A Few Boxing Day Finds

For all who celebrated Christmas, hope you all had an amazing day with your families and for those who celebrate Kwanza, Happy Kwanza!! As some of you know the day after Christmas is boxing day, which I only found out about just last year noting that it's a more prevalent holiday in UK. Lush in particular always has boxing day sales on all their holiday products and gift sets - buy one get one free! Disregarding the title of boxing day, a variety of stores were having sales yesterday through the end of December; to name a few, Uniqlo was having 50% off select styles, Stuart Weitzman is having 50% off select shoes, Macy's was having a huge one day sale, Aritzia is having up to 50% off fall/winter merchandise, Urban Outfitters was having 50% off all sale items,  Topshop is having up to 50% off select styles, and many many more. Long story short, after Christmas sales are amazing. 

Dream Steam Tablets, Candy Mountain Bubble Bar, and the Wizard Bubble Bar

Usually my local Lush isn't as busy, but on boxing day it was packed! Last year, I picked up two gift sets filled with bath bombs and bubble bars, but this year they didn't have many containing strictly bath bombs or bubble bars, they were all had one bath bomb and a bunch of soaps or shower gels, which I didn't particularly want. Luckily all their holiday products were also on buy one get one free, so I picked up the Candy Mountain bubble bar, which smells of vanilla and a hint of candy, giving it a very sweet scent. I also picked up the Wizard bubble bar, which smells like the signature Lush scent, very florally and sweet. Lastly, I stumbled upon these Dream Steam Tablets, where at first I thought they were for your shower and making the steam in your shower a certain way, but no you're supposed to drop them in a bowl of hot water and use the steam to leave your skin refreshed and unclog your pores, either way I'm excited to use them! 

Clinique Clarifying Lotion 3, Beauty Blender, Living Proof 5-in-1 Styling Treatment, Bobbi Brown BB Cream, Glamglow Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment, and Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream

On my way to the Lush Boxing Day sale, I stopped by Sephora to pick up a few winter essentials. I love how every time I go in to Sephora to pick up a couple things, I always come out with so much more.  After running out of toner and moisturizer, I decided to go get some more. I use the Clinique Clarifying Lotion toner for combination and oily skin, I have no idea if that is what type of skin I have, but it seems to work for me and thats all that matters, right? For the winter time I like to use the Yu-Be moisturizer at night because it is so thick and helps cure my awful wintery dry skin. I also picked up a new Beauty Blender, after having one for a whole year it got a bit smelly, even after sanitizing in the microwave and deeply washing it, I thought it was time to throw it out, and get a new one! While on line to check out, I saw a bunch of mini Glamglow mud masks, I had already tried the Supermud version and have gone through two big tubs of it, so I thought i'd try the Thirstymud mask as an overnight replenishing mask, lets hope it lasts me through the winter. Lastly, I got two beauty insider rewards, the Living Proof styling cream and the Bobbi Brown BB cream, I haven't tried either before, nor I have I tried products from either brands, so maybe they'll be my next holy grail product, who knows?? 

Hope you all have a great rest of weekend! And a great end to the year!!

xx
Francesca 

Holiday Party Outfit Ideas

Whether you are going to a large party or a family dinner, holiday parties are a great time to dress up. Rather than our usual casual attire- something we all love- we also enjoy the occasional fancy dressing. There are numerous ways in which one can dress up. You can keep it more low key with a pair of booties or go all out with a pair of heels. Either way, dressing up should be fun so enjoy mixing and matching different textures and styles! Hope you all have wonderful holidays and allow our styles to inspire yours!

Francesca's look is more for a fancier party. Her all black look features a Mongolian goat hair vest and a pair of Prada patent leather heeled booties. The vest adds depth to the monotone coloured outfit, giving her look a chic new vibe. Essentially, the all black look is always a go to because of the classy and elegant feel it gives to the appearance.

Turtleneck Cashmere Dress

Jocelyn Mongolian Goat Hair Vest

Urban Outfitters Pleated Skirt

Banana Republic Tights

Prada Patent Leather Booties 

Deena's look is more for a dinner with the family. The look features a floral print skirt and Dolce Vita brown booties. This outfit is great for nights with the family on the holidays because it is not too fashion forward however it's not too casual- perfect for those long chats with that one aunt!

Zara Cropped Sweater

Urban Outfitters Skirt

Calvin Klein Tights

DV by Dolce Vita Booties

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season! Drink all the hot chocolate and eat as many candy canes as possible. It has been a great five months blogging, we appreciate all the reads and support given! Have a very merry christmas, a happy hanukkah, an amazing kwanza, and a joyous new year!!!

xx

Francesca & Deena 

Holiday Wish Lists 2014

It's that time of year!!! It's the holiday season, our personal fave! We thought it would be a fun idea to put together our holiday wish lists and show them to you guys. Take some inspiration for gifts for your friends or family or even yourself! Enjoy and have a great holiday season!

Francesca's Holiday Wish List

Teddy Robe // Topshop $64 

Russel + Hazel Acrylic Tape Dispenser // Hattan Home $24

Reiko Kaneko Lip Tease Mug // Shopbop $25

 Clear Rosa iPhone 6 Clear Case // Rifle Paper Co. $36

Brvtvs™ 14k Gold Small Bar Earrings // J. Crew $84

Feuille de Lavande Candle // Diptyque $30-$60

Kate Spade Gold Acrylic Stapler // Hattan Home $28

2015 Bold Kraft Planner // Sugar Paper $16.99

Liten Gold Watch // Larsson & Jennings $337

Gold Carnaby Zebra Stacking Dish // Jonathan Adler $32

Lowland Boots // Stuart Weiztman $785

Deena's Holiday Wish List

Ultra Light Jacket // Uniqlo $69.90 

iPhone 6 Floral Case // Etsy $19.00 

Knit Hat  // Zara $15.90

Nail Polish // Butter London $15.00

Monogram Cup // Anthropologie $8.00

Birken Socks // Aritzia $15.00

Suede Boots // Sam Edelman $129.95

Wild Fig and Cassis Candle // Jo Malone $65.00

 Squarecut Bangle Bracelet // Madewell $24.00 

Marc Jacobs Beauty Products

Marc Jacobs, a brand in the fashion industry that we all know and love, was created by famous fashion designer Marc Jacobs. The company is known for many things- bags, wallets, scarfs, etc. However, more recently the company launched their own makeup brand. The products range from eyes to lips with numerous palates and colors. Just how we fell in love with our Marc Jacobs bags and wallets, we fell in love with the makeup. 

From left to right: Lovemarc - Lip Gel and Lust For Lacquer Lip Vinyl - Full in 316 Shooting Stars 

From left to right: Lovemarc - Lip Gel in 104 Dizzy Spell, Lovemarc - Lip Gel in 108 Have We Met?, Lovemarc - Special Addition 146 Cabaret

The Lovemarc Lip Gels and Lacquer Lips are two of our favorite products from the Marc Jacob's makeup line. The texture is creamy and velvety, leaving a soft feeling when put on your lips. Additionally, the wide range of colors is a plus. From deep purples to light pinks and oranges, the colors give a pop to any lip. The formula is generally long lasting but I would still throw the lipstick in your bag when you leave the house in order to reapply throughout the day. Although the lipsticks are pricey, they are worth it considering the enjoyable texture and variety in color.

Perfection Powder - Featherweight Finish in 100 Finish Line

The Marc Jacobs Perfection Powder is an amazing powder for setting makeup. All you need is a swirl in the powder with your brush and dust it all over your face and you will be ready to take on the day without your make up smudging. However, you don't need to use a lot of this powder otherwise it will leave a white cast over your face- something no one using make up wants. So while it is a good powder- don't over use it. Concerning the packaging, it is not our favorite. The entire powder fell out of the packaging after packing it away for a trip. Luckily, the powder was still intact and usable yet I would have preferred to avoid the mess altogether. 

From left to right: O!Mega Lash Volumizing Mascara in Blaquer 30, Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in Blacquer 42

The Marc Jacobs O!Mega Lash Volumizing Mascara is probably one of the best mascaras I have ever used. It not only separates your lashes but gives them volume creating a perfect everyday laid back look.  Both the wand and formula make this a holy grail product! The Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon is incredibly pigmented and glides right on, the formula is also super creamy. A plus to the liner is that it is a twist up which means no sharpening!