SHEET MASK | Acure Seriously Soothing, Incredibly Clear and Brilliantly Brightening Sheet Masks

Purchased by me

I used to do Earth Month on the blog and feature "natural and organic" beauty brands, but I think over the years, we have all come to realize natural doesn't necessarily mean better and that many brands that aren't necessarily marketed as organic do try their best to uphold pillars of sustainability and caring for the environment. Acure has long been one of those brands that has made plant-based ingredients an affordable option and though I have not tried much from the brand, it tends to catch my eye whenever I am shopping with their attractive and Instagrammable packaging and of course the products themselves! I think back in 2018 or 2019, I picked up a bunch of sheet masks from Well.ca to use in a #CBBGetsSheetFaced challenge and these Acure sheet masks were among my spoils so yes, these masks are a couple of years old, but when it comes to sheet masks, I never worry about actives since it's really more about hydration and moisture.

MAKEUP | Basma Beauty Foundation Stick with Before and After Photos

 

Purchased by me

Now, that I have shingles scars on my face, my makeup routine has changed. One, I am fully masking again at work so that means that I am a little less committed to doing a full face of makeup 5 days/week. If I do, I have been keeping it light and while I was sick and spending most of my days on the 'Gram, I came across a Sephora post for the Canadian brand Basma Beauty and their Foundation Stick. This foundation is all about having your skin still look like skin, but with minimal and lightweight-feeling product.

NAILS | It's Me - Mario! #CBBxManiMonday

Press samples 

While I was off a few days last week, I decided it was time to do some solid nail art where there are a bajillion different colours of nail polish strewn across the table! I am always too tired to do complicated nail art after work anymore which is so sad, but my brain is just pulled in all sorts of directions now. I miss my molecular nail art ideas that honestly, took days to think about and I hope to go back to it again soon!

SHEET MASK | LAPCOS Seaweed and Charcoal Sheet Masks

Purchased by me

I purchased a pack of 12 LAPCOS sheet masks from Anthropologie before the pandemic (is that how everyone else thinks of time?) and was intrigued by the minimalist and very literal packaging. I have heard good things about this Korean/American brand and its inspiration from Korean skincare traditions and the sunny and creative way of life of Los Angeles (LAPCOS stands for "The Los Angeles Cosmetics Project").  I feel like this explains why the packaging isn't quite as "cutesy" as classic Korean sheet masks as it definitely feels like there is a North American inspiration behind it. The goal of LAPCOS is to share tried and true formulations that will hopefully become staples in your lifestyle just like "cracking open a bottle of ice cold kombucha". Oddly enough, I kind of get this as I love kombucha...I hate that I sound a bit cliche, but I love drinking it if I'm bloated or if my stomach feels a bit off so big kombucha fan here!

SKINCARE | FirstBase Skincare Double Dose Vitamin C Serum

Press sample

I know that single product reviews are kind of old school, but what if something was so fantastic that it deserved to be placed on a pedestal all by itself? Founded in the midst of the craziness of 2020 by friends April Ferguson and Beth Hunt, Canadian brand FirstBase Skincare launched its first and only product last year and it is incredible. The world of skincare is a saturated one and the fact that the only product FirstBase has is a vitamin C serum MUST mean it is REALLY something and I am here to tell you that it is and WHY!

NAILS | I Can Buy Myself Flowers #CBBxManiMonday

Press sample

I will admit that today's nail art was born out of wanting to keep the existing base shade and just "refreshing the ends". I haven't really had a chance to use any pastel polishes yet despite it being very much Spring and flowers are kind of the perfect opportunity! 

SHEET MASK | Oerbeua Firming Mask

Purchased by me

I think maaaaybe next week I will have some new sheet mask content in this space as my skin is not scabby anymore! It is still a bit sensitive to the touch so I may have to be selective about which sheet masks I use. For today, we are again going way back in time to when I still had my FaceTory subscription (still one of the coolest ones I've had!). I remember being hesitant to use this Oerbeua Firming Mask just because I loved the Mona Lisa packaging! It was so different than what you would expect!

NAILS | Easter Easter Egg Hunt Nail Art

 

Press samples

Happy Easter Monday! I LOVE today's Easter nail art! I came across these nails on the @la_beautique Instagram account and thought they were both cute and unique. I wasn't sure what to do for Easter-themed nails as I have done quite a few over the years, but when I saw this, I thought it was a good chance for me to do some solid nail art for you all! 

SHEET MASK | Sephora Collection Golden and Silver Masks

 

Press samples

My apologies for not being more prepared with #SheetMaskSunday as it may still be another two weeks until I feel comfortable enough wearing sheet masks and doing some serious skincare again. I am waiting for the redness to die down a little more as well as the scab on my cheek to be completely gone. For now, this has given me a chance to get through, I kid you not, years of backlogged sheet mask reviews! Although the pandemic has definitely messed with my sense of time, I still cannot believe that even these Sephora Collection foil masks were sent to me most likely in 2018 based on the colour of my hair!

HAIR | Elastine Propolithera Damage Repair Collection

 

Press samples

When it comes to bees, I think we can all agree that it is fantastic to see honey and propolis have such a presence in our beauty products and if I could have my own bees to take care, I think I would because these little critters are amazing! I have used propolis products in skincare and only once in haircare, in the form of the Gisou thermal spray, so using it in a full haircare routine was something new to me. I knew propolis was wonderful for the skin, but what about the hair? 

NAILS | Purple #CBBxManiMonday

 

Press samples

You would think that with my being stuck at home with shingles for the past four days that I would have had TONS of time to blog and do my nails, but no. I keep forgetting that technically my body IS still fighting a virus so I find that I will feel fairly normal for a few hours and then all of a sudden I will crash and need to sleep for about 20 minutes. I always know when my body is sick because when I take naps when I am healthy, I wake up feeling a little bit bloated or with a slight headache, but if I am sick, I always wake up with zero symptoms. That's how my naps have been the last few days so it's evident that I just need to listen to my body and do what it says.  

SHEET MASK | Add On Beauty Dry Mask in Selfie Glow, Skin Detox, Hydra Protect and Vegan Nutrition

Purchased by me

As many of you have seen on my Instagram stories, I was diagnosed with shingles on Wednesday and as it is all along my trigeminal nerve on my face, the only skincare I have used is Avene Thermal Spray since half of my face is covered in blisters. I think I will do a separate post on my shingles journey as I have been keeping a journal for my own morbid scientific purposes. For today's #SheetMaskSunday, I have had to dive into the archives as I have not tried any sheet masks for the last two weeks due to a combination of having my showers so late at night that the 20 minutes for a sheet mask was too long and of course being sick.