gosh Black Passion and Blue Monday (yes, it's a backup), CAD3 each.
Back at the beginning of the year, I saw Gosh polishes for CAD6, thought it was reduced price and hauled (obviously). Now they cost half of that, lol. Somehow I never saw Holographic though, it's like the most pretty shade from Gosh.
I'm so happy to have these new babies in my polish stash. New brands, new shades, sale, good combination :-)
The bf and I are invited to the Lunar New Year potluck party at a friend's tonight (so I will have to cook) while Squirt has a sleepover at her afterschool centre. It's gonna be busy. Have a fun weekend, ladies!