Ipsy Glam Bag Review

Hello blog readers,
It's been a while since my last post (as it always is, sadly I do not keep up with this as much as I promise myself I will). But, I recently received my Glam Bag from Ipsy and decided it was time I finally reviewed the service.

Ipsy is Michelle Phan's company, and for those just exiting a cave, Michelle Phan is the first YouTube millionaire, she makes beauty tutorials and general beauty videos.
Ipsy is a subscription service, you pay about $10 a month ($15 for Canadians because of the exchange) and every month you get a makeup bag filled with awesome mini-sized products to try. A lot of the time, they're not even that small and in the case of lipsticks, lipgloss, rollerball perfumes and nail polishes, they are full-sized.
When you first sign up, you do a little beauty profile (hair colour, eye colour, skin colour, skin type, likes and dislikes) so they can try send you shades and products that work for you. They charge you for your bag each month and you can cancel at any time without paying any fees. Don't like your first bag? Just cancel.
Check out their website for more details and information about subscribing!

There are a lot of beauty subscription services out there, but I'm going to say up front that Ipsy is the only company to really impress me with their service. I have tried Loosebutton (a Canadian company) and at first I liked their boxes but recently they changed it so that you only get 4 boxes a year and pay almost $30 per box. I thought the selection might be much better but I was incredibly disappointed with what I got and canceled. Mostly because they sent me something they had already sent me twice before and I had provided feedback on it saying how much I disliked the product. So frustrating!

Anyway, moving on to the Ipsy review. This is my experience with Ipsy Glam Bag!

First of all, the bag is so pretty! That's the first thing that sets Ipsy apart from other subscription services. With most other services, the products come in a box and eventually, however pretty the boxes are, you start throwing them away because otherwise you're just a hoarder with a bunch of empty boxes. Some people use them for storage but I think they just become clutter. 

These bags on the other hand are amazing! They are good quality and the are beautiful. You can use them as your travel makeup bag, keep one in your purse for makeup, receipts, coupons or whatever you need to store. Also because they are so cute, you can put some makeup or whatever you want inside and they could be part of a great gift!  My favourites are definitely the ones in the left of the photo. The bags are not always the same material. the nautical print one feels like waterproof material, the white and pink bag is canvas and the black bag is shiny plastic. 

Enough about the packaging, what do you actually get?

UD Moondust Shadow in "Zodiac"

The obvious star of the bunch is this full-sized gorgeous, shimmery, duo-chrome eyeshadow from Urban Decay! This exact shadow costs $20 on the Urban Decay website. So if you got this bag, you've already recouped your money in one high-end, full-sized product. Love it!

This swatches true to colour, with the same amount of shimmer you see in the pan, in one swipe. It's amazing. Which brings me to reason number two that Ipsy is great, this is part of a new line of shadows from Urban Decay that haven't actually been released yet! So everyone who got a May Glam Bag got to try them first. They also did that with the Urban Decay BB cream a few months back, it's an awesome perk.

Zoya polish in "Piaf"

This is a nail polish line you can only get in the US but I always hear amazing things about it. Which is yet another perk of Ipsy - since the company is based in the US you get to try products that are only sold there.
Personally, I'm not a huge fan of this colour, but there were about 8 colours they were sending out and I just pulled the short straw I guess. I might try it on my toes in the summer and see if I like it better.

PacificaCoconut Crushed Pearly Body Butter

I got a Pacifica body butter a few bags ago in a blood orange scent and I love it! I use it all the time, it's the best hand cream to keep with you. I was really excited when I got this. This smells like vanilla and coconut, so really it smells like heaven. It has a shimmer in it, which usually I don't like in creams, but this will be beautiful on skin in the summer for a little glow. I love these body butters so much I would buy a full size but this is yet another brand only sold in the US.

BB&W Candle in "Pumpkin Caramel Latte"

Pacifica Tahitian Gardenia Perfume Roll-On

This is a nice light floral scent. It's really convenient to throw in your purse or something. There was apparently a vanilla scent that was sent out as well. I kind of wish I got that one, because I LOVE the scent of vanilla. Hands down, my favourite scent. But this one is still really nice. However, if I super disliked it, there's a swap forum on Ipsy's facebook page where users can swap products they didn't like.

Yaby concealer in Honey

This was a cool addition to the bag. In a previous month, there was a magnetic palette and two eyeshadows sent out. This concealer (they match your shade based on the skin tone you indicated on your profile) fits right into the magnetic palette. I'm someone who suffers from really dark, purple under eye circles and I hate them. So I really loved getting this, because now I can throw this in my bag and touch up concealer if it wears off throughout the day. Also because this palette is magnetic, you can use it to keep bobby pins so they're not just floating around in your purse!

Juice Beauty lipgloss in "Pink"

This is a nice gloss. Not really sticky with pretty decent colour and shine. I'm not huge on most lipgloss so I wasn't overly excited about this but it's still a nice product.

Overall

I really love getting a glam bag every month! It's a great way to branch out into new products and try things you might now have tried otherwise. I also love that the price in on-par with other subscription services like it but in my opinion the range and quality of products you recieve are much better. Plus every month you get a cute new makeup bag! Even the shipping bag it comes in is cute- it's bright magenta pink. Tell me you wouldn't love seeing that in your mailbox. Every month, Michelle Phan and the other YouTube girls involved in this service (I think there are 5 altogether) each do a video using all the products in the current bag, to give you some ideas how to make the best use of your products. In case you're curious, below is a picture of some other products I've received in previous bags! 

L.A. Fresh makeup remover wipes, coastal scents eyeshadow quad, mirabella highlighter, 

Sation nail polish, Big Sexy Hair hairspray and Glam RX magnetic palette (same as one shown above).

I will continue to subscribe to this service because I have been incredibly impressed. I highly recommend you go over the Ipsy website and try out a bag! It'll be the best $10 (or $15 for Canadians) you'll spend that month! 

Hopefully you guys enjoy the review. If you decide to try out the service, comment or tweet me (TashaSinghs) and let me know what you think!

As always, thanks for reading,

-Tasha

Lipstick Round-Up: Browns and Earth Tones

Hello there friends!

It's been a long time since I got on the here and posted something.

School always forces me to take a break from blogging but I'm going to have to try harder, I guess.

This post was inspired by a friend of mine from school, Marwa (hi Marwa if you're reading!) and a discussion we had a this past semester. I have always had an issue with makeup companies that don't provide products that would suit women of colour. For example in the post where I show some products that I got from Sleek makeup, I mention how difficult it is for someone of my skin colour to find a good contour shade in the drugstore. 

The same goes for lipsticks. Most "nude" colour lipsticks marketed by makeup companies are catered towards a fairer complexion, thus when I (or someone around my skin tone or deeper) wear them, we end up with ghost lips because the colour is too light. 

Marwa, who kindly told me she reads my blog now and then (the support is so appreciated), told me she prefers earth tone lipsticks which are much easier for women of my skin tone, and hers as well, to wear. I promised her I would do a post of the best earth tone/nude lipsticks for women of colour that I could find. Despite purging my collection last summer and giving away a ton of lipstick, I somehow managed to find 10. I have a problem, let's all move on now. I've grouped them so the post isn't super long. Here they are!

I'll start with two options that also happen to be two of my favourite. These are both from the Revlon lip butter line and go on with a decent amount of colour payoff. These are not clear, they definitely have colour to them, they just don't pack as much pigment as a regular lipstick might which is good because these can be applied without a mirror. No fuss, no muss kind of thing. The formula is incredibly creamy and moisturizing which doesn't hurt. 

These two colours specifically, Brown Sugar and Fig Jam are two of the most "brown" shades in the line but they look beautiful, not just on darker skin, on anyone. 

Brown sugar: left and bottom swatch 

Fig Jam: Right and top swatch

As you can see, Fig Jam is obviously the darker of the two, it might look scary in the tube but the swatch shows that it's not nearly as dark as it looks. These can be layered for more intense colour, which is also useful to customize your shade intensity. These are a great way to try out earth tones without committing to really "brown" look.

The next two are both in a stick format which offers more control but less moisture content. 

On the right there's the ELF matte lip colour in "Praline" and next to it is the Revlon Balm Stain in "Precious"

Top: Revlon- "Precious" Bottom: ELF "Praline"

The Revlon comes off a little lighter than it looks in the packaging so that's something to consider. It does claim to be a stain but that's really more for the reds and purples in the line. However, it does have good lasting power, goes on smoothly (with a nice minty smell) and is effortless to keep up during the day. It has a little shine to it but nothing glittery or sparkly. It looks very subtle when worn.

The ELF is obviously darker but it looks actually nude on me, so don't let that swatch deceive you. It is also very smooth but  beware that this formula is matte (hence the name) so if you're lips are a little dry or cracked, this will make it look worse. However this is a really nice colour and great colour payoff from the product, definitely worth a try. The packaging is a little cheap on this one, it could definitely be better but hey, it's like $3. If they had to sacrifice something, I'm glad it wasn't product quality. But you do have to order it online at their website but I found mine in a Winners so try looking there. 

The next grouping is drugstore lipsticks. Like I said, I did a cleanse of my makeup last summer and gave away a ton of lipsticks so I didn't have as many to choose from here so these two might be kind of a stretch.

However, they're not bad in terms of colour and price so I think it's worth mentioning.

Top: Covergirl Lip Perfection in "Romance"

Bottom: Rimmel Kate "14"

The Covergirl is a little on the pink side but in person it looks much more brown. It's smooth and great colour payoff but there's a smell with these that is a little plastic-y. It's not super disgusting but it's something to think about considering the placement of your lips is right under your nose.

The Rimmel Kate is also smooth and the colour payoff is great. It's a very matte lipstick so the same considerations as the ELF lip colour apply here too. I think the Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick line is limited edition so this might not be around forever, which is something else to keep in mind.

Left: "MAC Viva Glam 2" Right: MAC "Twig"

If you haven't already guessed, MAC lipsticks are my next grouping. I have a lot of MAC lipsticks but these are the only two that fit the "earth tone" bill.

Top: Twig   Bottom: Viva Glam 2

Twig is a brown with some very obvious reddish undertones. It's not as flattering on my skin as I thought (it was my first time picking something and I had no idea what I wanted) but that doesn't mean it won't work for someone else. It's very matte (despite being a classified as a "satin" finish by MAC) so keep in mind that it could amplify dry lips. But it's a great colour if you want an earthy brown that's not too muddy.

Viva Glam 2 is in my top 5  favourite MAC lipsticks, it's gorgeous. A nude that's not too white or pale and it looks great on darker skin tones. You can see it almost blends right into my hand. This one is also a satin but I like the texture much better than Twig. It might be a little light to qualify as an earth tone but I included it because the MAC Viva Glam collection is a really special line. All the money (not just the profit or a percentage, every penny you spend) goes to the MAC Aids Fund. I love that MAC has a program like this to give back. So it's worth trying out even if it's not your thing. I talk more about the MAC Aids Fund in my post about the Nicki Minaj Viva Glam lipstick.

**High Tea (lighter than Twig, beige with a shiny, sheer finish) and Bare Again Sheen Supreme (creamy brown-y nude) lipsticks from MAC would also be good. I own them but I cannot for the life of me find either shade right now!There are some options I know would be good from MAC that I don't own so I'll mention them, but I can't say for sure what they're like. I've heard "Coffee in Your Cream" and "Spice" are also very good earth tone browns from MAC

Lastly, here are my gloss options. 

Lying down: L'oreal Colour Caress Shine Stain in "Eternally Nude" (Geez longest name ever)

Standing up: MAC lipglass in "Viva Glam 5"

I love these L'oreal shine stains! I use them a lot and I think they're phenomenal. Great formula, very smooth and a lot of colour payoff. They have a scent, it's like a light rose smell but it's a nice scent in my opinion and goes away pretty fast. You can apply this in layers (apply one layer, let dry for 30 seconds, apply another layer) for even more colour. They stay glossy for a long time and stain your lips so you don't have to reapply all day, they're super low maintenance. The darker colours are my favourites, but this nude shade is alright, definitely worth a try.

The MAC lipglass is one I've had in my collection for a long time. You can see it's very brown and blends into my hand. It's not as traditionally shiny as most glosses are, it's more creamy with a little shimmer, which I like. I also love that this gloss is part of the Viva Glam line which I mentioned above.

Overall: My top recommendations from this list are definitely both lip butters, ELF in praline (if you're willing to order online), and MAC Viva Glam 2. Those are the ones I think are most universally flattering and wearable. 

As always, thanks for reading and remember, laughter is the best cosmetic, so grin and wear it! 

-Tash <3 

Bold Lips: Glamourous Red!

Hello lovelies!
It's been a while since I've done a bold lip blog post so I thought I'd get one in.
Plus as we get closer to the holidays, I figure I'd do a glamourous red lip that you could totally rock at the Christmas/holiday parties this year. I love deeper berry tones lip around this time of year. It's just so festive.

Meet my new favourite red lipstick. "Refined Ruby" (#337) from L'oreal's Infallible collection.

It's really gorgeous and rich not to mention because it's from the Infallible line, it's really long-wearing which is great. It's such a hassle when you wear a bright colour that comes off easily because you have to maintain it all day. This didn't give me any trouble at all and most of the time at the end of the day I have to use a makeup wipe to get it off.

It's a really smooth texture and doesn't drag at all. It almost stains your lips, making it really long-wearing and low maintenance. 

The colour can really make your look much more complete. I'm wearing very little eye makeup in these pictures and the lipstick is enough to really make an impression. Which makes it perfect for a busy holiday season when you want to look pretty and festive without a ton of work.

Anyway, I love this lipstick and I highly reccomend anyone looking for a glamourous/pin-up red try this one out and best of all it's a drugstore brand so it's very affordable. Let me know with a tweet (@TashaSinghxx) or a comment if you like it! 

 Just a Few Things...

•  I am nervous to take my grad photos Thursday, but more so I can't believe I'm actually taking grad photos. Where did the last three years of university go?!!?
• Pet peeve: I really hate people who complain and whine about Christmas music/commercials/decorations being used way too early. Just stop being so grinchy and enjoy the holiday season with your loved ones. 
• On a much better, cheerier note- the Starbucks Christmas drinks are back! Every year I indulge in the delicious, Christmasy delight of Gingerbread lattes (made with tea because I don't drink coffee). They are so so so so addictive! I think I might try the Peppermint Hot Chocolate or the Caramel Brulee this year too. :)
• School stress is killing me. I say that every year. But this year really is particularly bad.
• Got the new Galaxy SIII and I really enjoy it. Makes one hand texting hard. 

Thanks for reading!
-Tash<3

Bold Lips: Raspberry Popsicle!

Another bold lip post. I know, I know.
I just really enjoy these, I have a lot of lipsticks I really really love hopefully those who read my blog can find something they enjoy too!
So there's a story behind this lipstick. A friend of mine (Meghan) got tickets to go to a tradeshow for America's Next Top Model Live and invited me and another one of our friends (Sarah) to go with her. We had so much freakin' fun and they gave out tons of samples and free products. Excitedly, one of the booths was giving out free full-sized Benefit lipsticks and we all got one! So this post is about the lipstick I got there which is called "Sassy-frass."
Side note: There was a photobooth at Biore and they had props, we got some fun pictures there. I will add a few at the end of this post.

This is obviously a lipstick with some serious shine. I tend to stray away from lipsticks that are shimmery, they just aren't my taste. However there are no shimmers in this lipstick. It is very smooth and moisturizing and gives your lips that "just finished eating a cherry popsicle" look. Juicy, I guess is the best way to describe it, but that sounds weird. 

Funny thing about this lipstick is that it's somewhat like MAC's "Rebel" lipstick, which I own and love dearly. Like "Rebel" this lipstick is a very dark, almost black-purple in the tube but it comes across as much brighter on the lips. It looks like a raspberry pink when worn. So, it goes to show you- don't fear bright or dark lipsticks. Always try them on. You never know what you may end up loving. 

I should mention here that I love that with each Benefit lipstick, they include a little card that has a makeup saying or idea on it. The one that came with this lipstick said "All's fair in love and lipstick." I love them! Personally, I use them as bookmarks. 

You can see here with a sheer coat the lipstick actually looks like a medium pink. I like that this lipstick can be layered for a darker colour or worn sheerly for daytime. 

And that's it for this lip look. Here are just some of the photobooth pictures of the many photobooth pictures we took while we were there:

That's Meghan with me on the left and Sarah on the right.  

Hope you enjoyed this post. Remember, be fearless with your makeup because all's fair in love and lipstick.
Thanks for reading.
-Tash <3

Bold lips (for a good cause): Neon Pink!

I sure am productive at blogging when there's nothing else to do. I envy people who do this for a living, makeup blogging is awesome. If working at a magazine is half as fun as this, maybe I won't hate being a journalist despite the 5837429 lists that rank it as a terrible job.
Oh well, least I'll have a BJ after graduation and that's something (my degree is called a "Bachelor of Journalism" or a "BJ"- that's just beautiful isn't it?)

Anyway, on to the makeup!

I have another bold lip post for you today and this one is close to my heart for two reasons. 

The first being that I used the Viva Glam Nicki lipstick and I love Nicki Minaj so very much. 

Why? She's bold, independent, outspoken, confident and she's also making a name for herself in an extremely male dominated industry. Not to mention she rocks the most gorgeous, outrageous makeup I've seen on a celeb in a long time, and she makes it look damn good.

The second reason is that her lipstick is part of the Viva Glam program at MAC, which if you don't know is a really great charity that benefits men, women and children directly affected by HIV/AIDS. What I especially love about the program is that every cent of the purchase price of a Viva Glam lipstick or lip gloss goes straight to helping someone affected with HIV/AIDS. That means every cent of the price you pay goes towards helping someone, not just the profits from your purchase. I really love this campaign and I think it's one of the great things about MAC. 

If you'd like to learn more about the MAC Viva Glam program or buy something you can go the MAC AIDS fund website. 

When I heard Nicki Minaj was coming out with a Viva Glam colour (Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga are just two of the other celebs who've done MAC Viva Glam collaborations) I knew it was going to be AWESOME and I was first in line (literally) to get it. 

Is it sad that I'm super excited to have something she kind-of signed but not really? 

I promise you the picture does not do this justice. This is absolutely the brightest, neon pink lipstick I own or have even seen. It's SO  pretty and very on trend because neon is very popular for this summer, or so I hear. Fashion escapes me a lot, mostly because I'm too busy looking at lipsticks... 

I can't lie, this would be hard to wear. It's very bright and it's somewhat matte as well, so if your lips aren't in the best condition it will definitely show. But I find it you tap it on your lips and blend it in instead of swiping it on, you can get a much softer colour that's easier to work with. Also a lip liner will help to stop the colour from smudging, bleeding outside the lip line or making your lips look too dry. And hey, even if you never wear it, don't forget the money goes to a good cause! 

Just a Few Things...

• I haven't done one of these in a while so I thought I'd add it in!
• Writing this post makes me realize I should actually wear this lipstick sometime soon. I quite enjoy it.
• Two more posts are already photographed. Another lip look and a skin care review. I'm quite excited about both!
• I have some makeup coming to me from TheBalm, maybe I'll review it. It's supposed to be very good stuff. It's on sale on Hautelook right now (which is a flash sale site where you can get stuff 50-80% off) here's a link in case you're interested:  http://www.hautelook.com/short/3Ee0i
• Jon (the boyfriend) is in California. Don't expect this level of blogging when he gets back.
• I miss my friends from J-school desperately. Especially the ones who went far away. 

Hope you guys enjoyed this post and as always thanks for reading!

-Tash<3 

Bold Lips: Creamy, Soft Orange-Red

You know what's annoying? The fact that I have like 3 blog posts photographed and ready to go. All I have to do is write them. But I'm just too busy/lazy to do it.
So I copped out and I'm going to do a lip look because they're easy to photograph and quick to write.
Sue me.

Today is International Women's Day. I feel ashamed that I didn't know that until really late. You're supposed to rock the red lips today, or so I hear. So here's my contribution.

Products used "Benetint" by Benefit, "Red Velvet" and "Candy Apple" lip butters from Revlon

I stained my lips using "Benetint" by Benefit. It's a red cheek and lip stain and I used it as a base. Which is always a good idea with any bold colour (whether it be a lip liner, stain etc.) because then if the lipstick wears off and you don't notice, it doesn't look bad. I didn't want this to be a pin-up red, or a super intense red for that matter. I was going for a soft red, something that could be word during the day without looking harsh. So I used two of the new Revlon lip butters to get a softer look than a lipstick.

I used the bright, orangey red "Candy Apple" on the entire lip and I darkened the corners with a darkier, vampier colour called "Red Velvet"

I did that to add dimension, becuase your lips can start to look kind of flat if you wear one solid colour across them all the time. That's also a really good way to make your lips look fuller- add a dark colour along the outsides and corners and then add a slightly brighter or lighter colour to the middle. It kind of gives you that "pouty" look which some people really love.

Thanks for reading and happy International Women's Day!

-Tash <3

Holiday Gift Guide 2011!

Hello everyone,
Unless my 9385589837 other posts about it haven't made it obvious, it is the holiday season!
Which most likely means you're going to spend some time shopping for gifts, which to be honest is such a pain the ass. So, if you're looking for some ideas for what to get the woman in your life, this might be a good place to start :)
I figure I'll sort the items by store or brand that way they're easy to find when you're out shopping.

Lush
Lush has a great selection of pre-wrapped gifts and their Christmas selection has so much variety. If you aren't familiar with Lush already, they make bath products like body wash, soap, shampoo etc. but they also make some really amazing bath stuff like bath bombs (balls of powder product that fizz and make your bath water silky) and bath melts (melt in your bath water super creamy) and bubble bars (make huge bubbles in your tub and makes your water silky).
 They have wrapped Christmas gifts at every single price point which is a nice plus so if none of the ones I link (ones I've tried or like the best) suit you, go to their website and you can find exactly what you want.

Christmas Tweets: $29.95

Courtesy of Lush.ca

This gift comes with a great selection of bath bombs, soaps, creams and bubble bars. It's a great price to try out a lot of Lush bestsellers and some limited xmas stuff too.

Christmas Candy Box: $45.95

Courtesy of Lush.ca

I got this box as a gift last year, but apparently they completely changed what's in it this year! Also, it was $10 cheaper when I asked for it last year. However, this year's box is just as good, filled with a lot of Lush goodies you could fall in love with.

Comforter Bubble Bar: $9.95

Courtesy of Lush.ca

A bestselling bubble bar that I have repurchased many, many times. It's big enough to use two or even three times. It smells like candy and bubblegum and sweetness. It makes your bathwater pink and silky with huge bubbles. Just break some off and crumble under the tap while filling the tub! :)

The Melting Snowman Bath Melt- $5.95

Courtesy of Lush.ca

I love this little guy! He smells fresh and clean, slightly like vanilla. It melts in your bath and makes the water creamy and so soothing. Plus he's so cute! But hurry, this guy is limited edition for just this year.

Cinders Bath Bomb- $4.95

Courtesy of Lush.ca

This smells like fresh citrus, very clean and bright. My boyfriend actually loves this one. It's great for any guy who plays sports and soaks in a tub to relax injured or tight muscles. There's nothing girly about the scent and it makes the bath much more moisturizing for his skin. Think about it ladies.


Sephora
If the girl you're shopping for is a beauty junkie like me, pay real close attention to this section- everything will be a hit with her.
*Note: all prices are in US because I can't be bothered to figure out the exchange rate. Sorry loves!

NARS- Yorokobi Super Orgasm Set: $39

Courtesy of Sephora.com

Filled with NARS best sellers all in their famous shade "Orgasm" -- any beauty lover would be overjoyed to get a blush, nail polish,  and lip gloss in this dazzling peachy pink shade with gold shimmer.

Urban Decay- Maripose Palette- $39

Courtesy of Sephora.com

Urban Decay quality and pigmentation is the absolute best and this palette comes with 10 beautiful shades that can make a gorgeous neutral look, a smokey evening look or a bright, colourful summer time look. It's so versatile and useful, I love mine. Any makeup junkie would really enjoy this.

Urban Decay- Naked Palette: $48

Courtesy of Sephora.com

The absolute blockbuster, bestseller from Urban Decay. This palette went out of stock for almost a full year constantly because of the high demand. And while I know $48 is pricey- if  you're looking for a more luxurious gift, this is ABSOLUTELY worth the money! I love mine and use it regularly.
*I know Naked2, the second naked palette has already come out. But unfortunately it doesn't hit Canadia Sephora's until late January. You could order online though. I still prefer the original one, better colours, better variety.

Sephora- LashStash: $45

Courtesy of Sephora.com

This boxed kit is great because you get to try out so many different mascaras for a great price. It also comes with a makeup remover and 2 full-size products. Sephora also has boxed kits like this for lip products and bestseller items.

Sephora- Collector's Edition Fragrance Sampler for Her: $75

Courtesy of Sephora.com

I know that $75 is kinda "ouch" on the wallet area but this is a great value. This kit comes with 10 fragrance samples (that come in mini versions of the actual bottles!) and it also comes with a coupon to go back to Sephora and get whichever of the 10 perfumes you liked the best! A great idea for someone looking for their perfect scent.

Your girl isn't into makeup?
Try getting her some gourmet tea! Tea makes a great gift that is personal and unexpected. Teavana and Teaopia are both great places you can go to get gourmet teas and great tea making accessories.

Not a fan of tea?
Maybe she's into fashion. Try Etsy, It's an online store and everything they sell is a one-of-a-kind piece. Meaning you can tell your girl, no one else will ever have something exactly like it. And it's really afforadable with great selection of clothes, accessories, housewares and cool vintage pieces.

I hope this gift guide was helpful for someone out there!
I will have another baking post coming up soon on my red velvet cookies with cream cheese filling. They are delicious and really simple to make. AND they are even vegetarian, so if you are or know a vegetarian this will be a great cookie recipe to share. :)

Thanks for reading!
-Tash <3