The Weekly Roundup: Michael Kors Crossbody Bag and H & M Makeup Haul

Can you believe that the Labour Day long weekend is approaching?  Where did the Summer go?  The city is amok with students and their helicopter parents.  This Summer has been a roller coaster whirlwind for me with a lot of personal highs and lows.  Hopefully more peaceful days are ahead.  I just had some family members come in to town for a visit.  They were so kind as to give me my first Michael Kors bag.

I love the neutral tan that can transition effortlessly from Summer to Fall.  It is a very convenient crossbody with a strap that is a mix of gold chain and leather.

There aren't that many big summer sales left but I did score a nice H & M makeup haul.  It is H & M so their prices are already easy on the wallet but the sale prices will you have scooping up makeup by the handful.

I have always wanted to try invisible powder so one of these came home with me.  To date, I have been sceptical about invisible powder being truly invisible.  However, I can attest that applied with a light deft hand, you will not end up looking like Casper the Friendly Ghost.  I think I must have bought five tubes of the concealer.  I use it daily but there is only a tiny 2.2 ml in there which gets used up very, very quickly.  The $9.99 regular price may seem affordable but if you are having to replace it every couple of weeks, the cost can quickly mount.  However, at the sale price of $2.99, it gets the green light from me.

I am always on the hunt for pretty gifts that I can stockpile to give away.  This makeup palette has a great mix of matte and glittery shades that are perfect for Fall.  I haven't used a powder compact foundation in years but wanted to try out H & M's version ($5.99 on sale).  The gel nail polish in Bordeaux is a great Fall colour ($2.99 on sale).  

Can you believe that the next Weekly Roundup will be in September?

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LBH July Favourites: Essential Back to School Supplies, Muzmm Backpack and Discount Code, H & M Makeup, Urbio Wall Organization

Is it possible that there is only one month left to summer?  Say it isn't so.  I have finally caught on to the coral eye makeup hues that are trending right now.  These warm tones just seem so right in balmy weather.  H & M aren't really known for their makeup line but like their clothing line, their makeup features a lot of on point products.  And like their fashion offerings, the prices are kind to students or indeed, any one on a budget.

I picked up an eyeshadow in Ginger Snap for $7.99, a pressed powder and a bronzer for $12.99 each.  The eyeshadow is a lovely metallic copper, very pigmented and soft.  The powder and bronzer are velvety and very finely milled.  All three items were made in Italy, testimony to the quality.  I didn't experience any fallout with the eyeshadow which impressed me a lot.  I do find that there is a real difference between the H & M makeup products that are made in Italy versus another country.  I tried a palette that was made in China and the highlighter was gritty and the eyeshadows not very pigmented and felt quite coarse to the touch.  So, word to wise, check where it was made.  Obviously, for these prices, there won't be a luxe feel to the packaging. I have experienced lids snapping of compacts.  However, I do think that, considering the pricepoint and the quality of the product(s) it is good value for one's money. Bonus points that it is cruelty free. I think H & M's makeup definitely flies under the radar in the beauty world and I, for one, will be legging it back to pick up a few more of the eyeshadows.

Stocking up for back to school means a proper backpack to lug around a laptop and everything else a student needs for campus life.

via www.muzmm.com

The great thing about these backpacks from Muzmm is that they are convertible so they can be worn as a backpack, shoulder bag or duffel bag.

via www.muzmm.com

This means they work for travel or that emergency visit back to Mum and Dad's.  And for LBH readers, use discount code bleue10 for 10% off your purchase!

I picked a couple more pieces to add to my Perch by Urbio wall organization system.

via www.myurbio.com

I love that it's modular so you can customize it according to your needs.  The compartments are held to the backplate with magnets.  The backplates can be attached to the wall using Command strips or screws.  If you are a student, sending your child off to college or living in a rental, the Command strips are a fantastic solution for putting up a super stylish wall organizing system without damaging the walls. My old dorm room had cinder block walls (very jail like) and I wouldn't have been able to get any nails or screws into the walls even if I had been allowed.  Now, in my own home, I still opt for the Command strips as it is just so much easier to install. Plus, inevitably, I end up wrecking the wall every time I attempt to drill a hole. I get the Perch system from Staples. If you are in the Stayes, I think you can get them at the Container Store as well.

Bring on the last month of summer. I intend to savour every moment of it!

  

LBH Weekly Roundup: H & M Mini Haul, Breville Espresso Knock Box

Time for another Weekly Roundup!  In an effort to use up my H & M coupon which was expiring, I steeled myself for the miles of inventory and loud music and went back to H & M.  There is no doubt that it is a little tricky looking for basic clothing that is immune to trends in that emporium of fast fashion so I fell back on a staple piece in my capsule clothing wardrobe which is the cardigan.

I picked up a cotton cardigan in navy instead of black which is what I meant to get as I wasn't quite ready for the starkness of such a winter colour.  Also, I noticed that sizing varies wildly between colours.  A large navy can fit like a medium yellow and a medium navy can fit like a large black.  Sometimes the sizing can vary within colours and shipments as well.  So it is worth your time to try a few of the same size and size up or down as well before giving up.

I picked up a pair of H & M tweezers for Monsieur as he is always "borrowing" my trusty Tweezerman tweezers.  Funnily enough, he likes the H & M ones better because they are slightly wider so more suitable for his man hands.  I hunted around for more grooming tools but there wasn't much else.  I was really surprised to see the tweezers and, if there had been other tools on offer, I would have definitely been interested in purchasing them.

As well, I pick up a nail polish in "Ice Cold Milk" which I thought be good for French manicures or an allover clean look.  It was a bargain $2.00!  For that price, I might go back and pick up a couple more.  Last but not least, I picked up a concealer in Soft Sand.  It was $3.00.  I wanted to do a bargain price comparison between H & M and e.l.f's concealer in Fair.

They both have a similar feel and texture and dry down to a dewy finish.  I like H & M's doefoot applicator a lot better as it is bigger, softer and plushier.  H & M has a wider range of colours so it is easier to find one that is a good match for your skin tone whereas e.l.f only comes in a maximum of 3 shades.  They both last well without creasing.  Overall, I would choose H & M's concealer over e.l.f.

The final entry for this week's Roundup is the Breville Espresso Knock Box.

via Amazon

For years, Moniseur, who is a fierce coffee fiend, would knock out the coffee puck against the side of the kitchen sink.  To my horror, there are now innumerable chips to the very expensive granite counter as a result (sob, sob).  And then I discovered the Knock Box!  It is a stainless steel bucket with a bar across the top for tapping or knocking out the coffee grinds.  Ha!  I didn't even know that knock boxes were a "thing"! If you spend any time in a coffee shop and wonder what is that "knock, knock" noise that the baristas keep making, they are tapping out coffee grinds into a knock box.

And that is it for this week!

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LBH Weekly Roundup: H & M Cardigan

Time for another Weekly Roundup!  As a reward for donating so many clothes to the H & M used clothing donation campaign which I talked about here, I treated myself to a cardigan with one of my clothing donation coupons.  My favourite yellow cardigan shrank to doll size proportions so I was very pleased to replace it.  Perhaps it is the onset of hot and humid days but I am obsessing over citrus colours.  It is a one to one replacement which I am very pleased about as I put so much effort into culling my wardrobe and don't want to overstuff it again.  I have always loved cardigans as they make such a versatile layering piece, they can be dressed up or down and can even take the place of a dressy jacket.

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LBH Weekly Roundup: Nars Larger Than Life Long Wear Eyeliner, H & M Light and Shade Contour Duo

With the blindness of youth, I never envisaged the day when I would need to worry about fine lines, hooded eyes or the depressing effects of gravity.  It didn't happen overnight (or perhaps it seemed like it did) but I noticed that my favourite eye pencil wasn't performing like it used to.  There was constant smudging and I would look like a raccoon at the end of the day.  Glumly, it dawned on me that it wasn't the fault of the pencil but the fact that my eyelids were losing their battle against time and gravity.  Enter the Nars Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner.

It is supposed to last for 12 hours, be smudge proof and even comes with its own tiny sharpener.  I had assumed that the sharpener was located inside the cap but it is actually at the end of the pencil.  I got the shade Rue Saint Honore which is a deep metallic blue.  I have been wearing it every day for the past week and I will say that there was a learning curve.  Because it is supposedly smudge proof, you have to apply it quickly before it sets.  After it sets, it is almost impossible to build it up without having bits flake off.  It isn't very creamy and I find that it tends to catch and pull on the skin.  In terms of being smudge proof, tiny crumbs do fall off during the day and there is a small amount of smudging but not to the point where I am getting raccoon eyes.  I find that it is best used for tightlining and for subtle definition.  I tried doing a cat eye but didn't have an easy time doing the tail as I just couldn't layer the strokes.  I will continue to use it but am going to keep my eye out for a replacement.  Have you tried the Nars eyeliner?

I went into H & M, eager to use my clothing donation coupons (see my previous post).  I haven't stepped into an H & M in years and now I know why.  The blaring music, miles of inventory and the long lineup at the fitting rooms was really overwhelming.  Desperately, I kept going round and round the store looking for something to buy.  Truly, I felt like I meandering through the seventh circle of Hell.  Finally, as I was ready to give up, I stumbled across their cosmetics section.  Hallelujah!  I didn't know they had a beauty line and was pleased and relieved to pick up their Light and Shade Contour Duo.

I know contouring is all the rage but, until now, it is something that I have never tried.  Thankfully, it comes with an instruction pamphlet, perfect for us newbies.  The compact comes in 3 shades, Light, Medium and Deep.  I chose Medium because I like the highlighter which is pink toned whereas the highlighter in the Light compact is a frosty white.  The compact is a lightweight plastic and so doesn't have the satisfying heft of a more expensive brand.  However, this is H & M, home of fast fashion so the flimsy packaging is to be expected.  At $12.99 CAD, I figured I could try contouring and not have it hurt my wallet.  It is a cream formula so it is easy to blend and build.  I have been using a light hand as I don't want to end up with a scary Kabuki mask.  Are you a fan of contouring?  Any tips or suggestions for this neophyte?

I am going to kick off a 30 Day Wellness Challenge on June 1.  Please join me as I challenge myself to do one small thing a day to improve my overall wellness!

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H & M Clothes Donation Recycling Campaign #closetheloop

I was so pleased to see posters at my local mall announcing H & M's clothing donation campaign.  I figured it was a good incentive for me to declutter my closet.  Starting on the 23rd of May and running until the 28th, you can drop off a bag of clothing in any condition and receive a $10 H & M voucher or coupon.  Brilliant!  So far, I have dropped off 2 bags.  The first bag was easy and the second bag was a little harder.  It's been pouring rain for hours today so I didn't make another donation. Also, it has gotten progressively harder to put together another bag.  After hours of staring at my closet, putting something on the donate pile, changing my mind and taking it off, I needed a break.  I do think it is important to make decluttering fun and not overwhelming, so I called a halt when I felt myself getting really bogged down.  A word of warning here.  I made the mistake of making my first donation at the bin located inside the H & M store.  I had asked an employee where the bins were and was directed to a small bin beside the cash register.  There was a pile of forms for a giveaway and I assumed that the giveaway was the only incentive on offer to make a donation.  The 2 employees at the cash didn't give me any vouchers or attempted to tell me about the vouchers.  Then, I went out into the mall and, much to my chagrin, there was a huge booth manned by attendants giving out coupons for donations!  I asked one of the attendants why coupons weren't being given out in the store but the only explanation I was given was that she wasn't "technically" an H & M employee so couldn't answer my question and that possibly the "real" employees didn't know about the H & M campaign (???).  If you would like a coupon, make sure you make your donation at a drop-off point that is actually giving out the coupons.  All that aside, quite unwittingly, I am well on my way to using Marie Kondo's method of decluttering my closet espoused in her book, "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up," which involves going through every single item in your closet and making a decision on it.  And that, surely, is a good thing.

This is not a sponsored post.  Some links are affiliate links.