CBB Christmas in July Present!

Hi, everyone! There are many amazing benefits of being part of a network of Canadian beauty bloggers- making new friends, taking part in epic swaps, and discovering amazing new writers and content. A recent perk of being involved with the CBB was the network's Christmas in July Secret Santa Swap. Anyone who wanted to participate was assigned a fellow blogger to shop for and, of course, their own personal Secret Santa. We were able to create wishlists and with a $30 budget, let the shopping commence! My gift arrived just over a week ago and I was beyond excited to tear it open. Just like Christmas morning! 

My Secret Santa was the lovely Leonie from A Paletteful, who gifted me with a fantastic, colourful selection of drugstore goodies from my wishlist. Here's what was included:

Essence All About Eyeshadow Palette in Paradise

I'd heard amazing things about these palettes, and who can resist a tropical selection of brights? Especially for summer! 

Essence Lash Princess Volume Mascara

I'd recently read a very positive review of this from Chelle, so I'm super eager to try it. Can't tell whether I love or hate the packaging, but as long as my lashes like it, I'm game!

Essence Lipliners in Satin Mauve and Red Blush

A while back, I read a review from Courtney that totally raved about the creaminess and longevity of these pencils. Since I've whole-heartedly jumped on the lipliner resurgence bandwagon, I was so pleased to receive these! Clearly I tapped into the Satin Mauve liner immediately ;)

Flower Beauty Kiss Stick Lipstick in Desert Flower

I've been super impressed with the Flower Beauty goodies I've tried so far (reviews here), so of course I was jazzed to receive this lippie! It's a gorgeous mid-tone rosy brown that I think will be perfect for Summer and Fall. 

Leonie also included a handmade card with the gift, which was such a thoughtful touch! 

If there's anything to make me feel like an eager child on Christmas morning during this intense summer heat, it's a package of surprise makeup goodies! I find gift exchanges like this to be such an easy and affordable way to make someone's day and connect with fellow makeup geeks and enthusiasts. So glad that our blogger network organizes these events that spread so much cheer!

Have you ever celebrated Christmas in July? Have you received any surprise makeup gifts lately?

Thanks for reading! And thanks again to Leonie for the lovely gift!