Monthly Beauty & Book Haul ~ April 2022

I'm switching up my Monthly Haul posts a little bit this year, because I'm actually *trying* to stick to a bit of a budget! I've been going a little crazy on the beauty and books front, so I just want to be a little more thoughtful in my purchases. So. I'm trying to keep my beauty and book purchases to $200 a month - we'll see! 

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! 

Sephora Sale Order ~ $70.68 CAN. This order was mainly placed to pick up a few travel sized items for my upcoming trip - I needed a primer, setting spray and face mist I could travel with. The neck massager was somewhat of a spur of the moment purchase as Sephora Collection was also 30% off so I couldn't resist trying it. The other items were just the points add ons. 

Monthly Beauty Favourites - April 2022

Here's a look at what I've been loving the past month:

The Skoah cleanser was received as a PR sample - this post contains affiliate links

I used to always have pick 5 products each month for my Monthly Favourites, but that is one thing I'm changing this year - whatever I'm loving, I will share whether it's 2 or 10 products! 

Five on Friday - April 29, 2022 ~ April 2022 Owlcrate Box, April Scratch Monthly Mani Kit, Elliott Turns 5 & Plants Vs. Zombies Party, Circus Night Out and New BunkBeds for E!

Happy Friday everyone - I hope you all had a great week! It's nice to be back in Calgary and get back in to my regular routine here after a whirlwind between the cabin, Edmonton, and then a weekend of kids party! I was pretty exhausted so I'm going to take it easy this weekend! 

ONE 

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

I just received my April Owlcrate subscription and this month's theme is "Peek Behind The Curtain" - 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! 

Manicure Tuesday - Pastel Neon X Nails

Happy Manicure Tuesday everyone - hoping you all had a good weekend! (Mine was so busy, so I took a night off and I'm a little late with this week's mani!)

I purchased everything in this post

I needed a nice quick mani again this week, so I picked up this beautiful Sally Hansen Jelly Belly Insta-Dri shade from a couple of Easters ago and found a few nail art polishes that matched, just for a really quick addition to the nails! 

Five on Friday - April 22, 2022 ~ Easter & Easter Treats, Weekend at the Cabin, Little Passports Subscription, and Smash and Tess Pop of Pink Rebecca Wrap Dress

Happy Friday everyone - I hope you all had a great week! It's been a little crazy for me, I got back from the cabin Monday during the day, and then had to turn around and drive up to Edmonton for training. I got home late last night, so it's a good thing I took today off to prep for Elliott's party tomorrow! 

ONE 

I purchased everything in this post

I hope you all had a great Easter - we had a fun weekend! We woke the boys up for an egg hunt and then headed out to the cabin for a family weekend out there! As always, the Easter bunny spoiled them with chocolate and treats and they had such a fun time with the hunt!

Pixi Beauty ROSE Glow-y Powder & Lip Nourisher

I've really been enjoying a lot of the Pixi Beauty products I've been trying lately, so when I saw one of their newer Rose product launch, I really wanted to try them - I love a glowy blush and tinted lip! 

I purchased these products on my own - this post contains affiliate links

Pixi products are readily available at Shopper's Drug Mart and they are somewhat on the "higher end" of drugstore beauty in terms of price; but I think they are still reasonably priced and they have some products I really love - their stick blushes, the liquid lipstick, the glow tonic, all great! 

Manicure Tuesday - Pastel Tip Sephora Nail Stickers

Happy Mani Day - I'm a little late with my nails this week, but we were out enjoying the cabin for the Easter weekend, and when we got home Monday I had to turn around and drive up to Edmonton to start a training course for the week, so it's been a little crazy! 

I used my points on these nail stickers

I actually did my nails while we were driving yesterday (I wasn't the driver myself, don't worry) - I went with a coworker and applied these while she was driving so that my nails were done for this morning. 

Five on Friday - April 15, 2022 ~ Southern Italy Books, 10 Year Anniversary, Jurassic Quest, Sushi Boat Night, and Blurb Books!

Happy Five on Friday - I hope you all had a great week! I'm happy to have a long weekend and we are on our way to the cabin for a relaxing family weekend and I'm so excited! 

ONE 

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

Alright, I don't plan out my reading much at all, but each month I try and stick to a little bit of a reading "theme". So, if you don't know yet, my Italy trip that was cancelled two years ago is actually going ahead on May and I'm getting so excited, so I thought I'd round up a few books set in Southern Italy that I could get reading to get me excited for my trip! 

Quarterly Beauty Empties ~ January - March 2022

Monthly Empties posts were getting a little overwhelming - they were a lot to write and keep notes about. I've decided to still talk about empties, but only makeup products and skincare products (no more body, hair, nail or personal care products!) It was just getting too much, but I still want to share my thoughts on products I've used up! 

Some products were received as PR samples - this post contains affiliate links

Clarins Wonder Perfect Mascara 4D Waterproof in 01 Perfect Black ~ $34.00 CAN. Wonder Perfect Mascara 4D Waterproof gives your lashes volume, length, curve and definition for flawless four-dimensional eyes as it visibly lengthens and thickens lashes more every day.

I did not love this mascara - I found it a little spidery and a little flaky on the lashes. It also didn't really add any oomph to my lashes that I was looking for. I also think it's older in my collection, so that may have impacted the wear of this. I actually didn't finish this because it just didn't do anything for my lashes. 

Repurchase: No 

Manicure Monday - Easter Pastel "Skittles" Eggies Nails

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

The OPI and Bio Sculpture polishes were received as PR samples - this post contains affiliate links

It's almost Easter, so naturally I'm embracing the #CCBxManiMonday April theme of pastels and going with this fun "skittles mani" was the way to go - skittles nails are when each nail are a different colour! I don't always like how this look turned out, but all of these shades go so well together and I love how they turned out! 

Five on Saturday - April 9, 2022 ~ Gallant Book Review, Sonic 2 Movie, The Ultimatum, Clothing Unhaul, and Dollarama Finds

Happy Friday everyone - I hope you all had a good week! Mine has been long you guys - Elliott has been a bit sick all week and we've had a few days at home, but yesterday, he was crying about his ears and it took us 3 clinics to get in as a walk-in and a 2 hour wait, but we are on the mend now! 

ONE 

I was invited to the movie premiere, I purchased everything else in this post - this post contains affiliate links

I'm so excited to share another great read - I recently finished Gallant by V.E. Schwab and this book was a little different than I was expecting, but, I really enjoyed this! This is a young adult fantasy novel, with a paranormal horror twist! 

We are introduced to our main character, Olivia Prior at an all girls school - she is different than all the other girls and a bit of outcast because she doesn't speak and she can see ghouls. At the school a letter arrives to invite her to her family's home, Gallant; but, when she arrives, no one at the house and they want her to leave. But, as she stays and explores the house, she discovers a second duplicate house where the Master of the House has much more sinister plans. 

Shop My Stash Makeup Look - April 2022 ~ Fresh, Fun, Freckled Spring Look & Trying the Eyebrow Pencil & Blush Lipstick Trend

I didn't get to a Shop My Stash look in for March, so I'm getting one up early for April. I haven't done a lot of makeup in March, my eyelids are being a little sensitive, so I've just been really careful! 

The Estee Lauder, Cheekbone & LA Girl products were received as PR samples - this post contains affiliate links

Have you seen this trend going around about using your eyebrow pencil and blush to create the "perfect" lipstick trend?! I thought it would be really fun to try out (and the shade is really pretty!)

Monthly Reading Wrap-up - March 2022

This year I thought I would share a little more of all my books and I thought the best way to do that would be if I wrapped up my reads of each month, so I can share mini reviews on all the books I've gone through! 

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! 

This is My Real Name was received as a review copy - this post contains affiliate links 

So, in March I read 9 books - a mix of genres from young adult fantasy to non-fiction true crime books. 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, what was great about this month was the mix of old and new books I read was about a 50/50 split! I read these mostly via audiobook (6 of the 9, 2 physical books and 1 e-book on my phone). 

Manicure Monday - Pastel Geometric Nails

Happy Mani Monday - I hope you all had a great weekend! Can we believe it is already April?! 

I purchased all the polishes in this post

As with every new month, the #CBBxManiMonday group has a new theme for the month and it is pastels! Just like green last month, I find pastels a little bit of a challenge; but, I'm hoping I am able to come up with some good nail art! 

Monthly Beauty & Book Haul ~ March 2022

I'm switching up my Monthly Haul posts a little bit this year, because I'm actually *trying* to stick to a bit of a budget! I've been going a little crazy on the beauty and books front, so I just want to be a little more thoughtful in my purchases. So. I'm trying to keep my beauty and book purchases to $200 a month - we'll see! 

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! 

Hindash Order ~ $131.14 CAN. Okay, one of the brands on my list to try this year was Hindash and when this palette was released last month, I knew that this was the palette I had to try! This order was actually $102.74 from the Hindash website and I had to pay $28.40 in duties and taxes, which added on to the order. This is the Monochromance and it took a little while to get to me, but I'm excited to try this very soon! 

Five on Friday - April 1, 2022 ~ Yardley Spring Products, Wine Night, Bridgerton Season 2, Thrifted Games, and Monthly Declutter

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all had a great week - and Happy April Fool's Day if that's still a thing?! (My oldest is too old and youngest hasn't gotten in to the pranks yet, so I'm feeling safe this year!)

ONE 

The Yardley set was received as a PR packaging - this post contains affiliate links

Okay, I don't often share full PR packages that I receive, but I honestly thought this little Spring set from Yardley was just the cutest! It came with the foldable tray that looks perfect for a picnic (I never seen these before, but will absolutely use this when we get out with snacks and food!) Plus little gardening, beauty tools, and a lavender plant!