My Book Outlet Birthday Haul

My birthday recently passed and I'm still taking advantage of some of the discounts. Bonus points to the companies that have a lengthier amount of time for redemption! One birthday discount I put to use was for Book Outlet. Combined with our reward points and cash back with Rakuten (my referral link), I got everything I ordered for under $70 CAD! There's three books I'm not showing because they are part of Larry's Christmas gifts. What a deal for 7 books!

They have a pretty decent selection. You may not find everything on your TBR list, but you won't step away disappointed. If you're anything like me, you actually end up adding more books to your wishlist from browsing. Oops! If there's one thing I do miss, it is the Book Outlet's physical location. Everything is now only online, but they do have both an American and Canadian website.

This haul showcases my love for romance and classics. Two of my favorite genres! I actually haven't read a classic in a while, so I need to rectify that soon. If you're on Goodreads or Fable, I'm happy to connect! I prefer Fable and that's where you can find my reviews. It's also great for tracking TV and is more social than GR. The breakdowns on the profile are fantastic. Highly recommend!

 

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Colourpop and Old Navy Collective Haul

Long time no post! I can't explain why other than there's just a lot going on in the world and I'm doing my best to navigate through it. No excuses, just self preservation. I've been unplugging a lot and giving myself breaks. It's a privilege that I appreciate more so these days than many in the past. Not just following world news, but I try to stay caught up on the two countries that I call home. It can become overwhelming quite quickly and I realized how important unplugged moments are in a world that is very plugged in.

I still have my pictures for What I Got for Christmas, but it seems so far removed from Christmas now to share. Maybe I'll fit them into a random post, if interest is there. Most of the items end up popping up in my Instagram photos, though! And there are other posts I'm behind on, but I have to keep telling myself not to beat myself up about it. I'll get back into the swing of things. I know I will. It's just the obsessiveness and perfectionist in me that wants to make things harder on myself with added pressure and a proverbial magnifying glass pointing things out. Both a blessing and a curse at any given moment.

Today's post is a simple throwback to old school blogging, a collective haul with stock photos (since I'm waiting for the items to arrive)! I made an order from Colourpop during their big sale and used some Super Cash from Old Navy, taking advantage of Rakuten's cash back on both orders. Here's what I got and now for the hard part of waiting for it to arrive! 😁 I apologize if some of the Colourpop items are now out of stock since it was also a "last chance" sale but most, if not all, of the Old Navy items are still available if you see something you like!

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Sephora Black Friday Sale 2021 Haul

I realize this post is late, but it took this long to get everything in my posession. Long story. I took advantage of a few of the Black Friday deals, one I can't show here because it is a Christmas present for my MIL. I remember back when Black Friday and Boxing Day deals were all $12-16, how times have changed. Usually there is a $15-20 off a $50 purchase around the beginning of December, but I haven't seen that make the rounds either. I wonder how good the Boxing Day/after Christmas deals will be.

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Tarte Create Your Own Kit Sale Haul 2021

I did not plan to have three haul posts right after one another, but today is Tarte's Friends and Family sale. I wanted to get up my latest Tarte haul in case something interested you! You can save 35% if you join their rewards membership (referral link) and 30% if you check out as a guest. Free shipping on Canadian orders over $50. I recommend the membership, because you can earn points and you get a free birthday reward. The gifts are nice and don't take a ridiculous amount to get some of the nicer ones. Not only that, but you can get points from reviewing products on the site, opening emails, clicking within emails, completing your profile, etc.

Here's what I recently bought! What's your favorite Tarte product? Let us all know in the comments!

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Bath & Body Works Fall Haul 2021

I'm not one that finds joy in shopping in stores right now (don't ask me about my current online shopping habit 😅), as the pandemic continues. I cannot wait for the Canadian Bath & Body Works retail site to launch later this year! For now, I popped in for the first time since last year. I go to a further out location that does not get as much foot traffic and first thing in the morning on a weekday to avoid shopping with any crowd and to ease my mind. That helps my anxiety a great deal!

I wanted one of the Halloween candle holders, but no such luck! Everyone and their cousins pounced on them so quickly. Haha! I did take advantage of their soap and hand gel deals, because we are still going through these like crazy. I think my two most used phrases out of my mouth are now, "Do you have your mask?" and "Remember to wash your hands or use hand gel!". Here's what I picked up to get us through this fall!

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Urban Decay Friends & Fanatics Sale Haul 2021

Okay, so this haul happened back in June. July was a bit of a bust for me in the blogging department and this kind of just got pushed aside. I shared some of it on Instagram, which is a good place to find me when I go missing for a hot minute on here. Better late than never and seeing as how these items are still available (minus the gifts with purchase), you can still grab anything that catches your eye!

One of the reasons that I decided to order from the Friends and Fanatics sale this year were the amazing deals. The main one that made me hit purchase was a coupon code for a free full-sized Vice lipstick with five added deluxe samples and gifts. Of course, I wanted to jump on that! Did you take advantage of the sale or that deal? I had not bought anything from Urban Decay in a while and it feels a bit like a reintroduction to the brand!

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Collective Birthday Haul - Coach x Peanuts, Torrid, H&M, Old Navy, Shoppers, and Sephora

Hi there! Last week was my birthday and I splurged on a few things, because... hi, my name is Wendy and I can't say no to birthday discounts, apparently. I felt like the best way to share what I got would be to do a collective haul. Some of the things I've already shared on my Instagram. I'll share some of the beauty items in later posts, both on there and here. I purchased all of this within the last two weeks, I'd say, so most of it should still be available if you see something that interests you!

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MAC Haul - Brushes and Cruella Collection Lipstick in De Vil in the Details

If there is one place I have not shopped at in a super long time, it is MAC. It is nothing against them, I think I just get overwhelmed by collections left and right from brands and then I just kind of stop paying attention. In this moment, I couldn't resist the Cruella collection. Most of the collection does not interest me, aside from the lipsticks. Mainly though, I knew I needed the classic Cruella red lip! I also signed back up for their loyalty program and had a 15% off code from that, so I picked out two highly-rated brushes. Here's what I got!

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Sephora Canada Spring Savings Event Haul 2021

I haven't bought anything from Sephora in a while and I rarely take advantage of these sales. Being a Beauty Insider and only getting 10% off doesn't exactly draw me in. Though, I do use my Rakuten to gain back a percentage for my purchase. I probably would have passed this time, but there was one specific item I just had to have. If you've been here a while, you probably know exactly which item that is. 😉

This isn't a post with individual reviews, just sharing my haul and maybe a few initial thoughts! Did you take advantage of the sale? I'd love to know what you got!

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Old Navy Spring 2021 Haul

I had Super Cash to use and while I used the majority of it to stock up my husband's closet, I did take advantage of a few sale prices for myself. This is actually two orders, because shoes were on for half off the other day and I needed to grab a pair of my husband's favorite summer sneakers at under $20! So I placed another order (and grabbed a new item that hadn't been previously available) and now I have Super Cash for April, if I so choose to use it.

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H&M, Torrid, and Old Navy Collective Haul for Winter 2021

I did a little retail therapy over the past month. I had rewards at H&M and Torrid, and a gift card for Old Navy, so I put them to good use. I still have Super Cash for Old Navy that is good for the end of February that I'm already deciding on what to get. That'll probably be mostly for my husband, though. Long live the stores with points and rewards programs! I also took advantage of the after Christmas sales and clearance sections. I'm a "check the sales tab and click low-to-high prices" kind of gal. Can't relate to those that ain't! 😂

I thought about putting my "What I Got for Christmas" post up today, but I wanted to get this one up before it. A lot of these things are still available, if you see something you like! I'll try to get the Christmas post up next week along with my January favorites. I mean, it's already been over a month, so what's a few more days? Nice to see my procrastination on posts has carried over into 2021. I'll work on fixing that...tomorrow maybe. 

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Bath and Body Works Holiday 2020 Haul

If there's two things I'm a true sucker for as the holidays arrive, it's holiday decor and scents. Luckily, I got to Bath and Body Works before the next round of lockdowns began. B&BW Canada shared my Instagram picture on their account and several Canadians were upset that they couldn't go to the store and that we have no Canadian-based online retail store for them. I get it. I'd love for them to get online retail here too! Don't forget though, that most stores if not all, are allowing phone in orders for you to pick up at tht front of the store or curbside. So if you still have your eye on any of these or their other holiday offerings, it's not completely off the table as long as you live near a store location. The US online store does ship here for $9.99, but you do run the risk of paying customs. It might be worth working around one of those ways with the big after Christmas sale that is coming, if you're wanting to take advantage!

I don't get out much with the pandemic, so I timed my visit on an early weekday morning and was the second person in the store. Optimal timing on my part! And now I'm set for a while! What's your favorite holiday scent? I love the scents that center around baking like gingerbread, but I haven't met a cranberry scent I don't like yet either. Here's what I picked up!

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Old Navy Friends & Family Fall 2020 Haul

Old Navy's Friends and Family sale for this year just happened this month. Along with my 50% off, I also got Super Cash back (which I typically turn around and use on gifts) and 4% cash back through Rakuten. Now, if the items would just arrive! I haven't actually placed an order with Old Navy since early March, so I haven't dealt with them since the pandemic. Usually they ship out orders much faster, but I've found this latest time to be quite a wait between placing the order and them putting it out for shipping. Not much of an issue right now, but might be worth noting if you're planning on placing an order as the holidays get closer. Give yourself enough time for it to arrive!

My order does have two things for my husband for Christmas, not pictured (he sometimes looks at my blog!). I'm not looking forward to wrapping them. I am absolutely horrible at wrapping! And Larry? He's basically a "use a whole roll of tape for two presents" kind of person. It can take me a good five minutes to get into anything he wraps and he takes it so seriously. If you get a present from us, you're going to automatically know which one of us wrapped it. And better yet, if it's in a bag? Yeah, it's from me. 😄 What kind of wrapper are you?

Here's what I picked up for myself! I thought about wrapping them to put under the tree, but let me be honest with myself. The chances of that happening are slim. These are probably going right into my closet for rotation. Haha!

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Small Sephora Haul ft. Blume, Pat McGrath Labs, and First Aid Beauty

I haven't bought anything from Sephora recently and I wanted to try out a new Canadian brand called Blume. Then, two other things *fell* into my cart because you know- free shipping at $50 and whatnot. 😜 I'm excited about what I got because those other two things had been on my wishlist for some time and I can finally call them mine. This is just going to be a short and sweet post showing you what I got and maybe a few first impressions, but the rest will be saved for after I've tried the products a longer time and give them a dedicated post. So here's what I got!

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HomeSense and Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Haul

I thought I would share a few things I got recently from HomeSense and Shoppers Drug Mart. The benefit of buying from Shoppers is earning and using points, especially during their bonus events. So much better than the points system at Sephora, if you ask me. I actually have three other things that weren't part of this haul to show later. I'm still looking for the L'Oreal Age Perfect Radiant Hydrating Serum Foundation that everyone is raving about lately. I saw it in stock weeks ago and I am kicking myself for not getting it then!

The two things from HomeSense were definitely "I was waiting in line" items while holding what I actually went in for. You know what I'm talking about- we've all been there! Only one item in this haul is a makeup product because it's just not what I had my mind set on. Honestly, if I'm going in anywhere right now, I go in with a list and go as quickly as possible or my husband goes for us. I can count how many times I've stepped foot into a store since March on both hands, if not one. While I love online shopping and prefer it most of the time, I do miss going to stores under normal circumstances when the mood strikes. One day, we'll have that again! Until then, please wear a mask and wash your hands if you do go out. Love thy neighbor as thyself.

Here's what I picked up within the past few weeks! Most of these should still be available or you can find similar products by other brands. To the goods!

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Birthday Collective Haul - Reitmans, H&M, Torrid, Addition Elle, Taylor Swift

I had mentioned that I went a little ham in July for my birth month. Birthday money, sales, coupons, and discounts helped, for sure! This is the second part of my hauls, click here for the first part if you missed it. July is over now and I'm trying to reel in my spending habits. It was fun while it lasted! It wasn't that bad of a quarantine birthday for this introverted homebody who loves online shopping. Haha!

I'd say I was probably thinking of late summer and fall for this shopping batch, because my countdown has already started for autumn to get here.  Like if I just will for fall weather to be here enough, it'll come quicker.Cardigan weather is calling my name! Speaking of cardigans, I do have two of those featured in this collective haul. I'll link to what I can. Have you added anything to your closet for this fall?  Here's what I ordered!

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Summer 2020 Torrid Haul

I recently placed an order with Torrid while they were offering bonus cash rewards and free shipping to Canada. As always, I added a bunch to my cart and took my time editing down my choices. And as always, things I wanted kept selling out and I would get frustrated. It's pretty much my usual online shopping routine. Haha! Luckily, the things I'm showing today are still available except for one. That doesn't mean you can't find it in your local Torrid location though!

I'll probably be placing another order in the next few weeks when my birthday and anniversary rewards come through next month. I mean, we can't have them go to waste, can we?! Plus, I have to take advantage of the free shipping to Canada while I can. It's usually a pretty hefty amount to order and ship Torrid here. Too much, if you ask me.

At the time of writing this, all three items still available are on sale! Here's what I purchased!

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H&M Spring 2020 Haul - All the Loungewear!

If there is one thing about staying at home, it's that I want practically every piece of loungewear I come across. I've been like that for ages already, but I guess COVID-19 kind of pushed my obsession into a higher gear. I placed this order with H&M not long after we were all asked to stay home as much as possible, taking advantage of their 20% discount they were offering. It took a bit to get here, but I'm happy with everything I got and thought I would share my thoughts on it. Does staying at home do the same thing to you? Make you crave everything comfy and cozy? Cant' stop, won't stop.

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Old Navy Winter/Spring Haul 2020

First of all, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the change from my last post to this one. For starters, we have been social distancing all week, only going out for needed groceries. We are lucky that we can do what we do from my home. Not only can my husband work from home, but his workplace was insistent on it.

In my last post, I mentioned our hopeful trip to Michigan. Even before the borders announced the impending closure, we had already decided it would be wrong and selfish to go. As someone who thrives on traditions, it sucks. However, I also know that I would rather do my part and protect myself and my family. And I know we will still celebrate our anniversary (at home!) on the day, the vibe will just be different. The important thing is that my husband and I have each other, not where we are and what we are doing. We'll do a trip later to make up for it when the time is right.

What I also want to say is that I don't know how serious I will get on here. Believe me when I say that I take this virus very seriously and care deeply about what is going on in the world. This blog has always been an escape for me, as I started it back in 2007 while I was mourning the loss of my grandmother. I've been seeing people judging and policing what people do and do not post. Please don't do that. You don't know someone fully based on what they post. We all need a mental break and escape, a dose of normalcy in a time of uncertainty. This is mine. It's also my hobby, my job, and a little of everything else. I guess I just wanted to put that out there and clear the air.

So yeah, today's post is about my latest Old Navy haul. And that's okay.

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Winter 2020 Torrid Haul

If there's one thing that I love, it's finding a good sale or discount! And one thing that keeps me from taking advantage of ordering from Torrid is the high shipping cost. Thanks, but no thanks! Rewind to a few weeks ago when I opened an email from them giving me $25 off of a $50 purchase and free shipping to Canada. I had to take advantage! Okay...I didn't have to take advantage, but I have no regrets that I did. I gave the heads up to my SIL at the same time, because I'm an enabler extraordinaire! ;)

I didn't go too crazy, only buying three clothing items and a belt. As you'll see below! The $25 off could not be applied to sale items, but I couldn't pass up two of the items that were on for a great deal. And again, it was nice to have free shipping and access to the online exclusives. My order came about three days after I ordered, which was faster than I thought it would arrive. I wouldn't pay the full shipping, but I'd order when they have free shipping again. Until then, I don't mind going into one of my local stores. If you are unfamiliar with Torrid, they offer clothing in sizes 10-30. While I often find their clothing at the regular pricing too expensive, I live for their clearance and sales.

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