Countdown to CHRISTMAS: Christmas Tag 2015

What is your favorite Christmas...

Song?

This is a hard one! I don't think I have one particular favorite but some of my top ones are 

MistleToe by Justin Bieber

The ENTIRE NSYNC Christmas Album

Snowflake by Jason Chen

Santa Baby by Madonna

Activity?

Making tons of junk food and binge watching Christmas movies with family and friends

Food?

Candy Canes (The fruit flavored ones... I know I'm unoriginal) 

Movie?

It's a tie between Elf and Love Actually 

Do you have a Christmas tradition?

My family watches Elf every single year... multiple times haha

What is your favorite thing about Christmas?

Just being able to spend time with family and friends. As we get older we are now farther apart and don't get to see each other as often anymore so the holidays are extra special when we can get all together. 

Countdown to CHRISTMAS: JINGLE JINGLE- Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Hey guys welcome to another Countdown to CHRISTMAS POST!!! Today I wanted to bring back an old series of mine that I do every year and as you can pretty much see in the title it is my JINGLE JINGLE series where I share my all time favorite Christmas inspired recipes. I have a delicious and satisfying peppermint hot chocolate recipe that will put the Starbucks version to shame.

What You Need:

No exact measurements, make as much or as little as you want!!! 

-Semi sweet chocolate (the good expensive kind trust me it makes a HUGE difference)

-Whole Milk (none of that reduced fat 2% stuff)

-Heavy cream

-Candy Canes

-Peppermint Extract 

-Coconut Sugar (White sugar will work as well_

-Whipped cream or topping

-Marshmallows (optional)

How To Make:

Using a double boiler (if you don't have one no problem just put a glass bowl on top of a small pot of boiling water) melt your chocolate. The double boiler helps your chocolate melt a lot more smoother plus it also prevents lumps and the chocolate drying out.

After the chocolate is melted, stir it into a mixture of hot milk and cream very slowly (1 part cream per 2 parts of milk) 

While stirring add your sugar and adjust to your taste. Then pour in a couple drops of peppermint extract. BE VERY CAREFUL this stuff is very strong. 

After everything is dissolved and mixed pour it into your mug of choice and top it off with some whipped cream or topping and some crushed candy canes. You can also add some marshmallows.

Serve warm and enjoy!!! 

JINGLE JINGLE- Quick & Easy Cran-Orange Apple Sauce

A quick and yummy favorite of my mine during the holidays. This stuff tastes so much better than the can stuff and is so simple to make.

What You Will Need:

-1 Large Naval or Honeybell Orange (The sweeter the better)

-1 LB of Fresh Cranberries

-1 Granny Smith Apple (This apple holds up really well when cooked, if you want something a bit sweeter try a pink lady apple.)

-Water (Enough to cover the fruit)

- One to one and a half cups of fine white sugar

How To Make:

1. Wash all your fruits

2. Grate your orange for orange zest (Make sure you don't get any of the white part.) and the juice the orange. Keep the peels

3. Peel and cut your apple into tiny cubes

4. In a small sauce pot pour in your cranberries and just enough water to cover them

5. Add your apples and orange juice and throw in the orange peels for extra flavor

6. Add sugar (Just eyeball it but usually around a cup and of course depends on your sweetness preference

7. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for about an hour or so until the cranberries pop and it begins to form a sauce like consistency. 

8. Pour into a pretty bowl and serve! 

Weekly Playlist- SPECIAL EDITION- Favorite Old School Christmas Albums

1.) NSYNC Home for Christmas 

This is a CULT classic. You can never go wrong with a little NSYNC during the holidays. It is actually a great excuse to break out the old album.

Favorite Songs: 

I Never Knew The Meaning of Christmas

I Don't Wanna Spend One More Christmas Without You

2.) A Charlie Brown Christmas

No explanation necessary, A Charlie Brown Christmas is the ULTIMATE Christmas classic.

Favorite Songs:

Greensleeves

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

3.) Mariah Carey Merry Christams

The only time really acceptable to listen to Mariah Carey.

Favorite Songs:

All I Want For Christmas is You

O Holy Night 

4.) Nat King Cole The Magic of Christmas

This is probably as old school as you can get. I may be in my 20s but I find Nat's voice really soothing and classic which is something you really don't get with today's artists.

Favorite Songs:

Deck The Halls 

The First Noel

JINGLE JINGLE- Hot Toddy Recipe (For those 21+)

I have been really into mixing drinking lately. It is amazing to see how different flavors incorporate together to make delicious things. Mixing drinks is a great way to explore without the hassle and mess of cooking and baking. Here is another delicious holiday drink that is perfect for those days where you want to cuddle up by a nice fire. This isn't your traditional hot toddy but it is just as delicious or maybe even more! 

What You Will Need: 2-3 servings

2 tablespoons of dark Agave Nectar Syrup (DO NOT GET LIGHT)

1 cup of hot water

1 tsp of orange liquor 

6 Tablespoons of your favorite Bourbon (For this recipe I recommend Jim Bean but any type will do, this isn't one of those drinks where you need to splurge.)

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tsp of Nutmeg

2 long peel of mayar lemon (I like the flavor of the mayar lemon but go ahead and use what you have)

2 long peel of orange (You can use whatever type of orange you like)

How to Make:

In a large cup or bowl mix your agave nectar syrup into hot water until it completely dissolves. Then mix in the orange liquor and nutmeg (you can leave this out if you don't like nutmeg). Next get two mini mugs and divide your bourbon (3 tablespoons per mug) and top each mug with your hot water mixture. Garnish each mug with a lemon and orange peel. Top it with a cinnamon stick and enjoy!!! 

Review+ Great Christmas Gift Idea!

Too Faced Melted Kisses (Set)

Too Faced Melted Kisses

PACKAGING:

This particular set contains 4 Melted Kisses (There is a total of 10 colors in the entire collection) in the colors (From Left to Right) Melted Nude, Melted Peony, Melted Fuchsia,  & Melted Berry.

Each Melted Kiss is a deluxe size not full size and contains 0.16 fl oz of product. 

The product is in a tube with a soft doe foot applicator attached to the tube. The applicator is nice and soft and makes it a lot easier for application.

This set retailed for about $25 at Ulta and Sephora stores. This is an absolutely amazing deal if you are interested in trying these out. All 4 colors are easy to wear and looks great on every skin tone. And not to mention if you were to purchase each one separately in a full size you are looking at $21.00 FOR ONE! This is a limited edition set so definitely grab one when you see one. And even though these may not be available online go and check the stores and ask the associates. They will usually have some in the back. This is also a great gift idea whether you want to give all of set to one person or divide it into 4 and use as stocking stuffers! 

FORMULATION:

I personally love the idea of a liquid lipstick. You get the lipstick pigmentation and look but in addition the texture and shine of a gloss. I find sometimes when applying lipstick and gloss separately it can get messy. 

There are a lot of brands out there today drugstore as well as high-end that make liquid lipsticks. Too Faced has finally decided to join the game. I am a huge fan of Too Faced products particularly their eye shadow palettes. I actually never tried any of their lip products until now.

These Melted Kisses are awesome. They are incredibly pigmented with just one swipe and while it is a liquid lipstick it is very light feeling and comfortable on the lips. The wear time will vary. I find that if you don't drink or eat much throughout the day they last incredibly well. If you do eat or drink the color will come off but it leaves a nice stain of color behind. They all start out with some shine and eventually sets semi-matte.

The only issue I had with these was that if you don't moisturize your lips beforehand you are in for some ratchet looking lips. While these don't tend to dry out your lips, if you have dry lips to begin with this will make the flakiness more noticeable. So ALWAYS moisturize!!! 

This particular set contains 4 colors out of the 10 in the entire collection. They are all super wearable colors.

OVERALL: 

4.8/5

Swatches
Top Left: Melted Nude- Basic champagne nude
Top Right: Melted Peony- Light baby milk pink
Bottom Left: Melted Fuchsia- Bright Fuchsia
Bottom Right: Melted Berry- Raspberry color (This one dries very matte) 

JINGLE JINGLE: Chocolate Hazelnut Puppy Chow Recipe

Great for gifts and snacks for the big holiday dinner!

What You Will Need: (MAKE AS MUCH OR LITTLE AS YOU WANT)

1 Box of Rice Chex

Powdered Sugar

Nutella or Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 Large Ziploc Bag

How To Make:

1.) Melt your chocolate chips along with your chocolate hazelnut spread in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth stir in between

2.) In a large bowl pour your desired amount of Chex mix and add the chocolate mixture. Make sure every cereal is coated

3.) In a large Ziploc bag pour powder sugar and add the Chex a little at a time. Make sure the chocolate covered cereal is all coated with the powder sugar.

To jazz it up you can add some M&Ms, pretzels, and peanuts into it

To make this into a gift take a large glass mason jar and layer your puppy chow with red and green M&Ms. Tie a red/green ribbon around the jar and VIOLA!!!  

JINGLE JINGLE: Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Recipe Time!!! This is a great treat for the holidays not just for yourself but these make great gifts for your family and friends and take no time to make!

What You Will Need: (Depending on how you end up breaking the bark will determine how much people it will serve so recipe varies depending on person making it)

1 Bar of Dark or Milk Chocolate (Pick one)

1 Bar of White Chocolate

2-3 Candy Canes 

Chopped Walnuts and Pecans (You can put whatever nuts you have on hand.)

Wax Paper/Parchment Paper

Flat Baking Sheet

How to Make:

1.) Using a microwavable bowl melt your chocolates separately (20-30 second intervals until your chocolate is a liquid consistency stir in between)

2.) Crush your candy canes by putting them in a plastic ziploc bag and pound

3.) Chop up your nuts

4.) Line your baking sheet with the wax paper

5.) Pour your dark or milk chocolate on the wax paper and spread out any shape you want doesn't really matter you will be breaking it into pieces later on. 

6.) Take a spoon and dip in the white chocolate and make drizzles on top of the dark or milk chocolate

7.) Add your crushed candy canes and nuts 

8.) Put in fridge for about 30 mins to 1 hr

9.) When harden break into pieces and ENJOY!!! 



  

Gift Ideas #4: Little Children (Ages 12 and under)

For those of you out there that have little brothers, sisters, cousins, nephews and nieces like me this blog post will definitely be for you. (Click on the product for prices and more information)

FOR THE LITTLE GIRLS:

1.) Scientific Explorer Magnificent Manicure Kit: This is for those adventurous little girls out there who are still girly on the inside. This kit lets the girls explore chemistry while giving themselves an amazing manicure at the same time! A unique twist on the same old nail polish set.

2.) Duct Tape Tote Kit: The name explains it all. Practical and fun to make at the same time.

3.) Personalized Jewelry: You can pretty much find this anywhere these days. Whether if it's a necklace that has their name or initials on it or earrings with their first letter of their name. The possibilities are endless.

4.) Despicable Me: I haven't met one little girl or boy that didn't like this movie. Plus it's entertaining enough that you can even watch it with them!

5.) A Shopping Day: Buying clothes and toys for little girls can be a hassle sometimes. So why not take them out for a day of shopping and quality time with you. They will not only be grateful for the gifts but also for the time you took out of your day just to spend it with them.

FOR THE LITTLE BOYS:

1.) LEGOS: Honestly what little boy today doesn't like LEGOS? Plus there are so many different types out there from Angry Birds to Star Wars. You really can't go wrong and there are ones for all different ages.

2.) Nerf Guns: Pretty much one of the best toys ever invented. Not only fun for them but also for you :D

3.) Mr. Potato Head: For those little boys ages 6 and under you can't go wrong with the classic Mr. Potato head. Not only entertaining but also great for brain stimulation.

4.) Cube World: Kind of like pixel chix, these generic-looking stick figures are interesting little digital friends. They are pre programmed with lots of interesting accessories and personalities. The little guys can visit each other and interact. They are sold in pairs.

5.) A Day of Food: What little boy doesn't like to eat? Take them out to their favorite place and eat, eat, and eat. Not to mention some quality time with your little guy or guys. 

Gift Ideas #3: For Parents and G-Parents

Parents and grandparents are always difficult to buy gifts for. They either tell you specifically what they want which most of the time you can't find or it's just crazy expensive or they tell you not to waste your money and that you are their present. Here are some ideas for your parents and grandparents that hopefully won't break your bank. 

For MOMS and GRANDMAS: 

1.) A Spa Day: This is something that is easily obtainable. Every city has local spas that are affordable and come with many options like massages, manicures/pedicures, mud baths and so forth. You can pick one or multiple things for your mom and the best part is most spas these days offer specials for groups so why not plan a day for your mom and YOU. 

2.) Serenity Stone Drops: Of course jewelry is always a great option for a gift. These earrings from Stella and Dot are made from hand-cut jade. The color and shape is very versatile and can be paired with pretty much any outfit. So instead of always buying the same old gold or silver jewelry try something unique like this. It will show your mom that you made a little extra more effort with her gift. $49 @ www.stelladot.com

3.)  Turkish Solid Fouta: When it comes to clothes as gifts this is something I don't recommend unless you know EXACTLY the person's style and what he or she likes. However something like this you really can't go wrong. The Turkish Solid Foutas can be either worn as a scarf or shawl for those cool, brisky days. So it is like buying 2 gifts in one. These are made from 100% cotton linen and come in many colors. $59.50 @ www.scentsandfeel.com 

4.) Milk Bottle Measuring Cups: For those moms and grandmas out there that have a passion for food and cooking these measuring cups are just the thing. Forget the boring old standard cylinder measuring cups, these come with 4 measuring cups that when stacked together form the classic old-school milk bottle. You know those ones when the milkman use to deliver back in our parents and grandparents generation. They are not just used for cooking but make a great centerpiece for any kitchen. I personally would love to receive this as a gift. $24 @ www.anthroplogie.com 

5.) Wonder Woman Mug: Mothers and grandmothers are basically today's modern wonder woman. They pretty much do everything. So why not give them a mug of "themselves". $10.50 @ www.paper-source.com 

For Dads and GRANDPAS

1.) Whiskey and Rum making kit: This is a more unique approach than just buying your dad or grandpa a $100 bottle of whisky or rum. It gives them something to do and at the same time enjoy. If your dad or grandpa doesn't like whiskey or rum there are also gin making kits out there too. $25-$70 @ http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/whiskey-and-rum-making-kit

2.) Bacon Balsamic Dressing: Let's get real here anything with bacon is dad and grandpa approved. Their wives may not always allow them to have some so this is a great treat for them and at the same time get some veggies into their alcohol and meat filled bellies. A simple and delicious dressing with just enough smokey bacon flavor to keep them satisfied for at least a little while. $7.50 @ www.madeinwashington.com 

3.) JonBoy Absinthe With Black Salt Caramels: Sweet and mysterious. These are hand-made caramels with notes of black salt and liquor. A nice and unique twist to those classic caramels and come on the alcohol doesn't hurt. $9 @ www.jonboycaramels.com 

4.) Victorinox Swiss Army Flash: And of course we have to throw in something techy. The classic Swiss Army knife that our dads and grandpas used to carry when we were kids but with a modern twist. Not only it contains the standard tools like a knife it has a USB and flash light attachment. Perfect size for keychains your dad or grandpa will never leave the house without it. $220 (I'm sure you can get this for cheaper or even something similar to this) @ Retailers nationwide that carry Swiss Army knives

5.) Polo Shirt: You can never go wrong with a Polo shirt. It's classic and something that is very easy to wear and works on ALL GUYS. I normally don't like to buy clothes for people but when it comes to Polo shirts they are so simple and easy to wear and come in so many colors and a whole bunch of brands. Some of my favorite brands for Polo shirts are Ralph Lauren and IZOD. These are brands you can pretty much find anywhere and are also very affordable ranging from $15 and up 

Gift Ideas #2: Gamers and Tech Heads

GAMERS:

Prices aren't listed because different places and websites all have different prices and policies

Call of Duty: Ghosts (Already released) Available for the following gaming systems PC, PS3, Xbox 360, WIIU, XBGS, PS4, and Xbox One

Battlefield 4: (Already released) Available for the following gaming systems PC, PS3, PS4, XBOX360 and Xbox One

Mario Party Island Tour: (November 22, 2013) Available only for 3DS

Mario and Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games: (Already released) Available for the following gaming systems WIIU

Infinite Crisis (For those League of Legend lovers out there): PC

Killer Instinct: (November 22, 2013) Available for the following gaming systems Xbox One

Assassins Creed IV Black Flag: Already released for PS3 and Xbox 360. PS4 and Xbox one are currently in production. PC version will be released on November 19th.

And of course gotta have some options for those sports lovers out there...

Basketball: NBA 2K14 (PS4 and Xbox One)

Football: Madden NFL 25 (PS4 and Xbox One)

Soccer: FIFA 14 (PS4 and Xbox One)

Of course a little tech for you gamers...

Nintendo Pokemon X & Y Limited Edition 3DS XL (Comes in either red or blue)

PSPgo Sony 

Xbox 360 Elite 

Tech Heads:

Canon VIXIA Mini Camcorder (Comes in white or black) 

Magic Cube Visual Laser Keyboard

The Genie 

Gift Ideas #1: For Those Makeup Lovers

Over the next couple of weeks I will be releasing a series of blog posts dedicated to gift giving. From the makeup lover to the video gamer. Hope you guys enjoy and get some ideas for your gifts to your loved ones this holiday season.

The first post I of course wanted to cover are for those makeup lovers because this year this is probably the easiest type of person to buy gifts for. This holiday season they have released some pretty awesome makeup sets that are for every makeup lover's dream. What is great about giving kits to people is that not only you are giving your loved one options you can also take the kit apart and many different gifts out of one. 

1.) SEPHORA Favorites Lash Stash: Each year Sephora releases their infamous lash stash, a collection of the top best selling mascara of the year. This year is no exception. Sephora definitely outdone themselves again. The kit sells for $45 which is a very decent price. If you were to purchase each mascara in this kit separately it will cost you about $145 total, each mascara retails by itself for about $20-$40. This year's kit includes:

- 0.10 oz Benefit They're Real Mascara 

- 0.141 oz Blinc Mascara 

- 0.2 oz BUXOM Lash Mascara 

- 0.14 oz Clinique High Impact Mascara 

- 0.135 oz Lancôme Hypnôse Drama 

- 0.13 oz Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant 

- 1 x Sephora Collection False Eye Lashes in Celebrity 

- 0.5 oz Sephora Collection Outrageous Mascara 

- 0.31 oz Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes™ Statement Mascara 

- 0.17 oz Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara 

- 0.06 oz Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effect Faux Cils Baby Doll

All the samples are pretty decent size and this entire set will last you for a very long time. I have personally tried all of these mascaras (not all at once of course) and they are pretty much some of the best of best out on the market today. You may not enjoy each and every one of them but you will certainly find one to your liking I can promise you that. 

2.) SEPHORA His and Her's Perfume samplers: Doesn't matter if you are female or male we all like to smell nice. But perfumes and colognes can be pretty expensive today and no one wants to commit to a full sized bottle unless they get a chance to try a sample for a little while. Well this holiday season you are in luck. Sephora released a couple different sets of perfume and cologne samplers. 

This kit includes: 

- 0.06 oz Hugo Boss Bottled Night by Hugo Boss (Scent certificate redeems for 1.6 oz Eau de Toilette Spray) 
- 0.05 oz Bvlgari Man Extreme by Bvlgari (Scent certificate redeems for 2.0 oz Eau de Toilette Spray) 
- 0.05 oz Zegna Uomo by Ermenegildo (Scent certificate redeems for 1.7 oz Eau de Toilette Spray) 
- 0.05 oz Acqua Di Giò by Giorgio Armani (Scent certificate redeems for 1.7 oz Eau de Toilette Spray) 
- 0.03 oz Gentlemen Only by Givenchy (Scent certificate redeems for 1.7 oz Eau de Toilette Spray) 
- 0.06 oz Guilty Pour Homme by Gucci (Scent certificate redeems for 1.6 oz Eau de Toilette Spray) 
- 0.03 oz L’eau D’issey Pour Homme by Issey Miyake (Scent certificate redeems for 2.5 oz Eau de Toilette Spray) 
- 0.03 oz “Le Male” by Jean Paul Gaultier (Scent certificate redeems for 2.5 oz Eau de Toilette Spray) 
- 0.05 oz Vintage by John Varvatos (Scent certificate redeems for 2.5 oz Eau de Toilette Spray) 
- 0.06 oz Eau De Lacoste, L.12.12 Blanc by Lacoste (Scent certificate redeems for 3.3 oz Eau de Toilette Spray) 
- 0.05 oz 1 Million by Paco Rabanne (Scent certificate redeems for 1.7 oz Eau de Toilette Spray) 
- 0.05 oz Luna Rossa by Prada (Scent certificate redeems for 1.7 oz Eau de Toilette Spray) 
- 0.05 oz Polo Red by Ralph Lauren (Scent certificate redeems for 2.5 oz Eau de Toilette Spray) 
- 0.05 oz L’homme by Yves Saint Laurent (Scent certificate redeems for 2.0 oz Eau de Toilette Spray) 
- Travel Bag (9 1/2" W x 4 1/4" D x 4 3/4" H) 

This kit includes:

- 0.40 oz Rollerball in Kate Walsh's Boyfriend (Scent certificate redeems for 1.6 oz Eau de Parfum Spray) 
- 0.34 oz Rollerball in Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia (Scent certificate redeems for 1.7 oz Eau de Parfum Spray) 
- 0.34 oz Rollerball in Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy (Scent certificate redeems for 1.7 oz Eau de Parfum Spray) 
- 0.34 oz Rollerball in Lancôme Trésor (Scent certificate redeems for 1.7 oz Eau de Parfum Spray) 
- 0.33 oz Rollerball in Tocca Colette (Scent certificate redeems for 1.7 oz Eau de Parfum Spray) 
- 9" W x 1/2" D x 7 3/4" H Beauty Pouch (Scent certificate redeems for 1.7 oz Eau de Parfum Spray) 
- Bonus Item: 1 oz TokyoMilk Dark Tainted Love No. 62 Handcrème 

This His set retails for $65 and the Hers set retails for $85. What is great also about these two kits is that when you purchase one after you are done trying each one you can come into Sephora to redeem your choice our of the kit for a full size version of that sample for free. This is a deal that comes around once a year so you definitely do not want to miss out on it. 

3.) STILA Essential Artist Set: A collection of Stila's must-haves: There is a great variety of eyeshadow in this set that can create dozens of looks. What I love about this set is that most eyeshadow sets for the holidays can get very bulky in packaging and sometimes even a little overwhelming with all those colors. This kit gives you just enough colors and Stila eyeshadows are extremely pigmented and very easy to work with. The entire kit retails for $59. 

The set includes:

- 0.14 oz x 4 Pop Art eye shadow in: Parity(shimmery sand), Irony (golden khaki green), Primary (golden hunter green), Edgy (midnight green)
- 0.14 oz x 4 Renaissance eye shadow in: Poetry (shimmery light gold), Perspective (golden bronze), Fresco (copper shimmer), Drama (rich matte brown)
- 0.14 x 4 Abstract eye shadow in: Illusion (delicate white pink), Vivid (soft lavender), Visual (deep aubergine), Linear (matte purple smoke)
- 0.14 oz x 4 Surreal eye shadow in: Dream (soft nude), Symbolic (metallic beige shimmer), Fantasy (deep taupe), Reality (matte black smoke)
- 0.07 Deluxe Convertible Color Lip & Cheek Cream in Peony (neutral nude with pink undertones)
- 0.03 oz Deluxe Stay All Day® Liquid Lipstick in Patina (dusty rose)
- 0.01 oz Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Stingray (jet black)
- #9 brush
- How-to card 

4.) NARS Guy Bourdin Holiday Collection Limited Edition One Night Stand Cheek Palette: Inspired by legendary photographer Guy Bourdin this is pretty much all the blush one would ever need in their life. Nars blushes are one of the best in the makeup world. Highly pigmented, beautiful rich color. This is definitely something that every makeup lover cannot pass up. This palette retails for $65

This palette contains: - 0.14 oz x 6 Blush in Laguna (diffused brown powder with golden shimmer), Deep Throat (flirty, sheer peach), Orgasm (peachy pink with golden shimmer), Mistinguette (bright pink), Goulue (medium pink), Devotee (highlighter) 

All the items mentioned above can be purchased @ www.sephora.com or www.amazon.com 

Wet n Wild Holiday Collection 2013

The holidays are the time of year where pretty much every cosmetic company in the world is coming out with special limited edition items for the holiday season. A recent one I came have come across is Wet n Wild's collection for Christmas 2013. Their collection as of now is strictly sold at Walgreens. I have not encountered them in any other drugstore or Targets and Walmarts. (This is a post is just on the primary collection from Wet n Wild for the holidays and not the Fergie Wet n Wild holiday collection. Totally two different things.)

The collection contains limited edition nail polishes and eye products. The lip glosses, lip sticks, eyeliners and mascaras in this collection are just colors taken from their permanent collection. I'm not a huge fan of nail polishes so I only was looking at the eyeshadow.

In total there are 6 new trios in the collection and they are all GLITTER. Out of the 6 I purchased 2 to test out. These two trios are very versatile and looks good with any skin tone.

Packaging: Comes in the same Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Trio packaging instead of black it is white for the holidays. Also like the original trios it comes with one sponge tip applicator as well as a small brush applicator.

Formulation: These remind me of those glitter gels we used to play with as kids. The first color of each palette contains very chunky glitter and feels crusty while the other colors in both palettes come out very smooth. They are not as sticky as expected but it is a good thing they are sticky so when applied it won't make a mess and fall all over the place. The pigmentation is not that great but the glitter is very pretty.

Overall unless you are a glitter freak then these trios might be for you. These are good if you want a bit of more kick to your eyeshadow looks but I recommend that you do not wear these on your eyelid alone not only because of the lack of pigmentation but keeps the glitter from poking your eyelid.

These retail @ Walgreens for $2.99 each

Left: I'm Not a Blond Glitz 

Right: Glimmer in Your Eye

I'm Not a Blond Glitz

This trio contains a grayish brown glitter, a copper and a yellow gold.

Glimmer in Your Eye

This trio contains a light green, teal and black silver glitter

Along with the 6 trios in this collection Wet n Wild also came out with three new "giant" size eyeshadow palettes. I was able to get my hands on all three of them.

Packaging: Same as the other Wet n Wild "giant" palettes. Each palette contains 8 eyeshadows with a geometric shape for the first three on top and the rest of the shadows come in squares. The palette also includes a dual sided sponge tip and brush applicator.

Formulation: Nothing really changed too much with the formulation of these eyeshadows in comparison to the original Wet n Wild eyeshadow palettes. Out of all 3 only one of the palettes was not a pigmented as the others (Lights, Camera, Attraction). Each palette contains 3 shimmer/satin finish shades and 5 matte shades. All the colors are beautiful and perfect for either the holidays or everyday wear. 

These retail @ Walgreens for $4.99 each 

A Great Glistener

Top Row Swatches

From left to right: Shimmery Grey, Shimmery White (not as pigmented), and a Shimmery light gold

Middle Row Swatches

From left to right: Matte Grey, Matte Deep Lilac, and Matte Brown

Bottom Row Swatches

From left to right: Soft Matte Black and a dark Matte Espresso Brown

No Neutral Ground

Top Row: Shimmery Pink, Shimmery Beige White, and a Shimmery Pale Yellow Gold

Bottom Row (Swatches for middle row of palette): Matte Purple, Matte Rustic Dirty Gold, Matte Forest Green

Bottom Row Last Two Eyeshadows: Matte Chocolate Brown and Matte Teal Green (VERY PIGMENTED)

Lights, Camera, Attraction 

Top Row: Shimmery Baby Blue, Shimmery Light Pink, and a Shimmery Baby Lilac 

Bottom Row (Middle part of the palette): Matte Royal Blue, Matte Pink, and a Matte Plummy Purple

Bottom Row Last Two Eyeshadows of Palette: Dark Matte Teal Blue and a Matte Deep Blackish Purple (Looks a lot lighter on camera) 

Get these palettes while you can they are only here for a limited time and limited stock! 

Happy Holidays! <3 xoxo