four songs i've been loving lately (current music obsessions)

Music has a way of letting light peek through the darkness. With the state of the world these days, it is hard to find much light, but I am certainly trying to. Maybe that is the reason I have turned to familiar songs by artists who are especially meaningful to me. Maybe that is the reason my beloved music collection feels even more important lately. As my former favourite band once said: this music is a place to hide. Perhaps I have been hiding in music...but I can't think of a better place to establish a sense of safety and belonging in uncertain times. On that note, here are four of the songs that have been on repeat in recent weeks. 

review: morphe rose to fame artistry palette

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to use more of what I have and to purchase less, especially when it comes to beauty products. Though this is not necessarily easy to do (since new products are always tempting and because loved ones often gift me different items to put to use) it is something that I am attempting at any rate. That means there will be some reviews on the creation of beauty is art. in the next little while dedicated to products that have been in my collection for a bit, but have not yet been formally reviewed on the blog. One such example is the Rose to Fame Artistry Palette from Morphe. This is something that I purchased at Sephora many, many, many months ago and have been using on and off ever since.

bath and body works: post-holiday sale haul

It is always nice when at-home favourites are on sale. Bath & Body Works is one of my most visited stores, but mainly around the holiday season. I love all of the products that are available (candles, body wash, soap, lotion, body mist, and all the rest) and often purchase enough seasonal releases to last me the rest of the year. Though the spring and summer products are lovely and refreshing...fall and winter is my time to shine. I recently decided to look at the Bath & Body Works website on a whim. This is not something I have ever done before, as I always purchase products in-store. But for whatever reason, I decided to see if there were any holiday items left. Turns out, there were, and those items were nicely discounted. There were many items that tempted me, but in the end, it was the Wallflowers refills that I decided to purchase. Wallflowers are essentially room fragrances. Scents make me happy and so I often have a Wallflower plugged in. These were on sale for $3.50 CDN (normally $8.95 CDN) and were all holiday inspired. In the end, fifteen were purchased, so I am now fully stocked.

current beauty favourites: winter edition

As I write this, the temperatures outside are downright chilly and there is snow covering the ground. Truthfully, it gives me a thrill. I love watching the snow fall in fluffy chunks and looking out my window at a winter wonderland. This is a time of year that fills my heart and renews my spirit. On that note, there are several favourites have been making the winter season feel even more beautiful. Here are a few current loves. Some are functional and some are fun little extras, but all are fabulous. 

nyx: up to snow good color palette (review)

It is almost impossible for me to resist a holiday themed eyeshadow palette. Though it has happened a time or two...it requires a lot of inner strength to walk away from something festive and fun. Here is an example of a time that I was unable (or willing) to walk away from a themed release. At the end of the summer season, my mom and I went to the CNE for the day and did a bit of looking around. There were all sorts of booths and stalls selling various odds and ends. I found some Funko Pops for my collection and even a few products from NYX. The Up To Snow Good Color Palette is something that I have been using for the last several months, but it is only now that I have gotten around to writing a full review. This particular eyeshadow palette was sold at a steep discount because it was a limited edition item. Ready to take a look inside? Here is a review and a makeup look.

wisdom comes with winters.

There is something special about the winter season. Sure, there are drawbacks, like shoveling and snow plows, but it is also a magical time when the world slows down a little. In recent days, I have been forced to slow down, since I am still under the weather. But I suppose this was the ideal time for it to happen - if there is such a thing as an ideal time to be ill. To make myself feel better, I have been looking at all sorts of winter inspired photos and have been keeping winter background videos on. I find the snow peaceful and calming, so I thought it made sense to share a little of that here on the creation of beauty is art. 

my favourite winter blush: color fuse blush (haus labs by lady gaga)

How is the month of January treating you so far? Mine has had some ups and downs. The ups? Making excellent progress on many of my writing and personal goals. The downs? I am currently sick with something or another. There has been lots of coughing, sneezing, and all the rest. I am looking forward to feeling better soon. (Though this sickness has allowed me to watch an excessive amount of television. I suppose that is the bright side of it all.) In better news...it is time to focus on my current favourite winter blush. I have been using the Color Fuse Blush from Haus Labs by Lady Gaga for the last couple of months. Though I have been intrigued by the brand before, this was the first Haus Labs product added to my makeup collection. 

review: laneige holiday sets (divine lip duo and midnight minis)

Some brands stand out. Laneige falls into that category as far as I am concerned. Their Lip Sleeping Mask has been a lifesaver on many occasions, especially during the cold and dry winter months. Each holiday season, the brand releases different sets with popular products, and I was fortunate enough to be gifted two of them: the Divine Lip Duo and the Midnight Minis. 

#FOTD and review (joybright beauty box: happy hues)

Back in November, there was a short shopping trip across the border where a handful of items came back with me. (Like several boxes of the iconic Little Debbie Christmas Tree cakes, which certainly made my holiday season delicious.) One of those items was the JoyBright by Ulta Beauty Box: Happy Hues. At the front of the Ulta store, there were a few JoyBright items, which were essentially different makeup sets for the holiday season. I debated over the different offerings, but ultimately, the happy face details won me over and the Happy Hues item was chosen as a pre-holiday treat for myself. Over the last couple of months, this beauty set has been put to the test. Here is a review (with some pros and cons) as well as a #FOTD.

review: ariana grande lovenotes perfume (pink woods)

Perfume has a way of making an ordinary day feel extra special. A little spritz here....a little spritz there...and suddenly life seems sunnier. I love scented items like candles, wall plug-ins, perfumes, room sprays, and everything in between. Since fragrances are an essential part of my day to day life, loved ones are often thoughtful enough to gift me bottles of perfume. That is what happened with the Ariana Grande LOVENOTES perfume. This collection from Ariana Grande is a bit unusual, because there are different versions available in different parts of the world. For instance, LOVENOTES has Vanilla Suede in the UK, Angels Kiss in Germany, Pink Woods in North America, and Pressed Petals in Australia. On one hand, this is a fun idea that makes each release unique to the area. On the other hand, my collection of Ariana Grande perfumes will be incomplete unless I choose to do a little online shopping. I am curious to know how the other scents compare to the one available in North America, but alas, this is not something that I can know for certain at this point. Ready to find out more about Pink Woods?

holiday highlights: winter wonderland hand cream set

Opening stockings on Christmas morning is always so thrilling. I love all of the fun little treats tucked away inside. Truth be told, the small things seem to excite me more than anything else. I remember when I was a kid, my brother and I would wake up early on Christmas morning and carefully pour over our stockings before showing off each and every item. This year, my husband and I decided to do stockings for each other and then purchase one record each to add to our collection. It made sense to cut back a bit given that we have all that we need. Everything else is just a bonus! Inside my stocking this year were all sorts of fun extras, like a cranberry scented holiday candle, Santa shaped chocolates, and lots of Turtles chocolates. Also inside? An adorable holiday themed hand cream set. The Winter Wonderland set came with three different scents. 

holiday highlights: charmed aroma and cath kidston advent caledars

Advent calendars are a special part of the holiday season. Some years, there is just a chocolate one to count down the days and other years, there is something a little more elaborate. But no matter what, I like to watch all sorts of advent unboxing videos on YouTube each year. I love the surprise of seeing what is hidden away inside! This year, my countdown to Christmas included a chocolate advent calendar, an Elf themed calendar, a Disney Princess Lego themed calendar, and a Charmed Aroma themed calendar. I was gifted the Elf, Lego, and Charmed Aroma calendars for my birthday in the fall (there is nothing I love more than receiving an advent calendar for my birthday) and was finally able to open them, day by day. However, there was another advent calendar that snuck in at the last minute when I found a discounted Cath Kidston calendar in late December. On a whim, I decided to add it to my countdown. Here is a look inside the Charmed Aroma and Cath Kidston advent calendars...

holiday highlights: beauty creations holiday wishes nude x set

Though the calendar says it is January...my heart is still somewhere in December. At the moment, my focus is on New Years Resolutions and re-establishing my regular routine, but my days are still full of classic Christmas songs and holiday specials. Decorations are still in my home. The tree is still lit. I suppose one of these days, I will have to tuck it all away for another year, but I am trying to hold onto the magic of the season for just a little while longer. That is probably the reason for all of the holiday highlights posts this week on the creation of beauty is art. There will be some reviews shared, including some advent calendar reviews and a look at some holiday themed makeup items. Today, the spotlight is on the Holiday Wishes Nude X Set from Beauty Creations. This was found at Marshalls for $9.99 CDN shortly after finding the Oh Deer Christmas Shadow and Face Palette from the brand. Since I had such a positive experience with that holiday themed release, the decision was quickly made to add the Holiday Wishes Nude X Set to my collection. It is time to take a look inside and find out how it performed...

my new planner + why i love ban.do

The best part of a new year? A new planner. Without one, my days are disorganized and all over the place. I am someone who relies on a planner to keep my brain focused and functioning. I have tried many different kinds over the years, but my favorite brand is ban.do. Unfortunately, there were a couple of years where I was unable to find products from the brand at my local Indigo...and I was unwilling to pay the extra money to ship a heavy planner to my home. I found other alternatives, and those worked well enough, but were not quite as good as the ban.do planners. So, it was downright thrilling to find a small stack of ban.do planners with different cover art at Indigo during the late summer months. (Maybe that is the secret...to shop for a planner in the summer instead of looking for one in the fall. Though this is a 17 month planner, I use it as a 12 month one. There were just no 12 month options available.) Ready to take a peek inside? Here is the 17 Month Planner from ban.do. 

start wherever you are and start small.

Happy New Year! There is so much possibility in front of us. That is the beauty of a shiny new year...it still feels fresh and full of hope. It is the perfect time to look back at what has been and look forward to what could be. When it comes to looking back, the past year had some highs and lows. The lows? There were some changes to my family dynamic in the last few months of the year. Those have been difficult for me to accept, as I often struggle with change. There was intrusive construction work in my home. There was the loss of a beloved pet. There was disappointment and despair over what is happening on this planet. It was a lot. The highs? This year also had vacations, concerts, and time spent with people that I care about. There were threads of good woven through all of the fear and pain. I suppose that is just how life is...a little bit of good to help navigate the bad.