Some of you may recall the holiday swap I did with sarahnicolebear in 2012. We had so much fun with it that we decided to swap again this year! :) Since meeting on YouTube over a year ago, Sarah and I have gotten to know each other pretty well and I really enjoyed picking out products for her. In turn, she spoiled me with yummy treats and a wide range of beauty products. I could not have thought of a better way to kick off a busy and festive holiday season. This post is a long time coming... I have had a chance to try a number of the products so I'll be able to include my impressions in this blog post. :)
I loved all the delicious goodies in my swap package! Some of these are imported so that made the treats extra special.
- Haribo Pico-Balla // Hubs loves gummy candies so Sarah sent these over with him in mind. They are from Germany and have a really unique flavour and texture! Hubs really enjoyed them so they went pretty quickly. :)
- Thorntons Special Toffee in Original // I loved this toffee... I ate the entire bag. This is a hard yet chewy toffee with a texture that reminds me of the Macintosh boxed toffee (anyone remember those?). The Thorntons toffee come in little pieces though so much easier to devour. I loved the flavour of this toffee... very rich and creamy!
- Kettle Kitchen Peppermint Popcorn // Hubs and I both shared this... or rather we ate as quickly as we could so we could each get our fair share. This popcorn was incredible!! I absolutely loved the pepperminty-ness and the salty/sweet flavour of the butter toffee popcorn. I want to buy boxes upon boxes of this.
- Galaxy Bar // Sarah sent me a small Galaxy bar last year and I loved it so much that I was ecstatic when I saw she included a bigger bar in the box this year! This chocolate bar is from the UK and it is sooo creamy. Very indulgent! I brought it to work and enjoyed it over three days. It has been very busy and stressful at work lately so the chocolate definitely helped lift my spirits.
These next products have a common theme... they all smell incredible!!
- Pier 1 Imports Sugared Cinnamon Reed Diffuser // Sarah has a knack for finding interesting products for me. I've never had a reed diffuser before and this one from Pier 1 Imports is super cute. The oils do diffuse into the reeds (amazing!) but the throw is not very strong. I can only smell it when I'm close to the actual bottle. That being said, the product is lasting a very long time and I do enjoy the scent very much.
- The Body Shop Satsuma Body Puree // I tried this for the first time today and oh-my-goodness!! I love everything about this product!! It is moisturizing and incredibly fast absorbing. The texture is like nothing I've tried before... it's similar to a moisturizing gel and it is so refreshing to apply after a hot shower. Oh and it smells mouthwatering!
- The Body Shop Ginger Sparkle Hand Cream // I haven't tried this hand cream yet because I have a few others I am working on finishing up. The cream smells great in the tube so I'm excited to try this.
- Bath & Body Works Candle in Leaves // This is literally the perfect scent for me. It smells fruity with a bit of spice and I can't wait to burn this!
- Essie Sleek Stick Nail Applique in Show Me Your Stuff // Such a pretty purple pattern!! I love nail stickers because they are so easy to apply. I really like the ones with intricate patterns since I'm not skilled whatsoever with nail art. I find the different designs to be a lot of fun and this one in particular is gorgeous.
- Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist // I've never tried any products from Juice Beauty and this is a nice mist. The scent is not my favourite (I prefer my rose water) but it does feel nice on the skin.
- St. Tropez Instant Glow Body Lotion // I've heard great things about this brand of self tanners... it's supposed to be among the best so I can't wait to try this product. I'm not going anywhere this winter so my skin is going to need a little colour. I'm a little terrified of self tanners (ok, a lot terrified) so maybe I will make trying this product one of my bi-weekly beauty goals!
- Taylor Swift Wonderstuck Rollerball // Such a lovely sweet scent! I brought this rollerball to work and I've been reapplying it regularly. I really enjoy the scent because it is not overpowering.
- Julep Lip Gloss in Glowing // I love this lip gloss!! It is moisturizing, non-sticky, and comfortable on the lips. It's a really pretty light pink. The pigmentation is not too strong but I typically wear my glosses over a lipstick anyway.
- Smashbox Try It Kit // I don't have a lot of experience with Smashbox so I was happy to receive this kit, which contains 5 minis. Being the lippie addict I am, I'm particularly excited about the lip enhancing gloss.
- Smashbox Eye Shadow Trio in Head Shot // I've used this eyeshadow trio a couple of times and I really like it. All three shades are flattering on my eyes and the shadows are creamy, pigmented, and blendable.
- Pier 1 Imports Bath Gel // How cute are these little mittens?! They are filled with bath gel... adorable! :)
- I am Canine-dian Dog Bandana // Last, but certainly not least, Sarah sent Lulu a little bandana! Hubs and I put it on her and recorded some footage of her wearing it... she is so awkward and uncomfortable when we put "clothing" on her hehe (I included the at the end of the swap video).
Sarah, thank you so much for such a lovely set of goodies! I like how you included a little bit of everything and the edible treats in particular were much appreciated. :) I hope you are loving the products I sent you as well. You are such a sweet and funny person, and I've really enjoyed getting to know you over the past year or so!
Here is Sarah's unboxing video in case you'd like to see what I picked up for her! :)
