SKINCARE | True and You Customizable Glacial Clay Mask (Made in Canada!)

Here we are at New Year's Eve 2021 and I am sure we are all wondering how we got here in one piece with the "super fun" year we have had. I mean, it was a better year than 2020 where we got to see some semblance of outdoor life, but what I found the hardest was what was happening globally and politically. I will reflect more on 2021 in my "Resolutions" post tomorrow, but for now I wanted to end the year on a Canadian brand that I have been enjoying - True and You which stands for "true" ingredients that are customized for "you"!

Press samples

NAILS | OPI Celebration Blues #CBBxManiMonday

For once Vancouver had a White Christmas this past weekend with snow falling on Friday night and continuing well into Christmas Day. While it looked very pretty, we have also been hit with an Arctic blast sending temperatures from the positive down to a low of -12 degrees Celsius today! The last time I remember encountering double digit negative temperatures I was in Montreal for Christmas! Suffice it to say, I have been very cold in the apartment as I struggle to keep warm with my many layers, tea and hot water bottle. The air has also been super dry so my friends have been Rhinaris and my spa steamer for when my nose needs extra moisture. Before anyone starts to say we Vancouverites are total pansies, keep in mind that the city isn't prepared for this kind of weather so my apartment has virtually no insulation on all the windows so I constantly feel a breeze even with all of the windows shut. The floor itself is cold even though I have cranked up my heat. I am wearing fur-lined slippers on top of wool socks on top of regular socks and my feet are still cold! I think I still prefer this cold to the heatwave as I can still putter around and do things without a headache or constant sweating. I also don't have to worry about my cats overheating as I'm sure they can handle the apartment being 16-17 degrees. They have a heating pad and many blankets so no worries. Hopefully no animals are stuck outside in this cold!

 

Press samples

SHEET MASK | Too Cool for School Egg Cream Mask

I used to want to try putting egg in my hair just to see if my hair would really look THAT much better, but I could never bring myself to waste an egg. Not when I could be baking with them or eating them hard-boiled with some truffle salt (OMG so good!). I now cook my eggs for about 7 minutes to get the gooey yolk I want and I love that in a pinch, they actually make a somewhat filling meal. Sometimes I have them for a quick breakfast or as an add-on in a vegetarian salad and ever since the Too Cool for School Egg Cream Mask, I have been enjoying eggs in my sheet masks as well!

Purchased by me

NAILS | OPI Celebration Glitter Gradient #CBBxManiMonday

I think it's pretty cool this year that Christmas falls on a Saturday because then Friday night really means something extra special and in my world of retail, it is the first Saturday I have had off since 2010! THAT is the last time Christmas fell on a Saturday! And, since our location is typically closed on Sundays that means that we are closed on Boxing Day too! All of us are just so psyched to have a simultaneous Christmas weekend off! It's one of the things I am most looking forward to and part of what is driving me to survive this week. Most clients have been super sweet, but there have been a few sour apples that just seem extra sour this holiday season. Hopefully karma gets them right where it hurts!

Press samples

SHEET MASK | Sephora Holographic and Blue Mask

My week has been so massively screwed up because I usually don't work on Sundays which sort of gives me time to prep #SheetMaskSunday and #ManiMonday posts, but because it is the holidays, I worked yesterday and came home utterly brain dead so the thought of sitting at a computer and typing vs. chilling on the couch with a Netflix Christmas movie (I think I have watched 5 in row!) seemed like an easy choice!

Purchased by me

BODY | Pixi Beauty Glycolic Body Wash, Peel and Lotion

I have always been a rather enthusiastic exfoliator and routinely go through body scrubs every 1-2 months. I have often wondered why there weren't any chemical exfoliating options for the body when there are so many for the face. I don't think it was until the last year or so that I started seeing more body-focused lotions and peels and when Pixi Beauty came out with this trio of glycolic body goodies this past summer, I couldn't help but shout "Hallelujah!" because THIS is exactly what I have been wanting in my shower routine! 

Press samples

NAILS | The Holly and The Ivy #CBBxManiMonday

It's that time in retail where I have officially lost track of the days and I am just living each day in the moment and not planning too much hence the tardiness of this week's #CBBxManiMonday. I think having last year's holiday season be relatively tame compared to regular Christmases has spoiled me and now I seem to have a much lower tolerance and feel drained more quickly by the end of the day. I am just constantly yawning in the car on the drive home so I keep my car colder to stay awake! Though I don't necessarily love the holidays, I do enjoy doing Christmas nail art! 

SHEET MASK | Saturday Skin Cotton Cloud Probiotic Power Mask

When probiotics in skincare first came out, it was an exciting time for me as I was really into yogurt and promoting good gut flora in my digestive system and there were some good studies that showed that probiotics in skincare were beneficial to the skin barrier. At the time, Saturday Skin's Cotton Cloud Probiotic Power mask was the only probiotic mask I knew of though even now I don't think this is something many brands do. 

Purchased by me

NAILS | Polar Bears and Snowflakes #CBBxManiMonday

Firstly, I think because of the number of things I have had to do over the last few days it feels like it's ManiThursday! I had some car issues this past Friday where my alternator and battery died while I was on a major bridge in the middle of morning rush hour traffic! It was very scary as all my lights on the dashboard just shut off and I could no longer accelerate! I managed to use basically pure gravity to coast to the first emergency pullover area and I was lucky that no one rear-ended me as my signal indicator wasn't working nor were my hazard lights. It was also pretty cold at -1 degrees Celsius and where I was stopped, there wasn't transit or an easily walkable place to catch a cab, but thank goodness for Uber and the willingness of the drivers to pick you up from anywhere! My car is still getting repaired and at $1000 for the repair, I am glad that most of my Christmas shopping is done!

Purchased by me

SHEET MASK | Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb Biodegradable Sheet Masks

I have often expressed a certain level of guilt when it comes to using my beloved sheet masks as there is a lot of waste generated by their use so every time I see a biodegradable sheet mask, I do a little jump for joy! When it came to sheet masks at the drugstore, the Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb masks were among the first to grab my attention as they had a solid assortment of masks for various skin concerns, attractive packaging, reasonable pricing and masks that fit well. These masks have now been reformulated so that they can now be disposed of in your home compost as they are now certified biodegradable! LOVE IT!

Purchased by me