NAILS | Heart Berry for Indigenous History Month #CBBxManiMonday

Continuing on with this month's theme of "Allyship", today's nails are inspired by this Instagram post by Indigenous beauty brand Cheekbone Beauty in honour of the strawberry or as the Anishinaabe First Nations call it, the "heart berry". I loved this photo and the colour scheme creating the dotted heart and thought it would be pretty as a set of puzzle nails! Also if you haven't shopped with Cheekbone Beauty before, they are FANTASTIC! They aren't one of those brands that say all the "clean or green beauty" marketing and don't follow through. They said last year they would endeavour to create sustainable beauty products and they have! From their newest packaging for their SUSTAIN Lipglosses to the wood their eye pencils are made from, they are a brand that has stuck to their guns and made a point of staying away from words like "clean" or "non-toxic". They stick to science and research and on top of it all, donate 10% of their profits to Shannen's Dream. A charity that I now support because Cheekbone Beauty introduced me to this touching cause.   

Some PR samples

SHEET MASK | Design Face Pack Star Wars Collection

I've always been a bit of a nerd when it comes to Star Wars and growing up, I had no female friends who liked anything that involved Superheroes, robots or space. It wasn't until university and actually beauty blogging that I found other women who loved beauty, skincare and Star Wars so you can imagine my elation when I found out there were sheet masks out there with superheroes and Star Wars on them! 

Purchased by a friend in Japan

MAKEUP | Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Shadows with Swatches

I have always liked eyeshadows in stick form because my God are they ever convenient when it comes to covering an eyelid and then quickly lining my lower lash line! In the mornings when I cannot be bothered to think of what sort of colour scheme will go on my eyelids, I know that an eyeshadow stick won't let me down. When it came to colour selection and staying power, I first used the Urban Decay 24/7 chubby eyeshadow sticks and then when those got discontinued, I became obsessed with MAKE UP FOR EVER's Aqua Shadows which were essentially the same thing. Then my favourite shade 20E got discontinued (it was this metallic champagne) and replaced with something close in the Aqua Matic collection, but still wasn't the same. The closest I have come to is the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Shadow in the shade Moonlight which brings us to the beginning of my Caviar Stick relationship and how one stick became four!

Purchased by me

NAILS | Rainbow Leopard Pride Nail Art #CBBxManiMonday

This month's editions of #CBBxManiMonday will have some extra special meaning as our theme for the month of June will be "Allyship" in honour of Pride and Indigenous History month. I have talked a little bit about my goals in last week's Instagram stories including finishing my Indigenous Canada course, reading more about residential schools and researching local charities who support both LGBTQ+ and Indigenous causes. This is not just a one month thing. This is a way of life that I opened myself up to last year and I can honestly say that when it comes to consumption and beauty, I am much more mindful of where my money goes and making the time to learn about uncomfortable topics that I feel I will never know enough about which is a good thing because it keeps me wanting to know more. 

PR samples featured

SHEET MASK | MasqueBAR Naturals Collection with Mask Selfies

I try my best not to waste water, food and create too much garbage that is going to sit in a landfill somewhere, but unfortunately liking the world of beauty makes that kind of lifestyle somewhat challenging. So much of the packaging is plastic, resin or materials that are un-recyclable so I do feel a sense of guilt having such a hobby. My love for sheet masks further amplifies this so I am really happy to see a few brands coming out with sheet masks that are biodegradable. Now, what's even better than biodegradable sheet masks? The Masque Bar Naturals Collection has been relaunched with both biodegradable sheet masks AND packaging! 

PR samples

MAKEUP | Mary Kay Limited Edition Lip Kits

Last month I posted in this space 17x which is actually the most that I have blogged since last September when I was on vacation! While I know blogging is seen as a bit old school now compared to the micro-blogging world of Instagram, I was just having a conversation with my husband where as this will always be a space I enjoy coming to. Moreso than Instagram or other social media because I feel like I have contributed something concrete that can be referenced and Googled. There have been times where I KNOW I have done a mini review on Instagram of a product, but I can't quite remember when I did it and having to scroll through my feed for what feels like an eternity is one of my biggest pet peeves! Having said all that, makeup used to excite me and be a big part of my life and as our world slowly inches back to some level of "masklessness", I can feel my excitement for makeup growing although a few colleagues of mine, whom I work with daily, refuse to get vaccinated because they think the vaccine is harmful so it's very possible that in my work place, I will have to stay masked. For now, I will play with pretty lipsticks and do full makeup looks only on days off!

PR samples