Fall 2025 VIB Sephora Sale

The Sephora VIB Sale is coming up and I figured I would corral a few of my favorite picks from this year's value sets. Usually I use the sale at the earlier time of the year to restock or buy from the permanent selections, but I like to use this later one to take advantage of any of the gift sets for the holidays. I much prefer this fall savings one! 

I've put together five picks in three categories: skincare, perfume, and makeup. Would you be surprised if I said it's the perfume selection this year that excites me the most? The sets are darn good this time around. The best part is that all of these picks are under $70 CAD and you can divvy up the sets to gift multiple people in gifts and stockings, if you're wanting to stretch your budget.

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Birthday Sephora Haul

The minute my birthday gift became available, I made the purchase. Having a July birthday comes in handy when it comes to the Sephora birthday gifts because they always seem to do a small overhaul on the gifts available from the first half of the year. This go-around, they added a new VIB and Rouge offering so I took advantage of that.

So I fired up my Rakuten to get some money back on my purchase, took advantage of the 500 points back offer, got my birthday freebie, and sat back with that post purchase high. 😄 It's not my birthday yet, but I see nothing wrong with starting celebrations a little early. Who does?!

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Nectarine Petal by Clean Reserve

I'd say smell is probably my favorite sense, because I wholeheartedly tether people, occasions, and specific periods of my life to certain scents and smells. It's instant nostalgia. I am lucky to have received this perfume to review a while back. I originally posted about it on my Instagram, but I think it deserves a spot on my blog.

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Monthly Favorites - April 2025

It has been so long since I have done a monthly favorites post and I find myself to be more in my element with bringing them back. Favorites posts have always been something I not only enjoy putting together, but also reading on other blogs.

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My Top 8 Sephora Sale Picks

Sephora's spring VIB sale is upon us. I do not believe I'll be making a purchase this time, but I will share eight of my top picks if you are needing any of these categories filled in your collection. 

I specifically was thinking of spring and summer as I was pulling my recommendations together, which was a feat thinking of warm weather while snow was still falling outside my window during what we call Toronto's "fake spring". Though I hate hot weather, I don't mind spring days where I don't sweat just stepping outside. Cardigan weather is my heaven!

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December 2021 Favorites

I'm still on 2021, but not for long! Not that I mind elongating the holiday season a little longer. I'm hoping to have a post up on Christmas and my top products of 2021 this week and next and that should round out the last of my 2021 posts. I don't know what 2022 holds, but as of right now, it feels much of the same from last year. We're safe and healthy, so I start this new year being grateful for that. I may have to search harder some days to find something to be grateful for, but there is always something.

My favorites last month were a bit low-key and not my typical holiday fare. No red lipstick, because my mask would cover it. No pretty eyeshadows, because I honestly never left the car and chose curbside delivery. Just the bare minimal to make me feel a little more human, but with as little effort as possible. Not complaining here, because I absolutely do not mind the little effort part. 😂

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October 2021 Favorites

It's been a while. Sorry about that. It has been a hectic month with a lot of things going on. By the time I was ready to post again, I lost my uncle. Mourning away from family is a monster in its own right. My uncle Bill was the biggest Atlanta Braves fan I knew, so watching them win the World Series last night was very cathartic in a sense.

I wish I could say that I plan on updating this blog of mine frequently, but I can't with certainty. We're dealing with finalizing a family estate on one side of the family, dealing with a recent death on the other, and our car decided to go out of commission. Tack that on to what the year has already been like and well, I'm just tired. Blogging is one of my favorite things and even it has started to feel a bit like a chore. Taking these weeks off helped tremendously by battling those feelings and refreshing the course a little. I'm not going to put pressure on myself and promise content and have it feel forced. I hope that makes sense and that you understand. I'm not going anywhere, I'm just taking some pressure off of myself in an area where I can.

Moving on to happier subjects, it's November! I love being an American in Canada especially at this time of year, everyone here moves right to Christmas after Halloween because Canadian Thanksgiving is in early October. So even though I haven't had my Thanksgiving yet, no one bats an eye that I want all of the Christmas music and decorations NOW. Haha, it's a dream come true! And I get my second Thanksgiving in a few weeks?? Living my holiday-loving dreams! 😄

Before I fully move into the November state of mind, here are my October favorites!

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Sephora Canada Spring Savings Event Haul 2021

I haven't bought anything from Sephora in a while and I rarely take advantage of these sales. Being a Beauty Insider and only getting 10% off doesn't exactly draw me in. Though, I do use my Rakuten to gain back a percentage for my purchase. I probably would have passed this time, but there was one specific item I just had to have. If you've been here a while, you probably know exactly which item that is. 😉

This isn't a post with individual reviews, just sharing my haul and maybe a few initial thoughts! Did you take advantage of the sale? I'd love to know what you got!

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December 2020 Favorites

Just as I'm trying to get used to typing out "2021", I'm having to type "2020" for just a few more posts. I am happy to get into 2021's posts and focus fully on the new year soon! Here's hoping 2021 is a better year. As my first official post of the new year, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. It has been hard getting back into the normal routine after being in vacation mode, but I certainly came back refreshed and rejuvenated. My first big task blog-related is catching up on emails and organizing my inbox. Can't say I'm looking forward to it, but I do better when things are streamlined. The longer it is put off, the more that has to be sorted...so might as well suck it up and get to it! 😅

To my favorites from December! I'd love to know what some of your favorites were. As happy as I am to see 2020 over, I will miss December and all of the holiday vibes. My tree is on as I type, but everything will be coming down and into storage this evening. So sad to see it all go away for months again! It goes by too quickly, doesn't it?!

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Small Sephora Haul ft. Blume, Pat McGrath Labs, and First Aid Beauty

I haven't bought anything from Sephora recently and I wanted to try out a new Canadian brand called Blume. Then, two other things *fell* into my cart because you know- free shipping at $50 and whatnot. 😜 I'm excited about what I got because those other two things had been on my wishlist for some time and I can finally call them mine. This is just going to be a short and sweet post showing you what I got and maybe a few first impressions, but the rest will be saved for after I've tried the products a longer time and give them a dedicated post. So here's what I got!

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September 2019 Monthly Favorites

Yay for October! The holiday rush is starting and I am so ready for it. The first of my two Thanksgivings is just around the corner and I'm already pulling out our Halloween themed movies and shows to watch. Halloween isn't my top holiday, but it rounds out my top three just behind Christmas and Thanksgiving. What's your favorite holiday? Honestly, I just loooove talking all things holidays. If I could just live in a world like in The Nightmare Before Christmas where you can just open a door and escape into any given holiday...

But before I delve further into my October posts, I'm going to go back into the past momentarily with my September monthly favorites. I'll finish up my September posts with my InstaMonth round-up next week. Let me know in the comments if you have tried any of my favorites this month or what you have been loving. I know a lot of new launches are happening right now with the holidays coming up. I can barely keep up!

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Legendary Apothecary Smooth Feet

When given the chance to review this foot oil, I jumped at the opportunity. This year, one of my goals is to up my skincare game about the parts I neglect the most- feet being among them. As someone who lives in Toronto, I basically live in boots during the winter so something that will soften and hydrate my feet sounds like a savior. Honestly, I'm not sure if my feet go through more during boot season or sandal season!

A company called Legendary Apothecary have created a product called Smooth Feet that promises those very things. And for the past month, I have put the oil to the test! First, let's find out more about the product and then I will delve into my thoughts.

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December 2018 Faves

Ending 2018 with my December favorites! I rank December as one of my favorite months. It's so festive, holds my favorite holiday, and it has both fall and winter. Also if the year sucks, it's comforting knowing a new one is right around the corner for a fresh start. Hard to believe that fresh start is tomorrow!

Here are my favorites from the month, full of reds, golds, and gingerbread. Yep, that pretty much sums up my whole month. I wanted to be covered in all of the above! Happy New Year's Eve! May you have a safe evening ringing in the new year. If you have already, Happy 2019!

• Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso - Red lips all day, everyday.
• Sephora by OPI Be-Claus I Said So - Not made anymore, which is a shame. But you can find any red glitter. This is basically my fave easy holiday mani. Red base and topped with red glitter. Looks gorgeous and takes no time. If you want to get even more festive, stripe some white down the nail to create a candy cane. The cutest!
• Trendy Nails RD302 - Honestly again, any red polish paired with a red glitter. It's holiday perfection.
• Zoella Bake My Day! Mist - Smells like vanilla and gingerbread. Christmas in a bottle.
• ABH Soft Glam - So much yes. Please get it!
• Essence Cosmetics Metal Shock Shadow in Solar Explosion - Affordable and one of the best liquid shadows on the market. Plus, you can't go wrong with a shimmery gold.

Zoella Holiday 2018: Four Lucky Stars and Milky Way Bath Milk Powder

Zoella Beauty puts out a new holiday collection each year, but this is my first time trying anything from any of them. I don't think we always get the full collections here, but it is nice that we can get some of it! This year's collection is based on the cosmos, so everything is a bit galaxy-themed and I love that.

So when I was offered the chance to try a few of the products and also give a set away on one of my social media channels, I quickly agreed. Until the end of December 13th, you can go to my Instagram and enter on this post. There are a few rules! You must follow the accounts I mention (which is only one besides my own), not be a giveaway account, like the picture, tag a Canadian friend as it is only open to Canadians, and tell me which scent always reminds you of the holidays.

Here are the two items I got to try!

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November 2018 Favorites

I'm so deep into my love of December that TWICE I typed December on my graphic and in this post and it took me far longer than it should have to notice! In fact, these are my November favorites but they certainly set the mood for December and the holiday season. After Veterans Day/Remembrance Day, it's fair game and I like to start early to prolong it. I'm not the type that is sick of the decorations and music after a short bit. The season only lasts for so long and I just love the way it makes me feel. Also, Happy Hanukkah to those of you celebrating right now!

Here are my beauty favorites from last month. I make no promises that some of them won't reappear in my December favorites later on. You just can't go wrong with a red lip, sparkly eye, and festive fragrance this time of year!

• Zoella Bake My Day! Fragrance* - This smells like vanilla and gingerbread and so perfect for right now. I'll be talking more about this in my next post! *gifted to me for testing purposes
• Joe Fresh Beauty Lip Oil in Rose - Cold weather is here and I've invested in my first lip oil in ages. I don't know what possessed me to get rose, because I almost always hate that scent. And I hate this one, but I love the product so I suck it up. This oil feels amazing on the lips and I haven't noticed nearly as much dryness as I normally would.
• Essence Metal Shock Shadow in Solar Explosion - Why haven't I swatched these yet?! Good grief, I just keep dropping the ball. These are some of the best liquid shadows I have ever tried and are so budget friendly.
• Sephora Winter Magic Palette - This specific palette was part of last year's holiday collection at Sephora, so it is no longer available. BUT let me direct you to this year's version and it is a beauty! I'm tempted to add it to my cart, if I put my $15 off coupon to use. Can we rant about that a second? First, Sephora lowers the samples to two per order. The rewards you can use points for seem to be getting worst. And now, it's $15 off of $75 instead of a $50 purchase. Not impressed at all.
• Stila Liquid Lip in Beso - This red, you guys. I think of this as the perfect "Christmas red".

March 2018 Favorites

It's April now! And we're definitely getting the April showers today, though snow is also in the forecast this week. One last blow and then spring weather? We shall see! I'm okay with spring, I just don't like summer. Heat is not my friend. Some of you are shaking your heads right now, I can sense it. Look, I grew up in the hot, humid south. I had my fill of heat! Now, I don't mind it if I'm poolside or on a beach. Send me on a hot vacation and I'll gladly accept the heat. Or take me on a cold climate vacation and I'll take that too. You know what...anything and everything is better when the word "vacation" is thrown in the mix. Wait, where was I going with this and how does it lead to my March faves? Forgive me. I've had two cups of coffee in the recent hours and my brain is in overdrive.

Back to this blog post topic. Here's what I have been loving recently! There's been one dud I tried this month and I've been thinking of doing a blog post on it. If not a blog post, stay tuned to my Instagram because I do want to talk about what I experienced while trying the product.

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Beauty Items I Packed for Our Anniversary Trip

We got back yesterday and nothing makes you realize that vacation is over like coming home and having to unpack. Back to reality! Though a silver lining is that it is a long holiday weekend coming up, so it's a short week. Heck yes! Also, I hope to have a post coming up with pictures from our trip soon. If you follow me on Instagram, you saw a few snippets on my Stories! We had a great time and made some fun memories.

I thought I'd share what I brought along for my traveling makeup and skincare routine. I also brought along some samples (not pictured) to try and to use up, because I'm a sample hoarder. I feel like trips are a good time to try samples, because if they look like you-know-what on my face I'm not seeing anyone I know. No harm, no foul. Haha! I also have a few deluxe-sized samples that I've been using a while to test or have multiples of in my collection like the Benefit Stay Don't Stray and the Clinique Cleansing Balm. Perfect way to save space in your bag! Here's what made it into my makeup bag.

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My Top 5 Scents for Spring 2018

It has been a really long time since I focused on a Top 5 list. I used to do them somewhat often. I thought it might be fun to bring them back here and there, so I'm starting with today's post on what scents I'm going to be using the heck out of during this spring. And yes, they are all floral based. Cue the Miranda gif (see it below in all of its beautiful glory)!

Ha! I am really attracted to light scents during the warmer months and that usually means floral scents for me. I am really picky about my florals, though. So here's what made the cut to stay out on my vanity in the coming months!

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InstaMonth for February 2018

Not sure what happened to the quality of this picture between editing it and saving it, but I realized it lost some pixelation in certain parts. If I think of it, I'll get around to fixing it probably next week. I'm already too far into weekend mode to do it right now, to be honest with you! But you can always swing by my actual Instagram to see the pixelated pictures in their full glory.

What's funny is that I made it all through January without mistakenly writing "2017" and all of a sudden on my February posts, I want to write it instead of "2018". I had to double check while editing! The last post took me wayyyy too long to realize that mistake, luckily before I hit publish. It's 2018, Wendy. D'oh! Anyway, here are a few shots from my Instagram in February!

1. All the hearts and everything red during the month of love, please!
2. January Faves
3. DAVIDsTEA Valentine Collection
4. Valentine's Day OOTD
5. One of my planner spreads.
6. Benefit Hello San Francisglow!
7. Shelfie Sunday.
8. February Faves
9. Snow day!

Hope you all have a great weekend! If you're anywhere the big snowstorms hit, I hope you stay warm and safe.

February 2018 Faves

Yay, March is almost here! Why am I so excited? Because it's my anniversary month and we always go on a short trip together. Sometimes we travel a fair distance and sometimes not. This time, I'm looking for closer locations. Since we are taking our dog with us, a shorter trip to where we are going is beneficial and I am looking for places that are really pet-friendly. We also always go somewhere that we have never been to together, so that we can explore and everything is new to at least one of us. It's probably my favorite tradition that we have! Do you have a favorite tradition with your spouse? Or plan on making a new one this year? I love hearing about traditions!

February is such a short month, making my favorites fairly easy to pick out. Is it pretty much all pink and florals? Yes. Like that's even a surprise if you've been following me a while. Haha! Something about the month of love, y'all! And the other eleven months...but never mind that information...

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