At home gel nails for CHEEP. And some other recent favorites for under $10

I love a good manicure. When I was single,living at home and working a decent job...I got manicures fairly regularly. Life changes,now I'm married and that's just not in the budget currently. When I did get manicures.I really liked splurging for gel because they lasted substantially longer. A few days before my wedding I got a gel mani and it looked flawless for a good two weeks, last through our honeymoon. Since then I've been on the hunt for a good at home gel manicure kit. The light systems aren't always cheep so I started out with just a two step polish hunt. I tested some products sent to me that were gel and also bought a few different kinds at target.

My overall absolute favorite is Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Duo. It's around $15 for the kit but once you buy the kit, you can use the gel topcoat with any other color in the line. My box came with a $2 off coupon inside..and it was on clearance at target for $7. STEAL OF A DEAL.
This one doesn't need a special light....so no further investment than the polish.

Day 5

On the same topic of nails I spotted these at DOLLAR TREE (take your jaw off the floor please).

The exact same product sells for $10.25 at Walgreens!

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/essie-sleek-stick-nail-applique/ID=prod6177354-product

I will warn you, they're not at every Dollar Tree. I found the above at a hugeee Dollar Tree in Tennessee but locally at the newer and bigger stores they do typically have a small selection. 

Moving from nails to face..

The Maybelline Fit Me line is just a hidden gem... buy it at Walmart for the best deal.

Walmart tends to have it for just under $6 and the concealer priced about the same.

It has replaced my Mac foundation. That how much I am in love with it.

The concealer comes in a wide variety of shades and works great for contouring as well.

I have not heard a single negative review about this foundation....and I've watched alot of YouTubers review it. And I mean a lot.

Side note: I've heard if you have an older bottle it can start to do some weird things color wise. I've had mine for a bit now and I am starting to noticing some orange-ing as the day goes on. For under $6 a bottle I don't mind replacing it, and foundation shouldn't be kept forever anyways. So if that does happen to you, you're not the only one.

While I was on the hunt for the new Maybelline Dream Velvet foundation I found THIS crazy clearance at Target... Maybe Dream Velvet is replacing it??

I really hope not because I am loving this!! 

The weird wand applicator means you don't use to much at one time.

When you swatch it in the store it looks crazy dark..like hello, there is no way I'm lighter than #40 Nude. But after application and blending it was impressively close to my natural color. Even got the husband seal of approval for color match!! 

The same day I was browsing for something new and exciting I picked up this palate after hearing surprising good reviews.

The packaging feels like more than $3

I've been using this for a good two weeks and you can't even tell. So this is gonna last me a very long time. ELF can be a super win or a super disappointment. This was a $3 SUPER win. Contouring is a new and scary thing to me but I am easing into it with this super simple palate.

In case you were wondering,I am still keeping up with the "anti cleanser" challenge!

I've had ZERO breakouts and my husband said my face has never looked better!

Still working on finding a make up remover wipe I really love...so coconut oil is doing the job until then. And just maybe,It will stay that way.

~Emily~

Knoxville on points! And our first official experience with IHG points.

Minor backtrack to a time a couple of months ago....

Hubby had surgery scheduled. Thank goodness for good insurance. Minus not the best out patient coverage. Cheep doctor co-pays had me fooled.
So I thought, we're gonna make the best out of this and take advantage of a good sign-on bonus. IHG won. 80,000 points later...here we are. A long weekend in Knoxville booked via the point breaks list.
Total of 15,000 points spent. (Possible chance of getting 11,000 points back via the Accelerate program...waiting on confirmation on that.)

My targeted offers

We picked the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Oak Ridge from the point breaks list.
http://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/oak-ridge/okrit/hoteldetail

We were really impressed with the cleanliness of this hotel and the staff. We stayed in some Holiday Inn Suites in Alaska and this was just as nice,if not even nicer.

Thanks to our platinum elite status, we got a free suite upgrade. (And early check in...an amazing thing after driving all night and getting there at 10:30 am) If you really wanted to, you could share this room with two other people and get even BETTER value for the 5,000 points a night. Maybe even book half the night on their points and half on yours.


The hotel was just over 20 minutes from Knoxville and and hour and a half from Gatlinburg.
Knoxville had a fair amount of things to do, but if Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge comes up on the list next time,I would recommend them over Knoxville. Unless the Holiday Inn that sits in downtown Knoxville was on the list. It was surprisingly huge. And has two room suites.
There is also Candlewood Suites that goes for 10,000 points a night that is a little closer to downtown Knoxville than our hotel was.

Gatlinburg and PF are both more "tourist friendly" in my opinion.
In general, there is more to do and see.
They're also a lot closer to the mountains.













Our Knoxville Highlights?

Babalu Tacos and Tapas

Ijams Nature Center

Who knew a marble quarry would be so cool?

The end verdict was that we got a great trip for an amazing value. I think I'm obsessed with vacationing based of the point breaks list!! That does means you can't plan a trip to far in advance,but I think despite that, it's most definitely worth it. Especially I we get 11,000 points back from this trip.

2016. The year of the shopping game changer.

Ladies. Take a seat. We have a problem. We shop. A lot. We get it on sale,we justify it. We buy it online and justify it while it takes 4 days do show up at our door. I'm guilty too. We all are. 
What if we could be more environmentally friendly about HOW we shop. (Notice I didn't say shop less.) That is my 2016 game changer. From January 1st on I have made a pact with myself that I will try to not buy any clothing or shoes unless it's second hand,thrift,resale,etc....
I tried this out at the end of 2015 with ThredUp ,Yerdle and Poshmark and was extremely happy with the results. About 40% of what I bought on these sites were still new with the tag on them.
Not to mention all the money you save buying second hand!! 
According to ThredUp
https://www.thredup.com/resale

With this pact I've made, I've also decided to clean out my closet. For every new thing that goes in,one old has to come out. Some things will be donated,others will be sold online in second hand clothing apps and then a few will be mailed to ThredUp.

Sounds like a good challenge right? Nothing more than window shopping at malls. No more Eshakti orders...and my JustFab membership will be canceled.
Care to join me?! I thought so. Here are the referral link to my favorite sites to get started. I have personally bought from each of these and had fantastic experiences!

http://www.thredup.com/r/MWNI1A


https://poshmark.com/   Referral Code when you sign up VIA THE APP  JPHVZ



https://yerdle.com/i/emily-flemer

I am new to Schoola so come join me over there!

https://www.schoola.com/stitch?ref=cp-3X8srwW6N
In conjunction with this,I've been using Ebates when I shop ThredUp. Absolutely genius! Why didn't I do this ages ago.... and the browser plugin makes it effortless.

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=Swmtd4dxfMnW5WaBBbObjA%3D%3D&eeid=28187

Why I didn't wash my face for 30 days. And what happened.

I know your first reaction. Ew.

And I totally understand. And this method may not work for everyone. We're led to believe we need to use a million different things on our skin morning and night and that if we don't our skin will look horrible by the age of 35.
 Before you read this post, feel free to read this post ....the inspiration.
http://www.yowzalicious.com/2013/07/why-and-how-i-never-wash-my-face.html?m=1

I came across that article and thought "You know what....those are excellent points. I should try that."
And so I did.
I took this article,like everyone other article, with a grain of salt. But I liked what happened to my skin regardless.

Sadly I didn't take any before pictures, but my main skin concerns were as follows. Redness,dark spots,under eye circles,blackheads, and huge pores.

My routine consisted of a warm wet washcloth (usually in the shower), in circular motions all over my face for about 2 minutes. I did this twice a day. You could use a Clarisonic if you're fancy enough to own one. 
Days I wore makeup I used these before I did my washcloth routine  http://www.dickinsonsusa.com/skin-care-products/refreshingly-clean-cloths/

They are paraben,acid,soap and fragrance free. And they remove makeup just as well as any other wipe.





I saw these at Kmart with a 100% mail in rebate attached. So pretty much a free chance to try them.



For moisturizer and the OCCASIONAL toner I used these two products.

Did I say I went completely product free? Nope. But I did carefully select the products I would be using for the 30 days.

(This is a referral link for the toner recommended  by http://thriftthick.blogspot.com/
https://goo.gl/Zls5Xx  you get $10 off your first order!!)

The toner I only used a few times and the cream I used every few days. This toner I really really like... a little goes a long way and I feel like this bottle will last me forever. 
 In addition I also used coconut oil as a moisturizer near the end of the 30 days. And also as a makeup remover for stubborn eye makeup.
During the 30 days I did see a few small breakouts...maybe it was a way of my skin cleansing itself out? I have no idea. But it seemed reasonable to me. At the end I did notice a difference... the coconut oil did wonders for the redness and my pores are completely different! My foundation goes on smoother! My face (Italian skin...thanks mom)isn't near as oily at the end of the day!

No more dark circles!
No forehead pimples,
and I have bangs and oily hair.
(What you see is freckles)

Redness around my nose is almost completely gone. And
so are the dry patches I've had for years.

My verdict? I think every once in a while I'll use a light cleanser.... maybe after a long day of heavy makeup. But overall...I do not plan on going back to a routine of using any cleanser everyday. 

IHG win and lose.

Where shall we start? I suppose the beginning.

This afternoon I called IHG about a complicated booking. 4 Adults, 3 kids, one suite, points and cash. Matter resolved, we're not using points to stay at the fancy resort with no breakfast and $38 parking. No thanks. We'll stay at the Holiday Inn across the street unless something shows up on point breaks between now and October. 

Moving on to the real story.

At the end of my call I was asked to do a survey with the promotional department. I almost always say no, but recently some friends who are merely IHG rewards members as of recent got asked to do a survey and ended up with a 3 night stay for doing a two hour timeshare tour. So I agreed...with the friendliest attitude I could muster up. All in hopes of milking this offer. After some discussion I was offered a 3 night stay at a resort of my choice (From a list of about 7) for $199. This included two large resorts on the west coast that would be a one bedroom condo. I said no, gave my reasons (husbands recent surgery, that's why we vacation on points,etc). Then I was transferred to a manager for a re-offer. $199 for the stay. The entire amount back in cash upon our arrival. $100 gift card for future stays.18 months to book our trip.  And all I have to pay for is about $45 in taxes. Of course, a 2 hour resort tour. But hey, we can handle that. We agreed that would be an acceptable offer. And a nice trip to use for our anniversary.  So we go through the whole process, they have to read off a million things I have to agree to. Blah blah blah. But wait. Our income?  Who would have known  you would have to meet a certain income bracket to qualify?! The poor nice guy on the phone tried to word it differently so I would accidentally say yes I think. But I had to tell him in all honestly, this past year we didn't meet that number. The irony!!! Not making enough money to get a free vacation. 

45 minutes on the phone,,,down the drain. 

(Insert dramatic soap opera music)

The only good thing that came out of that entire phone call was knowing that we qualify for two targeted offers with our upcoming trip to Knoxville and will be getting 11,0000 points back. Not bad for only spend 15,000 for our entire stay! 

I just wish I knew about the income requirement before I spent all that time on the phone. Maybe next year IHG. 

Secret Rewards card follow up....

Disclaimer: The method to use all your cards at once has only about a 50% success rate. I was fortunate enough to have nice cashiers at the VS I went to.

Remember this post?

http://savvysunshinewife.blogspot.com/2015/10/free-secret-rewards-card-from-vs.html

Well I received all my emails (I think... I mean technically they're sending email until the 14th).

In total, 16 secret reward cards, each $10 except for one with $50 on it

Sounds like a total win right? Eahh....not so fast. You can only "use one per transaction". That's alot of transactions. Especially when all but one have $10 on them. Ladies....you know $10 gets you almost no where at VS.

This is where forums come in handy. People as excited as you about all the emails they received, trying to figure out a way to use them all.

Did I mention its one per transaction online too? Last year for this promo, a certain gift card storing app allowed you to enter all your codes and then combine it into one gift card. Sounds magical,I know. Sadly, that no longer works. So we all moved on to Raise. The couponing communities life saver. Enter all your SRC in the app, it creates a bar code for each one that scans like a typical gift card. Bam! As many per transaction as your heart desires. Or your cashier has the patience for.

Like I said....some VS are more lenient than others. Some figure out that you have SRC. Some are willing to work with you. I heard both sides on the forums. I did a total of 3 transactions over two days. The first day and first store was super cool about it. The second store the next day was a little more suspicious. Over all, I was really happy with the deals I got. The staff at VS was super helpful in making sure I got to take advantage of all the promos they were offering at the time (Free blanket and robe.) since I was "spending" so much. I really hope the next time this promo comes around we can all use our cards in an organized way that works for everyone!

My haul?

25 undies (14 were gifts)

2 bras

free blanket

free robe (With the softness factor of a cloud)

My excitement is obvious after my first store worked like a charm!

ThredUp and Yerdle review and recap

This week my poor FedEx delivery man must have thought I was crazy.
Here is a quick recap of my first impressions of ThredUp. Spoiler....they're very very good.

(All purchases made via referral credit, any leftover charges, including shipping in one order paid by me. I was not compensated for my review.)

Sunday I received my first two packages. I was skeptical...not because of the company,but because I have a very low success rate on ordering clothes online that actually fit. Apparently I'm getting better at it! All 3 pieces fit perfectly!

Wednesday I received another order, along with my Yerdle bundle. Once again, everything fit!!
One shirt from ThredUp still has its tag on it!!

Yerdle also highly impressed me!

Of course it depends on the seller, but so far I've had great experiences.

I have a couple more things on their way from ThredUp and I definitely look forward to ordering more!

Right now its FREE SHIPPING and 15% OFF!

Heres my referral link!

http://www.thredup.com/r/HXFEKM