Happy New Year!

I realize that I'm a little late for some of you, but it's just about to turn into 2012 here! I hope you all have a wonderful start to the new year. May 2012 bring you happiness! I'm looking forward to another year of blogging and getting to know you all more. Thank you all for reading my blog and for coming back to read what I have to say. You all put a smile on my face and make this all so fun. Thanks for sticking around! You all are amazing. ♥

December 2011 Faves & I'm back!

Hey guys! I got back from my trip yesterday. I had a lovely vacation and a wonderful time with my family over the holidays. I have a bunch of posts planned that I need to get around to, including:

- pictures of the cabin I stayed in and maybe pics from trip
- hauls from the States
- what I got for Christmas
- my favorite products of 2011
- a swap package from Antonia

For now, I'll start with the easiest post- my favorites from this month! :D

• Tarte LipSurgence Collection
• Buxom Lash
• iPad 2
• everything about Christmas!
• NARS Danmari Palette
• UD Naked Palette
• UD setting spray
• UD Naked eyeliner set

What were some of your favorites? I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! :)

Holiday Break & Video Post

I leave tomorrow morning to head to Tennessee for close to a week! We have rented a cabin near downtown Gatlinburg that has billiards, a fireplace, and a swimspa. Oh if only I could blink and be there right now! After that, we are going to South Carolina to spend the holidays with my family.

I'll have internet access in the cabin, but I don't know how much I'll get on it. With that said, this may be the last post until I get back around the end of December. If I'm up late at night alone and bored, you might just see a post or two from me! ;)

I filmed another "what's in my travel makeup bag" video today. I always like filming videos like this because they are easy and I enjoy watching other similar videos.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Buxom Mix & Mingle - Buxom Sidekicks Swatches

I am combining the Mix & Mingle swatches with the Sidekicks trio that I got in my last Sephora order, since both involve Buxom Lips products. I have to admit that I didn't involve lip swatches this time for two reasons- my camera battery and energy level were both extremely low. ;) Plus, this post is already picture-heavy. These sets were my first foray into Buxom lip products.

This set is available at Sephora stores and online. It retails for $39 US/$49 CAN with $72 worth of product included. You get four Lip Polishes and four Lip Sticks. The lip polishes are .07 oz compared to the full-sized ones at .15 oz. The lip sticks are .015 oz compared to the full-sized ones at .03 oz. These do have lip-plumping ingredients, so you will get a tingling effect.




To see more pictures and the swatches, please click below.

Keep reading!

NARS Danmari Palette

As you saw from my haul that I posted on Sunday, I got the Danmari palette. Here are my pictures and swatches!








To see the swatches and a quick eye look, please click below!

Keep reading!

Tarte Lip Service LE LipSurgence Collection

I hope the swatches and posts that I have been doing lately have been helpful. And while some things that I post may be out of stock online, nearby stores may still have them in stock. I wish you all luck in your holiday shopping and if you're already done...I envy you. :)

The Tarte Lip Service set is limited edition for the holidays. It's out of stock online at Sephora right now, but it never hurts to check your local Sephora stores. I was able to find mine at the Sephora at the Eaton Centre downtown Toronto. Also since I'm talking about a Tarte product, today is the last day of their online F&F sale where you can save 30% off your order!

^ The inner packaging is glittery, but it does not rub off. Thank goodness, because is there anything worse than glitter packaging? One fleck of glitter seems to always multiply into hundreds!



^ On the left, you can see the bottom section. You just turn it to push up the product, just like you would with a regular lipstick. The right picture shows it all the way up.

I've added a "keep reading" jump for the first time in this post. Click below to see lip swatches! I may start doing it this way more often.

Keep reading!

Sephora Haul

A post on Sunday?! Inconceivable! ;) I typically take weekends off from blogging, but my husband is out running errands and doing a bit of Christmas shopping so I'm banned from tagging along. What to do with the down time while watching my New England Patriots play some football? Blog about my latest Sephora haul, of course. I'll do individual posts on the items with swatches this coming week.

I have a lot of posts that I need to make about more holiday makeup products/sets, but I leave next Saturday for the start of my Christmas vacation. So I have two options - A) I can double up on posts until I leave OR B) I can pre-schedule the posts to publish automatically. Not sure which I'll do yet, but one thing that is sure is that I'm going to be a little swatching machine this week. ;)

^ Everything, minus one item which is a Christmas gift for my mom. She reads this blog sometimes so I can't show it!

Buxom Sidekicks with two small glosses and a full-sized Buxom Lash mascara that I got for free with a coupon code from Retail Me Not (Score!)
Korres Lip Butter Blockbuster that is online only
Smashbox Brow Tech & Cream Eyeliner Palette that is online only
NARS Danmari Palette
various samples

^ Samples were Yu-Be skin cream, Bobbi Brown moisturizer, and an Eshu face wash.

When ordering online, I recommend checking out Retail Me Not first. You never know if you'll find a really good coupon code to use. I lucked out with this one, because the Buxom Lash would have cost me $24 CAN and I got it for free! Again, I'll make more in-depth posts on all of these this week. Hopefully you won't get tired of all of the updates! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge vs. Beautyblender

Here's my take on the two blending sponges now that I've had my Beautyblender for almost a month. I'll review the Sonia Kashuk one first, followed by the Beautyblender.

I bought my first one during my birthday back in 2009 and in my true procrastinating fashion, I forgot to ever get around to actually reviewing it. Silly me. I have since repurchased and I believe I am on my third one. Granted, I don't use mine heavily everyday. If you were to use it everyday, I'd assume that you'd need to repurchase around the third month of use.

The shape of this sponge makes it very easy to hold. If you are using this to stipple on your foundation and then blending it out with your fingers or a brush, then the round end is sufficient. It's not as efficient in blending, as I find it is easy to create streaks. What do I mainly use this sponge for? The pointed end. It's perfection lies in applying concealer. It reaches all of the small spaces and covers like a dream. Another plus is that this sponge is dense even when wet and I find that it doesn't suck up the foundation. What is on the sponge goes on the face.

This sponge retails for $9.99 US at Target. I get mine when I make trips to the States. Sadly, I don't believe there is anywhere that sells Sonia Kashuk in Canada. I do believe that this sponge is worth the $10 and is a suitable drugstore dupe to the beautyblender.

I waited so long to give this a try, because I was satisfied with the Sonia Kashuk version. I'm glad I finally took the dive, because this sponge is worth the investment. While the above sponge is dense when dry and wet, this one is very bouncy and really expands once it's wet. Like the SK one, this one will need to be replaced around the third month with heavy use. Unlike the SK one, the company offers a recycling program where you can send in your old sponge to have it recycled.

The egg-shape makes this one easier for blending out foundation using a rolling method. I don't notice any streaks, though this one soaks up a lot of product. The application is a dream and provides me with a smooth and even finish, which doesn't come easy with my dry skin. The point isn't as evident on the BB, so I don't find it as good at applying concealer. Also, I don't do my makeup near a sink so I actually spray mine with MAC's Fix+ to wet it and it works just as well.

One of the best parts of this product is that it can be purchased on Sephora, so it's easy to buy. It's price tag is a little heftier than the SK, costing $19.95 US for one. If you're attending a future IMATS, wait to get it then at a discount! Even better if you buy a combo pack, as you'll save more money that way.

Conclusion: Both sponges have pros and cons. I feel like both are worthy of praise but for two very different reasons. I'm happy to have both, since I find one better at concealing and one better at actually blending foundation. The BB can do it all with minimal, if any, brushwork needed. The SK one will need a little extra effort to prevent streaks. I give the BB a slight advantage over SK. It all boils down to what you want to use it for and how much you're willing to spend. That's just my two cents, of course. :)

Note: I am aware that Sephora has a version of a blending sponge, but having read many negative reviews I've been less apt to give it a try. :/

UD 24/7 Eyeliner Set in Naked - Holiday 2011

The minute I found out that Stray Dog was in this set, I knew it had to be mine. I fell in love with that shade when it was released in the 15 Anniversary Collection. I've written UD saying how it needs to be part of the permanent collection. It's just that gorgeous. :)

All of these are permanent except for Demolition and Stray Dog. I already own Zero, Bourbon, and Stray Dog. Personally, this set was worth it to me just to get Underground and Stray Dog. The pencils are nearly full-sized coming in at .03 oz with a full-sized 24/7 pencil being .04 oz. They retail for $32 US/$38 CAN at Sephora. I think it's ridiculous that we have to pay $6 more here. Oh well, it's still a good amount of money being saved!

My other 24/7 eyeliner swatches can be found here, here, and here. If you try Stray Dog, I think you'll love it. I'll never stop singing its praises! And if you know a dupe for it, please let me know. :)

My Beauty Christmas List 2011

Here's my personal Christmas list as far as beauty and style items go! Now, of course, just because it is on my list does not mean that I expect to get it. :) But that's part of the fun of making a Christmas wishlist, isn't it? It's like window shopping with a good chance of actually getting some of it later.

I love making lists to help those that are shopping for me, because it's often the only way anyone might know what you want. I grew up having to make a list, because my grandmother was the worst at giving gifts. I'm talking about an outfit she thought was cute for me and consisted of neon orange sweatpants and a red t-shirt. And I still have a parrot statue because apparently "I really like birds." News to me, because I'm terrified of birds! I look back now and laugh at the memories and miss her terribly, but she truly jump-started my need to start making wishlists!

Bare Minerals Pure Transformation Night Treatment -It really intrigues me.
Lady Gaga x Terry Richardson -Inspiration from the photos and makeup!
Taylor Swift Wonderstruck perfume -Smells so good!
Deborah Lippmann Get This Party Started nail set -Really like her glitter formula.
Lush Butterball Bath Bomb -This is one of their bestsellers and I've yet to try it.
Chanel Rouge Coco in Rose Comète -Such a pretty pink!
MUFE Wild & Chic Best of Make Up For Ever Kit -I'm a sucker for MUFE.
UD 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection -15 new UD shadows? Sign me up!

What's on your holiday list? If you've made a post, link me to it! And if you have purchased anything that I'm asking for above, tell me your opinion on it. :)

November Favorites 2011 & NARS Bellissima Swatch

Time for monthly favorites! I'm so excited December is here. It's one of my favorite months and it's exactly for the reason you think it is...Christmas! I'm a Christmas nut. I love the cold weather, the lights, the decorations, the TV specials and holiday movies, etc. I still get the same feeling of warmth that I have gotten since childhood. The magic of Christmas has never failed me. I can be in the biggest funk and Christmas brings me right out of it. January? Whole other story. Haha!

Bella Bamba- I rediscovered this and dusted it off. And I love the smell! Swatch is here.
MUFE Aqua Smoky Lash mascara-Truly waterproof. It survived the "cry test".
OPI Lincoln Park After Dark nail polish- A fantastic nail color for fall/winter.
Beautyblender sponge- Still have to do a full review. As great as you've heard? YES.
NARS eyeshadow duo in Bellissima- Just an easy duo to grab for a quick shimmery neutral eye.
MUFE Aqua Eyes eyeliner in 24L- A lovely taupe brown.

I haven't shown the Bellissima duo before, if memory serves me right. I have yet to swatch the eyeliner either, which I bought at IMATS Toronto this year. Below you'll see swatches of both.



^ One of my non-beauty favorites is the iPad case pictured above. I went to the One of a Kind Christmas Show, which is full of handmade goodies and crafts. I picked out a few gifts for people, but I stopped dead in my tracks when I came across this. It's like it was made for me with my never-ending love of polar bears and my addiction to my iPad (who is named Charlie Brown, by the way). :D It's so sturdy and well-made. They do have an Etsy shop with other bags and designs, if you're at all interested.

So those are my favorites from November! Please tell me some of your favorites or link me to your post. I love "favorites" posts!

My Holiday Gift Guide for Beauty Lovers

Look at me posting on a Saturday. That rarely happens! I'm seeing a lot of people making guides for Christmas gifts, so I decided to join in on the fun. I'll be covering a list for the beauty lovers out there since that's my cup of tea and matches my blog's theme. I tried to make a list of items in different price ranges. I think these are gifts that just about any girly girl would love. :)

Urban Decay Naked Palette (or the Naked 2 that just came out)
a good quality hair straightener
a nice scarf
nail polish (set shown is Glitter and Sparkle and offered online only at Sephora)
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner set (there is also a brighter colored set)
candles
NARS Danmari blush palette

Hope this gave you some ideas for loved ones or yourself. ;) If you guys are interested, I can share a few things that's on my personal Christmas beauty wishlist in another post. I also have a post on my November favorites coming up. Hope you are all having a great weekend!