Christmas, Boxing Day & Words of 2014

Hey Lovelies! I have been a bit MIA this past week because I didn't have any posts scheduled (not that I ever do, #procrastinator). It has been a super busy 2 weeks for me, with Christmas and Boxing day, and I'm sure you all can say the same!

I do have a Favourites of 2014 post planned, but it isn't ready so I thought I'd share what I got for Christmas, a bit about 2014, some late birthday gifts, and my Boxing Day haul for now.

Starting off with the Christmas gifts! I got quite a few small things from my Nana, an electric toothbrush from my dad and stepmom (I needed this!), and a bit of chocolate. Actually, my grandparents ended up giving my boyfriend the chocolate so I didn't really get any chocolate -_- But my favourite and most usable gifts were some cash and gift cards! I got the Cadillac Fairview card from my aunt's close friends, and the Timmies card from herself. I am very close with my aunt and currently live with her and my grandparents. The Cineplex is from my boyfriend's mom! I don't see her often so I thought it was very nice that she thought of me.

My aunt also got me some soft and fuzzy pj pants! It's like she knew I was browsing Forever 21 for them the other day...

Ok now for my boxing day haul!...

One, lonesome towel from Target :D it wasn't even on sale.. Ooh it is actually a performance towel! I have the same one and have been looking everywhere for another. It was $7.99 I believe.

Yes that is all I got on boxing day (is that sad?). I planned to online shop but didn't see anything I liked online. Yorkdale was literally backed up the highway for kms so I wasn't about to go there either! I was in Burlington and saw a Target so decided to pick up something before it closed (it was literally empty).

I didn't really get much else so I thought I'd show some of my recent purchases below..

This Michael Kors Jet Set Travel Tote actually was a gift for my birthday from the bf, but it came a little before Christmas. It is in the colour Dark Dune which is like impossible to find in Canada. I was so happy to receive it although there were a few dents on the leather. I am in love with the colour!

I picked up these V-Moda headphones from Amazon for $70 on Black Friday! It was a super discount, down from $150-200, and the sound and bass is awesome! They do get uncomfortable after an hour or so.. so I was thinking of upgrading the ear pads to a larger size.

And my newest girlfriend.. the Asus Zenbook! I picked this up on sale as well, but it was still quite a pricey machine. I've gotten sick of Apple and the way they stopped support for my operating system months after I bought the laptop, and overall I didn't like the limited ability to do things on a Mac. My laptop was also, probably defective (it had many internal and physical problems) and I received pretty bad service from Apple (I assume because I didn't buy the extended warranty). So after almost 4 years, it's back to Windows I go! But don't get me wrong, my Macbook Pro was such a sturdy, strong laptop with a great screen and it was great for the first year of having it (the lack of viruses thing was great too).

Looking back on 2014

Looking back on 2014, it was a year that definitely had its ups and downs. There were losses and gains but in the end I am glad to have support from the people that I love. I went through a lot of school, issues with trying to transfer to University from College, but in the end it all worked out!

In regards to blogging, I've finally got a set of lights so I am able to take photos at night now. This was a huge problem for me for the past year because I could never find the time to take photos in the perfect daylight. I've also had a lot more experience testing products, beauty products in general, and come to the conclusion that not every product is perfect. Everything has it's flaws and it is okay to mention them. I have always been all about 'honest' blogging but in the past I avoided writing reviews about quite a few products I really didn't have a good experience with.. especially if they were from PR. In the future, I would like to get some of these posts up, and continue sharing my experience with products, even if I hated them. I want to be completely honest with my readers and by not posting some of those reviews in the past I feel like I wasn't.

I want to say a special thanks to Kriselle of Livin and Lovin! She recently wrote a Best of 2014 post and included me as one of her favourite beauty bloggers! I can't express how great it felt to see this and what she wrote about me was very sweet. Please share the love, visit her blog and read the post here.

My Fresh Sweet Nudes Review was also included as one of Coco's favourite blog posts of the week which I was also ecstatic to see because she is one of my favourite beauty bloggers (and gorgeous too)! So thank you Coco of The Beauty Milk :)

Did any of you crazy people go out for boxing day? :p What did you pick up, or get for Christmas? Share any posts with me too, I love to read them! New Years Eve is tonight! What are/were your plans? Cheers to 2015!

Formula X: Paint Party Press Pods Review

Formula X Press Pods are a new and interesting way of using nail polish. They are tiny portable, one time use pods. You twist to reveal the brush and squeeze, and the nail polish dispenses out of the brush. Pictured here is the Formula X Paint Party; it is a limited edition canister filled with 24 press pods of Formula X's best creams and pearls. It also comes with 3 delete-to-go nail polish remover pads, and all the polishes are 3-free!

Polish Shades: 24 x 0.03 oz Press Pods in Ignite (smoking red), Pyrtotechnic (dynamite red), Push the Limits (tomato pink), A+ (raspberry), Frenetic (deep fuchsia), Intensity (powder pink), Potent (carnation pink), Enigma (lagoon blue), Prism (mermaid green pearl), Unmistakable (pastel jade), Omni (beach ball blue), Orbit (dark sky blue), Centigrade (arctic blue), Provocative (pastel sky), Indelible (rich violet), Outrageous (lavender mist), Invincible (warm vanilla), Thrilling (cloud gray), Impeccable (cocoa bisque), Perfection (smoky violet), Gray Matter (charcoal gray), Extraordinary (iceberg gray), Dark Matter (patent leather black), White Matter (paper white)

So I initially didn't have any idea about how these worked. Before opening the cap, I thought the brush was the other way around and you were able to dip the brush in the tiny pod. But it turns out the name is as it says; press pods! Which means when you press them (or squeeze), the nail polish will ooze out of the brush. Kind of like those click-pen concealers..ish.

First Attempt:

Ok so.. for my first try I used the colour 'Ignite' which is one of the dark reds. The brush was a bit curved and I had a hard time getting the polish out. The nail polish seemed to be oozing out of all different sides and not directly in the middle. It was quite hard to control and after doing the first coat on one hand, I needed to take a break and also wait a few minutes for the polish to dry to continue the second coat. I did need a second coat because the application was streaky and a bit uneven. By the time I was ready to do the second coat, the polish was barely squeezing out of the pod and I just gave up.

Second Attempt:
For my second try, I tried another colour called 'Prism' on the other hand and I had the same issue with this colour in terms of application. It was streaky and again uneven, definitely needed 2 or 3 coats which was just out of the question at this point because my thumb and index finger were sore from pressing so hard.

To do a second coat, you might be able to get away with using a needle to poke the opening a bit.. but I didn't try it. Just seemed too inconvenient.

I really didn't have any luck with these press pods. For one, there is no ball, meaning no ability to mix up the polish inside if it has separated. It will be difficult for your non-dominant hand to squeeze and apply at the same time. What I really didn't like, is that I used about 1/5 of the pod and now I have to wait a few minutes to be able to do a second coat. But once the first coat is moderately dry, the brush has already dried out.

The brush didn't seem of high quality and was a bit small. I didn't like that you can't control how much polish you want on the brush before placing it on the nail; you kind of need to press it on the nail while squeezing it out.

I also do not feel environmentally friendly throwing out unused nail polish in the garbage.. *hides*

Ok now for some good things! These are definitely a great idea for travel (tbh I still don't think I'd use them). But It is a fun idea! And Formula X was definitely on to something with these, but I do think they need major major tweaking. I think it would be better having to dip into the pod rather than having to squeeze it.

The can is so cute, the packaging is cute, but the pods just aren't ideal, not consistent, and annoying to use. It just feels like such a waste of good product because the colours are actually very pretty. If you are still interested in trying it out, they are on sale at Sephora for $24 CAD, or you can find the smaller, $9 set of 7 here. But you are probably much better off purchasing Formula X's single nail polishes or mini polish sets like Paint The Town (on sale for $48 CAD).

This product was received for consideration. All opinions stated are my own and are not influenced by any affiliates. 

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Dynamic Hydration Cream Review

Doesn't this look familiar? Possibly.. maybe because.. I already reviewed it back in February this year. (You can see the post here.) In the summertime, Vichy revamped and repackaged their popular Aqualia Thermal Cream. The cream still comes in both 'Light' and 'Rich', and although the ingredients list is quite similar, I can definitely tell a difference on my skin.

The new Aqualia Thermal creams now are 2X more concentrated in Hyaluronic Acid (which increases your skin's ability to absorb water). 

The new formula also contains..

•  Vichy's Thermal Spa Water: has the ability to open intercellular canals to facilitate the passage of water between cells by stimulating the expression of aquaporin genes 3 and 9. 

•  Aquabioryl: a sugar obtained through a biotechnological process from plant-based substrates. It is able to create a highly-moisturizing protective film on the surface of the skin to reinforce the protection of the cutaneous barrier against dehydration. 

•  Carraghenanes: extracted from the cell walls of red algae, similar to the glycosaminoglycans found in the skin. Work to restore the barrier function, which can maintain moisture and smooth the surface of the skin.

Changes I have noticed in this cream is that it sinks into the skin quicker, and doesn't feel like it is sitting on top. The cream feels lighter, and I can wear the 'Light' version under my makeup without it feeling too heavy. The 'Rich' is a bit too rich for daytime use, I'd seriously only recommend it for those dealing with dry skin on a daily basis. If you only suffer from dry skin occasionally, or after exfoliating/using a mask, I'd say the Light is sufficient enough for you. 

I noticed my skin looked a bit too dry the other day after testing a new face wash and moisturizer, so I went back to using this and my skin has been back to normal since.

I stated in my previous review that I didn't like that the old version contains Alcohol Denat., however, after speaking with a representative from Vichy, I was told that the alcohol is used as a replacement for parabens; and read that it is also used as an anti-microbial agent to prevent bacteria or growth. I still do not like that this updated version contains dimethicone, but I can deal with it since it has not caused my skin any breakouts. 

I actually prefer the older packaging, but the newer glass jars come with a mirrored lid (although a bit distorted.. so I don't use it), and a stronger blue tint. 

Click to enlarge!

Above is a photo of the Light cream on the left, and Rich on the right. You can't really tell a difference at all in the photo but the cream in Rich looks a lot thicker. I also swatched them to the left but can't remember which one was which...

Ingredients: "Aqua, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Alcohol Denat., Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Stearyl Dimethicone, Ammonium Polyacryldimethyltauramide, Propylene Glycol, Synthetic Wax, Pentylene Glycol, Glyceryl Isostearate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan), Poloxamer 338, Disodium Edta, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Acrylates Copolymer, Parfum"

I do approve of the Aqualia Thermal's new formula because of it's better absorption into my skin, and I might end up purchasing the 'Light' version of this cream if I run out. 'Rich' is just too heavy for my skin. I do find it best suitable for colder months, so I'll likely only use it during the spring, fall, and winter. I do prefer Vichy's ProEven Daily Dark Spot Corrector as a day face cream however. The Aqualia Thermal cream should be available in drugstores for at 50ml sizes for $38.50 CAD. 

Gift set available at drugstores in Canada (I've only seen them at Shoppers Drug Mart), $38.50

They currently have a holiday gift set available! For the price of one cream, you can also get a full sized Night Spa + a Travel Sized Serum. What do you think of the revamped Vichy Aqualia Thermal? Did you get a chance to try the older version?

These products were received for consideration. All opinions stated are my own and are not influenced by any affiliates. The post is not sponsored and I posted about the gift set because I wanted to and think it's a great deal if you are already going to purchase the cream; not because I had to!

Guest Post: Meg's Makeup Bag Favourite Brand of 2014

Hi Everyone, I’m Meg from Meg’s Makeup Bag, and I’m Michelle’s CBB Guest Blogger for December. The instructions for this month’s blog post were quite simple, share a favourite from 2014.

 For me, it was an easy choice; I've been obsessed with Charlotte Tilbury makeup since it was launched in North America in September. So today's post is all about my Favourite Brand of 2014 - Charlotte Tilbury.

 While Charlotte Tilbury Makeup has been available for almost a year in the UK, it was almost impossible to get ahold of in North America. When the brand finally launched in North America, the site Beautylish.com started to carry it, which was amazing because they have overnight delivery, even to Canada (it's also very dangerous).

 For today's post, I decided to share my top 3 favourite Charlotte Tilbury products; the Filmstar Bronze & Glow Palette, the Fallen Angel Limited Edition Eyeshadow Palette and the Powder and Sculpt brush. It was hard to pick my top 3, because I own a little bit of everything from her line (seriously…I’m slightly addicted), and haven't ever been disappointed. The quality of the products are amazing, and considering their pricing is within the same range as YSL and Givenchy, they're definitely worth having a look. Plus I'm a sucker for all the rose gold packaging.

Filmstar Bronze and Glow Palette: This was my first Charlotte Tilbury purchase, I had seen so many of the UK bloggers taking about it, I ordered it as soon as it became available. It's definitely deserving of the hype, it's such a wonderful contour product. It's the perfect neutral contour shade for a wide range of light to medium skin tones. The contour side isn't completely matte, which I normally wouldn't like but in this formulation it works well and gives a healthy glow. The Highlight side is very subtle when compared to something like MAC MSF Soft & Gentle, but it's right up my alley. It's subtle enough to be used everyday without looking like a disco ball, but can easily be built up if you really want to glow. If you were going to buy one product from Charlotte Tilbury, I would recommend this one.

Fallen Angel Limited Edition Eyeshadow Palette: This eyeshadow palette is just the perfect example of how awesome Charlotte Tilbury products are. The attention to detail on the packaging, and on the eyeshadows themselves is absolutely gorgeous. I initially had a hard time using this palette, because it looks so pretty. The eyeshadows are so buttery soft, and can be used wet or dry. This particular palette is a limited edition for Christmas, and it's wonderful for a smokey eye. It has all the shades you need, and they blend so nicely together. The shades are lovely as a wash of colour, or as built up for a darker, more pigmented look.

Powder & Sculpt Brush: This brush is designed to work with the Bronze & Glow Palette, and together they're a great pair for contouring. The shape of the brush gets right into the hollow of my cheek and makes contouring idiot proof. It's quite multi functional, as it also works great as a blush brush. The bristles are so soft, and it's well constructed, definitely worth the investment.

So there you have it, my favourite brand of 2014, Charlotte Tilbury. I cannot say enough good things about this brand, it's well deserving of it's status as favourite brand for 2014.

Have you tried anything from Charlotte Tilbury?

Thanks so much to Michelle for letting me guest post today!
 Meg
www.megsmakeupbag.com

Sephora All A Glow & Gold Star Skinny Brush Set Review

Anyone who has stepped into Sephora knows, they also sell their own brand of brushes! Affordable brush sets (like these), but recently have also begun selling more prestige brush sets ($150+). The prices of their brush sets extremely vary, from $40, to $90, to $200. Essentially, they have something for everyone's budget.

I was provided with both the All A Glow Brush Set, and the Gold Star Skinny Brush Set a little while back. They are limited edition and I do not see them available on Sephora's website anymore, but I wanted to post about them anyways, incase you can still find them in stores. Edit: I did see the All a Glow Set stocked yesterday at my local Sephora. Not sure about the Gold Star set.

Both sets come with 5 brushes, mainly face brushes, and both are very compact brush sets (they are minis!).

L to R: Concealer Brush, Highlight Brush, Foundation Brush, Contour Brush, Cream Blush Brush

The Sephora All A Glow Brush Set retails for $38 (a $104 value) and the brushes were made to pair with the Sephora All A Glow Face Palette. The bristles are synthetic, and the clutch that the brushes come in is big enough to hold a bit more than just the 5 brushes.

The Concealer Brush was a bit too small, rounded, and sparse. I ended up with a ton of streaks trying to blend it out. The Highlight Brush was also, a bit useless for me. It is too small to highlight the cheekbones, but it is useable if you are only looking to highlight the bridge of your nose. The Foundation Brush was decent, although I can see this as being more of a concealer/under eye concealer brush. The Contour Brush is shaped oddly, and I was unable to blend and ended up getting out another brush instead. The odd shape isn't too clearly visible in the photo but I'd much rather use the cream blush brush for contouring instead. The Cream Blush Brush is my favourite out of the lot. I thought this was the contour brush initially, and used it to contour my cheekbones. It worked! Ok, it was a bit harsh but I did successfully blend it out a bit. You can definitely get away with using it for both purposes, but I think I'll stick to cream blush unless I'm desperate. I then used it for it's said purpose -for cream blush. It does do a much better job at what it was intended for, as long as you use a light hand and blend!

All of the 5 brushes were much softer than I expected. I hate rough brushes and I found these to be quite soft and non-irritating on my skin. Overall, the brushes were very soft, but just too sparse, short, and small for their purposes.

L to R: Powder Brush, Foundation Brush, Crease Brush, Shadow Brush, Liner Brush

Sephora Gold Star Skinny Brush Set retails for $39, stated as a $109 value on their website. The brushes are tiny, with handles roughly about 4" long with synthetic bristles. The gold colouring gives it a bit more of an expensive/prestige look. This set contains 2 face brushes, and 3 eye brushes. 

The Powder Brush had a hard time picking up much loose powder, but I found it to work well with applying a translucent pressed powder onto the skin. I surprisingly achieved an almost streakless application using this Foundation Brush. It was however, a bit stiff. I prefer the look and feel on the skin of the All A Glow Foundation Brush from the other set, but this one applied foundation much better without as much streaking. The Crease Brush picked up product well, but using it was a bit of a different story. It was very difficult to give it a little blending, and the brush is too flexible. The Shadow Brush picked up product very well, and made it easy to apply a strong colour on the lid. It does take time to cover a significant amount of the eyelid, so I'd likely just end up using this to apply black shadow close to my upper lash line. The Liner Brush also picks up product well! It seems thin enough to use for brows if need be, although I found it a bit pokey/stiff to use for eyeliner.

Again, the bristles of the brushes in this set were soft. However, the bristles just seem a bit too long and springy(?) for my liking.

I didn't have much luck with the majority of these brushes, but a few stood out to me such as the All A Glow Cream Blush & Foundation Brushes, and the Gold Star Foundation and Shadow Brushes. They are definitely gorgeous, compact, and would be perfect as a gift, especially for the younger teens. Although unfortunately, I wouldn't particularly buy either of these sets for that makeup guru or makeup artist friend. They are just not on par with other brushes out there; but those sets are typically sold at a higher price. I do think that they would be more useable and appreciated by someone who is used to cheap, rough, drugstores brushes. A few of the brushes in these sets are definitely a step up from those (although by no means do I mean Real Techniques or EcoTools, those are awesome brushes!).

These products were received for consideration. All opinions stated are my own and are not influenced by any affiliates.

Sephora Vip Pass Eyeshadow Palette Review

Every holiday season, Sephora brings out some of the most coveted beauty gift sets. Some of these sets are quite expensive.. in fact, way over many of our budgets. It's no doubt that they saw the need for an affordable eyeshadow palette. The VIP Pass Eyeshadow Palette contains 8 neutral eyeshadows (amounting to $1.50 each!!) and is super compact, lightweight, ooh and paraben free.

They had this palette available last year around the holiday season and I believe it was called the 'Event Entry Palette'. This time around, it's the VIP Pass Palette with a new gold covered cardboard casing. It snaps closed with a magnet, but I don't have a problem keeping it open either. It unfortunately does not have a mirror, which is a huge downfall but... it's also only $12.

Swatched over NYX HD Eyeshadow Base - I wouldn't suggest using these without a primer. The shadows appear much more faint and less vibrant in colour.

The pigmentation of the shades are in between drugstore and high-end in my opinion. You definitely need to wear a primer underneath these. I always wear a primer under eyeshadow otherwise it doesn't blend right on my skin, so I swatched the shadows over primer (above) as well.

•  The strongest shades are those with a bit of shimmer in it such as 2, 3, and 6.
•  The ones I can see myself using most often are the browns and blacks.
•  None of the shades are matte but the ones with the least shimmer, closest to matte are 1, 4, and 8.
•  My most liked shades are 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8.

 The colour payoff is very light for 1, however it is best used to blend out any harsh lines or for under the brow. 2 is a great shade for use on the lid or to brighten the eye. 3 and 4 are great used together like in the first look below. 5 is again, with a lighter colour payoff but it is ok for use in the inner corners to add a bit of shimmer. You can also get away with using it sparingly to highlight the nose or cheeks. 6 is a shimmery grey that can be great for a smokey eye look. 7 is a sparkly black, slightly more faint than 8. 8 is a prominent black that has minimal shimmer.

All shadows are swatched over NYX HD Eyeshadow Base. However I used Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion on my eyelids as a base/primer.

Worn over Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

For the first look (photo 1 & 2): 3 all over the lid, 4 for the crease, a bit of 2, and 1 to blend out harsh lines and highlight the brow bone. 5 for the inner corners.

For the second look (photo 3): I just added a bit of 8 in the outer corners of my lash line and slightly at the crease.

When I found out this palette was only $12 (CAD) I couldn't believe it. It makes for a great gift, stocking stuffer, heck I'd buy this for myself if I saw it in stores, and could swatch it. I obviously still prefer my Urban Decay shadows, but you can't get a UD shadow for the price of this palette alone. This is something I'd take with me overnight to a friend's house, or leave at my bf's house because I'm forgetful and always forget to bring my eye makeup for the weekend! This palette seems to have disappeared from Sephora's website, but hopefully it is still available in stores.

This product was received for consideration. All opinions stated are my own and are not influenced by any affiliates.

Hello Kitty 40th Anniversary Collection: Gift Sets Overview

As a little girl I guess you could say I was somewhat a fan of Hello Kitty.. It seemed to satisfy my 'girly' needs, because on the other hand... I was totally obsessed with my step-bro's Hot Wheels collection. Hello Kitty is actually much more appealing to me now, as an adult, probably because I find it so cute (and it's everywhere now!)

For the 40th Anniversary of Hello Kitty, Sanrio has brought out quite a few Hello Kitty Makeup, Nail, and Eyeshadow Sets, all currently available at Sephora stores and Sephora.com. These make for great gifts for the Hello Kitty fans, and regardless of what age they may be, there is definitely something for everyone. Below is a brief overview of the sets currently available at Sephora, however these are not full reviews and don't contain swatches (but are pic heavy!) Hurt me, I'm being a bad blogger, but I've had tons of things going on in November + exams in December, had lighting issues, and have only gotten around to catching up with all posts and reviews now.

Hello Kitty Pop-Up Party Eyeshadow Palette: $62 CAD On sale for $31

The colours in this palette look gorgeous and after lightly swatching, it seems that the colour payoff is quite decent for most of the shades and much better than I thought. There are 20 shades, both matte and shimmery, all formulated without parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and come in an assortment of colours. Under the lid, there is a Hello Kitty pop-up surprise! I was a little disappointed it didn't come with a mirror, but the acceptable quality of the shadows made up for that. 

Available at Sephora

Hello Kitty Kawaii Nail Set: $47 CAD

This Kawaii Nail Set includes a Kawaii Nail File, Signature Stamping Kit, Pretty Polish in Ruby Red & Bright White, 20 x 3D Hello Bling! Nail Rhinestones, 20 x 3D Tiny Apples Nail Art, 3 x 1974 Nail Stickers, 3 x Supercute Accent Nail Appliques, and the Hello Kitty tin (of course). 

The whole set is very fun and definitely targeted towards a younger crowd. I wish more nail stickers were included because I found those to be very cute, and more useable for all ages. 

Available at Sephora

Hello Kitty An Apple A Day Trio: $26 CAD

This trio includes 3 tinted lip balms; Red Delicious, Natural Nude, and Think Pink. It is formulated without parabens, phthalates, and sulfates. These lip balms contain extracts of lemon, strawberry, vanilla, apple, and coconut oil for intense hydration. Each individual balm actually contains a mini mirror as well, for perfect application. 

Available at Sephora

Hello Kitty The Red Bow Beauty Diaries: $65 CAD On sale for $33

The final Red Bow Beauty Diaires set contains the most variety of Hello Kitty cosmetics and comes with a few accessories as well. It contains: a milk money coin purse, charmmy hair tie, 1974 figurine, 16x All Better Bandages, 2 All Eyes on Hello Kitty eyeliner appliques, a pair of Supercute accent nail appliques, 2 XOXO lip glosses in Strawberry Pink & Toffee Nude, 2 Pretty in Pearl eyeshadow sticks in Hit Cocoa & Champagne Rose, 2 Electric Slide liquid liners in Violet & Royal Blue, 2 Plush Pout lip balms in Cherry Red & Coral Crush, a Pink Streak hair mascara. Again the set is formulated without parabens, phthalates, and sulfates. This set seems to be the best set for avid Hello Kitty collectors, because it is the only set that contains collector items designed to celebrate Hello Kitty's 40th Anniversary.

Available at Sephora

These sets are available on Sephora and in Sephora stores, and are also available internationally through QVC. I've spotted a few on Amazon.com as well. These are super great sets to pick up as a gift for the holidays for any younger teens, or Hello Kitty fans -especially considering that a few of them are currently on sale! The Pop-up Party Palette is definitely my favourite set out of the bunch, with the Apple a Day Trio coming in second because of the impressive colour payoff of the tinted lip balms. 

These products were received for consideration. All opinions stated are my own and are not influenced by any affiliates.