What I got for Christmas/Boxing Day Haul

Happy New Year Everyone!! I hope that you all had a great Christmas and New Years surrounded by friends and family.

I want to get out of the way at the beginning that this post is by no means me bragging about what I got and purchased for myself. I am simply sharing like so many others in the beauty community have been over the past week. These have been some of my favourite videos to watch lately, so I thought I would share some pictures.

I didn't get many beauty products for Christmas, cause honestly I really don't need anything. But on Boxing Day I picked up quite a few skincare and makeup sets. I normally go to Walmart first thing on Boxing Day because all of their Christmas gift sets go on sale 50% off. I stock up mainly on skincare, and I don't have to buy any for the rest of the year. I will put the price of the sets below the pictures.

Before Christmas, I took a trip to Frankenmuth, Michigan and bought a few things. The first was the Clinique 3 Step bundle above. It cost $11.75 which was the price of the Clarifying Lotion by itself at the CCO. I needed more Clarifying Lotion so this was an easy buy. At Dollarama I picked up the Clean & Clear Body Wash to try out.

At a Lancôme Outlet store I picked up the Glamorous Nudes palette as a gift to myself for getting a new full time job. It was normally on sale for $45, I got it for $22. These are my first high end eye shadows and I'm really excited to try them out. At Ulta I could have gone crazy, but I restrained myself and only picked up a few things I have been wanting to try. The first was the UD De-Slick Spray. I bought the sample bottle for $14. I also picked up a sample trio of UD eyeliners. These were $14ish I believe.

The only makeup product I asked for this Christmas was the Real techniques Core Collection. I have been looking for this collection for so long, but they are always sold out. I'm glad that my mom could find it. These are some of my favourite brushes!

My parents also got me a box of the Kirkland makeup remover wipes from Costco. These are my favourite remover wipes, and this box normally lasts me an entire year.

This 5 piece travel makeup brush set was on sale for $4.50. The brushes are extremely soft, and I am in love with the rose gold handles.

This Venus Embrace Travel Pack came with the handle, two razor cartridges, a small can of shave cream, and the travel container. It was on sale for $9.

I couldn't find any Nivea skincare sets this year so I picked up two of the Olay Fresh Effects Sets. These were seriously the best deal. They were on sale for $12 and came with a full size cleanser, lotion, and makeup remover wipes. They also came with the small cleanser brush, that kinda reminds me of the Clarisonic, as well as, a sample cleanser to use with the brush. I am hoping that this skincare routine does wonders for me.

 I wasn't in the market for a hairdryer, but this Revlon one was only $15. It came with two attachments, a hair brush, a mirror, some hair clips, and a headband. It was a deal I couldn't pass up.

This Revlon set came with a travel sized straightener, three hairbrushes, and an assortment of other hair accessories. It was on sale for $12. Even though I already have a straightener, I picked this up because it will be good for travel.

At Shoppers Drug Mart, the Live Clean travel sized skincare sets were on sale for $5. I only picked up one, but I was tempted to get a lot more. But seeing as I have never used this brand before, I didn't know if I would like it.

 I love Clean & Clear skincare, so buying this set was a no brainer. It was on sale for $9.99.

This Balea set was a total impulse buy. It comes with makeup remover wipes, eye makeup remover, cotton rounds, and a BB cream. This kit was on sale for $11.99.

Essence wasn't on sale, but I couldn't pass up on this Limited Edition Collection. The eye shadows are so shimmery and glittery. I believe the eye shadows were $2.99 and the face powder was $3.99.

Did you get any great deals on Boxing Day? Let me know in the comments below!

Guest Post: DIY Face Mask

Hey ladies! Today's post is going to be a guest post, by Michelle Pino. Michelle is the Manager at Skana Spa in Upstate New York, and she contacted me last week about submitting a post for my blog. At Skana, Michelle and her team are all about easy, natural solutions to skincare. Below you will find Michelle's post, along with a easy face mask recipe.

I tried out the recipe myself, substituting honey for the oil, and I was really impressed. Besides the smell (I learned that I hate tomatoes on my face), this mask left my skin feeling smooth, and looking great. I would definitely try it again in the future.

What are your thoughts on DIY skincare? Leave me a comment with your thoughts below.

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Get Fresh Skin This Canada Day!
Are you looking for a fresh, new skin treatment? Does your skin need a little brightening without using harsh chemicals? Does your skin feel dull and rough? Do you need that energizing summer glow to get your Canada Day holiday started. Make your skin as sparkling as the firework-dotted sky with an all-natural skin mask that is made from ingredients that are good for your body. You can eat everything that goes into this fresh, raw skin mask, and you can make just enough for one face or several. Hold a girl's night at your house, and celebrate the holiday with this natural face mask recipe. Just in time for Canada Day! The below recipe is inspired by the experts of Skana Spa part of New York resort, Turning Stone:

 

Red & White Skin Brightening Face Mask
Ingredients:
10 raspberries, more or less
1/4 of a fresh tomato
1 teaspoon of apricot kernel oil
2 drops of sweet orange essential oil (optional) 

Directions:

• First, put all of the fruit into a blender and pulse the blender for about 10 seconds. You want the fruit to blend smoothly and the chunks to disappear.
  
• Then, pour the mixture into a small bowl. Add the apricot kernel and the sweet orange oil. Stir the mixture together until all the ingredients are mixed.
  
• Place a warm wash cloth on your skin to open your pores. Leave the wash cloth on for about 30 seconds.
  
• Next, put the face mask on your skin and let it set for twenty minutes.

 

• Wash off the mask with cool water, and follow with your favourite moisturizer.

With regular use, you will begin to see your skin brighten naturally. This is an all-natural recipe, so you can feel good about putting healthy ingredients on your skin instead of chemicals. The combination of raspberries and tomatoes give your skin a healthy dose of antioxidants that help to reduce fine lines and inflammation. Raspberries and tomatoes also are super fruits that are high in Vitamin C and boost collagen formation. They protect your cells as well.  In addition, tomatoes have the anti-inflammatory antioxidant lycopene, which reduces skin redness and blotchiness with regular use. Tomatoes also naturally remove dirt and oil from your skin.

What's in my Overnight Bag??

I've seen many different variations of this post but thought while packing my overnight bag that I should do my first "What's in my bag?" post. I slept over at my boyfriends last night so I packed extremely light. Normally I would pack more but seeing as I was just 10 minutes away from home I didn't think I needed that much.

Here is everything that I had in my toiletry bag. When I travel I like to bring sample sizes of almost everything in order to use up my sample stash before they go bad.

Although this toiletry bag works well for small trips, when I go away for more then a couple days it just doesn't do. I found a great train case at Walmart, it's on my Christmas List so hopefully I get it.

• Marcelle Essentials Makeup Remover
• B.Kamins Lip Balm
• Dove Cleartone Deodorant
• Contact Solution
• Contacts & Contact Case
• Glasses

• Mario Badescu Cucumber Cleansing Lotion
• Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser
• Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum
• Estee Lauder Perfectionist Wrinkle Lifting/Firming Serum
• Cotton Rounds
• CyberDerm H2O Hydration Face Cream
• Mario Badescu Strawberry Face Scrub
• Mario Badescu Special Mask for Oily Skin

• La Fresh Waterproof Makeup Remover Wipe
• Biore Pore Strip
• Garnier Body Shea Body Lotion
• Free Your Mane Shampoo & Conditioner

• All over eyeshadow brush
• Definer eyeshadow brush
• Blending crease brush
• Powder brush
• Blush brush
• Foundation brush

•  MAC Concealer (depotted)
• Garnier Anti-Dark Circle Roller w/Concealer
• PUR 4-in-1 Mineral Makeup in Light
• Revlon Colorstay Blush in Roseberry
• Caryl Baker Visage Mineral Eyeshadow in Pillow
• Laura Mercier Eyeshadow in Sandstone
• MAC Painterly Paint Pot
• Essence Quattro Eyeshadow
• Annabelle Kohl Eyeliner in Black
• L'Oreal Linear Intense Liquid Eyeliner
• Annabelle Le BIG Show Mascara

My Skincare Routine

 

I love reading other girls skincare routine posts so I thought that I would do one of my own.

 

Here is a little background on my skin type. I am a Combination/Oily skin girl. My cheek area is kind of dry to normal, but my T-zone gets extremely oily. I can get quite congested in the nose area but I don't get many breakouts. I never really had bad acne but I feel that over the past few years my skin has gotten a lot better.

 

Now I am not picky about skincare. I don't really have many Holy Grail products that I buy all the time and my routine isn't consistent. I buy whatever is on sale and I try to buy new products all the time if I don't see any results.I wash my face every night in the shower and have a routine that follows and then I lightly cleanse and tone in the morning with a different routine.

 

These are the products I have been working with on a daily basis, however, I do substitute other product samples into the routine from time to time, in order to use up my sample stash.

 

Night Time Routine

 

Step 1 - Every other day I use the St. Ives Apricot Scrub to give my skin an extra deep cleansing. Sometimes I go longer between uses but I can always tell when my skin needs some exfoliation. This gentle yet effective scrub is really the best one I have ever used and will continue to use for a long time.

 

Step 2 - My current facial cleanser is the Nivea Natural Beauty Exfoliating Daily Peeling Cleanser. I bought this cleanser at the Dollarama for $2 which is a steal compared to its price at Walmart or Shoppers Drug Mart. It has tiny exfoliating beads that you barely notice when you compare them to the beads in the St. Ives Scrub. It has a fresh scent and froths wonderfully with only a little bit of product. My skin always feels very clean, moisturized, and refreshed after I use this.

 

Step 3 - On the days that I am not using the St. Ives Scrub I use step 2 of the Clinique 3 Step System. This Clarifying Lotion is a liquid exfoliator. I find this can be quite harsh on my skin so I use this sparingly and make sure that I am not putting it too close to my eyes. This is a product that I find has really helped my skin since I started using it years ago. I will probably always use this.

 

Step 4 - Every night I apply Caryl Baker Visage Firming Eye Gel. I'm only 22 years old but I would rather prevent now then try and reverse later in life. I haven't noticed huge results from this eye gel so I will probably buy something different next time that is maybe a bit cheaper then this gel was.

 

Step 5 - Lastly I finish with Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. This has been my go to moisturizer for the last year and a half and I will probably continue to use it. This moisturizer gives enough moisture to my cheeks that are dry but isn't too heavy for my T-zone.

 

 Morning Routine

 

Step 1 - Even though I thoroughly cleansed my face the night before I like to use a makeup remover in the morning to get any last possible speck of makeup off my face before toning and applying new makeup for the day. Right now I am using Marcelle Essentials and I do enjoy this product but I might try something different once this bottle is empty. This is an oil free makeup remover and I recommend it to any other oily skinned girls. This stuff leaves no residue at all.

 

Step 2 - Toner! I used to use the Clean & Clear Astringent but found it extremely harsh and drying. I switched to Nivea Refreshing Toner for Combination skin because it was on sale and I LOVE THIS! It smells amazing and leaves my skin feeling cleansed and refreshed.

 

Step 3 - Like at night I use my eye gel again in the morning. The firming action makes my eyes ready for concealer and I feel that my concealer goes on better when I use my eye gel compared to when I don't.

 

Step 4 - Like every night, every morning, I moisturize with Clinique Dramatically Different Gel. If I am wearing foundation that day I will mix it with this moisturizer to make more of a tinted moisturizer.

 

 

Once a week I use a mask. My current favourite has been the St. Ives Timeless Skin Mineral Clay Firming Mask. This mint green, mint smelling mask feels cool on your face and, when I wash it off my skin feels tight but not in a bad way. My pores seem smaller when I use this mask and I feel like I just had a facial.

 

 

Here are swatches of some of the products. From right to left: St. Ives Apricot Scrub, Nivea Cleanser, St. Ives Firming Mask.

 

 

What are your favourite skincare items? Which ones do you recommend for me to try out next?