Weekly Obsession

We just found our soul mate: whoever is behind AFamilyAffairDesigns on Etsy.

This company so totally get us:

I need this shirt in multiple colors. I ran across this in my weekly Etsy shopping and almost peed my pants from laughing. This may be my life in shirt form!

-  Sara

Weekly Obsession

This week's obsession is sort of a combination between a shopping post and an actual "Weekly Obsession" post. The reason is is because of our ever lasting love for one of our Southern Favorites Charming Charlie. If you've never heard of Charming Charlie get out from under you rock!

Charming Charlie is a go to stop for Jewelry, Apparel, Accessories and all around fun stuff! Here's what they have to say about themselves:

"We’re crazy for color. We live for sparkle. We thrive on making a statement. Why? Because we know accessories have the power to transform both your outfit and your outlook."

Weekly Obsession

This week our obsession is ranging more towards a family issue that anyone who has school age children probably struggles with...LUNCH!

So lunch brings about a myriad of issue both emotional and practical. I know my ten-year old not only worries about what I'm packing in her lunch but also what her lunchbox and also what the accessories in her lunchbox look like (yes, the need to have something "cool" is already here!). Especially when she's at an age where her tastes (both in food and what's "cool") change on almost a daily basis. Needless to say, lunch can be a very frustrating topic!

But, I have found one thing that we can both agree on....

HSN Beauty Clearance!!! Great deals on prestige beauty!!!!

Oh, I love a good sale on Mondays! Well, I guess I should tell the truth...I love a good sale on any day! HSN is one of my favorite go to places! The trick to getting a good deal is to keep an eye on the Clearance sale page. They frequently mark down really great items to next to nothing. One of the best things is that since they get exclusive beauty gift sets that are already a great deal due to the terms HSN worked out with the manufacturer now these items are on clearance and an even better deal!

Girls Trip! Vegas Essentials - The Budget Version

It's probably a little early for this topic but, lately I've run across lots of great drugstore items that I've made a mental note to add to my must have list for our next annual girls trip to Las Vegas (we go every year for 2 days and it's AWESOME!). What's better than gambling, eating, drinking, dancing, relaxing by the pool and going to the spa for 48 hours straight right? And no, the spa does not in any way reduce any of the damage done to my skin during our Vegasfest.

Anyhooo, with all of that going on it does actually take some work to not look like a 100 year old badly used handbag by the time we're ready to leave. If I came home looking the way I actually felt my husband would probably never let me go again! So, in order to reduce the haggard lines and sallow skin as much as possible I've put together my list of items that are amazing at disguising and, in some cases, actually reducing the damage.

Cover Girl Oh Sugar! Lipbalm

Another day, another beauty aisle! This time it's my local drugstore (Walgreen's to be exact). I walked in for exactly one item and walked out with 7....sigh....

At any rate, I found a new lip balm that I had to try. Annnnndddd, I did....

Sephora vs. Ulta Rewards Systems - Part II - Ulta

So, just to recap, Sephora has a "good-ish" rewards program that can get you some some deluxe size samples, access to their super awesome 20% off sale and some other minimal rewards. If you'd like to see more about the Sephora rewards program, check out my earlier post here. Or you can just view or video on the topic!

It's now time for Ulta to enter the smack down! Sephora does have a few pros on Ulta outside of the reward program. Sephora offers more prestige brands (you can see this as a plus or minus because prestige brands definitely equal more money), better information available in the store, and in general better customer service. Now, I know there were be a lot of people out there that will LOUDLY disagree with my customer service statement. What I mean by that is when you walk into a Sephora it's more like walking into Nordstrom vs. JCPenney. A Sephora associate will generally greet you and ask to help you find what you need (Ulta is getting better at this but, most of the stores I frequent in the Orange County and Inland Empire areas still need work) they will offer up suggestions of what other customers have and what they, themselves have tried, and they will offer samples if needed. There have been many times that a Sephora associate has basically shopped with me through my entire visit at the store.

Ulta is my cheap thrills store. I know I can go there for basic stuff, but they also have all kinds of off the wall items that I LOVE. Plus the prices are great and there's always a sell (except on their prestige lines like Tarte, Urban Decay, etc., their pricing is comparable to Sephora). But, Ulta's major selling points are the values they bring to their customer in their every day promos and their rewards program.

So let's dive in!

Sephora vs. Ulta Rewards Systems - Part I - Sephora

We've recently gotten a lot of questions about which is better - Sephora or Ulta? Well, the answer is NEITHER! So we decided to dispel the myth that one is better than the other. Of course, if you'd like to view our video on the subject you can right here! Otherwise, keep reading!

Sephora and Ulta both have their pros and cons. Girls interested in all of the beauty perks that you can get should definitely sign up for both loyalty programs. Granted, with Ulta's program you're going to reach their upper level status long before you reach it at Sephora but, again, you have to take this fact with a grain of salt. By that I mean, Ulta offers a lot more drug store quality items where is Sephora is strictly prestige beauty products. If Ulta required customers to spend as much as they do at Sephora, very few people would reach the promised land!

OK, so on with the Sephora rewards review!

Your Bijoux Box January 2016 Unboxing and Review

We just posted a new video for the Your Bijoux Box January 2016 Subscription box! You can see our video here!

January 2016 Your Bijoux Box! Check out our new video at https://youtu.be/yxWQQEcwnok! #subscriptionbox #jewelry #lifestyle #followforfollow #follow4follow #yourbijouxbox #mysparkle #lifewithwine

A photo posted by Life With Wine (@lifewithwine30) on Jan 27, 2016 at 1:15pm PST

Shopping Tips!

So from time to time we run across really great places to shop or coupons. We've decided to start a new series featuring great websites, stores, and deals that we happen to see. Since we're avid shoppers we see a TON of stuff!

Today I got my daily email from Jane.com. If you've never heard of Jane.com you need to get over and check it out ASAP! Jane.com is the less craftsy version of Etsy but still on that same wavelength. Every day Jane.com features at least 50 new deals (sometimes it's over 100!) from independent sellers. I have found some of my favorite all time items at Jane.com. I especially like to use them for gift baskets for the kids (Christmas stockings, Easter baskets, Valentine's day, etc.) because the items are inexpensive (similar to the One Spot at Target), mostly high quality and super unique.

Weekly Obsession

So, we took a little break over the holidays. But, during our break we discovered a ton of new items! One of them is our love for Butter London nail polish. Two colors in particular.

Golden Tote December 2015

Wow are we impressed with Golden Tote! You can see our full review on our YouTube Channel! Golden Tote is not a regular subscription service. Every month they release a new collection of clothes and you can choose to either buy the tote or not buy the tote. The tote comes in 3 Levels:

Sweet & Spark - Vintage Jewelry

Sweet & Spark is a vintage jewelry curator. What is that you say? Well, they're a father and daughter team that basically do your flea market jewelry shopping for you! They buy all kinds of interesting pieces and then sell them on on their site. They also have the option to have a party with your girlfriends (a la Tupperware, but probably cooler) so that you can shop in the comfort of your own home and actually see the pieces up close.

How we came across Sweet & Spark is we got a gift card in our FabFitFun Box (see the video for the whole unboxing) and the card, please forgive the pun, sparked our interest!

We ended up buying this piece:

Free Beauty Gifts at Amazon!!! Insanity!

Amazon has really turned up the heat in their beauty department. I know that it's not the first place you think of when it comes to buying your beauty items but, right now, maybe it should be! They have a whole page of free gifts that come with your purchase of qualifying items!

Some of the items they're offering are:

 1. Free Sultra Flat Iron with the Purchase of Sultra Hairdryer. The Flat Iron by itself is a $115 value! That's almost a 100% buy one get one free. AWESOME!

2. Blue Copper Firming Eye Repair Treatment when you purchase Blue Copper Firming Elasticity,

Osmotics Cosmeceuticals Blue Copper 5 Prime, 1.7 oz, or Osmotics Cosmeceuticals Blue Copper 5 Molecular Repair Treatment. That's a $75 value! Again, Amazon craziness at almost a 100% buy one get one free value!

3. Chas Dean Boar Bristle Round Brush with the purchase of at least 32oz of Wen. The brush is a $25 for a $58 or more purchase. Just KILLING it Amazon!

4. OK, so this is our own personal fave...Free Pink Sugar Rollerball with the purchase of Pink Sugar Eau de Toilette Natural Spray, Pink, 3.4 fl. oz. We know, we know! It's a little girly and sweet but, it's truly a classic scent that keeps us going back for more. Also, that's a $20 value for a $60 purchase.

In terms of percentage back most of Amazon's offerings are at least 30% of the value of the item you're purchasing. But, as you can see above, there are several that are almost 100% of the value of the item you have to purchase. It's just insanity!

Weekly Obsession!

So, this week we've gone a little upscale...

Glam Bag How To

We just did a how to video about putting together an AWESOME glam bag gift set. Take a look!

Also, here's the a complete picture of what went into our glam bag.

A photo posted by Life With Wine (@lifewithwine30) on Dec 4, 2015 at 10:26am PST

But, you want a complete and detailed list here it is:

Bulid Your Own Giftbox! Whhaaattt???? Too Cool!

Birchbox is now offering a "Build Your Own Giftbox" in it's online store. Choose 6 items to fill it for only $55!

Instagram Alert!

We just signed up for Instagram so that we can snap great pictures on the go of all of our wine and shopping related travels. Trundle on over to our new Instagram page and take a peek. Since it's holiday time we'll be on the prowl for tons of "unique" gifts. Here's a preview from our recent World Market excursion...Everybody needs Muffin Tops!

Fun Christmas idea....although it should not be given lightly ;)

A photo posted by Life With Wine (@lifewithwine30) on Dec 1, 2015 at 12:47pm PST

Bare Minerals Surprise Box!

Oooohhhhh, I'm so curious to see what's in Bare Mineral's Beauty Surprise box! It's $35 and it has a $159 value! That sounds pretty awesome!

Weekly Obsession!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! So our weekly obsession obviously needs to be something holiday themed...