JCPenney - A new beginning, or the beginning of the end? (latest coupon codes/deals)

Here are the latest coupon codes and deals at JCPenney:
NEWSTYLE: $10 off $50, $15 off $75, $20 off $100 (online, through May 12th)
Printable coupon for $10 off $50, $15 off $75, $20 off $100 through May 12th
Doorbusters: Online (all day Friday, May 10th to 1 PM Saturday, May 11th), In-store (Friday, May 10th, 3 PM until close & Saturday, May 11th, 9 AM to 1 PM)
SPREE10: 10% off your entire purchase (exp. 4/1/14)
25% off women's dresses (online, discounted price as marked)
20% off fine jewelry (in store and online, through May 12th), no code required
Save 50% when you buy two or more bras select bras (see site/store for details)
Free shipping to store (no minimum), free shipping to home ($75 or more), no code required

 
There's an old saying that rings true in many situations:  "If it aint broke, don't fix it."  One such situation is JCPenney.

I remember hearing the news about a year or so ago that JCP hired a new CEO, Ron Johnson and would be totally revamping their store and, in the process eliminating all the coupons and sales they were well known for.  I had a bad feeling about it even then.  I'm sure every savvy shopper would agree, there's just something about getting a coupon in the mail or hearing/seeing the word SALE in an advertisement.

I went in our local JCP shortly after the change and was disappointed even more.  The store's stock was greatly depleted compared to the "good old days".  The number of racks was reduced and shelves did not have the same amount/selection of stock as before.  Granted, the store looked more open, but the selection JCP was also known for was gone.

I still didn't give up on my once favorite store.  And, yes, I still found some great deals for a while.  But as the months went by, the selection and good deals seemed to become fewer and far in between in both the many JCP stores I went in and online, even with the introduction of new brands, most of which I couldn't find at my local JCP.  I also found that apparently a lot of the old brands were being eliminated.  I finally got to the point I didn't even attempt to shop at JCP.  It sadly became a waste of time.

Still being a JCP cardholder I received the occasional ad books they would send.  Then, almost a month ago I received a coupon for $10 off $25 or more.  I did a double take... JCP sending out a coupon?  Is this for real?  I did some further checking and found that JCP had fired Johnson and replaced him with the former CEO he replaced, Mike Ulman.  Ulman has vowed to return JCP to it's former self.  With this news, and after several months of even setting foot in a JCP store, I paid them another visit.

The store's selection was still very minimal.  And, probably the most unfortunate thing, the prices to me seemed even more higher.  I did however find some pretty good deals online and was able to use the coupon there.

I'm still not giving up on JCP.  Ulman did promise to reinstate JCP back to the great store I once remembered, and I realize that that may take some time, and I plan on giving them that time.

Ombre Disaster... or not? (review of Loreal Feria Wild Ombre)

Well, this particular review was almost a vlog, but I thought if it failed miserably, I didn't want anyone to see that or my reaction.  It's a good thing I made that decision.

A little over a month ago I purchased Loreal's Feria Wild Ombre hair color kit for medium to dark brown hair.  At that time I had just dyed my hair from auburn to dark brown in preparation for this kit and I decided I would then wait until closer to vacation (a little over a month) to apply it.  In all fairness, the box states that results could be different on color treated hair. 

Though I usually have my highlights done professionally, there was one time I used a box highlighting kit.  It was way back when Loreal Couleur Experte came out.  I bought it in 6.0 (almond rocca).  With Couleur Experte, you applied the base color, which in this case was a dark brown and the highlights all in the same day.  The results were great! 

So I thought even though I recently colored my hair that I wouldn't have any trouble with the Wild Ombre.  And especially with the fact I was waiting it out for over a month, which I thought would give the brown hair color time to fade and hopefully the process wouldn't damage my hair.

This past Sunday arrived.  Almost time for vacation!  It was a rainy weekend and I was stuck inside with nothing to do, so I thought what the heck, let's go for it!  I opened up the box and prepared the mixture.

The kit comes with the components for the mixture, gloves, conditioning shampoo, instructions and a handy little applicator brush.  I wanted a subtle look (e.g., Lea Michelle, Jessica Biel, Rachel Bilson, Megan Fox) rather than the full on bold ombre like the model on the box (which I actually found kind of frightening looking and that should have been a warning right there... little did I know that my hair was about to look worse, color wise).

With the help of my dear husband, he applied the solution just as the enclosed directions indicated for subtle ombre highlights.  An hour later (my hair is super thick), he was done.  Next, we said a prayer and waited.

30 minutes later, orange... 45 minutes later, brighter orange.  The instructions states to leave the mixture in for a max of 45 minutes.  Desperately, I left the mixture on for an hour to no avail.  After rinsing and washing with the special shampoo the kit comes with, I found myself looking like a zebra that ate too many carrots :-(

So I called upon my wonderful husband yet again to come to my aid.  At my request, he went to the nearby drugstore and got me a box of neutral dark brown hair color.  I was determined at that point to just cover up the mess, learn from my mistake and make it a bad memory before going to work Monday morning.  As soon as he brought it in, I applied it and left it for 30 minutes. 

After rinsing out the color, applying many conditioning products and apologizing profusely to my poor hair, I was shocked to see the streaks remained, ARGH!  I was already prepared to get another box of brown hair color but knew that I could not put my poor hair through any more stress.  I would have to deal with it for the time being.  I spent the rest of the night ignoring my hair in disappointment.

So, Monday came and I styled my hair as usual.  It was then that I took notice of the remaining highlights.  They were not really that bad.  Instead of the hideous orange tone, they now had a nice honey/carmel/light brown tone and were very subtle.

As the next few days progressed, the ombre highlights that remained kinda "grew on me", so to speak (sorry for the bad pun)... so, I decided I would keep them for now.  I still have some John Frieda Sheer Blonde Color Renew shampoo and conditioner (from the last time I was blonde).  These shampoos and conditioners are purple, which restores and brightens many different shades of blonde and corrects any orange/red tones.  I still have hints of red/orange in some of the highlights so hopefully this will do the trick in rectifying that situation.  It worked well for me before and I highly recommend them, but unfortunately it appears that these products have been discontinued :-(  I've heard Sally Beauty Supply has some great toning shampoos and conditioners which I may try:

ION Cool Blonde Shampoo

ION Cool Blonde Conditioner

Clariol Shimmer Lights Shampoo

Clariol Shimmer Lights Conditioner

GVP Conditioning Shampoo (compare to Clariol Shimmer Lights Shampoo), great reviews and great price (currently $5.50)

Coupons/codes for Sally Beauty Supply:

555148: $5 off $25 online

$5 off $25 coupon (in store)

Free shipping and returns on $50 or more sitewide (no code needed)



So, to sum it all up, everyone's hair is different, just as hair colorings and their overall results are all different (e.g. Couleur Experte as opposed to Wild Ombre).  But from my experience, I would not recommend Wild Ombre for color treated hair.  I can't vouch for how well it would work on a natural hair color (my hair hasn't been it's natural color since high school).  If you still decide to try it out, proceed at your own risk.  Bottom line, this job may be best left to the pros.

The applicator is a handy little tool.  I actually kept it for potential future hair highlighting experiments, though after this ordeal I'm not sure if there will be any more experiments.  But overall I am both surprised and very pleased with how things ended up turning out after I applied the brown color which I thought would completely cover the highlights.  But please remember as I mentioned above, everyone's hair is different, just as hair colorings and their overall results are all different.  Just because it worked for someone else doesn't mean it will necessarily work for you.  Good luck :-)

$2 off Wild Ombre: Loreal Wild Ombre Hair Color is regularly $12.99 at Rite Aid stores.  This week there is a coupon in their ad for $2 off, making it $10.99 a box.  Ads are usually located at the store entrance.

 

Big Deal at Big Lots - save over 80% on Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Polish (product review included)

Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Polish, which is regularly $8.97 in other stores, is $1.60 each at select Big Lots stores!   Now that's what I call a sweet deal!

I had never tried this particular polish before.  To be honest, I have always loved regular Sally Hansen polishes.  But back when the crackle polish trend first started, I picked up a couple bottles of Sally's Crackle.  To my dismay, they did not work for me.  So that experience (along with the high price tag) made me a little apprehensive to try the Magnetic when it first came out.

Fast forward to a few days ago.  I get e-mails from Big Lots and I noticed that my local store was carrying the Magnetic for the "can't pass up" price of $1.60.  That afternoon I stopped by and bought a bottle in each color they had, hoping they would work, but thinking if they didn't at least I wasn't out too much money.

Over the weekend I opened the Polar Purple color polish (purple is my favorite color, plus it perfectly matched the color of the shirt I planned on wearing to work Monday) :-).  On top of the bottle is a removable cap which holds the magnet.  According to the directions, it is recommended that you apply a clear coat polish as a base, let dry then make sure to shake the magnetic polish well in order to activate it.  Then, apply a coat of the magnetic polish and let it dry (I found this polish to be very fast drying).

 First coat

Then apply a thick second coat to a nail.  Immediately use the magnet while the second coat is wet by placing the built in ledge (on the cap located below the magnet) just under the cuticle.  This ledge helps the magnet be as close as possible to the nail while preventing it from touching the nail/wet polish.  Hold for 10 seconds.  The first nail looked good, but I noticed the magnet didn't produce the design on the entire nail, just the left/middle area.  When doing the nails that followed, I moved the magnet from side to side, which remedied this situation.

Second coat after applying magnet

I am very pleased with the outcome and ease of use of this polish.  The design has a gorgeous 3 dimensional look.  In the future I plan on trying different tricks with the magnet and hopefully create different designs in the process.

I definitely recommend this product and suggest that you stop by your local Big Lots store and pick up a bottle, or one in every color, like I did. :-)  But I recommend you go quickly, sweet deals like this usually don't last long.  

Just Add Feathers (Transforming an old pair of shoes into a new pair)

Have you ever done something, then looked back on it and simply said, "What was I thinking?"  I have asked myself that question many times in life, especially when it comes to clothes.  Here are a couple of examples.

Back a couple months ago I was in JCPenney.  I found a really cute pair of moccasins (Arizona Molly Suede) I fell in love with.  I love moccasins and this particular pair was adorned with feathers, making them even more cute!  They were already on clearance and the price was good, but I felt it could be better, so I opted to wait, come back and hope they were marked down further so I could get a sweeter deal.  Unfortunately upon returning a week or so later, the shoes were sold out.  When I returned home, I went online hoping to order a pair from their website.  To my dismay, they were also sold out online.  The only memory I had of those cute shoes was the pic below.  I couldn't help but ask myself "What was I thinking?"  I should have went ahead and bought the shoes even though they were a few bucks higher than what I wanted to pay, but as they say, hindsight is 20/20.  Deal shopping is truly a gamble, sometimes it pays off waiting for a good deal to get better.  However sometimes, such as in this case, it's not.  

Fast forward a few months later.  Going through my bins of summer clothes I no longer wear and getting them ready for the consignment store and yard sales, I ran across these cute Aeropostale moccasins I was prepared to part with.  Again, the "What was I thinking?" thought crossed my mind.  So I put them aside to keep and wore them to work on several occasions since then.  Then, just the other day while wearing them, those cute Molly mocs from JCPenney crossed my mind once again, along with a great idea.  I may not be able to buy the Mollys, but I can make my own!

I made the trip to my local Michael's craft store armed with a 40% off a regular price item coupon I printed from their website (they put these percentage off of regular priced products coupons out on a weekly basis... check their website or sales flyer in most Sunday papers).  There, I found a bag of brown craft feathers for $2.99 (less 40% off coupon: $1.79).  Then, I returned home and with a little help from a glue gun, I applied the feathers. 

 I couldn't decide on a particular feather color/design, so I just went with all the ones I liked :-)  Viola, my own unique pair of feather embellished mocs, very similar to the pair I missed out on at JCPenney!