Pixi Skintreats

I have been lucky enough to receive several of products from the Pixi Skintreats skincare line, and today I am sharing my thoughts on the cleansing balm, the toner, a face oil and a brightening moisturizer. 

First I would like to say that I am pleasantly pleased with all of the products in this post. It's great to see budget friendly products with a high end feel. My two favourites are the Glow Tonic toner and the Rose Oil Blend face oil. All of the products smell wonderful too!

Nourishing Cleansing Balm

This cleansing balm is a balm to oil cleanser, and is made with sweet almond oil, vitamin E, coco butter, and shea butter. It's described as a gentle cleanser that is deep cleaning and nourishing. I think it is great for removing makeup at the end of the day and leaves my face feeling soothed and soft. 

Glow Tonic Exfoliating Toner

This is definitely my favourite from the line. It's described as brightening and gently exfoliates for even skin tone and a healthy glow. The two ingredients that the products boasts are aloe vera and ginseng. 

Rose Oil Blend Nourishing Face Oil

I love using the rose oil in the evening after cleansing and toning to relax and end my day. The oil is fast absorbing and is said to be packed with antioxidants. Ingredients included in this face oil are sweet almond, rosehip, jojoba, pomegranate seed, rose, and geranium. I really love the soothing scent. 

Glowtion Day Dew Brightening Lotion

I've been liking this lotion as more of a radiance primer applied before foundation than a typical moisturizer. It has a pretty illuminating sheen that isn't glittery and just adds a nice glow. Again with the previous products, I love the scent. Ingredients include lavender oil for calming, and mica for brightening. 

Have you tried any of the products from the Pixie Skintreats line? What are your must have budget friendly skincare products?

xo Ashley

Valentine's Day

Hello friends! Happy Valentine's Day! I unintentionally took a short break from blogging after the Christmas holidays and thought I should do a quick post today to say that I am still here and have a lot of posts waiting to be written. The last year and half has been quite busy for me with my counselling internship, graduating from my masters degree, and now doing my counselling residency. I feel like I am finally starting to get a bit more settled into my work schedule, and I am really excited to get back to blogging and sharing my love for beauty and personal style! 

For today's post I wanted to share some of the beauty products that I've been using over the last few days leading up to Valentine's Day. Of course the adorable Love Flush heart shaped blushes and the Love Palette from Too Faced were a must. Over Christmas I was loving red lips, so for Valentine's Day I decided to go for pink and nude pink lipsticks. Finally, I have been leaning towards products that add a glow to the complexion, so the YSL Touche Eclat and the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow seemed like the perfect products to add some illumination.

What makeup products were you loving for Valentine's Day?

xo Ashley

December Birchbox

I was recently offered the chance to try out a Birchbox subscription. I was really excited because I really enjoyed the Birchbox and Rifle Paper Co. collaboration that I tested out back in April. I'm late on posting the December Birchbox, but better late than never right? Anyway, I was thrilled with the December box! I have been wanting to try more products from Amika, and I've heard a lot about Sunday Riley, so I was really excited about these two products. I also Love Tati (Glam Life Guru) on YouTube, so I was pretty excited about her LOC lip colour too. Here is a short recap of the products:

Love of Colour (LOC) Matte Lipstick in Glam Life
This lipstick is in a lip pencil form, which I really love because it is so easy to apply. The matte formula is really nice and I love the colour! It's also paraben and cruelty free. The shade I received was Glam Life, which is a plum colour that reminds me of MAC Rebel. 

Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo
I have a hair spray by Amika and have been in search for the Amika texturizing spray, so I was pretty excited to try out the dry shampoo. I have been carrying this dry shampoo in my bag at work to give my hair a refresh during the day if it starts to feel flat. It also claims not to leave a residue behind which I agree with and love!

Sunday Riley Good Genes Treatment
I have been testing this out in the mornings a s serum and I have fallen in love. It is meant to reduce fine lines and wrinkes, even skin tone, hydrate and firm. I'm not sure if it has reduced my fine lines, but so far my skin has felt hydrated and firm when I use this. 

Juara Coconut Illipe Hand and Nail Balm
This is a multi-task balm that can be used as a hand lotion or cuticles. I really enjoy the coconut scent. 

Kate Spade Live Colorfully fragrance
Finally, this scent by Kate Spade is described as having vibrant notes of Hawaiian flowers, Tahitian vanilla and mandarin. I think this scent would be perfect for spring and summer.

So there is a short recap of the December Birchbox. I also want to mention how adorable the packaging was for December! It reminded me of tinsel and snow. Do you have a beauty box subscription? Have you discovered a holy grail product from a beauty subscription? Let me know in the comments below!

xo Ashley

Winter Plaid

I can't believe my holiday break is half way over and that new year is only a few days away! Last year I remember feeling like I couldn't think about a new year and that I wasn't up for any new goals or resolutions. I was in the midst of my final year of my masters degree and just needed to take things day by day. This year I feel like I can think about the year ahead and come up with some goals. 

Anyway, on to the outfit. I was sent this plaid dress from Gentle Fawn to style and have pretty much been in rotation once a week since. I ended up wearing it for a holiday dinner with JP's family the week before Christmas, as well on Christmas Day. When the weather is cold I just feel like throwing something on that is easy to wear and cozy. This outfit also includes a couple other current favourite items. I've been pretty much living in these faux leather leggings from Dynamite, and for the warmer winter days I have been turning to this coat from Misguided. 

xo Ashley

Outfit Details

Misguided Waterfall Camel Coat

Gentle Fawn Voyage Shirtdress*

Dynamite Coated Leggings

Garage Blanket Scarf

Ash Jalouse Boots

Chapters/Indigo toque

Gucci purse borrowed from Karolina's Style

Alex and Ani bracelet

Photos by JP

Christmas With Papyrus

First I would like to say Merry Christmas Eve to everyone! I feel like the holiday season came out of no where this year! I recently received the cutest holiday rescue kit from Papyrus, and it has definitely been a lifesaver! The last few years Christmas wrapping (and decorating) has been a last minute task for me, so having a kit like this was really handy! I received a holiday kit a few years ago as well, and loved the wrapping paper I received (check out my past Christmas wrapping post here!) The wrapping paper from Papyrus is always stunning. Papyrus also have really beautiful cards for all occasions (my favourites are actually the wedding shower and baby shower cards). Included in the kit I received was a set of holiday cards, a snowman and snowflake holiday dish, silver and gold pens, a gold journal, two gift bags, and a beautiful gift box. 

Well, I'm off to get ready for a Christmas Eve dinner with family. Happy Holidays!

xo Ashley