Holiday Goodie Bag GIVEAWAY [CLOSED]

Hey everyone! I've been wanting to do a surprise goodie bag type of giveaway for a while, and I thought now would be a good time since the holidays are beginning to roll 'round! The concept is simple: I won't be telling you what goodies will be added to the bag, but I will tell you the brand. You will only find out what exactly you've won when the prize arrives at your door!

I know it's a little early for holiday giveaways, but I wanted everyone to get a chance to enter and I also wanted the prize to be delivered in-time for Christmas in case the winner celebrates it!

PRIZES & INFO:

As of yet, the goodie bag will include the following brands: Benefit, Covergirl, Burts Bees, L'Oreal, Maybelline, Essie, OPI, Tarte, Julep, Ardell and Annabelle. The items from these brands have already been purchased, so they are finalized! I will update here and on Twitter in case more brands are added (highlighted in yellow). I will also throw in some bonuses that I may not even list here!

TERMS & CONDITIONS:

1) Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY
2) Must be 18+ years of age or have your parent's permission to enter
3) Must fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter
4) Must be willing to provide a shipping address if won
5) The winner will announced in a separate blog post and will be emailed
6) You are only eligible to win if you have not won a previous giveaway on Abundance of Erica
7) If the winner does not respond to my email within 48 hours, another winner will be contacted
8) All prizes will be shipped in pristine condition (none have been removed from their original packaging), but I cannot be held responsible for damages that occur in transit

9) Entering via accounts dedicated solely to giveaways will be eliminated.
10) GIVEAWAY ENDS ON DECEMBER 1ST, 2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck & happy entering!

Quick "Across-The-Border" Haul

Hey everyone! On Sunday my mom, brother, and I decided to head across the border into New York (state, not city) for a quick shopping trip. I didn't get too much stuff but I figured it's enough for a quick little haul. Enjoy!

TJ Maxx is the main store where we usually go so I stocked up on some summer clothes. Each of these were $12.99 which I think is fairly reasonable. The one on the left is just a one-size-actually-fits-all (*ahem Brandy Melville*) Roxy t-shirt. I thought it would be good to wear on days where I can't bother and just want to throw something on quickly. I thought the Paris tank would be nice to wear casually or even to dress up for nights out with a blazer or something. The last tank is definitely my favorite one - it's so fun and colorful and I can't wait to wear it!

Bath & Body Works was having a $10 sale on certain candles so you now I couldn't walk out of there without picking one up. Tiki Beach is one that I've been tempted to get for a while so I'm glad it was on sale! It smells so tropical and coconuty - love it!

I kinda restrained myself in Wal Mart during this trip and only picked up a few items. I got two Rimmel lip liners - one nude pink and one red. I honestly never really used lip liner before and the only one in our makeup drawer was a crusty brown one from like 30 years ago (thanks mom), so I thought it was time to rectify that. I would wear the pink one under neutral, pink, or mauve lips. I tried it under MAC Syrup and works really nice, and I tried the red one under one of the Kate Moss Rimmel lipsticks and it works perfectly!

Of course, I had to pick up this Revlon Nail Art Moon Candy in "Orbit" because I've been eyeing it like crazy. It was in my nailpolishcanada wishlist that I posted a little while ago. I'm actually ashamed to say that I've since purchased 6/8 things from that list.... Self control is clearly something I do not have.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this little haul :)

Beauty Would-You-Rather

Hey everyone! Quite a while ago I saw this tag on Bravenezz blog and I thought it would be fun! I wasn't actually tagged but what do you know, I'm doing it anyway. Rebel I am. If you'd like to do it yourself, please go ahead and link back to me so I can have a read :)

1. Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lip glosses or lose all of your palettes and eyeshadows?

I would definitely rather lose my palettes and eyeshadows, considering I hardly ever wear eyeshadow unless it's a special occasion! I'm much more of a mascara and lip person to be honest. PLUS, a lid full of eyeshadow isn't really complete without mascara'd lashes, am I right?

2. Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?

I would chop it all off! Why not? It would get really gross and thin and brittle if I could never cut it again!

3. Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?

I don't really have a preference here, but if I had to choose I would say pink. There are so many variations of pink blush that it could work year-round, but I feel like coral is very summer-specific.

4. If you had £1000 to spend, would you rather buy clothes or makeup?

At this exact moment in my life I would probably spend it on clothes just because I'm kind of lacking at the mo. I really, really need a new pair of shorts, a new bra, etc - as you can see I'm lacking essentials hahah. Maybe I would spend it on makeup at a different date.

5. Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner, or eyeliner as lipstick?

Well that's a creative question. I think I would apply lipstick as eyeliner because I could probably rock a bright-colored wing or something - not so much a black-lined lip... *shudder*

6. Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?

Practically, I'm going to say MAC. I hardly shop at Sephora anymore because it's honestly just too expensive. MAC is reasonably priced, and they have the best quality anyway! (PS - not saying I wouldn't really miss Sephora though, it's my favorite "window shopping" location)

7. Would you rather only use one eyeshadow color or one lip color for the rest of your life?

I'll say one eyeshadow color! You can't really go wrong with a neutral eye, and I tend to get sick of lip colours easily so having to wear one for the rest of my life wouldn't go too well.

8. Would you rather wear winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter?

This is such a difficult question because where I live, winters are full-on WINTERS and summers are so humid and sticky and gross that you'd go naked if you could. I guess I would rather spend summer in winter clothes, because considering I don't have a job and I stay home anyway, I could crank up the AC and chillax in sweatpants. I'd miss the outdoors but hey, I'm being practical here.

9. Would you rather dark nails or bright nails all year round?

This is tough because I have my phases. I feel like bright nails would be a better pick because there are so many more options, whereas dark nail polishes all kind of have the same effect anyway.

10. Would you rather give up your favorite lip product or your favorite eye product?

Lip product. Mascara is essential.

11. Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a ponytail or a messy bun?

Messy bun! I never do ponytails.

12. Would you rather never being able to paint your nails again or never use lip-gloss?

NEVER USE LIPGLOSS! I don't wear lipgloss anyway soooo.... Hahaha.

13. Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all? Or sharpie them in everyday?

Meh, not a fan of this question because some people have no eyebrows due to sickness, so I guess I wouldn't wish that upon myself. I could Sharpie them in every day.

14. Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish?

...... This one's haaardddd. I guess I'd have to say... nail polish. Although nail polish is like my #1 beauty love, I feel like makeup is not really something I could do without. It's just an important confidence-booster, and I couldn't imagine not wearing makeup in formal situations!

And here's a picture of some sparkly goodness because this post was feeling really empty. Woohoo!

(This is not my photo - it's going around on Tumblr. Couldn't find the source but if it's yours I would be happy to link back to you!)

I TAG:
- Stacey
- Jessica
- Dawn
- Fiona
...and whoever else would like to do this tag :)

Empties & Products I've Hit Pan On

Hey everyone! I've been hoarding a few items over the past couple weeks so that I could talk about some products that I've either used up entirely or hit pan on. I've decided to share them with you today!

Bioderma Sensibio H2O: This is what I've been using as my go-to eye makeup remover and it works like a dream. At first I was a little skeptical since this product is oh-so raved about on blogs & YouTube, but when I finished it I went back to my Rimmel remover for a little while, and let me tell you, it is not the same. I've already purchased a new one since I feel like you get good value out of the 250ml format. It lasted me five months which I think is pretty impressive since the bottle is relatively small.

Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser: I probably discussed this product already in a previous post, but this is my daily face cleanser. I use it in the morning and at night and although I don't really think it gets rid of acne entirely (I use other products to do so), I think it does at least control it by reducing redness and keeping the pores clean. If I forget to use this at night, I immediately notice a difference the next morning - my face just doesn't feel as clean.

Batiste Dry Shampoo (Tropical): This product was definitely well-loved. A 150ml can lasted me around 7 months, which is fantastic. It's super inexpensive and it really keeps my hair decent in between washes. I don't wash my hair every day since I do style it every time I wash it, so this makes me feel more comfortable about that. I have since repurchased it in a larger format with the original scent (though the tropical scent didn't bother me).

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder (top left): I've discussed this product ad nauseum already so I don't feel the need to be too detailed here. It's just a really great mattifying powder. It doesn't give coverage but it really controls shiny-ness.

Bailey Powder Foundation Duo (top right): This is perhaps the only product I received in a beauty box that has been so frequently used. Contrary to the Rimmel powder, this provides awesome coverage. I wouldn't use it alone, but over a BB cream or tinted moisturizer, or even just some concealer, it works out perfectly. I still use the bronzer side for days that I'm striving for natural-looking contouring. It's matte and just the right shade - no fuss.

NARS Laguna Bronzer: Let me tell you, I was very sad to hit pan on this product. I use this bronzer on the high points of my face just to give my skin a bit of colour. A little does go a long way and you do get a lot of bang for your buck, but you will love it so much that you'll use it daily. It has a subtle shimmer which I find perfect for summer.

Marcelle Hydra-C Foundation: I've been using Marcelle foundation ever since I started wearing makeup, and this foundation is my favorite from their entire range. I'm not even sure it has to do with the formulation, but rather the shade (it's an exact match to my skintone) and the packaging (so convenient and fuss-free!). But, sad story - they're discontinuing this :( I have since moved on to the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation and am loving that though.

Urban Decay Primer Potion mini: This has actually been empty for a really long time now and I just keep it around thinking I'll be able to get one last drop out of it. It hasn't necessarily been my favourite eyeshadow primer, but it's absolutely neutral (no colour) so it's really versatile - i.e. ideal for any eyeshadow look.

So that concludes my first empties post! Hope you all enjoyed it :)

May Favorites 2013

We've reached the end of another months which means it's "Favorites" time! This month I haven't been going crazy on eye makeup - the most I've done is a neutral eye and some mascara. However, I have been focusing on face makeup, meaning concealer, blush, bronzer, highlighter, etc.

FINALLYYYY the Real Techniques brushes have made their way to Quebec! I found this set at the Walmart Superstore near my house, and I am absolutely in love. The pink one is just perfection - it can be used to apply bronzer, blush, powder highlighter, anything. The purple one is meant for eyeshadow but I've been using it to blend cream concealer. The densities of these brushes are spot-on. Well done, Sam Chapman!

My nail polish favorite this month is Essie "Fiji", which I'm sure you've heard me discuss at length. You can find a full review of this nail polish by clicking HERE, but in sum, I think it's the best summer colour. So flattering, and so pretty. Also, Seche Vite is an all-time favorite but I figured it merited an appearance in at least one monthly favorites post. It dries your nails completely in about two minutes. I'm not sure what I'd do without it!

This is the NYC bronzer in "Sunny" which, honestly, I've been neglecting it for a little while! I'm so glad I rediscovered it because I love how matte it is, making it really easy to dust lightly all over the face, giving you an instant tan!

I got this MAC mineralized skinfinish back in March but since I didn't do March or April favorites, here it is - however, I should mention that I've literally been using it every since I got it. It's the perfect highlighter - a really lovely bronzy, champagne color that looks awesome atop the cheekbones. It's subtle enough that you won't look shiny/greasy, but luminous enough that you'd notice a healthy-looking difference in your skin. It makes it look like it sucks the sunlight right to your cheekbones, which is actually really flattering.

This next product is the Ro's Argan Body Conditioner from Lush. I've been using this after every shower on my arms and legs and I've been enjoying it very much. The scent is sooo nice, and it does a good job hydrating your skin. My only problem is that it takes a little while to sink in, but when it does, your skin becomes really soft!

And last but not least, my favorite candle of the month is Espresso Bar from the Bath & Body Works Italy collection. It makes my room smell like a coffee shop! It definitely smells like espresso, but it also has very detectable vanilla-scented sweetness to it. A must-have if you're into sweet dessert scents like I am!

That concludes my monthly favorites! Let me know if you've done a monthly favorites post for May and leave a link in the comments as I would love to read it :)

Target, MAC & BBW Haul!

Hey everyone! As you may know, I was in Florida this past week (which explains the lack of blogging haha)! Although I didn't pick up any of these items actually in Florida, we passed through New York where I had time to get some shopping done. Shockingly, I'd never actually shopped in Target before, so that was definitely a must. I also picked up one item at the MAC counter in Macy's, a few Bath & Body Works candles, and one nail polish at a beauty specialty store.

Yes to Tomatoes Clear Skin Mask (Target - $15): I have this on as I'm typing this blog post, and I must say I'm enjoying it! Very refreshing and clean-feeling. I bought this because I was itching for a good face mask and we don't have much of the Yes To range here in Canada (we only have the face wipes I think), so I thought this would be a good choice. Liking it so far!

St. Ives Apricot Scrub + Bonus travel size lotion (Target - like $3): I really like this scrub a lot, and although I don't use an exfoliator every day, this is definitely a nice one to have. Honestly I think this huge size cost maybe a dollar more than the travel sized one I got here... So cheap.

Elf eyelash curler (Target - $1): So these are kinda heavy-duty and not very gentle at all, but I needed a new eyelash curler and it was a dollar, you guys. A dollar.

Maybelline Gel Liner Blackest Black (Target - $8): Apparently some gurus like this gel liner more than the MAC one, and I've honestly never used gel liner before, so I thought I'd give it a shot. The brush it comes with looked pretty shitty so I also got an Elf liner brush for good measure which was also a dollar. Not much else to say about that!

MAC Mineralized Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle (Macy's - $30): I've been lusting after this product for sooo long now. Actually, I've been lusting after any powder highlighter because I don't own one, but especially this one. With tax, this baby came out to $32 as opposed to $40 I'd pay here. Not too bad!

Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara (Target - $7): Unfortunately I got this in brown (*facepalm*), but I really just wanted to see if it would clump or not. Verdict - no clumps! I might just go out and buy this in black, but don't hold me to it...

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder (Target - $4 maybe?): Repurchase. Hit pan on my current one. Love this stuff.

Essie Sand Tropez (Target - $8): I've been searching for a beautiful nude color far and wide and I thought I'd give this a shot. It's a little on the brown side but I'm eager to see how it fairs.

OPI Vant To Bite My Neck (Beauty Store - $7.50): This is an absolutely gorgeous eggplant creme that I've looked up countless swatches of, so when I saw that OPI is under $10 in the States I jumped at the chance to get it! I would have also picked up Bubble Bath if they had it but, alas, they didn't. :( Swatch to come!

Carmex (Walmart - $1): My lips were feeling a little dry so I went ahead and got this while we were doing grocery shopping at Walmart. It does the trick.

Bath & Body Works Pear & Market Peach Candles (2 for $22): These smell so so so yummy! I love them!

So that concludes the beauty & candle portion of the stuff I bought while in America! Just as a side note - I got a pale blue denim polka-dotted shirt and maroon leggings from Target, dark blue jeans and a pink shirt ($15 vs. $40 here...!!!) from Old Navy, and some new Nikes from The Shoe Dept. :) I also got some other bits & bobs before leaving but those will be featured in a later collective haul. Hope you enjoyed!

OPI Euro Centrale Collection GIVEAWAY! [CLOSED]

Hey everyone! So I was at the mall yesterday and decided to pick up the OPI Euro Centrale collection minis for a little giveaway. I've been really happy with my blog lately and I expanded my social media a bit (Instagram and Facebook), so I wanted to call attention to those as well.

The shades include (left to right): Can't Find My Czechbook, Suzi's Hungary AGAIN!, You're Such a Budapest, Oy-Another Polish Joke

TERMS & CONDITIONS:

1) Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY
2) Must be 18+ years of age or have your parent's permission to enter
3) Must fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter
4) Must be willing to provide a shipping address if won
5) The winner will announced in a separate blog post and will be emailed
6) You are only eligible to win if you have not won a previous giveaway on Abundance of Erica (including this, this, this, and this)
7) If the winner does not respond to my email within 48 hours, another winner will be contacted
8) All prizes will be shipped in pristine condition (none have been removed from their original packaging), but I cannot be held responsible for damages that occur in transit
9) GIVEAWAY ENDS ON MARCH 15TH

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Current Giveaway Updates

Hey everyone! I thought I'd make a quick post to update you all on giveaways currently going on in the beauty world. NOTE: I haven't included all of the giveaways I'm currently entering - only the ones that offer additional entries for a blog post. If you want to know about more giveaways check out my Twitter which you can find on the right-hand side of this page (or you can click here to follow)!

http://daisy--meadow.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/nearly-500-gfc-followers-giveaway.html

http://aqeelakeela.blogspot.ca/2013/01/300-follower-giveaway.html

http://www.epiphanniea.co.uk/2013/02/mac-stereo-rose-giveaway15.html

http://lolarose1.blogspot.ie/2013/01/thank-you-giveaway-mystery-box-of.html

http://sophiameola.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/1000-follower-chanel-beauty-goodie.html

http://dawndugong.blogspot.ca/2013/02/giveaway-win-urban-decays-glinda-or.html

http://princesagr.blogspot.gr/2013/02/300-followers-giveaway.html

(If you have an international/North American/Canadian giveaway going on and would like to be added to this post - well worth it because my giveaway posts get hits for weeks & weeks after I publish - go ahead and leave a quick comment!)

January Beauty Favorites (Finally!)

Hey everyone! Long time no blog! I'm finally finished my most hectic week of school (apart from final exams), so I thought I'd finally post my January favorites. I didn't have too many favorites this month because I didn't usually have time to focus on my makeup in the mornings, so most of these products would be nice to use if you're in a rush (and I'll tell you exactly how & why I use them).

Bioderma Micellaire Solution: I received this for Christmas and have used it almost every day since. It does an incredible job at removing eye makeup (waterproof as well!), and I also use it as a toner. If, let's say, I already washed my face in the morning, but I'm only getting ready in the afternoon, instead of washing my face again before makeup I'll put some Bioderma on a cotton pad and quickly sweep it onto my face. I'm kind of sad about how fast I'm using up this product considering how expensive it is, but I would definitely say it's worth it!

Marcelle Hydra-C Foundation: This foundation was on sale at Pharmaprix this month so I decided to pick it up instead of my Marcelle matte foundation, and I have been really enjoying it. My favorite part is the packaging. It's not a pump or a screw top, it's a squeeze tube, so you can control exactly how much product you need. It's super practical!

Blistex Lip Medex: I haven't been putting too much color on my lips lately because they've been sore and dry, so I mostly just reached for my Blistex. It does a really good job at moisturizing, and sometimes I'll put it on right before bed and wake up with really soft lips. Definitely a staple product.

Dual-Ended Sephora Face Brush: I picked this up at Sephora on Boxing Day for $12 and have found it very practical. I've been wanting to get the MAC 168 angled blush brush for a while now, but I really feel like this Sephora one has remedied that need. I don't use the round side as I find it too dense for powders, but the angled side is perfect for blush, bronzer, and contouring.

MAC 217 brush: Now I know why Tanya Burr has like 10 of these bad boys. They're so practical for eye makeup - be it for an all-over wash of color, contouring, or blending. I've even seen this used as a concealer brush which is just astounding. It's so multi-purpose and incredible, I highly recommend it.

NARS Laguna bronzer: I've said before and I'll say it again, I adore this bronzer. I've been going back and forth between this and my NYC Sunny bronzer, but I have to say there is really no comparison. This one is just 100% better. It's the perfect shade for my skintone, it's super sheer, and it makes my skin look really healthy. I swear by this stuff.

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in "RSVP": I think I wore this almost every day in January. I patted some on to my lids with my finger, contoured a little with some matte brown eyeshadow - using my 217 ;), added some mascara and called it a day. I think it's really comparable to Urban Decay's Sin (but I'll probably do a full post on that). It's really convenient and a nice shimmery nude for every day.

So that's it for my January favorites! Now onto February (my birthday month)!

FOTD: January 27th Edition

Hey everyone! Last weekend I went to my cousin's birthday party and pulled together a cute makeup & outfit look that I thought I'd share with you. It was a little bright and summer-y for this time of year but I was tired of wearing black!

Face & Makeup:

- Urban Decay DeSlick
- Stila One-Step Corrector
- Marcelle Hydra-C foundation in True Beige
- Rimmel Stay Matte powder
- NARS Laguna bronzer
- NYX blush in Desert Rose
- Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in RSVP
- Stila In The Know palette (assorted colors)
- Lancome Artliner (black)
- Urban Decay Naked & Buck for eyebrows
- NYX soft matte lip cream in Milan
- Be a Bombshell lip gloss in Hot Mess

Necklace: Forever 21 from a 2009 collection
White shirt: It's actually part of my old high school uniform lol! Yay for reusing clothes!
Green top: TJ Maxx

Can we talk about how tall my brother is?.........

Anyway, sorry for not blogging too much this month! I just got back to school and it's been time-consuming. Hopefully February will be a little more productive blog-wise. Thanks for sticking around :)

Beauty Blogging on a Budget

Hey everyone! A while ago I made a post telling you guys about my current financial situation, and it dawned on me that I should write up a blog post explaining how I am able to be a beauty blogger whilst maintaining a sort of budget.

Types of Posts

First, I would like to throw this out there - having a successful beauty blog does not simply mean that you need to do constant reviews and hauls. In fact, some of my favorite posts are neither of those. I hadn't started doing hauls until I was months and months into blogging, and I still don't think I've dedicated a post to review one single product. Here are some other ideas:

Tags: Honestly, tags are some of my favorite posts to read. They're personal, yet informative. I've done quite a bit so far and I have a few in my drafts that are waiting to be finalized and posted. Generally, there are seasonal tags that tend to float around (Christmas Tag, Summer Favorites Tag), so be on the look-out for those, but there are also tags that never really die. You can check out the tags I've already done by clicking HERE.

Also, in my drafts I have the Sample Tag (wherein you just describe which samples you've been using up and what you think of them), I Heart Drugstore Makeup Tag, and the How Much Is My Face Worth Tag.

Collections, Top 5s: These are a really simple way to exercise your writing skills and give mini reviews on products you already own. You could break up posts like these into sections, or dedicate one post per product (for example, going through your nail polish collection by posting a photo each time you wear a new one).

Speaking of, photos are a great way to add some life to a blog post. You can use your phone camera or a basic digital camera - no need for fancy DSLRs. Also, it might get difficult to do "monthly favorites" if you cannot afford to buy bunches of new products every month, so these are a good alternative. Similarly, you can do "products I regret buying" or "disappointing products", both of which are as informative as favorites posts.

EOTDs, FOTDs, NOTDs, OOTDs: These basically stand for Eye of the Day, Face of the Day, Nail of the Day, and Outfit of the Day. These posts are quick and easy and let you showcase your love of beauty and fashion in a personal way. Again, they allow you to make use of the products you already own making them very cost-efficient. I've also noticed that these posts get many pageviews (at least on my blog).

Acquiring New Products

Giveaways: As of yet, I have won six beauty-related giveaways. Incredible, no? I think giveaways are an awesome way to acquire new products, and I mean - they're entirely free! It would be ridiculous not to enter giveaways. I think I might do a separate blog post on how to win a giveaway. It wouldn't be anything revolutionary (no hacks or cheating), but it would outline some simple tips that might up your chances of winning. Please let me know in the comments if you'd enjoy reading that.

I recently won Amarixe's Holiday LUSH Giveaway!

Online Shopping VS. In-Store Shopping: I find it very easy to sometimes get sucked into online shopping, simply because with blogging and getting involved in the online beauty community, links to new beauty websites get thrown around often. What I think is most important is to find a beauty website that is either a) based in your home country (therefore avoiding massive shipping costs), or b) ships for cheap (by my standards - no more than $5 extra). If not, shop in-store! I guess this sounds obvious, but there is no use in paying shipping from the Sephora website if you have a real-life Sephora near you. Save online shopping for exclusively online deals or for products that are inaccessible near you.

Beauty Subscription Services: For a small sum, you can receive deluxe beauty samples (and sometimes full-sized products) sent right to door every single month. This is a great opportunity to try out new products and to guarantee a new blog post per month. You can regard subscription services as an extra expense, or as one of your main beauty sources. If you are low on money, I don't recommend it, but if you see it as an investment, it's a great value.

My favorite service to-date has been Ipsy (formerly known as MyGlam). Unfortunately they only ship to the USA and Canada at the moment, but they send some really nice deluxe products (no crappy sachets of lotion or something). I was also subscribed to GlossyBox for a few months and enjoyed that as well. They didn't send as many well-known brands as Ipsy does, but I received a few products from GlossyBox that I still use on a frequent basis.

So that concludes my budget beauty blogging tips! Let me know if they helped you at all/if you enjoyed reading this! Happy Friday! :)

2013 Beauty Giveaways

Hey everyone! It's been a while since I made a post listing the giveaways currently happening in the blogosphere, so I figured you deserved an update.

Quite frankly, I haven't been on my giveaway game recently because of the holidays and whatnot, but I thought hey, why not start 2013 with a nice giveaway win. And then I checked my Twitter replies and noticed that I'd won Where Can I Find The Perfect?'s Zoya Spring collection giveaway, so I figured luck's now on my side, I'm going to enter some more! So without further ado...

Enter here: http://www.nikmakeupjunkie.com/2013/01/my-year-blogging-tag-giveaway.html

Enter here: http://paigeypumpkin.blogspot.ca/2012/12/100-follower-give-away.html

Enter here: http://kitschsnitch.blogspot.ca/2012/12/200-followerschristmas-giveaway-occ-lip.html

Enter here: http://christineiversen.blogspot.ca/2013/01/giveaway-win-urban-decay-naked-basics.html

Enter here: http://shrinkingwallet.blogspot.ca/2013/01/celebrating-350-gfc-followers-giveaway.html

Enter here: http://thriftygirlloves.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/200-follower-mac-lipstick-models-own.html

Enter here: http://theamazingworldofj.blogspot.ca/2013/01/worldwide-mac-birthday-giveaway.html

Enter here: http://www.pdxbeautiful.com/2012/12/sigma-holiday-giveaway.html?spref=tw

Please let me know in the comments if you are having a giveaway at the moment and would like to be added to this post! :) Happy entering!

Christmas Recap & Haul

Christmas is officially over and I finally decided to write up a post about it. I had a blast hanging out with my friends and family, and I hope you guys did too! I know the popular opinion is that "Christmas is not about the presents", but let's face it, it really is. More than receiving presents, though, I love to give them. I thought about taking photos of the gifts I gave to other people and ultimately decided against it, but I kinda regret it! I think I gave some really good gifts this year, to be honest. Anyway, here's a little mish-mash recap post about my Christmas. Enjoy!

Me and my lovely cousins, my cute dog with all the presents, and the ultimate Christmas nail polish: China Glaze Ruby Pumps

Our traditional Christmas tree and the crazy amount of presents my mom and I bought for our family.  From left to right: Barbie carrying case for my cousin, H&M khaki pants for my brother, giftcards, acrylic paint set & canvases for my cousin, two Skylander Giants for my cousin, wallet & money for my cousin, Armani cologne for my brother, Crate & Barrel cookbook stand for my cousin, cotton night gown for my great aunt, baby Levi's jeans and plaid flannel shirt for my cousin, Williams Sonoma oven mitt & measuring spoons for my godmother, One Direction blanket and poster book for my cousin, kitchen soap set for my cousin's grandmother, Converse hoodie and journal for my cousin

Before I get to showing you guys the things I got for Christmas, I wanted to write a bit about the items I gave to my family. I guess I'll write this out list-style because I feel like that'll be the most organized.

My mom: I got my mom a pizza peel from Williams Sonoma. She ended up really liking it, but I overlooked the fact that she would only be able to use it if she had a pizza stone, lol. Oops. So now we're on the lookout for a pizza stone. And sidenote: damn is Williams Sonoma expensive! Everything is pretty and smells like cinnamon but it's also unnecessarily overpriced...

My dad: This year I got my dad into Bath & Body Works candles (lol), so I picked up "Merry Mistletoe" for him. He's usually really particular about scents but he ended up enjoying it. I also got him a random bottle of wine that I chose because the label was designed nicely (I know nothing about wine), but he opened it on Christmas day and said it was a good choice, so I'm glad.

My brother: I got my brother a movie giftcard. Admittedly not the most creative gift I've given but at least I know he'll use it.

My godmother: I got my godmother a Williams Sonoma oven mitt and measuring spoons. I can't get over how expensive that store is.

My goddaughter: I got my goddaughter a Sephora giftcard and the same Soap & Glory set that I actually ended up receiving for myself lol!

My aunt: So whenever my aunt and I go to Sephora she spends all her time smelling perfumes but then never actually buys one, so I picked up a set of mini perfumes from Sephora for her to try out. I think she really liked it!

Here are the gifts that I received for Christmas, and also a few that I got on Boxing Day (I'll let you know which ones). Overall I'm super excited about everything I received! I mostly got money from my extended family and my dad, but also in addition to these, I got Bioderma eau micellaire (from my mom) which was on my Christmas Wish List. I've already started using it which is why I forgot to include it in the photo!

Christmas:

• Lord & Taylor manicure kit from my brother
• OPI Matte Nail Envy from my mom
• Seche Vite top coat from my mom
• Soap & Glory gift set from a gift exchange
• China Glaze Ruby Pumps from my mom
• OPI Golden Eye from my mom
• Buddha Gotama statue from my aunt
• Dior 5-Color Eyeshadow in Stylish Move from my godmother
• Movie theatre gift card from my mom
• Starbucks gift card from my mom
• Divergent by Veronica Roth from my mom
• MAC Plumful lipstick from my mom
• MAC 217 brush from my mom
• Revlon nail file & buffer from my brother
• Taylor Swift "Red" from my aunt
• Starbucks set from my cousin

Boxing Day:

• Two Lush gift boxes (bogo) with a giftcard I received at Christmas from my brother
• Benefit cream eyeshadow in "RSVP" from Sephora ($12 on sale)
• Sephora double-ended blush brush from Sephora ($9 on sale)
• OPI "Don't Mess With OPI" from a random mall counter ($3.50 on sale)
• OPI "Cuckoo For This Color" from a random mall counter ($3.50 on sale)

Again, I hope you all had a great Christmas! Leave me links to your Christmas hauls in the comments because I would love to read them :)

December Glam Bag

Hey everyone! I know this post is a little late, but I figure it's always worth making beauty subscription posts so that you guys can have a reference for past products if you ever feel like subscribing.

Overall I'm very pleased with my subscription to Glam Bag. Unfortunately, I had to cancel my January subscription because of all the money I spent this holiday season, but once my bank account recovers a little I will definitely renew it.

The first product is this super tiny sample of NYX's Ultra Pearl Mania loose pigment. I have no idea what the name of the color is (it doesn't say on the sample), but it's a very pretty pink pearlescent shimmer. I've worn it once with my L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Amber Rush and Urban Decay "Toasted" in the crease and it looked really nice. To be honest, I kinda wish I'd received the champagne color instead, but this is still a cute little product to have.

Next is the Mai Couture highlighter papier in "St. Barts". I was actually really excited about this product because it's so unique. Basically, you rip out a sheet in the little booklet and sweep it over your cheek bones for an instant highlight. At first I wasn't too crazy about the color; it's kind of on the orange side, but I ended up really enjoying the effect and I can see myself wearing it a ton during the summer time.

I was really excited to receive this primer because my Urban Decay one is beginning to run out. It's clear in color and has a very fluffy consistency (similar to Smashbox Photofinish primer). It does a great job for smoothing out the skin. What's unfortunate is that, given the small size of the tube, I probably wouldn't use it as a face primer under foundation because I would run out really quickly (although I feel like the consistency and effect of the product would be perfect for that).

Next is this red lip gloss from Be A Bombshell in the shade "Hot Mess". I actually wore this on Christmas Eve and I absolutely loved it. Of course, it's worn best over red lipstick (I can totally predict wearing this over MAC's Russian Red), but it can be worn on its own as well. This is definitely an upgrade from last month's lip gloss.

I love it when subscription services provide products that are actually useful. It's fun to get some items that you would otherwise never purchase (like the highlighting papiers, for example), but a solid black eyeliner is great. Urban Decay is an awesome brand and I've been meaning to try this product out. The name is spot-on, too. It really just glides right on, and stays put. I've kinda graduated from lining my water line with black eyeliner, but this would be a great product to do just that. I recommend it.

So overall, I ended up enjoying every single one of these products which is a rare thing for a subscription service! I genuinely foresee using each item. I'm definitely going to renew my subscription later on next year. If you guys are interested, the January bag includes Josie Maran Argan Oil, which is a highly raved about product.

Let me know if you enjoy these posts :)