Let's talk about THEFACESHOP..

I have been wanting to post about these skin care products for a long time and yet I've left it to the

very last possible second.

but there is good reasoning behind it..

Have I ever mentioned that I am slightly, crazy competitive..??

Surprise, I am!

And unknowing to them, I entered in a bit of a faceoff with THEFACESHOP.

In my mind I had challenged the below products to a use all duel.

Dun da da dunnnnnn.

I love using products up before reviewing, it makes me feel like I've accomplished something - Yay me! (Minus lipsticks, I don't think anyone has ever actually finished a whole lipstick. It's the urban legend of the beauty world)

Alas it's due time, I have to report... THEFACESHOP beat me.

They won this round, hands down.

 

 I didn't even come close to finishing the products; after using twice a day for 3 weeks!

That's major value when you take a peek at these prices.

 CHIA SEED cleansing foam

I was caught off guard by how much I loved the cleansing foam, you've seen one foam you've seen them all right?

Wrong, the CHIA SEED was a pearly, foamy deep cleansing dream.

It was non drying, non oily just a lovely fresh feeling clean.

I will continue to use it long after this bloggy has been posted.

*because I love it and because its the never ending product, sorcery!

CHIA SEED toner

LOVE the spray bottle!

I am the worlds biggest toner slacker but the spray-ability makes toning so convenient. 

I applied it to my face and neck daily the mist was fine and soft; a really refreshing feeling and none of the cotton pad hassle.

Serious praise, this one may turn me over to the toned side!

CHIA SEED moisturizer

I can be sensitive to moisturizers but the chia seed was very complimentary to my skin.

Really comfortable for both day and night; I would slather it on thick in the evenings and spread a thin layer on pre makeup in the morning.

It left my skin hydrated, soft and clear.

P.S - can we mention the packaging?!!
Really sturdy and definitely display worthy, that heart tab; swoon!

I was really pleased with THEFACESHOP results, & the prices are on point!
They do offer free shipping for orders over $60 or if you're in any of these areas you can check out the products in store. Only beef I don't see any east coast Canada spots on that list, you know where to head next THEFACESHOP ;)



For a little peek into what I'm using currently, including THEFACESHOP products see video:

Have you ever tried THEFACESHOP???
You may have got some products in your Topbox a couple of months ago, that's how we were first introduced.
Happy weekend!! XOXO

An InLinkz Link-up

* Products were sent to me for review. Real results, real thoughts.

Let's talk about getting Pinspired & Lelly's first birthday!

So your child's turning 1,

you're convinced that a little cake and a few hot dogs will suffice.

 

"He's turning one, he won't remember, no need to go cray"

 

Then you mistakenly open up pinterest......

NO, NO, NO, NO.

BIG MISTAKE.

 

Now you're pinning and googling and spray painting everything in sight.

 

Has this ever happened to you?

because it happened to me.

I had every intention of a tiny, quiet BBQ with a little bitty store bought cake and two balloons..

 but one week before the said BBQ my pinterest accidently opened and I had a panic moment of

"WE WILL BE LOOKING AT THESE 1ST BIRTHDAY PHOTOS FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE"

 

Alas another one bites the dust..

Thanks Obama Pinterest.

 

Great, one week to plan a theme birthday party..

(the only real store in town for décor is the dollar store & it was too late to order anything online, so all things considered I think it turned out pretty good)

 

 

HOLLY HOUSEWIFE;  HOW TO THROW A LAST MINUTE MONSTERS INC PARTY

 



 

 

Step one: Pick the theme Monsters Inc.

We love Monsters Inc. I'm not sure why.. but it's just so cute!

When we were picking out Elliott's room décor we went with a Monsters Inc. mobile & he also has a Monsters Inc. night light which is the cutest thing you will ever see.

See night light - Mike light

(We couldn't afford the whole crib set, HOLY prices babies r us - sorry not sorry jeesh.

 

I ran to the dollar store and lucked out because they had tons of stuff in Monsters colours.

 

 

Turquoise, purple & lime green!

 

I like to think I have an 'eye' for seeing the potential in things, as soon as I saw that green bowl I knew a Mike it would be!

 

Plus 2 Sulley ice buckets to fill with cans of pop, check!

Step 2: What to wear..

It was too late to find any Monster attire so I added a little Mike and Sulley flair to my nails.

 

Step 3: Games.

Pin the eye on Mike, I knew right away I could pull that together without purchasing much.

All I bought was the big green Bristol board the rest was a 3 minute job.

Who doesn't love Pin the... games!

 

 

Step 4: BANNERS.

Banners, banners, banners.

Would this be a pinterest party without them??

I had all these scrapbooking supplies so I just whipped out a bunch of triangles, appropriately titled the party ELLIOTT INC. and called it a day.

(Also did a 1st Birthday banner for inside the house)

  

Step 5: The Cake.

 

This is where I let myself splurge a bit lot.

Let them eat cake amma right??

If you need a cake in central Newfoundland check out Sweet Addiction, she does amazing work!

 

 

Worth every penny!!

 

Final step: ENJOY!!

The Mike on top of the cake popped right off and was Elliott's smash cake.

 

 

Obviously it pained Elli to eat his friend...

 

 

Goodbye Mike my good pal..

 

Hmmmm...

 

 

OH YEAH. This guy is delish!!

Its July but feels like November.. s'mores anyone??

There you have it,
Lelly's first birthday party, a little pinterest and a whole lot of fun SUGAR!



What pinterest projects do you have on the go??
What theme should I have for next years bday??
Which monster is your fav???
TEAM SULLEY!

Let's talk about the brow game..

How do you tame your brows????

 

I need a weed whacker and a gallon of hair spray..

But I'll make do with a brow pencil and some clear mascara.

 

My brow pencils vary, I am on the hunt for holy grail yet I still haven't brought myself to try the higher end hyped ones such as - Brow Wiz, Hourglass.

 

They're on my wish list; but for now I've rediscovered the Chella brow pencil.

I received the Chella in an Ipsy bag a few months ago and I love, love, love it! It really works well for me, smooth, natural looking, perfect colour.

 

Beefs: It has no spoolie or brush on the end and no where (that I can see) online does it say shipping costs/if they even ship to CANADA. Come on now eh!!?

 

Anywhoo I think I may do some digging and I would 100% be game for ordering a Chella back up pencil if they have reasonable shipping prices. 

 

 

After I fill in my brows I go at them with the clear mascara.

I have always used a drug store mascara for this, it just gives me that bit of extra control - because my brows are wiry!!!

 

My go to, ride or die official is the Cover girl professional natural lash mascara.

I've switched it out a few times but it always, always has me crawling back!

 

 

Speaking of crawling..

My cats LOVE my new filming area!

Man I cannot get them out of the shots, so please ignore all cat butts/bathing/yawning/if you think that's nasty again sorry but #catlife.

I tried to shoo her away but they run this house...
See more eyebrow, cat chatter below :)

How do you deal with unruly brows???
Tips and tricks I need!! XO

Let's talk about the one with the Arbonne..

Arbonne...

Yay or Nay??

If you had asked me a few months ago I would've said "Meh"...

 

Undecided, inconclusive, unsure, not ready to commit, just not that into you, we were on a break, Ross and Rachel..

 

Anyway.

That was before my friend Matt got a hold of me and suggested I try their RE9 Advanced collection;

I was surprised at how fast I let myself fall for this skincare line.

 

It is an anti aging line but that does not mean its for grannies!

Skin care should be a top priority for everyone and at 28 I can already see and feel the damage I've done, so the fact that it is anti aging was only more appealing to me.

 

I used the whole shebang; cleanser, toner, eye cream, serum, day cream, night cream, repeat.

After a few days I began to see/feel the difference, my skin was clear, firmer, tighter but not too tight. It felt lighter, lifted?

 

*Is any of this making sense..?

 

As someone who has used a wide array of skin care and "anti aging" claiming products, I really feel like Arbonne has a bit of game on competitors. It did make me feel more youthful, my skin felt smooth and fresh.

 

In fact I've been noticing the last week or so my under eye bags are back and bad, real bad. So for the last two days I've gone back to the Arbonne eye cream.

I really need to take these babies from Puff Daddy to P. Diddy if you know what I'm saying..

 

Beyond that I've taken a look at the Arbonne site and if the RE9 range is a little steep for you, you can browse some of the other collections - This Calm Collection seems to be calling out to me. I don't know if its the color of the packaging, or the fact that the eye cream is a roller ball (I'm a sucker for roller balls) but it looks like a nice beginner pack.

 





So do tell!

Have you tried any Arbonne products???

Are you on team Arbonne?

Is there a specific item I should try?

Sound off below! XO 

 

If you want to see me chit chat about the products a little more I've also put it in a video (see below) *Plus a swatch of my Sephora Cream lippie stain, which I'm still undecided about.



 

And Matt added a little more info,

and you have any questions feel free to hit him up because he will have the answer and if he doesn't he will find it for you!

  

 

“Holly, thanks for taking the time to assess the Re9 anti-aging lineup that Arbonne has to offer. I really appreciate it. For those of you who don’t know, Arbonne is a beauty, health and wellness company that has products for every member of the household. Have a new born baby? Try our ABC Arbonne Baby Care set. Is your family getting their daily fibre, fruits & vegetables and protein intake? Try our healthy living lineup to help balance out your day. Looking for a vegan certified, botanically based high end cosmetics company? You’ve come to the right place. Visit my website at www.matthewbrown1.arbonne.ca to see our entire product line up or write me at brownmatthew11@gmail.com to find out how you can get between 20-80% off every time you buy. I look forward to sharing more of these great products with you.”

 

 

My lovely Canadian beauty blogger friend Megan Joy did a few recent Arbonne posts, uncluding this one which is my bread and buttah - Arbonne New Lippie Collection.

 

 

 

AND watch my newest vid!!

 

Let's reveal the winner....!!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!

to our winner

Amanda W.!!!!!!!!!

 

Get to choosing one item from

Little Blue Anchor Shop

and I will be in contact asap! :))

 

Thank you to everyone who entered and remember you have until July 27th

to use the free shipping promo!

 

"HOLLYFREESHIP"

 

Code is valid July 14th to 27th*

 

Also tag myself or Carmen on IG/Facebook if you post photos,

I'd love to see how you style your wraps!

 

 

Let's talk about birthdays, BILs, guest posts and grumpy cats...

Hi guys!

 

Just checkin in..

 

I've been crazy with Elliott's birthday last week, my brother in law visiting this week, Nick and I are both working everyday, Elliott started swimming lessons today (Monday) - swimming every day for two weeks.. And its like -10 here!

 

Seriously look Newfoundland up on the Weather Network, I dare you.

 

 

 



So I'm going to keep it short/sweet and fact drop a bunch of life junk on you...

 

 

I still LOVE Indigena! (Newfoundland born and bred.. and I'll be one till I die... .. .. )

Listen to this song, guaranteed it will stick in your head..

 

 

Kitchen music, Capers and Newfies do it right.

 

Anywhoo I did up a little guest post for my beautiful Canadian bblogger friend Stephanie, check it out on her bloggy...

 

Beauty Infinitum Indigena Canadian Love Guest post

 

 

Elliott's birthday theme..

I wasn't going to have a theme but Pinterest got the best of me, more to come on that...

 

 

Our cat Luna is honestly the nastiest face grump there ever was...

If only I knew people loved grumpy cats so much, I could've been rich!!

#grumpycat2.0

 

 

I filmed a video yesterday - YAY!!

Finally!!

Aiming for it to be up Thursday.

Its a little Arbonne action and a little lippie with my Sephora cream lip stain taking center stage...

I'm not sure how I feel about this lip stain!
I love/hate it.
I actually hate it..
but I love the colour and all the ladies on IG had such high praises of it, now I think I'm brainwashed and love it!

Maybe I got a bad batch..
Maybe, maybe I should buy another one to test...
Maybe you should buy one and tell me what you think..

Heres the linky! Mandarin Muse ;)
See Ya's Thursday!! XOXO


FYI: I am behind in comments by about 5 blog posts!
But in my head I've replied to everyone, that's gotta count for something, don't be surprised when you get a comment reply from me in 2026...

Let's talk about Canadian love, beauty product edition.. +a guest post!

It's a wonderful thing meeting fellow Canadian beauty bloggers and I have the pleasure of introducing one of my favs to you today..

Check out Miranda's post below and link up/leave us some Canadian love if you have a product or story to share :)

_________________________________________

 

Hey Everyone,

It's Miranda, from Miranda Loves and I'd like to thank Holly for allowing me the opportunity to guest post on her blog this month. With that being said, the theme is Canadian Love. Being a Canadian Blogger I try my best to focus on Canadian Brands, so I was quite excited when this theme came up and I can share my loves :) 

 

The Brands with my favorite products (and why I love them) are included below:

 

1. Saje Natural Wellness - I was introduced to this brand by my friend at work who said that she used the Stress Relief blend and the Peppermint one to help with her migraines naturally. Being a person who has migraines quite frequently, and tries to stay clear from taking tylenol or advil unless I have to, I decided to give it a try. Let me tell you, it honestly works. You put the peppermint oil on your pressure points and within a few minutes, you feel relief. I love it! Because of that, I decided to get the diffiuser for my condo and i love the natural scent and calmness it creates in my space. I really would ask that everyone try Saje out, everyone who uses it, loves it.

2. B.Kamins - this is my current skincare right now. Being a purely Canadian created and produced brand, it adds to my Canadian love. My favorite right now is the Night Cream and Earth Mask. The night cream contains little balls of pure Vitamin E that provides restorative properties to your face. 

3. Soapstones - I found this brand when I was in Muskoka 2 years ago. I used to have lots of issues with regular drugstore deodorants as it created rashes, and ingrowns (not a pretty sight). This one is created with natural ingredients and does not contain titanium dioxide so it won't irritate your armpits. 

4. Graydon Clinical Luxury by Nature - My favorite product from this is the Hair Smoothie. I am on my 2nd bottle and already have a 3rd one waiting to be used. This is a conditioner that is light enough to be used in your scalp. In addition, it is made with natural products like brocolli seed oil, sage, rosemary and lime. This product, when applied to my scalp and massaged in, has helped with hair growth! My hair feels thicker already and I see little short hairs coming out :) 

5. Love Fresh - I was introduced to this brand at the One of a Kind Show in Toronto, and normally I am quite picky with hand lotions with either the texture or scent. This one, Guava, is a perfect blend of fruit and isn't too overwhelming. The lotion is moisturizing but not greasy at all and quickly absorbs into the skin. 

6. Annabelle Cosmetics - To be honest, I stayed clear from drugstore makeup in the past, however, when I was sent a few Annabelle Products to try - I became a convert. I realized that just because it is drugstore, doesn't necessarily mean that it is better or worse than higher end products you can find at Sephora for example. Obviously you have to pick and choose what you try out. Anyways - of my favorite products, this one takes the cake. I have never found a product that smelled like Lychee. I LOVE lychee - lychee bubble tea, the fruit itself... and when  i found a lip balm that is Lychee scented, I had to try it. Let me tell you, this smells legitimate, not artificial .. I LOVE IT! :)

I hope you enjoyed this post of my favorite Canadian products - what are some of yourss? I'd love to hear from you. 

Thanks again Holly for hosting me on your lovely blog!!

Until next time, XO - M.

An InLinkz Link-up

Let's talk about fashion headwear, mommy hair.. + a GIVEAWAY!

So this is what 99% of the photos on my phone look like...

 

 

It would be nice if we were always picture perfect..

But for every one good photo there is usually 100000x awkward ones..

 

Can't the same be said for hair days?!

Since Elliott's amped up his crawling/walking game, I've been amping up the ponytail.

It's not a bad thing, I love the pony but it can get a bit repetitive, plain, meh, blah...

 

So I'm back with Carmen from Little Blue Anchor to show off her newest shop additions, guaranteed to take your pony up a notch, and legit its easier than braiding your bangs.

 

You may remember this blog post talking about how I stumbled upon @LBAnchorshop, and shocker I still stand behind that post 100%.

Headwraps are the bombdotcom!

 

How often do you look at an effortlessly cool, chic person and say

"wow how do they look so effortlessly cool???" *I say this non stop in my head...

9/10 they're wearing a head wrap and that's why they're awesome 

(ok I just made that figure up but take notice, head wraps are so cool)

 

Without further ado I will post a never ending photo stream because I could not narrow it down to one or two..

 

*PS. You're going to want to stick it out to the bottom for a little gift from Carmen..!

 

 

The Tuck and roll headband hair is a lifesaver!!

You can do the whole Cali roll or the half and half like I did above ^

(I just made up those terms, I should probably trademark them..)

Here's a quick demo video - Tuck and roll headband

 

I love the bow! ^

The Rebecca wrap.

 

 

My major second day hair problem is the front section.

It can get so fly-a-away-ie, and or stuck weird to my face..

I love The Sarah for a simple, style fix!

And the white fabric is so crisp, I can no longer wear white on my tops or bottoms because of dirty baby hands, but the headwrap is a safe pop of white!

 

 

^ My Little Blue Anchor collection just keeps growing and I'm obsessed!

Next on my to do list is get one of Carmen's full head turban styles, how chic are these?!

 

Because Carmen is so awesome she's offered up not only a shop giveaway but also free shipping for my blog readers!

 

To get your hands on free shipping use discount code

"HOLLYFREESHIP"

 

Code is valid July 14th to 27th*

 

And!

 

ONE LUCKY WINNER

WILL GET TO PICK ANY 1 ITEM

OF THEIR CHOOSING FROM

LITTLE BLUE ANCHOR SHOP

 

Just enter the raffle below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Contest open internationally*

  

 

 

Also I want to send a big birthday shout out to Carmen!

Today is her birthday!!

 so while you're swinging by..

MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE HER A BIRTHDAY HI!! :)))))))

Let's talk about throwbacks..

What anniversary do you celebrate?? 

Anniversary of dating?

Getting engaged?? 

Married??? 

Nick and I have been dating for 9 years this month! 9 years together, out of 28 years of living! (Maybe not always happily together.. Kidding ;)) 

We've only been married for 2 years (next month) so the dating anniversary always feels big. 

In honour of big anniversaries, please enjoy this throwback photo montage.. 

The ever changing hair.. 

Eyebrows.. 

And WEIGHT! 

Enjoy!

(Not always in cronological order, I get caught up looking at throwback photos and couldn't pick just a few to post! The closer to the end, the more accurate the timeline :))

(I know this may be boring but who can resist judging people's throwback looks.. I don't care if you're a stranger on the street show me a throwback vs current day picture collage and I'm investigating the photos like we've known each other our whole lives loll)