The Becca Velvet Blurring Primer is one of the strangest primers I've ever tried, and I wanted to talk to you about it. I picked up a small sample from Sephora with 100 points, and had no idea what this primer was all about. This is a liquid to powder blurring primer that claims to "diminish the appearance of pores, fine lines, and imperfections to leave skin porcelain smooth with an airbrushed finished." Sounds good right? Yeah, I didn't like it. It does claim to be good for all skin types but my dry skin didn't like this.

When fall comes around, I love to wear berry shades and this Newtrals 3 palette has been so much fun to wear. It has a nice mix of matte and shimmers shades which are what I look for in a palette. I need a variety of shimmer shades for my lid or I lack enthusiasm for a palette. This is another Revolution Beauty Reloaded palette. The Reloaded palettes have been mostly hits for me, and I do recommend them. I think my absolute favorite would be the Velvet Rose palette which you can read my review of here. It reminds me of the Soft Glam palette and I love it.

Real Techniques has a great brush range, and the brushes that I own have lived up to years of washing and constant usage. I've had my eye on the Instapop collection for awhile but I never saw them in store and kept putting off purchasing online. When I saw these pop up at my local Winners, I thought it would be a great time to give them a try. The Intapop collection has a cheek brush, eye duo set and a face brush. These brushes are cut at an angle and allow for a full coverage application but still allows you to blend easily.

These are the products that I have used up recently. Some I liked more than others, and some I would repurchase. Let's chat about these empties.


Stila One Step Correct Primer (Buy*)

I really enjoyed this primer. I didn't need the color correcting aspect of it, but it felt really nourishing and wore well under my foundation. Before I repurchased this primer, I would like to try the Stila One Step Primer. It doesn't have the color correcting but claims to Prep, Sooth and Nourish which I think is what I would really need. This primer is 50$ which I do believe it is worth, but I would need to fit it into the budget because that is steep.

I previous reviewed the Ring the Alarm palette, and I told you the other palettes in the collection were a little out of my comfort zone. Let's discuss... The Armed and Gorgeous palette is perfect for fall. I was really  hesitant to try this palette, I wasn't sure how these colors would look on me and I am so happy I gave it a chance! I'm in love with this palette! This is why I love makeup, it's so fun to step out of your comfort zone and see what works. I didn't know how I would like the yellow tones, and now I'm excited to keep experimenting. The shade Classified is amazing, it stole my heart.

When it comes to my work makeup bag, I keep it affordable and simple. This bag is carried around alot in my work bag, or kept in my desk and tossed back and forth. Typically, I don't touch up my makeup during the day. I like to have some items on hand, if I need to do a touch up or want to add a bit more makeup than I applied that morning. I have dry skin so there's no need to blot or reapply. For the most part, my makeup will fade but not really break down.

I've been shopping my stash for fall, looking for warmed toned palettes, peachy blushes and less dewy foundations. In the summer, I'm all about the glow and while I still enjoy a nice glow, I like to have a more targeted glow on my face throughout the fall and winter. I can achieve this with a more natural/satin foundation and still highlight my face. I've been using the Covergirl Vitalist Elixir foundation and I really like the finish that it gives me. I wear it as a medium coverage, by using a large kabuki brush to apply it. It is a foundation that I need to set because it doesn't fully dry down and I don't like the tacky feeling. I don't like to set my face in the summer, and for this reason I think it would be better suited for colder temperatures. I hope the shade continues to match me, because it's not as light as I would like it do be.

They say grief comes in waves, and it's absolutely true. Grief can be overwhelming, all consuming and exhausting. It has been 6 months since my Mom passed, and I'm still adjusting. We've gone through winter, spring and summer and as we move into fall it feels like she passed so long ago, but at the same time it feels like it happened a few days ago. I guess I'm shocked that six months have passed and I'm still standing and figuring this all out. Grief has surprised me in many ways. I thought I would share my journey so far. Grief is not something we tend to talk about, and everyone goes through it in their own way. When you lose someone, in those first weeks, it seems like everyone wants to help but as the months go by, it seems like they've all moved on and you're hesitant to bring up your emotions.

Emily Noel is one of the first Youtubers that I watched when I was a very tired mom, going back to work and really in need to self care. I found the beauty community when I needed to start taking care of myself as well as my family. She has remained one of the Youtubers that I watch because she's so honest, and sincere. You can hear her passion for makeup in her reviews. When her collaboration with Revolution Beauty was announced, I was so excited because I truly love the brand and thought the two collaborating would be a great fit. She released two palette, "The Wants" and "The Needs." Today, I'm going to talk about "The Needs."

I'm a rose gold, yellow gold lover and never really ventured into the white gold/silver jewelry trend. I'm really happy that yellow gold, and rose gold have made a come back. I was approached by the Happiness Boutique to pick out two jewelry pieces for review purposes and before I agreed, I took a look at their site to see if I would be interested. I thought they offered a great variety of options and agreed to review two bracelets. They have bracelets, earrings, necklaces and rings. They ship out from Germany, and have free worldwide shipping. Consumers have a 60 days return policy. The bracelets shipped out within one day, and arrived to Canada in about a week.

One of my goals this year was to dive more into skincare and learn more about products. When it comes to my skin, I have dryness but it's pretty good overall. As we move into the colder months, I'm looking for a moisturizer that will maintain my skin. I've been using the Veriphy Self Absorbed Moisturizer for a few weeks now, and I've been impressed. We'll get more into the moisturizer in a bit. First the brand, Veriphy Skincare is a new Canadian skincare brand. Veriphy is a natural beauty start up led by a team of women in science. They're also cruelty free. To start, they launched 3 core products that give you the base for a skincare regime. At this time they have a moisturizer, eye cream. and a serum. They're currently available online.

Sunday is my prep day, it's the day where I reset myself and prepare for the week ahead. I am a wife and mom, and the more organized I am- the less overwhelmed I get. You don't want Monday to come, and you're already feeling frazzled and stressed. I love routines, and habits that turn into routines. Here are some of the things that I do that prepares me for the week ahead.

Laundry

I make sure that our clothes are all washed and ready for the week ahead. I don't want to be looking for clean clothes on Monday. I want to start the week knowing I won't have to do laundry during the week; when I'm tired and can easily procrastinate or when life can get in the way and I won't have a chance to do it. It would make an already difficult week, more difficult. I don't recommend saving all your laundry to do on Sunday but those items you know you will look for if it's not clean. Those items that will absolutely be used. (Tip: I save my towels as my last load, because it I don't have a chance to fold them. I don't have to worry about them wrinkling)

If you've been reading this blog, you will know I'm a fan of Jaclyn Hill and a fan of Morphe. I have quite a few Morphe palette reviews and they really are my most viewed posts. When I first started seeing sneak peeks of this collection, I was so excited to get it. When the launch was pushed back, I patiently waited and ordered it when it finally launched. I am surprised that I don't grab for these palettes as much as I thought I would, and I will get into that a little later. First, the outter packaging on the Vault Collection is just gorgeous and looks much more luxe than the Original Jaclyn Hill X Morphe palette. I love the ribbon in the box which gives you easy access to the palettes, without having to shake them out and I love the subtle color difference that allows you to see which color story is in which palette.

It's September, and almost fall and I am so so excited! Fall is my favorite time of the year, and while I dread the cold winter that comes after, I'm still so happy when fall rolls around. In my opinion, it's the coziest time of year. It starts to get a bit crisp outside, but you're still comfortable when putting on a sweater or jacket. Okay, back to the makeup... In the month of August, I was looking for quick and easy looks. The palette that stood out to me the most was the Revolution Beauty Velvet Rose palette. Yes, it looks like the ABH Soft Glam palette and I love the Revolution Beauty version. I can see this palette staying on my vanity and not moving. It has a different feel from your regular warm neutral look. If you want a more in dept review/swatches, you can check it out here.