NAILS | OPI "The Pearl of Your Dreams" Swatch #CBBxManiMonday

 

Press sample

I know, I know this is a bit of cop out doing just a swatch for a manicure, but honestly it has been such a ridiculous past week that this was all I could muster. While we didn't have quite the retail turnout we were hoping for, my week did end with a bang as the cold weather/tons of rain wreaked havoc on our building at work so we are dealing with the aftermath of that! All I can say is that it was crazy and such an appropriate way to close out the retail season, but then I worked yesterday which was very busy! It's not normally very busy for us on Boxing Day as we don't do anything special in the way of sales, so people were just buying at regular price and enjoying being out and about since the weather was so bad leading up to Christmas.

SHEET MASK | Guerlain Abeille Royale Honey Cataplasm Mask

 

Purchased by me

Merry Christmas everyone! Had I planned wisely, I would have a Christmas-themed sheet mask for today, but instead I will provide so holiday sparkle with my most expensive mask in my current collection! While most of my sheet masks are in the more reasonable price range of $5-$15, occasionally I like to dabble in the "exquisite" and one of the masks that has been on my wishlist for years has been the Guerlain Abeille Royale Honey Cataplasm Mask. With its $159 price tag for a box of four masks, you can see what I have been holding off on this purchase! I finally decided to take the plunge during this Fall's Sephora VIB Rouge event and grab a box! 

HOLIDAY | Sephora Wishing You Collection

Press samples

I honestly had no plans to do any holiday blog posts just because of my crazy retail schedule, but for Sephora I will make an exception as this year's "Wishing You" gift sets were just too cute to not share! As always, Sephora has come out with a plethora of affordable holiday sets of showcasing their house brand which is actually one of my favourite brands to date. Their sheet masks and matte lipsticks are among my favourite in my collection to use which is saying a lot!

NAILS | Christmas Trees #CBBxManiMonday

 

Press samples

My nails are going to be the coffin shape for awhile as my pink broke shortly before I did this manicure so I had to make my nails even more narrow to compensate! On a positive note, it does give me some time to be creative with manicures that make use of this more triangular shape. I am on the home stretch this week when it comes to work as this is the final week until Christmas which falls on a Sunday. I will be spending it all by my lonesome which is totally fine by me as the longer hours of having to be an extrovert have been getting more and more challenging as the days go by. I look forward to recharging my introverted batteries for 2023 as things will get busy again for Lunar New Year which is a big deal at my work because of our mainly Asian clientele. 

SHEET MASK | Di Morelli Hydrating Face Mask

Press sample

This week's sheet mask is from Vancouver-based brand Di Morelli created by Dr. Morrell who founded the Medical Rejuvenation Centre in 1999. I am most familiar with their Vitamin C Serum for Face and Eyes as years ago, it was one of the few vitamin C serums that was potent yet gentle enough to be used around the eyes. A couple of months ago, I discovered Di Morelli had sheet masks so HAD to give them a go!

SKINCARE | Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy Travel Kit for Dry and Sensitive Skin

Press samples

Maybe it's a combination of the weather and getting ever closer to 40, but I have really been noticing how dry my skin has been since the start of the Fall season whether it's the inside of my nose, my hands or my face. Usually a sheet mask helps significantly, but as of late even my tried and true "sheet mask moisture providers" have needed a little bit of a boost. Thankfully, I have discovered some gloriously moisturizing products this season with Korean skincare brand Physiogel with my initial introduction to the brand being their sheet mask which I loved! 

NAILS | Candy Cane French Manicure #CBBxManiMonday

Press samples

As mentioned in yesterday's post, I have had a very tiring and hectic week with work and I think it's only going to get more intense as we get closer and closer to Christmas. I had other plans for today's nail art, but time eluded me yesterday as I struggled to both relax and get everything I wanted to done. After breaking a nail and having to go coffin nails again, I thought trying out this style of freehand candy cane nail art might be interesting! 

SHEET MASK | Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Tencel Sheet Mask

Purchased by me

I have just come off the busiest two days I have had this entire year as I have taken on a new role at work that required two days of full attention meeting with reps and talking marketing strategy for 2023. We also had a 12 hour day on Saturday that involved a late dinner so as an introvert, I am in desperate need for re-charging! I DID manage to do a whopping TWO additional blog posts than the weeks before so that IS something I will celebrate!

HAIR | Carina Organics Citrus Shampoo and Sweet Pea Conditioner

 

Purchased by me

Local love has been a focus of mine since the pandemic started and though I have shopped from Sephora and other American sites here and there, I have tried my best to keep it local (also I don't like the exchange rate!) and more importantly to products and brands that I truly enjoy. Carina Organics was started in North Vancouver back in 1972 and is still family-owned and run! Their claim to fame, at least when I first heard of them, is their shampoos and conditioners which are pH-balanced, vegan, cruelty-free, safe in rivers, lakes and oceans AND made with ingredients sourced locally! It really doesn't get better than that!

NAILS | The Elves Have Come Out to Play! #CBBxManiMonday

Some press samples

I mentioned in yesterday's #SheetMaskSunday post that I wanted to take control of December and not let it stress me out or make me feel pressured in any way and though I am not entirely sure of how I will do that, I felt pretty good about myself yesterday. I stocked up on canned goods and groceries that will last as I will not have time to go out to get food much starting tomorrow. I also got the kitties some extra canned food and also started planning out my meal deliveries as I will be on my own on Christmas Eve (don't feel sorry for me as people in retail generally want to be alone to decompress on this day) and want to do as little cooking as possible since I will be working until 5:30pm that day. This little bit of preparation has made me feel better and then later today, I am going to get one gift for a coworker just so I don't have to go on the weekend when it might be busier. I have also made a small to-do list for the week which I can hopefully accomplish, but have told myself that it's ok if I don't as nothing on it is life or death.

SHEET MASK | Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy Cream Mask

Purchased by me

I did not mean to take such a long break from the blog this past week, but I was still playing catch up at work and was coming home feeling just spent from the day! This upcoming week is going to be a busy one with our new Chaumet boutique opening, but I would like to be as in control of this week and really the month of December as possible! Maybe that should be my mental hashtag for the month, #TakingControlOfDecember and I will try to do something every day this month to stay present as I also try to survive retail during the holidays since it always ends up being a bit of a gong show leading up to Christmas!