Target Haul ft. Calypso St. Barth for Target

Everyday I am just AMAZED at how Target is becoming one of my affordable, fashion pitstops, and literally, i'm obsessed with Target.  So I'll just get right into the haul.  Disclaimer: I did not by all of these at once.  I bought these over the span of May and April. I am not trying to show off things I bought, but I wanted to let yall know about my fashion/makeup inspirations (that you can go buy right now!  most are still in stores and available!), the good deals I found and wanted to share, and what really got me excited to the point of actually investing in these items.

Bueno Striped Canvas/Tote in Black/White ($29.99 bought online)

Story: Ever since the huge error on the Henri Bendel website where one of their normally priced $298 bag was being sold at $2.98, I have been on the search for a cheap, nice striped bag, much like the stripes that Henri Bendel's bags are so famous for.  I never thought I was into such a pattern, but seriously the Henri Bendel bag I almost got for $2.98 has (UPDATE: THERE'S A BAT FLYING AGAINST MY WINDOW) gotten me intrigued with striped bags.  Sooo when I saw this one on Target by Bueno, I couldn't resist:

With the adorable gold lock and decent purse size, I think this was definitely a steal.  I kind of prefer the brown and white stripes by Henri Bendel, but the black and white stripes seemed to appeal to me as well in this bag.  Tell me what you think: is this a hit or a miss?

CALYPSO St. Barth for Target® Multi Chain Drop Earrings - Silver ($14.99 bought online)

Story: I have been loving the tassel earrings trend, and the collaboration with Calypso St. Barth (a luxury brand) and Target (which I have been wanting to check out for a while with all their cute summer clothing and accessories) created this beautiful metal tassel-like pair of earrings:

It's all silver, and their luxury brand has not even made one like these, so I feel like these were also a steal.  I highly recommend checking out the Calypso St. Barth for Target collection, especially the accessories and shoes.  I was not too fond of the clothing.

CALYPSO St. Barth for Target® Straw Tote With Sequins - Silver ($24.99 bought online)

Story: I mainly got this bag for the free shipping and was curious to see what it would look like in real life.  I know straw tote bags are in and yada yada, but straw tote bags have never really appealed to me as something to invest in, but this one had a nice bag shape and top buckle.  Most likely I will be returning this item (I haven't received it in the mail yet) if I don't like one thing about it:

I can definitely see this as a potential beach bag or picnic bag, but otherwise, I am not sure if it is worth getting overall.  Again, I only got it for the free shipping and I wanted to check out more Calypso St. Barth for Target items.

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins ($7.19 bought online)

Story: I would like to make it clear that I have NEVER been into reading books until this summer.  I know i know, I am not a well-rounded student and that's why I think I suck at the verbal section on every single dang standardized test.  BUT I am actually into reading books now for a change!  I really don't know what came over me, but I think it may have to do with Elle's Glitterature YouTube series where she makes reading sound so interesting and fun and relaxing and she goes over books she recently finished.  The Hunger Games series: I heard had a lot of good reviews from various sources, even though it is targeted to a teen crowd, but if it is well-written and engaging (I read the summary on amazon), then I'm willing to try the series out:

I am still finishing up The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (I know I must be WAY behind the cool train since this was popular several years ago), but after that, I'm going to start this one.  Go read the summary on Amazon and maybe you'll get intrigued (or grossed out?) too :)

Metallic Gold/White Floppy Hat ($12.99 bought in-store)

Story: I bought a black floppy straw hat from Target a few months ago because I fell in love with the floppy-slightly-hide-your-eyes-seductive-look I got from it.  I thought I was going to use it for China with the sun beating on you for hours on end, but when I told me mom this, she made a good point that the black hat is going to absorb the heat and make you hot anyways.  I was not so bright on that purchase.  Sooo I saw this one at the store and loved the radial stripes!  I wish it wasn't so metallic-y, but I couldn't resist the striped effect (again, going back to my stripe obsession).  Since this is hat is not sold online and I forgot my camera cord in st. louis and I found which designer Target copied, here is a picture of what the hat sort of looks like:

The picture above is actually Juicy Couture's version, and the design is very similar!  With the metallic gold and white radial stripes and size, they are similar.  BUT the target one doesn't have that awkward transition at the seams (on the left image, you see an awkward white strip in the gold stripe), the target one flops over your head/face cuter than this one, and the target one has shinier gold stripes than this one pictures.  My mom approved this one for china (she doesn't want me to get premature wrinkles) and I am loving this hat as well!

Almay Clear Complexion Blemish Healing Liquid Foundation (unsure I think around $7-8? bought in-store)

Story: After graduation, I realized that I probably should have used heavier coverage for a special event like graduation, so it inspired me to get my first ever liquid foundation.  I actually hate the feeling of most liquid foundations (too cakey, too stuffy, and too thick) and was perfectly satisfied with my simple not heavy routine using my Sonia Kashuk (Target) concealer palette and Lancome matte powder foundation.  But I decided to give at least one liquid foundation a try in my lifetime (since I don't plan to buy anymore in the future).  I definitely headed to drugstore for my liquid foundation search because honestly I am not going to wear this foundation that often and it's not an investment item for me.  After spending hours researching on a good light-medium coverage foundation, I ended up with this one.  I was tempted to head to the Revlon area, since Revlon is clearly the KING of drugstore foundations, but I stuck with the positive reviews I saw for this foundation.  Plus, Almay is like the cheaper version of Clinique, so I'm comfortable with a dermatologist-approved formula:

My thoughts:

PROS: 1) It was pretty light and can be buildable to a medium coverage which I totally liked!  2) Since it has salicylic acid in it, it even helped clear out some about-to-develop pimples.  3) The color I chose matched perfectly to my face, but that was kind of a given since I knew I was a pretty perfect beige color, and the color I got was called Beige (BUT that is not to say that all foundations work this way!  this just happened to work for me in this one instance!).

CONS: 1) it gave a semi-matte finish (i prefer a matte face) so it wasn't quite dewy and it wasn't quite matte.  but once I put a setting powder over the liquid foundation, I resulted with a matte face.  So this is not really a con, but whatever.  2) The packaging could be better with a pump since I definitely have over-poured foundation out on the back of my hand.  3) They don't have that huge of a range of colors, especially dark-toned faces, which is unfortunate.

Overall, I was very impressed with this foundation!  I still don't think I will be using it often over my concealer+powder routine, but I think this is a great liquid foundation for all you first-time users (and even normal users!) with combination/oily skin (my skin type)!

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Mint Sorbet (unsure, but it was definitely between $2-$3, bought in-store)

Story: I don't know why I keep going for nail polishes because my nails are the weakest, most brittle things ever, especially in the winter even though i put lotion on my hands constantly.  But this one caught my eye as being a cheap nail polish and a color I have been wanting for a while.

PROS: 1) The uniquely wide and flat brush definitely makes the application easy and smooth.  2) the color is so fresh and my hands just look CLEAN and FRESH and....i just love it.  3) doesn't chip too easily even on my brittle nails!!!!

CONS: 1) Seems like there's less product than other nail polishes I've owned??

Overall, I am loving it and I wish I could show you guys what it looks like on my nails.  but still no camera cord on me.

Essie Nail Polish in Tart Deco (unsure, but I think it is around $7? bought in-store)

Story: I have been a huge fan of Essie nail polishes for the past few years or so because they go so smoothly and don't chip for a LONG LONG time and, as i mentioned before, that is an important consideration for me due to my brittle nails (makes nail polish chip easily for some reason).  I got really excited when Target recently put Essie nail polishes on their shelves, so I checked it out (not for the first time) and loved Tart Deco.  I wanted the perfect coral color for the summer, and this one is the bomb dot com.

PROS: 1) again, I love the Essie formula.  2) the color is an opaque coral pink :D.

CONS: NONE

Overall, great nail polish.  I know coral is not really too trendy, much like the Essie Braziliant collection's nail polishes, but I love Tart Deco nevertheless.  It doesn't matter if it's trendy in the end, as long as it looks good on you!

Thanks for reading through my first non Fashion for Japan post!

<3 alice

PS This was the bag that inspired me and is now properly priced at $298, though I almost bought it for so freakin cheap. So sad the purchase didn't go through: