Black Friday's when the damage is done...

 Oh dear...

In the spirit of Black Friday, I went down to Rideau Centre today and well, I did a little damage. But oh, how could I not? Such awesome deals were going on in seriously every shop (I don't remember it being this awesome last year) and I just got sucked in. Damn. 

I'd been wanting a good, sturdy faux leather jacket for quite a while now, and when better to snag one than Black Friday? I walked into the Aeropostale store and made a bee-line towards this one from the Bethany Mota collection. I'd actually seen this one from my previous trips, but always stayed away from it because, uhm, it was $73. As much as I loved the quilted sleeves, I didn't think it was worth shelling out almost $100. But low and behold, today? I got it for $20. OH EM GEE. BARGAIN. How could I say no? 

My first stop: Sephora. Every year they've got these $12 deals (in the U.S. it's only $10, lucky bums) and this year the range was pretty kickass. I'll be honest, I was trolling the internet for about three days trying to get a sneak peek at what would be in store today! Uber happy I was able to get my hands on the stuff I wanted, and really proud that I didn't purchase anymore make-up (not to say I wasn't tempted)! Hah! I've been really into fragrances and skincare recently, so I snagged up the TOCCA Beaty set (two hand creams and mini rollerballs), boscia pore-purifying duo (mask and blotting paper) and my, absolute favourite, the NEST fragrance mini-rollerball trio!!! Why settle for one fragrance when you can get three?

And instead of the standard paper bags I got this cute tote bag (which was also given out during the VIB/Rouge sale), so all in all, I think I got a pretty good deal. I believe these exclusive babies are still available online, so go snatch them up while you still can!

I also managed to head over to Forever 21 early enough and they were still handing out their little 'Black Friday mystery' scratch cards for a little surprise discount! And as much as I hate to admit it, I took advantage of that damn discount. *sigh*

I didn't just shop for myself and of course I picked up a few bits for my parents. So in some cases, my purchases were justified. Maybe. 

Thank goodness Black Friday only happens once a year, because I swear, I don't think my mind (and feet) could take another round. That being said, Boxing Day is just around the corner...

Did you manage to get any good deals today?

Ottawa: ByWard Market Adventures #2

I wasn't kidding when I said that there were more of these posts to come! There's so much to see over at the Byward area that I don't know how long it would take me to discover the whole place given my schedule! But I swear, I will find the time to get down there with my camera and do some more exploring - hopefully before the snow graces us with its presence!

Schnazy ride eh? Perfect ride for the summer times, but perhaps a skip for the coming cold!

One particular weekend, ByWard Market was celebrating Harvest Festival! This was the first I'd attended in the few years I've been here, and man have I been missing out. Even though I only caught the last day, I had such a blast with all the entertainment, food and just mingling with people!

There was a COP = Clown on Patrol roaming around, making balloon animals for little kids! I was so tempted to ask for one but managed to hold myself back... but now I kinda wish I did. Who doesn't want a balloon animal?

They also had horse-drawn carriage rides going on, as well as free Haunted Walk tours!

The main highlight for me would hands-down have to be the Alpine-themed entertainment they had going on! I'd never seen anything like it, and I gotta say, as humourous as I found most of it, it was pretty kickass! Props to them as well for going all out with the costumes! Absolutely gorgeous. You can check out the little Instagram video I took with a few seconds of each of the performances here!

This kid was just too adorable, walking up to these instruments and looking down the holes! My heart melted...

Despite the cold, the entertainment and company was definitely worth it! Granted, this post doesn't quite capture it (I'll be honest, I was mainly down here for work purposes hence the lack of anymore photos) but I promise the next few ones will be better! I'm looking forward to what else ByWard has to offer, especially with the holidays just around the corner! Uber psyched!

In the meantime, 

Happy discovering!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

A few weeks ago I was over at ByWard Market for Farmers Appreciation Week and they had a pumpkin carving demo with artist Mowafak Nema. And man, was I impressed! Sure, I'd seen intricate carvings on the web before, but to actually watch someone carve them out? In a span of two and a half hours, Nema managed to make these pieces all while giving out tips to the audience. Damn. If only I had such a skill.

And when better to post about it than on Halloween, eh?

Nema was merely glancing over at photos and going from there - I mean, skills! That's an artist right there.

How terrifying (and impressive) is that Chuckie pumpkin carving? So frickin' life-like that it's creeping me out just looking at it... Oh no, memories of watching those movies are coming back to me now...

Halloween only comes around once a year, so why not go all out with your pumpkin carvings?

Also spotted these little cuties around the place! Definitely less scary, more child-friendly than the Chuckie face pumpkin. If carvings aren't your things, well then perhaps painting them instead could work?

To celebrate, well, I've got a whole night lined up with these 'horror' movies, while doing a few assignments for class. HAHA! Oh, how I remember trick-or-treating as a little kid with all my friends, dressed as a funky witch. What on earth happened? And funny how I can tolerate watching American Horror Story by myself every week, yet when it comes to Halloween, I wimp out and settle for these cartoons... Anyone else?

So, what's everyone dressing up as? Or are you doing anything exciting tonight, like me?