For Beloved Girl Cloud-Silk Masks

With colder weather slowly creeping in, I have fully been embracing my less busy schedule with some cozy pamper nights at home. This means candles, hot baths, and face masks!

I was recently sent some new masks to try out from For Beloved Girl, a new sister line from Taiwanese cosmeceutical company, For Beloved One. It's aimed at a younger demographic and offers a range of "cloud-silk masks" at a very reasonable price point of $12.99 CAD/pack of 3.

So what exactly is this "cloud-silk" technology? Crafted from top-grade cotton and textile technology, cloud-silk is transparent and invisible, with a high degree of elasticity. According to the brand, the ultra-fine cotton fibres in the masks lock in more serum for complete absorption within the skin. This mask is unlike anything I've ever used before. Unlike those thick and opaque white sheet masks most of us are probably used to, the material is super thin and, when pressed down on the skin, essentially see-through. Because of how malleable and soaked in serum the mask is, it is actually bit more difficult to work with since the cloud-silk folds over and sticks to itself but you can easily play around with it to get it into place.

For Beloved Girl Cloud-Silk Masks are also packed with minerals such as copper, iron, and zinc to target specific skin concerns. I received the Extreme Moisture Mineral Cloud-Silk Mask made with Hyaluronic Acid (Na) for extremely dry skin and the Skin Renewal Mineral Cloud-Silk Mask made with Calcium Lactate (Ca) to cleanse pores. Each mask apparently contains, on average, the equivalent of 1.88 bottles of mineral spring water spray. Talk about a luxurious treat for the skin!

For the Winter months, I know I will be reaching for the Extreme Moisture Mineral Cloud-Silk Mask (above) a ton. There's no heavily perfumed scent and it leaves my skin feeling ultra plump and hydrated.

For Beloved Girl offers six different masks to choose from and they can be found in-store at T&T or online at YesStyle.ca.

Desert Discoveries

As I mentioned in my last post, I recently went to Phoenix, Arizona. Arizona is home to my favourite football team and it's been my dream for years to visit and attend a game -- a dream that finally became a reality a few weeks ago!

My first visit to the desert began with full immersion on the Lost Goldmine Trail where we trekked through fields of cacti and admired views of the Superstition Mountains.

Located nearby is the Goldfield Ghost Town, an abandoned mining town that has been reconstructed into a tourist attraction.

Just a short road trip away from Phoenix is Sedona, a.k.a. red rock country. This was definitely one of the highlights of our vacation... it was so beautiful.

We started out with a hike up Cathedral Rock, one of the scariest hikes I've ever done (you're basically climbing straight up rock faces). Despite the anxiety it caused me, this hike was well worth it for the views.

We also explored some of the other sights in Sedona like the Chapel of the Holy Cross and took in the stunning red sandstone formations, which were visible almost every way we turned.

Then, of course, there were the sports. Hockey games are ridiculously cheap in Arizona so we were able to get some great lower bowl seats to see Arizona Coyotes vs. Detroit Red Wings for only $25 each. These same tickets would cost an insane amount at a Vancouver Canucks game back home.

I was most looking forward to Football Sunday, however. I had so much fun cheering on the Arizona Cardinals as they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Phoenix is such a reasonable flight from Vancouver (both time- and cost-wise), my fiance and I both can't wait to go back again. It was especially nice to get some respite from the rain... gotta get that vitamin D!

Sweater Dress-ing for Fall

Sorry for yet another absence... I was having far too much fun on vacation in sunny Arizona (a few pics are on my Instagram and I'll have a full recap up soon). As you can imagine, it was quite a shock returning home to rainy Vancouver. Thankfully I do love Fall outfits, especially a good sweater dress like this one), and wanted to add another into the rotation this season. The navy is a classic colour for pairing with neutrals, and I'm also loving the mini cable knit detailing and flared skirt.

Dress: TWIK (Simons) (c/o Chick Advisor) / Tote Bag: Madewell (here)

Socks: Wilfred (Aritzia) / Boots: Rachel Comey (different colour)

The Body Shop Amazonian Saviour Multi-Purpose Balm

This summer, The Body Shop launched their innovative Amazonian Saviour Multi-Purpose Balm inspired by communities in the Amazonian Rainforest that have relied on natural oils for centuries to care for wounded and tattooed skin. The product is intended to revive the appearance of tattoos, nourish severely dry skin, and improve the appearance of skin marks.

100% vegetarian, the balm is made with only 9 ingredients: Community Trade Organic Babassu Oil, Organic Andiroba Oil, Candeia Tree's Bisabolol, Sunflower Seed Oil, Community Trade Beeswax, Sunflower Wax, Cera Bellina Wax, Vitamin E, and Citric Acid from Citrus. In the pot, it has a hard waxy texture with no discernible fragrance (it honestly just smells like wax).

I don't have any tattoos so I first decided to test out its efficacy on my fiance. We both noticed that his tattoo looked a little more vibrant after application although I'm not sure if the balm acts more as a protectant for fresh tattoos (his is at least 5 years old and not in an area that's sun-exposed). I, on the other hand, have been using the product on dry areas like like my knees and elbows and it's really helped keep them moisturized. I will definitely be keeping this in my bag for winter time!

At only $15 CAD, I'd say the Amazonian Saviour Multi-Purpose Balm is a real steal. You use such little product each time that it will last for ages.

Find it online or in-stores.

My Fall Picks from Essie Gel Couture: Closing Night and Twill Seeker

As much as I love gel nail polish (the shine! how long it lasts!), I'm the type of person who gets sick of colours really quickly and having to wait around for my mani to grow out or take on the ordeal of soaking and orange stick-ing my polish off is just not my idea of a good time. Thankfully, many brands have been releasing their own versions of gel-like polish which lasts longer than regular polish, doesn't require a heat lamp, and can be removed with nail polish remover. Essie Gel Couture is one such line.

I was actually introduced to Essie Gel Couture last summer when it first debuted and was really impressed with the shine and wear time (it's advertised to last 14 days although with these types of polishes I typically switch it up around 7 days). I can definitely get away with doing my nails less than normal with minimal tip wear.

What I also like about the line is that it's only a 2-step process with no base coat required. Just do 2 coats of colour and add 1 coat of the special top coat.

Unlike regular Essie polishes, the Gel Couture bottles are twisted glass and feature a thicker brush (similar to OPI's wide brush). The brush is also twisted, as you can see in the picture above, although I believe this is more aesthetic since it doesn't seem to have any effect on the brush itself or how it's used.

Nail Polish Canada, my favourite online store to buy nail polish from, kindly offered to send over a couple new shades for me to add to my collection. With such a huge shade range it was hard to pick but I opted for two that I think are just perfect for Fall: Closing Night and Twill Seeker.

Closing Night is a cool blue-grey packed with shimmer. It's really pretty and makes for a unique neutral despite not being a pink or beige.

Twill Seeker was a hard one to photograph; although it's essentially a dusty grey plum colour, it features a shimmery green base. Essie describes it as an "enchanting pewter with sage luster".

Find a huge range of Essie Gel Couture online at Nail Polish Canada.