My 2021 Makeup Collection & Inventory!

I did my first Makeup Collection post at the start of 2020 - I really wanted to actually see how much makeup I own, but also to track if I'm using things up and how that counteracts the new product that I'm bringing in to my collection! 

I absolutely love looking at other people's makeup collection and thought I should combine a look at my collection while inventorying it all! I will say that my collection is spread out in a room (sorry guests, no room for you here - it's full of makeup) and it does help me use everything because I'm very visual, so I like to have it all displayed! 

Some products pictured were received as PR samples

While going through my inventory, I am including back up and samples in the counts as well! This also is only makeup (no skincare or nails - my skincare would be crazy to count!)

Five on Friday - January 29, 2021 ~ Damian Turns 16, Warhammer 40K Cake, Concrete Rose, Beautylish Lucky Bag and Palettes of the Week!

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you had a great week - it was a pretty typical week for me, but it was stinkin' cold this week so I just hunkered down! 

ONE 

I purchased everything in this post - this post contains affiliate links

Ahhh - biggest thing of the week is my oldest son, Damian, turned 16! Whoa! He is such a fantastic kid and I'm so proud of him! He truly has handled this year so well and he is just the kindest kid! (But also, I still can't believe 16 years has gone by!)

January Shop My Stash - Pantone Colour of the Year Ultimate Grey & Illuminating Makeup Look

I've taken a couple month break from my Shop My Stash looks because I had a ton of makeup to get through, so I'm excited to jump back in and play and create fun looks with my makeup stash! 

The setting spray was received as PR - this post contains affiliate links

I decided for my first look of the year, that I was going to go out of my comfort zone and do a makeup look inspired by Pantone's Colours of the Year for 2021 - Ultimate Grey and Illuminating! They chose two colours, grey and yellow for "a marriage of color conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting."

Manicure Tuesday - BKIND polish & Ombre Glitter Polish

Happy Tuesday everyone! Sorry I'm a day late here, but I really wanted to share my Beautylish Lucky Bag unboxing yesterday, so I thought I would put that up first! 

I purchased the BKIND polish, the OPI polishes were received as PR samples

I have a bit of an easier mani this week because I had a busy weekend (despite nothing being open), but it was my oldest son's 16th birthday, so I was busy baking and prepping and spending time with the family! 

Beautylish Lucky Bag 2021 Unboxing

Every year on Boxing Day (or December 26 for you non-Canadians), Beautylish releases the pre-order for their Lucky Bags which ships in early January - if you are interested, these sell out quickly on the day of! These boxes are $98.00 CAN + $19.05 shipping to Canada; but, you are guaranteed at least $200.00 CAN worth of makeup and skincare. They are all totally random, so it is a complete surprise what you get, and I love surprises! Some bags are extra lucky and include gift cards, etc. 

I picked up the regular lucky bag for fair/medium skin. There was also XL lucky bags, Jeffree Star Lucky Bags, and a Buy One Gift One as other options. I'm a total sucker for these mystery boxes and this is my 3rd year getting one - you can see my past unboxings here! (I was also really happy that Beautylish chose only to include Jeffree Star products in the box, because I gotten products in almost all of my past boxes and it's not a brand I support!)

Here is a look at my 2021 Beautylish Lucky Bag:

I purchased this box myself - this post contains affiliate links

The Lucky Bags are described as "Lucky Bags are a Japanese New Year custom that inspired up to create our own. The Japanese Character on this year's Lucky Bag, which means "dawn" or "daybreak", symbolizes new beginnings after a challenging year. We hope the surprises inside help you welcome 2021 with hope and light". 

Five on Friday - January 22, 2021 ~ XO Treatment Room Thursday Special, Cookie Cutters, and January Declutter

Happy Friday everyone - I hope you had a good week! 

ONE 

I have to start by saying, it's been a little quiet this week and I will be honest, I've had a pretty long, emotionally draining week - nothing crazy, just a lot on my plate at work and it's just been a lot! So, I'm so happy it's the weekend. And, I would normally apologize for the lack of posts, but honestly, I think it's okay to not be sorry for taking time to yourself when you need it - I've been going to bed early, having bubble baths, reading and just doing what I need! 

TWO 

I purchased everything in this post

I've been really excited to try more and more from Xo Treatment Room's skincare line, XO Face Care - but, the funnest thing is that Annie (the creator) always does some type of Thursday special - sometimes it's limited edition products, giveaways, etc, but this past week she was giving 3 luxury lip oils with any order over $75 (these are a treatment oil and she wants those who get them to help pick the scent for the final product)! Plus, when the final product is released, they will be in kitty cat tubes! I just decluttered my old exfoliant, so I picked up a new one! 

Manicure Monday - Disney Villains Collection by Morgan Taylor

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you had a great weekend - it was nice and quiet here! Beautiful right now in Calgary, so we were outside, but we didn't get up to too much! 

I purchased these polishes myself

Okay, I'm just curious how a Disney Villains collection could be released without me knowing?! What is going on! I was actually perusing nailpolishcanada for another polish collection when I came across this line and was so excited - you know I love me some Disney! These were actually the Morgan Taylor Fall 2020 line. 

Five on Sunday - January 17, 2021 ~ December OwlCrate, Lucie Bakes, Bridgerton, and Palettes of the Week

Happy Sunday everyone - should be my Friday, but I guess this week got a little bit away from me! (I took Monday off, and then on Tuesday, I thought my little guy was sick as he was up since 4 a.m. so it had already been a week before I even got it started!)

ONE 

I purchased everything in this post - this post contains affiliate links

I just received my December Owlcrate subscription and this month's theme is "Love Is A Battlefield" - each month the book Owlcrate includes is signed by the author and comes with a note from the author as well - they often have special edition covers just for the box, and they seem to include a lot of exclusive items just for Owlcrate, which is so fun! As a bookworm, I have been loving this subscription!  

Ranking All The Eyeshadow Palettes I Tried In 2020!

Eyeshadow palettes have been my favourite makeup product, and will always be - so they always get the most focus on the blog! I always try to review or swatch all the palettes I get picked because it's important to share what's good and what's not! 

The Pixi and Catrice palettes were received as PR samples - this post contains affiliate links

I picked up 23 new palettes throughout 2020 - most I purchased myself, some came in subscription boxes, a few were received as PR samples, and one was a gift! 

Urban Decay Stoned Vibes Mini Eyeshadow Palette - Swatches, Look and Thoughts

There was something about the Urban Decay Stoned Vibes palette that caught my eye when it was released, but I wasn't sure about spending almost $70 when I wasn't sure how the "stoned" shadow formula was going to be, so when I saw a mini version on the Shopper's website, I couldn't resist! 

I purchased this palette on my own

I liked that this little mini came with 3 mattes and 3 "marbleized shimmers" as the stoned shades. What's nice about this mini, is that it's not the exact shades in the full sized Stoned Vibes palettes (so if you really loved that one, this one wouldn't be a duplicate palette), but it does have some similarities. 

My Favourite Books of 2020

One of the things the pandemic actually help me with last year was focusing a little more time on reading - I was pretty stressed out and made it a nightly habit to read before bed, instead of staring at my phone, to help me calm down and sleep better! I have always been a big reader and I typically listen to a lot of audiobooks because I have a bit of a lengthy commute to work. But, I certainly read the most I have in years in 2020, totalling 90 books! (I set my goal for the year at 45 books, which is about what I read in the previous years, so I was pretty impressed with 90!)

I will read anything, and I know a lot of people say that, but I read every genre (maybe a little less sci-fi), but fantasy, non-fiction, young adult, literary fiction, graphic novels, I will try it all! I'm hoping in 2021, to add a little more book content to the blog - it will still be primarily beauty, but this is a hobby I am putting more time in to and I love to share what I'm loving with everyone! 

I purchased all these myself - this post contains affiliate links

So of the 90 books I read this year, I have a top 12 to share as my favourites - these are every book I gave a 5/5 or a 4.5/5 stars too for a rating, and I know 12 is not a pretty number, but I could not take any one of these off the list, so I knew they were all the best of the best! 

Manicure Monday - Bio Sculpture My Winter Garden Polish Collection Swatches

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all have a great weekend - Alberta has extended our lockdown restrictions, so things remain really quiet for us! 

This collection was sent to me as PR samples

Bio Sculpture recently released their Winter polish collection - My Winter Garden and it's lovely! I really loved their Summer Vintage Poetry collection and I love that they are small, curated with 5 polishes - I loved these deep shades and think that the tones of all of these polishes are perfect for Winter (especially the purple, it is stunning!) These polishes are all $20.50 CAN each and the Bio Sculpture polishes contain plant extract from aloe vera, lemon, and ginseng and they are a vegan and 10-free formula! 

The 5 Worst Products I Tried in 2020 - Makeup, Skincare, Hair and Bath!

You should know by now that I really try and shy away from poor or negative reviews - I like to keep things positive around here, so I typically share things I love! Now, that doesn't mean I will lie, if something isn't great I would never say it is, but I tend to keep my content to things I enjoy. 

But, I make an exception for the Worst Products of the year, because these aren't just a little bad or I didn't like them, these are all pretty terrible products that I could never recommend them! Also, if you are looking for something more upbeat, make sure you check out my Top 10 Favourite Beauty Products I Tried in 2020 instead! 

The Me! Bath product was originally received as a PR sample (this one was a gift), this post contains affiliate links

It's 2021, but do we still need disclaimers like, "just because I didn't like this single product, doesn't mean I don't love the brand" or, "please, don't be offended if one of these is your favourite products"? Because, yes all of that is true, and I think it should go without saying - a lot of these products are from brands that I like and have tried other things from and one product is not a reflection of the whole brand!

Five on Friday - January 8, 2021 ~ January TBR List, Scratch Monthly Mani Kit, 2021 Goals and Brands to Try!

Happy Friday everyone! I skipped a life update on my last Five on Friday - I spent the whole extended holiday with the family, tobogganing, having a Star Wars watch through and being together! It was certainly hard to go back to work this week, but I'm getting back in to it!

ONE 

I purchased everything in this post, except the library books - this post contains affiliate links

In 2020, I really upped my time reading and read the most books that I had read in a long time! So, for 2021 I want to keep it up! I always try and plan my reading with themes. Honestly, I usually manage to stick to the theme for most of the month, then I grab something I'm in the mood for (and honestly, I'm trying to read some older books in my collection too); but, I'm feeling a fun magician/circusy theme for the next couple of months! 

Top 10 Favourites - Makeup, Skincare, and Nail Discoveries of 2020

Time to chat about my Favourite Products of the year! The last couple of years, I've broken this down in to different posts per category of products, but honestly, I could wrap up my Best of the Best for the whole year on to two hands, so I decided to change up the format for this year! 

The Catrice foundation was received as a PR sample, this post contains affiliate links

With that being said, everything I talked about on my Monthly Favourites, I still love; but, when I think of the best products of the year, I think of the ones that have been total standouts or game-changers in my routine! So, that is what I'm going to focus on for this year's Top 10 Favourites! 

Monthly Haul - What I Bought in December 2020

I always enjoy my Monthly Haul posts, so I can share with you everything I picked up in the month; because, as much as I try to, I can't share every single thing I picked up all the time! 

With my purchases, I'm just trying to the being more conscious about my purchases and just make sure it's makeup that I will really like before buying it! I want to make sure that I can use and enjoy the products I have in my collection and that I will really use the products I picked up! 

I purchased everything in this post

House of Creme de la Creme Haul ~ $134.82 CAN. I was in Edmonton earlier in December for a work trip, and I was so excited to pay a little visit to Creme de a Creme Beauty Lounge - I made a custom lipstick shade (and actually got a full second tube!) Then, they had a buy 2, get 1 free on lashes (plus got an extra pair thrown in for free!) Then, I picked up a polish, and it was made right in shop in front of me - you can see the shade Absinthe on me in a Manicure Monday post here! And, I picked up a single shadow as well - I can't wait to share a full post on these products and my experience at the Beauty Lounge soon! 

Manicure Monday - Essie Sugarplum Fairytale Polish + Gold Accents

Happy Mani Monday everyone! It feels like a crazy Monday - it's been two weeks since I've been off work and it feels fantastic! I'm actually not quite ready to go back to reality! 

I purchased everything in this post

For this week's Manicure, I could not resist picking up one of the shades from the Essie "Love At Frost Sight Winter 2020" - it is a collection of six shades inspired by a dreamy, frosted fantasy that's filled with holiday treats and all things sweet! The shades are stunning and very shimmery and lovely! 

Project Pan 21 in 2021 Introduction & Makeup Look!

I am still a fairly new project panner, but I just wrapped up my 20 in 2020 Project Pan (one tiny little product short), but I really enjoyed the idea of focusing on some older products in my collection and getting use out of them so they don't get wasted! 

I really enjoyed working on the project, so I'm am starting another year long project and I am hoping to use up or hit pan on 21 products in 2021 - I will again be focusing on all makeup products as I am pretty good about working through my skincare products. 

I purchased all these products - this post contains affiliate links

Just like last year, I'm starting the project off with the first 10 products and will treat this like a rolling project - once I reach my goal, I will add a new product to the mix! I have a mix of goals between finishing products and hitting pan, so this should be a lot of fun! I also picked a mix of products that I will reach my goals quickly on and some that may take close to the whole project to reach! 

Five on Friday - January 1, 2021 ~ Storybook Cosmetics Robin Hood & Red Riding Hood, Pat McGrath Labs Subversive & Sublime, and Wet n Wild Ice Cream Bee Palettes

Happy Friday everyone and holy shit, it's 2021! Can you believe it?! I'm keeping a cautiously optimistic outlook for the next year! (I hope you all had an good, quiet New Years!)

It's been a pretty quiet week for me, so I'm skipping a life update for my Five on Friday post (and will save my update for next Friday!) and instead I'm sharing and swatching 5 palettes that I've been keeping in my collection for a while and totally missed getting reviews up on them in a timely fashion! 

I purchased all these palettes myself - this post contains affiliate links

I have done this before, and these are palettes I've picked up a little later than their releases and so a whole post wouldn't really do much (and actually a couple of them aren't my favourites, but I still like a little record of them here) so you can see how they swatch and what my thoughts are. Most of them I have used for makeup looks, so I will share those too!