NAILS | Bacteria in a Petri Dish #CBBxManiMonday

Army Green Dotticure
Press samples

This week's manicure was a bit of a fail as I did not get the effect I wanted, but I guess it cleaned up well enough that I received a few compliments on my nails. When I showed my husband he said it looked like "bacteria growing in petri dish" hence the name of the post. To me, my nails reminded me of the Ishihara Test for colour blindness! Nonetheless, I never like redoing my nails or hiding my failures so here we are this week with bacterial nail art!

SHEET MASK | Sally's Box Loverecipe Peach and Carrot Mask


Press samples

Wow, ok so it has felt like forever since I have written anything! I had all these beautiful scheduled posts (I know, I know!) for Jan and Feb and then I just got really pre-occupied with work, work and more work! My brain has been a mess of day job to do lists and even the to do lists for home have gotten to a point where I feel like I am flooding my brain with too much stimulation. I realized I also hadn't had CBD in awhile and immediately placed my order with Birch + Fog last week for my favourite tincture and gummies. 

NAILS | Green and Gold Glitter Tips for a Gala! #CBBxManiMonday

Green and Gold Glitter Nail Art
NCLA nail polish purchased by me

Hi, it's me. It has been a mentally-taxing last few weeks for me and beauty and blogging has been put on the backburner for awhile. I go through these phases where I feel so motivated to pump out content and then the total opposite if something else is going in my life. While I have been keeping busy and actually have had a relatively active social life the last month, I have also been experiencing only what I can describe as an extreme tiredness/lack of motivation at home. I have what feels like enough energy for a few hours and then I need to nap or I just want to literally sit on the couch and be on my phone or read. Reading at least is something I have been pretty productive at and I've read more so far this year than I have since 2020. Though today's nails are from a few weeks ago, it seemed only fitting to share them for our "Green" theme this month!

NAILS | Heartbeat Nails #CBBxManiMonday

Heartbeat Nail Art
Some press samples (marked with *)

I still haven't gotten my groove back. I am still feeling so tired and even though our Inventory went well, I feel like I am still playing catch up on work and life. I did get an hour of quiet time at work when it was quiet to actually enjoy some online Chaumet training which was actually pretty interesting! I love reading about the features and benefits of new products so I often have to tell myself to do this type of reading ONLY at work and not at home! 

SHEET MASK | Chando Himalaya Comfrey Pore Tightening Mask

 

Purchased by me

I have often raved about T&T Supermarket and their wide variety of well-priced sheet masks. I especially like that they sell quite a number of Chinese brands as most sheet masks we see are Korean. On one of my more recent visits, I came across the Chinese brand Chando and a collection of sheet masks that involved some mountain wildlife and what reminded me of an Asian interpretation of Snow White. It was definitely the packaging that sold me on this and it was a hunch that ended up working out! 

SKINCARE | My Routine with Augustinus Bader

Augustinus Bader Skincare Review
Some press samples

The time has come for an honest to goodness skincare review that isn't a sheet mask! I have been eyeing luxury skincare brand Augustinus Bader for the last three years and took a tiny plunge by using my $100 Sephora gift certificate obtained through one of their Tues/Thurs point drops on The Essence and quite enjoyed it! Last year, I was given the opportunity to try The Retinol Serum and after 12 weeks I feel like I am finally ready to share my thoughts!