Showing posts with label Haul. Show all posts

New Nail Polish Storage & Revlon Buys

I wanted to get this after seeing xteener's nail polish storage video. This storage system is one of those things that I don't really need but it is definitely nice to have. I got it from The Container Store for $13.99. If you subscribe to their E-Mail service I think they still offer a 10% off coupon to use for your first purchase.

Modular Flip-Out Bins from The Container Store

My current polish collection fits inside just perfectly. Very perfectly, with no extra space at all. My base and top coats actually have no room inside this storage but that's alright. They have a new home on my tabletop. Each bin holds about 6 or 7 nail polishes depending on the shape of the bottle. It isn't ideal for those with a polish collection that's bigger than say...40ish polishes. Unless you don't mind having more than 1 of these. The good thing is it's stackable. There are grooves on all four sides that lets you connect other pieces to it.

Inside look at my polish collection!


I joked on Instagram that this either meant I should stop buying more polishes because I have no room for it or...I have more space than ever because I now have my old nail polish container to fill with newly acquired polishes. I wasn't expecting to buy any new polishes so quickly but a stop to Walgreens with Bestie C the other day and I came out with 2 bottles of Revlon Nail Enamel. It didn't help that there was a BOGO 50% on Revlon polishes, it only made me want to get these even more.

L to R: Revlon Girly & Revlon Gray Suede
L to R: Revlon Girly & Revlon Gray Suede
L to R: Revlon Gray Suede & Revlon Girly
Top to Bottom: Revlon Girly & Revlon Gray Suede
I'm not sure if Deborah Lippman has a polish like Girly but it looks very Deborah Lippman-esque doesn't it?

Do you have a big nail polish collection? How do you store your polishes?

Recent Hauls

I really miss having school days where classes end by 4PM latest. The best thing that comes from having a later school schedule is the fact that I don't have the time to go to the store all the time anymore. BUT when I can go...I seem to do a lot of 'hoarding' all at once.

Some of you may have seen my recent haulings on Instagram. If not, let's just say I have enough shampoo, body wash, and eye makeup remover to last me many months! I didn't take a better photo of my shampoo and body wash buys because I usually just get whatever is on sale. Also, I find it harder to gather my opinions for those two particular type of products. So for now it won't be appearing on the blog, maybe in the future I'll give it a shot. I did however take photos of my other beauty related purchases that I wanted to share with everyone.
Target haul & Sephora buys
Sonia Kashuk Eye Makeup Remover; Neutrogena Body Clear Pink Grapefruit Body Wash; Up & Up Eye Makeup Remover; Sephora B.I. Benefit Bday gift; Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Makeup Remover; Bumble and Bumble Prep
After running out of eye makeup remover, I knew I wanted to make a trip to Target to try some different brands. CVS/Walgreens/Rite Aid doesn't seem to have a big selection of eye makeup remover to choose from. (Or maybe it's just the ones that I go to.) Anyways...I haven't tried any of these yet but from looking at the ingredients, the lists are surprisingly short. That's always a plus!

I made a stop to Sephora with the intentions of getting a bigger tube of Pacifica's Body Butter, but I didn't know that Sephora stopped carrying them. (Does anyone know where else to buy Pacifica products in-store?) Then I spotted a whole wall section dedicated to Bumble and Bumble at the Soho Sephora and couldn't walk away. I remembered Karyi's review on the Prep spray and decided to get a travel sized bottle for myself. I haven't tried it yet but I can't wait to! Hope it helps my very static-prone hair with all this wind that's been blowing in NYC.
A closer look at the Sephora Benefit Bday gift
My birthday isn't for another two weeks, but the SA let me claim my gift early. (So nice of her!) I was so surprised that Sephora offered me an option between this Benefit set and last year's Fresh set. Although I have come to really like the Fresh lip balms, I have been anticipating getting this to try Benefit Watt's Up. I can't wait to use both! Although, I'll probably reach for the highlighter first because I still haven't gotten use to wearing mascara yet. (Shocker...I know *ashamed* :X)
L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm in Caring Coral
My preferences when it comes to colored lip products are sheer, natural, and yet still moisturizing. This isn't a new product but I only noticed this recently. Plus, I had a coupon at CVS to use toward a L'Oreal product. It's so hard to say no to a coupon! Originally, I was going to buy a light pink shade but decided to go for a coral color to fill in the coral void in my lip products collection. It wasn't until I came home and prepared to take photos for the blog that I realized the seal was broken & saw that someone must have lightly swatched the product. I don't know why I only looked through the cover and didn't check the seal of all things. At first glance it didn't even look like the seal was broken at all...Luckily I have rubbing alcohol around the house. I really don't like to return makeup products. Just seems so wasteful since the store probably ends up throwing away anything that's been open.

Has anyone tried any of these products before? Any good/bad reviews that I should know about before I try these myself?

Collective Beauty Haul

I haven't done a collective haul post in a long time! Over the past few months I've bought more clothes than anything else. But that has yet to find it's way onto my blog (maybe in the future). The only beauty products I purchased were a result of necessity and the coupons I received. I think I can definitely give myself a pat on the back for the lack of makeup and skincare hoarding I've done in the latter half of 2012.
Skin79 Smart Clear Deep Cleansing Oil
I've tried this for a couple of weeks now and I have to say I don't like this cleansing oil very much. Then again this is one of the few items that I didn't search for any reviews before purchasing so there is no one to blame but myself.

One layer
Two layers

Thank goodness CVS included these as a part of their Winter Clearance sale! I think each were only ~$1.50. Otherwise, I probably would have never even considered buying Milani polishes. The colors always looked pretty and sparkly on the display, but drugstore polishes can be pricey. (I say this meaning any polish over $5, when not on sale, for a drugstore brand is 'pricey'.) I've been using the silver and gold polish shades a lot in particular for the holidays.

Clinique All About Eyes Rich, Beauty Insider 500 Point Perk, Becca Beach Tint - Lychee
The first Sephora hauling I've done since maybe the Spring? If it wasn't for their $15 off coupon for Beauty Insiders, I wouldn't have bought as much as I did.
Beeca Beach Tint - Lychee
Lychee looks bright out of the tube but when I apply 1 layer it turns out to be very natural. Of course, it is definitely possible to get the bright pink shade as well with a second layer.
Clinique All About Eyes Rich
After using the Naruko eye cream for what seems like forever, I was so excited to try something else. I really needed something more moisturizing and this has been delivering just that!



The contents of my 500-point perk from Sephora. I have been saving up these points for years! I haven't used any of these products so I cannot say much about them yet. I'm definitely looking forward to using the Shimmer Bloc.

After seeing what KarYi picked up with her $10 Origins coupon, I'm regretting my purchase. Their line of makeup products completely slipped my mind and all I could remember was how many people raved of their exfoliator, Modern Friction. I actually have a few unopened exfoliators lying around so I didn't want to buy a full-size of it. Hopefully I'll end up liking this and I won't regret buying it as much. All I can do now is look forward to my next Origins coupon so I can pick up the Pinch Your Cheeks blushes the next time around.

Since my Josie Maran sunscreen ran out I haven't been wearing sun protection at all. I definitely don't recommend this! When I got my $5 Extrabucks from CVS and a 25% coupon in my email, I knew exactly what I wanted to try. It wasn't hard to choose from all the sunscreens La Roche-Posay offered because I prefer to use physical sunscreens (with Titanium Dioxide and/or Zinc Oxide). Now the decision of the tinted version over the untinted version was just because the untinted sunscreens at the CVS I go to were all pretty old but not yet expired. Just to play it safe I bought the tinted sunscreen since one bottle of sunscreen tends to last me a while. So far, I really like this protect!

I've wanted to try something from the Sana Hadanomy line for the longest time. For one reason or another, I never ended up purchasing anything. After not having a mist to use for the past few months, I finally got this! It's only been a week but I do like it. The only thing is the mist isn't as fine as I'd prefer. But I guess nothing is ever perfect.

What new products have you bought recently? Any recommendations you'd like share?

My Unofficial Christmas Present

Perhaps this is an Asian or Chinese thing, especially for non-religious families, but mine was never big on the whole buying presents specifically for the holidays, wrapping them up, and gifting it to others deal. In fact, we don't gift for birthdays, mothers' day, fathers' day or any other celebratory day that involves presents. However, this doesn't mean I wasn't bought things either. They were just never officially called a present. (I hope that made some sense...) My family always just buys things for each other randomly and casually implies that it's a present. Usually, it is because there is a sale.

It's really amusing when I shop with mom. I like to think I am (for the most part) a wise spender. Usually, I like to think things through, look at the prices, see if there are sales, try and retry clothes a billion times before I finally make a decision. Sometimes I do make impulsive decisions here and there. But I think I know where I get that trait from. Mom would say one thing and then do another. For instance, I mentioned once or twice a few months ago that I'd like to buy a watch. She told me I didn't need one and that they're too expensive. Fast forward, day after Christmas, she not only doesn't pull me away from looking at what I can't afford but encourages me to try them even if I don't buy it. She said, "who cares...you're just trying it on!" In the end, she even bought me the watch that I was eyeing. Hence the title. She never said "this will be your Christmas present," but I feel that because of how special and expensive it is, it might as well be considered one. During the whole time by the Watches department, I felt like a mom the whole time trying to dissuade her from buying things we didn't really need (she was also contemplating a watch for herself). Would anyone believe me if I say this is how most of our shopping trips go, especially for costlier items like jackets, electronics, and such? But that's what makes shopping with mom interesting. I actually learned a lot about my mom's tastes and shopping habits these last few years than I ever have.



I was completely surprised by her decision because of the price tag. My original brand choice for a watch was Michael Kors since everyone seemed to be getting it. Whenever I went to the store, I just never got the I LOVE IT feeling for any particular style. Plus, from what I've seen Michael Kors watches never goes on sale. Even though I had many chances to order from Bloomies with a discount, I of course always talked myself out of it. While mom was by the Citizen counter, I saw this Bulova watch that I just couldn't walk away from. I think a big reason for mom's easy decision was because the watch was actually on sale. It was originally $375, Macy's had a 20% off sale that day for the brand, and then we ended up having an extra 10% since my mom used her Macy's card. The watch came out to be $270 (before tax).




It's difficult to see from the photos (sorry!) but the two-toned colors are actually silver & rose-gold, not silver & gold. I tried both this and the all rose-gold version but ultimately decided on this one. The main reason was because rose-gold is difficult to match bracelets with. The second reason being rose-gold is a trendy color that I'm afraid would go out of style. Since this is a pretty big 'present' and investment, I definitely want to be able to wear this for a long long long time.


Before trying this watch, I also tried on a few Fossil watches. I ended up liking this more because of the smaller clasp and more links. I think gives a bit more flexibility.


I didn't even notice this small detail until I took photos. It's a great touch! Although, I hope it doesn't fall out easily. That would be a nightmare.




The watch was definitely way too big for me. I thought they only took off 3 links total but it seems like it was actually 4. Now it fits around my wrist just right with a little bit of wiggle room.


Now I'll be able to tell the time without having to bust out my phone all the time. Onward with the task of adjusting to reading a watch quickly! Safe to say, this will be the only watch I will need for a good many years to come. Are there any tips on how to care for a watch? How long do the batteries usually last? On a nosier note, how are your shopping experiences with your parents (or friends)?

Recent (Justifiable) Splurges

Before anyone moves forward with reading the rest of this post, I am fully aware of how much I spent on just these two items alone. But as the title says...I can justify them! Let me share...

I received an e-mail from Racked NY's report on the Rebecca Minkoff Sample Sale on Monday and thought nothing of it. I always wanted a cute designer bag that I could call my own, but I never actually looked into it any further because of their prices. You know, those "ah I wish I had that, but can't afford it" moments!

Out of curiosity I asked Bestie C (who is a huge coupon user and recently bought a Mini MAC on sale from Bloomies) how much she was able to get her bag for and also told her I wanted to go Friday (the second to last sale day) to just "see" for myself. But after she made a pitstop at the sale Tuesday and told me her report, I had a sudden urge to go ASAP. Which is exactly what I did.

I literally spent 2 hours (more or less) there Wednesday, pacing around the MAC area/samples area/one particular mirror trying to make up my mind. (Luckily I didn't have to wait on a line to get inside.) Right when I walked in, I was overwhelmed by all the colorful and different textured MAC's/MAC Daddy's/Mini MAC's. Yet nothing really caught my eye. There were a few purples that looked nice but nothing that I was really attached to. Nothing 'calling my name'. For now, my logic toward expensive bags is I'd prefer a safe colored (black, brown, tan, navy, etc.) bag that I can continue to use for a long time as opposed to a louder color and/or bolder design bag that can fall in/out of trends.


Maybe half an hour or so after I went inside, I held onto a magenta/purple MAC and dug around the samples table. (This was really one huge mess; at least the other tables were regularly reorganized.) I finally found a brown MAC! I was thrilled. I LOVED the studded look. But then I noticed the strap was a completely different color than the bag, it was missing a dust bag, and the strap's hardware was a shiny silver versus the bag's hardware which was more of a darker matte silver. EEKK! After some inquiring, I was told it's still being sold as is for $175 since it didn't have a pink sample tag on it. I didn't know what to do...If I was to spend $175 for a bag (even if it is heavily discounted), I should really love it. Plus, if I did get it and others do notice the discrepancies they would probably think I'm carry around a fake...no?

So I spent the next one and a half hours deciding. Pretending to look at things at the tables. Then walked back to the mirror to try to make a decision. I overheard one of the staff say he was going downstairs to check if there were more MACs, so I stuck around for a while longer. Every now and again, I saw a new color on the tables. I spotted and liked a mint colored M.A.C. that they put out (I only saw 1 of this) but again not the color I really wanted.

Rebecca Minkoff M.A.C. Clutch in brown with gold hardware

Then toward my second hour inside, I saw this! I don't think I could have been any happier...It was just sitting there, still with it's straps and hardware wrapped up. I immediately speed-walked (sped-walked?) to it and grabbed it. Being indecisive actually paid off for once...! That's a first and probably the last hah. I was still pretty conflicted though. But after bombarding Bestie C with texts and e-mails, her input steered me toward this one. I cannot thank her enough because secretly I thought this was the better choice...even if I did really like the studded detailing of the other.





This is the only flaw I found on it. I'm not even sure what it is. Perhaps a glue residue of some sort? Nothing too heartbreaking, of course.
Justification for the bag?
  • Retail Price: $295
  • Sample Sale Price: $175
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I ordered this lens from Best Buy the Wednesday (11/7) before the Big Bang concert with intentions of using it during the concert. I love that Best Buy has a pick-up option, which saves on shipping fees and time. But I was very disappointed by their service. I picked a store very close to where I live thinking I could pick the lens up the next day because that is what they had estimated on their website. However, I never received the "You can pick up your order now" e-mail the next day; only to later find out by myself through Google and Facebook that the location I chose was "closed indefinitely" due to Hurricane Sandy. I completely understand why they were closed and I guess I should have known better. But BestBuy.com could have at least said something on their website or stopped me from picking the store to begin with. Don't you think so?

Friday night (after the concert), I saw their 'Order Canceled' e-mail citing a system error. Since I was afraid that I would miss the sale and that I might lose the Rewards dollars my mom let me use toward this lens, I reordered it right away. (I was still at Penn Station!) Luckily, the price was the same, I still had the Rewards money, and I was able to get free expedited shipping (thanks to my parents and their big purchases at Best Buy). *Funny thing, the following Saturday night I checked the Facebook of the store and they said they were opening Sunday! I think the term 'trolled' seems appropriate here...*

Fast forward Wednesday evening (same day I went to the Minkoff sale), I had a huge panic/mental breakdown when I thought my package was lost or shipped to the wrong address. That would have been a huge disaster! Especially since UPS didn't require a signature for such a small package. Thankfully, I happened to run into the UPS delivery man for my neighborhood and he assured me it was where he (literally) dropped it off.

Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM Pancake Lens


It looked quite a bit of researching before I decided to buy this. The price just made the decision that much easier. The only thing I was afraid of was that this newly released lens wouldn't fit my 'old' DSLR (T1i). Luckily, it fits just fine. Unlike my basic beginner lenses, that came with the package I bought my camera with, I had to give this lens a good turn for it to click into place. It looks so delicate, I was almost afraid to do it. Have a fixed focal length is very new to me and the (relatively) quiet autofocusing blew my mind! I can't wait to play with this as soon as I have the chance to. It also makes it so much more compact and light. I think it would definitely be a great family vacation lens, especially since I don't use a point and shoot camera anymore.
Justification for the lens?
  • Retail Price: $199.99
  • Sale Price: $149.99
  • After Additional Rewards Money: $119.99
Numbers speak for themselves, yeah?
Plus, I'm definitely going to get good usage out of both of these. I'll make sure of it! In the end it'll all be worth it. Needless to say, this is the last of my designer and big camera purchases for now. Must stop myself now before I really develop a problem and find myself in too much debt...heh :)

**I'm curious, do you guys mind reading these lengthy/wordy posts? and Does anyone find all these details unnecessary?**
***I'm still working on the Big Bang concert post! Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about it.***

Cute things make the day better

These weather conditions have been all over the place lately. Last week the east coast had Hurricane Sandy to deal with and before even fully recovering from that, there another storm...snow this time. But still, cheers for the first snowfall we are having! (It's been too long. I won't be this cheerful about snow in a few days hah!) Ahh, the sudden changes in weather and temperature just make me feel uncomfortable. I wish the change this year was more gradual. Just before Sandy came I was still wearing my Toms look-a-likes around. Now even thick socks and sneakers aren't warm enough for my toes, maybe I need to wear UGG boots already... Cold weather + rain/snow/mush = not a very happy Mandy.

Since I don't feel like being outside much in this kind of weather, I couldn't do any eye-oogling/window shopping after I took my two (very hard stressful) midterms today. I was completely pooped from pulling an all-nighter trying to cram info for 2 classes into my brain and in addition, I sat in an exam rooms for 3+ hours all together...back to back... My mind was in all sorts of knots by the time I came home. After a quick nap, I remembered I forgot to share some cute yet functional items I bought from eBay recently. At least I can look at photos of things that'll make me happier :]

Before I get to the highlight of my eBay frenzy, here was the dud of the loot.




Faux Leather DSLR Digital Camera Bag Satchel Shoulder Bag M from vivi_leather on eBay

I'm not sure if this bag is still available for sale but I wouldn't recommend getting this bag anyway. At first, I came across photos of this bag from a Korea based shop and thought "I must get that! It looks too cute and would be great for non-pro/hobby photographers like me." But sadly the item wasn't listed there anymore (I don't know why it came up when I searched through). So I did some more browsing and found some China-based sellers and one HK seller (vivi_leather) with the same exact photos as the Korean seller's. I couldn't believe it! And of course...it was too good to be true. I picked the Hong Kong shop to hopefully avoid chances of getting an imitation product. I just didn't think that there were imitations of such little things like this too. Don't get me wrong, the seller is very nice and shipping was ridiculously quick considering it's coming from HK. I can't speak for all their other bags, but I just wasn't all too crazy with this particular one I that got.

This is a photo from the seller's listing. Just in this image alone shows discrepancies. The left photo is the same I saw in the Korean store (I'll dub this "original" for easier reference). The bottom right photo looks like it is VERY similar to the left. But the bag I got looks more like the top right photo. Call me picky but I really care about these things. Especially because this wasn't particularly a cheap bag price-wise (~$35). I did thoroughly inspect and compare all the photos both sellers posted before I decided to hit the Order button. But I must have missed the little details...
  • The overall structure of the bag I received is similar to the "official" photos. I was a little surprised by the size of the bag, but that is my fault for not pulling out a ruler to double-check. Definitely only big enough for a DSLR + standard basic beginner lens and maybe an extra battery or other small things. There's barely enough extra room for even a wallet. If I plan to go out and about I can't really go with just this bag. At least the camera is snug in there!...I guess?
  • The bag is closed by 2 magnetic clasps. Nothing too fancy. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Magnetic closures seem to be pretty popular for satchels with a flap. The problem was one of the clasps wasn't very strong at all. Just a slight tap and it would detach itself. Imagine what would happen if I was outside and it just came undone so easily?!
  • There was this separator included...that was made of literally just a piece of cloth with velcro attached on the edges. However, I'm not sure if it can even be called a separator. When it came, it was stuck to one side to look like a money/memory card slot (which doesn't work because there is no actual pocket created). Definitely not sturdy to be used as either the former or the latter...So I just took it out completely. Nice thought! (Not really...) To the fair, the "official" photos had a separator that looked more padded and seemed like it could actually be used as a true separator. Perhaps the people who made this were trying to copy all the details down to the last T.
  • If they were...then they missed one feature. The two latches are missing the metal tips. It would have been a nice touch. Plus, it would keep the edges from fraying.
I hate it when impulse buys don't live up to my expectations. I'm still going to make good use of it. It would be too expensive to send back to HK so that wasn't really an option. I just hope that it'll last longer than I think it will. For now, at least I have a smaller camera bag dedicated just for my beloved DSLR.

****************

Anyway! Enough with my rant...Onward with the cute things!



lovely items actually from Korea this time from lonedaisy77 on eBay




I'm pretty sure this is an original product. Would imitators go as far as to copy a holographic sticker? A very detailed sticker at that too!


Shinzi Katoh Lock Up Earphone Winder in Mint

I love this earphone winder. I wonder now why I never got one before. (Ahh, that's right because I couldn't order for eBay myself.) It helps to store my headphones in my jacket pocket or bag much easier. Things are less tangled and messy. The cables wouldn't accidentally drag other things out of my pocket. It just makes life a little easier!




Ribbon Earphone Winder in Lavender

Another earphone winder. I got suckered in by the bow...heh. I found that this winder doesn't keep the headphone cables as contained as I liked so I repurposed it to organize my iPhone/iPad charger instead.






Shinzi Katoh Zip Around Clutch Long Wallet in Purple

This was the biggest surprise. I had no idea the wallet would come all nicely packaged like this. Makes it feels so luxurious. Is this how bigger companies also package their wallets? It is very nicely made and has lots of card slots and pockets for receipts, cash, and a zipped section for coins. LOVE! I haven't used this yet. I don't want to cause any unnecessary damage to it yet because I tend to carry a lot of heavy things in my bag for school.

There are quite a few Korean sellers who have Shinzi Katoh and similar styled items. I chose to buy from this particular seller because Bestie C bought from here before and recommended it. There are times where I'd rather pay a little extra and be assured that things will go smoothly. I've checked the prices on a Korean website that sold these same items and the prices are relatively similar. I guess Shinzi Katoh is a pretty popular accessories (wallets, cell phone cases, passport holders, etc.) brand? I've come to really like his items! I have my eye on a Diary/Wallet style iPhone case but...it is much pricier than what I'm comfortable with paying for a phone case. I shall wait and see if the prices will drop since the iPhone 5 is out! Hehe.
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