I never thought I would love a Bliss scent as much as I love the Blood Orange + Pepper one - until I got a whiff of the new Raspberry Champagne scent that is...
If you like a fruity scent that isn't too sweet because of the underlying bubbly-ness of champagne then you are in for a treat!
A great way to try it out is with the -
Berry Bubbly Set - $35 - includes full sized: 473.3ml Raspberry Champagne Soapy Suds Body Wash + Bubbling Bath and 200ml ml Raspberry Champagne Body Butter Maximum Moisture Cream along with a pink shower pouf.
And if there isn't enough to love about it already - the body wash is pink and shimmery!
Devoted to your usual Bliss scent? Other sets in the same format are also available: Merry Citrus - in my beloved Blood Orange + Pepper and Zest Wishes - Lemon + Sage.
Sparkle in the new year thanks to a limited edition collection of fragrances from Victoria's Secret with bottles as beautiful as the scents themselves!
In 3 scents:
Bombshell Diamonds - frosted vanilla, passion fruit and brilliant lychee blossom.
Bombshell Platinum - sparkling freesia, iced berries and sandalwood.
Bombshell Sparkle - luminous peony, lotus flower and winter woods.
When I found out I would be on holidays during a recent CND Shellac event I tried to think of who I could send in my place that would really be able to appreciate all the benefits of shellac and I couldn't think of anyone better then my friend Michelle who as a dental hygienist spends all day with her hands in other people's mouths - if you have to have someone's hands in your mouth they should at least look good right?! Here's Michelle's take on her CND Shellac experience:
I was so excited when Lisamarie asked me to try out a CND Shellac manicure - polish that lasts 14 days is just what I need with my job and I liked thatit's
the healthy manicure choice for natural nails with no surface filing. Being a
health care professional I was concerned about the UV light but the professionals at CND put me at ease and explained that the UV
exposure lamps are safer than natural sunlight/sunlamps. The amount of energy
from a UV lamp during a typical Shellac manicure is roughly the same as the
amount of UV exposure one would receive during a typical day of exposure in
INDOOR fluorescent lighting. If that doesn't put you at ease throw some
sunscreen on your hands prior to the manicure. Shellac should never be applied
during a wet manicure, so there's no rinsing involved that would wash off your sunscreen.
Washing my hands constantly every day really takes a tole causing
dryness and damage to my hands and nails. Manicures in the past haven't lasted even a day at the office, so I was intrigued to see how shellac would hold up. The
color selection is endless especially now that CND has introduced the CND
Additive collection of pigments and effects!
For my CND Shellac application I choose Red
Baroness, with CND Additives in Red and Charcoal. Its been over a week, and
I am still going strong sparkling away. What has helped keep it looking good is theSolarOil that I got to take home with me which so far has been my saving
grace and is a must have for maintaining the perfect manicure. The
professionals at CND, went above and beyond with their service and their knowledge
was profound showing a true passion for the Shellac brand which had me excited about it too! A huge thanks to
Christina, Erica, and Jenn for a wonderful experience!
If you're looking to do something festive for your holiday mani/pedi - check out the CND seasonal offerings: Tinsel Toast and Ruby Ritz - If you're in Toronto you can book yourself into Ritual at 789 King Street West for your shellac or check out the salon locator at cnd.com for a participating location near you.
Have couple friends who freakishly dress like one another, finish each other's sentences and basically just creep you out? Secretly mock them while thoughtfully gifting them with great scents from:
Fan di Fendi Pour Homme - 50ml EDT - $68, 100ml EDT - $88, 100ml After Shave Lotion - $55, 150ml All Over Shampoo - $41 Fan di Fendi - 50ml EDT - $77, 75ml EDT - $92 - with notes of pear, green tea accord, blackcurrant, calabrian tangerine, lemon petit grain from Sicily, Italian broom flower
absolute, yellow jasmine accord, leather and
patchouli.
Available at The Bay, Shoppers Drug Mart and Sephora - with the bath line available only at The Bay.
Bon Jovi for Avon Unplugged for Him - 75ml EDT - $30 - with notes of spicy pepper bourbon, seductive black dahila and warm cashmere woods. Bon Jovi for Avon Uplugged for Her - 50ml EDP - $30 - with notes of sparkling saturated plum, rich black dahlia and creamy woods.
Available from your Avon rep - 1-800-265-AVON or online at www.avon.ca.
Playboy VIP For Him - 50ml EDT - $22 - with notes of rhubarb, bergamot, rhum, apple, watery accord, lavender, white chocolate, tonka bean and sandalwood. Playboy VIP For Her - 50ml EDT - $25 - with notes of orange flower sorbet, nectarine, peony, love apple, red fruits, heliotrope, cashmeran, sandalwood and musk.
Available at drugstores and Walmart.
Or if matchy-match people bug the crap out of you but you still want to be able to order their gift from the same place check out:
Mary Kay True Original - 59ml EDC - $59 - with notes of lemon, fuji apple, amber, cedarwood and patchouli. Mary Kay Dance To Life - 50ml EDP - $55, 148ml Shimmer Lotion - $20 - with notes of wet apple, cassis, freesia, rose de mai, jasmine, burgundy, rose, ylang ylang, magnolia, vanilla and warm amber.
Available from your Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant - find one at www.marykay.ca or 1-866-455-5454.
Makeup that's smarter then I am is always a big plus in my book so of course I had to try Physicians Formula pH Matchmaker Lip Gloss - $12.79 - with an exclusive pH Power Complex that senses the pH level of your lips and adjusts to create a perfect custom colour that looks the same indoors and out! And to up the cool factor, the cap has a light making it possible to create the perfect lip even in the darkest of conditions. Not that you'll have to reapply as the gloss offers high-performance wear that lasts all day - up to 10 hours!
Light Pink
Pink
I didn't find a big difference in colour between the two shades so don't feel like you have to run out and buy both but I would definitely buy one- the staying power really is excellent - it was still on my lips after a full day out that involved eating, drinking and a lot of talking!
Everybody has that person on their list - you know, the one that is impossible to buy for but because you are married to their son/are related to them by blood/ran over their cat - can't get out of buying a thoughtful gift for them which sadly, doesn't include a gift card to the LCBO or a box of chocolates from the gas station. Here are a few tried and true gifting ideas for your hard to buys:
(Almost) everybody has teeth and if you have somebody on your list still using a manual brush - they will love you for this one. Manual brush people are either too cheap to buy an electric brush or have no idea how much better electric cleans - either way, it will be a hit! A great choice:
Philips Sonicare Diamond Clean Rechargable Sonic Toothbrush - $229.99 - with an advanced new handle and high density, diamond-shaped bristles that remove up to 100% more plaque from hard-to-reach areas, improve gum health in only 2 weeks and whiten teeth in just 1 week. It offers 5 cleaning modes and dual charging options including this very cool charging glass!
Available at Shoppers Drug Mart, London Drugs, Centre du Rasoir, Personal Edge and Bed, Bath and Beyond.
The beauty lover in your life will be thrilled with a beauty subscription which will send a box of beauty samples to their mailbox every month! There are several subscription services to choose from and I'm a fan of: Glossybox - with a couple of gifting options of sending 1 box for $21 or 3 months worth for $60 or you can sign them up for a monthly subscription at $21/month recurring which you can cancel at any time; 6 months for $115 or a year for $220 - whatever you choose, they are sure to love it!
The coffee addict in your life would be thrilled with a: Bosch Tassimo T55 Home Brewing System - $129.99 - has intelligent barcode technology for a perfect beverage every time with an innovative flow-through water heater delivers your beverage in under a minute and a mild/strong feature so you can have it exactly how you want it. The cup stand is height adjustable and removable so that any sized cup will fit. Especially awesome, it features automatic cleaning, because let's face it, if you're too lazy to make coffee, you're too lazy to clean up too!
Best of allthanks to this present - you now have the perfect gift to get them on every occasion from now until the end of time - Tassimo T Discs! Available in black, white, red and blue and you'll find it at: The Bay, Best Buy, Sears, Future Shop, Canadian Tire, Home Outfitters, London Drugs, Bed, Bath and Beyond and Walmart - and shop around a bit, I saw it as low as $119 and as high as $149!
And when all else fails there is always bacon (not recommended for vegetarians) - who wouldn't love monthly bacon...? Bacon Freak Monthly Bacon Club - $49.95/month - as well as every other bacon product you ever hoped to see!
Quo Mineral Shadow Combo - $20 - in six velvety smooth textured shades: Serendipity, Toast of the Town, Downtown Brown, Calm Oasis, In the Mist and Midnight Stroll that include 4 eyeshadows, 1 eyeliner and 2 applicators.
Available at Shoppers Drug Mart.
Revlon PhotoReady Primer + Shadow - $12.95 - in 8 shade collections that range from neutral to bold pops of colour: Impressionist, Metropolitain, Pop Art, WaterColors, Renaissance, Graffiti, Bohemian and Avant Garde that include a powder primer to even out the lids and create a smooth canvas, 3 highly pigmented shadows that can be worn wet or dry and a sparkle top coat to add dimension and drama. Best yet, it has a unique eye shape layout and a "How To" guide on the back of every palette!
Avon Luxe Clutch Eyeshadow - $12.99 - contains 10 shimmery eyeshadows and a dual ended applicator in a luxurious clutch. Comes in gift box ready for giving.
If you're more of a control freak and insist on picking your own shades, check out:
mark. i-mark Wet/Dry Shadow - $6 ($10 for the refillable palette) - with highly pigmented shades you can mix and match yourself including 6 new metallic shades: Jazzy, Sugar Sugar, Moonshine, Goldiluxe, Truffle and Lava.
Available from your Avon rep - 1-800-265-AVON or online at www.avon.ca.
I have a lip dryness problem at the best of times and winter certainly wouldn't be one of those best times so keeping them hydrated is a constant struggle! It's not too bad during the day when my gloss keeps them fairly moist but overnight is more of a problem. I don't know if it's that the air in my house is especially dry, if I'm a dreaded mouth-breather or if my lips just hate me but I have a hard time finding a product to wear on my lips at night that will absorb quickly enough that it doesn't all rub off on the pillow as I sleep but isn't so waxy that I wake up with a gross film on my lips - that is until I discovered:
Polysporin Visible Lip Health Overnight Renewal Therapy - 7.7g - $5.99 - with an emollient and vitamin enriched formula that replenishes essential lipids to repair and nourish your lips with moisture while you sleep and is clinically shown to restore visibly healthier lips in just 3 nights!
With a light fruity scent(but no taste, otherwise I tend to lick it all off) and a soft, creamy formula that soaks right in, it is just what my dry night lips were looking for!
Available now at drug, grocery and mass retailers across Canada.
Lisamarie - the happiest day of my life was the day Sephora opened it's first store in Canada (thankfully in Toronto), second happiest day was before this when Sephora finally started shipping to Canada, third I guess would be my wedding day (but don't tell my husband where he ranks please!)
*** Christelle - I enjoy shoe shopping and drinking martinis...preferably at the same time!
