BATH | The Lush Halloween Collection

It's tiiiiiime for Lush Halloweeeeeeen! I got to this year's collection a little late as Inventory at work pushed my schedule for everything way back, but as always there are some old favourites (I'll link them here) and new goodies that have positively bewitched me!

PR samples

NAILS | "Walkin' Into Spiderwebs" #CBBxManiMonday

It's crazy that we are now on the last Halloween ManiMonday of the month and though I would like to do one more set of Halloween themed nails on the 31st, I really don't know if I will have the energy to do something incredibly creative, but for today's manicure, I have mixed feelings mainly because it didn't go according to plan and I did not have time to redo them since I am one of those people who prefers to paint at 10pm the day before she has to get up early for work. On top of that, I am still sheet masking every night which NORMALLY I wouldn't do because it's just too many things to do in the 4 hours I have free every work night. When it comes to saving on time while providing amazing results, nail vinyls are my go-to option and I have been dying to try these spiderweb vinyls from Whats Up Nails since last year!

Some PR samples featured

KBEAUTY | Jayjun Cosmetic Baby Pure Shining Mask #100DaysofSheetMasks

When I started my sheet mask hunt for what to try first and fan favourites, any sheet mask from Jayjun Cosmetic (and yes it's Cosmetic not Cosmetics) kept popping up so I made it a point to find what sheet masks I could from this baby of a Korean company (launched in 2014) to see what the fuss was all about starting with one of the more highly chatted about masks - The Baby Pure Shining Mask!

BEAUTY | Cleaning My Makeup Brushes Naturally with Ativo Skincare

I think we all have a love-hate relationship with cleaning our makeup brushes and I swear sometimes that's why I have so many as to avoid washing them everyday! I am not the best at keeping to even a weekly schedule for cleaning my brushes, but three years ago I decided to try Sephora's Solid Brush Cleaner as a less expensive option for the Beauty Blender version and was so impressed that it has been the only brush cleaner I have used since. Then something happened last week. The Ativo Skincare Brush Cleaner arrived at my door and after using it I pretty much LOVE IT and will use it forever. 

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SKINCARE | Naruko Jing Cheng Face Renewal Miracle Mask #100DaysofSheetMasks

I keep talkin' Korean beauty, but the Taiwanese people make great skincare too! Last year I discovered Taiwanese brand Naruko and was really pleased with what I had tried so I was super excited when they agreed to be a part of my #100DaysofSheetMask Challenge! My 100th mask will be on November 8th and lemme tell ya, 31 day mask challenges will be a BREEZE compared to this one! I haven't seen anyone online do 100 straight days of sheet masking and it definitely isn't for the faint of heart. My skin is quite resilient so I haven't had any breakouts, but I am systematic about which combination of masks I am using so I will not use for instance, a super hydrating biocellulose mask back to back with another. Naruko makes some pretty good sheet masks (review here) with the Magnolia Brightening and Firming Mask being my favourite from them so far so let's see how the Jing Cheng Face Renewal Miracle Mask* fared against my current favourite!  

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GIVEAWAY | Live Clean Fresh Water Collection

This month is Cosmetic Proof's 7th birthday and I look back at how I started, my photos and content and I am relatively content with my progress. I see evolution which is always promising, but the only thing I have always been hesitant to change is my blog template. This is mainly because I cannot stand designing ANYTHING and in the interest of keeping this space looking less like a magazine and more like a wholesome beauty journal, I have always kept things really simple. Part of the evolution process has included creating brand relationships with some brands having been with me for a long time and Live Clean is one of them! I know you all love their products as much as I do so here's to another year of blogging with this giveaway featuring the Fresh Water Collection! 

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KBEAUTY | Kocostar Cucumber Sliced Mask #100DaysofSheetMasks

I am all for putting food on my face so when I spotted this cucumber mask by Kocostar at Anthropologie, the cuteness factor won me over and I had to have this plus the Tomato and Lemon masks (reviews to come) as mini masks are my new favourite thing! Kocostar is a Korean brand that is pretty hard to find in Canada with only just a few of their masks being available at various stores around the city. BeautyMark (so sad they are gone now) used to carry a good selection of Kocostar masks so I will have those coming to show you guys as well, but for today it'll just be cucumber slices! 

NAILS | Jack-O-Lanterns #CBBxManiMonday

Last week just whizzed right by as we were preparing for Inventory at work and then actually doing it over the weekend which for anyone who has worked in a large retail environment, takes a ton of planning on the management side and traditionally has been quite stressful even if we know what's coming. It's like a combination of wedding planning and writing a final exam since there is a score at the end. Now, that Inventory is over, I am fighting the beginnings of a sore throat and a canker sore which is just FANTASTIC.

I had ordered a couple of Halloween nail vinyls from WhatsUp Nails last year, but then they got lost in shipping and ended up having them replaced in November, but WhatUp Nails was kind enough to gift me an equivalent amount of vinyls for Christmas so that I could still do some holiday-themed nail art. Big thumbs up for customer service there! I also realized in my zombie-like state last night that I had no nails for today so luckily I remembered that I had these replacement Halloween vinyls!

PR samples and gifted vinyls

NAILS | Marijuana Mummies

Call it my love of alliteration or the fact that something kind of huge just happened a few days ago, but weed is now legal in Canada and "Marijuana Mummies" NEEDED to happen! While nail art can be fun and glittery, those of you who have been with me for awhile on this crazy beauty journey know that I love creating nail art content that may not be pretty, but also a little funny, nerdy and in this case political! While I am not opposed to using pot, I do look forward to when companies like Dosist can sell their products in Canada as I like the wellness aspect that comes with marijuana usage and would probably benefit from a measured dose or two!

Some PR samples featured

KBEAUTY | Laneige Water Pocket Sheet Masks #1 to #6 - The Breakdown #100DaysofSheetMasks

I like Laneige, but ever since the brand became MUCH more mainstream in North America I have been slower to jump on the bandwagon for new products. I'm weird like that where if something gets too popular, I get even more suspicious about why it's doing so well and usually end up trying it after the craze has mellowed or not at all. In the case of the Laneige Water Pocket Sheet Masks, I saw them on the Sephora website last year and though the packaging was enticing, I didn't look into them until this year when I started my hunt for "cool sheet masks" and rediscovered them! 

Some PR samples featured

NAILS | Bloody Monster Mouth Kitty Stitches #CBBxManiMonday

I realize looking at these photos that I have no orange in my manicure so it's almost like a Christmas manicure except for the fangs, evil kitty and blood. I guess it depends on how your Christmas celebrations go, but we are now halfway through October which means two more weeks until Halloween! I had my first piece of Halloween-sized candy over the weekend which signals the beginning of the indulgent season of chocolate and feeling like I've eaten too much every week! I have been wanting to do all these Halloween designs over the years and finally sat down today and chose a few favourites!

Some PR samples featured

KBEAUTY | Entia No Filter Moisturizing Mask #100DaysofSheetMasks

You may have noticed that over the last 4 months I have been loving sheet masks. Nay, OBSESSED with sheet masks to the point that seeing them in my house, in someone else's house, in a store makes me so happy. I know it's a bit weird, but I'm a fairly pragmatic person who doesn't get excited often and though I am sensible when it comes to most things, I have completely lost all sense of sensibility when it comes to sheet masks. It is like a beast has awoken inside of me and all it wants to do is sheet mask myself and all who come in contact with it. I have had a few people tell me that they started going through their own stash or buying sheet masks because of my #100DaysofSheetMask Challenge and that genuinely makes me SO HAPPY. There is a lot of crap going on in the world right now, but for 15-20 minutes every day, we can all relax and have happy skin. No one can argue with that! 

HAIR | Garnier Fructis 1 Minute Hair Treats

Not only have I been sheet masking like a demon, but I have also been hair masking every time I wash my hair! While I understand the importance of hair masking at least once a week when you have coloured or damaged hair, I have noticed that a lot of hair masks require 10-20 minutes to penetrate the hair shaft to really make any sort of difference. I prefer to do all of my hair masking in the shower and I can never find enough to do while waiting plus I hate wasting running water like that so when I saw that the Garnier Fructis Hair Treats were just ONE MINUTE I was sold just on the luxury of TIME!

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SKINCARE | Yes To Mud Masks #100DaysofSheetMasks

I have always been someone who loves the concept of a clay mask and its detoxification and cleansing benefits, but despite the numbers of pots and packages of mud I have, I tend to prefer the instant effects of chemical exfoliation. While I am fine with puttering around AFTER my shower for 20 minutes with a sheet mask on, I for some reason find it difficult to make time BEFORE a shower to mud mask. Sheet masking consistently for the past 65 days has made me acutely aware of the importance of self-care so let me tell you just how NICE these Yes To Mud Masks have been!

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NAILS | Halloween Black Kitty Cats #CBBxManiMonday

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! I had mentioned on Friday through my Instagram stories that I had to work all the way through until today, but hubs and I did end up having a quiet Thanksgiving dinner when I got home from work. I'm not big on family dinners and get-togethers (I know, I am the daughter from hell) and especially with how I always feel when I come home from my job, I am just devoid of energy. I expend so much of my brain power at work that I find it physically difficult to socialize much afterwards so thankfully Casey is a fan of both cooking and having quiet dinners! 

Some PR samples featured

KBEAUTY | Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Jelly Sheet Mask #100DaysofSheetMasks

Exactly two years ago, I placed my first Glow Recipe order because it was THE super sexy new place to shop for Kbeauty products that weren't quite as mainstream in North America as other more well-known favourites. Even now, I still find their selection of products quite good and then Glow Recipe did something even sexier - come out with their very own line of products! Only recently have their products become available at Sephora so when their Watermelon Glow Jelly Sheet Mask became available to order I jumped at the chance! I mean, look at how CUTE that packaging is!

SKINCARE | Yes To Paper Sheet Mask Collection #100DaysofSheetMasks

When it comes to drugstore skincare products, Yes To has ranked "up there" on my skincare scale as fairly effective, fun and most importantly affordable. I have always enjoyed the Yes to Cucumber and Grapefruit line and last year's Yes To Cotton collection was a favourite to a point of finishing the moisturizer to "Empties" status!

When I was in Las Vegas last year, I made my way into CVS for fruit (because there is no fruit at a decent price on The Strip!) and obviously had to wander into the beauty aisle and saw WHACKLOADS of Yes To sheet masks. I picked up a few and then waited patiently for them to make their way into Canada and lo and behold they did a few months ago! I thought there were only four "flavours", but when I went to Target in Maine last month holy moly were there other masks! Now, I will unfortunately have to preface this with the fact that I was pretty unimpressed with the sheet mask situation here, but it did not stop me from buying more from Yes To while I was in the US! See, I don't hold a grudge when it comes to sheet masks!

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MAKEUP | SUVA Beauty Moisture Matte Liquid Lipsticks with Full Face Lip Swatches

First there were insanely pigmented and gorgeous eyeshadows and now there are brand new liquid lipsticks from SUVA Beauty! There are times I wonder if I still even WANT to try yet another liquid lipstick, but I realize now that I am starting to wear more matte liquid lipsticks than before and can never resist trying different formulas! To me, the most important qualities of a good liquid lipstick are comfort, ease of application and longevity - all of which are promised by SUVA Beauty's new Moisture Matte Liquid Lipsticks! 

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SKINCARE | Bawdy Beauty Slap It Caffeine Butt Mask #100DaysofSheetMasks

While I missed out on going to Cosmoprof in Vegas this year, I DID stalk their Instagram to see which brand would be awarded the Trendsetter award as these are usually products that are unlike anything else in the beauty market in a particular category. This is the year of the sheet mask and though I have sheet masked on and off over the years, I really took it seriously at the start of 2018 and now I am out to try the weirdest, best and most amusing sheet masks out there including ones for anything OTHER than the face. Introducing the very first BUTT MASK! 

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NAILS | The Eyes Have It #CBBxManiMonday

My favourite season is here! I adore October because of Halloween! I have often said that discovering the beauty world has meant rediscovering how fun Halloween is and making up for lost time as I was never really that into it growing up. No, I don't use Halloween as a free pass to be a "sexy mouse" or "sexy cat", but I just love playing with makeup and more importantly NAILS! For the rest of this month, all you are going to see are Halloween-themed manicures starting with this set of creepy eyes!

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