Monthly Beauty Favourites ~ August 2024

Here's a look at the products I was loving this past month: 

The Lottie London blush was received as a PR sample

For the past year or so, 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! 

Here's a closer look at the best products I was loving in August: 

Monthly Beauty and Book Haul ~ June 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! 

Walmart Order ~ $36.13 CAN. I was super excited to try these bronzing drops from Lottie London and I've heard amazing things about the Milani Lip Stain - I can't wait to try these both soon! I have used the LA Colors Crackle Top Coat - you can see my review here! 

Biore UV Aqua Rich Sunscreen Comparison - Japanese Watery Essence vs. Canadian SPF 30 and 50

I have been using the Japanese Biore UV Watery Essence SPF 50 PA++++ for years - since 2016 at least and I've seen it through a few reformulations, but have continued to love and use it. It was only available through sites that shipped from Japan or other places that it was sold. 

I purchased everything in this post

So, I was really excited when it was announced that the iconic sunscreen was being reformulated for Canadian sales - naturally I had to pick up all of them so I could compare the formulas and let you know if the new reformulation is just as good as the original! 

Unique Sunscreens - Because SPF Should Be Fun!

I hope you all know by now, but if you don't, SPF is the most important part in your skincare routine - I use at minimum an SPF 30 everyday, but if I'm outside for any length of time it's typically an SPF 50.

The Skoah was received as part of the ambassador program and the Paula's Choice was received as a PR sample - this post contains affiliate links

I've got my few favourite SPFs that I keep on rotation,  but I always love to try new ones! This year I've certainly bene introduced to some unique sunscreens so I thought I'd share my thoughts!

Glowing With New ELF Products - Whoa Glow SPF, Halo Glow Liquid Filter, Halo Glow Blush and Highlighter Beauty Wand, Lip Lacquer, and Lash 'N Roll Mascara

I've been excited about the past few releases from ELF Cosmetics - they are a brand that has really surprised me over the last couple of years and I've been impressed with the products that I've tried from them! 

The past few ELF releases have included some really fun glowy products and I was excited to give them a try! 

Skoah Zinc Lotion 30 Try-on and Review

It feels like a 30+ thing to be excited about sunscreen, but alas, here were are! (I mean really, everyone should be excited about SPF - don't make my mistakes and wreck havoc on your skin in your teens and 20s and then try and make up for it later on!)

So, on that note, I'm always excited to try and find my perfect sunscreen - I've got a few that I love, but as more brands are upping their skincare game and focusing on SPF, I'm always happy to try all different sunscreens! 

My Morning Skincare Routine

I don't often feel like blog posts are overdue, since I can basically write anything at anytime, but I haven't written an updated routine since 2016! And, while this isn't going to change *much* since then, it has gotten a little more specific to my skin and finding what works best for me! 

The Skoah product was received as part of the Ambassador program, the FabYou was received as a PR sample - this post contains affiliate links

I like to keep my morning routine quite simple and gentle - I'm up quite earlier and don't have a ton of time in the mornings, so I like quick and effective products! 

Five on Friday - July 1, 2022 ~ Wine Tasting, Winners Dress Find, June Beauty Declutter, Zoo Day and a Sunscreen Haul

Happy Friday everyone and Happy Canada Day! I hope you all had a great week - we've been out in Penticton since Tuesday and it's been lovely! 

ONE 

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

We started out our trip with a little bit of wine tasting - we went to Okanagan Falls and went to Noble Ridge, Blasted Church and a few smaller places too. Such a fun day! 

This picture was taken at Noble Ridge - it's a gorgeous place with a little view of Vaseux Lake and it's so pretty! 

Monthly Beauty Favourites - May 2022

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

I purchased everything - 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!

Top 8 Favourites - Best Skincare Discoveries in 2021

I always love rounding up my Favourite products I've discovered every year - sometimes I've included hair and nails, but this year I'm just going to focus on the best skincare (and I just shared the best makeup the other day)! Personally, I include products that I've discovered within the year (not necessarily products that were released in the year, or I don't include every category as I just want to pick the best products I've tried!)

The FabYou, Paula's Choice and Skoah products were 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's why I didn't pick an even 10 as there was only 8 stand out skincare products of the year! Also, skincare is so personal, so what works for me, might not work great for another skin type - please keep that in mind too! 

The Five Products I've Been Reaching For All Summer!

While the pandemic is still impacting our travel plans, I've been spending quite a bit of the Summer travelling locally. I have family to go visit as well as a cabin we've been to multiple times, so I've been living out of a travel makeup bag for most of the Summer. 

The Paula's Choice, Simple & Dove products were received as PR samples & the Klorane product was received from Topbox Circle - this post contains affiliate links

During my Summer getaways and living on a very trimmed down beauty routine, I've found a few products that I've been reaching for all the time! When we go to the cabin, we really preserve water, so these products are all about convenience, easy packing, and quick to use! 

August Shop My Stash ~ Easy, Go-to Summer Makeup Look

I've had a pretty easy going Summer in terms of my makeup (which means I haven't been playing with makeup much at all) - we've had lots of down-time and beach/family vacation time, so I've been keeping everything pretty simple! 

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

I've been missing doing full faces of makeup, but I'm trying to embrace the minimal look while it's too hot out for much more than that! While this is a super quick look, these are all fantastic staple products and have been my go-tos during a time that I'm hardly reaching for makeup, so you know they are good! 

Monthly Beauty Favourites - July 2021

Here are the top 5 products I've been loving in July:

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

My beauty routine has been pretty "low maintenance" this Summer, so I love products that are multi-purpose or work great but are simple and easy to use! There is a little bit of everything in here this month - skincare, makeup, hair and nails! 

Monthly Beauty Favourites - April 2021

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

The Paula's Choice was received as PR and the Cheekbone was received for a product campaign - this post contains affiliate links

This month is rare because I do not often talk about hair products (my hair is pretty plain and flat so it always take something extra special to make me excited about hair!) and then I have lots of skincare with just a little touch makeup too! 

July 2020 - Monthly Favourites!

Here are the top 5 products that I've been loving this month:

The John Masters lotion was received as a PR sample - this post contains affiliate links

This month is clearly really skincare heavy with only one makeup item - I've said it multiple times, I'm just not wearing as much makeup right now so it makes sense that my favourites are mainly skincare (and even more specifically SPFs because that's what I've been using or trying the most of right now! 

January 2020 - Monthly Favourites!

Here are my Favourite Products I have been loving this month:

The moisturizer and masks were received as PS samples - this post contains affiliate links 

This month was a total mix of products - some new loves and others that I've had in my collection for a while! (Also, some were really helpful while travelling this month!)

August 2019 - Monthly Favourites!

I know I've been saying this a lot; but, can you believe that August is nearly over?! I feel like I blinked and Summer was gone! It was a great Summer - it was just really, really busy. I'm looking forward to things slowing down soon! 

Some items may have been received as PR samples - this post contains affiliate links

Anyways, today's post is all about things I was loving in August and it's clearly got a heavy banana focus with a couple of makeup products and a lovely scent! 

Long Weekend at the Cabin Beauty Must Haves!

As this is posting, we are heading off the cabin this weekend for a long weekend with some friends and their little ones! 

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

And as I was packing, I thought I'd share some of the must-have multi-tasking beauty items that I pack along with me for any quick weekend away! When I'm going out to the cabin (or really any long weekend away) I don't pack my full routine with me because I try to be less high maintenance! 

My Favourite Canadian Beauty Products Currently In My Collection

For the month of July, the Canadian Beauty Bloggers group is featuring Canadian Brands all month long, and I thought what better way than to share my top 10 products from Canadian beauty brands that I currently have in my collection! 

Some posts may have been received as PR samples - this post contains affiliate links

I have a good mix of skincare and makeup products from a mixture of large and small brands! I know there is a ton of amazing Canadian brands out there and I can't touch on them all here, which is why I'm focusing on only the products that are currently in my collection! I've used other amazing products from great Canadian brands in the past and they are still loved! 

LaSpa Naturals Mineral Sunscreen - SPF50 Ultra Sun Protection Stick

I've talked a fair bit on here about the importance of wearing sunscreen every day - I'm a pretty firm believer of proper sun protection! (I also really need to make up for years of sun damage from tanning beds and slathering myself in oil and frying outside!)

Products received as PR samples - this post con

LaSpa was the first brand of mineral sunscreen I tried and I really liked them! Their products are 100% natural and use Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide and those ingredients are natural mineral sun blocks that sit on your skin and stop both UVA and UVB rays from penetrating your skin. Also, where chemical filters take about 20 minutes to come in to effect, this sunscreen is effective immediately! Another benefit of mineral sunscreen is that it is marine safe - it is biodegradable and has no toxins that are damaging to marine life or coral reefs!