Each month I have full intentions of restructuring how I do my monthly favourites and each time, the end of the month sneaks up on me without warning and I’m stuck with the same old post. At this point I figure it’s just as well to finish off this year and start fresh in January but we shall see. I want to focus more on specific items that I really love, rather than keeping with this structured list of things. The downside of that is that I will have to take photos each month which means that I will actually have to do this before the very last minute, oops.


Song: I’ve mostly been obsessed with older songs this month, probably due to the amount of early-mid-2000s TV that I’ve been watching. Of course, they make me totally nostalgic for high school and then I get moody and sad.

Read: I read “The Couple Next Door” by Shari Lapena in two days, so needless to say I enjoyed it! It wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read but it was a quick, intriguing read. I’m currently reading “Dark Places” by Gillian Flynn which I am also really enjoying, but it’s a deeper, darker read than the other book and it’s taking me longer to get through it.

TV Show or Movie: I’m still obsessively watching One Tree Hill, though I have no hope of finishing it before November 30th. I’m also really enjoying This Is Us, especially Kate’s storyline.

Beauty Product: MyChelle was kind enough to send me some products for review and I have been loving the Refining Sugar Cleanser (expect reviews on all the products soon!). I’ve also been obsessed with the It Cosmetics Superhero Mascara which does an amazing job at volumizing my lashes.

Food: Thanks to a coworker, I’ve spent half the month craving Singapore noodles and general tao chicken, which I’ve eaten a couple times this month. We’ve also been eating a ton of squid (or “calamari” as some of you may know it) which makes me super happy as I haven’t been able to get any fresh squid for years.

Purchase: We’ve upgraded a couple small things in the house – a new mirror in our ensuite and new bedding in our room. There are definitely a few more things that I want to change but those two little items are making a big difference.

What are you loving this month? Leave a comment below!

Monthly Favourites: October 2016

Each month I have full intentions of restructuring how I do my monthly favourites and each time, the end of the month sneaks up on me without warning and I'm stuck with the same old post. At this point I figure it's just as well to finish off this year and start fresh in January but we shall see. I want to focus more on specific items that I really love, rather than keeping with this structured list of things. The downside of that is that I will have to take photos each month which means that I will actually have to do this before the very last minute, oops.

Song: I've mostly been obsessed with older songs this month, probably due to the amount of early-mid-2000s TV that I've been watching. Of course, they make me totally nostalgic for high school and then I get moody and sad.

Read: I read "The Couple Next Door" by Shari Lapena in two days, so needless to say I enjoyed it! It wasn't the best book I've ever read but it was a quick, intriguing read. I'm currently reading "Dark Places" by Gillian Flynn which I am also really enjoying, but it's a deeper, darker read than the other book and it's taking me longer to get through it.

TV Show or Movie: I'm still obsessively watching One Tree Hill, though I have no hope of finishing it before November 30th. I'm also really enjoying This Is Us, especially Kate's storyline. 

Beauty Product: MyChelle was kind enough to send me some products for review and I have been loving the Refining Sugar Cleanser (expect reviews on all the products soon!). I've also been obsessed with the It Cosmetics Superhero Mascara which does an amazing job at volumizing my lashes.

Food: Thanks to a coworker, I've spent half the month craving Singapore noodles and general tao chicken, which I've eaten a couple times this month. We've also been eating a ton of squid (or "calamari" as some of you may know it) which makes me super happy as I haven't been able to get any fresh squid for years.

Purchase: We've upgraded a couple small things in the house - a new mirror in our ensuite and new bedding in our room. There are definitely a few more things that I want to change but those two little items are making a big difference. 

What are you loving this month? Leave a comment below!

White Willow Box October 2016 Review

White Willow Box was formed in 2015 by Shab Ansari and is a Canadian lifestyle subscription box. Each box contains 4-5 lifestyle products, which may include beauty products, fashion accessories, food and culinary products, home decor, paper goods, and more. The subscription service recently switched to a bimonthly box, which means that you get one box every two months at a cost of $49.95 plus tax and $8.50 shipping. The total cost of the box was $66.03, which is a lot but I think the cost is worth receiving a box of goodies every two months.

I was on the fence about getting a White Willow subscription for a long time, mainly because of the cost. However, once I cancelled my Ipsy subscription, I decided to give it a try. I’ve always loved the products in the boxes and also that they are a Canadian service. However, the final selling point was the sneak peek of the blanket scarf. I am a sucker for blanket scarves and I loved the design of this particular one so I immediately went and ordered my first box.

After much anticipation, my box finally arrived on October 20th after leaving British Columbia on October 7th. The box itself was packaged in a brown mailing box with a “Fragile” sticker on the outside. The inner box is gorgeous with the White Willow label on the front. Inside the box, everything was wrapped in tissue paper and tied with a bow. The box was filled with shredded paper and anything breakable was bubble wrapped. I am definitely impressed with the effort that they make to protect their products in transit.

I received four items in my October White Willow Box, plus some bonus Lindt Pumpkin Spice chocolate truffles (yum!).

Rose Gold Mirror Photo Frame | I love anything mirrored and rose gold so this is definitely my style! It fits 4×6 photos and can be used vertically or horizontally. I think I will find a nice photo of me and Jordan and place this on my nightstand. Suggested retail value is $22, available here for $20.40.

Kaia Naturals Juicy Bamboo Gentle Facial Cleansing Oil Cloths | These wipes are 100% biodegradable and cruelty free, which is always great. Not only do they remove makeup but they also cleanse the skin without stripping it. They smell great and are packaged in a re-sealable matter so they won’t dry out between uses. I love getting wipes as I use them frequently while travelling! Retail price is $15.50 and can be found here.

Wildly Delicious Maple Pumpkin Butter | I’ve never had pumpkin butter before but I love pumpkin so I was more than willing to give it a try! I don’t get a strong maple flavour on this, more so just a light pumpkin taste. This can be used on toast, served with cheese and crackers, in coffee, or as a filling for baked goods. It retails for $6.50 (steal!) and can be found here, along with many other delicious-sounding flavours.

Blanket Scarf | Ah yes, the item that I was most looking forward to! This scarf is huge (hence the term “blanket”) and super soft. The included booklet features a number of ways that the scarf can be worn, which I can’t wait to try out. Suggested retail price is $40, however, it looks a lot like this scarf which retails for $30.

Even using the cheaper prices that I found online, the value of the box is $72.40, which is still more than what I paid for it. Would I necessarily have chosen all those items if I were in a store? No. But do I really like everything that I received? Yes! I love that I am getting products that I wouldn’t necessarily be able to easily obtain here. Plus, the products are so nice that even if I received something that I didn’t want to keep myself, I could definitely give it away as a gift.

I was initially only going to keep the subscription for one month, given the price. However, I really enjoyed this box and depending on what the sneak peek is for December, I think I will continue on with my subscription. This would also make a great Christmas gift for someone special in your life (hint, hint!).

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