Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Adventures in Shopping

Last Thursday morning, I checked my email and received a invitation to check out Sephora Favorites at Sephora.com. I don't know if these are new or on sale or why they were being brought to my attention, but I clicked on them and on a whim, bought a couple. They're boxed sets of little samples of different types of products (don't worry - I took pictures to help explain). I bought the moisturizer set - it had hope in a jar by philosophy, best skintentions by bliss, one by korres, and several others; a lipstick set; and a pink lipgloss set for Supergirl to play with. Initially, I was worried that the samples would be really tiny - like those little bitty ones they give out in the store. I don't know why I worried about that, but I did. Probably because they were fairly high dollar products for really reasonable prices - all of the boxes were less than $40. I had never shopped on Sephora.com before, but had bought stuff in the store a time or two and liked the atmosphere. My order qualified for free shipping, which as you know always applies to the slowest method of shipping, but I figured, hey, get it to me whenever, Sephora. As I said, I placed the order Thursday morning. Well, it was sitting on my back porch when I got home Friday night. And I live in BFE, North Carlina. Well played, Sephora.com. Well played, indeed. And the boxed sets turned out to be cool as hell. Some of the samples are practically full-sized products! Here is the moisturizer box:

And the samples inside: I started with the Korres moisturizer on the far left, because it is scented with rosewater and it smells divine. I've been using it since Friday night and so far I love it.












The lipstick box:


And the samples inside it. Several of those are nearly full-size! Score!
















As you can tell, I am now a full-fledged Sephora fan.

In the "the Internet is a fabulous place" and "the good you do comes back to you" files, remember when I wanted to send care packages to everyone with copies of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in them? Well, Alice was one of the people who took me up on my offer. When she posted a picture of the small care package I sent her, one of her friends, Malnurtured Snay, commented that it was a good book, that the sequel, The Girl Who Played With Fire, was available in hardcover, and that the third book in the series, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, which won't be published here until next spring, had just that day become available in the UK and he had ordered it from Amazon.uk. SO! I hopped my happy little fingers on over to Amazon.uk and ordered myself a copy of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Including shipping, which I was worried was going to be expensive, it was about the same price as walking into a bookstore and buying it brand new in hard cover at full price. And it will arrive next week, just before my birthday! Happy birthday to me, from me.

I also stopped at Wa!-Mart over the weekend and bought tampons and the second Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood book, which, as I observed to Rock, go together in a sick kind of way.

What about you? Any retail therapy lately?

14 comments:

nicole said...

No retail therapy for me, but I did buy my baby girl some darling little clothes, which is nearly the same as buying for me.

I might give the True Blood series a try. I'm all wrapped up in historical fiction right now, but could use some more modern reads. My poor brain can't keep up.

I'm feeling crafty and might attempt to make some flower clips for my girls. Living on a budget and all that.

Anonymous said...

I have several of the Sookie books if you want them. I tried and couldn't get into them, so they're yours for the taking. I think I have at least the first 4 or 5. I'll go find them and email you a list.

Shelly said...

Nicole - I love buying little kid clothes! They're so cute and easy to shop for! The True Blood series is an easy, quick read. Total guilty pleasure. Your flower clip idea sounds really cute! You'll have to post pictures! I'd love to see how they turn out.

Shelly said...

Shelly - I emailed you back, sweetie!

Fiona Picklebottom said...

Pants, pants and more pants. EVERYONE in my house needed pants. WHY I have approximately 548 pairs of size 4T and sizes 10 and 12 girls pants but NOT ONE size 8 or 3T, I just don't know.

Also, pothole filler. Today I bought pothole filler. Eight 50 pound bags. I am right this minute going to stop procrastinating and go fill a pothole in my driveway that should have been filled a year ago when it would have taken 1 bag. Yes I DO have a husband, why do you ask?

Shelly said...

Fiona - Sometimes it seems like they skip over sizes and sometimes it seems like the clothes in that size just disappear. And everyone in my family needs new pants at the same time, too.

How do you have a pothole in your driveway that requires 8 50 lbs bags to fill yet you can still drive through your driveway? Do I even want to know? And I fully understand the husband part. I have a husband who just remodeled his mother's kitchen (with help from others, it must be said), yet won't fix simple trim around our house.

BUT DID YOU SEE THE BOOK PART?

ree said...

MUST get myself to Sephora. And your comment about tampons and True Blood? Had me snorting coffee while at the airport.

Unknown said...

YES! I shopped 'til I dropped on Tuesday. Then I came home and bought shoes online. Made me verrry happy!

Shelly said...

Ree - I thought of it at Wal-Mart, but there are some things you just don't say in front of your 7-yr old. But you do say them when you get home to your hubby. Plus, I doubt the Wal-Mart clerk would have found it as funny as Rock did.

Shelly said...

Hyphen - I buy nearly all my shoes online! Have found some great deals!

Malnurtured Snay said...

Did it arrive yet? Do you love it?

Shelly said...

Mal - It has arrived, but my birthday is not until Sunday, so I have not "received" it yet as a present from my family. I'm also still slogging through The City and The City by China Mieville, which is just painful. I should be able to finish that by Sunday in time to start The Girl, but if I don't finish it, I will be quitting it immediately, because I am going to start reading The Girl the second I unwrap it.

Jess said...

This all looks so awesome. I'm trying to avoid buying things right now so I will just live vicariously through you.

Shelly said...

Jess - they are kickass sets. And the best part is how they last. Those are some big samples. I am most pleased with my purchase.