Laduree Celebrates Chinese New Year with a Lucky Charm Box

On my last day in Hong Kong a few weeks ago, I couldn't resist getting my hands on some macarons from Laduree. It turns out that Laduree is also celebrating Chinese New Year with a limited edition Lucky Charm box. Adorned with gold horseshoes for the Year of the Horse, this pretty little box contains eight mouthwatering macarons. This made for an exciting parting gift for myself and an even better companion on my 15 hour flight back home.

 

Chinese New Year: The Year of Good Luck & Glamour with Benefit Cosmetics

Chinese New Year is this Friday and I’m celebrating with Benefit by teaming up with the cosmetics company to create a Chinese New Year themed look. Although 2014 is the Year of the Horse, Benefit is declaring it the Year of Good Luck and Glamour -- although isn’t it that every year? As such, I wanted to create a rich, glamorous look that is easy and effortless. 

Chinese New Year is all about big celebrations and bright, vivid colours, with red being the most predominate, followed by gold. I fashioned my entire look around that theme, with soft yet slightly smokey gold eyes, bold and matte red lips, and an overall luminous glow. Red symbolizes joy, luck and prosperity -- I loved playing around with this luxe colour while adding that touch of glam to my look.

This weekend, Benefit is celebrating CNY in style at 5 different Sephora locations across Canada. I will be getting my Chinese New Year on at Fairview mall on Friday -- come by and say hello! For more information, click here.

And what would Chinese New Year be without handing out some good fortune? Benefit is giving away a gift basket of all the products I used to create my look. Enter the contest below for a chance to win these amazing goodies. Good Luck and Glamour!

Photography by Carolyn Roberts

Products I used:

The POREfessional | Fakeup concealer in medium | Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow in I’m all the rage beige | Benetint lip & cheek stain | Longwear Powder Shadow in milk it!,  call my buff, gilt-y pleasure, thanks a latte | Gimme Brow in medium/deep | Instant Brow Pencil in deep | They’re Real! Mascara

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Sneak Peek: Hong Kong & Australia

I know I’ve been MIA for the past month; I just returned from my amazing trip to Hong Kong and Australia and am settling back into the swing of things. I will be blogging about my adventure over the next little while starting on Monday so be sure to check back! For now, here's a sneak peek at some of the things I captured. To see more while I was there, follow me on Instagram here and Twitter here.

Holiday Gift Guide

I can’t believe Christmas is almost a week away -- 8 days to be exact. For all you last minute shoppers who either haven’t started your Christmas shopping yet, need a few extra ideas or simply want to buy something for yourself, I’ve complied a list of lust-worthy items, with price ranges no higher than $150 so there is something for every budget.  

1. Luxe Faux Fur Scarf ($29.50)  2. Nadege Holiday Macarons ($27.50)  3. Zara Sparkly High Heel Shoes ($89.90)  4. Danier Biella Glove ($49)  5. Zara Cable Knit Sweater ($54.90)  6. Givenchy Le Rouge ($38)  7. J.Crew Minnie Pant in Medallion Print ($88)  8. Williams-Sonoma Hot Chocolate Set ($45.32)  9. Kate Spade Grace Avenue Ring Holder ($40)  10. Kate Spade Fair Maiden Stacey Wallet ($148)  11. Davids Tea Silver Berries Perfect Mug (2 for $30)

Vegan Peppermint Patties

Holiday season is upon us and that means an abundance of indulgent foods and treats. But as I'm leaving for a trip really soon (going to Hong Kong and Australia), I’ve been trying to lay low on the indulgent part (that is being saved for obvious and necessary vacation eating). I was tempted to make peppermint patties but couldn't decide on a healthy version I liked best. So when I saw that Oh She Glows (one of my favourite food blogs) had made her own vegan version, I knew this was the winner.

Crunchy on the outside, smooth and creamy on the inside, these peppermint patties are melt-in-your-mouth divine. They have a nice peppermint flavour without being overpowering and the filling is so luxurious. I didn’t have agave on hand so I subbed in coconut nectar instead. Side note: if you haven’t tried coconut nectar, you must. It has a rich, deep flavour and is healthier than agave. However, because of the coconut nectar, my filling turned out a beige colour rather than the usual white insides of traditional peppermint patties. Although not as pretty, the taste certainly made up for it.