New In: Freebies and Bargains

I have gotten a lot of great freebies and bargains lately, so, it seems that I'm long over due for a freebies and bargain post.

Freebies

These cute little sandals from H&M were FREE!  They are possibly one of my greatest bargain snags to date!  Neshaminy Mall sent me an online survey that promised a $10 gift card, so I completed it and scored $10 free.  At the mall, I was looking for some little summer sandals.  These fit the bill, and were priced at $12.95.  So, with my gift card, I expected to pay $3.  Not a bad deal!

Oh but it gets better....

At the register, the sandals rang up $5 on clearance... AND all the clearance was buy one get one free!!!  My sister got a little two-pack of panties as the BOGO deal. So, I got these sandals, panties for my sister, and still have $5 of free money on my card. How awesome is that???

I won these two chocolaty-brown Nicole for OPI polishes from a Dove chocolate giveaway on Facebook. The prize also included a coupon for a free Dove chocolate bar-yum!

Wet 'N Wild always offers $1-off coupons, making their 99 cents items FREE.  I got these two colors free with coupons at CVS. If I keep getting these deals, pretty soon I'll own every color!

I won this full-sized Weleda Pomegranate lotion from their Facebook giveaway.

Free lotion samples that I requested by mail: Jergens BB Body, and Suave Moroccan Infusion.

A free sample of Pantene shampoo and conditioner.

Samples of John Frieda shampoo/conditioner and Garnier Fructis Marvelous Oil.

I scored all of these for free in a "Start Sampling" box.  I like medicine samples like the Tums and Breathe Right strips, because they are great to keep around in case someone in my house gets sick.  Because of free samples, I have a little medicine stash in case of emergencies.  I also got this Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser Sample, and best of all, a free Colgate tooth brush!

These are random samples.  I grabbed a Gucci cologne sample for my BF, Burberry Brit and a body splash for me.  The L'Oreal Pore Vanisher, Garnier 5 Second Blur, and Olay came in my free magazines-so double win there! I also got this Tide sample, and a coupon for a free full-sized bottle of Suave. I'm going to give the Suave to my BF.

Some vitamin samples...Zarbees natural allergy relief, Heliocare, and all the rest are from AI Sports Nutrition.  I'm not sure if these AI Sports products are a sample pack or a giveaway, because it seems really generous for just a sample!

I also picked up some things for free with coupons at CVS.  This Almay eye makeup remover was free with coupons and Extra Care Bucks. (Sorry, I used it before taking the pic!)

 This Colgate Optic White toothpaste was free at CVS after Extra Care Bucks and coupons.

Bargains

This sporty white watch was just $2.50 on Ebay, including the shipping from China!  It works great and looks really nice.  It also comes in other bright colors.

I found these two skinny belts on sale at Charlotte Russe at Neshaminy Mall.  They were $1.99 for both (so, less than $1 each!) and they are perfect for summer dresses and skater skirts.

 I found this small cross-body handbag on Ebay. It was $4.50-and that's including shipping from China!  Obviously, for just $4.50 it is not top-of-the-line quality, but it is a good-looking bag and perfect for the price.  It almost resembles a small version of the Marc Jacobs Natasha Bag.  It also comes in a variety colors.  I've been pretty satisfied with inexpensive bags that I've purchased from China.  So, if you need a certain color, shape, or style of handbag but don't want to pay a lot for something you won't wear often, Ebay is a great place to look.

 So, have you scored any great freebies or bargains lately?

Christmas Beauty Wishlist

Makeup Wishlist Xmas 2013 by artaslife featuring MAC Cosmetics

These are the beauty products I'm currently dreaming of...

#1 on my list is the Naked 3 palette.

The MAC eye shadow palettes on my list seem so sparkly and perfect. They make me undecided as to whether I should go with one of these and skip the Naked 3.

I'd love to try eye shadow by Chanel.

And the polish set..well, that's just wishful thinking.  It looks awesome, but I just can't picture spending that much on nail polish since my sister gets discounted professional brands like OPI. 

So, what's on your wishlist this year?

Surprise!

Yesterday I received two unexpected gifts!  It may not seem like much, but these little blessings made my day.  So, I thought I'd share my excitement with you guys.

Tuesday was a really bad day for me.  I was not doing good at all.  My sister saw this Skyfall 007 OPI minis set on sale at her salon, and she picked it up for me as a gift to cheer me up!  I love the dark, rich, glittery colors.  Can't wait to try them all out.  My sister is the best!

Then, a large and heavy package showed up in my mailbox... It turned out to be a full size bottle of Aussie 3 Minute Miracle that I won from an Allure Magazine giveaway!  For my US readers, if you don't already know, Allure Magazine has awesome beauty giveaways all the time.  Check out their current freebies and giveaways here.  

I'll probably be posting a review of the conditioner and pictures of the polish at a later date, so stay tuned.

Have you had any unexpected happy surprises lately?  

Bargain Brag- Jewelry and Freebies

 A few new bargains and freebies...

 

My sister bought me this mint green spike bracelet from Macy's for $3.  I love this!

I got this two-finger cross ring on Ebay for only 99 cents-including shipping to the US from China!!!

I worried the ring would be terrible quality for such a low price, because I've had some bad experiences with cheap Ebay items from China.  The ring is perfect, though.  And it fits great, too!

My current nail look. I don't know what possesed me to go for this color.  It is way too bright for this time of year. Yuck!

Some freebies I scored from Facebook promotions.  This is a Redken for Men sample for my boyfriend.

A sample bag of Seattle's Best Coffee.  Nothing is better than coffee! Except FREE coffee!!!

A free mug and two packs of hot chocolate from Nestle's Abuelita. Yum! 

Mythic Oil, L'oreal's version of Moroccan oil.  Everyone swears by Moroccan oil, but it makes my fine hair limp and stringy.  I'm so curious to see how this is in my hair.  I'll probably review this in the future.

Beauty Resolution- Nails

One of the resolutions that makes it onto my list every year is to take care of my hands and feet... and 2013 is no different.  I used to wear fake nails, and I loved how perfect they looked and how long they lasted.  But they were costly and time-consuming to maintain, so I gave them up.  These days, I try to keep my own nails polished, but I admit that I slack off A LOT. Hopefully this year, I will keep to this goal more faithfully.

This is my current color...It is a deep ruby/ burgundy.  It is richer and darker than it appears in the photo.

I got these polishes for 75 cents each at Mandee! I think I like the emerald color best. 

Have you ever used a whole bottle of nail polish? 

I don't think I know anyone who has accomplished this feat, and certainly not me! I really love playing with a variety of trendy new colors, so I don't repeat too much.  My nail polish collection was getting out of control! I had to get rid of a lot of really old colors, and it felt so wasteful to throw away the nearly-full bottles.  That's when I decided that I would buy minis from now on.  My sister (a hairdresser) always picks me up sets of little OPI polishes at the professional beauty supply store.

So what is your must-have color right now? Tell me what you think-which color should I use next?