Monthly Beauty and Book Haul ~ August 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! 

I purchased everything in this post

Jaclyn Cosmetics Order ~ $85.95 CAN + $14.33 customs. I have been waiting to try the Jaclyn Cosmetics formula for a while and the last palette didn't interest me much; but, this pinky berry neutral palette did! It's really pretty, the packaging is cute and I also picked up a lip oil from the brand as well. A little bummed I got hit with customs as well, but excited to share my thoughts on these soon! 

Manicure Tuesday - ORLY x Lisa Frank Nail Wraps in Markie Unicorn

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

I purchased these wraps - this post contains affiliate links

The #CBBxManiMonday group are sticking with Summery and bright nails for July and August - I thought for the last week of Summer (and Pride week here in Calgary), that these bright, rainbow nail wraps from ORLY x Lisa Frank are perfect for when you need a quick Summer mani! 

Five on Friday - August 26, 2022 ~ Wedding Attendees, Bulk Barn Haul, Back to School Finds, Lightyear Movie, and Monthly Declutter

Happy Friday everyone - hope you all had a great week! I've been in Edmonton for training all week, so it's been pretty quiet over here. Happy to be coming home to the family for the weekend! 

ONE 

I purchased everything in this post

This past weekend one of my friends got married in Shouldice Park in Calgary and it was super cute! I've never been up to that park and it's beautiful, right on the river - they had a daytime wedding that had games and snacks in the park. Elliott has never been to a wedding before and he did really well and loved the games! So cute - I'm so happy to see weddings back up and running now! 

New ELF Luminous Putty Blushes in Belize & Isla del Sol

I've been pretty impressed with the new ELF products that I've been trying lately - their putty blush formula was one of my Top Makeup Products of 2021 and I have the formula in a couple of shades so when I saw they were releasing a luminous formula in their putty blushes, I had to try them right away! 

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

E.L.F. Cosmetics Luminous Putty Blush ~ $9.00 CAN. A putty-to-powder, buildable blush that adds a pop of color to your complexion, now with a subtle shimmer finish.

This is meant to be a lightweight buildable formula that melts in to the skin, offers a high pigmented application and a shimmery finish for a glowing complexion. It is also infused with argan oil and vitamin e for a boost of hydration. 

New JVN Hair Complete Blowout Styling Milk + 20% the JVN Website!

I'm always excited to receive a product earlier than a launch so I can try it out and let you guys know right away what I think about it, and I've been lucky enough to have that happen with the last couple of JVN Hair launches!

This product was received in exchange for an honest review - this post contains affiliate links

If you've been on here before, then you know I'm a big JVN fan and I was super excited to be part of the JVN Beauty Community Queen's and Co. where I can receive their hair products and give an honest review on the products! If you recall their last release in June knocked it out of the park for me - the Complete Conditioning Mist is my go-to leave in conditioner and detangler! 

Manicure Monday - Shimmery Purple Flowers

Happy Manicure Monday - I hope you all had a good weekend! I had a lovely wedding to attend and then drove to Edmonton last night; i'm here all week for work training!

The OPI polish was received as a PR sample, I am a Nails INC ambassador

I've been loving the shimmery light polishes of the Summer - I did the glazed donut nails a few weeks ago and loved them. So, this is a little spin on that because this Nails Inc polish is so gorgeous and I haven't used it in a long time! 

Five on Saturday - August 20, 2022 ~ Bones Coffee Nightmare Before Christmas, Calaway Park Day, Amazon, Thrifted and Auction Finds!

Happy Saturday everyone - hope you all had a great week!

ONE 

I purchased everything in this post

Okay, I know it's only August, but when my favourite coffee company announces a Fall coffee collection, I knew I needed all of them! I'm actually on my last bag of Bones coffee (Smores) and it was time for a restock! When I first spotted these, most were sold out, so as soon as the did a restock I picked up one of each flavor (plus a few more for gifts) and I'm so excited! 

Fall 2022 - The Jilly Box Subscription Unboxing

I'm a big fan of Jillian Harris, so when she announced that she was starting a subscription box, I was so excited! The box started with the Winter 2019 box and sadly, I was not one of the lucky originals who won a subscription spot, so I sign up every season and hope to get picked for a lottery spot! 

I purchased this box

The Jilly Box is a quarterly seasonal subscription box - the products within the box include some of Jillian’s (and Team Jilly’s!) favourite items (and brands) from home decor, fashion, bath and beauty, health and wellness, accessories perfect for each season. Some of the items included will be custom designed exclusively for the Jilly Box. The Jilly Box really focuses on including products from small, local businesses while being ethically sourced and inclusive. They also focus on reducing plastic waste and packaging - the big boxes can be turned inside out and reused! Also, they try to include Canadian, woman owned brands, as well as Bipoc and LGBTQ owned brands as well. 

Kiko Milano Festival Glow Collection - Swatches and Makeup Look

I was so excited when I was in Italy to pick up some products by Kiko Milano and I've been using a few of them and enjoying them! I have to apologize in advance to my Canadian readers - these don't ship from Italy to Canada, but they are available at Ulta in the U.S. (which also sadly, never resumed shipping to Canada, but if you are planning a trip to the States, you could pick up a few things!)

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

I found a little Kiko Store in Rome and was able to pick up a few things from their Festival Glow line - this was their Summer 2022 collection and the products are glowy! They are all about glowy skin, sparkly eyes and water proof products - I only picked up a few things as I was travelling by carryon only or I would have pick up more! 

Manicure Monday - Neon Abstract Nails

Happy Manicure Monday - I hope you all had a good weekend! I finally had a relaxing weekend at home to myself and it was much needed for some good R&R! 

The Biosculpture polishes were received as PR samples

So, I had a plenty of time to do makeup and nails all weekend and it was perfect - I haven't had that much time to myself in a long time and it's been a very busy (but great) Summer! 

Five on Friday - August 12, 2022 ~ Summer Bookish Romance Books, The House In The Cerulean Sea Review, August 2022 Little Passports Subscription, Produce Keepers, and Shania Twain: Not Just A Girl Documentary

Happy Friday everyone - I hope you all had a great week. It's been quite a week here - I got back from my Grandfather's service in BC on Sunday night and it's been quite a draining week since. I'm honestly looking forward to my first relaxing weekend of the Summer to recuperate this weekend! 

ONE 

I purchased (or borrowed) everything in this post - this post contains affiliate links

I'm not much of a planner for my reading, but each month I try and stick to a little bit of a reading "theme". Now that we are in to August, what's the perfect read for Summer? Romance of course! But what's even funner is that a whole bunch of new romances have this fun bookish theme! So I rounded up a few fun Summer Romances with a Bookish twist! 

Monthly Reading Wrap-up ~ July 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! 

I purchased all these books (or borrowed) - this post contains affiliate links

So, in July I read 9 books - a mix of genres from classics to young adult fantasy. 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, which I've done a good job at so far this year. Last month was mostly new books, so I balanced it out this year with a few older books as well. I read 5 audio books and 4 physical books this month! 

Manicure Monday - Summer Polka Dot Nails

Happy Manicure Monday everyone - hope you had a good weekend! I drove to a family event so Friday and Sunday I drove for 9 hours each day (so, I needed a quick, pretty mani for today!)

The OPI polish was received as a PR sample

I was singing the Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot bikini this weekend, so it inspired me to do some yellow polka dots because it's the perfect easy and quick mani!! 

Five on Friday - August 5, 2022 ~ Smash and Tess Rebecca Mini & Getaway Midi Dress + $10 off, Month of Vegetarian Meals, Invermere Finds, Calaway Park and Telus Spark Science Centre

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all had a good week - we got back on the long weekend for over a week away at the cabin, and I'm driving to B.C. again this weekend for my Grandpa's service. 

ONE 

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

I placed an order on the Smash and Tess Summer sale (which is still going on btw if you want to check it out!) I love my midi Rebecca dresses, so I picked up the Rebecca Wrap Mini Dress in Blue Steel and the Getaway Midi Dress in Champagne Dream and I love them both! I wasn't sure about the champagne colour, but I love it and the cut is excellent. The Mini Rebecca is super cute and all the midis are on sale right now too! 

Monthly Beauty Favourites - July 2022

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

I purchased everything in this post - 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!

Manicure Monday - DIY Glazed Donut Nails

Happy Manicure Monday everyone - I'm so excited to be back doing my nails after a hiatus last week while I was away at the cabin! 

The China Glaze and Bio Sculpture were received as PR samples

Since we decided to keep up the Summer theme for August, I thought it was only fitting that I try the nails of the nails of the Summer - Glazed Donut Nails!