November 2012 Favorites!

Only one month left in this year and it is my favorite! I love everything about December. I love snow, Christmas lights...the whole festive feeling. I get warm inside just thinking about it. My husband gets two weeks off at Christmas and I just enjoy all of that down time with him and doing absolutely nothing but hanging out at home, if that's what we wish! Are you a big Christmas nut and/or December fan like me? I guess it just never lost its magic with me (and I hope it never does!). ;)

 Here is this month's favorites. I actually shopped my stash and rekindled my love for some of these like the blush and eye palette. Ah, hello my old friends. It's nice to see you again!

Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Dollface - review is here.
Too Faced Natural Eye palette - review is here.
MAC Syrup lipstick - review is here.
Bath & Body Works Shea Cashmere Hand Cream - Smells like a cupcake, moisturizes like a dream.
MAC Oyster Girl lipglass - A great layering gloss!

What were some of your favorites this month? If you have a favorites post up on your blog, let me know! Hope you all have a great weekend. :)

Givenchy Beauty Gala Event

Christine let me know of a great event happening last Thursday, so I went downtown to meet up with her, go to the event, and shop. It's dangerous when beauty lovers get together and see such things as Jo Malone, Diptyque, Dior, and more. I think both of our wishlists might have been added to that day! ;)

The event was lovely. You pay $10 and $2 goes to charity with you getting $8 in the form of a coupon to use toward cosmetics. Not only that but you were also given a Givenchy bag full of a magazine, pamphlets, and samples! Here is what I got during the event!

To see more pictures, please keep reading.

Keep reading!

Black Friday and Cyber Monday Haul

It wasn't supposed to happen. I said it wouldn't happen. And well, it happened. I just could not resist the pull of the online shopping universe with all of those pretty and shiny deals. And let me tell you, one of them was very infuriating. You'll see below. But I regret nothing!:D

^ I purchased from Glitzy Glam for the first time. They were offering 30% off on Cyber Monday, so I figured why not?! I was very impressed that shipping here was below $3 and with the code, I ended up saving around $8. I'll photograph and review my goodies when they arrive. The only problem I had was that I wanted a three initial bag, but they must have ran out of stock before I put my cart through so I went with my full name on the makeup bag instead. The above stock images from their website are the exact color combinations that I picked out.

^ I love polar bears. If you were to come to my house, you could probably make a game of counting how many you can find! So I had to splurge on this year's Twisted Peppermint packaging, with a few of the items being offered only online. The small candles are on for $5 right now, so I got two of them in the scent "Leaves". Just wanted to make sure I had a few for the winter months. The bath items were buy three, get two free. Can't show the other two, as they are gifts for my husband! I do not care for the $20 shipping, though. Luckily, I found a 20% code on Retail Me Not that saved me a little money.

^ Forever 21 was offering free shipping for any order. So I grabbed a few things for winter and traveling. Something about the beret, scarf, and sunglasses together shout Gwen Stefani to me. I doubt I'll look as effortlessly cool while wearing them, though. ;)

^ And finally, my Sephora order. This gave me more trouble than I have had in a long time with online ordering. For Black Friday, they should have had their servers prepared for the increase in site loads and views. Obviously, the Canadian site wasn't prepared in the slightest. The carts would not work for four hours while they kept the actual site up. So while we're stuck hitting refresh every little while, all of the deals were selling out. They should have shut the site down for both Canadians and Americans until they figured out why we in Canada could not make our orders, but they did not. And all they offered was an apology. To say I am less than impressed is an understatement. My order finally went through at 4am...The two deals that I wanted most (Boscia and Stila) and the Cinderella sample bag were all sold out.

I did manage to get four of the deals and a few extras. I chose the OPI sample bag as my second choice. For $12 each, I got the Bite Beauty lip palette, the Tarte mascara duo, Lorac primer and eyeshadow, and the Too Faced chocolate bronzer and travel kabuki brush. To get free shipping, I added a few things that I cannot find in stores. The Boscia peppermint blotting papers, OCC Nylon lip tar, and Nails Inc. nail polish in Hampstead Gardens.

Further pictures, reviews, and swatches will be provided when I receive the items in the mail! Did you find any great deals or brave going out in the stores? If these deals had only been in store, I would have said forget it! I hate big crowds!

Toronto IMATS Haul!

You can find my wishlist here. I managed to get everything on my wishlist and only purchase four things that were not on it, plus two additional items as Christmas gifts. Not too shabby!





^ I believe I spent a little over $35 at Crown. They raised the show price of the OCC Lip Tars from $10 to $12 each. I did not write down the price of the concealer, but I think it was around $24. The Embryolisse cream was $25. And the Naked pigments were 2 for $50, a great deal since online it's one for $60.

So there we have it! And yes, reviews and swatches are to come! Everything can be found under the "IMATS" label. If you went this year, I hope you found everything you were looking for. :)

Around the World in 80 Eyeshadows Week 11

Group post time!



For me, it's the classic eyeliner flick. It's such a hassle to get it even on both sides. I rarely do a flick. If anything, I typically just wing my eyeshadow out a little instead. But yeah, on those rare days that the flick turns out perfectly, I do a little happy dance. I'm not sure that I'll ever have enough patience to sit there and practice until it is perfect. Kudos to those of you that have mastered the cat eye!

Affairs Magazine- is on vacation in Morocco this week!
Beauty & Baggage :  kicks off her Christmas giveaway week!
Fashionable Heart : shares some pictures from IMATS!
Massachusetts Mask : is still recovering from working on Black Friday!
Norwegian Elephant : unveils the first part of her birthday/Christmas wishlist!

So how would you answer this week's question?!

Holiday Hiatus

One more post for the day! My first one is photos from IMATS- you can scroll down or click here to see it!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and while I'm in Canada, I'm still celebrating! My husband has found a place downtown called The Peartree Restaurant and they serve an American Thanksgiving feast. How cool is that?! So he has taken the day off to take me downtown to see Christmas lights, an event at The Bay that Christine told me about, and then a big turkey dinner. Fun day ahead! I'm glad he is taking Friday off too, because we will need it to recover!

So I am taking a short hiatus just until Monday to enjoy the holiday. On Monday, I'll return with my group post. And on Tuesday, my IMATS haul! Yay! I hope all of my fellow Americans have a fantastic Thanksgiving. If you're brave enough to conquer Black Friday, I wish you luck with finding what you want...and not getting knocked over to get to it!

See you all on Monday!

IMATS Photos!

Here are a few snapshots that I took while walking around on both days of IMATS! I've collaged them so that I can show more and it not be a massive post. I hope you enjoy seeing some of the wonders that IMATS creates and brings. It's truly an awesome experience and I wish for all of you to make it to one of the events one day!

^ The Makeup Art Museum. This is always a bit creepy and cool at the same time! They change up a few of the exhibits each year.

^ A few captures of some booths. The vendor at Naked Cosmetics was so lovely, even remembering me from last year! They also had a great nail polish booth this time, which I don't recall seeing previous years.

^ The shows that I attended! Josh Turi was fantastic and easily the highlight of IMATS for me. I'm a huge Saturday Night Live fan and hearing him talk about the sets and cast was amazing. He did a presentation on how to do a bald cap. Eve Pearl actually worked on the same model in her show. The bottom right was the MUFE show about HD makeup with MUA David Harbid.

Josh Turi deserved a bigger crowd than what was there, but it allowed me to get a second row seat. I was mesmerized! Afterward, he answered a question that I had about the Zach Galifianakis hosted episode where Zach had his beard, didn't have it, and then had it again. I was amazed that they were able to shave it and apply a fake one so quickly!

His answer: Zach didn't want to shave the beard the whole time and then changed his mind last minute during commercial break! He and another MUA had to tackle both sides of the beard together to have it done in time for the skit. And then at the end, Josh had to quickly apply fake facial hair again.

It took two men to get it done in time! Now, that's dedication to the arts!

^ These are a few body art demos going on at different booths. Always fun to watch!

Me and Christine! We finally met at IMATS this year. I got together with her and her boyfriend (who came with her- what a trooper!) to take in the MUFE show and look around a little. I've linked you all to her page before and I'll do it again. She's fabulous, adorable, and oh so sweet! :)


What a great two days I had! And they've already planned next year's event with a date and location change. The countdown begins!

OOTD for IMATS 11/17-11/18/12

So this past weekend was IMATS here in Toronto. This is the start of my posts! I'm going to share what I wore both days in this one. Stay tuned for my other pictures, hauls, and swatches in upcoming posts throughout the next week or so. There may be a small break in between some posts since it's the week of Thanksgiving. :)

^ This was my outfit for Saturday. Seriously, every single article of clothing and the ankle boots are Old Navy. The purse is H&M. It has a detachable chain so I removed it to make it a clutch for the day.

^ You guys, I'm obviously obsessed with Old Navy because again everything is Old Navy. The shoes are American Eagle Outfitters. Seriously, go out to your local Old Navy and buy this sweater at once! It is the softest sweater I own and I can see it getting a lot of use this winter!

Stay tuned tomorrow for pictures from both of my days there!

Around the World in 80 Eyeshadows Week 10

Group post time!



I believe the ELF Eyebrow Kit in Light is my least expensive, coming in at $3 US. Oh my goodness, I love it. I've compared it to the Benefit and Urban Decay kits in Sephora and honestly, I could hardly tell a difference. I'll stick to paying only $3! The gel and powder work great together and last all day. It holds stray hairs down well too, allowing me to go a little longer between groomings. Yes, please! Not to mention I've had it for ages and it just keeps on going. So much product for the money. :)






Affairs Magazine- is mixing more Lush cocktails this week!
Beauty & Baggage :  might have been swayed by St Tropez fake tan.
Fashionable Heart : shares what is in her purse!
Massachusetts Mask : talks about the hit or miss quality of MAC Blushes and shows her collection!
Norwegian Elephant : finds a pretty nice way to tame her fluffy 'do!

So how would you answer this week's question?!

In My Purse!

I haven't done one of these in ages, but I posted a picture on my Instagram yesterday of what's in my bag. I thought it to be a perfect opportunity to do another "in my purse" post on here!


Purse: Rebecca Minkoff Mini Mac in Taupe

Inside: Michael Kors wallet with no money in it (whomp whomp),  Sephora mirror, NARS Turkish Delight lipgloss, MUFE 24L eyeliner, YSL #1 Rouge Volupte, house key with whistle from my college days and a B&BW panda PocketBac holder with handgel, Hello Kitty notepad (from Antonia!), two pens, and my iPhone.

I love carrying a small purse sometimes. You really have to downsize what you choose to carry. So what do you carry in your purse?

IMATS Tips

This is the first of two posts today! My next post will be in a bit (hint: what's in my purse?). :) With IMATS Toronto happening tomorrow, I thought I'd reiterate some of the tips that I shared last year and add a few. I find these things to help me not get overwhelmed in the crowds, booths, and products.

1) Take your camera. I get very camera happy and nobody minds at all. I also use pictures from the last events to look at products that I might have forgotten about and want to take a closer look at them.

2) Take makeup wipes or anti-bacterial hand gel. You will more than likely end up with swatches on your hand and these will come in handy.

3) Dodge the long lines, if you can. If you know what you want, either tell the workers or hand them your list. They'll gather the products up for you and cash you right out!

4) Bring cash. It's so much easier and faster to check out, in my experience. Plus, not all booths offer credit or debit.

5) Hit up the bigger brands first. The MUFE and NYX lines will more than likely be crazy but if you want to get your hands on a specific item, get in those lines! They sell out of certain items pretty quickly.

6) Carry a water with you. You'll be on your feet a lot...which also reminds me...

7) Wear comfortable shoes. I know you want to be cute and fashionable, but at least try to wear shoes that are flat. Your feet will thank you! There aren't many places to sit down, aside from the scheduled presentations. Even then, you're not guaranteed a seat.

8) Don't worry about bringing a bag to carry everything around. A huge IMATS bag is provided.

9) Bring a notepad. You can keep track of what you spent and take notes from the stage shows.

10) Dress in layers. Sometimes the venue's air system is set lower to accomodate the crowds, but you still may get warm moving around and chilled when sitting down.

11)  I suggest leaving your purse at home and just carrying your essentials in a small clutch. That way it will easily tuck into the bag provided, keep your hands free, and your purse won't be bumping into everyone. It's a lot easier keeping up with one bag!

12) Go in with a bit of a schedule and a wishlist. It's a lot easier to stick to a budget with a wishlist. And the schedule just helps move things smoothly. Figure out what booths you want to hit up first (and look at the floor plan) and which times certain stage shows are happening. This will prevent a lot of extra wandering around!

I hope these tips help any of you going to future IMATS shows. I've been going since the very first IMATS Toronto and it's a blast. It just keeps growing and growing! If you're ever in an area where IMATS is taking place, I really recommend it. You get some great deals and discounts and learn loads of secrets from wonderful makeup professionals. There's nothing not to enjoy, if you're a makeup junkie. ;)

My Holiday Gift Guide for Beauty and Fashion Lovers

Like last year, I thought I'd share a few gift ideas that I think fellow beauty and makeup lovers might like. Some ideas overlap with last year's, which can be found here. I have tried to provide gift items of different price ranges!

1. Holiday Gift Sets - What's not to love about these exclusive sets? They often provide limited edition items and a great discount. If you don't want to give the whole item to one person, this allows you a great way to divide the items between a few individuals.

2. Nail Polish - I think a great way to give someone nail polish is to pair it with either a top coat or nail polish remover. It makes a cute little packaged gift.

3. Perfume - If someone you're buying for is picky, you can always pick up one of those fragrance samplers that lets her try several out and offers a voucher for the full-sized scent of her choice.

4. Hat and Scarf - If you don't know someone's size, look for accessories instead! 

5. Neutral Eyeshadow Palette - There are so many available these days. With a neutral palette, you know that it can suit anyone.

6. Coffee Mug - Great for coffee or tea drinkers! Pick out a cute mug and slip either a gift card to a coffee place or a pack of their favorite hot cocoa, tea, or coffee. 

7. Purse or Tote - A cute bag is something that most girls won't turn down! Try to keep it in the neutral family to appease to taste. I'm not sure everyone would enjoy getting a bright pink bag. 

I hope this gives you a few ideas about gift giving this year. Have fun shopping! :)

P.S.- I've seen a few people complain that they are seeing sponsored Christmas wishlists and gift guides. I would just like to say that mine are not sponsored and that I would tell you if they were. No worries here!