Don’t like carrying around a bulky purse to run some errands.  Need a cute little clutch that you can transition from day to night?  Coach has solved our problems!

I have had a Coach wristlet for a few years now and I can honestly say that it gets put to good use.  I have given a Coach wristlet in the past to a friend and another person on my list is getting one as well, it’s honestly a great gift that will get a lot of wear.

This is the wristlet I own but there are a variety of different styles, sizes, colour, and fabrics available.  This useful little pouch may look small but can pack a lot of punches.  Here are some ideas you can use it for:

• A clutch
• A wallet
• A makeup bag
• Credit card holder
• Business Card holder
• Candy holder

Okay, so that last one is kind of farfetched, but why not, right?  I know people who just use these as purses, they are so versatile that I think they are a great gift to give. Also, Coach is a very popular, trendy, and higher end label that really anything from the New York-based brand would make anyone’s heart beat faster.

If a Coach handbag is too expensive to give as a gift, try giving one of these, they are seriously the next best thing and I bet whoever you give one to would get more wear out of it anyways.

Is a Coach wristlet on your holiday list?  Leave me a comment below.

Have you ever wanted to dab your fingers in a little bit of everything from a makeup brand?  I know I have and thankfully Benefit Cosmetics has solved our problem!

I have always admired Benefit in the past because I love their witty packaging and fun names, but I have always found the brand to be a bit on the pricey side. I used to use their Bad Gal Lash mascara religiously (one of my holy grail makeup products) but other than that I haven’t really tried anything else from the iconic brand.   They have a variety of different cult products, like for instance their Benetint liquid blush.  Now if you were always freaked out by the fact that this blush is literally a liquid (like me) now you can try it (risk free!) along with nine other of their bestselling face products. This fantastic set is comprised of 10 samplers to let you basically try out (and love) the Benefit brand.  Honestly, every brand should do this because it let’s people try out different products under their brand umbrella.

The set includes minis of some of their most popular products:

• Erase Paste – Brightening camouflage for eyes and face (concealer)
• Stay Don’t Stray – Stay-put primer for concealers and eyeshadows
• Benetint – Rose-tinted lip and cheek stain
• Posietint – Poppy-pink tinted lip and cheek stain
• High Beam – Luminescent complexion enhancer
• “That Gal” – Brightening face primer
• Bella Bamba – a 3-D brightening pink face powder
• The POREfessional – PRO balm to minimize the appearance of pores
• Dandelion – a brightening face powder
• Oh La Lift – Instant under-eye brightening boost

Erase Paste is on the left eye, right eye without

Dandelion blush

Dandelion applied

Bella Bamba applied

Aside from the tints, the set also includes two blushes, Bella Bamba (a coral pink) and Dandelion (a blush pink).  These blushes are very generous sized, as I believe that they will last you a while, you get quite a lot in the pan.  Also, I have a million other blushes, so these won’t be gone anytime soon.

Bella Bamba reminds me of NARS Orgasm because of the shade and the fact that I think it could be universal for any skin type.  This colour to me is very weekday, I would wear this to the office or a special event.  Dandelion is a lot softer, it’s a great lazy Sunday shade, like if I wanted to just relax and have a basic face.  These are the first Benefit blushes I have tried and I am very impressed with them, the colour payoff is great.  Especially for Bella Bamba, a little goes a long way.

High Beam

Next product I loved was High Beam, which is a liquid highlighter.  I applied it to my cheekbones and there was some noticeable shine present.  The product, once blended, gives off a nice illumination wherever it’s placed.  Aside from your cheekbones you can also use it on the bridge of your nose and on your brow bone.

Stay Don't Stray primer. Makeup applied at 8:15 a.m.

Eye makeup at 4:30 p.m.

As for their primer, Stay Don’t Stray, which is to be applied underneath eyeshadows and concealers, the product seemed to work fine enough but my makeup definitely wasn’t as fresh as when I first put it on.  I did apply too much initially, all you really need is a dab.  My favourite primer is Urban Decay’s Primer Potion which retails for a little less than the Benefit version ($23 versus $30 CDN) so I don’t think I would purchase the full size of this product (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it).

So why is this a good present?  Well, it let’s you get your feet wet in the brand!  Benefit is a pricey brand, so to get samples of 10 products is a good deal.  Have you ever bought an expensive product and didn’t really like it?  It happens to all of us, so why not save someone the trouble and let them test out a generous sample beforehand.  I would love a gift like this because Benefit makes awesome products and to have the chance to sample a handful of them would be awesome.  Also, because these are face products, they are basically the foundation behind the rest of your makeup. Foundation primers I find are kind of pricey, but in this set you essentially get two of them plus a concealer, a highlighter, four blushes, and a few other essential goodies.

Currently The Big 10 is a Sephora exclusive which unfortunately is out of stock online but check your local store, they may have some left.  It retails for $32 USD.
Have you tried Benefit Cosmetic’s The Big 10?  Is it on your list?

Please note: I did receive this product for review, however, it did not affect my opinions on it.  All opinions are my honest own :).  

So the online beauty world has been aflutter about these new Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters.  I can’t think of the last time I have used a Revlon product but I have heard so many great things about the brand that when I heard about these I new I had to pick one up.

Basically what these lip butters are are pigmented lip balms that moisturize your lips but add some fabulous colour as well.

From Revlon:

•  Hydrating mango, shea and coconut butter formula boosts lip moisture by 156%
• Pampering gel formula provides super charged hydration and glides on lips buttery smooth
• Sheer to medium color with buttery shine
• Available in 20 luscious shades

So with 11 colours available it was hard to choose just one but I went for the pinkest one I could find and that was 055 Cupcake.  (All the shades are named after yummy treats by the way).  I’m going to get into the colour in a second but first I want to talk about the packaging.

The tubes for these are similar to their ColorBurst lipsticks which I personally haven’t tried but have heard great things about. The tube lid is in the colour of the shade and has the quilted design on two sides and the other two are just frosted.  My favourite part is the top because it’s clear so you can actually see the colour that you are buying (no surprises in store here!).

As for the actual tube, they remind me a lot of the MAC Pro Longwear lipcremes, where the product is flat and angled and the tube is long.

Now for the colour, Cupcake is a pale blue-based pink.  When I think of lip butters pigmentation doesn’t often come to mind, but these are very pigmented.  They are honestly like a lipstick but moisturizing at the same time.  YSL also makes something similar but their Volupte Sheer Candy products, I find, are not very pigmented at all and kind of a waste in my opinion.

This colour in particular is getting a lot of comparisons to MAC’s Viva Glam Gaga I because they are both blue-based baby pinks.  I find that MAC’s is more pigmented and pinker than the Revlon version, but if you didn’t get Viva Glam Gaga I the first time around and are looking for a dupe, give these a try. (By the way, for the holidays, MAC is offering Lady Gaga’s two Viva Glam shades in a collectable gift bag).

MAC Viva Glam Gaga (left) with Revlon's ColorBurst Lip Butter in Cupcake (right)

Top: MAC Viva Glam Gaga Bottom: Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Cupcake

So my final thoughts?  So far, so good.  I really like the colour, the consistency, and the fact that these leave my lips feeling hydrated.  There are a ton of colours to choose from, some more pigmented than others, but totally something for everyone.

I got mine at the Real Canadian Superstore for $8.99 with a two dollar off coupon and no tax (they had a no tax day on Saturday, December 3, 2011) so it only cost me $6.99.  I have seen these at Wal-Mart and Zellers too but the prices vary per store.  I believe they are $7.98 at Wal-Mart, at Zellers they were in the nine dollar range.

Have you tried the Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters?  What were your thoughts?  Leave me a comment below!