I’m Done With You February 2018

I’ve waited far too long to do an empties post. The last one I did was five months ago. I feel like I should have used up more stuff but I’m guilty of a bunch of half used things in my current stash. I get bored easily so can rarely use something long enough to go through it.

*something I’d repurchase

Candles

All BBW: Fresh Balsam, Island Margarita, Twisted Peppermint, Toasted Graham Latte (all of these were wonderful)****

Body Products

BBW: Spiced Pumpkin Cider* and Be Enchanted* body washes. The Body Shop Honeymania body butter (too strong of a fragrance for me)

BBW Wallflowers (no photo)

Pumpkin Apple*, Flannel*, Mahogany Balsam*, Sparkling Sugar Plum

Hair products

Bed Head urban antidotes hair mask* - a great hair mask that lasted for a long time 

Rusk Deep Shine Color hair mask*- another good mask. I usually use hair masks instead of cinditioner when I wash my hair. Blond abuse.
L’Oréal Color Radiance Instant Miracle - this is barely used but I didn’t like it

Matrix Play Back dry shampoo - this is a decent dry shampoo that doesn’t have a strong scent

BBW Hand Soaps

Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte*, Merry Cookie, Pumpkin Cupcake*, Japanese Cherry Blossom*, Maui Mango Mai Tai*, Winter*

BBW Anti-Bac

Pure Paradise, Golden Apricot, Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte*** (all are great)

Skin Care

Lancôme Visionnaire Nuit Beauty Sleep Perfector - this was a freebie for me and while it was nice, I can't get passed the $102 CDN price tag.
Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer* - my everyday face SPF in winter
Ole Henrickson Pure Truth Youth Activating Serum*
Aveda Tulasera Calm concentrate - this was a nice product but it was  are sample and I don't need anything to calm my skin
Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Deep Dive cleansing gel- I got this from Sephora as a 100 point reward as I wanted something small to take on vacation. It worked really well and I had no problems with my skin while I was away.
Eucerin Daily Protection SPF 30* - I bought this in the US. It's perfect for face SPF and carry-on friendly

Make-up

Real Techniques makeup sponge - this was okay but not as good as the BeautyBlender
Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless foundation- I really like this but I’m going to stop buying at because I find it oxidizes on my face as the day goes on
Garner micellar water* -this is perfectly fine but not as good as Bioderma. If you don’t want to shell out the money for Bioderma it’s a good close second
L’Oréal Infallible Pro-Glow foundation* - my favorite drugstore foundation so far. I actually prefer it over most high end foundations I’ve tried. I always have this in my stash.
L’Oréal Brow Artist Shaper - the color and formula is great but I wish it was in a finer point.
Body Shop lip gloss in Papaya
BeautyBlender original* - I use this every day!
Victoria’s Secret lip gloss
I'm not sure where my mascaras went... I used 2 or 3 sample side ones but I must have thrown them away. I know one of them was a Benefit Rollerlash which is my favourite.

Thanks for sticking around to look at my recycling pile!

XOXO
Glittery Girl

90s and Now

The 90s was the decade that probably was the most influential on my own personal style, given that was the decade of my teen years. I love that the 90s seem to be sneaking back in - slip dresses, combat boots, monochrome dressing. I've done a tiny nod to the 90s here with a tank over a button up shirt. 

Style tip: It can get bulky looking if you try to do this with a thick weight button-up. Make sure the one you pick is thin. 

 Details

Shirt and hat: Forever 21

Tank: Uniqlo

Jeans:Zara

Coat: Banana Republic

Boots: Town Shoes

Earrings: H&M

I actually wore this ages ago (Boxing Day, hence the stocking on the doorknob), but I've been really behind in my blogging these days. Blame it on all the good books I'm reading!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

January 2018 Purchases

Every month, I break down my clothing expenses and share them. My quarterly budget is $550. This amount can be rolled into the next quarter if it's not all spent. My goal is to keep my out of pocket expenses within $2200 a year. Gifts and gift cards don't count towards my budget. Since I've been keeping a budget, I'm much more careful with what I buy, and I will return stuff at the end of the month if I'm not crazy about it after hanging it in my closet.

I came into 2018 with a slightly boosted budget from money not spent last year. My allowance for this quarter is $564. January is always a fabulous month for big sales.

Coat: Zara (only XL is left, now $50!)
Reg $170, on sale for $100
I saw this on the website when it first came out and loved it. Then I saw it on Allana Davidson and it looked so good I needed to own it. It’s a bit oversized and so super cozy. I feel like I’ve bought so many new coats in the past year, but honestly, they’re all you see of an outfit for many months here in Canada so I won’t let myself feel guilty about it. This one sheds a bit of the wooly stuff so I’ll have to be sure I have a lint roller with me if I’m wearing dark colors underneath.

Shirt: H&M
Reg $40, on sale for $15
I’ve been a long time fan of anything army green and I actually have a top similar to this one that is old and too big on me anyway. The material is really soft.

Shirt: RW&Co
Reg $70, on sale for $15
This is a really nice basic white shirt that would d look great for work or on the weekend with jeans.

Tops: RW&Co
Reg $36 each, on sale for $4.50 each
These are so perfect for work with cardigans or with shirts that are too low. I bought one in blue and one in grey. They had other colors but were sold out in my size.

Sweater: American Eagle Outfitters (no longer available)
Reg $60, on sale for $9
I’ve been obsessed with pink this winter, which is weird for me. It’s a nice change from all the black and grey that my closet is full of. I probably wouldn’t have looked at this sweater twice for the regular price, but for $9, even if I don’t reach for it often, it’s ok.

Hat: Babaton at Aritzia
Reg $35, on sale for $13
I needed a new black winter hat and I love the texture of this one and the floppy top.

Original value of items: $447
Price I paid: $161
I saved 64%

That leaves me with $404 for this quarter. On my wish list for February - black flat ankle booties to replace my ones from Aldo that are getting worn out. I'm actually doing an on-line order from DSW tonight for some hopefuls. There’s still lots of winter left for cold weather attire!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Currently 01.31.18

Disclaimer: I will throw references about my vacation (Iberostar Bavaro Suites in Punta Cana) into this post constantly. If that annoys you, don't say I didn't warn you. I should be over it soon.

This water though...

Reading
The Daylight Marriage by Heidi Pitlor - A fairly fast suspense novel, but I was not satisfied with the ending at all.
Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight - Loved this one! It reminded me a lot of 13 Reasons Why. A good twist at the end.
Carry Me Down by MJ Hyland - This kept my attention enough to finish it, but I found it supremely depressing. Basically about a boy with psychological issues.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - I almost didn't read this book, but I finished Carry Me Down one day at work and didn't have another book to start so I picked it up out of the reading room. I'm so glad I did! I liked it so much that I brought it on vacation with me to finish. A post-apocalyptic read with excellent character development. 

Walking on Trampolines by Frances Whiting - Perfect beach book. I flew through this novel about a complicated love triangle that also focuses on other important relationships.

Writing
Not much of anything but maybe I'll write some poems for Valentine's Day.

Clicking
I've been playing Word Cookies on my phone - so addictive - but I took a relative break from most social media while I was on vacation. No online shopping has been done lately either (weird).

Watching
This is Us, Season 4 of Suits, KUWTK, Grey's. I'm not watching as much YouTube lately.

Eating
I can't stop thinking about the doughnuts at the Iberostar. I'm not even someone who eats a lot of doughnuts, but I sure did last week (ummm... three times a day...)! Lots of great food was eaten while on vacation, but my favourite meal was the sushi, grilled chicken, veggies and rice at the Japanese restaurant. Since I've been home, I've made two new soup recipes from the book Yum and Yummer.

Drinking
My vacation drink of choice was wine at night and vodka-cranberry-orange in the daytime. In normal life, I've still been stuck on tea (a cup or two every morning at work).  Lemon Pound Cake by DAVIDsTEA is my current fave. I need to drink more water.

Smelling
Twisted Peppermint candle

Seeing
A messy kitchen table (mine) full of mail, Harveys coupons, and golf balls.

Hearing
The sports show that seems to be playing in the background at our house ALL THE TIME. Never stops.

Wearing
The oldest lulu pants on earth (2005!), Under Armour tee, hoodie

Feeling
Like I'm fighting off an illness that is bound to get me. So many people coughing and sneezing. Orange juice and vitamins are my friends.

Anticipating
I've got that post-vacation low where I just want to rewind time and lay on a beach. The next vacation needs to be decided on soon so I can have something to look forward to.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl