Beauty, Contests, Holiday Gift Guide 2013, Photos

Make Up For Ever: Glitz and Glam with an extravagant set

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If you’re anything like me around the holidays, you want to have some fresh new make up to try out and wear at fancy Christmas parties or gatherings with friends. Make Up For Ever has come out with a few holiday sets for the season. Today I’ll be telling you about “The Extravagant Glamour Kit” from them. make-up-for-ever-Extravagant-Glamour-Set

The Extravagant Glamour Kit includes:

• Aqua Eyes #0L Matte Black
• Smoky Extravagant in Black
• Rouge Artist Intense #43 Satin Vibrant Red
Cost: $44 CDN at Sephora ($72 Value)

I thought I would be terrified to wear a bold lip colour, but after doing a 24 day challenge swatching lipsticks from another brand, I have come to realize that the brighter, more fun shades actually are my favourite out of most of the colours. I don’t think you require confidence to pull off a bold lip colour. I think you plain and simply need to get over how “it doesn’t look good on me” and just rock them dang lips, girl. I honestly haven’t seen anyone who looked silly in a bold colour that suited them. The #43 Satin Vibrant Red is a gorgeous shade to wear and will be so completely long lasting.

Then again, if you really don’t want to wear a bright lip — then apply some gorgeous eyeliner in matte black (which comes in the kit, conveniently) and top it off with Make Up For Ever’s newest mascara, smoky extravagant. I personally love to play up my eyes, and as you guys already know I’m a huge fan of the mascaras by Make Up For Ever. They never disappoint.

And lastly, one of you lucky Canadian readers will be winning this Extravagant Glamour Kit from Make Up For Ever. Use it on yourself this holiday season, or wrap it up and give it to one of your friends!

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Contests, Holiday Gift Guide 2013, Photos

Send a sweet wish, get a sweet present

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purity-send-a-wish
Do you mail out Christmas cards? I have, up until the last year or two. I mostly stay in contact with close friends over Facebook, and my website. That’s about it. I kinda miss getting snail mail!

I do manage to send some adorable cards to my nephews whenever the holidays arise. During Halloween “season”, I sent a dancing music-playing candy-corn card to my nephews back home. Hope they enjoyed it. I sure did, listening to it over and over at the store. I hope I didn’t wear it out before they got it…

I know you’re busy and probably don’t mail out cards either. But philosophy has the right mind set, and is here to help us all out.

send a wishWhy don’t you head over to Philosophy Wishes and send a loved one a (free) sweet holiday wish? I think it’s such a fun idea, plus as more wishes are sent, the number of lights on the holiday tree hosting on the site will increase to show love spreading all over the world. Awww!

Since Philosophy (ahem, and I) are in the giving spirit you’ll receive a free 30ml purity cleanser for sending a wish. Purity: The epitome of all facial cleansers. I will never buy anything else. No joke. I even travel with it, that’s how obsessed with it I am. I’m sure you already know that though. By the way, free samples are limited to the first 2,000 wish senders.

Send your wishes to a friend or family member from November 11 — December 8. On December 9, those who sent sweet wishes will receive an email with a personal voucher to pick up their free gift at select philosophy Hudson’s Bay counters across Canada from December 9 — 19. If you’re not into beauty at all, you can always give the gift to someone you know that will enjoy it. Right? Great thinking on my part, hey? ;)

Omg the gift giving isn’t over yet for this post. You guys, they’re letting me host a giveaway for you all. $125 worth of Philosophy products. Dang girl. You folks are lucky. The loot, you will win:Philosophy-Sweet-Wishes

·   240ml purity 3-in-1 cleanser ($26 value)

·   living grace discovery set ($45 value)

·   the fruitcake mix ($33 value)

·   sweet fluffy cupcake ($21 value)

 That Living Grace set is the stuff I put on my body each and every day. I’m on my second gift set. Can you believe I used up that entire perfume? Proof.

Please note that this contest is not available to residents of Quebec.

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Beauty, Photos, Reviews

Facial Cleansers: Which One’s Work For Me

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You guys know how much I love my Purity by Philosophy facial cleanser, right? I’ve given it away on my blog, and talk about it more than a few times per month. It comes in an assortment of sizes and you can get it anywhere from The Bay, Sephora and even Shoppers Drug Mart.

I have never strayed from using it the past 12 months and I finally ran out of my large bottle. I ordered a new 24oz of it though, on the Sephora website when they had the VIB sale. Since I’ve ran out of the purity cleanser, I went out and bought my old school trusty Marcelle cleansing milk. It was the very first beauty product cleanser I was ever recommended and it was recommended to me by a pharmacist back home in Newfoundland who just happened to be our neighbour.

I since then have recommended it to others.

Marcelle is my second favourite cleanser, if I can classify it as that. It’s backed up by the Canadian Dermatology Association. Because of CDA’s mission to “offer patients, their families and the public, education on the prevention of skin cancer and other ways to maintain a lifetime of healthy skin, hair and nails”, the CDA has just launched a new initiative: the Skin Health Program.

CDA

There is a common ground here, you see. Marcelle products have always been hypo-allergenic which is why it was recommended to me in the early 2000’s. It’s gentle on your skin, especially the eye areas and of course is perfume free. Their products don’t sting your face. It’s just as gentle as Purity. I hate comparing the two, but they’re both pretty up there in my opinion and the only one’s that I like to use on my face. I dislike using cetaphil, only for the scent— it smells too medically or something.

marcelle cosmetics

Cleansing Cloths*, Soothing Cleansing Water*, Eye Make-Up Remover Cloths, Oil-Free Eye Make-Up Remover Lotion*, Eye Make-Up Remover Pads

* = products I’ve tried out and used and would completely recommend. The stuff that isn’t asterisk’ed are product I have not tried.

Already available at Marcelle.com and in stores      
Marcelle Cleansing Cloths         $12.50   25 cloths  
Marcelle Soothing Cleansing Water $14.50   6.7 FL OZ 200 mL
Marcelle Eye Make-Up Remover Cloths              $12.50 30 cloths  
Marcelle Oil-Free Eye Make-Up Remover Lotion $13.50   5 FL OZ 150 mL
Marcelle Eye Make-Up Remover Pads $9.95     80 pads  

What cleansers do you use?
I use Purity by Philosophy, or Marcelle cleansing milk. Nothing else (okay sometimes make up wipes if I’m really lazy)

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