Awesome Moments | San Jose Super Toy & Comic Book Show 2014

So the day after the amazing Bruno Mars Concert my boyfriend and I attended the San Jose Super Toy and Comic Book Show! I spent far too much money! I bought so many Funko Pops and you can expect a haul to come your way shortly. :)

This is the second year in a row I have been to this toy show so I knew to expect great things (and for my wallet to cry). Like most toy shows there was a entrance fee (I always recommend you pre-order if you can). Since I was so preoccupied with the Bruno Mars Concert I forgot to pre-order so I had to wait in line.

This toy show was a two day show but I was only planning on going the first day. If I wanted to go to the second day it would have been free! Maybe one year I will take advantage of both days but honestly one day for about 3 hours was more than enough. I could only see myself going back for a guest appearance or if I changed my mind about an item. Sometimes, they have different sellers for the second day.

There was supposed to be a guest appearance from Steve Cardenas, Rocky DeSantos/Red Ranger from Power Rangers, but he was a no show and the other guest appearances were uninteresting to me.

I had a great time and saw a lot of great toys and collectables. There were a lot of Funko Pop sellers and comic book sellers. I was hoping to see some more art but sadly there wasn't. I did find a really cute chibi artist called Yojambo and bought up some of her art.

I love the type of people I meet at toy shows. They are so nice and friendly! They love to talk and connect with you about anything. Even the sellers are really nice but can be a little stubborn (they don't like cutting deals) but they are always accommodating. My boyfriend and I are really picky about our Pops' paint jobs so we like to compare as many as we can until we are satisfied. That said, the sellers were really sweet by letting us look at all their Pops and some even offered to bring more for the next day. A lot of the sellers also accepted major credit cards without any extra charge.

Some of the coolest stuff I saw that day were these Pop Asia figures! I had never seen them before and I thought they were super cute. I have a Japanese and Chinese doll collection so I would have loved to add these to my collection but I was unprepared to spend $30 on one figure.

My goal is to never spend more than $12 on a single figure unless it is limited edition, rare, or I just really really want it. Haha. Toy Fairs are a great place to get Pops for a bargain. I took advantage of deals like 4 for $35 with each pop after that being $8. I also saw 4 for $45. There were other sales like $10 each. Lots of places of course had more expensive Pops from $15 to $80. Some places were willing to cut even more deals but none really interested me.

Anyway! Here are some pictures I snapped at the show.

Their next toy show is in December so if you are in the area I highly recommend it! ~ Alissa

Awesome Moments | Bruno Mars' Moonshine Jungle Tour 2014

My boyfriend and I went to Bruno Mars' concert in San Jose on August the 15th and it was AWESOME! This was only my second concert so I was excited to be in a concert setting again. As I'm writing this, the tour is over and I am honored that I was able to see him.

We bought our tickets using StubHub because they had the seats we wanted and there was an Ebate for that website. All in all we ended up with a good deal. There was a tiny complication because the person we were originally getting our tickets from backed out; however, we were fortunate because StubHub has insurance and found us similar tickets. We had to contact them directly to get our delivery situation settled but in the end we enjoyed our experience with them. (Don't be confused because our tickets don't have out name on them or say StubHub. Check out their site to see how it works.)

We got there about two hours early for good parking and to secure out spot in line. Getting their early gave us first access at merch and food inside SAP. The merch selection was minimal and a little plain but I saw a few things I wanted. I ended up with a tank top and a foam fist (to use during the concert).

Like other people I should have been prepared to change into my new tank top but I wasn't. A white tank and a black bra wasn't going to look cute. Oh well!

The seats we had were pretty good! We were directly across from the stage and only one tier away from the main floor. We were in the very back of the tier so we had a concrete wall behind us. This actually worked in our favor because I didn't have to worry about my bouncy, dancey self bothering the people behind me. :)

The concert started a little late, about 15 mins late. Nico & Vinz opened up the show. They had great energy and stage presence. I liked all the songs they preformed but the only song I had heard before was Am I Wrong which had a lot of people on their feet. 

When Nico & Vinz were done there was more waiting. It was a common theme though the night. Bruno kept us waiting about 30 minutes. It kinda left my energy from Nico & Vinz wasted.

However, after Bruno came out the night was amazing! He did all the songs I was hoping for and did them beautifully. He was so good live with all his charm and talent. His band was full of energy and kept us entertained with their little dances and their chemistry with Bruno. It was also very cute to find that Bruno's brother was on drums. :)

I danced and laughed all night long! It was a close to perfect night. I would definitely see him in concert again!

Now to the fashion beauty stuff! If you care. :) Here is my outfit from the night:

I wanted to wear something comfortable but Bruno Mars-like. I thought the flannel around my waist and the boots really made the outfit. 

I used my Conair hot rollers for a bit of wave a volume and then curled it a bit more with a hair wand for longer lasting waves. I used my Revlon Colorstay Foundation and creme blush so I wouldn't sweat it off. I also went with a neutral smokey eye and red colored tinted lip balm. My everyday look us usually minimal so I went all out with bronzer and eyebrow product. As you can see, I take advantage of occasions to play with my makeup.   

Post show hair and makeup! It lasted! However, you can see that the SPF in the foundation gave me a bit of white-cast in flash photos.

Thanks for reading ~ Alissa

Oto's Marketplace | My Japanese Market Adventure | Funko Pop + Beauty

So last weekend I was in Sacramento, CA hanging out with some friends and family when we stopped by Oto's Marketplace. It was one of the most amazing Japanese Markets I have ever been too! I love the Japanese culture and traditions, I even learned Japanese in college! おはようございます！They had an awesome food selection at great prices. I would definitely recommend!

Most importantly, they had amazing beauty and toy sections! I was able to find a bunch of Pops there as well as some of my favorite mystery boxes! They were pretty well priced at $11.99. Unfortunately, the Pops they carried were either one's I already owned or one's I was uninterested in.

I've found Pops in lots of places you might not initially think of. There are the obvious places like Hot Topic, comic shops, collectable shops, and conventions. I've seen huge vendors at flea markets, fairs, etc. I've also seen small selections at Walmart, Target, Barnes and Noble, and now Japanese Markets. Also, if you like a particular show, check out their website because they sometimes sell a good selection of the show's Pops (I've seen great selections on HBO's shop).

Now, toys aside, lets get to their beauty section! Being able to read Japanese was a big help in navigating this sections but I think you can manage with some patience. They had face masks, lotions, eye creams, eye lash curlers, lashes, etc.

I was most surprised to see Dolly Wink products there! I was so excited because I have never seen Dolly Wink in any of my local stores. However, nothing else caught my eye but I might so some research into some of the brands I saw and come back.

I wanted to pick something up from Dolly Wink but at the price, (their famous Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner was $18.99) I decided that I would come back later after some research. I've seen their products online for a slightly cheaper prices but this also seems like a good deal if I don't have to deal with shipping costs.

I had a great time going through this store, buying some snacks and browsing their shelves. I would stop by again if I'm ever in the area. You never know what you will find so always keep your eyes open! I hope you enjoyed my little adventure! ~ Alissa

Deal Watch | Drugstore.com Beauty and Personal Care Sale

Drugstore.com is offering 20% off of their Beauty and Personal Care departments until August 16th, 2014! This is a really awesome site if you've never used it before. It has almost everything you can find at any drugstore but online at one site. They also have a really cool international beauty section.

This site's cart is also shared with Beauty.com (though the sale doesn't carry over). Beauty.com has more high end products, like things you would find at a Sephora.

I have linked to Drugstore.com in other posts so if you saw anything that you wanted but can't find at your local drugstore, here is your chance! They have a lot of ELF's recent limited edition Disney princess stuff and other limited edition collections.

The sale also includes jewelry, nail stuff, contact lenses, acne care, etc. There should be something for everyone so stock up on your favorite moisturizer, sunscreen, bronzer, and shaving cream from the comfort of your computer chair.

Enjoy the sale before time runs out! Remember there is no coupon code for this sale. It is applied at checkout. Make sure to check the exclusions before shopping! Also, check out what other promotions they have (like free shipping) to see if any of them stack with your order! Always start at Ebates when shopping online for cash back on your shopping trip.

Happy shopping! ~ Alissa

Better Habits | Makeup Organization/Storage Doesn't Have To Be Expensive

So today I was snooping around Marshalls and I saw a bunch of makeup storage options. I love stores like Marshalls because they have great home goods for really good prices. In this post I'll just show some pictures of what I saw and how they could help you in storing your makeup. Enjoy!

First off, I saw this whole section of acrylic storage. This is the biggest selection I have ever seen in store. If I hadn't already ordered similar products online, I would have taken advantage of these awesome deals. From what I saw, these ranged from around $9 to around $25. They had a lot of lipstick storage available; I also saw a lot of brush storage too. With acrylic storage, you can put anything you want, so be creative.

I also saw a bunch of these cool spinning storage containers. Think this would be great for brushes, palettes, eyeliners, foundations, etc. I would put this on my vanity and put my everyday makeup on it that I reach for most often. 

One of the coolest things I saw was this hair styling tools storage. Depending on how much hair products you have you could also put other skin care and other stuff in this container. 

I also recommend that you check out their glassware and ceramics sections. There are some really cute glasses to store brushes and some adorable tiered ceramics to display nail polish. Of course, be creative and store what you heart desires.

While you're there don't ignore their beauty section! You might find some diamonds in the rough.

I guess my point is that you don't have to spend tons of money on items to store the makeup you already spend tons of money on! Hit up a TJ Maxx, Marshalls, or any other discount store to find some awesomely inexpensive ways to store your goods. Happy Hunting! ~ Alissa