I still need to browse through other bloggers’ holiday hauls (I love haul posts!), but here’s my beauty-related Christmas and Boxing Day sale haulage for 2017.
CAKE BEAUTY
Deck the Haul Gift Set
The ‘Do Gooder Volumizing Dry Shampoo Spray (7 fl oz)
The Locks Smith Hydrating Dry Conditioner Spray (7 fl oz)
The Wave Maker Texturizing Beach Spray (2 fl oz)
The Brush Crush Dry Styling Dual Bristle Brush
2 × The Grip Clip Dry Styling Hair Clip
The MSRP was C$73 (really?) but I got it after the holidays at Shoppers Drug Mart for $11!
Essie’s releasing two new collections this winter: the regular Winter 2017 collection and a set of four leather effect polishes in the Leather Collection by Rebecca Minkoff, Essie’s global color ambassador.
I’m a big RM fan (just picked up an iridescent Je t’aime crossbody!) and could not resist picking up the new Leather set from Shoppers Drug Mart (CA$18.99 for four 5 mL minis). This is such an adorable gift for any Rebecca Minkoff fan, as well—even the box is shaped like her iconic MAC bag with dogleash clasp.
The four glossy-matte, subtly shimmery shades are:
Cross-Body Heat, rosy mauve accented with subtle lavender shine
Tote-ally in Love, deep oxblood red with a flash of light crimson
In Hot Purse-uit, a rich indigo blue trimmed with a glowing violet
Back in the Saddle, a polished dark blue-green green cast in silver
From Rebecca Minkoff:
This leather effect nail polish collection is very special to me because it was inspired by my most die-hard fans. I took four of my most iconic leathers and made them into my favorite Essie polishes.
As for the Winter 2017 collection:
Inspired by the incomparable party atmosphere of New Year’s Eve. The magic midnight moment, sealed with a wish and a kiss, manifest in irresistible Essie colour designed for major impact.
Last month, I shopped a sale at Rebecca Minkoff (referral link—plus, code HANDBAG25 gets you 25% off selected styles, plus free duties and taxes to Canada, for today only!) and picked up two bags for my upcoming birthday (yes, yes, it was three months early, but sales this good don’t happen every month, y’know). The RM team had apparently been having customer service issues at the time—which I didn’t find out until after I placed the order, naturally—and I admittedly did have some issues with their website functionality. However, the order did go through properly, and my bags arrived promptly in Canada via BorderFree shipping. Maybe they’d gotten their act together by the time I ordered, but my order went smoothly.
I will mention one thing for Canadian customers: RM.com offers free international shipping with a US$300 order. But, when you switch over to the Canadian site with prices in Canadian dollars, they don’t tell you how much you need to spend. Now, it’s obviously my fault for submitting my order without checking to see if I was getting free shipping (d’oh!) but it turns out I had spent exactly US$299. I ended up paying CA$35 for shipping when I could easily have added a low-value item (not that there are loads of those at this store) to my shopping cart and gotten free shipping. Bleah! But, lesson learned. At least I did get CA$12 back via ebates.ca (referral link).
The sale was pretty awesome: I paid CA$197.06 for a Small Soft Love Crossbody with Guitar Strap in Beet, which had an original price of CA$295.04 (US$225), and CA$193.14 for a Geo Quilted Love Crossbody in Mushroom, which was originally CA$386.83 (US$295.)
I’ve not generally been a fan of many of Rebecca Minkoff’s newer styles, which are often a bit too inspired by popular luxury bags, and usually I just don’t think they look anywhere as nice as her more original designs (MAC, MAM, etc.).
The Love Crossbody is one exception. It’s clearly inspired by the immensely popular and immensely expensive Chanel Boy bag. But there’s something about RM’s take on it that really appeals to me, and much more so than the original bag does. Every time I see a Boy, I admire its luxe look, but gosh darn it, it looks ridiculously heavy! The Love Crossbody is a lot less expensive, and as such it doesn’t have that heavy, chunky hardware and thick leather. It has a more lightweight, playful vibe that I personally prefer. (It also doesn’t have the large in-your-face logo that the Chanel has.)
I like to browse a couple of online consignment shops every now and then—specifically Yoogi’s Closet and The RealReal, which are the only ones I’ve actually purchased from—but I stepped it up this month since my birthday is coming up in a few months and I’m hoping to finally pick up a small Chloé Paraty. (Though my eye was also recently turned by a ten year-old black quilted Chloé Bay carried by Rachael Taylor’s character on The Defenders…)
Rachael Taylor and Krysten Ritter (who, incidentally, often carried Rebecca Minkoff on another show) in Marvel’s The Defenders (2017), Season 1. Image: Netflix.
Over the weekend, I browsed The RealReal’s Rebecca Minkoff section, as usual, hoping to spot an old school RM bag at a good price (this is my Holy Grail RM), and noticed a gorgeous Rebecca Minkoff Collection bag at a deep discount.
The Rebecca Minkoff Collection bags first came out around 2010, and represented a more luxe (and higher-priced) version of her usual line. Some of the bags used existing designs, like the MAB, MAC, and Nikki, adding luxe details like fancier leathers and real gold. Others were new designs exclusive to the line (I believe they may have been released 2012-ish), and I much preferred them to the blinged out classic styles.
RM Collection: Alaina
Mango
RM Collection: Allie
Black & Pink
RM Collection: Allie
Teal
RM Collection: Cali
Green
RM Collection: Elle
Colorblock
RM Collection: Elle with studs
Iridescent
RM Collection: Maria
Orange
RM Collection: Maria
Yellow
I remain on the hunt for the Allie in Black & Pink and the Studded Elle in Iridescent, but the one I just got is the Alaina in Mango, which retailed for US$850. I snagged it, gently used, off The RealReal for a total of $61. It was listed at US$130, on sale for 30% off, with a store coupon stacked on for $30 off. Shipping to Canada was $35—eek, I know, but they shipped it FedEx International Priority, so it arrived at my door in two days.
Essie has released their Cafe Chic Society collection, which consists of six new shades of “soft floral and tart, bright fruits for summer”. The collection was created by their Global Color Designer, Rebecca Minkoff.
Sweet Soufflé iridescent sugar white
Baguette Me Not unforgettable lilac macaron
Blue-La-La pastel Parisian blue
S’il Vous Play lavender pink foil
Fondant of You sparkling apricot marmalade
Éclair My Love red candy passion
I’m loving these pretty shades, particularly Fondant of You and Éclair My Love!
(It’s a bit odd that they remembered the accents on soufflé and éclair, but not on café.)
[Marc Jacobs Small Shutter Camera Bag, US$325. Image: modasens.com]
My very first handbag was a little blue camera bag, though I didn’t know what the style was called at the time—I was about 10! It was dark blue, not quite as deep as navy, and very plain, which is the way I liked most things as a child. I’m pretty sure I got it at TJ Maxx or Marshall’s.
I have no idea what happened to it (though, as faux leather, it probably didn’t hold up too well), but camera bags seem to be making a comeback, and I am toying with the idea of getting one for my birthday.
Here are a whole whack of styles I’ve come across. Do any catch your eye?
My favorites are the Gucci Soho Disco, the Longchamp 2.0, the Rag & Bone Mini Flight Camera Bag, and the Vasic Collection Anselmo. I quite like the blue Moschino, as well, except for the massive gold logo on the side.
Baggu Mini Crossbody in Oxblood. US$120 at nordstrom.comCoach butterflies crossbody bag in Black. US$250 at nordstrom.comCynthia Rowley Felix Cross Body Bag in Dark Red. US$95 at shopbop.com
[MARC by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Baby Aidan satchel. Image: farfetch.com]
I’m the sort of person who gets a little bit obsessive about one topic at a time (though luckily I stay pretty obsessed with nail polish, ha!), and recently I’ve been diving back into handbags because my birthday is coming up in the fall and I wanted to narrow down my choices and give myself time to find a good deal!
(Yes, DH and I don’t really exchange gifts. We just do gift budgets. It works out great because we no longer get disappointed about not receiving quite what we wanted! Before, I’d ended up with jewelry that I don’t really wear, and you should have seen the look on his face when I bought him an apparently subpar bottle of Scotch one year. He ain’t never gonna live that look down.)
Anyway, handbags are the only fashion items I’ve been interested in buying, simply because I’m losing my pregnancy weight and even my damn shoes are too snug right now. Clothing will have to wait. I’ve already decided that once I get back to my pre-pregnancy weight—and I will! Right?—I’ll treat myself to a new wardrobe. But for now, handbags! Weeee!
My shortlist is pretty small now, so I just have to decide what I really want. But while I was doing my research, it got me thinking about bags that, for one reason or another, I have had on my wishlist for ages. Many are discontinued (style or color), so the secondhand market is the only place to find them now. Most of these bags will remain on my wishlist forever, I feel, but I enjoyed compiling them into a single blog post for sharing.
Alexander Wang Rockie in Nectar. Image: fwrd.com
Alexander Wang — Rockie
The Rockie is the perfect size for my petite stature (the Rocco is too large for me), but reviews all say this is still one heavy bag, thanks to all the gorgeous hardware it sports. Part of me also feels I’m not cool enough for the bag, so I continue to admire it from afar. I especially love this one in nude and pastel shades with silver or rose gold hardware.
Christian Dior Miss Dior in Crimson. Image: bragmybag.com
Christian Dior — Miss Dior
This is beyond my comfort zone, price-wise. Simple enough reason! Isn’t that chain strap gorgeous, though? Most bag aficionados are gaga for Chanel’s quilted flaps, but for me, Dior and their cannage stitching is the grail. Sadly, I don’t see the Miss Dior on the official site any more.
Coach Borough in Retro Colorblock Oxblood/Olive. Image: thebay.com
Coach — Borough (Retro Colorblock Oxblood/Olive)
Coach has come out with some beautiful styles lately. Every time I see someone carrying this, I wish I’d gotten one—but I don’t work in an office and this bag doesn’t fit my lifestyle. (As if a Miss Dior does! Hahahaha.)
