Tag Archives: haul

Jul6

TJMaxx Beauty Haul

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TJMaxx Beauty Haul

Hey! My gifts from my 24th birthday just keep on giving, because I was finally able to go to TJMaxx and spend some of my birthday gift card from my brother. I ended up with a gorgeous new top, which I’ll discuss tomorrow, but, for now, we will go over my little beauty haul that got me a bunch of my necessities for an amazing price! Check it out:

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The Haul:

  • ArganiCare moisturizer: $5.99
  • Castelbel Watermelon and Mango bar soap: $3.99 each
  • CoverGirl eyeliner: $2.99

Grand Total: $17

I was so happy to have been able to stock up on some products that I definitely am going to need within the next few months. I can always use a new moisturizer, so I’m looking forward to trying ArganiCare for a whole six bucks. My skin type is completely normal, so it’s nice to be able to experiment with different skin care goodies at TJ’s ON THE CHEAP!

Not only was I able to get something new, but I also got to revisit old favorites with my Castelbel soaps and CoverGirl liner. Both the Mango and Watermelon scented bar soaps smell SO. Freaking. Good. They literally smell like Lip Smackers and are super hydrating – totally perfect for my morning showers! And, you can’t go wrong with my usual black eyeliner that normally costs me OVER SEVEN DOLLARS at the drug store for a whole three bucks at TJ’s. This results in over four dollars in savings and I am all about that. #ballinonabudget

I am completely thrilled with this TJMaxx Beauty Haul, because it’s not every day that you can spend less than twenty dollars for four items in skin care, makeup, and bath and body care. I can smell the savings now! 😀

Where do you score the best deals on beauty? How do you cut the costs on your beauty routines? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul5

Amazon Hair Dye Haul

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Amazon Hair Dye Haul

Helloooo! Is a haul really a haul if you are only buying one item in bulk, lol? Asking for a friend, and by a friend, I mean ME. I have been having the most difficult time finding my beloved Vidal Sassoon Runway Red box color from their London Luxe collection for the past half a year or so now. IT SUCKS, because this miracle in a box has probably saved me over one thousand dollars throughout the years that I’ve been using it, as it gives me the exact same color that I was paying a buttload for at the salon from home.

I have been on a frantic hunt for the past month to reup my stash of hair dye, and literally none of the stores that I’ve purchased from were carrying it anymore. So, I had to resort to the one stop shop of Amazon to provide me with the tools that I need to stay Lil Red. So, for good measure, I bought EIGHT boxes of my Vidal Sassoon hair color to last me into the new year.

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Is buying eight boxes of hair dye the most fun haul ever? No. Well, actually, YES – because it was a necessity. And, in general, I am all about buying in bulk to save time and money in the long run. I am eagerly awaiting for my package of THE GOODS to arrive and am also earnestly begging Vidal Sassoon to get Runway Red back in stores again ASAFP!! *kissy face emoji* 😀

Are there any products that you like to buy in bulk? Has a favorite item of yours ever been discontinued? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun17

24th Birthday Haul

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24th Birthday Haul

Hiiiii! Despite not being thrilled about turning the big 2-4, I did get to ring my birthday in with some super fun outings and beautiful presents from friends and family – like the following:

  1. Tickets to X-Fest from my parents: The best gift I’ve received in years. I got to spend an entire day in Pennsylvania with my sister enjoying the sunshine, drinks, and music of lovelytheband, Sir Sly, AWOLNATION, Cold War Kids, and Jack White. And did I mention that it was all from the view of the front row? It doesn’t get much better than that!

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2. An in theater showing of The Room and dinner with my sister: I have been trying to get Kristen to come see The Room with me at the Cedar Lee theater in Cleveland for literal years. And, for my birthday, she finally agreed to join me. We went to dinner at my favorite restaurant, Barrio, and were in hysterics the entire time at the movies. It was SO fun!

3. A boxed wine hang out and goodies from the BFF: My best friend, Lea, and I have been celebrating our birthdays together for ten years now, so we were definitely due for a hang out! I received wine, coffee grounds, a Starbucks gift card, and a new mug all while enjoying out boxed moscato together. It was all of my favorite things! And, we are going to plan a weekend trip in July to celebrate both of our summer birthdays – I can’t wait! :*)

4. Bath bombs galore from my sister and other BFF: The beautiful Kate of Ankhor You and my sister both treated me to some products from Lush, which was so incredibly kind because I normally don’t buy that type of stuff for myself. It was such a wonderful surprise to receive a package from my Gemini twin, Kate, in the mail and I was so touched by her generosity and how she knows exactly what I am going to like every time. I love you, darling! ❤

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5. Cash flow and gift cards from my brothers: My two older brothers, Peter and Andrew, played it simple and effective with some cash money and a gift card to TJMaxx. Obviously, it was just the right gift for their favorite shopaholic and it fit like a glove! 😉

6. Foley + Corinna purse from my mom: When it gets closer to my birthday, my mom will let me pick out something special for myself during one of our shopping trips together. This year, I chose a beautiful Foley + Corinna purse that I am completely in love with and have already got amazing use out of!

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Thank you so much to all of my amazing friends and family for their generosity and for making 24 start off with a bang! I love you all! ❤

What was your favorite gift that you received this year for your birthday? How do you like to celebrate your big day? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun8

BFF Birthday Haul

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BFF Birthday Haul

Hiii everyone and TGIF! My best friend, Lea, and I have been gifting birthday and Christmas presents to each other since our Freshman year of high school in 2008. So, of course, this year was no exception! We always seem to know exactly what to get each other, so it was no surprise that I loved her birthday presents to me seen below:

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The Haul:

  • A bottle of moscato (My favorite!)
  • A bag of vanilla Starbucks coffee grounds (Also my favorite!)
  • A darling new coffee mug (My other favorite!)
  • A Starbucks gift card (My most favorite!)

The best part about Lea’s gifts, is that they are always things that I wouldn’t buy for myself. And, in my opinion, that makes for the perfect present. I have so many amazingly cute mugs and knick knacks from Lea throughout the years of our friendship and I cherish all of them and have them displayed proudly in my room. I am obsessed with the stonewear “Hello Gorgeous” mug that will be perfect to hold my morning coffee in. The bronze pineapples add an amazing touch of summer fun, which is great for my early summer birthday!

And, of course, who doesn’t love wine?! 😉

What kind of prezzies do you love to gift your BFF with? How long have you been friends with your bestie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May12

Tiny Target Haul

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Tiny Target Haul

Heyyyy! This past week, Target was having a wonderful promotion where you got a five dollar gift card if you bought twenty dollars in self care products including makeup, shaving, skin, hair, and oral care. My mom and I decided to split the lot since she needed to restock on tooth paste and mouth wash and I wound up with these new skin care products:

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Although makeup shopping is fun, I live for skin care and trying out new products. I love the St. Ives scrubs more than life itself, and when I saw their newest Coconut & Coffee scrub, I was eager to give it a try. It smells amazing and, according to the container, it offers a deep clean which is exactly what I want when I use a facial scrub. I cannot wait to use this once I finish up the cleansing products that I’m currently using – but, I’m so excited that I might have to try it now!

I also ended up with a bottle of Garnier’s Micellar Cleansing Water, which came with a mini foaming gel cleanser for free. I am finishing up a bottle of Simple’s cleansing water at the moment and I’m not too impressed by it, but my sister loves the Garnier Micellar Water so I decided to go for it. It definitely didn’t hurt that they offered a freebie along with it, either! Regardless of not being blown away by micellar water in general, it’s a lot cheaper than eye makeup remover, so I’m a fan in that regard, for sure.

Has anyone used either of the products above that I purchased? What are your thoughts on them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr13

Tiny Little Haul

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Tiny Little Haul

Hii everyone and TGIF! When it comes to purchasing makeup, I am pretty frugal and try to stick to drugstore brands only. But, that’s a different story when it comes to mascara! I am obsessed with Too Faced’s Better Than Sex mascara and consider it a staple item for when I’m painting my face.

Trust and believe that if there were a drugstore dupe of Better Than Sex, I’d buy it in bulk. But, it was getting to the point that I was mixing at least three different mascaras to get the lashes that I wanted and, even then, they still weren’t as big and bold as I would like. To save myself the concocting catastrophe, I now only buy Better Than Sex and I’m not even mad about it, because my lashes always look amazing. In fact – I usually buy two at a time!

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Not only am I, for the most part, frugal about my makeup purchases, but I am kind of a cheapskate when it comes to my nails, as well. I normally wait for over a month to get my nails filled and I rhinestone them myself, because I will be a monkey’s uncle if I pay five bucks per nail for some bling!

After restocking my mascara, I had to re-up my rhinestone stash, too, especially considering that I spilled the remains of my near empty bag during my last fill. It costs me a little less than four dollars per bag, and I am able to save at least ten dollars per fill by rhinestoning my nails myself. You can’t beat that!

There is no shame in splurging for things like acrylics or a high end makeup brand. But, it sure makes me feel better about it by cutting the costs on other things with DIY bling or clipping coupons for my drugstore dupes!

What do you splurge on when it comes to beauty products? How do you save money when restocking your makeup must haves? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr7

Itty Bitty Beauty Haul

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Itty Bitty Beauty Haul

Hiii everyone and happy weekend! I was running low on a few of my beauty staples, so I decided to visit TJMaxx (Of course.) this week so that I could restock. TJ’s offers a wide variety of skin care, makeup, and bath and body care goodies, all for a fraction of the original price. I ended up with a new black eyeliner and a charcoal beauty bar for a whole eight bucks. Take a look:

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Normally, I use CoverGirl’s eyeliner that looks exactly like the one that I got by L’oreal. And normally, I pay around seven dollars for it. Being able to get essentially the same product by a different brand for over three dollars cheaper was a sweet deal. Plus, it takes me at least three or more months to finish an eye pencil in its entirety. This gives me a cost per month of a dollar and change – and I can definitely swing that.

I do have to say, I was a bit disappointed that the past two times that I was at TJ’s, they didn’t have my usual Destiny Boutique charcoal bar that I love so very, very much. So, I had to compromise with the PlantLife bar, instead. Charcoal is charcoal, and it worked the same as the Destiny Boutique bar. It was also about two dollars cheaper. Not bad for a bar that should last me around five months!

Balling on a budget means making compromises. Although it’s nice to use my favorite brands and staple items, I was able to save five bucks by switching things up a bit. Cha-ching!

How do you cut down the cost of your favorite beauty items? Where do you score the best deals on your self care staples? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar6

Groovy Movies Pt. 2

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Groovy Movies Pt. 2

Howdy! As you know from yesterday’s post, Lil Red went hard at the five dollar movie section at Target. Due to such amazing savings and my desire to amp up my DVD collection, I just had to go back this weekend – this time, bringing along my dear old dad. I ended up with four new DVDs and I think my dad bought five for himself! It was a daddy/daughter bargain night out and we had a blast. Here are the four new selections that I purchased:

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I bought…

  1. Clueless: As if!! This movie speaks to me on a spiritual level and every human being should see it at least once.
  2. Bridesmaids: I snagged the last copy of this movie and I am so glad that I did! Melissa McCarthy is my hero.
  3. Lord Of The Rings 3 Film Collection: For all three LOTR movies, I paid ten bucks. You can’t beat that! Now, I just need to get The Hobbit flicks and I’ll be all set!
  4. The Interview: Classic Seth Rogen and James Franco – this movie is a trip. AND it was only FOUR BUCKS!!

I think I’m all done buying movies for a good long while, but this DVD haul was well worth it. Netflix is nice and all, but sometimes their selection is weak at best. This haul will definitely make Mushenheim Movie Night more fun for weekends to come – no trips to the library or video store included!

Which movie do you think that everyone should see once? How many movies do you have in your collection? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb6

Tarte Lip Paint Swatch In Rosé

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Tarte Lip Paint Swatch In Rosé

Hey! Today we are going to wrap up my hand me down makeup haul from my sister with a swatch of my favorite new nude lippie color. I have been a HUGE fan of Tarte’s lip paint ever since I got the birthday blush and mini lip paint tube from Sephora FO FREE. I absolutely love both of them, and the lip paint that I received for my bday remains one of my favorite nude lippies. So, I was freaking THRILLED when my sister gave me the Tarte lip paint that she rejected in “Rosé”, a shade that’s only a hair darker than what I got for my birthday freebie. Take a look:

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Hmm… Why are there two heart swatches, you might ask?

ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN:

Okay, so after I finished taking my pictures, I went to the bathroom to wipe off the swatch. The first heart seen above is what I had taken when I first put the lip paint on. The second heart is what the product looked like after TWO rough scrubbings with a wet hand towel. The color had barely budged and is still on my hand as I’m writing this. Ah-freaking-mayzing.

I have my birthday lip paint, a red one, and this newest addition by Tarte and they have all proven to be as long lasting as what I just described. It wasn’t a fluke. If you are preparing on eating a five course meal but really want to wear lipstick, Tarte lip paint is what you should use. It. Doesn’t. Come. Off.

Does it get much better than that?

IT DOES:

Because this Rosé color is freaking gorgeous, dahling. It’s funny, because I stay very true to my favorite red lipstick, but I LOVE using different nude ones. Admittedly, I only like wearing a really specific shade of red because I know what looks best with my skin and hair. But you can play around with nude shades because a color a bit lighter or darker isn’t going to make or break your look. Rosé is probably the darkest nude lippie that I own at the moment and I am looking forward to wearing it throughout the rest of the winter for some fresh faced fabulousness.

Who else is a fan of Tarte lip products? What is your favorite shade? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan28

Mini Skin Care Haul

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Mini Skin Care Haul

Heyy everyone and happy Sunday! One thing that I have a strong passion for in the beauty world is skin care. It’s so important to me to put my best face forward (Literally!) every day, and that always starts with a good skin care routine. I like to use a lot of products from The Body Shop and I am obsessed with all things Vitamin C, so I was super happy with the mini haul seen below:

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If you remember from yesterday’s finishes post, you will have noticed that I just had an empty of the Vital C serum. It was so nice that I had to buy it twice and I felt SO lucky because I picked up the last one ON CLEARANCE FOR SIX DOLLARS at TJMaxx. I was also pleased to have found a Vitamin C moisturizer from The Body Shop with SPF 30, which will be perfect for the summer time, that I also got for a six dollar steal.

As a pale princess, it’s really easy for my skin to take on a pallid appearance, which is why I try to utilize at least one Vitamin C product in my skin care regimen. Vitamin C keeps my skin bright and radiant even on the days when my skin is in the doldrums. I think that a serum is the best for achieving maximum glow, but a moisturizer for the right price can be just as good! And lucky me, I got both for a whole twelve bucks. Score!

Which products are a must in your skin care routine? Who else is Vitamin C obsessed? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah