It is full blown fall right now, and as much as I am enjoying my Pumpkin Spiced everything I am actually anxiously awaiting Gingerbread season. In the meantime, here are some items I am loving right now.

NYX Powder Puff Lippie in Puppy Love:
I picked this up at my Rexall in the spring and started wearing it pretty much non-stop this fall. It is a tube that comes out a sponge tip applicator that leaves a soft look on the lips. It has a strange powdery like texture to it that feels dry. It happens to be really pigmented too. Puppy Love happens to be a nice coral shade.

Dermalogica Barrier Defense Booster:*
I started using this baby in the winter, now that summer's humidity is gone I am reaching for it again. My skin gets dry quickly and can get chapped and red fast. A little of this booster and my skin is instantly soothed and less red. I just adore it. Funny note, I have been shaking this stiff bottle to get out the product for months only to learn the grey bottom is soft and you just have to tap it to get the product out. I feel so silly.

Joe Fresh Tinted Lip Balm:
I love this tinted lip balm, so when I learned Joe Fresh was leaving Shoppers Drug Mart and all the items were 75% off I stocked up. Don't worry, Joe Fresh beauty products aren't going anywhere, they just won't be in SDM anymore. I really love how silky the balms feel, their light scent and how pigmented they are. I recently got my mother in law hooked on them because she wanted something that was like a lipstick but sheer and hydrating.
Left to right: Pecan, Lychee, Spice, Macaroon and Blackberry.

L'oreal Brow Stylist Boost & Set:
L'oreal has never, ever let me down in the brow category, this product is no exception. I picked it up on sale at my local Shoppers and do not regret it one bit. I love this little bent wand, it helps me apply the brow mascara just where I want and not on my skin. The formula helps build up my brows while tinting them just right. I think I may pick up the shade darker next time I see it on sale

Guerlain Meteorites:
So you may have seen in the past that I love Guerlain's Meteorites. I often pick up limited edition versions and even have their perfume (it smells just like them). Lately, I have been trying to actually use them more often, so I have been finishing off my makeup every day with 01 Blanc De Perle. It mainly is white pearls. It adds a nice glow to my skin and smells amazing.

So there you go, five more items I am loving.

*Product was sent to me for review purposes, all views are my own.

Guerlain Meteorites are hands down one of the most iconic items I happen to have in my collection. 2017 marks a milestone for this legendary product, it turns 30. In honour of Guerlain Meteorites 30th there is a limited edition of the beautiful pearls out, Happy Glow Meteorites.
Housed in a beautiful white sphere that has a pink luminescence to it making it look like a pearl, Happy Glow has a unique blend of colours in it.  Still scented with the iconic Violet scent that I consider intoxicating, these pearls are glowy indeed. It features mauve and pink pearls, tiny little bronze pearls and larger champagne coloured pearls. It overall has a more shimmery look then the permanent line but less then the holiday ones.. All of which makes it a unique blend suiting of a 30th birthday.

01 Blac De Perle on the left vs. Happy Glow on the right

This beautiful baby will join my collection that already features two holiday limited editions (2015 and 2016) and 01 Blanc de Perle and a custom blend I got made at their 30th anniversary party. As well as my Meteorites Base, a beautiful primer that features pink pearls suspended in a clear primer base.

01 Blanc de Perle and Meteorites Base

Before I leave you, here are some facts that I find interesting about Meteorites

• They are hand made in France with a very specific formulation, only 4 people handcraft them. 
• Each batch and formula has a specific amount of each shade in it (meaning every batch you get will be exactly the same, no wondering if one batch has more or less of a shade in it).
• Each container is hand filled for accuracy and care.

So there you go a bit of a run down of Meteorites and a look a why I love them so much.

It seems like once a year now I max out my Shoppers Optimum points and run off to Murale to buy holiday goodies with them. It always feels good because I don't feel the guilt of spending my own money and get all the holiday stuff I was secretly pining for. Big win win for me.

Guerlain Meteorites Holiday 2016
This year like last year, I had to have the holiday version of Guerlain's Meteorites. These little pearls of joy are so hard to find, the store only got a few and I got the second last one.
Nuxe Holiday Set ($55)

As the lovely sales associate at Murale helped me look through the store to figure out what else I should use my points on (this girl was good by the way), I saw some nice goodies from Nuxe. I have never tried the brand so I though this was a great way to try out a few different items from the brand. I was going to get a $15 set, but ended up getting this $55 set that has a full sized dry oil, mini candle, shower oil and body cream. I also got a mini dry oil as a bonus for spending so much on the brand at the store.
I'm pretty excited to try this set out, their dry oil smells so good.

Smashbox Light It Up 3 Palette Set ($55)
The sales associate really sold me on this set, I never would have noticed it otherwise. It is a acrylic neon box with three mini palettes inside. Eyes has 6 shadows, lips 6 lipsticks and contour has minis of their contour palette in it. It makes a good break up gift for stocking, but also makes a great travel set. This collection is a collaboration with California neon artist Meryl Pataky.
I always wanted to try Smashbox's contour palette, so now I can as well as a bunch of other nice new goodies I've been eyeing for a while. Also I have only heard good things about their new Be Legendary Lipsticks, now I have 6 to try out. Plus a cute neon box for my vanity.
 
So, that is all that I got at Murale, I went over my points a bit, but not by much and feel no guilt about this splurge.

2015 is no in the past, but that doesn't stop me from looking back at a truly life changing year for me. It wasn't what I hoped it would be, but was more what I knew it would be. I am glad I am closing this chapter in my life and have been moving forward with lots of hope and new goals.

All that being said, I wanted to thank you all for being there with me along the ride, supporting me when my father died, when I took a hiatus to be there for him and for my own recovery. I hope that in this new year I can move forward and get back to a routine that allows me to blog more regularly and better than ever.

Thank you all.

Now, on to my favourites of 2015 and some much hated items of 2015.
I'm going to list a few favourites here, but if you want a fuller list, check out the video bellow.
Annabelle Lipsies:
Oh how I love these babies. They are an adorable stick of scented and flavoured lip balms that deliver a bit of tint. They feel silky smooth and hydrate really well. I love the Lychee's smell and taste, it is just like a Lychee! I am shocked every time I apply it that it is so exactly like a real lychee. It also delivers a hint of brown to my lips which looks great. I also love Cherry. It is a very Cherry Lifesaver kind of smell and flavour, which is fun and great. But it also is red, so over a lip stain it can actually replace my lipstick. Which to be honest, if fantastic when your lips are dry.

L'oreal Infalible Pro-Lash Lip Colour:
I have two of these long lasting lipsticks and really want to get more. I love them. The colour part is applied with a doe-foot applicator, followed by a balm in a stick format. I can say that while the colour dries it feels awful, tacky and just so dry. But here is the kicker, once it dries and you apply the balm, your lips feel fantastic, and stay that way all day, even after the balm wears off. So just wait that 60 seconds for the colour to dry and you'll feel better after the balm. Why I am really loving it? It lasts and lasts all day. It also feels great on my lips while I wear it all day. It also doesn't come off on my cups or husband, so it really is a great long lasting lip product.

ELF Lash Tint Mascara:
I love this brush. That is really the draw for me. I sometime think I love an Elf mascara only to have it quickly dry up on me, lucky this baby didn't. But the real thing I love is the tiny brush for tightening. Oh it is fantastic. If you use it on its own it is a very natural effect mascara, but I like it for the roots and tightlining my lashes before a more fuller formula mascara. Regardless I love it.

CoverFX Custom Cover Drops:
I got these because everyone wouldn't shut up about them this summer. To be honest, everyone was right, they are everything you've heard and more. I run neutral with a slight pink undertone, so most foundations run either pink or yellow, leaving me to buy two foundations and mix to make my own town. These babies fix that forever. I just buy the closest one to my tone and can adjust to my perfect skin tone. I got P20 and N10 so that I can mix and make my own tone in any lotion or primer but also adjust foundations, BB, CC creams. AS well I can now boost a BB to a full coverage, I can take a medium or light coverage foundation and boost it to full if I need it to The options are endless.

Guerlain Meteorites:
Earlier this year I attended an event at the Bloor street Guerlain store, where I learned all about the iconic Meteorites. I quickly ran out and bought one, followed by the holiday collections Flacons Enchantes. These are a big splurge for me, but well worth it. I learned at the event that these adorable spheres of scented shimmer are hand made and packaged which only a handful of people in the world know the formulation for. A luxury I have been loving this past year.

Now for what I hated in 2015:
Hard Candy Lash Ink:
Years ago I feel in love with Revlon Lash Tint, a 3 day lash tinting product that wasn't really a mascara, but it made my lashes dark and never smeared, flaked or ran at work, so I loved it. It was discontinued years ago and I never found anything quite like it. Then I saw Hard Candy's Lash Ink and thought it might be the same.It is a stain that last for up to 4 days. It is so wet that applying it is almost impossible because the brush just has short stubs on it. If it had a regular brush it might be ok, but it doesn't. In addition to this you end up with really one big clump of lashes that you then have to spend forever separating. So if you can get it to look half decent, it never really sets, it just stays wet, so it smears, and clumps up again. Plus if a mascara never sets and smears, then it stays tacky, and it moves, so hair at my work sticks to it, leading me to be unhappy. And if it smears, it really kind of runs, because heck if I rub my eye and it ends up on my face, thats not good.  Ok rant over...sorry.
Just go get Estee Lauder's Little Black Primer, its better.

Younique Mascara:
Ok, I know I'll get yelled at for this one. I got this in a swag bag, I know it costs $35, I know people love it (or sales reps I should say), but no, no, no, no! It is bad. I have tried fibre mascaras before, I like them ok, but I am not in love with them. Taking that concept and amping it up to a level that is insane isn't going to make the concept any better. The amount of fibres on the wand isn't even reasonable, it is just too much (for me at least). You end up with spider lashes not long full lashes. Even if you try to use it in moderation, it just looks silly, and really isn't worth the hassle. If you want a nice looking fibre lash kit look at Too Faced's Better Than False Lashes Extreme! It is a better choice.

Ok there you go some favs and dislike for the year, anything you loved or hated this past year?

Once again thanks for sticking 2015 out with me, lots of love.

 Next up was David's Tea. I really love tea, David's in particular. I have so many that I have declared that I am not allowed any more tea. I did cave and bought this Advent Calendar for $40. I decided the way it was layed out with the drawers and the mini tins that next year I can go into the store and buy 24 10g seasonal teas and refill it. That way I wont be wasteful with all the packaging (plus it was the only way I could actually justify the purchase). I also got the hubby a Purdy's Advent Calendar that looks the same for $25(you can check it out here), it also will be refilled next year.

I went to Murale (owned by Shoppers Drug Mart) and redeemed my points for the holly grail of holiday beauty products.....


Speaking of Becca, I also got the Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Champagne Glow Palette. This features Jaclyn Hill's Champagne Pop as well as two other shades. As I said, I wanted to try some Becca out.
Buxom Look All You Want. I got this for $50 minus my 20% and was ecstatic. I got a Buxom custom palette a few months back and have yet to really dig into it, but love it. For the same cost I got this great palette in a limited edition case, a mini mascara and full sized liner. Great deal and very pretty colours.
I needed brush cleaners, so trying out the Cinema Secrets Cinema Secrets Makeup Brush Cleaner Pro Starter Kit seemed like a great idea.

I keep on hearing good things about Sephora Collection products and have yet to really give them a try, so I got Sephora Collection Color Reveal Lip Balm.  It is supposed to be a self adjusting lipstick. 

This Sephora Cat Nap sleep mask is really cute. I wanted a new sleep mask after my other one got a little too dirty during the move. It is really thick and it is just too cute, crazy cat lady in me couldn't resist it.



 I also redemed 500 points for this Urban Decay palette and eyeliner.

 So that is it, my gigantic seasonal haul. I did get some pretty good deals so I know I didn't spend too much at least. Did you get anything at the VIB Sale?