NAILS | Nerd Lacquer Resolutionary Swatch (and Chat)

I don't normally like to post similar types of posts back to back on the blog, but I just haven't felt the urge to sit in front of a screen at night and have been opting to do LEGO or watch the Tokyo 2020 Olympics! Who has been watching? I always love the Olympics and we downloaded CBC Gem so for the first time, we can watch ANY sport we want from judo to rugby to the MUCH broadcasted swimming! I've also been enjoying rowing and seeing the Canadian Women's Eight win gold was so exciting!

Purchased by me eons ago

NAILS | Inspired by the Clarins Frozen Summer Eyeshadow Palette #CBBxManiMonday

While some may look to nature for inspiration, beauty packaging holds so much potential for nail art inspiration and has been incredibly fun to create and when I saw the new Clarins Frozen collection, I picked up this eyeshadow palette, looked at it and knew it had to somehow end up on my nails. For the first time in awhile, I did my nails ahead of time mainly because I got my second vaccine shot on Sunday morning and I wanted to be prepared "in case I went down"! While I could be fine, I also could be very much NOT fine! I have today off as well and I am prepared to hunker down and sit in front of Netfllix should my condition go South!

 

Polishes purchased by me. Clarins Eyeshadow Palette is a PR sample.

SHEET MASK | Blooming Cell Pink Peel 2-Step Mask

I have said before that I adore multi-step masks as I feel like I'm getting more bang for my buck with my sheet mask purchase and as much I prepare my skin beforehand, there is nothing like having everything I need all in one piece of packaging. The multiple steps can range from an eye cream to a cleanser to a peel so I have to make sure I pay attention to what each little section of the packaging says so I don't accidentally "do a step" on my own that isn't part of the package. Today's #SheetMaskSunday is one that I will remember for a long time because it was fantastic!

Purchased via my Facetory subscription

LIFESTYLE | hmnkind Antibacterial Performance Face Masks

In total, I have reviewed three face masks and raved about a couple more on my Instagram stories, but now I can totally say that I have found my "face mask boos" and I will never go back to anything else! It took me awhile to find these perfect face masks, but unlike the other masks I have reviewed, these hmnkind Antibacterial Performance Face Masks check every single box. I don't have to tweak or fiddle with them and even my co-workers have purchased them for themselves and their families! These masks are so unlike the other fabric masks I have been wearing that now that we are alllllmost seeing the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, I feel like I will almost miss wearing these and I am here to tell you all why!

Purchased by me

NAILS | Cadillacquer Eivor (Thermal) Nail Polish

This post is essentially nail porn as it has been a long time since I have discovered a new nail polish brand and a new nail polish store to shop from that is based in Canada! Indie polishes have come a long way from when I first started this little blog and though I pulled away from indie polishes once I started moving more into skincare, my love for them has been recently renewed while going through my stash. After reading a haul post on Renee's blog featuring some products from Ottawa-based NailStuff, I went to the website to peruse specifically thermal polishes. Lo and behold, there were A LOT with one brand in particular making some polishes with dramatic colour changes - Cadillacquer!

Purchased by me

MAKEUP | New Mary Kay Summer 2021 Collection

This is the first summer specific beauty collection I have featured here and it feels kind of nice! As I write this, it is a GORGEOUS and sunny day in Vancouver with the temperatures sitting at a comfortable 26 degrees complete with light breeze. Nothing like being in a heat dome AT ALL! My reward for finishing this post will be to sit on the patio with my new book "Midnight Library" in my sundress, hat and sunscreen (of course!), but for now let's dive into some new summer products from Mary Kay!

PR samples

NAILS | Waves of Blue #CBBxManiMonday

I have had the song "Waves of Blue" by Canadian artists Majid Jordan on repeat for the last week and when I was rounding summer coloured polishes to feature, seeing this trio of shades together made me think of the song I played for 30 minutes straight the other day in the car! I have been having the most chill two days off, reading my book and most importantly, enjoying the summer sunshine. My husband and I made turkey enchiladas last night and then went for an evening walk around the neighbourhood which we try to do a few times a week for some exercise. He goes for runs, but I am not the best when it comes to working out. I know what it takes to commit to exercising and I readily admit that I am not willing to put in the commitment even though I know it will improve my life substantially. Thankfully I eat well, but the exercise factor is definitely the one thing I KNOW I need to do, but don't feel motivated enough to do. Judge me all you want, I know I am a flawed individual!

Some polishes are PR samples

SHEET MASK | MasqueBar Massage Point Moisturizing Sheet Mask

I love a good face massage, but in a sheet mask? The Masque Bar Massage Point Sheet Mask contains perfectly round little nubbins on the sheet mask itself to stimulate circulation and pressure points on the face. Crazy, right? It also contains moisturizing hyaluronic acid, tea tree oil and willowbark extract to refresh and tone the skin. I have always had good luck with Masque Bar and this type of sheet mask seemed unusual so let's find out how it did with my skin!

Press sample provided

LIFESTYLE | Recent Places of Joy

The format of this post is a little different as this is almost like a photo dump of photos that I had taken for Instagram Stories of things I have been enjoying over the last couple of months. While beauty blogging is still a massive part of my life, makeup is still very secondary, even tertiary to other "hobbies" I have discovered. I think once I get my second dose and we don't need to wear masks at work anymore (still mandatory for my work and that is fine by me), my love for full face makeup will come back, but I doubt it will be at the same level as it was pre-pandemic. While I am still setting aside my dollars as much as I can, I am allowing myself some fun purchases that have brought me much joy and have found ways to make my day job kind of exciting!

NAILS | Nerd Lacquer Pinin' for the Fjords Swatch

What I love about Instagram is for is that it is a great place to share nail swatches as sometimes writing a whole blog post about a single colour seems a bit overkill. When I initially started in the blogging world, nails were the only thing I talked about and as there was no Instagram, this was my only place to share a pretty polish I happened to be wearing. Sometimes though, it does feel nice to chat a little bit and that's when it is nice to bring back the single colour nail polish swatch posts with the bonus of a life update!

Purchased by me in 2012! 

BODY | Avon Anew Vitamin C Collection

We are so used to seeing and using vitamin C products for the face, but I don't think I've ever really looked at vitamin C products for the body so when Avon released a collection of vitamin C products promising radiance for the rest of my body I thought it was perfect as who does not want to be as radiant as an orange this summer!

Press samples

NAILS | Neon Geodes #CBBxManiMonday

Well, I survived my first week back at work after a vacation and truth be told, it was actually very quiet so I didn't feel like I was drowning the first few days. I managed to get all caught up and even get ahead a bit for this week over the weekend so I am in good shape! I have really been enjoying this summer, trying to read outside on my days off and go for walks. Even doing laundry and letting it air dry outside in the sun feels like summer to me and I love it. Doing bright summer manicures also makes me feel so happy so I will do my best to keep you all entertained with pretty nails and positive vibes!

Some PR samples featured

SHEET MASK | Dr. Belmeur Mild Derma Sheet Mask Collection

Over here at Cosmetic Proof HQ, we really like Dr. Belmeur sheet masks! Found at The Face Shop, the Dr. Belmeur masks are generally a little bit more expensive than "The Solutions" masks, but they are very much worth the extra dollars. I picked up a couple of masks a few years ago at The Face Shop location in Metrotown and finally gave them all a shot over the last few weeks and honestly, even though they all had different skin purposes, the results on my skin were fairly similar so I won't be delving into too much detail for each as it starts to get a bit repetitive!

Purchased by me

MAKEUP | Natasha Denona Mini Retro Eyeshadow Palette with Makeup Look

While I was on vacation last week, I started "shopping" my beauty room as I tend to do when I have the luxury of time as well as the brainpower to think creatively. I'm always amazed at ideas and motivation for posts and content when I've had even just two days off in a row. Most days I come home from work and do my best to clean up after myself and try not to feel like too much of a slug. After playing around with some blue eyeshadows a few weeks ago, I wanted to get my hands dirty again with eye makeup and dug out my UNTOUCHED Natasha Denona Mini Retro Eyeshadow Palette that I picked up back in May. This was a fairly adventurous palette for me to pick up as I initially did not know how to use the shades cohesively, but after browsing a few makeup looks on the ND Instagram as well as Youtube videos, I felt a bit more confident about applying the shades to my face!

Purchased by me

NAILS | It's Easy Being Neon Green #CBBxManiMonday

This month's #CBBxManiMonday theme is "neons, brights and whatever else you can think of that reminds you of summer". Even though the days of a two month summer vacations are far behind me, I still have a more laidback attitude when the sun is out and the temperature is warm enough to live in little rompers and shorts. While I have never believed that nail polish colours have specific seasons of wear, there is something satisfying about wearing a good neon shade in the throes of summer!

Cirque Colors nail polish is a press sample

HAIR | Marc Anthony Dream Big Volume Collection

I constantly struggle with flat looking roots and the only time I get volume that stays is when I get my hair done at the salon. I watch my stylist work the round brush like nobody's business, but let's face it, it's next to impossible to replicate what they have done. My arms get tired from carrying the weight of a hairdryer and I can never get the back of my head to look as good as the sides because it's just not the same as someone physically being back there and having the right angle and force to pull hair into obedience! Even though I know that blow-drying with a round brush at the roots is best, I have never been consistent about doing it so I look to shampoos and magical hair potions to help me fake it and I have to say that the Marc Anthony Dream Big Volume Collection may have come to the rescue! Initially there were some products in here that I didn't believe would work, but then *VOILA* I had volume!

Press samples