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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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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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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