Long time no blog, eh? I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds the holiday season a little over-whelming. "I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you just be whelmed?" (name that movie). Anyway, I would love to just be "whelmed" by the holidays. I'm not sure how Americans do the whole Thanksgiving-and-Christmas-only-being-a-month-apart thing without going crazy. As a Canadian I am used to a nice leisurely two and a half month break in between major holidays. Throw in my oldest childs birthday in late November and American Thanksgiving, and I'm a crazed stress-ball who apparently sends everyone their Christmas gifts in mid-Janurary. 
But I've moved on. Now that I find myself with so much free time again I thought I would make your life more interesting by letting you in on some of my favorite beauty discoveries from 2016. 

1. Love + Roses Beauty Mist. Some sort of rose water facial mist has been part of my skin care routine (re: splashing water on my face and sleeping in my make-up) for the last couple of years (because I love the smell and I'm lazy and whats easier then this?). This is my current favorite, cute bottle, smells great and it tastes good (am I the only one who get this in my mouth every time?).
2. St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub. Thanks to pregnancy hormones and getting older (eek!) I can no longer get away with my beloved water-splashing skin care routine. I've found the only thing that really helps keep all of the acne/dry skin/blackheads at bay is exfoliation. This is the best! It's cheap and easy to procure, both important because I use it everyday. It also has just the right amount of natural exfoliating without making my skin look like I took sandpaper to it.
3.Kaia Natural's The Takesumi Detox Bamboo Charcoal Deodorant in Cold Pressed Rose.  So wearing deodorant is pretty new to me, another lovely side-effect of pregnancy hormones is smelling like an onion who ate too much garlic for lunch. Seriously, look it up. I prefer to use natural deodorants and I love this one, though I no longer smell like a Shwarma restaurant. I love the rose scent and the charcoal doesn't seem to transfer onto clothing.
4. Herbivore Botanical's Blue Tansy Resurfacing Clarity Mask. I use this mask a couple of times a week as part of my pre-bed skin care routine. I love how easy it is to use, swipe on a thin layer, wait twenty minutes and wash off.  I can't say for sure, but I haven't had a break out since i started using it and i feel like it helps smooth my complexion.
5. Butter London's Iconoclast Mega Volume Lacouer Mascara. I'm a self-admitted mascara snob, it's the only make-up I have any sort of skill with so I get a little bit uppity about it. I love the great coverage, no clumping and good lash separation. I was a little surprised that it claims to be high volume, you would definitely need a couple of coats.
6. Glossier's Generation G in Cake. I can't wear lipstick, I just get it all over my face like a two-year old. I love Generation G because it's got a creamy high pigmented formula that goes on pretty shear and is build-able. This is also the perfect peachy-nude color and I actually wear is as a blush sometimes as well.

Ok, so I’ve been trying to get this post out for at least a week now, but I’ve been super distracted. Things are moving ever so slowly on the house buying front, and I’ve had it with this crazy holding pattern that we’re in. I need to know, and I need to know now! Mostly, I need to know if I can start packing yet…Things have ground to a halt while I wait to see if I should start filling boxes or not, and one of those things is the never-ending rotation of baby clothes. Any baby clothes smaller then 12 months goes through this crazy cycle of waiting for it to fit, wear it once and then its too small so you donate it and move on.

** Just a little update, this post now includes affiliate links, but was originally written before I had a relationship with the company and I wasn't compensated for any of the services or products discussed below.**

Luckily, I really hit the hand-me-down jackpot with this baby, which means that I can spend all of that money on silly over-priced shoes and frilly little outfits. So when I found Mac & Mia, a service that offers to ship you a box of baby clothes picked out by a stylist I couldn't resist. I was so impressed with the my stylist, not only is there a questionnaire when you sign up to help determine the style your looking for, but I was assigned an actual stylist who contacted me by email to further discuss what I was looking for and followed me on Instagram so she could get a better idea of how I was currently dressing the baby.

You can get a better idea of how the service works from their site here. All of the pieces that were sent to me were beautiful, well-made and that being said they did run a little on the expensive side around an average of $40 each. I ended up returning a few of the pieces mostly because Charlie already had something similar. For me this is just a little too expensive to do on a regular basis, but I will definitely consider it again during the next big growth spurt. If you’re a really busy mom who loves to put beautiful clothes on their kid but doesn't have the time to shop around then I would really recommend this service.  They will also shop for an occasion, so if you’re looking to splurge on a special birthday or holiday like Christmas or Easter, but picking out baby outfits isn't your thing let one of Mac & Mia’s stylists handle it for you.

It’s been a while, because you know…life. Things have started feeling very adult lately and its been stressing me out. Some thing had to give, and yes I have two babies and a house and a dog and a husband, and yes I should know how to adult. Some big and exciting changes are coming and I’m going to be super busy for the next little while, but I’m making a concerted effort to be more consistent with my posts. That being said lets talk about todays love list, because what could be more adult then reading a book about cleaning for your book club?

That’s right, I belong to a book club, normally we just drink and spend an inconceivably long amount of time trying to decide what to read for the next month. In January, to honor the new year we decided to each choose a different self-improvement book to read. New Year, new you, am I right? Can you tell I am not the self-improvement type, it conflicts with my natural sarcasm and carefully cultivated cynicism. Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up has been on my radar for a while. I have stuff that's constantly in need of tidying, and its promise of changing my life sounded self-help adjacent.

I highly recommend reading this book for the entertainment value alone. Between the translation from Japanese to English, the cultural differences, and the authors own quirkiness this book really is magic. And while I felt that you really had to embrace a true minimalist lifestyle in order to really utilize the Kondmari method I did pick up a tip or two. My folding technique is new and improved and my clothing has never been happier.

Read this if you're in desperate need of throwing out everything you own, and even if you're not, you wont regret it. And don't forget “storage experts are hoarders”!

Teething and nursing jewelry made instant sense to me once I had my first baby. Babies have an intense desire to grab your hair, face and jewelry, they do not have any interest what-so-ever in the fancy teething rings or toys that you have put an immense amount of time and thought into procuring for them. Unfortunately, I find most teething jewelry to be not to my taste, big clunky silicon beads in bright colors. Then I found these necklaces from The Little Biting Tree. They are made out of raw Indian Lilac wood beads ,a vegetable dyed wool tassel, and actually look like jewelry an adult might wear.

I’ve been wearing mine consistently since I got it. It’s great for keeping the baby from chewing on my clothing and I always have something for her to play with on hand. Who doesn't like an excuse to buy some cute jewelry?

I admittedly take terrible care of my skin. I don't wear make-up beyond mascara and some eyeliner so that probably helps, but a little splash of water and some sunscreen are about the extent of my skin care routine. Recently I’ve started to notice that my skin is not looking its best though, combine that with the postpartum hormonal acne and general sleep deprivation... something had to be done. In addition to making a concerted effort to cleanse and moisturize on the regular, I wanted something that would also treat acne scars, dark spots (thanks pregnancy) and maybe even some fine lines.

I feel like everywhere I looked on the interwebs these Sunday Riley products were being touted as the newest miracle in skin care. The Luna Sleeping Night Oil is an advance Retinol complex and is supposed to reduce lines and wrinkles. The Good Genes treatment is meant to brighten, refine and plump as well as reduce hyper-pigmentation. Sign me up! It's worth a try, right?

I’ve been using the products for the last couple of days. My husband can't stop telling me how great they smell and I have to agree with him. Since the Luna is a night treatment it's fairly heavy, but it hasn't bothered me and I hate the feeling of anything on my face. I’m not expecting any miracles in such a short time frame but I feel like I’ve already seen and improvement in the texture of my skin.

I’ll report back in a couple of weeks and let you know if I see any further improvements.

I had a bad week, and I felt like bitching about it in a post, but then I though I would just rather talk about shoes! Let’s talk about one of my favorite shoe designers, Loeffler Randall. Jessie Randall started her accessories company with her husband in 2004 and since then they have continued to make their mark on the fashion world.

I own a couple pairs of their shoes and they are the first thing that comes to mind when I’m looking for a new pair. I love the unique designs and fantastic quality of the craftsmanship. Most importantly they are really comfortable. I am only willing to suffer for my fashion to a certain point and I really hate that feeling when you put on a beautiful pair of shoes with the certain knowledge that you will be in excruciating pain by the time you get to the car.

When I first bought the Ella stacked heel bootie I was looking for a functional bootie that I could wear while chasing around a two year old. I will confess that the 3.25’’ heel had me a little concerned, but I loved the style and I knew how great the quality was. I bought them anyway. I am so glad I did because they are so easy to wear. I’m not saying go for a hike in them, but a day of errands and toddler wrangling is no problem. Okay, enough about my exciting life, you should go check out the shoes (and they make cute handbags too!).

Oh, did I forget to mention that they’re having a boot sale? Use the code REBOOT to get 25% off boots until 1/18/16!

Since my first pregnancy I’ve started using more organic and natural products,and I'm always willing to give a new company a try. Blueberries and Lace Organics produces high-end skincare products that are all natural, vegan, cruelty-free and handmade. I love that they are dedicated to making a quality product at affordable prices.

I’m totally hooked on deodorant creams, they are all natural pastes that use ingredients like baking soda and essential oils to help with body odor. I’ve tried a couple of companies and other than consistency and smell they all seem to work for me, and I’ve even converted my husband! Blueberries and Lace make both a women's and men's deodorant cream, the only difference being the essential oils used. The woman’s version has a pleasant lavender scent that reminds me of lavender short bread cookies.

The men’s version has cedarwood oil, and my husband says it smells like a log cabin is burning down, which means that he thinks it smells woodsy and smokey. I can confirm that it smells very manly. We both agree that this deodorant cream has the best consistency of any that we’ve tried, not too hard and not too greasy.

In addition, to the deodorant cream I could not resist trying their coffee scrub, and I’m so glad I did. It is a fantastic combination of coffee and peppermint, which is a great wake up in the morning. It also makes my face feel so soft and moisturized afterwards. If you do decide to try this product, and I highly recommend that you do, make sure that you stir it with a finger before applying it to your skin.

You should definitely check out the rest of their products, they also make some great stuff for baby’s, as well as some awesome looking masks that I can't wait to try.

If you’re looking for really cute organic and sustainable baby clothes and toys Finn + Emma is the place. All of their clothing has unique detailing, and the toys all have a beautiful handmade quality to them.

I couldn't resist the Penny 2 piece stroller toy set from their feather collection for my three month old. The bird is hand knit of organic cotton and stuffed with sheep wool, and the feather is made of untreated Indian hardwood and finished with beeswax.

If you want to check out more of Finn + Emma’s stuff you can do it here. They have some really cute pirate themed toys as well. Right now you can get 15% off all orders over $50 (and free shipping!) with this coupon code.