Sparkled Beauty

It's about time to show you what I got over Boxing Week, online and in stores. Being on vacation didn't stop me getting in on good deals :)

At Shoppers, Quo holiday collection was cleared out for 50% off. Beauty Boutique locations seemed to have more in stock. I already got my fair share of the Back to Basics (original and Matte) palettes so I only grabbed the All About Brows set (reg. $20).

Annabelle holiday Lipsies duos were half price too (reg. $7.95). I found 3 sets, from L-R:
- Flirty Candy Cane & Cinnamon Candy
- Yummy Gingerbread & Grandma's Peppermint
- Roasted Marshmallow & Hot Chocolate.

Quo Backstage brush set (reg. $65), part of the holiday collection, was also 50% off. Love the long gold handles, contrasting the black bristles.

If you don't know me by now, I could hardly ever pass up on a brush set clearance, especially with Quo and Sephora. And then put them on display, as the boxes are too pretty to use lol.

Found a gift set that includes my favorite Vichy Aqualia Thermal Night Spa, reg. $44 (values $59), 50% off. Basically I paid $22 for my beloved Night Spa and has a free gift (Aqua Thermal lip balm) to tote around in my bag.

I always plan my Shoppers trip with a x20 point event or a coupon ($10 off $50, etc.) which happens ever so often. Don't walk in the door without an offer :)

Walmart put Christmas items on clearance of 50% off starting Boxing Day, then 75% off after New Year for whatever left.

I got the Flower Beauty Color in the Lines mini Lip Chubby beauty set (reg. $9) online before it was sold out. None left in the stores when I checked.

There were still a few Eye See You eye beauty sets (reg. $19) left for the 75% off in store, so I picked up the rose gold set and the purple set.

Similarly, Joe Fresh had some lips, eyes and nails holiday gift sets on clearance at Superstore.

I grabbed the 5-piece Chubby lipstick set and 5-piece Chubby eyeshadow set on 75% off (reg. $10 each).

I saw a few sets of holiday nail polish but the colours didn't really wow me on the spot, so I am still thinking about it. The price is great though.

Winners didn't have much new stuff, so I only bought 2 things from the clearance section:
- China Glaze All Aboard set for $18 (reg. $24.99), mainly because of Choo-Choo-Chose You, and
- Real Techniques Retractable Bronzer brush $11 (reg. $14.99).

I recalled seeing a lot of holiday gift sets at Winners before I left for vacation. Guess those were sold out right away on Boxing Day :)

Last but not least, Sephora! The extra 20% off sale item promo was definitely nice, but I panicked and got a few things (noted below with a *) before the code was sent out, fearing they would be sold out quickly.

Bite Beauty Deconstructed Rose lipstick trio* ($40) made an appearance for a split second before selling out. Considering these lipsticks retail $32 a piece, the trio is definitely a steal.

Sephora Favorites SummerStash set (reg. $54) landed on the sale page for $36, so why not? :) I'm excited about the Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor cheek gelee in Pink Escape and OCC Stained Gloss in New Wave.

Make Up For Ever Studio Case (reg. $68.50) was discounted to $45 the day I went to use my $25 VIB Rouge credit, so it turned out to be the best deal I had. Wanted it for so long! Still missed out on the 30 Color set, but it would probably never be back.

Also eyed Stila Merry & Bright set (reg. $38, on sale for $26) for a while but I held off until 20% off. Main focus was the Convertible in Tulip but the jeweled headband was a nice touch :)

Same situation with Sephora Eye Look book set (reg. $35, on sale for $25). It would look good on a book case too, as the 4 little palettes (The Nude, the Smoky, the Party and the Metallic eye look) sit snugly in a case like books.

Benefit 3 Scoops O' Sexy set* (reg. $50, on sale for $30) sold out quite fast. I didn't have any tints or balms from Benefit, guess the set was a good opportunity to try them. I have high hope for the Lolli duo, my type of colour.

Last but not least, the big ticket item - Sephora 24 Karat Gold Mine brush set* (reg. $106, on sale for $56). It would be nice if I could grab it with 20% off but what can you do?

The gold detail definitely intrigued me but the selling point was the long ferule that ran along the handle. Very classy and luxurious. Again, don't know if I have the heart to break them out of the box yet :)

Still on the way to me are Josie Maran Winter Dreams Argan Color collection ($36 from $43 reg.) and OCC Colour Pencil Essentials set ($24 from $54 reg.). Shipping took some sweet time this time of year.

What have you been hauling in the last week or two?

The last order from Sephora VIB sale arrived a day before I left for vacation, so I only had time to take pics without being able to test things out much. Hope everyone had a great weekend shopping.

A few single items first:

- Mix N' Mingle mini of the Matte Creme lip crayon in Aubergine (reg. $15, 0.031oz vs 0.05oz full size )
The colour showed a bit darker online than IRL, I might exchange it for something darker - NARS Audacious lipstick in Anita (reg. $37)
I surprised myself with not ordering more than one shade, but I am happy with it
- OCC lip tar in Technopagan (reg. $22)
No idea how I'm gonna wear this, but I thought it was so cool and couldn't get it out of my head
- NARS All Day Luminous powder foundation in Stromboli (reg. $55) and Radiant Creamy concealer in Ginger (reg. $35)
- Stila Illuminating powder foundation in 50 "|"Watts (reg. $37)
Last minute temptations when I suddenly wanted to try some powder foundations.

I couldn't (didn't even try to) resist Bite Beauty Mix N' Mingle set, reg. $118. I am happy with the mix of products in the set this year:
- Luminous Creme lipstick duos in Tangerine/ Lingonberry, Poppy/ Scarlet, Fig/ Date, Palomino/ Violet and Tannin/ Riesling (0.05oz each)
- Matte Creme lip crayons in Gavi, Glace and Maraschino (0.05oz, full size)
- Lush Fruit lip glosses in Honey and Guava (0.05oz, half size).

There are a few repeats from the Collector's Edition Lip Layers set last year ($110), marked with *: Lavender/ Violet*, Salut/ Apricot, Pomegranate/ Lilac, Fig*/ Vidal, Shiraz/ Mulberry, Granache/ Cava, Pepper/ Quinta*, Cin Cin/ Tannin, Retsina/ Quince, Palomino*/ Vento.

Sephora Give Me More Lip set (reg. $70) this year included many things I wanted to try. I'm listing the shades, more for my future reference :)

The pinks (top - bottom):
- Benefit Hydrating Tinted lip balm in Posie (0.01oz vs 0.1oz)
- Tarte LipSurgence power pigment in Flush (0.04oz, full size)
- Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear lipstick in Fuchsia (0.16oz vs 0.4oz)
- Bite Beauty Luminous Creme lipstick in Palomino (0.07oz, half size).

The reds (L - R):
- Hourglass Opaque Rouge liquid lipstick in Icon (0.03oz vs 0.1oz)
- Laura Mercier Creme Smooth lip colour in Red Armour (0.07oz, half size)- Sephora Collection Rouge Infusion lip stain in 10 Red Essence (0.068oz vs 0.152oz)
- Kat Von D Everlasting liquid lipstick in Outlaw (0.10oz, half size).

The vampies (L - R):
- Tarte LipSurgence lip tint in Moody (0.06oz vs 0.1oz)
- Buxom mini Full Bodied lipstick in Menace (0.04oz vs 0.13oz)
- OCC lip tar in Black Dahlia (test tube size 0.08oz vs 0.33oz)
- Fresh Sugar Berry Tinted lip treatment (0.08oz, half size).

The neutrals (L - R then top - bottom):
- Stila Stay All Day Vinyl lip gloss in Nude Vinyl (0.04oz vs 0.14oz)
- MUFE Aqua Lip waterproof lip pencil in 3C (0.018oz vs 0.04oz)
- Laura Mercier lip glace in Blush (0.09oz vs 0.15oz)
- Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie lipstick in Speak Your Mind (0.05oz vs 0.12oz full size), and
- Too Faced La Creme Color Drenched lip cream in Naked Dolly (0.05oz, half size).

For brushes, I got Sephora Dual Action brush set (reg. $82, on clearance for $39) with dual fiber Finishing crease, Finishing concealer, Finishing powder, Finishing contour, Contour, Shadow, Precision sweep and mini mascara brush.

The brush combination in the set was nice, and I liked the clearance much better. I seemed to collect Sephora brushes that way a lot.

Also heard a few good things about Sephora Solid brush cleaner (reg. $17) as a possible alternative to the Beauty Blender solid cleanser.

I actually was doing just fine with a brush cleaner jar from Michaels (and Dr. Bronner's liquid soap) but of course curiosity stroke during the sale :) Still think $17 is overpriced, so we'll see. Did any of you try it and what did you think of it?

I didn't get any big nail polish sets, just a few Formula X shades on clearance for $7 a piece.

What's new this year, for me, was getting some hair stuff. The Drybar Hold Me hair clips (4's, reg. $16) was an impulsive purchase and might be returned, since I found some cheaper alternatives at Sally.

The Agave Healing Vapor iron (reg. $178) was a big investment. I am not good with hair tools at all but hope this item would help with my thinning hair.

Are you happy with your Sephora purchases? Anything stood out that I need to know about? :)

It has been a while since I post a haul, so this was overdue eh? Let's get to it!

Real Techniques was not new at Winners, but I found those new individual brushes that I haven't had, so I grabbed 2.

Here are the Retractable bronzer brush (orange), $14.99 (comparable at $20) and Retractable kabuki brush (pink), $8.99 (comparable at $12).

I was a little concerned seeing the retractable kabubi not as wide/ fluffy but reviews said it was more of a travel version of the Expert face brush, which I liked. Do I need both of these brushes?

Across the street at Marshalls, I got 2 Elf 100 eyeshadow palettes on clearance for $4 - $5 each (reg. $12.99 - $14.99, comparable at $20). Love this price point a lot better :)

I think the black version is still on Elf website for $10, and the white version said "Class of 2014" on it and had more matte shades.

I loved the few marble shades that both palettes had. I know once on the eyes, the marble effect won't be visible, but they are pretty to look at.

I did place an order with Sephora 20% F&F (thanks E for getting me the code) mainly for First Aid Beauty Cheers to Fab Skin set, reg. $60 ($125 value).

Sets are awesome with undeniable savings, not a bad way to be introduced to a brand either.

The set includes:
- Face cleanser (2oz, reg. $12)
- Facial Radiance pads (28's, reg. $14)
- Ultra Repair cream (6oz, reg. $35)
- Ultra Repair Lip therapy (0.5oz, reg. $15)
- Eye Duty Triple remedy (0.34oz, reg. $45).

I wanted the eye cream for forever. With the set, after 20% off, it's like I bought the eye cream and paid $3 for the other 4 items. Even though we Canadians pay 25% more than Americans ($48), I won't complain :)

Other items I grabbed while I was at it:
- Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O' Blushes (reg. $43)
Another great valued set, and my boxed blush stash is almost complete now
- Urban Decay Anarchy Face case (available on the sale page for $23 for a split second)
- And lastly, the Hourglass Ambient blush palette (reg. $67), no explanation needed right?

I still have a few items in the cart, pending another order and kept adding things in/ taking things out. Still have about 2 days to decide. What have you been getting?

I was killing time at Superstore before my gym class and saw a few L'Oreal products on clearance for 50% off.

That were the whole lines of Magic Nude liquid powders, Infallible lip, and Colour Caresse stains, etc., not just selected shades. I don't know if the lines are being revamped or replaced.

I picked up the Magic Nude liquid powder in True Beige, around $8. I am not sure if this is my shade though.

Also grabbed a Joe Fresh Waterproof eyeshadow pencil in Taupe to try as it was 20% off this week (reg. $8). The sticker on the cap said 8 hrs, sounds promising huh?

Lastly, I thought I should include the OPI appearance at Dollarama, if you miss my Weekly Flyer deal update.


The 2 shades I got were Girl Color (a sheer pink jelly with beautiful green shimmer) and Stir-fried Eggplant (dark plum with multi-coloured shimmers). These are rebottled shades so you won't be able to find them in OPI listing, but that does not bother me. Have fun browsing your Dollarama for more.

A small update for Maybelline creamy matte lipsticks: my Target had 3x8 slots (still empty at the time), with a price sticker of $8.99. This might mean we only get 8 shades in the line (3 tubes each) and sadly confirm a reader's comment about not seeing Divine Wine and Craving Coral at her Walmart.

I am so sleep deprived today but won't complain as we had a really nice (but busy) weekend. I missed Super Redemption at Shoppers but did manage to grab a few things here and there. 

Our local Marshalls opened on Thursday, I went check out the beauty section. It was not as big as I wanted but I still came home with a bunch of stuff I couldn't find at my Winners.

Start off with 2 UK skin care brands. Dirty Works had almost the whole facial skin care line on the shelf. I grabbed the Pore-fect facial Hot Cloth cleanser, $6.99 (reg. $12). The muslin cloth was included in the box too, very convenient.

I heard good things about Good Things products (see the pun? lol), so I picked up the Deep Clean Blackhead exfoliator with fruit extracts (Papaya & Licorice), $6.99 (reg. $12).

Originally decided to skip on this Good Things Manuka Honey creamy cleanser with Royal Jelly & Beewax, $5.99 (reg. $10) but I went back and got it after realizing how many UK bloggers raved about it.

Product selection from the brand is also quite extensive - masks, facial wipes, face creams, etc.

A little lonely on the side is Bourjois Rouge Edition lipstick in 08 Rose Studio, $8.99 (reg. $20). Most lipsticks in store were still untouched, considering it was the opening day, but I am scared for their fate as time goes on. No seals to protect them from swatchers in store.

Moving on to the higher-end skin care brand that I haven't tried anything from - Rodial.

There were about 5 different products from the brand on the shelf. I chose Glamtox cleansing balm, $24.99 (reg. $50) and Dragon's Blood cleansing water, $14.99 (reg. $36).

Not that I need more face cleanser/ makeup remover, but I couldn't help wondering if these rival the products I have and love in my stash. At a discount, the idea of testing them out seems to be better justified :)

A number of Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten baked cheek colors were there too. Can't say that I came across the brand before around here.

Most boxes were sealed so I had to shop blindly, in terms of colours. Came home with 3, don't know if I will keep them all, but for now, here are Boysenberry (the only "Sugar free" shade, i.e. matte), Golden Apricot and Berry, $14.99 each (reg. $31).

If you have any of these shades, please let me know how they are and if I should keep them. If you tried others, let me know your favorite shade too.

I did well at Lawtons too. It turned out to be a L'Oreal-extensive haul with the 40% off sale and a few products on clearance for half price (marked with a * below)

I got:
- Infallible Silkissime silky pencil eyeliner in Cobalt Blue, reg. $11.99
- Miss Manga mascaras in Indigo and Turquoise*, reg. $10.99 each
I heard the colours are not very visible on the lashes but still fun to have
- Glossy balms in Baby Berry and Pink Me Up*, reg. $11.99 each
- Pop balm in Wild Lily, reg. $10.99, and
- Color Riche Fixing & Unifying eyeshadow primer, $11.99
Primer in the pen form? Exciting!

I am playing catch-up with L'Oreal new products right now, you see?

Last but not least, the hard-to-find Sonia Kashuk (LE) 15-piece brush set at Target, $39.99.

Sonia Kashuk 15th Anniversary collection was supposed to hit Canadian Target stores a few weeks ago but it took me 3 trips to see the price tag up on the shelf. A SA found one for me from the back room.

Other hauls include a few Illmasqua blushes from the 25% off sale on The Bay, OCC lip tar sets from Sephora sale page and a Makeup Revolution order. What did you haul last weekend?

With the amount of semi annual sales (SAS) going on right now, one could go mad hunting down deals. I missed the one-day good sale at SDM on Saturday but managed to a few others.

The most anticipated SAS is probably Bath & Body Work's - for long-gone or sold-out scents making a comeback.

The sale strategy is definitely working and I have gone back 3 times already :) Things are gradually put out during the sale, and offers change up almost everyday!

I grabbed a few candle holders and soap sleeves 50% off to decorate my pretties. Candles were $12.50 each (did go down to $10.50 for one day last Saturday), I got more than 1 but Gelato is here to represent lol.

If you are still looking for Raspberry Peach Macaroon or Red Velvet Cupcake, not all hope is lost as I still saw a few (either 3 wicks or Mason jars).

Stocks in the 75% off bin were really random and changed up very fast. I got:
- Morocco Orchid & Pink Amber Shimmer Fizz body mousse
- Forever Red shimmer mist
- Citrus Orchid Chill shimmer cooling mist and
- Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin whipped shimmer body cream.

See a theme here guys? I'm gonna be a sparkly SB this summer lol.

For home scents, I got a plug and a refill in Spiced Cider also 75% off. I don't have good luck with these (they stopped working after a month or two) so I didn't stock up.

Hand soaps were 3/$10 or $4 each ($2.50 with the old bottle design), or $8 for mason jars. If you plan to hit the sale, check their FB for coupons or special deals.

The Body Shop also lined up some good clearance as mentioned in this week's flyer deal post.

I was sad to see a few favorite scents go but had stocked up quite well before, so I didn't this time. Follow the link above to see if your favs are discontinued too.

Only got a Baked to Last blush in 02 Coral $2 (reg. $18) and a pair of exfoliating bath gloves $1 (reg. $5). Heard that the tiny beads in bath products are bad for the environment, so I am slowly switching to manual exfoliation.

Victoria's Secret sale was not as impressive as La Senza's so I only went for their makeup - 50% off. Since they are not going to sell makeup anymore, I guess this is the time to get some.

The big items:
- Glam and Go portable makeup palette with 1 compact and 4 clip-in palettes, reg. $30
- Midnight Jewels palette with 10 eyeshadows, 1 eyeliner and 1 dual-ended eyeshadow brush, reg. $30.

And more :)

I chose 4 bright Color Drama lipsticks - Shiver, Excessive, Stolen Kiss and Initiate, reg. $18 each. There were a few in nude colour family but I wasn't sure if they would show up on me, so I passed.

Also got a baked mineral bronzing powder in Glitterati (which I heard is a dupe of MAC Gold Deposit MSF), reg. $20 and a Luminous mineral blush duo in At Last (deep pink), reg. 18.

There were no other bronzer and blush shades at my location but I'm glad these two work for me.

Not a SAS but the sale at Sephora was equally good. The Pantone Universe (Radiant Orchid) collection was finally put on sale.

The eyeshadow palette was already sold out online and in my store, so I got the Face Radiant Femme Artistry set $49 (reg. $74) and the Cheek Sweep blush palette $19 (some odd luck my store had 1 left, reg. $).

If you are a VIB Rouge, with $50 purchase, you'll get this free Buxom Haute Pink Lips gift with 3 mini deluxe samples of new summer shades:
- Full-on lip polish in Nicole
- Full-bodied lip gloss in Sweet Thing
- Full-bodied lipstick in Mistress.

The Formula X line also has the sets and a few single shades on clearance.

I bought the Twenty-Two set for $33. There were a few single shades put on sale too but my store did not have those I wanted and I hate ordering online now that they charge customs and duties.

Not on sale but I caved because they were hot :) Sephora Escape to Rio Rouge cream lipstick in Hot Bikini $15.50 and Luster matte long wear lip colour in Mulberry Luster $20.

What have you picked up lately? :)

It was a super busy weekend with Squirt's bday party, I didn't have much time to browse around, so this is a small (but a good) haul :)

The moment I saw Lancome Star bronzer from the LE Golden Riviera collection, I had to hunt it down.

The brilliant colour placement makes the compact glow from the core, too pretty to miss.

I found it at Sears, with a GWP offer, so there gone my money. It is a good buy though, 1.5oz/ 30g, $52 compared to the regular Star bronzers selling at $47 for 0.47oz/ 13g. It is meant for both face and body, which explains the large size.

Also grabbed the (matte) Color Design 5 Shadow & Liner palette in Beige Brulee from the Hypnotic Eyes collection (also LE).

I was watching for this collection like a hawk when I heard it has 3 matte palettes. Beige Brulee swatched beautifully and there was only 1 left, I gotta do what I gotta do right? 0.14oz/ 4g for $55, not super affordable but I caved anyway.

On to the 2-day sale at Shoppers on selected Maybelline for $6.99. Most of the items are $11.99 and up regularly, incredible savings to be had.

I got some backups and a few things I wanted for a while.
- Dream Lumi Touch highlighting concealer in Buff
- Eye Studio Master Glaze in Make A Mauve
- Dream Wonder powder in Natural Beige, and
- the Elixir in Petal Plush.

There are other lines on sale too - Dream makeup, mascaras, Colour Tattoos, etc. One could definitely go crazy :) Bonus sizes and LE shades are excluded though. The sale is still on today, if you missed it yesterday.

As a bonus, I found a bunch of Quo by Orly nail polish on clearance for $5 each. Recognized some repeat shades from the Orly line at Sally, but I do want to own to Quo versions, especially glitters :)

From L-R: Star Formation, Light Years, Redshift, Mind, Smooch and Trash Glam.

Stock definitely varies among locations, but keep an eye out on the clearance corner at yours for these :)

How have you enjoyed the weather where you are?

Nothing says "Welcome to Halifax" better than a frost warning (check out the windshield cry @haligonia tweeted on the left) and near-zero temp this morning while Toronto's high for the day would be 29. Isn't Canada fascinating you guys? :)

I will announce the giveaway winners in the next few days. Didn't get a chance to verify entries yet. thank you for your understanding.

Happy Monday! Thank you so much for all your amazing support of the giveaways. If you are one of my readers and haven't entered, please use the "Giveaways" tab at the top for quick access. You still have 10 more days to enter :)

On to my little haul at Lawtons! Physicians Formula is 40% off this week, with bonus 25 Airmiles when you buy 3.

What I got, from L-R:
- Glow Boosting BB bronzer in Light to Medium, reg. $19.98. The Glow Boosting bronzer is not new but this version has added BB benefits
- Nude Wear Glowing Nude powder in Light, reg. $19.98, with $9 rebate sticker on it
- Mineral Glow Pearls powder palette in Bronze Pearl , reg. $ 19.59 (for medium skin tone)
I was going for the youtube fav item here but don't know if I got the right one, couldn't remember lol.

A little bronze theme going on here eh? I didn't even notice until I took the pic :)

And a very exciting find that I don't want you to miss - Milani matte baked blushes are here!

I had no idea they have arrived, as they quietly made it to the wall shelf with the rest of Milani baked blushes.

Here are Delizioso Pink and Bella Rosa, looking crazily beautiful. What's even more exciting: they rung in only $6.39. Baked blushes were $9.99 regularly and Milani is 25% off this week. so I thought I would pay a little more for them. Not that I would complain lol.

I assume that they are permanent, but if you want them for $6, this week is the time :) Don't forget the "win cosmetic for a year" contest all month - you get 1 entry for each $25 you spend in store.

While the topic is still hot, what did you get from Sephora VIB Rouge Spring Social?

I grabbed Hourglass Ambient Lighting blush in Mood Exposure (CAD41) and Bite Beauty Matte Creme lip crayon in Sweety, a coral pink (LE, CAD28) - I actually wanted all 6 shades in the line lol.

Sephora Sand Illusions baked eyeshadow palette was near the checkout isle, CAD18, 6 x 0.023oz (0.138oz in total). It is a better deal than the Moonshadow baked palettes (CAD33 for 0.17oz total).

Sephora Define Yourself (LE) colour eyeliner set was a steal too, CAD38 (values $72) with 5 bright eyeliners (turquoise, purple, green, gold) in waterproof formulas. I wanted to try more 12hr wear Contour eye pencils and 12hr wear Jumbo liners too, so this set came in handy!

I braved the rain Sunday morning for the event, as I wanted to do lots of swatching before buying and I am glad I did.

I would be disappointed if I went for the freebies, as they aren't that impressive. Don't feel bad if you didn't make the event :)

The stripe cosmetic bag is small, probably fits a few items for touchup during the day. The samples (6 in total) are those free ones you normally get with an online order, size wise. I don't really care for those much.

Other retailers also had some fun sales going on.

Bath and Body Works and their famous BOGO sale on all candles sucked me in. This has been the best deal on their candles so far, works out to be $22.50 for 2.

I got Market Peach and London Calling, with beautiful special edition lids. I wanted to check out the Italian collection but they didn't get them in 3-wick size yet, only a few Mason jars.

I also found the little porcelain cake pedestal to display the mini candles. It is too cute to walk pass, even with a $11 price tag. Glad I had a coupon :)

Happened to walk in a Claire's shopping event, I was excited.

This was no ordinary sale! Same 10/$10 deal but they upgraded the regular extra 50% last ticketed price (for items of reg price over $11.50) to 75%!

They also brought out about 5 times as much stuff as usual. The items were still in plastic bags (not on the shelves), which required digging and sorting, but that was part of the fun :) After the event, they packed away more than 10 boxes to send off to storage.

Squirt and I went to town. What we found, besides earrings and necklaces: a studded denim backpack, fleece-lined leggings, Conair You Lift clips, a beaded ID holder, etc. Nothing was more than $2 :)

According to staff, the event is going to be hosted about once a month for this location only (Halifax Shopping Centre, as a test run) at this point. They can add your name to the calling list for next event :)

I told you a few weeks back about the online warehouse sale at Lise Watier.

The prices were great, I got quite a few items as gifts. Can't help showing you the beautiful packaging here :)

I bought both of the Glamour Rose eyes and cheeks palettes, only $10 each (reg. $45). The pink and purple gems embedded on the glittery case killed me and the colours inside were equally pretty.

On an oil kick, I had to get the Sensationelle dry oil to try, $12 (reg. $42). The bottle would make a beautiful piece on your vanity too.

La Senza is running their sale again - $3 panties and 50% off selected bras/ sleepwear, etc. I always stock up, but don't think you need a pic of the haul lol. What goodies did you get last weekend?

Happy President's Day/ Family Day for those who are lucky to have a day off today. I don't, plus had to deal with a mail box key issue with CanPost (I haven't been able to get into my mail box for 2 weeks), so I wasn't in the best mood :)

Did have some good retail therapy at Shoppers in the weekend though.

I caved and got 5 of the Maybelline Elixirs, on sale for $6.99 a piece. If you prefer the L'Oreal Extraordinaires, they are $8.99 (30% off) this week too.

From the 20 shade range, I picked out Signature Scarlet, Raspberry Rhapsody, Vision in Violet, Fuchsia Flourish and Hibiscus Haven.

Just what you would expect from me, right? No nude, no gentle shades, they are all bold and bright. And no, they aren't just summer shades for me, as I would wear them year round :)

I don't know if you guys need any swatches, as my bloggers have done that now, but if you do, let me know.

On to Physicians Formula. I have been patiently waiting for a 40% off sale to try their new Nude Wear stuff.

You probably all know that PF products aren't cheap in Canada, even with 40% off, they are still in the $10 - $15 range. But, there are items with rebate stickers, and that would bring the cost way down.

I got the Nude Wear Glowing Nude blush in Natural and Glowing Nude bronzer in Light. After rebates, they are between $2 - $4. So yeah, make sure you pay attention to those pink stickers :)

And then, there is the nail polish clearance section!

I was glad to find some shades from Nicole by OPI Gumdrops (texture) collection for $4 each. I overlooked it the first time and I couldn't risk missing them again.

I bought That's What I Mint, I Lilac Gumdrops, My Cherry Amour and Cinna-man of my Dreams.

That's What I Mint (and a yellow called Lemon Lolly) was not part of the original release of the collection, glad I found it.

If you missed the $20 Petro card promo in the weekend, there is a coupon for Tuesday and Wednesday: x20 points with $50 purchase or 20% off regular priced items (excluding prestige cosmetics and fragrances).

To end the post, thought I would share this little picture, tweeted by @evilpez4. No, that wasn't Santa lol, just someone snowblowed on his roof :) That's the Maritimes/ Canada for ya.

Wet snow froze over night on Saturday and turned everything into ice blankets. Squirt could actually slide down our driveway on her knees without breaking the snow surface.

We stayed in on Sunday, while I tried to work on organizing my makeup room. Still don't know to put everything, I have too much. I need an IKEA in my backyard to get this room in order :)

Have a good week, and Canadians, go roll up some Timmy's rims today!

We probably all heard about how fabulous Sleek Makeup products are together with how bad their CS is. Thought I would share my own experience to join in the fun :)

My first order with Sleek after a long while happened last June when the Candy collection came out. I ordered everything from the collection but here were what came!

- Blush by 3 in Sweet Cheeks with Cupcake (cream), Dolly Mix (shimmer) and Candy Floss (matte), $8.33 (reg. $12.49 at the time)
- I Divine I-Candy palette, $6.66 (reg. $9.99).

The story was I tried to change the shipping address after the order went through but CS never got back to me (email, FB, twitter - no phone number was ever posted on their website) until the package was returned to them. When it was reshipped (definitely took a while), only 2 items arrived. I was refunded for the rest, boo! Shipping was about $4 for these, no tracking.

Fast forward to a month ago, Sleek offered free international shipping with $50 orders (either tracking or non-tracking). I figured a tracked package would be safe, so I ordered again for things I have always wanted.

- i Divine palettes in Ultra Matte V1 and V2, $9.99 each (breathtaking!) and Sunset, $11.99 (not pictured)
- True Colour lipstick in Exxxagerate, $6.49 - purple, enough said!
- Blush in Rose Gold, $6.99 - I forgot to include it in the pic :)
- Pout Paint in Mauve-Over, $7.49 - another purple.

The package was shipped out the next day, and a week later, the tracking page said it was at their pickup location and that a message was left for me.

The thing is I didn't get any messages, and once again, no replies from Sleek. Days later, I found the package among others waiting for me at my local PO! So, if you chose shipping with tracking at Sleek, your package will be handled by Canada Post once it passes Custom.

Sleek met the shipping timeline this time, but their CS still sucks. I will enjoy the items I got but don't think I will be back in the near future. Did you have better luck than me with your orders with Sleek?