I'm a huge TJMaxx fan. I can always find cute and trendy things from designer clothes and shoes to things for the home at an affordable price. TJMaxx is also really good about ensuring their designer items are authentic and in good condition. Sometimes I'll find something and sometimes I won't, but I like to drop by every now and then to see what I can find. I went a few weeks ago, and here's what I managed to score.

I picked up an Anne Klein blouse which had this unique blue and green pattern on it. I thought it'd pair well with my pink pencil skirt for work. I also saw these pocket size Kate Spade notebooks in their stationary section. They were cute and I couldn't resist. The highlight of my trip though were the bags I scored. I spotted this Ralph Lauren cross-body bag and fell in love. It's a classic design that's in this rich cognac color which matches anything. It's the perfect size to carry all the things I needed, and it's a great everyday bag. Then I literally took 5 steps and saw this bright hot pink Kate Spade bag. It was in perfect mint condition. It's a great spring bag and would add a nice pop of color to any outfit. I had a hard time deciding between the two, but in the end I decided to get both. The best part is how much I managed to save altogether. 

Ann Klein Blouse $25 -- originally $60 

Kate Spade Notebooks $7 -- originally $10

Kate Spade Bag $99 -- originally $248

Ralph Lauren Bag $99 -- originally $228 

Paid: $250 -- original price of everything $546

Basically for the price of the one Kate Spade bag, I managed to get 2 designer bags, a shirt, and designer notebooks. Not bad right? I'm not a designer/brand-a-holic. However, I do like to invest in classic, timeless, quality pieces that will last for a long time especially if they're ridiculously discounted. I have absolutely no regrets. I am definitely a maxxinista for life. 

With warm regards, 

Lovely 

All nice things come in shiny black Sephora bags. I went on a little shopping trip to treat myself for all the stress I've managed to accumulate. I haven't bought myself anything or gone shopping in over a month, and it felt so good. But enough with that, let's dive in to the haul.

First I got the BareMinerals original foundation in medium tan. I still love my Sephora Perfection Mist Airbrush Foundation, but I was itching to try something new. I don't have the time or willpower to do my makeup, so I thought that the BareMinerals would be fast and light. I heard it also had pretty good coverage, so I'm excited to try it out. I'm really feeling the spring season and am gravitating towards pink and peachy colors, so I picked up the Sephora Collection blush in Romantic Rose and the Rouge Shine lipstick in Sweetheart. The blush is more of a peachy pink color, and the lipstick is a sheer glossy warm pink. Lastly I stocked up on a tube of the Smith's Rosebud Salve because it is the only thing that can keep my lips hydrated and moist. I got samples of the Diorskin Nude BB Creme and Dior Hydra Lift BB Creme. I wanted to try them out to see if the hype was real. The girl at Sephora gave me extremely generous amounts of each, so they'll probably last me a while.

I also bought a few things from Forever21, but I'll save that for another time. Shopping makes everything better. Half-kidding. When you work hard and earn your own money, I think it's important to treat yourself from time to time.


With love,
Lovely

I went just a little crazy at Sephora. My friends & family gave me Sephora gift cards for Christmas, so I went all out and bought all the things I’ve been drooling over and wanting for the longest time.  I know it's a lot of stuff, but I wouldn't normally buy this much if I didn't have gift cards. I wanted to get everything and do one massive haul rather than posting each individual one, so let's get started!

Sephora Perfection Mist Airbrush Foundation
This is my second bottle of this stuff, and I love it. I have oily skin, really oily skin, and this foundation is the only one I’ve tried so far that can control my oils. It keeps my face matte and gives a nice airbrushed look on the skin. I still get a little oily about half-way through the day, but it's not that big of a deal. If anything it gives a nice glow to the face.

Sephora Pro Lip Brush #81
I have a slight lipstick addiction.  I've been wanting a good lip brush to apply lipstick with and to help fill in the gaps in my lips. I like this lip brush because it's firm and glides easily on your lips.  I found that by using a lip brush I can really control the shape and amount of color I pack on rather than applying the lipstick straight from the bullet.

   

Top: Sephora Rouge Infusion in Cherry Nectar, Stila Liquid Lipstick in Patina, Stila Liquid Lipstick in Aria,
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Underage Red
Bottom: Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella, Nars Audacious Lipstick in Fanny, Makeup Forever Artist Natural in N9

Sephora Rouge Infusion Lip Stain in No.12 Cherry Nectar 
Sephora makeup is actually pretty good.  This one is a watery lip stain, but the colors are really opaque.  Cherry Nectar is deep/dark plumy-wine color.  It's a good color for the fall & winter.  It doesn't feel drying at all, and the color lasts for a while too.  After eating I'd still have a bit of color stained on my lips, so I give this two thumbs up!

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Patina & Aria
I’ve been really loving matte lips, but the problem with matte lips is that they can be drying. These liquid lipsticks give you a nice matte finish, but they don’t dry out your lips. You can put a sheer layer on or build it up to make it intense and bold. Patina is more of a pinky-brown shade leaning more on the brown side, while Aria is a bold purpley-mauvey-magenta. I love them both! The only thing I don’t like is the packaging. The wand and stopper kinda make it all messy, but other than that it’s a really great product. 

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Underage Red
This is another matte lipstick. I love this because the color is so opaque and bold, but it's so drying. You definitely need to make sure you exfoliate your lips and put on a good lip balm if you're going to put this on.  I know Outlaw is really popular, but I found Underage Red to suite  my skin tone better. Outlaw is more of a red-orange while Underage Red is more of a classic straight-up red.

Nars Audacious Lipstick in Fanny
I've been wanting to try the Nars Audacious lipsticks for a while, but the price always turned me away. I finally picked one up in this beautiful deep plumy-purpley-magenta color.  Everything anyone ever said about this lipstick is true.  It glides on effortlessly.  It's creamy and opaque.  It has great staying power. I must get more!

Makeup Forever Smoky Extravagant Mascara & Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick in N9 
This was the birthday gift freebie you can get from Sephora for 2014 if you're a beauty insider.  I haven't tried the mascara yet, but the lipstick is pretty good. It's glossy, but the shade is a bit too natural for me. I lean more towards bold and intense colors.

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella and Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien
This is actually the 2015 birthday gift for the year. Last year was the Makeup Forever mascara & lipstick. How I got both is because my b-day is at the end of December, and you get 2 weeks before & 2 weeks after to get your b-day gift.  I went to Sephora around 3-4 times in between December & January so I got both gifts! I really like Cruella because it's a bold matte color.  Rikugien is a satin finish, and it's too natural for me so I gave it to my sister.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Blushing Bride
I've heard so many good things about the Tarte blushes.  I picked up Blushing Bride because it's the one that everyone's been raving over for the past couple of months.  It's a pretty warm pinky-mauve shade.  They're somewhat sheer, but it creates a natural flush on the cheeks.  I'm definitely going to go back to get some more shades.

Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna
I had a hard time deciding between Nars's Laguna or Benefits Hoola.  Hoola was a bit more grey-ish and better for contouring, so I went with Laguna since I was looking for something to really warm up my face.  Laguna has a nice warm golden tone.  It does contain micro-shimmers, but you can barely notice them and it gives your face a nice golden glow.  I love it!

Philosophy Fall in Love Eau De Toilette
Philosophy makes surprisingly good scents.  I'm really bad at explaining scents, but it's very warm & inviting.  It's simple, fresh, and clean.

Issey Miyake L'eau d'Issey Florale Rollerball
I fell in love with this scent the moment I smelled it. I don't normally like floral scents because they're very heavy & mature, but this one is more fresh and light. I wanted to try the scent out before I commit to buying the full size bottle, which costs $100, and plus the rollerball is convenient to carry around.


Anyways, that's it! I swear who comes up with these super long names? And is it bad that I'm already planning what to get on my next Sephora visit? ;)