SPOTLIGHT: LOULOU Shop 'Til You Drop 2012

so i am not actually sure how i first heard of this but i am glad i remembered it the day before the event took place! it could have been Facebook... maybe.

LOULOU Magazine describes Shop 'Til You Drop as "the ultimate fashion and shopping event". this event was held in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Burnaby from September to October this year. some cities had special presentations and performances (like Dragonette in Toronto). it seems like this Shop 'Til You Drop event also has a spring version so keep an eye out for it in the future!

so basically, it is a night of special discounts and gifts with purchases. and let's not forget the swag bags! for the Calgary event, there were swag bags for the first 500 shoppers in line. they started handing out the wristbands (guaranteeing you a swag bag) at 4:00 pm but i don't think they ran out until like 5:45 or 6:00. i was there by 4 (well, 3:30) of course.

we were given a card listing the discounts - they weren't AMAZING discounts but they were good. the ones that caught my attention was the Forever XXI one (who doesn't spend hours there?) and Orange Julius ($2 for a medium Julius!?). i was also tempted by the $2 medium ice cream/low fat yogurt from Marble Slab Creamery.

card listing of special offers; Bling Nail Appliques demo

i was so caught up with the shopping and the free stuff that i forgot to take pictures. oops! i apologize. so the gist of it is that i lined up, picked up my swag bag, received some L'Occitane samples, ate some free Purdy's Chocolates, got a demonstration of Bling Nail Appliques done on my finger and entered my name into a draw.

there was a ton of offers (along with samples) in the swag bag including one offer to pick up even more samples from Shoppers Drug Mart. Kiehl's was also offering some deluxe samples so i swung by there too - it's a great opportunity to test out their products since i have never tried them before. i also got to munch on some Boston Pizza wings and had my lips touched up by M.A.C Cosmetics.

here is a picture of ALL my goodies:

some highlights from the swag bag
* L'Occitane $15 card
* Guess $20 shopping card
* Nivea Cleansing Gel - 150 mL (full size!)
* OPI Nail Lacquer in "Chatters Me Up" - 15 mL (full size!)
* Blistex Complete Moisture Sunscreen/Lip Protectant - 4.25 g (full size!)
* John Frieda Frizz-Ease 3-Day Straight Semi-Permanent Styling Spray - 30 mL
* Philosophy sample pack (including Amazing Grace Fragrance - 1.5 mL and Hope in a Jar - 2 mL)

highlights from the L'Occitane sample pack
* Ultra Rich Body Cream - 8 mL
* Angelica Exfoliating Gel - 5 mL
* Almond Milk Concentrate - 8 mL

highlights from the Shoppers Drug Mart sample pack
* Vichy Aqualia Thermal Light Fortifying & Soothing 24Hr Hydrating Care - 5 mL
* Vichy ProEven Daily Dark Spot Corrector - 1.5 mL
* Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy - 5 mL

hightlights from Kiehl's
* Ultra Facial Cleanser - 30 mL
* Ultra Facial Toner - 40 mL
* Ultra Facial Cream - 7 mL
* Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution - 2 mL

there was also a chance to win $1,000 in gift cards by getting our "passport" stamped at 7 locations. that was fun - and then the shopping.. i bought two China Glaze polishes (buy one, get one 50% off): Flip Flop Fantasy (which i've seen everywhere and i had to own) and IV (for my sister, Ivy).
i ended up purchasing two button up shirts at Forever XXI (21% off!) - one black with a studded collar and the other cream with a black bow. i can't seem to find one of them right now so i can't exactly show you!  i also ended up buying a sweater for my sister to reach the $50 and we got a free pajama set and a got2b smooth operator smoothing Lustre Lotion.

so all in all, a great day!! i wonder if there are other events like this in Calgary... do you guys attend events like these?