Sephora Black Friday Deals!

In previous years I want to say the black friday deals were $12 here and $10 in the USA. I could be wrong, but I feel fairly certain of that. This year, they are still $10 in the USA but they are $13 here. To be fair, our dollar is much weaker than it was in the last few years so I can't complain about that. And here are all the sets. There are a LOT of them this year!

So the big question is, what are you guys getting?

Would You Ever Buy This??!!

So I have a feeling this is going to start a lot of drama but I am seriously SOOO on the fence about how I feel about this. On one end I think its totally wrong and kind of dishonest...... but I also would totally buy one if I didnt already have a Clarisonic Mia.

So for those of you who do not know what Aliexpress is, its basically a Chinese version of Amazon. Yes, you can buy TONS of fakes and replicas on there, but you can also buy all sorts of just cheap stuff made in China. $1-$3 accessories galore. And while many do not like that you can not pay with paypal, I think the Aliexpress method is actually safer.  I have made about 80 purchases in the last two years (best place to buy silicone heel protectors, gel insoles and other such items for pennies!!) and have had 9 arrive either completely damaged or just the wrong item. Each time I have filed a dispute and all but one time got my money 100% refunded. Aliexpress does not release the money to the vendor until you confirm successful receipt of item.

So anyways the point of this post. Someone on facebook recently bought a Clarisonic Aria off of the site. I figured it would be a knock off. Didnt think much of it. Then she got it. And reviewed it. And she went to the Clarisonic website  and registered it! WHAT???!!! For $50USD and free shipping?

I went through the feedback comments and was even more floored. 97% positive feedback, hundreds purchased, and many say they successfully registered it on the brands website! The friend who bought it got some replacement brushes at Sephora and she swears that they are actually legit Aria brushes.

Here are a few pictures from the feedback.

So my question is, would you do this? For $50? Its a completely unauthorized seller OBVIOUSLY, as to its authenticity, it seems legit, but that raises all sorts of questions about how they are getting them with real serial numbers and then the morality issue...

That being said, I am totally sure that if I did not have a real one I would totally say screw morality and pick one up! Hell, lets be honest, I just DID do this with a Babyliss Pro Perfect Curler. Instead of $200 USD I just ordered one for $30 Canadian that again, gets 99% positive feedback and that my friend who has the real one says they are legit identical. Do I feel guilty? A bit. But for a curler I will literally use once every 3-4 months, I wasn't splashing out even $100 on the drugstore one.

I am really interested to hear everyones opinions on this, and because I dont really feel like getting the listing taken down I will not publicly post it on this site. You can email me if you really want to get one and I can send you over a link!

Packing For a 10 Day Trip. What Do You Take?

So I leave tomorrow for ten days. And that means packing. But for me, its not just ten casual days. I have 11 events/dinners/shows that I have to go to. And that makes packing light oh so very stressful. I am actually quite proud of myself for how I much I am taking. I think its quite reasonable for such a trip!

It starts with two bags. Both are Dior. The white one I love, but the black one. OH. MY. The BEST BEST BEST gift with purchase I have EVER received. I love this thing. It is about hte size of a 3 inch binder. But its brilliant.

This is what it looks like when you open it up.

Notice it folds open to a full mirror (the size of a standard sheet of loose leaf).

And under that is a place for makeup brushes. Which means when I take this bag I dont have to take my travel brushes. I can take full sized brushes!

I have two Hakuhodo Face Brushes, My new Lise Watier foundation brush (which I like far more than my Bobbi Brown one) and my chanel concealer bursh (I dont love).

And 5 eye brushes

Also, the one makeup bag detaches from the case.

Here is what is in the mesh bag. My Clarisonic Mia and charger, the little clear bottles are my Clinique Acne Solutions Toner x3 (each one is tiny and holds about 3-4 days worth) and the pink liquid is astringent which is good to have for days I feel I need it. Also I have cotton pads, a travel size of my moisture surge moisturizer (I save this jar and then refill it when I travel), a very generous size of philosophy eye cream, a small travel size of my purity cleanser, and a deluxe sample of the clinique roller ball for under eye circles.

Safety pins (just because), tweezers, scissors,  a file, a light, a magnifying glass and more and a mini deodorant.

Then in the small pouch are 2 weeks worth of my pills/vitamins, q-tips, advil, toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, perfume samples, and hand sanitizer.

And here it is all folded up.

And the makeup bag. This was hard. I want options for different things, but I dont want to take 1000 items.

For the face:

1. Clarins Cotton Flower Face Palette to set my makeup
2. Edward Bess Kabuki Brush
3. NARS Deep Throat Blush
4. NARS Penny Lane Cream Blush
5. NARS Pro Prime Skin Smoothing Face Prep Base
6. The Balm Time Balm Concealer
7. Foundation (originally little tester samples that I now refill with my Dior Foundation)
8. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Brightener
9. Laura Mercier Deluxe Sample Foundation Primer

For The Eyes

1. Dior Sunset Cafe Quint
2. Chantecaille Sea Turtles Palette
3. Estee Lauder Lash Primer Plus Deluxe Sample (I have about 12 backups of these! Obsessed!)
4. Deluxe Mascara Sample
5. Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in 82 Emerveille
6. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
7. Urban Decay Eyeliner in Mildew
8. Urban Decay double sided eyeliner in Zero and Whiskey
9. Anabelle Eyeliner Pencils in Auburn and Blonde

And for Lips:

1. Givenchy Rouge Interdit in Secret Pink
2. Clarins  Joli Rouge Lipstick in Hawiian Coral
3. Loreal Colour Riche Balms in Caring Coral and Plush Plum

So what do you think? Is this way too much? Let me know what you would do in the comments.

Also, with the eminent end of Google Friend Connect approaching I would love if you could take two seconds and click on the link in the top of the sideabar to add me on blog lovin!