Dear Santa......

I'm lying down on my couch, typing away, staring at my beautifully decorated Christmas tree.

Yes, I'm one of those individuals that puts their tree up many weekends before Christmas to enjoy the time I have with it. It sounds funny, I know, but Allan and I are leaving for New York in two days for a mini-vacation and then, we'll be in Toronto for Christmas, which means that I don't even get a full month with all my pretty decorations....well, snowmen to be exact.

I am obsessed with Snowmen. Some people like Santas, or Reindeer, or Penguins, but I like Snowmen. They have to be cute, have their own unique personality and above all, have a really great pecker. (I, of course, mean a great nose......man, get your mind out of the gutter...ha). All of my snowmen are hand-picked by either me, of those who know me well, and this snowman theme is what decorates my tree.

As I'm sitting her, typing away, looking at the cute snowman AND drinking hot chocolate, I'm also thinking about pressies. I love giving gifts, absolutely, but also really really really enjoy receiving them. So, Santa, here's the list this year.....

1. NARS Body Glow. I have been eyeing this for months and months but never seem to purchase for myself. (I think the $80 price tag might have something to do with it...) Either way, this product is a multi-use body bronzer. Not only can it applied directly out of the bottle BUT add a cap full to your bath tub and emerge with bronzed, shimmery skin. I love it...

2. Lancome's Renergie Microlift R.A.R.E spf 15 Cream. This day cream is one of the most phenomenal skin products I have ever used. Now, I am definitely far from the "loss of firmness" that this cream prevents but I also think it's never too early to begin a regime preventing this downfalls. Plus, when the cream goes on this smooth and silky, it's hard to say no. (Again, me and my expensive taste. This little jar is priced at $110.)

3. The Sephora Collection Endless Color Blockbuster. This is just one of those items that I want every single December. It's jam packed with over 187 products and they're all in one handy-dandy carrying case. This year, they've added 13 new products and created a less breakable case making this item definitely worth it's $60 price tag.

4. Calvin Klein Beauty Body Lotion. Since I wrote about the fragrance last week, I won't bore you with all the details again but this is MY fragrance. It's taken me 28 years but I have actually found my number one fragrance. (Aside from Coco Mademoiselle that is...) So, I would love the body lotion to go along with my fragrance. Priced at $60 which isn't too bad...

5. MAC Happily Ever After Lip Kit. I don't typically like lip kits because the quality of the gloss is never that great, but after trying this bad boy out, I was pleasantly surprised. The colors are great, light and go with everything plus the tartan case is way too cute. The palette includes Endless Fun (sheer frosty pink), Cheers All Around (bright candy pink), and To Joy (medium pink). Priced at only $25, this might be a gift to myself this year...ha.

Everyone has a wish list at Christmas time. Most of these items will not be under the tree (which is fine by me) but it's still nice to dream. Tell me, ladies, what's on your list to Santa this year?

Christmas Cheer in November

Saturday night was my first holiday party of the season.

Let me begin by saying that Christmas is my ABSOLUTE favorite time of year; I adore this holiday. I love everything from the Christmas Carols, gift wrapping, and baking to freezing your butt off when you step outside the door. But, the best thing about the holidays is eating amazing food and drinking warm bevvies with friends.

A girlfriend and I planned a holiday get-together for our circle of friends this past weekend. Long story short, everyone piled over to our house for some pre-drinks and Mario Kart Battles before we all made the long trek to Langley for the Olive Garden Restaurant. My girlfriend also planned a Secret Santa gift exchange, with a $15 limit,

which took place right after we ordered

dinner.

My other good friend, Carmen, was my Secret Santa, so how excited was I when a cute black and white Sephora bag was placed in front of me??? And let me just say, ladies, that the present was adorable!!! The black bag housed some Boscia Peppermint Blotting Linens (an absolute must-have for anyone who gets oily during the day) and a Sephora Color Wand in Siren. The color wand is awesome for the girl who loves manyl different shades of gloss...(Ahem....me, of course.) It contains 6 different mini-glosses in a long, slender tube. To access, you twist the color you want and PRESTO a little sponge applicator appears at the bottom of the gloss above. It's purse-sized and packs tons of glossy options in one container. (This product is the perfect excuse for me to clean out my bag before New York.)

Needless to say, the first Christmas party of the season was smashing!

The Scent of CK Beauty

This weekend passed by in a blur.

We (Allan and me) were super busy since my parents were here for the entire weekend. I don't get to see them too often so we had a super fun time playing Wii, drinking, eating great food and socializing.

My mom, who knows me so well and has obviously been paying close attention to my Christmas list, brought me a bottle of Calvin Klein Beauty, my newest favorite fragrance. Seriously, I love this scent. It's been a long time since I loved a CK fragrance and for some reason, this one is really topping my list.

I love floral scents and this one is the first one I've smelled in a long time that's not too sweet. the fragrance has a hint of ambrette seed and jasmine as well as a cedar base. It's feminine, romantic and sultry all at the same time and I've been wearing it non-stop since receiving it on Friday. I'm even wearing it to bed! (Lucky Allan....)

If you're like me and love floral scents I HIGHLY recommend it. The bottle comes in three sizes: 30, 50 and 100 mL, as well as the accompanying products (body lotion and shower cream). Check it out ladies!!!

What is your signature scent? Is there a fragrance that you always seem to gravitate towards?

Intriguing Animals....HA

Alright, I am so in love with this dog. Look at his funny face.....seriously, have you ever seen a dog do this with his mouth before? Either way, had to share it....

Second favorite picture of the day....zombie baby. I don't think I have ever seen a cat so docile before. This beats Cleopatra Cat without a doubt.

Razors: The Good and The Bad

If you're at all like me then you've spent countless dollars on shave foams, creams, gels, cartridges, disposable razors of every brand and even those new fangled electric razors and still you aren't getting the close shave you're after.

If you're all at like me then you've probably decided that shaving is a waste of time and going "au natural" is the way to go......Okay, maybe I'm not there yet but, less be honest, if I still have to shave every day without ever having smooth skin, I'm starting a shaving strike. (Sorry Allan.....)

I purchased three razors (two women's and one men's), thinking one of them was bound to give a close shave. First, the Gillette Venus Embrace, secondly, the Schick Intuition Plus and thirdly, the Gillette Fusion ProGlide. After purchasing, I decided to use each razor for two weeks and track the results. Here's the scoop.....

Week 1 - 2: The Venus Embrace

You can definitely tell the razor is marketed for women. Not only are the colors pretty BUT it comes with a handy-dandy suction cup holder. Perfect if you shave in the shower!! Having said that, first thing I noticed was the handle. It fits perfectly in the palm of my hand, all the while making it easy to shave with. Unfortunately, the praise ends here. The head of the razor is angled oddly which makes shaving your under arms VERY difficult. (It seemed to leave little hairs behind.) Shaving my legs was fine, especially along my knees but stubble was still there even after I thoroughly shaved. All in all, I give this razor a 6 out of 10.

Week 2 - 4: Schick Intuition Plus

Man, I wanted to love this razor, I really did. It was such a great idea to have a nice smelling moisture bar surrounding the razor thus making shaving a breeze. Unfortunately, this razor fell very flat and I mean this literally as I went through an entire moisture bar in less than a week. Seriously, now I know that we are supposed to change a blade every week but seriously, I lost the entire moisture bar portion before the blade was even dull. Very irritating. Another thing, the handle was abnormally large which made shaving a nightmare. All in all, Schick failed for me and I give this razor a 3 out of ten.

Week 4 - 6: Gillette Fusion ProGlide

I love this razor. Yes, it men's and yes, it doesn't come in girly prints or colors, but man, does it ever give a close shave. The handle is very thin, which can sometimes make under arm shaving a little awkward, but I have never had legs that felt this smooth before. However, because it uses a thinner blade, it does get dull a tad quicker than its competitors BUT, that aside, it did give me the close shave I was after. All in all, I give this razor a 9 out of 10 and will be continuing my romance with this bad boy.

**Quick tip: I am prone to razor bumps in my arm pits. They are the most unsightly thing ever if you're wearing anything without sleeves. My miracle in a bottle is Vaseline Cocoa Butter Vitalizing Gel Body Oil. I shave my under arms in the evening, rub some of this on immediately after and wake up to razor burn-free skin. Not only that but it enables me to shave less often since the hair doesn't grow back as quickly. Honestly, try this product out. It's fabulous.

Tell me what you're using? Does it work? I am always open to trying something new.....

Best $20 Purse-Sized Compact....EVER!

Have you ever seen a bug zapper before? For some reason, every insect within a 1 mile radius is drawn, instinctively almost, to that strange glowing light emanating from the device.

The Sephora Collection is my strange glowing light.

Whenever I go into Sephora, I gravitate towards the Collection without even thinking. I load up my little hand basket, almost instinctively, with goodies that I don't need and leave with a big bill and a spinning head. On one of these excursions I found something quite noteworthy though... The Sephora Collection Color to Go Red Edition Palette.

This bad boy comes with 8 eye shadows (all metallic and highly pigmented), 4 lip colors and 1 blush. Best of all is that it's purse sized!! There are 3 different palettes, though I only have two of them. The red palette (my personal fave), the black palette which are the cool tones and the pink palette (supporting breast cancer research.) All are a ridiculously good buy at only $20.

And, they are the perfect gift for Christmas too! Trust me, I've bought 4 for gifts already.....

Naughty Naughty Girl

I've been a really really bad girl.

It's been way too long since I last posted and thought I should explain myself.

My real job has been absolutely crazy lately meaning I've been working overtime almost everyday, including weekends. But, as of yesterday, no more overtime!!!!

So, starting tomorrow, you can anticipate new exciting blog posts!

Thanks again, everyone, for your patience and understanding.

xo