Philosophy The Gingerbread Man Foaming Bubble Bath and Shower Gel 
$16 for 16 oz at Philosophy.com

Philosophy's traditional holiday scent offering, The Gingerbread Man, is back again this year with a new label and a snazzy matching gift box. This shower gel from Philosophy is different than the 3-in-1s that company offers. Instead of being a shampoo/shower gel/bubble bath amalgamation, it's a foaming bath and shower gel. The base of the regular 3-in-1s is milk based and is thicker and more creamy. The Gingerbread Man offers a thinner consistency that isn't as creamy. This gel lathers nicely and does create a good bit of foam. In my opinion it works better for "bubble" baths than do the 3-in-1s. The scent of The Gingerbread Man also lingers a while after your shower whereas the scent of the 3-in-1s fades immediately. It's a shame it's not for hair, I always wish the 3-in-1s scent would last a bit longer if only for when I use them in my hair.

The scent is a misnomer. The Gingerbread Man doesn't smell like gingerbread at all. It's a warm autumnal citrus with a hint of spice; fresh ginger. This is a warm and comforting scent but is also a bit exotic. Like all of the Philosophy bath gels I've tried, it's of great quality and a fun way to pamper yourself for a relatively inexpensive price.

China Glaze C-C-Courage 
Wizard of Ooh Ahz Returns
Available at Transdesign, 8ty8Beauty, Sally Beauty

Before this collection was re-released, the only shades I'd been privileged enough to be able to try from the original collection were the ever-famous Ruby Pumps, and Good Witch? Of course, if you know me, I adore Ruby Pumps beyond what's reasonable. Good Witch? however, was a different story. I found it to be an unflattering mess. It's hard to find fault with China Glaze, but I just don't think the frost-base-with-glitter thing works. It does create an interesting look, and an interesting texture, if you're into that on your nails, but I personally don't care for it.

The frosty purple base can be difficult to work with and though the pink microglitter complements the base shade nicely and adds a little subtle glimmer with the movement of your hands, it just looks out of place. I wish it looked on the nails as it did in the bottle. It seems much more harmonious there with everything melding nicely together under the smooth glass. I'd hoped a thick coat of Seche Vite would fix things, but like it does over a chunky glitter, it sinks right into the gaps leaving a slightly more glossy uneven finish. It just looks lumpy to me. It's a sad day when I find a polish by my favorite polish maker that I just plain do not like, but there you go.

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Maybelline Express Finish Fast-Dry Nail Enamel in Tassled Taupe
$1 at Dollar Tree (availability varies)

I picked this polish up from the Dollar Tree a couple weeks ago, so you may be able to find this shade at your particular location.

This shade is a warmish midtone putty brown with gold and copper shimmer. I used three coats here and I really fell like I needed three as the second coat was still a bit spotty. I'm not very familiar with this Maybelline formula, and while not particularly troublesome, it did require a bit of patience and waiting between coats, the end result is quite nice. I used a coat of Seche Vite as top coat here.

Philosophy Mimosa Lip Shine - 0.5 oz for $12 at Philosophy.com

I'm going through a Philosophy craze, and I broke my "no more lip products till my birthday" decree to snag this. I purchased it as part of a set that also contains the Mimosa 3-in-1. This is my first crack at a Philosophy lip product and I really like it. While the scent is not as potent as the 3-in-1 (which smells like Tang powder dumped into some champagne) it's still a lovely product.

The scent, like the shade, is very subtle. It is a light and slightly effervescent scent with only a hint of any orange. The texture is smooth and while thick, isn't goopy. The shimmer is sublime and doesn't really show on the lips; it's more a pearl than anything. Staying-power on this gloss is outstanding and it is quite moisturizing. The applicator is a standard plastic slant-tip. Quite a bit comes out at even the gentlest of squeezes, but it glides on nicely. I'll be sniffing some more of these the next time i'm near a Sephora, for sure.

Have you tried the Philosophy Lip Shines? Which do you love/hate?