Disappointments and retaliatory splurges

Let's get the bad news over with first. 

Yesterday, I visited the Ulta website to buy the Erborian B.B. Creme that was going to be half-price during their 21 Days of Beauty event, and every single shade was sold out.

I guess that's what I get for touting the sale to my thousands dozens of followers.

And while we're talking about disappointments, I'll mention that all my St. Patrick's Month™ merch showed up, and it's ... pretty meh. 

...

The t-shirt is OK; the cotton feels like good quality, and the color is every bit as saturated as it looks. However, the v-neck is so low that I risk showing cleavage, which is not my aim. My aim is to keep the balcony covered and as minimized as possible. 

The blouses do a decent job of covering the balcony, although the short-sleeved one 

is just a tiny bit skimpy as to interlinings (or whatever you call that bit under the buttons) so it has a bit of a gap right at the largest part of the bust line.

They obviously spent money on all those tucks and ruffles, not to mention the covered buttons. But they seem to have skimped on fabric. For the money, I don't expect miracles, but I feel a certain amount of resentment, nonetheless. 

My Generation Z daughter would be astounded that I could spend $69 on a blouse and think "Eh, you get what you pay for." As for as she's concerned, that's an insane amount to spend on a single shirt. After all, for the same sum, she could emerge from Forever 21 with an entire outfit. But I am old and factoring in for inflation, spent more than that on blouses way back in the stone age. 

On the bright side, since it's still chilly in Chicago, and no one is writing sonnets in praise of my upper arms, I'm planning to wear it under a sweater. 

But let's stop wallowing in the past, shall we? 

What I bought today

A savvy Redditor in /MUAontheCheap pointed me in the direction of a flash sale at Macy's, where stuff is going for half price. Some of the offerings seems to be inspired by Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty promotion, and some seem to me to be the randomest of the random, but if you're in the market for Lancome foundation or Cacherel fragrances, or have a Pokémon-esque "gotta catch 'em all" outlook as regards the fragrance output of Paris Hilton or Christian Siriano, there are 17 pages of bargains to check out. 

I fell for the following:

1) The Nam Vo Glow set

An alleged $178 value for $34.50

Have I heard of Nam Vo? No. But I'm always interested in teeny-tiny versions of stuff I already use for my travel bag, so that Good Genes caught my eye. The Elemis Cleansing Balm also looks like it would fit into a travel kit. The other stuff is just for fun. (That's a full-sized Benefit highlighter to give you a sense of the scale.)

2. The leftover Christmas Clinique lipstick set

A supposedly $110 value for $15

Come ON. Five lipsticks for $15? SOLD.

3. Boscia's faux Baby Foot fruit acid foot peeling kit.

Ordinarily $18, today only $10.80

Remember when the Baby Foot peeling kit was all over the internet? No? Just me? Well ... I've had a morbid fascination with these things. I mean, doesn't everyone want to know exactly how bad their feet have gotten? 

Again, just me? Well, for $10.80, I figured it was worth a shot. 

Finally, I have no idea what doughty old Caswell Massey is doing in Macy's hanging out with Paris Hilton, but I bought this

4. Almond Shaving Soap

Ordinarily $34.00, today only $20.40

for Mr. Buxom's Easter basket. Because it smells like the most delicious almond macaroons.