NAILS | Holo Taco "Orange Drink" Swatch

I know that an entire blog post to this ONE colour is totally unnecessary, but the Holo Taco Rainbow Collection deserves all the attention! Each and every nail angle is just pure nail porn and with our summer finally hitting Vancouver two weeks ago, I am going to take advantage of every shred of sunlight I get just to watch my nails sparkle! I thought about doing nail art, but orange is sort of a tough colour to work with and I didn't want to use black and have this be a Halloween nail art post (though I cannot WAIT for Halloween manicures!). With regards to Halloween, the other thing I cannot wait for is wearing a fun face mask to work! We have to wear company-provided surgical masks, but on Halloween I have been all cleared to draw some lips and fangs out of cardboard and stick them on our masks to have a little fun! Yes, I know COVID is terrifying and if we get a round two in the Fall, I might not be so perky about the whole thing, but for now, it's a way of staying positive. 

Purchased by me

SKINCARE | Bawdy Beauty Slap It Caffeine Butt Mask #100DaysofSheetMasks

While I missed out on going to Cosmoprof in Vegas this year, I DID stalk their Instagram to see which brand would be awarded the Trendsetter award as these are usually products that are unlike anything else in the beauty market in a particular category. This is the year of the sheet mask and though I have sheet masked on and off over the years, I really took it seriously at the start of 2018 and now I am out to try the weirdest, best and most amusing sheet masks out there including ones for anything OTHER than the face. Introducing the very first BUTT MASK! 

PR Samples

BATH & BODY | Crystal Hills Organics - Crystal Infused Skincare!

Last month I had posted on my Instagram stories about a local new-to-me brand that I found interesting, but had a few questions about. Crystal Hills Organics is based in Kelowna, BC in the gorgeous Okanagan Valley (their Instagram will have you wishing you could work your 9-5 job there) with a goal of using the healing power of nature to soothe, cleanse and protect and enhance the body. Crystal Hills has their own organically certified farm for all the grapes, herbs and flowers used in their products and the soil is enriched so that only the freshest and highest quality ingredients are used. Not only was I happy to learn of this, but also that the founder, Andrea Barone, has a background in Biological Science and Occupational Health and Safety. There are so many indie green brands popping up that I tend to gravitate towards the ones that have some scientific process or at the very least surround themselves with people who do. 

NAILS | The Hungry Asian Brrr! Swatch

I have never had nail polish swatches "in the vault" EVER and then for some reason I found this one from one of my all-time favourite indie polish makers - The Hungry Asian! I picked up Brrr! from her Etsy shop a few years ago and keep meaning to swatch the 10 polishes I bought so long ago, but my inventory of untrieds just keeps growing with every season. During the Christmas holidays, I went on a bit of a bender and wore A LOT of nail polish in the space of 2 weeks. No alcohol involved, just polish because that's how I roll.

NAILS | Keeping up with Pink with Unt - Onscreen Chemistry!

I forgot how short February was and realized that I only have time for this and maybe one more pink manicure! Ahhh! Where has the time gone? I've had a bit of a hectic week with a stomach bug at the beginning of this week and taking it really easy with food for fear of tossing my cookies on public transit. SO EMBARRASSING.

Anyway, two years ago I was one of the winners of the Nailpolis 1,000,000 Facebook Fans contest and won a gift certificate to shop at Live Love Polish! One of the polishes I picked up was this pink cream glittery beauty from the "Kate Party" collection called Onscreen Chemistry!

NAILS | Pretty & Polished "I Do!" Swatch

This month the CBB is all about pink, red and white for Valentine's Day so for the entire month of February I am ONLY going to wear those three colours on my nails. Totally doable, right? It will finally give me the opportunity to get through the numerous shades of untried pinks I have accumulated over the years! Can I have an aaaaa-men?!

Today's swatch is from one of the very first indie polish brands I started using and even had a custom thermal polish made for my wedding along with mini bottles of polish for all of my female guests! Needless to say, Pretty & Polished was a big part of my wedding day and "I Do!" was one of the polishes I gave to my guests! This is a white-based cream polish filled with fine matte pink and medium sized shiny hex glitter. I did my best to get the glitter hearts, but even with glitter fishing they remained highly elusive. All of these photos are three thin coats with top coat.

NAILS | J&S Nails 1 Step Gel Polish Swatch in SR7 - The FASTEST Manicure I have ever done! #ManiMonday

SERIOUSLY IMPRESSIVE. I received 18 J&S Nails 1 Step Gel Polish shades a little while ago to experiment and play around with and I am kicking myself for not trying these polishes out sooner! J&S Nails is a Canadian company that specializes in 5-FREE, 1 step gel polish application. How many times have you all seen "one step" and had it disappoint you? Countless times, right? Well, not THIS time because I was so floored when both hands were done and cured within 10 minutes. SERIOUSLY! 

SKINCARE | Imbue Rose Water Mists in Lust, Muse, Soothe and Heaven

We all understand and have experienced what it means to have a scent transport us back to a childhood moment or elicit an emotion. One local Vancouver company has managed to "imbue" their Rose Water Mists with their own personal scent memories in the hopes of inspiring you to create your own or revel in Lust* ($22.00 CDN each), Muse*, Soothe* and Heaven*.

NAILS | Beyond the Nail Mint Microglitter Swatch #ManiMonday

This post almost didn't make it as Sunday was spent at a friend's son's birthday party which was all afternoon and combined with running errands with my husband in the evening, I pretty much fell asleep watching "Friends" on Netflix. I also still needed to pack for my visit to Toronto for GenBeauty(!!) so I was quite torn on how to spend my remaining waking hours. The fact that I have not missed a Mani Monday since November was what kept me going and even though this is just a simple swatch, I made sure it was a good one! I have talked about the Canadian company Beyond the Nail before on Cosmetic Proof and when it comes to indie polish companies, they will rank in my top 10 for both quality and customer service!