NAILS | Happy NYE and Hello to 2021!
NAILS | Look to the Stars #CBBxManiMonday
Alrighty, it's that last week of the year where half the week is "normal" where the mail runs, banks are open and there are no holiday hours followed by the second half where everything is closed and you don't know what day it is because New Years Day is on a weekday. Even during a pandemic, I am still a bit confused, but soon enough it will be 2021. I think because we have all "lost" so much of the year to lockdowns and staying at home, it feels like I just said goodbye to 2019. Though we have all been continuing our days, I feel like I never quite hit "unpause" from March. As my sister-in-law put it, I am cautiously optimistic about 2021, but I have no expectations about whether things will get better. I hope they will, but I am not going to expect the allowance of big gatherings, concerts or not mask-wearing in public spaces to change. It will be interesting to see how the vaccine changes things and how humanity deals with the new coronavirus variant and the way we interact with others going forward. Now, that we have all (hopefully!) celebrated Christmas with our bubble, it's time to celebrate New Year's Eve with the same bubble! My husband and I are again looking forward to a quiet night with some champagne and a nice meal at home as I have been given the gift of Dec.31st - Jan.3rd off! Lots of time to recover and recharge!
SHEET MASK | JMsolution Marine Luminous Pearl Deep Moisture Mask
NAILS | Gloomy Christmas Trees
HOLIDAY | Mary Kay Gift Sets and Holiday Fun
NAILS | Christmas Wreaths #CBBxManiMonday
It's the last #CBBxManiMonday before Christmas! I knew this month would creep up on me and then whaddaya know? It is now the first day of Winter and it actually SNOWED in Vancouver! This is the first real snowfall for us as we generally get a ton of rain (which we did) so it was all very appropriate. I had today off, but I will be working right up until Christmas Day so I don't know how busy it will be. I always mentally prepare myself for busy shoppers and/or ridiculous Christmas miracles and even in this global state, people can still be unreasonable. We received a Christmas card from a client which looked all pretty on the outside, but when we opened it, it turned out to be a complaint that ended with the sentence "so file this in your cupboard of embarrassments". I mean, who takes the time to use an already overloaded mail system (used registered mail) to send something negative like this out into the universe?! Why even bother?!
SHEET MASK | Biotherm Aqua Flash Masks
MAKEUP | Sephora Wild Wishes Holiday Collection
NAILS | Have Yourself a Little Disney Christmas #CBBxManiMonday
Since it's the holidays, my work has decided to open up to 6 days a week as it used to be 5 due to the COVID situation, skeleton staff etc. We have more people back now there is a little more room to breathe especially during a busy season like this one, but I'm sure it comes as no surprise that this year is a different one. Never before has online shopping become so important which has resulted in the quietest retail season I have ever participated in! By this time of the month, I am usually run off my feet, grumpy at the level of social energy I need to exude on a daily basis and trying to figure out who to see and eat with each weekend until New Year's. A huge part of me is relieved that I don't feel any of this anxiety this year. I am almost ashamed to admit that COVID and its restrictions has fed right into my TRUE introvertness and I now believe that I am a true loner who just knows how to function socially when I need to!
SHEET MASK | Farmacy Brightening and Hydrating Coconut Gel Sheet Mask
BATH | Lush Christmas Collection
It's that time of year where we all stock up on Lush bath goodies and try to imagine all that self-pampering that we plan on doing for the coming year. I used to stock up like CRAZY on bath goodies only to use them a year later because "I never had the time for a bath". I stopped this practice late last year and just started forcing myself to take baths for a few reasons: one to read more as I get bored easily in a bath and reading was the perfect way to pass the time AND two, to start using my bath bomb stock. This turned into a bit of an obsession and then the pandemic came where we all got stuck at home and self-care activities like baths became one of things I really looked forward to in the day. Now, I am a diehard bath bomb addict and cannot wait to hop into the tub with my fizzy friends!
NAILS | Hi, Rudolph! #CBBxManiMonday
We are one week into December and does it feel like the holidays yet for you? I am usually very anxious this time of the year stressing about whose house we are at for dinner, gifts to get and being alone for half of December as my husband usually visits his family in Montreal (I can never go because I work retail so this is obviously the busiest time of the year). This year is very different though and for the third time ever in our 15 year relationship, we will be spending Christmas together which is something I am looking forward to.
SHEET MASK | Jayjun Cosmetic x Drew Barrymore "The More" Collection
I was quite surprised when I saw this collaboration as Drew Barrymore was the last celebrity I would have imagined partnering up with a Korean beauty brand! Released in 2018, this collection is modeled after Drew's favourite Jayjun mask, the Baby Pure Shining Mask which I have reviewed before and LOVED and comes in three steps. These are one of my favourite ways of masking as I find it so cute and efficient to have my entire skincare routine all in one little compact package. Whenever I travelled, these were the masks I would take as it made packing skincare a tad more efficient. I picked up all three masks from "The More" Collection each with its own unique skincare focus.
MAKEUP | Avon Glimmershadow Liquid Eyeshadows with Swatches and Makeup Looks
NAILS | Mattify Me with Flakie #CBBxManiMonday
SHEET MASK | Sephora Collection Vitamin Masks
MAKEUP | Urban Decay Stoned Vibes Eyeshadow Palette with Makeup Look and Swatches
NAILS | Moody Dots #CBBxManiMonday
This is the last day I will have set weekends off as the retail sector heads into holiday hours. I haven't worked a set schedule in just over 10 years and with the smaller team that we have had, we all have been working the exact same days as we are only open 5 days/week which has been nice! Now, we move into being open 6 days for those who plan on shopping in person, but I really don't know how busy it will be this year. I have never been a fan of shopping in person anywhere, but this year with multiple provinces in lockdown because of rising COVID cases, the wisest thing really is to STAY INSIDE. Most cases are coming from friends and family gatherings so STOP! Hopefully, 2021 will be better with the vaccine, but honestly, I will probably keep wearing a mask until Kingdom come because this is the longest I have gone without even having a hint of a cold! No runny nose, sniffles NOTHING and we are closing in on 2 years now!
SHEET MASK | NENA Skincare Rejuvenating and Moisturizing Masks
Last week I had NENA nails and today I am relaxing with two of NENA's sheet masks! Made with Glacial Marine Extract, an extract from NENA's key ingredient of pure Canadian Glacial Clay and sourced right along the coast of BC! For now, these masks are only available as a gift with purchase, but hopefully they will be available for purchase in the future. So, how did a sheet mask with clay in its essence feel on my skin? Not like what I was expecting I'll tell ya that!
BODY | 5 Hand Creams (This Really Could be 20 With What's Happening Now!)
NAILS | Inspired by a NENA Sheet Mask #CBBxManiMonday
SHEET MASK | Food Story Collection: Pomegranate, Blueberry, Banana, Kiwi, Pineapple Masks
SKINCARE | Kora Organics: The Brightening Routine
NAILS | Cirque Colors Sol (Temperature Sensitive) #CBBxManiMonday
SHEET MASK | Dr. Jart All That Contours Hydrogel Expansion Stretch Mask
SKINCARE | Garnier BIO Collection - ECO CERT Skincare From the Drugstore?
It is the day after the US Elections and Trump is still a contender if you can believe it. I wrote a sad post like this in 2016 when he shocked everyone by winning and now it's 2020 and it's so much more disappointing because the vote is SO CLOSE. Even if Biden wins, it means that 50% of the USA think Trump is a good leader which is even more scary so though I rarely speak out about politics, this is such a no brainer that if there are readers, friends and followers who no longer wish to support me because I do not support Trump, I welcome the unfollowing! I haven't been able to stop watching the news since 8am today and I think my brain would like the short break so let's shift over to my home away from home - skincare. Namely the Garnier BIO line which is ecocertified, vegan, affordable and available at the drugstore!
MAKEUP | Natasha Denona Chromium Liquid Eyeshadows in Scarab, Ultraviolet and Infra Nude
NAILS | Gold Flakie Meets Bright Blue And It Is Magical! #CBBxManiMonday
SHEET MASK | Soo'Ae Unicorn Glow Hologram Mask
SHEET MASK | DC Comics Wonder Woman, Superman and The Joker
Talk about some of the best printed sheet masks I have come across! I don't even know where I would even begin to try to find these other than ebay because I'm not even sure what brand these sheet masks are...regardless, these were so much fun to wear and a great lead up to Halloween! I had planned on doing more printed masks this month, but when I developed an inexplicable case of hives 2 weeks ago, I took a one week break from skin and bodycare just to make sure I didn't make things worse because I honestly could not look at myself without getting goosebumps!
NAILS | Watercolour Mask and Matching Nail Art
SKINCARE | Purito Centella Unscented Toner and Serum
NAILS | Halloween Skittles #CBBxManiMonday
It's my 7 year wedding anniversary today! I know that has nothing to do with my Halloween nails today, but for the first time since my wedding day, I have the day off and now that my husband works from home, we can celebrate together! While we normally go out and celebrate, we both aren't quite ready to dine in restaurants yet so we splurged on a really nice steak and other food goodies and will be cooking dinner for ourselves tonight! I am contemplating dressing up too just for the hell of it! I am going to get a much needed pedicure today since I had to cancel last week when hives appeared on my legs the day of my original appointment. Definitely could not subject the esthetician to that!
SHEET MASK | Wrinkles Schminkles InfuseFAST Facial and Decolletage Sheet Mask
MAKEUP | MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Resist Smoky Shadow Sticks with Swatches and Makeup Look
NAILS | Pumpkin Pumpkin #CBBxManiMonday
I don't think I've ever posted a #CBBxManiMonday late, but I have been in a bit of a state the last two days as my weekend was going just fine until I developed hives. What started on my legs and back spread to my arms, neck and hands so I spent all day yesterday itchy despite taking antihistamines. I went to my family doctor who was puzzled as I have no food, seasonal or known allergies and the last time I have had any form of hives was when I was a kid and even that was just in a localized area not on my entire body! I had fully planned on going into work today, but when I work up and had welts down my legs and arms again PLUS my face, I just had to take the day off. I am not one to stay home from work as it stresses me out knowing that things are happening without me and I will just come back to more emails, but working with hives for the whole day just didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense.
BEAUTY | Lip Care with Henne Organics
NAILS | Stitches and Jack o' Lanterns #CBBxManiMonday
It has been a very busy week preparing for inventory at my day job which has led to some broken nails as even in the world of luxury sales, there is still a fair amount of heavy lifting! I broke the corner of my pointer finger and then managed to poke myself on the same finger so now there is a blood spot there which you can see in these photos since my nails are shorter now. I had different nail art plans involving longer nails as my canvas, but luckily there is no shortage of nail art designs for short nails!
SHEET MASK | Soo'Ae Hydration Alert Sensor Mask
MAKEUP | Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Sublime Perfection Foundation
NAILS | Bring on the Candy Corn! #CBBxManiMonday
SHEET MASK | Dr. Jart Dermask Water Jet Soothing Hydra Solution
Purchased by me
NAILS | In the Purples with OPI Muse of Milan
PR gifted
SHEET MASK | Soo'Ae Juicy Glow Masks in Strawberry and Mango
Purchased by me
NAILS | Abstract Fall with OPI Muse of Milan #CBBxManiMonday
[Press samples]
SHEET MASK | Kiehls Instant Renewal Concentrate Mask
Purchased by me
LIFESTYLE | Grant E One's - A Face Mask with Japanese Technology Like No Other!
PR gifted