NYC Ladies: Summer Stock Up This Weekend!

This weekend in New York Beauty.com and AtHisBest.com are helping you stock up with thousands of free (my favorite 4 letter word) samples! Here are the details:

WHAT:           Everyone who walks by the Beauty.com and AtHisBest.com Summer Stock-Up will get a “scoop” from the oversized beauty and grooming “pools” (one for women and one for men) filled with thousands of must-have beauty products, all for FREE.

Samples from Beauty.com include best-sellers such as philosophy, Too Faced, Bare Escentuals, Darphin, Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, tarte, Oscar Blandi, Stila and bliss

Samples from AtHisBest.com include must-haves such as Anthony Logistics, Mission, GO SMiLE, Clif Bar, Shaveworks The Cool Fix, Stinger and Schick

                        Consumers will have  access to top beauty gurus for one-on-one consultations:

Friday, May 21^st:                                  

Peter Thomas Roth; Stila; Borghese; Zeno; BareMinerals; Caudalie; tarte; Origins; Anthony Logistics; Somme Institute; Too Faced; Korres

Saturday, May 22^nd:                          

Jane Iredale; Somme Institute; Mission; BareMinerals; Darphin; Origins; Korres; Urban Decay; Pop Beauty            

WHEN:           Friday, May 21^st – 8:00am – 7:00pm

Saturday, May 22^nd – 10:00am – 6:00pm

                       WHERE:         Friday, May 21^st – 59^th Street and Fifth Avenue                   

                        Saturday, May 22^nd – 13^th Street and Ninth Avenue

Today Only: 25% Off MAC Cosmetics Online

Today only, you can get 25% off almost everything on MAC's site. Use code MACFF9 at checkout to get the deal (Viva Glam products are not included). Stack up on your Lip Glasses and Studio Fix foundations before the end of the day!

My Weekend Shopping Excursion: San Marcos Prime Outlets

I love great outlets! I kept hearing a bunch of hype about the San Marcos Prime Outlets located between Austin and San Antonio, TX. Let's just say, I bought so much that I had to cut myself off to any more stores (didn't even get to check out Escada, Neiman Marcus Last Call or La Perla)!

Bath and Body Works, Barneys, BCBGMAXAZRIA, Banana Republic and Tahari were my faves. Though I couldn't find pics of my Tahari suit that I got for 80% off or the Marc by Marc Jacobs dress for 50% off, or the BCBG shoes I got for $29, here are a couple of my deals:

BANANA REPUBLIC

Martin Striped City Pant
$34.99

BATH & BODY WORKS OUTLET

Lay it on Thick Body Cream
$3.75 (that's right - it costs $15 online and in the stores!)

Guess what I discovered while I was there? They will be getting Betsy Johnson and Gucci over the next few months!

Announcing Beauty Smackdown!

Do you ever become overwhelmed with the amount of beauty products available that all claim to be THE BEST? You need to check out my new blog, Beauty Smackdown! BeautySmackdown is dedicated to giving you the "skinny" on beauty and costmetic items so that you can make an informed purchase decision. In each post I compare two different products in the same category to declare a winner.

Just to note: These are my honest options. Companies don't pay me to say their items are good.

What I need from you: Tell me what products you want to see in a smackdown! Feel free to email them to me at divaonadollar@yahoo.com.

Sephora Friends and Family

The holidays are approaching quickly and I will continue to give you ideas on how to shop efficiently and economically. Right now sephora.com is offering 20% off from November 3 - 21. All you have to do is enter promotion code FF2007 at checkout. Enjoy!

Get Expert Eyes from Smashbox!

As many of you know, Smashbox has some great make-up - especially if you're going for the "smokey eye look". Now, from Sephora, you can get this Smashbox Master Class Expert Eyes set (that would separately sell for $174, by the way) for just $59!

The set includes (as shown) three eyeshadow trios, two eyeliner duos, That's a Wrap mascara in black, some great brushes, and an instructional DVD led by Smashbox makeup artist, Patrick Tumey, for exclusive tips & tricks! What a great set (or gift)!


Even better? Their products are animal cruelty-free!

A Bunch of Blowout Bargains at Bliss

Many people swear by the many bath and body products that Bliss has to offer. If you are one of those people, I have some good news for you! They are having a big blowout sale with some items as much as 80% off! Here are a couple of my favorites:

Bliss 'Spaahh'-kling Body Butter on sale for just $6.40!

Now why it was $32 for a 7 oz. tube in the first place is beyond me! Granted, I don't really wear the sparklies anymore, but it's a great deal if you do.

Best of Bliss Set for 50% off at $22.50!

This set has all of their best selling products: 2 oz bottles of lemon+sage soapy sap and vanilla+bergamot bubbling bath+shower gel, 1.7 oz tubes of lemon+sage body scrub, vanilla+bergamot body butter and high intensity hand cream, and a mini herban jungle exfoliating soap. Great for gifts and great for travel (they all meet the 3.4 oz standard!).

Body Shop - Buy 1, Get 1 1/2 Off

The Body Shop is featuring many of their body and bath items on sale - buy one, get one half off. I was so excited that their body butters are included! Also included are their whipped body lotions and body scrubs, amongst others. I got their Shea lotion, Coconut body scrub and Almond body butter. If any of you are still upset that they discontinued their Sesame body butter, check out Almond. It has a similar consistency and an subtly sweet scent.

Oh, What You Can Buy for $50!

Yesterday I went to Bath & Body Works to use a gift card that my brother and niece oh so graciously gave me for Christmas. Let me tell you, using it during the semi-annual sale was such a great idea! I bought eight (yes, 8!) items for a grand total of $51.11 including tax. Unfortunately the website does not have most of the deals I found in the store, so you may want to try there first before the sale ends. Here are some of my new goodies:

Wallflowers - 2 packs for $5 each

I bought both Blackberry and Tropical Passionfruit - mmmm!

Tutti Dolci Fantasia di Cioccolata Lip Gloss - $2.50

It looks like Bath and Body Works is getting rid of this line - I couldn't even find the brand on their website. I love this gloss though! The one I purchased is a metallic mulberry color, though it goes on sheer. AND, it tastes good too!

True Blue Wet Your Whistle Lip Balm - $1.00

Can you believe it was just a buck? It was $4 marked down 75%.

Bigelow Rose Hydrating Gel Treatment - $10

I have been looking for a good moisturizer, especially with the dry cold air here in Chicago. So far, so good. I have sensitive skin and it seems gentle enough though it may not be moisturizing enough to battle my dry skin from this weather. It probably will work much better in the spring. By the way, this is normally $20 but I got it for 50% off!

True Blue Spa Lay It On Thick Shea Butter Moisturizer - Large tube for $20, small tube for $1.50

I did splurge on this one. I have very dry skin and Lay It On Thick is by far the BEST body moisturizer I have ever used. They used to only have the 6 oz tube as shown, but when I saw the large 10 oz tube, I had to buy it, despite it being full price. To make things even sweeter, I lucked out and saw a 2 oz in the 75% off bin and grabbed the last one for just $1.50!

Last, but not least...a sneak peak of a new product launching in the spring - Ile de Tahiti Inu Body Lotion with Tamanoi (they don't even have it on their site yet). I purchased a 1.7 oz bottle for $2. It says it has the "world's richest blend of hydration and healing." The jury is still out on that claim, but it does smell light and tropical!