MAKEUP | VDL Expert Color Primer for Eyes with Swatches and Wear Test

As evidenced by my lack of makeup posts this past year, it is obvious I am not wearing much makeup these days. I actually think I made more of an effort to wear a full face of makeup when I was stuck inside during Quarantine because it made me feel more productive, but now that I am back to the grind of things I have become a mostly lazy girl with my routine on work days wearing various shades of neutral brown shadows. One thing that I always need to use though is an eye primer since the eyes are now the ONLY window into the soul and I need to make sure my eye makeup doesn't look like the "morning after" when it has only been four hours! Queue the primer specialists - Korean beauty brand VDL!

PR samples

NAILS | Disco Flowers #CBBxManiMonday

I have been on vacation from almost 2 days and I am desperately trying to stop thinking about work, but unfortunately even though I had my vacation time planned for weeks, there were still some loose ends that I couldn't tie up before I left so I have been sneaking in a quick peek at emails here and there since clients are involved. I am one of those people who generally does not check voicemails or emails when I am off work as it makes me a happier person and I think it's good for clients and colleagues to give you personal time off. I rarely give my cell phone number out to clients and the few who have it are always told if I am off and they are super respectful about waiting until I am back in the store to communicate. I know this is not commonly the case in commission-based environments as failure to respond means losing a sale and push come to shove, if that's what it will be for me then I will make the time. I have met with clients on my days off maybe a handful of times in 5 years and that was ONLY for clients who live out of town. Are you good at putting up your work/home boundaries? I'm guessing for those of you who work from home, it's incredibly difficult!

 

Some PR samples 

SHEET MASK | Lapcos Skin First Oil Wrap Mask in Chamomile

I am so naive in thinking that products will be around forever! Despite slowing down my sheet mask purchasing at the beginning of 2020 and sheet masking daily, I still have quite a number to try out and sometimes, I am late in discovering a REALLY good mask. The Lapcos Skin First Oil Wrap Mask was all the rage in 2018 and I kept saying I would try it and now it's 2021 and has been either discontinued or removed from existence as I am having a hard time repurchasing it!

Purchased by me via Facetory subscription

NAILS | Earthy Florals (A Slightly Belated #CBBxManiMonday)

I am trying to figure out if I don't want to blog because I am tired from work or just feeling uninspired. I have often said that this was my safe space to be creative and feel balanced, but lately my ManiMondays have been late and the thought of taking photos and wearing makeup for posts has made me want to take a nap. Granted, I also haven't taken any real vacation days since January so maybe I'm just due for a recharge because in the shower, I have all of these ideas for posts and then when it comes to execute, I feel like a slug. My biggest thing is that I miss having more makeup posts here and though I didn't do a lot of makeup reviews pre-pandemic, I rarely do them now because I just don't wear as much makeup anymore. I wore more makeup when I had my time off because at least I could see it, but at work with a face mask, I don't even get to enjoy it in the mirror! Then again, I can't deny that I am saving so much money. Who knew that lipsticks and foundation were such a big part of my monthly spend?!

Press samples 

SKINCARE | Okoko Cosmetiques - My Latest Brand Love and It's Made Right Here in Vancouver!

This post is sponsored in partnership with Okoko Cosmetiques.

This post has been a long time in the making as I have been eyeing Okoko Cosmetiques since 2019 and telling myself that before buying something from this luxury skincare brand, I need to use up more of what I have already because I will not be able to just let these products sit on my shelf! I would not be able to wait to use them! I finally took the plunge and placed my first order in June 2020 and I cannot be more pleased with the products and my experience with them. My collection has grown since last year and I vow that eventually I will own everything Okoko makes! 

Two products are PR samples and are labeled with *

SHEET MASK | Happy Vegan Madecassoside Relaxing Vegan Mask

In recent years, the Korean beauty market has started to encompass many of the qualities deemed as desirable in the Western beauty world like having products "EWG-certified", "clean" and in the case of today's sheet mask "vegan". Have the quotes already indicated to you that these are terms I do not find value in? Vegan is probably the only one that I can somewhat understand, but I hate the term "clean" and let's face it the EWG is political and fosters fear-mongering so while I still enjoy and use products that use this type of terminology in their marketing, I never name them as benefits when reviewing. 

Purchased by me