The Hit List 2015 | Skincare Favourites

Another year is quickly coming to a close and that means it's time to kick off my Hit List series for 2015 - rounding up all of the standout products of the year, starting out with my must have skincare items. This category has grown quite a bit from last year so let's get cracking!

Face

New Appearances:

Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Mask | This mask may seem pretty boring, but it does incredible things for my skin. It was a lifesaver during our harsh winter last year and I kept loving it through the rest of the year for instantly making my face feel soft, smooth and hydrated.

Mario Bedescu Buffering Lotion | I've loved the Drying Cream for quite some time, but the Buffering Lotion was new to me this summer. I love that it's light and invisible and seems to do well with cystic acne which I was struggling more with in late summer/fall. It makes a difference without over drying, and I could wear it during the daytime under makeup which nudges it slightly over the Drying Cream. 

FAB Eye Duty Triple Remedy | This took the top spot for day eye cream this year without question. I don't have particularly puffy eyes so I can't vouch for that aspect, but it is definitely very hydrating and the peachy tone is amazing for helping conceal darkness before concealer. To see it in action you can check out my "No Makeup" Makeup look for how I use it even on lazy days!

RapidLash | My natural lashes have never looked better than in the past year when I started using this growth serum. Since I have hooded eyes, the longer and more full my lashes look, the better my makeup looks in general. I'm not one to fuss too often with false lashes so having great natural lashes has done wonders to improve my confidence with minimal makeup. I can see why people splash out for eyelash extensions! 

Repeat Winners:

Philosophy Purity Cleanser  | Garnier Gel Cream | Marcelle Micellar Solution | Clarins Radiance Plus Glow Booster

These products all kept their top spots from last year and are staples in my daily routine. I'm sure you've heard me go on about them many times but if you want more information, you can read all about them in last years skincare Hit List.

Body

This year there is a whole crop of new product winners in the body category!

Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer | I've mentioned a few times that I can be super lazy when it comes to moisturizing but it's an essential step for my skincare routine. The spray format and quick dry of this lotion have made it easily my most used of the year. Even though it is quick to absorb it still leaves the skin feeling comfortable and soft, and doesn't irritate my sensitive legs.

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil | This is shower oil is my #1 favourite body product discovery of the year. The feel of this cleanser is unlike anything I've ever tried and leaves my skin feeling heavenly. It is pricey but I've had this bottle since the summer and it's still going strong, which is 100% worth the price to me!

Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub | Exfoliation is a big part of my shower routine, and you just can't beat when you get the best of both worlds in performance and price. The Tree Hut scrubs are just the right amount of grit without being too harsh, rinse clean without any sort of residue, and all smell incredible for just over $5.

What were your skincare standouts for the year?

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Traditions & A Very Merry Christmas

It's Christmas Eve, can you believe it? If you saw my Tweet last night you know it sure doesn't feel like it around here, but after reading Carly's answers to this festive tag thought it would be a fun way to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

What is your favourite Christmas tradition? | My best friend and I have made gingerbread houses at her Mum's every year since we were about 5 years old (even when she lived overseas we had gingerbread skype dates), and it's something I look forward to every year!

Can you tell how excited I am?

Where do you spend Christmas? | Christmas Eve will be with Tyler's family, but Christmas Day typically it alternates every year between my Mum's side of the family and my Dad's if they're not down South.

What is your favourite Christmas song? | O Holy Night is my favourite hymn, hearing it at Christmas Eve services always makes me tear up a little!

Do you decorate before or after Thanksgiving? | Well seeing as Canadian Thanksgiving is before Halloween, definitely after. We actually didn't put up the tree until two weeks ago so even after American Thanksgiving!

Tinsel or garland? | Garland, mostly because tinsel is so time consuming and messy!

Who are you most excited to see this Christmas season? | I love that it's a time of year that I get to see almost everyone!

Do you own an ugly Christmas sweater? | I bought a sweater thinking it was Christmas related, but really it's just an ugly sweater that happens to be red... but I do have a very festive Christmas vest that my aunt made me when I was maybe 6.

It's just a little cropped now..

What is one Christmas food you cannot live without? | My grandma's gingersnap cookies - they're amazing!

Peppermint or gingerbread? | Definitely Gingerbread, I'm not a huge mint fan.

Have you ever tried fruit cake? | Yes, and the only part I like is the marzipan on top!

What is one thing you asked for this Christmas? | Money towards a new lens purchase.

If you could be any Christmas movie character, who would you be? | Cindy Lou Who! She's cute and sweet and still a hero.

Merry Christmas everyone, I wish you all the peace and blessings of the season!


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Trash Talk | December Empties

Can you guys believe that it is the week of Christmas already? I feel like just yesterday it was Halloween, but soon we'll be talking 2015 favourites! I've been powering through the ends of tons of products lately so it felt like time to clean out the trash and see what worked and what didn't. Look for even more empties come the new year!

Once again I feel like I need to apologize for things being pretty quiet around here lately. Extra exciting stuff at work has made for some extra long days and weekends are full of house hunting (!!) and holiday festivities. December has seriously just flown by! I'm looking forward to the next two weeks to have a little bit of time to get myself back on track. Nothing like a new year to jump start the organization process right? Thank you all again for bearing with me during the rough patch that has been this fall. I seriously appreciate every one of you that keeps coming back to read! Now let's get back to the products shall we:

RapidLash Serum | I bought this product when I was on vacation last year, and at first it was difficult to remember to apply at night so I was using it sporadically and wasn't seeing crazy results. In the last maybe 6 months I've finally gotten the hang of including it in my routine and I noticed a huge difference in the length of my eyelashes! I'm already using my second tube of this and thought to take some before photos this time so keep an eye out for a full before/after review!

Recommendation? If you looking for a growth serum to try, I highly recommend this one. Just make sure you are applying regularly to see best results. I believe Costco sells a double pack for the same price as one tube at any other store so be on the lookout!

Aveeno Positively Radiant Toner | This was a product I loved using back before I discovered Micellar waters for that last bit of cleansing before adding your mosturizer. It was gentle and didn't strip the skin like many other toner/astrigent type products I had tried previously.

Recommendation? I don't use a separate toner now because I feel that a micellar water does double-duty, but if you are a toner fan this one was very nice for sensitive skin!

Maybelline Lash Sensational | When I first tried this mascara I wasn't super impressed, but as the formula dried and thickened a bit it became one of my very favourites from the drugstore. The wand/bristles are the perfect shape/length to really separate, lengthen, and fan out the lashes.

Recommendation? If you're looking for a new drugstore mascara to test out, definitely give this one a try!

Dove Cream-Oil Body Wash | I rediscovered this in my collection last year during the harsh winter, and have been loving it ever since. It is a thick, creamy body wash that leaves the skin feeling clean but not stripped. The Rose Oil scent was also really nice!

Recommendation? They don't sell this particular product any more, but the Winter Care body wash I've heard is very similar. Dove body washes are definitely some of my favourites!

I think by now you all know how much I love and recommend the Marcelle cleansing water, Macadamia hair masque & Batiste dry shampoo, but if you're looking for more information you can click any of the links to read more. I will say that I wish we could find the Fresh sent of Batiste in Canada, because I think it is my new favourite!

Have you been purging your stash of almost-used products in time for the new year? What have you used up recently?

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Under the Mistletoe | A Holiday Smokey Eye

A few weekends ago I picked up an eyeshadow shade that's been on my wish list forever, and after seeing all of the Christmas inspired looks on the Makeup Mix-Up, I was inspired to try something a little out of my typical comfort zone - a dark colourful smokey eye, perfect for a holiday cocktail party or date night out.

EYES | I started with my crease bff UD Naked to give some warmth and give the star of the show MAC Sketch something to help blend it out. Since I have hooded eyes, I blended the colour up higher and combined it with UD Primal to bring the colour above my crease. I lined the upper lashline with Sephora Cup A Joe and the bottom lashline with the NYX Slide On Pencil in Golden Olive, topping it with Wet N Wild Envy to make the colour a little more evergreen. To bring some light back into the look I highlighted the inner corner using MAC Nylon a golden shade that made the perfect "topper" to the look! 

This look would be great with false lashes, but as I was just running errands and going for a casual dinner, I just added some fibre extensions to help give my lashes an extra boost.

Here is what was used on the rest of the face:

FACE | The rest of my makeup includes:

Loreal Infalliable Foundation + Garnier BB Cream for Combo Skin (it feels like I'll never be finished with these two!)

Maybelline Age Rewind Brightener + Garnier Underye Roller

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder
Hourglass Incandescent Light

NYX Brow Mascara

NARS Laguna Bronzer

Tarte Exposed Blush

LIPS | Rimmel Nude Blush (sadly discontinued)

Even though he is usually not a fan of colourful makeup, Tyler loved this look - so that's a big WIN in my books!

What holiday festivities are you attending this year?

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Irresistible Me Extensions Review

If you've been following this blog for a while, you'll know that I'm always on the lookout anything that will help my super fine hair feel thicker and more voluminous. I've always been super curious about extensions, but since they are an investment and many require online ordering, I was hesitant to take the plunge. So when Irresistible Me reached out to me to ask if I would be interested in testing out their Royal Remy extensions, I was thrilled to be able to report back to you on the process and quality.

Blonde hair can be extremely hard to match because of the range of tones there can be from one blonde to the next. When they arrived I was impressed that they came with a tester piece to make sure that the length and the tone of the hair is exactly what you were looking for and expected. I ordered the Platnium Blonde, and while it does have a bit more of a yellow tone than my own hair, once blended in with my own it's barely noticeable. I did tone a few piece using this method to see if it would change the colour, and it did, but only slightly.

I chose the 20 inch set as I was looking for more volume than length, but it does add a little bit to the ends of my hair, which will be really nice for other hair styles. As someone with fine hair, I appreciate that the ends taper a bit as it meant my extensions needed no extra trip to my hair stylist in order to blend flawlessly. I know that it's easier to blend in extensions when curling your hair, but to me the test was to see if they blended in when mine was straight, and I'm thrilled to report that they 100% do!

The 4 clip piece is quite something - it's a double layered weft that I think is thicker than all my hair put together, and so I was worried that it would be uncomfortable and heavy. I'm happy to report that I felt perfectly comfortable for hours while wearing!

The set came with more pieces than I would ever need for my hair at once, but I love that I can keep a couple of the wefts for curls, where I don't need a ton of crazy volume. It also means I can cut down on the heat styling for them since I can have some both curly and straight no matter what style I want to accomplish.

All in all I'm definitely impressed with the quality and blendability of these extensions right out of the box! You can pick up your own here. Now my only problem is figuring out how to store them outside of keeping them in the box they came in - do you have any tips?

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