‘Cuz, you know, I’m a beauty blogger now on top of a running and reading blogger… I can survive quite fine and well not visiting a mall except sporadically, picking up beauty products as needed from the pharmacy guided by what is on sale that week. But when you work just above an amazing subterranean mall and walk by shiny shops everyday in the winter when you scurry out of the cold, some of those shiny displays start to stick.

I kept seeing the The Body Shop‘s Mother of All Sales banners after Christmas and I started to succumb. In addition, I’m paying off moving fees, a truckload of new furniture, and I had $250 of gift cards from The Body Shop from the past two Christmases. In the absence of me telling my parents what I need and they could give me for Christmas, Mum shopped The Body Shop. I wasn’t overly grateful at the time but now I am! On my first foray, in January, I got six diverse products worth $89 for $60.

Vitamin C Daily Moisturizer SPF 30
50mL $20 (B3G2 price $13.48)
This lotion contains Amazonian camu camu berry “which is known to have one of the highest contents of vitamin C in nature”, a vitamin that “encourages collagen production, improves elasticity and protects against damaging environmental aggressors”.
In the shop, I smoothed some of the Seaweed line and Vitamin C line on the back of my hand. Both contain SPF 15 but while the seaweed lotion felt so smooth going on (refreshing) the Vitamin C felt a little stickier. In no small part because my friend Vina raved about the product line, I went with the Vitamin C; I also prefer the citrus scent, finding it much more refreshing and the promised (and delivered) radiance was a draw. I really do feel like I have a healthy glow from the product. Just a little bit goes a long way making this product, at B3G2 surprisingly reasonable.

Nutriganics Softening Cleansing Gel
100mL $15 (B3G2 price $10.11)
This cleansing gel is enriched with organic babassu oil from Brazil that helps smoothes and revitalizes skin and aloe vera that hydrates and calms sensitive skin.
This winter was surprisingly mild but my skin still rebelled worse than I can ever recall, so it was my main motivation to pick up a good cleanser. I didn’t notice the “First Signs of Ageing” on the side of the bottle, which means you use it before progressing to the Natrulift “Signs of Ageing” line and then the Wise Woman lines. Drawing from something familiar, the gel smells like tea tree oil products I have used in the past. It feels like spreading a thin cream around your face and barely lathers. But it’s been remedial for my skin.

Peppermint Intensive Foot Rescue
100mL $18 (B3G2 price $12.13)
This skin-smoothing moisturizer cools and deodorizes, a customer favourite since 1985. Peppermint oil promotes a cooling sensation while cocoa butter is an excellent moisturizer and sweet almond oil that is rich in essential fatty acids help restore the skin’s moisture barrier. To round things out, grape extract smoothes the skin and has gentle exfoliation properties.
Another consequence of a dry winter in the east: really dry feet! Gross, huh? So Must-Have Item #2 from The Body Shop was their intensive foot lotion. NPY gets a kick out of how I apply lotion to my feet which is to squirt lotion directly on my feet, flop on my stomach, and have each food rub the lotion into the other. In the case of this product, I dip my heel into the heel-sized pink container and brings heels together to spread it around. The lotion is thick and absorbs quickly into the skin. The bonus is how it smells like a potent candy cane!

Vitamin C Eye Reviver Duo
20mL $22 (B3G2 price $14.83)
This lotion contains Amazonian camu camu berry “which is known to have one of the highest contents of vitamin C in nature”, a vitamin that “encourages collagen production, improves elasticity and protects against damaging environmental aggressors”. This product is best if you want to refresh and revive delicate skin around the eyes and minimize the appearance of dark shadows.
When I was pre-shopping at The Body Shop’s online site, I thought I wanted Nutrilift (“Signs of Ageing” but I didn’t know it then) eye cream. I’m not a user of eye cream but wielding a gift card and the Mother of All Sales made me feel adventurous. But presented with a dazzling array of products in-store, I tapped a sales associate’s expertise.
Me: “What other lines have eye creams?”
She: “All of them! Do you want to reduce fine lines/wrinkles? Get rid of dark circles? Reduce puffiness?”
Me: “Dark circles and puffiness.”
She steered me away from Nutrilift and towards Vitamin C. Although I bought the eye reviver duo in January, I only tried it in April when NPY visited because what do I care if I have dark circles around other people? I apply the Vitamin C moisturizer from above thinly over my face except around my eyes. First, you use the end of the stick marked “1.” with a roller applicator spreading a cool liquid on your dark circles and just around the outer corner. Then I use the end marked “2.” that looks like a lip gloss wand and dab and spread the shimmering white formula on just the dark circles. There is an active ingredient–at the very least, it tingles–in the wand end but I know the principle is that reflective particles will make the area look lighter and you will look younger and free from worries. I feel invincible with that stuff on.

Rainforest Balance Shampoo
400mL $14 (B3G2 price $9.44)
This shampoo contains seaweed that helps balance, purify and clarify hair and aloe vera that moisturizes and protects hair. It is best for oily hair and you want to reduce excess oil for hair that looks clean and fresh all day.
Given I buy $2 shampoo (Herbal Essences, if I can) from the drug store, this product was the biggest splurge even with a gift card and Mother of All Sales. That is, my usual shampoo would be $3.50 for a 400mL bottle compared to this shampoo’s B3G2 price of $9.44.
Also for this product, I busted it out when NPY visited, three months after purchasing it. Honestly, I hadn’t gone through all of my other shampoo yet either. I picked up Herbal Essences Drama Clean which I love to gently make my hair squeaky clean and works well despite hard Toronto water. And I like having NPY use it because it reminds him of China when we used it every day to wash away the city’s dirt. He was all too eager to use the Body Shop shampoo that has a spa-like eucalyptus scent and while I didn’t notice much with my coarse hair, he thinks it makes his hair softer. I wouldn’t get it again because my hair does not need $9/$14 shampoo!

Delipscious Tinted Lip Balm in Berry Crush
4.2mL $10 (now $3)
This lip balm contains virgin cold-pressed coconut oil, organic beeswax and cocoa butter, all of which moisturizes skin, conditions lips, and help to replenish moisture levels. The fruity flavour is made from food-grade ingredients, including natural watermelon and raspberry seed oils.
Who can have too many tubes of lip balm? Not me! And this sale price did not depend on buying other items and who can resist 70% off? Not me! Who is sometimes (often times) too lazy to put on lip colour after applying lip balm? Me! It smells lovely like artificial, perfumy berry scent like the Lip Smackers of your youth but at least an effort has been made to make it more grown-up (“food-grade ingredients”). Yet it’s shimmery and still feels way youthful being dispensed from the twist tube. Regular price $10?! Crazy!

Lil Sis was visiting that weekend and for the fun of it, I dragged out unwrapping the box and each time she would pass by the box, it was little more unwrapped. I likened the reveal a little to how people make an occasion out of opening a new Apple product. So, if you don’t subscribe, here is what unwrapping a Glossy Box is like.

Here is the obligatory shot of the postcard that describes the products enclosed in the Glossy Box.

And… here are the samples, 5.5 of them.

Here are my thoughts on the March 2012 products:

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion
71 mL, $2.40 (card indicates $11.99 for 354 mL)
Okay, I have to admit that I was a little crestfallen to at first to see this product in my Glossy Box. It’s something so normal and you could pick it up at Shoppers Drug Mart, not a designer brand you would see at Sephora. My sister, new to the idea of Glossy Box and waiting to be wowed, made a passing remark about the Aveeno product. I read a couple other reviews and it seems to me that while I got Aveeno moisturizing lotion that you could grab in the sample section of Shoppers Drug Mart, some people got Bailey lip gloss which cannot be got at Shoppers.
On the other hand, will I use this whole product? Yes! It is a no-nonsense lotion that sets about the task of moisturizing without frills. It has a healthy “oatmeal” scent that doesn’t interfere with other scents you might want to wear.

Bailey Cosmetics Kabuki Brush
1 unit, $40
Bailey as in Brian Bailey of Project Runway Canada, not that I watch the show. He naturally started off in fashion and has now branched out into cosmetics and it seems you can get to know his line best by watching The Shopping Channel which purports to be the exclusive provider. I didn’t even know this counted as an item and the highest value item in the box, at that. When I tried it with the blush below, I did experience the luxurious feel of the goat hair bristles. I finally own a Kabuki brush and at a steal of a deal!

evian Brumisateur Facial Spray
50 mL, $7.00
The one product in the box you wouldn’t find me buying, ever! Refresh? I traditionally think the most refreshing thing is a good blot and adequate hydration. But it’s the toning feature of the facial spray that I was most intrigued by although I don’t quite know how to quantify the results of skin toning. As a runner, I recall the feeling of running through light mist and it is nature’s gift which can apparently be canned and be put in your purse. The nozzle of my evian spray was wonky so the dispersal was less misty and more spray bottle, but you know what to expect.

Pandora’s Makeup Box Blush St. Tropez
1 unit, $18
Watching some Extra Petite videos recently, I felt thoroughly admonished for not adding some colour back whenever I wear a “foundation” (usually tinted moisturizer, infrequently real foundation) with a quick sweep of blush. Another problem is I didn’t have blush. Now, that problem is solved!
The blush comes in a summer-inspired cute floral package with a paper closure that opens up and looks like open arms waiting to hug you. The packaging truly makes me happy to wear the product and it did indeed go on very light, natural-looking and lasted all day.

Sebastian Re-Shaper Hairspray
43 g, $19.95
I have finally learned how to do some things with my long, coarse, heavy, unmanageable hair but the styles still keep falling out and I realized I don’t have in my arsenal and could stand to pick up some hairspray and look what comes along!
The nozzle seemed a little wonky on the sample size bottle and as I used it, the scent seemed to me like perfumed flowers and pleasant. I  swept my hair up in a bun to be all serious at work and it worked well to keep the wispy pieces in place.

Algemarin Foam Bath
15 mL, $2.40 ($3.99 for 5x 5mL)
I’ve been meaning to take a bath and allow myself to relax with a long soak in my tub. After having house guests for four straight days and two hard 10K training sessions within 24 hours, tonight was the night for a bath. This little pouch from UK brand Algemarin was a most fortuitous arrival! The indigo-coloured product makes your bath a brilliant turquoise blue and bubbles up luxuriously. The scent was natural and refreshing and my skin was happy and soft afterwards.

Total value of the box, as per enclosed Glossy Box postcard: $89.75. A monthly Glossy Box subscription is $15 and includes shipping for which I mentally knock down the price a little. This month, I appreciated the mixture of every day products (lotion, hairspray) with the pampering ones and I was highly impressed with the value of the box. It sounds like the next box is on its way and I look forward to what it will contain!

When did I ever start feeling so old?

I like to believe that I am still just at approximately five white hairs and although I get super-depressed when one of them escapes me for a while (I do not actively seek them out) and it is as long as the rest of my hair. “That’s how long I’ve had white hair!” And is my unmanageable thick hair thinning out?? Still, I am grateful for generally good hair genes from my parents who didn’t gray and thin out early on.

It’s more when I reflect on what I have accomplished in life–materials, relationship, and experience–when I feel old. I’ll always feel behind, wishing there was a “Pause” button on time. It is also when my birthday is just around the corner and I’m digging my heels in the ground and refusing to turn another year older. :P

My sister started using anti-aging products in her mid-twenties which makes me look like a tomboy only developing an daily moisturizing routine in my mid-twenties. After being “roomates” with Lil Sis for a few months, I am thrilled to have my own amply spacious bathroom and the freedom to develop and indulge in a routine.

This time around, I have a strict rule against clutter on the bathroom counter. All that is on the counter are daily oral hygiene items: toothbrush, cup, toothpaste, floss, and fluoride rinse.

Then I bought two boxes from Dollarama in different colours for quick differentiation. In the morning, I will dump the contents of the blue morning box out on the counter and return the items to the box as I use them. It eliminates the need to think and recall what needs to be done if I’m particularly tired or, more likely, rushed in the morning! The green night-time box contains the items I will need on a nearly-nightly basis and I will bring it out to rifle through it and concentrate on using up the products. The morning and night boxes are stowed under the counter in between uses. The rest of my vast amount of toiletries are stored in a two-drawer container with the top drawer holding small, infrequently used items (e.g., nail polish, Band-Aids, Tylenol) and the bottom drawer holding refills and back-up products waiting to come into the spotlight.

As with so many things, why did it take me so long to get organized?

What is in each box? Well let me describe the contents….

Morning Box

• A wide-tooth comb
• Facial moisturizer – The Body Shop Vitamin C Daily Moisture Lotion SPF 30 for Dull Looking Skin – pretty much my daily moisturizer; Vina told me about it and we agree we just glow after using it
• or Tinted moisturizer – Aveeno Positively Radiant in Medium with SPF 30 – on days I want to look more put-together and it takes longer to apply
• or Sunscreen – Neutrogena UltraSheer Dry-Touch Sunblock in SPF 55 – got so many samples from run packages; it’s non-greasy and could be a moisturizer on those casual outdoor days
• Body moisturizer – tangerine and olive flower scented body lotion created exclusively for Caesars by Gilchrist & Soames; I have lots of hotel lotions to go through before I’ll need to buy a full-size bottle
• Deodorant – Dove ultimate gofresh in energizing grapefruit & lemongrass scent – I have little brand loyalty except in this case
• Scent – Dove gofresh body mist in energizing grapefruit & lemongrass scent – matches my deodorant
• Brows – The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit and a brow brush
• Lip balm – Blistex Spa effects lip protectant/sunscreen in Renewing
• Lip gloss – Quo Lip Gloss in Babe (something like that) by Shoppers Drug Mart
• Mascara – Maybelline Great Lash clear mascara – I wish I left myself the time to wear this every day

Night Box

• Face wash – The Body Shop Nutriganics Softening Cleansing Gel for First Signs of Ageing – I’m not that into Body Shop stuff but had gift cards
• Toner and pads – Biore triple action astringent
• Anti-ageing cream – Olay regenerist continuous night recovery moisturizing treatment – I use this sparingly and love the velvety feel
• General moisturizer – Nivea Extra Whitening Inner Cell Repair Body Milk in Berry Extract & Licorice Extracts for Frequent Sun Exposure – got this in Hong Kong because they’re all about “whitening” and I trust the brand; I don’t know how to get more short of ordering it online
• Nail clippers, tweezers and cuticle scissors
• Hair elastics and a bobby pin

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In terms of drug store brands, I’m a bit of a beauty product junkie. Just like the next woman. I love to try new products with no particular loyalty in any category. It’s so embarrassing how my drawer of “back-up” beauty products will not open easily, it’s so stuffed with impulse purchases at Shoppers Drug Mart such that I swore off buying those items I have too many of including body wash, shampoo, facial wash, moisturizer, and soap!

In the spirit of trying to strike a balance, I’m conceding to my novelty-seeking side while hopefully not inviting clutter by subscribing to Glossy Box. I had vaguely heard about beauty samples programs but with the recent arrival of Glossy Box in Canada, there was a big push through social media and I missed the February box but made it in for March! My birthday month!

It is a monthly subscription of $15 and that covers the delivery fee of the box every month containing five high-end samples. I’ve indicated my preference for more practical products like skin- and haircare but otherwise eagerly wait to see what I will receive. Isn’t receiving a parcel always so nice? :) Further, if I blog about the products–which I will in my fumbling, tomboy way–I can collect Glossy Dots (reward points) and translate them into free Glossy Boxes down the line.

Image from glossybox.ca

Image from etsy.com

It’s funny how all it took is for one Tweet on a Thursday afternoon set off my “inspiration” and by Saturday evening, I had my very own much-coveted panda-styled iPhone case.

I’m subscribed to a shopping site (Outblush) that daily inundates me with fashion, household, and decorating ideas. There is a subset of the items that catch my eye that I also shake my head (at the price tag) and conclude that I could fairly easily make my own version, including highly stylized prints created in Illustrator, geometric shapes acrylic paintings, and certain sewing projects. Apparently I have some crafty tendencies, but require some external inspiration.

It’s thanks to my mother’s frugality and self-sufficiency that I have any kind of interest in sewing. I wish it involved sewing machine skills and on the really useful scale of making my own clothes, as my sister does or even hemming my pants, and not just the felt medium for one-off projects like passport holders and incredibly cute iPhone cases.

My version

Not to steal from anyone’s thunder, I will disclose that Schema was pointing to the professionally crafted Hooby Groovy iPhone (and iPad) cases. I have crafted only a poorest imitation.

After seeing the Hooby Groovy case, my brain got stuck on one track and I went to Michael’s the next day to pick up felt, velcro, and high-quality thread. I am under the impression that Michael’s solid colour felt selection is limited and while I wanted to splurge on high-quality (less fuzzing) felt, there was just one kind, for $0.49 per sheet. Despite having the same price tag, the black felt was noticeably better in quality than some of the other colours including the off-white colour I picked up. My panda appears more translucent than Hooby Groovy’s, and you might worry that mine will tear in the future.

I am probably way too old (especially for North American standards) to have a panda pouch, especially since finding it feels somewhat like holding a felt stuffed animal. Anyways….!

my templates based on several views of the original case

It was only a short while ago, incidentally on the same day as Game 1 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when I realized that the flip flop’s rugby stripes are Vancouver Canucks colours! A lot of companies in Vancouver sport blue and green logos as well as healthcare groups. You know I love the colour green and a green top paired with blue jeans is kind of Canucks colours as well…!

The flip-flops might hold out for a while yet but I marvel already how well-traveled a pair of shoes can be from Calgary and L.A. in ’05 to Hong Kong and China in ’10–these travels I have pictures to prove. I’ve brought them on countless other trips, like the Sweden-Germany trip of ’06, because I’ll always tuck them into my suitcase in case the hotel floor is grubby. Lucky pair of sandals!

For me–and even for NPY who likes when I shop with a purpose–it was a fun afternoon at Richmond Centre, dropping into every shop that would have costume jewelry before I found one with pearls and different textures of chains at Le Chateau and added my own strand of thinner pearls (photo at right). Mine is more black & white compared to my co-worker’s uniformly silver-hued version. I think all I need is to find a chain of rhinestone-covered spheres to have adequate sparkle. Oh, and the courage to wear something so chunky/flashy….

I’m definitely a slender chain kind of person but my co-workers are more trendy and I’m learning by observation how to wear the trends, i.e., a chunky necklace works with a simple top.

In my search, I also saw multi-strand necklaces for every style including the braided version of what I sought at Forever XXI–but the braided look and gold chains were not for me. At The Bay, I saw a necklace made from multiple strands of suede and beads. Doesn’t that look like something you could easily make with some supplies from Michael’s?

Yesterday, to my great delight, Alfred Sung was on the show to introduce his (new?) outdoor furniture collection, Alfred Sung Outdoor, which people can see if they attend the Interior Design Show in Toronto opening today and running through the weekend. And… the first furniture he showed was the Blackwatch Collection. Not surprisingly, if you follow his designs–I don’t, I don’t follow anyone–you’d notice he often has a blackwatch plaid item in his clothing collection because he’s a plaid nut, too, with a colourful plaid armchair in his house. The cherry on top was a shot of him wearing a blackwatch plaid blazer while seated in his Blackwatch Collection armchair!

Come to think of it, my blackwatch duvet set is Alfred Sung.

There are also solid colour outdoor furniture pieces for less plaid-nutty shoppers.

Update: I grabbed a screenshot of blackwatch plaid-clad Sung on his blackwatch plaid armchair!

Group-buying sites have been big winners because of the magical (synergistic?) combination of addiction-creating features. They are “social” by requiring a minimum number of buyers to activate, and then with all the Web 2.0 add-ons to share your sweet purchase on Facebook and Twitter. Although you can regularly anticipate at least one deal per website per day, you never know who is offering the next deal and you return each day or get excited looking through your Twitter feed in the morning–this is a similar mechanism to the addictive quality of e-mail, that it comes in random intervals and you’re on your toes for the next hit of excitement, news to land on your doorstep. Finally, have you noticed that the deals are primarily for “luxury goods”, mostly services and dining? These greater-than-50%-off deals tantalize the average Internet user with the idea of being part of that Beautiful Crowd that wines, dines, spas, and practices (yoga).

What I have purchased on Groupon and Living Social so far:

• $19 2-week membership to Fitness World… which I got convinced to turned into a 16-month membership
• $10 for $20 of food at 8-1/2… perfect for my new brunching habit
• $49 for $100 of gear at Larry’s Sports… a Christmas gift for NPY
• 2-for-1 entry to the Vancouver Christmas Market… which unfortunately we never got around to using
• $15 for $30 of food at De Dutch… another economical brunch coming up!
• $7 for $14 gets you 1/2 dozen cupcakes from Kreation Artisan Bakery… a little treat, and supporting a (new?) business in my area

I like to think that I’m quite practical approaching what could be an expensive and spiraling shopping habit. I don’t buy food deals over $10 (oops, make that $15). I don’t buy a deal where I don’t think I’ll get around to getting a table, like the Bin 942 one. No spas, hair/nails treatment–I don’t use them to start with so it’s only a resource if it came a point I needed a manicure or facial… and when will that be? I also make a point of checking the discussion section for each Groupon deal where a lot of people are asking the same questions that come to my mind and the vendor and/or Groupon rep is answering questions all day, even when the questions get repetitive.

It doesn’t hurt at all that Groupon and Living Social are at the forefront with iPhone (and other smartphone) apps for not just daily browsing, but also making transactions paperless. Also, within the apps it’s really easy to check out Toronto’s deals–for some reason I like to keep tabs on that city.

In the last few months, I got a zipper case from Muji appropriate for holding make-up or something, a J. Crew bucket hat as a hand-me-down from my little sister, and joe fresh rainboots as a Christmas present from my sister. Then, finally, I have found the one item that most closely ressembles the clothing that sparked it all–a fashionable wool skirt that ressembles the kilt I wore for 7 years of Catholic school (actually with a blue shirt, like pictured; although the kids now wear a white shirt and tie).

Outblush blogged about the Land’s End Canvas wool plaid skirt a while ago and it took me that long to get to a Sears with a Land’s End shop and determine that only the dullest pieces were in store and to check if there were any specials online given it is just after Christmas. It was brilliant how the skirt was marked down from $49 to $20 and shipping was just $6 since my subtotal was not high. Lil’ Sis orders stuff from J. Crew and Victoria’s Secret all of the time but I’m more of an in-store person and I’m excited to receive my package!

Here’s a recap of my blackwatch plaid (BWP) collection–you know I’m going to be that crazy lady parading around in the blackwatch maxi jumper when I’m a senior citizen….

BWP I own
* shawl from Tie Rack
* flannel sheet set
* duvet and sham set by Alfred Sung
* one-shoulder top made by sister
* capelet made by sister
* peacoat from American Eagle that is not quite blackwatch plaid
* puffy fur-lined hooded jacket from American Eagle purchased a year later and really is BWP
* makeup case from Muji
* bucket hat from J. Crew
* rainboots from joe fresh

BWP I used to own
* scarf – always available at Tie Rack or scarf stores
* house slippers from Macy’s, retired when they deteriorated from use

Still on my BWP wishlist
* stick umbrella with wooden handle
* hairband, I suppose I could try to make this
* bra/underwear with some heather gray accents?
* nylons, opaque and with some sheen?
* ballet flats, saw a pair at American Eagle but the toe box was too shallow
* iPhone holder
* wallet with dark leather accents
* a watch
* short-sleeved slim Oxford shirt, like the one I missed from American Eagle
* bag or tote or duffel with brown accents, Dooney & Burke had one a couple years ago but the quality of the BWP fabric seemed poor