NAILS | Happy NYE and Hello to 2021!

Normally, I don't like to post nail art posts back to back, but this week has been a strange one as I have been working normal hours, but not busy and yet haven't had a chance to sit down and blog. I currently have today and the next three days off so mentally I have been waiting for this time to refresh. I hadn't been sleeping well so I made it a point to stop anything stimulating (like blogging) by 11pm and get ready for bed which is also what led to my lack of posting this week, but all the same it was nice to slow things down this week. 

Some PR samples

NAILS | Look to the Stars #CBBxManiMonday

Alrighty, it's that last week of the year where half the week is "normal" where the mail runs, banks are open and there are no holiday hours followed by the second half where everything is closed and you don't know what day it is because New Years Day is on a weekday. Even during a pandemic, I am still a bit confused, but soon enough it will be 2021. I think because we have all "lost" so much of the year to lockdowns and staying at home, it feels like I just said goodbye to 2019. Though we have all been continuing our days, I feel like I never quite hit "unpause" from March. As my sister-in-law put it, I am cautiously optimistic about 2021, but I have no expectations about whether things will get better. I hope they will, but I am not going to expect the allowance of big gatherings, concerts or not mask-wearing in public spaces to change. It will be interesting to see how the vaccine changes things and how humanity deals with the new coronavirus variant and the way we interact with others going forward. Now, that we have all (hopefully!) celebrated Christmas with our bubble, it's time to celebrate New Year's Eve with the same bubble! My husband and I are again looking forward to a quiet night with some champagne and a nice meal at home as I have been given the gift of Dec.31st - Jan.3rd off! Lots of time to recover and recharge!

Press samples

SHEET MASK | JMsolution Marine Luminous Pearl Deep Moisture Mask

I love three step masks as I feel like I am getting a targeted mini treatment all in one little pack! After featuring some "Western" brands the last little while, I feel like it's time to go back to some Korean masks because let's face it, this where almost all sheet masks are made whether the brand is Western or Asian and are often the most innovative and well made. In the sheet mask world, JMsolution masks are part of any sheet mask lovers library as they are easily found, innovative, affordable and best of all, have some great results! 

Purchased by me

NAILS | Gloomy Christmas Trees

I hope everyone had a cozy Christmas Day! I had been looking forward to the day off since last week for no reason in particular other than wanting the whole Christmas season to be over. Generally, I have always found it to be a season that is overhyped and commercialized and though it has its moments of warmth, I think most people can agree that it is generally an exhausting holiday and yet we all still use all of our weekends in December to decorate, cook and see everyone humanly possible that we haven't seen in the last couple of months because it's CHRISTMAS. Oh, and then we spend an INSANE amount of money and feel sad in January when your credit card statements come in! I've always said that we should just be generous, see people and be festive whenever you want during the year because it would be way less stressful! It's also how I feel about goals and resolutions. Don't let January 1st dictate when you start making a change. Do it February 23rd if you need to! I don't expect everyone to agree with me, but it's something that I've realized over the years that has helped me feel more in control which in turn has helped me feel more emotionally stable and able to achieve my goals. This year is obviously a different kind of Christmas and though it was quiet, I was so happy to be able to spend it just with my husband and our cats. We made our own little turkey dinner with stuffing and sides as well as mulled apple cider. It was quiet, peaceful and contained all that mattered in my life so here's to truly appreciating the simple things for 2021 as well!

Press samples

HOLIDAY | Mary Kay Gift Sets and Holiday Fun

Something I have been doing a lot of this year is going through my blog posts and Instagram stories at the beginning of the pandemic to see what I was thinking and my state of mind. I have also been going through blog posts from this time last year when Christmas was "as per normal" and man was I A LOT more stressed! Living the full retail holiday life, balancing dinners and outings had me really exhausted and as terrible as this year has been, this has also been the LEAST stressed I have been in probably over 10 years and it has felt FANTASTIC to let my brain veg and to not give a flying f*** about clients who come at you and forget that the pandemic has changed EVERYTHING. Still, it has been a relatively busy month and as much as I have wanted to blog more, I have been taking my nights and days off very slow and easy which is part of the reason why this Mary Kay post is coming a little later than I would like, but the items were too cute not to share with you all!

Press samples

NAILS | Christmas Wreaths #CBBxManiMonday

It's the last #CBBxManiMonday before Christmas! I knew this month would creep up on me and then whaddaya know? It is now the first day of Winter and it actually SNOWED in Vancouver! This is the first real snowfall for us as we generally get a ton of rain (which we did) so it was all very appropriate. I had today off, but I will be working right up until Christmas Day so I don't know how busy it will be. I always mentally prepare myself for busy shoppers and/or ridiculous Christmas miracles and even in this global state, people can still be unreasonable. We received a Christmas card from a client which looked all pretty on the outside, but when we opened it, it turned out to be a complaint that ended with the sentence "so file this in your cupboard of embarrassments". I mean, who takes the time to use an already overloaded mail system (used registered mail) to send something negative like this out into the universe?! Why even bother?!

Press samples