When I'm tired, toner is a step that I may skip out on during my nighttime routine. That being said, I definitely don't want to discount the value and truly wonderful results that a toner can bring into your life, which these two pretty bottles can provide. The FRESH Rose Toner ($45 US) is a very popular product, which works well to balance my combination skin. When I saw The Body Shop British Rose Petal-Soft Gel Toner ($18 CAD) this summer, I knew I had to try it out to see if they compare.
Fa la la la omg I love shopping for makeeeuuuupppp....
I think the best part about QUO is that it is extremely accessible. There's practically a Shoppers on every corner, and I've seen these goodies stocked and ready for the pickin'. The 2019 QUO Holiday Collection is immense, at 40+ pieces you're bound to find something to please any beauty lover in your life. Read on to see swatches of all of the items I received.
I loveee a good weekend road trip. For my birthday this year, I took Friday off work and we drove to Prince Edward County for 3 days. Enamoured by the endless rows of vineyards, chic inns (Hi, Drake Devonshire) and classic small-town-Ontario Main Street shops, I knew it would be a great getaway.
Finding a place to stay in the summer right near the "downtown" of Picton isn't easy or cheap, so Joseph found a lovely spot at The Owl's Nest Suites in Belleville which was about a 10-20 min drive from all of our desired attractions. I’d recommend staying either in Wellington or Picton if you can. This would allow for more walking and less driving, but the winding roads are still very fun as you get to see pretty fields, cows and horsies.
One disappointing fact was that it rained all day on Sunday, and it wasn't very warm overall. Because of this, we didn't get to visist Sandbanks and we avoided walking through the Provincial Parks due to the risk of flies and mosquitoes. I would love to go back again to enjoy the beach on a warm day.
The Owl's Nest has 3 "straw bale" suites, each a unique work of art. The sinks, shower tiles, back splashes, dishes and lamps are all hand made out of pottery by the owner, Janna. A lot of the furniture has been lovingly crafted out of salvaged barn wood. Each suite has its own entrance, washroom and kitchenette. Guests are welcome to bring their own goodies and prepare their meals in the suite kitchenette.
Check out my video for a play-by-play of the weekend, and see below for some recommendations on food and outings:
Here are a few things we did during the weekend:
Food
- Started off with buying some bagels and a chocolate banana loaf at What a Bagel along with some peaches and drinks/snacks for the road since there was no breakfast/restos close to our Inn
- County Canteen in Picton – visited for our last dinner, good food – got ribs, a bit salty
- Miller House for lunch – located at Lake on a Mountain, beautiful view, not much else to do there but go to restaurant/cafe
- We had a drink and dessert at the patio of Miller Inn after lunch - great view!
The Drake Devonshire Brunch
- The Drake Devonshire for weekend brunch – so good, got Eggs Benny and Classic Breakfast
- Prince Eddy Brewing Co – pretty patio with beach volleyball court, could be a fun place to hang around at or around dinner time. We went in the rain, so we just bought some beers and moved on.
Outings
- Sunflower Fields at sunset and ice cream - $5 entry per person, they also do yoga in the sunflowers, so cute
- Winery Tour at Sandbanks Winery – paid $45 ppn for 45 min yoga with Vicky, personal stone oven pizza and a wine tasting
The wine we bought
- At Sandbanks Winery we learned that even though Malbec is traditionally from France, some of the best ones are now from South America, and pair very well red meat. We learned about late harvest vs. ice wine (different degrees of sweetness), and I was also recommended Hinterland Whitecap VQA sparkling white wine, which I haven't tried yet - but definitely will over the holidays.
- Souvenir idea?I ended up buying the ingredients for a new cocktail recipe while visiting different wineries and distilleries, recommended by our wine tour leader Grace: Love Rosé, Juniper Gin from Kinsip, Orange Bitters and garnished with an orange peel
Want to do next time
- Alpaca farm in Wellington (bad weather but would have gone, close to lavender fields which were no longer in season)
- Presq’ile – no time to visit, we went to yoga instead. You must pay $20 to go in. It's a big provincial park to walk/hike around.
- Sandbanks beach – would have loved to go but we had bad weather
- Lavender – all gone for the season, next time (visit before mid-August, more sunflowers will be alive then too)
- Slicker’s Ice cream – a few locations, they close at 9 so you must go quick after dinner!
-County Cider Company – my colleague recommended the blood orange cider – really unique, didn't try it
The knotted headband has saved me over the past few months, especially on second or third day hair. I simply brush all my hair back and throw on the band. I find that they even look good with glasses, which isn't easy since most headbands just don't jive with glasses. The most important part to note is that these are hard headbands covered with the silk knotted fabric. My head shape does not jive with stretchy or soft, round headbands. I find that I'll be clenching my head muscles (yes, that's a thing) to keep them from slipping off - or repositioning 500 times throughout the day. In addition, these ones with the opening at the bottom allow me to wear my hair down, and there are no bumps at the nape of my neck.
It's official: I've found my perfect hair styling tool. I used the REVLON PRO Salon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer for the first time in this video below, and it was very self-explanatory, providing perfect results.
SlimWave is a body sculpting, non-surgical treatment that uses EMS (electro muscle stimulation) technology to target and tone your muscles. The 45-minute treatments create firmness and strength by stimulating the body's natural fat burning and toning process - without having to haul your a** to the gym.
With SlimWave you can also target several areas at the same time. This stimulation from the electrical currents also increases circulation to the skin, which will improve texture, tone and reduce cellulite (waa hoo!). The interesting part of SlimWave is that it works 100% of your muscle fibres, while exercise alone only works around 60% of muscle fibres. It is exercise for those who aren't able to do the work, or a fabulous way to tone up the most stubborn areas of the body (hi, lower abs and inner thighs). Especially in the winter or during busy times of the year, it’s great to have the option to keep your muscles activated through a low-impact, high-intensity treatment like SlimWave.
As a longtime lover of Essence Cosmetics (reviews here) I've been wanting to try their sister brand CATRICE Cosmetics for many many years. Hailing from Germany, this is a European drugstore brand that has finally made it's way to North America. You can find CATRICE at Shoppers Drug Mart - shop online here. Below you'll find my tutorial using and reviewing a ton of products from CATRICE, and a few new items from AVON as well.
When I shop for beauty products, it's almost exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart. Between their PC Optimum Points and access to both high and low-end brands, I always leave feeling satisfied. When thinking about my favourite brands for makeup brushes, low-end options like Real Techniques, EcoTools, ELF and Royal and Langnickle come to mind. That being said, a few of my absolute favourites are from a very old QUO set that I received for Christmas. QUO has always been an intriguing brand, and one that I've gone to for manicure tools and the occasional blush. I was fortunate enough to dive into their skincare, makeup, awesome new brushes at an event this past spring, all of which I've used in heavy rotation. Quo’s new brush collection is completely synthetic, cruelty-free, vegan friendly and responsibly made. The bristles are called “the new naturals” and will last a lifetime if cared for properly.
