NAILS | Colour Blocked Daisies #CBBxManiMonday

I really did have these nails done for #CBBxManiMonday, but I haven't been feeling too motivated to be on the blog or social media these last few days as my day job has taken precedence this week. I have been devoting my time to clients which at the end of the day has left me with little energy to be anything other than a slug on the couch. I have even gone to bed before midnight which is unheard of for me as a night owl! I also was not feeling very good on Tuesday night and during the day on Wednesday so I figured I would lie low and get back on here when I felt more up to it. I have a day off today so I am slowly doing some of the blog-related things that have been put on hold this week starting with today's nail post!

PR samples used

SHEET MASK | Leaders in Solution Coconut Bio Mask with Blueberry

Today's #SheetMaskSunday review features a new brand to the blog - Leaders Insolution! This is a Korean skincare brand founded by dermatologists that was previously very hard for me to find as I could only find it at the one Anthropologie store West Vancouver. Last year, Leaders Insolution opened up their Canadian website which meant easy access to some of their best sheet masks and not having to worry about an exchange rate and international shipping as the masks ship from Canada! Hallelujah! In celebration of their launch in Canada last year, I was sent a few masks to try with this Coconut Bio Mask with Blueberry being the first one I wanted to share it intrigued me the most!

Press sample 

SKINCARE | 5 Lip Serums

Last year I really enjoyed doing this series of posts involving roundups of five products as I enjoy reading mini reviews from time to time and oftentimes for certain products I am rotating them and never sticking to the same thing especially when it comes to lip products. Some days my lips need extra nourishment and other days I need to prep them for lip colour (less often now). Regardless, I have been slowly amassing a collection of effective lip treatments that I enjoy using for specific purposes ranging from hydration to plumping.

Some press samples provided

NAILS | Delicate Flowers #CBBxManiMonday

The flowers continue this month with this teeny, tiny flower design that I saw while going through some old cutepolish videos. My nails are actually a lot longer than they normally are so I was able to draw more of a design since I had the "real estate", but don't look at my right hand! It's like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation here! The longest my right hand ever got was during my time off in April 2020 when we were at the height of the pandemic and no one was going anywhere. When you are home, you don't wash your hands quite a much since you are mainly touching your own possessions, but I think now that I am back at work, my right hand is taking the brunt of physical contact and generally have weaker nails that split easily. It's also the hand I tend to pick at when I feel even a tiny bit stressed so to sum it up, my right hand always is much shorter than my left.

 Press samples featured

SHEET MASK | JLo Beauty That Limitless Glow Sheet Mask

Launched January 1st of this year, JLo Beauty made quite the buzz as like many of you, I have always been amazed at how youthful Jennifer Lopez still looks at the age of 50! I don't see the signs of a "chicken neck" and sometimes I feel like there are shots where she looks better now than when she was in her 30s! I just assumed she had had a little bit of work done here and there which I am not opposed to as I would definitely look to artificial plumpers and fillers as I get older. What seemed to infuriate many when JLo first launched her beauty line was that she said she owed her seemingly age-defying skin to olive oil and that she uses no Botox or artificial plumpers. Now, I'm sure she uses non-invasive techniques like microcurrents and professional peels, but I agree that it is a bit disingenuous to claim that this skincare line is the very thing that you will need to have everlasting youth. After a bit of mental back and forth and looking at the ingredients of her products, I thought I would dip just a toe in with the Limitless Glow Sheet Mask and see!

Purchased by me

NAILS | French Mani Pansies #CBBxManiMonday

Again, I really DID have my nails done on Monday, but I just didn't get a chance to edit the photos and write the post. I think the old me would have really pushed for staying up as late as possible to post #CBBxManiMonday for Monday, but I have found that even if I stay up and get it done, I feel awful the next morning and it just takes the fun out of blogging so if I've learned anything the last year, it's that if something doesn't feel fun anymore, you probably shouldn't do it. If you are tired, go rest and if you feel the need to vacuum and clean, then listen to your body and go do that!

Press samples

SKINCARE | The New NENA Mineral Serum Made with Canadian Glacial Mineral Water

This post is sponsored by NENA.

I am all about supporting my local Canadians especially now as the pandemic continues to impact small businesses everywhere. I discovered NENA in 2019 and fell in love with their brand ethos, the fact that the products are made here in BC and feature Canadian glacial clay that is sourced in partnership with the Indigenous people of Northern BC. I have tried every single product they have made including their gel and spray hand sanitizer and everything has been impressive so you can imagine how much I squealed when I saw that a new member was joining the skincare family! There is now a brand spankin' new SERUM!

Press sample provided

SHEET MASK | Sephora Collection Mud, Bubbles, Charcoal and Primer!

You can tell by this packaging that I waited a long time to review these Sephora masks as the packaging has now been revamped, but these were really popular when they first launched as they were among the first generation of Sephora Collection masks when the sheet mask craze was at its peak so I am guessing that some of you have gotten a chance to try some of these over the years, but here are the OGs in a nutshell!

Press samples

HAIR | Joico Defy Damage Collection

It has been forever since we have chatted about shampoos, conditioners and masks so we need to change that since I am obsessed with my hair! I would say that after skincare, I have an overwhelmingly obscene number of hair care products and I secretly think that I get my hair coloured just so I can justify the "supporting" hair products. I do enjoy being blonde and after switching my colour around for a few years, I have found a happy place with a warm balayage that lasts me around 8 months before feeling like I need a colour refresh with JT at Civello on South Granville. Yes, JT is a colour genius and knows how to blend the blonde so that it lasts, but I have to do my part when it comes to home care and that means constant heat and UV protection as well as hydrating masks. The Joico Defy Damage collection protects all hair types from heat styling, UV exposure and environmental exposure preventing frizz, breakage and dullness. Well, sign me up!

Press samples

NAILS | Hide and Seek Easter Bunny #CBBxManiMonday

Traditionally for April we would fill the month with Easter-themed manicures, but I realized that Easter Monday is the first Monday of the month which means that doing bunny and egg manicure might not be completely appropriate. So, I decided to at least do this one Easter manicure for today and then the rest of the month will just be fun Spring stuff!  

Press samples

SHEET MASK | Etude House 0.2 Therapy Air Mask #SheetMaskSunday

When I first started on my sheet mask journey five years ago, I wanted to review EVERYTHING and to be able to have a database of some sort to query and look back on if I ever needed to remember what I liked/disliked about a sheet mask. Now, I really only want to talk about sheet masks that stand out OR have something special about them whether that be good or bad. I have an incredible backlog of sheet mask photos going back to 2018 that I am determined to get through this year as a lot of the masks I tried back then were really cool. When I first started looking for affordable, but effective sheet masks, one of the very first masks that came up when I Googled were the Etude House 0.2mm Therapy Air Masks. Hailed as being able to deliver moisture and skin-loving ingredients all from a sheet mask that is just 0.2mm thick, these masks are still some of my all-time favourites to use and today is finally the day I give them some much deserved love!  

Purchased by me

SKINCARE | Getting to Know Malin + Goetz

Just when I thought Influenster had shunned me, I suddenly received this Malin + Goetz Voxbox a couple of weeks ago! The last Voxbox I qualified for was actually around this time last year at the height of the pandemic and since I was off work, I remember starting my reviews right away and taking down notes every day. The brainpower and energy I had used for my day job needed to go somewhere so if you ever need an intense single product review of Ole Henrikson's Banana Bright Vitamin C Serum, definitely check out my review! Though today's review isn't quite as intense, I hope to give you all a good idea of my first real skincare experience with New York-based brand Malin + Goetz because it was quite nice!

Products provided by Influenster Canada