NAILS | Deborah Lippmann "Do the Mermaid" Swatch and Chat

I honestly don't know how I got here to the end of this week/end of the month. It has been an odd week at work with it being both busy and not. It has all been a bit of a blur as there has been a ton of construction and visits from various people. Mentally, I have been feeling really ugly on the outside and bored with my workwear so this past week I have made an effort to dress up more and wear designer pumps and actual blazers to feel more "boss woman"! The past two years, the work dress code has relaxed a little bit and now we are allowed to wear cardigans instead of blazers (yay!) which was something I took FULL advantage of as sometimes I feel very restrained or hot in a blazer especially in the summer. The thing is, there definitely is something much more professional looking about wearing a blazer so I've been wearing all of my blazers again this past week with heels and it actually has made me feel better. I plan on going through my clothing this weekend and organizing it for Big Brother to pick up so I'm hoping I keep up the momentum!

 

Purchased by me

MAKEUP | Revlon Kiss Glow Lip Oils

One product I really got to know these last two years, especially at home, is the lip oil. When I want a bit of an upgrade from a lip balm, this is what I want to use as I find it to be a quick way of looking a hint more sexy while still having my lips feel soothed and comforted. What was a bestseller in Asia is now a limited time release in Canada and I truly hope they are here to stay because I just keep all these shades on rotation because they feel and look so natural! Let's see more of the Revlon Kiss Glow Lip Oils!  

Press samples provided

NAILS | Oreo Cookies & Creme Eggs #CBBxManiMonday

I loved the look of the Cadbury Creme Egg Nails that I did so much that I when I was chomping away on these Oreo Mini Eggs, I realized I wanted to try these nails again!  

Polishes sent from PR marked with *

SHEET MASK | Misst & Co. Hemp Seed Oil Hydrating Beauty Sheet Mask

Though I don't often discuss it here on the blog, I started taking CBD regularly last year oddly enough after doing an Instagram post for Sunnyside Botanicals. The post was for their new skincare, but they also included a bottle of CBD for me to try. I avoided trying it for awhile because "drugs" tend to affect me quite strongly whether it's caffeine or alcohol, but after doing some research CBD felt safe. Now, it's a fairly regular part of my life albeit in tiny doses (I take about 1/4 the recommended once a day). Through this CBD journey, I was introduced to Vancouver-based Birch + Fog, an online store which carries a large selection of CBD and CBD wellness products. In addition to some wonderful tasting tinctures, gummies and chocolate, I came across the Misst & Co Hydrating Beauty Sheet Masks which are made with hemp seed oil. Obviously, I had to pick some up with my most recent order!

Purchased by me

LIFESTYLE | Five on Friday - Apr.22nd - Severance, Over the Top, Pink Gems, Movie Night Out and a Pretty Coffee

Ooh, I haven't done one of these posts in awhile! It has been a bit crazy the last two weeks so I haven't had a chance to do anything really fun or take pictures of anything I have been enjoying. Work has been about keeping my head above water, but we all made it out alive which is what matters!

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OMG this show! I haven't finished it yet, but I saw the tweets for the season finale and everyone's minds were blown (even Stephen King's!). I like Adam Scott's performance in The Good Place and of course Parks and Recreation  so when my husband first told me what this show was about, I was immediately fascinated! I actually have always wanted to not think about work at home and that's what Severance is about! People voluntarily separate their brains so that while at work, they only know work and when they clock out, their "outies" or home selves only know their home life and nothing of work. Creepy and weird, right? Talk about a work-life balance extreme!

MAKEUP | Hermès Plein Air Natural Enhancing Complexion Balm

Last month during Spring Break, my friend Gerry and I treated ourselves to food and shopping downtown as we had not gone out together since 2019. After having some brunch at OEB Breakfast, we headed to Nordstorm and Pacific Centre to specifically peruse some beauty and jewelry. It was a rainy day and I hate trying on clothes when I'm wearing multiple layers, boots and carrying an umbrella so we stuck to easy things to "sample"! I had a few things on my shopping list to look at including the new complexion products from Hermès. I knew that these were going to be a large chunk of my shopping budget so I had planned for weeks accordingly just in case I decided to bite the bullet!

Purchased by me

SKINCARE | Let's Fight Hyperpigmentation with Holy Snails Shark Sauce!

Part of my nightly routine now always includes a niacinamide serum. What began as just a methodical way of using the many niacinamide serums I had in my collection has become an essential in my skincare routine! I have tried a few niacinamide products in serum or booster form and lemme tell ya, I did not think I would have become quite so picky! It's hard to know who to trust when it comes to a recommendation as now the "influencer" is no longer truly unbiased so I decided to go with kind of an OG "skinfluencer" - Jude Chao of Fifty Shades of Snail! I first came across her blog years ago for a VERY in-depth review of Sulwhasoo's First Care Activating Serum and enjoyed her research-driven approach to specifically Asian skincare. 

Purchased by me

NAILS | Easter Pastel Dotticure #CBBxManiMonday

I have a four day weekend and I could not be happier!  I had a rough work week last week as people were on vacation and then unexpectedly, more became sick leaving me with a VERY bare bones crew. I ended up having to work a 50 hour week instead of the usual 40 which left me feeling pretty tired by the end of it, but I made it and managed to wrap up a few loose ends as well! I was doing well at staying ahead or at least relatively on top of my blogging and Instagram schedule, but losing that day off in the middle of the week tired me out so here I am starting from scratch. As much as I try, I'll never be one of those people that can have weeks of posts scheduled. I'm lucky if I have just one post scheduled! I can barely write more than one blog post a day so truly thumbs up to those who can plan a whole week!

Press samples provided

SHEET MASK | The Creme Shop Hello Kitty Ready Set Glow Sheet Mask

For those of you who have been following my #SheetMaskSunday posts, you're probably wondering how many more of these The Creme Shop x Hello Kitty masks I have and the answer is JUST a few more! I can't believe I picked these up so long ago now (pre-pandemic) and wanted to review them in one massive post for a "Hello Kitty Week", but honestly a lot of plans kind of went to shit in 2020 so here we are in 2022 trying to plug along! 

Purchased by me

NAILS | Cadbury Creme Egg Nails #CBBxManiMonday

I used to only want to do super complicated nail art and would look down on nail art techniques that were not "hard enough", but let me tell ya, almost 40 year old me no longer judges anyone as even having my nails done every week feels like a huge accomplishment sometimes! We all love Cristine from Simplynailogical who openly says that she's not an artist and that when it comes to nail art, her abilities are of a different calibre than those who stamp and hand-draw. What she IS good at is making some amazing looking nail art without needing to have much in the way of artistic ability. You will need patience, but no nail art brushes or stamping kits!

Polish is PR and Cadbury Eggs are all mine

SHEET MASK | Papa Recipe Bombee Green Honey Mask Pack

The original Papa Recipe Bombee Honey Mask was the first sheet mask I tried almost six years ago that truly fit like skin. Up until that point, I don't think I had truly experienced a mask where I couldn't tell where my skin started and the sheet mask began. Since that very first mask, I have picked up EVERY Papa Recipe mask in existence and have shared all the ones I have tried here on Cosmetic Proof with a general love for them all. The Bombee Green Honey Mask Pack is no exception even though it did disappoint me in certain areas. 

Purchased by me

NAILS | Cadillacquer Daffodils Swatch #MidWeekMani

It's almost midnight as I write this and the family downstairs has decided that it is the perfect time to plug in their electric guitar and do a family sing-a-long...I don't know why no one complains and I feel like a jerk if we do since it will be pretty evident it's us since it's a small apartment complex. Luckily, I cranked up the volume on my ASMR spa videos so all I could hear were the sounds of a gua sha!

Purchased by me

MAKEUP | Beauty Sponge Showdown featuring Beautyblender, Real Techniques, Sephora and Juno & Co.

I have always been a sponge girl when it came to foundation application and prior to that I would use my fingers, but that often got messy. I have tried brushes, but for some reason using them just never stuck with me. For awhile, the Beautyblender was the only option us sponge lovers had, but as beauty tech has evolved so have the sponges and the materials used to create them which has led to the opportunity to create this beauty sponge showdown!

Some PR samples

HAIR | Sebastian Dark Oil Collection

I have been reviewing this Sebastian Dark Oil Collection for FAR longer than I normally would because honestly, I am having a hard time moving on.  Why you ask? Well, it's because this collection of products have been so damn awesome! In fact, even though I graciously received the products below as press samples, I ended up buying the Dark Oil Hair Oil from Chatters over the weekend because I wanted MORE of this collection!

Press samples

NAILS | Keep Calm and Carrot On! #CBBxManiMonday

The Easter long weekend is not for a little while, but I plan on fully embracing all things Easter-themed for the month (our #CBBxManiMonday theme is "Pastels") and hopefully be a little creative with it as well starting off with some rabbit food!

PR samples featured

SHEET MASK | Jayjun Cosmetic Anti-Dust Therapy 3 Step Mask

When I initially started by sheet mask journey, the Jayjun Anti-Dust Therapy Mask kept popping up as one of the "cool" ones to try with its multi--step routine all built into one packet. The packaging was also one of the prettiest I had ever seen (I mean, LOOK at those flowers!) and though I picked up this mask quite awhile ago, it wasn't until this month that I actually took the time to experience it! I think it just came down to the fact that everytime I wanted to try it, I kept telling myself that I "needed to take photos first" because I wanted to feature it here. It seems I finally got my act together to showcase this very cool sheet mask!

 

Purchased by me

LIFESTYLE | Five on Friday - Apr.1st - Spiderman: No Way Home, LEGO Tiger, OPUS Aperitivo Spritz, Pulled Pork and Teen Vogue Article

It's April Fools' Day, but I don't "celebrate" and generally hate this day when it comes to social media because you never know what to believe. I only like the kind of jokes that are brutally obvious like "Invisible Nail Polish" not pregnancy announcements or things that mess with people's emotions because I think that is just mean! Not too much happening this past week, but definitely five things that made me smile!

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