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?

This is a mix of multiple purchases that I didn't feel like posting individually, hence got piled up into a big post. Sorry about that :)

This bunch was from the one and only Bath & Body Works outlet in Toronto, where most of the items were 50 - 75% off. Depending on when you go, you might see a few items on 90% off, I didn't this time.

- Winter Value 6-pack Wallflowers refills, in Creamy Nutmeg, Cinnamon Stick and Fresh Balsam, reg. $34.50, I paid $6.

The rest were 75% off:
- Stress Relief Body cream in Eucalyptus Spearmint, reg. $18
- 2-pack Winter Garland Wallflowers refills, reg. $14.50
- Wallflower diffusers - Snowman ( reg. $10) and Pink Ladybug (reg. $7.50).

I'm hoping to find more good deals there after Christmas, didn't go too crazy this time.

Also hit up Sears with my bff while I was in Toronto during their extra 50% off red-tagged promotion, topped up with the a group buy coupon, which resulted in a 75% discount the last ticketed price for most items.

Found these Madden Girl wedged boots in the style Virtual at the clearance table, reg. $69.99, red tagged to $44.99 before all further discounts. I was looking for some wedges lately, so happy to find my size in these for $11. My friend found a pair of boots that was 30% off (not red-tagged), still a good deal after the group buy saving.

On to the jewelry department, I found some awesome pieces with red tags.

The pair on the left is from Jessica, I'm really feeling the stone-like finish. The necklace was $32 down to $19.99 on the tag, the earrings were $19 to $11.99, again before all discounts applied.

On the right is from Liz Claiborne, also with stone-like beads. Necklace was $26 down to $15.99, earrings were $18 to $9.99. Can't wait to start pairing them with some cool dresses.

The last necklace by Nevada was very Jewelmint-esque, with connecting metal pieces, reg. $26, red-tagged to $15.99.

Also found a pair of owl earrings from the same brand. They are too small in the pic for you to see the details, but my friend also got the exact same pair, as she thought they were too cute.

These are a steal - reg. $12 down to $6.99.

We walked out the door very happy.

This was my Cherry Culture order during their recent 25% off sale.

- NYX Nude on Nude palette, $20.99
before discount - my alternative to UD Naked palette
- NYX Soft Matte Lip cream in Addis Ababa, $4.99
- LA Girl Glitter Addict in Flamboyant, Provocative and Aqueous, $3 each. I'm trying to complete my collection of Glitter Addicts, but they are OOS quite often
- NYX Girls Turks and Caicos $1.99
- NYX Advanced Salon Formula in Forever Young, $4. New line, interesting Lippmann-like bottle shape
- NYX Slim Lip pencil in Orange and Purple Rain, $2.49 each.

Zellers had Jules + James shoes on BOGO this past weekend. I had no idea this brand has such cute shoes.

You know I am so into wedges lately, and this is by far my favorite pair. Laced for show in the front with zippers on the side for practicality. A little army-inspired, don't you think? The style is Wyn, in black, reg. CAD39.97.

These also come in beige with the wedge part in brown, but they don't look good on my feet and also defeat the army look. Might be an option for someone who wants some colours.

For the free pair, I picked this one, with a bit of heels but not mile high. Lorraine, in brown (also available in black), CAD39.97.

I failed to show you in the pic, but the boots are lined inside with animal print material. Totally added value, even though I might be the only one that see the inside print lol.

More fashion stuff :) Old Navy is running F&F 30% (both online and in store, with coupon) until Tuesday, so you still have time to check it out, together with the 50% off selected outerwear (in store only, until Thursday).

I treated myself a Wool-blend Double-breasted coat, reg. CAD99.94, 50% off. With F&F discount, it came out to be around CAD35.

I know that Old Navy might have even crazier sale after Christmas or at the end of winter season, but I want to hang on to this coat. Don't have anything this red, and it feels really nice on. The buttons come all the way up the collar so I can be snugly warm if I want to, or leave the flaps hanging like in the pic for not too cold days. Plus it has pockets. I had to pass on a beautiful coat with fake front pockets. Why do they do that?

Spotted this Performance fleece Black animal printed sweater on on of the tables, reg. CAD24.94, on sale for CAD15. Don't think it was an advertise sale (in their newsletter). Online it was CAD20, so I would suggest a trip to the store if you can this time, and go early.

Not bad of a price, in the print I wanted, in my size, what not to love? I can't have enough sweaters, always wear one at work.

There were other colours and prints to choose from, if you are picky :)

Squirt was one happy girl at Old Navy too.

We were excited to find some Girls' hooded Frost Free, Polar fleece lined jackets on sale for CAD20 - down from CAD59.94 regular price. That's more than 50% off. Of course we went for the animal print, glad it was in her size, so we can be cheetah twins lol.

Again, quite a few colour/ pattern options for your kids' taste. The coat is not the thickest but is warm enough on top of a sweater.

Didn't plan to buy anymore shoes for her, but I noticed these on a mannequin in store.

Check out these Girls' Faux Fur wedge boots, CAD32.94, adorable! Still not sure about this purchase though, as it was not on sale (before the F&F) and only found Squirt's size in white - not the easiest to clean.

Note that Old Navy is still running the Super Cash promo. For each $20 you spend, you'd get $10 super cash to spend on a $20 purchase between November 17-22. I might check back in during that time to see if the boots are in stock again in tan.

Hope I give you a few shopping ideas with this post.

Guess who went to Sears for Lancome GWP? Lol... Me!!! I have been very good staying away from so many GWP offers I blogged about in Flyer deal posts but I gave in this time. And it was for good reasons, lol. It was a good GWP, to start with. Then Sears was doing 20x points for the weekend, plus the $15 Cash card with $75 purchase. And I got some coupons that came with my Sears Card statement a while back: save $10/ $15/ $20 with $50/ $75/ $100 purchase. How can I not get something? :)

The only thing I bought in the picture below is on the far left - The Bienfait Multi-Vital High Potency Tinted Moisturizer SPF30, CAD58. Long name eh?

It's basically a glorious version of a tinted moisturizer, enriched with vitamins and high SPF. It came in 3 shades, and I got #3, the darkest one. As the weather is getting hot, I want to try a tinted moisturizer. I liked the dewy look and the medium coverage it provides, so we'll see how it works this summer.

The rest is GWP, as I had a choice of each item, I picked:
- The colourful bag
- High Résolution Refill-3x Triple Action Renewal Anti-Wrinkle Cream SPF15
- Nutrix Royal Body Intense Lipid Repair Cream
- Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover
- Color Design Sensational Effects Eye Shadow quad with Positive, Luring, Trendy and Garment, and
- Color Design Sensational Effects Lip Color in Sugared Maple.

I could have been done there, but something else cought my eyes. It is the Mother's Day Beauty Box, CAD62 with any Lancome purchase. It's a PWP because the thing values up to $240, they couldn't give it away for free, lol.

The box (a deluxe Train case) contains:
- Juicy Tube in Rose Quartz (mini, 8gr)
- Subtil Delicate Oil-Free Powder Blush in Cedar Rose and Aplum (2.55gr)
- Color Design Sensational Effects Eyeshadow in Daylight, Snap, Statuesque and Icy (1.52gr)
- L’Absolue Rouge SPF12 Lipstick in Exotic Orchid (4gr)
- Bi-Facil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover (125ml)
- Creme Mousse Confort Comforting Creamy Foaming Cleanser (small size, 60ml)
- Absolue Precious Cells Advanced Regenerating and Reconstructing Cream SPF15 (small size, 15ml)
- Definicils High Definition Mascara in Black (6.5gr)
- Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate (mini, 15ml), and
- Tresor Eau de Parfum (mini, 7.5ml).

There are 5 full sized products in this cute train case, so the price works out not bad at all.












Here's the box, from up top and from the front. The tag on it shows the contents, which was what got me at the first place.

The whole thing, after coupon and all, cost me CAD100, plus the extras (2,000 Sears points - redeemable for $20, and a $15 cash card to use next time). I don't normally splurge but I think I got a good deal out of this. If you want some Lancome, check it out.

Hope everyone has a good start for the week :)

I just received a little card from Sears about the upcoming GWP with Elizabeth Arden. I tried to find a better image on the net but there's nothing, probably until Sears announces it online.

Basically, with any CAD38 purchase, you'll get an 8-piece gift valued CAD81 which includes a Zebra print tote, your choice of either the new Ceramide Plump Perfect Ultra Lift and Firm moisture cream SPF30 or Prevage Anti-aging formula. That's all the card said, based on the picture, there'll be a lipstick, a small sized Pretty perfume, 2-in-1 cleanser, Ceramide capsules and mineral makeup (either foundation or blush). Are you a fan of Elizabeth Arden?

Talking about the brand, I might as well tell you what I am/was using from Elizabeth Arden. I have their Intervene line for almost a year now. Among the 3 products I got, I liked (and still do) the 3-in-1 Daily Cleanser/Exfoliator/Primer (retails for CAD32) the most. It is gentle enough to use everyday but still gives me the feeling of my skin being exfoliated. My skin feels good after each use. Sometimes I switch around to a stronger exfoliator or a soft cream cleanser, just to give the skin a different treatment when needed, but I find myself coming back to it afterward.

The Pause & Effect moisture cream SPF15 is a good moisturizer, not heavy or greasy. I just didn't notice any big change in my skin after using it for a while, considering it was not a cheap item (CAD68). They came out with a Radiance Boosting Moisture Cream to replace it now, as I don't see it on the site anymore. After finishing the jar, I switched to Olay Regenerist Enhancing Lotion SPF 15.

The Pause & Effect moisture eye cream (CAD49) is also replaced by Anti-Fatigue Eye Cream. I haven't used the new product, so I can't say, but the old one works quite well. It stops fine lines around my eyes, makes me feel young again. I'm on the second jar now.

I certainly like GWPs, as a little extra confetti in the makeup party :-) But I probably won't shop this time, as I still have a few products to finish off. I like the idea of the zebra print and the perfume though (don't think I've seen fragrance in their GWP).

Have a nice day, everyone.