The pre-Holiday Party Skin Prep

The holiday season is upon us and that means tons of parties, nights out, and get togethers. This means many occasions for you to look your absolute best.  Any look begins with a quality skincare routine that will make you look radiant, glowing and as healthy as can be.

Here are the products I will reach for if I am preparing for a special event.

Nuxe Miscellar Foam Cleanser with Rose Petals 
I wonderfully gentle cleanser that won't strip the skin and smells deliciously of roses. A prefect way to start the preparation for a special event.

Ole Henriksen Walnut Complexion Scrub
The best way to make makeup look its best on the skin is by using a scrub and making sure the face is smooth and even. This stuff smells so delicious. A sweet scent that makes you want to just eat it all up. It's a nice scrub that froths up with water.

Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster
During the colder months, my skin drinks up any skincare product that contains vitamin C. This serum is amazing. It smells very yummy and sinks into the skin rapidly.

Ole Henriksen Truth Revealed Super Crème SPF 15
A good moisturizer is essential and I've been loving this one, again by Ole Henriksen, that also contains some vitamin C.

Biotherm Aquasource Fragile Eye Contour
Perfect for sensitive eyes, this won't burn or sting if it gets too close to the eyeball. Love it under my makeup and during the day as a light, yet effective eye cream.

There you have it, the products I reach for when I want to make my skin look and feel its best for a special occasion.

xx

Manicure 101: Nail Care Tips and Tricks

Having pretty nails is important to most women. It is definitely important to me, but let's be honest, it doesn't always happen. My nails are very thin and prone to breaking. Plus nail polish does not stay on my nails very long at all, I'm lucky if I can get polish to stay on for more than a couple days. I use my hands a  lot I suppose and my nails just don't hold polish very well.

Although my nails are difficult, there are certain steps and products that have helped improve the overall lasting power of a manicure and I'm going to share these with you now :)

Gerard Cosmetics Lipglosses and Lipsticks Review

Gerard Cosmetics is a brand that has become very popular, very quickly amend the beauty gurus on Youtube. Their lip products, among many others, have fast become cult favourites. I decided to try a few of the products out seeing as there have been really great promotion codes floating around and it seemed like the perfect time to test some new lippies.

The one product I really wanted to try was the '1995' lipstick created by Youtuber Jaclyn Hill. I also picked up one other lipstick and two lip glosses.

Ipsy December 2014: Thinking of you

Here we go, the last month of the year, the last Ipsy bag. I really enjoy receiving my pink envelop every month and discovering what goodies are hidden inside. It's a fun way to try new products and treat yourself to a little something each month without breaking the bank (only $16 in Canada).

This month was quite a good one. The contents are for the most part really good and I'm excited to really try them all out.

Here is what my December Ipsy bag contained ...

Exchange Student Survival Guide no4: Starting to Plan the Trip

Now that you have applied and hopefully gotten accepted to the program, it's time to start planning the journey there.

If you did some research on bursaries and scholarships before this point you will have information about possible financial help during your exchange semester.  This will help you decide how to go about the following steps.

Naturebox November 2014

I received my second Naturebox a couple weeks ago and have been happily snacking on the contents ever since. I really like the concept of this box and I find it quite affordable, and could also make a wonderful holiday present for someone, because subscriptions can last from only 1 month up to an entire year.

The snacks are healthy, different and delicious, a triple threat ;)

Here is what was in my box this past month...

Sephora VIB Sale Haul

About three weeks ago Sephora had its annual 20% off sale. This event is always very awaited and extremely popular among beauty bloggers and YouTubers. It's the only time high end makeup, hair and skincare products come on sale and can be acquired at a lower cost. It is most definitely worth it to splurge a little during this even because some items you may have been lusting over for the past year are now a little bit more attainable and therefore that much more tempting. Also, this event, being in November, comes at the perfect time to purchase holiday gifts for others, not just yourself ;) So it's even easier to justify spending heaps of money on beauty products because they aren't all for you.

I had been creating my virtual basket on Sephora.com for many weeks now. There were a few products I wanted to try and others I had my eye on for gifts for friends and family. The sale was on in stores and online, but I prefer purchasing stuff online because I can use Ebates (a website that gives you cash back for shopping online), get free samples and special deals. Unfortunately, due to the fact that it was insanely popular, my order only arrived about 14 days after the order was placed. That is why this post is only going up now.

Here is a look at (some) of the items I purchased ...