MAKEUP | My Favourite Pixi Blushes

I feel like a broken record this year with my saying "I wish I had discovered this/these earlier!", but I have actively been trying to use what I have in my collection this 2019 which are just far too many untrieds whether they be press samples or things I have purchased on my own. When it comes to Pixi Beauty, I have focused a lot on their skincare and with good reason (because it's awesome and innovative), but they actually have some fantastic makeup too! This month I made a personal goal to dive more into Pixi when it came to makeup and I am so glad I did because I have been quite surprised at how much I have been liking everything! For the sake of Marie Kondo organization, I have decided to group "like with like" starting with my favourite Pixi blushes! 

PR samples

NAILS | Jamberry Nail Wraps in Black and White #CBBxManiMonday

I hope no Jamberry consultants see this post because this manicure turned out to be a horrible fail which I believe to be my fault and not really that of the wraps. I first reviewed (and LOVED) the Jamberry Nail Wraps back in 2014 at the height of the nail wrap trend and after trying many MANY brands, Jamberry wraps were actually the ones that worked best for me. As the last ManiMonday for "Nails I Wouldn't Do", the nail artist in me always feels a little weird using wraps because I feel like I'm cheating, but for a design like today's, for someone like me who can't stamp, I would prefer the wrap option! My application technique must have been better 5 years ago because the results were not quite as nice this time around...

Purchased by me

KBEAUTY | Oozoo Bear Aurora Illuminating Mask

Remember how CUTE the OOZOO Bear was? I grabbed a few of these sheet masks almost two years ago at Miniso and it remains one of the more memorable ones for me as who wouldn't want to squeeze a bear's ear to drench their sheet mask in essence?! That's a very weird sentence to write, but this gimmick is totally effective! I first reviewed the hydrating version of this mask, loved it and now I have the Aurora Illuminating Mask to share with you!

Purchased by me

HAIR | Playa Clean Hair Care from California

I honestly thought I had been chatting waaaay too much about haircare last year, but when I look back at blog posts from 2018 there really weren't that many in comparison to skincare or makeup! I use so many different hair products and even though I still have an overwhelming amount of haircare to share with you, much of what I use depends on the current colour of my hair. When I have blue or purple hair, I tend to stick with just colour-preserving shampoos in comparison to when I am blonde-ish and need to go back to purple shampoo. I will be sticking with dark blue for now until probably the Spring and because I haven't had to bleach my hair since last May it actually feels like relatively normal hair again. 

PR samples

NAILS | Scotch Taping #CBBxManiMonday

As I write this, I am once again tearing up to "Fuller House" on Netflix. The nostalgia of watching this show plus how much raunchier and funnier it is has been thoroughly enjoyable even with the new family members. I highly recommend the show to anyone who just loves a cheesy good time and grew up on "Full House"! It's a good thing "Fuller House" is so feelgood because this manicure did NOT make me feel good. AT FIRST.

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KBEAUTY | Repiel Timeless Line Bio Masks (Line Shot, Mela Shot and Aqua Shot!)

It's sheet mask time again! I have been DYING to share my thoughts on the Repiel Timeless Collection because they are all biocellulose masks which are one of my FAVOURITE types of mask material because not only is the texture like skin, the fit is near perfect and my skin is always so happy afterwards! The Timeless Collection also come very sexily packaged in syringe-like tubes which also make great containers for storing the leftover essence for later use!

PR samples

MAKEUP | Suva Beauty Saffron Collection

This is one of those collections where when I finally took the time to photograph and play I WISHED I had brought it out sooner because the colours, the formula were so glorious it pained me to know that I had been missing out all this time, but as you saw from my palette clean out, I have a tendency to let eyeshadow palettes sit untouched and become wall art. The Suva Beauty Saffron Collection is one inspired by immigrant families. Suva's founder, Shaina Azad, used her Fijian upbringing filled with memories of family gatherings to come up with Hindi-named shades like "Badnam" and "Besharam" as well as a spice-inspired eyeshadow palette.

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NAILS | Watercolour Feathers #CBBxManiMonday

Watercolour nails. For a moment, they were all the rage a few years ago and though I have tried once or twice in the last seven years, they are just nails I never really do even though I do think they are pretty. Maybe I just think the idea of diluting nail polish is blasphemy, but when I realized I had two of the Born Pretty Blooming Nail Polishes, I figured it was time to try this again and add some extra flair if I could!

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BEAUTY | St. Tropez Bronzing Face Sheet Mask with Selfies

Where has this week gone? We have gone from "early to mid January" in the blink of an eye! I know many of us have been bitten with the Marie Kondo Bug, but I've actually been decluttering since the middle of December starting with my makeup. I still have a long ways to go as I find it difficult to do after I have come home from work, but the last two days I have stayed up until 12am working on clearing out underneath the bathroom sink and I am happy to say that MUCH has  been given away. I had 20 dry shampoos under there and I have no idea why I had so many!

In addition to decluttering my real life, I have decided to shift my blog content back to more of a mixture of beauty as this space was a Sheet Mask Mecca for the latter half of 2018, but it has been a little while since a dedicated sheet mask post and this was one that I had a lot of questions about! A sheet mask that tans makes perfect sense in theory and though I was afraid of what could happen - I had to give the St. Tropez Bronzing Face Sheet Mask* a try!

PR sample from LD Beauty Event

BEAUTY | 2019 Resolutions

I never really made any beauty resolutions last year other than going on the classic January no-buy which was fairly successful, but MUCH harder than I thought it would be. I feel like you shouldn't have to go on a full no-buy, but more like a "low-buy". I made a more conscious effort to think about my purchases and though I had my moments of splurginess especially once I caught "sheet mask fever" in full force, I have still been able to save money and enjoy life. Though I have personal resolutions in some form or another, this space is about beauty resolutions!

PR samples featured

NAILS | Going Matte #CBBxManiMonday

Ah, the first set of nails for 2019! In the spirit of making resolutions, the theme for #CBBxManiMonday for the rest of this month is "Nails I Don't Do" so be prepared to see some truly crazy things (*dramatic pause*) from us! I had planned on doing a different set of nails to start off this challenge, but Marie Kondo got the best of my husband and I at 9pm last night and by the time we had finished, it was far too late to do anything that required significant dry time. I did think of something that was quick to do for this challenge and it was MATTE NAILS. I have never been a fan of them and while I have done them on occasion for effect, I rarely buy a matte nail polish and keep it that way so here is it is - totally matte - from the Sinful Colors x Kylie Jenner Denim & Bling Collection is the swatch "Kobalt"! 

Purchased by me

SKINCARE | Indulging in Nannette de Gaspe

It is no secret that I have been fascinated with the Montreal-based brand, Nannette de Gaspe, since their invention of the original dry sheet mask! After buying and trying the masks for the face, mouth and eyes, I was delighted to see last Spring that new products were available starting with a new and more affordable dry sheet mask and the Art of Noir Skincare Collection, which features a proprietary blend of Black Tahitian Pearl extract, Black Tea Ferment and Black Currant Seed Oil known as Concentré Noir. 

Some PR samples 

GIVEAWAY | NYX Sugar Trip Advent Calendar with Swatches

This was supposed to have been in my possession before Christmas but with my wonky schedule didn't end up arriving until we were all giveaway'd out so now that I am sure everyone is on some sort of no-buy, it's the perfect time for me to give something back to YOU! Now, I am sure many of you saw the NYX Sugar Trip Advent Calendar* with its fun packaging and 24 days of makeup and now that I have had a chance to play and swatch everything inside, I am legit excited for whoever will get this calendar for themselves! 

PR sample

SKINCARE | My Top 13 Sheet Masks from 2018!

Well Happy New Year everyone! We have made it to 2019, Trump is still President, Elizabeth Warren has made her bid for 2020, Justin has finally moved on from Selena and the beauty world truly became a lucrative jackpot for brands and makeup enthusiasts alike, but not without some drama. Well, you won't find that here today! I tried out hundreds of sheet masks in 2018 (quite literally thanks to my #100DaysofSheetMasks Challenge) and though it was a bit of a blur, I do have some true standouts to share that truly worked for me starting off with one I talk about a lot!