Fall 2011 Haul: Just Some Pretty Little Things

I don’t know about you, but I just love to know about good deals that other blogger friends find, or what products they like to use. Therefore I like to read haul posts and favorite posts. I also love to watch haul and favorite videos on YouTube. It’s one of my cheap guilty pleasures, besides TV reality shows.

So I decided to create my first haul post just to showcase what I’ve been getting in the fall season 2011. I don’t buy much, because I keep a strict budget and only do my big shopping twice a year during sale season, but I have got myself some cute, girlie, pretty little things that we girls just love to have and make us happy. I hope you enjoy reading this post since I really enjoy creating it!

Holyland Haul

There wasn’t much to buy in my trip, most items I saw were religious themed items. I did buy some pretty cloth bags for my friends as souvenirs, but I have given all away so I have no pictures of them.

I collect fridge magnets, so I got these lovely ones from Cairo, Jerusalem, and Petra. My favorite is the Nefertiti head figure, so charming!

I didn’t buy these bangles. I’ve got a lot of similar ones already from Shanghai and I bought some in Indonesia as well; but my auntie purchased like two dozens of them from some street vendors in Jerusalem and some of them were identical, so she gave me these ones. They are pretty cheap, only a dollar each (in Indonesia it costs about USD 5), and the quality is definitely less than the heavy, thick ones I got from Shanghai, but I like them anyway since they’re free and add a nice addition to my collection. I love layering my bracelets, wearing 2,3,4 of them together on my wrist.

Wine is so cheap in Cana, so I bought bottles of Cana wedding wine for my married or going-to-be married friends, as well as for my single friends. It’s really a hassle though to bring them back to Indonesia because the glass bottles are breakable. Ow, the long-stemmed rose didn’t come with the wine purchase. My Mom received one from the tour leader when my parents had a marital vow renewal ceremony at Cana Wedding Chapel.

Mom and I got these stripy bags at a random store at Cairo because the bags that we carried from Indonesia for the trip suddenly got the zippers broken, both of them, so we had to get new ones. We’ve been warned about pickpockets and stuff from our tour guide, so carrying a bag with broken zipper is out of option! Finally we bought this matching pair of emergency purses: red for me and blue for Mom. There’s nothing special about them, they have plain cloth lining and I can get similar ones in Indonesia, but the craftsmanship is quite good. I love how the stripes align pretty neatly and that they have these pretty scarf-like embellishments at the front in cheerful colors and patterns.

Yayy!! Mother and daughter matchy-matchy! (Funny, just several years ago, I would have avoided wearing anything matching to my Mom's at all cost, hahaha!)

At a shop in Old Jerusalem I stumbled upon this super-cute pink and gold owl bangle that I immediately fell in love with I just had to get it! Owl is all the rage in accessories nowadays, and this one costs only ten bucks, I think. They had it in other colors too, but pink is my favorite color, so naturally I chose this one.

It’s a bit too big for me so it lands above my wrist, but I love it so much I don’t really care.

Gandaria City Haul

These I got about a month or so ago when I went to a big mall in South Jakarta called Gandaria City for a movie with some friends. While waiting for the movie to start, the girls went to Warna and Missy 7. They are those “bubblegum” stores for teenagers where they sell all kinds of girlie accessories and knick knacks (similar to Claire’ store in the US). I noticed that many ladies and moms aged 20s, 30s and 40s like to shop there too, because they have really cute stuffs on budget prices. It’s really nice because you can get many lovely things without breaking a bank. You just need to make sure that you only buy things that you really like and will actually wear, not just because they're inexpensive!

I got these bangles with rose petal design from Missy 7 (pardon the Warna plastic bag). They have many bangles like these, some are in bow-like shaped, but I stuck with these two since these are the only two that don’t look too plastic-ky. Plastic accessories can look very tacky on adults, so you’ve got to be very careful when choosing them!

At Warna store, I got these two lovelies. I love charm bracelets. There's something so dainty and sweet and feminine about them, which fascinates me. I like this kind of closure because it's very easy to put on by myself without any help compared to lobster clasp.

This one has three dimentional charms, so it doesn't matter how I move and shake my wrist, they'll always show from every angle. I love!

I really love this one especially the lipstick charm, so girlie and feminine! I'm very excited to wear it!

Naughty Store Haul

These are some of the things that I got at my favorite store, called Naughty Store, about two weeks ago. It's also a typical girlie knick-knack store, just like Warna, Missy 7 and Claire. And the prices are inexpensive I can get many things without spending too much!

Let's start with this make-up brush kit. I don't have any make-up brushes. Usually I just use my clean fingers to apply makeup. But I think it's about time I have at least a basic set of makeup brushes, so I got this kit of a cloth purse with gorgeous zebra print. I don't really care to spend much on professional brush set like Sigma brush, since I just want to give them a try and I'm not sure if I'd really use all of them anyway. I've used the lip brush, though.

Inside it looks like this, divided into little compartments (or dividers?) with seven different make-up brushes. Perfect for everyday or for travelling because it's very compact and neat.

I love a slight obsession with earrings! They're my ultimate, favorite accessories!

Whenever I really like something and my financial situation allows, I like to get my favorite things in different colors like these rose earrings in white and another one in blue...

... these are also identical but just with different colors (I just love the cute lady bag on them! I have worn the lilac pair and got a lot of compliments!)...

... a pair of heart shape with blue butterfly and also this red one...

.. and this bronze-color key-like pair with the inscription: "I'm fall in love with you". Yeah, I know, wrong grammar, but they still look nice and make me smile.

I'm a busy girl. I cannot hold a manicure and retouch everyday, but I always use nail polish on my toes. Not crazy colors, mind you, just red, silver, or pink shades. And I've got these Naughty nail polishes in pinky pearl, rose blush, and fuschia pink. They are all the metallic-color kinds. I prefer a little bit of metallic-looking colors for nail polish, instead of muted ones, because they look more finished.

I also got this tiny, pink spray bottle in star shape. Spray bottles are good for just about everything. I carry one in my make up bag, and in the afternoon, when it's really hot, I just fill it with cold mineral drinking water and spray a cold mist to my face. Also, when I'm in the office and the AC makes my skin feels dry, I just spritz some water onto my face to hydrate it a bit. So fresh. I used to carry an Evian spritzer, but using a spray bottle is a much cheaper alternative because it's refillable. Not to mention that this bottle is so darn cute!

These are what I got during my monthly grocery shopping trip at Carrefour (it's like a French version of Walmart). Some store brand hand sanitizers in strawberry, fresh and lemon scent. I always carry a bottle of them in my makeup bag, so I like to stock up! And I'm quite a frugal gal, so whenever I could I opt for store brands instead of name brands for eveyday basic neccesities like tissues and stuff, because, well, store brands are (usually) just cheaper and the quality is not bad at all!

Ow, and I got these Cussons baby oil in 200 ml. My skin is extremely dry, and especially in colder season, though Indonesia is a tropical country, the AC in my office is freezing cold and very drying to the skin. HenceI usually mix my body lotion with some baby oil to add richness and moisturizing power. In the US I used cocoa butter and baby oil, and during winter months my skin just drank it all up!
Btw, do you see the yellow "Hemat 100%" written on the label? It means the container contains twice as much content than usual, which means I only pay the price of two bottles for the content of four! Haha! Lucky!!

And I found a new body lotion that I really like. During lunch hour I went with some colleagues to LotteMart - which is a Walmart-like retail chain store that sells everything - and I stumbled upon this brand called Vienna. I never saw them before, and I don't know whether other stores carry them, since this was the first time I went to LotteMart. I do most of my grocery shopping at either Carrefour or Diamond retail chain stores since they're located so conveniently close to where I live. I like the scent, so I decided to give the product a try, and I bought the rose scent and green tea scent. They come in this big 750 ml container, which is great because I'm a sucker for body lotion, I wear it everyday.

I just love how sweet the product description is on the back of the bottle. So convincing, rite! Those marketing people really know how to entice a girl to try out their products. Haha! However, I've already tried the rose one, and I had to admit, I love it. The lotion really has good quality. Rich and moisturizing, leaving my skin feels supple, soft and subtly but delightfully scented. The formulation is so thick it feels more like body cream or body butter instead of a lotion. I'll definitely get more of this!

I also got the aromateraphy in lavender one, but I think it smells more like milk body lotion instead of lavender. Nevertheless, I like it.

Just in case you don't know, I love reading. I love books. That's my number one hobby. No, not a hobby. A neccessity. A book to me is like a friend. I'm the kind of girl who can go to a restaurant and dine all by herself, with just a good book for company, and thoroughly enjoy it. I read everything: encyclopedia, women magazines, business journals, comic books, self-improvement books, literature works, poetry, chicklits, fairy tales, whatever that strikes my fancy. I prefer to read hardcopy than on-line version or on an iPad, because it's easier for my eyes, so naturally I buy lots and lots of books.

These are my latest purchase, which I got from Kinokuniya. They are from Little Black Books series, published in UK, sort of a chicklit series, so they're definitely light reading which I can enjoy in my leisure down time. I'm really fascinated with the delicious pink and blue covers. So cute! I've finished reading Sugar and Spice, and love it very much. I always love a good story that's sprinkled with food and recipes in between the pages, and this pink little paperback doesn't disappoint.

And last but not least, I got these treats! My favorite Hi Tempura spicy seaweed crackers, a box of Pocky chocolate sticks, and a Chic Choc chocolate covered balls! I usually do not buy them, since I snack a lot and these products are a little bit on the high price for everyday munchies, but I like to give myself a special treat once in a while. Last month I had been a good girl and spent well below my budget, so this month I can afford to buy myself a little something extra. I only allow one package of each, because if not, well, it's not a special treat anymore! Yum, yum, yum!

So that’s all I’ve got during this fall season, Friends! I hope you enjoy this post, and if you have haul posts as well, please let me know! I’d love to see what you’ve got!