What I Got for Christmas! || 2016

Hello all! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a great week since, whether you celebrate that holiday or not! This is a little more delayed than some people, who like to get their posts or videos up the day of or right after Christmas, but I had friends and family things to do, but I love seeing these posts, so I decided to post mine now anyways! Insert the usual disclaimers about how I "don't mean to brag," how I'm "super thankful for all these gifts," and how "I realise Christmas isn't about presents." You know the disclaimers, we all do, and I'm sure anyone looking up Christmas gift posts just wants to see some cool shit, because I know I love seeing other people's christmas gifts!

So here's a peek at everything I got for Christmas. Most of it is not makeup, so maybe it isn't technically relevant, but I also don't exclusively post about makeup anymore, so maybe that's good. These presents were from family, as well as my best friend and boyfriend. I'll show my family gifts first, just because I got them all at once, and the others will be at the bottom. I'm also not going to go into deep descriptions or reviews of anything, if you would like more information on anything do let me know in the comments, and I will either reply in the comments, or try to work in a review post on those things.

So without further ado, here we go...

Drinkables & related gifts:

• Tea pot and Twinings English Breakfast Tea; These came in one of those fancy gift sets that is held together with too much tape in a cellophane bag, but I immediately ripped into that so I wouldn't have to do that later and the packing would get tossed with the rest of the wrapping paper.
• Malibu Coconut Rum
• Starbucks free coffee mug; gets you a free regular coffee or tea every day in January! Plus, it's just a nice quality metal mug, so it keeps your coffee nice and warm for ages.
• Carnation Hot Chocolate Variety Pack; with Rolo, Coffee Crisp, and After Eight flavoured hot chocolates. I desperately wish I could find the Coffee Crisp flavour sold separately.

Also, as you can almost see on top of the Pot of Gold box, my sister got me a pair of TARDIS friendship necklaces. Only one is pictured here below, because I gave her the other half.

Chocolates

• Pot of Gold chocolates
• York Peppermint Patties
• Bailey's Chocolates
• Belgian Mint Chocolate Sticks
• Ferrero Rochers
• Caramel Macchiato Coffee Crisp
• Lindt Intense Mint Chocolate Bar
• Lindt Caramel & Sea Salt chocolate bar
• Peanut M&Ms in a travel cup

Non-food gifts

Lots of these were stocking stuffers, which is why they seem like odd little bits and bobs. Obviously the boots were not a stocking stuffer, but they didn't arrive before Christmas, hence the receipt.

• Cotton pads and nail polish remover
• 4 Sally Hansen Hard as Nails nail polishes
• travel hand sanitizer
• Pocket organizers that stick to the wall
• skullcandy Ink'd headphones with microphone
• Receipt for Spring Boots, pictured below
• Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn (yes food, but didn't really appear in another picture)
• sleep mask
• loofah
• mini deodorant

Cookies and other treats

• A Gingerbread Man
• Walker's shortbread
• Mint Chocolate Girl Guide cookies
• Double Chocolate cookes (came with the teapot giftset)
• Green Tea Pocky
• Strawberry Pocky
• Mini Colgate Toothpaste
• Travel size Nivea face cloths

I also have a pair of boots my parents ordered from Spring because they didn't have my size in stock, which just arrived today (Dec 29):

Next, here are David's presents. He was way too nice with all this stuff =P

Above: Slipper Booties from La Senza.

Below: My Tattoo; though half of this was actually paid for by Mandy, as well. But it was David's idea first to pay for me to get it done.

I also got this sweater, which I can't get a great picture of, so I'll include the product shot:

Image from gear.blizzard.com

Apparently, I didn't take a picture, but Brit got me (or kinda me and David, but mostly me) this tea set from Davids Tea:

Image from davidstea.com

And then finally, I was surprised that David's family got me a gift as well, which I'm pretty sure David helped with, because they got me the Fantastic Beasts screenplay and Movie Guide, as well as a $25 Starbucks giftcard!

And that's everything! Let me know some of your favorite gifts you received this year, if you exchanged presents, and what you did for Christmas this year in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

HAUL || #LDBeauty 2016 || Tons of New & Coming-Soon Drugstore Products!

Hi guys! I hope you like long haul videos...!

Here's a look at all the fun products I got from this year's #LDBeauty event, which is an event London Drugs holds every year for press, bloggers, and Youtubers in the beauty world in Vancouver. At this event, they have a bunch of brands come and share stuff that is either just in stores, or else coming out over the summer.

So I thought I'd share my haul with you guys to give you a quick glance at some of the cool new products coming to the drugstore, as well as a peek into the products that I will likely be featuring in upcoming tutorials, GRWMs, and reviews either here on the blog, or in videos (which get posted here anyways)! So make sure to subscribe and follow me on my social media to find out more about my thoughts on these products!

Also, please let me know if there is anything you see here you want to know more about, and I can try to work those products into a review or tutorial as soon as possible!

Click here to watch in HD, or watch below:

Thanks for watching!

Coty Review || New from Rimmel & Sally Hansen {video}

Click here to watch in HD, or watch below:

Thanks for watching!

HAUL || LDBeauty Event 2015 || Pictures & Swatches! {image heavy}

If you haven't seen my vlog yet for the event, that went up this past Thursday, so make sure to check that out for a peek into the event! But for now, let's take a look at everything that I was lucky enough to receive!

Click here to watch in HD, or watch below:

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Pictures!!

Everything:

(I'm going to insert a jump here so that those who don't want to see all the pictures, don't have to load them, since this is a big post! So just click below to keep reading!)

|| Recent Favourites || Dec 2014 - Jan 2015 || {video}

More favourites...? MOAR FAVOURITES!! >_>

Your options, should you choose to accept one: click here to watch in HD, or watch below:

Thanks for watching!

Collective Mini-Haul

Hello again! It’s been more than 2 weeks since my update post, so it’s about time I got back into this. I thought it would be good to start off with an itty-bitty collective haul for you, so here are just a couple of things I’ve acquired over the past couple of weeks.

1.Nicole by OPI Nic’s Sticks in “Rainbow’s End,” “Don’t Leaf Yet,” and “Stick With Me”:

I think these are a pretty old product since the majority of the results when I googled them I got several reviews from 2011 and 2012, and nothing newer, so they probably aren’t available in stores. That said, however, I don’t think that’s much of a loss, as these are pretty terrible. I got these, along with the next product from a girl that David works with since she never uses them, and I can see why! The idea seems to be that these are portable and convenient, but I just found them awkward and frustrating. The top of the pen clicks to release product into the brush, which you then brush onto your nails, but it’s very inconsistent, hard to control, and watery! The picture below is two coats of each colour on my nails, since I had no intention of wasting space on a nail wheel for these. (Which is  a little unfortunate, as that gold is a really pretty gold holographic, but it’s so impossible to use!)

2. Sally Hansen Hard as Nails polish in “Peony”:

As I mentioned above, I got this polish from the same girl as the Nic Sticks. This, however, is a full bottle of this gorgeous shimmery pink polish that goes on beautifully in two coats (see the swatch below). I will get plenty of use out of this!

3. Tresemme Split Remedy Split-End Leave-In Conditioning Spray:

I was looking for a new leave in treatment since my Argan Oil is almost gone, and this was on sale at Shoppers Drugmart for only $4 for this big bottle, so I decided to try it out. It’s not your usual leave-in spray, since the formula is thicker and creamier. I actually thought it just looked like conditioner in the bottle, but it sprays out fairly evenly, and you’re meant to use it on damp or towel dried hair anways, so it spreads through your ends fairly easily. I’ve only used it once so far, but I definitely like the smell and it did seem to do good things for my hair’s softness and shininess!

4. Urban Decay Naked 3 palette:

I want to do a more in-depth review post on this palette later on—even though I’m pretty sure most of you have read and seen tons of other reviews already—so I won’t go too much into my thoughts on this palette just yet, but I wanted to show it to you so you would know that that review is coming! I’m so glad I finally have it, though; I’ve been drooling over these colours ever since I got to swatch these shadows in-store a couple weeks ago. So that review post should be up sometime in the next week or so, once I’ve had a chance to use more of the shadows.

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Also! I would like to start doing more reviews of individual products, so if there was anything you’ve seen in a previous post you want more of my thoughts on, make sure to leave your suggestion in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

August favourites

I apologize for the shortness of my Back to School series thus far, but I promise there will be at least 2 more posts coming for that, one here and one on my other blog, so check back for those. For now, though, it’s almost the end of the first week of September, so it’s time for my August favourites! I had quite a few listed down for this past month, but I weeded it down to six beauty items and three non-beauty. As usual, let’s start with my beauty favourites.

1. Make Up Forever Foundation:

As you know if you saw my IMATS haul post, I got this at Vancouver IMATS in July. I haven’t been using it every day, but I do really love the staying power, as well as the look and feel of it on my skin. It’s a bit pricey even with the IMATS discount though, so I’ll likely make sure to make this bottle last as long as possible!

2. Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Topcoat:

I got this to try out partly because it’s several dollars cheaper than Seche or Out The Door, and also because I’ve heard good things. Honestly, I’m not sure that I would bother buying the other ones, since this dries really fast, shiny, is chip resistant, doesn’t have a strong odor, doesn’t shrink or look streaky, and, as mentioned, the price is great! I’m overall very happy with this purchase and have nothing bad to say about this product thus far.

3. Too Face Milk Chocolate Soliel Bronzer:

First of all, isn’t the packaging on this just beautiful? I’m pretty much in love. Plus, when you open it, the delicious scent of chocolate wafts out. Not only does this product give a really nice light bronzed look, which is great for my pale skin, but throughout the day I get random wiffs of chocolate, so how could that ever be bad? If this product looks a bit too light for you, there is also the regular Chocolate Soliel option.

4. Red Cherry Lashes –Demi Wispies

This is both surprising to me and not surprising at all… at the same time. I’m not surprised that I love these lashes because of the multitudes of other girls who adore this style. But at the same time, looking at them in the package, they look like a mess! On the eyes, though, they end up looking shockingly natural, if naturally my lashes were long, thick, and black. Basically, I’m in love, and the Red Cherry lashes are both cheap and really lightweight (read: comfortable to wear and easy to apply). Definite favourite!

5. Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow in Bad to the Bronze:

I honestly don’t know why I never picked up one of these sooner! I’ve been wearing this one a lot lately, since it’s a great colour for a one-shadow look, either as a wash of colour, or built up on the outer corners and more sheer on the inner corner for added dimension. Its also a pretty good base, but the colour is so pretty on it’s own, and it stays so beautiful for so long, that I don’t really like using it as a base for other colours. I would love to pick up more of these shadows!

6. Clinique Clarifying Lotion for Dry Combination Skin:

I really like this toner, a lot more than my last Clinique toner, which was for acne-prone skin. This one is much more gentle, and doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight and dry. Instead, this one has menthol in it, so it leaves my skin feeling cool and refreshed. It also has witch hazel which helps to tone while also helping skin retain moisture. And it doesn’t have a very harsh scent. Really everything about it is a positive for me!

Non-Beauty Favourites:

1. Rainbow Unicorn Attack 2:

This game is bloody awesome. It’s really simple in concept—you are a unicorn, you run, jump, and dash through the map avoiding and destroying obstacles while acquiring tears which are the game’s monetary system—but also quite challenging, since the game is constantly changing. Also, you use your money to buy upgraded unicorn parts. My unicorn is the screenshot above. He’s pink, and I love him. You should get this game. (It’s available for both IPhone and Android, but it’s also very graphic-heavy, so slower or older phones might lag a bit.)

2. My New Phone – The Google Nexus 4:

Maybe I should have put this first on the list, as it’s the reason I can play RUA2, but meh. As you can see in the above picture, the back of this phone basically sparkles in the light. Yeah. Also, it’s really light, fast, smart… everything that a smart phone should ideally be. My last phone was at least 2 years old, so I’m really enjoying having something new, shiny, and basically top-of-the-line, at least for now =P. I also finally just got my case in the mail today, so I’ll be a little less paranoid about dropping him (the phone’s name is Jarvis, if you’re curious).

((Gold star to whoever can figure out which of the pictures in this post were taken with my phone’s camera!))

3. Frozen Grapes:

Image from AskMerriAuthor.Tumblr.com

These are such an awesome, simple, refreshing warm-weather treat (though that won’t stop me from eating them when it’s cold out). One thing that I don’t like about buying grapes is that they tend to go soft before I finish them, but when they’re frozen, they’re not getting soft any time soon! Basically, these are like little self-contained popsicle balls, but much healthier than a popsicle! I definitely suggest getting some grapes and giving it a try. It’ll work with whatever colour grapes you prefer, but my favourite are the red ones, like in the picture.

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And that’s all for this month! Let me know about your favourites in the comments below, as well as your thoughts about anything in this post or if you have any post recommendations or requests!

Thanks for reading! =)

MAC Mini-haul (+ a nail polish)

Assuming I can control myself, this may be my last haul for a while, as I need to start saving money in case I can’t get a job pretty soon.  As such, I decided to have a final week of indulgence and picked up a couple things from MAC. But first, the more boring part…

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat:

I am basically down to the dregs of both my Seche Vite and my Out the Door topcoat, both of which start to get a little horrible at the end of the bottle. Instead of replacing one of those, I decided to try another quick drying topcoat that I’ve seen a fair bit of love for online, and which costs a good deal less than the others. This was about $7 at the Superstore, and so far, I’m really happy with it. The “Dries any nail colour ! 30 Seconds to set” seems like a big claim, but it does dry really fast, though I haven’t tried to dent or smear it, to be fair. Also, it doesn’t have the harsh smell of Seche Vite, or leave the streakiness that Out the Door can sometimes have. Overall, I’m pretty impressed!

And now onto the good bit:

MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Hang-Up:

First up, I knew I was going to get myself two things, one of which was either going to be a blush or a lipstick. I already have one MAC lipstick—an Amplified formula in Impassioned—which I love. I also want to try a blush, but none of the colours really stood out to me. This lipstick, however, is just gorgeous.

I swear I was made for Fall; I hate the heat, and I love fall fashion, make-up trends, and Starbucks flavours. This lipstick is a perfect Fall colour, a deep berry-red colour, which probably has a better name. Also, it looks more purple-y in the swatch above, but on my lips it looks like a great dark purple-red. I think it will be a great replacement for red lips, which I feel really uncomfortable in. Considering the colour, comfort of MAC lipsticks, and the wonderful chocolatey smell, I can see myself wearing this a lot, especially as it starts to get a little colder!

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle:

I’ve seen a lot about this highlight on YouTube, especially from Karissa (SaturdayNightsAlrite), along with others. Also, I didn’t have a highlighter. I checked out a bunch recently, and I fell in love with this. It looks a little dark in the pan, and insanely shimmery swatched on my hand, but it looks fantastic sheered out on the cheekbones, and would probably also make a great highlight on the inner corners of the eyes, or even worn as a soft, shimmery shadow on the lids. I’m definitely looking forward to getting to play around with this product!

And that’s all for the moment. Let me know what you think of the products I got, and also, tell me what some of your favourite MAC products are! Thanks for reading!