My first time @ Whole Foods

I know, I know, tons of people who would ever come across this post would, indeed, hate me. BUT, I went to a local whole foods that opened not too long ago in a neighboring city near me. I am a junkie for organic goods of any kind. As soon as I walk in, there seemed to be a certain hoity toity vibe going on in there, but I let my first judgement slide. The first thing I happened to see were pumpkins, and ALL sorts! they had a very wide selection and I ended up picking up two mini ones.

     Don't get me wrong, they offer a very wide variety of  brands and food I haven't even heard of. Let me say this: There is nothing wrong with shopping here, I just think some prices are a little outrageous. A bag of chicken breasts (organic) were $17.99. I pay $5.99 for a bag at Target. Mind you it's not organic but that's what you get when you have bills to pay and are just getting out there on your own and learning how to support yourself.
 
     They had Alba skin care products and Method home cleaners and soaps. Both of which I AVIDLY use. An Alba mask I saw was $16.99. I bought the same thing at another store for $10.00. Method house cleaners? $4.99 a BOTTLE. I pay $2.99 at Target. As I walked through the store, the more frustrated I became. Why is it so expensive to live healthily? It's a shame and I truly wish it weren't like that. Enough with the bad.
 
      They have a HUGE selection, and if you can't find an organic brand of something somewhere else, I can almost promise there will be at least five different brands of that same item organically made at Whole Foods. Be on the watch for certain things, I picked up two bags of organic no GMO cereals for $6.00, and almond milk for $1.99 ( cheaper than some places.)


      I will definitely come back, but I will be weary of what I am going in for. That being said, I hope every one of you gets the chance to go to one.

Tj Maxx private shopping event

I recieved yet another special event email from tj maxx, so I decided to go for the first time. The email said you would get a free reusable bag when you show your credit card or rewards card. There would be breakfast snacks and gift card giveaways. Sounds awesome right? 

  I show up at 7:00 am it started at 7:30am, I don't know why I thought showing up early would be a great idea, I had three other people walk in when I did and we were the only ones. So I get right to business and start looking at the "new"arrivals racks. Now I've heard that they put gift cards on the hangers so I tore though the ENTIRE juniors and women's sections and found nothing, along with everyone else. They had nothing new, no "new" arrivals so I went to the home goods side and to no surprise, nothing new.

    I was actually really dissapointed, the emails you get make you so excited to go and hunt for the latest and greatest but then you show up and it's extreamly below your expectations. The only positive thing about this special even was this dress I tried on, I felt like Elvira.

                            -Ericka

Julep maven FREE FALL box

The box came in Tuesday! It came with three polishes and luxe repair skin serum!

The box is darling!

The colors I got (left to right) Winona-Classic with a twist, Queen Anne- it girl and, Coco- it girl

Dollarspot

                            

Mini card set with envelopes and thank you stamp with stamp pad! Each a dollar! Visit a target near you before they're gone!

My free haul!

This is a haul I did with two 10$ kohl's cash cards, a Victoria secret panty card, and a bath and body works coupon. So first up, Kohl's..

The middle ring is missing its little gem, orig. $24.00 

LC Lauren Conrad earrings!

Itsybitsy love ring, $7.40

A Sonoma brand crew neck for $2.80

And my last gem from kohl's.. My Lauren Conrad sweater for $5.40

 Victoria secret panty 

Bath and body works leaves candle

Fall trends!

Super cute fall colors this year! They have a lot of maroon this year, it seems like it's coming back stronger each year

Photo from msquinnface.com

Become a Julep Maven!

Become a Julep maven and get a limited edition beauty box! From NOW till September 20th! Use code FREEFALL Click HERE for details! I believe all you pay is the shipping which is2.99$!

Hurry up fall, We're waiting!

I've had my eye on a few peices recently, one of them being this Free People bandeau top. Doesn't it have a rasta/cochella vibe? It was going for 40$ originally and selling for 19.99$. It finally went down to 3$!

I'm getting into the intimates a little more than usual, lately. That's definitely not a bad thing, considering all the bad things I've been hearing about Victoria's secret. so I picked up this lovely bra I saw last week for 5$. it was marked down to 2.50$

It's Aerie by American Eagle. I saw one in stores on sale for about 5$ and didn't get it but I guess it was meant to be, because I didn't let it out of my sight this time! I also picked up a cute, basic pair of undies from Aerie as well, they were a dollar.

My final things I bought were nail polishes! At my TjMaxx, they always leave all of the Butter London,OPI,Julep, and Ciaté at this lovely little shelf at the VERY end of all the lanes. I ended up getting Ciaté and Julep ( both of which, I have NEVER tried) and I have to say I love them both! Such lovely fall colors! I'm so excited because I can finally start wearing my darker shades now!

This is what I'm going for next time! Cute little black romper with drawstring detailing. [One clothing brand I believe.]

Target Dollar Spot!

I have a poshmark and a vinted account and I love sending a thank you note along with any of the purchases I get! and how could you resist these thank you cards? PLUS, they had socks again! so I instinctively went for the ones with the triangles :-)

Link to Poshmark
Link to Vinted

Little thing called final clearance.

So, I've been seeing so many people instagraming what they've gotten from TjMaxx and Marshall's lately. The prices these people have been paying are the lowest I've seen and because it's END OF SEASON! Well, obviously I went and I snagged some awesome pieces!

THIS is the dress I snagged for 1.00$!(mimi chica) there's nothing wrong with it, it's just VELVET. and purple (but that's not a bad thing) I have fall plans for this!

the second thing I got was this lovely Ruby Moon teal sweater.......for .70¢ It HAD a hole in the armpit and a samll snag in the back but nothing I couldn't fix! :-)

This DKNY bra was a whopping 7.00$ regularly 28.00$

This super pretty Joie sweater that was originally 79.99$ for 15.00$ It looks absolutely darling with a pair of skinnies and flats!

AND....last but certianly not least, Cynthia Rowley for 2.00$!

If this doesn't make you want to go and try your luck with final clearance at TjMaxx, then I don't know what would!

these two are on my top list next time I go back! so cute! Sunday in Brooklyn sheer top and this super cute london something tunic! That's all for now! cheerio!

   

                                                      - Ericka

It's been a while..

Since my last post, I've gotten really sick. Friday during work, it hit me, like a double decker bus. I had a sore throat, head, stuffy nose, the works right? WELL, the flu was going around work, and when you work with children, you are NEVER safe. So i immediately got on tamiflu and thought everything would be fine right? Wrong. I was very very wrong. I started to get sick Saturday until about noon. i couldn't keep anything down and i had severe aches and chills. Sunday through Monday i had no fever then on Tuesday it hit me again, my fever came back and i was terrified to eat. I was feeling so bad, work let me go and that rarely happens. Wednesday i had to eat and the only thing that could comfort my dying soul was a baked potato, so for the next two days i ended up eating them. today has been the first day I've woken up with energy and felt as if i could take on the day some what. SO, wash your stinkin hands people! don't touch your face or put your hands or anything near your mouth. :-) good luck comrades.




                                                                                 -Ericka

Lucky Lucky Me.

"IT'S TAX FREE WEEKEND!" screamed the girl with no cash. Fortunately, I babysat this weekend and ended up with an extra 30$ in my pocket. What better use than to go to TjMaxx with it. Even if it was JUST to look around. So, looking around I found a really cute of joe's jeans but they didn't fit just right and not to mention a little pricy, $56 on sale. On the subject of jeans, who else finds it incredibly hard to find size 00 - 0 jeans? I rarely have any luck, so being hard headed, I decided to go see if they had regular 0's in the girls' section. Not only did i find a size 14 joe's jeans, they were cheaper. $19.99. I grabbed about three different brand jeans and snuck my way into the changing rooms. They ALL fit me! and quite nicely I might add. I ended up settling with a pair of lucky Zoey "jeggings" and a French connection top I loved. I'd say it was a pretty good day!

Ralph Lauren Skinny Jeans

Scanning the Marshall's racks, looking for a cute shirt or SOMETHING, I stumbled upon this sick (and I mean that in a good way) pair of Ralph Lauren skinnies. At first I thought the pattern wasn't all that flattering but then I remembered I have the perfect top to go with these! So naturally, I had to try them on and I was hoping they'd fit.  -I have a philosophy, If they don't fit, it wasn't meant to be.-
    I have a moment of sad silence and move on. BUT, they fit perfectly. And at $10.00 clearance, I couldn't help myself. These bad puppies go for $98.00!

After doing research on them, they are Ralph Lauren Imprime floral skinny jeans Click to buy

Korean Makeup Review!

I recently bought some things off of amazon after watching Elaine Mokk on youtube.https://www.youtube.com/user/ElaineMokk
She does a lot of makeup videos and I eventually said screw it, I'm getting this. Out of all the things I've gotten, I have NOT been disappointed.

I ended up getting four things but they all came with a TON of samples for different products.
   Tony Moly Tomatox - detoxifying and brightening facial mask. this stuff is awesome! it gradually takes the redness out of your face. Buy it here
   Lioele Dollish CC Cera-V Cream- It's a cc cream and it's FULL coverage. This stuff actuallt adjusts to your skin tone! It's AMAZING. I use a tiny bit of under eye concealer and then use this, let it oxidize for 30 minutes and my skin is FLAWLESS! This one is a little bit on the pricy side, but oh so worth it. Buy it here
   Skin79 Super Plus Beblesh Triple Functions VIP Gold - This stuff is a little grey toned, but all in all it's a good buy. I am a little biased because I haven't gotten to use it as much as I have all the others so bare with me. You get a TON of product and it's very smooth for a smooth finish.buy it here
  Etude House Pop Stick - Okay so this is like a revlon/clinique chubby stick thingy. I got the wrong shade, It's a BIT too light for my lips, but I am mixing it with other lipsticks I own and I'm liking how it's working out. It is very smooth and the color is SO pretty but (kicking myself) maybe better in a darker shade.

All in all I'm happy with what I got! If you ever do feel like taking a risk with Korean cosmetics, I'm telling you, you won't be disappointed!

TJ MAXX

Okay so my FIRST tjmaxx post, I'm so excited. If anyone knows me, I'm absolutely obsessed with this place. It's like crack to me. Seriously. Without further or do, let the finds begin! I love just going in to see what i can find. It's like a treasure hunt to me. (Maybe why I get so entranced.)

                                   How does this help you? Words of wisdom, unsafe wisdom.

           Helpful Hint: If you are looking for American Eagle Outfitters clothing, GO. They tend to carry a lot because it's "past season" and this rule applies to EVERYTHING. Not just clothes.

          These may look like ORDINARY pillows to you but they are actually Vera Wang pillows!  I picked them up yesterday and saw that they were on clearance and would go awesomly with my bedspread. SO, two 100$ pillows for 10$ each. steal right?

         I also picked up this candle I've been eyeing for quite a while. these candles are great! They last forever. And at 3.99$ I couldn't resist. I KNOW. I have a problem.

Potato soup

To begin you will need: cutting board
                                       Knive
                                       Spoon
                                       Small to medium pan
                                       Potato peeler (optional)
Ingredients : Potatoes,( I know. 1-2 good sized for a two person serving 4-5 if serving more than 3 people)
                   White onion ( 1-2 person use 1/3 of the onion)
                    Chives (i use about two roots)
                    Cheese slices ( 1-2 person 2-3 slices, 4-5 person 4-5 slices. velveeta optional substitute)
                    Milk ( 1/2 cup for 1-2 person 2 cups for 4-5)
       Seasonings i use include Garlic, Onion powder , salt and pepper

Start with getting the potatoes peeled and cut into about half inch slices (or really how you please). Chop onions and chives. Now's the time to boil three cups of water. Add the potatoes onion and chives. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Boil on high for about 10-12 minutes until onions are see through and potatoes are tender.
   Strain excess water and add milk and cheese slices, stir and BOOM. Potato soup.