November Monthly Favourites Black Friday Cyber Monday J Crew L'Occcitane and Deciem

Time for another Monthly Favourites!  Coincidentally, we've just come off Black Friday weekend and today is Cyber Monday.  Last weekend was even more manic as last Monday began a second full lockdown.  Noooo.....  Hands up if you are feeling extreme levels of mental and emotional fatigue.  Admittedly, I scuttled out to the local mall to pick up a few things.  One thing I did get was another tube of L'Occitane 20% Shea Butter hand lotion.

I am sure I have mentioned this classic many times but there is a reason why this hand and body creme is a holy grail product.  I wear gloves whenever I go out.  My hands get so sweaty and hot in those disposable gloves.  Far from being moisturized, the constant heat and humidity plus being slathered in sanitizer regularly, means that my hands are dry as the Sahara Desert.  L'Occitane runs a fabulous program where, if you bring a skincare container/packaging to be recycled, you get 10% off your purchase. They will take any brand! I figured that doing this would be impossible online so I made sure to bring in a container and get another tube before lockdown.  However, I needn't have worried as L'Occitane is doing a sitewide 20% off Cyber Monday sale.  

I also picked up another bottle of Hylamide's Pore Control from the Abnormal Beauty Company.  It helps to control sebum production.  Again, it is a must-have for me nowadays.  Let me know if you want me to write a blog post on dealing with maskne.  Truly, I thought I had left the bad old days of breakouts behind me but this business of wearing masks whenever I venture outside has my skin going crazy.

Most helpfully, The Abnormal Beauty Company or Deciem ran their Black Friday sale of 23% off for the entire month of November!  This is such a brilliant strategy and really takes the pressure off.

I also ordered a pair of leggings from J Crew at 40% off the already reduced sale price.  I didn't even bother looking at dressy clothes because what is the point?  I just want comfy, casual, at home, clothes nowadays.  Truth be told, somedays I spend all day in my pjs.  Let me know if this is you as well. I hope they arrive while we are still in 2020.  Delivery times have gone completely sideways with recurring lockdowns and everyone doing so much of their shopping online.

via jcrew.com

Can you believe that tomorrow is December 1st?  I am toying with doing an edited version of Blogmas.  Hmmm, we shall see.  I think we should give ourselves a pat on the back for having made it this far. 

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Sea Salt Caramel Chip Cookies

 Hello Friends! I hope you are all safe and well.  It took a second lockdown but I have finally capitulated and joined the baking frenzy that has gripped the world.  I had been craving the delicious balance between the salty and the sweet that is sea salt caramel.  What could be more marvelously comforting than sea salt caramel chip cookies?  There is a plethora of basic cookie recipes out there.  Most helpfully, there was even a recipe provided on the back of the sea salt caramel chip packet that I used.  However, I drew inspiration from a marthastewart.com cookie recipe with a couple of tweaks of my own.  Of course, you can use any flavour of chip that you prefer.

Sea Salt Caramel Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups sea salt caramel chips (or any other type of chip)

Optional: 2 tablespoons of maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Beat together the butter, white and light brown sugars and the flour then add the rest of the ingredients. I used an ice cream scoop to measure out portions at least 2 inches apart on parchment paper or on a silicone baking mat placed on a baking tin. You can also use 2 heaping tablespoons. For added depth of flavour, I also added 2 tablespooons of maple syrup.  The smokiness of the maple syrup deepens the flavour profile of the molasses present in the brown sugar.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until the edges darken slightly in colour and the center is soft and chewy.  Let cool on a baker's rack and then store in an airtight container.

I have also tried butterscotch chips in this recipe.  Afterwards, I sprinkled a pinch of pink sea salt of top to achieve that sea salt caramel flavour.  

I experimented with different sizes.  I found that by pressing down slightly on each portion, the cookie dough would spread out in the oven and attain an amusingly large circumference.

What could be better with these scrumptious cookies than a cup of tea or coffee?

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October 2020 Monthly Favourites Mask Accessories Jouer Cosmetics Apple TV Long Way Up

 Hello Friends!  Can you believe we are marching towards Christmas in the most unusual year ever?  When Toronto went into its first lockdown way back in March, I just couldn't envision what the year's end would look like.  With the time change, the shorter, cooler days and a second lockdown, I feel like we have travelled back in time to March again.  

Now that we are months into the pandemic, one "fashion" trend that has emerged are masks and mask accessories.   Pictured above is reusable fabric mask printed with a star pattern.  I always have spare masks on hand whenever I go out and I store them in a pouch to keep them clean and hygienic.  I love the navy pouch above as it coordinates with the mask.  It is actually a pencil/pen pouch that I picked up from Chapters.

With masks mandatory in enclosed public spaces, there really isn't much need for makeup such as foundation, blush or contouring.  All the emphasis is on the eyes now.  I do still like a bit of concealer around my eyes so I was more than a bit concerned when I ran out of concealer and discovered that H & M had discontinued their makeup range.  Trying to find a new makeup product has been challenging to say the least these days when all the testers have been packed away and we can only "browse" with our eyes.  A lot of stores haven't adjusted their return policies to reflect the current situation so it is frustrating to take a chance on a product and then come home and realize it isn't suitable at all.  With fingers crossed, I settled on Jouer's concealer.  This is my first time trying out this line.  What initially drew me to this range is that they are cruelty free.  Jouer's Essential Concealer is high coverage and is supposed to have a soft matte finish.

I chose Wheat which turned out to be a fairly good match to my skin tone.  I have to admit that the jury is still out on this one.  It is definitely high coverage and a little bit goes a very long way.  However, it dries down in a blink of an eye which means there is basically no blending time whatsoever.  I recommend putting on moisturizer or some type of base first because, even though it is described as having a soft matte finish, I would say that the finish is very matte which may accentuate any wrinkles that you have in the undereye area.  It comes with a doe foot applicator which I like.  I am not sure if it is the jump from using an H & M product, which let's face it, is pretty easy on the wallet, but I experienced a huge sticker shock when I was searching for a replacement.  The average was around $40 for a name brand concealer at Sephora.  Maybe this is all part of the jump in prices for everything these days?  The price of $29.50 for Jouer's concealer sat a lot better with me, especially as there really isn't a lot of need for makeup these days.

Finally, but definitely not least, I have been doing a lot of binge-watching of late.  Currently, I love nothing better than to watch a travel documentary series.  After all, if you can't travel, watching a travel show is the next best thing.

via appleinsider.com

I look forward to Fridays as a new episode of Long Way Up gets uploaded to Apple TV on that day.  Long Way Up is a travel series starring Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman and follows their adventures on electric motorbikes from the southernmost tip of South America all the way up to Los Angeles.  It is the third installment in the Long Way series.  The first two were Long Way Round and Long Way Down which are also on Apple TV.  I highly recommend giving all the Long Way series a watch.  It is such a welcome break from the constant barrage of bad news from the media these days.  Travelling by motor bike, you are shown sights that are just breathtaking and which you would never see from an airplane.

If you have any good shows that you would like to recommend, please share in the comments!

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