celebrating...

Happy Holidays everyone! Hope you have a very Merry Christmas!!!

I hope Santa brings you everything on your wishlist (what beauty products did you ask for?) :)

Gift Idea: NARS Follow The Boys Lip Gloss Set

Brand: NARS
Name: Follow The Boys Lip Gloss Set
Size: 0.14 oz each
Price: $40 USD

One of the best things about holiday gift sets (besides making great gifts) is that often, you get to try smaller versions of really popular products, which is handy for the gal that wants to try it all, or for people who travel and want to bring along their favourite products.


This new NARS holiday gift set (exclusive to Sephora) includes a set of 4 shiny medium-sized lip glosses.

Includes:
- Moon Fleet: clear with silver and gold flecks
- Easy Lover: sheer hot pink
- Turkish Delight: pink sorbet
- Sweet Revenge: sheer pink grapefruit

image: press release

Gift Idea Guide: Making Scents of the Holidays for Women

To follow up on the "Making Scents of the Holidays for Men" post, today I'm featuring just a small sampling of the plethora of womens' fragrances available this holiday season. Besides having aisles and aisles of choices, there are a lot of pretty perfume solids out there as well.

This is going to be an even longer post than the Men's, and I'm just scratching the tip of the iceberg here. I've also included some celebrity-created/inspired scents as those are usually popular gift ideas as well. Again, to get to what you need to know, I'm taking away all the fluff and filler, leaving you with the important things: an image of the bottle, name, size, price and the fragrance breakdown.

Enjoy and happy shopping!

NOTES:
- all prices are approximate, retailers may sell for a different price
- images are based on press releases and may be slightly different in market and dependent on product you are buying


Guess Seductive
- scent: top notes: bergamot, blackcurrant, crispy pear; middle notes: orange flower, jasmine, orris; base notes: vanilla, olibanum, cashmere wood
- Eau de Toilette: 50 ml for $69 CAD, 75 ml for $85 CAD
- Body Cream: 200 ml for $35 CAD
- Shower Cream: 200 ml for $35 CAD


Givenchy Play for Her - Eau de parfum
- scent: top notes: pink peppercorns, white peach, bergamot, sweet pea; middle notes: tiare flower, magnolia flower and leaf, amyris wood; base notes: sandalwood, musks
- Eau de Parfum: 50 ml for $79 CAD, 75 ml for $95 CAD

Givenchy Play for Her - Eau de parfum Intense
- scent: top notes: pink peppercorns, orange blossom; middle notes: tiare flower, orchid, amyris wood; base notes: sandalwood, patchouli, tonka bean and benzoin
- Eau de Parfum: 50 ml for $85 CAD, 75 ml for $102 CAD


Mariah Carey Lollipop Bling Gumball Machine Gift Set
- A gumball machine gift set that includes all 3 flavors of Mariah Carey’s Lollipop Bling Collection. This gumball machine is refillable, making it the perfect keepsake!
- Comes with 1 fl. oz of each scent
- $70 USD

Ribbon
- scent: inspired by the flavor of the blue raspberry Ring Pop and combined with a beautiful floral bouquet

Mine Again
- scent: a combination of chocolate raspberry and magnolia

Honey
- scent: a touch of honey and pineapple

Daisy Marc Jacobs Solid Perfume Ring
A New Daisy solid perfume dome ring - an over-sized ring with a scattering of white daisies across a black lacquer dome. The ring comes in a black velvet pouch.
- scent: strawberry, violet leaves, ruby red grapefruit, gardenia, violet petals, jasmine petals, musk, vanilla, white woods
- Daisy Solid Perfume Ring: $42 CAD


Calvin Klein Beauty
- scent: top notes: ambrette seeds; middle notes: jasmine; base notes: cedarwood
- Eau de Parfum spray: 50 ml for $89 CAD; 100 ml for $115 CAD
- Bath & Shower Creme: 200 ml for $48 CAD
- Skin Lotion: 200 ml for $60 CAD

Calvin Klein Beauty Solid Perfume Compact
A limited edition solid perfume purse charm with a metallic, chrome finish.
- scent: top notes: ambrette seeds; middle notes: jasmine; base notes: cedarwood
- Solid Perfume Purse Charm: 1.2 g for $50 CAD


Beyonce Heat Ultimate Elixir
- scent: red vanilla orchid, osmanthus petals, cedarwood, amber, vanilla, tonka bean
- Elixir: 50 ml for $75 CAD


Harajuku Lovers Wicked Style
Gwen Stefani and her Harajuku girls are back, this time sporting some "wicked style"

love - "Sweet Lolita" - a fruity floral
- scent: top notes: nectarine, mangosteen, juicy pear; middle notes: orange flower, lotus, violet, osmanthus; base notes: blonde woods, musk, sandalwood, hint of patchouli, dash of praline

lil angel - "Gothic Lolita" - a sparkling floral
- scent: top notes: succulent plum, champagne, bergamont, pomelo; middle notes: blooming lotus, fresh queen rose leaf, waterlillies; base notes: satin wood, rich amber, skin musks

music - "Visual Kei" - a woody floral
- scent: top notes: juicy apple, watery fruit, bergamont; middle notes: jasmine, gardenia, fuschia, peony; base notes: swirling cedarwood, iridescent musks, cyrstallized amber

baby - "Kawaii/Decora" - a vanilla floral
- scent: top notes: white peach, Red Delicious apple, pink freesia; middle notes: pink plumeria, lush orchid, jasmine petals; base notes: glowing amber; sensual musk, creamy sandalwood

g - "Omotesando Girl" - a fruity floral
- scent: top notes: Granny Smith apple, peach pineapple; middle notes: watermelon, butterfly blush, peony; base notes: raspberry, musk, water aqeous



Love and Glamour by Jennifer Lopez
- scent: top notes: guava, nectarine; middle notes: orchid, waterlilly; base notes: sandalwood, musk
- Eau de Parfum: 1.7 oz for $49.50 USD, 2.5 oz for $58 USD
- Body Lotion: 6.7 oz for $25 USD


Halle Pure Orchid by Halle Berry
- scent: top notes: amalfi lemon, papaya and cactus; middle notes: star anise, orchid and blackberry; base notes: patchouli, tonka bean and sequoia
- Eau de Parfum: 15 ml for $16 USD, 30 ml for $28 USD


Purr by Katy Perry
- scent: top notes: peach nectar, apple; middle notes: jasmine blossom, Bulgarian rose, vanilla orchid; base notes: creamy sandalwood, musk
- Eau de Parfum: 1.7 oz for $45 USD, 3.4 oz for $65 USD


Juicy Couture Couture Couture Solid Perfume Ring
- ring size 7
- scent: top notes: pink grape accord, orange flower, mandarin, middle notes: blushed plum, honeysuckle, star jasmine, base notes: creamy sandalwood, moist amber, vanilla
- Solid perfume: 0.023 oz for $42 USD


DKNY Be Delicious Eau de Toilette
- scent: American apple, cucumber, grapefruit, candid magnolia, tuberose, white muguet, rose, violet, sandalwood, tender skin accord, blonde woods, white amber
- Eau de Toilette Spray: 1 oz for $36 USD, 1.7 oz for $52 USD

Gift Idea Guide: Making Scents of the Holidays for Men

During the holidays, lots of brands offer their scents in beautiful packaging, extra goodies with purchase, limited edition versions, etc. There have been so many in the past couple of weeks that my head has been spinning with all the new releases.

With the holidays just around the corner, I figured now is a good time to show off some of the season's newer scents and some holiday editions, in case you're still looking for a last minute gift idea or something new to wear to all those holiday parties you've been invited to!

Like I said, there's quite a bit out there, so this is going to be quite a long post (a post focusing on Women's will follow). To get to what you need to know, I'm taking away all the fluff and filler, leaving you with the important things: an image of the bottle, name, size, price and the fragrance breakdown.

Enjoy and happy shopping!

NOTES:
- all prices are approximate, retailers may sell for a different price
- images are based on press releases and may be slightly different in market and dependent on product you are buying


Marc Jacobs BANG
Bang is Marc Jacob's first masculine scent in almost a decade.
- scent: peppery, woody and spicy; elemi resinoid, aromatic benzoin, vetyver, white moss and patchouli
- Eau de Toilette spray: 50 ml for $69 CAD, 100 ml for $95 CAD
- After Shave Balm: 150 ml for $67 CAD
- Deodorant Stick: 75 g for $32 CAD


Pure Nautica
- scent: top notes: sea spray accord, mandarin, bergamot; middle notes: ambergris, saffron, lotus flower; dry down: driftwood, suede, patchouli
- Eau de Toilette: 50 ml for $57 CAD, 100 ml for $75 CAD


Davidoff Champion
- scent: top notes: bergamot, lemon; middle notes: galbanum essence, clary sage; dry down: cedarwood, oak moss
- Eau de Toilette: 50 ml for $65 CAD, 90 ml for 82 CAD


Dolce & Gabbana The One Gentleman
- scent: top notes: pepper, grapefruit, middle notes: lavender, patchouli; dry down: cedarwood, fennel, cardamom
- Eau de Toilette Spray: 1 oz for $42 USD, 1.6 oz for $57 USD, 3.3 oz for $73 USD


Ralph Lauren Polo Black Deluxe
A special deluxe-size of Polo Black.
- scent: iced mango, silver armoise, patchouli noir
- Eau de Toilette Spray: 6.7 oz for $82 USD


Burberry Brit Limited Edition For Men
- scent: bergamot, green mandarin, ginger accord, cardamom, cedarwood, wild rose, nutmeg, tonka beans, oriental woods accords, greay musk
- Eau de Toilette Spray: 3.3 oz for $72 USD

Product Review: Jurlique Love Balm

Reviewer: Annabella from Skin Scrubs

Brand: Jurlique
Name: : Love Balm
Size: 15ml / 0.5 oz
Price: GBP £10.00 / approx $16.50 CAD

Jurlique is an Australian skincare company that believes that high performance products can be made with natural ingredients. They have an extensive range including skincare, bath & body, haircare and a baby products. I've never used anything else from them and I have to admit I was drawn to this because of the name. This is scented with Tangerine oil which smells different from Orange, a bit sharper and less sweet. The formulation is very solid but it melts on contact, is quite smooth and not greasy.

I have already tried a few 'all purpose' balms and most never really live up to their name. They are usually too greasy/waxy or not moisturising enough. I was kind of expecting this to be the same and when I first started using it it just felt like a nice lip balm. However I recently had a cold and with that comes the usual dry irritation around my nose from using tissues every few minutes. I decided try this on my flaky skin and it felt wonderful and didn't sting like moisturisers usually do. I continued to use it until my skin was back to normal.

This contains Vitamin E, Soybean oil, Safflower oil, Tangerine oil

To Purr About:
- the scent lovely and fresh
- nice smooth formulation not waxy or greasy
- helped my chapped skin
- works well on lips quite moisturising

Claws Out:
- a bit pricey for such a little tin

Final Comments:
While I found this worked really well on my lips and chapped facial skin, it wasn't so great on my elbows or hands. I think it's really difficult to create one product that works on facial and body skin because there is always going to be imbalance.

The other thing I would like point out is that we normally don't get the weather extremes in Nottingham like you do in Toronto [editor's note: as many of you know, Cinnamon Kitten and Suziesaurus both live in the Toronto area]. This balm is alright for the weather here but might not be effective enough for your harsher winter weather.

Rating (out of 5):



Disclosure: This product was purchased by Annabella.

Gift Idea: Eos Lip Balm Smooth Sphere Holiday Bag

Brand: eos
Name: Lip Balm Smooth Sphere Holiday Bag
Price: $9.99 USD


This little gift set would make a perfect stocking stuffer. Just in time for the holidays, eos has introduced a lip balm holiday gift bag which includes 3 of their adorable lip balm smooth spheres (full size) in a reusable cosmetic pouch.

Includes:
- Honeysuckle Honeydew
- Sweet Mint
- Pomegranate Raspberry (limited edition)

All eos lip balms are made with antioxidant-rich vitamin E, shea butter and jojoba oil

- 100% natural & USDA certified organic (made with 95% certified organic ingredients)
- petrolatum-free and paraben-free
- soft-touch, recyclable packaging
- eco-friendly, reusable cosmetic bag

image: press release

NEW Product: Hotheads 3D Bristle Pattern Brush

Brand: Hotheads
Name: 3D Bristle Pattern Brush
Price:
- small: $18 USD
- medium: $24.50 USD
- large: $29.50

The new Hotheads’ 3D Bristle Pattern Brush claims to dry your hair faster by 50-60%!

The ultra light 3D Bristle Pattern Brush is made with 3 types of bristles that not only help decrease dry time, but improve the overall health of your hair. The patented-shaped barrel gives ultimate control and cuts drying time in half whether adding volume, curls or an amazing flat iron-finish.

Other features include:
- White boar bristles control frizz and add shine;
- Black boar bristles grip for great smoothing, volume or curl;
- Single pinned firm nylon with round tips is designed to handle all hair types;
- Easily detangles hair and is gentle on the scalp;
- Available in 3 sizes: S, M, L.

image: press release

Product Review: Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Firming Moisture SPF20 Day Lotion

Reviewer: Suziesaurus

Brand: Neutrogena
Name: : Ageless Intensives Firming Moisture SPF20 Day Lotion
Size: 50 ml
Price: approx. $20.99 USD

I've always had good experiences with Neutrogena products, so I was excited to try their new Firming Moisture SPF20 Day Lotion.

From the website: "Reverse even the stubborn signs of aging. Lightweight, moisturizing day formula reveals resilient, firmer-looking skin that appears noticeably younger starting in just 2 weeks.
- 97% smoother, softer skin
- 82% reduced appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
- 97% improved appearance of

The Benefits of this product are:
- skin firmness
- Dermatologist tested
- Allergy tested
- Fragrance free

To Purr About:
- contains SPF20 to protect skin from the sun
- handy pump that has an on & off setting – making it great for travelling
- barely there scent
- not greasy
- leaves skin feeling moisturized throughout the day
- helps fight wrinkles
- doesn't irritate my super sensitive skin

Claws Out:
- none really

Final Comments:
I've been using this product for about a month now every day and I'm really enjoying it. I love that it has SPF20 to help protect me against the sun's harmful rays, but you can barely tell it has SPF unlike other products that smell and feel more like sunscreen than moisturizer. It also does not bother my super sensitive skin in any way and leaves my skin feeling moisturized. The best part is that it absorbs into my skin very quickly and does not feel greasy at all – making makeup application easy.

Also, with daily use I did find that it helped keep some of my more stubborn wrinkles away. I can`t really judge whether it`s making my skin any firmer as I don't have non-firm skin as a problem (that I know of), but it is a good moisturizer.

I think the only thing I would change is to make the bottle a little lighter (not glass) to make it better for travelling.

Rating (out of 5):




Disclosure: A free sample of this product was received by Cinnamon Kitten

image: neutrogena.ca

Gift Idea: tarte ring it in mini cheek stain and reusable ring set

Brand: tarte
Name: ring it in
Price: $25.00 USD / $33.00 CAD

This mini trio of our best selling, t5 infused natural cheek stains is back with new, limited edition shades and fashionably adorned with a reusable, universal-fit ring.

The botanical formula of these 3new natural cheek stains keeps pigments truer and as always allows you to blend into skin for a finish that's fresh and dewy.

Formulated without: parabens, petrolatum, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, sythetic dyes, synthetic fragrance

3 new shades:
- luster: bronze champagne
- vivid: vibrant pink
- flawless: golden coral

skinvigorating™ ingredients:
- acai fruit extract: fight free radicals and promotes cell regeneration
- goji berry extract: antioxidant rich and nutrient dense super fruit
- pomegranate extract: high concentration of antioxidants and vitamin c
- acerola extract: brightens and helps fight skin damaging free radicals
- maracuja extract: reduces redness, irritation and inflammation of the skin

image: press release

NEW Product: skin by Monica Olsen Dead Sea Clay Masque

Brand: skin by Monica Olsen
Name: Dead Sea Clay Masque
Size: 8 oz
Price: $16.95 USD

Dead Sea mud has been known for centuries to be a wonderful beauty product that cleanses and detoxifies the skin, removing old skin cells and leaving the skin fresh and light. skin by Monica Olsen's Dead Sea Clay Masque has different minerals that absorbs impurities, minimizes break outs and reduces excess surface oil.

- Dermatologist test
- derived from organic ingredients and essential oils

Ingredients:
- Dead Sea Clay
- Vitamin A & E
- Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
- Fennel Seed Extract
- Citric Acid

image: press release