Shop Miss A!! A bargain hunter's dream?

What if there was a dollar store that had amazing makeup, jewelery, and accessories and you could shop for all of it from your couch?  What if they offered free shipping on orders over $30 and had good customer service too? I found this amazing site called ShopMissA.com and I love it!!  I have placed 3 orders so far and I have been able to get a wide variety of their products and feel like I can tell you what to look for and give you tips on it all. The biggest thing to watch out for is lead in their jewelry.  This is my only disappointment with this store.  I love the jewelry that I got from them, but several of the pieces had warning labels that stated "not intended for children," "for ages 14 and older," etc.  I believe one even had the "this product contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause.." label.  Some of their jewelry items do say "lead free" on the website but not all do.  In the future I will only be ordering items that state "lead free" on the website. My only other warning is that you need to check your package and everything in it thoroughly right when you get it.  If anything is broken or defective or you just want to return or exchange something, you only have 3 business days from when your package arrived to you.  I had 3 out of my 40 something items that were broken/defective in my first order and 1 in my second order and 3 in the third. With the 1st order I contacted them about 2 weeks later and at first they just told me their policy and that I had missed their cutoff.  They did give me store credit when I complained that their cutoff date was not a normal amount of days for a return and that it was only listed on the site under the returns tab (which you wouldn't check until you were already trying to do a return and you might already be too late without even knowing it at that point).  The only other con is that stuff sells out quickly.  They get some really amazing things for $1 but usually the best colors and options are sold out when I look at the site.  They have an email subscription that alerts you when they add inventory and I would highly recommend joining it if you love the site. Thanks for reading!!  Have you ever tried this site?  Leave me a comment below with your thoughts!

Lace and damask and bling. Oh my!

I got my clothes from Twice.com last week!  My $3.35 order full of gently used wonderful goodness is now happily hanging in my closet (read my shopping how-to here).   It was super fun to get dressed for work today with so many choices.  My only problem was matching an outfit together...You know when you're little and you have so many favorite treats and you think that they should all go great together but they don't?  That's what I was afraid was going to happen getting dressed this morning.   I did end up with a lot going on in my outfit, but I loved it.  With so much going on I am just hoping it didn't look like I let a little kid dress me :) 

My grey sweater shirt is from INC International Concepts via Like Twice ($.56) similar here, peach lace skirt from Down East Basic (gift) similar here, damask tights from JCPenney similar here, shoes are Alfani via Runway Fashion Exchange $8 similar here. Thanks so much for reading!   Would you wear so much texture in one outfit?  Please share any getting dressed guidelines you have in the comments below :)  (My main one is not to wear a loose top with a loose bottom, it just looks sloppy to me.)

Coupons and Deals

I want to do more posts that actually help you save money on good makeup products.  Today I decided I would give myself 30 minutes to look at coupons and drugstore ads to find some great deals.

Holy cow!  This is not an easy task.  Most drugstore deals aren't as good as they seem when you factor in that part of the savings has to be used on another transaction.  With stores like Rite aid you have to come back the next day or later to redeem your "reward."

So here's what I found...

If you live near CVS and need toothpaste (I know, not exactly beauty related) you can get some for free on the spot.  Follow this link to get a manufacturer's coupon ($1 off) and go to the store to print out a coupon from the red box ($2 off) and use both for free toothpaste. :)
Also they have Crest toothpaste for $2.99 and you get a $2 reward for buying it and there's a coupon for 50 cents off here.  So you would still pay $1.49 out of pocket, but then you'd have $2.00 to spend on something else.  (I might be super boring and domestic and use it to buy two of their dawn dish soaps that are on sale for $.99)

At Target if you buy three Secret deodorants you get a $5 gift card.  Use these two links link link for coupons off of the deodorant.  Buy it and then do the rest of your shopping and use your gift card.    If you don't want to buy three deodorants you can buy one or two and then round out your three required items with mouthwash, toothpaste, body wash, feminine hygiene items or shampoo/conditioner (here).  Coupons for these items: Crest here, same link Tampax, Always, Pantene, Olay, Head and Shoulders.  Almost everything in this promotion has a printable manufacturer's coupon.

At RiteAid they have L'oreal cosmetics 40% off and I have a $2 off coupon.  I'm planning on getting some of their True Match Mineral Makeup.  I've had this loose foundation in the past and loved it.  I am really not liking any liquid foundation at the moment :(
They also have Physician's Formula cosmetics BOGO free.  Which is awesome!  You don't see this deal that often.  Also if you spend $30 on select makeup you get a $10 reward.  If you are running low on a lot of stuff you could make this worth you while.  

At Walgreen's they have Sinful Colors nail polish for 99 cents.  If you have coupons preclipped they have other okay deals, but if you just rely on printables there really isn't any deals that are that great.


If you get the Ulta ad make sure you save the $3.50 off of $10.  Also the Victoria's Secret Semi Annual Sale starts today (see this post for tips on insane prices for bras) and there's a great sale going on at Rue 21 (text "june" to 78321 for the coupon).

Birthday Spending Money

This year for my Birthday I had a really hard time deciding on specific things that I wanted.  I've been really, really good at not spending money on myself this year.  We set a budget for almost everything and anything we would want to or need to spend on and I have tried really hard to make sure we come in under or at budget on everything.

I feel like it is like a starvation diet.  Anytime I am in a store I see all of the pretty things and if I weren't naturally a very frugal person, I know I would have a crazy binge shopping spree.

I had some birthday coupons, a leftover gift card from my birthday last year, and some birthday money.  So I took myself on a much needed birthday shopping spree!  Jackson and I went to three stores and got a lot of fun stuff.

First we went to Ulta.  I wandered around the store, but couldn't really find anything that I really wanted that was less than $30.  I didn't want to spend all of my money in one place so I used my free birthday mascara code and moved on.  

They give you a free full sized CK one mascara for your birthday.  It usually retails for $18.  There was something wrong with my code, but they had amazing customer service and made it work for me.

Next we went to Rue 21.  They had a whole table full of $5 shirts.  I almost went crazy and bought a bunch of them.  There were so many cute ones!  It is Rue 21 though and I have had a bit of bad luck in the past with their stuff holding up, and my little closet is already bursting at the seams.  So I reigned myself in and got the most practical cute shirt.  This one with black and white stripes and the long back.

Then I wandered around the store in search of some cute colored or floral skinny jeans.  I didn't find any that fit me, but I did find this really dark simple denim pair for $10 that actually fit well.

I had to check out their jewlery.  They always have cute stuff that is within my budget.  I found a few things I kinda liked that were not on sale.  Then I found quite a few necklaces that I really liked and realized that they were all on sale for $2.  So I got these three.

When I rang up I used the remainder of a gift card that I got last year.  So I paid $4.96 for a pair of jeans, a shirt, and three necklaces.  Wahoo!

My last stop was Victoria's Secret.  They had a few bins already set out for the Semi-Annual Sale.  I found a gorgeous bra for $19.99 (I thought).  $10 for an awesome bra!  I was so excited, so I went to ring up and realized that I had been distracted with Jackson and in a hurry and the sign actually said $19.99 and up.  The bra was still thirty odd dollars with my $10 off coupon.

I had to awkwardly tell the lady that I had been confused and that I didn't want the bra at that price.  Jackson at this point decided that he had had it and started screaming.  The cashier tried to hand me the bra and I probably was kind of rude when I said, "No. I don't want it."  Props to her because she was really cool about it and not rude at all when I came back to the register a few minutes later.

I was able to get him calmed down, which was nice, because I thought we were just going to have to go home at that point.  I found a concealer that was regularly $15.  It was on a 30% off sale and with my $10 off coupon I bought it for 53 cents.

So I went on a crazy fun little shopping spree and spent...$5.49

Thanks for reading!! P.S. I'm linking up with Beauty and the Greek and Manic Monday.

How to shop at Victoria's Secret

VS can be a very expensive store to shop at, but thay have some amazing things. Super comfy sweats, beautiful bras and panties, great beauty and fragrance items, gorgeous and practical workout gear, and the best swimwear.

The great thing about VS is how much you can save on their products. I have gotten so many great deals and many free items throughout the years. Yes, completely free :) The even greater thing is that you don't have to spend a ton to save a ton.

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. Semi-annual sale:

This is the best! It happens at the beginning of June and January each year. You can get bras for $15 each and bath and body products for $3.

Before the sale starts go in and get sized and try on their sample bras. They have plain bras in each model in the dressing room so you can figure out what you like. Then write this info down. They typically have little cards for this.

Go back during the first few days of the sale and find the bins with your size and find the models that you liked and get what you want.

They mark everything down more each day that the sale goes on, but they have a price adjustment policy. Look at your receipt to see how many days you have and how much longer the sale goes on. Come back within your price adjustment period close to the last day of the sale (make sure you go in before the sale ends). 

In the past I have done this and have been able to get what I want before everything is picked over. Then I came back and had the price adjusted to the lowest sale price ($14.99).

Look over the clearance clothes and body care too if you like that stuff. You'll love what they have and how cheap it is. I always stock up on lotions and body wash for me and to give as gifts.

2. Clearance:

I have a swimming suit that I love from VS that I got for a really good deal from their online clearance. I even had to exchange the bottom for another size, and I still would do it again in a heart beat. I also have two pairs of their PINK brand sweat pants that I got on clearance. One pair was $25 and one was $15. If you've ever looked at those pants you know that's a great deal. They typically cost around $50 each.

I don't usually find much on clearance in stores. So I shop clearance online. Shipping and handling does cut into your savings a bit, so you'll have to factor that in. Returns and exchanges for me have been painless and once you've paid shipping on the item you don't pay again for an exchange.

3. Coupons:

Being in VS's mailing system is a beautiful thing. When they send you coupons they are good coupons. So good that you don't even have to buy anything and get a free pair of panties.

They do this to get you back in the store to buy something, but you don't have to. I have used the coupons both with and without a purchase. Remember they sent you the promotion because you have spent money in their store and they want you to continue to be a customer. 

They also will send out a coupon for $10 off a bra. You will save more by shopping at the semi-annual sale, but if you can't wait until the next sale, at least make sure you use one of these coupons. 

I'm also including secret rewards in this category. When they do a secret rewards promotion they give you a card with each purchase that is worth at least $10. So when I bought my PINK pants I bought the first pair then the second and used the card and actually received another card that I used to buy the hair mousse they used in the fashion show last year. It was $14.50, I used my card and got it for $4.50.


Have fun shopping and saving!!




Be sure to check out Fry Sauce and Grits here for a wonderful link up party dedicated to lifestyle blogging.

Also check out Agape Love Designs link up here

The best of elf cosmetics: what to get and what to skip (plus huge half off sale)

I was already working on this post of what I've tried from e.l.f. Cosmetics. The post was going to be "what to get and what to skip." Now they're having this amazing sale....and a lot of my "picks" are half off. Sweet! 

If you've wanted to try e.l.f., if you like e.l.f., or want to try new products, now is the time. If you order $35 or more they have free shipping. I would buddy up with one or two other people and put together an order for the free shipping. Here's my recommendations.

Get:

Essential line:

All over color stick

Clear brow mascara

Luscious liquid lipstick

Facial whip

Eye shadow brush

Mineral:

Loose mineral eye shadow (on sale)

Studio:

Mineral infused face primer (on sale)

Studio kabuki brush (on sale)

Studio makeup mist and set (on sale)

Studio baked blush (on sale)

Studio baked bronzer (on sale)

Skip:

Studio corrective concealer

Studio HD powder

And based on reviews and my current needs..here's my wish list or to try list.

What I want to try:

Smudge pots (on sale)

Studio HD blush (on sale)

Blush palette (on sale)

BB cream (on sale)

Studio eye brow kit (on sale)

Studio baked highlighter (on sale)