Hello Kitty meets Finding Nemo

How come a store that calls itself the '$.98 Only' has many items that cost upwards of $40? I'm a cheerleader for the $.99 store because they never break that rule, AND I can get candy 3 for a dollar, talk about undercutting the competition!

So while walking around a $.98 store last week, I was even more astonished to find that they were selling knockoff Hello Kitty and Finding Nemo bath items. Ironically enough the Hello Kitty soap dispenser and soap dish said 'Made In China' on the underside, Sanrio are you listening? Your beloved copyrighted icon is being exploited for reasonable price. Japan is losing money because these are obviously "well crafted" items at a price we Americans can't turn down. Needless to say, no purchases were made that day.

And for anyone who remembers the movie, here is Finding Nemo, a few years too late. Notice that the soap dish has the dual purpose of also being a soap dispenser! For when you just can't decide. Both items also sport a tragically placed pump right on Nemo's face.

Lotions, and cleansers, and shampoo, oh my!

While living in Italy a few years back, I fell in love with the bath and organic body line Lush. They had shops everywhere in Europe at the time and would give me handfuls of free samples resulting in my addiction. After my return to the states, stores slowly started opening up here and now I get to indulge their products whenever I want! The one item I can't live without since discovering Lush year ago is this Sweet Japanese Girl cleanser. I have dry and sensitive skin but feel like nothing really cleans thoroughly AND moisturizes simultaneously. This stuff definitely isn't for oily skin, but if you have a regular to dry skin type it will leave your face feeling dewy and well-nourished and is perfect to use right before bed. Bonus: looks cute in your soap dish.

My second favorite item is their Solid Shampoos because you can fly with them and they don't count towards your carry-on liquids allowance! Plus they won't explode in your suitcase. They have a whole variety of the solids as well but my personal favorite is the Hybrid Shampoo Solid which also conditions (and since I try to cram as much as possible into one bag to prevent visiting baggage claim this frees up extra room.)