I love a good mystery: September’s Glossybox #beautybox

I received September’s Glossybox for review purposes. This post also appears on A Year of Boxes.

Glossybox is a U.S. beauty subscription box that typically comes with five deluxe or full-size beauty products ranging from trendy to high-end. At $21 USD it’s generally a great value for what you get and a fun way to try brands you may not have seen otherwise. (Glossybox draws from 400+ brands around the world.) September’s box includes a bonus mystery product. I didn’t look at the spoilers, so the contents were a complete surprise to me. 

Meet the Maker: Northern Ontario artist Julieanne Murphy-Steedman of Heirloom Island + A giveaway!

Julieanne created a custom map for me in exchange for this post.

Today’s post has been a few months in the making, so I’m really excited to finally be able to introduce you to a wonderful map maker and visual artist, Julieanne Murphy-Steedman of Heirloom Island. Julieanne and I have been following each other on Instagram since our friend Christine of Life on Manitoulin connected us a few years ago (it may be longer or shorter than that — my long-term memory is pretty crap and my short-term one’s not much better, ha ha) but it wasn’t until this spring that Julieanne reached out about collaborating. I love her work — her new series of maps of Ontario towns and cities fantastic! — so it’s been a pleasure to get to know her a little bit by email and share this interview with you. Julieanne mentions a couple of venues where you can meet her at the end of the post, but I’d love to flag the Ottawa one here again. You can catch her at Etsy Made in Canada at Carleton University’s Fieldhouse from September 27 to 29. Now to the Q&A! 

Five art prints I love and where to find them

Some of you have asked about a few prints you’ve spotted here and on social so I thought I’d do a quick round-up of my favourites and where you can find them. I’ve got all five in my living room right now; some new, some old, all under $33 CAD (including one you can download for free). 

Salud! Inside GlobeIn’s lastest Artisan Box

I received the August GlobeIn Artisan Box for free for review purposes. This post also appears on A Year of Boxes.

GlobeIn is a monthly subscription box featuring handmade, ethically sourced products from makers around the world. Each Premium Box has a theme and for August it’s the Salud Box.

Currently coveting

It’s late afternoon on a holiday Monday and no one is particularly hungry after snacking all day, the kids are watching a god-awful movie (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp) and I’m tempted to lie down for a nap even if it means I’ll have a hard time sleeping later. (Not like that would be anything new; I’ve always been a pretty crappy sleeper.) Fall is my favourite time of the year so it makes sense that this would be one of my favourite lists to make too. Here’s what I’m coveting this month. (Some things on-point for the season, others just super fun.)

What’s inside August’s Mapleblume box #luxebeauty

I received Mapleblume’s August box for review purposes. This post also appears on A Year of Boxes. 

“Babies don’t need a vacation, but I still see them at the beach … I’ll go over to a little baby and say ‘What are you doing here? You haven’t worked a day in your life!'” — Steven Wright •  😂😂 How are our beach days almost behind us already? Summer has flown by (not that I mind; fall’s really my jam) and here we are almost at the end of August. I have a couple of August subscription boxes to review that still haven’t arrived so you’ll probably be seeing those early next month, but I DO have August’s Mapleblume box and it’s a really good one. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a quarterly subscription box of luxury cosmetics and skincare with at least five full-size or deluxe sample-size products in every shipment. 

Wonder Plants 2: Your Urban Jungle Interior + Win a copy!

I received Wonder Plants 2 for review purposes. All opinions are my own. 

I almost brought another plant home from the grocery store today — a darling little philodendron in a simple terracotta pot — but my basket was already weighed down with milk and tomatoes and other essentials (and non-essentials) that I’d be struggling to juggle on the bus as it was. Adding a plant to the mix seemed like a recipe for a bad end so decided to leave if (or leaf it, ha ha) for another day. And now I think it’s just as well. I’d much rather save up for a giant statement-making plant that’ll add life to the living room where we spend so much of our time. Okay maybe two giant plants. Three if I’m being honest. And for that I blame Irene Schampaert & Judith Baehner. The pair wrote the book (well books) on living large with plants in Wonder Plants and Wonder Plants 2: Your Urban Jungle Interior and the 20 stunning green interiors and plant care tips inside have me dreaming of something similar at home. We looked at Wonder Plants in 2017; here today is peek inside Wonder Plants 2. 

August’s OatBox #breakfastbox

I received August’s OatBox in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This post also appears on A Year of Boxes.

OatBox is a monthly breakfast subscription box from Montreal that comes with two large bags of handcrafted granolas that are 100% natural and preservative-free, plus two recipes. Gluten-free boxes are available and subscriptions can be delayed or cancelled free of charge.

Glossybox: The Birthday Edition 🥳 #beautybox

I received the August Glossybox in exchange for an honest review. This post also appears on A Year of Boxes. 

This month’s Glossybox is a special edition birthday box celebrating the company’s eighth year in business. 🎉They typically come with five deluxe or full-size beauty products ranging from trendy to high-end; for August it’s a selection designed to make subscribers sparkle and shine. ✨✨