New Year's Eve, and Happy New Year readers!

Hi, hello! 

Upon an awful day at work, I had plans to stop in to check out the $4 FFM and Body Butters, potentially the $2.50 wallflowers too, but getting there and looking in the bins made me have a slight change of heart.

Forever Red Vanilla Rum has been marked 75%! I couldn't find any shower gels but there were loads of the body cream, a few FFMs and 3 EDPs, so at a steal of $8 after coupon, I wasn't saying no to it. I'll admit when I tried it in store, I had previously been wearing Velvet Sugar so my lack of a fondness for it as it were has yet to be truly measured. I am considering picking a couple more body creams up as I know a few people just on a whiff of this that will love it. If there's one thing I can say about it, it's definitely strong, and it definitely smells a lot like rum but it a delicious way.

The wallflowers below are Cider Lane, Sugared Lemons, Rio Glow and Cranberry Pear Bellini. See? I got what I went for. Mostly. Haha. My haul was just enough for the 10$ off but I saw a couple lonely Twisted Peppermint shower gels and with all my other Twisted Peppermint stuff, had to bring one of them home with me. That's pretty much a wrap for me I think. Now had there been a FFM for Sweet on Paris...

While I'm thinking about it, Sweet On Paris fans: Buy it while you can! My local store had only two lotions left, and about eight shower gels.

With that, I am off to dinner for PIC's stepdad's bday which is coincidentally today, and fireworks! 

Happy New Year Blogger, have a safe holiday!

SAS: Gift Card Edition

Hey guys,

I obtained a gift card to B&BW's for Christmas that I ultimately forgot to use when I went out to the SAS the other day, so since today was $9 3 Wicks (and apparently $5 Creamy Body Wash) I figured this would be a good time! 

My biggest reason for going however was to exchange that Warm Milk and Honey AT lotion I got that was partially used and definitely not supposed to be in the bins, but the candles would be a plus. I left empty handed as far as candles went. Their selection was literally Sicilian Orange and Tuscan Herbs. Major fail. I get that the point of the SAS is to rid the overflow and old stock but it's three days in and there's nothing to speak of.

Anyhow, before I repeat my rant from my previous entry, here's what I came out with:

I bought two of the last four Velvet Sugar Shimmer Bombs. I meant to buy one when I went out the first time, thought I did and made up for it by grabbing two because why not? Quite like it! Sweet On Paris is getting low on stock at my local store so I figured another set couldn't hurt, Winter Vanilla Latte Luxe soap was the last one available and I absolutely adore the decanter soaps, then the lip glosses pushed me to $30, last Twisted Peppermint and grabbed a random 50% off one.

PIC agreed that this SAS seems so very underwhelming. I only hope that June's SAS will be better. I'd say I am pretty well stocked until then, though I know me and I know I will go buy stuff still but not on a massive scale. Random gifts to people are fun though!

I has a SAD

Let's talk SAS. As my title denotes, I has a SAD. Semi Annual Disappointment. 

In June, I saw folks posting about how disappointing the sale was and from my perspective, as my first true SAS experience, I actually quite enjoyed it! This winter however has brought my worst fear. I posted on either B&BW main page or B&BW Sistas that I was concerned that the SAS this winter would be leftovers due to the repackage, and sure enough it's appearing that I was correct. 

On one side of the coin, we've got Sweet on Paris which I see highly demanded, and Paris Nights which I haven't seen mentioned at all, and on the other, I see leftovers. Escape to the Tropics and Italian collection which were out earlier this year. And also present at the last SAS if memory serves. We've also got leftovers of Sweet and Sexy, old packaging of current scents, and of course the obligatory holiday leftovers. Leftovers!  And to top that off, it's badly organised. I know stuff gets tossed about when people rummage through the bins and stuff, but I've noticed that there will be bins full of something, say Shimmer Bomb for example at 50% off, but you'll still see the Shimmer Bombs up on the shelves with no indication of whether or not they are marked down. Same for the Winter luxe hand soaps. 

At one store I went to, people were having an associate scan stuff to see the price because one associate would tell them no it isn't part of the sale but then it'd ring up as part of it. I was also told at another store that there was no such thing as a 3 day grace period and not permitted to use my December 24th 10$ off coupon while the other two stores allowed me to use it.

The worst part in my eyes is the fact that there aren't any sprays! Last time, they specified that sprays would be present at select stores, and available online. This time they don't have them at all for the returning fragrances. Disappointing!

I realise I'm being quite negative, but compared to my 5 stores and countless transactions in June, this time I did 3 stores, 4 transactions and I'm basically done. If I go back for anything, it's gonna be soaps and home fragrance. 

The prices are nice especially for people who barely shop there, want quick and cheap gifts, etc. But for the die hard fans, there's not much reason to go unless you need to stock up on a current sig, or want to snag that last bit of a holiday scent.

After bogging this entry down with my negative ranting, I'd like to make this half to the end positive. Night Time Tea and Warm Milk and Honey are back this time around, which is exciting because I wanted to try Warm Milk and Honey, and I've heard so many good things about Night Time Tea! I was also excited to finally get my hands on Sweet on Paris without paying extortionate prices on eBay or Amazon for it. Without further ado, my SAS haul, day 2 (day 1 I was stuck at work! Boo!)

I didn't plan that picture out well enough but no worries, I've got it split up below.

Random $10 off coupon is random.

You might notice the Warm Milk and Honey bottle is open, I'm not sure if I got a tester that someone didn't mark since there were a lot of new people who didn't know what they were doing, but when I got home with it I realised it was a quarter of the way gone so back it's gonna go tonight or tomorrow!

Anyway! Forever Red and Midnight FFM are on sale right now for $8 so if you are like me and only buy the luxe fragrances when they are $8-10, now's your chance, especially since the FFM is the one I see on sale the least frequent. 

Have I got enough Sweet on Paris and Twisted Peppermint? The answer is, I don't think I do! I was happy to get my hands on some travel size ones and for once, I found a spare TP shower gel so to go with the 5 lotions I got last winter, I thought oh why not! The highlights of the current sale as is for me were finding the TP minis, Cinnamon Tea and Snow Day wallflowers, the very last Pink Chiffon Shimmer Bomb at one store, the only Eucalyptus Spearmint Body Butter I could find at any of them, the last Sexy Dahlia Rush TMC (although it had some shower gel oozing off it), and the Amber Blush souffle which while not a rarity, I wasn't about to pay $20 for it!

So to break down what's crackin' in stores, we've got:

• Old style packaging marked down (50% off)
• Shimmer Bombs in the bins @ 50% off
• $4 "your most requested fragrances" (they go $3 for lotions, or shower gels depending on the day, who knows what else is going on)
• 50% seasonal TBS, Aromatherapy, candles (all sizes), wallflower units, Winter Luxe Hand soaps
• $3 Wallflower Fragrance Bulbs (seasonal), Hand soaps
• 25% off gift sets
• $5 FFM (old packaging)
• Shimmer Mists were out in bins too, including Amber Blush, wonder if it's (shimmer) going somewhere rather than eliminating a scent or three.
• $8 "Forever Collection" Fine Fragrance Mists (dunno when this is ending)
• 75% Holiday Traditions Body Care 
• 50% "Special Pricing" on sig collection (some of the new art is in bins too!)
• $6 Wallflower Refills 2 Pack (Italian ones are out now, including Gelato which previously was not out)

 I'm quite sure I've missed a few things but these are what I saw when I went. Online I've see B2G1 Aromatherapy, and of course TBS is always at that price.

I wish there had been rarities, but since there aren't, I won't be spending like I did last time and probably will only go a couple more times. I did initially pick up a Velvet Sugar Shimmer Bomb but when I got home it wasn't on any of my receipts. I don't remember putting it down but I'm guessing I did when I found the AT ES butter!  Anyway, before I picked up SOP, I had been using Velvet Sugar so I plan to review that at some point.

A busy time for a busy gal.

Hi and hello to all the folks who watch my blog. Even despite a near two month absence, I am still accumulating pageviews and have gone over the 10,000 mark. I would like to thank those of you who still check back perhaps hoping I've written something else and apologise to those who may be waiting, thinking perhaps I've abandoned my blog!

On a personal note, I semi-disappeared for a bit, off the internet altogether. I've got access, just lack the time to get on here and post anything, and buying B&BW! I've slowed down considerably, though I did go a few times before Christmas for some of the ladies I was buying for. I did go to the SAS today, more on that later.

PIC and I have reached a point in our lives where we are trying to figure out what we're doing, so we've been doing a lot of job-hunting, flat-hunting, and a lot of plain old working near opposite shifts! Since I don't drive, if he's not home, I don't go anywhere. 

I've decided rather than discontinuing blogging, or disappearing without a trace that I'll just put out here that I won't be updating often, but I'll still post. Nice compromise for now I hope!

At any rate, on to my SAS update, which I'll post as a different entry!

Long overdue/Hauls in hindsight

Hi hello to the handful of you probably looking at this wondering if I'm ever going to update! *waves* I've been in a bit of a funk lately and I'm not quite sure why but I think that my trip to B&BW's today, seeing and hearing all the Christmas stuff snapped me out of my funk. 

I've gone time and time again since my last post and I took pictures but when it came time to blog it out, for some reason, I fell short. If I may say so myself, I am loving the winter stuff. Without further ado, my hauls.

Soaps! (With a side of sanitizers)

More soaps!

This was with the second soap haul, these are the freebies from it. The travel sizes came from the Facebook promo (I was Pink Chiffon, PIC was Be Enchanted. LOL) and the candle was my free item up to $13

Last 2/$22 and Cider Lane was in the 50% section, last one this store had! Score!

It goes without saying that I love the Snow Day candle. It reminded me of a much tamer Twisted Peppermint with a hint of spruce which is essentially, if you read the scent notes, what it's supposed to be. It smells lovely burning. I've gone through a Mason Jar and a almost finished a 3 wick so I had to get more. Cider Lane is like a prepared cup of Alpine Apple Cider, so amazing. 

The first 2/$22 of the "Winter", but only the Snow Day and White Barn candles were out for Winter stuff. 

Fireside, if I take too big a smell it almost like an ashtray. LOL that doesn't sound very enjoyable, but actually it's basically like what you'd smell after putting out the fire, opposed to sitting next to it. I like the fire type scents so I'll give it a go. Harvest Gathering is almost a generic Fall type scent with pumpkin, spice and apple. I think I went over the winter ones before.

2 transactions involving a free item with $15 purchase and a free body care with $10 purchase. Cider Lane was $10 (50% off) and the Mason Jars 2/$15 with the free item being the third. Score, and score. 

Merry Cookie is essentially as it sounds, like sugar cookies! Cinnamon Frosting makes me think of Cinnamelts from McDonald's.

And today! My Twisted Peppermint body care was on reserve because one of the managers told me they've sold out in two days before so I wasn't taking any chances. Just happened to be a lucky day for me as when I checked my email on the way over, I saw that candles were on sale so I had to  make a pit stop at home for another coupon. My beloved Twisted Peppermint. <3

Whew, I know I didn't cover everything, some of it is just as the label says, like Red Velvet Cupcake. Ugh so good. But there's a lot of stuff here and I had to get that all posted or it was gonna drive me up the wall. 

PS - I did try out my Twisted Peppermint TMC, after a year long wait (I could not get one last year) and it's gorgeous smelling, my only gripe so far is that the smell doesn't last that long. Boo.

Errands

Today, I had to run a few errands before work so I popped into B&BW since I was in the neighborhood they had already put out some winter stuffs. I found a couple more new PocketBacs, some of the 3 wick candles which are currently available online and Limoncello decanter hand lotion which PIC and I were not a fan of upon trying the tester. 

My small little haul found above. Sorry for the crap quality photo. I really ought to dig out my good camera sometime. Anyway, I hoped for Mason Jars of the winter candles since they were 2/$15 but no such luck. The pickings for said size in candles were extremely slim though so I made do as is. The room sprays (cute right?!) are Tis The Season which I am dubbing Christmas in a can, and Vanilla Snowflake which has an interesting smell that I'm not sure how I feel about. PIC likes it a lot. 

I know I said I was still focused on Fall, but I don't know. I miss winter and winter stuffs make me happy when I'm down.

Hand sanitizers pictured are: Fresh Sparkling Snow (I just had to have more), Pearberry Cuddles, Strawberry Smooches and Sugared Vanilla Wish.

So here's some thoughts about some of the stuff I sniffed today. Though an avid shopper of B&BW (I've really calmed down a lot since discovering them though!) I started a bit late into the Christmas game and didn't even THINK to smell the candles. I still don't know why. I was awkward and didn't know what I was doing. This time around, I am enjoying it.

In no particular order:

• Snow Day: I was excited by the scent notes but the smell itself on cold throw was sort of weird. It's a clean, minty scent with a slightly sweet vanilla and a pine/spruce thing. It feels sort of smattered together. Maybe it smells better burning? I didn't hate it so I know I'll buy at least one.
• Sparkling Icicles: The wax on this baby is gorgeous.. The smell is okay. It reminds me a lot of Paris Daydream. I'll probably pass on this one for myself but I know someone who might like this one.
• Vanilla Snowflake: This was another weird smatter of scents that just feel weird cozied together as they are. I will probably buy one anyway. Coconut and Mint seem weird together but hey it might work?
• Tis the Season: Christmas. Period. Can I marry it? I'm just saying.
• Winter: Also awesome amazing sauce reminds me of my backyard in the winter time. Just so fresh and clean.
• Fresh Balsam: This one honestly choked me out. I'm thinking the Eucalyptus is way too strong on it. I'll smell the White Barn version before passing completely judgment.
• Frosted Cranberry: Smells of tart cranberries. 

I know most of these are holiday staples that everyone is familiar with but I am loving experiencing this for the first time. 

New on Saturday

 

   

   

     

   

   

   

   

 
 

A little more new.

Hi, hello.

There's been a surprising lack of posts from me lately for which I do apologise. When it rains, it pours. I'm having a lot of trouble dedicating any time to my blogging. Life getting in the way and so forth. Despite my favourite time of year, I'm not in the best of spirits these days but I'm hoping that'll change before the weather does. At any rate, here's the new stuff I found online today. 

The soaps were actually there yesterday, but not appearing under the "Shop All" section which is how I missed them, you had to go under each type of soap to find them. Today, that is remedied.

 

   

   
   
   
   
 

 

Winter Goodies!