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

Shoe shop in Silk Market

My first shopping experience in China was at Silk Market, a “seven-storey shopping mecca”. Our tour guide didn’t seem enthused that we would make our way there during our free day but I wanted to visit this tourist spot with no other preconception than my aunt’s written instruction, “Bargain at least 60% off”. 60% off, really? The poor merchants! But I was not willing to be a sucker tourist, although I may as well be, with no conversational skills whatsoever in Mandarin.

Walking into Silk Market was like walking into a storage warehouse but each 8′x8′ “store” is packed to the gills with counterfeit goods and repeated in the next “store”. NPY felt the lack of ventilation right away and was bothered by the “shop” owners loitering in the aisles, ringing off their name brands to invite you to take a further look. We only made it to a few floors: the bottom floor of shoes and bags that nearly keeled us over with the leather smell, and the first two clothing floors. My head turned at the sight of bright Harajuku Lovers bags but I was really intimidated by the idle shopkeepers watching their neighbours’ transactions because it was not busy at all on a Tuesday afternoon.

It’s common knowledge how awful Chinese shopkeepers can be, of the old generation: if you try on something, it’s not surprising if they have a small hissy fit if you don’t buy it. In a rules-be-damned market like Silk Market, it’s even harder to walk away after you’ve tried something and the little shopkeeper girl clamped her hand on my arm even when I made my voice firm and I thought I had to hit or push her. The scariest part was how the neighbour shopkeepers minded their own business despite the scene arising.

Lo Wu Commercial City in Shen Zhen

For our second shopping experience, we were fully prepared for more of the same at Lo Wu Commercial City 羅湖商業成, the five-storey shopping center right at the border between Hong Kong and Shen Zhen (China).

However, it turned out to be a well-ventilated and bright mall that throughout the day hides the craziness that comes with Chinese people selling highly marked up counterfeit goods. If you asked at the right shop, they will lead you to another shop whose winders were covered with garbage bags, hiding a room lined with shelves of bags and wallets–the products seemed unappealing, having been rifled through, dropped, and dented by previous customers. In what looks like a watch store, the salesperson will try to interest you in wallets, shoes, whatever, because every shopkeeper can produce the “counterfeit catalogue” you flip through and “order” the goods for inspection. The shopkeepers call up and a system of delivery boys appear several minutes later, delivering the product from the shop’s warehouse in the basement or wherever. The funnest part was the “spas” in the mall: shops with flimsy cheap white curtains poorly hiding hideous tan leather-esque recliners lined up with no space in between. There was chaos within and no refuge from the chaos in the halls of the mall. Another phenomena was the families of the shopkeepers loitering in certain sections of the mall–we were mall rats because my parents owned a Manchu Wok a long time ago, but we weren’t nearly as creepy.

I was armed with the prices at which I should obtain fake LV, Prada, and Chanel bags but it turned out I didn’t buy any of that stuff; still, it was fascinating how you could get a really decent fake classic LV wallet for CAD$25 and leather Prada bag for CAD$100. And they still made some kind of profit since they agreed albeit reluctantly to part with it at that bargained price. I don’t follow designers so I haven’t a clue what miniscule fraction of the real thing these items cost.

NPY experienced what I went through at Silk Market when we tried on some Nike Frees that, in my opinion, were poorly painted. The desperate little shopkeeper–I soon learned how men were harder to bargain with, Michelle said they have more pride–opened at CNY$480 (USD$80) when his rival opened at CNY$250, preposterous! Our friend just got real Nike Free shoes on sale at Nordstrom’s for just USD$50 so fake ones were worth, oh, $10, even if an impressive amount of materials went into it. We upped our offer and left the store when it was refused. The shopkeeper crossed the floor of the first floor, following us, just to make any sale, and accepted our offer, which we expected. But we got a bad vibe, and our offer was too high, so we still refused and the shopkeeper grabbed NPY’s collar! His associate came running out but not to break things up and shopkeepers all around were warily watching but not interfering. On principle we still walked away from our offer–but in bargaining etiquette that was sort of bad form–and walked really fast towards the border to leave China!  At that moment, the seediness of the mall was so apparent to us–who can help it in such a competitive sales environment, peddling fake wares?

Rainy night on Temple Street

One doesn’t need to go to Shen Zhen to get your bargaining on–I was quite happy in Hong Kong at the Temple Street and Ladies’ Market 女人街 in Jordan and Mong Kok, respectively. I was really happy bargaining comfortably in Cantonese and being close to our hotel to just buy a few things and return another day. I’m embarrassed how I ended up going to the market four times in our 10 days in Hong Kong!

Meanwhile, NPY discovered G2000, a real store that I eschewed after getting a high shopping in the markets–what, pay what’s on the price tags?! Besides, I’m not shaped like their target market while NPY was closer to the mark. In fact, we found the G2000 outlet practically next door to our fantastic first hotel, the Courtyard Marriott in Western District.

Aldo Rosenthall

Material: Leather
Sole: Synthetic
Heel Height: 5 inches
Platform Height: 1 inches

USD $90.00

Payless Loveit Overlasted Platform Pump

“This chic staple features a rich faux suede upper with a classic round toe and an abbreviated modern 2″ vamp, a lightly padded insole, a hidden platform and a 3.75″ wrapped stiletto heel. Manmade materials.”

USD $26.99, but on sale for USD $19.99

********

In a Canadian store, I checked out some other high heels and they were selling for CAD$44.99 and a check with the American Payless website informed me that I could pick up CAD$44.99 shoes for just USD$26.99! This disparity in prices is not to be tolerated when the Canadian dollar has been hovering near par for so long–I “imported” them myself!

On top of that, the American Payless store had sales tax exemption for BC residents so they cost me a flat $19.99. Yay!

At first, the driving arrangement was for there to be a “boy car” with the three guys including NPY, and a “girl car” for the five girls. However, some concern about how a U.S. border guard will perceive three guys heading into their country in a hot little sports car induced us to change things up. Ultimately, all day long, the three shortest girls, including me, rode in NPY’s “little car”.

We hoped to stumble on places that offered a tax exemption to BC residents even though the official exemption is still going through the courts. It resulted in a great deal of mental mathematics to apply the sale discount, a possible Washington tax, and then a quick conversion to Canadian dollars. We were only successful in getting a tax exemption at Target, Macy’s, and Banana Republic. Going through the cashier took longer because the clerks took down our address information but it was so worth it.

It seems I’m kind of seasoned by now in going to the few cities we went to, the ones on the I-5 between here and Seattle. NPY and I have a little ritual wherein he takes a bathroom break at the duty free shop and I take the driver’s seat and stay there until we cross the border. He thinks I get us through the U.S. guards easier. (Except this time I had a small meltdown with four, instead of two, people’s border crossing success riding on my answers. We saw our guard was asking people to pop open their trunks and I panicked and pulled the hood lever instead of finding the small trunk button to press. The guard got a kick out of how I flaked, teased NPY for not doing the driving, made a deal of not seeing little Kit in the back seat, and tried to call me on driving away while the emergency brake was still on. It was down, but looks up.) On our way back to Canada, we may have done some creative (and always minor) accounting and NPY handles that pressure better and stays in the driver’s seat.

We’re also getting the hang of eating when we go on a roadtrip. We usually hit up a “value-added” American chain restaurant and order independently and feel disgusting from the food, exacerbated by sitting in a car all day. We tried it with some success at a Claim Jumper last time and this time at Macaroni Grill: we split a salad and an entree wherein I, proportional to my size and metabolic rate, eat just one-third of each.

It wasn’t too bad for NPY to hang with just girls for the drive and we did tease when the conversation veered towards discussion about underwear after I queried why someone wanted to go to Walmart in Tulalip. Funny enough, all four of us went a little crazy in Walmart. It occurred in the cereal aisle where we saw Eggo cereal and chocolate Mini Wheats. These are products I’ll hear about on The Impulsive Buy blog (American, based out of Hawaii) but wait in vain for their arrival in Canada. Even NPY got into it and selected two boxes of cereal all regularly priced at under $3 while we are lucky to get them for $4 at the regular markets. Between the four of us, we got 11 boxes of cereal! I also got Quaker hazelnut latte oatmeal because I was sure we don’t get that here.

Shopping for clothing was the major event and other than a tantalizing teaser at Macy’s in the morning, we didn’t get to Seattle Premium Outlets until 5:30 or 6. We made up for it when we did finally arrive! I seem to have had prints on my mind adding the white dress from Ann Taylor to the white blouse from Macy’s–I think it’s the nicest white dress I will ever own. I also tried on the best little black dress (LBD)–most unfortunately only photographed with my phone camera–at Banana Republic. NPY echoed my thoughts, “It looks like a ballet dress,” with the cross-over neckline and cross-over detail on the skirt, without any of the wrap-dress fussiness. But Kit tried on the same dress and it showed me how it ought to look so I had to return it to the shelf. I was quite shocked that Kit didn’t have a dress to attend a wedding recently so it was satisfying to send the girl home with two dresses from our trip!

Of course, I got another 20-pack of hangers for $2 from Target. We always visit Target and/or Walmart and I seem to get a 20-pack of hangers each time. NPY keeps taking my hangers home with him. The newest 20-pack is teal-coloured.

NPY got what he wanted: shoes. Although he thinks he’s quite different from “Tim”, one of the boyfriends, I like to think they bonded over shoes at Nordstrom and Nike when they really liked each other’s shoes! NPY bought white Lacoste shoes that are going to plague me when he fusses over them. Good thing I can always divert myself with anything on my iPhone….

Finally, I had to snap a picture at one of our last stops, the Nike Factory Outlet store, because they seem to be all about the wyn win right now.