Loulou's views

With the festive season officially underway, I put together my 2017 holiday gift guide just in time for you to hit the mall. I featured some amazing products on CTV yesterday, but didn't have enough time to talk about everything on-air, so all the details are here to make your holiday shopping a breeze. For the beauty lover: Clarins:  Clarins is one of my favourite skin-care companies. The  12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar is the perfect gift to give someone to start celebrating the holiday season early, because they'll receive a little gift every day for 12 days. It contains two full-sized products and 10 discovery-sized products, which are much larger than sample size. It’s exclusively available at The Bay and on  www.clarins.com . It retails for $92, with a  value of $174.   The Essentials Winter Palette:  The Essential Eye Palette by Clarins is a holiday exclusive with sales going to support indigenous commun...

It's November, which means we can now officially start talking about and getting ready for... the holiday season! Aren't you excited? There are two times of the year I'm the happiest: summer, and Christmas. I am starting to plan my shopping lists—for myself, and for those I'm buying for this year. I always love shopping at Shoppers Drug Mart because they have a huge selection of gift ideas for my friends, family, neighbours, teachers, and anyone else on my shopping list. This year, shopping is even easier at Shoppers Drug Mart with the new gift finder which is available online. With so many fragrances, gorgeous gifts, yummy treats and the latest toys and electronics, Shoppers Drug Mart has GIFTS MADE EASY for everyone—and it's one-stop shopping—total bonus! I think I'm a smart shopper, especially for the holidays—I make my lists early, I know who I'm shopping for, I ask my kids to prepare their "must-have" lists and I even start shoppin...

The Christmas countdown is on! The school concerts and holiday events are over, and although I'm mostly ready, there are still a few last-minute gifts I have to pick up, presents to wrap, cookies to bake, and parties to attend. Yes, this is what I'd call one very busy week... but I'm not complaining at all! Here are a couple of great last-minute gift ideas for the children on your list: LeapPad Ultra: A few months ago, I was sent to Toronto to attend a LeapFrog event at Harbinger's head office with Amber Mac. We got to preview a whole bunch of awesome LeapFrog toys for kids of all ages. A hot item that a lot of children will find under their Christmas tree this year? The LeapPad Ultra . This is a great tablet designed for kids aged four to seven. The LeapPad Ultra is totally kid-appropriate, and kid-tough. You can drop this tablet a hundred times, and nothing will happen to it! It features a kid-safe web browser that parents can trust, and works w...

The best part about the holidays for me is the shopping. Okay, that sounds awful, doesn't it? Actually, that's not the best part. The best part is spending time with family, decorating the tree with my children, sipping hot chocolate by the fire place, and seeing my children's excitement grow as we get closer to Christmas. It's also about giving back . I love how festive and beautiful everything is, the holiday parties, the cookies, the Bailey's, and yes, the shopping . Especially for my children, especially when they don't give me a list with impossible to find toys on it, and when they remember to stay within Santa's budget! I also enjoy shopping for my mom, best friends, and my sister. Because that means whatever I find for them... I get for myself, too. (Wait.. .am I doing this wrong?) Anyway, here are some great gift ideas for giving—or for receiving, hint, hint —this holiday season! Loulou's Top Eight For Her: Sephora Color Daze Bloc...