Lolita Lempicka - Fleur defendue 50 ml Eau de parfum:  $20.84 $8.83 @ FragranceX (RSP:  $82)

It's the yellow bottle....I read so many good things about this company, I didn't think there'd be any problems.  But sadly, there was.

I bought the item unboxed, which is supposed to be a completely new bottle without packaging (or damaged packaging.

Well....I'm pretty sure it's been used!  I noticed right away that the volume wasn't the same as my other one, which is the exact same size (and exact same bottle!):

The other reason I'm sure is because I can smell the scent from the bottle.  From my other two bottles which have never been sprayed, I can't smell anything.

Even though it was still a good price considering everything, I'm annoyed that I was deceived.  I don't think I would have bought a bottle of perfume that was used, at least not for a way heftier discount.

It turns out they have a ton of negative reviews, even for selling fakes...I'm sure this one is real.  It smells pretty darn good too!

I sent them an e-mail...let's see if they reply.  I hope they do something about this, what they did was totally wrong.

I was interested in buying one more perfume from them, but if they blow me off I really shouldn't.

Because I bought it through ebates, it'll actually work out to $19.38!  That's including shipping.  Well, that's if ebates ever comes through, it still doesn't show up in my account!

*edit*

I don't know why, but a little more than a month later, they sent me $10.55 back, which makes it only $8.83!  What a steal.  That's definitely what I would pay for a somewhat used tester.

I complained a while ago, and they said I could return the item for a refund.  They even sent me a prepaid postage label!

I decided I didn't want to deal with the hassle (especially of getting my full payment back) so I didn't do anything.  This was a total surprise.

Levere of London - Long grey belted wool coat:  $9

Pearl and lace button up blouse:  $3

Both @ Value Village.

I was really unsure of the coat, since I already have so many....but this is such wonderful quality!  The coat is so thick and structured, plus it's warm and pretty flattering.

I'm sad to see that there's no info about them on the internet, I would have thought there'd be something considering how well it's made!

Blouse detailing:

No maker label.  I love the pearl buttons.

Gold metal stretch belt with toggle closure:  $2 @ Value Village

I normally don't just walk out with one thing!  It was surprising.  There was actually a leather jacket that I was almost going to buy, but now I'm glad I didn't.

It was $7.50, but it was such a flattering and sexy fit!  I didn't buy it because the leather was kind of hard and old...it didn't feel much better than pleather so what was the point.

This belt on the other hand, is awesome!  I love the way it closes.

Leather belt with snakeskin buckle closure:  $1.50 ()
Valentino Orlandi - Red leather bow clutch:  $5 (RSP:  $2000+) (18 days)
Moschinio tie:  $3.50 (3 days)
Paulith - Black leather belt with twisted metal accents:  $2 (18 days)

H&M - NWT Ruffle shoulder coral top:  $2.50 (RSP:  $29.95) (11 days)
Vintage pink ceramic cat coin bank:  $2.50 (3 days)

All @ Talize.

Score!!  I knew the purse was amazing quality when I felt how gorgeous the leather was.  Their purses retail for $2000+! It's hard to tell from the picture, but some of the panels are actually patent leather.




I actually wasn't super crazy about it, but since the design was interesting (and the quality was wonderful) I bought it.  The cashier totally thought it was underpriced, I saw her double checking the markings.

The Moschino was the last thing I found.  It was more than I wanted to pay, but I have a soft spot for that brand.  It's my first tie!  I thought the print was way too feminine for any guy to wear.

The H&M top...well, it was new with tags, my size, and I thought the style was really great.  I'm totally happy with it, what a great deal!

The piggy bank was just too cute to pass up.  If it's cute, vintage, and pink, I'm probably going to buy it.  I hesitated a bit because this was made in China (so I wasn't sure of its age), but it was cheap enough so I got it.

Bebe - Cropped blazer:  $7.50 (RSP:  $120+) (6 days)
Julie-Nicole - White sleeveless blazer:  $3.50 (20 days)


Badak Italy - Red wool blazer with navy cut out trim:  $5 (3 days)
Jean Paul Gaultier -  Blue blazer:  $6.50 (RSP:  $1000+) (19 days)

All @ Talize.

It was half price day, so I just had to go!  I wasn't sure if I could since I was having car problems...I didn't even go to Value Village yesterday!

Anyway, I just had to make it to this sale.  They always have such great stuff!

I was so surprised when I found the Gaultier:

I actually almost didn't get it.  It's pretty plain....but how can you say no to Gaultier that fits you??

The bebe blazer was honestly the best one of the lot though.  It has so many gorgeous details that the camera didn't pick up!  It looked new too, but $7.50 was a bit pricey for it.  I'm itching for actual thrift store prices, I hope some of the other stores step it up soon!

Black lace teal peplum top 

Hawaiian tropic sunblock

Both gifts from my friend!  The top cost her $11, but I think that was already a sale price.  It's so gorgeous!

The colour is completely wrong in the picture.  It's way more green than blue, a nice teal.

Studded peplum dresses with silver spike shoulders (aqua and coral):  $5 each @ Sirens (RSP:  $27 each)

Finally!  I've been watching these since last year.  They've been $10 for a long time, but I was waiting to see if they would go down any more.  $5 is really what I wanted to pay.

It paid off today!  It wasn't my preferred size, but I just couldn't let them go.  I know they'll definitely fit, so I just need to get my butt in gear!

I actually was undecided at first, but since there was no lineup and I had some time to spare, I thought that was a sign.  They actually look way better on than I thought!  If I knew how it would fit beforehand, there would be no second thoughts!

They're actually still $10 at all of the other ones I went to.  I'm going to be cheezed if I find it that cheap in my preferred size later on.

More samples...I also tried out a lot more perfumes.

Juicy Couture - Couture Couture:  Disgusting!  It smelled like stale grape juice.  I almost bought it, so thankfully that fell through.  I remember really liking it from the bottle, so I was totally taken aback.  It didn't smell how I thought at all!

YSL - Parisienne:  This was a total surprise.  It smells divine from the bottle and on the card, but it smelled horrible on me.  Not the same at all!  I forgot what I sprayed on myself, the scent was so different.  Sharp and sickly.

Flowerbomb - This is so amazing in the bottle and on the card.  It does smell somewhat similar on me, but not as great.  There's kind of a nasty undertone when it's on me.  I think I don't do that well with florals.

Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme:  Smells great!  Just like it does from the bottle.  I think I do well with musky scents.  But my Lempickas are pretty musky so I don't really need any more.  It's a nice twist on it though, I'll definitely pick this up if I find it cheap.  Lasting power isn't super impressive and it never develops into anything more once it's applied.

John Galliano - Parlez moi d'amour:  I thought this would be my signature, it smells so amazing!  Luckily, it does smell the same on me, but after a while it has some slight odd undertones on me.  Still, all and all pretty good.  Lasting power is better than I thought, but like the pour femme, it doesn't develop into anything else.

It smells better in the bottle than on me, though it's not bad on me.  It smells better at first, after a while it's not as great.  Still, I'd buy it if I found one for a good price.  Not a must buy.

So far I like Signorina better on me, even though I love Parlez moi more from the bottle.  But that one also has the problem of not developing into something more, and it doesn't last too long either. 

Ed Hardy - Villainess:  Absolutely disgusting!  Smelled completely different on me, I wanted to scrub it off!  It smelled so cheap and synthetic on.  Makes me want to avoid his other fragrances.

Katy Perry - Meow:  It smells quite pleasant from the bottle (sometimes), but it doesn't smell the same on.  It's a chemical fruit for a little bit then it's just a vanilla...the vanilla smells pretty synthetic but not unpleasant.

But the biggest surprise for me - it lasts so long!!  Over 24 hours on me....big shocker.  That's never happened to me before (probably could have with Alien if I gave it enough time).  The scent was still pretty strong too!

I returned it though.  I think I could get the same kind of scent from a cheap body spray, though of course I wouldn't expect the same lasting power.

I do like vanilla, but I'd rather have one that smelled more authentic.  This one didn't smell very expensive. 

Samples from another mall.  Was introduced to a really great fragrance today - Dolce & Gabbana pour femme!  I'll have to try it out next time.

White lace peplum top (RSP:  $20)

Black lace peplum top (RSP:  $20)

White lace up bustier top (RSP:  $20)

Black lace up bustier top (RSP:  $20)

White high low halter top (RSP:  $12)
Coral high low hatler top (RSP:  $12)

Floral bustier peplum top (RSP:  $20)

Red shirred military pants (RSP: $ 18)

$20 for everything @ Sirens.

Isn't that amazing??  That works out to $2.50 each!  They were having a buy 2 get 1 free sale, and they even let me use a $5 off coupon!  I really didn't think they would.

It turns out the cashier forgot to scan one in (the white lace up bustier), but 7 for $20 would have been a steal too.

And...that's why thrift store prices are such a ripoff!

The floral bustier was my favourite.  I've actually been eyeing the lace up bustiers for a while, but I'm glad I didn't buy them before now.  

Even though I have a lot of peplums, the lace one was too pretty to pass up.  It's so flattering on, and the length is shorter than the other ones I have.

The halters....they're nice, but I only got them because of the deal.  They were actually cheaper than I thought!  One was marked at $6.

Vintage suede purse:  $7.80
Celine - Wool trench style coat:  $18 (RSP:  $3200+!)

Both @ Sisters

I almost didn't go in!  That would have been a huge mistake.  Everything was 40% off so I decided to take a look.

The coat caught my eye right away, but it was a little more than I wanted to pay.  I had no hesitations once I tried it on though...it fits like a dream!  Like it was made for me.



Definitely one of my best finds ever, I'm so happy!  I don't think it's very old, the label and fit are definitely modern.

I ended up buying this too, since I was interested in it last time.  I just love the classic style, and it looked new.

It was great quality too...it's even suede on the inside!  I'm not exactly sure if it's suede on the outside, since it's not like any other suede I've felt.  It's definitely some kind of leather though.

Bath retreat - Cocoa body mist:  $1.99 each @ Shoppers drug mart (RSP:  $8.49 each)
Lululemon reusable bag:  free ($4 online!)

I tried this last time and was surprised at how nice it was.  It lasted almost the entire day, and it smelled so good!

I was worried they might be all sold out, or the sale might have been over.

Well, when I got there they had a few left, but the sale signs were gone!  I checked anyway...and surprisingly, they were even cheaper than last time (which was $3.99)!

I ended up getting two.  This time it smelled a little cheaper, but I think that's because of the moisturizer I put on this time.  Last time it was just divine!

There was another one I wanted, but this one was better.  It didn't smell as good this time either, so I decided to pass on it.  I'll get it if it's around next time.

I wanted something I could use everyday...I just don't want to be using up my perfumes for ordinary occasions.  This is a nice and cheap alternative.

The bag wasn't from here, it was from Sister's.  It was nice of them to give me that instead of a plastic bag (which I stupidly paid for here!).

Various samples...the BB cream was the best!  It's pretty decently sized at 8 ml, especially since the regular size is around 30 ml.

 

Katy Perry - Meow! gift set:  $28.99 @ London Drugs (RSP:  $49.99 - $65+)

The set includes the following:

-100  ml eau de parfum spray

-10 ml eau de parfum roll on

-120 ml shimmering body lotion

-120 ml shower gel

I really don't know why I bought this.  I was just browsing online and saw this gift set...I thought it was a great price, considering the perfume alone retails for $65!  I've even seen people pay $80 plus shipping for this set on eBay!

I never thought I'd buy a celebrity perfume, but I actually smelled her other one and really liked it.  I can't remember if I smelled this one or not.  If so, I didn't think much of it.

Well....I really loved the bottle!  And I thought I might like the scent (since I read online that this dries similar to her other one), so I decided to buy the set in case I liked it.

Plus...it was sold out at my nearest store, and the other one only had one in stock!  I didn't know how long the sale would last, so I decided to go out and buy it right away.  It was on my mind for the last few days, so I just had to go!

This is what it looks like from the outside:

On the inside:

I saw the 30 ml versions for $20 each at Shoppers drug mart, but didn't think it was worth it (that's how much my Lempicka's cost!).

This one was $9 more for 70 more ml, plus all of those extras!  That one seemed worth it.  Moreover, I didn't have to pay anything since I had some gift cards (thanks Mom!).

I'm going to see if I can test the fragrance at another store, I still might end up returning this.  Too bad Purr wasn't on sale, I really like that one!

I read that some people in the US were finding this size perfume for $20, some as low as $10!  I would have preferred to pay that much, but I doubted it would ever go that low here.

Well, I'll be kicking myself if it does!  Who knows what will happen after Christmas!  Paying $20 less and foregoing the extras would be a no-brainer.

Novi Stars - Tula toned, Una Verse, and Mallie Tasker:  $9.97 each @ Toys r us (RSP:  $24.99 each)
Xtra closet:  $3 @ Dollarama

Finally!  I've been waiting for these dolls to go under $10.  That sure took a long time....once I was tempted when they were $12, but I'm glad I waited.

I just wished I decided to buy them earlier, since I could have price matched them at wal mart and used my gift card to get them for free.  Oh well, next time!

The last two were must haves, but I was unsure about the first one.  I think the idea of her is really interesting, but her execution was kind of messy.  She just seems all over the place!

I already opened her up, so I guess she's staying.  She's water filled, otherwise I definitely wouldn't have been tempted!

The back, in case I decide to get rid of the packaging:

There were two other ones I was interested in, but I just didn't feel like they were worth it.  One of them was just scented, while the other one lit up (in a cheap happy meal kind of way).

The ones I bought were water or glitter filled, and the one with multiple arms is stretchy and glows in the dark.  I love gimmicks like that! 

If the other ones go any lower, I'll pick them up too.  But for now I'm satisfied.

So exciting!  I didn't know that some companies sent out samples on request.  This one only took 6 days, the sizes are so generous!

I kind of wish I asked for more...they have a ton of fragrances that I'm really curious about. 

Samples...they seem to give this one away ever so often.  It's nice that it all comes in a fabric pouch.