Sparkled Beauty

Grab some snacks, everyone. This is a long collective post of stuff I found in the last two or more weeks :)

This is my new love from the Bay. A good sized (if not large) Trapeze handbag, mint, studded, with a bow and on sale, enough said? This is Material Girl Romp bag in Mint, reg. $60, 30% off right now.

It was love at first sight and I took it straight to the cashier, not even thinking twice. Unfortunately, both versions of this bag (mint and white) went out of stock within a week, online and at my store. I am not sure when or if they would be back. Sorry if I enabled you with a hard to find item.

I have been wanting Lancome La Vie est Belle perfume (reg. $95 for 50ml) for a while, was happy to find the Spring gift set for $99 with:
- La Vie est Belle EDP spray (50ml)
- Body lotion (50ml)
- Shower gel (50ml) and
- Mini Hypnose Star mascara (2ml).

My pictures did not turn out well with the flash glare, so this is a stock pic which shows the items better.

There is another set called La Vie est Belle Hearts collection, with a mini EDP (5ml) instead of the shower gel and the mini mascara, same price. Both sets are LE, I heard.

And the GWP I chose:
- Bienfait Multi Vital SPF30 (15g)
- Color Design eyeshadow and liner palette in Mauve Cherie (not included in the pic, sorry)
- Blush Subtil powder blush in Brilliant Berry
- Absolue Rouge lipstick in Exotic Orchid
- Visionnaire LR 2412 4% Advanced skin corrector (7ml)
- Bi-Facil makeup remover (50ml)
- Hypnose Star mascara in Noir Midnight (4ml) and
- Polka dot cosmetic bag.
Also not pictured were the 3 bonus Juicy Tube glosses as I spent over $85.

Moving on to Sears with another GWP.

This is Estee Lauder Double Wear makeup lesson kit ($49.50, valued over $70) with:
- Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place foundation (30ml) - my shade is 2, the range is from 1 to 6
- Double Wear Stay-in-Place Flawless Wear concealer in Light Medium (1.9ml)
- Matte Perfecting primer (15ml)
- Foundation brush, and
- Advanced Night Repair Eye Synchronized Complex sample (0.5ml).

Considering the foundation itself sells for $42.50, I'd say this is an awesome score. I missed this set last time when Estee Lauder ran the promotion, not again this time :)

Also bought the Pure Color blush in The Siren, $32 to take advantage of the bonus gift and the $25 coupon (see below). An intense looking blush, sorry I forgot to take a pic of it opened :)

Now the gifts:
- Eyeshadow quad with Sugar Cube Satin, Amazing Grey Shimmer, Amethyst Spark Shimmer and Lavish Mink Matte, with Lilly Pulitzer print on the packaging
- Pure Color Crystal lipstick in Rose Petal
- DayWear Advanced Multi-protection creme SPF15 (15ml)
- Advanced Night Repair (7ml)
- Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume mascara in Extreme Black (2.8ml)
- Sensuous Nude Body veil (30ml), and
- Lilly Pulitzer cosmetic bag.

I'm happy that I now own something with Lily Pulitzer prints.

And more prints in the Deluxe gift, lots of pinks:
- Pure Color lipstick in Rubellite
- Double-ended Pure Color gloss in Mod Poppy and Shocking Pink
- Pure Color nail polish in Berry Hot (5ml) and
- Nail file with same Lilly Pulitzer print.

The $25 off $100 coupon was a bonus promo, I'm not sure if it's still on. Not redeemable on cosmetics and fragrances, so it was used on some swimsuits for Squirt and my niece (30% off), earrings on clearance (B2G2F) and an Attitude (by Jay Manuel) structured satchel in black and red (35% off) for me.

Yes, it resembles the famous designer bag that almost every fashion blogger owns one or several, just a lot smaller, fits my petite size :)

At Lawtons, I found Marcelle (LE) Nutrilux body line on 75% off. Only 3 products left:
- Supreme nourishing hand cream (75ml), reg. $10.96
- Supreme silky body lotion (300ml), reg. $16.96
- Supreme SOS replenishing butter (50ml), reg. $12.96.

I could not find the Supreme repair lip balm, which I heard good things about. Marcelle skin care products agree with my skin, so I'm excited to try this line out. If you tried it, let me know what you think.

I found the (untouched) Essence Vintage District display at Shoppers two weeks ago, just by luck. Surprisingly, I feel hard for the makeup and not the nail polish.

What I grabbed:
- Eyeshadows in I'm So Retro and Shopping @ Portobello Road, CAD2.49 each
- Blush in It's Popul-Art, CAD3.49
- Duo lipstick and gloss in Vintage Peach, CAD3.49
- Gel eyeliner set (the gel liner and mini brush) in Shopping @ Portobello Road, CAD3.99.

Note that Canada did not get the full collection (there is a red lipstick and gloss duo, a grey gel liner and maybe 2 more nail polish colours), but I'm happy with what I got. The blush is definitely a must have.

More items on sale at Shoppers this week:
- Neostrata Treat Yourself to Flawless Complexion set, reg. $72 (valued $109.50), 30% off.

The set includes a full sized Neostrata Intense Skin Brightener and 3 mini bonus gifts: a gel cleanser, a Night Repair cream and a jar of Vitamin C Concentrate capsules.

The box is super cute, with a white satin bow on top. There are two other sets with different main products, if you are looking for a treat to yourself or your mom this coming Mother's Day :)

- Gosh Waterproof Velvet Touch eyeliner in Ice Blue, on clearance for $3. I got it to compare with Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl liner in Light Blue since they are both light baby blue liners for the waterline.

- L'Oreal Caresse Wet Shine stain in Pink Rebellion, CAD6.99 right now.

On to the finds in Toronto. From a meet-up with some blogger friends, I received two The Balm palettes - Balm-jovi and Nude Tude CP'ed by Rasilla during Rexall's BOGO sale a while back. I'm so excited.

Jillojello found some nail polish on clearance at her Shoppers and picked some up for me - Maybelline Color Show, Quo spring (LE) shades, even a Cover Girl Outlast, only $1 each.

Note that these shades are still on full price at other SDMs last time I checked, so don't run out to find them for cheap just yet, but keep an eye on the display :)

Rasilla also brought me a gift of the two holo nail polish and the sparkly black bow hair clip on the left. The rest were part of the bunch of goodies ettuandyou brought in for us to fight over lol. All around, it was a lot of fun chit chatting over beauty products and good food.

I also met my blogger friends over at My Numerous Diversions and Swatch and Learn for some Thai food and a 3-hour shopping walk for nail polish, fragrances and everything else. I was holding off and not getting anything, but that success did not last. See below what I brought home with me :)

I wandered into a Winners near my hotel and found a bunch of Smashbox makeup. I assume this was a new batch cause I can't recall seeing them at my location before.

I grabbed the Studio Pop eye palette from the 2012 Holiday collection ($19.99, reg. $56) and a Blush Rush in Gingersnap ($9.99, reg. $29).

Also saw the Photo Op Eye Enhancing palette ($14.99, reg. $44) and some liquid bronzer/ highlighter, but I passed. There were some Givenchy makeup too, from $25 and up. A quick check at my local Winners here did not yield the same result, unfortunately.

Found a Shoppers Beauty Boutique near there too, I grabbed Annabelle i-Tranformer (with bonus Studio Pigment) on clearance for $3 each (reg. $10, not including the pigments). Again, my local Shoppers did not even have these on the shelf.

And finally, a shout-out to Dixie Outlet mall. Awesome bargains I found.

Example: The Dynamite store had a "Almost Perfect" section for items with missing buttons or broken zippers. I paid $17.50 for a $60 blazer and $7 for a $40 pair of pants (which are currently on sale for $35 and $22 at regular Dynamite). I just had to sew the backup buttons back on, which I did not mind doing for the price.

Another example: Clearance handbags at the Aldo store there were extra 30% off and selected styles of bags and shoes were up to 50% off. So general conclusion: when there is an outlet mall, go! :)

We'll end this post with some eye candy who is also a do-gooder :) Don't you want to own one of those products with his autograph?

To keep up with the tradition, Monday is for my weekend finds. Can't commit I'd be shopping every weekend, but I'll post up if I do :)

Shoppers had their Bonus Redemption event, so I grabbed a few skin care items that normally are a bit expensive to splurge.

Dermaglow is 50% off (till June 17), thought it was the best time to shop.
- Hydration Fix Serum (30ml, reg. $40)

- Vitamin C Microdermabration system (reg. CAD110), comes with the Vitamin C Microdermabrasion (50ml) and Vitamin C Moisturizer with Peptides (50ml)

- RoC Multi Correxion Multi-action Anti-Age Moisturizer (50ml, reg. CAD42). This was on clearance for CAD28, not mentioning the bonus Multi-action Makeup remover wipe pack (25's, reg. CAD16).

More things found at the clearance section:

- Neostrata Instant Tightening Serum (30ml, reg. CAD84), on sale for CAD50, plus bonus Eye Contour Firming Cream (15ml, reg. CAD32)

- Neostrata Instant Results set, with Skin Renewal Peel Solution (50ml), Skin Resurfacing duo (Activator, 28ml and Crystals, 20ml) and Anti-Wrinkle Lip Enhancer (4.75ml). Valued CAD143.50, retails CAD72.50, on sale for CAD45.

This was supposed to be a value set at Christmas time, which explains the heavy discount. My store has a few left.

This week, Lawtons has L'Oreal nail polish on BOGO, I couldn't miss the chance to pick up all 4 shades from the Summer Siren collection, reg. CAD5.99 each.

From L-R: Blue Marine, Pink Shell, Coral Starfish and Yellow Seahorse.

Other than these LE colours, L'Oreal hasn't been coming out with new colours much. My stash of L'Oreal nail polish is small, plus the quality is inconsistent. I'll be trying these out soon, for sure, and keep you posted.

I also went to a clothing sale at Dress for Success. Proceeds to support their operation in providing professional attire to disadvantaged women, so it was for a good cause.

I found this Guess Promenade handbag near the door, in mint condition. A quick google search showed that it retails more than $100 (new, of course). I paid $25, couldn't be happier. It's soft and has lots of room inside.

I was looking through the clothes but didn't see anything in my petite size. Found this leather fold down purse instead. There wasn't any brand tag/ sign on it, so I can't tell who it was from.

I liked the brown leather and the pattern on it, plus it was only $5, enough selling points? This one is also in good condition, almost like new. Size wise, it's a bit smaller than the Guess bag above - as I put it inside the Guess to save space on the way home.

Lastly, found a pair of shoes in my size. Enzo Angiolini, brand new, $10 :)

I was happy to see that the heels on these aren't too high for me to walk on. After spraining my right ankle back in February, I'm scared of high heels which was a popular case with many gorgeous shoes in the stores right now.

Also liked that they have a bit of colour, a step up from my regular black.

Accidentally found these suede purple shoes from the discount rack at Walmart. They are from George, CAD9 (reg. CAD15, I think).

Big heels, not too high (again), and they are very comfortable to wear, well padded on the sole and sides. Lol, I'm getting old!

No makeup shopping this weekend for me. A quick note though, if you are a nail polish fan, you probably heard about the awesomeness of those new KleanColor chunky holos, retail on their website for $3.49. I have been asking Beauty Joint if they'll be stocking them (they sell KleanColor for $1.75, but had only the first 155 shades) and they finally get them in. I already placed an order for all 9 shades, plus a few extras. Thought I should let you all know. No benefits on my end talking about them, rest assured, I was just excited to share a cheaper source to get nail polish :) Have a great day!

I'm back to Monday's regular post topic: Hauls :) It was a good week of deals.

First up is Del Sol nail polish. If you don't know the brand already, they make products that change colours in the sun. I have been a fan of their nail polish, as they are really fun to wear (and watch they change colours right in front of your eyes).

Del Sol nail polish is sold at their retail store here for CAD10 each, buy 3 get 1 free - work out to be CAD7.50 each if you buy 4. Lawtons also sells them for CAD9.99, not great usually ...

Unless there is a sale :) This week Lawtons has them on BOGO. CAD4.99 a bottle is a steal, right?

From L-R: Del Sol Island Fever, Diva, Surfer Girl, Sassy and Day Dreamer.

The bottle shot didn't do a good job in showing the colours, they are prettier IRL. The last 3 bottles might look similar in the pic but they have different sheens, hard to capture.

The colour dots on the cap indicate the colours the polish would change into if they are in the sun.

Island Fever - lime green will change to teal green
Diva - mauvy pink to fuchsia pink
Surfer Girl - baby pink to orangy yellow - the only shade of yellow Del Sol has
Sassy - pale pink with gold sheen to baby pink
Day Dreamer - pale pink with fuchsia sheen to dark purple.

Also at Lawtons, Rimmel is being cleared out for 50% off. I'm not sure the brand is being replaced or it was just a revamp of the display.

I only get 2 things, trying to be good.
- Rimmel Match Perfection 2-in-1 Concealer & Highlighter, CAD3.75
- Rimmel Lash Accelerator mascara, CD3.99.

Vichy Dermablend Skin Concealer is also on clearance for half price (CAD12.25) at one of the Lawtons, not all. I'm not sure why. I heard the concealer is even better at concealing than the Corrective foundation, so gotta give it a try.

Sally has lots of Buy 2 get 1 free promos this month, including all brands of nail polish. Too bad the new collections in store weren't that interesting, so I didn't buy any.

Instead, I bought some stuff for my hair. Heard good things about argan oil but don't think I can fork out $$$ for the real stuff. These are from the One 'n Only brand: Argan Oil Moisture Repair shampoo and conditioner (350ml, CAD11.99 each).

This brand is part of the Buy 2 get 1 free promo, which was why I decided to try it now instead of later :)

For the free item, I got the Argan Oil treatment (100ml, reg. CAD11.99). It supposedly provides instant shine, smoothness, frizz control and colour protection.

I also found another brand for argan oil there: Proclaim. The whole line was on sale for CAD6.99 each. I wanted to make a comparison between the brands, so I got the Proclaim Natural 7 Oil. It's in a spray bottle, 237ml, could be used for hair, scalp, body or cuticles - multi purposes.

The staff at Sally couldn't recommend one brand over the other, so she told me to try both and I could return/ exchange if I don't like them. Guess that's what I'll do.

And lastly, my redemption haul at Shoppers yesterday. I wasn't planning to redeem this week as sales weren't that great, but "accidentally" found some good deals in store, so I did.

Neostrata is 30% off for the week. There were some value packs that are fortunately part of the sale as well (this doesn't happen very often). Double saving, plus redemption mean you don't have to spend $ out of your pocket. How can you turn that down?

On the left is the 2-for-1 Night Repair cream with 6% Glycolic acid (50ml each), reg. CAD33 a piece, I paid $23 for two.

On the right is the Oil Free Day time Smoothing lotion SPF15 (level 3, with 10% Glycolic Acid), reg. CAD38, with free bonus Oil Free Smoothing lotion (level 3). I paid CAD26.60 for the pack. There are level 1 (5% Glycolic Acid) and level 2 (8% Glycolic Acid) as well, same price point.

I was looking for face masks that really do the job. I ran out of those Asian branded ones my friend gave me, my face doesn't like to be ignored.

Neostrata has 2 kinds of masks. On the left is the Smoothing Cleansing mask (50gr, reg. CAD23) with 10% Glycolic acid and white clay to unclog pores, remove dead skin cells and deep cleanses.

On the right is the Moisture Rescue Sheet mask (8's, reg. CAD40) with 0.15% of pure Hyaluronic acid to provide long lasting hydration and restores softer skin. The label is printed on the side, not on the front, so I took a pic with an angle to show you lol.

Have to admit that these prices aren't the best for my wallet but I got them on sale, and traded my points for them, so I can't complain. But if I get addicted with this brand, I'm in trouble lol.

If you get some good stuff in the weekend, stop by and tell me.