As soon as we tell our friends & family that we are going on another cruise in September, their first question is always “Which ship?”. When we reply with “The MSC Seaside”, we typically see confused faces in response. “I’ve never heard of them”, they say. It’s true – North Americans tend to associate cruising with the more well-known lines such as Royal Caribbean, Carnival, or Norwegian. However, while MSC is new to the North American market, they are not new to cruising. MSC is actually the 4th largest cruise line in the world, coming in after the aforementioned three lines.

MSC Seaside

MSC is a European cruise line that recently expanded its market to North America. While the MSC Divina has been sailing the Caribbean since 2013, the MSC Seaside is their first ship that was built specifically for the North American market. The MSC Seaside entered into service in December 2017 and currently sails from Miami, Florida to the caribbean.

One of my good friends was actually on the third sailing of the MSC Seaside in January. Initially (as with many new ships), there were a number of issues and many bad reviews. My friend didn’t recommend the ship to me but she wasn’t surprised when I told her about my plans to sail on the Seaside in September. I believe it is vital to give any cruise line a few months to work out the kinks and so I did my research & now I’m presenting to you the five reasons why we booked the MSC Seaside, despite the initial negative reviews.

Five Reasons To Book The MSC Seaside

1. The Architecture & Design

The look of a cruise ship is a major factor in whether or not I will book. In fact, the reason why I haven’t sailed Carnival yet is because I am generally not a fan of how their ships actually look. However, no one can deny the beauty of the MSC Seaside. The aft design was inspired by Miami condos and features an outside elevator with breathtaking views, as well as the stunning “Bridge of Sighs”, a glass-bottomed bridge on the 16th floor!

The inside features a stunning multi-story atrium with large interactive video screens, numerous bars, and the Insta-worthy Swarovski staircases. Known as the “Ship that follows the sun”, the MSC Seaside offers ample opportunities for guests to view the sun and sea, including a boardwalk promenade featuring restaurants and shops on deck 8.

2. The Price

Initially, we hadn’t planned to go on another cruise until our honeymoon. Cruising is quite expensive, especially when you consider airline tickets and hotels on top of the actual cruise fare. We planned to take a cheaper trip to an all-inclusive resort given our budget, however, we couldn’t turn down the price of this cruise! For what we would have paid for an all-inclusive resort, we are getting a 7-night cruise with unlimited drinks! Of all the cruises we have done and those we have booked for the future, this is by far the most affordable. I highly recommend checking out MSC if you want to cruise on a budget!

3. The Food

Food on cruise lines is a very subjective topic. And because I have yet to sail on the MSC Seaside, I cannot comment on the quality of the food itself yet, but I can tell you that I am very excited about it. I’ve heard that the pasta, bread, and pizza is to die for! Furthermore, the unlimited drink package also includes unlimited gelato. Oh, and don’t get me started on the coffee-based drinks! And if that wasn’t enough, there’s also a chocolate bar. Consider me sold!

4. The Multicultural Experience

MSC is a European cruise line and therefore, many of the guests are located outside of North America. In fact, MSC doesn’t sailaway from Miami until late in the evening to allow European guests time to fly into Miami earlier in the day (which I don’t recommend doing). On the MSC Seaside, you will hear announcements in a variety of languages. You will also witness a magnitude of people from different countries and with different mannerisms. It’s a great opportunity to meet people outside of your culture & perhaps make new friends from a different part of the world.

5. The Music & Ambiance

This may sound like an odd reason to book a cruise but it’s an aspect that we are very excited about. From videos and Instastories that we’ve seen of the MSC Seaside, it seems that there is a lot of focus on EDM, or electronic dance music. Given that this is a European ship, I am not surprised, as EDM is quite prominent there. While there will be a number of bars with a variety of music onboard with something to suit everyone’s taste, I am looking forward to hearing more club music and less Jimmy Buffet on this ship.

I will definitely be writing a review after we actually sail on this ship but I am hoping it will exceed my expectations!

Have you been on the MSC Seaside? If not, what has been your favourite cruise ship?

All photos copywrighted to MSC Cruise Line and used from their Media Resources Image Bank.

Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Creme Review & Swatches

This post contains affiiliate links.

Revlon was kind enough to send along a bunch of their new Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Creme lipsticks for me to test out. They are available in 10 shades, ranging from a pale nude to a deep burgandy, and can be purchased at Walmart, Amazon or any other store that sells Revlon products for approx. $10-$14 CAD.

Review

The Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Cremes are packaged in a thin, lightweight squeeze tube that contains 0.25oz of product. The tube has a twistable cap and a plastic doe-foot applicator. When squeezed from the tube, the product appears quite opaque, however, becomes less opaque when applied to the lips.

Personally, this is not a product that I could apply without a mirror. Once applied to the lips, the product has to be spread evenly (thankfully this is quite easy with the plastic applicator). However, the product has the tendency to gather in certain areas, particularly in the corners of my lips, as well as around the edge of my lips. Revlon does recommend outlining your lip with a lip pencil (which I didn’t do), so that may help prevent that problem!

Once blended, the colors are quite opaque with the exception of the lightest shade, “Cashmere Creme”. While that one doesn’t look great up-close, it provides a nice, natural-looking gloss from a distance. With the exception of “Cashmere Creme” and “Rich Bordeaux”, which was streaky, the colors looked gorgeous on the lips.

The product is described as a “creme” and initially, it does appear to have the texture of a cream. However, when blended, it gives a beautiful, glossy finish. The lip cream isn’t sticky whatsoever and is very comfortable and hydrating on the lips. As with any glossy lip product, it does wear off over time, and during meals.

The Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Creme claims to plump lips thanks to a trademarked ingredient called “Volulip”. The product did leave my lips with a tingling, minty feeling for approximately 5 minutes after application. I was also quite impressed as my lips do appear larger than usual in the swatches below.

Swatches

Here are six unedited swatches in natural light:

Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Creme in “500” – Cashmere Creme

Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Creme in “505” – Apricot Silk

Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Creme in “515” – Almond Suede

Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Creme in “520” – Fresh Petal

Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Creme in “530” – Peony Buff

Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Creme in “545” -Rich Bordeaux

Have you tried the Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Creme lipstick? I’d love to hear your thoughts in a comment below!

April 2018 Favourites

This post contains affiliate links.

“Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon | I’ve had a few people recommend this series to me, but it wasn’t until my mother received the first book for Christmas that I decided to pick it up. Despite the length of the book (nearly 900 pages!), I devoured it and immediately ordered the second book from Amazon. The books have also been made into a TV show which is available on Netflix. Each season corresponds to each book so Jordan and I just finished watching the first season. Can we just talk about how Sam Heughan is the perfect actor for the character of Jamie? I’m eagerly working my way through the second novel now so that we can watch season two.

Flamingo Coffee Mug | I walked away from this mug a couple of times because I kept telling myself that I didn’t need yet another mug until finally I bit the bullet and bought it. I’m a self-proclaimed mug collector and the flamingos as well as the pink and green colors of this one makes it perfect for spring.

Espresso Maker | We spent a long time debating an espresso machine and in fact, I nearly bought a Nespresso at Winners a couple weeks ago. After a lot of back and forth, we hopped on Amazon and purchased this one. We figured it would be a good starter machine and the reviews were excellent. Thus far, we have been really pleased with our decision! My waist line may regret it though, as we’ve been making lattes every day since this arrived.

Bonavista Coffee Company | After ordering the espresso machine, we had to pick up some espresso beans. Because I love supporting local and also because this packaging is to die for, I chose these from the Bonavista Coffee Company. To be honest, I can’t really compare the taste to anything else as I’ve never tried any other espresso beans but I would absolutely purchase these again.

Laneige Multiberry Yogurt Repairing Mask | Prior to receiving my new skincare order from the Sephora VIB Sale, I was using this mask nearly every night. While the instructions state to rinse this mask off after 5-10 minutes, I was using it as a sleeping mask. My skin was quite dry at the time and this left it feeling moisturized and plump in the morning, without any greasy residue. For the price, I highly recommend this one! It smells super yummy too.

Revlon Colorstay Brow Kit * | I was surprised by this product as I’ve never used a wax/powder brow product before. It seemed cumbersome and time-consuming but it has since become my go-to! It’s actually quite easy to use and doesn’t take any longer than any other brow product. I love how the brush creates a sharp edge while still creating a natural-looking brow. The color match is pretty decent for blonde hair too! A lot of brow products tend to be really warm but this is a nice, natural blonde.

Revlon PhotoReady Insta-Filter Foundation * | I added this one to the list because I love the formula but I have to be honest and say that I hate the packaging. Revlon kindly sent me a few different colors so this isn’t the exact one that I am using because mine has the sponge-tipped applicator ripped off. I’m not sure why but the twist-pump action didn’t work so the only way I can get the product out is to shake it out on to my beauty blender. However, the formula and color match is great! Honestly, it wears better than my high-end foundation. It provides medium-full coverage and lasts pretty well through a 12-hour shift. I just wish they would change it to a pump dispenser!

Physician’s Formula Butter Highlighter in “Rose Gold”| As a huge fan of the Butter Bronzer, I was so excited to get my hands on the Butter Highlighter. Unfortunately, this shade is way too dark to be used as a highlighter on my pale skin. Instead, I’ve been using it for an easy eye look! It blends out seamlessly and provides a gorgeous gold wash of color on the lid.

What are your favourite products for April? Leave a comment or link below!

*PR sample provided