HOLIDAY | Getting Completely "Naked" with Lush Shower Gels and Body Conditioners

Showers have been way more fun this month than normal and it's all because of Lush's new Naked Shower Gels and Body Conditioners! I am really hoping that every collection will have something like this because I had quite a bit of fun with these seasonal scents! Or maybe Lush will introduce a solid body conditioner in the "Honey, I Washed the Kids" scent?! How AMAZING would that be?

HOLIDAY | My Favourites from the Wonderful World of Lush Christmas

Well, Christmas has come and gone and I tried so hard to get this Lush post up and running before the 25th, but I honestly woke up and stayed in a sort of groggy trance the whole day as I was just so exhausted. It was good to take it easy, but I did feel sad not sharing these Lush goodies with you all even though I am sure many of you stocked up leading up to the holiday and then AGAIN during Lush's annual BOGO sale on Boxing Day! I have done the 6am PST shopping trip before and decided this year that I really DO have enough bath products, but maybe some of you picked up these Lush delights that caught my eye when I was in store a few weeks ago!

NAILS | Cozy Mittens Winter Nail Art

You might say that I am "mitten smitten" right now because I adore how cutely this manicure turned out! I was all prepared with winter nail vinyls from Whats Up Nails back in October and NOW look at me. December 27th and I am only using my second set now. For SHAME!  

HOLIDAY | Sephora Collection Bits and Baubles

Who is playing with their Christmas goodies today? I love how Zen Christmas day is which is a feeling I have totally been enjoying today. It was snowing earlier and everything is so nice and quiet that it has been a nice contrast to the last two weeks. When it comes to stocking stuffers and small things that delight, the Sephora Collection has literally hundreds of products at a price point for any budget and I always get caught at the Beauty on the Fly section adding multiple little trinkets to my basket! Sephora has done a great job of creating a "sub-Sephora" making waiting in line so dangerous! 

NAILS | Merry Christmas! #ManiMonday

It was really weird having Christmas Eve fall on a Sunday. Working in the retail industry, it was go go go this week and it honestly felt like Saturday should have been the end as I said my Merry Christmases to staff members who were scheduled off on the 24th. December 24th tends to be a busy one because we see the panicked faces of men who REALLY need to get a gift for their loved ones, but it tends to die right around 3pm when Christmas dinners start. This is what happened yesterday and by the end of the day, I was spent. When I woke up yesterday morning, I realized that I had nothing prepared for ManiMonday AND that I had Christmas dinner planned with my family that night. I had just picked up a Red Carpet Manicure One Step Gel Polish in the shade One Hit Wonder last week and realized that with just one step to worry about, I could do a FULL manicure on my coffee break at work!

HOLIDAY | Give the Gift of Smooth with Schick Shaving Goodies and Avon Skin So Soft

Back in the day before I started waxing, I just could not believe how incredibly expensive razors and the replacement blades could be! You want more than ONE blade in your shaver? Well, get ready to pay 4x the price! I would always stock up on those Teen Packs as a teenager and university student, as I was pretty poor with my 10 hour work weeks, and when these Schick Gift Sets* ($16.99 each) made their way to the shelves for the holidays, I pretty much became a hoarder. Not only do these make super cute self-pamper packages, but they are affordable and appropriate for almost anyone as there is a gift set for both men and women!  

HOLIDAY | Fresh Body and Skincare Sets (That You Can Colour!)

How many of you just ADORE all things Fresh? Remember when those glorious Sugar Lip Treatments were the ONLY lip balm you needed especially in the shade Rose? I honestly cannot believe how much the brand has grown since I first started using it in 2011 and I am so pleased that the products have only gotten better and more innovative. Fresh has a multitude of value gift sets available for the holiday season featuring their Sugar Lip Tints and most popular skincare so let's dive into what I had my eye on!

NAILS | Let's Get Glittery for New Year's Eve with Red Carpet Manicure!

This is a sponsored post for Red Carpet Manicure and London Drugs.

I like to change up my nail polish a few times every week, but if I go on vacation or travel for work, I do not want to have to take time out to do my nails. Ever since the rise of DIY gel nail polish kits a few years ago, I have had the opportunity to try a few different systems and have consistently only featured one brand - Red Carpet Manicure. I am the first to admit that although I am comfortable with regular polish and the intricacies of the perfect manicure, there was something scary about a type of polish that needed special lights, preps, wipes and cures, BUT I am here to let all of you know that the Gel Polish Pro Kit* is by far one of the easiest and fastest kits to use and consistently delivers the shiniest and most durable manicures!

HOLIDAY | Lise Watier Glam Celebration Makeup Collection

When we caught a preview of the Lise Watier Glam Celebration collection at the London Drugs Beauty Event back in October, we were all very excited about the amount of shimmer that was coming our way!

NAILS | Cozy Winter Nail Art with KISS Accent Stickers

I missed ManiMonday this week. The first time in 2 years! Yes, I had some swatch photos that I could have used, but they weren't Christmas themed and it's all about Christmas and ONLY Christmas now! Vancouver had its first real snowfall yesterday and as always the city was caught completely off guard so bridges were closed and transit was massively delayed. Luckily, this is my weekend so I happily watched the havoc from inside my apartment!

I still have a number of winter polishes and manicure to share over the next week and honestly I have no idea if I will have the time to paint my nails almost every day so it's possible that some things might have to wait until next year especially the WhatsUp nail vinyls I had ordered. I am sad that I have only had a chance to use one so far. 

HOLIDAY | All Things Lips from Hard Candy with Swatches!

Today is my weekend and I am taking a much needed break by staying in and surrounding myself with both my furbabies and my makeup babies. Christmas is THIS WEEKEND if you can believe it and though I am now done with my giveaways for the year I still have a couple more holiday items to share that are super cute, affordable and guaranteed to be loved by all!

I don't discriminate when it comes to makeup as there are some amazing and terrible products from both the drugstore and luxury departments and though Hard Candy has had some hits and misses for me in the past, their lip products have always been consistently good in both pigmentation, range of shades and longevity so if you haven't had a chance to try them out or know someone who loves their lippies, these box sets will have them as giddy as a reindeer! 

HAIR | Noughty "To The Rescue" Hair Care and GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to the last week before Christmas as well as my last giveaway here on the blog for 2017! You guys all know that hair care has become very important to me and I don't mean to sound vain when I say that, but having fun with hair colours has taken its toll and I have dialed it back when it comes to getting my hair done every two months a crazy colour. I think I am going to stick with my silver hair journey and even though I am now becoming an ashy blonde, I am ok with it and will not be subjecting myself to the chair again until Jan/Feb.

In the meantime, I have been testing out a brand new hair care line that as of this past September, is available at London Drugs! Noughty products are made in the UK and in addition to being 97% natural, are vegetarian and vegan friendly and free from parabens, sulphates, petrochemicals and SILICONES! Silicone-free haircare ALWAYS fascinates me because I cannot imagine my hair being tangle-free without them!

HOLIDAY | MAKE UP FOR EVER Lustrous Shadow Palette + GIVEAWAY!

Are you guys tired of me and my giveaways yet? I still have a few little surprises up my sleeve before Christmas, but I have been MOST excited about today because I LOVE all things MAKE UP FOR EVER and this, ladies and gentlemen is a good one. New for the holidays is a giftable makeup tin of 12 must-have matte and metallic Artist Shadow shades featuring a NEW eyeshadow formula! Say hello to the gorgeous Lustrous Shadow Palette* ($58 CDN)!

NAILS | Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Christmas Style)

Star Wars Episode 8 comes out today and just like when Episode 7 came out in 2015, it only seemed fitting to do another tribute to a series that I have seen in theaters since I was little girl and continue to love well into my adult years (I use lightsabre cutlery at work and have an ugly Christmas sweater with Darth Vader on it). As Star Wars is opening during the holiday season again, we need to add a seasonal twist to our beloved characters!

HOLIDAY | Totally Awesome Gift Sets from Pixi Beauty!

I'm so sorry for bombarding your feeds with things to buy. I have been trying so hard to keep my spending in check, but it is honestly getting to the point where I have come to the conclusion that odds are, I'm probably not going to be putting much into savings this month, but I think I am almost done with my Christmas shopping with the exception of hubby. I never know what to get the guy because it certainly won't be these glorious holiday sets from Pixi Beauty! This year Pixi has a number of holiday sets ranging from $20-$50 consisting of makeup and of course Pixi's famous Skin Treats!

HOLIDAY | Relive your Childhood Birthdays with the Sephora Collection La Pinata

What a CUTE idea! We all loved smashing pinatas to bits as kids to get candy and treats so why should this have to change now that we are adults? Granted, you can't smash this, but the fox head Sephora Collection La Pinata* ($38 CDN) is filled with 10 Sephora Collection beauty goodies ranging from makeup to skincare! Don't take a bat to this pinata though! Instead, tug on the pink and white ribbons to reveal all of your holiday treats!  

BODY | *NEW* Palmer's Coconut Oil Formula + GIVEAWAY!

I wish Palmer's was more readily available to me at my local drugstores because every time I use one of their moisturizers, I reminded of how awesome their products really are in terms of both price point and efficacy. I think many of us have grown up with the classic Palmer's Cocoa Butter line, but now there are three new additions made with raw coconut and Tahitian monoi oil - oooooh!

HOLIDAY | Gift Ideas from Farleyco Beauty

How is it already the middle of December?! How have I already had ONE Christmas dinner?! My God, this season is absolutely insane, but thankfully I have fun treats for everyone from Farleyco to make it alllll better!

NAILS | Emerald Christmas Trees #ManiMonday

"O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree" - greetings to the first holiday-themed manicure of the season! I had really wanted to start much sooner, but I honestly haven't been all that inspired. Christmas nails are probably my least favourite forms of nail art (weird, I know considering the type of season it is) mainly because I feel like once you have done one form of Santa or reindeer nails, you've pretty much done them all. I've done Christmas minions and Seasonal Stormtroopers to add some variety to the typical Christmas manicures and I think I may have to do the same this year so any suggestions are welcomed!

HOLIDAY | Shu Uemura x Super Mario Bros Collection Swatches with Makeup Look (PICTURE HEAVY)

The Holidays always has some swoonworthy, must-have makeup collections, but this year my heart has been taken by none other than the droolworthy Italian pizza hunk - Super Mario. When my family and I first came to Canada almost 30 years ago, the first major toy purchase we made was the first generation Nintendo Entertainment System. There were only two games in that starter pack (back when they actually GAVE you a game with the system!) and they were Super Mario Bros. and of course Duck Hunt (YEAHHH DUCK HUNT!). Ever since then, there has always been some form of Mario in my life whether he was racing a kart or smashing other villains and now he's in my makeup!   

NAILS | Rouge Louboutin Metalissime #ManiMonday

I don't really need to say much about this polish because it speaks for itself. It's just THAT stunning. Limited edition for this holiday season, the Rouge Louboutin Metalissime collection had my heart pounding with excitement! I had just gotten a couple of gift cards from spending oh-so-much money on my RBC VISA that I figured it was time to go to Holt Renfrew and pick up 1/3 of this collection - The Rouge Louboutin Metalissime Nail Colour ($65.00 CDN)! 

HOLIDAY | American Crew Travel Pack + GIVEAWAY!

The season of giving is in full effect now and we are going to start this week with a quick review and giveaway of one of my husband's favourite brands - American Crew! I asked if he could write a review for the products in the American Crew Travel Pack* ($49.95 CDN), but I got some laconic male answers when it came to each of them so I guess it's up to me to give you guys the deets! 

SKINCARE | The Face Shop Simpsons Marge Character Sheet Mask

I have another fun sheet mask for you all today and I cannot tell you how thoroughly amusing I found The Face Shop Marge Character Sheet Mask! The Face Shop x Simpsons collaboration is a limited edition one and from what I have seen in my local Face Shops, stock is dwindling, but there are a number of KBeauty etailers that still carry most of the collection so fear not! Out of what was released in Canada, I was obviously most interested in the character sheet masks and though they come in Marge, Homer and Lisa, I was too late for the Lisa mask.