NAILS | I Sea You Wear OPI Swatch #CBBxManiMonday

Press sample

We have been doing this #CBBxManiMonday thing for 9 years now and while I haven't been the most consistent, I still do my nails fairly often and when I see them all done up even with just a plain nail polish colour, I feel super put together. This month's theme is simple, but I think one of the more fun ones - "Shimmer and Glitter"!

SHEET MASK | Pacifica Future Youth Time Shift Hydrogel Facial Mask

Purchased by me

It's our first Sheet Mask Sunday of 2026! I started doing Sheet Mask Sunday way back in 2020 as a way to stay organized about my sheet mask usage and lo and behold six years later, I am still doing it! Sometimes, I'm good about weekly other times not so much, but I gotta give myself a pat on the back anyway! I feel like I am starting to see the effects of being such a religious sheet mask user now that I am in my 40s as it's probably the only thing other than genetics that I use more than the average person. 

MAKEUP | Fenty Beauty Holiday Lined + Luminized 2-Piece Lip Set

 

Purchased by me. Affiliate links.

While I was making my Sephora VIB purchases in November last year, I made a little pact with myself that IF I were to make a purchase, I should indirectly "subsidize" the cost of it by doing a review and blogging about it. Yes, this was the idea with all of the other purchases I have made in the past, but I actually struggled to keep my VIB Rouge status last year now that I do most of my makeup purchases through Dior/Holts. I basically ordered 4x from Sephora - two of which were VIB Rouge events, one order of sale items to add to my birthday gift and one order to use my $100 Rouge Gift so it was all very controlled and they were specifically Sephora exclusive items. This year, I don't even know if I want to give Sephora $1000 of my money, but I am sure the beauty lover in me is going to want something new and fun to try out at some point so we shall see!

SKINCARE | Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum

Press sample courtesy of YesStyle. Affiliate links.

Happy 2026! We made it everyone! It only made sense for the first review of this year to be all about *GLOW* so here we go with the Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum! 

BODY | APLB Glutathione Niacinamide Body Lotion

Press sample provided by YesStyle, Affiliate links.

On this final day of 2025, I am choosing to feature Korean brand APLB ("A plus B") because I have been seeing this brand on my IG feed for awhile now and finally got the opportunity to try one of their brightening products! I have purchased a few APLB sheet masks, but have yet to try them out so this Glutathione Niacinamide Body Lotion is going to be the first of I'm sure many APLB reviews!

NAILS | Poinsettia in Bloom Swatch

Press sample

I honestly thought that I would have the time and energy to blog on my precious days off this month, but on three of the days I had off, Harper was having some litterbox issues so I was coordinating when to take her to the vet and then watching her like a hawk at home for possible crystal blockages. She seems better now, but I think we will need to take her into the vet in the New Year to get a proper urine sample and possibly some bloodwork as she is 7 years old now and hasn't had any of this done. I cannot believe she is 7 now! It feels like 2019 and we just got her, but I blame the pandemic for screwing up my sense of time!