Random Post

So I'm at a stop light when a guy comes to my window.  He says he ran out of gas and needs to get to work and that no one will help him.  Feeling sympathetic, (since I always imagine if I were in a similar situation) I reach in my pocket and give him some cash.  I then drive off but I don't get that warm fuzzy I normally get when I help someone out. I guess a part of me thinks he's lying, which could very well be true.  But does it really matter now after the fact?  Oh well, if anything I suppose I got some good karma points today.

Disappointed Much? Barneys Love Yourself Bag

Now I must first and foremost start by saying that I realize that in no way, shape or form are businesses obligated to give me free stuff.  And in such an economy sacrifices must be made to keep costs down and maintain a profitable business, but I am more than a little disappointed and even though my purchases are a drop in the bucket, I really don't think I will be shopping this event anymore.

Onto the rant.....

So as I said in a previous post, the gift bag was looking not so promising.  Even my friend (who knows not how glorious it can be) wasn't impressed.  There were some great level up gifts but I won't discuss that because there usually are.

This is my GWP minus the Cle de Peau eye cream and Deborah Lippmann mini polish.

So my first rant is that most of the products were sample-sized.  There were a few deluxe samples but not many.  I personally tend not to try too many regular samples because they are so tiny that I don't really see how I react to them.

Secondly, I did not get one single full sized product.  I heard of people getting an eyeliner but I got nothing.  In February there was a full sized lipstick, a full sized gloss and a full sized nail polish.  Again, not that they are obligated to but given the previous track record I was hoping for at least one full sized product.

Thirdly, The bag wasn't filled to the brim with products like times past.  I seriously could have gone around the cosmetics section and asked for more samples than what was put in there.  There wasn't even a sample of the Fredric Malle OUTRAGEOUS! perfume that there usually is (not that I really like it but it's almost tradition).  And of the fragrance samples, only one was a spray.  That may seem petty but I find that capped samples are messy.  Plus, when asking for a sample of Kai edt, my SA used a good-sized glass bottle with a spray top and cover.  Very elegant actually, and easy to refill.

But with all of this, there are indeed some good things in the bag.  Radical skincare exfoliating pads are really nice and I considered buying them.  Revive has their Renewal Cream that is a great night time cream.  And the sample of 3Lab M cream will last you 2 weeks if you don't use too much, you seriously only need a tiny amount (half a pea-size).

But overall I am not too satisfied.  Nordstroms had a beauty event in June and not only did we get cupcakes and a show, we got a bunch of sample cards to redeem, Moroccan oil, bottled water, a large bag and great gift with purchases with participating brands.  Plus what we paid for the ticket was used towards purchases.  And I'm sure the bags they gave and all the freebies was probably cheaper than Barneys, but it was done right.  And the real kicker is that it used to be even more awesome than that years ago.

Before we would get brunch items displayed out for us and got boxes filled with different goodies.  Those were the days.

Thing is I realize that times have changed and budgets as well, but us consumers expect a little luxury if you intend to woo us out of at least $200.  Truth be told, this gift bag seems a bit pointless.  There has got to be a way to cut costs and still do right by the consumer.

Maybe offer a range of full-sized and deluxe-samples and have us pick a # of them.  Maybe include a bigger bag that can be re-used as a shopping bag.  Maybe give more deluxe samples of lower-tier brands.  Perhaps lower the price back to $150 when I first started getting these giftbags and thought to myself "Crap! There must be $150 worth of stuff here."  At least what I could tell from the full sized products and deluxe samples, I didn't count all of the regular samples stuffed in the bag.

Calculating the approximate worth of my beauty bag I came up to $158.30.  This is seriously not bad at all but, the bag is indeed lackluster in comparison to past bags.  A boo boo on Barneys' part that might cause people to be more cautious in the future with their beauty purchases since they created such a high standard for themselves to maintain.  Especially when Sephora now carries Sunday Riley and Koh Gen Do.

On a happier gluttonous note, I have a cute hippo cookie to show you.

I got these at the Walgreens downtown and was so happy to find them.  They are so cute and yummy.  Plus one cookie totally satisfies my craving for creamy cocoa crispiness.

That is all for today.  Time for me to organize some make-up!   

So Close! Things to Do in SF: Barneys Love Yourself and Hermes Festival de Metier

So I realize it's not yet the weekend but there's something a-brewing for all those in SF this weekend of the high-end shopping nature.

First off Barneys is going to have their Love Yourself event this weekend.  If you pre-ordered already then you know you will get charged tomorrow (9/19) and qualify for double points.  I really had no need for double points but damn my purchase is ginormous this time around.

Word of caution though:  If you didn't get a look at the gift on display you might be a little disappointed.  When I saw the display there were many samples but not as many deluxe samples (that I saw), and no full-sized products.  Even my friend wasn't too impressed and she never saw the previous gifts.

The big raised-eyebrow from me came when I saw the Deborah Lippmann polish.  It was not full-sized like in the past but a mini!

I remember seeing samples for: Radical skincare, Molton Brown, 3Lab, Kai and Malin+Goetz.  But I didn't rummage through the bag.  The bag will also be the same style as earlier in the year but with a different color scheme.

From what I read from other blogs, they will be doing a level up gift from many of the brands.  This is nice if you know what you want but I think the beauty of the Barneys bag is trying things I never would have and with them being full-sized I'm more apt to try them as opposed to a blister card that you see with samples of Avon and Mary Kay (not judging, but this is Barneys).

Let us hope that this gift bag will live up to its reputation.  If not, then I doubt I will have any more need for my Barneys card.

And I know that I might sound like a greedy whore (which I am).  But mind you that the minimum purchase price is $200.  

Do you know how many pork buns I can get for $200? 

307 of them!  Yeah I calculated it.

So yeah the expectations are pretty high.  Especially considering that 4 years ago the minimum purchase price was $150.

On to something kinda educational.....

You ever wonder why stuff at Hermes costs so much?  Well your answer can be found starting on the 20th and through the weekend because the Festival de Metier is here!

You can see how stuff is made by the craftsmen themselves.  This is not only insightful but really fun if you're into knowing where your fashion came from.

Now that my message has been made I am off to read Cloud Atlas!

Have a great rest of the week and live happy!

M·A·C Lash Comb & Brow Brush Duo DUPE!

So when I looked at the MAC lash comb/brow brush duo I admit I thought it was a capital idea and about time.  If you can't find this or just want to save a couple of bucks then head on over to Target.

Sonia Kashuk has a similar lash/ brow combo selling for $5.  And also by the looks of it, the lash comb is finer and the bristles on the brush are longer as well.

That's all for now.

Also By the By: Barneys Love Yourself and Uniqlo

You might or might not remember my post lamenting on why there is no Uniqlo here.  Well that all changes because it's coming to SF.  There is a smaller pop up shop opened now but the real deal with open in October across the street from H&M.  OMG!!! It's like all of my dreams come true!  Well, not really but I'm still pretty damn excited.

Also...... it is coming close to that time for Barneys New York to have their Love Yourself event again.  I have already pre-saled (so early I know) but I wanted to make sure I got a gift with purchase.  I was told when it was happening but totally spazzed on the dates.  It is either Sept. 19, 20 and 21 or Sept. 20, 21 and 22.

Either way if you want in on this then contact your SA now.  The minimum purchase is $200 which I will admit is stupid steep.  But the bags have never disappointed me before.

Okay now for sure I will have to try to get some sleep...... or stay up all night and go to work....... Ah the choices.

Another Late Night Posting....... I Don't Wanna Go to Work!

So here I am and it's 3am.  I have a birthday coming up and I just noticed that a few people are following my very outdated wishlist on Elfster.  So here I am (in vain) trying to find items to put on said wishlist.

Listening to Gangnam Style isn't helping my concentration at all.

My problem is, while I am not without many wants, I usually get them myself.  It makes it hard to shop for me but I don't expect to be shopped for.  Unless it's my bf then I better get something that is thoughtful and sweet.

I also have the unfortunate privilege of attending a science meeting dealio that takes place during my birthday week.  There has been some talk about what to do to celebrate and I've had offers to go somewhere from co-workers.  Thing is, the last (and I mean LAST) thing I would want to do is hang out with my co-workers on my birthday when I can spend that time with say....... FRIENDS AND FAMILY.  Not that I have anything against going out with co-workers, but I really prefer to keep my social life and my work life VERY SEPARATE.  Sure they might hear stories once in a while but I really don't need them seeing what I really do on my time off.

I mean seriously, I see you guys 40 hours a week!  That's more than I see my dad, friends and even boyfriend at times (and I live with him).

Could my early birthday wish be that my work just leaves me alone to spend time with people I truly care about in an enriching relationship kind of way or does all of this make me sound ungrateful?