BENEFIT: DOLLY DARLING

Dolly Darling is a limited-edition makeup gift set released by Benefit for the holiday season! This set comes wrapped & ready to give in a collectible doll-head tin. Gift sets are the perfect gift to give or receive during the holiday season and usually come at a really good deal. I was gifted this Benefit set earlier in the month and these products quickly became apart of my everyday makeup routine. And so, I thought I would share my thoughts on the products included below! 

DECEMBER IPSY

I have been subscribing to ipsy since September 2016, after hearing really great things about it. I used to subscribe to Glossybox, but found it became too much of a financial commitment. There are definitely a few comparisons that can be made with regards to these beauty subscriptions. A few things I liked about Glossybox were the sample sizes were bigger and the products varied more so compared to ipsy. This being said, since subscribing I have noticed that the products have got increasingly better with ipsy. More mid-range product samples have been included in recent months. Overall, I am pretty happy with my subscription and it is at a price point that I feel comfortable with.

I thought this month in celebration of #blogmas and in the spirit of posting as much as possible, I would share with you all what I received in my December glam bag! Enjoy xxo!

CHRISTMAS BEAUTY WISHLIST

With Christmas right around the corner, I thought I would share some of my beauty wishlist products. Most of these I have been wanting to try for awhile, but have yet to commit. I really like to take my time researching and watching Youtube tutorials before I purchase products that are a bit more expensive. One too many times have I spent a lot of money on a product that just wasn't good. After browsing the internet, I've narrowed it down to six products that I am really curious to try this season!

WINTER SKINCARE SAVIOURS

As soon as that first bit of snow hits the ground, my skin instantly gets dry and my lips chapped... It is not a pretty sight. Which typically means that I have to up the ante on my winter skincare products. I begin to rely more on heavy moisturizers and revert to the basics; old fashions, trusted, unscented basics. Don't get me wrong I love those fancy and beautifully scented lotions, but they just don't cut it in the winter months.

For a lot of years, I didn't take too much interest in my skin. But as I have gotten older, I have noticed my skin being effected more and more by the elements. So I have definitely upped by skincare game within the last couple of years. To the point where I think I have finally mastered this routine during the winter months. And who are we kidding, I live in Canada... We are longer in winter than any other season. So I thought I would share my winter skincare saviours with you all today.

LUSETA BEAUTY

By this point most of you know the journey I have been on over the last year to repair my hair to its former glory. During the process I have spent a lot of money on high end and lower end products for my hair. It got to a point where I was sick of spending so much money for little reward. I just wasn't seeing the results that I was hoping for.

A couple of months ago, I received a sample of the LUSETA Argan Oil Hair Masque. This hair masque is a treatment for damaged, weak and colour-treated hair. My hair certainly fits that profile, so I thought I would give it a try. This masque is to be used after shampooing and is to be left on for about five minutes. As directed, it says to use this masque once a week for intensive repair and moisture infusion. Since trying this product, it has quickly become a part of my Sunday night routine in preparing for the week ahead.

NO7 DUO

I've never been one to stick to the same face regime. My face is normal/combination and I've never really struggled with acne or dryness. So there are a lot of different options out there for me and I really enjoy trying new products. No7 is a face product line developed by Boots, a leading UK pharmacy, health and beauty retailer. More recently, I have noticed these products being sold in Shoppers Drug Mart's in Canada. I've been curious to try out their products for awhile, so I thought I finally would. So far, I have been really impressed by quality of the products I have tried. With the weather getting colder, I've been using the Beautiful Skin Day Cream for dry/very dry skin and the Beautiful Skin Foaming Cleanser for normal/dry skin.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Christmas is my absolute favourite time of the year. Twinkling lights, holiday cheer and the smell of falling snow. Yes the smell of falling snow, Lorelai Gilmore is not the only one who thinks fresh falling snow has it's own special scent. My family is all about tradition and without tradition Christmas is just not the same. Even at 24, there is nothing more precious to me than huddling together with my siblings and listening to my Dad read The Night Before Christmas. In the spirit of Christmas and well, #blogmas. I wanted to share some of my favourite things around this time of year.

TOP 3: PORE MINIMIZING

I have pretty large pores and my makeup just doesn't look the same without using a pore minimizing product. I have tried every cream, gel, exfoliate and strip to try and minimize the size of my pores but none have worked. So I have learned to rely on really good pore minimizing makeup products. I've tried a lot of these types of products and have finally narrowed it down to my personal favourites.