Dear September…

My heart is open

Full of emotions

A little anxious and worried

Online learning

Everything is different

All around us

Nothing is the same anymore

Masks and distancing

Fear and Government

2020 is a real mess

I’m wondering who and why

Have we forgotten where this started and why?

Who’s to blame for the downfall of humanity?

Many lives lost

Many loose their jobs and homes

Is this all about control, money and power?

God I hate politics and the men that run this shit show.

Nothing will be the same anymore

Or maybe it will be okay?

This is affecting people in more than one way

Mental Health is a huge issue as well.

I truly pray and hope that things will be okay.
I’m trying to stay hopeful and positive…trying.

“I am a detective, I am a decipherer, and I am a finder of lost souls. My life is my own. And the future is up to us.” – Enola Holmes

The character Enola Holmes believes that our future is up to us. I don’t know why but this brings tears to my eyes. Is our future up to us? I hope we can be free again to travel, to go to places, to hug one another. I hope that we can one day get together again without having fear.

Travelled to Stratford Ontario

A busy little place full of commotion and life.

Social distancing in effect. Every shop had hand sanitizer and everyone wore masks.

I took these pictures of less crowded areas but the place was busy as can be.

Great book stores and the river is beautiful. It wasn’t quiet that’s for sure.

I kindly received beautiful *Gifted items in September.

Thank you to PIXI Beauty and AVON.CA

New Sateen Dreams Glimmershadows. They are so pretty and easy to use. FMG Glimmershadow Liquid eyeshadow Buildable Silky Cream Formula glides on effortlessly for a soft, subtle sheen that lasts all day. Water-resistant Crease/smudge-proof, Paraben/Phtalate sulphate free. 2ml $14.00 Avon.ca

Pixi Beauty eyeshadow palettes and blush quads are so stunning! The quads have two blushes, a bronzer and highlight. I love to mix them up and use a bit for eyeshadow sometime and even add the bronzer in the blush for a darker tone. No rules here. Freedom to mix and do what you like. I love these colours for Autumn. So beautiful!

Top left Hazelnut Haze has beautiful warm colours of cream, gold, neutral, bark, sage, bronze, russet, copper and deep.

Top Right Rosette Ray has pretty sweet pink colours like, French Rose, Ice, Glow, Plum, Mocha, Wine, Berry Mushroom, black Tulip.

Bottom Left Blush Honey Nectar has beautiful warm tones of Nectar, Honey, Syrup and Ambrosia.

Bottom Right is Sugar Honey that has a pop of Blossom, Sugar, Rosewood and Petal.

Thank you so much for reading my post. I have a few blog posts planned and scheduled for October. I hope you enjoy them. I truly hope that you have a beautiful Autumn. Thank you so much for all your support and love.

Goodbye October!

I can’t believe that October has come and gone. It was truly wonderful. Thanksgiving was lovely. Spending time with family was really special and dressing up for Halloween was super fun. You can have a look at all my VLOGTOBER videos if you like. It was so much fun filming everyday. I loved it so much. I thank you for all your support and love that you’ve showed me. It means so much to me.

I can’t believe I did so much in October. Sometimes I don’t realize it until I look at all my pictures. I feel tired. I gave October my full energy. Now that October is over I feel a little down. I’m trying hard to stay positive. I know the winter will be beautiful and very special too. I just have to remember to take good care of my self and toss all the Halloween candy out. More green tea please!

I usually plan a lot of blog posts at this point and think about what my next project will be but as Winnie The Pooh says “Doing nothing often leads to the very best kind of something”. That is my motto for now.

I hope you all had a lovely October and I wish you the very best in November. May you have a beautiful month! Thank you all for your lovely comments and support.

To New Beginnings!

My little Angelina graduated from kindergarten and is off to grade one. Time goes by so fast. My eldest is heading to grade 6! I’m nervous for both of them but also very excited.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkitDmyABJ0/?hl=en&taken-by=bestdayblogger

Today is the last day of school. I thought it was Friday but it isn’t. I woke up with a sore throat and I can feel something happening behind my eyes. I took a vitamin C and zinc tablet along with a natural throat spray. I guess i’m a bit stressed and worried. I do this to my self and I shouldn’t. When I think too much my immune system breaks down. I’m thinking about my girls having a good summer. I’m thinking about finding a job. I’m always thinking about being the best mom that I can be and how I can make things better all the time. I’m thinking about the education system and lifestyle in Toronto. Even though things are fine and will be fine I always do this. I really want the best for my girls.

I need to live in the moment more. I try…believe me I try.

The garden is growing nicely. I’ll be vlogging this long weekend. I vlogged a bit of the garden if you like to have a look.

I’ve been loving some new PR that has come my way. I’ve been enjoying Garnier Skin Active line. Everything is super amazing with lots of hydrating benefits. I love how gentle the gel wash is. The face mist is so lovely for the summer. I carry that with me in my bag. I love to use it anytime I need my skin to feel refreshed. The Soothing balm is so good and I love using it as a mask. The wipes are brilliant and gentle and take my makeup off perfectly. I Love them! Thank you Garnier Canada for these beautiful skincare products. All the Garnier Skincare products are now paraben free!

I’m madly in love with the Make Up For Ever Artist Pencils. So creamy and soft on the lips. They come in 39 shades. They are intense matte colours. Very creamy and blend so nicely. They are $23.00 each. They are sold at Sephora and Sephora.ca. The nude colour is 602 completely Sepia and the burgundy one is 718 Free Burgundy.

I’m wearing the 718 Free Burgundy

Thank you to Make Up For Ever for the incredible samples. I adore them so much. I’m truly grateful.

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I’ve been using the VICHY Aqualia Thermal Serum and face cream. #Freesamples via Influenster Canada. I love them so much. The packaging is super cute. I love the formula of both these products. First time using Vichy and I love them! Very light formula that is super hydrating and makes my skin feel very good and soothed. Thank you so much Influenster!

I absolutely love Le Petit Marceillais body wash. The red one is my favourite but then this new one came out and it’s Mandarin Lime and I love it! They are all very lovely body washes. They smell so good and foam up beautifully. Love how clean my skin feels. Fabulous!

How cute are these nails? I love them! Thank you to Nailpolish Canada for the lovely Canada Day nail Vinyls they sent me. I’m truly grateful. Perfect to Celebrate Canada Day. Did you get your free sample? Check out my post.

Get Your Free Canada Day Nail Vinyls!

Thank you to Chickadvisor for the lovely samples of Canada Dry Club Soda Pomegranate Cherry! I love it! So refreshing.

Thank you so much for all the lovely PR! I’m very excited to show you more samples that came in this week.

Would you like to see more?

Off to the next post! Have a lovely Thursday everyone!

Time To Live In The Moment

During March break I got the flu and it caused me to slow down. I had time to teach art and do a lot of soul searching and living in the moment. I enjoyed being away from social media and blogging. I enjoyed it so much that I’m calling a halt to blogging for the time being. I pushed my self into doing a lot of work and creating a lot of content. I’m the type that likes to deliver good and amazing photos and create amazing blog posts. I always go above and beyond and this has caused me to feel anxiety and stress. The opposite reason I got into blogging.

Some people think its amazing to received PR samples, don’t get me wrong I’m grateful and I don’t want to sound rude. PR Samples come with a lot of work. When I receive samples I photograph them, read up on the product, I test it out for a while, write a blog post and do a video sometime. I put a lot of time and effort into it and sometimes way too much.

The funny thing is that people with high social media following sometimes receive PR samples and all they do is show it on camera and then say “oh look! Thank you so much for the samples” and they are done. Wow right? Then I look at my self and say “what the fudge! Something is wrong here! I literally spent over 8 hours or more on one blog post!” How come I have to do so much work and they just showcase it like the friken Price is Right!

My time is valuable to me and I need to use my time wisely. So I don’t want to work for free anymore. I’m done with it. I think this happened to me last spring as well. But it is my fault I fell back into it. I truly feel that no one should work for free. I don’t care if it’s the most expensive or posh brand. I won’t do it anymore.

My future posts will be more lifestyle, recipes, art, culture and travel. I will have some products but they will be products that I’m finishing up and products that I buy on my own.

*I can feature products on my blog from PR but I have a fee. Please have a look at the PR and DISCLAIMER Page.

In April I’ll be mostly living in the moment and vlogging on my vlog channel. I like vlogging because there is no pressure and it feels relaxing. Please Join me there if you like. I will also do a couple of blog posts like I did last spring and summer of my travels in and around Toronto.

Here is a piece I did when I was teaching art in March. The kids and I worked on Abstract and collage work. We used a small sponge foam to paint instead of brushes. I enjoyed challenging the students’ to use foam shapes instead of brushes. I’m currently planning a Spring Painting Party for Kids and one for Adults.

I’m truly grateful for everything that has come my way. I’m truly blessed and I definitely need more courage in my life do you? Sending you oodles and oodles of Courage in your life to speak up and do what you love. We learn from our mistakes and weaknesses and it’s okay to have faults and bumps a long the way. I encourage you to learn from mistakes and not to be so hard on your self. We are only human and the beautiful part is living, loving and learning.

Currently Reading the book The F Word , written by Lily Pebbles. She is a YouTuber and now a number one selling author. The book is lovely so far and talks about friendship. I look forward to reviewing this on my blog.

So my friends, this is a beautiful new beginning and I’m very excited and happy. I feel courageous and inspired. I look forward to April and I feel it will be a MAGICAL one!

Until the next blog post,

Much love and positivity!

xoxoxo

Maria