I feel as if I should admit to the fact that I do most of my shopping at Sephora in December. Aside from that, I usually only shop there 3 or 4 times throughout the rest of the year...but can you blame me? I really don't need any more make-up than I already have, and they release the most amazing gift sets near Christmas....

...so I had to pick up a few things for my friends. I've been really into skincare this year, so I went more for that over make-up, and I found that this year's sets were such a great value.

how adorable are these???

As you can guess....these two bags aren't cheap at all, but I don't know anyone that doesn't love Lindt, so I don't mind spending a bit more for quality chocolate ;A; The outlet store does have a lot of great deals on Christmas products during December, so if you'd prefer to do that instead of getting a grab bag (which never go on sale), I'd opt for that instead.

Sorry for making you sit through yet another long & blabby post. I've still got a few more Christmas gift posts to push out, I'm afraid!

I won't deny that my motivation for buying most of these products was based initially on cute packaging alone...

Scents can, of course, be extremely personal, but I do enjoy giving my friends light fragrances that can easily be layered with their own favourites- I find that I usually go for citrus scents, or the occasional floral if I know that's what they like. Here are two from Illume's Go Be Lovely collection that I picked up:

Coconut Milk Mango & Thai Lily @ $14 each

As I may have mentioned a few times on this blog, I am a huge sucker for rose scents, and this perfume is definitely one of my new favourites. To be honest, I bought this one for myself, but I did purchase their carnation scent for my friend, and that one smells lovely as well. I really can't rave about this enough- it's a spray instead of a rollerball (bonus points!!), and the scent genuinely lasts on my skin for more than half the day, which is more than can be said for many of my more expensive perfumes (sigh, D&G, I love you, but I'm looking at ya!) The box tells me the top notes in this are bergamot, grapefruit & rose petal...middle notes are linden flower & geranium, and the base notes are vanilla & black orchid. For me, the initial spray definitely leaves you with just the smell of roses, but after settling, I definitely notice the grapefruit & vanilla, which really prevents it from becoming a 'grandma' floral fragrance. At $18, I think it's well worth the price! (Their larger 3.4 fl oz bottle is worth looking into as well- it's absolutely gorgeous.)

While we're on the topic of Royal Apothic's products....

1. Illume's Boulangerie Jar in Angel Food ($16)
2. Illume's Spring's Eden Candle Tin in Coconut Milk Mango ($18)
3. Illume's Tin Type Candle in Toasted Hazelnut ($18)
4. Royal Apothic's Conservatory Collection Candle in Noble Carnation ($26)

This is already way too long, so I don't want to blab on about it, but Anthro also sell super unique tableware- I swear before I entered this store, I never bought plates or mugs as I don't entertain and saw no need for them, but now my cabinet is full of painted plates and bowls that I use for food photography. (in fact, my mom's been asking where all these new plates are coming from and why we suddenly have so many...) *watches my money fly out of my wallet*

I mean, just look at this adorable sugar bowl/creamer set. I can't handle it!!!!

I can't find this on the Canadian website, but they're $14 each!

Lastly, let's talk about books/paper goods! I got this calendar on sale for $9.95 for my friend who's fond of discovering new drinks.

Can you believe it- Christmas is just 12 days away! I've mostly finished my Christmas shopping, but am still constantly on the lookout for more small gifts (I have a shopping problem...I think that much is obvious, haha.) I haven't been in Chapters in a few months now, so I decided to stop by to see what new things they have in store! I know in the past few years they've really stepped up their game in terms of home decor items & of course various other gifts that aren't just reading material. I was particularly interested in their stationery section-



How cute is all of this?! The larger pencil bags above that say 'hello' are on sale for $9, and the long ones below that with the stripes (bonjour~)/bow are on sale for $6. I don't really need more pencil bags....but these are all my favourite patterns! My friends always joke that the minute a bow is placed on something, I will instantly be drawn to it right away...and it's true :( The same goes for anything striped- I'm honestly very tempted to buy that one for my trip to France.

[Off topic: do you notice something hiding in the back of that second picture?


I also really like the huge journal with the Emily Dickinson quote- it's very simple, but it's a good size & is lined inside, so it'd be a useful gift for any student! I genuinely love taking notes, so every term I go looking for cute new notebooks.

Speaking of journals/notebooks- at about $30, I personally think Moleskines are a great gift for anyone you know that constantly has too many thoughts in their head, haha. I own both a pocket sized one and a large one. Pocket sized for daily thoughts/doodles, etc. and the large one I take with me every time I go on vacation for journaling purposes. (This was before they came out with the Voyageur Travellers notebook- I think I'll pick this up when I eventually fill up my current one!)

One area that I constantly check at Chapters ever since they started carrying the brand....would definitely have to be Kate Spade. Super girly, yet still professional & not over the top; everything they release is always right up my alley. Also for $30, their stylish planners are a must have! I know I wouldn't be able to live without my planner- sure, you can have your schedule in your phone, but I find it much more helpful to write it all down....not to mention all the to-do lists that I come up with daily. I would definitely encourage y'all to check out everything else they're offering- their stationery really is adorable and would all look so chic on your desk!

Finally...here's my pièce de résistance:


their Emma Pencil Pouch Set- inspired by Jane Austen's Emma, of course. On the back is a quote from the book, and inside, it includes an eraser, a sharpener, two pencils, and a ruler. The minute I saw this, I knew I needed it- I swear to you I've put it down on my wishlist already...and honestly, I think it's a great deal for $28. I've definitely even considered using this as a clutch...à la Olympia Le-Tan, whose book clutches are all the rage- literature is fashionable! [OOPS can I segue into mentioning one of my favourite tumblrs- John Jannuzzi, who used to be the editor for Lucky magazine, combines runway fashion with literary/historical characters. I love it. Check it out if you haven't already!!]

I've rambled enough already, but there are truly so many options at Chapters! Aside from what I've mentioned above, they also carry chocolate/snacks, amazing art (like products from Rifle Paper Co.!!! I'm addicted.), candles & beauty products, jewelry & accessories, etc. etc.....and hey, as a last resort, they even carry books ;)




(books really are an excellent gift btw)