Product Review: L'Oreal Unlimited Mascara

Mascara used to be one of my favourite beauty products to experiment with. They need to be replaced every 3 months anyway and there are so many affordable and terrific options at the drugstore level, so why not try a new one each time? Lately though it seems like every new mascara I test equals Smudge City. I was hoping this wouldn't be the case with L'Oreal Unlimited Mascara ($16.99 at London Drugs), which I spotted at the #LDBeauty preview and was very excited about. At first I thought the "Unlimited" part referred to how much product was in the surprisingly bulbous tube, but nope, it refers to the limitless lash-lengthening and lifting benefits that this product promises.

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Meal Prep Tips For Beginners

Recipe & photo source

This week on the blog seems to be all about the baby steps towards New Year's resolutions, doesn't it? Yesterday I talked about the 3 easy and affordable green beauty swaps you can make that would have the most impact, and today I'm talking about how to get started with meal prepping and meal planning and, well, just cooking at home more in general. As I noted in my 2018 reflections post, last year was the first time we really started cooking more at home (i.e. eating the majority of meals at home instead of out). This change has been positive for our overall health and our bank accounts, and we managed to accomplish it in small, progressive steps and without relying on subscription meal prep services. If you're trying to make cooking at home part of your everyday habits for 2019, read on for what worked for us!

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3 Easy & Affordable Green Beauty Swaps

So you've decided 2019 is the year you're going to convert to natural beauty—good for you! Switching to natural beauty has been a positive and rewarding change in my life, and while I still test and use some conventional products, I feel better knowing the product swaps that I have made are limiting my exposure to parabens, phthalates and other endocrine-disrupting ingredients. Of course, I have to acknowledge my privilege here and state that being a beauty blogger has helped me on this green beauty journey, particularly when it comes to free samples of what are often expensive products.

But if you're a normal person with a normal beauty/grooming budget, and you're starting from scratch with replacing products, where should you start? What would get you the most bang for your buck in terms of making changes with maximum impact? And should you really spring for that $80+ natural face cleanser, especially when you're also trying to keep that New Year's resolution of saving more money?! Here are 3 easy green beauty swaps you can make right away, often with products that cost $20 or less.

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Tidying Up With Marie Kondo

Who else has been obsessively watching Tidying Up With Marie Kondo on Netflix? The episodes are relatively short and easy to binge, and the show overall feeds into that "New Year, new you" momentum with its emphasis on decluttering and getting organized. Watching these people go through their KonMari journeys reminded me of our own KonMari experience four years ago and brought up a lot of thoughts.

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Product Review: Veriphy Skincare

Having more natural beauty options is never a bad thing, especially when these options come in the form of a new Canadian luxury skincare line. Just before the holiday season, I had the privilege of previewing recently launched Veriphy Skincare and I've been testing their products on and off for the last few weeks. Here's what you need to know!

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2018 Reflections & 2019 Resolutions

Happy new year, dear readers! True to form, we spent the night at home with a homemade roast chicken dinner and Netflix just like we did last year. The evening was pretty consistent with our entire holiday vacation vibe—low-key, nothing urgent to do, plenty of rest. And boy, did we need the rest.

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