Pick-Ups & Deliveries: November 2013 — Birthday Haul!

Last week was a particularly busy week for me, because my birthday was last Friday (and as we all know, birthday celebrations never just last the one day — you go out with your friends on one day, your family takes you out for dinner on another day... it's more like birthday week, and it's the best thing, ever). Now, my closest friends know that I love birthday cards. No one takes the time to buy them, write in them, or send them anymore. I miss the art of penmanship, you know? Let me just say, my friends did not disappoint this year. They know that I like cute, colourful, and/or sparkly designs, so my friend Suzie got me one with a colourful sparkly tea cup illustration, Steph got me one with an awesome sandwich (!) made out of felt (that girl knows me well), and Edward gave me the most glittery Hello Kitty card I have ever seen in my life (Hello Kitty is encrusted with crystals!) along with a ridiculously cute tote bag from the Wong Fu Productions store (they are known for their awesome short story videos on YouTube).

My friend, Steph, had originally gifted me a super-soft dark grey jersey Talula Greenwich tee from Aritzia, but it was too small when I tried it on at home. She had included a gift receipt for this very reason, so I went to Aritzia to try to find a bigger size. I went to three locations, and none of them had a bigger size (one store didn't even carry the style), so I decided to exchange it for the black silk and jersey Babaton Phillip tee that'd I'd been eyeing since the end of summer (I figured that I could dress it up or down, so it would be more versatile in my wardrobe). Steph also included a few pairs of fun socks from Forever 21 because she knows that I only wear ones with crazy prints (or as I like to call them, "party socks"). I wear an all-black wardrobe so I like my socks to be a little on the wild side, you know? Some people might think socks are the worst thing ever to receive on their birthday... but, goddamn, I love them.
"Look! Mustache socks for Movember!"
Edward and I went to Yorkdale on Friday because he asked me what I wanted to do on my birthday and I said, "Shopping." My mom had given me a gift card from The Bay along with some birthday money, so I made a beeline for the Topshop section of The Bay at Yorkdale (I only go to Yorkdale like, once a year, so I try to make the most of it by going into stores that I don't frequent often or aren't found in other malls). Nothing really caught my eye there, but I did manage to pick up three more pairs of party socks (two with bear prints and one with hedgehogs) that were on sale at 3 for $16. And then I walked through the cosmetics department at The Bay and noticed the newly opened Illamasqua boutique. Gasp! I totally didn't know they opened one at Yorkdale, and while I wasn't actually planning on buying any make-up that day (especially given all that I bought at IMATS and the massive Sephora order I made), I ended up spending the rest of that gift card at Illamasqua. 
Topshop animal print socks!
Illamasqua Powder Blushers in Sophie and Morale, and Nail Varnishes in Harem and Facet
Finally, my friend F., who works at Lush, made a massive Retro order for me for my birthday. (I like a lot of Lush's Retro products, but they're online-exclusive and shipping is expensive, so F. always offers to make the Retro orders for me.) Actually, F. and I share the same birthday, so we do a gift exchange every year (I get her make-up, she gets me Lush goodies). I requested Rose Jam Shower Gel and Slammer Shower Gel (my favourite Lush scent of all time), so she got me the massive 500ml bottles of each, plus a tub of Party On Shower Jelly which I've been wanting to try for a while. And then she added a small bottle of Back for Breakfast Shower Gel and Lush Lime Smoothie Shower Smoothie on top of that just because she knows I love the citrus scents from Lush. Then, I was telling her that I'm super into taking baths right now and how I was very tempted to buy all of the new Christmas bath stuff that just came out, and she surprised me the next day with a bagful of their Christmas collection bath bombs and bubble bars. 
Lush Rose Jam Shower Gel, Slammer Shower Gel, Back for Breakfast Shower Gel, Party On Shower Jelly, and Lush Lime Smoothie Shower Smoothie
Lush Secret Santa, Bombardino, and Golden Wonder Bath Bombs
Lush So White, Father Christmas, and Lord of Misrule Bath Bombs
Lush Christmas Eve, The Christmas Penguin, Dorothy, and Amandopondo Bubble Bars
Do you appreciate receiving birthday cards? Do you like giving them? What do your "party socks" look like? And what are some of your favourite Lush products for this time of year?