What I Have been Enjoying Lately

This upcoming week has been stressing me so much I am not sure in which direction up is. I have two chemistry exams this week (neither I am ready for), I work my regular 40 hours of work, and just in case that wasn't ENOUGH, I also work 16 hours this week for the Comedy Festival. Somehow in that same week, I also must manage to pack for my upcoming trip. I have 6 days left (if I survive the week) until I leave for 16 days. So I am tonight trying to pack as it wont happen any other time. Packing for 16 days, including clothing for two VERY different climates, 6 seperate formal/dressy functions that all have the same people at them meaning no recycling of outfits, IMATS outfits and casual clothes for both New York City and Vegas. AHHH!!!

And all I can think is I need a bubble bath. So I thought I would share what I have been enjoying most for baths recently. My brother and soon to be sister in law got me a gift card to Holt Renfrew for Chanukah and I have been totally digging what I got with it. Now I know that these sets are likely unavailable being 3 full months after Christmas, but every single one of these scents is amazing and you cant go wrong if you choose any one of them!

This Birthday Was Oh So Good To Me!

I am not going to show you all the gift wrapping, but this is truly the greatest gift bag I have EVER received and I love it so much I had to show it to you all! For those of you who don't know this already, I have a slight obsession with monkeys (cartoon monkeys more than real ones but I love all monkeys) and I collect sock monkeys!

This was the first gift I got and as much as I love the bag the inside is better! Two OPI liquid sands including my  namesake! Jinx! Add to that some yummy smelling BBW candles and a nail polish by a brand I have never seen or heard of before (but its gorgeous) Phonailtic Lacquer, and what more could a girl want?

Now everything else from this point on is a combination of birthday gifts, and shopping I did WITH birthday gifts (gift cards). First up, I am super excited to try out some products from Soap And Glory! This is one of those cult brands that is oh so popular and seems to be so loved, yet I have never ever tried before! It is a UK brand, but for those in Canada, they are available through Shoppers Drug Mart. I have been wanting to try the brand for awhile now and can't wait to smell these! This is totally a Ingrid inspired lust item that I finally get to try! Oh, and for those of you who do not know who Ingrid Nielsen is, she is Missglamorazzi on youtube. I now follow about 7 or 8 people on youtube, but she is the ONE youtuber that I actually get excited when I see a new video by her!

Next up, I got a $50 gift card to Shoppers Drug Mart and had to use it that very same night as they were having 20X the optimum points when you spent $75 in cosmetics!

So I got three polishes. I got a new limited edition Gosh as well as two Lancome polishes. And there was a gift with purchase on Lancome products when you spent $35. I had only spent $34 but the sales girl said she wasn't going to worry for $1. It was really dead in the store and I had picked nothing else up yet and I think she was afraid I was going to walk away. The truth probably is that if I wasn't going to get the GWP I would have probably only gotten one of the two polishes, so I was happy to get it!

A Shiseido cream eyeshadow. This is the first Shiseido product that I have gotten so I am excited to try it out. I really hope I like this shadow!

And now another Lancome Gift With Purchase. Let me explain this one to you. You KNOW you spend too much time/money at a makeup counter when you get a message from your sales associate that you need to come in and pick something up. I had no idea what it was but when I got there she said that she saw from my profile that it was my birthday and wanted to give me a little gift! So I got the GWP that The Bay currently has going on! Thrilled to get more of the Lancome BiFacil! You can never have too much of that!

And two of the four Tie & Dye Pearly Coloured Top Coats from YSL. Can I just say how much I love that they spell coloured with a U! I hate the American spelling of 'color". I have to say I like these, but I can now safely say that I don't need the third not pink one.

I just love to have stacks of Holt Renfrew Gift Cards! Doesn't get better than THAT!

The Holt Renfew Spring Beauty Bag.

I won't go into details here since I have already blogged about what comes inside it, but I did want to show you the inside! Just like the Holiday one posted....... wow! 18 months ago now! Anyways, just like the Holiday one, this one is fully lined with a plastic-ky lining so if anything leaks or spills, its easy clean up!

And the smaller bag has the same pattern as the inside of the larger one (but canvas, not plastic). And the inside of it is the grey of the outside of the larger bag (also a plastic lining).

And the free Flowerbomb sample from The Bay (thanks to my mom)

LIPPMANNS!!!!!!!!!!!

Two extras in the bag (though I already have both!).

And some more extras in the bag!

Totally not in theme with the rest of the items, but HOW FREAKING CUTE IS THIS CARROT PEELER??!!!!

And a LUSH bubble bar! It smells AMAZING!

And while its not yet in, I ordered a new bag! I wanted something large enough to carry my school books and texts in, but professional looking enough to wear to work with suits and heels and not look goofy. I could not decide at all on a colour, so I ordered the navy and the grey and will decide when they come in!

A ginormous THANK YOU to everyone for the wonderful birthday gifts, greetings and wishes! It was certainly a very happy birthday for me! 32 years young! 

And stay tuned over the next few weeks for all the reviews and swatches of the above beauty items!

Some Promises Are Just Not Possible To Keep.

Really....... I tried...... I swear! So I sometimes make statements here (like I am on a bubble bath BAN) or on twitter (like I am so fed up with Sephora customer service I am not going to shop there anymore) in the hopes that by stating them publicly I will be held accountable. Because then when I post a bubble bath purchase or a Sephora purchase I KNOW that someone is going to message, tweet or email me saying "BUT YOU SAID...". So yes. I said. The universe apparently had issue with that.



So it started with a birthday gift for a friend. This was about TWO days after my posting that I was on a bubble bath ban. They were buy three get three free. And so yes. She got three, and I got three. It was a bad start to the ban from the get go!

And then today. I had no intention of using the VIB coupon I got sent for $20 off a $50 purchase. I really didn't. But then at work this week I was given a $25 gift card from my Secret Santa where I work. So it seemed ridiculous NOT to use it in conjunction with the coupon. So I went in DETERMINED to ONLY spend $50 and not a penny more.

The Candy Cane Lane was $21 and the Toast of the Town was $29. So it worked out to be EXACTLY $30 making my cost $5. So really, it would have been silly NOT to get them. Right??

So with the bathroom I use being totally redone last week, I had to empty it out so the workmen could work. That involved a big purge and clean and today I reloaded the medicine cabinet. Yes, this is the medicine cabinet. I am pretty sure I could fit IN it if I tried. Its GINORMOUS!!  Good thing since the bathroom itself is teeny tiny. And since I dont share the bathroom with anyone its just for my stuff! 

And so this is my new oath. This shelf will be where ALL the bath stuffs go. It MUST fit on this shelf. No overflow to anywhere else or I have to throw out. And that would be wrong and wasteful. So just this ONE SHELF. 

And I used the box from the Philosophy set I just got to hold all my bubble bars and bath bombs from LUSH. I think this works well and is organized.