NAILS | Into the Vault with Revlon Unicornicopia #CBBxManiMonday

Press sample

Seeing as how Revlon Unicornicopia was released back in 2017, I think I was given this nail polish at one of the London Drugs events and am only getting around to trying it now! The summer feels like a time to be nostalgic so I will diving into my box of untrieds from way back which will be fun especially for any of you who have been nail polish fans for the last 15 years!

NAILS | ORLY Hot Tropics Swatch #CBBxManiMonday

Purchased by me

This past week has been an absolute whirlwind of activity! I have been helping out with opening the new Chaumet Oakridge location and since Oakridge as a mall has been undergoing construction since 2020, it has been very complicated trying setup a new store while the mall itself is also undergoing construction! The team is new so I have also been training them a little bit and advising on how best to setup their store for half the day and then coming back to my own store. Needless to say, I have been tired, but glad to see that I was able to assist effectively as the store seems to be as ready as it will ever be! 

NAILS | Sally Hansen x Reese's Peanut Butter Time Swatch #CBBxManiMonday

Purchased by me

My nails are in AWFUL shape right now and this is the last backup photo I have of me wearing any nail polish so I am hoping that by next week I will have some semblance of a manicure to share with you! They are currently too short to even shape after going through multiple breaks due to the very dry weather so even after missing last week's ManiMonday, they are still in recovery mode. 

NAILS | OPI Infinite Shine Kiss My Aries Swatch #MidWeekMani

Press sample 

I wore this manicure the week before Christmas because it truly is a festive holiday red! Though this was from the Fall Big Zodiac Energy collection, I totally think that "Kiss My Aries" is the perfect Christmas red with how much fire it has in it AND this was a one coater! Like, what?! I have used this shade a few times in my manicures since receiving the collection and it is one of my FAVOURITE reds to use. It also works for Lunar New Year, so I might keep it out for next month as well!

NAILS | Sally Hansen Insta-Dri x Sesame Street Scram! Swatch #MidWeekMani

Purchased by me

I am writing this a little bit ahead of when this will actually go live, but I predict that today I am pretty tired as this week is the start of the holiday season for us at work! We have a client event that runs all week and it can have its busy moments so I am sort of bracing myself to feel tired and not wanting to do anything by the time I get home! 

NAILS | OPI Gemini and I Swatch #MidWeekMani

Press sample

I always have a secret blog post goal of 10 posts/month and I didn't realize that I wasn't even close to that amount this month! I guess with work in Paris and then getting ready for the trip, my mind really was elsewhere! 

NAILS | OPI Hi Barbie! Swatch #MidWeekMani

Press samples

I feel like along with Fall and September, the long weekend just sort of crept up on me so I wasn't expecting to take a stat day this week, but it has been really nice to work a short week. I had Wed and today off so for the first time in probably three weeks, I got my act together and did some chores around the house and even decided to blog! The last month has been super stressful and it was nice to feel motivated to do something even if it was as simple as two loads of laundry and updating our house insurance. It's all in the little things!

NAILS | Bio Sculpture Gemini Poco Pop Swatch #MidWeekMani

Press sample

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. 

NAILS | Cadillacquer Vermillion Swatch #MidWeekMani

Purchased by me

I am not a morning person. For every day that I have worked in most of my jobs, when the alarm goes off, my first thought is to phone in sick followed by "I'll just text in my 2 weeks notice and quit" all so I can sleep in. Once I get going and get to work, the tasks of the day set in and I don't think this way anymore, but that feeling to hit the snooze button repeatedly is greater some days than others. For the last week, with the beautiful weather, the sun shining, I have never wanted to be off the whole summer more! To be at home in my summer rompers, doing house things and being with the cats is like pure bliss to me right now. When I have a day off, I don't even really sleep in (maybe I get up at 8am instead of 7am?) so I think that even though I may not be much of a morning person, it depends on HOW I am spending my morning. As much as I have asked numerous times to be a housewife, I don't think it is ever going to happen! Forever the working woman I will be! I realize that my love of shopping means that I will be working for a VERY long time since I have never really felt comfortable with my husband purchasing things for me.

NAILS | OPI Infinite Shine Clean Slate Swatch and Midweek Catch Up

Press sample

I felt like October was the longest month ever. I feel like a lot happened last month. I finally got my hair done which is always a bit of a production as I do my balayage once a year with my favourite Civello stylist, but he is a 45 minute drive from where I live so not exactly the closest. It's also what I call a very "active" drive meaning that there is no highway involved and I am forced to go through downtown where there is currently no shortage of construction and detours. I generally don't enjoy driving so I always have to mentally prepare for our 4 hour sessions knowing that after sitting in a car for an hour, I will be sitting again. 

NAILS | OPI Infinite Shine Don't Wait. Create. Swatch and Catch Up

Press sample

I haven't been good about doing "Five on Friday" posts and maybe it's time to start again because I have allowed myself to let everything go since Hugo died almost 2 months ago. These last few days, things have started to feel fresh again and it has brought me back to those moments of aching sadness where I just cannot believe he is gone. Harper is lonely now, it is evident in the change in her behaviour so we have started poking around local shelters to see if there might be a suitable cat buddy for her. Preferably a younger male kitty who can keep her on her toes as she likes to play and chase. The search is something that makes me feel sad, but at the same time I feel like having a second cat in the house will help us move forward with our grief. 

NAILS | Cadillacquer Lullaby Thermal Polish Swatch #MidWeekMani

Purchased by me

I promise this blog isn't a shrine to solely Cadillacquer polishes, but how can I resist featuring such beautiful thermal polishes?! Now, that I know thermal polishes don't stay thermal forever AND considering these polishes are almost $20 per bottle, it makes the most sense to use them when they are freshest! Today's thermal polish is "Lullaby" which goes from teal when warm to cobalt blue when cold. Also, I decided to try the coffin nail shape after breaking one of the corners from my thumb. Do we like this new nail shape?

MAKEUP | Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pens

During the height of Quarantine, I think we all had some time to go through our personal possessions and either dump or rediscover things. While I actively use Pixi's skincare (sheet masks, exfoliators, moisturizers and face oils), with the exception of the MatteLast Liquid Lipsticks and Pixiglow blushes, I often forget to use their other makeup products and they have some GOOD products! I recently pulled out the Endless Silky Eye Pens as I have been more conscious about my eye makeup for work and trying to have some fun with shades other than black or brown. I never want to go too crazy with my colours though as my eyeshadow is usually a neutral colour and these five eyeliners are work-friendly and don't require too much effort to coordinate with.

 PR Gifted

NAILS | OPI "Don't Tell a Sol" #MidWeekMani

I'm going to use these midweek manis to chat as that is something I truly miss now that I am back at work. It is evident that I no longer have as much time for introspection and being as "in touch with my feelings" as before, but I think that might be a good thing. Someone at work noted that I seemed happier and was laughing and joking more. The team we have now is small and we have all spent each and every day together working the same exact shifts for the past 2 months. We get along, no one fights or talks shit about another person and everyone knows their role to keep this machine going. It has been quite incredible to witness and be a part of because I never thought I could feel at peace in an environment I had come to accept, over the past 5 years, as stressful. I'm sure things will change again, but so far so good and I will enjoy it!   

 Polish provided by PR

NAILS | Cult Nails "I Got Distracted" Swatch #CBBxManiMonday

The CBB ManiMonday girls and I decided to do a bit of a palette cleanse after the Halloween nail art to gear up for next weeks theme of "Emo November" where we pretty much use just vampy fall shades, which I am not always a fan of, but every once in awhile it's nice to be a little moody in the nail area. I'm sort of writing this in a bit a funk as I am trying to focus on the positives in life, but man, can people be mean! With the sun shining today and lots to do both with the blog and in real life, there is plenty to keep me busy starting off with what has turned out to be a swatch of the now defunct company Cult Nails in the shade "I Got Distracted"!

Purchased by me a looooong time ago

MAKEUP | Avon Soft Matte Liquid Lip with Swatches

I know matte lipsticks aren't everyone's cup of tea and it took me a long time to get onboard, but now I am there and I will wear anything from nude to bright red to purple so let's say hello to the new Avon Soft Matte Liquid Lips! These lipsticks come in 8 pigmented shades that feel weightless and featherlight and contain poppy seed oil and vitamin E for comfort. This non-drying formula is supposed to last for hours on end while still looking fabulous until the very end of the day so let's see how they performed!

PR samples

NAILS | Going Matte #CBBxManiMonday

Ah, the first set of nails for 2019! In the spirit of making resolutions, the theme for #CBBxManiMonday for the rest of this month is "Nails I Don't Do" so be prepared to see some truly crazy things (*dramatic pause*) from us! I had planned on doing a different set of nails to start off this challenge, but Marie Kondo got the best of my husband and I at 9pm last night and by the time we had finished, it was far too late to do anything that required significant dry time. I did think of something that was quick to do for this challenge and it was MATTE NAILS. I have never been a fan of them and while I have done them on occasion for effect, I rarely buy a matte nail polish and keep it that way so here is it is - totally matte - from the Sinful Colors x Kylie Jenner Denim & Bling Collection is the swatch "Kobalt"! 

Purchased by me

NAILS | Oribe Nail Lacquer in Green Envy

When I received the Spring Holt Renfrew catalogue and saw that they would soon be carrying Oribe makeup, skincare and nail polish I eagerly awaited for my girl Anna to text me that the items I wanted were in. That day came a few weeks ago and though I swore I wouldn't buy more nail polish until I got through a combination of press samples and self purchases, I could not resist the call of a single bottle of Oribe Nail Lacquer! Many of you might be fans of their dry shampoo and other hair products just like I am so I had very high expectations for this $38 bottle of polish which currently comes in nine sleek creme shades.

MAKEUP | Christian Louboutin Limited Edition Lunar New Year Gift Set #LUNARFEBRUARY

Growing up in Vancouver, Chinese New Year, or the Lunar New year, as I now need to call it because it's the new year for more than just Chinese people, is HUGE. When I first immigrated to Canada in 1988, there were virtually no Chinese people. My family and I were struggling immigrants, my parents worked hard to give my sister and I a home, clothes and toys. We were on our own save for the handful of people we knew and integrating into "white" society was how my family and I chose to survive. My parents spoke to my sister and I ONLY in English which in retrospect was a mistake as being multilingual will ALWAYS be an asset, but I think my parents were afraid that we would be ostracized just by the colour of our skin.

Thankfully, Vancouver was very open to all cultures and I wish now that we had spoken Mandarin at home. The closest I have to any Asian language is understanding child level Hokkien (kudos to those of you who know what that is!), but as Vancouver has gotten more and more Chinese immigrants, I have never been so acutely aware of what animal we are celebrating this year. The Lunar New Year is bigger now than I ever remember it in Canada and I can't help, but miss the small intimate family celebration we used to have just the four of us. I almost want to go to T&T and pick up all that food just for hubs and me!

NAILS | Picture Polish Hercynia Swatch #ManiMonday

Hello, it's me. I feel like I have been really quiet on here, but I did give a bit of a warning on Instagram stories last week that I would be virtually MIA because of some work things that have pretty much left me having to nap when I get home from work. I get home from work around 7:30pm so it really isn't the best idea to nap, but I just feel like such a zombie. I have my weekend now which is proving to be busy (in a good way), but we can't miss out on ManiMonday, right?