The Chalets on Lake Muskoka - Gravenhurst, ON

It's been a while since I have done a travel post, but now is a good time to talk about our recent getaway that's partly responsible for the quick little break between this and my last post. We traveled to Gravenhurst, Ontario to stay on Lake Muskoka.

To celebrate my husband's birthday, we booked a few nights at The Chalets on Lake Muskoka through Travelzoo. If you've been a reader a long time now, you know I love finding a good deal! Travel is no different and Travelzoo often has some great offers, local, exotic, and everything in between. Not just travel, but experiences as well!

 

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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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Old Navy Spring 2021 Haul

I had Super Cash to use and while I used the majority of it to stock up my husband's closet, I did take advantage of a few sale prices for myself. This is actually two orders, because shoes were on for half off the other day and I needed to grab a pair of my husband's favorite summer sneakers at under $20! So I placed another order (and grabbed a new item that hadn't been previously available) and now I have Super Cash for April, if I so choose to use it.

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August 2020 Favorites

I don't normally do Sunday posts, but this was the only time I have really had time to sit and get this typed up! I love doing favorites posts, so I don't mind using some of my weekend getting this post ready to share. Who doesn't love talking about products they have been loving?! While my husband is out getting a few groceries and I have my tunes going, let's do this!

This month is a nice mix of skincare and makeup, I'd say. I would love to know what you've been loving. Has your beauty and skincare routines changed with mask wearing? If anything, my beauty routine takes much less time. No one is getting close enough to me to notice much anyway and my bottom half is hidden, so I definitely have gone lax in that area. LOL!

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July 2020 Beauty Favorites

Let's hope this post isn't riddled with grammar mistakes as I type while singing along to Taylor Swift's Folklore. I'll do my best, because pausing it is not an option. Thank goodness that favorites posts are the easiest to write up! ;) For my fellow Swifties, tell me your favorite song(s) on the album. It's hard to choose, isn't it? I'm feeling Betty, Exile, Invisible String, Mad Woman, and Mirrorball.  Probably my top 5 but then again, ask me tomorrow and that might change!

Now to the favorites! This is the first month since quarantine that my favorites are actually all beauty and not mostly skincare (see my last faves, because those still stand). We'll chalk that up to getting some new things and going on a trip where I actually put more effort!

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A Little Getaway to St. Catharines, Ontario

We're still in the middle of a pandemic, but we had to get away. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll probably have seen my rant about our building management scheduling construction that requires us residents to leave our units for two days. To reschedule, they would fine us $1000+. With a lot of things still closed, having the dog, and not social circling, we had very limited options. A little getaway proved to be the best option and I set out to find a good and affordable choice for us. It felt a bit like blackmail for the choice of construction over health, honestly.

Since we didn't get away for our annual anniversary trip this year, we treated this like that. Granted, we spent a good percentage of the time in the hotel room because...well...COVID-19. It still felt like a vacation! St. Catharines was an easy drive from Toronto, making it a good day trip option if you're not wanting to stay overnight. I'm actually thinking of making that happen again, because I fell head over heels for a food item that you will see below. I've been craving it ever since we got back!

Here are a few things we ate from local restaurants and some of the landmarks we visited!

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Summer 2020 Torrid Haul

I recently placed an order with Torrid while they were offering bonus cash rewards and free shipping to Canada. As always, I added a bunch to my cart and took my time editing down my choices. And as always, things I wanted kept selling out and I would get frustrated. It's pretty much my usual online shopping routine. Haha! Luckily, the things I'm showing today are still available except for one. That doesn't mean you can't find it in your local Torrid location though!

I'll probably be placing another order in the next few weeks when my birthday and anniversary rewards come through next month. I mean, we can't have them go to waste, can we?! Plus, I have to take advantage of the free shipping to Canada while I can. It's usually a pretty hefty amount to order and ship Torrid here. Too much, if you ask me.

At the time of writing this, all three items still available are on sale! Here's what I purchased!

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Five Friday Faves for August 2019

I was doing six on these posts, but my love for alliteration kicked in and I changed it to five. That's the type of person I am. So here we are! If you haven't read any of my other Friday Fave posts, I like to do one of these monthly (when I remember). I cover random favorites that don't fit into my usual monthly beauty faves. So if you're ever interested in what I'm reading, listening to, etc. etc., I share some of that here. It also gives me the opportunity to ask you about any recommendations you might have, because I love recommendations!

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Collective Clothing Haul for Summer 2019 - Target, Torrid, Nordstrom, Old Navy

I haven't done a clothing haul in a while, so I figure I would compile most of my purchases into one post. These are all items purchased between May and now and while it looks like a lot to some, you know your girl here loves sales and clearance. Also, my birthday was during July so praises be to those beautiful creations also known as gift cards! At the beginning of the summer, I was stocking up on a few summery pieces but I've found myself already gravitating toward fall items in the past month. My next Old Navy Super Cash purchases will probably look like autumn threw up in my cart and I. Am. So. Ready.

All of the items below came from Target (oh my gosh, finally got back to my beloved while visiting home!), Torrid, Nordstrom, and the place that I can't believe I'm not a spokesperson for yet - Old Navy. The Nordstrom item was my first since they opened a few locations in Canada and my first during their annual Anniversary Sale. Here's what I bought and I'll link to everything that is still available, which should be all if not most of it.

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My Visit to Terre Bleu Lavender Farm

Terre Bleu has been on my "to visit" list for a few years now and I finally got to take it all in! Well, not all. It's a huge place and I just couldn't see it all on such a hot day, because I started suffering from heat exhaustion (I take that very seriously) and cut our visit a little short. Honestly, I had fears that my knee injury would act up and it ended up being my sensitivity to heat. My knee hurt, sure, but it did pretty well walking through the fields. An improvement even from last summer that I will happily pat myself on the back for!

We were there for about two hours, I'd say. We took in two lavender fields, ice cream, visited the horses, posed with the yellow door photo prop, and just had a great time learning about the farm. Terre Bleu Lavender Farm is located in Milton, Ontario and I'd say it is high on many travel lists when you're coming to the Toronto area in the summer. Here are some pictures and information from our colorful day spent in the lavender!

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July 2019 Monthly Favorites

Hello, August! One month closer to autumn...sorry to the summer lovers out there. I've been shopping for my fall wardrobe recently and I am just so ready. I can practically taste the pumpkin spice already!

But nevermind that it is August for a moment, here are my beauty favorites from July. There's a few new ones! For me, summer makeup needs to be light and can last through the heat and skincare needs to be easy and effective to combat the dry air. What do you look for in your summer products?

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Sunny Daze Summer Playlist

I never really got around to sharing my spring playlist, but that is okay because there's been some great songs that just recently came out that I can't stop playing! Of course, I usually have a mix of old and new on my playlists because I listen to everything. Let me know if there is a song that you can't get out of your head that I just "have to hear"!

1. Expectations - Lauren Jauregui
2. breathin - Ariana Grande
3. This Life - Vampire Weekend
4. Never Really Over - Katy Perry
5. You Need to Calm Down - Taylor Swift
6. Bounce Back - Little Mix
7. Senorita - Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello
8. Don't Lose Your Head - Six the Musical (and that whole OST, tbh)
9. Time Waits for No One - Freddie Mercury
10. bad guy - Billie Eilish
11. Dive - Ed Sheeran
12. If I Can't Have You - Shawn Mendes
13. Beast of Burden - The Rolling Stones
14. Want You in My Room - Carly Rae Jepsen
15. Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers

Vichy Ideal Soleil Ultra-Fluid Mineral Tinted Sunscreen Lotion

I've been testing Vichy's Ultra-Fluid Tinted Sunscreen Lotion for the past few weeks. As someone who loves a good tinted moisturizer that has some SPF, this is the first tinted sunscreen I have tried. With SPF 60, this is a sunscreen first and foremost. Here's my thoughts and my swatch of the "universal tint".

Updated May 11, 2025: This product has slightly changed its name, but is still the same formula!

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June 2019 Faves

It's a holiday weekend here for Canada Day on Monday! It's a four day weekend for us since my husband has tomorrow off, so I wanted to get this post up today. No big plans except a little cookout in my MIL's backyard on Saturday and catching up on our PVR, which honestly sounds perfect. Staycation, here I come!

My birthday month is just around the corner. Where are my fellow Cancers at? I might share my birthday wishlist in a later post. The majority of it is books! My main wish is for another dog, but I'm still hinting hard at that. We'll see what this year brings!

Let's dive in to my favorites from June!

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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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InstaMonth for August 2018

A wee late on this post this month! But I still wanted to do it, because I like Instagram recaps. With the algorithm, I'm always missing posts. Good times. And it seems to be getting worse instead of better, so my love of Instagram has dwindled a bit. If anything, it has cemented my true love for Pinterest. That site is like a wormhole- I'll go on there and think it's been minutes to find that it has been an hour. But darn if I don't get some good recipes and organizing tips out of it! ;)

August was a fun month! It was hot and humid for most of it, but full of daylight hours for taking pictures. Every blogger's dream, isn't it?! Though I won't miss the heat and summer, I will miss that. Finding good lighting in the fall and winter can be a struggle. And when you do get it, you have to take a gazillion pictures for future use. We've all been there!

I hope your August was great and that your September has been even better. For everyone who has gone back to school, may your school year be successful and wonderful. I'm one of those people that loved school, so I'm quite envious. Well, right now anyway...maybe not so much when exam time rolls around. Good luck! Here's a few highlights from my Instagram last month. I'd love it if you'd like to follow each other (@wendybanner).

1. July faves. // 2. National Lipstick Day freebie from MAC - Aloof. // 3. Vichy skincare.

4. Love that notebook! // 5. Ikea catalog time. Oh yeah! // 6. Fancy ice cream. And that was considered one scoop!

7. Torrid haul. Already craving fall! // 8. Aqua Reotier // 9. Indy being adorbs.

10. New Zoella bath soak. Dreamy scent and packaging! // 11. August faves. // 12. Macarons are never a bad idea.

InstaMonth for July 2018

It's August! Heck yes, it's one month closer to my beloved fall. My boots and sweater weather. Not sweating my makeup off the minute I step outside. Leaves changing outside my window. The coming of all of the best holidays (my opinion, of course). I know I'm getting a little ahead of myself and the season, but I am soooo ready. Sorry not sorry, summer lovers. I still love you!

The best part about today is that it's Friday. I can't believe a week ago I was picking out what to wear to my Taylor Swift concert at this time. Which, while I'm on that subject, was amazing. I did document some of it on my InstaStory, some of which are highlighted on my IG profile. We had Bryan Adams show up as a special guest and I truly just enjoyed myself. After missing her last tour with my knee surgery, I didn't take a second of it for granted. And I just had the best night I could possibly have. I came home feeling like death warmed over and it took a lot out of me, but it was worth every second. Every step.

We have a Sunday ice cream date planned at a really cool joint in Toronto, so I'll probably share some of that on Instagram also. One of those places that do the fancy cones, but I don't know how fancy I'll bother going because you definitely pay more for that "fancy" aspect. Haha! And we're taking Monday off as a staycation, so you know what? Like I said, the best part about today is that it is Friday. I'm ready to get this weekend started!

Here are a few highlights from my Instagram during July. Hope you all have a fab weekend!

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My Summer Heat Playlist for 2018

I love a good playlist! Like legit, you can find me lurking on playlists on Spotify all of the time. It's so easy to just have one playing while I'm doing anything. So I thought, lemme put together a little playlist of some fire songs that have been getting me through this ridiculously hot summer. Enter my Summer Heat playlist!

I could have added a lot more (especially retro, because I'm a 70s music gal a LOT of the time), but I reined myself in and limited it to 10. But now that I think about it, I might just do a throwback summer playlist too. That could be fun to share, if any of you are into that!

For now, all of the tracks below are current. But I hope maybe one or two might be new to you. At least, Jessie Reyez. She's an up and coming Canadian musician. Please give her a music a listen, because she is going places with that soulful voice! Amy Winehouse vibes, for sure.

If you feel so inclined (and I hope you do), let me know a song or two that you've been jamming to this summer!

Toronto Beaches Jazz Festival as a First Timer ft. Two Oceans Wines

I had the privilege of FINALLY attending a day of the annual Beaches Jazz Fest in Toronto. I've been here for years and never went, but I see why it is a popular event! When I got the opportunity to attend thanks to Two Oceans, I jumped at the chance. I went on the very last day, which was probably the hottest darn day I could have chosen. Thank goodness for the shade of the Two Oceans tent!

I thought I would share a few pictures from my day and share my thoughts about going for the first time! You've probably seen a great deal of these if you followed along on my social media (THANK YOU!). So let's get to it!

I was sent this lovely bottle of Moscato and stemless wine glasses along with my wristbands and passes. The wristbands were to get into the VIP area. Entrance into the general admission area is always free! I was also given two food and (alcoholic) drink passes to enjoy during my time at the fest. Two Oceans Wine is a sponsor of the Beaches Jazz Fest.

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Odysseo by Cavalia (Discount Code!)

I want to apologize if you came to my blog during my birthday break and had to see the issues I was having with a few graphics that I had linked to my Photobucket. They decided to change their whole website without telling anyone. Now to link to your pictures on there, they expect $400 US a year. Keep dreaming, Photobucket. Luckily, I only had a few to deal with on my main page. But you will see some past posts with an issue. As for my birthday, I'll have a post up next week. I just needed a little break to enjoy it!

While on my break, I took in a spectacular show. I saw Cavalia when it first came to Toronto forever ago (pretty sure it was 2005) and fell in love. They then started the Odysseo touring show, so I jumped at the chance when I got invited to attend during Social Media Week. My husband and I went on Friday (July 7) and I specifically chose that day because it marked ten years since I lost my grandmother. I wanted to do something fun and emotionally moving at the same time.

When seeing Cavalia, I remember being in absolute awe the entire time. Odysseo is no different. In fact, I seem to still be missing my jaw. I think I left it behind on the tent floor! Continue reading for more of my thoughts and to see the pictures. I have tried to cover a lot of the VIP (and regular none VIP) experience. There's also a discount code below if you are in the GTA and interested in going!

*picture provided by Cavalia

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