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!

 

"Truly Outrageous" 80's Tees

Were you an 80s kid?  Did you think Jem was (and still is) Truly Outrageous?  Did you wish you could go over the rainbow with Rainbow Bright or help battle Hordak along side of She-ra?  Yup, you're an 80s kid.

Relive those great memories of the best decade in not only cartoons, but movies and TV shows as well.  80stees.com has a wide variety of 80s themed shirts to choose from.  And be sure to check out their clearance section for great deals.  Also, if you sign up for their e-mail list, you will get an additional 10% off your first order.  I snagged this truly outrageous Jem and the Holograms shirt for only $10.79 (on clearance for $11.99 - 10% discount for signing up for their e-mail list=$10.79).  

It's a great soft and tagless tee.  This shirt (along with several other Women's shirts) is what's classed on the website as slim fit.  The one I ordered pictured above is a large and it fits fine.  In my experience, I've found it best to go one size up than the size I normally wear when purchasing slim fitting shirts.  Shipping is affordable as well, using shipping via UPS Mail Innovations it's around $2 (however if you are in a rush, I would recommend a faster shipping method, as this one can take up to 8 days).  

There's also really great deals on 80s themed costumes in the clearance section now.  Plan ahead for your Halloween party this year and get a great deal in the process.  Have fun!  And now I leave you with the theme song from my favorite 80s cartoon.  Enjoy :-) 

 

72TMEZRYWNNV

"Nailing" the deal - Salvage store finds & reviews

My finger and toe nails are ready for spring, thanks to our local salvage grocery store!

Salvage grocery stores can be great places to find deals on not only food products, but beauty products as well.  Our local salvage grocery store also sells products from a well known pharmacy/general merchandise chain.  These items are usually overstocks, items with slightly damaged packaging, mislabeled or old label items, discontinued items or items not selling well in regular stores.  I found the following name brand nail products at amazing prices.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects & Kiss Nail Dress - $1 each! (check out the original price tag still on the top Kiss Nail Dress box, regularly $6.99)

Both of these products are very easy to apply and look great!  Many people thought I had my nails professionally done when wearing these products.  One recommendation, after applying, apply a coat or two of clear nail polish to "seal the deal" and protect.  Touch up with the clear polish every other day or so to extend the life of your manicure.  My last one lasted 3 whole weeks using this method.

Essie & Sally Hansen Nail Polish - 3 for $1!

I love our local salvage store's 3 for $1 deals!  I have scored many nail polish colors and brands.  Here are some of my faves.  Of course I have used Sally Hansen for many years and they never disappoint me with their quality polishes.  I just got the opportunity to try the Essie brand after picking it up at the salvage store and it too looks great and is long lasting.  These are the only 4 colors in the Essie brand I've found (for now), but I hope to find more soon.

Which brings me to my next word of advice... if you are lucky enough to have a good salvage store nearby, find out what days they stock and try to stop in that day or the day after.  Or, if your salvage store stocks various times during the week, try to stop by at least once a week if not twice or more.  Our salvage store's stock is constantly changing... every time I go in to shop they are stocking.  You may just find yourself in the "right place at the right time" and find a great deal like the ones I found.  Good luck, and happy salvage store shopping :-) 

  

Think cute, warm sweaters... in 70- 80 degree temperatures?

My mom is a smart shopper like me, but one thing she can’t do is buy a cute sweater in the middle of warm weather.  “I just can’t think about those kind of clothes right now, it burns me up just looking at it.”  I can understand… it is hard to get in the frame of mind to buy a sweater when it's 70 to 80 degrees out.  Not to mention, being a huge fan of springtime (my favorite time of year), the last thing I want to do is think about the cold temperatures and snow, but in reality, that time of year is approaching, so why not fashionably prepare for it, and cash in on the amazing deals in the process!  Allow me to explain.

Late last September, I went into a JCPenney and thought I had died and gone to heaven.  Racks on racks of gorgeous summer dresses, some retailing for $80, all $5 each.  Cute summer wedges and other sandals, retailing for $50... $2 each.  No, these prices are not a typo.  Needless to say, I walked out of the store spending just under $100 on over $500 worth of dresses and shoes.   I remember wishing that it was still warm weather.  Not only because I love warm weather, but because I wanted to wear my loot, LOL!  But instead I brought it all home, made room in my closet (barely) for my haul and smiled and thought “I’m so ready for Spring!”

The moral of this story, many department stores offer deep discounts on off season merchandise.  Why not take advantage of these deals and not only be prepared for the next season, but save a ton of money at the same time?  Summer items start to go on clearance generally toward the end of July/early August through Sept. and sometimes Oct.  Winter items start to go on clearance right after Christmas, through April and sometimes into May.  YMMV, but in my experience, usually the deep discounts can be found toward the end of the clearance, like me finding my great Summer haul at JCP in September.  Here’s a shot of all of them.  Good luck to you all, and I hope you’re lucky enough to score a great haul like this one.  Have you scored a great haul?  Feel free to let me know!     

Store review: Ross Dress for Less

You will hear me talk many MANY times in this blog about Value City, a now defunct discount department store which had 113 stores in Ohio and surrounding states (more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_City).  I know it sounds weird, but when VC closed for good at the end of 2008, it was as if a part of me closed with it.  My mom and I would love to go take a Mother/Daughter day out on Fridays (my day off) and “dive in” to the huge amount of clothing, shoe and accessories, spending several hours finding great deals and bonding ♥ And the clearance racks were like a treasure trove of unbelievable deals waiting to be found.  It took some time and sorting, but we would always come out with some great buys.  For example, we got some beautiful dresses for church for $25 and under, I got some outstanding clothes for work (one time I got an amazing pant suit for $16!), and the shoes, oh the shoes.  Where would we be able to find deals like $5 party dresses, $8 designer jeans, $10 designer shoes again?

A little over a year later, a new store opened nearby called “Ross, Dress for Less”.  I always give each discount department store a chance, so off my Mom and I went.  Boy, am I glad we did.  Nothing will ever compare to Value City, but Mom and I agree that Ross definitely comes closer than any other discount department store out there.  Although the stores are not as big as the Value Cities we frequented, the values are really quite the same.  Name brand and designer merchandise at deep discounts, especially if you are fortunate enough to catch a great find on clearance.  For instance, I got this pair of Tommy Hilfiger shoes for $6.49 on clearance (regularly $60)!

And this cute pair of Jessica Simpson jeans for $6.99 (regularly $70)! 

I also got the hubby this Tommy jacket for a steal at $14.99 (regularly $85)!

This is a store you will want to spend quite some time in, as colors and styles are scattered throughout the racks. Also new stock comes in frequently and the racks get pretty full, so it may take some time to find that sweet deal.  I also recommend looking in sizes other than your own, as sometimes items get put in the wrong spots (that’s how I found my Tommy shoes listed above, they were in the 8 1/2 size area, I wear 9 1/2).  Lastly, sometimes the clearance is difficult to find.  Look for the red signs, usually at the end of racks (for clothes) and the lower shelves (for shoes, though I've found on several instances clearance shoes are mixed in with the regular priced ones).  I highly recommend this store, as I got to say it’s my new favorite :-)  FYI: Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the best days to shop, less people plus most Ross stores do markdowns on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Happy deal hunting :-)