Swatch It Up | Lise Watier–Gulabi

Today I have my very first Lise Watier polish swatch! I actually picked up my very first Lise Watier polish in 2011, but still have yet to wear it! It’s a crime really! This is Gulabi from Lise Watier’s India Summer Collection and is actually almost neon pink in person. The formula was nice and smooth making application a breeze and a shiny finish which I really amplified with Julep’s Freedom Polymer Top Coat. It looked like I had gel nails because the finish was so shiny!

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And now, I’m off to enjoy the sunshine!

Review | Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara

Baby thin lashes. They’re what I was born with and what I have to work with so mascaras quickly became one of my best makeup friends the moment my parents let me wear makeup! I experiment with a lot of mascaras in order to find one that gives me volume, length and fullness. Three qualities that I often find lacking in just one mascara so when MAKE UP FOR EVER announced that their latest mascara, the new Smoky Extravagant, promised volume, curl and precision in just one swipe, I was game to try it!

Smoky Extravagant intensifies eyes with dramatic impact that attracts attention from afar and shows precise and defined lashes up close. Its “ergonomic” brush allows for ultra-precise, intuitive application. Generously coated with just the right amount of mascara, the brush’s soft fibers lift each last individually.

The clump-free texture glides on easily, sheathes and coats the lashes for spectacular volume and length. The result is instantaneous with a long lasting hold. Lashes fan out, dramatic and defined, from root to tip.

I have been loving MAKE UP FOR EVER’s Smoky Lash mascara that I reviewed back in January. I didn’t find it too special back then, but I gave it a second chance this month and have been enjoying it. Let’s see how its sibling does on my lashes, shall we?

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Topbox | Glam Glow Edition

This will probably be one of the easiest unboxings I have ever done seeing as how there are only two items! Glam Glow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment is apparently all the rage in Hollywood and with mud from the South of France, how can I resist wanting to try it for my own civilian skin? This 15g jar of mud retails at $21! This prive box also included a $10 Well.ca giftcard which was forgotten in my Topbox, but was quickly remedied :-)

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I’m wearing the mask as we speak and it tingles for the first few minutes as its drying, but once it hardens, the tingling stops and I’m left with a sexy, immobile face. Included is a sample of Supermud Clearing Treatment which is a mask or spot treatment that helps to fight all common skin concerns. Sounds pretty general, but is supposed to reveal dots of extraction, absorption and encapsulation of problematic sebum oils and bacteria and toxins.

So there you have it! The shortest Topbox review ever! I’ve seen of the regular Topboxes and I think I would have been happy with those too, but curiosity got the better of me and I chose the Glam Glow box!

Which Topbox did you get?

Swatch It Up | Pretty & Polished–Back to the Fuchsia

It’s time for another drool-worthy temperature changer from Pretty & Polished! This is such a bright colour and check out all the glitter! Back to the Fuchsia has a bright pink base that has black and fuchsia hex glitter and if you can see, micro fuchsia glitter! At first I thought this polish was textured because it looked gritty from far away, but it turns out it’s the glitter! The consistency was very smooth and easy to work with and I did not have to go glitter fishing. I am wearing two coats with top coat for all photos.

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Loose Button Luxe Box | LOULOU Summer Edition

This summer’s Luxe Box wasn’t a surprise as we were all given the opportunity to upgrade to a variety of different boxes prior to ship out. For an extra $5, I decided to upgrade to the LOULOU edition mainly because there was going to be a Cake Beauty product that I had been wanting to try! I have a yearly subscription so while each quarter is $24, having to pay $29 for this Luxe box was quite the steal considering what I would be getting!

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Review | Born Pretty Multi-Shaped Nail Art Studs

Of all the nail art items in the Born Pretty Store, the nail art stud wheel has proven to be one of the most versatile items in my nail art arsenal! If you are wanting a bit of everything or just cannot decide what studs to purchase, this nail art stud wheel is your best bet. It’s almost like a little sampler pack of everything and has gold and silver studs in 12 different styles so the sky is the limit when it comes to your nail art creations!

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I so rarely do skittles type manicures, so I figured I would “let loose” with this one! My base polish is two coats of Butter London-Tea & Toast. My favourite nails ended up being the middle, pinky and thumb.

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Shoppers Drug Mart | Birthday Goodies

I don’t know if I’m just crazy, but I chose to get a bulk of birthday goodies from none other than Shoppers Drug Mart. There was a redemption and bonus points event the weekend of my birthday so I definitely used it as an excuse to say “Happy Birthday to Me”! I hope that the points system doesn’t change with the new Loblaws ownership…points are the main reason I shop at Shoppers because their prices aren’t exactly the lowest for many of the products they carry. Fingers crossed things don’t change too much!

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Summer Neon Geometrics

It’s Friday, it’s sunny where I am and I cannot wait for the weekend! Today I have a fun summer mani for you that I am loving. I am going to get as much as I can out of neons before I put them away again. I know nail polish doesn’t discriminate against the seasons, but I always feel a little strange wearing neons in the dead of winter…

I started with 3 coats of OPI-My Boyfriend Scales Walls and then painted random square and triangle shapes all over my nails using Color Club-Get Your Lem-on, Color Club-Yum Gum and some unknown green neon that was given to me. I then used black acrylic paint to outline the shapes and fill them in. One coat of top coat and I am all set!

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What’s your favourite neon?

Studded with Revlon Chroma Chameleon in Tanzanite

I was completely fascinated by this duochrome polish when I first glanced at it in the bottle because it looked definitely purple, but on the nail looked almost brown. Duochromes are not a new idea, but Revlon-Tanzanite was the first drugstore version that I picked up. I love the gemstone so I immediately gravitated towards the polish name! I found application of Tanzanite to be similar to that of holographic polishes in that the application was patchy and required a very light touch with few strokes of the brush. I found myself loading up the brush with polish and then gently moving it around in thick coats. I’m wearing three coats in these photos and my current favourite Julep-Freedom Polymer Top Coat. Oh and…there IS nail art coming!

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In Photos | “Find What You Love” Nail Art Workshops

This past weekend was the last of three nail art workshops at Metropolis at Metrotown and although they were long days, it really was a lot of fun seeing people from all ages and backgrounds show a genuine interest in wanting to try their hand at nail art! In the nail art community we take certain phrases for granted like in the first workshop we used the term “jelly sandwich” which led to some confused faces in the audiences! I also had to set aside my surprise when people asked me what Seche Vite was! There was one girl who had never painted her own nails, held up an emery board and asked me what it was! Oh, bless her heart!

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L-R: Winnie, Angela, myself and Lindsay

Metrotown Get Polished Workshop | Pretty in Polka Dots

This weekend is the final instalment of the Metrotown “Get Polished” workshops and as you can see, this week’s theme is every nail artist’s favourite, polka dots! In the spirit of summer brights, I decided to go with a neon gradient with neon polka dots on top. I started off with three coats of Color Club-Poptastic, sponged on what I suspect to be Color Club-Pucci-licious, but because they were minis, I have no idea! Then I used a dotting tool to dot on the darker of the two pinks and ta-da!

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Wantable Box | June 2013 Makeup Edition featuring Lara Eurdolian

Once more, June’s Wantable Box is in collaboration with Lara Eurdolian, beauty and style expert, who runs the site Pretty Connected and curated the products found in June’s box. She “chose” quite well and I am excited to give all of you a closer look at what was inside!

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Oyatsu Cafe | Edible Japanese Goodies!

Living in Vancouver gives me access to a fair number of Japanese goodies, but there are definitely still items that I either have to really hunt down or when I do are quite expensive. A few weeks ago, I was reading a post from Elisa of Memorable Days about an online Japanese candy store called Oyatsu Cafe that had reasonable international shipping (it’s by weight so if you’re just getting candy, it should be quite light) and a good selection of those rare Japanese candies you might be looking for (i.e. Kracie Poppin’ Cooking sets!). For those of you who are unaware of this Japanese candy phenomenon, you HAVE to watch RRcherrypie’s YouTube channel! It will get to the point where once you hear the packaging rip, you’ll get excited! When I play her videos and my fiancé hears the *crackling* noise, he knows what’s coming!

Here are the goodies I picked up!

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Review | Bees Knees Bodyworks Grapefruit Lime Soda Sugar Scrub

I am always ecstatic to find beauty artisans right in my own backyard and I have to thank Gen from Onyx and Mick for introducing me to Tricia and her yummy line of bath and body delights Bee’s Knees Bodyworks! This delicious line of goodies comes from Chilliwack, BC about 2 hours from Vancouver and when I started browsing Tricia’s etsy store, I knew right away that I had to have the Grapefruit Lime Soda Smoothie Scrub!

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Ipsy Bag June 2013 | “On the Wild Side”

Compared to May’s Ipsy Bag, June’s is lacking in the excitement department. This is the Ipsy bag with the infamous glitter party palette. I had been reading reviews for this bag and this seemed to be the product that everyone was dreading due to its quality. Let’s see if I thought the same thing shall we?

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Scientista Foundation | Nail Art Inspired by Women in Science

About a month ago, Julia Tartaglia, co-founder of the Scientista Foundation, contacted me to do a Scientista-inspired nail design which I was delighted to do. The Scientista Foundation was founded by Julia and her sister Christina and is the largest network for campus women in science, tech and engineering. It provides support for women in the form of visible role models, career advice and programs and encourages young women to embrace both femininity and brains in what may be a male-dominated career path.

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I wish there was support like this when I was an undergrad because there were certainly times when I felt like I was “the only girl”. I felt like if I was a girl that did my nails and makeup, I had THAT much more to prove. One guy in my class even told me that if I really wanted good grades, I had to choose to either “study or be pretty”. Talk about an ultimatum huh?

So for today’s design, I decided to pay tribute to some of the most notable women in science and their discoveries! The Scientista colour is purple and their logo is two purple Xs which are actually two X chromosomes because that’s what makes us female!xx_purplewhite_whitebg

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Awesome Beauty Swap with Jenni from the UK!

I LOVE swaps and have now limited them to once per quarter as I actually found it stressful to have multiple ones going at the same time. I like being able to concentrate on one person at a time and I think it’s just more fun as you can really curate a box to a specific person’s likes. A few months ago, Jenni from Jenni My Style and I decided to do a swap and as this was Jenni’s first, I wanted to make sure she got everything she wanted!

This has to be one of my favourite swaps as these are all products that I have been reading about in British blogs and have been DYING to try! Jenni really took the time to curate this box and I am so happy with it!

GOODIES!

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Mini Models Own and Barry M polishes! I had mentioned that I LOVE glitter polishes so Jenni really ran with that information! I couldn’t be happier!

Sample Sundays #9

It has been far far too long since my last instalment of Sample Sundays! I haven’t been very good about dipping into my sample stash the last two months as I have been working on finishing some full sized items, but here are just a few things on the menu for the next couple of weeks. I hope to get some empties out of this and small packets are the easiest to finish and make you feel like you’re accomplishing something!

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Hopefully the next edition of Sample Sundays will be sooner than in 2 months!

Fortune Cookie Soap Box | Summer 2013 Edition

The Fortune Cookie Soap Box was a pleasant surprise as I never received any shipping notification and then out of nowhere it appeared at my door! What I love about this box is that along with being a beauty box, it is also a sneak peek for the new products that FCS will have for the upcoming season! I was very pleased with the Spring FCSB so I knew that Summer would not disappoint! I love that every box has a theme and that FCS comes up with the funniest names for their products!

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1. Aquaholic Sea Salt Hair Spritz

With a light pina colada scent, textured hair sprays are all the rage this summer season and this is the perfect size for touch-ups at the beach as it doesn’t take up room in your beach bag that will undoubtedly be housing A LOT of other essentials!

2. “Do You Salsa or Mango?” OCD Hand Sanitizer

This hand sanitizer is scented with island mango and citrus lime with hints of chile and cilantro. It smells just as good as it sounds!

3. Body Shot Don’t be Jelly!

This is a jello soap that smells like raspberry lemonade…amazing! This is my FAVOURITE scent of the group and makes my mouth water!

4. “I Scream, You Scream” Sugar Scrub

This sugar scrub is scented with creamy vanilla, strawberries and chocolate ganache. Enough said. It smells DIVINE.

5. “Mother Pucker” Shower Steamer

Mmmm…I think this is like bath bomb and even with one sniff it clears my head. This is scented with a citrus fragrance and sweet almond oil.

6. “It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere” Whipped Cream

This smells like a fruity cocktail, but in a body butter!

7. “Where the Sun Don’t Shine” Solid Sunscreen Stick

Seeing as how this is so small, I would only really use it on my face. I’m just imagining myself using it on my legs…the whole stick would be gone! This is scented with coconut and banana. Another yummy fragrance!

8. “One in a Melon” Fortune Cookie Soap

I look forward to one of these soaps as there is always one included in every FCSB. This one smells like a juicy watermelon and looks good enough to eat complete with little black seeds!

My nose is on sensory overload at this point as I love everything that I received !

The Fortune Cookie Soap Box is $28/quarter for Canadians which includes shipping. If you love bath products and sweet scents this is a wonderful subscription box to try out!

June Empties

I actually didn’t go through too many products this month. I didn’t have the discipline last month I suppose. I was very much an emotional product user and kept changing my mind about what I wanted to use resulting in a very unimpressive number of empties. Oh well, it’s a new month now so hopefully I will have more things to show you guys next month!

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Metrotown Get Polished Workshop | Geometric Chic

Welcome to the second workshop of Metropolis at Metrotown’s “Get Polished” series happening all of this weekend! This week’s theme is “Geometric Chic” using scotch tape to create some cool and simple designs that will make people stop and stare at your nails! I decided to cut my scotch tape to make an “explosion” using the Metrotown summer colours and I love how they turned out! 

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The first workshop was a success and I hope to see some of you there! Sign up here!

Review | HANA Pro 1" Flat Iron

I straighten my hair. A lot. So, when Misikko contacted me to review the HANA Pro 1” Flat Iron I was very curious to see how it would hold up to the flat iron I was currently using. According the Misikko site, this flat iron is in the Top 10 Best Flat Irons and has been voted by consumers to be the best overall flat iron. When I saw that, I REALLY got curious and had to try this model out for myself!

My package arrived in a massive box packed with quite a number of extra goodies packaged in lovely bows! I don’t know if this is the norm for all orders, but I’d like to think it is!

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Swatch It Up | Pretty & Polished-16 Candles

Today I have another polish from the Pretty & Polished limited edition Sweet Sixteen Collection. What I’m wearing today is called 16 Candles which is unfortunately sold out now. 16 Candles is comprised of a milky coral base packed with purple, lavender, coral and beige hex glitters. Now here is another glitter combination I have never seen before! Chels always comes up with some seriously unique combinations! What I have on is three coats, but this is sheer polish so a little bit of VNL still shows. I did have to do some glitter fishing, but other than that, this was a great polish to work with!

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Did any of you manage to grab this polish while it was available?

Review | Born Pretty Holo Polish #11

I don’t know about you, but I was HELLA excited when I saw that Born Pretty had released their own line of holographic polishes! They have been my go to store for nail art supplies long before I started blogging so I have nothing but good things to say. Today I have holo polish #11 which is a dark purple linear holo that is opaque in two easy coats. There are 12 holo polishes in this collection that are currently on sale for $5.59 each so if there are any colours that catch your eye, go get ‘em now!

This is #11 without flash in normal daylight. Nothing to write home about right?

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And here is #11 with flash! So gorgeous! Stay tuned for more holo nail porn…

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Ebeauty Summer 2013 Bag!

I apologize if I am being bad for everyone’s wallets, but I just realized that Ebeauty.ca also has a summer beauty bag out! There are some overlapping products with the beauty bag from The Shopping Channel, but I personally prefer The Shopping Channel bag. The Ebeauty bag is $29.99 with free shipping for purchases $50 or more. There are some great items in this bag though, my favourites would have to be the Cheeky Monkey nail polish and deluxe Rodial samples!

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What's Included:
Pretend Tan Mousse - value of $15 (50ml)

Cheeky Monkey Nail Polish - value of $15 (15ml)
NYX Cosmetics Boudoir Mascara in Le Frou Frou - value of $9 (0.12oz)
GO SMiLE Luxury Fluoride Toothpaste with Whitening Protection - AM (travel size)
GO SMiLE Luxury Fluoride Toothpaste with Whitening Protection - PM (travel size)
stila Sparkle Luxe Gloss in Fairy Dust - value of $29 (0.11fl.oz/3.3ml)
Marc Anthony Pro Finish Ultimate Hold Hairspray (44ml)
Katy Perry Eyelashes in 'Oh Honey' or 'Sweetie Pie' or 'Cool Kitty' - value of $8 (one pair)

Upper Canada Soft Touch Tweezer - value of $5.60
Upper Canada Glitter Round Mirror - value of $6
Upper Canada Soft Touch Eyelash Curler - value of $6.40

Rodial Dragon's Blood Sculpting Gel (Deluxe Sample Size) or Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum (Deluxe Sample Size)
Mereadesso All-In-One Moisturizer (Deluxe Sample Size)
Boscia Fresh Blotting Linens - value of $12 (100 sheets)

So, is the Ebeauty bag more your style?

June Favourites!

We are now officially full swing into summer and I can finally bring out my more summery makeup colours to celebrate! June was mainly about makeup products for me, it’s funny how each month differs in product assortment. I didn’t have a lot of lip products this month because of the weird allergy on my lips I was battling with, but it forced me to discover other products that DIDN’T go on my lips! I hope you guys enjoy!

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1. Origins Incredible Spreadable Smoothing Ginger Body Scrub

This smells just like ginger candy! It’s sweet and almost edible, but has a wonderful grit to it. I like my body scrubs to have fairly large crystals as that is the only way I feel like my body is getting any exfoliation at all. The crystals are packed quite densely and dissolve as you rub. What is great is that this scrub is gentle enough to be used daily.

2. NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Beige

As you can see, this colour is far from beige as it is a gorgeous pink with a medium tint to it. It smells like cherries and gives your lips an incredible shine. I have been layering this over lipstick, but can also be worn alone for a healthy pink sheen. This lip gloss is also smooth and non-sticky which is nice, but as a result does not last long and must be reapplied about every two hours.

3. Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose

I got this in a swap from the UK (which I promise I’ll post soon because I got some awesome goodies!) and it smells like raspberries and cream! It’s very moisturizing and has been one of the few things I have been wearing on my lips since I was suffering from my stress-induced lip allergy throughout the month of June. It goes on virtually colourless and is very smooth on the lips.

4. China Glaze Nail Lacquer in Too Yacht to Handle

This is just such a beautiful teal, perfect for summer! The formula is wonderfully opaque in two coats and goes on much brighter in person than in the bottle. This is a colour I feel I will keep turning to again and again this season.

5. Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat

I have read about this product for years, but never bothered to try it until last month and it’s great! I actually don’t notice too much of a difference between this and the Out the Door top coat and is much easier to find! I also like the width of the brush. This is a keeper for me!

6. Benefit Sugarbomb Blush

Now that I have a little bit more colour from running errands in the sun, I find that I can get away with less pink and more bronze-pink for colour. Sugarbomb has made its way into most of our makeup bags so I’m sure you all know WHY this is a favourite of mine! It has the perfect combination of pinks and browns that look wonderful on any skin tone.

7. Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze

I feel like this is an oldie, but a goodie. This is my favourite colour out of the whole collection and lasts all day even without primer for me! It’s such a pretty shimmery neutral brown that I use it for work often. It’s also very blendable and creamy for an eye shadow that lasts an 8 hour work day!

8. Pandora’s Makeup Box Eye Shadow in Nugget

I got this colour a few months ago, but it wasn’t exactly a “cold weather” colour. Now that I am unearthing my summer makeup, wearing a gold eye shadow seems like part of the summer uniform! The pigmentation of this eye shadow is good and is soft and blendable.

9. Boscia Vanilla Scented Blotting Papers

I actually have my blotting papers in a reusable holder which is why you can’t see the original packaging. These blotting papers have a faint vanilla scent and in my opinion, work like any other blotting papers so it really is the scent that I am loving!

And that’s a wrap for June! 

Review | New Aqua Summer 2013 - Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge #19

Summer is finally upon us and as all of us have seen, bright and vibrant colours in everything from clothes to makeup are what’s making a splash! The Aqua line has been a successful one for Make Up For Ever as each lip and eye product is truly long-lasting. I have reviewed Aqua Rouge before in #8 and was completely floored by the industrial strength hold it had on my lips and have purchased two more on my own. This summer, Make Up For Ever has introduced five new shades in #16 Fuchsia, #20 Baby Pink, #17 Bright Coral, #18 Coral and #19 Pomegranate Pink which I will review for you today!

This long-wear lip colour is perfect for the summer months! Use the highly-pigmented, liquid lip colour alone or top it with the clear gloss to create beautiful, non-transferable, kiss-proof and smudge-proof lips. A combination of high molecular weight polymers and volatile oils work to lock colour on lips while providing coverage.

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As you can see, the actual colour of #19 is quite different from the promotional picture. There is definitely more red than pink in the actual colour.

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The Shopping Channel Summer 2013 Beauty Bag is Here!

I am a HUGE fan of The Shopping Channel Beauty Bags as they are a great value and contain a wide array of products oftentimes in full or deluxe sizes! They are $29.99 plus shipping and are available from now until the end of the month! In addition to all the wonderful things you see in the picture, you will also receive a promotional code for 20% off the purchase of the full size version of any product featured in the Summer Beauty Bag!

 

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What is included:
• Ojon Dual Ended Restorative Lash Treatment & Mascara (5ml) - valued at $22.00              
• Dalton Cosmetics Tilting Mascara (7ml) - valued at: $22.00              
• Serious Skincare Light Fraxion (51g) - valued at: $39.95           
• Nick Chavez Angel Wings Super Light Hair Spray (284g) - valued at: $17.00                
• Bosica Lavender Blotting Papers (100 sheets) - valued at: $12.00
• Elizabeth Grant 24HR Firming Eye Crème (30ml) - valued at: $49.99       
Bonus:  
• Deluxe sample products  Curly Hair Solutions, IT Cosmetics, Go Smile, Perricone MD, Marc Anthony, Juice Beauty, Jonathan Product, Iampure &Violet Oasis
TOTAL RETAIL VALUE*: $162.94
*as offered for sale separately

I just purchased mine, will any of you be picking one up?

Jayne’s “Let’s Not Think About Turning 30” Giveaway!

I held a giveaway last year for my 29th birthday and now the time has come for the big 30 and right on Canada Day too! I’d like to celebrate by giving away some of the things I have come to enjoy in my 20s! All I ask is that you don’t follow my blog for the sake of winning and then stop following afterwards! I have blocked people on Twitter who I have seen do this multiple times and I don’t think it’s fair for those of you who are true followers.

This giveaway is also open internationally! Good luck everyone!

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Here is a list of what you can win!

Real Techniques On Location Travel Essentials Brushes (because everyone NEEDS these!)

Pixi Lip and Cheek Tint in No.2 Coral Camellia (this is too fun to use!)

Ecotools Foam Applicator Brush

The Balm Shady Lady Eye Shadow in Shameless Shana (AMAZING neutral brown)

Quo Flip Flop Manicure Set (so you can be sandal ready!)

L’Occitane Rose & Violette Hand Cream

MUA Nail Constellation in Gemini (I have all of them and they are so fun to use!)

Color Club Nail Polish in In Theory (gorgeous coral for summer!)

Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish in No More Drama (THAT’S RIGHT! FULL SIZE!)

Twist & Pout Lip Balm

Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia (Smells delicious!)

Rainbow Honey Nail Lacquer in Hoof Wrassle (This is a mini, but a great colour!)

L’Occitane Butterfly Soap in Spring Cherry

Burt’s Bees Lip Balm in Acai Berry and Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream 

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