testing out beauty subscription box items.

There was a time when a subscription box full of samples and other beauty goodies was delivered to my home each month. According to past posts, that was way back in 2012. (How the time flies!) Though it was fun to receive surprise items month after month...it got to a point where I had more than enough beauty items to use. That subscription was not renewed and I have not sought one out since. However, my mom still subscribes to a beauty box. In recent months, she has found that there are not as many items she is interested in. While she decides whether or not to cancel her subscription, she passed along a few items that she thought would be of interest to me. She was correct! Keep reading for some mini product reviews.

#FOTD and mini review: valentine's day makeup look

Happy Valentine's Day! This is a day that is all about love...and chocolate. However you are celebrating, my hope is that you will have a wonderful time enjoying all of the holiday festivities. Maybe someone you care about will send flowers to you at work or maybe a friend will give you a sweet card. Or perhaps you will treat yourself to a nice meal and your favourite movie. There are so many ways to share love today. Be sure to shower yourself and others with love and kindness. I always love to celebrate Valentine's Day with some themed makeup. On that note, here is a #FOTD and a mini lipstick review. 

romantic movies to watch this valentine's day.

Love is in the air. Or at least it will be soon! Valentine's Day is just around the corner, which means this is the perfect time to watch all sorts of romantic movies. There are quite a few in my collection and some of them are all-time favourites. Need some recommendations this holiday? Not quite sure what to watch? Here are some romantic movie favourites for Valentine's Day.

workout review: bob harper (beginner's weight loss transformation)

Going to the gym has never really been my thing. Though there was a time when I went fairly regularly with a friend of mine (she loved using the heavy weights and resistance machines, but I was more of a treadmill kind of person) it is simply not my preferred way to exercise. The gym involved a coordination of schedules, transportation time, and of course, exercising around all sorts of people. No thanks! As a lover of at-home workout DVDs, there are all sorts of routines that make it possible to burn calories in the privacy of your own home. Not only are there fun ones to do, but workout videos can also be really affordable. There are tons on YouTube for free (I have a weakness for 80s and 90s exercise videos and love to find all sorts of random ones there) or for low prices in stores and online. One of the more recent additions to my workout DVD collection is from Bob Harper. It was a thrift store find that only cost me a couple of dollars. I have a few other videos from him in my collection and those are tough. I mean, really tough. So, it was an absolute thrill to find a DVD from him with the word "beginner" in it. I thought this would be a little more manageable. How very wrong I was. Keep reading for this workout DVD review.

love it or leave it? ariana grande

Ariana Grande has had a long and varied career - and she is only in her early thirties. From Nickelodeon star to chart topper and now Academy Award nominee...her career is impressive to say the least. I have written about Ariana many times on the creation of beauty is art. over the years thanks to her popular line of fragrances and her makeup brand r.e.m. beauty. I love her music, her beauty releases, and thought she was wonderful in Wicked. Recently, she was out celebrating her nomination for Best Supporting Actress in an ultra glamorous outfit. Is it a love it or leave it? Keep reading for my take on this night out look.

katseye inspired makeup look (yoonchae)

When the Netflix show, "Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE" was released at the end of August, it unlocked a full blown musical obsession. The Soft Is Strong EP has been in constant rotation in my home ever since. While I am impatiently waiting for new music from the band (outside of the odd theme song and holiday cover)...I continue to follow KATSEYE on social media platforms. Though I am likely much older than most of their fans (the actual members of the band are between the ages of seventeen and twenty two) there is no denying how talented the band is. I love the catchy songs and the impressive choreography. As mentioned, I do follow KATSEYE on social media and several months back, there was a makeup look from Yoonchae that caught my eye. I loved the light purple eyeshadow and the bold blush. So, I decided to try to recreate the look. 

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.