Obviously, the holiday season is all about giving and receiving... and buying yourself gifts. I mean, what's the fun in shopping for presents if none of them are for yourself, right? Plus, all the holiday sales happened, and we knew I'd get tempted to get one or two (or a million) things. So last month's haul started pretty much right on the first weekend when I went to the Estée Lauder warehouse sale, which was thankfully really disappointing so I didn't spend a ridiculous amount of money there. I only came out with six Bumble and Bumble products, which were on sale for 2 for $15.
Bumble and Bumble Surf Creme Rinse Conditioner (x2), Let It Shine Conditioner (x2), Let It Shine Shampoo, and Gentle Shampoo
Sigma E35 and E40 Tapered Blending Brushes
Cirque Colors Nail Lacquer in Dark Horse, Josephine, Boudoir, Le Invader, XX, and Stella
A-England Nail Varnish in Crown of Thistles and Fotheringhay Castle
TokyoMilk Dark Bittersweet No. 83 Shea Butter Handcreme
One day, around 2:00 in the morning, I was browsing online stores as usual and decided to peruse the Nail Polish Canada site. I was actually on there to look at Z Palettes, and ended up getting four Sigma eyeshadow brushes, plus six Cirque and two A-England nail polishes instead. None of it was on sale; I was just impulse buying. Okay, I had been wanting the eyeshadow brushes for a while (I was hoping to get some during IMATS, but no one was selling them separately and I didn't want to buy sets), but as you all know, I have no sense when it comes to nail polish. I've been on a Cirque kick lately, and having been so impressed with all the shades I bought a couple months ago, I decided to see what other ones I missed out on. I picked up four from older collections, and then two from their latest collection, Burlesque. I also took the opportunity to take a look at the new offerings from A-England while I was on there. I haven't been 'wow'-ed with A-England's releases in a while (their Ballerina collection was disappointing to me, if only because all the shades looked so similar to each other, much like their Gothic Beauties collection), but when I saw their latest Elizabeth & Mary collection, I knew immediately that I had to have these two shades. At least all my shopping on that site paid off: I had enough Polish Points to redeem for a full-size tube of TokyoMilk hand cream (which retails for $22).
Boscia Luminizing Black Mask and Black Charcoal Blotting Linens
Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Thirst Quenching Serum
MAC Ultimate Lipsticks
I decided to go into Sephora when I got e-mailed a coupon for $25 off any purchase of $50 or more. They still had some of those Boscia Black Friday kits that included a full-size pack of my favourite Black Charcoal Blotting Linens, plus a 30 ml tube of their Luminizing Black Mask for $12 (which is actually cheaper than a pack of those blotting sheets on their own), so I snatched one up. And then I decided to use my coupon on a new bottle of Caudalie's Vinosource S.O.S. Thirst Quenching Serum. I finished up my last bottle in September, and it's become an essential for me in the winter (I like to use it all year round, but I really feel the difference in the winter when I layer it under my moisturizer). It's one of my favourite serums of all time, and definitely the most effective hydration serum I've ever used, so if your skin feels tight or parched at all, you should definitely look into this one. Plus, it smells good. Kinda boring purchases, but I was so proud of myself for using the coupon on something I actually needed (especially after November's VIB sale)... until MAC released their new Ultimate Lipsticks (which I have reviewed here, here, and here), and I proceeded to buy all of them...
Rebecca Minkoff Bowery Crossbody Bag in Ink
Wilfred Mayet Jacket and Talula Soho Blouse
I randomly got an e-mail from Bloomingdale's saying that I had a $75 rewards gift card that was going to expire soon. I got really confused because we don't even have a Bloomingdale's here in Canada. And then I remembered the little shopping spree I had with my mom when we were in NYC last Spring. Apparently, we spent enough money that I got $75 worth of rewards points. So I went on their website to check out what was left of their Black Friday sales. I found this Rebecca Minkoff bag on sale for $206.50 from $295, and then used my $75 electronic gift card. And got free shipping to my brother's apartment in NYC (he was coming back to Toronto for Christmas, anyway). A few weeks later, Aritzia was having their Boxing Day sale, which usually doesn't excite me because they typically have terrible markdowns (like, $5 off a $125 sweater). But I guess they finally decided to up their game, because for the first time in the 12 years I've been shopping there, they actually had legitimate price reductions. After perusing for nearly a hour on their website, I ended up getting a black
Wilfred Mayet Jacket (for $149 from $225), a black
Talula Soho Blouse (for $19.99 from $40), and a pair of black
Paradise Mine High Rise Jeggings (for $99 from $135).
David's Tea David's Top 3 Teas Set and The Nordic Tea Mug
David's Tea The Winter Collection: Apple Custard Fruit Infusion, Bubbie’s Baklava Oolong Tea, Vanilla Chai Organic Black Tea, Sugar Plum Forest Rooibos, Cocomint Cream Fruit Infusion, and 20 Filters
David's Tea The Perfect Tea Mug and Forever Nuts Tea Scented Candle
I was at David's Tea getting a Christmas gift for my mom and decided to get a little something for myself, too, 'cause it's hard not to get tempted in there (even if you don't like tea, you somehow start to like it after you leave). They were having a bundle deal that included a Nordic Tea Mug and a set of three teas for $35, which worked out well because I was looking for a mug that included a tea strainer. So I got one with a cute bird design, and picked the
David's Top 3 teas trio, which includes their
Mother's Little Helper,
Cream of Earl Grey, and
Forever Nuts. Because I spent over $50 including my mom's gift (and also because I joined their
Frequent Steeper program), I also got their
Winter Collection tea set for free. And I guess I made my love for David's Tea pretty well-known, because then I got a Perfect Tea Mug and a Forever Nuts tea scented candle from my Secret Santa a couple weeks later.
Bath & Body Works Champagne Toast 3-Wick Candle and Bear Hug Shea-Infused Lounge Socks
EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balms in Vanilla Mint, Coconut Milk, and Passion Fruit
NARS Audacious Lipstick in Anita, Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, Too Faced Shadow Insurance Glitter Glue, and Formula X Effects Nail Color in Capricious and Devious
Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Rapture, Rush, and Fiend
Lush Snow Angel Luxury Bath Melt, Celebrate Hand and Body Lotion, So White Shower Gel, Each Peach Massage Bar, and Snowcake Soap
Other Christmas gifts I got this year include a Bath & Body Works Champagne Toast 3-wick candle and a pair of my favourite shea-infused lounge socks, plus three EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balms from another Secret Santa; a NARS Audacious Lipstick in Anita and a tube of my favourite Urban Decay Perversion Mascara from my friend Viv; and Too Faced Shadow Insurance Glitter Glue and two Formula X nail polishes in Capricious and Devious from my friend Suze (seems random, but I actually made her a wishlist with these). I also got a Sephora gift card for Christmas, so I got three more Urban Decay Revolution Lipsticks in Rapture, Rush, and Fiend (I'm really into muted rose and plum shades right now). My friend Fran, who works at Lush, gave me a really cute gift box set that included a Snow Angel Luxury Bath Melt, Celebrate Hand and Body Lotion, plus Snowcake Soap, and then added an extra bottle of So White Shower Gel ('cause she knows it's my favourite), plus an Each Peach Massage Bar (which I've wanted to try for a while).
Nikon 1 J4 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 1 NIKKOR VR 10-30mm F3.5-5.6 PD Lens
Finally, my brother got me a brand new camera! I have been using a Nikon 1 J1 for a couple years now, but I dropped it a few months ago and broke the battery latch (the thing that holds the battery in the camera), so it won't work unless I tie like, six rubber bands around it. So my brother ordered me the Nikon 1 J4, which is the latest version of the J1. What can I say? I was spoiled this Christmas.
What did you get for Christmas this year? And did you do any Boxing Day shopping?
there were so many good david teas deals! i didn't indulge but i know a lot of other ppl did.
ReplyDeleteJenn
A Beautiful Zen
Worth it if you like tea! I don't even care that much about tea, but you go in there, and you get converted...
DeleteWAHOO! STUFF.
ReplyDeleteI made a DavidsTea order and got the Forever Nuts candle too with a couple of mugs and a new tumbler. HAD TO.
Great deal on that Minkoff bag! And a-England almost got me. I think I'm going to resist but it was tempting to throw the whole collection into the cart.
I LOVE THE FOREVER NUTS CANDLE. YASSSSSS.
DeleteHaha, I almost bought the A-England Elizabeth & Mary collection as well, but then I kept looking at the swatches and these two stood out to me more than the others. I think the other ones are too similar to the other ones I have from A-England...
So many beautiful things! I wish I had David's Tea here in Australia, we have this place called T2 that I guess would be the equivalent for us. I don't think I bought too much in December, after the crazy hauls I enjoyed on my honeymoon in the US I think I was all shopped out!
ReplyDeleteThanks! If it makes you feel better, David's Tea isn't in the US, either. :P
DeleteCongrats on your getting married! Hope you had a fabulous honeymoon!
I didn't really get any fun makeups for Christmas because I've kind of told everyone I don't need more stuff - but I did get a MAC GC. I'd actually love it if people just got me GCs like that, so I could use em when I need a fix, but it rarely happens :(
ReplyDeleteI bought that David's Tea winter collection, but I really only like one of the teas in it - the Apple Custard I think, which is SO DAMN GOOD. The rest are kinda 'meh' to me - the Cocomint one particularly is kind of weird-tasting.
The only real Boxing Day thing I bought was a new camera - a Canon Eos Rebel T5. Excitement! Now I just need to figure out how to really use it to it's potential lol.
I find it's the same way for me; no one gets me beauty-related gift cards because they assume as a MUA, I already have too much. Which is true, but I can never have enough makeup, LOL. If only people knew how much a Sephora gift card would mean to me...
DeleteI actually haven't tried any of the David's Tea teas that I got, LOL. The Cocomint one doesn't sound that appealing to begin with, though, so I can see how it can taste gross. :P
I was so tempted by the Rebel T5 'cause Best Buy was having a really good deal on it, but I ended up wanting something smaller so I could keep it in my purse, thus the Nikon 1 J4 (also because I have the J1, so I'm used to the configuration and size). And my brother offered to get it for me for Christmas, which made it that much sweeter. ;) Have fun with your new camera!!!
LOL girl, you haul like a boss! I'm a little bit overwhelmed by the holiday season still, so I've just been poking around safe sites like ravelry (knitting, LOL), and yoga and what not.
ReplyDeleteLOL, if by "haul like a boss," you mean "shop WAY TOO MUCH," then yes, I totally agree. :P
DeleteI've been trying to be good with shopping this month because yes, the holiday season has basically bankrupted me and I'm trying to save up for my NYC trip in two weeks. :P I still managed to pick up a few things here and there, but nothing major like the past few months, lol.