I really can’t imagine a better time of the year for a giveaway than the holiday season! Everyone is normally so caught up in buying gifts for other people that they completely forget to treat themselves too. That’s why I’ve partnered up with 5 amazing bloggers and a bunch of incredible brands to bring you The Ultimate Holiday Giveaway. One lucky winner will take home all of the prizes below and I couldn’t be more excited!

You can enter the contest at the bottom on this post!

Good luck!

Even if you don’t win, I hope these prizes will inspire some last minute gifting ideas!

 

 

1. Sunbeam WinterLuxe Reverse to Sherpa Heated Throw

You’re lucky this throw even made it into the giveaway because as soon I saw it I wanted to keep it for myself haha. I’m the person that’s always cold, so a heated throw speaks to me. The throw comes in a variety of colours and designs and feature premium soft winterluxe fabric reverses to plush sherpa. There’s 3 heat settings and a 3 hour auto-off functionality. The throws are available from $64.96 to $79.99 at sunbeam.ca, Walmart, Canadian Tire, and London Drugs.

 

 

2. Baskits Revitalize Gift Basket

Baskits are one of those things you discover and think “why did I not know about this until now?!” I love the idea. It’s so good to remember all year, but especially during the holidays. Baskits is a gift service company with unique baskets for everyone on your list – him, her, kids, teachers, hostess etc. and for every occasion. The Baskits are creative, thoughtful and filled with luxury products. You can also personalize a basket! They deliver across North America and you can also do same-day delivery in the GTA for all of those last minute “oops I totally forgot” gifting moments. I also love this idea for the people on your list that are super hard to buy for. We all know guys are harder to shop for, so I love that they have Baskits geared towards men with themes like BBQ, shaving, alcohol and golf. Find out more at Baskits.com. You could also win the gift basket below!

 

      

3. IDC Skincare Gift Set

I love a good gift set around this time of year and this one from IDC skincare is the perfect gift for the beauty lover on your list. They’ve come out with 4 limited-edition sets for the holidays, now available at beautyboutique.ca. Each set features IDC’s patented technology that simultaneously targets the 16 causes of skin aging. The set that is up for grabs in our giveaway is the IDC Mise en beaute Ideal. It retails for $109.95 and includes Ideal Multi-Correction lifting, illuminating and correcting serum along with the award-winning overnight repair mask.

 

4. Joe Fresh Jewelry

Joe Fresh has just unveiled an exclusive new holiday jewelry collection at Shoppers Drug Mart that includes necklaces, bracelets and earrings and you could win all 3! The collection features tones of gold, silver and black that are perfect for a holiday part and they retail from $8 – $28. They even have kids jewelry for any little one’s on your list.

 

 

5. Quo Holiday Collections

This Quo holiday set is every beauty lovers dream! The collection features a limited-edition beauty palette, manicure and brow kits and a Quo by ORLY nail polish set. All of these shades are perfect for the holiday season and I love the festive packaging. 

 

 

6. Cougar Boots

Cougar Boots will change the way you look at winter. I love how fashionable they look, but they also feel like slippers and keep your feet toasty warm.  There’s nothing worse than damp feet in the winter. Cougar Boots are guaranteed waterproof, temperature rated and easy to care for. The winner of our contest will receive a pair of Cougar Boots!

 

7. Giant Tiger

The pretty black top below is Lily Morgan from Giant Tiger. I’ll definitely be wearing this at holiday parties this month. The winner of our contest will receive a Giant Tiger gift card valued at $100! You can buy the same top or anything else you please.  

 

     

 

8. Papermate InkJoy Gel Pens

I did a previous post on Papermate Inkjoy Gel Pens. I love all of the bright colours they come in and they look so cute displayed on my desk. The winner of our contest will receive the full lineup! Another fun stocking stuffer idea for the creative people on your list. 

 

     

9. Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief

The winner of our contest will also receive these great Colgate products below.  I love that they come with Sensitive Pro-Relief. With all of the extra indulgences around the holidays it will be much needed over the next few months. They also make a great stocking stuffer idea!

 

10. Yves Rocher

The winner of our contest will take home a selection of Yves Rocher botanical-based products. The prize features their White Botanical Exceptional Cleansing Mousse, Low Shampoo to wash hair without damaging it and Scrub to Mix exfoliating powder, all of which are not pictured below but will be included in the prize. Also included will be the Yves Rocher Sensitive Vegetal Soothing Moisturizing Cream, and Sensitive Vegetal Soothing Micellar Water 2 in 1 to remove makeup, soothe and tone.  Both of these products are pictured below. 

 

      

 

 

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

When we were trying to decide where to go on a trip this winter I had one request: Somewhere with flamingos. A quick google search narrowed it down to Aruba where they actually have a flamingo island. I was instantly sold. The Renaissance Hotel owns an island in Aruba that is home to about 6 flamingos. A short 10 minute boat trip brings you to the island which is surrounded by turquoise water and white sand. The island is also home to a crazy amount of iguanas and fish. The water is so crystal clear that you can see the fish swimming in the water when you look down. 

 

If you’re staying at the hotel it’s free to visit the island. If you aren’t staying at a different hotel you can purchase a day pass. You can call first and make sure they have passes available for that day. I suggest going early in the morning because the island gets alot busier midday. There’s a restaurant on the island to grab some lunch and I highly recommend the pizza. It was probably the best gluten free pizza I’ve ever had. 

 

On the island, you’ll find a vending machine full of flamingo food to purchase for a quarter. The flamingos roam around and you can approach them slowly with your hand out and if they’re hungry they’ll eat right from your hand. It was seriously a dream come true for me. Flamingos have always been my favourite animal (for obvious reasons) and getting to feed them and swim with them was amazing. If you accidentally drop the food into the water there are a bunch of fish that will swim right up to you and eat it. It’s seriously amazing. The flamingos are so fun to watch. They are such beautiful creatures. The pictures speak for themselves. They are so pretty and some of the pictures I took don’t even look real! I’m sure you can tell from these pictures that I never wanted to leave. I feel like I could just live there and fit right in haha. I don’t think I stopped laughing and smiling the whole time. I hope to go back at some point. It was definitely the highlight of the trip for me. I don’t think many people can say they’ve taken a selfie with a flamingo. I can now check that off my bucket list.

 

BEST. DAY. EVER.  

 

       

     

 

SHOP THE POST:

Towel: Ban.do     |    Hat: Old (Similar)    |     Bikini: c/o La Vie En Rose Swimwear (Old. Similar)

When it comes to travelling I’m 100% an overpacker. Can anyone else relate?  I never know what I’m going to need or what I’m going to feel like wearing so I like to bring as much as I can possibly fit in my suit case and carry on. However, it seems that no matter how much I overpack I always forget something. This time it was warm clothes. I knew Aruba was going to be 90 degrees everyday, but I completely forgot to factor in the air conditioning. Lesson learned for next time. I’ve included a roundup below of some of my favourite travel essentials.

 

 

I actually don’t love flying and travelling. I really love going on vacation, but I could do without the process of getting there. Can teleportation exist already? In the past I’ve had anxiety on planes and when travelling so I ended up finding ways to make travelling more relaxing and stand-able for me. I use alot of Saje when I travel. I also always bring a blanket from home, relaxing music and a movie marathon queued on my laptop. We often travel on Westjet and I always pay the extra fee for Plus seats. That way my boyfriend and I have a row to ourselves with an empty seat in the middle that is set to be a table. We set up the laptop in the middle and I always make sure I have the double head phone connector so we can watch the same movie together. We always have a bunch of pre-rented movies from iTunes ready to go.

 

I’ve also become obsessed with using Saje when I travel as a more natural way to calm my nerves. This little Saje travel kit comes with everything you could possibly need while travelling. It comes with a Healing Skin Ointment, Arrive Revived Jet Leg Mist & Roller, Eater’s Digest Digestion Easing Remedy and a Safe Hands Lotion. It may seem a little baby-ish, but I always bring a blanket from home with me when I travel. I like to spray it with my Saje calming mist and then use it as a pillow on the airplane. It’s so comforting.

 

 

I always like to have a bunch of cute cosmetics bags ready to go when I travel. I use them to organize my makeup, skincare, shower products, hair accessories, medicine and sunscreen.

 

 

I’m crazy about my new pink luggage. I was long overdue for a new set and I’m in love with this one. It held up really well on it’s first trip and only had a few scuff marks that came off with a little wash when I got home.

Luggage: Ebags/Calpaks     |    “I’m Outta Here” Luggage Tag: Ban.do     |     “I’m Outta Here” Passport Holder: Ban.do

 

 

Here are a few more of my favourite travel essentials:

• A moisturizer with SPF. This one by Reversa has SPF 30 and is formulated to reduce brown spots and acne marks, while restoring radiance.
• Benefit Bronzer & Blush. I’ve found that Benefit bronzers and blush give me the most natural look. I swear by the Hoola products. All of them. Seriously, if you aren’t using them yet I don’t know how you get by.
• A really good mascara. I actually realized once I got to the resort that I forgot my makeup remover. I was seriously in luck because this new Clinique mascara that I’ve been testing out actually doesn’t need a makeup remover! It comes off with my cleanser in little tubes and doesn’t leave any black marks on your eyes. I went the whole week with no makeup remover! Definitely a first for me. 
• Flamingo towel clips. How cute are these? And they are a must for windy days at the beach.
• A tropical punch lipgloss. This Dior Addict Fluid Stick is my absolute favourite. I was literally scraping the bottom of my last one for weeks trying to get every last bit out of it and then finally caved and bought a new one. You know a pink lip product is good when I actually re-buy it because I definitely don’t need any more pink lip products. So it’s really saying something if I re-buy one.
• A cute beach bag. Avon sent me this super cute gold pineapple beach bag. I love it!
• I always toss this Joe Fresh Blush Stick into my beach bag because it can be used on cheeks, lips or eyes and instantly brightens up your face. 
• Cute sunnies are a must. I picked up this pair from Aldo super last minute before I left and they are currently only $8.00!
• I got this hot pink Ceramic Glaze nail polish from Shoppers Drug Mart and I love how bright it is. It also looks really good on a newly tanned skin tone. 
• Less sleep and more sun means a good under-eye cream is a must! I love this Take a Deep Breath Oil-Free Oxygenating Gel Cream from Philosphy. It’s so creamy and not oily. It also doesn’t irritate. 
• The cutest pair of pink flop flops I can find. These one’s with a oversized pink bow are available HERE. I always get so many compliments when I wear them. It doesn’t get much cuter than that. 

Do you have any travel essentials that you swear by? I’d love to hear about them!

I suppose looking back now, blogging seems like a pretty natural route for my life to take. For as long as I can remember, (throughout my teenage years and before) I always kept a diary. I loved to write about everything that was happening in my life and sometimes would even write lyrics or poems to express how I was feeling. It was always a way for me to get out my emotions and make sense of what I was experiencing throughout those crazy teen years. I remember having so many mixed emotions, one day I’d be having the best day ever and the next, nothing was going my way and everything sucked. That’s just the way you feel as a teen and although you gain more perspective as an adult, those highs and lows never really go away.

 

 

I found it always helped me to have an outlet that made me feel better. Whether that be writing, talking to a friend or family member, or going to the gym. All of these things were therapeutic for me and super helpful when things got tough. As I got older, blogging and event planning became the way I expressed myself creatively. I collected diaries as a kid the way I collect notebooks and agendas as an adult. I think every diary I ever had growing up was pink. I can remember almost all of them. One was pink and fuzzy, one had a lock and key, one was covered in pretty flowers. Diaries about my  feelings and crushes have now turned into pretty notebooks full of to-do lists and agendas of important dates and deadlines. My memory isn’t the greatest, so these books have become my lifeline for remembering everything and keeping myself on track. I use them as a creative outlet as well and enjoy using stickers and cool pens to make the experience of writing more enjoyable.

 

 

Writing to-do lists might not sound like fun, but throw in a beautiful notebook and a fancy pink pen and all of the sudden I’m enjoying writing my lists and staying organized.

 

 

I wanted to give a glimpse of my current desk situation. I love having bright pops of colours to keep things looking happy and fun. I always have a selection of colourful pens on hand to keep my agendas and notebooks colour coded.

 

 

The below pens are PaperMate Inkjoy Gel Pens. The way a pen slides across the paper is really important to me. I don’t have the best hand writing (in fact, it’s just plain ugly) so I rely on good pens to help make my chicken scratch look a little prettier. Also, anyone else buy their next year agenda like 6 months in advance? As soon as those 2017 agendas hit the shelves I bought mine immediately. There’s just something about starting a brand new agenda for a new year. It’s the same feeling I get at 12:00 midnight on December 31st. It’s a fresh start. A blank page. And there’s something really exciting and satisfying about that. 

 

 

A few other things I’m loving about these pens: they dry super fast (3x faster than the average pen) so that I don’t get that annoying smudge mark across the page and on the outside of my hand. You know that spot on the outside of your pinky finger that always ends up covered in ink? I hate that! The no smear factor in a pen is key. There’s also 14 colours to choose from, so if you’re like me and enjoy colour coding all of your notes and lists, this will ensure there is no shortage of great colours to choose from.

 

 

You can find out more HERE. They retail for $42.00 for a pack of 14. 

 

Special thanks to PaperMate Inkjoy Gel Pens for partnering up with me on this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.