Ready. Set. Holidays! Shoppers Drug Mart Holiday Gift Guide

One of my favourite things to do is browse the aisles at Shoppers Drug Mart during the holiday season. I can always find something for everyone on my wishlist (myself included) and even better, the gifts are affordable!

Every year Quo releases a selection of gift sets with varied tastes in mind. From lipstick to brow products and brushes, there's something for every beauty lover!

The Matte Lipstick Bar ($20 CAD) is sure to be a hit with lipstick lovers! You get 8 deluxe-sized samples of liquid lipstick, ranging from nudes to bolds with a matte finish. The lipsticks are pigmented and long wearing, however, they're not transfer proof. They do feel a bit sticky until they dry down, so it's a good idea to blot after application. Alternatively, you can dust your lips with translucent powder.

Quo Beauty On The Go ($35) is perfect for the traveller in your life. This set contains 3 palettes that cover all the basics! You get an eyeshadow palette with 6 neutral shadows in shimmer and matte finishes, a palette with two highlight shades plus a blush, and a lip gloss palette containing 6 pigmented lip glosses ranging from nude to bolder. The only thing missing from this set is applicators. It would have been nice to get a brush for the gloss, but I'm sure we all have tons of those already 😜

The Quo All About Eyes Shadow Palette ($22) contains two matte base shades, 7 mattes and 5 shimmery shades. This palette is great for day-to-day looks as well as smokey eyes. This palette pairs very well with a nice bold lip. I recommend pairing it with the red liquid lipstick from the Matte Lipstick Bar for a classic Christmas look.

Contouring isn't going anywhere, so why not gift someone a chiseled complexion this year. The Quo Face Sculpting Palette ($22) has 3 highlighting shades and 3 sculpting shades in a mix of warm and cool tones. The powders are creamy, pigmented and blendable. I personally find it hard to get a contour palette that isn't too dark for my fair complexion, so I'm happy to see that this one is quite light. I'm also glad that it's a completely matte palette. If you're fair to light skinned, you're seriously going to loooove this palette!

Another fabulous stocking stuffer is the Quo Brow Essentials Kit ($10). It contains a dual ended pencil to shape and fill in sparse brows, a highlighting pencil and a brow gel. I am absolutely, positively, smitten with this set! The pencils are sooo creamy, pigmented and they blend so well! The shades are perfect in every way possible and look really natural (well the Brow pencil does lol). I'm seriously considering clearing out the stock at my local SDM 💸

Quo by ORLY Breathable 12 Days Of Colorful Healthy Nails Advent Calendar ($40) is a must-have for any beauty lover. This grown-up version of an advent calendar features 11 polishes and 1 treatment product. This is my first beauty advent calendar, and I want to savour it. Which means no spoilers! If you want to see what's inside, be sure to keep an eye on my insta stories in December 😉

If you're looking for a stocking stuffer, you should check out Quo by ORLY Marvelous Minis ($16). You get 4 colours that compliment each other beautifully. When you do the math, it works out to cost only $4 per polish which is a great deal. Fairy Godmother is such a gorgeous shade and I seriously can't get enough!

Last, but certainly not least, is the Quo Lip Gloss Ornament ($5). This cute little lip gloss comes housed in a small box that you can hang off of your tree (or put in a stocking). I'm seriously considering decorating my tree with makeup and this would be a great start 😉

Quo has 30 limited edition holiday items this year, so you're sure to find something to appease the makeup lover in your life. And don't forget, Shoppers carries all sorts of products ranging from food to electronics. You might just be surprised at how much of your holiday shopping you can get done there.

Have you picked up anything from Quo's Holiday Collection? Which items tickle your fancy? Lets chat in the comment section below 👇



*Press samples were generously provided for editorial consideration. As always, all opinions are my own.

Guerlain's KissKiss Liplift, KissKiss Matte & Intense Liquid Matte

Hello beauties! As I'm sure you recall, back in September I attended Dave Lackie's #GuerlainLover dinner (recap of the event can be found here). In classic Dave Lackie fashion, all the guests received an amazing gift bag. Today, I'm sharing my thoughts on the lip products we received.

Before I talk about the products, I thought I'd share a bit about the brand. Guerlain is a luxury French beauty brand founded in 1828. From the start and to this day, Guerlain produces all of their products in France. The Guerlain House has been awarded the "Living Heritage Company" label by the French Ministry for Economy and Industry, a testament to the rich history of the brand. I could go on about Guerlain's history, but I'm going to jump right into my reviews.

"The indispensable partner to lipstick, the KissKiss Liplift smoothing base in stick form redefines your lip contour, smoothes and prepares the lips for long-lasting make-up. With its creamy, rich and supple texture and neutral translucent shade, it preserves and enhances the colour of your lipstick.

Lips are smooth and silky soft. Their contour is more defined. Lipstick is easy to apply. It offers lasting hold for guaranteed high-fidelity make-up without feathering." /source/ 

The Guerlain KissKiss Liplift Smoothing Lipstick Primer ($44, 1.85g) comes housed in an exquisite, golden bullet. As the name suggests, it's a primer for your lips. To maximize its efficacy, apply it on your lips (prior to lipstick) slightly beyond your lip contour and blend in with your fingertips.

KissKiss Liplift Smoothing Lipstick Primer has a subtle vanilla-violet and berries scent, and it applies transparent. It feels smooth and balm like. I noticed it made my lipstick apply much smoother and it wore longer.

"Guerlain imagines KissKiss Matte, a hydrating and plumping matte lipstick, intense like a lipstick and comfortable like a balm! The subtle spice extract it contains gives the impression of voluminous lips while the precious oils and the hyaluronic acid smooth and hydrate them. KissKiss Matte offers 9 captivating shades for all special occasions. The iconic packaging is adorned with a golden matte veil."

Guerlain KissKiss Matte ($44, 3.5g) is housed in the same iconic tube as the original KissKiss, but it's matte (and gold). How fitting! There are 9 shades available and I was gifted the shade M330 Spicy Burgundy. This shade of red is universally flattering to most skin tones, plus it's literally the perfect shade for fall!

KissKiss Matte Lipstick applies smoothly and feels super comfortable on the lips. It's long-wearing, but not transfer proof. I can usually get about 6 hours of wear before I need to touch it up. It lasts longer when paired with the KissKiss Liplift Smoothing Lipstick Primer.

"Guerlain invents Intense liquid Matte: a smoothing matte liquid lipstick that’s easy to apply: creamy like a gloss and pigmented like a lipstick, with a stunning matte finish. A smoothing texture, which gives to the lips a highly pigmented and long lasting plumping look. The formula based on hyaluronic acid and tiger grass ensures a soft and enjoyable sensation. Seven captivating shades have been created for every mood."

 /source/

Guerlain Intense Liquid Matte Creamy Velvet Lipcolour ($40, 7ml) is available in 7 hydrating shades. I was gifted M71 Exciting Pink and I love it! This liquid lipstick applies very much like a gloss, but opaque and (mostly) matte. The doe-foot applicator makes lining and filling the lips easy and the colour dries down true to the shade in the tube. If you're looking for a luxe liquid lipstick that not only looks pretty but wears beautifully, I highly recommend you check these out!

You can find these and other Guerlain products Canada wide at Hudson's Bay, Sephora and Nordstrom.

*These products were generously gifted to me at Dave Lackie's #GuerlainLover event ❤

Incoming! Dior Rouge Liquid & Double Rouge ~ Review + Swatches

Peter Philips (Creative and Image Director for Dior Makeup) has revamped Dior's Iconic Dior Rouge lipstick in a big huge way and it's everything you've dreamed of and more! Meet Dior Rouge Liquid Lipstain and Dior Double Rouge 😍

"Laced with featherweight pigments that produce intense, vibrant colour that lasts up to 12 hours. Dior's first liquid lipstick is the next generation of liquid lipstick. A combination of wax, moisturizing oils, and setting agents make for a seamless, second-skin finish in one swipe."

Dior Rouge Liquid Lipstain ($43 CAD) is available in 29 shades (3 of which are Sephora exclusives) and three finishes (Rock Matte, Pop Satin and Electric Metal). Each shade boasts high impact colour, staying power and comfort. Optimum pigment dispersion reinforces colour intensity and each finish is formulated as follows:

- Matte effect: 2 to 7% pigments

- Satin effect: 1 to 3% pigments + 4 to 7% iridescence

- Metallic effect: 17 to 20% iridescence

When it comes to luxury packaging, Dior takes the cake. The sleek, navy tube has a vertical window that allows you to quickly view the shade as well as product usage. The wand is comfortable to hold and the doe foot applicator is by far the best I've ever used. There's a bowl shaped reservoir that holds just the right amount of lipstick and the tapered doe foot shape allows for precision lining and filling of the lips.

I have three shades (one from each finish category) and they are all very similar in formulation. They're definitely liquid lipstick, not a lipstain as the name suggests. It's important to note that they don't dry down completely which means that they will transfer. Having said that, they can hold their own when it comes to drinking and light snacking.

375 Spicy Metal is a stunning pink lipstick with a high-shine, metallic finish. It feels light on my lips and wears similar to a satin lipstick. Out of the three finishes I've tried, this one is the most pigmented, opaque and dries down the most (aka less transfer).

427 Delicate Satin is a light, peachy brown lipstick with a beautiful satin finish. It's incredibly comfortable to wear and gives off that 'my lips but better look'. From first application to end of the evening, this lipstick feels (and looks!) great.

424 Hypnotic Matte is a light, beige-brown nude with a pink undertone. It applies evenly, opaque and doesn't crack on my lips. It feels hydrating initially, but after extended wear it starts to feel a bit dry. Having said that, I don't feel the need to bathe in lip balm after wearing it.

Dior's Double Rouge ($43 CAD) is a dual-textured lipstick that has a highly pigmented matte outer ring with a metallic core. The concept is that the matte and metallic lipstick combine upon application to create a subtle ombré effect and an optical illusion of volume. It took up to 16 attempts to find the perfect balance for certain shades and 4 months to adjust the formula and perfect each stick.

Peter Philips created 4 colour families: fun and sophisticated reds, cheerful corals, electric purple pinks, and nudes. It's important to note that Double Rouge will not be available at Sephora.

Double Rouge is enclosed in the traditional Dior bullet packaging which is absolutely gorgeous. I was expecting these lipsticks to have a stark contrast when applied but thankfully they don't - the ombré effect is quite subtle and pretty. If you don't align the matte outer ring with the edges of your lips you won't get the ombré effect. Both of the shades I have feel very luxurious and comfortable on my lips.

429 Coup de Chic has a matte, rosy-nude outer ring with a soft pink mettalic inner core. When applied, the two combine to create a pinkish nude shade with a pearlescent finish. This shade is very light and feminine - I love it!

590 Dressed to Kill has a deep, matte burgundy outer ring with a champagne hued metallic core. When applied, the two combine to create a stunning wine red shade with a satin finish. I did find that when I tried to accentuate the ombré effect my lips looked a bit patchy as you can see in the photo. I had much better results when I forgo trying to ombré and just blended the two shades together.

You can find Dior's Double Rouge at Hudson's Bay, Beauty BOUTIQUE and Nordstrom or online at thebay.com and beautyBOUTIQUE.ca


You can find Dior's Rouge Liquid at Sephora, Hudson's Bay, Beauty BOUTIQUE and Nordstrom. Also available online at thebay.com, beautyBOUTIQUE.ca and sephora.com




*Press samples were generously provided for editorial consideration. All opinions are my own.

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Liquified Lipstick ~ Review + Swatches

Liquid lipstick is by far my favourite type of lipstick so when I heard that Bite Beauty was releasing a liquified version of their lipstick, I knew I had to have it!

Luckily for me (and my wallet) Influenster was kind enough to send me three complimentary shades to review plus the Line & Define Lip Primer. I received Flambé (red), Éclair (pink) and Demi Glacé (brown).

"The liquid lip gets redefined with this handcrafted, moisture-rich, high-pigment formula. Bite Beauty’s most nourishing lipstick, Amuse Bouche, gets liquified, while offering rich, high-impact color and a creamy, comfortable application that glides on with unprecedented precision. Created by hand in small batches, Amuse Bouche Liquified Lipstick is made with natural monoi butter and coconut oil, which melts at the temperature of your lips to glide on for ultimate wear and a satiny finish. With 12 modern, wearable shades you’ve never seen from Bite Beauty, this collection gives everyday lip color an unexpected twist." /source/

Amuse Bouche Liquified Lipstick is super moisturizing and wears comfortably. The demi-glaze finish is very flattering and lends to the hydrating feel of this lipstick. It's important to note that it's long wearing but not transfer proof; if you eat or drink it will come off.

Éclair and Flambé were the most pigmented and applied the most evenly and opaque for me. I found Demi Glacé a bit tricky to apply and at times appeared patchy. I'm not a huge fan of the shade either as it's just too dark for my taste. As far as wear goes, they last longer than a bullet style lipstick but not as long as a liquid matte. After 3 or 4 hours I need to touch up.   

I also received Bite Beauty's Line & Define Lip Primer in this VoxBox. It looks very similar to their Crème Lip Crayon in size (review here) and it has a hint of mint in it which I love. It feels so hydrating and it smooths my lips out leaving them perfectly primed for lipstick.

You can find these and other products from Bite Beauty exclusively at Sephora and sephora.com

*I received these products complimentary for testing and review purposes but all opinions are my own. If you're not a member of Influenster yet and would like to join, feel free to use my referral link