Five on Friday - June 30, 2017

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you had a great week - mine was busy, but good! We had a trip to the zoo, 2 doctor's appointments, and my older son, Damian's grade 6 graduation! 

ONE

It's Canada's 150th Birthday this year (tomorrow actually!!!) Elastoplast Canada has released these *Limited Edition O Canada assorted bandages ($4.99) for the occasion! 

With boys in the house, I need a steady supply of bandages in my house, so why not show a little Canadian pride while wearing them?! I totally love cute bandages so these will fit right in my collection! 

Mask Wednesday - Glamglow Gravitymud Firming Treatment "Sonic Blue Collectible Edition" Review

Happy Wednesday! You should know by now that I cannot pass up a gimmicky mask! And there is nothing better than a bright blue Sonic The Hedgehog Mask (I actually chose the Tails packaging, because everyone knows Tails was way cuter than Sonic!)

Glamglow Gravitymud Firming Treatment "Sonic Blue Collectible Edition" ~ $24.00 for 0.5 oz. GRAVITYMUD™ FIRMING TREATMENT in exclusive Sonic Blue is an out-of-this-world tightening and firming mud that contains mega-targeted ingredients that work together to help skin’s contours look and feel more defined. Once dry, this innovative blue formula peels off to reveal skin that feels tighter and looks more lifted.

So this is just the regular Glamglow Firming Treatment mask, but instead of being a silver mask it is BLUE! This is the same price as the smaller sized regular mask too - if you want more, 1.7 oz is $79.00. I actually prefer this packaging as a squeezable tube, where the other types look like they are in a pot! 

Manicure Tuesday - Julep Oxygen Nail Treatment

Happy Manicure Tuesday! This week I'm doing a really simple mani! 

Julep Take a Breather - Sheer Pink "Oxygen Nail Treatment" ~ $18.00. A powerful strengthening treatment that treats and protects your nails, while Oxygen Technology allows nail beds to breathe. Our nutrient-rich formula also includes nail-boosting Hexanal, anti-aging plant cells, and a protective UV filter.

This treatment is meant to smooth and strengthen nails! They also give my nails a chance to breath! 

Wet 'N Wild Unicorn Glow Whole Summer Collection - Rainbow Highlighters and More!

What's Summer 2017's hottest trend? The Unicorn Trend is everywhere right now!!! So many brands are jumping on the bandwagon and Wet 'N Wild released their whole Summer collection as a "Unicorn Glow" set!

They released all the Summer goodies in this limited edition box, or the items are all available on their own! I picked up the box because it was so cute! 

Wet n Wild Summer Season In A Box - Unicorn Glow ~ $29.99. Unleash your inner unicorn and let your rainbow light shine. Inspired by the majesty of the elusive unicorn, this collection features everything you need to transform. Lavender hues and versatile pigments give off an incandescent sparkle, while prismatic lipstick gives lips an iridescent pop. Multicolored highlighters applied with our special Unicorn highlighting brush top off any look with a magical hue! 

Skincare Sunday - Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Acne Skin Kit Review

Did you guys know that June is Acne Awareness Month? I did not until recently and I think it's important to talk about all areas of skincare. Talking about acne may not be very glamorous, but if you suffer from acne then you know it's important to talk about! 

About 8 out of 10 people will suffer from acne, and I have been pretty vocal that I am certainly one of them! I am plagued by hormonal acne, that was made much worse by my recent pregnancy and post-pregnancy. I have been trying for a year to control my breakouts. While my skin has been improving lately, I know I will have to maintain a preventative skincare routine to maintain clearer skin. 

Thursday Plantation offers a line of health and beauty products that believes in the power of pure plant oils to restore your skin. Their products are natural, cruelty free and synthetic paraben free. 

They have a whole line of acne care products all based in the antibacterial power of tea tree oil - this includes a 3 step skincare routine, as well as a few products to complete your routine.

Five on Friday - June 23, 2017

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all had a great week! Mine was quiet, but I will take it - I have a feeling come Summer we are going to be crazy busy!

ONE

I'm so excited - I just got these adorable one piece bath suits in the mail! I have never been a one piece wearer at all, but having a baby in May, I'm just not ready to get back in my bikinis! These 2 suits are from Cupshe and I'm really happy with the quality and fit! (Seriously, is this mermaid swimsuit not the cutest thing you have ever seen!) I actually think I may order another couple right away! 

New Nivea 2-in-1 Moisturizing Primer Review

Do you guys remember a few months ago when the Nivea After Shave Balm was all the rage as the best primer all over youtube?! Nivea has made sure that you no longer have to take your man's after shave with this new Nivea 2 in 1 Moisturizing Primer! 

This primer is meant to work as your daily moisturizer while prolonging your makeup! This is perfect to speed along your morning routine! 

Mask Wednesday - KinGirls Mask Reviews + $5 Off Coupon Code At Beautibi!

Happy Mask Wednesday! I was super excited to be selected to participate in the Beautibi Blogger panel and get to review a couple of Taiwanese mask brands that are new to North America! Last week I reviewed a few masks from the brand Unitouch - you can check out the post here! This week I am reviewing masks from the brand KinGirls! 

And thanks to Beautibi, you can get $5 off your first purchase if you use this referral link - http://beautibi.refr.cc/reneec. Beautibi carries some very unique and original Korean and Taiwanese brands (including some of my favorites like Sexylook, L'herboflore, MasKingdom, etc! (Full disclosure, you using this would give me $5 store credit at Beautibi)

KinGirls is a Taiwanese brand whose motto is "good masks are like freshly baked macarons". I happen to love macarons, so I am looking forward to trying these! KinGirls compares itself to the macaron - they strive for perfection and they make masks that are an essential part of a complete skincare routine. There are no parabens or other chemicals in the masks and they are hypoallergenic and made for sensitive skin! 

Summer Packing Essentials - What's In My Beach and Pool Bag

Today is the first day of Summer! How exciting! Summertime always gets me excited for time near the water! I'm not at all picky whether the time is spent at a pool or beach. But, I have a few items that are essentials for my day by the water:

My packing essentials include:

Manicure Monday - Mermaid Nail Powders!

Aaaah... look at me, getting my manicure posted on a Monday! So exciting!

I have been wanting to try mermaid powders since I saw them! I ordered white and pink and thought I would try them both out!

Skincare Sunday - Weleda Evening Primrose Collection

Happy Skincare Sunday everyone! I have a few products from the Weleda Evening Primrose collection! Weleda is a brand I am just starting to become familiar with! They are cruelty-free, and use fair trade and sustainable ingredients in all their products! 

The Weleda Evening Primrose collection ranges from face products such as a day cream, night cream, eye cream, and age revitalizing concentrate to body products including lotion, body wash, body oil and hand cream! 

Huge ColourPop Haul & Swatches!

I have made it pretty obvious from my past posts that I love ColourPop Cosmetics - I place orders all the time and have quite a few products stashed up waiting to be swatched! 

Unfortunately, the last 3 ColourPop orders that I placed were hit with Customs fees so I think I will take a hiatus from ordering from them (at least, that's what I'm telling myself right now!) But here is a look at some goodies from my recent past orders:

The newest items are the ColourPop single pressed powder eyeshadows. I actually did a very recent post on just the pressed powder shadows with a makeup look - you can check it out here. These are swatched with a finger and in natural light with no primer, for a look at the true colour:

Five on Friday - June 16, 2017

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you had a great week! Mine was pretty quiet, but I swear the weeks are flying by! By dinner time every day, I'm wondering where the day went?! Elliott and I have a pretty good schedule but it's much busier than I thought!

ONE

IT'S HERE!!!! My Urban Decay Naked Heat palette is here!!! If you follow me on Instagram and watch my stories, then you saw earlier this week that I may have went a little shopping crazy and bought a few goodies during one of my late night feeds with the baby! And this lovely palette was one of the buys! I love this palette - it is so  warm and lovely! 

Mask Thursday - Unitouch Miss O Mask Reviews + $5 Off Coupon Code At Beautibi!

Happy Mask Thursday! I was super excited to be selected to participate in the Beautibi Blogger panel and get to review a couple of Taiwanese mask brands that are new to North America! 

And thanks to Beautibi, you can get $5 off your first purchase if you use this referral link - http://beautibi.refr.cc/reneec. Beautibi carries some very unique and original Korean and Taiwanese brands (including some of my favorites like Sexylook, L'herboflore, MasKingdom, etc! (Full disclosure, you using this would give me $5 store credit at Beautibi)

This week, I am featuring Unitouch - a Taiwanese brand that is preservative free, fragrance free, mineral oil free, and steroid free. Unitouch uses fully natural plant essence oils and the whole line smells gently of floral nectar. This scent represents the brands simple, genuine, and relaxed personality that cherishes what Mother Nature has given to us. 

Manicure Wednesday - Getting Ready For Canada Day With Nail Polish Canada & What's Up Nails ( + A Freebie Code For The First 10 People!)

Happy Manicure Wednesday - I'm late this week posting my nails, but I promise it is for a very good reason! I have teamed up with Nail Polish Canada and What's Up Nails to get ready for Canada Day with their Canadian Flag Nail Vinyls! 

Bonus, there is a code at the end of this post for the first 10 people to get a set of these Canada Day Nail Vinyls for free - shipping included! Thanks to to Nail Polish Canada and Whats Up Nails! 

It's Canada's big 150th Birthday this year so you NEED to have some patriotic nails for the occasion! These Whats Up Canada Day Nail Vinyls are usually $5.65 and come with 20 vinyls so you can get at least 2 manis out of 1 package! 

June 2017 - Boxycharm Unboxing and Review!

Boxycharm is a beauty subscription box for $21.00 a month + $5.00 shipping to Canada (shipping is free to the U.S.) Boxycharm sends 4 to 5 full size and luxury size beauty items. 

This subscription focuses heavily on make-up items - so that is something to keep in mind! (I personally love all the makeup though and they have sent full size palettes in the past!) While it is a little pricier than the inexpensive beauty boxes, the majority of the products are full size! 

Every subscriber generally receives the same products, but their is usually 1 or 2 items that have a few variations, so our boxes may not be identical! 

Here is a look at my June Boxycharm:

This month's theme is "Downtown Charm" and Boxycharm always includes a detailed product card explaining the items that were included in each month's subscription. 

Too Faced Sweet Peach Creamy Peach Oil Lip Gloss "Papa Don't Peach" Review!

I love the peach trend that is so hot for Spring this year (clearly, I have reviewed a ton of peach goodies on the blog!) 

Too Faced started the trend last year with the release of their Sweet Peach eyeshadow palette (you can see my review on that lovely palette here!) Late last year, the whole collection expanded to include the Papa Don't Peach blush (see my review here!) and the Sweet Peach Glow Peach-Infused Highlighting palette (also, see my review here!)

Five on Friday - June 9, 2017

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all had a great week! 

ONE

You guys!!!!! How cute are the sneak peek pictures from Elliott's photoshoot?! We used Calgary Newborn Photographer A.C. Photography (seriously if you are in Calgary, make sure to check her out!!!)

ColourPop Birthday Super Shock Shadows - Birthday Girl, Birthday Boy and Birthday Cake Swatches and Comparison!

ColourPop recently turned 3 at the end of May and each year for their birthday they release a special limited edition freebie shadow! 

Now, why bother featuring limited edition shadows on here? Because ColourPop is known for bringing back previously released shadows - Birthday Girl is currently for sale in the shop (and it was supposed to be limited edition for their 1st Birthday!) So, likely the other 2 shadows will be up for sale at some point too! 

From left to right: ColourPop Birthday Girl (1st Birthday 2015), Birthday Boy (2nd Birthday 2016), and Birthday Cake (3rd Birthday 2017). All these shadows are in their Super Shock formula which are super creamy and they are all ultra-glittery! 

Mask Wednesday - Origins Flower Fusion Lavender Soothing Sheet Mask Review

Happy Mask Wednesday! I love finding new sheet masks to try, so when I was scrolling through new products on the Sephora website I was excited to see that Origins has just released some new sheet masks! 

The masks are a "Flower Fusion" line and include Lavender (soothing), Rose (hydrating), Jasmine (softening) and Violet (nourishing)! 

Origins Flower Fusion Lavender Soothing Sheet Mask ~ $9.00. A lavender-infused sheet mask that soothes to de-stress skin.

This mask material is made out of 100% bamboo and is fortified with lavender wax - this absorbs quickly and soothes the skin while the scent creates a feeling of calm! 

Manicure Tuesday - Mini Rainbow Accent Nails!

Happy Manicure Tuesday! Each month the Canadian Beauty Bloggers group comes up with a theme - this gives us fun ideas for posts/makeup looks/nail looks etc! For June, our theme is Rainbows and I decided to do a bright nail look right away - so perfect for Spring! 

I love how these turned out - they are bright and bold, but still pastel and not too crazy! 

May 2017 - Monthly Favorites!

Here is a look at what I have been loving in May:

Real Techniques Miracle Sculpting Sponge (Finish) ~ $10.49. Dewy Highlight + Contour. Designed to help create shadows or highlight your favorite facial features. Use damp for a dewy glow or dry for a full coverage finish. Ideal for powders, creams, and liquids.

This sponge features:

• small side for precision highlighting
• large side for controlled contouring
• 6 Surfaces to complete your sculpt

Skincare Sunday - Moor Spa Skincare and Bath Product Reviews!

Happy Skincare Sunday - Moor Spa is a line of professional spa products, including face, body and wellness products that are "inspired directly by the healing powers of nature". 

Moor Spa's whole line is 100% natural and are completely free of synthetic preservatives, parabens, sulfates, artificial colors, fragrances, and petroleum-derived chemicals. 

Moor Spa products feature a signature ingredient - Austrian Moor essence. Moor is a peat (which is a soil like substance) that is full of nutrients! 

May 2017 - Month in Masks & Mask Empties

Masking is a huge part (and probably my favorite part) of my skincare routine! I try to use all types of masks as often as possible as I find they really help moisturize and improve my skin! 

This post is a review of all the masks I use each month and mini reviews on all of them - I also consider the Month of Masks my Mask Empties post, because I do not feature my sheet masks in my monthly empties post! You can check out my past Month of Masks here! 

Here is a look at the masks I used in May:

May 3

Eyes by ToGoSpa - Green Tea Eyes ~ $15.00 for 3 sets. Green Tea Eyes - The Energy Drink For Your Face. Taurine and Green Tea Extract promote circulation for that extra tingly stimulation. Excellent for dark circles.  

I love these eye masks - they work so well and really pepped up my under eyes and really improved my dark circles! Love! I did a full Mask Wednesday post on these masks and you can read my full thoughts here! 

Repurchase: Yes! 

Five on Friday - June 2, 2017

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all had a great week - mine has been very busy! I have had something on the go everyday - doctors appointments, lunches, shopping, meetup with my baby group class, etc. Even though it was busy, it was really great! 

ONE

This was the last week with my Skoah $35 facial offer, so I actually treated myself to a little Fitskin facial and a couple of little goodies too! I love that Skoah makes a fun little note and the lip love was a treat from Skoah! 

If you aren't familiar with Skoah facials, I did a whole post breaking down my last Fitskin Facial experience here! I detail all the steps and everything you need to know! My experience at the Calgary Westhills Skoah this week was just as great - they staff were amazing, and they do change the products they use based on your skin type and let you know about everything they are doing! I was really happy with the results! 

May 2017 - Monthly Empties!

Time to check out my May garbage:

Garnier Clean Refreshing Remover Wet Cleansing Towelettes - Normal Skin ~ $10.99. Instantly removes dirt and makeup. Revitalizes skin. Peppermint and grape extracts. Oil free.

I have never found face wipes that I like until these! I ended up packing them along in my hospital bag and I used these so much! I used these for swatches, makeup, etc! 
Repurchase: Yes!