January 2024 Ipsy Glambag Unboxing

It's been a long time since I've gotten I've gotten an Ipsy subscription, but I tried it once last year and wanted to see if I wanted to keep up the subscription - chances are probably not, but I thought I'd share what I got in this month's bag! 

The January 2024 Theme is Glow Your Soul and described as "Featuring a new, unique velvet fabric embroidered with iridescent sequins, this month's Glam Bag is here to help you soft launch 2024, thanks to its beautiful design by Joanne Wong. Plus, this purple pouch is packed with all the beauty you need to relax, recharge, and take on anything."

I purchased this subscription

The Ipsy Glam Bag is $14 per month + $3.95 shipping to Canada (it worked out to $25.06 CAN with the exchange for the month!) Each month comes with 5 curated products based on your preference quiz and I now you get to pick one of the items that is included in the box. It also gives you access to beauty deals in their shop. 

Manicure Monday - Books, Cats, and Coffee Nails

Happy Manicure Monday - I hope you all had a great weekend!

I purchased everything in this post

I recently unboxed my new Mani x Me box yesterday and the theme was Purrfect Prose - I did a cat bookshelf mani last week and loved it, so I had to keep up the same theme this week! 

Five on Friday - January 26, 2024 ~ Bookshops and Bonedust Book Review, Damian's Birthday, Auction Finds, Fun Bluejays Scarf and Monthly Declutter

Happy Friday everyone - I hope you all had a great week! It was a little busy here and I'm tired! 

ONE 

I purchased the products in this post

So happy to share another fabulous book and my first 4.5 star of the year - it's Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree! This is a cozy fantasy novel and it is the prequel to Legends and Lattes! We follow Viv in her earlier years after an injury, where she needs to take a few weeks rest in a small town. She ends up helping revamp a bookshop and makes this group of friends (and potentially first love) and they are just the cutest little group. She is also still protecting the town and her friends from a necromancer and I think it has more adventure than L&L, but it was so sweet and this group of friends was just so lovely. I loved the bookshop setting and just the details and everything - this book is well written and just a cozy story! 

Beautylish Lucky Bag 2024 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 January - if you are interested, these sell out quickly on the day of, so make sure your ready on that date! These boxes are $103.00 CAN + shipping and duties (mine worked out to $154.22), 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 - I didn't get one last year, but I always get FOMO so I decided to pick one up this year!

Here is a look at my 2024 Beautylish Lucky Bag:

I purchased this box - this post contains affiliate links

The lucky bags are inspired by a Japanese New Year tradition and the packaging was inspired by the upcoming Year of the Dragon! It's lovely! I received 7 products in this bag from some great brands! 

Manicure Monday - Bookshelf and Cats Nails

Happy Manicure Monday - I hope you all had a great weekend! 

I purchased everything in this post

I just unboxed my new Mani x Me box yesterday and the theme was Purrfect Prose, so naturally I had to do a cat and book themed mani and I love it! 

January 2024 Maniology Mani x Me "Purrfect Prose" Nail Stamping Subscription Box

You know I love subscription boxes here - I've cut down on them a lot, so I don't get a ton of boxes anymore, but every time I see a theme I love, I have to pick it up! 

I purchased this box on my own

And that's exactly what happened with this Maniology Mani x Me subscription box this month - they announced the theme was "Purrfect Prose" and described it as each plate brimming with literary delights and adorable cats loafing in every nook! I'm mean cats, books, libraries and warm drink themed?! I needed it instantly! 

Five on Saturday - January 20, 2024 ~ Etsy Miniatures, Origami Bookmarks, Elemental Movie, Michaels Finds, and The Conquerer Virtual Challenge

Happy Saturday everyone - I hope you all had a good week! 

ONE 

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

I haven't shared on here much about my new little hobby - miniatures! I'm building a little library slowly, so I have been having so much fun finding cute little shelf decor! I picked up the three little plants from BlingbyTonia and the rest of the little shelf decor and pottery was from MiniatureMakesUK - how amazing are these cat book ends amazing?! 

Best of 2023 ~ My Top 10 Favourite Books & A Yearly Wrap-up

I've wrapped up all the books I've read all year through my Monthly Reads and I've been sharing reviews on everything I've rated 4.5 and 5 stars (so my top 10 might not be a total surprise, as I'm sure you've seen these around here)! 

I purchased all these books featured

I read 112 books in 2023 - a good mix of older and newer books and from every genre you can think of! I read a little bit of everything - fantasy, romance, contemporary, and historical fiction, so a little bit of everything in there! For my favourites, they are all adult books this year and mostly magical realism and contemporary fiction! 

Best of 2023 ~ Top 8 Skincare, Haircare & Nails Products I Tried This Year

I'm always excited to round up my MOST favourite products of the year - I just shared my top makeup products of 2023, so make sure you can check that out here! So, it's time to round up my favourite skincare, hair and nail products - I always pull from any products that I've tried within the year, whether it was released in 2023 or not - if I've tried it this year and loved it, it's in here! 

The JVN, Panoxyl, Biotherm, and Paula's Choice products were all received as PR samples - 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 8 Favourites! 

Manicure Monday - Peach Striped Nails

Happy Manicure Monday! I hope you all had a good weekend - we camped inside all weekend because it was sooo cold out! 

I purchased everything in this post

For the month of January, I'm trying to stick to my theme of the Colour of the Year - Peach Fuzz! I love this colour and think it's fun to incorporate. The whole #CBBxManiMonday group is doing an Anything Goes theme for the month so we can all just ease ourselves in to the New Year before diving in to themed manis! 

The 3 Worst Products I Tried in 2023 ~ Makeup & Nails

fYou 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 only 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!

I purchased these product

It's 2023/24, 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! And really, to only have 3 terrible products to talk about means it was a pretty good year! 

Five on Saturday - January 13, 2024 ~ Extreme Cold, Polar Bears at the Calgary Zoo, January Most Anticipated Reads, Scratch Off TBR Cards, and ColourPop x Twilight Collection

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you all have a great week - I finally got to the doctor because I just felt like I wasn't getting better and now I'm on the mend, thank goodness! 

ONE 

I purchased everything in this post

We can't get started without talking about the week we've been having!! It is so cold in Calgary this week - yesterday waking up it was a high on -36 and the windchill felt like -47!! It was wildly cold and it's supposed to be -30 all weekend so we are going to hibernate all weekend! 

Best of 2023 ~ Top 10 Makeup Products I Tried This Year

I'm always excited to round up my MOST favourite products of the year - I always pull from any makeup that I've tried within the year whether it was released in 2023 or not, if I've tried it this year and loved it, it's in here! 

I purchased everything in this post - 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! 

Manicure Tuesday - Shimmery Peach Nails

Happy Tuesday - on man, I'm starting off all my posts a little late this year, but I've still been sick so I have been going to bed super early and just trying to take care of myself a little more! 

I purchased everything in this post

So, I did get to my nails late, but I did still get to them! And, sticking with my theme of the Colour of the Year - Peach Fuzz theme, I've got some shimmery peach nails! The whole #CBBxManiMonday group is doing an Anything Goes theme for the month so we can all just ease ourselves in to the New Year before diving in to themed manis! 

Five on Sunday - January 7, 2024 ~ Happy 2024 and Looking Back At 2023, Welcome to the O.C. Book Review, Month of Vegetarian/Pescatarian Meals, Michael's Craft Haul, and Top Gun: Maverick

Happy Friday everyone - it's my first Five on Friday of 2024 and we are entering my 10th year of blogging! Woo! (and whoops - I'm already late, but I wasn't feeling great this weekend, so I took the evenings to rest instead of blogging!)

ONE 

I tend to start the year by first looking back on my year - I did set some goals for myself in 2023: Be More Thoughtful in My Spending, Scrapbook 3 Years, Masking and Indulging Myself More, Play and Have More Fun With Makeup and Move My Body More. I did for the most part reach these - I've stuck to my budget and working on my scrapbooking. I could certainly mask and self-care a little more and I've been getting good at moving my body. Honestly though, I've decided not to really set goals for 2024 - I am happy with what I've been doing and just enjoying life for what it is right now, so I'm not setting myself any hard goals. (I have some personal goals, but nothing that's really blog related). 

Monthly Reads ~ December 2023

I hope you all are enjoying all the book reviews, since it's just another hobby of mine, it's not going anywhere! I loved doing the Monthly Wrap-up last year to share mini reviews on all the books I've read each month! 

It could be a big range from 2 to 10 books depending on how much I read, but I figure I can share a little synopsis and quick thoughts on each book. I will still be doing more in depth reviews on books that really capture me! 

I purchased these books

So, in December I read 11 books (bringing my yearly total for 2023 to 112 books!), with a mix of genres from adult contemporary fiction to young adult gothic horror. I love most genres, and I really want to keep my reads diversified this year - I think I have been doing a great job of that so far! Also, I've been trying to read a mix of old and new books; but, this month was mostly newer reads! I read 4 physical books, listened to 5 audiobooks. Eight books is a little light for me but there were some big books in here! 

Here's a quick look at all the books I read in the past month: 

Monthly Beauty Favourites ~ December 2023

Here's a look at the products I was loving in December: 

The Paula's Choice and Skin Proud were received as PR samples - this post contains affiliate links

Last year I started just picking any number of products I'm loving, instead of trying to find 5 each month (which I did previously!) So, whatever number of products I'm loving, that's what I will be sharing. 

I've been slower at using and trying out new products, so naturally my Favourites have been on the smaller side lately (and I'm totally fine with that) - here's a closer look at what I've been loving this month:

Manicure Monday - Pantone Colour of the Year Peach Fuzz Dotticure

Happy Manicure Monday - I hope you all had a good weekend and a good holiday break! 

I purchased these polishes

I love when Pantone announces their colour of the year; I always try and use it for inspiration! So for 2024 the colour is Peach Fuzz - I looove this light peach shade and it's a colour that I reach for often, so I feel like I will be using this for inspiration all year!