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

December Favourites!

Am I the only person who feels like December comes and goes way too fast?

With that being said, I don't have many favourites this month but the ones I do have, I think are pretty great so lets just get into it!


Beauty Favourites

Chi Silk Infusion Hair Serum

Hair serum is a product I have become best friends with over the years and I think any girl with long and or thick hair  can say the same thing.Over the years I have come to find that the more money I spend on a serum, the better the results especially with serums that contain argon, moringa, and Moroccan oils.
Not only do I adore  the results I get from this serum but the smell is so warm and rich it lasts in your hair all day. I continuously get compliments on it which always results in me raving about it for a good half hour but do not worry, I won't keep you here for that long on just this one product! I like to apply a quarter sized amount into towel dried hair, blow dry and then apply a little less than a dime sized amount onto the ends of my hair. I'm sure there is a better way to apply the product to get amazing results but this is what works for me. my hair is shiny, silky, and frizz free which is so amazing when you have long thick hair like me! Now with all the amazing qualities this product has the only downfall I have with it is the price I pay around $32 for the large bottle which is a lot of money to me but the bottle will last me over a year so in the end it's not all that bad. 

Next up we have a Beauty Blender but this is not the original it is just a dupe. but honestly it works just the same! So to help any one who doesn't understand how this works, it's a foundation applicator that works when you get it wet. The Beauty Blender helps anyone achieve perfectly and evenly blended foundation. I Use the Beauty Blender dupe so mine works just a little different that the original, but that is to expected. The dupe holds more water which means adding more foundation to get an even coverage but just like the Beauty Blender it cuts your blending time in half which I really appreciate haha! An original Beauty Blender is about $20 where as my dupe was about $7. I don't mind a little extra work when I save some money especially when the two products are so similar. Cleaning this product is really simple too. I use soap and warm water just like I do for all my make up brushes and it only takes about 2 minutes to clean!

BH Cosmetics automatic eyebrow pencil - Blonde

The photo says black but I use the shade blonde. I've really been loving this brow pencil not only this month but pretty much every month and I've talked about it here on my blog before. The product is angled so you can get precision and its nicely pigmented so you don't have to go over your lines a bunch of times. What I like most about this brow pencil is the fact that it stays where I put it. the formula is so thick that it never runs off your face and even stays when applied over foundation.  A few other things I like about this is not just the staying power on your skin but the longevity of the product itself. I fill in my brows every single day and I am no where close to having to buy a new brow pencil. I've been working with this one for over a year. I would recommend this to pretty much anyone because the price is just as great as the product I paid no more than $8 on the BH Cosmetics website.

Baby Lips - Grapevine
Anyone who knows me and my make up collection knows how much I love Baby Lips and how many I own. They smell good, have a mild taste, last long and moisturize very well, and like always the price is pretty amazing too! these run for about $3-$4 and you can find them at any department store and in any make up isle. I have been wearing the shade Grapevine this month and every time I apply it I cant help but stare at my lips because in the tube the colour looks really dark and pigmented but once applied it's shiny and gives off the same colour as in the tube but with a glossy finish so it's not actually that dark which I love and have never found a lip balm to give off that effect! Baby Lips are perfect for the girls who don't want something heavy on their lips just a sheer bit of colour or shimmer. If I'm not wearing lipstick I'm most likely wearing something from Baby Lips. From scents like tangerine shock to peppermint there is a baby lips for everyone. Try this out if you love simplicity and tasty smelling lip products! haha

Non Beauty Favourites

Tetley Mint Green Tea

As I type this I currently have a cup of this tea beside me. I love green tea and mint tea is my favourite so having them together makes me oddly excited. I have been drinking this non stop all month and I have no plans to stop! What I love most about this tea is the smell. Have you ever had those spearmint leave candies? Well this smells exactly like those. The smell instantly wakes you up and the first sip is always so refreshing. I find that this tea has a perfect balance of the green tea and mint so you can really enjoy both flavours especially when you let the tea steep and leave the bag in while you drink it the flavours never become overwhelming or bitter which I find happens quite a bit with other teas especially if you don't use milk and sugar like me. If you like mint and green tea separately then definitely give this one a try and don't forget to tell me what your thoughts are! 

Elf

One of the funniest and sweetest Christmas movies around and the only movie with Will Ferrell that I actually like (I know, what's wrong with me?) This movie always makes me laugh no mater how many times I watch it. and I really love how positive the movie is. Buddy is always SO happy and I find that his positive energy reaches out to the people watching the movie and makes everyone smile! How can you not love that? If you have yet to watch this movie, go grab a drink and a snack, rent, stream or borrow this movie and thank me later! ;)

Our Collection
So this month I won't be talking about my favourite songs but a new group that has recently started recording and uploading covers to Youtube. Despite the fact they have just recently started sharing their music with the world, these 3 have have all been friends and playing music together for quite sometime. Katie - Singer Jamie - Bass And Jowl - Guitar ( If I'm not mistaken haha)  are Our Collection and create covers of old classics and upload regularly which is pretty fantastic for their viewers. In my opinion Katie's voice puts a modern twist on the songs which makes them not only refreshing to listen to but still brings back the memories each song gave too you while listening to the originals! I say well done Our Collection here are two of their YouTube videos which I think shows off their range of musical talents! I hope you love them just as much as I do, and if you do, don't forget to show them some love by liking, subscribing, and even sharing their music with your friends and family like I'm doing right now!

Wild Horses 

 Zombie

There you have it guys! December Favourites! I Hope you enjoyed this post and if you try or listened any of the products/ videos above make sure to let me know what you thought.

I hope each and everyone of you have a great holiday season with your families and enjoy any celebration you have coming up. I'll see you all in the new year!!  


                                                  Xoxo - Katie