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Beauty Vixen

Lip Smacker has a bunch of fun Easter surprises this year for just about everyone. From Coca-Cola, Disney to Lemonade and DIY customizable balms, there is something to fun for everyone.
This year Lip Smackers Disney Tsum Tsums have some fun new Characters. Mickey (Cherry) and Mini (Strawberry Lollipop) come in fun pastel shades for the season and their own little Easter Egg design on their sides. Thumper (Caramel Kiss) and Eeyore (Cheer Up Buttercup) are back (I reviewed them last Easter). Thumper even comes with a fun new little carrot design on him, which is really cute for a little bunny like him.
I really do adore the Tsum Tsum formula, it is thick and very protective. If you want something more then a traditional tube lip balm these are for you. I also love that they are creating fun new seasonal versions of the characters, I honestly think I am going to end up with a very large collection soon.
If Tsum Tsums aren't your thing but Disney still is, there are some fun new trios out that are packed in little egg shaped bags that have zippers on them. There is Disney characters dressed up for Easter (Strawberry Soda Pop, Orange Soda Pop, and Grape Soda Pop flavours) and Moana (Mango Cruising, Passionfruit Island, Coconut Splash flavours). 
I know my nieces are all into Moana more than any other movie right now (yes, I did go to a Moana themed birthday party) so they would love to find this one in an Easter egg hunt or in their basket.
There also are some great candy options for the sweet lover in your family. Packaged in cute little colourful plastic eggs with three lip balms in each. There is Skittles (Skittles Green Apple, Skittles Wild Berry Strawberry, and Skittles Strawberry), Starbursts (Starburst Cherry, Starburst Fave Red Strawberry, and Starburst Fave Red Watermelon) and M&Ms (all are Chocolate flavoured).
I personally love Starburst the most of these, but am drawn to how adorable the M&Ms look with the little plastic M&Ms on the top of the caps.
Coca-Cola is a classic flavour to me, for Easter you can get a little plastic egg filled with Coca-Cola Classic, Cherry Coke and Sprite flavours. I reviewed some coke products last year and really loved how spot on the flavours were.
You can also get a fountain pop lip balm and stick lip balm in a duo that is packaged like an egg. The Fountain pops have the same formula as the Tsum Tsums and as I said above, I do love them. The duo is a great idea for those that love both types of balms and want some variety.
Finally there are fun Lemonade flavours. There is a cup lip balm and tube duo in Watermelon Lemonade as well as Strawberry Lemonade (not shown) and they smell amazing. Just amazing! There are also fun custom DIY Topper Duos, you get two lip balms, an Easter egg shaped topper and stickers so you can customize your lip balm to your liking.
So if a sweet treat, a Disney classic, or a classic cola is your thing, Lip Smacker has something fun for you this Easter season. Now trying to find fun places to hide these babies for an Easter Egg Hunt, that is going to be fun, so is seeing the looks on everyone's faces when they find them.
*PR samples features. All opinions are my own.
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It is time for my big gift guide. There are so many people out there and so many gifts to buy, so I have done up a guide of some of the best gifts you can give this holiday season.

Before I begin, some of these items were sent to me from PR for review, and some I bought myself with my own hard earned cash. Either way they wouldn't be in this gift guide if I did not 100% love them and want them here. Items with an asterisk (*) next to their name were from PR, ones without I personally paid for. All views are my own, as always.
Quo Artisan Brush Set*
Oval makeup brushes have been all the rage the last few years. Quo happens to always makes fantastic brushes and brush sets, so to see that they have an oval set for the holidays is a delightful thing. This set features 10 brushes, everything from your lips, face and eyes is covered with this super soft and dense set.
The Body Shop Vanilla Chai Tin Of Delights*
I love The Body Shop's holiday scents, and while they have changed over the years (gingerbread, candied apple, cranberry have all made past appearances), this year's Vanilla Chai is an amazing blend of holiday warm scents that makes me feel at home. I love how The Body Shop always has amazing sets this time of year that have great value, this one has one thing other sets don't, Bubble Bath. I love a good bubble bath, so the fact this set has all my other favourites, body wash,  body butter makes it my must have set this holiday season from The Body Shop. Oh and the pretty packaging too. If you needed an extra reason to give this, or any gift from The Body Shop this season, all gift sets help raise money for International Alert's Place for Peace Project
Belgian Cookies
Belgian chocolate cookies are a tradition in our house. Every year we get one as a gift and enjoy them with coffee and tea as desert on Christmas night. This year I opted to buy a box a little early just to make sure I had some on hand. While many companies sell these under their own name, we got the PC brand (honestly I think they are all the same). I love the combo of cookie and good quality chocolate. Plus you get a nice tin you can reuse for other projects or storing holiday ribbon (its what I do with them). I really think it makes a nice hostess gift.
Custom Ornaments:
Shoppers Drug Mart has their own online photo store, which has a whole pile of customized photo gifts. After getting our Santa photos done I thought it would be a great idea to get our families (and ourselves) some custom ornaments made up. We chose a wider shape with a red border, but there were lots of options. A nice touch is that they are double sided so we put Bradley's last year photo on one side and this years family photo with Santa on the other. I really think our moms are going to love these. Ordering was easy, and pick up was in about a week at our chosen Shoppers location, oh and we got Optimum points too (bonus).
Sony EXTRA BASS Portable Bluetooth Speaker*
This tiny speaker that is about half the height of a pop can, is waterproof and rechargeable. I currently have another Sony Bluetooth speaker that is much larger and runs on either an electrical cord or a bunch of batteries, so to have a smaller version that can pump out the tunes just as well without the need for cords or batteries is a much welcome change. You can get a second one and have them set up for stereo sound, but honestly one makes some pretty amazing sound. I recently started to use it in the kitchen (hanging from a cabinet knob and off the counter) while cooking and in bed when I am using my tablet. My tablet's speakers are on the back of them and get muffled when I push it up against a pillow, so it is fantastic for that. It also has a little string so you can hang it if you are out and about. It also has the ability to sync up with a second speaker and create a stereo experience and has some pretty incredibly deep bass settings (hence the name).
D-Link WiFi Range Extender*
When we moved 2+ years ago from a tiny 1 bedroom apartment to a 3 story stacked town home, we worried about the WiFi. It is a silly thing to worry about but really, how was the signal going to be from the basement all the way up that concrete thing to the 3rd floor. Well it has been hit or miss. My office is upstairs and we do a lot of watching of online media in the bedroom (tablets, phones, chrome casting to the TV). So the idea of boosting our reception was a great idea. This little tiny thing does such a great job I do not know why we didn't get one sooner. The best part for me is, the hubby has older desktop computers that don't have WiFi options, and we have wires everywhere to connect them to the internet. This little guy has a LAN cord spot in it. Which means all you need is an outlet and you can get the internet to a computer. This is really great because we felt really limited in what areas of the house we could put his computers, and now we aren't. We now have the option of giving him an office like me on the 3rd floor. Anyways I think this makes a good gift for anyone with a house or a larger condo, it helps give you full WiFi bars just about anywhere.
Body Fantasies Gift*
This little perfume body spray set features four popular scents from Body Fantasies. With Japanese Cherry Blossom, Sweet Crush and Pink Sweet Pea Fantasy, these three scents are sure to brighten up anyones holiday season. The box set makes for a nice gift for anyone you know likes fragrances (you could also break it up into four gifts for a few stocking stuffers).
Burt’s Bees Face Essentials*
Burt's Bees is a favourite of mine this time of year. They always have such great gift sets for any need, face, feet, hands, travel, lips. This year I am trying out their Face Essentials kit which has in it their White Tea Towelettes, Peach & Willowbark Deep Pore Scrub, Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream and Coconut &Pear Lip Balm. All full sized and all great products for anyone who is into skin care products. I really love their Deep Pore Scrub and Deep Cleansing Cream, I have dry skin and cleansing creams are definitely the way tot go to get your pores clean but not strip your skin of moisture.
Lelo Intent Women's Gift Set*
If you are looking for a great gift for the lady in your life, or heck even yourself then you may want to consider this bit of an adult gift option. Lelo is known for making high end toys that are also come in classy packaging. This set features two of Lelo's global best sellers, INA 2 and SIRI 2 as well as a bottle of their water-based personal lubricant. If this seems like a bit of an odd gift, you should head on over to Canadian Fashionista's blog and read about how 75% of Canadian women are not having orgasims.
Clinique A Little Happiness Gift Set
I love Clinique's Happy and Happy Heart. The scents have been in my rotation for years, but recently it caught my interest again. Sadly all I have at this point is a bunch or roller-balls I don't use. Then I found this little set and everything changed. It has three happy scents, Happy, Happy Heart and Happy in Bloom, all in mini spray bottles. They are spray bottles !!!! I am so happy (no pun intended). I can now spritz in the morning, or travel with one of them. I mean I really hate roller-balls, they get gross after a while plus I feel I need to spritz my fragrance a bit on my clothes to get more of a lasting scent.
NYX City Set Lip, Eye & Face Collection
A friend recently gave me this NYX Toronto set and I thought it was so cute. There are a few cities in the collection (New York, Santiago, Stockholm, London, to name a few). You get a quad of shadows, a blush, highlight and soft matte lip in its own little book like box. I think it is a really cute gift for anyone you know from one of the cities or just as a cute makeup gift.
Stila Eye For Elegance Liquid Eye Shadow Set
I am a big fan of Stila in general, each year I often end up purchasing at least one of their holiday sets. This year they had one I couldn't live without getting. It has six of their liquid eyeshadows, three of which are so new they wont be out until the spring. The three new ones are Shimmer & Glow shades while the three already released shades are Glitter & Glow shades. They all are really pretty pink, gold and silver shade that I think would look great on most people. The Shimmer & Glow ones really interest me because they are glitter free and they are just so pretty looking.
The Body Shop British Rose Expert Manicure Set
My hands are so dry all the time, but Christmas is the worst time of year because of how much I work. I adore The Body Shop's British Rose Hand Cream (the Almond one too), so this set really called to me in store. I love tin that looks like a playing card. Inside is a full size of the lotion, nail clippers. nail file and nail buffer. I really just wanted the hand lotion and tin, but this makes for a nice gift for anyone you know works hard with their hands. There is also a smaller version available. Plus, this gift helps fund Peace Play Project in Lebanon, like all gift sets at the Body Shop this year.
Lip Smacker Tsum Tsum Duo: Mickey & Minnie Gold Lip Balm Set
Tsum Tsums are still some of the cutest lip balms around, plus they have a great formula. While this year Lip Smacker has lots of options for stocking stuffers in the Tsum Tsum family, but this gold Mickey and Minnie set is just too cute not to get. Mickey is in gold with Whipped Pineapple flavour and Minnie in rose gold with Strawberry Beignet flavour.
There is my gift guide. I think all of these would make great gifts to give or receive this holiday season. 
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One of my favourite things about Christmas is stockings. I used to love opening mine on Christmas morning and seeing all the fun smaller gifts that could fit into my (pretty large) stocking. As an adult I used to be in-charge of doing the stockings for my siblings. I really enjoyed finding fun, useful and unique things to in everyone's stockings. For this gift guide I have curated some of my favourite things, all of which I think will be great in any stocking (or for a smaller gift for someone).

Before I begin, some of these items were sent to me from PR for review, and some I bought myself with my own hard earned cash. Either way they wouldn't be in this gift guide if I did not 100% love them and want them here. Items with an asterisk (*) next to their name were from PR, ones without I personally paid for. All views are my own, as always.

Cinnamon Bun Skillet
This is a tiny cast iron skillet that has either pizza dough with spices, brownie mix or cinnamon bun mix and icing packaged inside it. I think it is not just super cute for any foodie, but also a nice pan that you can use to make future dishes in, or just eggs (Mr. Fox makes a mean frittata and got very excited to see this item in my shopping bag). I may have bought my Cinnamon Bun one just for the pan, but I am going to enjoy every second of that bun. Extra bonus my cashier at Shoppers Drug Mart thought it was such a good gift after scanning it, that he said when he went on break he was going to buy a bunch for stockings (see it is a good gift).
Soap & Glory Wait on Hand & Foot*
Everyone suffers from dry hands and feet in the winter, I just know it. So giving the gift of a nice good quality hand and foot cream set is a fantastic gift for anyone to receive. Soap & Glory happen to make a really amazing line of products that are incredibly decadent and I think make a fantastic stocking stuffer.
Quo Holiday Lip Gloss Ornament*
Available in a few shades, I happen to have the Top Coat shade that is incredibly iridescent and festive. These ornaments can be hung on a tree or put in a stocking. Quo always has some great holiday glosses so it is worth trying. They also have some fun other options like sponges available.
Burt's Bees Mistletoe Kiss Set*
This trio has some Burt's Bees lip favourites to help keep your lips smooth and soft, and mistletoe ready. Containing Pomegranate Lip Balm, Hibiscus Tinted Lip Balm, and Peony Lip Shimmer Balm, it has a balm for every occasion.
Lip Smacker Ornament*
Lip Smacker's Disney Tsum Tsums are a favourite of mine so these limited edition holiday lip balms come in some of your favourite Disney characters (Daisy, Donald, Mickey, Minnie, Ariel, Tinkerbell, the list goes on and on) in special flavours with winter details (my Daisy has a scarf on). Personally I think these are adorable and can see my collection of Tsum Tsum balms growing even larger in the next few weeks. They also come in plain packaging, but the ornament packaging is really cute to me. If Tsum Tsums aren't your thing, they also have a whole whack of other sets featuring Disney characters (that includes Star Wars and Marvel by the way), Coca-Cola, Skittles and a bunch of other great flavours. 
Quo by ORLY Breathable nail polish set Marvelous Minis*
Quo by ORLY has a pretty fantastic formula.  This collection of 4 minis is a great stocking stuffer for anyone who is a polish addict. There is no need for a base or top coat with the formal, it lets your nails breathe and thus helps keep them from drying out.
Yardley London & Yardley Botanicals *
Yardley makes a bunch of great products that would be a great addition to any stocking. From Soap to Eau De Toilette, Moisturizing Fragrance Body Spray, Moisturizing Body Wash and Body Lotion. With fragrances like Lavender, English Rose, Lily of the Valley, there is something for everyone. English Rose is one I really like this time of year. Bonus, Yardley products have the Royal Warrant on them, so you know it is good quality or our Queen wouldn't be using it.
Conair Mini Pro Ceramic Straightening Hot Brush*
This is a miniature version of Conair's Hot Ionic Straightening Brush, which I absolutely adore. A mini version (or they make a mini straightening iron and drier too) is the perfect gift for that person who travels, goes to the gym, or just has short hair. I personally had my hairdresser take my hair much shorter than normal ("oops I took it too short" are words you never want to hear from your hairdresser), so I am loving this mini version.
Real Techniques 4 Miracle Mini Complexion Sponges*
Real Techniques makes my favourite sponges. Seriously I threw out so many others that just don't live up to the RT ones. This set features 4 minis of their best selling sponge Complexion Sponge for touch ups, concealing or colour correcting.
EcoTools Ultimate Shade Duo*
EcoTools makes some down right amazing brushes. My weakness is brushes, I have over 250, and EcoTools is definitely a brand that makes my list. Affordable and great quality, I really can't complain. This set gets you two eyeshadow brushes, one shade and one contour, making it great for any novice to makeup or pro.
So...? Body Mist*
It is always a great to receive a nice fragrance during the holidays. So...? makes it really easy and affordable with their body mists. I have been trying out their Vanilla Milkshake, Watermelon, and White Petals Mists lately and have really enjoyed the scents. Vanilla Milkshake is a basic vanilla scent that is a good crowd pleaser. White Petals is a bit more complex, with bergamot, freesia and water lily. Watermelon is a fruity and pretty straight forward scent that smells quite a bit like a watermelon.
7th Heaven Masks*
I have tried a lot of 7th Heaven masks over the years, they are fantastic quality and incredibly affordable. From their great peel off mask, mud sheet masks, feet and hand masks to their new Charcoal masks they are all amazing to give and are a perfect stocking stuffer. Charcoal is all the rage right now in both food and beauty, so a peel off mask that helps cleanse and detoxify is a great idea. Plus who doesn't love the cheeky factor of a coal reference in a stocking? I personally love the Soften Sock Masques for my rough winter feet.
Lip Smacker Hand & Body Lotion*
These hand lotions are a decent size and smell amazing....amazing I say, while still being really hydrating. The Vanilla Bean one smells so nice and has a little cute snowman on it. There is also Gingerbread, Candy Cane and Strawberry available.
Scrub Daddy*
I have never gotten excited about a sponge before, that was until I tried Scrub Daddy. Scrub Daddy is the best selling Shark Tank pitched product ever, and I can see why. I have been using it for about 3 years and love it so much. It gets soft when used with hot water, it stays firm if you use cold water. By sticking your fingers in the eyes you can rotate it easily inside tight spaces. The spikes help you get tough stuff off. The mouth (the best part) helps remove stuff from things like spoons and knives (PB off of spoons, it's the best).
Trim Totally Together Tip to Toe Kit*
A nice good quality mani-pedi kit isn't easy to find. Usually they just have a file and clippers in them. This set has so much more to it. A Nail Brush, Fingernail Clipper, Nail Scissor, Cuticle Pusher, Cuticle Clipper, 4- Step Buffing Board and Toe Nail Clipper. The cuticle pusher is all metal and double sided!!! I really love this set because of the fact it is more then just a 3 piece set and because of the quality of the products inside it.
I am sure there are a bunch more little items that would make great stockings, but this is honestly some of the best items I would love to get or give this holiday season.
What is your favourite thing to get in a stocking?
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Are you a caffeine addict like me? I love my morning coffee and love a morning latte so much more. In an ideal world, I would have a latte every single morning. But it is summer so that means it is frappe season.

Lip Smacker has made my life a little bit more latte friendly with their new Frappe Lip Balm collection. With 5 yummy flavours you can enjoy a frappe that suites your taste the best.
These come in the same formula as the Disney Tsum Tsum and Coca-Cola Soda Balms. They are bullets in little frappe cups with their base in a cute little swirl of faux whipped cream. The formulas are dense so they don't smush when touched like a stick, are a bit waxy but bust coat your lips fantastically and hydrate super well.

Cinnamon Churro Frappe:

Fun fact about me, I am a bad Canadian who doesn't like maple syrup (*gasp*), but I do love cinnamon sugar all over things instead. So yeah I love cinnamon! I also order Cinnamon lattes a lot. This balm has a great cinnamon taste with a little something else that I just can't place, so I am assuming it is a light coffee essence. When I lick my lips all I get is the cinnamon though.

Caramel Frappe:
Caramel is so tasty and I love it so much, but I do find caramel frappes, they are just too darn sweet for me.  Lucky for me this has all the flavour of caramel without the sweetness.

Vanilla Chai Frappe:
I love Chair lattes, tea makes me super happy. This frappe balm has quite a kick of cinnamon to it.  It personally smells just like McDonald's Vanilla Chair Tea Iced Frappe, which I adore in the hot months.

Mocha Chip Frappe:

Chocolate makes me happy, but once again Mocha in a frappe can be a bit too sweet for my taste. This combo is perfect for a lip balm though, it smells just like bitter sweet chocolate chips.
Pumpkin Spice Frappe:

I am not going to lie, when pumpkin spice season starts in the fall I go a little nuts. It probably is just the combo of cinnamon, hazel nut and vanilla in the mix that drives me crazy, but none the less I am a sucker for it (FYI way more into ginger bread lattes, but love anything pumpkin spice, muffins, bread, gum). This balm gives off a great pumpkin spice flavour that isn't too strong or over the top. 

Overall I am loving these balms, just like the other Lip Smacker options these one deliver in the hydration and lasting on my lips. I just adore the formula. I get to indulge all my coffee house loves every day without dishing out the calories of big bucks.

What is your favourite coffee house drink? 

*Products were sent for me to review, all views and opinions are my own.
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Jill Oliver-Fox is a Toronto based beauty blogger with a love for beauty, food, and pets. She began the blog in 2009 and hasn't stopped since. To read more about Jill and the Blog, click here.

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