December 2017 Wrap Up - My New Beauty Products

2017 Wrap Up by redlipgloss on Polyvore

I'm still blown away that 2017 is over and we are on to another year.  However, I am actually happy that the holidays are done.

I know, I know, weird for me, right?  I usually love the holidays and the chaos and I did, but to a point.  Good things - Benjamin finally understood what Christmas was this past year (and loves Santa), time with family, good food, good friends and Christmas parties.  Despite the good things, it was SO BITTERLY COLD.  I am definitely not used to these temperatures and Alberta was getting to minus 35 and 40.  With the cold, it meant a lot of time was spent indoors and my little guy really likes to be outside so it was pretty hectic most of the time.

Morning Glossers!

However I did manage to get some very, very nice things this month, especially in the beauty department.  Check these out:

Ofra Cosmetics Holiday Glow Palette

Oh ladies, it's gorgeous.  I have a very fantastic best friend who knows exactly what I like.  If you haven't tried an Ofra highlighter, you need to run out and get one ASAP.  It lasts all day, the pigment is perfect and a little goes a long way.  This is the perfect palette to bring on a fancy trip as it contains everything you will need to create multiple looks.

Too Faced Boss Lady Beauty Agenda

I bought this on a whim with my Sephora Rouge coupon, mainly because I wanted the agenda.  The agenda is adorable and I've started using it but am finding it a bit too large for carrying around all the time.  (CORRECTION - I am LOVING my new planner and adore all the makeup stickers it came with).  Also, the shadows - gorgeous colors and names (Plum Pudding, etc) but it's so big and bulky.  I can honestly say that this may not have been the best buy but at least it's pretty to look at.

The Balm Cosmetics Voyage vol. 2

Quite possibly my best buy yet.  This is the only palette I'm bringing to Cambodia and Thailand which, for anyone who knows me knows, is a very big deal.  This palette has 9 shadows, one highlighter, one bronzer, 2 blushes and 2 lip glosses.  A very cute addition is the last flap which features "how-to" looks using the palette.  I am so eager to assess this on the trip and tell you all about it.

Aside from my multiple Beauty Subscription boxes, this was all the makeup I bought/received in December.  What did you glossers get?

My New Palette Loves

I have such a fantastic hubby and great friends.  Seriously, I do.

I woke up Christmas morning to a fantastic stocking, filled by Allan, and some fabulous gifts under the tree from my friends.  Truly, I am so lucky to have the people in my life that I do.

I would love to share with you all the gifts I received (some fabulous high heels, 2 amazing scarves, a gorgeous burgundy coat from Lululemon) but really wanted to show you my new makeup.  Sigh, they are so gorgeous.

First up is the Stila A Whole Lot of Love Gift Set.  How cute is this right?  It folds up into a letter with a magnetic rubberized stamp as the closure.

The set contains 4 blushes, a mascara and 20 eye shadows.  The shadows are a fantastic selection of matte, pearl and shimmer shades.  Look at all the deep jewel tones!

Secondly, I received the Smashbox Art. Love. Color. Master Class Limited Edition Set.  Look at the package! It's like a little binder actually.  Inside are cards explaining how to create different eye/face looks.

 
The set contains 32 eye shadows, 6 blushes and 2 highlighters.  I can't wait to dig in to this one!

This next palette I was following ever since it came out about a month before Christmas.  First off, it was only about $19 CAD and had such a great selection of colors making it a steal.  I was so happy to see this in my stocking.

The set contains 1 blush, 2 highlighters and 6 shadows.  The top three are matte shades and the bottom three are shimmer.  I am taking this with me to Mexico next week and can't wait to use it.

Finally, I received the Tarte Rainforest After Dark Palette which I'd been dropping hints about for months.  The palette itself is wooden and reminds me so much of my overseas travels that I knew I had to have it.

Inside, the palette contains 6 shadows, 1 blush, 1 highlighter and 1 bronzer.  It's the perfect travel palette.

What goodies did you receive?  Do any of you have these palettes?

    

Christmas 2015 - Sephora Beautiful Crush Blockbuster

I've been told, countless times, now that I have a beautiful little baby, Christmas will no longer be about gifts for me or Allan.  And it's true - there is nothing quite like watching a child during Christmas.  Their excitement is completely infectious and it reminds you of how amazing Christmas can truly be.

However, the people that said that to me OBVIOUSLY didn't see the new Sephora Beautiful Crush Blockbuster for 2015.

Sigh, it's so beautiful.  72 eye shadows, 32 lip glosses, 18 eyeliners and 6 blushes.  PLUS, the packaging this year is the best.  Everything is placed in a nice slim palette complete with little hearts and lips to keep you coming back to try more colors.

I'm absolutely in love.

It's available in Canada in October BUT if you're a VIB/Rouge member, you can purchase through the US site, which I just did this morning.

Merry early Christmas to me!!

    

Clinique's 2011 Holiday Blockbuster: A Season's Worth of Pretty

I know I've told you this before but my mom is a Clinique rep.  Typically if I want to order anything Clinique-related, she's my hook-up.  However, this time around, I actually purchased a very special Clinique piece all on my lonesome (and just like a big girl!!).

A Season's Worth of Pretty is Clinique's Limited Edition Holiday Palette.  As soon as I saw it, I knew it HAD to be mine so I quickly ordered it from Macy's, along with a new mascara, and secretly shipped it to my mailbox in the states.  (I say secretly because every one knows that you shouldn't be buying anything for yourself around Christmas time AND also because Allan would kill me if he knew I bought another palette.)  All of those things aside, I am so happy with my purchase!

Left-hand side of palette - Lips

Middle portion of palette - Eyes

Right-hand side of palette - Cheeks

The palette is divided into three parts: Lips (left-hand side), Eyes (middle) and Cheeks (right-hand side.)  The lip collection has 5 colors: Crushed Grape, Pink Goddess, Parisian Red, Adore U and Ambrosia.  The eye collection has 5 colors as well: Like Mink Duo, Polar Blue Quad, Pink Chocolate Quad, Pure Cocoa and Plum Potion Duo.  The last portion (cheeks) has three colors: Pink Love (one of my favorite colors!!), Precious Posy and Sunset Glow.

Despite not needing another palette (for probably the next three years) I am so excited about this purchase.  The palette is clean looking, filled with gorgeous colors that I'll actually use and is extremely inexpensive.  Can you believe this was only $32.50 USD (with any other purchase of a Clinique product)???

Check this palette out ladies before they disappear.  Oh, one more thing, have you checked out my easy entry facebook giveaway yet?  If not, enter HERE!

The Revlon Suede Rhapsody Multi-Use Palette Is Mine....!!!

Photo courtesy of www.saleevent.ca

As you all know, I recently purchased the Revlon Limited Edition Lip Palette and blogged about it HERE.  In that post, though, I spoke about last year's palette called the Suede Rhapsody Multi-Use Palette and, after an active eBay search, found a new one and purchased it for only $7.95 (including shipping.)  I know, AMAZING.  And, guess what showed up at my doorstep on Friday????

How gorgeous is this right?  What's better than a tiny clutch-sized eye/cheek/lip palette?  This little palette has two eye shadows (the burgundy and grey in the bottom row), two blushes (the white highlighter and peach in the top row) and a gorgeous red lip gloss.  I was kicking myself last year for not buying this palette so the fact that I actually found an unused one is just amazing.  Sigh, such a good deal.

Now, for a little sneak peek into Christmas at my house.  I should begin by saying that Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year and if it wasn't frowned upon, I would begin decorating at the end of September.  But, since it IS frowned upon, I waited until the middle of November, instead.  So, this past weekend I put up my Christmas tree.  (Since Thanksgiving in Canada is in October, I guess we get into the Christmas spirit a bit earlier.)  Anyway, my Christmas tree is filled with tons of different snowmen because snowmen are my absolute favorite thing to collect over the holidays.

Isn't it adorable...

PS - Sorry for the strangely yellow pictures.  Allan used the camera for some bike pictures over the weekend and I have NO idea how to change the settings......boooo.

Want It? Revlon's Limited Edition Lip Palette in Bordeaux in the Snow

Attempting to find the Revlon Limited Edition Lip Palette was about as difficult as my shopping excursions to Superstore for the Joe Fresh Fuchsia Lipstick.  However, back in September the lipstick was mine and as of this past Friday, and because of a friendly neighborhood Shoppers Drug Mart that's directly below my office building, the limited edition palette is also mine.  Yippee....

Revlon first came out with a limited edition palette back in 2010 with the Suede Rhapsody collection.  I'll be honest, I didn't pick up the original multi-use palette and have been kicking myself ever since.  However, since I need eye shadow like I need a hole in the head, I'm quite happy I waited for this little treasure. 

All the colors are absolutely stunning and definitely fit the color scheme for fall 2011.  My absolute favorite color is the fuchsia in the top corner, of course, but the deep plum tone at the bottom is completely smashing. Check out some of my swatches:

From left to right, Fuchsia, Nude and Deep Plum (excluded are the two light colors.

I picked this up for about $13 and it has been in my purse ever since.  I'm extremely happy with my purchase.  Next time you're stumbling through a Shoppers, you should definitely pick one up.

PS - On a different note, HAPPY HALLOWEEN my friends.  Did you get up to anything interesting over the weekend?  Allan and I did a walking murder/ghost tour last night around Vancouver and it was so much fun.  Best part of it was that it didn't rain!!!  HA.  Hope you all have a great day and eat lots of candy!

XO Christina

Last Chance: My Palette Giveway

So, in three days my phenomenal palette giveaway will be coming to a close.  If you haven't done so already ENTER your name for your chance to win a collection of four different palettes from Sephora, Mark by Avon, ELF Cosmetics and Marcelle.

Good luck ladies!

XO

My Recent Avon/Mark Haul

I came to a realization today. This epiphany occurred as I was sifting through my recent Avon/Mark purchase, deciding which products to use on my face, and envisioned writing an Avon haul post. Yes, my very first one!!! I enjoy reading all your haul posts so much and thought I'd join the bandwagon and write one myself.....ha. As most of you know already, I'm a huge Mark fan. Mark (Avon's trendy sister) has fantastic colors, great prices, and is always coming up with something new and different. (As you'll definitely see from my recent order.) This time around I got Mark Get a Tint (tinted moisturizer), Mark Glossblossom (color changing lipgloss), Mark Cheekblossom (color changing blush), Mark It Kit (eye/lip/cheek palette), Avon Tri-Shadow in OnyxLuster, Avon Tri-Lip Gloss in Onyx Luster and Avon's Super Magnify Mascara. Avon Tri-Shadow and Tri-Lip Gloss - I fell in love with both Onyx Luster products as soon as I saw them. Though the colors look quite a bit darker in the lip gloss, the colors in both products are actually the exact same tones. Both have a deep purple, a dark silvery grey and a pale pink. These two products were the reason I placed the order in the first place. Mark Glossblossom and Mark Cheekblossom are the only color changing beauty products that cost under $10 CAN. Seriously, can you believe that? Can't wait to write a review on these two... Mark Get a Tint - Summer is the perfect time for wearing tinted moisturizer so I thought I'd beat the rush and purchase mine early. This one is great because it matches my skin (YAY) and has an SPF of 15. Perfect for those days when you're running around, not wanting to wear anything heavy and still needing some sun protection. (By the way, the moisturizer blends in smooth and feels nice and light!) Mark It Kit - Here I am, saving the best for last. As per Mark's website, this palette is described as containing "Spring's hottest, straight-off-the-runway shades". It has three eye shadows and a bronzer on the first side (L to R: White Hot, Violet Femme, Vampette and Bronzini). While the flip-side of the palette (yes, I said flip-side and you'll see what I mean in a second) has three color creams (L to R: Mauving On, Goldirocks, Cocoa Rush) and three lip glosses (L to R: Retro, Lotus Pop, Pretty Delish). The color creams are great because you can wear them on your lips, eyes, or even as a nice cheek color. Here's the kicker. Once opened, you access both sides of the palette by flipping the inner compact over with your finger. In all my shopping, I've never seen a palette this unique and I absolutely love it! Reviews will, of course, be following but just wanted to give you a quick little taste. What do you think? Have you used any of these items before? XO

Spring 2011: Milly for Clinique Pretty in Pinks Collection

It's come to my attention that I haven't given enough praise to the product line, Clinique. Yes, it's true that I don't use much of their skin care products anymore (except All About Eyes...amazing) and it's also true that I don't use many of their cosmetics either despite that my mom is a Clinique rep. (Ironic, I know.) But, the fact is, it's been eons since I was blown away by one of their beauty products. That is, until about a month ago. While searching online one evening, I discovered the cutest, most versatile palette I've seen in quite some time. And, get this, the brand was Clinique. This palette is filled with beautiful pinks and browns for the "woman on-the-go looking to update her look for spring". These words quoted from Michelle Smith, who's the designer for Milly, teamed up with Clinique to create a collection that's easy to wear and filled with the essential combinations for spring. And that's exactly how I'd describe the collection: simple, natural, and sexy. Needless to say, I wanted both the Pretty in Prints Compact AND the Milly Pink Gloss. So, I did what any girl with connections would do, I asked my mom for them. And she, like any amazing mom would do, bought them for me as an early birthday gift. The color is the lip gloss is fabulous. I quite like all the Long Last Glosswear colors normally but this one is exceptionally pretty because of the color. Look at how pink it is? The palette comes in a cute, brightly decorated pouch and accompanied by a laminated instruction manual. (Just in case you didn't know where the colors were supposed to go...ha) The palette itself has four eyeshadows ( in Printed Pinks) and one beautiful rosy blush (in Precious Posy). I like this palette because it contains all the colors you need for daytime touch-ups and evenings out, in a slim purse-sized compact. I can not wait to try these colors out later. Thanks Mom!! XO