The Christmas chaos is over! I hope you had a fantastic time. It’s the annual tradition to post what I got for Christmas so here it is! (and as is with tradition, I’m too lazy to take photos so you get stock photos! 😛 )
Smashbox Drawn in. Decked Out. Multi-use Brush Set
Wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas! ❤
It’s been nice reading everyone’s festive holiday posts but this year I just don’t seem to have anything Christmas-y to contribute. I feel like I’ve covered all the Christmas topics in years past – if you’re wanting some festive posts from me, have a read through my Blogmas posts from 2016 and 2015. 🙂 🎄🎁
When I get the question, “How do you apply your foundation?” I answer, “It depends.” I’m not trying to be difficult, because it really depends! 😛 It depends on the foundation that I’m using. It depends on what kind of finish I might be looking for, or the level of coverage I want that particular day. Here’s an overview of methods and tools that I employ to apply foundation.
I’ll also name some foundations that work well with each method.
It’s been a while since I last did an update on my shopping accountability – the last one was way back in August, actually! That was to cover June and July spending, so that means I haven’t talked about how August to October went. Those 3 months were my No-Buys months, in preparation for Holiday spending. I’m pleased to report that those 3 months I was too busy to think about makeup. At first I was missing the shopping but I got used to it – I even went to a L’Oreal warehouse and walked away with just bar soap:
I got 4 bars of the Kiehl’s Gently Exfoliating Body Scrub Soap in Coriander. It’s the Limited edition by Kate Moross, which is from this year, it seems? One is already in use, as you can see. I paid $8 each for these.
So a pat on the back for me! 😀 But, we’re here to talk about November! I essentially did all of my shopping concentrated between the Sephora sale and Black Friday. In addition, I picked up random bits. A LOT of random bits:
There were just so many deals to be had… how could I resist? 😇
It’s been a while since I last redeemed my Optimum Points. It’s funny to think that only a couple of years ago, I got super excited because I’d finally hit the top tier for the first time ever. Since then, I’ve hit that level several more times. It’s that Optimum app, I tell you! 😀 This points redemption event is a bit bittersweet because the Optimum Points program as it exists now will be gone by next February (read more about it over at fivezero’s blog). I wonder if there will be another redemption event before then. I wasn’t going to take a chance though, so I depleted most of my points at this event. I got:
I should mention that I went to Shoppers Drug Mart (SDM) after I’d had a couple glasses of wine so some of my choices weren’t the most sound. 
The majority of this was purchased on Black Friday but I did buy a purse in early November. I’ve been wanting a larger purse for Fall but I have a very specific list of features that I want in a purse:
• Zipper closure
• No magnets at all
• Convertible / adjustable strap
• Flat, not rolled, strap
• Large enough to hold a notebook
• Leather (does not need to be black)
• Work appropriate
I had my work cut out for me! After consulting friends, visiting stores, and online research, I landed on a satchel style from Fossil, called Sydney Satchel:
Fossil offer many different satchel styles (I debated between Rachel, Fiona, Kendall, Emma as well) but the Sydney Satchel checked all the boxes for me. And of course, wouldn’t you know it: this style was only available online (but on sale! And according to online sources, it’s discontinued) so I took a chance and ordered from the US site – this added to the cost with shipping and import duties, and I ended up paying C$215 in total.
After receiving the purse, the only feature I didn’t love was the adjustable strap – it’s notched / buckle rather than a sliding mechanism, which means 1) the notches never adjust short enough for me 2) I’m left with a long tail at the shortest setting. Plus, I wanted the sliding buckle so that I can make the strap shoulder length or crossbody – so the hunt was on for an “after market” replacement strap. Most of the straps I could find were either synthetic, very rustic handmade looking, or overpriced ($50+ for a strap, are you kidding me?) – I finally landed on one from this seller on eBay and it’s fantastic! I chose the 1″ width strap, here’s what it looks like compared to the original one:
My budget for the purse was $500 so I was happy to come well below it! The rest of my haul are clothes…
I succumbed to beauty deals on Black Friday, after all. I didn’t go into Black Friday with any plans (I had taken the day off work) and wasn’t particularly keen on any of the previewed deals shown online. I woke up super early and arrived at the mall even before 7am – I was surprised that there were quite a few shoppers at the mall this year compared to last year. I keep hearing about the death of bricks and mortar stores, in addition to the decline in the enthusiasm for Black Friday sales. But based on my non-scientific observations, it was busier, especially so early in the morning. Here’s what I hauled:
I’m pleased to say that the majority of the items are for replenishment purposes. Of course, some were absolute impulse buys. 😉
stash matters 