MAC Nutcracker Sweet Holiday Collection Sweet Copper Face Compact - Heads Up!

Quick post tonight. I must be living under a rock because I just found out this past weekend that the MAC Nutcracker Sweet Holiday Collection 2016 is out and came out almost  a couple of weeks ago. I must say that I haven't been impressed for at least a couple of years now with MAC's limited edition sets. One, because I'm sick of chasing around online and all over town trying to snap up limited edition products that are sold out the same day they launch. Two, the releases have been just plain boring in my opinion. Nothing has really caught my eye for ages. In comes the MAC Nutcracker Sweet Holiday Collection 2016 and my eye was caught! The colours and packaging are gorgeous!


MAC did a stand out job with the packaging. I poked around and did my online research and at the end of the day what I really wanted was the Sweet Copper Face Compact that includes the cult favourite Whisper of Gilt Extra Dimension Skinfinish (it eluded me the last time it was released) and Pleasure Model Extra Dimension Blush. This face compact is sold out on MAC's website and in most stores. I got lucky today and found one at The Bay in downtown Toronto. They had a few left! The MAC rep told me that they accidentally got a double shipment of these but hardly any of the Peach Face Compact. So if any of you out there want this and you live or work near the Toronto Eaton Centre...run do not walk to The Bay!


If you live anywhere else, run do not walk to your local MAC store and pray they still have some left.


Isn't that pattern on the product gorgeous!!! The blush looks super dark to me but I am hoping I can get away with using just a little and it won't look too crazy. It's darker than most of my bronzers!

There is a really nice huge mirror inside. The outside of this compact is plastic and feels kind of weird. Pretty though. Some of the gift bags that come with the makeup sets in this collection are so nice! I was tempted, but I resisted. I need another makeup bag like I need a hole in the head!

Please let me know if you pick anything up from this collection!

Color Club Nail Lacquer in Cloud Nine - First Impression and Swatch

Hi Guys! I've been sick with a cold for the past week and half but I'm back. I went on a little road trip for a few days to New York State and got sick on Day 2 as did my husband. Boo! I did manage to pick up a few makeup goodies before I got sick so I will have that stuff coming up soon. I have so many blog posts lined up but I thought I would toss this one up while my nails were still done!

So several months back Amanda Ensing the YouTube vlogger was wearing this colour nail polish in one of her videos and my mind was blown. Had to have it. She said it looked like "unicorn tears" and that it does my friends. This is Cloud Nine by Color Club. Under certain lights this shade shimmers and glistens like nothing I have ever seen before. The picture above does not do it justice. It's liquid silver pink glitter on crack. The polish is silky smooth though so there are no "bits" to really see or feel. There is a pink and purple undertone to it. It is wild. Strangely enough I think this colour would go with most outfits.

I only used one coat and it was opague. Pretty much never seen that before. It glided on so easily and flawlessly...it wasn't funny. I'm not a surgeon and I don't have the steadiest hand but this was a no brainer to apply. Cloud Nine is described as a purple holographic. It's $12 Canadian at nailpolishcanada.com and that is where I bought it from. I have ordered from nailpolishcanada.com a few times and I am always happy with their service as a side note.

This was my first Color Club purchase but I have to say that it won't be my last! Very impressive thus far. I will update this blog in a few days time when I can provide some feedback on how long the colour wore for before it chipped. I normally chip after 1 day and it's been a full day and so far no chips so we will see how it goes. 

COLAB Dry Shampoo Rio Tropical Volume Extreme - Review

Do you ever have find there is a product out there that you don't fully get. For some, it's foundation primers, lip liners, face masks etc. For me, it's dry shampoo. My hair tends to be dry so I don't easily get oily looking hair. Before I get into the nitty gritty, I would like to say that this product is wonderful overall, and if you love dry shampoo, unlike me, you may very well think this stuff is the bomb.

The packaging is good. It's eye catching and the can is sturdy. The nozzle is mega powerful. I think I am going to spray myself out of the bathroom sometimes when I use this. I have the scent Rio Tropical. There are other scents and I plan on trying them. This is a nice, fresh scent though. The product is made in the U.K. and it was not easy to get here in Canada for the longest time. I bought mine at Winners/Marshalls but I recently saw some for sale at Rexall. I paid $7.99 for my 200ml or 118g can which is good value for the money.

Does this dry shampoo give you crazy volume? Uh yeah. This stuff is off the chain. Does it get rid of any oily looking roots? Yes. Does it refreshen your hair and make it smell nice? Yes again. I would expect that is what most people want from a dry shampoo so check, check, check.

I find too much comes out of the nozzle, but it's not unmanageable. This stuff is white! If you are not careful, you are going to leave your house looking like your great granny. I highly recommend taking your blow dryer to your hair after your spray it on, even for a few seconds, to help get rid of the white colour and to distribute it better in your hair.

If you wanted to do some crazy high volume updo, look no further than this product. I have tried a few other dry shampoos before and I like this one the best.

Overall though, I'm just not a dry shampoo fanatic. I find they make your hair feel stiff and not super manageable after you have initially styled it. At least this one doesn't make your hair look clumpy or sticky.

That being said, dry shampoo, especially this one by COLAB, is great to have on hand when you are in a rush and really need to shampoo your hair but just don't have time.  

I think it's a bit difficult to rate this type of product, so I won't do a detailed rating, but this is the one to buy if you are a dry shampoo lover.

July, August and September 2016 Empties

It's time to recycle my empties and get them out of here. Three months of them. Enough is enough. Let's get into it.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light in 2.0 -  Another one bites the dust. It's my fave and I keep going back to it. Nothing compares. Already repurchased a bottle.

L'Occitane Dry Skin Foot Cream - This stuff is fantastic. Went through another travel sized tube and I have repurchased the full regular sized version. (review here)


Origins Eye Doctor - Gone through a million of these. Still looking for something a bit better that addresses the dark circle issue more but otherwise this is the best I have found. (review here)

A La Maison de Provence Sweet Almond Liquid Soap - I really liked this hand wash so I am going to mention it here. Great ingredients. Bought it at Marshalls.

Deep Steep Strawberry Hand Wash - This was also quite good. Also bought at Marshalls.

First Aid Beauty (FAB) Facial Radiance Pads - I meant to do a review on these but I haven't gotten around to it. They weren't bad. I felt they made a difference. They are supposed to exfoliate, tone and brighten. I would say they did some of each of those things. I can't say that they made such a huge difference that I had to rush out and buy more, but I would consider buying them again.

Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask - Hands down my favourite nonlipstick lip product ever....I am not sure if this was maybe my fifth tube? Bite Beauty has improved the packaging big time so it doesn't flake and shred all over the place anymore. Already repurchased. (review here)


Beautyblender - This was my second beauty blender. It's lost it's bounce and it feels kind of gross on the bottom despite my frequent washings of it. New one already repurchased. Can't live without this now. (review here)
Equate Daily Moisturizing Lotion - I have had this lotion forever. I am not sure if they even sell it anymore. It had to go. Taking up precious cupboard space. It wasn't bad but had petrolatum in it if you care about such things. I do. Not likely to repurchase.


Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover - Doesn't look like I have ever done a review on this product. You aren't missing much. It's greasy and just ok at removing makeup. I got this travel bottle in a gift with purchase.


Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara - What?! I haven't done a review on this mascara either. Sheesh, I have really dropped the ball big time. I will make this short and sweet. The wand was enormous and nearly poked my eye out on a few occasions. The formula was a bit dry, it flaked slightly and would smudge here and there. Volume? Not much. Length? Not happening. Total dud.


Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Rhubarb - This is one of my favourite Bite lip colours. Colour is gorgeous. Already repurchased. I haven't done a review or swatch for you on this one either. I will for sure do that with my new one soon.


Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara - People rave about this mascara but it has never excited me. The brush is ridiculously huge. I find the formula dry. I can't seem to get much volume nor length out of this one. I even tried using a disposable mascara wand to see if it was just the big wand that was the problem. Nope, same issues. This tube was part of some Too Faced set I got a awhile back. (review here)


Clinique Superbalm 16 Black Honey - This was a small sample I got in a gift with purchase many moons ago. I finally busted it out and ended up really liking it. I would repurchase but I'm working on paring down my lip product collection at the moment and don't need another gloss. (review here)


Murad Renewing Eye Cream - I got this in a set of Murad products last Christmas. People love this product but I didn't dig it. It was alright but it did nothing for my dark circles and could burn a tad if it got into your eye. I decided to finish it off but it lasted a long time for a little tube. (review here)


L'Occitane Dry Skin Hand Cream - This is a great hand cream. It feels luxurious and smells great in my opinion. Great to throw in your purse. I would highly recommend it. (review here)


Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Flawless Wear Concealer in 02 Light Medium - Wow, I have gone through countless numbers of these and I have never done a full review. I really like this concealer because it is easy to use and blends in well with my Estee Lauder foundation. Just don't use it on your under eye area.


Living Proof. Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Cream - If you don't have it, please go and get it now. Already repurchased. (review here)


Eos Hand Lotion in Fresh Flowers - Best for purse hand lotion. Packaging is great for on the go and works very well. I have gone through many and will go through many more. Fresh flowers is my scent of choice out of the three available. (review here)


I have a bunch of odds and ends coming up plus a palette I have been promising to review for months. Let's hope it's still relevant.