As we bid farewell to November, it’s time for me to reflect on the month, detailing the products I’ve used up and those I’ve added to my collection. This task is typically somewhat enjoyable, with ‘somewhat’ being the operative word. However, the thought of documenting November, the month synonymous with Black Friday, can be rather daunting. Surely, I’m not the only one who shudders at the thought of the significant expenditure that typically accompanies this month, am I?
There is nothing that can be done now, so let’s get on with it. * Deep Breath
November’s Purchases
- Style Korean Beauty Advent Calendar – £149.9
- Bath and Body Works Hand Sanitising Spray in Aromatherapy Lavender Vanilla – £2.54
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Moonlit Flurries – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Snow Peach Berry – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Iced Cinnamon Rolls – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Twisted Peppermint – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Champagne Toast – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Strawberry Snowflake – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Sweet Strawberry Scoop – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap Wildberry Lemonade – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap Bright Summer Days – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Poolside Pomelo – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Sweet Orange Blossom – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Vanilla Bean Noel – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Bright Christmas Morning – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Gingerbread Bakery – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in First Snow – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Winter Candy Apple – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Winterberry Ice – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Blackberry Bergamot – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Artic Woods – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Winter – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Frozen Lake – £3.94
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Fresh Sparkling Snow – £3.94 x 2
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Glistening Gumdrop – £3.94 x 2
- Bath and Body Works Hand Sanitising Spray in Ocean – £2.54
- Ziaja Grapefruit with Green Mint Liquid Hand Soap – £1.24 x 10
- Ziaja Tea with Cinammont Liquid Hand Soap – £1.54 x 2
- Kérastase Specifique Sérum Potentialiste – £31.20
- Kérastase Specifique Sérum Potentialiste – £29 (price went further down)
- Kérastase Nutritive Scalp Serum – £29.35
- Vue Swiss Nose Patches – £8.76
- Vue Swiss Skin Patch Bundle – £23.17
In November I ended up spending a total of £390.44 on beauty products.
September’s Empties
- Nature Republic Argan Essential Deep Care Shampoo 300ml – £15.04
- Bath and Body Works Shower Gel in Pastel Skies – £2.13
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Wash in Rose & Amber – £3.89
- Bath and Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Wash in Champagne Toast – £3.89
- Bath and Body Works Rose Water & Ivy Hand Sanitizer Spray – £2.54
In November I ended up emptying £27.49 worth of products. This resulted in an allowance of £13.74.
Allowance from posts
Allowance from Reviews – £5
- Style Korean Advent Calendar Review – red the review here
Allowance from Social Media – £6
- Instagram Reel – £3
- TikTok Clip – £3
Total allowance from posts: £11
£13.74 (allowance from empties) + £11 (allowance from posts) – £390.44 (November’s Spending) – £3254.95 (previous closing balance) = -£3620.65
Oh dear, I’ve really outdone myself this time. Honestly, I can’t remember ever having such a disappointing outcome, or if I have, it’s slipped my mind. At least not since I began exercising more restraint and stopped spending money recklessly as if I was a wild woman using her husband’s credit card. For the record, I’ve never done that – I’ve only ever used my own money to purchase things I don’t really need. That kind of makes it worse, doesn’t it?
Where shall we start?
Style Korean – this was an “essential” purchase that I don’t regret in the slightest. The products are of superior quality, and I’m eagerly anticipating the chance to thoroughly explore the contents of this calendar and uncover new favorites. Indeed, I’m thrilled that I finally managed to decide on an advent calendar – I was concerned that this might be the first year without one since discovering these gems. Fortunately, Style Korean, although a late entrant, introduced a spectacular and irresistible product that I simply couldn’t not get. So, yes, there’s the thrill of having an advent calendar to unveil in December, but it offers more than just that – it’s genuinely a collection of products with immense potential.
Now let’s talk about the other kind of essential products, the real kind and move onto Bath and Body Works.
My journey with Bath and Body Works began in a similar fashion to last month, didn’t it? The store was offering a deal where if you spent 300CU (currency unit), you only had to pay 150CU. As I’ve mentioned before, such deals usually appear once every two or three months, but this time it came around quicker. I considered overlooking the offer, but the soaps available online were winter fragrances, which were missing from my collection. I figured it was an ideal chance to get something more suited to the season.
The issue wasn’t with this first order, but rather with the subsequent two…
As the month drew to a close, the store launched a Buy 4 Get 4 Free promotion for Black Friday. Even though the outcome was somewhat similar, the variety of products available online expanded significantly. I had a wider selection to choose from, so I ended up buying even more soaps as pictured above. I also purchased an excessive number of electric scent diffuser refills in both wintery and spring fragrances, although they’re not shown here because I don’t categorise them as beauty products – that’s what I keep telling myself to feel better about spending a small fortune at the store.
And after all of this, I got even more, you guessed it, soaps. This time I picked up 12 soaps from Ziaja via Notino.
I stumbled upon the brand during the pandemic, thanks to their hand and body gel cleanser. I no longer feel guilty about stocking up on it. My initial purchase was from the German retailer dm, but I later found it on Notino and Parfimo for half the price, leading me to acquire nearly 100 bottles. Long story short, my stash is almost depleted now, and the product seems to have vanished from the market. As a result, I opted for another hand washing product from the same Polish brand, buying just enough from Notino to avoid a shipping fee on my order.
The price was also quite reasonable, so it was a logical choice. I can’t rely solely on Bath and Body Works because, even at a discount, their soaps are expensive. If I can find a high-quality product that’s gentle on the skin for less, I’ll definitely choose it and use it alternately.
Some may have thought I went overboard when I added so many bottles to my collection previously, but as it turns out, soap is a necessity that gets used up rather quickly in my household. It’s understandable given how frequently I wash my hands.
It is not great that I picked up so many bottles of soap, but they will get used up which is a relief.
Alongside the Ziaja soaps, I also purchased a Kerastase serum designed for an itchy scalp. The results appear promising, but I’ll delve into that in a separate review later on. Interestingly, I found the same bottle at a greater discount later on, prompting me to buy another one – which isn’t something I typically do. To avoid paying for shipping, I got a third bottle, but this time I opted for a nourishing serum, so I wouldn’t end up with too many duplicates of a product I haven’t even finished once.
This marks my second time purchasing Kerastase products, inspired by a positive experience I had with the brand years ago, even though it led me to invest in products that would ordinarily cost around £200. While L’Oreal’s Elvive line does offer similar products, they aren’t quite identical. There are certain resemblances, but Kerastase elevates the efficacy to a higher level.
Lastsly, something I have not done in ages, I picked up something from an ad from Instagram. I have seen the ad for the Vue Swiss patches for a while but now with the great Black Friday offer I gave in. No comments just yet, we shall wait and see what the fuss is all about.
This was not the most exciting Black Friday that is for sure, but I did manage to pick up a few things I need. My only regret is not getting anything from YesStyle, but it might just be better this way.
Overall the results are not good, I erased all the progress I made during this second half of 2023, but it is not horribly bad either. I mean, I picked up mostly essential products so there is still hope.
How did you do in November?
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