Maybelline SuperStay Vinyl Ink Liquid Lipstick in Red Hot

Can you believe that today is that last day of November?! I feel like November just flew by! I'm getting so excited for holiday season (although we are full blown in it already!)

I purchased this product on my own

Speaking of holiday season - are you looking for the perfect bold red lip for your holiday parties?! I know there is a million out there and honestly, there is so many out there you don't need this recommendation. 

Manicure Monday - Matte Green Geometric Nails

Happy Monday everyone - hope you all had a good weekend! It's time for busy holiday season, but I still managed to get a quick mani in! 

The OPI polishes were received as PR samples 

November nails for the #CBBxManiMonday group is going to be a little bit of a free for all (literally the theme of the month), since we are all in between a month of October Halloween nails and prepping for a month of holiday nails in December! 

Five on Friday - November 24, 2023 ~ Moon of the Turning Leaves Book Review, November 2023 Owlcrate Subscription, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Movie, Across The Spider-verse DVD, and Monthly Declutter

Happy Friday everyone - I hope you all had a good week! It's been a little crazy around here, but I think at this point, I say that every week! 

ONE 

Moon of the Turning Leaves and Across The Spider-verse was sent as a review copy

I'm always happy when I have a good book to share, especially when that good book is Canadian! I read Moon of the Crusted Snow earlier this year and it was fantastic - it's modern dystopian, so realistic and super eerie. It takes place on a remote reserve in Northern Ontario and essentially the power shuts off forever and the people on the reserve have no idea what happens. The first book follows what happens immediately following the events and what the community does to survive. Then, this year we got a sequel, Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice and it's just as good as the first one! 

Manicure Monday - Duochrome Star Nails

Happy Manicure Monday - slightly late, whoops! I had everything loaded up but forgot to actually type anything! 

I purchased everything in this post

November nails for the #CBBxManiMonday group is going to be a little bit of a free for all (literally the theme of the month), since we are all inbetween a month of October Halloween nails and prepping for a month of holiday nails in December! 

Winter 2023 - 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. 

November 2023 Ipsy Icon Box Unboxing

I just unboxed my October Ipsy Glambag and in that post I mentioned in that post that I re-signed up just to try out this new version of Ipsy - the Icon Box! 

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

The Ipsy Icon Box is a new version is a special curated box that you can upgrade to each quarter (Nov, Feb, May and Aug) and you get 8 full sized products curated by a makeup professional or celebrity worth up to $350! Each time, Ipsy will select 5 of the products for you and you get to select the other 3 products. 

Five on Friday - November 17, 2023 ~ The Fragile Threads of Power Book Review, 94 Takes The Cake, Life On Our Planet, Love Is Blind Season 5, and My Cats!

Happy Friday everyone - I hope you've all had a great week! 

ONE 

I purchased everything in this post

Oh man I love sharing a book review and I love this book - The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab is an adult fantasy novel. This is both a carry-on of the Shades of Magic trilogy, but the start of it's own trilogy (I would recommend the Shades be read first though because this book is layered and the more background story you know, the better for this!) This book takes place 7 years after the Shades of Magic and while we mostly stay in the present moment, there is some flashbacks throughout the years.

Trying New ELF Products - Glow Reviver Lip Oil and Duochrome Liquid Eyeshadow

It's no secret around here, I'm a turned drugstore makeup girlie - I've been impressed with the ELF Products that I've tried this year, so I've been following their new releases pretty closely! 

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

Naturally when ELF announced they were releasing a lip oil AND a duochrome shadow in the same week, I have to run and order them both, immediately! They are always available on the ELF website first (which has great perks for points, discounts and free shipping!), and then eventually they will trickle in to drugstores in Canada! 

Manicure Monday - MoYou Far Far Away Gel Nail Strips

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

I purchased these nail wraps

November nails for the #CBBxManiMonday group is going to be a little bit of a free for all (literally the theme of the month), since we are all inbetween a month of October Halloween nails and prepping for a month of holiday nails in December! 

October 2023 Ipsy Glambag Unboxing

Hello blast from the past, I haven't gotten an Ipsy bag in yeeears - since November 2018 to be exact since I went back and looked. Since that time, quite a few things have happened - mostly, they've merged with Boxycharm so you can now get both items through the same site. But, what drew me back in was the idea of a deluxe quarterly box called The Icon Box curated by some heavy hitters in the beauty community (comes out November, February, etc.) so I snagged an October Glam Bag to make sure I could try out the November Icon Box! 

I purchased this subscription - this post contains affiliate links 

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. 

Five on Saturday - November 11, 2023 ~ The Woman in Me Book Review, November Most Anticipated Books, My 37th Birthday, Disney Illusion Island Game, and Live to 100 Secrets of the Blue Zones Show

Whoops - had good intentions of getting this up earlier, but it slipped my mind!

ONE 

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

"People can take everything away from you, but they can never take away your truth. But the question is, can you handle mine?" - My Prerogative. (yes I know that was an older song pre-Britney, but it's so fitting for her situation, it's uncanny!) I flew threw The Woman in Me by Britney Spears and took a few days to come up with my thoughts - obviously, I'm a Britney fan, I grew up in that era looking up to her, and watching everything happen but not really knowing what was going on. Her story has been dictated by everyone but her up to this point and so it was perfect to hear her side of the story and understand what was going on. What her family did to her (as well as the media, the paparazzi, everyone in her life basically) is so difficult - she had paid off all their debt and still had to take more. Forcing her to work, while simultaneously claiming she was incapable of caring for herself is so wild - if someone is that incapacitated, should they have been forced on to world tours and in recording studios just to line her father's pockets (who made more during that time than she did?!)

Manicure Monday - OPI Scorpio Seduction polish

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

I purchased this polish

November nails for the #CBBxManiMonday group is going to be a little bit of a free for all (literally the theme of the month), since we are all inbetween a month of October Halloween nails and prepping for a month of holiday nails in December! 

Monthly Beauty Favourites ~ October 2023

Here's a look at what I was loving in October:

The Panoxyl, Biotherm and Veriphy were received as PR samples 

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. 

Monthly Reads ~ October 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 everything in this post

So, in October I read 12 books, with a mix of genres from Adult Memoir to Middle Grade Horroi. 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, so I'm working on that and did well with that this month! I read 3 physical books, 1 ebook and 8 audiobooks! (Some of these books were smaller so 12 is pretty high for me!)

Five on Friday - November 3, 2023 ~ Halloween Costumes, Halloween Party, October Month of Vegetarian and Pescatarian Meals, Halloween Decor Finds and Fall SampleSource

Happy Friday everyone - can we believe this is already the first weekend in November?! I hope you all had a good week! 

ONE 

I purchased everything in this post

I love Halloween - so excited to show our costumes - Goomba Cat, Cat Princess Peach and Bowser! My mom made this amazing costume for Elliott when he had this request for his costume - it turned out amazing! So, since I was Princess Peach last year, I thought I'd be Cat Peach to match Elliott! 

Monthly Beauty and Book Haul ~ October 2023

Last year I set a monthly beauty and books budget at $200 per month and I really stuck 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! 

I purchased everything in this post

Shoppers Drug Mart Haul ~ $10.25 CAN. I always love doing a big Shoppers Haul and using all my Optimum points (regular price of this was $124.05 CAN) - I heard great things about the Fructis watermelon line. I needed more NYX Banana Powder and the ELF Setting Spray is a good staple (although, I'm not sure the Blue Light thing is necessary). The Chanel lip and cheek balm is lovely - you can see it on me here! And, I picked up another Maybelline Vinyl Lipstick - can't wait to share it with you soon!