SHEET MASK | Viva Organics Collagen Hyaluronic Acid Mask #CanadaEh

I am going to squeeze in one last Canadian brand for this month's Canada theme and that is Vancouver-based Viva Organics! Best known for the Amaze Exfoliating Gel, Viva Organics was founded almost 20 years ago by husband and wife duo Amy and Jimmy when there were fewer options for skincare with effective and more herbal ingredients. Now, we have a ton of options, but even so, the natural skincare industry is becoming saturated with phrases like "no harsh chemicals" and "non-toxic" to a point where I don't even know what to use anymore to describe this category of beauty/skincare products. All I will say about Viva Organics is that their brand focus is on small batch natural skincare technology made without parabens, synthetic fragrances, endocrine disruptors, carcinogens or GMOs. Though I haven't tried the Amaze Exfoliating Gel yet, it was the Collagen Hyaluronic Acid Mask that caught my eye and has turned out to be one of my favourite mask discoveries this year!  

Purchased by me

NAILS | Girly Bits Le Freak #CBBxManiMonday

Going to the Backstreet Boys concert on Saturday night seriously screwed up my blogging and overall life schedule (even though it was AMAZING and seriously a dream come true to go!) because I was just exhausted after the concert was over! I had to work the next day and I honestly don't remember how I was even able to get up in the morning. On top of that, my ears were RINGING for about two days and I was so worried that I was going to have to live with tinnitus for the rest of my life and have to listen to white noise 24/7 in order to not go insane! Thankfully, my hearing came back on Monday and all was well, but I did not have a manicure prepared until today, but now that I do, isn't it purrrdy? 

PR samples

SHEET MASKS | New Avon Anew Sheet Masks That Brighten, Calm and Smooth!

It has been two years since Avon launched a sheet mask and now that we are well into the sheet mask craze, I am excited to say that in addition to the body sheet masks I reviewed last month, there are now three more yummy-looking sheet masks to try that focus on calming, smoothing and brightening the skin - three things that I cannot say no to! 

PR samples

MAKEUP | Shu Uemura x Maison Kitsune Camo Lip Swatches

Shu Uemura and Maison Kitsune are back with this year's summer Camo Collection! Unlike the previous Maison Kitsune Christmas collection that was characteristic of Shu's bright and fun esthetic, this collection is smoky and cool and makes me feel like I should be vaping while wearing one of these lipsticks. Though there is also an eyeshadow palette as well as an Ultime8 Cleansing Oil, I am all over these incredible lipsticks!

PR samples

NAILS | Purple and Glitter Crescents #CBBxManiMonday

Today is my Friday and I could not be happier! I don't normally work 5 days in a row as I usually have my two days off scattered throughout the week, so I am really feeling the need for a break! Continuing on the glitter train AND the theme of Canadian brands, I am using two new shades of Prim + Proper I picked up two weeks ago in today's glitter-packed manicure!

MAKEUP | MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Nude Creme Lipsticks

Slowly getting back on the glossy lip train and whenever I see a new product from MAKE UP FOR EVER I am rarely disappointed! Now that it's summer, I am all about glowy skin and nude lips that make me look sexy AF now that I am blonde so when I saw the new Artist Nude Creme Lipsticks where I was bound to find my "ideal nude", I legit could not WAIT to try these out for myself! Coming in 12 shades, I am already feeling the twinges of my Plexigloss rampage from 2015 when I bought four more on top of the four press samples I already had! I just loved those things and now I know I will be picking up at least one more shade of these liquid lipsticks! 

PR samples

SHEET MASK | The New GLAMGLOW COOLSHEET No Drip Hydrating Sheet Mask

I think I am a bit jaded when it comes to skincare and now that I am more familiar with ingredients, there are a lot of hyped up products that I don't buy because a lot of products contain just filler product. When I see a luxury product or a $500 moisturizer riddled with dimethicone and preservatives in higher concentration than the featured ingredient, I have some serious doubts. I also tend to avoid "Hollywood brands", BUT if the price is right and I think the experience might be worth it, I will give it a shot. I also figure it might help some of you in your decisions as I humbly volunteer as tribute to test out the new GLAMGLOW COOLSHEET No Drip Hydrating Sheet Mask!

NAILS | More Glitter and Stuff #CBBxManiMonday

I have been a good little nail artist and have had this and NEXT WEEK'S ManiMonday prepared for the last 2 weeks! Since the theme for this month is glitter, I have been using a peel-off basecoat which means that yes, the glitter comes off with an easy peel, BUT my manicures last only for 1-3 days. If I wash my hands a lot, the manicure might not even make it a full 24 hours...which is why I have had the chance to paint my nails more frequently! The CBB is also focusing on Canadian brands so you will be seeing London Drugs house brand, Prim + Proper, in this post and the next few since they are a 7-free brand as well as vegan!  

SHEET MASKS | Lumeclat by Bioesque Biocellulose Masks #CanadaEh

It is that time of the week where I talk sheet masks again and though I know they aren't everyone's cup of tea, out of all the beauty products I have ever featured, sheet masks seem to be such an icebreaker! I don't know if it's because I've gone from "I should look glam and pretty" to "I'm wearing a sheet mask, wanna fight about it?", but I feel less embarrassed about being bare faced and more confident in showcasing my own skin. I feel like if I'm going to invest in my skin like this, you all should get a chance to see how it's doing right? 

Sheet masks come in all price points and materials, but the real "investments" are when it comes to biocellulose masks! The good ones are usually more than $10 per mask and while I have enjoyed some good ones at a lower price point, there is nothing like a truly luxurious biocellulose mask like the Lumeclat ones from Vancouver-based company Bioesque!

PR samples

MAKEUP | Conair True Glow Glam Vibrating Makeup Blender and Brush Set

Lemme tell ya that the last week and a half of testing these makeup applicators was really confusing...for my cat! The vibration sounds like his favourite motorized toy mouse so every morning I have gotten some VERY curious eyes looking at me in the bathroom! I remember first seeing motorized makeup tools and being fascinated with whether they really made THAT much more of a difference to how a cream or powder formula looked and whether I could really get airbrushed looking skin as the vibration is meant to mimic the tapping of the fingers on skin. This was years ago and now foundation finishes are so flawlessly perfect that I wonder if the added vibration will really change anything which is exactly what I sought to find out with Conair's new True Glow Glam Collection! 

PR samples

NAILS | Teal Love #CBBxManiMonday

I adore the colour teal. If I had to wear this family every day, I may actually say yes because it takes my love of blue and green and fuses them together to create this beautiful shade! Continuing on with our CBB theme of  "Glitter", I really really REALLY wanted to use a gorgeous polish I picked up last year - Cirque Paraiba from the 2018 Facets Collection! The colour is inspired by the very rare and expensive paraiba tourmaline which I have actually had the pleasure of seeing live in the form of a ring and tiara from Chaumet and it is a stunning stone! The tiara was about $500,000! 

PR sample

SHEET MASKS | MaskerAide Signature Line #CanadaEh

I posted my first review of MaskerAide six years ago and it was of one of my favourite and now discontinued sheet masks The All Nighter.  It has been loved by many including Kim Kardashian and though I was sad to see it discontinued, I have enough of a supply for the next year or so, but I don't know how I will react after that so I will have to cross that bridge when it's time! Along with changing up their product lineup, MaskerAide has also revamped their packaging giving it a facelift from the original 2012 designs, BUT thankfully nothing else about the formula or actual sheet masks has changed! I love all their masks, but since I have only really featured The All Nighter on the blog, I figure it's time I talk about the other fantastic masks in the Signature Line collection!

PR samples

MAKEUP | Revlon Ultra HD Vinyl Lip Polishes with Lip Swatches

I am rediscovering glosses again as I find that glossy lips tend to go better with the summer "bronzed goddess look" and recently came across the new Revlon Ultra HD Vinyl Lip Polishes which promise one swipe, high shine, ultra pigmented colour that also feels luxuriously smooth to apply! Yes, I'm sure we have heard or seen something like this before over the years, but I would like to think that technology now has allowed for better formulas so let's see how these guys performed!

PR samples

NAILS | Happy Canada Day and Birthday to Me! CBBxManiMonday

I feel like I just celebrated my 35th birthday, but low and behold it has been ONE WHOLE YEAR and now I am 36 and moving into a new age bracket when it comes to filling out surveys. I am pretty sure Influenster is ONLY going to be sending me anti-aging skincare now and not fun makeup! I am quite content with now being closer to 40 than 30 as life seems pretty good. I wish Hemingway hadn't gotten sick, but other than that, life has been truly good. I still have my grumpy days, but they never last outside of 24 hours and by the next day, I'm ready to go again!

For the month of July, the CBBxManiMonday theme will be "glitter" and since it's also Canada Day today, it was finally time to break out the NCLA x Cutepolish collection I picked up 2 years ago!

Some PR samples featured and are indicated by "*"