As promised, Sephora released spoilers for their Black Friday deals on the Sephora app today, which always gets everyone excited. This will be my 4th year in a row dragging my ass out of bed on that Friday morning to get in line at Sephora to grab some of their little gift sets and I'm definitely excited about a few of them. I wanted to go through all of the deals that they have, give my thoughts on the ones I've tried, and do a little math to figure out if they're actually a good deal. Since with a lot of these I can't be exactly sure of the sizes, there will be some guessing and estimating involved that might not be entirely accurate. If this sounds like something you're interested in, keep reading. 

**All prices are in Canadian dollars and based off the pricing on the Canadian website.  Valuations in US dollars will be lower. However, overall savings should be fairly comparable since these deals cost $10 in the US and $13 in Canada.

Warning, there are 28 deals, so this will be picture heavy!

If you get emails from Makeup Revolution, like I do, you'll have seen teasers recently for the new brand that they're launching called Freedom Makeup. They describe this as a professional makeup brand, which definitely got me interested in seeing what they were going to offer.

The Freedom Makeup London site launched today and they're offering free Worldwide shipping on orders of £15 or more... so of course I had to take advantage. If you're interested in checking out the new brand, now seems like a good time to do it. You will also receive a 20% off coupon code if you sign up for their mailing list, which makes the already quite affordable brand even more so. I have to say, I've been really impressed with my previous purchases from Makeup Revolution, so I'm hoping that this brand will maintain the same or higher quality. 

I did make an order on the site, so check back in the next couple of weeks to see my haul once it arrives! If you're interested in seeing my previous posts on Makeup Revolution, you can find them here!

And don't forget, 20% coupon code if you sign up for their mailing list and free shipping worldwide on orders of £15 or more!

Birchbox Canada announced on their Instagram today that all of their subscribers will be receiving a Beauty Blender in their March box! For anyone who didn't have a reason to try out Birchbox Canada, this is a pretty damn good incentive to give it a go. The value of the Beauty Blender alone more than pays for your box!

So far, I've been loving Birchbox since they entered Canada and it has become a monthly excitement for me to figure out what I'll be receiving in my box every month. If you're curious, you can check out my previous Unboxings here on the blog.

For those of you who haven't yet subscribed to Birchbox Canada, the box costs $10 a month plus a $5 shipping charge and you'll receive 5 beauty samples. One of the best features of Birchbox, other than the obvious excitement of a box of beauty products delivered to your door every month, is their points system. Basically, you get 10 points for every product that you review from your boxes, and every 100 points = $10 to spend on the site! The points system definitely makes this an incredibly good value!

If you want to sign up and get your March Birchbox, which is guaranteed to include a Beauty Blender, make sure you sign up by March 17! From where I'm standing, it's a no brainer, and I personally can't wait to receive the March box! Look for my Unboxing later this month!

** This post contain referral links.

I know... Black Friday is LONG GONE and it took me forever to review this little kit, but I figured it was still worth it since all of these are permanent products from the Origins line and are definitely worth a closer look. Until recently I hadn't really tried anything from the Origins line outside of some foil samples that I got from Sephora and really hardly remember trying. I did know, though, that this is one of those lines that has a lot of ride or die fans who swear by their products, and I'm always curious to try out those brands. The last year or so has really been all about skin care for me and I'm always on the hunt for those real gem products that I can inject into my routine for some serious results.

So, without any further rambling, keep reading for a look at each product...

Hey everyone! I'm Stephanie from Beauty Infinitum, guest posting for the lovely Trysh! The Canadian Beauty Bloggers group tasked us to write a post on the "Best of 2014." Quite a decision for a beauty addict, but I've narrowed down my top favourite product in the categories of splurge, budget, and indie:

Top Splurge:

Lise Watier Blush Fondant Supreme in Rose ($30)

The good news: Rose was originally called Rose Eden and part of Lise Watier's Eden Tropical Summer collection, and is now permanent with more shades added to the lineup (plus, LW's key ingredient Labrador Tea was added to the formula). The bad: it was originally $24, but probably upon realizing they had formulated greatness, Lise Watier increased the price to $30. Is it still worth it? Absolutely. 

I've been constantly wearing this blush since I bought it last spring, and my love affair with it has hardly waned. This pot hardly has a dent it since only a small dab is needed for natural, gorgeous flushed cheeks that last the day. The texture is weightless, smooth and non-sticky. I definitely need more shades in my life, and bonus: Lise Watier is sold at Shoppers Drug Mart, so you can redeem your Optimum points on these pots of gold.

Here's a swatch, blended in:

Top Budget:

Maybelline Baby Lips in various shades ($4-$6)

I bought into the Baby Lips hype late in the game, but I already have six shades of the tinted balms in my arsenal. I originally tried one of the non-tinted balms a couple years ago and wasn't too impressed, but the tinted ones are a different story. I currently own two of the original shades, Cherry Me and Pink Punch, two of the Electros (Oh! Orange and Strike a Rose), one Crystal (Beam of Blush), and one Dr. Rescue in Coral Crave. And, as Ariel would say, I want moooooore.

The originals offer a light tint, the Electros offer more pigment, the Crystals have sparkle and shimmer, and the Dr. Rescues are meant to repair chapped and sore lips. All of them have coordinating flavours/scents, with the exception of Dr. Rescue which has a menthol scent. My most worn shade is Cherry Me from the original lineup, as I love the understated shade of pink/red (oh, and it has my favourite flavour of all of them -- it's like Cherry Blasters candy!) The only one I wasn't too thrilled with in terms of pigment was the Dr. Rescue in Coral Crave, as the colour is barely there.

I don't agree with Maybelline's claim that these balms offer "8 hour hydration," but they do offer some moisture and the tints definitely make up for it. Baby Lips run about $4 to $6 at most mass retailers, and sometimes there are double packs and limited editions! Fuel the addiction!

Swatches, from top to bottom, left to right: Pink Punch, Cherry Me, Strike a Rose, Oh! Orange, Coral Crave, Beam of Blush

Top Indie:

One Hand Washes the Other Flower Balm ($6)

I love me some indie products, and I could spend hours discussing my favourites. Basically One Hand Washes the Other's entire catalogue has fit into my life in some way. One of these products, Flower Balm, is a multitasking genius. Full of beneficial ingredients like plant oils, it is a machine at transforming cuticles from dry and scraggly to smooth and soft. Of course it doesn't stop there!

You can use Flower Balm basically anywhere that is dry and needs a boost of moisture. You only need a tiny bit, and it can be used straight up or with water added. Cuticles are obviously where I use it the most, but I've also been using it on the corners of my nose where they've been dry due to the weather, and it works great. I have a few tubes of it on the go, and I definitely need to get more (a recurring theme with my favourites here, eh?) A must-have for these delightful Canadian winters!

Here's a swatch:

I hope you enjoyed my top buys of 2014! Obviously these are not the be-all and end-all of great products, but I've enjoyed them immensely this year. Thank Trysh for allowing me to guest and the CBB for organizing! :D

You read that right. The NUME Reverse Classic Wand is reduced to $9.99USD if you use the code INSTA9. Regular price on this wand is $169, so I don't have to tell you that this is an INCREDIBLE deal.

This code MONDAY7 can be used for either the 25mm or the 32mm Classic Wand to get it for only $19.99. The original price on this was also $169... so even though it's not quite as good a deal as the first, it's still pretty damn amazing.

I ordered the reverse curling wand and there was a standard shipping fee to Canada of $15, which brought the total of this order to right around $30CAD. This seriously can't be beat. If you're in the market, I suggest you get there before the code stops working, because this is an incredible deal with a very short lifespan!

I had to run down to Shoppers on my lunchbreak today to pick up a few things. And when I say I had to go pick up a few things, I mean that I made the excuse of needing a box of Kleenex for my desk and the fact that I promised my boyfriend I'd buy him a new brush so that I could go and check out what's happening in the beauty section. Because that, my friends, is what I do. At first, not a heck of a lot of excitement at SDM today, but then... CLEARANCE! I actually really love the shopping the Clearance section at Shoppers because I almost always find something really good at a really good price. Like a special edition package of Venus razors and extra blades for like $3, which actually did happen once. 

Keep reading to take a closer look at what I found today...