Ramble + Goodies

I've been sick these last few days (today is one of my better days so far) and although I have not left the house once, I did continue to blog from the comfort of my bed. I haven't attended any classes for 3 days or even left the house since! I've just been stuck with the sniffles and sneezes, and this also means I've been vegging in my PJ's! I know what some of you are thinking ... "and that's a problem because?" Ahaha! I'm not complaining, I quite enjoy lounging around the house in my PJ's! Anywhoo. The door bell rings. Uh-oh. Here I am standing in my light blue and pink polka-dotted Maxi with a green Aeropostale hoodie, hair tied up in a high pony (how's that for an outfit of the day? ahha), droopy eyes and all, and I have to answer the door? (No one was home). & so I did and it was the UPS guy (is it just me or are they always grumpy?). Thank god he didn't see me because he was already at the neighbors front door. One thing I hate though, is when they leave the packages out in the open, I mean they don't take signatures for the packages when they arrive. What if someone were to take them!?!? I opened the door, looked around quickly to see if anyone was watching (me in my sad state) picked up the packages and darted back inside the house. Phewwww! That was quite a mission. Guess what came?! My Aldo goodies! I was in need of a new black handbag I have no idea what happened to the ones I had. The best part had to be the shipping, it came much earlier then expected. I purchased the items online on the 16th (Sunday) and recieved them as soon as today, since I had anticipated them to be in next week! I was super excited to get these in, they just added a little sparkle to my day.



aldoshoes.com

aldoshoes.com

Bag/ KHANO

$29.99

I love this bag! I did, however, anticipate that it would be much bigger in person since it looks quite small, but I'll live. It is sturdy and I love the shape and style. I am a little ticked off that the shoulder belt was broken. I don't think i'd wear it with the shoulder belt anyway but still, you expect to get a complete product when you spend money. Other than that I love it! The bag is quite simple, nothing immensely fancy but it's just perfect. I was thinking of wearing both of these pieces together possibly.

Shoes/ GUBALA

$39.98

These shoes were an impluse buy. I really only needed the bag but I couldn't resist these intricate flats! These are either a hit or miss. Hate it or love it. Some of y'all will hate them and others will love them. I am a huge flats girl, I love the comfort and simplicity of flats compared to heels. When I saw these it was like instant love and I knew I had to have them! They are the perfect simple flat with hint of edge to them. I love the buckle detailing and the zippered back. I've tried them on already and they are quite comfortable to say the least. They are definately NOT appropriate for the weather right now but I will save them for spring and summer! I can't wait to wear them out.  

Your thoughts?

Recent Purchases from Cydangie Beautyshop

My first 120 Palette & makeup brush set! Hiya Dolls, just wanted to share a quick ramble with you of a few purchases I made online from Cydangie Beautyshop .

I have been wanting to purchase a 120 palette for a VERY VERY long time, and I finally did. (Hey! It beats buying individuals!) Let me tell you how convenient having a 120 palette is! OHEMGEE. I don't have to go looking around for that particular shade of blue or green, it's all right THERE. I got a chance to use the 120 for the first time, during the christmas/wedding weekend I attended, (see the post here) which was great because I did different looks for all of the 3 days (so did my mum, I let her use it too!). The colors are nicely pigmented, which means you do not need to use a lot of product! I purchased it at approximately $25.00 + shipping, and it arrived in 1 week - - with not one but 4 BROKEN eyeshadows. Also there was some damage to my palette.. You can imagine my disappointment. < sighs > Similarly, I purchased a 120 palette + brushes for a friend as a gift (and hoped and prayed that nothing happened to hers!) and thankfully, her set was fine; all shadows intact and no damage. I guess it's just my luck! Har. Anyhow, overall I was very pleased, and I won't be purchasing eyeshadows for a very longggg time (since I have this palette)!

It's a clutch! Or is it? I wanted to share this GORGEOUS makeup brush set purchased from Cydangie Beautyshop a few weeks ago. I bought it on special for only $33.18 CDN for the set, (minus $5.95 for shipping!) which is a pretty good deal considering how much brush sets normally cost... It was well packaged and arrived on my door step in approximately 1-2 weeks which is not bad.

The brushes are made from Goat hair (just in case you were curious) and come individually wrapped in plastic, which is marvelous! I haven't had a chance to try them out yet, but I will definitely do a review once I have had a good using of them. Right of the bat, I was impressed buy the quality of the clutch, the material is quite sturdy and durable and I absolutely love the print! I love how all the brushes are in one convenient place! This clutch is perfect because you can literally roll it out, lay it flat and do your make up; and when you are done, just pop the brushes back into the slots, roll it up, snap it shut and VOILA! You are good to go! One thing I don't like, however,  is that the brushes are not named or numbered...but that's just my opinion! It is currently sold out, I am not sure if they will be getting anymore in, I got this at the whim of a second while I was browsing the page, I almost didn't see it! Too bad it doesn't have any pockets, or else I would've used it as a clutch for my next outing! haha!    

There are a total of 16 brushes which include the following:

1. Face Brush
2. Blush Brush
3. Contouring Brush
4. Large Shading Brush
5. Small Shading Brush
6. Fluff Brush
7. Shader Brush
8. Small Shader Brush
9. Concealer Brush
10. Fan Brush
11. Flat Angled Brush
12. Lip Brush
13. Eye Liner Brush
14. Spool Brush
15. Eyebrow Brush/Lash Comb
16. Sponge Brush

* Sorry about the bad "bed" photography (it's so hard to get good lighting in the evening!).  

ThankGodIt'sFriday! I can't believe i'm back in class next week! Ahhh! But for now, TGIF!

AVON HAUL

Hiya! I made some purchases from AVON.ca and decided to share it with you all.

The women in my family have been ordering from AVON as long as I can remember...My aunt was an AVON lady at one point, and my co-worker is too... This would be my first buying experience from AVON since I would usually jack stuff from my mom or ask her to order things for me...

Anyway, AVON.ca was having a sale, and all the products I ordered range from 99 cents to $9.99, which is not bad. I bought 10 makeup items in total, not much, but I decided to try it out and see how I like the products and the online service. Standard shipping was $1.00 if you spend $30, I believe, and if you spend $50 you recieve a free gift..and trust me it is not hard to spend over $50! I had the option of express shipping, but I figured, since it is the holidays my shipment wouldn't arrive this week anyway, why pay the extra money? I ordered my items on December 19th and recieved them on the 24th. I took them a few days to process my information and prepare the shipment, but I honestly didn't expect it to reach me that fast!

Now onto the goodies! Let me know if you would like to see swatches or reviews on these items and I will gladly do them for you.

Hope you enjoyed this post. More later.

Do you like AVON products? Have you purchased from AVON before? If yes, what was your experience like?

Happy Holidays everyone!

Yeah, that's my name, don't wear it out.

Hiya Dolls!

I have been looking for a name necklace since like FOREVER! I can't even explain to you how long it's been since I started looking. I have found many places that make these necklaces or are willing to make these necklaces but I have seen nothing as elegant as April Kawaoka's...and I mean it. She designs, makes and sells many jewelry items on her Etsy shop (which at this point I am eyeing approximately 10 items, ahah!) mostly in Sterling Silver. Did I mention she handmakes her items? See her Etsy shop here and have a look around. I found April's shop through a fellow blogger, Jess.

To see the Etsy listing of the necklace she made me, check it out here.

For details see the Etsy listing of the name necklace here .

I was more than happy to recieve my necklace in the post today, however, since I recieved it as I was running to work I didn't actually get a chance to open it at that moment. I took the package with me to work, and opened it (while no one was looking..shhhhhhh! Don't tell anyone! LOL). I just couldn't contain myself! The packaging itself was gorgeous; the necklace came in a sturdy box with some foam on which the necklace rested on, and April also included a plastic baggie to store the necklace in when not worn (how thoughtful!).



Necklace packaging, and handwritten note



The deets:

• The base price for the necklace is $50 + $10 for every letter.  - It is a little pricey but the quality honestly makes up for it + it's handmade!
• The length of the chain is 16" (can be longer if requested).

April is an amazing seller! She was extremely patient with me (Thank you April!) and she communicated with me every step of the way. One thing in particular that really stood out for me was how April made a sketch so that I could visualize what the end result would look like. I loved this about her! I can't tell you how many shops I have gone to looking for reassurance of what the end result of my name necklace would look like, and all I got was a lot of: "You just have to trust us" or "It will look "something" like this.." but that was not enough.... She was great to work with and I couldn't be happier that I chose her to create a necklace for me. Shipping was great as well, I got my item in 5 days in perfect condition!

Necklace without flash

Necklace with flash

I absolutely LOVE my necklace, it is so precious and I want to wear it all the time!

Overall:

• Great shop
• Great product
• Great seller

Necklace on, worn by myself

I will most definately be purchasing more from April in the near future!


Do you have a name necklace?  What do you look for when buy jewelry online?  Let me know what you think!


x

Sigma Duo Fibre - F55

Hey dolls!


I purchased my first Sigma Brush (I know, what took me so long!?!?) on Black Friday since they were having an awesome FREE SHIPPING deal.


I have been contemplating purchasing from Sigma for a LONG time, I did a post on this back in September, see it here .


I purchased the Sigma Duo Fibre - F55 [ click for product details ]  for only $14.00 on November 26th and it arrived today by mail!


It is so lovely, the bristles are so soft and the brush looks great. I am quite impressed to say the least, I can't wait to purchase more!


I actually was looking to get the Naughty in Black Travel Kit for $49.00, but I just recently bought a mixed array of brushes from The Body Shop and Superdrug and didn't feel the need to buy more brushes... but I think I'm going to go ahead and purchase a set!


I was presently surprised that shipping didn't take as long, I anticipated another 3 to 4 weeks for delivery!


I may do a review once I have gotten a chance to use the brush to its fullest...look out for that!


--> Visit Sigma here.

Have you purchased from Sigma before? If so, what were your experiences like? Have a favourite Sigma brush? Let me know! I appreciate your feedback, so comment and criticize!

Recently Purchased O.P.I Nail Lacquers

Hiya!
Approximately a week or so ago I found a great place to buy O.P.I nail lacquers online with minimal shipping costs (go me!).
The closest place for me to purchase O.P.I nail polishes would have to Trade Secrets at the Square One Shopping Centre (for all of you in Toronto/Canada) which is not as close as I would like. Moreover, why would I buy O.P.I's for $9.99 at Trade Secrets when they cost $5.35 CDN on Ebay?

I know what you are thinking.. "Ebay? Your joking, right?". Yes, the truth I shall tell. I bought them off of Ebay! Shipping was also cheap for Canada which was great. Not only did they have O.P.I nail lacquers, they also carried other brands such as China Glaze and some Essie. O.P.I is by far my favourite and so I only buy nail lacquers by them.


I decided to try my luck and bought 4 amazing shades.

• O.P.I - Otherwise Engaged



Source: mp.hairboutique.com

• O.P.I - Conquistadorable Color




Source: berelax.com


• O.P.I - Light My Sapphire (Can you tell why I bought this one? The hint is in the name!)



Source: digitalhouse.net

• O.P.I - Ink

Source: millies.ie

& I'm going back for more! I just love shopping in the comfort of my own home!


I bought them on the 21st of November, they were shipped on the 23rd and I recieved them on the 30th. Not bad eh? The nail polishes were individually wrapped in bubble wrap and came in a sealed mailing envelope. I had no issues with any damages or wrapping, the products were fine.


My next O.P.I purchases?

1. Royal Rajah Ruby
2. Black Cherry Chutney
3. Plugged in Plum
4. Romeo & Joliet
5. Bastille My Heart
6. Get Me To The Taj On Time
7. Diva of Geneva
8. My Private Jet
9. Curry Up Don't Be Late
10. Baby Blue

& I could probably add a few more.


Interested in purchasing from the mentioned Ebay seller? To see the seller's store click here. For the seller's profile click here. This sellers feedback score is great (I always go through the seller's feedback before I make a purchase).

• To see my post on Light My Sapphire click here!

If you do decide to purchase from this Ebay seller, let me know. I would love to hear your experience. What are your favourite O.P.I shades? Let me know.

My first Karmaloop order!

Hey Dolls!


I just got my Karmaloop order in the mail today! Woooooooooohooooo! So excited to see the DHL van out side my bedroom window! Even though I have browsed their site many many times, this was my first time ordering from Karmaloop. It wasn't a huge order, I just wanted to start off small and see how the service was first before making any big orders. I was hesitant at first since I wasn't very familiar with the brand, but after much deliberation I decided to finally make a small order and the rest is history!


I have been really wanting some big statement studs for a while now... I just haven't found a pair that I REALLY liked! I'm a big fan of jewelry (I think I have more jewelry than I do clothing xD) so that's the first place I browsed on the website and came across these really cute stud earrings!


-> Click the item name to view product details.
OBEY/ Spiked earrings in 18k Gold
$16.95

Image courtesy of: karmaloop.com

The Extras - The Heart Resin earring in Red 
$7.00

Images courtesy of: karmaloop.com

The Extras - The Heart Resin earring in Black
$8.00

Images courtesy of: karmaloop.com

I ordered my items on the 17th of Novemeber, they were shipped the following day and I received them today. I thought that was great! Karmaloop is now powered with DHL to ship to Canada. I even got a DHL tracking number so that I could track my package from the time it left the Karmaloop warehouse. I received email confirmation for my order, as well as a shipping confirmation.


The website is a little overwhelming at first, there is a lot going on all at once and might seem a little intimidating at first, but you will get the hang of it after some wrong turns. The website is interesting to navigate...there are just pages and pages of items to go through, I would prefer viewing all the items on one page. Anyhow, Karmaloop accepts all major credit cards as well as Paypal which is a plus. The transaction didn't take long, and was virtually simple and straight forward.


I am pleased with the items and the overall experience. I would definitely order again!


I can't wait to wear my new purchases out!


Have you ordered from Karmaloop.com? What were your experiences like?

Fragrance: Kim Kardashian

Guess what came in the post today?

Yes, that's right.. It's my Kim Kardashian perfume! I have been waiting for this package for a week now and I'm so excited to have finally recieved it! I am an avid Kim Kardashian fan and like everyone else, I think she is simply gorgeous! Anyhow, back to the review... I ordered the gift set fromLighthouse Beauty, visit their website here.

Description

Kim Kardashian - The voluptuous new fragrance

Lighthouse Beauty describes the fragrance as: "A timeless scent inspired by the classic beauty and modern style that encompasses the icon herself. Experience glamour and luxury with..."

I purchased the:

[ Kim Kardashian 3pc Gift Set T-Shirt, 3.4 oz EDP Spray and Rollerball Fragrance ] for $65.00 US + shipping and I thought it was great value.

Just the perfume itself could be $65.00 but I really wanted to Rollerball Fragrance to keep in my purse or bag, and this gift set was just perfect!

The bottle is gorgeous; different then many of the other perfumes I own (I have over 10!) but just as elegant as Kim Kardashian herself.

The Fragrance

I read quite a few reviews on this fragrance before and after purchasing. I must say, I do feel as it is not what I expected from Kim Kardashian but I am still a fan. I guess I had different ideas in mind for what I thought the fragrance would smell like. The scent is quite floral, although right away I can't point out the exact ingredients, after reading the inspiration of her fragrance, the scent totally made sense!

Kim Kardashians inspiration for her fragrance on Lighthouse Beauty's webpage:

" A bouquet of Tuberose, Jasmine and Gardenia deliver and undeniably femininity that compliments Kim. Tonka bean, jacaranda wood and sandalwood adds a warn sensual feeling throughout, evoking the soft side of Kim"

Not that I was disappointed - but I do feel that it has a distinctive smell to it and it is more "grown up" then I would have imagined Kim Kardashian to smell like. LOL. I imagined the scent to be a cross between something Burberry and Chanel-ish (if that makes any sense) but aside from that I do really like it. I haven't worn it out yet, but I'm optimisstic that it will grow on me. Maybe its not my favourite fragrance but I'm still a fan!

Customer Service

The packaging was good, and nothing was damaged in shipping everything was intact. Also, I recieved confirmation emails at the time of purchase so I was aware of when the payement went through, and when the item was sent for shipping. Lighthouse Beauty was really good about keeping up with customer service.

Overall thoughts

If you are in doubt of whether you will like it or not, give it a try you can purchase a smaller size (price starts at $35) or even purchase the sample size at your local Sephora (if you have on in your area). I love the gift set feature, the only thing is the T-shirt was in a large size I wear a small/medium (maybe I can shrink it?), but other than that I love Kim Kardashians fragrance!

* I apologize for the horrible picture quality, I will invest in a new better quality camera soon! *

Gift Box



Individual Shots

3.4 OZ. Eau De Parfum Spray

Rollerbal Fragrance

Kim Kardashian Fragrance T-shirt

What's your favourite fragrance?

Hope you enjoyed this review!

E.L.F HAUL

I finally gave in and purchased a bunched of products from the inexpensive and much-raved about Eyes.Lips.Face cosmetics line.

I've heard good and bad things about their products. I haven't had a chance to use many of them yet...however, once I do, I will have a review posted. The reason I think that this line became famous in the Youtube community and in the News (shown on ABC and FOX news) was because of the inexpensive price. Most items range from about $1.00, $3.00 and slightly higher depending on the product.

Right off the bat, the first thing that I wasn't so pleased with was the delivery time for the products. These items took approximately 3-4 weeks  to arrive. 

If you are anything like me, you want your products ASAP! This was one thing I had heard from other ELF customers, that shipping took way too long and because of this many would not purchase from ELF again.

Also, I was very disappointed in the overall packaging of the items. The boxes for some of the items were damaged/broken while in transit; and while this is beyond control, it still didn't give me a very good impression.

Now onto the goodies! I purchased the following:

• Total Face Brush
• Foundation Brush
• Blushing,Bronzing and Blending Brush
• Eye Shadow Brush (not shown) - which broke after the 1rst use.
• Single Eyeshadow in Coffee Bean
• Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder (compared to NARS product)
• Under Eye Concelear & Highlighter
• Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15
• Shimmering Facial Whip (Gift with Purchase)
• Mineral Foundation in Dark
• Mineral Booster (Shimmer)
• Mineral Face Primer
• Daily Brush Cleaner - Spray (not shown)

* E.L.F. Brightening Eye Color in Brownstone(pictured bottom left) was recieved as a gift with some goodies purchased from Youtube Guru miss.erica she is so sweet!

Overall, I liked the individual packaging of the products. I thought that the value for the products was good also.

I cannot give my full opinion because this is not a review and I have not used all the products yet. I will review each product as I use it. If you have any questions regarding any of the above products feel free to contact me.

Check ELF here

Have you purchased from ELF before? If so, let me know what your favourite products are!