Tag Archives: maxxinista

Mar5

Hats Off: Nicole Marciano Edition

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Hats Off: Nicole Marciano Edition

Hiii everyone and happy weekend! I hope all of you are having a wonderful and relaxing Sunday! Yesterday, a quick stop to TJMaxx got me a super cute new floppy hat by Nicole Marciano for a whopping four dollars. Thanks to a ten dollar off coupon compliments of their credit card, I was able to snag this little beauty which I am SO stoked to sport this summer. Take a look:

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^^^ So. Fun!

I have quite a large hat collection due to a love that I developed from my grandma who had over one hundred of them! I love, love, love floppy hats but all of mine are either felt or wool which is fine for fall, winter, and the spring but not so much for summer. I’ve wanted a big, floppy, straw style hat for a while now but never managed to find one that I liked enough to purchase. They were all either too big, too small, too blah, or the shape wasn’t to my liking. Seriously, some of the floppy hats that I’ve encountered were HUGE which would result in the hat to droop in an unflattering sad elephant ear style that was just…no.

But, I absolutely LOVE this little Nicole Marciano number. It’s big without being gigantic, the shape that the hat takes when it’s actually on is quite attractive, and the “bonjour” detailing was just too darling to pass up. And for four dollars?! Hello! This hat is going to be so charming with a little sun dress, chunky wedges, and “don’t look at me” sunglasses for a glam but fun summer time look. It will provide me with the perfect shade and a touch of Paris chic for a day of shopping at my favorite outdoor mall, a trip to the zoo, or simply reading the latest issue of Cosmo on my deck. Just thinking of it makes me more than ready for summer!

Hats Off, indeed, to this cute as can be Nicole Marciano piece! What is your must have accessory for spring or summer? Who else has a hat collection of their own? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb21

Springtime Style On A Budget

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Springtime Style On A Budget
Hi everyone and welcome to the final post of my Think Spring guest bloggers series compliments of one of my darling friends, Carlie, from Bombshell. It has been such fun over the past year getting to know Carlie better and chatting over email, Facebook, and blog post comments. Carlie’s page is just as charming and lovely as she is, so please be sure to check it out and enjoy her post on ballin on a budget throughout the spring:

Springtime Style On A Budget

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If you are yearning for some new spring style items to add to your wardrobe but can’t afford or don’t want to buy new clothes or accessories, here are some ways to celebrate springtime without hurting your bank account:
1. Affordable Shops – If you are wanting some new floral clothes or just a new item in spring colors, check out shops like Ross or TJMaxx. They get new cute tops, bottoms, and even shoes for each season plus have designer items with prices that are a steal. Sometimes you have to scour the clothing racks for the perfect thing but you are guaranteed to always find something that you’ll love.
2. Accessorize – You can celebrate and update your spring fashion with cute little accessories such as hair flowers, floral head bands, scarves, jewelry, and more. Stores like Claire’s or similar places carry an enormous array of cute seasonal accessories for great deals.
3. Makeup – If you don’t want to go crazy with a new wardrobe just for spring, you can celebrate the season with your makeup. This time of the year, you can find pastel and springy colored makeup like eye shadows and lipsticks in pinks, greens, and pretty shimmery colors. You don’t need to go to department stores or even Sephora if you don’t want to or are on a budget. CVS and Walgreens drugstores always have a huge selection of great quality makeup in every color that you can imagine for amazing prices.
4. Hair – If you’re interested in trying more of a punk or rocker look for spring, you can buy clip in extensions in an array of different colors almost anywhere, including online. Or you can get hair chalk, which is temporary and can be found in drugstores and beauty supply shops. You’ll definitely have your own original look for the spring, while utilizing the “it” colors like jewel floral tones and pastels.
5. DIY- If you’re an artistic or creative person, then your spring style ideas are pretty much endless. You can use your talent to make your own items and accessories with affordable supplies from places like Jo-Ann’s or other craft and fabric shops. Some examples include chokers made with silk ribbons in floral colors with cute charms or your own flower hair pieces, brooches, and corsages.
These are just a few ideas to help you create your own original look and style for the upcoming season. Let these ideas and tips inspire you. Have fun with them and have a most wonderful spring.
Love, Carlie

^^^ Thank you so much again to the pretty as a picture Carlie for sharing her tips for a budget friendly spring wardrobe with us! And, of course, thank you to all of my amazing guest bloggers who participated in my Think Spring series. How do you style for spring on a budget? What is one of your favorite DIY spring crafts? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb6

TJMaxx Gift Card Purchases

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TJMaxx Gift Card Purchases

Hi everyone and happy Monday! This past week was the Special Olympics games and it was a fantastically fun time. All of my students were very successful in their events and I couldn’t be more proud. At the banquet following the games, one of my students and his family presented me with a late graduation present – a beautiful framed photo of myself and my student from last year’s games and a gift card to my favorite place on earth…TJMAXX!!! I was so thankful for such a thoughtful gift because they seriously hit the nail on the head. I love having my new picture of such a happy memory on my desk and I had a blast doing some shopping with my mom to spend my gift card this past weekend.

The prezzie actually couldn’t have come at a better time because I’ve been wanting to do a major skin care haul so I can have a year’s supply of all of my must have beauty items without the hassle of waiting around for deals all year. Until the price is right at The Body Shop for all of my necessities, I was able to put two new moisturizers (as I was running low on my Vitamin E TBS cream) and one of my favorite cleansers on back stock. Take a look:

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The Haul:

  • Destiny Boutique charcoal cleanser
  • Lanocreme day cream
  • Arad day cream

In case you guys don’t already know, I’m obsessed with Destiny Boutique and I got this cleanser from TJs not too long ago. But, I saw it in the beauty section and thought it would be a great addition to my skin care back stock so into the cart it went. After finding my favorite cleanser, it was time to look for some new moisturizers. When it comes to creams, my skin really isn’t picky at all but I had the hardest time finding them in the TJs beauty aisle. Seriously, all they seemed to have was night creams and masks so I felt lucky that I found two day creams that I think will work just fine.

I’m always excited to try products that isn’t native to the ol’ USA so when I saw that the Lanocreme moisturizer was made in New Zealand, I definitely wanted to give it a go. As far as the Arad cream goes, I have never used any of their products but I have heard good things so I decided to go with that one, too. I’m a little anxious to try both of these out considering I’ve been using The Body Shop’s Vitamin E moisturizer steadily for the past couple of months so we’ll see how it goes. Fingers crossed that I’ll have good things to say about it in an upcoming monthly beauty finishes post!

The last of my gift card was used on restocking the communal TBS body butter and lotion hoard that my mom and I share. A Raspberry body butter for me, Vanilla Chai for her, and a cocoa butter lotion – my favorite! If you love The Body Shop products as much as my mom and myself and you have a TJMaxx near you, then I can’t recommend stopping in and scoping out their beauty aisle enough. You never know what you might find!

So there you have it, my TJMaxx Gift Card Purchases! What is one of your favorite items from The Body Shop? What is one of your favorite scores from TJMaxx? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan30

January 2017 Finishes

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January 2017 Finishes

Helloooo everyone and happy Monday! I hope all of you had a wonderful and relaxing weekend. With January coming to a close and the reminder of Valentine’s Day in February coming in at full force, it’s time to talk about my empties for the month. I actually had a lot of finishes in January which I was so happy about because I was working on a few of them for quite a while and it’s always fun to start something new! Take a look at the products that I bid adieu to this month and let’s discuss:

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Would I Use Again?

  • The Body Shop Argon Oil body wash: YES
  • Peace, Love, & Juicy Couture lotion: NO!!!!
  • Jergens BB Protect lotion: YES
  • St. Ives Pink Lemon & Mandarin Orange scrub: YES
  • Olay Total Effects moisturizer: MAYBE
  • Yes To Grapefruit Correct & Repair treatment: NO
  • The Body Shop Almond body butter: YES

Why/Why Not?

TBS Body Wash: This jumbo sized body wash was compliments of TJMaxx for a whopping EIGHT dollars. It took me well over three months to finish completely and I would definitely use it again. The Argon Oil scent is mild and soft and it left my skin feeling well moisturized after each use. It might not be my favorite scent that TBS has to offer but getting the jumbo sized shower gels from TJs is a steal so I take what I can get!

Juicy Couture Lotion: This is a product that I’ve been putting off using for a long, long time because it smells like butt! Many Christmases ago my mom gifted me with a Peace, Love, & Juicy Couture box set that came with the perfume and this lotion. I don’t think that I have ever even used the perfume and the only reason that I finally caved and used the lotion was to be rid of it! The smell…it just isn’t for me. It is so overpoweringly flowery and god knows what else and I (and my entire family, who reminded me every time I wore it) completely hated it. It took me about three weeks to finish this lotion and I could not have been happier to see it go! BYE FELICIA.

Jergens Lotion: I won this Jergens BB lotion from a giveaway last year along with the BB hand cream, which I loved. I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy this body lotion again but if it were offered to me or if it were cheap enough, I would snag it. I liked how light it smelled and how quickly it absorbed but it was not an incredibly great value as I finished it after about four uses!

St. Ives Scrub: You guys already know that I love my St. Ives products and this scrub is no exception. First of all, the Pink Lemon & Mandarin Orange scent is delicious. It is so invigorating and bright and I loved using it first thing in the morning. Second of all, my skin felt great after every use. It both felt and looked radiant and instantly took away the dull, tired look that sleep can bring to your skin. It took me a little over one month to finish this scrub.

Olay Moisturizer: This empty is actually compliments of my mom who handed it down to me two days before Christmas because I was all out of whatever I was using. She said there was about two uses left which was great because I knew that I would be getting more moisturizer and skin care goodies under the tree! My mom was dead wrong though, because I got about three weeks of use out of the rest of this product which shows that just a little bit of it goes a long way. This moisturizer absorbed quickly and its scent was subtle and mild which I liked, however, the texture was too thin for my liking. I like moisturizers with a little bit of heaviness to it, like The Body Shop’s Vitamin E cream, so this Olay one just didn’t pack enough of a punch for me. I won’t say that I wouldn’t use it again but it’s not something that I’m dying to buy after using it for close to a month.

Yes To Grapefruit Treatment: I like the idea of this Correct & Repair treatment but it really didn’t do much for me. The grapefruit scent did smell great but I never saw any noticeable differences in my skin after using it. I used this product about three to four times per month and it lasted me three months so the value of it was good but that’s really all I have to say for it. I think that this product was trying really hard to be a peel and it just didn’t work out that way. Rather, it was more like a scrub that sat on your face for ten minutes before washing off. -__-

TBS Body Butter: I love, love, LOVE the almond scent from TBS so when I saw this for SIX bucks at TJs, I had to grab it! The light nutty scent is so rich despite its subtleness and it just feels (and smells) so good on the skin. I love putting body butter on after a nice, long bath so it was a treat to be able to use one of my favorites for the past month which is about how long it lasted for me, too!

The month of January brought me seven finished products and some I loved and some…not so much! But that just means that I have seven new products to test in the months ahead which is something that I always look forward to. I would say that this month was still very successful as there were quite a few empties that I would definitely use again but I am so ready for the newbie products come February!

So there you have it, my January 2017 Finishes! Have any of you ever used any of the above products before? What did you think of them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan25

Mia Toro Luggage

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Mia Toro Luggage

Hiii everyone and happy Hump Day! So this past weekend my mom and I went on a quick trip to TJMaxx just to get out of the house for a little bit. To be frank, the store was not looking all that great because of the transition from cold to warm weather clothing and the end of season clearance sales. But, despite this, I was still able to walk away with two things that I simply love. This includes the gorgeous Mia Toro Paris themed luggage seen below which will be absolutely perfect for my future trip to Europe. Take a look:

I have had my eye on this darling rolling luggage for literal months now but never much cared to by it because it was priced at a steep one hundred smackers. And after about a month or so of the luggage being at the store, it was gone. In my head, I thought that that was that and I would just have to settle for something less cute once my European travels are a go. It turns out that, four months later, I was wrong.

My mom was actually the one who spotted the Mia Toro baggage sitting among all of the other travel accessories, so a major shout out to her! And, even better, the price was slashed to fifty-six bucks, which I thought was totally reasonable. To put it lightly, I was completely TICKLED that some way, some how my beautiful luggage found its way back to me and at a fraction of the cost, to boot!

Needless to say, the luggage was coming home with me and my mom was kind enough to treat me to it since it was originally supposed to be one of my Christmas presents before it vanished into thin air. I think that this rolling suitcase is the most precious thing on the planet and I love absolutely everything about it. The size, colors, and pattern – *muah* c’est magnifique!

Nothing will be better than rolling into the airport with my Mia Toro Paris themed luggage in tow as Lil Red goes Europe! Love. Love. Freaking LOVE. It truly was my lucky day during that trip to TJs because I was also able to snag my FAVORITE skin care item – the Destiny Boutique Charcoal Face Bar.

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If you ever encounter this beauty bar, then I really encourage you to get it. I have been using the same bar since the middle of OCTOBER and it is still going strong!! My skin has never looked better thanks to the cleansing power of charcoal and because of the bar’s gigantic size, I’m sure that I’ll still be working on the same one for another few months. I’m so happy to have found another one to put in back stock and at six bucks per bar, I consider it a super steal! GREAT SUCCESS!!

Obviously, I’m beyond obsessed with my Mia Toro Luggage and can’t believe how lucky I got during my last trip to TJMaxx! What is your favorite score from TJs? What are some must see locations in Europe that I should check out? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec26

December Finishes

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December Finishes

Hello everyone and a very happy Monday to all! I hope that those who celebrated Christmas yesterday had a fantastic day and that everyone is enjoying the holiday season. This is my last post about my monthly empties for 2016 and it is kind of a blah one because all of the products are from The Body Shop! This month was about sticking with what I know and using up some of my favorite products from my go to bath and body and skin care shopping spot. So take a look and let’s discuss:

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Would I Use Again?

  • The Body Shop Strawberry Body Scrub: YES
  • The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisturizer: YES
  • The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Body Butter: YES
  • The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost: YES

Why/Why Not?

Strawberry Scrub: The scrubs from TBS are a must for me when I am shaving, as they exfoliate, moisturize, and lift the hair from their follicles which results in a smoother shave. I love both the strawberry and satsuma scrub and was lucky enough to find both at TJMaxx for five dollars apiece. Score! The best thing about this scrub is how well it lathers – a small quarter sized squeeze can easily cover your entire leg! A little goes such a long way with this product which is why I finally finished it after the better part of five months. I essentially paid a dollar a month to use my scrub and I can totally get down with that!

Moisturizer: I have wrote about my beloved Vitamin E Moisturizer many a times and my love for it grows with every use. This cream is perfectly in between a heavy and light consistency which leaves your skin feeling like peaches and cream every time. Your skin will look and feel so smooth, soft, and dreamy creamy. Thankfully, I got another jar for Christmas since I’m all out! It took me about a month and a half to finish this moisturizer.

Cocoa Butter: The cocoa butter is easily my favorite body butter that the store has to offer. It smells deliciously rich and chocolate-y in the most subtle way and you can feel it nourishing you as soon as it makes contact with your skin. This was the scent that I always recommended when I worked at The Body Shop because I feel like everyone who uses it loves it just the same. The nice thing about cocoa butter is that it is not as heavy as the Shea butter for those who like something lighter, like myself. Make sure you ask the employees at the store about which butters have a cocoa or Shea butter base next time you shop to get the consistency that you like! It took me about a month to finish this body butter which I scored for six bucks at TJs!

Vitamin C Boost: I am sure that all of you guys know by now about my undying love for the Vitamin C Skin Boost. I have been using this stuff since I was a teenager and I honestly don’t think that I will ever stop. I really feel like my skin looks brighter and more radiant thanks to consistent use of this product and I am so thankful for it! Nothing is better to me than luminescent skin so to achieve that with two pumps of the skin boost per day seems like a no brainer! It took me three months to finish this product.

It was such a treat to use up some of my favorite goodies from The Body Shop this month. It left me feeling perfectly pampered and incredibly happy that I was able to take care of my body with some of the products that I feel are the very best. Here’s to many more skin, beauty, and body care must haves in 2017!

So there you have it, my December Finishes! Please stay tuned this week for some of my favorite new items in my holiday haul! What was your favorite beauty product of 2016? Did anyone score any new makeup or beauty items for the holidays? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov1

TJMaxx Fall Haul (Pt. 3!)

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TJMaxx Fall Haul (Pt. 3!)

You know how they say that you shouldn’t shop when you’re feeling emotional? Kind of like how you shouldn’t go grocery shopping if you’re super hungry? I call bullshit. This past Friday proved that emotional shopping is actually the best thing ever. Saying that my mom and I had a rough day is the understatement of the century. By the time the evening rolled around we were totally over wallowing about what a shitty day we were having and needed to get out of the house.

Naturally, the first place that came to both of our minds was TJs. We had a ten dollar gift card burning a hole in our pocket and after a day of complete crappiness, an evening spent among pretty things was much needed. There’s just something about going out and picking yourself out something nice that makes you instantly perk up. Finding a gorgeous new pair of shoes or simply a new winter scarf gives you back that “yes!” feeling and has you ready to take on the day again. Or is that just me?

Anyways, my mom and I decided to venture a little farther into Fairlawn as opposed to our usual TJs stomping grounds in Cuyahoga Falls. The Fairlawn location offers a more high end selection while the CFalls one is more of a value store. Neither one is better than the other, though, because I have gotten amazing hauls from both of them as well as completely struck out before at both locations, too. Our little evening trip ended up being totally worth it because we both walked away with new shoes, new winter accessories, AND some Christmas presents for our beloved pups. :*) Take a look:

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The Haul:

  • Leopard Print Booties: Circus by Sam Edelman
  • Tan Boots: Toms (My mom picked these out for herself! So cute!)
  • Pink Beanie: Kate Spade
  • Smiley Face Scarf: Nardi & Tagliaferri

I have been hooked on the idea of owning some kind of footwear with leopard print on it for a while. However, every boot, heel, or sneaker that I have come across always just ended up looking really cheap. I was pretty dead set on wanting to find a printed bootie since it isn’t exactly heels weather anymore so I was so happy when I came across my new pair of Circus booties by Sam Edelman.

I have always had a deep love for little black booties and have at least six pairs that boast various shapes, zippers, buckles, and styles. If I had to pick a favorite style though – I would have to say that I love buckles and a sharp pointed toe. My new pair of Sam Edelman’s offer all of that as well as a little peppering in of leopard print to help curb my current obsession.

If you ever come across a pair of booties in this brand that are similar to mine, I will say that they run quite big so I would go down at least half a size. I am normally a solid 6 1/2 and was really lucky that they had a size six. If not, I don’t think that I would have been able to purchase them because the 6 1/2 legit looked like clown shoes on me. Thank you for smiling on me, shoe gods!

The pair of Toms boots that my mom got were too freaking cute not to share, too! These boots were only THIRTY dollars which is crazy because I know that that brand of shoes costs a pretty penny. I love when my mom finds something new that makes her feel good and we always have the best time playing fashion show when we get home. That’s when I help her style outfits for work and play and if she’s feeling saucy she’ll even try and help me create a new outfit for school or work! So precious. ❤

And finally, my new winter accessories. The TJs that we were at had a gigantic section filled with gloves, scarves, hats, and earmuffs and all of them were unbearably cute. However, the problem was that they had a million of every single item that I liked. That is something that I really try to avoid because I like for all of my purchases to have a slim possibility of being worn by someone else.

So, I decided to utilize the technique that I employ quite often. It’s kind of like playing I Spy. You go through each row of items and you try and find something in there that doesn’t belong. Whether it be from someone shoving it in the wrong place or the fact that there was only one of the pieces left, it is a great way to find something that feels like it was there just for you. That is how I found my hot pink Kate Spade beanie as well as my Nardi & Tagliaferri (made in Florence!) scarf.

My mom and I are kind of in love with all things Kate Spade so when I found this hot pink beacon of a beanie popping out amidst a sea of creams and greys, I had to try it on. I actually don’t own anything hot pink because I’m just not that kind of girl but this hat is so darling! I love the bow on the top and it’s the perfect touch of girly among my normally all black outfits. Not only that, but it goes perfectly with my new scarf!

I only own one winter scarf and I have had it since freshman year of high school. (Eight years! Yikes!!) A new scarf wasn’t exactly a priority on my list of things that I want but when I was playing my I Spy game and found the cheeky smiley faces peeking out from all of the draping scarves, I knew that it was the one. I love, love, love heather grey and the scarf was the perfect mix between being too warm and not being warm enough. When I tried my scarf on along with the Kate Spade hat and the tan safari jacket that I was wearing, I felt so fall chic and fun that I couldn’t not get it! And of course, I love having things from Europe so the fact that it was made in Florence was a big plus for me!

Was this shopping trip to TJs with my mom absolutely necessary? I would say, YES. After such a successful haul as well as some quality time with each other, we were back to our chipper selves – just a bit more fashionable than before. Sometimes all you really need is an evening out with your mom at TJMaxx to shake away the blues of a bad day! Love you mama! ❤

So there you have it, my TJMaxx Fall Haul (Pt. 3!)! Who has started their holiday shopping already? Where is the best place to get some amazing seasonal deals? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct27

October Finishes

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October Finishes

Hellooo everyone and happy Thursday! I cannot believe that October is almost over already! It really seemed to fly by and I am not okay with it. The weather in Ohio has also been less than pleasant this October with temperatures raising from boiling hot to bitter cold with none of that perfect fall in between to spare. One good thing about October, though, is that some fab beauty products were used up and enjoyed so take a look at my empties and let’s discuss:

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Would I Use It Again?

  • The Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter: YES
  • The Body Shop Vitamin E Illuminating Moisture Cream: YES!!!!!
  • The Body Shop Nutriganics Smoothing Eye Cream: YES

Why/Why Not?

Body Butter: I got my jumbo sized strawberry body butter from TJMaxx for a whopping ten dollars and it lasted me over a month. I do love the strawberry scent but sometimes it is just too sweet for my liking. Despite being wishy washy about the fragrance, there is no denying that any scent of body butter is going to feel amazing on your skin! My favorite thing to do is take a nice, long bubble bath, shave, and then literally douse my body with TBS butter. There is nothing better and your skin is going to thank you!

Vitamin E: I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this cream. It is the most amazing product that I have used in quite some time. This moisturizer literally leaves natural highlights on your skin and has you completely glowing for the entire day. My favorite thing about this cream is that if you put it on your lips, it will leave them tinted with the most gorgeous shade of bio-luminescent violet. It took me about a month and a half to finish this cream and I cannot wait to get my hands on more soon.

Eye Cream: I have been using my Nutriganics eye cream since I was nineteen or so and I have yet to see any signs of wrinkling near my peepers. The cream goes on so smoothly and absorbs quickly. What I love about my Nutriganics is how awake it makes my eyes look even if I am running on about four hours of sleep. But the best part about this eye cream is how long lasting it is. It took me about five months to finish it!

I feel so pampered this month because all of my finished products were from The Body Shop! I have yet to use a TBS product that I didn’t completely love so I would say that it was a pretty good month of empties! I think November will be even better considering I broke out my all time favorite – TBS cocoa butter after completing my jar of strawberry. I CAN’T WAIT! 😀

So there you have it, my October Finishes! What is your favorite product from The Body Shop? What products do you need to restock soon? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May18

A Short Story

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A Short Story

Hey everyone and happy Hump Day! I hope you all are having a wonderful week so far. As you guys know, I have had an insanely difficult time finding shorts for the summer. It seems like every pair of shorts that I’ve encountered during multiple shopping trips is high waisted and that’s one trend that I just won’t stand for. All I wanted was a few simple pairs of normal rise shorts. After too many shopping excursions to count that ended only in disappointment, I began to think that my simple request would never be fulfilled.

However, a weekend trip to TJMaxx gave my Short Story a happy ending because I left with two pairs of shorts and a beautiful Nine West purse, which you can read about in yesterday’s post. Take a look at the cute new shorties that I added to my wardrobe:

What & Wear?

  • Olive Bermuda Shorts: American Eagle Outfitters, $12.99
  • Black Shorts: Hollister, $12.99
  • Grand Total: Approximately $26
  • In Store Value: Approximately $70-80

I’ll admit that I wasn’t expecting to find shorts during my last TJs trip. Past outings there were unsuccessful during my hunt for the perfect shorts so I didn’t think that my weekend excursion would be any different. But boy, was I wrong! TJMaxx had an abundance of shorts from too many brands to recall, Hollister and AEO included. I scrounged the racks of clothing and went to the fitting room with five pairs of shorts in hand. However, my heart was already dead set on wanting the pairs that I purchased desperately.

I tried on three pairs prior to my favorites and rejected them for reasons in regards to the fit and colors. I have to say, by the time I got to trying on my top two pairs, I was very nervous. I didn’t want them to end up in the reject pile and I didn’t want my high hopes for these pairs to be crushed because they were soaring sky high. I slipped on the Hollister shorts first and right away I knew that they would work perfectly. They were low rise, which I liked and they fit well without being too short or revealing. And, of course, I loved that they were black and the zippers were a nice touch!

I was pleased to have found just one pair and after a little celebration, my nerves began to skyrocket again because I really freakin liked the AEO pair. What made me antsy was that they were hung on a hanger that said size three. When I grabbed the pair from the rack, I didn’t think much of it but then I began to think “Well, shit. What if they don’t fit?” Just in the nick of time, though, I remembered that AEO has even sizes instead of odd and that the bermudas were, indeed, a size four.

Once the mystery of the size was solved, I pulled the pair on in record timing because I knew that they would fit well since I wear a four in AEO jeans. I love saying this…I was right! The shorts fit like a glove and they were like nothing that I’ve had before. I loved that they were a skinny fit which was so flattering and the color was out of this world. It was funny, because I was telling my mom on the car ride to the store that if I can’t find any shorts, I would have to resort to going to the mall and going to AE. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with this idea, though, because I really wasn’t trying to drop forty to fifty dollars on one pair of shorts.

I was so incredibly happy with my findings during this past weekend’s TJs trip because I ended up getting two pairs of shorts and a Nine West purse for under sixty dollars. The shorts were about twenty-six dollars in total which was less than what I would have spent on one pair at the mall. I now have three pairs of shorts to wear this summer and on my upcoming vacation so I can breathe easy for a while about not having any to wear. I wouldn’t mind one more pair but I’m just thankful I was able to find TWO pairs in one evening that were perfect for me. Thanks, TJMaxx!! ❤

So there you have it, A Short Story on my newest editions to my wardrobe! What is one piece of clothing that you hate shopping for? Has anyone had as much trouble as I have for finding shorts that work? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May17

It’s In The Bag – Nine West Edition

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It’s In The Bag – Nine West Edition

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! First of all, I want to wish a very happy birthday to my older brother, Andrew! I love you! Second of all, I want to talk to all of you about the most gorgeous purse that I added to my collection this weekend. My mom and I had a gift card from TJMaxx (shocker) so we decided to pop into the store and take a look around. I ended up with two pairs of shorts which you can see on Wednesday’s post “A Short Story” and a beautiful Nine West tote bag. Take a look:

9w

^^^ IT’S SO PRETTY!!!!

I admit that I am not an animal print fan in the slightest. I don’t do leopard, nor cheetah, zebra, or any other print that you can think of. However, I freaking LOVE snakeskin…Fake snakeskin, of course. I think that snakeskin is the most edgy, cool, and rocker chic pattern on the planet. It screams luxury mixed with rebellion and I can’t get enough. So it shouldn’t surprise you when I tell you that as soon as I laid eyes on my new beauty that it was love at first sight.

I took a tentative glance at the price tag and was astounded to see that it was only thirty dollars in contrast to the Nine West tag that was still attached and boasting a ninety dollar original price. Once I saw that the bag was reasonably priced, I plucked it from its hanger and slung it over my arm. Usually I don’t like carrying big bags but this one was different. It was made so narrowly that it didn’t look bulky but rather sleek and slinky. I loved that it fit comfortably between my arm and body and of course, the color palette was pure Lil Red perfection.

Although I was so enamored with the Nine West purse, I had a hard time justifying buying a new one since I had just recently got one from Kohl’s. For the entire shopping trip I debated on if it was worth it to bite the bullet and make the purchase. Despite how much I loved the bag, I decided that it wasn’t something that I absolutely needed. But my beloved mother wasn’t having that.

Because my birthday is right around the corner she offered it as an early birthday gift from her and I just couldn’t say no! It was just so perfect and the fact that the price of it was the exact amount of our gift card made it seem like it was meant to be. I love my new purse so much and I can’t wait to use it for work, school, and my internship. Thank you so much, mom! And happy early birthday to me! 😀

So there you have it, the latest issue of It’s In The Bag – Nine West Edition! Has anyone done some shopping recently? What has been your latest purchase? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah