Five on Friday - May 17, 2024 Swatch Post ~ Wayne Goss The Luxury Eye Palette - Amber, Urban Decay Moondust Glitter Eyeshadow Palette - Space Rider, Lancome Eye and Face Palette Holiday 2023, Natasha Denona Pastel Plexi Glow Highlighter, and Natasha Denona Cranberry Eyeshadow Palette

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all had a good week - I've been computer-less enjoying a week at the cabin with all the family! 

Since I'm away, 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/products that are older, but I just came in to them this year but just won't get to doing a full dedicated post for! 

ONE 

Wayne Goss The Luxury Eye Palette - Amber ~ $77.00 CAN. The Luxury Eye Palette in Amber features six essential eye shadows in matte, satin, and shimmer finishes you’ll reach for again and again. Infused with smooth-blend emollients and micronized pigments, Wayne’s custom eye shadow formula blends with the lightest touch—no special techniques needed.

This is a palette that I got in my Beautylish Lucky Bag - there is always a palette, and honestly I've never tried Wayne Goss beauty before. I do really like this palette's shades (but overall his palettes haven't called out to me before). Having said that, this is a god formula - I've used it quite a few times now and it applies good and it easy to use! 

May 2024 Lush Kitchen Subscription Box ~ Volume 48

The Lush Kitchen Subscription box is a monthly subscription box full of exclusive Lush Kitchen goodies made exclusively for the box - every month subscribers vote on the monthly menu of products that they would or would not like to see in the box, so you can help pick what is included in the box! Also, all of the products included in each box will be vegan. 

Each month the Lush Kitchen Subscription is $49.95 CAN box is per month + shipping (shipping to Alberta is $6.00 CAN and likely varies province to province). The subscription will come with 4-5 exclusive products and I think it will include a variety of products that Lush makes; but, will of course be mostly bath and body products.

I love that this month's theme is Bridgerton, usually May comes with custom Mother's Day items, but this is cute because Season 3 is coming out right away (today as this is posting!)

I purchased this box

Each month you pay and vote for products that are coming in the following month's box - so for this May box, you had until April 5 to vote on the products you'd like to see and then payment comes out on the 6th of the previous month. Then, Lush spends the month making the products and ships it out at the end of April so you receive it in May.

Monthly Beauty and Book Haul ~ April 2024

Back in 2022, I set a monthly beauty and books budget at $200 per month and I've been pretty good about sticking to it! I am trying to be thoughtful in my purchases, so this has been holding me accountable for being reasonable with my spending. Since it worked so well last year, I'm really trying to do the same thing this year! 

I do always love my Monthly Haul posts - it's a good way to keep track of everything that I picked up each month. I don't always blog about everything I pick up (I try to), but if you ever spot anything in here that you really want me to talk about, let me know! 

The Night Circus Vintage Classic Edition ~ $34.40 CAN. It's no secret that I love The Night Circus, and while I don't buy every copy that comes out, I do pick up most. And, in the UK they just came out with this Vintage Classic Edition and it's gorgeous! (I picked mine up from Blackwells as they have free shipping in Canada). 

Manicure Monday - Holographic Spring Florals

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

I purchased everything in this post

It's already May and I'm so excited for Spring - it's time for warm weather and flowers! I always look forward to the May #CBBxMani Monday because we always do a floral theme for the month and it's my favourite! We actually decided on a Spring theme, but you can expect mostly florals from me for the month! 

Five on Friday - May 10, 2024 ~ Edmonton Visit, A Short Walk Through A Wide World Book Review, Before The Coffee Gets Cold Book Review, May Most Anticipated Books and Thrift Finds

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all had a good week - it's been a little crazy here! 

ONE 

I've been away in Edmonton for the week - it was busy and I didn't have much down time, but I went for a Criminal Justice Symposium for the week and it was great! Plus, the hockey playoffs started while I was the there and the city was a lot of fun! 

TWO 

A Short Walk Through A Wide World was received as a review copy

Thanks Simon and Schuster for a review copy of A Short Walk Through A Wide World by Douglas Weterbeke! This is a historical fiction that surrounds a girl, Aubry, who starts to die if she stays in on place longer than 3 days or goes back to the same location, so she is constantly travelling the world. I loved the adventure aspect that her being on the move on the time and I liked all the places and glimpses of where Aubry has been and who she connects with. What I needed out of this book was some timelines - some were told in stories to others and I just couldn't figure out the timeline and that being vague was just a little distracting for me! Overall, I enjoyed this! 4 stars. 

Monthly Beauty Favourites ~ April 2024

Here's a look at what I was loving last month:

I purchased everything in this post

The last little bit I have no number of things I've been loving and honestly, I've been trying products a little slower, so my favourites have been a little smaller and more curated than the past few years! 

Calgary Birthday Freebies 2024 - Ultimate List of 25 + Free Gifts

If you followed along on my birthday (yes a while back), you remember that I made it my mission to get as many totally free birthday items as I possibly could and am FINALLY reporting on my full list of items I got in Calgary! 

I started my day with my first freebie at 6:00 a.m. so I could get a whole bunch in before and after work - I highly recommend picking out a few things or go for them all! Some you will need rewards apps for and others you can show your ID - I will do my best to share what you need as well! 

Let's start with Food & Drink items:

Denny's Free Grandslam Breakfast 

This is one of the easiest - simply dine in with your photo identification for a totally free Grandslam breakfast of your choice! I built my own here with eggs, hashbrown, pancakes, eggs and toast! 

Manicure Monday - Pink Floral Spring Nails

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

The OPI polish was received as a PR sample

It's already May - I feel like this year is flying by! And, I'm so excited for Spring! We've made it through hopefully the last snow and cold week and it's time for warm weather! I always look forward to the May #CBBxMani Monday because we always do a floral theme for the month and it's my favourite! We actually decided on a Spring theme, but you can expect mostly florals from me for the month! 

Monthly Reads ~ April 2024

Time for a look at my April Monthly reads! Each month I share a quick look at the books that I've read with a little synopsis and my rating - anything that I love or is really intriguing, I will share a more in depth review on a different post! 

I purchased everything in this post

So, in April I read 8 books with a mix of genres from romantasy to historical fiction. I love most genres, and I really want to keep my reads diversified this year! Also, I've been trying to read a mix of old and new books, and this month I'm right down the middle which is perfect! 

I read only 1 physical books and listened to 7 audiobooks. Here's a quick look at all the books I read in the past month:

Five on Saturday - May 4, 2024 ~ April Book Club, Month of Vegetarian/Pescatarian Meals, Engine 23 in Calgary Library, Maverick's Donuts, and Fallout

Happy Saturday everyone - I hope you all had a good week! Mine has been so crazy but I have a very relaxing weekend planned! 

ONE 

I purchased everything in this post

Last weekend was our Calgareads Book Club meet up - in April we discussed the book Breasts and Eggs - it wasn't a book I could finish, but I always enjoy our bookish chats and catching up with a great group! We spent the afternoon on the patio at Mardaloop Brewery and it was great!