Let's make a deal.

I like to scope out eBay all the time for deals on products I love & to also try new things.  I try to be a smart shopper though.  If something is currently available retail, I'll actually search the retail sites where it's available & see if I am really getting a good deal through eBay or not.  I think that a lot of people also do not take shipping costs into consideration & that's not good.  You might be getting a good deal on a products but then pay $20 for priority shipping when they may be paying just under $5 to ship it. (& USPS provides the boxes & envelopes for free unless they are the prepaid ones.)  I also do not like getting into bidding wars with people.  So if I can find a good deal under Buy It Now, I usually go that route.

Here are some things I received in the mail today that were purchased through eBay!

I LOVE Philosophy products & have a lot of them so you will see me post about them a lot.  Lavender Pound Cake probably has to be my all time favorite.  So, when I found out it was discontinued, I was heartbroken.  Especially due to the fact that I was running out of my only bottle.

So, how are these deals?

The philosophy items were purchased on eBay through plentycosas at $16.20-$16.50 each with free shipping.  Unless on sale, 16 oz.philosophy items usually start at $16.00.  So for discontinued items that are hard to find anyway AND free shipping, it's a deal w/a markup cost of only $0.20-$0.50 each.

The Stila Mandarin Mist is also a discontinued item & their 50ml fragrances retail at $40.  So when I saw this on eBay being sold by sunshinedeals1 for $14.94 ($9.99 + $4.95 shipping), that's a HUGE deal!

For searching tips, when I am looking for something particular, I always change the location to Worldwide & I always sort by Price + Shipping: Lowest First.  These both came back as the lowest & I am very happy to have them in my possession.

Now, about the items.

I have a love/hate relationship with the scent of lavender, so when I 1st picked up the Lavender Pound Cake & took a deep breath in of a pound cake scent with a hint of lemon, I was in comfort heaven.  I'm wondering if they used any lavender fragrance at all in this, even the tiniest amount?  I have a sensitive nose so usually I can tell right away if something even has a hint of lavender in it, but I can't smell any at all.  The Muffin Man smells exactly like another (also discontinued) item of theirs, Lemon Custard.  The bottle tells a story about lemon custard muffins but I am wondering if the 2 are one & one alike, most likely just released at different times?  I was hoping The Muffin Man would have a little more bakery-type smell to it, but if you like how lemon custard smells, you'll love this.

I also love how most philosophy items can be used as shampoo, shower gel, AND bubble baths.  I like to use them as shampoos & shower gels the most because I adore the light scent they leave in my hair & on my skin.  They lather very well but, I've never found their products to be great as bubble baths as you have to use a hefty amount to get a good amount of bubble in the bath, up to 6 cap fulls or more.  2 will leave a light foam that dissipates in a rather short time.  Save the product for your skin & hair & the product will last a lot longer.

As for the Stila Mandarin Mist, I've read a few reviews from other people on this who advise it have a very orange-type scent to it.  I completely disagree.  Stila advised the products has hints mimosa & yuzu mixed with floral.  I think the floral slightly outweighs the mandarin-type scent.  Mandarin and orange are very different scents, though both in the citrus line, & I can definitely pick up the "mandarin" in this fragrance but do not find it to be overpowering at all.  I wish I knew what floral scents they used for it.  I find it a very light scent that if used throughout the day. may need to be re-applied.  I would probably say this is a better fragrance for a date, an early night out on the town, or a sophisticated party.  Not something you would wear to work or daily.  Its intoxicating scent is mixed well & I can't determine yet if I would place it into specific seasons it may be good for.  Definitely summer & maybe I'll add it into autumn & winter once those come.