Lululemon outlet in Burlington

I went to the Lululemon outlet in Burlington for the first time. It's about an hour south of Bellis Fair. They have other stores at this outlet. Some worth noting are the Gap, Nine West, and I'm sure some will like the Coach outlet there. For some reason I find this outlet a little sad compared to the Premium Outlets. This outlet center was recently bought by the Horizon Group. They gave it a new paint job, and although it seems a bit brighter, it does not have as many good stores as the Premium Outlets. I think it needs a few more clothing stores.

Lululemon OutletLet me tell you, even with the exchange rate, the deals were good. You need to look at the chalkboard behind the cashiers for the prices, because the price on the label is not necessarily the actual price.
A few things I saw that I thought were decent to awesome deals:
Nylon vest $19. (regularly priced $100+)
Yoga mat bag $10.
Bras $8-14. The $14 bra tops were, buy two, get one free
Dance leotards $4.
And the men's clothing is very reasonable. Lots of stuff from $10-$19.
The only problem is, the sizes, the sizes are either very small, like size 0 or 4, or very large. I think their stuff fits a bit weird. I can fit into some of their size six tops, and sometimes even size four tops, but when it comes to the tanks, I can barely get a size six top over my head. I wear a size eight for tanks.

Before you buy, do a check, a lot of the tops had foundation or lipstick on them. Some clothing were missing something, like a bra pad, or like a zipper cover. And you don't get the Lululemon eco bags here. Although that should be expected.

I don't think it's worth it to buy any pants or hoodies here. After the exchange rate, it basically works out cheaper to buy in Vancouver.

As for the other stores, the Coach and Nine West, they have what you could get at the Premium Outlets. I think the vitamin outlet next to Lululemon is pretty good too. They have some very good specials. Like I got a bottle of liquid Echinacea for $2.

Sample shoe sale at Shriner's hall on Wayburne

So I checked out the sample shoe sale in Burnaby located on 3550 Wayburne Drive. It is only from October 31-November 2. Well, I got there October 31 at 11:30 am and there was some very anxious shoppers and a very long lineup. Surprisingly it moved pretty quickly. But it was not worth the short wait. The brands I saw a lot of was
-Marc (not Marc Jacobs, but using the same font)
-Arturo Chiang
-Hespanitas??
I can't remember what else, but really nothing worth noting. It was not cheap. In fact, I was looking here, and saw the same shoes for under $50 which they were selling at the sample sale for $50. But I saw people with bags and bags of shoes.. So I don't know what I was missing.

The lineup to pay for shoes was ridiculously long. I found some cute Marc shoes for $40. Again, I will state they are NOT Marc Jacobs. They were not worth the lineup. My shopaholic friend also did not think it worth the wait. Some of the shoes were brutally ugly. Like one looked like it was made of pasta. On top of this, I was hot hot hot.. I had my halloween costume on, and I felt silly wearing it, so I was wearing a long trench. and couldn't take it off. Plus I was hungry, so maybe that's why I just was not in the mood to shop. But seriously, I did not see anything that caught my eye.

North Face sample sale in Richmond, H&M in Coquitlam Centre

I finally checked out the North Face sample sale in Richmond. The sample sale goes on about twice a year, and it's next to the Brick on Alderbridge. Everything is 50% off of regular price. They are sample sizes, so it's basically mostly medium sizes. I'm not really a big fan of North Face, so to me, even if it was 75% off I probably wouldn't be that interested, but my friend went crazy and dropped a few hundred buying some outdoorsy gear. What I found interesting was that they sold some dresses, like the kind you might see at Express or Banana Republic. I thought that was a little strange. Kind of like Express selling thermal underwear or Banana Republic selling sleeping bags.

While I waited for my friend to comb the racks, I was just observing how some people get at these sales, this one family literally hoarded a bunch of coats, and the whole time I was there, they would not give any of them up and kept trying them on MULTIPLE times and hogged the one mirror in the store.


So checked out H&M in Coquitlam Centre on Saturday. IT WAS NUTS. It's my second time going. Each time it's cause a friend was visiting from out of town and wanted to check it out. The line up to try clothes on is literally an hour. To buy, the lines are long, but they move fast. But if you plan on going there, wear a tank underneath, and if possible, wear a skirt or something so you can try on pants in the lingerie section instead of lining up for soo long. Or better yet, go on a weekday. There was some outdoor concert in the parking lot on Saturday so they blocked off about 80 parking spots, so I was literally circling for 15 minutes trying to get parking, then someone STOLE my spot. Then in the mall, it was so crowded, and everyone was so grumpy so I ended up getting grumpy too. At H&M it just got too busy, so I decided to walk around the mall while my friend lined up to try stuff on. Apparently I was moving too slowly for some cow at Jacob (there was people in front of me, so it's not like I'm going to plow them down). Anyways, as she walked past me, she said, "GAWD", really rudely. I was feeling bitchy, so I loudly asked, EXCUSE ME? and she ignored me and walked into the dressing room. That kind of put me in a worse mood.

If you are interested in getting Christian Louboutin, the shoes with the sexy red sole, but don't want to pay the hefty price tag, Le Chateau has some look alikes for around $69.

Bosa Supermarket and Grocery Shopping in Vancouver

I noticed Bosa Foods several times from Highway 1 by the Cassiar Tunnel and finally got a chance to check it out. The original location is on Victoria Drive, but they opened up this big store in Burnaby on Kootenay Drive. It is an Italian supermarket. If you're going northbound on Boundary, you want to make a left after 1st avenue where ICI paints is.
The supermarket is quite nice, it sort of reminds me of Whole Foods in North Vancouver. The deli has a great selection, especially the olives. I tried a grilled sandwich which was delicious.
They don't have a big produce section but they more then make up for it with their good selection of olive oils, cheeses, fine meats, kitchen supplies, breads from Pane Formaggio and of course pastas. Definitely worth checking out. I will be coming back for their cheeses and deli items.

Grocery shopping
I do most of my veggie shopping at Kin's. (you should go on the website just to hear the cheesy music..) Aside from the price of the avocados, I find their prices good and the produce to be good quality and selection. Plus they always have specials going on, and if you look in some of the free local papers like the Courier, they often have coupons for free stuff, or purchase a minimum of $5 and get a free bag of onions. Depending on the location you go to, they have a good selection of organic items (Park Royal location=good, Champlain Mall=not so good). I have two complaints about Kin's. The music they play in the stores, the other day I heard "My Heart will go on" from the Titanic but done music box style. Also, if the line up is long, they open up a second cash register, but they don't ask for the next in line. They just serve whoever runs up there the fastest. And if you ever go to the Champlain mall location, some of their customers know that, so as soon as they see a long line up, they sort of hang around the other register knowing they'll open it up. Annoying!


I'm super picky and selective when it comes to food shopping. I'm the person in the supermarket aisles inspecting a bunch of cans.. That being said, I think I can offer a few tips on buying produce:

-For most fruits, eg orange, take turns holding a few of the same sized oranges, and buy the heaviest one.

-Try to pick the medium sized, or medium to small sized fruits. Bigger does not necessarily equal better.

-People like to squeeze to find produce that yields to slight pressure, but after several people are squeezing the produce, it's most likely to get soft anyways, so this is not always a good test.

-Fruits from afar have to travel so much further so it's been picked way before they are ripe. Melons need to ripen on the vine, much like stone fruits. Once picked, they only get softer, not any sweeter. I like to buy local produce.
Sniff the stem end of the fruit. It should smell good. If no scent, it's probably dry.

-I love tomatoes, but it's hard to find good tomatoes in the supermarket. Unlike stone fruits, tomatoes ripen after picking, so when you bring them home, keep them in a paper bag to slow down the ripening. Also, don't store tomatoes in the fridge as it ruins the taste.

I try to buy organic, but sometimes, price is a factor, as is limited selection. And to be perfectly honest, I hardly eat any fruit..

Online sites that ship to Canada

Online shopping sites that ship to Canada

Revolve clothing, FREE shipping to Canada
Shopbop.com
Bluefly.com orders up to $300 are $34, over $300 is $45
Sephora.com (not fashion, but how can I not mention Sephora)
Victoriassecret.com (starts at $11.95) http://www.victoriassecret.com/
Activeendeavors.com Shipping is FREE to Canada!
Neimanmarcus.com, not really online shopping because you need to call to make an order, 1.888.888.4757
and of course EBay. A lot of sellers will say US only, but if you contact them, they are often willing to send to Canada. It’s actually not expensive for them to ship to Canada at all.
If you really want something from Zappo’s, you can always order through myus.com, which is a mail forwarding service so you can shop from any online store that ships to the US, but it ain’t cheap. It’s $35 set up fee, then a $132 for annual membership. These are the shipping charges for air. Each 100 grams up to 1 kg $2.20, each 100 grams over 1 kg is $1.45
Mail Network also does the same thing, but it’s more pricey for the annual membership, however, the shipping charges are cheaper.

Personally, I opened up a PO Box in Blaine. I found it to be much cheaper, and I used to go to the US about once a week so it made sense. Now I don’t go as often.

Beauty Product Reviews

Jergen's Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer

I bought this a couple weeks ago (the one for pale skin), after about five applications, there's a noticeable difference in my legs. I only applied it below my knees because I wanted to test it out, and usually the only skin I show on my lower half is below the knee anyways. Someone actually asked me yesterday if I've been tanning cause my legs looked tan. So I guess it works well. I definitely like this product, the scent isn't bad either. Normally self tanner smells pretty horrible. Also, because it develops so gradually, there is hardly any streaking.

Softsoap Vanilla Brown Sugar

Not really a beauty product, but I had to include this cause I was just thinking of it. I bought one of those soap pump dispensers and I fill it with dishwashing liquid and keep it in the bathroom. But it makes my hands really dry, and it's too soapy. I hate using bar soap to wash my hands, and I'm too cheap to buy the liquid hand soap, so when I was at the dollar store and saw Softsoap Vanilla Brown Sugar hand soap, I had to buy it. Also, I love the scent of Vanilla as long as it doesn't smell like hot chocolate. Well, this stuff actually smells like vanilla and tobacco. seriously. I thought it smelled like tobacoo, and I thought it was just me, but someone actually told me I smelled like cigarettes. (I quit smoking a few months ago, so they thought I started again). Anyways, for some weird reason I like the scent, but I don't think I'll be buying it again.

Philosophy 3-in-1 Waffle Cone shower gel

I LOVE the scent of this. It does not have that cheap fake smell like some other body washes. It seriously smells good enough to eat. It's $16 US at Sephora, and it's totally worth it. It's a 3-in-1 because it's a shampoo, soap, and shower gel. However, I don't really like using it as a shampoo because it makes my hair a bit dry, and it made my hair colour (my hair's coloured) a little bit brassy. If you see it in the store, you must buy it. You will smell delicious enough to eat.

MAC brush cleanser



I'm pretty cheap, I used to wash my makeup brushes with shampoo and thought it was good enough. Well, a couple years ago I splurged and bought this and I couldn't believe how well it worked. I put a little in a plastic cup and add a little water, and just push my brush around in there and all this makeup comes off even though my brushes look clean. This product is very easy to use, it disinfects and conditions your brushes, and it's safe for use on high quality brushes. This is well worth the splurge, it's $11, and it lasts a long time. I actually keep a couple bottles of these. My skin breaks out easily, so I try to wash my brushes regularly. I've seen makeup artists put some in a spritzer bottle mixed with water, and spray their brushes after each use. I haven't tried this yet, but thinking of doing this to keep my brushes clean.

Victoria Beckham fashion

How come she always looks so good? I always thought obvious fake breasts look so tacky, but she somehow manages to make it look fashionable.
I like this outfit, it's simple yet chic yet sexy. I need to recreate this look minus the big breasteses. oh.. and I guess my legs aren't this skinny either.


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Eating out and supermarkets

I haven't cooked a meal since the 14th of December. Every meal I've eaten (including breakfasts) has been in a restaurant, fast food establishment, delivered to my door, or take out. It's crazy. My skin looks like a catcher's mitt and I always feel fatigued. Actually, on Christmas I had a home cooked meal. Oh wait, and I had homecooked spaghetti (sauce out of a jar) on the weekend. So I had two homecooked meal in like three weeks. Oh, and in the past five months, my total fruit intake has been: two bites of a banana, two mandarin oranges, and half a navel orange (which I had today). I tried to adopt a macrobiotic diet about five months ago, and the only thing that really stuck with me was avoiding most fruits.

Food shopping sucks.

When I do go food shopping, I like to go to the following places, (but most of the time I end up at Superstore and Safeway):

-Choices - I like their bulk foods and stock up on the Lundberg organic brown rice when bulk foods go on sale (sometimes 20%)
-Whole Foods in North Vancouver - I love this place. The service is good, the samples rock, but watch the price/100 grams if you buy anything from the prepared foods, I was shocked by my $16 chicken with fries.. I was too red-faced to give it back to the counter guy.
-Kin's farm market for vegetables - prices are good and they sometimes have coupons for free celery or onions in free newspapers like the Courier.
-Fujiya - kinda pricey, can find cheaper stuff like Japanese mayo at Superstore, but decent selection of Japanese foods and cheap bento boxes (I love the spicy chicken karaage). As for food products, always check the expiration date. They're kinda notorious for having expired items on the shelves.

William Hung coming to Seattle

William Hung of Season 3 American Idol fame, she-bang she-bang, will be making an appearance at Alderwood Mall in Seattle at 11am on 1.13.07. He'll also be at the Spokane North Town Mall at 11am on 1.14.07. Here's a little tidbit, did you know he's sold over 100,000 albums??

Some deals

• Alaska Airlines has some pretty good deals right now if you're traveling within the US. If you're a Vancouver person like me, you can drive up to Sea-Tac, or take the quickshuttle there and fly out to LA. For airfare, taxes and fees included, you're looking at $218.60 return. Even better deals if you're flying out to Oakland (very close to San Francisco). If you're flying out of Portland, there are some even better deals. I just booked a flight to Oakland (return) for less than $179 (flying out of Seattle). I'm probably gonna book a car rental and hotel through Priceline.


• Roots (brick and mortar store), 50% off at items including sale items. For online shopping at Roots.com use coupon code BOX06. They've got some comfy yoga pants and some cute purses. Mexx (brick and mortar) also has stuff 50% off, but that's not really a big deal since Mexx has this sale often. In fact, I think it's just plain silly to buy anything regular price from Mexx or Buffalo for that matter.


• Staples.ca $30 off $200 or more purchase, coupon code 81741.


• American Apparel.ca 10% off orders of $85 or more, coupon code HOLIDAYDEC06


• Future Shop, Prison Break Season One is $29.99. I just rented the whole season a couple months ago, and it cost more to rent (six discs). And isn't watching Wentworth Miller sitting in the chair after he gets his toe cut off in the dr's office just priceless?? Ahhh, Wenty!!
  

I am not a fan of Roots or Staples. For some reason I can't stand most of the staff at Roots and I've had multiple problems with online ordering from Staples.

Boxing Day Shopping

Hope you had a nice Christmas holiday!
As much as I like to get a bargain, I'm not really a big fan of Boxing Day shopping in Vancouver. I went boxing day shopping (similar to US Black Friday sales) and picked up some stuff at Lululemon only to peel back the sales stickers to find out I saved, drumroll please, 10%. There was a lineup to get in, a lineup to try it on, and a lineup to save 10%. On top of that, they put your purchases into a clear plastic bag instead of their regular paper bags. What an insult. It's not like they are passing off incredible savings so they need to save on the overhead by providing plain bags. When they're offering 15% off, perhaps they will be providing plastic bags you get from the grocery stores for putting your produce in. And it's not like I collect shopping bags, but it's just part of a store's service. You know, wrapping your purchase in some coloured tissue and then putting it in a monogrammed bag. Even outlet stores will do this. Even La Senza does this when I buy three pairs of underwear for less than $15.

Maybe I'm just bitter cause I ended up getting two pairs of pants that make my ass look like a wide pancake. And the fact that I normally spend less than $39 for my workout gear. And that it's absolutely no exchanges or refunds. Not that I exchange or refund a lot, but it comforts me to know the option is there.

The other purchases I made were not that phenomenal either. It's almost like I bought stuff just for the sake of buying it. On the other hand, I went down to Seattle Premium Outlets for the Black Friday sales last month and got some major bargains. I'm talking 75% off stuff I actually use, and fluffy blood orange towels from Restoration Hardware for $3.99. But ended up taking ten hours to drive home because of the snow..

Speaking of Restoration Hardware, I really love that store. I never really buy much from there, but I love the fact they send their beautiful catalogue to an Ikea frequenting non-Restoration Hardware buyer like myself. Actually, I look at their catalogue and store for ideas and try to find a decent equivalent at Ikea or gasp, Real Canadian Superstore.

Best Places to Shop in Vancouver

Okay, okay, these might not be the best, but these are the places I go to shop, get inspiration or get ideas. I get asked a lot where to shop in Vancouver since I get a lot of bargains. The truth is, the best place to shop is to just drive across the border and go to the US. The sales in Vancouver when it comes to clothing are certainly not phenomenal, and then there's the taxes. But if you're planning on doing some shopping while you're here, and you're from a very expensive country for clothing like Australia, then check these places out.
Let me get one thing straight. I'm really cheap when it comes to clothing, not only do I look for like a second or third markdown, I need to research the original price to make sure that's not just some inflated price to make it look like a real sale. I actually have like a notebook where I record prices of stuff, so I can keep track.. so I know if I'm really getting a bargain. Like I have a constantly updated excel spreadsheet where I enter prices of like purses, and cosmetics, or certain jeans and at what stores, so if I'm shopping overseas or something, I'll know if it's a better deal.
When I buy staple items like the black pants for work and for going out, the jeans, basic black shoes and boots, coat, and everyday purse I'll get something of pretty high quality, but try to find like the best price on it. But I don't mind paying more for quality as long as I know I'm not getting ripped off.

Clothing
Winner's - it's like a one level outlet department store with a bunch of different clothing brands for all ages, shoes organized by size, some furnishings, toiletries, gift items and even jewelry. I come here a lot since there's one close to my work. I can easily spend an afternoon here.

Service: Decent, but seems like there's always new staff that are just learning the ropes

$: Better than most stores in Vancouver

Pros

• No salespeople to hassle you.
• No guilt when you try on hundreds of stuff and don't buy anything.
• Pretty good return and layaway policy.
• Some of their clearance stuff is pretty darn cheap.
• They have some nice dresses during prom and Christmas season.
• Convenient one stop shopping cause there's something for everyone.

Tips

• If you see any damage or anything like a loose button, they easily offer percentage off, usually 10%.
• Keep an eye out for the clearance shelves for stuff like photoalbums and housewares. Some really good prices and you can get a cool gift for someone on a very low budget.
• If you see something you like, try to find another one to see if it's been marked down, sometimes it's got the red tag sticker, but it's not on all of the same items.
• Apparently they get their stock every Thursday.

Cons

• It's not that cheap and you really have to comb the racks.
• Some of the cashiers at the Richmond location are so friggin slow.
• Some of the returns just get retagged and back on the shelves without inspection so keep a close eye for deodorant marks and BO, seriously. When shawls were trendy, I bought a shawl, brought it home and it smelled so bad, like BO with a spritz of perfume. I don't know how I didn't notice it in the store.
• Saw them selling fake seven jeans once. (like Seven7) but they put it on one of their "designer" racks so some people might think it's the Seven for Mankind jeans when they're not.

Le Chateau
Yes, a lot of people think the clothing is of cheap quality, but if you've been in there lately, their stock is so much better than before. They have staple dresses that they carry throughout the year and they're pretty flattering on most body types. Personally, I love the cut of their pants, they make my butt look nice and my legs look longer. They also have a Le Chateau outlet in the Wal-Mart complex in New West.

Service: It really depends who you get. Generally it's either a commission attitude or don't care attitude. Personally, I like the service best on Burrard Street. Most people that work there are quite trendy, so they can be helpful putting together an outfit with accessories.

$: Reasonable.

Pros

• Clothing is Made in Canada.
• Trendy pieces at decent prices.
• Lots of accessories.

Cons

• Return policy is not very good. I believe it's exchange only, or return for credit note.

Aritzia

If you're a trendy tween or even a trendy 30 something with an above average spending budget, this is the place for you. They carry Mackage, Juicy Couture, Seven for all Mankind, Havaianas, CoH, Rock and Republic, and have three or four house brands including TNA and Talula. Their newest house brand is aimed at 30 somethings. They have even more variety at the Hill's location in Kerrisdale. If you live in town, wait for their warehouse sale especially for jeans. And if you know someone that works there, beg them for an invite to the friends and family sale the day before the warehouse sale opens to the public.

Service: mediocre. There are a few that stand out for exceptional service, but generally the salespeople BS to make a sale, and some obviously judge how nice they'll be to you depending on how deep your pockets look.

$: Spendy

Pros

• Good selection of higher end jeans.
• Nice boxes for gifts, although I sometimes just ask for a box even though the item is for myself and use it to store stuff.
• Lots of cute trendy items.

Cons

• Return policy. Also, can sometimes be time consuming just to exchange something.
• If you get a TNA tracksuit, don't forget to get the mandatory streaks, a Bebe top with sparkly rhinestones and an LV Speedy bag to complete the look. and if it's cold out there, you need the puffy jacket with tight wide waistband and furry hood to go with it...(if you're not from Vancouver, take a visit to Metrotown mall after school hours and you'll see lots of girls sporting this look).
• Most of the sizes are like teeny tiny.
• I sometimes find it a little intimidating to go in the store.

If you like this store, you'll also enjoy Atomic Model, Off the Wall, Below the Belt, upstairs upstairs section of Holt Renfrew.

Holt Renfrew

This is probably Vancouver's most upscale department store. I know there's Leone too, but Holt's is a lot more popular, and also a lot less intimidating. Holt Renfrew is like Canada's answer to Nordstrom. They carry all the higher end brands like Hermes, Gucci, LV, Tiffany's, Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs, Manolo, Prada, Armani and also carry brands like C&C California, Juicy, and jeans labels like Rock and Republic. They also have an awesome makeup department with trendy brands and high end brands. Yes, they carry Nars, Giorgio Armani cosmetics, as well as Cle de Peau concealers (around $80).

Service: good

Prices: Spendy. Even when they have sales, you can still find some stuff cheaper elsewhere.

Pros

• Fun store to browse in.
• Who doesn't like receiving a gift from this store? Some of their stuff can be reasonable, like a Holt's brand robe for example.

Tips

• If you open a credit card at the store, you get an extra 10% off on your first purchase. So if you plan on getting a very spendy item, it may be worth it.
• If you get cosmetics or perfumes, be sure to ask for some samples.
• You can get just about anything gift wrapped (for free)

Cons

• I don't know why, but I don't like their latest pink shopping bags, I like their old bags. The new bags look like something you'd get from the cosmetic counter at the Bay or Shoppers Drug Mart.
• Some of the customers really suck here.

Old Navy (cheap tees, flip flops, jeans, sweaters, and even clothing for dogs)

Jacob (only because it's Canadian although I can't stand this store)

Walk down Robson Street for a slew of stores including French Connection, BCBG, Banana Republic, Zara, Armani Exchange, Aldo shoes, Lululemon, B2 shoes

Cosmetics

• MAC, especially the pro store on Robson street.
• London Drugs
• Shoppers Drug Mart
• Holt Renfrew cosmetics department
• Sear's downtown cosmetics department
• Can't remember the name but there's a nice cosmetics store in that shopping center next to Park Royal in North Vancouver.
• Also another cool cosmetics store in Aberdeen mall with hard to find brands like Anastasia of Beverly Hills and Blinc.

Will be adding more and including a guide to shopping in Seattle, Portland and surrounding areas!