Happy Holidays!

  

It's Christmas Eve! Can you believe it's finally here?  I feel like this year went by so fast. Last Christmas seems like only a few weeks ago.


I just wanted to write a post wishing you all a great holiday season. Whether you're spending the season alone or with friends or family, make the best of it. Watch some Christmas films, and drink some cocoa. Hang out with people you love and eat all the delicious food you want. 

Remember to be safe after parties and while driving or walking home. Each of us have loved ones and ones who love us so lets make it through the holiday together. 

T'is the season for giving but that's not just limited to gifts. Give your time or give your kindness to those who need it. There are people in this world that have a difficult time surviving during the holidays. Your smile and your time could be just what someone needs to get through the day.

Family is more important than the gifts under the tree. Christmas isn't about the gifts to begin with so don't worry about what you don't have under the tree. Of course the excitement of having a tree surrounded by a mountain of gifts is great but being around those you love and creating memories with them will last much longer than a toy.


I know, Geeze what a preachy post... But I'm serious. Holidays have so much depth to them and can really be fantastic is you want them to be. So make this years festivities good ones. Enjoy yourself, be safe, and hold the ones that mean the most to you close. 


Happy holidays, Everyone!
                            
                                             Xxoo - Katie

Holiday Gift Ideas!

Tis the season for gift giving!! for some of you that's exciting and for the rest of you, including me it's stressful. It's now crunch time to find that perfect gift for someone special and if you're anything like me, I keep putting it off and have a really hard time picking thing out especially if some one is hard to shop for or just has everything. So to not only help myself but hopefully a few of my readers I thought, "Hey! Why not write about my gift ideas!" So here I am, and here you are. I hope I can either give you gift ideas or at least inspire an idea to help you get that perfect gift just in time for the holidays. So lets get started


First things first, Lets talk gift cards. Do I like gift cards? Yes. Do I like to give them as gifts? No. Not unless I know the person really wants it or would really appreciate it. I use gift cards as a last resort and for the impossible to shop for friends but the right card given to the right person can be a great thing. They can get what they want from a store they love and everyone's happy. Sephora, Bath & Body Works, Clothing stores and department stores are all excellent examples of the cards you can purchase. Check them out!

Books! So many appreciate books it's not even funny. So what's better than buying someone a copy of your favourite book or even a trilogy that everyone is talking about. Do they have a favourite author or genre? Start looking at the books they already have and do some research. Are they a Harry Potter fan and don't have the books? Well what do you know, A gift idea! 

You can't talk about books without thinking of your favourites that turned into movies.

Just like books, the list of great movies can and will go on forever. Maybe the person your shopping for has a book that was turned into the movie but they don't have the movie yet. Is there a movie they wanted to watch but never got around to it? Or a series they absolutely LOVE!?  Maybe there is a film you just know they are going to love. Purchase it and you can watch it together! 

Scents! Who doesn't love a good smell, especially one they can wear! Pick up their favourite perfume, candle, hand cream or body care collection. I find these gifts instantly put a smile on anyone's face, especially if it's their favourite. During the holidays a lot of scent collections can be purchased so finding them will be easier than finding a parking spot at the mall! These sets can get quite luxurious too so you can either spend a lot of money or hardly any at all. It all depends on the scent. 

Clothing! I don't know about you guys but mittens, slippers and sweaters are such a favourite of mine to receive. The gift of warmth just seems so generous and nice and obviously cozy. Who doesn't like to be cozy!? My boyfriend purchased a pair of mittens for me and I LOVE them. Going outside and being warm is the greatest feeling and every time I see my mittens I'm reminded of him which means my mittens are two gifts in one! Thanks Babe! I still love them! <3

These are the mittens he got for me. SO WARM!

Now lets get crazy and get someone something they actually need. Ask them what they really need and if you can get it for them, do it. A lot of families don't have a lot of money during the holidays. Purchasing something they need can really take the stress of budgeting off their mind and we all know what it's like to worry about money and having enough to provide. This gift could be something small like a hat, boots, food, or it can be a bigger gift like paying a bill or fixing something thats been broken. The possibilities are endless when it comes to this since everyone's situation is different.

So since it's the season for giving, I encourage you all to give back to your community! Help make some Christmas hampers for families in need, Shovel some snow for your neighbours, bake some cookies for your co-workers. Do what you can to make the holidays a little brighter for someone and trust me, Your holiday will become brighter too.

Whatever holiday you celebrate at this time, I hope its beautiful. I hope your surrounded by people that love you and appreciate you and I hope you are able to sit down and smile while counting all your blessings this year has given you. 

Happy Holidays everyone! I look forward to 2016 with you all with me <3 

                        

                                             Xxoo - Katie

November Favourites

November is almost over! Where did my year go?! Anyone else wondering where it went? 

So I've been loving  few things this month that I wanted to share with you because I'm completely obsessed and its become a problem! So lets just get started so you can be just as excited as I am. =)


Beauty Favourites

TheBalm has created 7 matte lip shades and I received one in my Ipsy glam bag last month. I used it once and forgot about it until this month. The shade I received is called Committed and that's exactly what I am to the shade. I've used this everyday that I've applied make up. The shade is a pinky nude that glides on smooth. The colour is very pigmented and stays on for quite sometime. Besides the colour and staying power if this matte lipstick is the smell. Chocolate mint?! Yes please!!  Check this lipstick out, I'm confident you'll love it just as much as I do! 

Morphe eyeshadows have quickly become my favourite shadows I use them every day I wear make up and am constantly buying more. The two shades I want to rave about today are Birthday Suit and Marbleized. 
Birthday Suit is a matte light brown. I use this all over my lid to add depth to my eye. This shade blends in with my skin tone so well it looks quite natural when I wear it by its self. It's an easy shade to work with and like all Morphe shadows, it blends out very well! 

Marbelized is a beautiful golden brown shade. It shimmers, it shines. It does everything a shimmer shadow should. it blends beautifully and stays where I apply it. I have no trouble with these shadows creasing which is a major bonus and I also don't get much fall out. When I use this shadow I apply it on my outer corner over top of Birthday Suit. Adding this shade to a matte shadow will instantly spice up your look and add dimension to your eye. Give it a try. I think you'll like it! 

Pur-lisse BB Tinted moist cream

I also received this in my Ipsy glam bag back in October and started using it this month because the weather got colder and the air became dry so why not use this, Cover up blemishes and moisturize at the same time? The coverage with this product surprised me. I didn't expect it to be as pigmented as it is and I didn't expect it to have the coverage it did. Personally I have to apply this at least twice a day to keep it looking fresh but for me that's not an issue since I usually refresh my make up twice anyway. Give this a try if you're looking for a lighter alternative to foundation.

Nani Long lasting lip gloss

Now this collection is a steal! Why? because I got all 38 colours for $40! These colours range from pink, red and brown. they are all matte lip glosses that finish like a matte lip stick. They apply nicely, last long and are highly pigmented. These glosses don't smell like anything and some of them are shimmer shades. Try these glosses out. You'll fall in love with the shades and be overwhelmed with all the colours! 

Non Beauty Favourites

Greek seaside candle from febreze 
Wow! Everything about this candle makes me happy. It smells like  airy seaside summers, salt and flowers. It's incredible haha. The only downfall to these candles is that they burn fast. I wish they would last longer but to be honest I dont care how many times I have to repurchase this. I'll always be happy. 

Happy planet chocolate banana protein smoothie 

 I'm obsessed and currently drinking this! I've turned away from chocolate banana anything for years and one day while at work someone was drinking this and I was curious about it so after work I bought one and I've been hooked ever since! This shake is delicious and made right here in Canada! Happy planet products are amazing and I love all their products, especially the Thai coconut soup (Thats another blog post) So if you ever see this drink, try it or the other flavours they have, I'm sure there's one for everyone! 

That's it for my favourites! a small post but full of great things I think you'll love! remember to comment if you've tried any of these products! Let me know what you think!

Happy Holidays!

Xxoo - Katie