If you've had your eye on the Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam palette, you might want to check out this Revolution Beauty Velvet Rose palette. Looking at the two palettes side by side, you can definitely see the similarities. I bought the Soft Glam palette and actually returned it because I wasn't happy with the shimmers, and I don't really like the ABH formula. I'm probably the only person who doesn't like the Modern Renaissance palette. ABH Shadows don't have a long lasting power on my eyes. I thought these colours were very dupable and I had similar colours in my collection already. However, I am happy to have this new Velvet Rose Palette to use as an alternative. I will saw this palette doesn't swatch nicely, but it performs very well. The mattes blend and build nicely, and last throughout the day. The shimmers are beautiful when sprayed with a setting spray. The second shadow on the top row is a pressed glitter, and when sprayed or put on top of a glitter glue- it's gorgeous.

This month I went on vacation, and was really looking for easy, versatile products. The Urban Decay Born to Run palette is a perfect travel palette, if you're looking for a "one and done" type of product. The packaging itself if also very nice for traveling because it's very sturdy.  I do have a full review and swatches if you would like to check it out here. I found this B H Cosmetics Nude Rose Sculpt and Glow Palette at Winners. It was on my wishlist for awhile but I haven't ordered from BH recently. The bronzer and blush are beautiful and blend very easily. The highlighter is okay, but a little too stark white for me but I would wear it. The only product I don't think I would ever use would be the yellow setting powder. It would be too dark for me. Another favorite, it the Pearlessence Coconut Rose Hydrating Facial Mist. I repurchase these Pearlessence mists every time I see them at Winners. The mist is so nice and I like the glass bottle.

When you're a mom, you work full time and love blogging you need to keep it in your list of priorities. I broke down my current blog strategy and how I manage my blog when life happens. I try to eliminate the overwhelming task by not starting from scratch each time I want to write a post, and have a plan before I get there.

Editorial Calendar (Monthly)

I started using an editorial monthly calendar and it has worked really well for me. I use a free printable that I put in my A5, it can be found here. I look at my month and try to fill in the upcoming week or two and keep a post it note with potential topics I would like to cover for this month. Having a calendar and my next week planned makes it so much easier to sit down and write my next post. It also gives me a plan and I can take the pictures ahead of time knowing I want to write about it soon. It makes the task much less daunting and it gets rid of the "I don't know what to write" thoughts. Once my son is asleep, I can take some pictures and then work on the post later. Baby steps when it comes to getting a post done.

Notes (Setting up an article/review)

Once I have my calendar and I know which posts I want to have coming up, I break down the task. I start jotting down notes and start to outline. These note pages are also in my A5 planner, which is with me throughout the day. I can do this here or there when I have a minute or two or when something pops in my head. I can quickly write it down and have it available when I'm ready to write. This really helps me alot and I highly recommend doing this rather than starting to write from scratch, and feeling like you don't have enough time or suddenly you don't have enough to say.

When I think about summer, I think about easy, bronzy and glowy makeup. These are the products I'm pulling back out for summer. They're easy, they work well for me and I already have them.

For my base, the L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Glow is a great summer foundation. I really like that this foundation can be worn lightly or built up for a medium coverage. I don't like a lot of coverage in the summer, I like my freckles to peak through and I do like a luminous base and this foundation is perfect for that. It lasts throughout the day and can be found in the drugstore. I also like that has a squeeze tube that I can throw in my bag for vacation. The Sephora Radiant Lumizing Drops can be added to your complexion products or worn alone. I like to wear them alone as a highlighter. When you're out and about in the sun, I don't want to look like I have something glittery on my cheekbones. I like it to be more natural and these liquid drops work great for that. I have the morning light shade which is a light champagne.

Colourpop is an affordable brand that I really do enjoy. These 12 pan palettes are affordable and cost around 16$. The Give It To Me Straight palette has been out for some time and I ordered it at the beginning of the year. It has a nice range of matte and shimmers and a full look can be completed with this palette without having to pull in a companion palette.

The formula is the same as the other 12 pan palettes and while I like Colourpop's pressed shadows, the mattes do have alot of kickup. If that bothers you, these palettes might not be for you. The shimmer shades are gorgeous and nice to use. They can be a bit crumbly though. I usually spray my brush with a setting brush when using these shimmers. I like the color story of this palette, it's purple but can be worn more natural and neutral.  The mauves and softer colors are great when you want something alittle different but don't want to stray very far.

Confession: I would wear my contacts lenses all the time, if I could. However, my eyes get tired and I know I need to give my eyes a break. When my four year old bumped my glasses with his head and the frames cracked, I knew I needed to start looking for a new pair. I previously purchased glasses through Clearly.ca and came across Eyebuydirect and found these frames for a very good price and through it couldn't hurt to give them a try.

I don't like to spend alot on glasses because I don't wear them enough. I wear them for a few hours in the evening but I primarily wear contacts. When purchasing these eye glasses, I chose the frames which are Drums, and then I selected what type of lens I would like. You can upload a picture of yourself, and then "try on" these glasses. At the time, I used a promo code and had a percentage off with free shipping. It took about a week for the glasses to ship out and I received them within a few days. I was quite happy with the manufacturing and shipping time. I desperately needed new glasses because I was wearing my old glasses and the prescription was of. When the package arrived it was small and fit in my mailbox which was a plus, I didn't have to pick them up at the postal office.

Goodreads Description:

Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds through the decades—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways. 

First, I want to tell you that I'm not a skincare expert. I have normal to dry skin and these are the products that are currently a part of my night time cleansing routine. Before I go in with these products I remove my makeup with my reusable face cloths (review here) and a makeup remover. I'm trying out a micellar gel at the moment, and I do like to use Pond's Cold Cream or Simple Hydrating Cleansing Oil.

Almay Makeup Remover Foaming Lotion Cleanser

Almay doesn't seem to be  readily available here in Canada, but I did find this at Winners and decided to give it a try. We can find Almay at Walmart but I'm not sure if this product is stocked. I find this cleanser to be very gentle on my skin, easy to rinse and it doesn't burn my eyes. While I don't use this to remove my makeup, I have tried it and it didn't a good job. I just prefer to use it as my cleanser after my makeup has been removed though. I use it with my silicone facial brush and my skin feels so smooth and hydrated once I'm done.

L'Oreal Hydra Total 5 Ultra Soothing Routine Toner (Dry to Sensitive Skin)

Once my face is washed, I go in with this toner on a round cotton pad to ensure all my makeup has been removed. This toner feels really gentle on my skin. I didn't think it did much to my skin, but when I stopped using it I found I started to have texture appear on my skin. For that reason alone, I do recommend this product and I keep repurchasing.

Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Lotion

During the summer months, my skin tends to be normal. I was looking for a lightweight moisturizer to wear and decided to pick this one up. I love the pump on this bottle, I can really control how much comes out. It feels very refreshing on the skin and doesn't feel heavy. Even on days where I feel more dry, this gives me enough moisture. I would love to try out more products from the Cetaphil line.

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think.

The Extra Spice palette by Revolution Beauty is a second collaboration with Youtuber Sophdoesnails.  As soon as she announced the palette and showed her subscribers, I knew I would add it to my collection. I purchased the first palette a few months ago, and my review can be found here. While the first palette was a great well rounded this palette really amped up the color selection. These are very vibrant and fun to play around with. The shades Vitamin C and Twenty One really caught my attention and make this palette unique in my eyes.

This past Christmas my husband gifted me an Apple watch, and I didn't know how much I would love it until I used it for a while. The first few days I used it, I was home not doing much and didn't really understand the hype. Then I went back to work and the notifications changed my life. A large part of my day I'm working on a PC and not looking at my phone, and the notifications would alert me to things that I would miss. I do not have my email set up because I would receive far too many alerts but text messages, twitter replies those sort of notifications is welcomed during the day.

I have the Series 1 42mm watch in black. I immediately went looking for a different watch band and found that Amazon had beautiful options for a very good price.  I love the variety of bands that are available. I can easily and quickly switch out my band and go about my day. The band I bought also came with a tool to remove links and it was so easy to do. I didn't even have to take it to a jeweller to size.

Urban Decay released a new permanent palette called "Born to Run" and it's beautiful. At first glace, you can see this is a very well-rounded palette that will give you a wide variety of looks. I put it on my wishlist and couldn't hold out for very long, I went to my local Sephora and picked it up. I can see this palette remaining on my vanity for a long time because it's so fun to use. The palette claims to be "your globe-trotting go-to" palette and I do think this palette would be a great travel palette because of the versatility. You can create so many looks that you wouldn't need any other palettes while traveling. This palette does have 5 shades that are not new and can be found in other Urban Decay palettes or singles.

The formula is very soft and easy to blend. I find it comparable to my Urban Decay Naked Heat palette. The shimmers are not chunky but do give an impact on the lid. From all the pictures that I've seen online, I was a little surprised by how dark Drift and Radio were. I thought those two shades would be a little lighter. I think Radio does swatch lighter than it looks in the pan though. The red shades do feel a little drier when swatching, which seems to be the norm with red shadows. I wouldn't be worried about that if you do swatch them. 

The Morphe Dare to Create 39A palette was released as limited edition for Christmas 2017 and it has now been announced that it is coming back in stock. It should be back today, July 12th. This palette is huge, it's far larger than my other Morphe 35 pan palettes. If storage isn't a problem for you, then this is a fun palette. This palette was broken down into four color stories, if you look at each section the top two rows can be split into a neutral palette and a pink palette. The bottom two rows have a blue color story and a green story. I don't own alot of blues and greens and thought this would be a great palette to allow me to try new shades.

    Recently, I've been testing out both the Essence False Lash Mascara and the L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black. While I have tried high end mascara's, I haven't found one that made my lashes look amazing, and for that reason I stick to drugstore mascara's. I don't see the reason why I should spend so much on mascara if my lashes will still look the same. As a Jaclyn Hill Fan, I hear her rave about the Voluminous Black often and decided to give it a try. Spoiler, I prefer the Essence False Lash mascara.
   
I don't wear false lashes every day, but I normally do wear mascara. I don't have high expectations for mascara because I have short lashes. Realistically, mascara can only do so much. I do like some length, volume and separation when it comes to mascara. The False Lash has a very nice wand, it's not too big and I like the tapered end. I can also get my lower lashes without making a mess. It does give me length and separation as well. The Voluminous Black gives me volume but not much length. It does separate my lashes and doesn't get clumpy. I think it's an okay mascara but I probably wouldn't purchase it again. The False Lash Mascara is a current favorite. If you're familiar with the green Lash Princess, I get similar results. Both are very black, and wash away nicely. Both do not give me any flaking or smudging.

• Matte: Buttery smooth and totally matte.
• Matte sparkle: Same matte formula you love but with sparkle!
• Glow: Soft, luminous finish. Not satin, not shimmer. It's glow!
• Metallic: Ultra-shiny shimmer!

While decluttering videos have been making the rounds lately, it's important to understand why you need to declutter your makeup. It's nice to have a huge makeup collection that you declutter because you want to pass products along that you're not using, but there is also a good reason why you should be decluttering your makeup.



Expiration

Makeup does have an expiration date, and over time these products can lead to eye infections, skin irritations and breakouts. The date on the packaging is for unopened products. When you open a product keep in mind that you should be using it up within that time period. Even unopened makeup can separate, change color or smell bad. These products should also be tossed away. Eye products such as mascara and eyeliners have a shorter life span. Even with eyeshadow, you can pass along bacteria. Foundation with a pump is ideal, because bacteria isn't introduced back into the packaging like fingers or application can do.

Broken Bottles or Packaging

While going through and decluttering your makeup, you might find broken bottles or packages that are causing products to leak and possibly ruin other items in your collection. Caps like to come off eye liners and lip liners.  Makeup sure that lids are nice and secure while cleaning your makeup. Makeup looses hydration and can begin to dry out, while you can try some hacks to revive it- it might not be as effective.

Synopsis:

Eden knew at an early age that her father was different but she loved him wholeheartedly and tried her best to keep him happy. Her mother was her constant parent; she was the one to be trusted, her father was impulsive and unreliable. When Eden was ten years old, she came home to find the bathroom mirror shattered and her father bleeding out on the bathroom floor, attempting to take his own life. Eden was distraught and called emergence services. Her mother finally had enough, love was not enough for David, she filed divorce papers and David was served while institutionalized. Eden is now thirty, a successful chef and her father is still on her mind. She received two letters from her father since he was taken away, and Eden was too angry to respond. Eden stood by her father through thick and thin until he was taken away from her. Initially, she resented her mother, and then she became angry that her father would not try and contact her, now she is ready to forgive but doesn’t know where to find him. Eden can’t forget the bond that she had with her father, even when his illness took over his thoughts, she knew he loved her. He loved her the only way he knew how. He was stuck between the voices in his head, or medication that left him "fuzzy." He had no escape, and could only suppress his illness for a limited time. She wonders if her father is dead or alive, has he been properly medicated or is he living on the streets. Eden has so many questions, and begins to seek answers.

Revolution Beauty is a great brand to look at when you want affordable options. I've tried a range of their products and I've been mostly happy with what I've tried. I do own the Flawless 1 and 2 as well as the Flawless Matte palette and they turned out to be palettes that I didn't reach for that much. However, the Flawless 4 palette seems to fit me much better and I've been using it quite a bit. I love the range of these warm toned colors, the pinks and burgundies mixed with the shimmer shades create some wonderful looks. I like that I can pick up this palette and go neutral or try a warmer look. If you like the Modern Renaissance but want something more affordable or with more shimmer shades, this is a great palette.

July is here, and I've been thinking about my goals for the month. I'm very goal oriented and like to challenge myself by setting goals. I thought it would be fun to post about them, and check back in at the end of the month. This blog is officially one year old, and it's been amazing. I'm so happy to have my own corner of the internet to talk about what i'm passionate about.


Blogwise, I have alot of goals. I want to really focus on this blog and my content. I want to stop with the constant product reviews and incorporate a little more of myself. I want to find new ways to talk about makeup without just offering a product review. This blog will remain beauty focused, but I want to add in lifestyle. Yes, I love makeup but I'm also a wife and mom. I also want to focus on my writing and try to improve.  In addition to my content goals, I want to find new ways to market my blog and bring in more traffic. Pinterest has been a great help.

My Mom's funeral service is this month, and I have alot of emotions going in. I'm afraid of how I will feel that day, and how I will react. I set a goal to allow myself the time to grieve and not be hard on myself. I will focus on what needs to be done for the day, and allow others to help me. I also need to write a eulogy, and I really hope I can deliver it on that day but if I really can't...I'm not. Throughout the loss of my Mom, I've found strength I really didn't know I had. I want to be prepared with a Eulogy and hope I can deliver it. I will have a post this month talking about grief; a real- raw post about losing a parent.

(Newtrals 2, Warm Rust, Not A Basic Peach, Warm Stone, Just Peachy)