NAILS | 3D Dots That Didn't Quite Work Out #CBBxManiMonday

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I cannot believe this is the last week of August and I am sure MANY of you are feeling the same! We all know how incredibly quick the last half of the year goes by and in my older years, I have definitely come to appreciate the acceptable slowness of summer. I am hoping this week will be a better week for me and I have some new breathing exercises to try out so fingers crossed this will be the start of gaining some control over the anxiety I have been experiencing for most of the last year.

SHEET MASK | Tony Moly I'm Real Seaweed, Red Wine, Pomegranate and Aloe Sheet Masks

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I feel like August is perhaps a bit of a "bad luck" month for me because my blogging streak got completely derailed last week due to work and stress. Then, I had to stop using sheet masks because I have a weird rash on one side of my face which is still healing so I will just be dipping into my stash for a hopefully just a week or two more and then I can get back to my 100 days of sheet masking! I was just over the halfway mark when I got my rash so I was hoping to be done by the end of September, but alas we will need to go into October!

SHEET MASK | JM Solution Mama Pureness Firming Up Mask

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In the spirit of wellness, I am having my first consultation with a therapist today and fingers crossed we are a good fit! I used to see pedicures and facials as a way of de-stressing, but now I think I need to be more open to taking care of my mental state in a different way. I think being Asian, there is a cultural stigma regarding therapy. Asian medicine is very much about herbs, massages and meditation, but it doesn't really focus on talking about your emotions and admitting that sometimes all of the potions and lotions aren't enough! And believe me, I have a lot of those! I have never seen a therapist before so I am oddly looking forward to the experience in the same way I look forward to a new massage or facial place.

NAILS | Pink Waves #CBBxManiMonday

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This one is going to be a short one because this past week has not been a fun one and yesterday was a blur of clients and work shenanigans. Hopefully things are going to get better, but it will be slow. I feel like my method of survival now is avoidance which is typically not how I choose to deal with things, but some things just aren't worth the energy of speech and/or interaction. Am I being cryptic enough? I keep asking my husband if I can retire and we can go live in Sweden or something. I'll become a travel blogger with nothing to lose and he can do consulting remotely from the comfort of our Lego-coloured home. I am just trying to decide if I will miss my paycheck or not...I do enjoy online shopping QUITE a bit!

SHEET MASK | A'Pieu Icing Sweet Bar Sheet Mask in Watermelon and Pineapple

 

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Oh my my, we have now reached the middle of August and dare I say it, almost the end of the summer...I know let's not think about that now because I think once September rolls around, the rest of 2023 is going to go by in a flash. I still want to squeeze out the last bits of summer including some summery sheet masks like these delectable looking popsicle-themed masks from Korean beauty brand A'Pieu!

MAKEUP | Peace Out Instant Pore Perfector (Silicone-Free!)

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I think this is as close to makeup as I am going to get for awhile as I really do not feel like applying makeup in this heat nor did I prepare any makeup posts beforehand because I think I have now become exclusively a hair and skincare blogger. This makeup primer from Peace Out though? Sure, I will make time for because I have been treating it like skincare and really enjoying the experience!

NAILS | Popsicles #CBBxManiMonday

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Now, that I have long and rounded almond nails, the world of nail art has opened up a bit more and one of the designs that has been on my list this summer has been popsicle nail art! Yes, I could have done small mini popsicles all over with any shape of nail, but having my whole nail be an actual popsicle was WAY more fun! 

SHEET MASK | Mediheal Airpacking Mint Wrap Foil Mask

Purchased by me

I have, what I am anticipating to be a busy week coming up as there will be a few vacations and generally that means that we are spread out a bit more thinly. Hopefully there won't be too much drama and the week will go by seamlessly and MAYBE will even be a little fun! Up for today's #SheetMaskSunday post is none other than one of the sheet mask greats - Mediheal! They have a seemingly endless supply of sheet masks that I can never keep up with and all of them have performed well and have been fun at the same time! 

NAILS | Bio Sculpture Gemini Poco Pop Swatch #MidWeekMani

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Alright so this isn't quite "Midweek", but I have been having a bit of a rough week mentally though I have been mostly smiles on the outside. I have just been feeling like I have a ball of anxiety rolled up in my chest and talking about it just makes me feel worse so it's the kind of anxiety that I can only survive if I smile my way through it and just pretend everything is fine in the hopes that my mind catches up to my body. 

SHEET MASK | The Body Shop Edelweiss Serum Concentrate Sheet Mask

Purchased by me

Will this be the week I get back on track with blog posts? Ever since the unpleasant comment at work that bummed me out on Saturday, it made me angry enough to twist the situation around and kick my Type A personality into high gear. I have often struggled with separating work life from personal life and I am still trying to find that balance, but I make exceptions for clients (unless they are complaints LOL). My own clients are always wonderful so I don't mind emailing or texting them on my days off, but other than that, I try to keep my two lives separate. Even though I have been off for two days, I have been making to-do lists and engrossing myself in sales numbers which has been a little bit fun! I feel like whenever you feel trapped in life, making a list of things to do or my current favourite, a spreadsheet, always makes me feel like I have control. Will this last until the end of the year? Who knows, but I need to remind myself to be open to changing things up as many of these lists and strategies involve employees so if something's not working, I need to know how to swallow my pride and try something else! Suffice it to say, my brain might not be here in this space this week while I adjust my bearings!

HAIR | Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Joia Set and Bum Bum Cream

 

Purchased by me

I feel like I have been writing this Sol de Janeiro post for the entire day, but when I look at the clock it has only been about 2 hours. I think because I woke up at the regular work time on my day off and then proceeded to do some stuff for my day job for like four hours which was way longer than I had expected, but I feel a bit better now going into tomorrow that I have gotten some the things on my very long to do list done! 

NAILS | Barbie Swirls #CBBxManiMonday

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I don't know how this long weekend crept on me, but I kept thinking the Civic holiday was next weekend, but here we are and here I AM with Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off! I had kind of an unfortunate moment at work on Saturday that left me feeling a little unsettled, but I think after talking to GOOD people in my life and looking back at physical evidence of my work performance, I have come to the conclusion that I know my worth and have been validated numerous times this past year alone so "screw it" to what was said to me! In that spirit of empowerment, I had to use as many OPIxBarbie polishes as possible for today's manicure! Along with polishes, OPI released two sets of press-on Barbie-themed nails and one of the sets had this swirly pink and blue design that I wanted to do on my own nails!

SHEET MASK | eyeNLip Beauty Moisture Essence Hyaluronic Acid and Charcoal Masks

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How can it be August already? Even though my schedule doesn't really change much in the summer compared to let's say a teacher, I definitely still feel the slowdown of summer. There is MUCH less traffic in the mornings and my 35 min commute becomes 20. People in general are in no rush for things and maybe it's the sunny weather that puts people in a good mood, but everyone is generally quite pleasant which is ALWAYS nice in the world of retail.