Neglect

I’m so sorry, friends. I keep meaning to come back and write, share a review, anything, but the words just don’t come. At least they haven’t until now.

Things have been hard lately, folks. My depression is rearing it’s ugly head and is back in full force. At the moment, it’s not the heartbreaking constant sadness. Instead it’s the exhaustion, full body aches and pain, the lack of motivation to do anything at all and a total lack of fucks. For a bit there, I struggled to find the energy to dress myself, to shower and to brush my teeth.

Part of it is the weather, and how difficult the holidays are when you have lost people. On top of that, there is our financial struggles and the stress of not being able to afford the holidays. I can’t really get into much more right now, but there are other things that have been hard for me and weighing on me.

Yesterday it occurred to me that I’ve been neglecting so much in my life. Yes, there are some crappy things going on, crappy things that have happened, but if I let myself fail and fall, what will they show my children? What will be left to care for them? So, I’m taking steps to get back on track. I’m walking as much as I can, at least 2km a day. I work out a couple days a week at home. I am trying to get back into bullet journalling and spending more quality time with my family. I’m making lists and getting back into work. It’s hard, but just like with my walks, the most important thing is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. To just keep going.

 

Curly Girl

Hey everyone,

I’m sorry that the blog is looking a little generic these days. Unfortunately, my paid account with WordPress came up for renewal at a time when finances just don’t have the room for me to make the splurge. This means all of my customizations had to go for now. At least it’s still cute, right?

Before I dive in to talking about my Hurr, I wanted to take a sec to wish all my fellow Canadians a Happy Thanksgiving. 2016 hasn’t exactly gone to plan for us, but I am so thankful to have such a wonderful family and group of friends in my life, and that includes you guys, my followers.  So, thank you so much for being a part of my world. You guys are fantastic <3

So, on to the goods. Today I want to talk to you about my hair. After spending my life trying to manage this mop, I have started educating myself on my texture. I went in to a new salon that specializes in wavy and curly hair and got a cut to try and wake up my curls. Years of abuse have left my hair frizzy and significantly relaxed from the curls of yesteryears. Through some advice from my stylist and the salon owner, Paula, I went home and dove into researching products that would be better for my scalp and my texture. I discovered the world of Curly Girl.

I am about a month in to my new regimen and for the most part, I am loving it. Basically, I no longer use Shampoo to wash my hair. I know, crazy right? This is what I do now.

Ploppin’

Instead, I use conditioner to wash, and then more conditioner as a leave in after my shower. I then use an old large tshirt to “plop”, which sort of dries the hair a bit and removes some of the extra product.

Air drying

I leave the plop on anywhere from 20 minutes to overnight. When I feel like taking it off, I add a crap ton of gel and let it air dry.

Dry crunchy hair

Once it’s completely dry, I scrunch out the crunch with a t-shirt.  Basically, I get rid of that crunchy hard gel texture by gently scrunching it out.

I then try not to wash again for a few days. I protect the curls as much as possible and refresh every morning with water mixed with conditioner and reapply a bit more gel to help combat frizz

Bed time fashions so fancy

Day 3 hair, y’all. AMAZING.

So far, I am really impressed at the change in my hair and my scalp. I had pretty severe psoriasis a month ago, and now I have maybe two small patches that come and go.So, to review, let’s look at some before and after shots to give you an idea of how much my curl has changed with this no-poo no-silicone no-sulfates no-alcohol method.

So, the left is the before, the right is this past week. I’m hoping for more improvements in a couple of weeks, but already you can see a bit change in the reduction of frizz, the shape of the wave/curl and how the curl starts at the scalp (in the front) now, as opposed to eye/ears before. I’m pretty happy with that! It’s definitely a big change, but I like the way it’s going. I’ll update you guys again in a month or two.

Autumn Life Update

It’s been a long time now since I’ve written a personal post. 2016 has been kicking our asses. Between that and having two crazy kids, I don’t have much time to give sitting down and writing about real life stuff, if that makes any sense. I’m actually fighting a nasty cold at the moment, which means that I have a bit of time to sit and just write.

Mason is 9 months old, almost 10 months. Liam has started school. How is this possible? Where has time gone? It’s been a pretty good transition, thankfully. Liam loves school and it’s been giving me a bit of a breather during an otherwise stressful time.

We have a lot of personal financial and family stuff going on that I don’t feel comfortable sharing here, but it’s been playing one hell of a toll on my anxiety and depression. Thankfully, my husband’s work has a great EAP program and I’ve been able to get some help. On top of that, I’ve started keeping a bullet journal. It has been amazing at keeping me calm, organized and a place to share what’s going on in my head in a pretty and creative way.

Bullet Journaling is kind of a checklist mixed with a day planner, mixed with a journal. It can be as simple or as involved as you want. It’s very very easy to personalize.

Beyond bullet journaling, I’ve continued to play with and test makeup and other products. I’m toying with the idea of making a youtube channel to compliment this blog, but I’m nervous about the amount of work it would take. I’ve started job hunting again, ideally looking for something either from home or close to home so that we can save on daycare costs by me being with Mason during the day.

So, I know this isn’t a really great update, but I wanted to let you guys know that I’m alive and ok, but not great. We are working on things to improve our situation, but nothing is coming very easily. Happy Fall everyone xo

REVIEW: August 2016 Boxycharm

You guys, you should see my house right now. No, actually, it’s for the best you can’t. I really should be cleaning and getting us ready for my baby to start JK this coming week. Instead, I am in total denial and refusing to face reality. Time for a boxycharm review!!

The theme for August’s box was “Express Yourself”

Ze box:

Yep, this month I was super excited to try everything out. Such a great collection of things!

Dirty Little Secret Velvet Matte Liquid Lipstick (10$USD): I was a little nervous to pull this one out of the box. My lips are so dry that I try to stay away from matte liquid lipsticks. Add to that the colour of this one…a definite orangey red. Well, lets just say I have been drinking tea and coffee multiple times a day for half my life, so my teeth don’t need any help at looking yellow.   The packaging is adorable though, and I am not one to back down from a colour.I was pleasantly surprised by the texture. This didn’t feel drying and it went on really smoothly. It was a little patchy on me, which meant I needed to layer up in some areas.

I wore this out of the house and after one cup of coffee and a greasy lunch, this was finit.

Yeah, not my favourite look. This is less than 2 hours after application. I would not recommend this without a lip liner and making sure you bring the lipstick along with you to touch up.

Makeup Eraser AmpliMascara ($23USD): Mama loves herself some mascara. I love trying different formulas. It makes such an instant difference in a look. This mascara intrigued me. It calls itself a serum and claims to really amp up the volume and length. As with all mascaras that I try, I gave it a few days and a few different application methods before writing this review. I tried one layer, two layers, layered on dry and layered on wet.

Unfortunately, this one and my lashes just did not go well together. I didn’t notice much of anything to be honest. The colour is a little too muted for my taste and I just didn’t get the length OR volume I was hoping for.

After wearing it for the day, my eyes got really itchy and sore, so I am passing it along to my sister to try. Hopefully it works out better for her. Also, a quick note: When I looked into the product, the Magic Eraser website only lists a two step product, so I wonder if maybe this is only part of the set? I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense to me.

Pure Cosmetics Waterproof Lip Liner: I was actually pretty happy to see this. After getting red lipstick recently, I realized I needed a red lip liner to make them stay put. Unfortunately, this one isn’t quite the shade I was hoping for. This is actually a pretty nice brown red/burnt red. I think it’ll be great for fall, but I’m not sure the tone is completely me. I love how creamy it is, and how easy that made the application. I did find that it wanted to stay put.

Aloette Time Repair Serum ($48USD): I love skincare, so I was pretty excited about this. I can’t say that I’ve noticed a difference so far, but it’s only been a couple weeks and I can’t say that I use it twice a day like they suggest. I do like the thin texture and how quickly it absorbs.

And finally, the big exciting item in this box:

Coastal Scents Blush and Bronzer Pallet with Brush: Yay another pallet!! I was very excited about this, especially because I’ve been finding myself really into blush, highlight and bronzer lately. This pallet includes one matte blush, one shimmer blush, one highlight, one matte bronzer and one bronzer with a sheen, as well as a brush.

First I’ll start with the big negative. The brush really did nothing for me. It wasn’t big enough or soft enough for my taste. I don’t see myself using it again. The actual powders were ok. The blushes were pigmented and pretty. A girlfriend told me she thought I had used a cream blush by how beautifully it sat on the skin. The bronzers are pretty warm and dark for me, but they are easy to blend if you go lighthanded. The highlight was pretty meh, unfortunately. It was too shimmery to use as a matte under eye powder, but too subtle to use as a cheek highlight for me.

I’m debating passing this one on. I do like the blushes though…maybe I’ll de-pot?

So that’s it for this month. While not a ton of these items were super “Me”, I did enjoy trying new things (and colours). Looking forward to September’s boxycharm! I hear there’s another eyeshadow pallet!

REVIEW: August 2016 Topbox

Sorry for going quiet again, you guys. I’m struggling a bit these days (as anyone who follows my snapchat or instagram can attest). I’m going to push through, though, and get back to some reviews.

This Month’s Topbox arrived, and I was a little disappointed. I had requested a tube, as my kids love to play with them and they can easily be repurposed. The mesh bags, on the other hand, sit around taking up space. Well, looks like it was a mesh bag for me. Oh well.

Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Foundation Primer: First thing, I was pretty excited to see this primer. I’ve only ever tried the original smashbox primer and enjoy it. I was surprised to see this primer is coloured. I actually checked the tube to make sure I didn’t confuse my products. It went on smoothly and felt nice on the skin. Unfortunately, it seemed to aggravate my dry patches pretty badly, and flared up the eczema on the bridge of my nose, and on my upper lip. It may have made my pores look good, but it seemed to make my dry skin look way more noticable. A definite pass for me. (Also, holy crap price tag. $51?!)

Manna Kadar Cosmetics Radiance Split Pan Bronzer and Highlighter Duo: Right off the bat, I was not super impressed with this. The bronzer is shimmery (not my fave) and DARK for me. The highlighter was dark too. I really didn’t think it would work on my very fair skin. The pan is pretty small and I worry with split pans like this that the bronzer is going to muddy up the highlight over time. Anyway, the product description boasts that you can use it as an eyeshadow too, so I decided to try it all out.

Splotchy and patchy AF

Yeah, not happy. The bronzer was hella patchy and dark. It took me forever to blend that shit out. The highlight was surprisingly pretty, but not enough for me to ever think about buying this.

Paired with L’Oreal Infallible Amber Rush all over the lid.

As eyeshadows these actually did a beautiful job, so I’m thinking about keeping it for that purpose.But then, do I need a shimmery brown and peach? Not really. Overall, another womp womp for me. ($27.68 CAD)

Me, out in the sunshine. Unfortunately, the bronzer as an eyeshadow didn’t stay put and smudged under my eyes. Jerk Bronzer

A few hours later. Sort of still bronzed. Highlight is no where to be found.

Novex Argan Oil Deep Conditioning Hair Mask: I am really imperssed by the size of this sample. You get quite a bit of product here. Now, unfortuantely, it’s one product I probably won’t really use. I mean, as I said last month, I am OVER FREAKING ARGAN OIL. Seriously, it’s in every damn box/bag/tube all the freaking time. I have more damn argan oil stuff than I will ever get through. Despite that, I gave it a try. From my reading, it’s basically just a deep conditioner. You add it to wet clean hair, let sit for 3 minutes and rinse. I did and it felt ok. I’ll use it once a week or so and report back if I think of it, but right now, meh. ($6.57 CAD)

Elizabeth Arden Skin Illuminating Brightening Night Capsules: I am on a big skincare kick right now (sudden realization that OMG I’M GETTING OLD AND HAVE WRINKLES AND SUN DAMAGE), so this was probably the most exciting part of this month’s topbox. There is something super appealing about squishing these little capsules. The product itself feels very nice and much like a silicone primer. Unfortunately, I found that this aggravated my ezema, so I have to be very careful where I apply it. I didn’t notice any lifechanging effects, but I will use these up 4 squishies for sure. ($110.25 CAD) 

So, that’s it this month. Unfortunately, as you can probably tell, I’m not super impressed. Everything was kind of a fail and made my skin really really unhappy. Here’s hoping next month is better. One really great and redeeming extra was a coupon tucked in the bag. It was for a free eyebrow styling and wax. YAS. Mama needs this. For those of you who don’t know, I have some vision limitations. My vision isn’t great without my glasses and my eyes have a really hard time looking in a specific direction up close. Namely, I can’t look at my left brow very well. I have to groom that one brow pretty much blind. So, having the ability to have someone else do my brows is AWESOME. Thanks Topbox!

Review: Clairol Natural Instincts Dye

BzzAgent and Clairol contacted me a little while ago, asking if I would like to try their Natural Instincts dye for free. Um, yes. For those who have been following me a while, you may remember that Natural Instincts used to be my jam. Since about the end of high school, I have been using Natural Instincts to dye my hair everything from reds, to browns, to blondes. Here’s a little time line of my hair changes over the years.

So, they asked me to pick a colour and sent a box my way.

I wanted something that would blend in well with my natural colour, so I went with Toasted Almond.

#gotitfree y’all! So, me being the patient woman that I am, I pretty much immediately threw it into my hair. Here’s what happened:

This is me before. Notice the sort of orangey ends and brassiness to my colour. Post partum and summer time hasn’t been kind to my hair. Obvs.

This is me during. Thankfully, this was a super quick and easy process. Once you mix the things up, you apply the dye to your hair, roots to ends. Once my hair was fully saturated, I clipped it up and hung out with my best buddy Netflix for an episode before washing it out.

I then used the included conditioner and let my hair air dry. Man, that conditioner is the best. Like, I want to dye my hair more often just to have this amazing stuff in my life FOREVER. Here are the results!

Immediately after dying:

My hair no longer has that brassiness to it and the ends blend in waaaaay better. It’s a really beautiful natural brown colour with shine. Loooove.

Yesterday, so maybe 2 weeks later?

My hair seems to have depth and a healthy shine again. Mama is pleased. The conditioner is keeping things soft and nourished, which makes me feel better about doing a box dye at home.

Overall, I am really happy with my experience. It was really easy to do, with minimal mess and fuss, and the results were really nice. Thanks again to Clairol and BzzAgent for letting me try this!

Note: While this product was sent to me, I have not been paid to write this review. As always, all thoughts and reactions are my honest opinion and experience. 

Review: CoverGirl Clean Matte BB Cream and Super Sizer Fibers Mascara.

BzzAgent spoiled me again. For my new readers who may not know, BzzAgent is an amazing website that allows its members to review some amazing products. They send you the goods FOR FREE, you try ’em and let the world know what you think. Yep. They are awesome. Here’s the latest that they have sent my way to try out:

What you see above is the new CoverGirl Clean Matte BB Cream for Oily Skin (in Fair) and the much loved on youtube, Super Sizer Fibers Mascara (in Black).

Let’s start with the BB Cream. I was nervous about trying this one. For those of you who may not know, I have extremely dry, sensitive skin and eczema. The word “matte” normally has me hiding behind my face oils. Add to that “For Oily Skin” and you can guarantee I won’t be picking it up. Thankfully, I didn’t have to pick it up! #gotitfree y’all! I tried a few different methods of application, as well as different bases to see how well it would apply, hold up and if it would dry me out like a raisin.

So, here’s what it looks like with moisturizer and sunscreen underneath, applied with a brush

Here is is on top of just sunscreen, applied with a Real Techniques sponge.

Before

One layer

Everything but mascara

Done

Love it!

A few hours later

Here it is, on it’s own, applied with my hands.

Before

After

So, here are my thoughts:

Pros

• Gives me a beautiful airbrushed finish
• Great coverage for a BB cream
• Not oily or greasy at all
• DID NOT DRY ME OUT OMG (so long as it is layered)
• Applies beautifully over other products
• Other products layer beautifully on top
• Does not melt down in the heat

Cons

• Doesn’t have it’s own SPF, which seems really weird to me considering most BB creams do
• Doesn’t last all day, even with with primer and setting spray. I specifically notice it fades away to nothing on my chin and jaw line (where the kids grab me and I touch most)
• Has a strange scent…sort of like wet paint?

I just love how this looks and feels on the skin. It dries down and really doesn’t need to be set at all. The finish is just beautiful, especially when I layer it on top of moisturizer and sunscreen. My skin ends up looking flawless.

I really expected this to be a disaster for me and my skin. I am so pleasantly surprised. This is my new favourite drug store BB Cream.

Ok, on to the mascara.

If you are a fan of beauty youtubers as much as I am, you have heard of this mascara. People LOVE the original Super Sizer mascara and really seem to love the Fibers version just as much. Youtuber Emily Noel has a lot of praise for it.

I was so hopeful. In fact, when I told my sister that I was doing this campaign with BzzAgent, I told her that I expected to love the mascara and that the BB cream would be a disaster. Oh, how wrong I was.

I don’t know if it’s just user error or what, but I just can’t get this brush to work for me. I end up with clumpy meh lashes. I hardly get any real volume, no length and if I do a second layer, a really heavy gross feeling. I tried this every day for a week. I tried it with curled lashes, straight lashes, before and after powders, I tried it layered wet and layered dry. I just couldn’t find the love.

Thank you again to BzzAgent for the opportunity to try these products. It goes to show that until you try something, you never really know whether it will work for you. The results with these two products were completely different than what I expected.

Do you have a favourite BB Cream? Any other dry girls love a matte product? What about the mascara – am I alone in not being able to make it work?

July 2016 Topbox and Boxycharm Reviews

It has been a great month for trying new products here in Heatherland. One of my favourite ways to get my hands on a bunch of different things is the glorious subscription box! In my case, my sister has gifted me with a subscription to Topbox and Boxycharm. I have been doing snapchat unboxings and have now had some time to play with the products a bit. Here are my thoughts. To see me wearing all of the following products, scroll down to the bottom of this post.

July’s Topbox

Cost: 12$ CAD/month

This month I opted for the tube, rather than the mesh bag. I also received a note from topbox with a bit of news. Because of the fear of a postal strike here in Canada, they were including an extra product. Woo! Also, they were switching over to email cards, so instead of a card explaining values and contents coming in the package, we would get our box info by email instead. Good to know. Here’s what I got:

TheFaceShop Character Face Mask in Pig: Oh man, this was awesome to get. Who doesn’t love a good sheet mask, right? Add to that the terrifying image of a pig face, and you have a very happy Heather. This was a honey based moisture mask (why the pig face then?). My children were both horrified and amused (as was Pat) and my skin felt pretty good afterwards. I would definitely use this again. (4$ value)

Be Delectable Ultra Moisturizing Hand Cream: I have seen the Delectable brand in the drug store but never really tried it out due to my sensitive dry skin. I have received their Everything Balm in my Rachhloves Topbox and liked it, but didn’t love it. Because of that I was a little meh about getting this. That said, the sample size is AWESOME. Like, this looks full size to me. I love the coconut scent, and the texture is nice. It’s not too greasy and actually does a decent job of moisturizing my hands. I find myself reaching for this over some of my other hand creams. (12$ value)

Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara: WOO! I really enjoy this mascara. I’ve been using it for a few years now. I found this sample was a little drier than my regular full sized mascara, so that was a little odd. It still did a great job on my lashes by adding lots of volume and some length without being overly clumpy or heavy feeling. (They list the value as being 30$, which I think is the full sized cost)

Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo: I haven’t had the best luck with dry shampoos in the past, so I’m always happy to try a sample size. I enjoyed the scent of this one and loved that it didn’t leave a powdery residue. It gave me some good volume but the texture was a little…I don’t know. I didn’t like touching my hair once I used it. Not my favourite, but still better than most I’ve used. (29$ Value)

Value this Month: 75$ plus the extra item

Bonus Item time!

Starlooks Gem Pencil in Ultra Turquoise: I have really enjoyed all the starlooks products I’ve tried, so I was happy to see this eyeliner. It swatches BEAUTIFULLY and is super pigmented, glittery and creamy. The only negative I have to share is that the cap doesn’t really fit well, which means it dries out quickly. The first time I swatched it was like butter. The second time, a bit drier. When I went to wear it, it was a bit harder to use, which was a bummer because I was really excited to wear it. (9$USD for value on the starlooks site)

Overall Impression of this month’s box: I was really happy with everything in here. I really do appreciate that this is a Canadian customized subscription box, which means the products are more suited to me, rather than just the general population.

July Boxycharm

Cost: $20USD

The theme of this month’s boxycharm is Modern Merbabe, which is definitely something I am into. Here’s what I got:

PYT Argan Oil Hair Oil Treatment: I like hair oils, so I was pretty happy to see this. Opening it up, I was a little dismayed that it doesn’t have a closed dispenser, I can see myself spilling or pouring too much product, which isn’t ideal. Also, this is HEAVILY perfumed. Like, intensely. The scent itself is also really masculine. It reminds me a lot of aftershave. Thankfully it doesn’t stick around too long in the hair. My hair felt soft and silky after using it, and I did notice a shine as well. (30$ Value)

Noyah Lip Gloss: I was pumped when I saw this out of the box. The packaging is gorgeous. I love the bamboo handle. The colour is bright and bold, though applies quite sheer. It can be built up though. This is going into my purse immediately. So perfect for the summer. Glossy without being sticky. (16$ value)

Mally Beauty Rounded Blender Brush:  One can never have too many blending brushes. Fluffy and pretty soft (just a little scratchy, but not enough for me to hate), I’m happy with the way this performs. I wish it was longer, but the pink is pretty. Mine arrived dented and scratched, but it doesn’t effect the use. (15$ Value)

OFRA Pallet and 6 Eyeshadows: Whoa. This is definitely the star of this month’s box. I don’t have any other magnetic pallets yet, so this was super exciting for me. The shadows themselves are a good selection of neutrals. 3 are matte, and 3 are shimmers. I have to say I don’t love the matte shades. They are a bit patchy, the lightest one has zero payoff and I found they kicked up a LOT of powder the second your brush touches them. The shimmers are lovely though. Far more creamy and way more pigmented. The colours themselves are a bit off for me. The medium matte shade is more orange than I like, and the lightest shimmer shade wears a lot more green than I expected. I wouldn’t pay the 10$ price tag that OFRA has on these, especially considering Makeup Geek and MAC are cheaper. (59$ Value)

Value this month: 120$! That’s awesome.

Overall Impression: I was really excited when I opened this box. While only the lip gloss was a true win for me, I am happy to try the other products some more and see if I can’t make them work better for me. I always need more blending brushes, so even though it’s not the best out there, the Mally brush is a welcome addition to my collection. The OFRA shadows are a bit disappointing, but the shades are great and they are usable. The pallet makes up for the matte shades for sure, and for the value, I am super pleased.

 

Here is the look I put together with these two boxes:

I’m wearing the following:

Face – Maybelline Masterprime in Illuminate, Bourjois Healthy Serum foundation in Vanille, Maybelline Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser Concealer in Brightening, NYC Loose Powder in Transluscent. Physicians Formula blush in Happy Booster, Cougar Beauty highlight powder.

Eyes: Essence Give Me Brow in blonde, OFRA shadows, Better than Sex mascara, Starlooks Gel Liner.

Lips: Noyah Lipgloss.

Review: June Boxycharm

For those of you who are new to my blog, June is a crazy time of year for my family. There are a ton of birthdays, anniversaries, events, etc…keeping us very busy. Included in that craziness is my own Birthday. This year I turned 33, and to spoil me my amazing sister offered to get me a beauty subscription. I used to get ipsy, but funds got too tight and I was never really that impressed with my bags. We had discussed Birchbox, but then they stopped shipping to Canada. I had then chosen Topbox but got waitlisted. So, we were waiting.

And waiting…and then, we saw this video of Kathleen Lights doing her June Boxycharm Unboxing.  She wraps up the video by saying that Boxycharm was now shipping to Canada!!

 START THE CAR

Thankfully, we ordered early enough to get me the June box. I posted an unboxing on snapchat (I’m iatheather if you want to add me. Did you guys like that? Should I keep doing that, or post it to youtube instead?). I have since tried everything out and want to share with you my thoughts.

If you’re interested in trying out Boxycharm, here’s my referral link to get you started. Please feel free to ignore it and go to the main website, though I do appreciate your support if you do go through my referral link.

What I got:

Farmacy Hydrating Coconut Gel Mask Boxycharm Exclusive

I really enjoy sheet masks, but hadn’t tried a gel one before. It has a slightly disturbing texture, but feels lovely and cooling on the skin. The one thing that I didn’t really like was the fit of the mask itself. It didn’t quite work with my face shape and as a result I found I was fiddling with it a lot. Also, it seemed to slide down, which wouldn’t be a big deal if I could adjust it…but the gel kind of adheres it to your face, so when you do adjust it, the mask rips. I always like the way masks make my face feel, but after just using one of these, I can’t say I felt anything major or life changing. I do love that they included three masks.

Girlactik Precision Eyeliner Marker in black

This is my first Girlactik product! I was really excited to receive this. The tip is fine and looks like it could give a really sharp wing. I found it super easy to apply, however I found the actual line ended up needing two coats in places due to some patchiness/watery application. I also noticed that it transferred up to the lid on one eye. This could be avoided with the use of some black eyeshadow to set.

Note the transfer

OFRA Oil Control Pressed Powder

I wasn’t super excited about this one. I have dry skin and the reviews mention that it is quite white and not the easiest to get a good application. Swatching didn’t go well. It clung to my finger in a really gross way and definitely left a white cast. Finger swatches aren’t a fair way to judge a product though, so I gave it a shot on Canada Day (I knew I would be hot and oily, so it was the perfect opportunity). I was pretty happy with this! It kept my chin and nose in check and I was able to blend it out without any serious white cast. You do need to use a fluffy brush and a light hand, but it worked well.

Cougar Beauty Mineral Face and Body Shimmer.

This was another product I was kind of meh about. Don’t get me wrong, I love my highlight, but people were reviewing it to be very yellow and not very pretty. I swatched it and was very meh about it. It didn’t seem to show up well at all. When applied to the face, it completely changes. It was a lovely white-gold glow that I am going to LOVE for the summer. I really enjoy it! This was probably my favourite product from the whole box.

Pretty cheekbones!

OFRA Long Wear Liquid Lipstick in Pasadena

Because we ordered my box so late, I guess Boxycharm ran out of the LVX Nail polish that most people got. I’m ok with this. TBH, I’m a little sick of nail polish in boxes. I am much more into lip products. I have very dry lips, so liquid lipsticks scare me a bit. I exfoliated and gave this a go…it was instant love! It goes on feeling a little creamy and never dries down to that pulling life-sucking dry feeling that some liquid lipsticks do. I will say it did transfer a bit, even an hour or so after application. It also did not survive a hot afternoon at the fair, but it didn’t fade in a gross way or flake off. I am definitely a fan and want a bunch more of these.

Overall: I am really impressed. The products are deluxe samples or full sized, great quality and the box itself is a great deal. I wish we were about to customize it a bit more. I definitely feel a bit spoiled by boxes/bags like Ipsy and Topbox that really get to know the customer. I worry a bit about getting things like skin care, hair products or foundation in the future because they don’t have any idea of my colouring or my skin/hair type. Oh well, it’s a gamble I’m willing to take for such great quality.

Just applied

At the fair

After a few hours at the fair

Mason – 7 Months Old

I don’t know why 30 days make such a difference, but the sudden realization that we have less than half a year left before this little one turns 1 is crazy to me.

It has been a very busy month for us. June is always kind of a crazy time with events (including big brother finishing up his first karate session and graduating from dufferdoo), birthdays (I turned 33, for instance!) and anniversaries (Ours! 6 years married now). Being out and about didn’t slow Mason down at all. He has been getting more and more vocal, more mobile and more himself. He is growing so freaking fast!

Where we are now:

• Diaper Size: Pampers Size 4, cloth diapers in size 2
• Clothing Size: Depending on the brand, between 9-18months.
• Favourite Clothes: Clothes are a struggle with this guy. He is smaller than Liam was, and shaped very differently. He HATES getting dressed and especially hates things going over his head and overalls.
• Nicknames: Mace and Macey, bubba, small fry, turd, petit frite
• Loves: Rolling, cobra pose, avocados, yelling, banging, splashing, chewing, bouncing, standing, his family, water, Tinga Tinga Tales on Netflix, Cole (the cat), his bunny.
• Hates: His carseat and the car, medicine,  getting dressed, sleeping.
• Updates: His two middle bottom teeth finally broke through and now we are working on the uppers. He is  CRANKY teething bear these days. We have been fighting yeast rashes and have had to use disposables while the battle wages. He has started moving around on his own. He rolls around a room, does circles and scoots backwards. He also takes a few steps if we support him standing. He loves to sit up on his own, but has a bad tendency to throw himself over when he’s ready to do something else, resulting in many head bumps. He has been hating naps and sleep lately, which makes for a very tired mama.
• He is still refusing the bottle, but has started eating food. His favourites at the moment are avocado and apple slices and peanut butter. He HATES baby cereals and purees with a passion (a puking passion). Peaches seem to cause him to break out in little bumps. He’s finally starting to get a bit better in the carseat, but still doesn’t love it. I still wear him all the time, especially for naps because nothing else works for me. Bath time is his favourite thing EVER.