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.