Happy New Year! See you in 2012

Wishing you all a very safe and happy new year :)

Thank You Zellers For That 50% off Coupon! - What I Used It On

So if you haven't seen my tweets about Zellers 50% off coupon you can still use it until tomorrow (Dec 31) so click HERE to grab your coupon.

Anyway I used this coupon with the hubs this week and until head office realized they were losing money today we were able to use the coupon on already reduced items but now its only 50% off regular price. Still a great deal though!

Here's what I picked up....
T-Series™ WindTunnel® Rewind Plus Bagless Upright
Reg. $169.99 - 50%off = $84.99 + Tax

Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer
Reg. $299.99 was on sale for $184.99 - 50%off = $95 + tax!

Levolor Decorative Curtain rod (for my office)
Reg. $38.98 - 50%off = $19.49 + tax!

T-Fal Diffusion Ultraglide Iron
Reg. 49.00 - 50%off = $24.99+ tax!

Total savings of (drumroll please) ........ $322.50!!

I still cant get over the amazing price I got the Kitchen Aid Mixer for what a great deal!

Was it worth dragging my husband to Zellers while he complained he didnt want to go?
You bet ya! ;)

Would You Wear These Christian Louboutin Pumps?

As I browsed my Facebook today I noticed a post from Loren Ridinger (creator of Motives cosmetics, & Designer of Loren Jewels) She had posted about a gift her friend Lala Anthony had given her for christmas...

"Sex" Christian Louboutin Pigalle nude pumps

 Loren sporting the heels on her blog

Apparently they are rare and VERY hard to find..... I can see why. Its a pretty bold statement to be walking around with.


While I love me some sexy shoes this just aint it. Perhaps Loren can rock them but for the price of Loubies this would not even make my list.

What do you think?
Love it or Hate it?

Its Christmas Eve!!

And Im super excited!

In the past this day wouldn't mean much other than a day off, but now that I'm married to a man who's family celebrates Christmas it means a whole lot. It means time with my in-laws, yummy food & movies.... then tomorrow its gifts & turkey dinner , followed by a week of seriously discounted shopping! :)

Does it get any better?!

Wishing all of you a very happy holiday and a wonderful weekend :)

Mary Kay's Winter '11 Eye & Lip Liners New & Improved!

Mary Kay launches their New & Improved Eye & Lip Liners for Winter 2011.

These compact eye liners ($16) come in 7 of the seasons best shades from Rich Jade to Bronze to the classic Black. They are small enough to fit in your palm and need no sharpener with its twist up design making them one great travel companion!

These liners are waterproof, smudge-proof, fade resistant and super creamy so they glide on without effort. In the swatches below you can see that 3 of the shades (Bronze, Steely & Violet Ink) have a slight sheen to them which catch the light in the most pretty way.

(click to enlarge)

The Lip Liners ($16) come in 9 shades with the newest being Soft Blush (shown below). The line also includes a clear liner...yes you read that right clear! Clear liners help seal lipstick in and prevent bleeding without changing or altering the colour.... brilliant right!

They are also a smaller size just line the eye liners which I love. No more struggling to fit long liners into your tiny makeup case or purse.

I couldn't be happier with the consistency and durability of these liners. I think I'll be rocking some of these jewel toned ones for our big holiday dinner this weekend and bet I'll be getting all kinds of compliments on them!

You can grab yours from your Mary Kay rep or online at marykay.ca

* These products were sent by PR for consideration however all reviews are based on my own opinions.

Video: Feliz Navidad the iPad-iPhone Version!

My father sent this to me in an email and its really too cute to not share!

Feliz Navidad!

AgeComfort.com & Burts Bees Giveaway I Entered Did You?

I heart Burt's Bees and AgeComfort so bring the 2 together and what do you get??

+

"Like" Agecomfort.com on Facebook for your chance to WIN 1 of 10 Burt's Bee's Giveaways!

DIY: A Thrift Store Jewelry Tray in 5 Minutes!

2 Weeks ago I made a trip to my local Value Village in search of some fabric which is where I found the lace for my DIY Cork Board project. That same trip is where I found 2 silver trays I loved the shape of. One medium sized ($3.99) one smaller ($1.99), I just knew they would make for a fab jewelry tray so I searched and found the piece that would complete it, a stainless steel wine goblet ($1.99).

I started off by cleaning all 3 items with 99% rubbing alcohol to get off any dirt or residue. Then I placed a bead of E6000 glue (available at Michaels) around the bottom of the wine goblet. I centred it on the larger tray and held it down for a few seconds.

I then applied a bead of glue around the top of the goblet and tried my best to centre the smaller tray on top.

It looks small in the picture but its actually about 6" high. Big enough to add lots of jewelry and small enough to blend in on my vanity.

I let it dry overnight, added some fun costume jewelry and voila!

(click to enlarge)

My 5 Minute Thrift Store DIY Jewelry Tray for $6!

What do you think?

My McCafe Visit In Search Of Equal! #cbias #equalcanada

My quest for Equal Sweetener has lead me to my local new McCafe McDonalds. It opened a few months ago and although I have visited the drive-thur Ive never actually been inside until today.

The hubby and I had a ton of xmas shopping to tackle today but before we took on the crowds (or lack there of at my local mall) we stopped at @McD_Canada for breakfast. As we entered we met a friendly man who gave us some coupons that were expiring that day - how sweet.

The lobby was decorated with a xmas tree and garland and it was seriously the most high-tech McDonalds I have ever seen. There were signs mentioning free WI-FI and tv screens everywhere with the news or the McCafe menu.

I had an egg McMuffin (no meat) and a McCafe Latte with sugar free vanilla syrup while the hubs had 3 hash browns, 2 breakfast burritos & a hot chocolate because he says he is a "growing boy".... oh and we also got free cinnamon bites with the coupon which we had only a bite of since it was so early.

I asked the cashier for Equal Sweetener she informed me that they didn't carry it but offered only 1 substitute instead... All the more reason for me to fill out the comment card online via their website info found on my receipt along with a chance to win $1000 of course ;)

 I have been a huge sweetener user for years but in the last few months Ive started slowing down my consumption of it but I wish restaurants would offer more selection in the way of sweeteners.

So the quest for Equal continues, until the next adventure......

For more information on Equal Sweeteners please check out Equal Canada on Facebook & their Twitter page @EqualCanada


This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias however all opinions are my own.

Easy Chocolate Candy Cane Bark Recipe

Easy Chocolate Candy Cane Bark

Ingredients:
1 box semi-sweet Bakers chocolate
1 bag whit chocolate chips 
1-2 tsp vegetable oil
4-5 candy canes, crushed

Melt the dark chocolate with half-1 tsp of vegetable oil in the microwave or on the stove in a double boiler. Once melted spread a thin layer on tin foil in a baking pan or sheet (I used a tin foil disposable baking dish with a sheet of tin foil on top).  Refrigerate until cooled (about 20-30 mins).  


Melt the white chocolate chips the same way and spread on top of the dark chocolate.  While still warm, sprinkle with crushed candy canes and place back in fridge.  

Once hardened, lift tin foil and slowly peel away. It should release easily then break or cut into pieces and enjoy!

These can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

My DIY Lace Cork Board

Since the wedding is over and all my DIY's are done I have been itching to take on another project.

I had a frame lying around that I had picked up at Michaels for $8 on clearance and a roll of cork I had from Staples so I decided to see if I could come up with a creative way to make a DIY cork board for my home office.

I headed to Value Village with the initial plan to find some fun fabric when I spotted a lace like table clothe for $2.99 I grabbed it and headed home to make magic.... or so I hoped.

Materials:
Wooden frame
Stapler
Foam board or tri-fold project board
Cork roll
Glue
Lace or fabric
Scissors
Tape

I started by cutting the project board i had to size, I then placed the roll of cork on top cut it to size and stapled it to the board. I measured and cut the lace cloth slightly bigger than the board, wrapped it around and tapped it to the back of the board tightly. Then I added a line of strong glue on the inside of the frame and popped the lace covered board into place. I applied some heavy books on top and let it dry for 24 hours.

Voila my DIY Lace Cork Board!

I added some inspiration pics with some button thumb tacks I found at the dollar store and its now ready to be hung :)

It was pretty simple but a bit time consuming, although totally worth it in the end.

What do you think?

Pari Beauty Holiday Palettes Sneak Peek & Exclusive Discount

Since teaming up with Pari Beauty to host one of my Toronto Beauty Blogger events this year Ive really learned a lot about this up and coming brand. What started out as a brand dedicated to makeup artists has quickly spread to the retail market as the demand for high quality, ultra pigmented makeup has grown.

At our event we got a sneak peek and 2 of their holiday palettes and I'm so excited that I can finally share them with you all.

Pari Beauty's Limited Edition Tricks of the Trade & Black Tie Palettes

and of course my Buddha :)

Tricks of the Trade (left) includes:

• 8 Highly pigmented shadows
• 2 Ultra gloss lip colours
• 2 Silky soft blushers
• 1 Full size Precious Glow illuminating & intensifying eye primer
• 1 Duo mineral highlighter bronzer
• 1 Double ended makeup brush
• Large mirror

It even comes with an info card to explain how to use the kit.

Black Tie (right) includes:

• 10 Neutral & smokey eye shades
• Full size high shine lipgloss
• Holiday edition bronzer/contour powder
• Illuminating face highlighter
• Mirror & applicators

The kit comes wrapped in a unique 3 panel fold out palette which is great for travel.

The wonderful folks at Pari Beauty will be offering my readers an exclusive promo from now until December 30th you can get 15% off each of these palettes just by saying you saw it here ;).

Check out this exclusive pricing for Faces By Farah readers!

Tricks of the Trade Palette

Reg Price: $38.25 CAD

Discounted Price: $31.50 CAD

Retail Value: $150 CAD

Black Tie Palette 

Reg Price: $69 CAD 

Discounted Price: $58.65 CAD

Retail Value: $200 CAD

If you are interested in purchasing one or both of these limited edition Holiday Palettes please email me directly to arrange for your discount. The offer is NOT available in stores and only available through my site.

I will be gifting these amazing palettes to the makeup lovers on my list... will you?

My Curly Hair Secret Revealed!

I have been asked many many times how I curl my hair and what I use to do it and so I thought I'd share my current tool of choice the Corioliss Ceramic Curling Wand.

I got mine via the folks at Misikko a little while ago and have been using it quite often since. It arrived with a few accessories like the heat proof glove (which I never use because its too big for me) and the heat proof pad which is great and can come in very handy. I also got a cute Misikko sleep mask which I can use when I travel.

There is only 1 switch on or off. No fussing with different heat settings or dials which I actually like. Its incredibly simple to use and while you do need to be careful (the wand gets super hot) once you get the hang of it you can finish pretty fast.

How I curl my hair:

I always start off with a heat protectant spray on my hair then I grab 1-2" sections at a time and hold the iron with the wand pointing down. I always curl away from my face and its more flattering and gives you a nicer curl, hold for about 5-7 seconds and release. 

Its really that simple. 5-7 seconds per section and I'm done my long thick hair in 20 minutes. Just be sure you start with hair that is blow dried somewhat straight and completely dry.

There you have it my secret, its all in the tools ;)

Right now the Corioliss Ceramic Wand in on sale at Misikko.com for $99. It comes with the wand, Heat heat proof pad & glove and a travel pouch too. They also sell other amazing curling irons, flat irons like the Chi hair straightener and they even have the new Hana pro hair dryer.

Be sure to check out Misikko's Facebook and Twitter pages for more great hair styling tools & tips.

* This product was sent by the company for consideration however all reviews are based on my own opinions.