DISAPPOINTED

If you live in the states and you love all that is beauty, you might have heard of a little place called Ulta.  Today I took a looooong drive to my nearest Ulta only to discover how it was a complete waste of time and gas … so very disappointed.  Like one of my dear friends said to me, “Ulta is like a ghetto Sephora,” hahahaha – she is so right!  Had I known what I know now I would not have taken such a long drive to get there. 

Let me start off by saying that Ulta does carry both items you will find in drugstores and at most department stores, except it is very limited to the quantity they carry.  Sephora only carries items that you would find in department stores or higher end cosmetic lines, in my opinion at least.  YSL, Shiseido, MUFE, Laura Mercier, Estee Lauder, Lancome … to name a few.

I was so excited once I finally arrived to only be disappointed by the products they had and lacked.  You would think that Ulta would have a larger quantity of products but nope! They are very limited.  NYX Cosmetics is one of the lines I wanted check out because it’s very inexpensive and I love their lipsticks and glosses.  There was about 2-3 of whatever was still left on the shelves.  Also they did not have all the lipstick shades I was hoping to try.  In all honesty, I’ve seen more of a selection (for NYX) at a fashion store than I saw at Ulta.  Also each of their lines was so small and again, VERY LIMITED … Lorac, Smashbox, Urban Decay …. I found that they had a larger section for drugstore lines than department store items.

Here are a few pictures of the store as you enter.  Don’t be fooled, it is big however the items I did like they did not have in stock.  Perhaps I walked in on a bad day and items are sitting in a box waiting to be shelved.  Hmmmmmm …. Am I making excuses for these guys?

This is right outside the store, I was excited to finally arrive.

As soon as you walk in.

To the left - most of the drugstore make up, brushes, lotions, hair dye.  What you would find at CVS.

To the right - higher end cosmetics, fragrances, nail polish, body care

-Hizles

Jessica Simpson Handbag

A few days ago while shopping for Halloween decorations I happen to be in shopping center where a  T.J. Maxx is also located.  As I have mentioned before, I bought a handbag from there about a month or so ago.  I knew that I would most likely find something cute ... a girl can't have too many bags ... hehehhee.

So here is the little treasure I found ....

Can you believe that this bag is made by Jessica Simpson?  I have to say that I was impressed.  So impressed that I went on her website to see what other goodies she had that I had not discovered yet.  While browsing I found the same exact bag I bought at T.J. Maxx for more, way more than what I paid ...   click here to check her website out.  I'm no sucker!  I did not pay $118.00 + tax for this bag.  This bargain hunter paid less than half of her website price.  Also, this bag is listed as a new item.  Thank you Jessica Simpson ... or should I say T.J. Maxx?

This bag suits me perfectly, it's not too big but not too small, and it fits all my precious little things like my phone, my keys, my leopard wallet, and so many of the other items I lug around.  It has two zip pockets on each outer side, plus two additional pockets.  My bag also came with an extra strap which can be used to wear it as a cross-body bag.  I am short so that look would not look good with this size bag.  It's very sturdy and so easy to clean.  On occasion I like to wipe the bottom of my handbags with a moist towel and mild soap (or a disinfectant wipe) to clean off any of the dirt that it might have picked up when setting it down while dining, shopping, or after being put on my steps.  ahahhaha!

There are other colors on her website but for an everyday, the black works for me.  

Don't you just love to find good deals?

Hizles

My Alternative Gym

What a past few weeks I’ve had, phewww!

Well, the spooky holiday is over and I can start prepping for Thanksgiving. 

I know I’ve been away for a while and have once again neglected the blog but life happens and then you get caught up doing things just to fall behind on other parts of your life. 

In the next week or so I hope to give you an update on my hair and how the Moroccan Oil has helped.  This week I was also hoping to organize my makeup.  I’ve bought a small plastic drawer, which I will blog about later, and am planning on having it sit in my bathroom filled with my most used products.  Because of Halloween, I have allowed my face to take a break from makeup completely.  Let me just tell you my face has never felt better.  It could also because I have also switched to Shiseido products.  I know, I know, I raved all about other products before but I can now see why this stuff cost so much … it works like a charm.  Of course I did not pay full price, thankfully I purchased a few of these items while I had my discount access. 

Today I just wanted to share my morning with you and take you along to see what I did today … so far.  I’ve put myself on a plan to walk at least 20 minutes each day.  For the past few days I have been going to the gym and made great friends with the elliptical trainer but that can get old real quick.  So, today I thought I’d find a park and take a nice stroll considering the weather is fabulous.  It’s actually a cool breeze out there today.  The boots may start to come out real soon. 

I did a few of those exercises that are posted along the walk route at most parks and I have to say, I got pretty tired.  I must be really out of shape … ahhahahaha!

Ciao!

-Hizles