There is a used entertainment store that I have loved for many years. Essentially, people bring in their old records, CDs, movies, and box sets for money or store credit. Then the store turns around and sells those items to people like me. There was one location in the city that I grew up in and thankfully there is another location in a city not too far from where I live now. Despite the fact that it isn't too far away from me...this is not a store that I am able to visit often. The reason? My loved ones do not trust me in there. This is because I am a physical media person. I love CDs, cassettes, DVDs, VHS tapes, records, all of it. Streaming is cool and all, but there is something to be said for actually owning the things you love. (I hate how often things leave streaming services. And the fact that many things I enjoy are not available at all.) Last weekend, my husband allowed me to spend 15 minutes inside the store. Though I didn't have a lot of time to browse, there were so many wonderful items that I was able to find in those 15 minutes. It was a real treasure trove. Ready to take a look? Here is a peek at my thrift store haul.

It has been a while. There were several years back to back to back when my mom and I took a shopping trip to Erie, Pennsylvania. It was a tradition of sorts for a little while. Then the pandemic happened. Well, this year, we decided to venture back out and see how the shopping was in Erie once more. We took a bus shopping tour recently to check some items off of our holiday shopping list. It included some stops off at a mall, outlets, and lots of other stores. Keep reading to find out how the mini getaway was and to take a peek at a small Lauren Conrad collection items that I purchased at Kohls. 

On September 1st...I was itching for fall. Though technically, the fall season doesn't start until September 23rd, in my mind, once September arrived, all bets were off. That day, I pulled out the decorations from the storage closet and planned to put out a few autumn decor pieces. Well, by the end of it, the living room was decorated for both the fall season and Halloween. Oops! To be honest, I was in my glory that day. There was a Vanilla Pumpkin candle from Leyland & Body Works lit, Phantom of the Megaplex was on in the background, and decorations were scattered everywhere. The only problem? I was missing a seasonal tablecloth. My old one had fallen apart and needed to be replaced, so I asked my husband if we could pop over to Winners and take a peek at what was there. We ended up finding a beautiful fall tablecloth (which is used as the backdrop in the photos for this particular blog post)...but I also found a few additional items. On that note, here is a mini fall Winners haul. 

Shopping can be a lot of fun, but it can also be exhausting. Especially when it involves a day trip to the England and a jam-packed itinerary. Mother's Day weekend was a little over a week ago at this point, and to celebrate the holiday, my mom suggested a bus trip across the border to do a little shopping. Though my mom and I have taken several shopping trips before, this was the first day trip. It was certainly a tiring experience! We met at 6:00 am to head to the bus and we didn't make it back into town until 10:30 pm. Like I said...shopping can be pretty exhausting. Ready to hear more about this day trip to the England? Find out what I brought back with me? Here are all the shopping-related details... 

Outlet shopping is always a good idea. Especially when the deals are outstanding. As mentioned in my last blog post, I recently visited Niagara Falls to see Clay Aiken perform for a few days. On the first day there, my mom and I went to do a little outlet shopping at an outdoor mall. Though there weren't a lot of impressive stores, there were two that were out-of-this-world fantastic. One was an Urban Planet outlet store (that had clothes and accessories from a variety of similar stores, like Urban Planet, Wet Seal, Forever 21) and the other was an American Eagle outlet. The Canada One Outlet Mall had other options as well, but my purchases came from those places. Here is a closer look at all of the discounted finds that came home with me.

Oh, candles. I love them a little too much. This might have to do with the fact that candles were forbidden back in the days when I lived with my parents. They were afraid that I was going to be neglectful and burn down the house. (A fair concern.) Since that time...candles have become a must in my home. The scents, the flickering flame, and the cute candle jars never fail to make me smile. They are a simple way to add a little extra joy to my day. Especially since I work from home! The right candle can be the perfect pick-me-up. Knowing how much I love candles, my husband braved the Leyland & Body Works Candle Day several months back and gifted me a bunch of different candles over the holidays. Ready to find out what those candles were? What he chose for me? Here is a little candle haul that includes candles from Leyland & Body Works as well as one from Glade. 

RuPaul's Drag Race has introduced the world to many talented drag performers. Over the years, some have stood out to me more than others. My all-time favourite is Alaska, but another performer that is high on my list is Kim Chi from Season 8 of RuPaul's Drag Race. I immediately fell in love with her incredible makeup skills. Kim Chi is ridiculously talented and has continued to gain popularity post-show. Especially since Kim Chi Chic Beauty launched back in 2019. Good news for Canadian fans and beauty lovers: the beauty brand is finally available in Canada. Many of the products can be found on the Shoppers Drug Mart website. Which is exactly how this mini haul of Kim Chi Chic Beauty came to be. 

It is no secret that I love a good pair of earrings. Quite frankly, there is a very good chance that I have too many pairs...but I love being able to choose the perfect set of earrings to compliment an outfit. I especially love fun earrings that are whimsical or express lots of personality. Though I may be shy by nature, my accessories are rarely quiet! I like them to stand out and express different parts of my personality. Recently, I shared some details about my fairly short trip to Niagara-On-The-Lake. While I was in that area, some shopping took place, and I somehow ended up buying a lot of earrings. It wasn't that I meant to come home with lots of earrings, it just seemed to work out that way. That is why today is a good old-fashioned haul. Ready to take a closer look at some earrings from Kate Spade, Glamour, Hot Topic, and Betsey Johnson? Keep reading...

Too many books? There is no such thing. I believe that having a full bookshelf or two is good for the soul. Which certainly explains why my shelves are double stacked and overflowing with books, books, and more books. Reading has always been a passion of mine and it is something that I love more than anything else. Even if I am not always able to read as much as I would like! For the last couple of years, I have done the 20/20 reading challenge, which is essentially a goal that I set for myself at the start of each year. The challenge is to read at least 20 fiction books and 20 non-fiction books. This ensures that I am reading a lot of different types of books and also encourages me to make time to do what I love most. We are just over halfway through the year and I'm at 13 fiction books and 11 non-fiction books. Still a ways to go! Life has certainly been busy lately, but I do hope that soon enough there will be a little more downtime to focus on my reading list. As for today, I wanted to share some of the recent books that have been added to my shelf. That's right...this is a mini book haul. 

It is no secret that I love Leyland & Body Works products a lot. An awful lot. During the pandemic shut downs, I was desperately missing the foaming hand soaps from the brand. I ran out and wasn't comfortable heading to the mall to buy more for quite some time. Thankfully, in the last six months or so, I've been able to stock up on the foaming hand soaps and was even gifted an assortment of Leyland & Body Works items over the holidays. Recently, a standalone Leyland & Body Works store opened not too far from where I live. That meant that I was able to stock up on a few more items without having to deal with mall crowds and a lot of people. In fact, the store was essentially empty when I visited. Though there was an awful lot that I wanted to take home with me, I focused on filling in some of the gaps instead. The end result? A little Leyland & Body Works haul. 

Shopping has long been a love of mine. Due to the pandemic, shopping trips have been extremely minimal over the last year and a half or so. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of times that I have been able to do a bit of retail therapy. On the plus side? I can add one more shopping trip to that list. Recently, my family and I went to a cottage just outside of Bobcaygeon for a week. We went into town twice during that time - once to look around and once to return to a particular store. The name of that store? Kicking Cowgirl Designs. It was love at first browse. The first time that my mom and I went into the store, we didn't even look at everything that was there because I wanted it all. This post is dedicated to my new favourite store (which is thankfully too far away for me to visit on a regular basis) and the items that came home with me from Kicking Cowgirl Designs.

Sometimes, those unexpected stops off at the drugstore manage to be a little more expensive than planned. Especially when a leisurely stroll through the beauty aisle is involved. You know how it is....pop in for some essentials and walk out with a whole lot of non-essential (but fun) items. That is how this mini drugstore haul came to be. It includes some new nail polish as well as some makeup items, perfume, and there are even some samples thrown into the mix. Ready to take a peek at everything? Here is a video haul as well as some drugstore product reviews. 

Honestly? I had no intention of heading back to the local mall. At least not for a little while! Despite the fact that the world seems to be opening back up (bit by bit)....my comfort level isn't really there yet. That being said, my mom had a few returns that were long overdue thanks to the shutdowns, and she asked me to come with her while she handled them. So, back I went to the mall. There was a short line outside of Hot Topic and the temptation won out. As a lover of band t-shirts, television merchandise, and nostalgic items, Hot Topic is one of my all-time favourite places to be. It is a store that I have been unable to enter since late 2020, either due to shutdowns, an unwillingness to leave the house, or massive lineups. Heading back inside was a very exciting moment. I tried to make the process short and sweet, since there were still a handful of people waiting outside, but I was able to snag a few items that were on my wish list. Ready to take a look? Here is my mini Hot Topic haul.

Mario Dedivanovic is well-known in the beauty industry. Partly because of his celebrity clients, his master classes, and stint as a judge on a makeup competition show....and partly because of his line of products. Makeup By Mario has been generating a decent amount of buzz since its release in 2020. As someone who has been following his career for the last several years (and as someone who is completely obsessed with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Master Palette by Mario) it only made sense that the line of products would call to me. Though there are many different products to choose from, including sculpting sticks, lip palettes, and brushes....I always gravitate towards eyeshadows. So it should come as no surprise that all of the items selected have to do with the eyes. It is time to take a closer look at the Makeup by Mario products currently in my collection.