Tag Archives: ballin on a budget

Nov17

Bath & Body Works Holiday Hand Soap Haul

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Bath & Body Works Holiday Hand Soap Haul

Hello!! This past week was nice because I had a little extra wiggle room to run errands and get housework done. One thing that was a must was stopping into Bath & Body Works because we needed a restock of our beloved foaming hand soaps. Armed with coupons in hand, I went to check out the new winter holiday fragrances and walked away with a great haul. Thanks to a twenty-five percent off and FREE full size product coupon, it was only twenty bucks for all of this. Score! Let’s discuss these scents:

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Cookie Butter Truffle: I live for fruity fragrances in the spring and summer. When it gets colder, however, my tastes turn more decadent. I LOVE holiday dessert scents and if you do too, then Cookie Butter Truffle is a must. With fragrance notes of “cookie butter, whipped cream, and vanilla extract” your hands are going to smell good enough to eat! Please don’t, but you get the point. This scent smells exactly like fresh baked cookies with an ooey gooey caramel center. Yum!

Pomegranate Citrus Fizz: Of course, a fruity scent during the winter is okay too! Pomegranate Citrus Fizz is a bubbly delight. Offering notes of “fresh pomegranate, juicy orange, and topped with bubbles” this scent is bright, crisp and one of my favorites from the haul. As I write this, I literally can’t stop smelling it and it gives all the vibes of cracking open a bottle of sparkling cider during a holiday get together.

To All A Goodnight: I am not a fan whatsoever of winter fragrances like pine, balsam, cinnamon, etc. I wasn’t really sure what To All A Goodnight was going to smell like and I was expecting it to be a no go. I ended up liking it a lot, though! This scent’s notes include “a cool winter breeze, sweet lavender dreams, and nestled in a cozy blanket”. I honestly can’t speak for any of that lol but To All A Goodnight smells clean and sweet like freshly laundered clothes. It’s not the most holiday scent, but is neutral enough that I think anyone would like it.

Iced Cinnamon Rolls: If you have ever smelled cinnamon rolls, then you will know what this scent smells like! And I know I just said I don’t like cinnamon, but it’s different in roll form!! 😀

Crushed Candy Cane: If you have ever smelled a peppermint, then you will know what this scent smells like! Lol, I love me a mint scented anything and there are no surprises with Crushed Candy Cane. Just brisk, refreshing minty goodness.

Vanilla Bean Noel: I chose a lotion in Vanilla Bean Noel as my free product because it is one of my all time favorite holiday scents. Like mint, I love anything vanilla scented. Vanilla Bean Noel is such a soft and creamy fragrance and it smells just like opening up a new carton of French Vanilla ice cream. Whether it was in hand soap, lotion, or shower gel form, I just had to snag it!

All of the scents from my haul were extremely straight forward and safe bets for gifting options. My Halloween home decor doesn’t reflect the season at all, but I’ll be damned if my hand soap doesn’t!

What is your favorite B&BW fragrance? What is your favorite holiday scent? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct21

Dr. Wellness Lip Balm Review

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Dr. Wellness Lip Balm Review

Hello! My favorite brand of chapstick has got to be Pacifica. I was introduced to it a year or so ago at TJMaxx and have loyally used the brand ever since thanks to their multipack on Amazon. I am one of those people that always needs to have lip chap on them. I have one by my bed, one by my computer, and one in my purse. In the past week, I have reached the bottom of the tube on literally every chapstick I own. It feels like such an accomplishment to finish an entire chapstick, but it was terrible because I was legit jonesing for more lol. During my skin care haul at TJMaxx, there were no tubes of Pacifica to be found, but I did purchase a multipack by a brand I have never used before called Dr. Wellness:

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I was drawn to the pretty packaging on this chapstick set, the price was nice at five dollars, and it came with five tubes so I could replace my fallen friends and still have two extras. I thought it was a total steal and couldn’t wait to try them out! My first impression upon my first application was honestly that it wasn’t as good as my beloved Pacifica. That’s not to say that it wasn’t good, though, and I liked it more and more with each use. Actually, these Dr. Wellness balms are kind of amazing. In just one swipe on your lips, full coverage is achieved with a pillowy soft balm. And, even after the product has absorbed, my lips still felt smooth and hydrated without needing a reapplication. I have a hunch that these balms are going to be a total lifesaver come winter!

I always prefer a scented balm so let’s discuss the smell good factor for each of them:

Berry: If you recall the scent of the Mixed Berry Lipsmackers, then that is exactly what the Dr. Wellness Berry lip chap smells like. I can especially detect the raspberries, which is great because that is one of my favorite fragrances!

Pink Grapefruit: Grapefruit scents tend to be hit or miss for me because they can be overly pungent. I love this lip balm’s scent, though! It is bright and zingy without burning my nasal passages and is actually my favorite one of the bunch.

Mint: I am a huge fan of mint scented anything and nothing will ever be “too minty” for me. Unfortunately, the mint scent of this balm is light. Really light, as a matter of fact, and it certainly left me wishing for way more oomph.

Aloe: I was expecting the Aloe balm to be relatively scentless and, happily, that wasn’t the case. The Aloe lip chap smells a lot like cucumber melon which was a pleasant surprise. It is a close second favorite after Pink Grapefruit.

Cooling Water: Now, the Cooling Water is what I expected the Aloe balm to smell like: Not much of anything lol. It has the softest hint of a fresh rainwater scent but that is about it.

These Dr. Wellness balms might not be from my go to brand and after a few uses, that was a-okay. I would definitely recommend buying a tube or two to combat chapped lips this winter!

Do you have chapstick stations in your house? What is your favorite lip balm brand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct6

Bath & Body Works October Freebie

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Bath & Body Works October Freebie

Hello!! I received a freebie coupon for a hand cream at Bath & Body Works and was able to stop in after my nail appointment on Tuesday to snag it. I was on cloud nine – a fresh fill, a little treat, and I still made it to work with ample time to spare. Everything was coming up Lil Red! Better yet, I was in and out of B&BW in literally two minutes without having to explain to an employee that I was only there for the freebie lol. What can I say, I keep my bath and body care well stocked! As I had no desire to linger, I grabbed the first hand cream I saw without giving it the old sniff test. So, let’s find out what Platinum smells like together…

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The consensus? Platinum smells… fine lol. According to B&BW’s website, their description for what it smells like is “a mesmerizing vibe you can’t help but be drawn to” and offers notes of “sparkling bergamot, silver blooms, and patchouli musk”. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a mesmerizing vibe because I feel like it doesn’t smell like anything! I get a whiff of a slightly floral fragrance but that’s about it. Honestly, that’s fine too because this scent had the potential to be overly pungent which is something I can’t stand for. I will say that the packaging is cute AF and Platinum would be a safe bet if you’re purchasing for someone else as there wasn’t much to like or dislike.

PS: If you are already in holiday mode, B&BW is previewing their seasonal collections in store and online. In fact, I hardly saw any Halloween scents in store and it feels like I just had my spooky roundup yesterday. My, how time flies in the retail world!

Would I go out of my way to get Platinum again? Hard no, but free is free!

What is your favorite seasonal scent? Where do you get your bath and body care from? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep29

Random Book Haul

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Random Book Haul

Hello!! This past week, I visited Barnes & Noble on an outing with one of my clients. She was completely striking out and asked if I could take her to Ollie’s instead. I’m not sure if this store is just an Ohio thing, but Ollie’s is basically a catch all discount shop. This is only the second time I have been in there but they literally have everything but the kitchen sink – clothing, books, toys, cupboard grocery items, furniture, etc. Actually, they just might have the kitchen sink too lol. She was hoping to find some new books on the cheap and I was so happy that she did. Surprisingly, I ended up with several too and a little something for my sweet nieces. Check it out:

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I have always been an avid fan of graphic novels and recently got heavily back into them. I have honestly been too exhausted to commit to cracking open a new book and graphic novels give me the opportunity to still be able to read AND appreciate amazing artwork. It really is a win win. After finishing the Nailbiter series, I have an idea of what I’d like to start reading next. I do, however, have a handful of different series that I have already read but would like to add to my collection at some point. One of them being one of my all time favorite horror series called Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. Little did I know, that some point was going to be earlier this week!

While at Ollie’s, I clutched my pearls when I saw that they had Books Two through Four of Preacher. And, yes, I did scour the shelves to see if Book One was there too but it was nowhere to be found. While that was a bit disappointing, I still could not believe my good fortune. I paid eighteen dollars for two paperbacks and one hardback cover. In total, I spent less for three volumes than what I would have paid for just one at another store or online. As this series is one that I coveted for a long time, I was incredibly happy to get a jump on obtaining part of the collection for a song. 😀

And, of course, I had to pick up a little something something for both of my nieces too. My two tiny besties are most fond of coloring books and I couldn’t say no after seeing Gabby’s Dollhouse and Disney princesses – their two favorites. ❤ This impromptu shopping trip as per my client’s suggestion opened my eyes to an essentially new to me discount store. I absolutely plan on returning again to see what else I can add to my graphic novel library. GREAT SUCCESS!!

What is your favorite discount store? Have you scored any awesome deals recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug30

Bath & Body Works August Freebie

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Bath & Body Works August Freebie

Howdy! Last week I received some Bath & Body Works coupons in the mail which included a percentage off of your purchase and a free hand cream. After a recent hand soap haul and stocking up on other products during the Semi Annual Sale, I really didn’t need anything. This was a great exercise in self control because their Halloween and fall collection this year is just too cute! However, I’m never going to pass up on a freebie so I stopped in during a work break to grab a hand cream. I could take or leave the B&BW hand cream, but free is free! 😀

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I’ve got to admit that as soon as I stepped foot in B&BW, I wanted to leave immediately. As someone who worked retail for a long time, I can always tell when a district manager is in the store. When I stopped in was most definitely one of those days lol. The DM was on the floor and the employees swarmed upon me before I could blink. That day, I was not in a particularly chatty mood and was in a get out and go state of mind. However, with the knowledge of all that a visit from a district manager entails – you know your girl played along. A baller has gotta ball and I wasn’t going to let my pissy mood effect anyone’s day!

After escaping what felt like endless conversation, I made my way to the travel size products and snagged whatever sounded good. Vanilla is always a safe bet for me so I went with Vanilla Romance. This fragrance offers notes of “fresh cardamom, vanilla, and captivating woods”. Whatever the notes were, it all smelled like vanilla to me and that is perfect. I am a huge fan of true vanilla scents and this was easily the best one that B&BW has had recently. No bells and whistles, no captivating woods, just pure vanilla. If you feel the same as me, you will love Vanilla Romance without a doubt. 😀

With my freebie in tow, I couldn’t wait to get out of the store lol. A lot of chit chat is a small price to pay to not pay a dime for a nine dollar tube of hand cream! (Also how ridiculous is that price?!)

What is your favorite fragrance? What is your biggest pet peeve while shopping? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug24

Five Dollar Decor

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Five Dollar Decor

Hello!! I live for this time of year as we transition into fall. Primarily because all of the spooky season decor and clothing hits the stores. Unfortunately, TJMaxx had a whole lot of nothing in the Halloween department during a recent visit. I did get a really cute candy corn plushie, though! After that shopping trip, I decided to let Halloween decor come to me. And it did! During a quick break at work, I stopped into Target to pick up a few birthday prezzies for my bestie. Right around where I was browsing was the five dollar and under section and I literally clutched my pearls when I found this absolute steal:

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Amidst the bits and bobbles of the dollar department, I stumbled upon the very last five dollar Frankenstein jar. Pastel Halloween decor is so on trend and I couldn’t believe my good fortune to have snagged it. Like I said, letting Halloween decor come to me really worked! Of course, the five buck price was not a shock as it was marked as such but it honestly was lol. As soon as I found it, I thought to myself that I would be paying at least double that if I found it at TJMaxx or elsewhere. It was the perfect, cost effective little treat and I couldn’t wait to bring it home to show Johnny and display it on our knick knack shelves.

What I love about my new Frankenstein jar is how different it is. Mine and Johnny’s spooky artifacts mainly feature black, white, and red so this pastel pop of color was a unique and welcome addition. This was my first time in Target in literally forever and it made me very curious about what other Halloween goodies were going to be available in store. In my ideal world there would be a full collection of pastel horror movie monster jars, but I would happily settle for just a Dracula. How cool would that be?!

There were no tricks about this little treat and my appetite for all of the spooky things has been curbed… Ever so slightly for the time being! 😀

Who is your favorite horror movie monster? What kind of Halloween decor do you have? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug15

If The Shoe Fits: Steve Madden Loafers Edition

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If The Shoe Fits: Steve Madden Loafers Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to the next edition of If The Shoe Fits! Thanks to an ad on Facebook, I learned the joys of shoe shopping online with Walmart. I was so surprised that they had the Olivia Miller platforms that you saw yesterday that I decided to search for shoes from another brand I love too: Steve Madden. Not much caught my eye while I was browsing until I scrolled by the amazing pair of loafers that we are going to take a look at. They are the coolest and were only twenty dollars – talk about a steal! In total, I spent thirty-four dollars for three pairs of shoes and it doesn’t get better than that. Check it out:

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I am a huge fan of loafers and used to have two pairs of burgundy and electric blue in high school. Then, I graduated to wedge loafers that I purchased almost a decade ago and haven’t bought another pair since. My wedge loafers are absolutely worse for the wear, but I never found a suitable replacement until this new pair by Steve Madden. The heel might not be as high as my old pair and I wish it was. However, where these loafers lack in height is made up for by that funky pop of green. It is so unique and creates a brand new, punk rock style out of such a classic pair of shoes.

While I have enjoyed parading around in platform heels all summer, fall is never far from my mind. My new Steve Madden loafers definitely made this hankering for crisp autumn days even stronger. I cannot wait to wear them paired with knit dresses and tights and adding that peek a boo green heel to All Black Everything OOTDs with signature fall staples. When I shop, I am always looking for edgy takes on classic pieces. These loafers emulate that to the T, were bought on the cheap, and are a worthy placeholder to my old wedge pair that I can finally throw out. 😀

I am so happy with my shoe haul from Walmart and still can’t believe how little I paid for three brand name pairs of shoes. I will consider this purchase to be my version of Back To School shopping! 🙂

What is your favorite style of shoes? What is your favorite brand to buy shoes from? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug14

If The Shoe Fits: Olivia Miller Platforms Edition

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If The Shoe Fits: Olivia Miller Platforms Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of If The Shoe Fits! I don’t know about all of you, but scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed only makes me want to shop. The vast majority of my ads are, unsurprisingly, clothing, shoes, and accessories. It can be extremely tempting and usually I am able to exercise self control. However, I simply couldn’t pass up the deal of a lifetime when I saw the platforms we are about to take a look at. They are Olivia Miller brand and were purchased online at Walmart for eight bucks a pop. How can you beat that?! Check it out:

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I am a shoe girl through and through, but I have not purchased a new pair in literal years. The last edition of If The Shoe Fits was in February of 2022. And, yes, I absolutely justified this online order because of that! I love Olivia Miller shoes and am always excited for fall weather to roll around so I can wear my favorite pair of chunky heeled boots. I was shocked that Walmart had the brand available and for so cheap too. I would have been mad at myself if I didn’t get them! Walmart had these platforms in four different colors – black, white, pastel pink, and pastel purple. Trust and believe I would have bought the lot if the black and white pairs were in my size. The pastel pink and purple will do just fine but I may or may not have been checking back in on Walmart’s website to see if there has been a restock. *Fingers crossed!*

I was really excited for my new shoes to come in the mail because it has been a long time since I got a new pair. Ordering these platforms was the perfect treat for the perfect price and I am pleased to report that they are just as fab IRL as I imagined them to be. They give off such Bratz doll vibes, which I am living for. I’m not going to lie, I wish that one of these pairs was in black, but the sweet pastel hues play into the fashion doll aesthetic even more and I am definitely okay with that. My new Olivia Miller platforms will be such fun to wrap up the summer with but I can’t wait to wear them in the fall. How cute would they be paired with sweet socks and patterned tights? The answer is: Too cute!

I could not be happier with my Olivia Miller purchase from Walmart as well as one additional pair that you can peep tomorrow. I think I might have to start shopping Walmart fashion more often after this highly successful introduction!

What is one of the best deals you have gotten in store? What other stores have shockingly good fashion options? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul2

Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

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Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

Howdy!! Although I wasn’t able to get everything I wanted from the Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale, I still did pretty well for myself. Thanks to promotions and a birthday gift card, I only spent forty dollars for twenty products and you can’t beat that. I was keeping my fingers crossed that I could get a bunch of the foaming hand soaps as they are tried and true staples in my apartment. The selection was slim pickings by the time I shopped the sale, but I did manage to find a couple as well as an awesome deal on hand sanitizer. I got a five pack for two dollars which was a total score! Check it out:

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Would I Use Again?

Firecracker Pop: YES

Wild For You: YES

Bright Summer Days: MAYBE

Mahogany Teakwood Hand Sanitizer: MAYBE

Why/Why Not?

Firecracker Pop & Wild For You: One of the classic B&BW tricks is that they will recycle the same scent with a different name and packaging. Hence, why we are discussing Firecracker Pop and Wild For You together. As I took a whiff of each scent, I found them to be very similar. Then, I looked at the back and the scent description of “Red cherry, fresh citrus, and juicy berry” was almost a perfect match. The only difference being that Firecracker Pop offered juicy berry and Wild For You featured frozen berry. So, in other words, a perfect match lol.

I like this scent well enough so it’s a good thing I have two of them. However, I would have went for a different scent had I realized I was buying two of the same products. Both options smell exactly like a Bomb Pop and is delightfully reminiscent of summer. Something that I don’t love, though, is the slightly medicinal after scent from the cherries. It’s not terrible, but it does smell like straight up cough syrup if you are looking hard enough for it!

Bright Summer Days: Shopping for fragrances online is, of course, a difficult thing to do. When I am online shopping with B&BW, I never pay too much attention to the scent description because it could be hit or miss regardless of what I end up picking. Had I done my Semi Annual Sale haul in stores, I would have skipped over Bright Summer Days but it’s not the absolute worst. This scent features notes of “Coconut milk, sunny starfruit, and warm sands”. I can’t speak for the starfruit or sand, but the coconut is there!

I wouldn’t say coconut is one of my favorite scents but I am especially partial to the Coconut line from The Body Shop. It is such a pure fragrance without anything else mixed in. Knowing that the B&BW coconut isn’t nearly as good is enough to make me not like it too much. If the price is right, however, I would probably still buy it again.

Hand Sanitizer: I really like the hand sanitizers from B&BW. Yes, the scents are always nice. The best part, though, is how they don’t dry out my hands like other sanitizers have done before. The Mahogany Teakwood five pack of sani was the only option available online and I went for it. I knew Johnny would appreciate the manly scent and even if it’s one I normally wouldn’t use for myself, it was an excellent deal. As far as the scent goes, have you ever smelled Old Spice products? It is literally just that lol. I will keep one handy in my purse but I will be purchasing more hand sanitizer in a scent that I actually like the next time I go shopping!

This Hand Soap Haul wasn’t the best and that’s okay. Although the scents weren’t all slam dunks, I got what I needed and got it for a song. Not too shabby!

Did you shop the Semi Annual Sale? What is a scent that you can’t stand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Jul1

Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul

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Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul

Hello!! Something that I always look forward to is the Semi Annual Sales at Bath & Body Works during the summer and winter. Countless products are marked down to seventy-five percent off and it is perfect for bulking up my stockpile and purchasing gifts. There is nothing better to me than a revamped bath and body care hoard that was bought at an amazing price! Unfortunately, I couldn’t get to the store to shop the sale so I did it online. And, unfortunately, by the time I got around to it everything was pretty picked over. However, I still did alright – actually better than alright. Thanks to a birthday gift card to B&BW from my sister, I got twenty items for… FORTY DOLLARS!! You simply can’t beat two bucks a pop for each product! Check it out:

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I have to admit that I was slightly disappointed with myself during this haul. I actually looked at the B&BW website shortly before going to bed and there were at least fifteen pages worth of marked down product. Fast forward to when I shopped it the following day and there was only five pages left. I was SO annoyed as I was hoping to rebuy several things that Johnny and I liked before. Their selection was very limited, especially for the men’s department and a majority of what was left online was candles, wallflowers, and a random assortment of lotion and shower gel.

Although I was wishing to score some cheap skin care and the gummy vitamins that Johnny loved, beggars can’t be choosers. And, at the end of the day, I still got lots of goodies for a song! I was able to get a great supply of wallflowers (Which I don’t think work all that well, but I like them anyways!), hand soap, and lotion and shower gel in my favorite scent of Calypso Clementine. I am also really eager to try the body butter, which is entirely new to me. I live for the body butter from The Body Shop and nothing will hold a candle to it. But, it doesn’t hurt to try! 😀

In the next few days, we’ll go over some of these different scents that haven’t been discussed on my page before. I am confident that there will be a few duds in the mix so we can all better learn what to skip on during our next B&BW shopping spree! The winter Semi Annual Sale, perhaps?!

Who else shopped the summer Semi Annual Sale? What was in your haul? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah