My Merry Christmas Haul!

I never realized when I got married, that Christmas would be such a wild time for me.

Every other year, we alternate families to dine with on Christmas Day.  This year, Dinner is going to be at his Aunt's house.  Because we all have in-laws that also need to be visited, we usually open our gifts on Christmas Eve or Boxing Day.

Here's a sneak peek at what I received for Christmas this year!

Clinique Great Skin Home and Away kit for skin types 1 and 2.

This kit came with a full-size and travel-size bottle of Liquid Facial Soap Mild, a full-size and travel-size bottle of Clarifying Lotion 2, a full-size and travel-size bottle of Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion +.  It all came in a cute little makeup bag.

 

 

I also received the Conair You Reel Tourmaline Ceramic 2-N-1 Styler.  I got it because it was pink (I won't lie), and because it came with a diffuser and a concentrator - I'm assuming this is where the 2-N-1 Styler part comes in. I liked it because it had a reel-in cord for easy storage.  I'm disappointed that there is no loop to hang the blow dryer from.  I hang my styling tools beside my stand-up mirror and with this one, I cannot. Oh! And it's super loud!  All three of my animals went running when I turned it on.

 

My Mother-In-Law bought me this fantastic Laptop Manicure Salon.  Essentially, it's a bean bag with a tabletop, to do your nails.  Handy to use when watching TV and wanting to paint your nails.

This is what the Laptop Manicure Pillow looks like.  I filled it up with random nail items I have used over the holidays.

My Mother-In-Law also purchased these makeup items for me.  On the far left, ALMAY intense i-color in bold nudes for hazel eyes.  Next, the Maybelline New York The Falsies BIG EYES Volum' Express in brownish black.  This is a dual brush mascara.  A regular mascara brush for your upper lashes and a smaller brush for your lower lashes.  Then, we have two lipsticks from Rimmel Lasting Finish.  The first lipstick pictured, is in the colour 264 Coffee Shimmer.  On the far right, is the colour 006 Pink Blush.  I think I will really enjoy these items.  Thanks MOL!

 I tried for about 2 weeks, to purchase the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette, but every time I visited the Sephora website, it was out of stock.

So, I talked to a very dear friend of mine, who purchased this palette at her local Sephora store, then shipped it to me (I'm about 5.5 hours from her).  It arrived just in time for my birthday!

These colours are so easy to work with.  I have trouble using my Naked palette because I find the shadows are difficult to work with.  Not these...

This is by far my favourite of the three Naked Palettes.  I may have to purchase a backup of this one!

Next, is the Eye Studio Sampler from Shoppers Drug Mart.  It comes with 7 mini-sized tubes of Mascara, plus a bottle of Bourgeois Eye Makeup Remover - Ideal for Waterproof Makeup.  Apparently. this stuff removes your eye makeup in one sweep.  This sampler kit also comes with a gift certificate to purchase a full-size tube of whichever Mascara you prefer.

From top to bottom: Clarins Wonder Perfect Mascara, Shiseido Perfect Mascara Full Definition, Benefit BADgal Lash Mascara, Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Lash Enhancing Mascara, Smashbox Photo Op Eye Brightening Mascara, Lacome Hypnose Drama.  On the right hand side is the bottle of Bourgeois Express Eye Makeup Remover.

There will be Tried and True Reviews done for this Sampler Kit.  I've only tried the Benefit BADgal Lash so far...

My husband bought this bottle of Pink Sugar for me when we were in Toronto a couple months ago.  I wrapped it up as soon as we got home - to assure myself that I wouldn't open it before Christmas!  You can certainly appreciate how upset I was when this particular gift went missing Christmas Eve.  The bag carrying all of our gifts ripped when we were loading the car, and therefore all I could picture was this gift sitting in the driveway, waiting to be rescued by the next person walking by the house.  Needless to say, I was wrong, it was on the living room floor.  This fragrance smells great!

 
My Mother-In-Law also gave me a gift card for Walmart.  She knows I love shopping there.  I bought these beauties - plus two pairs of jeans and a really nice top. Thanks again MOL!
 

 
This is CoverGirl's Ultimate Finish Liquid Make-up in 410 Classic Ivory.  I haven't used this since high school.  Love the face I'm pulling, hahaha.
 

 
Next, is Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow & Liner in Nude.  I was going to buy this at Target with another gift card, but I'm glad I didn't...it was less expensive at Walmart - by half the price of Target! 
 

 
I had a hard time using these.  The colour didn't look even on my lids, it was hard to apply.  I may have better luck using them wet.  I will have a review later.
 

 
I also picked up the Hard Candy Top Ten Eyeshadow Collection in Naturally Gorgeous.
 

 
These colours are well pigmented.  I'm excited to play a little more with these shadows.  I do have another one of these palettes in Feelin' Blue.
 

 
These were on sale by 50% so, essentially I got one for free.  They are Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter.  My mom also purchased one in the colour Sweet Tart.
 

 
The Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter on the left is the shade 047 Pink Lemonade.  It's a lot lighter in person.  It's a beautiful pink neutral shade.  The one of the right is in 063 Wild Watermelon.  This is the most gorgeous vivid shade of red that is a little darker than Cherry Red.  It's absolutely beautiful!

 
I received a gift card for Target from my husband.  I purchased a few different brands as well as things I wouldn't normally buy myself.
 

 

I purchased Neutrogena All-in-One Make-up Removing Cleansing Wipes from the travel section at Target.  I like visiting this section every once in a while, you can find things that are sample size and try them out before purchasing the full-size version.  These are great at removing makeup.

 

 
Next, is the Maybelline New York Fit Me! Blush in Medium Pink.  It's a beautiful dusty warm pink shade.
 

 
This is my first Sonia Kashuk product.  There were a few other things that piqued my interest.  This is Sonia Kashuk's eye palette in Perfectly Neutral - 10. 
 

 
I did a few swatches with no primer and I have to say I'm extremely impressed.  I'm going to have to play with these a little more.  Sounds like an all-nighter to me.
 

 
I noticed a few NYX products at Target.  The first I picked up is the Retractable Eye Liner in 03 Aqua Green. 
 

 
This is a beautiful Turquoise shade.  And once it sets - about a minute - it stays put!
 

 
This is NYX Retractable Eye Liner in 02 Black.
 

 
I'm wearing the black on my waterline and tightline and it hasn't moved. This may become a new favourite.
 

 
I grabbed this as soon as I saw it on display.  NYX Eye Shadow Base is one of my favourite primers.  It makes bright colours POP!  It barely creases - unless you've had your makeup on for like 8 hours.
 

 
This comes in white and skin colour.  I purchased the white because it works better with bright colours than the skin colour one does.
 

 
And of course, I had to purchase this Fuzzy Coat nail polish in 300 Peach Fuzz by Sally Hansen.  This makes your nails look like a fuzzy sweater.  I'm painting my nails purple with this fuzzy coat over it for my New Year's Eve look.
 

 
And last but not least, I received a few products from The Body Shop.  These were given to me by my husband's Aunt.  We spent Christmas Dinner with her and family.
 

 
First off, I received the Honeymania Body Butter.  This smells like honey and wildflowers.  It's a lovely scent. 
 

 

I also received the Pink Grapefruit Body Butter.  This smells so much like grapefruit to me.  It smells real.  Grapefruit are one of my favourite fruits.
 

 
Then, I received the Honeymania Cream Body Scrub.  This smells just like the lotion - honey and wildflowers.  I am going to be taking this into my next shower.
 

 
This is a classic favourite of mine, I've been showering with this since high school.  The Body Shop is known for its Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel.  This has the perfect pick-me-up scent - it wakes me up and smells wonderful.

So this is it for my Christmas Haul!  I apologize for the lengthy post, but I wanted to show you all my goodies and give you a glimpse of what's to come. Also, a big thank you to my family for getting me such awesome gifts, it was overwhelming and real nice of you all.

Thanks for visiting, subscribing and keep visitng often.  Lots of love.

- Channie

Birthday Gift: Remington Pearl Curling Wand

Today, I wanted to show off what my husband bought me for my birthday.  I'm extremely excited...

 



It's the Remington Pearl Ceramic Collection Curling Wand.  I have been eyeing this for a while and when my husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday this year, I told him this.
 

This is a quick look at the curling wand and the glove Remington provides you.  Also, you receive this cute carrying case.

I haven't tried the curling wand yet, but will have a review up for you shortly.

Thanks for stopping by, lots of love.

- Channie

Collection: Bath and Body Works PocketBac Sanitzing Hand Gel

Today, I have a collection of Bath and Body Works Anti-Bacterial PocketBac Sanitizing Hand Gels to show you.  I love these Hand Sanitizers because they have such wonderful smells and they make my hands feel wonderful and moisturized.

 

These are a few that I have recently purchased.  Most are from the Fall/Winter Collection.

The red and green PocketBacs are from the Winter Collection from a few years ago, I believe these are no longer available (I am wrong, please see below).

 This PocketBac is in the scent 'Christmas Cookie'.  It is a red gel and smells like vanilla and sugar cookies.  The smell is nice but I probably wouldn't re-purchase this one. (If anyone knows how I can flip my photos, please tell me how).

 
 This PocketBac is called Autumn Day.  This is one of my favourite PocketBacs and I will definitely re-purchase this one.  It's a yellowish gel and it smells like leaves, apples and caramel.  It's so nice.

This PocketBac is called Ocean Citrus. It's a light blue gel and it smells like grapefruits and sandy beaches.  It is a unique smelling PocketBac.  It reminds me of summer.

 
This PocketBac is from this year's Winter Collection.  It is more of an off-white gel called Vanilla Snow Flake.  To me it smells like vanilla and peppermint with a hint of cold.  I don't know if that makes sense, but you know that crisp smell you get when you come in from very cold temperatures?  No? Well, then...

Another photo I can't figure out how to flip.  This PocketBac is called Wildberry Kisses.  It's a purple gel that smells like wild berries with a hint of vanilla.  Yum yum!

 
 These were purchased from the website 2 years ago.  This particular PocketBac is available in the Holiday Traditions Bundle, which has 4 other wintery smells.  This Warm Candy Apple PocketBac is my absolute all-time favourite scent.  It smells like candy apples and Christmas wreaths, and of course, it's a red gel.  And it lasts forever on your hands, even after you wash them!

 
This is the other PocketBac that is available in the Holiday Traditions PocketBac Bundle.  The first time I smelled this - three years ago - I was blown away.  It's caramel marshmallow vanilla goodness. This particular PocketBac is a green gel.  I had also purchased the body wash, body mist, and lotion x 3.

Last but not least, my final PocketBac is in the scent Nectarine Mint.  It is a peach-coloured gel and to me it smells more like a cantaloupe than a nectarine.  It smells delicious!
 
I also purchased a PocketBac in the scent Nutcracker Sweet but I didn't particularly enjoy this scent.  It's a green gel that reminds me of roasting nuts in a crapload of butter!  It's not a bad smell, but it's overpowering.  My husband really likes this one.  He even takes it to work with him.
 
Hope you enjoyed this collection of PocketBac hand gel sanitizers.  I really enjoy these, they smell wonderful.  I would recommend to anyone who loves having great smelling hands.  My nurse even uses these PocketBac Hand Sanitzers - they are that good!

Thanks for visiting and lots of love!

- Channie