Tag Archives: shopping

September Shopping Haul

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My goal since I last splurged over $600 on clothes while in Florida in August was to not spend any more money on clothes. But being the shopoholic I am, and one who does not go to rehab for my troubling problem, September couldn’t pass without a few trips to the mall and coming home with shopping bags in hand. I didn’t go too crazy, which is good. But here’s what I managed to snag this month:

A simple pullover sweater from H&M for $17.95. There were so many colours to choose from (ivory, mahogany, indigo, coral etc.) but eventually I went with this brown-gold colour. It’s actually a sparkly sweater that glitters but the camera doesn’t capture it. It’s great for Christmas time, and with a cute collared top underneath would look great!

I usually don’t shop at the store I work at, but I found a few must-have items at great prices. So why not. The first was this denim shirt for $19.99:

Sure, denim tops are always cute. But what really caught my eye with this one that made it pretty much mandatory that I bought was the irresistible lacing detail at the back:

I was also in search for a great pair of red pants, and these ones weren’t too bright or dull, so it was the perfect shade. They’re also jeggings which is always a plus, because they tend to be super comfy. (Note: the camera did not accurately capture the colour at all). These beauties were also $19.99:

This next top was cute, cheap ($9.99) and went great with the pants. And that was enough reasoning for me to buy it.

And to satisfy the online shopping craving that I always seem to have, I bought a much-needed bracelet holder from eBay! For $15, this velvet organizer was a great deal:

Smashbox on Location photo event

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Today I experienced the Smashbox on Location Photo Event held at Sephora on Bloor St. here in Toronto.
Media and other beauty lovers were given the celebrity treatment, complete with a makeover and photoshoot.


Smashbox Global Pro Lead Artist Lori Taylor worked miracles using her makeup and brushes as she provided full fledged beauty makeovers for participants.

Unfortunately makeup doesn’t stay on forever, so fashion and celebrity photographer Steven Khan was there to capture the new looks Lori created!

It was an overall great experience; the Sephora and Smashbox staff were friendly, welcoming and accommodating (offering a drink as soon as I walked through the doors on their mini red carpet). Smashbox goes on location annually at cities across North America, so if you have the chance I highly recommend you book an appointment, because every woman deserves to feel like a celebrity–even if it’s just for fifteen minutes.

Along with a CD of my (what I think are dreadful and will never be exposed to anyone other than my mother) photos, I received a wonderful goodie bag to take home with me! Note: The pictures are dreadful because of me and my appearance, not because of the amazing photographer Steven Khan.

Inside were a few of Smashbox’s hottest and newest products from their Fall 2012 line including: Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer ($32), Photo Finish Hydrating Foundation Primer ($50), Lip Enhancing Lip Gloss Duo ($28) and Be Legendary Lipstick ($22).

Free makeup (especially over $100 worth) is always awesome, but there’s no denying that this one of a kind, creatively designed camera USB flash drive was the best thing I walked away with:

1D World Toronto store visit

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After snagging VIP tickets and sitting front row of their concert, watching them during soundcheck, being able to ask them a question, and basking in their good looks on May 31, it was pretty much mandatory that I paid a visit to their first North American pop-up shop.  So today I did just that.

We arrived at the store before it even opened, and there was already a line-up of a dozen or so people waiting. Seeing how most of those in the line were tweens and teens, my and my friend walked past muttering, “oh wow they have a one direction store?!” testing out our acting abilities, then went to Subway to grab a snack awaiting the store’s 10am opening.

We left our maturity at the doors, and walked into every directioner’s heaven. The live tour DVD was playing on a large flat screen at the back of the store, the current song “One Thing” blasted through large speakers so loud you had to sort of yell when talking. Poster’s so huge you can’t even purchase them in stores surrounded the walls, and red and white was the expected colour scheme.

They had One Direction themed everything–from posters, to t-shirts, to notebooks, calenders, keychains and even a 1D compact mirror were sold for might I add, kind of expensive prices (seeing how HMV and even my store Urban Planet has most items for at least $5-10 less than the 1D World store price).

But for those who had the money–or the parents with the money, or the parents who loved them enough, or the parents who wanted to avoid a screaming tantrum throwing child–it was a place for the ultimate One Direction shopping spree.

And for those like me, who at my age can only be seen owning so much One Direction merchandise without being thrown into a rehab centre and is also a broke college kid, it was still a trip worth making, just for the experience and the sight of it all. I did buy the $30 t-shirt with the boys outlined in blue and song lyrics, while my friend got the tour dvd special which came with a pack of 5 mini posters for $40.

The store only comes to a city once (as far as I know), and it’s going to be cool that in ten years I’ll be able to look back on my visit to the first North American 1D store in Toronto. At least I hope it’ll be cool.

If the 1D World Store comes to your city, and you like the band, then go ahead and drop on in!

Back to school shopping in Buffalo

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My family planned a day trip to Buffalo to do some back to school shopping but after spending over $600 in Florida on materialistic things, I chose to stay at home and save my money. However, my mom felt bad and gave me $100 as an early birthday present to spend. I’m not use to shopping on a budget, I’m more of a plastic person. Swipe, swipe, swipe. So this was an interesting shopping trip and instead of coming home with over a dozen items, here are the few items I got all for $100:

I’ve always loved bird prints, so this cardigan was a great find at Forever 21. They also had it in a navy blue, so choosing between the two colours was definitely a challenge.

Marshalls is honestly one of my favourite places to find cute pieces. Not just the cheap prices, but the search of looking through racks and racks of clothing to find something that is either 1. Brand name and priced at a ridiculously amazing price (My sister got a Silence and Noise thick sweater for only $14.99 compared to one I bought from Urban Outfitter’s last year for the sale price of $65.oo!) Loved the collar and colour of this top:

And I have a slight obsession for anything sheer and collared:

The bedazzled accent on the collar was irresistible:

And of course since it’s back to school, I just had to get some new school supplies. Best find at Walmart? This One Direction notebook. The last one remaining too, so it felt like a special find.