Indulge without the Splurge: November 10, 2011

I was debating whether I should put up a list today as my eyes itch like mad, I sneeze at least 4 times in a row and my nose is like a dripping faucet. I'd rather not mix meds but I did take Reactine already and so far, these cursed allergies are still going strong. Oh, well. Hammie says writing this will invariably give me something to be busy with and (hopefully) forget about feeling like crap for a bit. Also, we have some amazing deals and warehouse sales you HAVE to know about!

• Today only, save 40% off women's clearance priced items at The Bay. Use promo code: EXTRA40. Note that the 24 hours is based on the EST time zone and this deal is only available online. If you own a HBC Mastercard or HBC Credit Card use it to get free shipping if you spend $45 or more.
• Gap Factory Store and Banana Republic Factory Store are having the Friends and Family Sale this weekend! Get additional 35% off your entire purchase.  Not valid at regular Gap, Gapkids, Gapbaby, Banana Republic stores or online. One coupon per customer. Valid only on  Nov 12 & 13, 2011.
• Gap also offers 30% off online purchases with codes: GAPFAMILY or GAP30. Use this printable invitation for in store purchases.
• Danier Leather Factory Outlet is having its Clearance Savings Event! Extra Savings for a limited time. Take an extra discount off the lowest ticketed price from 40%, 25% or 15% off. Sale ends November 13th.
• "Like" American Apparel Canada on Facebook and get $20 off $75+ purchase. Promo ends at midnight. If you don't have a Facebook account, use promo code: LIKEUS11 at checkout for purchases made online.
• Sirens has a Grand Opening Sale (Buy 1, Get 1 50% off storewide) at its two new stores in Alberta: Chinook Centre and Bower Place Shopping Centre until November 15.
• The Bay Canada is offering a six-piece gift with any Biotherm purchase of $30 or more.  The gift includes: Skin-Ergetic Night Care, 5ml; Skin-Ergetic Day Care, 30ml; Biocils Lash Optimizer, 30ml; Biosource Cleanser, 20ml; Biosource Toning Water, 30ml; Exclusive Biotherm Pouch. This offer is valid in store and online. If you spend $75 or more, you get an additional three items: Biomains, 20ml; Aquasource Lips, 5ml; Lait corporel, 30ml. This offer is valid in store only until November 29, 2011. Don't forget to use your HBC Mastercard for extra savings!
• To commemorate Kiehl's Day, pay no tax on purchases made from November 10th - 13th. If your online purchase is $60+, receive free standard shipping. And don't forget your free samples with every purchase!
• Urban Behavior Canada and Costa Blanca are holding their Friends & Family Event from November 10-13, 2011. Simply present your invitation (click here for Urban Behavior and here for Costa Blanca) to receive a 50% discount off the original retail price. This cannot be used towards gift cards.
• Who wouldn't want a new Coach bag on a discount? Get the new Coach Patchwork Tote with a 30% off coupon at any of the Coach Factory Stores. Offer is valid till November 13, 2011 at stores in US, Canada and Puerto Rico only. Cannot be combined with any other offer. One time use only. Not valid on previous purchases.
• American Eagle and Aerie are having a Family & Friends Event this Sunday, November 13.  Save 30% on your entire purchase in store and online.  To get the discount online use coupon code 28422531 at checkout and to get the discount in store sign up here to have the invite email to you.
• Looking to winterize your wardrobe? Save 25% off all regular priced items at RW & Co. Valid November 12, 2011 only. Excludes items ending in $0.95.
• Lemming something from the Body Shop? Now is the best time to grab it! Save 30% off your entire purchase at The Body Shop. Plus, free shipping on orders of $75 or more! Valid online only, from November 10-13, 2011.
• Save 40% off all bras at Aerie. Excludes clearance.
• Save 25% off your entire purchase at Abercrombie & Fitch. Valid online and in store. If you plan to shop online, enter promo code 10109 at checkout to get your discount.
• SportChek is having some great outerwear & footwear sales right now. Save 25% off winter jackets, pants & accessories. Save 50% off any Junior winter pant when you buy a Junior winter jacket. Buy one, get one 50% off all men’s & women’s footwear
• Receive a free sample of Juicy Couture fragrance with this printable coupon. Bring your coupon to the Juicy Couture fragrance counter at The Bay to receive your freebie. Valid until November 13, 2011.
• With coupon code RFD50, all sale items from Crocs.ca will be Buy One, Get One 50% off. Items in the sale section are already reduced by up to 60%, so there are some pretty good deals to be had!
• Jacob Canada has online shopping available now with free shipping on orders over $25. If that isn't enough, take an extra 30% off Sale Items. I've been wanting to try their nail polish for a while now and might jump on the chance!
• Skin79 North America is having a sale online only till November 30, 2011! Get 15-20% off selected products (prices as marked). Great time to buy if you've been wanting to jump on the BB Cream bandwagon.
• Reebok/Rockport Friends and Family Sale is also happening this weekend! Come in from today till Sunday, November 13, 2011 to receive an extra 40% off your entire bill! Promo excludes all Realflex footwear. Click here for which stores will be holding the sale. Also, feel free to print the image to bring in store, just in case.
  

The Warehouse Sales are ridiculous this weekend! Pick from these (or go to all!) to get some awesome Christmas shopping done for a fraction of the cost:

• Save up to 70% on men's, women's, and kids' apparel from brands such as Point Zero, N. Benisti, Blend, and Big It Up at the Point Zero Sample Sale!

    When: November 11-12, 2011
    Fri 10AM-8PM
    Sat 10AM-5PM
    Where: 160 Tycos Drive, Toronto, Ontario

• The Shiseido Warehouse Sale is a good place to find high-end cosmetics at bargain basement prices in the Toronto area. I'll be hitting this one up so if you're there, come say hi! I'll be the one with a hamster on her shoulder. (Oh, but Hammie says he refuses to queue in the cold so he's staying in my pocket. *pouts*)

    When: November 12-13, 2011
    Sat 9AM-5PM
    Sun 9AM-3PM
    Where: 303 Allstate Parkway, Markham, Ontario

• Save up to 75% on men, women, and kids apparel and footwear at this year's Geox Warehouse Sale in Vaughan.

    When: November 10-20, 2011
    Mon-Wed 11AM-7PM
    Sat-Sun 9AM-5PM
    Where: 361 Applewood Crescent, Concord, Ontario

• Get jewellery for as low as $3 at Vivah Jewellery Outlet Sale.

    When: November 11-26, 2011
    Mon-Fri 10AM-7PM
    Sat 11AM-5PM
    Where: 995 Finch Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario

• The Premium Retail Group Guess Warehouse Sale is another good sale if you're in the west end of the city.

    When: November 9-13, 2011
    Wed 10AM-8PM
    Thu-Fri 11AM-9PM
    Sat-Sun 11AM-7PM
    Where: International Centre, Hall 4. 6900 Airport Road. Mississauga, Ontario

• Tom's Place is holding a sale with unbelievable prices on men's and women's business attire. I have a buddy who's been talking about this for the longest time. He scored some awesome designer suits last year from brands like Ben Sherman, etc. Great time to grab a tux for any formal event you might have in the calendar!

    When: November 10-13, 2011
    Thu-Fri 11AM-8PM
    Sat 10AM-6PM
    Sun 11AM-6PM
    Where: 750 Spadina Avenue. Toronto, Ontario. 416-596-0297

That's a lot of shopping to do this weekend, eh? Well, go ahead and indulge! Happy shopping!

Nail Art Wednesday: Poppy Nails for Remembrance Day

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

- Invictus, William Ernest Henley

One thing about me that always surprises people is when they find out I underwent a bit of military training. Nothing fancy as it was required in university, just marching about, really, and learning basic survival skills. Even then, my job throughout the whole experience was mostly administrative: took tally of attendance, processed the required paperwork and coordinated with the different platoons to make sure everyone was on the same page. I was lucky. Most of my friends had to endure hours under the hot sun perfecting their marching cadence and carrying heavy rifles. See, the people in the administrative team are those considered physically unfit. I just so happened to be the first casualty of the year when I hyperventilated after a hard run of exercises that were supposed to "loosen the muscles" on the first day. It was the first year that females were required to take the course, too, so everyone was skittish. I guess I looked pretty terrible with no ability to talk, gasping for air like a beached fish, that the instructors immediately moved me to the administrative team after I was rushed to the infirmary. All I really needed then was a paper bag, but that incident ensured I had one of the easiest jobs.

Suffice to say that Remembrance Day is one of those holidays that's close to home. I imagine, the horrors of war is more than a hundredfold of the hardships of military training. No one really wins until the fighting is ended. It's senseless violence that should be condemned. So to commemorate the sacrifices of all those who have fought in armed conflict both past and present, I proudly wear my poppy nails.

Red poppies symbolize the memory of those who died.

Truckload Tuesdays: Mail Happiness and Luck

*Defensive mode: On* Before anything, let me just say that this post does not in any way or form violate my currently imposed "No Buy". All the items below were purchased or ordered online prior to its imposition so I haven't broken any rules with what I'm going to show you today. *Defensive mode: Off*

Now that we have that out of the way, I recently got some mail love that I've been anxiously waiting for: Skin79 BB Creams! My heritage is Asian and as anyone who follows beauty products in Asia will know, BB cream (BB stands for beauty balm) is a must try/have product. It got so popular that they've started opening stores (both physical and online) in North America in an effort to garner a niche in the beauty market. Sephora just recently introduced Dr. Jart BB cream from Korea and Clinique and Boscia have come out with their own take. I wanted to try one of the more popular brands from Korea so when I found out that Skin79 ships to Canada, I HAD to try some!

I got the Oriental Gold BB Cream that came with a free gift: Oriental Gold Shimmering BB Cream! 

I got the EOS lip balm because of Mary. ;)

Out of the box: These were so reflective, it was a pain to photograph!

The BB cream cap comes with a lip and cheek tint while the shimmering kind works with a click brush mechanism similar to the Stila lip glosses, only much bigger.

I'm excited to do a review on these soon, but I want to keep using these for a longer time to see if my skin does improve as the claims suggest. Suffice to say that so far, I've really been enjoying these! I was also lucky enough to win one of the free Milani eyeliner packs that G at Nouveau Cheap gave away last month in partnership with Milani. I was beyond ecstatic; it was the first time I've ever won any giveaway! Hammie even did a little dance when we found out.

Couldn't have come at a better time. Been wanting to try these for the longest time!

If you see anything you're most interested to know more about, do let us know in the comments so we can prioritize them accordingly. Happy Tuesday!

Hammie says: Have you tried BB creams before? Don't forget to wear your poppy till Friday!

Suncoat Sienna: An Experiment with Waterbased Nail Polish

Water is good for you. My mom always reminds me to drink at least 8 tall glasses of it. Even our bodies are comprised of about 60-70% of the stuff. So I turn to water when seemingly out of nowhere, I started experiencing some major nail peeling that I'm thankful is all but gone now thanks mostly to NailTek. But at the height of my nail dilemma, I was looking for nail polish options that can hide the peeling without aggravating the sorry situation my nails were in. I'd heard about water based nail polish so I was keen to try some. The easiest to get a hold of was from Suncoat. Add to my purchasing confidence that all the reviews on the website gave it no lower than 4 stars (out of 5). With just a few clickity clicks on Well.ca (love that they have free shipping with no minimum purchase price!) and my water based polish was well on it's way!

Water you thinking about this?

China Glaze Cross Iron 360

Pumpkins. Falling leaves. The one fruit Mr. J can eat boxes and boxes of. What do they have in common? You guessed it right: Orange! This is one funny color. Funny in a weird kind of way. When I think "orange" it usually brings to mind both summer AND fall which I find strange because those two almost feel like polar opposites. But maybe it's because of how one transitions into the other that allows orange to straddle both seasons.

When I got the China Glaze Haunting Collection, I have to admit that it was primarily for It's Alive. The swatches I've seen of the entire collection had me hoping they'd include one of the vampier shades in the 4pc set. So when I saw the orange shimmer alongside It's Alive...I'll be honest. It was a bit of a let down. However, on the nail, not so much.

How could I stay unhappy wearing this?

Indulge without the Splurge: November 3, 2011

If you're following me on Twitter, you'd know that I've been having some internet problems this week. More like, we're switching providers because of a great deal Mr. J is getting with an employee discount and pretty awesome bundle (including tv and phone) but the new service provider screwed up the installation schedule so we're in limbo right now. Hopefully, it'll all be resolved by Saturday. *crosses fingers* I've been tethering on my phone for internet access which is pretty handy but I don't want to stay on too long lest my bill skyrockets. You know how it is. Anyway, enough rambling and on with the deals!

• Another awesome warehouse sale going soon! Save up to 75% on men, women, and kids apparel and footwear at this year's Geox Warehouse Sale in Vaughan.
  When:
  November 10-20, 2011
  Mon-Wed 11am-7pm
  Sat-Sun 9am-5pm
  Where:
  361 Applewood Crescent
  Concord, Ontario
• Esprit: 40% off everything till November 6, 2011! Use this coupon in store or code: FRIENDS12 for shopping online.
• 40% off regular priced pants at Cleo excluding jeans. No code required, for a limited time only.
• Friends and Family Sale is on at the Bay again! Save 20% off when you use your HBC credit card on regular, sale and clearance priced merchandise. Save 15% off without an HBC credit card on regular, sale and clearance priced merchandise. Save 10% off on regular, sale and clearance priced furniture, mattresses, vacuums, electronics, major & small appliances. Use this coupon in store to avail of the discounts above till November 6, 2011.
• For a limited time only, get 30% off pants at Ricki's valid in store. Selected styles only.
• Get a free Signature Collection travel size item (up to a $5.50 value) with any $10 purchase till November 25, 2011 with this coupon at Bath and Body Works.
• Get 20x the points at Shoppers Drug Mart with any cosmetics and fragrance purchase $75 or more from today till November 11, 2011! Lots of awesome holiday gift sets have landed and it's always nice to get points for some early Christmas shopping. Also, Revlon Colorburst, Matte, Mood Drops or Super Lustrous Lip Color lip products are on sale at $3.99 each on selected types; limit of 4 and on November 6-7 only.
• Danier Canada is offering a printable coupon for an extra 25% off the lowest ticketed price.  May not be combined with any other coupons or promotions and valid from November 4-6, 2011.
• COACH Factory Outlet is offering another 30% off  with this coupon until November 13th at closing that may be used on top of any other discounts and offers in store.
• Mark's Work Wearhouse is now online! Enjoy free shipping till December 31, 2011.
• Save 15% off special occasion shoes for the whole family with this coupon from The Shoe Company for use in store.  Coupon not valid with any other offers or any other coupon.  One coupon per customer per transaction.  Use code PARTYTIME for shopping online. Valid November 1st to November 8th 2011.
• Elizabeth Arden gift with purchase of $38 or more at the Bay. The set includes a great bag, Prevage anti-aging serum, Ceramide Gold Ultra Restorative Capsules, Full Size lipstick, Plump Perfect lift & firm moisturizer, line smoothing exfoliator and an eye & lip make up remover. Deal is available in store and online. As a little added bonus, from November 2-6 if you purchase $75 or more on Elizabeth Arden products and pay with your HBC credit card or HBC Mastercard, you will get a $25 savings card for your next purchase of $100 at The Bay.  The savings card purchase must also be made on an HBC credit card.
• With any purchase of $34 or more at Lancome Canada online, get a 6 piece gift valued at $109 which includes:
  Hypnose Drama Instant Full Body Volume Mascara in Black
  Color Design Sensational Effects Lip Colour in Edgy
  Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover
  Renergie Lift Volumetry Volumetric Lifting and Reshaping Cram Firming - 15g
  Creme Radiance Clarifying Cream-to-Foam Cleanser - 60ml
  Exclusive Lancome Makeup Bag
  Use promo code: HOLIDAY11 at the checkout to receive your gift.
• Save up to $75 on down jackets at Eddie Bauer in store and for a limited time only.
• H&M has select knitwear buy one, get one free. Valid in store only and for a limited time.
• La Senza has a free shipping event going on this weekend till November 7 on all Canadian and US ground orders with no minimum purchase required! To give you ideas, Perfectly Me Bras are 2 for $29.50 for a limited time.

Hammie says: Go ahead, Indulge!

Nail Art Wednesday: Halloween Nails! Ghost, Skull, Frankenstein's Monster, Jack o' Lantern and Mummy

The title is a mouthful, I know. But because I only do nail art posts once a week and with the October Birthdays series, I couldn't do Halloween themed nail art leading up to it. Oh no! There was so much I wanted to try! I wasn't going to make it for Halloween! The solution: cram them all in one post on the first Wednesday in November and call it Halloween Nails. *toothy grin*

Beware the Claw!!!

Nuance by Salma Hayek Perfect Lips Lip Quad in Warm

No Truckload Tuesday today (Yay, I've kept to my "No Buy"!) so instead, I'll be doing my first beauty product review.
--------------------

I'm not generally a fan of Salma Hayek but when I heard about the makeup line she launched in partnership with CVS based on organic and natural ingredients, I can't say I wasn't intrigued. A lot of celebrities have lent their name and image to cosmetic lines (just look at the numerous collaborations with MAC and OPI) but to actually come up with your own line just isn't heard of. What makes Salma's effort unique (along with it being the first complete beauty line from a collaboration between a retailer and an actress) is that this line is a realization of her grandmother's legacy, a cosmetologist who formulated her own beauty remedies. Her dedication to the development of an affordable line using her grandma's own ingredients and knowledge resulted in a beauty line that will definitely make her grandma proud.

How unique and different is that?