Daffy's Valentine's Day Gifts Guide

Valentine's Day is next Monday, February 14 and I wanted to share some goodies I got on a small shopping spree, courtesy of NYC Daffy's. With a fifty dollar gift card in my hand, I got some GREAT items that I thought were cute, fun and V-day appropriate. :) I also took some pictures of other Daffy's items that would make great gifts as well. If you don't remember my Holiday Last Minute Shopping Gifts list, check it out here first.

NYC Daffy's is great for finding regular fashion, home/decor, and other fun items at a discount price. Everytime I go there, it's always packed.. They carry lots of shoes, handbags, clothes and it's always different. Most of the items that I found last time for my Holiday shopping weren't there anymore, so if you see something you like, get it before it's too late!

Here are my Valentine's Day Daffy's picks:

	Spotted these 2 cute makeup bag sets- each has 3 in different sizes so you can put 1 in your purse, 1 at work/school/etc. , and another to give to a friend. These are only $8 a set and come in these cute patterns.
	These notepads (2 per pack) were on CLEARANCE for $3 each. In such gorgeous paisley patterns, I couldn't help myself but get these two. They are perfect to write shopping lists, jot down ideas in a meeting, love notes, etc. ;)
	These were two very adorable cosmetic pouches by Pink Studio. A gal can never have enough cosmetic pouches and this is the perfect size to hold your ID, phone, beauty essentials and more! These were also a steal for only $6 !! Everything at Daffy's is priced at such a great price, you'll want everything...
	Alas, Valentine's Day is not Valentine's Day without some perfectly PINK candles. This set of 4 is great to put around the room for a dimly light romantic setting. Also very affordable for less than $10. (Found these in the Home section at Daffy's)
	I prefer these taller multi-colored candles for about $7-8 b/c these last much longer. These will also make great gifts as they already tied in cute ribbons.

To see Daffy's Valentine's Day outfits....
If you're looking for some sexy lingerie for Valentine's, you can get an ensemble for about $10! The black lace on white is so trendy and beautiful and these are very affordable! ($4-$8, USD) There is a great deal going on right now for 20% off 4+ items in this dept. (Hurry!)


If you would rather wear something comfy and red (like me!!), try this great slip with white lacy detail. ($20, USD)

Overall, I found my shopping trip at Daffy's to be so fun, looking for affordable items at a discounted price and I look forward to going there monthly to see what new items they carry. I am pleased that I got such great stuff for Valentine's Day.

(Disclaimer: I received this product from this company's PR agency to test, try and share my thoughts with my readers.)

Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com

Shopping with Charlestongirl - Part 2

Even before we've had a Thanksgiving dinner, some of us are planning our weekend shopping. Hey - a shopper has to plan, particularly for Black Friday when aimless shopping can place you in a frenzied crowd. Nothing wrong with that - if you like frenzied crowds and don't fear being crushed or bruised - but I prefer fast, efficient, focused, and jostle-free shopping.

After a quick, very early foray to Leesburg Corner, I'll be headed to Neiman Marcus - two of them! I'll be starting at Neiman Marcus at Mazza Gallerie for Black Friday Breakfast. Mazza really knows how to host a party!

Here is your invitation (from my friends at Mazza and me) in case you'll be within 100 miles of DC. If not, read on for other opportunities below.

DON’T BE LEFT IN THE DARK!

JOIN NEIMAN MARCUS MAZZA FOR A LUXE MORNING OF SHOPPING AND SIPPING AND RECEIVE A $50 GIFT CARD WITH A $100 OR GREATER PURCHASE!

Enjoy breakfast bites, gourmet coffee, and mimosas to invigorate you for shopping, starting at 9:00 am! Mimosas? Did they anticipate the key to my heart? The champagne flows at Mazza - oh, and the nibbles are great too!

The first 50 people (to purchase, I assume) are eligible to win our "Black Friday Beauty Basket Valued" at $500, It contains new fragrances, beauty palettes, and relaxing body products, just in time to pamper yourself for the holidays! I can never enter the Best Things in Beauty drawings (for obvious reasons), but I can enter this! I'm there! Mazza puts together heavenly gift baskets.

To be eligible for the $50 gift card, you have to spend $100 or more between 9:00 and 2:00 on Friday only. Just think, spend only $100, and you get what amounts to a 50% discount (to be used later - anytime up to December 5). Is that a deal or what? You get a nice gift card, and the store gets you back for a little more gift shopping or retail therapy.

When I leave Mazza, I will be going straight to Neiman Marcus at Tysons Galleria. Yep, two Neiman Marcus forays in one day! At Tysons, Kathy Shoreman, SA extraordinaire, will be ringing my pre-selected purchases. No matter where you live, you should be offered the same $50 gift card opportunity at "your Neiman Marcus." It will be a great morning to go!

When I finish my Neiman Marcus shopping, I'll be headed home to shop online. I have so many offers to share with you, I'll do it later this morning. Right now, I have to run out (yes at 6:00 am) to buy some orange juice. It was poor planning on my part to be without one of the staples of life on a holiday weekend.

Photo courtesy of wikimedia

Shopping with Charlestongirl - Part 1

I consider myself a shopping "expert." I don't mean to brag, but I've perfected the art of shopping, stopping at only the best stores; browsing online at the stores with fabulous extras, shipping deals, and frequent discounts; and generally zeroing in on the best shopping helpers (my favorite sales representatives - those who will go the extra mile for me). I'm going to share some of my favorites with you over the next few days, starting with my favorite outlet mall, the Leesburg Corner (Virginia) Premium Outlets.

Today's feature is for my DC-area friends and readers, some of whom have told me they have never gone to Leesburg to shop. Friends, you don't know what you're missing! The After-Thanksgiving Weekend Sale, Midnight Madness at Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets, kicks off the holiday shopping season. Why not take a nice drive out the toll road and experience the joy of first-class outlet shopping?

All weekend, you'll enjoy exceptional holiday savings and extended shopping hours at Leesburg Corner, plus you can experience Midnight Madness if you are truly crazy. Most stores will open their doors at midnight right after Thanksgiving. I have never gone to the outlet that early; I find 7:00 am is totally adequate, although I do run into dazed shoppers who have clearly been there all night. My sleep is too important, and when I shop, I want to be alert - ready to pounce on the deal that's too good to be true.

There are going to be super-deals at almost every store. You can find all the special offers at this link. My favorite stores at Leesburg? Williams Sonoma (the "cookware queen"), The Company Store (for Estée Lauder Company beauty products), Polo Ralph Lauren, Le Creuset, Cole Haan, Aerosoles, Nike, Puma, Restoration Hardware - gosh, there are too many. I can't list them all. This is a first-class outlet mall. Love it! Will I see you there, if not Friday, this weekend?

Make sure to sign up online to be a VIP. Then, print out the coupons, including the coupon you can use at the visitors' center to get a mall-wide coupon discount book. It will save you money, and you will want to pick up one every time you go. The visitors' center is in the food court area, so you can refuel (or hit the restroom) while you are there.

Later today? I'll tell you about some of my favorite online shopping sites. This long weekend? I'm going to share some of my favorite sales associates and product specialists, both here and in New York. Hopefully, you will share yours in the comments so that we can assemble a "data base" of great shopping experiences. Shopping is necessary, but it should also be fun!

Photo courtesy of Leesburg Premium Outlets

MyNines.com Shopping & Cocktail event in NYC - October 2010

MyNines.com and Fashism hosted an intimate beauty & fashion gathering at the penthouse suite in the Buckingham Hotel near Central Park last week. It was a fabulous view and I learned about some great brands! First, if you haven't heard of MyNines.com, check them out! It's a sample sale site that aggregates all the sample sale sites together all in one hotspot so it does all the work for you! Shop on! :)

At the event, one of my fave beauty sites were there- BeautyTicket.com- known for selling premium cosmetics at discounted prices. They always have new inventory coming and great sales! They carry Stila, Too Faced, Pixi and many more!

At the event, they gave attendees a Paula Dorf lipstick and a chance to purchase a few Paula Dorf cosmetics at discounted prices- $5 each. Since the lipstick was SPF15, I was able to get this amazing cheek blush instead. :)

	Also, at the event was Exclusively.in, which sells fantastic clothing and jewelry pieces inspired by Indian fashion. Look how pretty these are!
	Birchbox.com was also there. For only $10/month, you will get 4-5 deluxe beauty samples mailed to your home at the beginning of each month. You get to try samples of your favorite brands and if you like them, you can shop via their site to earn points! Points will give you discounts on future product purchases, so it's a never ending sampling/buying cycle of your favorite cosmetics. Two samples in their recent box was the Nars Makeup Primer and the Tatcha Japanese Beauty paper (blotting papers).
Guests left with a goodie bag with product samplings.

Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com

New York & Company Friends and Family -30% Off

The New York & Company is having their Friends and Family sale this weekend, until November 22! Use code: 1745 to shop online or to get a printer-friendly version to bring to a store, click here

Coming soon, my New York & Company must-haves for the holidays!



Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com

Girl on Top Book Tour Event at The Limited

Girl on Top, is a new book that shows you how you can apply 20 dating rules to your professional work life. Written by career expert Nicole Williams, she features rules such as "Play Hard to Get" and "Don’t Give Away the Milk for Free." My goodie bag tote actually has the last rule on it. (So cute!) I haven't read the book yet, but I will once I get the chance to pick it up at a bookstore.

So the book tour is across the country at The Limited Stores! It's exciting because you can mingle, shop and grab a copy of the book while you're there. I was so happy to be a part of their first tour date (NYC).





Check back soon to see my goodie bag!!!!

If you're interested in attending, visit them at a location near you! Check out the rest of the tour dates..
10/15 New York City - Pop Up Shop, 134 Spring St., New York
10/20 Los Angeles
10/23 Miami - 7535 Kendall Drive, Miami
10/26 Nashville - 1800 Galleria Boulevard, Franklin
10/28 Dallas - 8687 Northcentral Expressway, Dallas
10/29 Dallas - 13350 Dallas Parkway, Dallas
10/30 Houston - 5085 Westheimer, Houston
11/04 San Francisco - 2855 Steven's Creek Boulevard, Santa Clara
11/06 Seattle - 315 S. Center, Seattle
11/09 Vancouver - 788 Robson St., Vancouver
11/11 Minneapolis - 60 West Broadway, Bloomington
11/13 Chicago - 5 Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg
11/17 Boston - 1245 Worcester Road, Natick
11/18 Boston - 250 Granite St., Braintree
11/20 Cherry Hill - 502 Cherry Hill Mall, Cherry Hill
11/23 Washington DC - 1100 South Hayes St., Arlington
11/25 Toronto


Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com

Shecky's Girls Night Out- Summer 2009

Ladies- it's baaackkk! Shecky's Girls Night Out in back in town in NYC from June 23-27. If you haven't been to one of these before, it's a must! Where else can you get have a great time with your girls, shopping the latest jewelry trends, tasting some yummy local snacks and having a few drinks all in the same place?

Where is taking place? At the Puck Building, downtown Soho area, located at 293 Lafayette St. (@ Houston St.) The Shecky's Girls Night Out was at this venue last Fall and it was a great location. The one earlier this year was a bit on the west side and a pain to get to so I appreciate it being back here.

I have been to three of these events already and I may sit this one out. Chances are if I go, I won't be getting a Shecky's Goody Bag this year. (See my Winter 2009 goody bag here and Fall 2008 goody bag here. Note: My Holiday 2008 goody bag was similar to the Fall 2008 one.) Plus, I wouldn't want a repeat of last time's fiasco, see here.

They do have some great sponsors, including my favorite Yes To Carrots, and some familiar ones from last year (Aveeno and Aquafresh).



I noticed the National Sponsors, the drink sponsors, at this event do not include Budweiser. There is usually a beer sponsor there to have a beer tasting at the event. They give you a sampling of 4 beers that are not yet in the market, and they gauge the audience to see how well they like it. That's disappointing to see, since that is usually one of my favorite parts of the event. (See pictures of my previous attendance here)


Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com

Luxe-Atlanta Event!

Hello Divas!

I hope all is well! Usually this is the Hot Drugstore of the Week post, but I am currently at the Library. The MAC is in the shop and I am winging it! But I wanted to hip my beautiful Atlanta Divas to a fun event that is taking place tomorrow at Luxe-Atlanta. Tomorrow, June 11 from 7pm-9pm, Luxe-Atlanta is hosting a "Feed the Models, Save the World" event that will highlight eating disorders and unhealthy weight in the Modeling Industry. Of course, the event will be fun and for a great cause. There will be shopping, food, and drinks! What is not to love? LOL! Luxe-Atlanta will sell t-shirts at the event for $25. Forty percent of the proceeds from these t-shirts will go to EDIN, which is the non-profit organization supporting this worthy cause. Miss Georgia is also co-hosting! Click here for more event details!

Toodles!

Banana Republic & Benefit Cosmetics presents City Sounds Tour- February 26, 2009

On February 26, join Banana Republic and Benefit Cosmetics for a night of fun, fashion and beauty. Check out: http://bananarepublic.p.delivery.net/m/p/bna/lux/rsvp/index.asp
to RSVP at a select Banana Republic store near you!

You will get 30% off the Spring line, get makeup tips from Benefit makeup artists and also get a limited edition gift bag, while supplies last!



Check out more blogs @ TotalBeauty.com

9 Days Until Christmas !

I have been hearing about EyesLipsFace beauty products, or better known as E.L.F. for a while and have been wanting to try it.

Most of their products are only $1, including eyeliners, brushes, lipsticks ! So they are very affordable if you just want something fun or if you're just learning how to use make-up. They also have a Studio line, for a more Professional look. The packaging looks a lot sleeker, with the cases in black, and also very affordable (only $3). Their Minerals line caught my line, especially since their eyeshadow pots are only $3!! They give you a pot of .03 ounces which may not sound a lot but it's more than what Bare Escentuals give for their eyeshadow pots.

So I was pleased to find in my email box this morning that they are offering $2 shipping (normally $6.95) OR a free upgrade to 3-day shipping, using the promo code: UPGRADE.

To see my wishlist on their site...
Here are the items I am considering:
1) Mineral Eyeshadow.. in ALL colors: (they had a deal earlier where all mineral makeup were 50% off!)



2) ELF Shine Eraser..


3) ELF Nail polish... ALL colors

Free Overnight shipping - Today Only!

Enjoy free overnight shipping TODAY only using the promo code: TB1DAY, compliments of TotalBeauty.com

Terms are: **Offer valid from 12:01 am (EST) - 11:59 PM (EST) on Monday, December 15. Offer valid on orders shipped via Overnight Shipping only. Offer available to U.S. residents only. Overnight service may require a signature upon delivery service and is not available for P.O. Box and APO/FPO destinations, U.S Territories and some locations in Alaska and Hawaii.Click here to see overnight shipping cutoff times and other restrictions.

This code is valid for many popular beauty brands including....


Clnique, Aveda, Estee Lauder, Ojon, Mac, DKNY...
To check out the complete list AND view TotalBeauty's Holiday Beauty 'It' List, go here.

10 More Days Until Christmas!

Christmas is one of my favorite Holidays- it's the holiday spirit of gift exchange and fun surprises. To celebrate JOY, how about receiving free shipping with any order until Tuesday, Dec 16 at Banana Republic?


(source: banana republic email)

The code: JOY applies to Gap, Old Navy and Piperlime!

To see my Gorgeous Find* (a selected item that I would want/wear) at Banana Republic...
The Poinsetta Statement Necklace



Source: Courtesy of Banana Republic.com

Estee Lauder- Free Shipping until Tuesday with $25 min. purchase

Enjoy free shipping from Estee Lauder with any $25 purchase. Don't forget to add 4 wonderful samples to your cart too. Samples, include their eau de parfum spray, Pleasures, Sensual and Beautiful, trial size lipstick pencils, mascaras, and make-up removers.



source: http://www.esteelauder.com/
And here is the rest of it.

Lucky Brand- Friends and Family 40% off Dec. 7-14, 2008

Use the code: 8DFFEP
Hurry this offer ends on December 14, 2008! To go shop: www.luckybrand.com

Macy's Believe- Be Claus !

Have you heard of Macy's Believe- Be Clause marketing campaign? I was browsing on Macy's website, looking through their beauty products (of course) and I found a link to Macys Believe.. "Prove you Believe and be Santa Claus" was their motto. Of course I believe in Santa Claus! :)

Similar to the concept for elf Yourself (which I heard is better this year) and Sephora's Mistletoe Makeover, this time you get to be the ultimate Santa Clause and not just a servant elf! After you upload your picture and choose your mustache and beard, they dress you up as Santa in a background of your choice


and you can send this e-card via email, text, or simply embed it on your blog!

(One con about the sound effects: Santa yawns! I don't want my e-greeting to be yawning. Where is the Holiday music?)






Now believe in this:
Macy's is offering FREE SHIPPING with $99 purchase. For the code:

The code is: MERRY

Sephora Mini Train Case of Samples

Here are my overdue pictures of the Sephora Beauty Box that I received. With a minimum of $25 purchase, Sephora gave you a mini-train case with 15 beauty samples!

It came in a huge box and I only ordered a palette! So imagine all the tissue paper they used to pack the box..


Underneath all the tissue paper, surprise!


Here are the samples lying on top of the mini-train and box:


A better view of the samples..


It's unfortunate that some of the samples in the advertisement were not available. I even looked at other bloggers' posts and they got the same samples as I did! I would have liked a DKNY Be Delicious sample and it looks like you get an actual bottle of the Clinique makeup. However, it looks like they just copied the image of the sample size portion on there.
Advertisement:


Nonetheless, I am happy that I received this mini-train with plentiful of samples!! I haven't used them yet, but I will review them when I do. As a Beauty Insider, I was able to score an extra bonus gift (you get one for every $100 spent), so I chose ....



their reusable shopping bag. (look how easy this is to store!)



Shop Sephora at http://www.sephora.com

Tommy Hilfiger Designer Warehouse Sale- Up to 80% off!

Tommy Hilfiger is having a designer warehouse sale for the Fall/Winter 2008 Collection in Secaucus, NJ. I went there when it opened right before Thanksgiving and I have to say that it is nothing like the regular Outlet stores. All the clothes were in racks and the store atmosphere inside felt a bit dreary. Nonetheless, they had some great outerwear jackets in peacoat and puffy styles for only $50. They also had lots and lots of denim jeans for women and men for only $25. Their selection in skirts were not plenty, but I was lucky to get this.... Their Womens Reed Skirt. It's a cute holiday bubble skirt that I can wear this season :) According to the site, it has a tweed pattern and a waist belt with front tie. It's made of 59% wool, 20% polyamide, 11% silk, 1% lycra. What a great find!!

Black Friday madness/sadness

I hope everyone had a great day shopping on Black Friday and getting all the great deals that you hoped to get, either you went to Midnight Madness or shopped online. It's wonderful (for us) that retailers are discounting so much since we get such great prices, but sometimes we forget that these are just material goods and that safety is utmost important. I heard in the news today about a Walmart worker in NY who was trampled to death when he opened the doors to let a mob of hungry customers go inside the stores. It's so tragic that this had to happen. Why didn't anyone try to help him? Why did people continue to step all over him? This behavior is disgusting and makes me sick! Everyone needs to practice SAFE SHOPPING..

Note to self: Don't go out to Walmarts on Black Fridays!
Be safe!

LeSportSac Reopens in NYC Soho Nov 26

LeSportSac is moving.... to: 118 Green St at Prince St. NY NY Check out their new store!

Hard Candy cosmetics- 75% off!

Found this delicious find yesterday.. everything on the HardCandy website is 75% off! I remember Sephora used to carry their line because I had wanted to get one of their makeup palettes a few years ago, but sadly they don't carry the line anymore. I did find an archived page of HardCandy at Sephora by doing a quick search online. And if they do, everything is sold out..

To see what products that I caught my eye from HardCandy..


The Secret Stash Makeup Kit includes 4 lip glosses, 4 eye shadows, a bronzer and a mattifying powder. All this for only $5.50 (original price is $22) !! It's a great bargain and shipping and handling is only $5 for orders up to $50. You can purchase the Hard Candy Secret Stash Makeup Kit here.




The MixTape is also a trio palette with 3 eyeshadow shades and 3 lipglosses! Very cute and handy to take with you...