"Facial" from Davids Bridal / Mary Kay and Calvin Klein Stuff!

So I got a call the other day from a representative of "David's Bridal / Mary Kay" who let me know that I was the winner out of 20 people in April for a free pampering party for myself and 5 friends.  All I had to do was show up to the Marriott and receive the absolutely no obligation freebies, including a microdermabrasion facial, lip treatment, hand treatment, and goodie bags for everyone.  Sounds good right?  So I went and dragged 4 of my friends with me, as well as my poor fiance.  Well, I should have known that when something sounds too good to be true, it probably is!  It turned out to be basically a "facial" that you put on yourself in front of a little mirror using Mary Kay products while they describe to you what each one does.  Then at the end you meet with a consultant one on one, and receive your goodie bag while they try to sell you stuff that you've tried.  It's pretty much like one of those time share presentations you can go to and receive a free vacation at the end, but have to be really firm and say "no" to actually buying one.  We were kind of annoyed that it was so misleading!  This is exactly what the follow up email from them says:

"Your pampering party includes a 3-Step conditioning hand treatment, a 2-Step lip softening treatment and an ultimate facial with microdermabrasion treatment. Also, because you are the Bride-to-Be, you will receive a FREE Bridal Makeover Consultation, a Gift Certificate at your appointment and a fun goodie bag just for you!"

Geez... I don't even think that was a clever marketing ploy, it was an out-wright lie!  So basically we wasted 3 hours there.  I wasn't too impressed with any of their products, but the hand treatment did make my hands feel nice and smooth, so I just got that to shut them up and got out of there quickly.  Ok lesson learned!

Afterwards, we decided to just go hit up the Americana at Glendale.  It was actually my first time there - it's a very "downtown Disney" feel upscale outdoor shopping center like the Grove in LA.  There is a Lululemon store there and I did take a quick look inside, but it was such a small store and they had nothing new.  So we went to Calvin Klein and I ended up getting some good stuff for really cheap since one of my friends works for their corporate!  And I was surprised to see that many things were marked down to very low prices even without my friend's 40% employee discount.  There were men's suit jackets marked down to under $100!  My fiance actually ended up getting a slim fit suit for our wedding for $200 (after the discount) which is a phenomenal deal!  It's black with very very subtle pin stripes, which you can't really see unless you are very up close.  They actually just add a little shine to the suit.  We all liked it best.  So he's all set for the big day!  How easy guys are... all he needs now is a dress shirt and a skinny tie.

Of course, I then decided that I should take advantage of the discount too and get myself a few pieces.  I don't even remember the last time I shopped at Calvin Klein, but I really liked some of their stuff they currently carry.  They have some very cute dresses that I would have no occasion to wear them to.  I don't know why I never went shopping with my friend before, but it was very tempting to just buy everything knowing I could get extra 40% off!  Hehe.  I definitely have to put this store on my list to browse at once in a while.  I know this sounds really weird, but I really liked their over-the-knee ava rain boots!  I don't have any need for rain boots here in SoCal, but if I lived somewhere that rained more (or if I saw them 2 weeks ago when it poured for a week here), I would be all over that!  I saw hot pink, deep purplish blue, and black.  Here's what the pink looks like.  They are wild! 

What I did get though, was this belted short sleeve cardigan:

Not nearly as wild as the rain boots.  But it looks soooo much better in person, the stock photo does not do it justice.  In person it almost looks like it has a deep forest green tone to the gray, and it also has shine to the fabric.  I got a size XS, and it still fits loosely like it's supposed to.  Plus I think Calvin has adopted vanity sizing as well.  I figure I can wear this to work as well as outside of work so it was a no brainer.  It was also on sale for $60 but with my friend's discount I paid only $34.

I also got this sheer drapery wrap top:

This is a light tan/nude color but I also saw gray, torquoise and black.  I really like how it drapes.  It comes with the inside tank top looking piece for the separate look.  I also got this in size XS and it's still loose, drapery and flowy.  It's also on the long side.  The material itself is very light.  I think it will be great for summer.  I also think it can be a good shirt to wear under suit jackets at work.  I only paid $14 for this!  It was originally $44 but on sale for $25, which is already a good deal.  But that additional 40% off is amazing!  Seriously, I think that whole store is on sale right now.  But my friend said lots of items will be marked up soon due to increase in raw material prices, like increased factory worker wages in China, and decrease in cotton reserve there.  Since China rules the world, even more reason to stock up now!  Lol.  If my fiance wasn't with me, I would have done a lot more damage there.  You know how guys are - so impatient to get out of the store, and telling me I already have everything so why buy more, or saying everything looks the same when they clearly do not!

Lastly on my way out, I decided to put on this single button suit jacket just for fun but it turned out to be the perfect fit! 

The cool thing about this jacket is that I can wear it with the sleeves down and buttoned up like a traditional suit jacket for work.  Or, I can roll the sleeves up a little like the above photo, and wear it open like a boyfriend style jacket!  I really like the inside lining, and will definitely be wearing it with the sleeves rolled up.  I think it would be cute with a tank top under, and slim fitting jeans with heels.  I think I can also definitely get away with the sleeves rolled up on business casual dress days at work as well.  It's very versatile!  But like I said, the fit was the most amazing, feels like it's custom made for me!  So I was very very happy with it.  It's original retail price was $130, on sale for $100, and I paid $55.  Woohoo!  Really can't get any cheaper than that for a suit jacket.  

I should have looked for matching bottoms for this jacket.  I do have black suit pants, but the shades don't match exactly.  I hate the look of two unmatching black colors, so I'll have to just wear it with gray pants to work or something.  Or go back to the store and look for a matching skirt or pants.  

So all in all, today turned out to be a good day even after the Mary Kay BS!  I guess it just shows that a little retail therapy always helps!