Acquisitions

This is my version of a fashion influencer's haul video, where I rant and rave about recent purchases I've made.

To explore older posts, click a year: 2023 • 2024

White Tea Ginger Lily Eau de Toilette 3.3 oz

Elizabeth Arden

One of the joys of building my fragrance collection has been discovering the nuances of my personal taste. I love experimenting and trying out different scents, but I’m starting to recognize specific notes and scent profiles that I really love. CK One, which I added to my collection last year, is an all-time favorite, but until recently, I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. But after spritzing on another favorite for a special occasion — Thé Vert by Bvlgari, one of the finest perfumes in my collection — I immediately recognized the primary green tea note as one of the standout notes in CK One.

So when I found a bottle of Elizabeth Arden White Tea Ginger Lily perfume in the clearance section on a recent Ulta run, I had to take it home with me. This fragrance is a floral flanker from iconic fragrance brand’s White Tea collection. It was originally $80 and I got it for $20. I didn’t think twice about buying it, because I knew if it had a prominent tea note, I’d love it. And I trust Elizabeth Arden to deliver a quality fragrance — after all, they’re the company behind Britney Spears’ iconic perfume line.

Indeed, the scent is a lovely blend of fresh florals, earthy herbs and sweet-yet-spicy notes. It’s a nice, light fragrance — a perfect daily scent for the sunnier seasons. Unfortunately, this flanker appears to be discontinued — it’s no longer available to purchase on the Elizabeth Arden and Ulta websites — but it makes me excited to try other fragrances from this line, as well as Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea collection.

Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Sneakers

PUMA RS-X x Cheetos
Plus, a crazy deal on kids’ Pumas.

I recently went to the big outlet mall near me to look for an affordable but nice pair of sneakers for my nephew’s birthday. I’m not a sneaker head and I am a bargain hunter, so I rarely go into stores that sell trendy big-ticket sneakers. I tend to stick to general outlets or fast fashion stores, which is probably why most of my shoes hurt my feet and fall apart quickly. But this time, I hit up every shoe store I could find. Not only did I get a great deal on shoes for my nephew, but I also found this glorious pair of sneakers for myself — a collab between Puma and Frito Lay’s Flamin’ Hot Cheetos brand.

Products like this can dark me out — how ridiculous is it that junk food brands are lending their name to legit clothing items? I understand coming out with a t-shirt or tote bag here or there, but stuff like this feels so superfluous. But as much as I hate the hyper-consumerism stuff like this represents, there is a certain campy, Warholian charm to them. Especially when I do have a fondness for the brand, I can’t resist indulging in some random branded crap from time to time. And millennial that I am, I do love me some hot chips. Like, they are sadly a major part of my diet and they legitimately felt like a part of my culture while growing up in South Texas — Frito Lay is, after all, based in Plano and the neighborhood fruiterias often featured hot Cheetos with nacho cheese on their menus. That’s why I already own several pieces of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos merch, including a hat, three shirts and a pair of socks.

So as soon as my friend showed me these, I immediately said, “Bag ‘em up!” I was half-joking — my budget was tight and I really shouldn’t have bought anything beyond my nephew’s gift. But I’m sorry, I couldn’t leave without these shoes. I actually did need a new pair of nicer shoes for everyday and these were only $49.99 at the Champs outlet — a huge savings from the original $120 price. I looked them up on my phone, and they were still going for $60-$80 at regular stores, so it felt like a steal. And rocking them with my other merch for a head-to-toe Flamin’ Hot look would be just priceless. They didn’t have my exact size, but reviews say to size up a half size. There was exactly one pair that fit perfect, so it felt like it was meant to be!

Snagging these shoes was already exciting enough, but then I found a pair of Pumas that were perfect for my nephew at a different discount shoe store. At $34, they were the cheapest pair I’d found so far, but then they rang up at $20. Girl math says I actually saved money buying both pairs — I was ready to drop $70+ just on my nephew’s shoes. With the economic uncertainty of the coming tariffs, these types of bargains are no small thing! God bless America and God bless outlet malls.

Pressure Reducing Corded Earplugs

Travelon

In 2025, any veteran concertgoer should understand the importance of ear protection. The club kids and headbangers from previous generations suffered the consequences of ignoring their ear health, and viral products like Loop earplugs offer solutions that are as sleek and stylish as they are functional, so there's no excuse to not protect your ears. And yet, despite the fact that I've been dancing at clubs since I turned 18, and have been going to even more shows recently, I've yet to make ear protection a consistent part of my going-out routine.

The trendy name-brand earplugs start at around $30 — the same as a couple of drinks or a surge-priced Uber home — so it can be hard to hit 'add to cart'. I've made due with the basic foam plugs from the drugstore, but they're not the most convenient to carry or use while out and about. So when I found this set of corded earplugs — still in their original packaging — at one of my favorite local thirft stores, I was thrilled. At $6.99, they were a steal compared to the fancier brands, and about the same as what other budget-friendly brands cost new. Except this package came with two pairs (including carrying cases!), so it was even more of a bargain.

A price sticker from the original retailer showed an original cost of $4.99, but the yellowed price tag suggests the same product might go for a few dollars more these days, due to inflation. (Indeed, the same set is currently available for $8.25 on the brand's official store.) Plus, the earplugs were actually bagged up with some kind of six-outlet power adapter. I have no use for it, but since I got two things, I technically paid less than $4 for the earbuds. But I would have been happy to pay $7 for the earplugs alone.

As much as I love finding a good bargain at the thrift store, for me, thrifting isn't just about scoring deals. It's also an ethical choice to avoid buying new products that produce additional waste. Even if I'm buying a polyester shirt originally from a big box retailer that costs about the same as it would new, buying it used keeps already-produced items in circulation, rather than creating demand for more new product and funnelling money into major corporations that hoard profits while underpaying (and often mistreating) their employees. (Thrift stores have their issues too, of course, but there's only so much any of us can do!) And if I can shop ethically while protecting my ear health? That's just priceless!

Rechargeable Value Charger

Duracell

Everyone had one of those moments as a kid — it's Christmas or your birthday and you're excited to unwrap that electronic toy you wanted so bad. You rip open the package, eager to play with it right away, but then your parents read those three dreaded words from the manual — "Batteries not included." You would think the switch to built-in rechargeable batteries would make such occurances less common, but I feel like it's the opposite. Because fewer of my electornics require traditional batteries, I often forget about them until my wireless keyboard or whatever stops working randomly. Then I either have to walk to the store or dig out my old-school wired keyboard like its the 1900s.

That's why I snatched up this Duracell Rechargeable charger and battery set from the clearance section at my local grocery store. I almost didn't buy it because I didn't need new batteries right then, but I will need new AAs eventually, and having a rechargeable set is a lot more convenient and eco-friendly than just buying a multi-pack of the cheap off-brands from Five Below all the time. And it was such a good deal — originally priced at $23.99, it was on clearance for 75% off. That's just a couple of dollars more than a four-pack of my usual brand of disposable AAs.

Not a sexy or exciting purchase otherwise, but when I get a deal this good, I can't help but obsess about it. But I mean, the package does guarantee that the batteries will last up to ten years. So between the money I saved on this set, and the money I'll save on batteries over the next decade, I think it's safe to say I'm on my way to being a millionaire. At the very least, I can hopefully avoid the stress of running out of juice at inopportune times.

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