Sunday, September 26, 2010

MAC & New Shoes: What More Can A Girl Ask For? (My 1st MAC Brush!)

Yesterday was a great ending to a crazy week. I wrote earlier in the week that I was super stressed and having a difficult time with school and a bunch of other craziness.. my boyfriend's been very supportive. He always tries to tone down my stress and does little things here and there to make my day better.

In the morning, we had brunch -I had steak with mushrooms and rice (that he made me) and he had a sandwich -I think my meal was better. =) We hung around the house for a bit and ended up taking a nap.. I've been so tired lately especially with all the schoolwork I have to do. When we got up, we headed to a Japanese restaurant for some sushi.. it was DELICIOUS. We ordered Spicy Chicken with Rice & Salad (I love salads at Japanese restaurants), a Spider Roll, Unagi, and Baked Mussels -pretty much all my favorites. Afterwards, we headed to the mall so he could get me something from MAC.

I chose the 168 Large Angled Contour Brush. I'm happy to announce that I am no longer a MAC Brush virgin. I've stated before that I've never owned any "real" MAC brushes -I did have a SE 168 awhile ago but I gave it away because it was horrible and I hated it. I haven't tried this brush out yet but I will tomorrow and all throughout the week. I hoping that this will end my search for the perfect contour brush. I've always wanted this brush and it's been on my list forever but honestly, it's so hard for me to be willing to spend $32 on just one brush (but I guess quality over quantity right?)
He also got me a pair of Classic Black Canvas Toms. These have been on my list for quite a while too -we actually looked for them while shopping in the city last week but Nordstrom didn't have my size (size 5) in any of their stores or online. But I got lucky! On Tuesday, my boyfriend's sister called and said she found my size so she picked them up for me. I'm so happy because they never have size 5 Toms anywhere around here (or on the Toms website.)

I loved the way that everything was packaged. Clean, simple box (recyclable) with minimal designs and writing. When you open it up, there's a Toms "flag" that comes with the shoes.
The best part of buying Toms? When you buy a pair, another pair is donated to a child in need. I know $44 is a bit much for plain canvas shoes that look very similar to the $6.99 pair that you can pick up at Rite Aid (I own those too) but when you buy these, you contribute to a good cause. Also, these are 100 times more comfortable than those Rite Aid shoes.

And lastly, here's a GWP I got from the Lancome counter at Macy's. I got suckered into buying products because I really wanted the GWP. I bought the Absolute Powder in Golden ($53) and the Flash Retouche Highlighter in 02 ($28) that Jason had used on me during my appointment.
When I got home, I realized that the purchase was way out of my budget and I had to return everything despite the fact that I really did love the 2 products and the GWP. I brought everything back to Macy's on Saturday when I went with my boyfriend and did the return. Surprisingly, she took back the 2 products and said I could keep the GWP since it wasn't on the receipt! Usually when I buy something at Macy's with a GWP, they awlays make me give back the GWP (which is understandable) so I was really excited. Basically, I got a free gift just for going to that appointment.
I really love this bag. Do you see the outline of the Angel on the right? I just love that it's black and wipes clean -perfect for traveling. I also like the convenient outside pocket.

Inside are 2 zippered compartments (also easy to clean.) This is perfect for when I travel because I take a "medium" amount of products -my other makeup bags are either too small, too bulky, or too large.

Samples! I got a full size toner and cleanser and also some deluxe sized products. I really hope the cleanser works because that's mainly what I wanted the GWP for (and the bag.)

Now I have a question for you.. Have you ever bought products solely for the free GWP or have you ever done that but returned the products and kept the GWP?! Call me awful but I know I've been guilty of it -usually it's because I actually want the products but they end up not working for me and the store allows me to keep the GWP (in my experience, Sephora usually lets you keep GWPs but department stores usually ask for them back!)

Have a lovely Sunday everyone!

13 comments:

  1. I have bought things for the GWP but I never thought I could take them back! Do you know if sephora lets you return used items? I bought a Lauren Luke palette taht I basically hate.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Usually with Sephora, they let you keep GWP but with makeup counters at stores like Macy's and Nordstrom, they usually ask for them back -unless you get someone nice! That's why I usually end up with makeup I don't want -all for the sake of the GWP. =O

    And yes, Sephora always takes back used items (but they shouldn't look too used.) They understand that a formula may not work for you, colors may be all wrong, etc. If you've lost your receipt, they should give you store credit with no problems.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love sushi! And i love the salad at sushi places! It is sooooo good!!!1 :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. Me too!! I love the dressing they use.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You should definitely try out EOS lip balm. It comes in like a sphere and it worked great for mu chapped lips.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for the great post! I just realized I need to add you to my blogroll! Doing that now!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. @ Anonymous.. I've heard of EOS -I always forget to buy it though!

    @ Really Petite.. Glad you enjoyed the post. And that's really sweet of you. =)

    ReplyDelete
  8. you are wonderful. do you happen to know the time limit for returns?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh gosh.. before I knew it was like -even up to a year, you could still do returns. Now, I think it's like 3 or 6 months (not totally sure.) This is without a receipt.

    For returns of products bought online, the limit is 60 days.

    If you're returning with no receipts, it doesn't matter. All you need is a valid ID and you're good to go. Just say you lost the receipt or got it as a gift -plus when you return with no receipt, you get to keep the BI points you earned when you bought the product (if you return with a receipt, the points are taken off.)

    Hope that helped somewhat! If you still have questions, I can call Sephora and ask -let me know. =)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great haul Kali. Hope you like the brush because it's sooo soo much better compared to the SE. I love to use it for contour and blush application.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks! I can't wait to try out the brush -I've been wanting it for a really long time.

    ReplyDelete
  12. u kno wat i wanted to ask u are u spanish or mixed with spanish cuz u got an exotic look going on girl!

    btw thnx 4 the ebay tip!

    ReplyDelete
  13. LOVE those shoes! I've been wanting to buy a pair for so long now. Totally worth the money. Such a great cause. :)

    ReplyDelete