Christmas 2012 Haul

Christmas gifts actually started Christmas eve morning when my doorbell rang and I opened the door to find a package from LUSH. It was pretty great timing.

It was the forum fragarance perfume that we ordered and I mentioned in my LUSH post. We both really liked the smell of the bubble bar so we got the perfume. Well... it definitely is meant to be only a bubble bar, but regardless it's a pretty cool thing to own.

My puppy, Lucy, helped me open it :)

LUSH uses all natural things even in their packaging. Their stuffing was made out of potato starch and it smelt like food, so before I could blink, both my dog and my boyfriend were eating it....

We exchanged gifts with my boyfriend's family on Christmas eve and here were some of the gifts from my boyfriend, his sister, and his mom.

I am really loving the Burts bees set! and this bracelet which is actually from Topshop, it's just sitting on top of an Aldo tag.

Can you tell the people in my life think I like the bath and body works body creams LOL?

( I really do like them)

I actually had picked out a lot of the jewellery and girly products that my boyfriend got, but he completely thought of the sweatpants idea on his own. I'm always borrowing his to change into at his house so he got me these comfy awesome ones :) they're so soft!

and he picked out a ring at one of our favourite jewellery booths but it was way too big so we exchanged it for this necklace.

and from my uncles I got some MAC giftcards, which I used to purchase these goodies

the 219 brush is actually white, but I already used it lol

and then these two MSFs I hunted.

If you are a big MAC fan then you have most likely heard of the Stereo Rose MSF. It's a limited edition one and comes out every few years. It's intensely loved and goes for a huge price tag on eBay. I think at one point I considered paying a couple hundred for it until I found out it would be released on December 26- boxing day. Afraid that it would sell out in minutes, I woke up at 7 am the day after Christmas to be there as soon as the mall opened.

I also picked up the other MSF in the collection- Porcelain Pink.

I definitely need to work on my swatching skills, but Stereo Rose is on top and Porcelain Pink is below.

Now I await the day By Candlelight MSF is re-promoted :)

my other two gifts were these Steve Madden boots my dear mommy got me:

and then my big gift was from my boyfriend

....

*drumroll*

YSL mini Cabas ChYc !!!! <3

If you've read my blog then you've most definitely heard me talk about this bag.

I've obsessed and I absolutely adore it.

It's my favourite bag and honestly I don't think I'll ever like another bag more.

I love my Louis Vuittons and Rebecca Minkoffs and I do lust over a Chanel flap and Celine tote but I think this will forever remain my favourite bag. 

I didn't think he'd get me this but he did. And there's actually quite the funny story behind it. On Christmas morning he handed me two bags and told me to open them at the same time. I was quite confused but I did so, and out came two YSL dustbags. I was really confused at this point but I opened them both. In one was the black mini Cabas ChYc that I had wanted and in the other was a bright fuschia pink mini tote. It had a different dustbag and no "Y" pattern, a different interior and actually quite a few other differences. 

My boyfriend told me that YSL had sent him the pink one by mistake and then the black after and that I could choose whichever one I preferred. 

I chose the black because it's practical and I really like the Y pattern in the leather. :)

I'll have a post coming up soon which will actually be a more in-depth review and comparison on the two bags and how they have changed with the rebrand of YSL to Saint Laurent Paris

so stay tuned :)

xoxo V

Converted Lushie

I am officially LUSH obsessed. It may or may not have gotten to an unhealthy level. Only outsiders will be able to distinguish that. The obsession came to me so randomly. I used all lush skincare when I was in middle school. A couple of cleansers, moisturizers and a toner, oh and a shampoo. I loved the stuff but just started trying out other things. And then about a week and something ago I just decided to get back into it. It started with wanting to have some fun baths and then I decided to treat my hair and skin to some natural yummy-smelling goodies. I decided it was all I wanted for Christmas and so I made a huge list. But I couldn't wait till Christmas.

So this is what I got.

Party Popper bath bomb. My first bath bomb! Cannot wait to use this and have a party in my tub. Lol cheesy joke. $5.95

Snow Fairy shower gel. My favourite scent from LUSH. Smells like yummy sugar-bubble gum-cotton candy-vanilla. It lathers nice too and cleans well. Too bad it's only around at Christmas time :(
I have the biggest size for $27.95

Sweetie Pie shower jelly. Such a cool idea and it lathers really, really well. It was affordable and I really liked the smell and the fact that it has small glitter pieces in it. I like to change up my shower scents a bit so when I need a break from Snow Fairy stuff, I'll break this out. 

I have the smaller size for $5.95

Godmother soap. This soap is the year long scent for Snow Fairy. I'll be stocking up on boxing day when it goes on sale. I like washing and shaving my legs with LUSH soap.

Ocean Salt face and body scrub. I used this today for the first time on my face, neck, and back. So far I am absolutely loving it. It's really exfoliating so it leaves your skin super soft. It has fresh avocado and coconut which is what moisturizes and makes the skin so soft. It also has vodka and lime which anti-bacterializes and fights blemishes. And of course the salt chunks are the scrub part. Definitely something to try.
I have the biggest size for $35.95

Buffy body butter. I use this on my thighs and "behind". It exfoliates and gets rid of bumpy, dry skin. I don't think I'll ever be without this again.
I have the smaller size for $11.95 plus a tin for $3.95

BIG shampoo. Best. Shampoo. Ever. Don't knock this till you tried it. It took me a couple of tries to get used to putting chunks of sea salt in my hair and I was worried my hair wasn't getting cleaned. Man, was I wrong. This cleans like no other. It pretty much defines a clarifying shampoo. It cleanses all the gunk, dirt, and product out and your hair is left feeling fluffy and clean. I was worried salt would dry it out but instead I was left with shiny, silky soft, hair. My hair also stayed clean for 3 days, something that has never happened to me before. Oh and it also makes your hair smell like fresh laundry. Too amazing.
$26.95

Karma Komba solid shampoo. A little bit unconventional and non-typical shampoo but truly a gem in disguise. I wasn't too sure about a shampoo bar, but when I heard these little guys were good for 80 uses I had to try one. I definitely believe that now. Once your hair is wet, you swipe this along your hair once and your left with a beautiful lather of bubbles to wash your hair with. It's going to take me forever to use one up. I chose Karma Komba because I heard it was good for tangled hair and I'm really, really liking it. I use this as my regular shampoo because Big is probably too stripping to use every time. Karma Komba smells great too and it'll be perfect for traveling because it's so small and spill resistant.
$11.95 plus the tin for $3.95 (I like the square tins because I find they get stuck in the round ones)

Dream Cream hand and body lotion. Love this lotion. It doesn't have the best smell but it's not offensive either. I love it for the effects. The LUSH website describes it the best, and I'll post what they say because I can vouch that it is completely all true.
p.s. I use it on my neck and chest, not my entire body.
$26.95

Honey Trap lip balm. I love the smell of this, it's like vanilla and honey and it's super moisturizing.
$7.95

Cosmetic Warrior fresh face mask. The first LUSH product I actually hated. I wish I returned this right away. I was feeling spontaneous and like trying a new face mask. This smells like rotten garlic. It made me nauseous while wearing it. And I didn't notice a difference in my skin. I'll definitely only be purchasing my true and tried Cupcake and the blueberry one from now on.
$6.95

I also got the Ro's Argan Body Conditioner. I heard amazing reviews and thought the idea of a body conditioner was cool. (It's used the same way as a hair conditioner, just for your body. You wash and then rinse, apply the conditioner, let it sit, and then rinse, eliminating the need to apply moisturizer out of the shower.) It made my skin soft, but nothing out of this world. For $32.95, I just didn't really see the need so I exchanged it.

And the last item I bought was actually online. LUSH had something called a "forum party". I would explain it if I knew how... Honestly all I know is that for one day, LUSH had 6 limited edition-online only fragrances. I heard about it on someone else's blog and when I saw that one of the 6 perfumes was the Comforter, I had to find out more. Basically, they chose 6 of their popular scents (from bathbombs and bubble bars and shampoo etc) and made perfumes of them. I only bought the Comforter but they also had Creamy Candy, BIG, Twilight, Rose Jam, and Snowcake. The forum party was the confusing part. I'm not sure how I found it, but it basically looked like a group MSN convo (anyone remember MSN? lol). It was a bunch of lushies talking about lush. And there was an admin asking trivia question for prizes every so often. Not many people knew about this, but it's much better than other years where orders had to be made via phone call with their number constantly busy and blocked. I'm excited for my LUSH perfume but I do wish I picked up Creamy Candy and Big as well.

I've also gotten a few samples. Two of the products I love so much, I'll be buying the full size in the very near future.

American Cream conditioner. This made my hair smell like fresh laundry and strawberries. The wonderful smell lingers all day and also made my hair really soft. Can't wait to get it!
$9.95, $19.95 and $32.95

Angels on Bare Skin cleanser. I think this is one if not their top selling cleanser. I'm so glad I got a large sample, I've been using this non stop. I've had perfect skin days every day since using this stuff. It's just simply amazing.

And then some other products still on my wish list.

Two bath melts and two bubble bars that I have selected after a lot of smelling around the store. So excited for them all!! I know I got the Comforter already and I'll be stocking up on the limited edition Candy mountain on boxing day for sure.

Seanik solid shampoo. This is probably number one. Apparently it's like the convenient solid form of the BIG shampoo that I adore so much. Cannot wait to try this! 

$11.95 plus a tin $3.95

I really need a spot treatment and this guy seems like he could be my new best friend. 

$13.95

I'm also curious about some foot or hand lotion. hmmmmmm..... :)

Anyways, I hope everyone is having a wonderful and jolly holiday so far. I'll probably not post till after Christmas so Merry Christmas everyone!! All my love to you and your families. 

xoxo V

Christmas Wishlist

This is my DREAM bag. I mean it's got everything I've ever looked for in a bag...
Shoulder strap, check. Zippered closure, check. Not everyone's carrying it, check. Classical designer house, check. Timeless design, check. Small but big enough for the essentials, check. Good quality and durable, check.
I love it equally in red and black, so hey... I'm not picky ;)


Ok Victoria, back to reality...

I've tried to think of some more reasonable items and it was hard to think of anything other than that bag buttttt I've found some things that I may buy with giftcards or ask for if someone asks.

......

couple of MAC brushes

I'd love to invest in couple more good MAC eye brushes because most of my brushes are crappy and falling apart.

Sigma eye brushes.

I really wanna try Sigma. These 6 make me excited. I'm not sure why lol.

I've recently thrown out most of my closet because it was either really dated, destroyed, or way too big. I used to buy a lot of crap at Urban Behaviour and Costa Blanca etc, now I just want to get fewer but nicer items. I love Aritizia clothing. Their stuff fits me, is flattering, and good quality. Oh, and they sell Rag and Bones, which I'm in LOVE with... and that's probably what I'd blow a giftcard on...

I also like Topshop!

If only I took a picture of my boots before my mother threw them out...

The only boots I have now are my Choo biker boots which I don't want to wear everyday. I'd like to get pair of everyday riding boots. I don't particularly want these ones, but I do like the duo colour of black and brown on these so that they go with everything, but comfort's the most important thing.

Beats headphones because they're amazing and red and my headphones are breaking.
*UPDATE: my dog has now chewed mine, so now I have NO headphones...*

Car key. Because if I don't ask for it, there's zero chance of me buying this for myself and I will continue to torment myself with my broken one.

And now some stuff that isn't because my things are broken...

YSL lipstick in 13 Peach Passion, just because I really like that colour. LOL

And I'm literally obsessed with lush...

The last 3 are probably the most practical because I'll admit the last time I actually took a bath was probably 5 years ago... but I guess the bathbombs are fun to smell...

so mainly I'd like to get a big Snow fairy shower gel and grease lighting :)

Also, every year I give myself something from myself. It's corny but I really think everyone should do it, just to celebrate your successes as the year ends. 

Two days ago I actually won a pair of Rihanna concert tickets on the radio. 

It's actually a crazy story for multiple reasons.

I'm a huge Rihanna fan so my boyfriend gave me tickets to her show for back on our one year anniversary. I was ecstatic and a few (long) months later we had a really good time at the concert. Well... the tickets that I just won happen to fall on the actual date of our 3 year anniversary. I thought it was a cute coincidence :)

Also, I've never won anything before (not for lack of trying), so I still can't believe I actually won.

I actually tried reallllllly hard to win these tickets. About a month ago another station was giving them away all week. Well, we checked online for all the times and called at almost every time. I woke up brutally early for some, missed class and ran to my car in the middle of class for others... for some we even had 3 or 4 phones going. We didn't get through till the very last contest time of the week. I called during the middle of showering and was caller #34 instead of #35...

Then 2 days ago I was driving and listening to another station. They said that after this song would be a chance to win Rihanna tickets so I pulled over and got their phone number ready. 

First few times was busy and then on my 5th try it rang. Well the guy picked up and started talking to me about Rihanna. I kinda knew at this point that I had won because otherwise they just tell you to try again. I was so jittery and excited, and really quite embarrassing but it's definitely worth it!

So, since I'm broke and will be even broker after buying other people's gifts, I'm going to consider this my Christmas gift to myself :)

And I just want to say that I think "bad luck" is only a frame of mind. Never give up because one day it really will all pay off. I'm really glad I kept trying, because sometimes it only takes one more time. 

Until next time,

xoxo V