weekend pickthrough- swapping your face off edition.

so saturday was finally the big SWAPmaine clothing swap showdown, and it was all kinds of rad. by 10 am, there were over 50 people lined up outside (shockingly, everyone was polite, and not a single fist or elbow was thrown).  that said, it was a mad crush to get to the good stuff, and our perfectly manicured piles were heavily intermingled by 10:15, as clothes were heaved in all directions.

everyone seemed happy and left with bulging sacks (yeah, i just said BULGING SACKS) and the smug smiles of people getting something for nothing, and yet somehow magically benefiting charity at the same time.

by 4 pm, i could barely stand. actually, by 4 pm i was sitting in a big box of sweaters yelling “MY FEET ARE BIG”!

i could barely get home.

i made a rash decision to get burger king for dinner (their veggie whopper is the bees fucking knees).

but  regardless of my physical pain and exhaustion (swapping is a SPORT people), i still couldn’t shake the glow of all the amazing stuff that i had scored at the swap… and how glorious my transitional spring/summer wardrobe is going to be as a result.

i hope to do a full-on fashion show post at some point in the near future (probably for the swapmaine blog), but here’s a little taste of the kind of awesome shit that was available for those who chose to swap:

i try it- coupon buying adventure!

so last week when i was writing about coupon contingency plans when you miss a newspaper, i mentioned the possibility of buying coupons from an online clipping service. i’d considered it before, but always got big case of the lazy (with a side of cheap), and decided that it wasn’t worth the risk of buying a bunch of coupons that i might not ever have the occasion to use. but recently, the coupon stars have aligned in such a way that it finally seemed worth the minimal effort to take the risk (and by risk, i mean approximately $6 and a week worth of waiting).

there is a deal at CVS that has been quietly bubbling away over the last few weeks- seemingly unnoticed or unnoted by the usual local coupon clipping suspects (although, maine  just doesn’t have the shelf cleaner problem that’s rampant in other states). apparently, every year in january, they clearance down all of their cosmetics that are being discontinued. well the time has come, and there are tons and tons of little orange (75% off) and yellow (50% off) stickers (it’s breathtaking really) littering the beauty aisles. in general, i’m not really a makeup person, and i am FIERCELY LOYAL to the things that i do wear. for example, i presently have a fridge full of discontinued max factor foundation (11 tubes purchased on ebay) that i’ve been wearing since the late 90s. but since i started the makeup project and also began my burlesque career, i’ve found a greater need for such products in my life (i finally figured out how to apply false eyelashes!). biggest issue- COSMETICS ARE FUCKING EXPENSIVE! on the final day of the makeup project when i was trying to fill in the last few holes, the cheapest blush i could find was $4.99! so this year, i’m stocking up my burlesque sparkle stash and beginning the makeup project good and early (2011 will be bigger and better than ever!), so i never have to be saddled with the tragedy and shame of paying for full price blush ever again.

this is where the clipping service comes in.