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Holiday Gift Guide – December 2021

WELCOME; to my annual Coco and Chino’s Christmas Holiday Gift Guide 2021! Here I will be going through in guide-form, my top holiday gift picks for this holiday season. This years’ picks are from Too Faced, Hourglass, Cerave and Lanolips, covering a wide variety of beauty categories. To take a look at what my selections are this year, just look below..

Products, Textures & Formula’s
– Limited Edition Too Faced Christmas Coffee Eye Shadow Palette 6.7g; with eight tasty shades that is sure to warm you up on a cool night, it will get you through the winter months and you can create a multitude of looks with this bite-sized eye shadow palette. With a mixture of mattes and shimmers, it gives you the perfect balance and all shades are nicely pigmented. From top-to-bottom and left-to-right, the shade names are titled: ‘Kool Whip‘ – a light warm cream matte, ‘Warm Me Up‘ – a soft caramel-brown matte, ‘Cinnamon Chai‘ – a deep red-brown terracotta, ‘Holly Sh*t‘ – sparkling forest-green shimmer, ‘Brew-tiful Day‘ – peach-pink matte, ‘Slow Roasted‘ – rustic copper metallic, ‘Candy Cane Latte‘ – cranberry-red metallic and ‘Christmas Coffee‘ – a rich deep brown matte. This size palette is also ideal for taking on trips and touching up on a night out, etc. Take a closer look below..

– Cerave Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser 236ml; perfect for normal-to-dry skin and people with sensitive skin, this cleanser is infused with hyaluronic acid for ultimate hydration, it has an amino acid based surfactant that lathers into a gentle foam and easily removes oil, makeup, dirt and any SPF residue from the skin. It also includes ceramides to maintain the skin’s barrier, and their own patented MVE technology that continually releases moisturising ingredients overtime for 24hrs. It can also be used on hands, body as well as the face. It’s quite easy to use, just massage gentle into lukewarm wet skin before rinsing well. It is soap-free, paraben-free, non-comedogenic, fragrance-free and pH balanced. To check out some photos of the cleanser and texture of the cream, take a look below..

– Limited Edition Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Universe Face Palette 5.4g; the new annual Ambient Lighting Edit face palette for 2021 is here! Featuring four brand new shades of blush, bronzer and highlighter are limited edition and create the most flattering light source for looks and photography. The powders create such a beautiful celestial glow, they’re all hand-made in Italy and are such universal shades that they would suit most skin tones. The photoluminescent technology allows the powders to capture, diffuse and soften surrounding light to help blur imperfections and refine the skin’s appearance. The two ambient strobe lighting blush shades are: ‘Vibrant Heat‘ – a very vibrant soft mid pink and ‘Luminous Rose‘ – a softened plum. The ambient lighting bronzer shade is titled ‘Glistening Bronze Light‘ – a golden bronze. The ambient strobe lighting powder is titled ‘Supernatural Strobe Light‘ – a soft champagne. And the larger pan powder is the ‘Ambient Lighting Infinity Powder‘ which is a combination of three acclaimed shades of ambient powders: ‘Diffused Light‘, ‘Dim Light‘ and ‘Hypnotic Strobe Light‘. To get a much closer look at the fantastic face palette, check out the packaging photos below..

– Limited Edition Too Faced Cinnamon Bun Longwear Melting Matte Lipstick 7ml; a brand new holiday shade in Too Faced’s melted matte lipstick formula, ‘Cinnamon Bun‘, which is a gorgeous universal shade described as a moderately-warm toned brown matte. It is infused with vitamin E, avocado oil with hyaluronic filling spheres that smooth the lip lines upon application. It coats the lips with a true pigment of colour that lasts for hours and is quite comfortable to wear. This particular shade is limited edition and a part of Too Faced’s 2021 holiday collection. To see up-close shots and lip wear swatches, take a look below..

– Limited Edition Too Faced ‘You’re So Hot’ Hot Cocoa Bronzer & Lipgloss Set 8.5g 5.2ml; a new smooth and silky bronzer in a limited edition shade ‘Hot Cocoa‘ with the most cutest packaging we may have ever seen, the embossed design on the surface of the bronzer in pan has a smiley face resembling hot froffing coffee with whipped cream nested on top and is also scented just like the decadent treat of hot cocoa, the perfect treat on a cold winter’s day. The tone of the bronzer is definitely on the lighter side, it would be ideal for fair or light skin tones. The lipgloss is in the lip injection power plumping formula and is in shade ‘Christmas Cocoa‘. It is scented just like chocolate cake or a chocolate candy bar, it is a very pleasing brown tone which is universally flattering on most skin tones. It delivers a gorgeous high shine upon wear and is quite glossy. The make up pouch that the set comes in is a cute light pink colour with little mugs of hot froffy coffee with whipped cream on top, there is also sparkly marshmallows on the front and back in pattern form and the iconic gold love heart handle zipper is on the top edge. I think the size is around 5×7 which is wonderful as it can fit quite a bit of product inside, which would be fantastic to take on trips. On the back it says ‘Too Faced’ and on the front it has ‘You’re So Hot’ emblazoned in font. Take a quick look at the close-up details and lip wear shade swatches of both via the pictures below..

– Limited Edition Lanolips x Messina 101 Ointment Multi-Balm Salted Coconut x Mango Gelato 10g; touted as the Australian summer dreams collaboration, is the iconic 101 ointment balm from Lanolips crossed over with another iconic Aussie fave, Messina’s sorbet salted coconut gelato flavour. Using coconut oil, mango fruit extract and vitamin E to create an all-around good vibes boost of hydration for your skin. It uses pure grade Australian Lanolin, which mimics the skin’s own oils and leaves it perfectly hydrated. It is not just for your lips either, it can also be used all over the body on your skin and that is why it’s multi-purpose. It tasted and smells absolutely delicious! If you’d like to see texture shots, up-close photos of the packaging just keep scrolling below..

Worldwide Prices & Availability
– LE Too Faced Christmas Coffee Eyeshadow Palette 6.7g;
Australia: $38 AUD
Available: online and in-store at Mecca.

USA: $27 USD
Available: online and in-store at Sephora, Too Faced, Nordstrom, Kohls, Macys, HSN and Ulta.

UK: £24 GBP
Available: online and in-store at Look Fantastic, ASOS, Selfridges, Boots and John Lewis.

– Cerave Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser 236ml;
Australia: $15.99 AUD
Available: online and in-store at Chemist Warehouse.

USA: $10.80 – 14.99 USD
Available: online and in-store at Ulta and Target.

UK: £9.37 GBP
Available: online and in-store at Boots and Superdrug.

– LE Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Universe Face Palette 5.4g;
Australia: $114 AUD
Available: online and in-store at Mecca and Net-a-Porter.

USA: $80 USD
Available: online and in-store at Hourglass, Beautylish, Net-a-Porter, Sephora and Ulta.

UK: £79 GBP
Available: online and in-store at Hourglass UK, Space NK, Cult Beauty, Feel Unique, Look Fantastic and John Lewis.

– LE Too Faced Cinnamon Bun Longwear Melted Matte Lipstick 7ml;
Australia: $32.50 AUD
Available: online at Selfridges and Cult Beauty.

USA: $22 USD
Available: online and in-store at Sephora, Too Faced, Macys and Ulta.

UK: £20 GBP
Available: online and in-store at Selfridges, John Lewis, Look Fantastic, ASOS and Boots.

– LE Too Faced ‘You’re So Hot’ Hot Cocoa Bronzer & Lipgloss Set 8.5g 5.2ml;
Australia: $49.93 AUD
Available: online at Amazon.

USA: $39 USD
Available: online and in-store at Sephora, Kohls and JC Penney.

UK: £37.42 GBP
Available: online at Amazon.

– LE Lanolips x Messina Salted Coconut & Mango Gelato 10g;
Australia: $19.95 AUD
Available: online and in-store at Mecca and Lanolips Australia.

USA: $13.50 USD
Available: online at Lanolips.

UK: £8.99 GBP
Available: online at Lanolips UK.

My Thoughts & First Impressions
– Limited Edition Too Faced Christmas Coffee Eyeshadow Palette 6.7g; what drew me to this palette was the gorgeous cranberry red and the forest green shimmer shades, they’re so Christmassy and after watching Youtube reviews with swatches from it, thats when I decided I wanted to get it. I always look forward to the Too Faced christmas holiday releases and usually there is always a palette I end up loving. Sometimes in some of the Too Faced holiday eyeshadow palette releases (like the ones in sets), the shades can be a bit chalky and hard to layer, however I find with their bite-sized palettes that the pigmentation is much better quality and that is why I tend to pick up those instead. And at $38 AUD, it’s a great pick to get 8 mixed formula shades and the packaging is so nice.

– Cerave Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser 236ml; I’m always on the hunt for cleansers and skincare products that are suited to dry skin and this is where Cerave come in, they have a nice range of products suited to all skin types and their formulas are always without any nasty ingredients. I had tried their hydrating cleanser for the last two years and absolutely love it, so when the cream-to-foam release came out, I hopped on the trial train straight away. During a sale at the Chemist Warehouse I picked up my bottle and I have loved it since first try. It is decently priced and suits my skin so well.

– Limited Edition Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Universe Face Palette 5.4g; this is the big winner for me this year. Amongst all of the other palette releases from all other brands, including MAC, this Hourglass interested me the most and the packaging is just simply divine. It is so stunning! I have owned a ambient lighting edit palette beforehand and it was the white marble packaged one from 2016 or so, and when I saw this one I fell in love right away. The fact it is limited edition also helped budge me to pick it up, as they can sell out pretty fast. I love how long these palettes last and the pans are such decent sizes too.

– Limited Edition Too Faced Cinnamon Bun Longwear Melted Matte Lipstick 7ml; I was drawn to this shade right away because it is a universally flattering nude that would suit most skin tones. It is a mid-brown matte with a cool mauve undertone and it smells just like freshly-baked cinnamon rolls. I love earth toned nudes and if it’s in the brown category, I always find the cool tones suit me as unfortunately warm tones never do, they look muddy on me and wash me out. I am a fan of the Too Faced’s melted matte lipstick formula, they’re usually very comfy upon wear and they last so long too. I’m waiting to receive mine that I purchased this year so I will further update when I have it and have worn it.

– Limited Edition Too Faced You’re So Hot Hot Cocoa Bronzer & Lipgloss Set 8.5g 5.2ml; what I loved about this bronzer set is that the bronzer shade looks perfect tone for my skin, I also enjoy the cute pouch and the lip injection gloss shade is another nice earth neutral nude tone, which would compliment most skin tones as well. The gloss is very sparkly and looks like it goes on very smoothly. And not only is the packaging so cute but the products are both scented like hot cocoa.

– Limited Edition Lanolips x Messina 101 Ointment Multi-Balm Salted Coconut & Mango Gelato 10g; this smells so delicious and is your iconic 101 ointment from the fave Lanolips. Infused with Messina’s popular salted coconut sorbet, this balm makes you want to eat it! It is so nourishing and it is such a fun collaboration between two Australian faves. Released at a perfect time right before the summer season in Australia. I don’t think you can go wrong with this pick up at all.

That wraps up my holiday gift guide for 2021! I hope you have enjoyed learning more about the featured products in my guided round up for Christmas gifting and have found the perfect selection, or even as a gift for yourself. I am embarking on starting my Christmas shopping and I hope to be finished early this year. I hope you have all been safe and well throughout this year, and I hope you all have a lovely Christmas season with your families and loved ones. I’m going pretty big with decorations this year so I’ll try to include some photo’s of that in my posts.

Disclaimer; all of the above featured products have been purchased with my own money and all thoughts & opinions published here are my own.

Beauty

Bobbi Brown Luxe Defining Lipstick – May 2021

Bobbi Brown Luxe Defining Lipstick – May 2021

Introducing the brand new Luxe Defining Lipstick range from one of my top faves, Bobbi Brown! Bobbi Brown recently launched a new range of power pigmented lipsticks that are in pencil-tube form with a self-sharpening tip for defined and precise application. The launched range comes available in a multitude of shades, with the longevity of wear lasting hours with 12hr moisture! The shades range go from neutrals, to warm reds, to cool nudes. There is really something for everyone and I can tell already these babies are going to the top of my faves list quickly.


Product, Texture & Formula
– Bobbi Brown Luxe Defining Lipstick 6ml; the luxe defining lipsticks are formulated with carnauba wax, offers a creamy matte, power pigmented colour payoff that also nourishes the lips and has up to 12hr moisture. They have a lip-sculpting tip that self-sharpens within use, they can define a look or redesign one. They’re perfect for a exact application with defined edges and has the glide of a lipstick with the precision of a pen. The texture is so soft & creamy with a matte finish. The lipsticks come in 6ml size and last a very long time. The packaging is a slimline pen shaped, gold metallic case, with a clip-on lid and a twist up dispensary.


Worldwide Pricing & Availability
– Bobbi Brown Luxe Defining Lipstick 6ml;
Australia: $58 AUD
Available: online at Bobbi Brown Australia and Adore Beauty, and online & in-store at Myer, David Jones and Mecca.

USA: $34 USD
Available: online and in-store at Sephora, Nordstrom, Harrods and Look Fantastic.

UK: £29 GBP
Available: online and in-store at Bobbi Brown UK, Selfridges, Look Fantastic and Harrods UK.


My Thoughts & First Impressions
I firstly was drawn to the gorgeous packaging the lipsticks are encased in, the gorgeous metallic chrome tube and twist up dispensary is so easy to use and the texture of these babies are so creamy, smooth and matte. I love the intense colour payoff, there is complete opaque pigment from the one swipe glide of these! I love that the lipsticks tip is like that of a pencil and they self-sharpen within use, that is amazing! I love the easy twist up and the sturdy clip on lids, they’re perfect for taking traveling (when that can resume again) and have become a quick favourite in my go-to rotation. I am always excited about all of Bobbi Brown’s releases, I can’t stress enough the quality of their products.. they’re always top notch and perform fantastically.

Would I Restock?
That has to be a solid definite yes! I have fallen in love with this new release lipstick range from Bobbi Brown, the colour payoff is second to none and the smooth, creamy matte formula is so addictive! I love the way they feel on the lips, the comfortability and the hydration. They feel very nourishing and light while on, they also last for hours and hours. The range also comes in a variety of shades to suit everybody, from warm reds, to cool tone neutrals and in between. I love this release and I highly recommend checking out these gorgeous lippies!

Disclaimer; the products in this blog post were sent in to me for my consideration with no obligation to post, despite being gifted that does not alter my review in any way, all views and thoughts are honest and my own. This is a non-paid for blog post that I decided to publish on my own.

Beauty

Jo Malone London: Peony & Blush Suede – August 2020

Jo Malone London: Peony & Blush Suede – August 2020

Introducing one of my favourite fragrance scents from the popular Jo Malone London. This is the first fragrance that I ever tried from JML and I am hooked! It is such a stunning mixture of notes and it’s clear to see why it is one of the top sold scents from the range. If you haven’t already tested out this one and you get a chance to, I highly recommend it. In this blog post, I wished to talk about the finer details of this beauty, including the note range, inspiration behind it, all the way down to the packaging.


Let’s begin talking about the notes, starting with the top down to the base. There is a lovely floral section that is so soft and pretty, the select flowers are perfect together. There are so many things I love about this fragrance, and yes, I am already planning on a back up. My current bottle (one seen in this blog post) is now only half full, it is my go-to and I wear it everywhere.

Top; crisp red apple
Middle; jasmine, peonies in fresh bloom, carnation, gillyflower and rose
Base; luxurious blush suede

It’s that type of fragrance that has to be smelt in person to truly understand how delightful the mix of these notes are. The blend is stunning and spectacular! There is a reason this fragrance has 215 reviews for 5 stars, it is such a gorgeous one that will be forever loved I feel. Let’s start talking about the other finer details.

Product & Packaging
– Jo Malone London Peony & Blush Suede 50ml; the fragrance is housed in a clear, smooth glass 50ml bottle with a beige cream bordered labelling on the front. The font is black text clearly written with the title at the in the centre. The lid is a shiny silver round knob with an embossed edge design, it is absolutely stunning and the simplicity of this design is perfect. It is a spray spritz cologne, so the silver top has a nozzle it easily can be pressed and sprayed out of. I love the secure lid that clicks as it goes on and it’s quite perfect to take traveling with as well. I find the 50ml is a great size as it’s not too heavy or bulky, as the 100ml can be sometimes, depending on your situation. The product is made in England and ‘Jo Malone London’ the brand also originates from the UK, as you can tell in the title ‘London’.


Worldwide Prices & Availability
– Jo Malone London Peony & Blush Suede 50ml;
Australia: $106 AUD – 30ml, $145 AUD – 50ml and $212 AUD – 100ml
Available: online and in-store at Jo Malone Australia, Myer, Mecca and David Jones.

USA: $74 USD – 30ml, $144 USD – 100ml
Available: online & in-store at Jo Malone USA, Sephora USA and Nordstrom.

UK: £50 GBP – 30ml, £70 GBP – 50ml, £100 GBP – 100ml
Available: online and in-store at Jo Malone London UK, Selfridges, Look Fantastic, John Lewis and Harrods.


My Thoughts & Review
I am in love with this fragrance and I will forever buy it. It is stunning, absolute perfection, I’m the kind that enjoys floral scents as long as it’s subdued and not too strong and this is that. It blends out so perfectly but has a lovely musk after scent that lasts all day/night long. It is such a beautiful concoction of notes and it’s easily been one of Jo Malone London‘s top selling fragrances over the past few years. I am SO glad I discovered it and it’s the first scent from them I had ever tried, as I mentioned above earlier. Now there is three Jo Malone fragrances in my collection and I’ll update you in an upcoming post which other scents I have since added to my dresser. Would I repurchase? – without any doubt! I have already started planning to get a backup for when my current one runs out. It is THAT good and it’s fast become my top favourite fragrance out of all fragrances and it’s my go-to, I wear it everywhere. I hope you have found this blog review insightful and if you were ever curious about this one, I highly recommend checking it out, you might be able to get a sample from one of the David Jones or Myer counters, or even at Mecca too.

Disclaimer; all products mentioned and featured in this blog post were purchased with my own money, and all thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

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