What I Got For Christmas 2016

Hey guys hope you are doing well and that you had a good Christmas season. I know this post is coming late, but hopefully you are still interested to read what I got for Christmas. I want to preface this post by saying that I am not doing this to show off. I personally really like reading these posts seeing what other people. I am grateful for all the gifts I was given, and I know that I am blessed. 

A new Telus store opened in our mall and my mom scratched a 50% off ticket so she was able to get the fitbit and the bracelet for 50% off. I was really excited to get this because it makes the fitbit fashionable. I love tracking my sleep with the fitbit.

My brother bought me this Adidas hat, I wanted a black hat to wear on those messy hair days. 

My dad got me home made Alpaca mittens, they are really warm.

My mom also got this at Telus with the 50% off coupon, because my cable was breaking.

I specifically asked for a portable charger from Telus because I use my phone a lot, so I have already used this a lot. Plus these portable chargers are great for vacations. 

My dad bought me this lens for my Canon Rebel T5i, I have really been loving this lens, I still have to test it out more. I do love that it makes my camera more portable, I could fit in a larger purse really easy.

These are the best gummies in the whole world!

My brother bought my this nail polish, I wanted it because it reminded me of a Dior polish.

My mom and brother bought me chocolate, because chocolate.

My brother bought me this purse from H&M, I really liked it because it reminds me of a Chloe purse.

My mom bought me this Lush snow fairy gift set which I love because it is such a good scent.

I hope you had a really good Christmas and New Year, and that 2016 was a good year for you! Thank you for reading and I hope you have a good week. 

-Ashley 

You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @makeupcuisine.

All photos taken with my Canon T5i.

Business enquiries email me at makeupcuisine@hotmail.com.

Maybelline Dream Cushion Foundation-First Impression

Maybelline Dream Cushion Foundation

Hi everyone, hope you are doing well. I have always loved the idea of cushion foundations. I have seen many beautiful Korean beauty gurus talking about cushion foundations, and they always look so appealing. I love the dewy and glowing skin a cushion provides. I have tried a couple cushions in the past and I found though I liked the formula, the colour was always too dark, and the foundation would oxidize. 

This is quite a saturated cushion, and a little bit goes along way. You don't have to press the pad or your brush down to hard to pick up a lot of product. 

You can see it looks a little light for my hand but my face and chest is a lot lighter. It is a pretty good match because I am quite fair this winter, plus I use bronzer to even out my complexion. I chose the shade 10 Porcelain.

When initially applies this looks really great on the skin, but I find as the day goes on it emphasizes my pores. I have to say you can reapply throughout the day and it layers nicely. I only reapply it once throughout the day, otherwise I think it would be too heavy. I think this product would be better for me in the summer when my skin tends to be in better condition. If you have really smooth skin then I think this would be a great product for you. It also gives you buildable coverage, you can wear it light or build it to be a full-medium coverage.  As far as cushions foundations go there is a good colour selection, but they are definitely missing shades. Overall I think this is a good product and would recommend it for anyone wanting to try a cushion foundation.

Thanks for reading, I appreciate your time and support, and I hope you are having a good week!

-Ashley

You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @makeupcuisine.

All photos taken with my Canon T5i.

Business enquiries email me at makeupcuisine@hotmail.com.

Real Techniques Bold Metals Miracle Diamond Sponge

Hi everyone, I hope you are doing well! I have been waiting for the Real Techniques Bold Metals Miracle Diamond Sponge to come to my local London Drugs since it came out. I have heard so many good things about this sponge, and that it is a dupe for the beauty blender. I love the Real Techniques brushes so I was very excited to try the sponge.

Sponge Dry

Sponge Wet

As you can hopefully see by these pictures the sponge expands a lot when it is wet. It becomes really squishy and soft, and it feels quite similar to the Beauty Blender. 

After using this sponge I have to say it is a good buy since it is only about $10. The tip of the sponge gets into the corner of the eyes very well, and the flat part of the diamond covers a lot of surface area. I use a sponge for cream bronzer and I found with this sponge there was not a good side to apply it. The flat side was too large and the sides were too long, but other that it is a great sponge. I still prefer the beauty blender for cream bronzer and blush, I like the shape and the way it applies all my different cream products. But if you are looking for a budget buy then this is a great sponge, and it works really well for foundation and concealer. 

Thanks for reading, I hope you have a great week! 

-Ashley 

You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @makeupcuisine.

All photos taken with my Canon T5i.

Business enquiries email me at makeupcuisine@hotmail.com.

My Christmas Traditions

Hi everyone, hope you are doing well! I thought I would come on here and write a blog post about my families Christmas traditions. Comment below and let me know your families traditions.

 This year was the first year we had a fake tree, every year we get a real tree, but this year was the first year with a fake tree. I do miss going to the tree farm and picking out a tree, but every year we could never get the tree stand to work. Last year we had to nail into the wall and tie our tree with fishing line. So we figured it was time to finally let it go and we bought a fake tree on sale at the end of last season. I have to say I don't mind it too much, and we were able to put our tree up in November. 

Every year we go to a Christmas Eve church service and then we come home and put appetizers in the oven. Then we all sit around the tree and we open our Christmas presents. It is a German tradition that my grandparents did with my mom and she decided to do with us. When I was a kid I always thought everyone opened their presents Christmas eve. When I found out everyone didn't I remember thinking I was so cool, everyone had to wait till the morning and I got to open them Christmas Eve. Then on Christmas morning we open our stockings in the morning and have cinnamon buns for breakfast and then we head to the grandparents house. 

Every year we also wake up early and go boxing day shopping, we usually have no intent on buying something specific. We just like to go to the mall and walk around event though it is crazy. This Boxing Day we are going out for breakfast then we will go shopping. 

On New Years Eve we never have a set tradition sometimes we are invited to a party or we make our own plans as a family. This year we are going out to a movie and dinner to celebrate the new year. 

Hope you enjoyed this quick post about my Christmas traditions, and thanks for reading! If you don't visit my blog before Christmas, I hope you have a great Christmas and a happy New Year! 

-Ashley

You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @makeupcuisine.

All photos taken with my Canon T5i.

Business enquiries email me at makeupcuisine@hotmail.com.

December Topbox 2016

Hi everyone, hope your day is going well. I just received my Topbox today, and I was very excited to see that I got a Privé box. At the beginning of the month you receive and email where you can specify if you want a regular or a privé box. Some months I do not like any any of the privé boxes, and I just get a regular box with 4 deluxe or some full size products. This month when I went to select my wish list I was very excited to see a cushion foundation. I selected it right away and submitted my wish list. I have been waiting and continuously been checking the mail to see if my Topbox had arrived. You don't know what if you got a privé box or a regular box, it is not guaranteed that you will get the privé box you selected. So today when I went to the mail box to find I got the cushion foundation I was so excited!

With Topbox you can select whether you would like the box or an organza bag. This month the bag was a nice festive red for Christmas.

This cushion has very standard packaging, but unlike the Maybelline cushion the pores of this sponge are very small and tight. 

You can see it blends very well into my hand, but currently this is too dark for my face. I am going to Hawaii in February and I plan on bringing this cushion on my trip. This cushion is also awesome because it has SPF 50 so I can have some coverage while getting the protection of a sunscreen.

In each Topbox they always send a card with information about the product or products inside, and the price of the full size products. I was so excited to see that the Missha Cushion had a value of over $20. On Missha's website the cushion is selling for $21.99, which is a fairly competitive price, considering the Maybelline cushion sells for $15 at Walmart. If you want an update on the cushion you can comment below or let me know on Twitter or Instagram my handle is @makeupcuisine. 

This month's box also included a couple of coupons one was or a free box of Kotex tampons or pads, and 20x the Opimum points at Shoppers Drug Mart when you purchase a full size Smashbox primer. I have received a couple of samples Photo Finish Smoothing Primer and I have really liked it, so I am considering maybe using this coupon to purchase that primer. 

Overall I was very excited about this box considering it is only $12, I think I am going to love the cushion and the coupons topped the cake. Thanks for reading, hope you have a good day! 

-Ashley 

You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @makeupcuisine.

All photos taken with my Canon T5i.

Business enquiries email me at makeupcuisine@hotmail.com.

Sephora Birthday Haul

Hey everyone, I hope your week is going well. I have been busy finishing up my finals at school, but I took a break to write this blog post for you. My dad for my birthday present this year took my to Sephora and I was able to pick out some items as my gift. My birthday was in October, what I wanted to be able to try all these products and give you short reviews, enjoy! 

Sephora Glow For It Favourites Kit: I was no longer able to find the direct link to this product, I would keep checking online, or pop into your local Sephora. This set is a good value I believe it was $46, the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone for the travel size (which is in the box) is regularly $23. I also believe the Hourglass highlighter was around $25, with those two products you have made up the value of the box. This is a great set if you are wanting to try out some new highlighters, and related highlighting products. 

This is the Clinque Bottom Lash Mascara, I really like this mascara of my bottom lashes it defines them so well. You can also build them up if you are wanting more drama. It does not smudge at all, and washes of relatively easily. 

Nars Audacious Lipstick in Barbara: These lipsticks are pricey but the are the best lipsticks I have ever tried. The pigmentation and the texture is amazing. I only have the one, but I definitely will be buying another shade. 

Becca Ombre Rouge Eyeshadow Palette: This is a great eyeshot palette for anyone with blue or green eyes. There is a red/orange tone in these brown eyeshadows, which enhances my blue eyes. I also really enjoy that this palette is all matte. The shadows are really bendable and great quality. 

Urban Decay Naked Skin Colour Corrector: I have been using this colour corrector under these eyes to brighten and hide the darkness under my eyes. I have to pink fluid because I found the peach too dark for my skin tone. I really enjoy this it is light enough that it sits under my concealer really well, but I do wish it was a little bit more pigmented. 

Nars Blush: I got the shade Madly, I really like the colour, it gives you a bronze look to the cheeks. With a light hand it adds life to your cheeks without wearing too much pink. 

Hope you enjoyed my post, and thanks for reading! I am almost on my Christmas break and I will be posting lots of content then, prepare for Christmas posts!

-Ashley

You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @makeupcuisine.

All photos taken with my Canon T5i.

Business enquiries email me at makeupcuisine@hotmail.com.