My Great Challenge

Monday, December 2, 2013

CYBER MONDAY DEALS - 2013

Cyber Monday Deals - 2013

Who's ready for some last minute shopping?

By this time of the year, I usually wrap up all my Christmas shopping. Most of it is done before Thanksgiving, I then use Black Friday and Cyber Monday online deals to finish it all. Why? It leaves our December money in the bank - which we need for heating bill and other winter costs (think food)!

Here are some of the deals I found online and end today for Cyber Monday only - it's not too late to score big as some of these deals are really worth your staying home and avoiding the crowd frenzy!

Old Navy is offering 30% off site wide and Gap/Banana Republic 40% off site wide:

Link: Old Navy + Banana Republic/GAP deals

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Yves Rocher is offering $5 off any $30 purchase discount + free shipping.
Use Coupon Code 5CYBER30
There are tons of free gifts and some great stocking stuffers too!

Link : Yves Rocher deals

Try my favorite: Elixir 7.9 Youth Intensifier currently 45% off.

Elixir 7.9 Youth Intensifier

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Vera Bradley offers great discounts on popular bag designs in a lot of color selections:

12/1 – 12/3: Cyber Monday Deals

Vera, $49.99
Hipster, $29.99
Messenger, $49.99
Double Zip Backpack, $54.99
Grand Tote, $34.99
Carry It All Wristlet, $21.99
All in One Wristlet, $19.99
Weekender, $59.99

12/1-12/3: Additional 20% Sale Items
Excludes Cyber Monday Items

12/1-12/19: Holiday Sale! Up to 30% off Select Colors and Styles

Here is the link:

Cyber Monday Deals! Get the Vera for $49.99. Valid December 1st-3rd.

Link: Vera Bradley deals

link: Vera Bradley Deals

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Amazon has launched its Cyber Monday Week of deals – upcoming deals every 15 minutes and unbelievable savings. If you are an AmazonPrime member – shipping is FREE!

Click image above for direct link

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Kohls – always having the greatest deals – don’t forget the cashback!

20% off using coupon code CYBERSAVE

Free Shipping on all purchases Kohls Deals

Link: Kohls Department Store

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Macy’s offers 15% off everything + free shipping on all orders over $75 and TONS of deals throughout the site.

Link: Macy's Department Store

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Bath & Body Works offers another Buy 3 get 3 free deal (awesome savings) and 25% off your entire purchase when you enter coupon code HAPPYMONDAY:

Link: Bath & Body Works

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E.L.F Makeup: I fell in love with their Studio and Mineral lines last month (by the way I just made another huge order with a giveaway coming up)

E.L.F is offering 50 % off everything today only:

Link: E.L.F Cosmetics

Here's my favorite (so far):

Link: Mineral Blush in Peach - $2.50 Today only!

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Pacifica SkinCare: they make a wonderful Tuscan Blood Orange line of body cream that is to die for (a great gift for a mother in law). They re offering free shipping on orders $50+ and a free gift for orders $30+

Click the image above for a direct link

link: Tuscan Blood Orange Body Wash

Link: Tuscan Blood Orange Line

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Well, that's all I ve got for you tomight!

Happy shopping!

You can find me on FACEBOOK and YOUTUBE.

Thanks for reading and sharing my blog.

Sophia, NJ.

* This blog contains affiliate advertising. I am afiliated with Yves Rocher, Amazon, Pacifica and will receive a small commission for purchases made through my site links - that is how I support my blog. I am not affiliated with the GAP, Old Navy, Macy's, Kohls, Bath and body Works, or ELF. All opinions are my own.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Vera Bradley - Black Friday Deals - 50% off + free Holiday Tote

Here are some great Black Friday Deals at Vera Bradley:

Click the links below to start shopping:

Holiday Sale! 50% off select colors and styles! Valid November 27-30th.

Black Friday Deals! Up to 50% Special Priced Items. Valid November 29th-30th.

Holiday Tote Gift With Purchase! Free Holiday Tote with purchase of $100 or more. Valid November 29th.

Free Holiday tote for all orders over $100

Happy shopping!

Sophia, NJ

*This site and post contain affiliate advertising - I am affiliated with Vera Bradley and will receive a small commission on purchases made through my site - all opinions are my own.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

E.L.F - Haul and Review

Hi friends,

I am sure you have heard of E.L.F before, they are mostly sold at Target, though I think you can find their makeup line at Walmart too now. E.L.F promotes itself as a professional makeup company at bargain price. That's intriguing enough for me to give them a fair try.
I do have some E.L.F products I use once in a while, but never really made any significant purchases in the past, at least not enough to qualify as a haul, until today.

To begin, let me tell you that E.L.F I very affordable, so if you are limited on funds, they are a great alternative to drugstore brands and some their product lines like the Mineral or Studio lines are actually very good quality for the price. Even better, they are animal cruelty free!

I placed my order online on a day when they offered 50% site wide. In addition, I had a $20 off coupon and they always offer free shipping, so I got all of this for under $20 (can't tell me it's not a bargain!)

If you would rather watch the corresponding YouTube video, here it is:

Eye Transformer Palette

This eye palette offers 4 individual eye shadows you can either wear alone or blend with others. I purchased it for the purpose of toning down some of my darker shadows in particular cut down on some shimmer and glitter. With a blending brush, I go over the edges of my darker and defining shadows and blend it in towards the upper corner of my lid. This allows the shadow to have more of a gradual finish on the edges, it looks less sharp and really opens up my eyes. I use the two colors in the middle which are more of a cream and light pink color for that purpose. The light blue (right) is perfect for the corner of my eye to make it pop, the green (left) is a nice addition as a bright line over or right under my eye liner for another effect. Quality wise, these are okay (what do you expect for $3, right?) they are a bit powdery but when you use good quality brushes, the issue no longer exists.

Mineral Blush - Peachy

Mineral Blush

This is a fantastic color and a great quality mineral blush too! I apply my blushes with the Real Techniques Blush Brush , which I find to be the best out of all the brushes I have tried thus far. This blush is long staying and blends in very well. I am very fair skin and find this one to be the perfect shade for colder months. It has a hint of coral/brick but I still a pink blush, which is the color that suits me best.

Studio HD Blush - Diva

Studio HD Blush

This tiny $3 bottle completely took my by surprise! It is so pigmented, the amount you see on my hand (bottom left) is all you need, and still, this might be a tad too much. This blush is difficult to blend if you do not have a good Stippling Brush , I would recommend you place the product on the back of your hand or a paper towel prior to applying the product to your face because it delivers some serious bang. The lasting power is also amazing. So between staying power and color payoff I would rate this product as an A+. I have grown obsessed with it and plan on purchasing other colors since this one is a bit too fuchsia. It truly is a great product.

Essential Lip Stain - Nude Nectar

Essential Lip Stain

Lip stains are interesting products to me. They deliver good color coverage with amazing lasting power. Unfortunately, I always find them to be too dry and would recommend you use a clear balm over the stain. This one is very nice, the Nude Nectar color is more of a true to your lip sort of color that suits me well. Again, for $2, E.L.F delivered a good quality product.

Essential Bronzer - Sun Kissed

Essential Bronzer

This bronzer is just okay for me. The website does not mention that it has a gold patina to it and I usually avoid anything yellow on my skin as it just does not go well with my cool tones. For the price, I still think that it delivers good results, it is a bit powedery and the included brush is not something you want to use for it at all, I would just ignore the brush or trash it all together. Other than that, it's okay. I am not going to try it in other colors.

Mineral Eye Shadow - Royal, Socialite, Flirty

Mineral Eye Shadows

I am in love with these shadows! The quality is very good and you do get quite a good amount of product for $3. From left to right: Flirty, Socialite, Royal. All three are in the purple range. They do have quite a bit of shimmer to them, Socialite and Royale are more of a gunpowder with glitter finish but are not your daughter's eye shadows, these are very wearable. I was really surprised by the quality of these shadows. With a good brush application, they do wonders on my brown eyes.

So I got all of these for under $20 and quite frankly I am impressed!