Exploring Fullerton's Thrift Stores (8/14/2013)

Hey guys,

Today, I have to admit something horrible... I'm getting sick of my nearby thrift stores. Don't get me wrong, I love my nearby thrift stores! I'm blessed w some of the best thrift stores around, that have the coolest stuff at the lowest prices. But sometimes a girl just wants to spice things up and explore something new. Luck would have it, I had to go all the way to Fullerton to get my car inspected. Fullerton is chalk full of thrift stores, so with the help of Yelp and the thriftbuddy app, I planned out an epic thrift store trip. Allow me to present the haul:

*haul overview:

 1) Budweiser Holiday Series (Limited Edition) Champion Clydesdale 1980 Mug- $1.91 (Sav-Mor Thrift)
I found this mug at Sav-Mor thrift store on Orangethorpe Ave. This mug caught my eye right away and I had a hunch that this might be worth something so I decided to google it. Imagine my surprise when I found that this was selling for close to $50-$100 on ebay! Apparently this is part of Budweiser's holiday series mugs and was the first of the series, made in 1980. I picked it up for $1.91 and listed it on my ebay. It sold for $30+shipping! :) Thrifting has not only become a way of saving money for me, but its is also blossoming into a source of some extra cash. I made a new ebay account just for my thrifting finds so I am excited to see if this takes off!

*ebay account: isntshilovely

http://myworld.ebay.com/isntshilovely

                                                 

2) Kikkoman Soy Sauce Spoon Plate- $1.91 (Sav-Mor Thrift)
Got this at the same thrift store as the budweiser mug. I thought this was so cute and would be a great addition to my kitchen. Sav-Mor prices are always cheap so it was not hard shelling out $2 for this. I did some research and this was apparently a free gift that kikkoman sent out to costumers with proof of purchase. I still think this is an awesome find. 

 3) Gold Plated Seashells Earrings- $3.00 (Zion Thrift Store)

I got this at the very first thrift store I went to on this thrift store trip. The thrift store is called Zion Thrift store, and it is associated with the Zion Church in Fullerton. I have to say, I really enjoyed this thrift store. They had all sorts of knick knacks and interesting items, and the prices were more than reasonable. This store definitely required digging but I only got to spend around 20 something minutes here because I had my car appointment. I am obsessed with these earrings. They caught my eyes right away when I was strolling by the counter and they reminded me of mermaids. These are made of real seashells that are gold plated and are handcrafted. When I went home, I couldn't find anything online from this brand nor any earrings similar to this so I feel like this is an extremely special find. 

4) adorable sea creature cake forks and spoons set- $3.99 (Savers)

This was my first time shopping at Savers and I must say, it was a blast. Savers is humongous! It is like the costco of thrift stores. There were so many items to choose from and look through, I was extremely overwhelmed(but in a good way!). I managed to find this gem in the knick knacks section. It was on the wall with all the other bagged random goodies. The other bags were random assortments of items. This is a cute animal fork and spoon set for cakes and pastries. Useful? Perhaps not the most, but it definitely is the cutest thing ever! I just had to snag it. I didn't find anything else in the other sections. Unfortunately, I feel like Saver's prices are a bit more expensive than my usual thrift stores, but they do have alot of different sales on colored tags. I believe that the day I went the sale color was yellow. I took advantage of a Yelp promotion and did a check in online and got 15% off my whole purchase ^^ whoo!

Alright, so that pretty much wraps up my haul. These were not the only thrift stores I went to, there were a few others I checked out. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find anything in those thrift stores, so they don't get mentioned in this post. But if you are ever in the Fullerton area I definitely recommend checking out their thrift stores! :) I promise you won't be disappointed.

Until next time,

<3 Jess

Sav-Mor Thrift Haul and Assistance League of Anaheim Haul

Hey guys,

I'm here to present another haul. This one is from a while back. My favorite thrift store is Sav-Mor thrift. But I don't go too often because it is a 20 min drive and gas prices in my area are already up to $4.15 a gallon! The days I do get to go, I always manage to find something awesome for pennies on the dollar. Onto the haul:

1) 100% cashmere sweater-originally $1.91(30% off blue tags- $1.34)

I have always wanted a cashmere sweater but they are extremely expensive retail. Most go for around $100 and even on sale, they don't usually dip below the $30 line. So imagine my surprise when I found this cashmere sweater priced at only $1.91! On top of that, they were taking 30% off all blue tags, so I got it for only $1.34. This sweater is a size XL so it is pretty big on me, but I actually like how big oversized sweaters look on girls so I'm extremely happy with this find. 

 2) Tropical Hawaiian Flower Small Purse- $0.95

I have never ventured to Sav-Mor's purse section. You will usually find me digging through the clothing section or the home goods/trinkets. Their purse section is really just purses thrown on top of purses with no organization at all. I found alot of fake designer bags(miu miu, kate spade) and many of those cheap leather bags you can find at target or pac sun. The only thing that peaked my interest was this little hawaiian flower bag. I love the tropical feel of the print mixed with the wood design handles. On top of that, its petite size made it just irresistable to me so I had to buy it. And can we say wow to the price? $0.95 cents, that's not even a full dollar! 

Before I went to Sav-Mor thrift, I actually stopped by at the Assistance League of Anaheim. I have been going to the Assistance League of Irvine near my house for a while now, so I wanted to check this one out and see what they had. Unlike the Irvine one, this thrift store is alot bigger. They even have a section of the store dedicated to "higher end" brands. Most of the items in this boutique section was overpriced(in my opinion) but I managed to score an awesome find:

3) Theory Cargo Jacket- $3

Theory is one of my favorite designer brands. Their designs are clean and simple, which makes them great additions to anyone's closet as staple items.Unfortunately, Theory clothes cost a few hundred dollars retail so it's not usually in my price range.  Imagine my surprise when I found this jacket for only $3! When I got home I googled this on ebay, and this jacket retails for $345. Once again, I find a great deal through thrifting. And, being that the Assistance League is a charity thrift store, I know my money is going to a good cause.

And thats my mini haul :) Hope you guys enjoyed this post, more thrifting coming your way soon. In the meantime, hope you guys have been inspired to do some thrifting of your own!

sincerely,

Jess

Assistance League of Irvine Thrift Store Haul (8/23/2013)

Hey guys,

today was one of those days where I just had the sudden urge to do some thrifting and so, I headed to my nearest thrift store after class. Things have been extremely stressful with summer school and thrifting always seems to relax me during these times of tension. The closest thrift store to my house is the Assistance League of Irvine. Small and quaint, this thrift store is tucked in between some business office buildings. The first time I came here, I actually drove right past it! Although this thrift store is small, I have managed to find many awesome treasures on my trips. And even though their prices are higher than my favorite thrift store(Sav-Mor), they compensate this fact by having weekly blowout sales and deals. Enough chit-chat, let's get onto the haul!

*overview of all the items I got

1) Scratch Trivia Wrapping Paper(California Edition): $0.50

This ain't no ordinary wrapping paper! Imprinted on it are tons and tons of trivia fact questions. Each question has multiple choice answers and scratch bubbles next to them so that you can "scratch" to figure out the right answer. I got this for wrapping my brother's Christmas presents. I know Christmas is a long ways off, but this was just too awesome to pass on and it only cost two quarters! My brother loves to learn odd facts and that lil' brain of his is filled with all sorts of knowledge. My friends even call him Wikipedia! On top of that, he is very bad at waiting to open presents. Last year, our whole family opened presents a week before Christmas. I guess it runs in the family. So, I thought this wrapping paper would keep him occupied and amused while he is forced to patiently wait for Christmas Eve. 

2) Travel Size Hand Sanitizer- $0.25 each

Ever since going to China, I have become a huge germaphobe. I guess having to deal with smog, pollution, and mysterious smelly puddles in China has made me extremely fearful of bacteria. I'm not actually a full blown germaphobe now, but I have a new found appreciation for hand sanitizer. I actually have big bottles everywhere in my house and one in my car for cleaning my hands after thrifting. These are the perfect size to throw in my purse and how could I say no when they are priced at a mere 25 cents each!

And my last and favorite find:

3) Vintage "The Icing" Black Crop Jacket(with gold animal accent detailing)- $10
*front

*back

*vintage brand: the icing

 *gold animal accents: zebra, elephant, lion, and even a palm tree!

*original price- $20 but the sale of the day was 50% on blue tag and blue stickered items

I have wanted this jacket for months now! I found it a while back but I could never justify spending $20 dollars on a secondhand jacket, no matter how awesome the gold animal accents are. Luckily, today they were having a sale on all blue tags and blue stickered items(50% off) and so, I got this jacket for only $10! Although still a little on the pricey side for a thrifted jacket, I doubt anyone else will be sporting the same jacket, and that in my mind, justifies the price. After I got back home, I googled this brand on ebay, and it seems that this brand's jackets use to retail for around $100-$150, so it was definitely a steal. I can't wait for the weather to cool down so that I can finally start wearing this.

total spent: $11

And that concludes my haul. :) Stay tuned, more thrifting coming your way soon! Until then, tata<3

love,

Jess

A New Direction For The Blog: Say Goodbye to the Old and Hello to the New!

It's been ages since my last post.

I would always tell myself "tomorrow I'll make a post". But, somehow, tomorrow would turn into next week, next week to next month, and next thing I know, I've been MIA for almost a year! I've decided it's time for me to dust the cobwebs off this blog and start this project up again. I started this blog up 3 years ago, and as the years have past, just like all things with time, I have changed. Although I started this blog with the intention of sharing my knowledge and journey of makeup discovery, I realized that my passion for makeup is gone. In all honesty, I don't really care for makeup anymore! And so, this brings me to the main point of this post: I will no longer be centering my posts on makeup reviews or makeup hauls, but rather on...THRIFTING. Yes, my newly discovered passion is the art of finding treasure among trash. I will be posting on thrift store shopping, garage sale hunting, and all things secondhand. Once in a while, I might throw in an oddball post, but for the most part, I will be gearing my blog in this direction. For those of you who have enjoyed my makeup posts, I truly appreciate the support. I will still keep all my old posts so that you guys may enjoy! I'm both excited and nervous to begin this journey, but I'm diving in both feet first. So allow me to take a moment to extend an invitation for all of you to join me in this new fun adventure I am about to embark on. All aboard!

sincerely,
Jessica Shi

Craft Project: Mermaid Rave Bra :)

Hey guys,
just wanted to share with you guys the first rave bra I made by myself. I really enjoyed making this bra and I LOVE LOVE the finished outcome. I bought the bandeau top at salvation army. I believe it was around $3-$4 and it was originally a swim suit top. It came with a huge gold embellishment sewed in the middle, but I took it off. The detailing is done w/ flat backed craft pearls I got off ebay for $1. The shoulder straps was actually a forever21 necklace that I cut into smaller pieces to make into the straps. Time for the pictures, enjoy!

the forever21 necklace in its original state:

the mermaid bra:

*the shoulder straps are meant to hang down on the side; I was inspired by Jasmine, the disney princess from aladdin. 

Hope you guys like my creation ^^ have a great day!

-Jess

Mimsy's Blog Sale Haul [from 4/26/12]

Hey guys,

I have been going a bit crazy when it comes to buying makeup, especially makeup from peoples blog sales. Blog sales are awesome in my opinion. I have hosted my own blog sales before and I have purchased numerous times from other's blog sales. Today's haul is from Mimsy's blog sale: http://mimsysblog.wordpress.com/blog-sale/. 

She had a lot of makeup items that caught my eye and the prices were incredibly cheap so of course I had to make a purchase. On to the items I bought!

1) E.L.F. studio line cream blush in "Flirt"

I tried swatching this for you guys but unfortunately my camera just did not seem to be able to capture the color correctly :(. If any of you guys have the E.L.F. studio line blush in "pink passion", this is pretty much the cream version of it. I picked this up on her blog sale for only $1! This product usually retails for $6 on eyeslipsface.com. The texture was different than what I expected. I thought it would feel like maybelline dream mousse, light and fluffy but it actually feels like clay/play dough. I know a lot of people have a problem with the texture and application, but I personally really enjoy the texture. The application is nice, not too pigmented but not too sheer. The product can be layered to increase the intensity. 

2) Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow in Skinlights

I've wanted this for a while now. I got this for $2 on her blog sale. I heard that these shades were dupes for mac paint pots: the 1st similar to painterly, the 2nd similar to rubenesque and the 4th similar to indian wood. I do not own any of  those mac paint pots so I can't do a comparison but the colors do seem similar to the mac versions. I love the 1st and 2nd shade especially, they are absolutely gorgeous, BUT the problem with this palette is that the shadows are so greasy and they crease almost immediately. I know that I have extra oily eyelids and that eye shadows don't tend to stay very long, but the time it takes for these is crease is rediculous. Ironically, these only work for me when they are layered over my mac paint pot chilled on ice(which is my best eye primer). So much for being mac paint pot dupes.

 3) Maybelline Dream Mousse Shimmer in Golden of Eden

I've wanted to try the limited edition maybelline dream mousse shimmers for a while. I tried swapping for them on mua but I never found anyone to swap with. She sold this for only $1 so I picked it up. The color is quite beautiful, a really nice highlight color. I am on the fence about this product. The color is nice but the product is a bit greasy. All the other dream mousse blush products I've tried are not that greasy and I don't understand why this one is so oily to the touch. :/ Oh well, for a $1, this will be a good highland and there is quite a bit of product so it will last a while. 

4) Maybelline Dream Mousse Bronzer Glistening Sun

The one I bought from her(for $1) was brand new. I swatched the one I am using currently to show you the color of the product. I really like this bronzer. It does not really add a whole lot of color to my face but it is a nice highlight for summer. I am still working on the one that I got from a mua swap, but I bought this one as a back up because maybelline actually discontinued the dream mousse blushes/bronzers! boooooo!

5) Maybelline ColorSensational lipstick in Born With It

I love the maybelline colorsensational lipsticks. They are so pigmented and I actually like the play-doughey scent(lol yes, I am wierd). I read some very good reviews about this lipstick on mua, so I decided to buy this being that she was selling it for only $3. :[ no one told me that this lipstick was so shimmery! It definitely is not a matte color, more of a frost finish. There are tons of silver sparkles in it. I like the color of it, but the frostiness just makes the lipstick look unpleasant on me. :/ unfortunately, I dislike this lipstick alot.

6) Nicka K Lipstick in Pink Tint

Snatched this for only $0.50! Woop Woop! The packaging reminds me of wet n' wild lipsticks. Apparently Nicka K is a really cheap and affordable makeup line that are found at select beauty stores. This lipstick is sheer and moisturizing, but it packs quite a punch of color. Absolutely stunning purpley pink color, perfect for summer time!

 7) L'oreal H.I.P. Jelly Balm in Delectable

Got this lil' guy for $1. I love love love tinted balms so I had to grab this. This is said to be a dupe of mac tendertones. I have tried both the loreal hip jelly balm in luscious and a mac tendertone in hush hush and I can tell you that there are similarities, but the loreal balm is definitely not as thick. I am not huge on this color :/ the red really doesn't show up on my lips. I will still use it because it is moisturizing and a good balm, but I want to try out some other colors, especially plush and savory. :[ Can't believe l'oreal discontinued these!

8) E.L.F. Studio Line Blush in Candid Coral

:( wahh this broke on me during shipping so when I got it, it was literally all powdery and ground up looking! It definitely was not bad packaging on her part, elf blushes tend to be very soft and break easily. I just ended up repressing it using alcohol prep wipes, but now it looks all dysfunctional(lol). Got this for $1 though so I can't complain!

9 & 10) White and Brown Braided Leather Bracelets

These were brand new, got them for $1 each. I was going to buy them on ebay anyways but I saw them on her blog sale so I decided to pick them up with my order. They sell on ebay for around $1.75 or so, so I saved like $1.50 in total haha. They are super cute, can't wait to pair them with my outfits.

Ok, so that was my whole haul. -___- I have a ginormous blog sale haul coming up so....so prepare yourself. Yes, I have been going crazy with buying makeup and I'm trying to do project 10 pan at the same time. I don't know how much more of a fail I can be hahaha. But anyhoo, have a great weekend you guys! I am going back home so I am beyond excited to see my mom, my brother and my beautiful cocker spaniel lily. :] When I have time I will post more, until then, bye bye!

<3 jess