Covet & Acquire

What it is: A collection of vegan, cruelty free and clean skincare products formulated with naturally derived hyaluronic acid.

Beauty bonus: The Truly Glowing Gel Cream absorbed very well into skin, with little residue feeling after.

Beauty bummer: A random one, but a comment worth making nonetheless — the gel cleanser came out way too fast, making us feel like we were wasting it.

Our take: This skincare line is another accessible choice into more conscious beauty, with the bonus of more refined ingredients. A high-powered combo of humectants and oils come together in these products to keep hydration in skin, which is perfect for the dry winter air. 

We found the Truly Glowing Gel Cleanser was a little more stripping than we expected, but still left most of skin’s lipid layer intact. 

The gel moisturizer formulas — the Truly Glowing Gel Cream and Gel Eye Cream —were our favourites, soothing skin and fast absorbing. While they may be a little too light for winter, these hydration helpers will for sure be something we grab for once the weather warms up.

Would recommend: Probably.

Price: From $12.99

Where to buy: Drugstores and mass retailers nationwide

I love a good winter white look. And this combination is no exception.

Inspired by a recent outfit post from Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, I loved the idea of pairing neutral pieces for a chic work-from-home outfit. There's something so effortless about a monochromatic look like this — even though it's essentially just a turtleneck sweater and off-white trousers. 

Plus, in an off-white shade, the look just feels oddly ... peaceful. 

I've styled several monochromatic looks over the past few years.  In fact, it's an approach to colour that I fall back on whenever I want to look pulled together, but don't have a lot of time (or want to put a ton of effort) into a look. 

I guess you could style it's a bit of a style secret of mine. ;) 

Sweater: Topshop | Bag: Chanel | Pants: Le Chateau

Tiffany & Co. is a brand that holds so many memories for me. 

When I was a teenager, I received my first piece of Tiffany's jewelry from my dad. That gift kicked off a love affair with the brand's creations — not to mention that telltale Tiffany Blue box — that continues to this day. 

The Atlas collection, which highlights the inspiration of the iconic clock positioned outside the main door of the flagship store on Fifth Avenue, has long been my favourite collection (If you haven't yet checked out the newly released Atlas X, I'd highly recommend that you do!). Followed, as one might guess, by the Tiffany T collection. 

The Tiffany T1 collection, released last year, took the letter-inspired release to a new level with a more 3D appearance. I immediately fell in love. Pictured here are three cherished Tiffany & Co. pieces — the Tiffany T1 Hinged Bangle in rose gold, the Tiffany T narrow chain bracelet in yellow gold, and the Tiffany HardWear micro link bracelet — each with its own special story. 

Do you have a favourite Tiffany & Co. design? 

I've been living in leggings lately, which is something I honestly never thought would happen. 

I don't have anything against leggings, I just don't typically choose them for 24/7 wear. But, as I continue to work from home, I find they're the most obvious choice for my daily ensembles. 

With this in mind, I've taken it upon myself to find ways to dress them up a bit. 

Adding a few stylish shackets (I last wore this oversized H&M shacket here) over my pink leggings from Girlfriend Collective was my latest attempt. I played with neutral colours, and stuck close to all things pink with a few outfit extras. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out — even if I'm still not quite pleased about the fact that leggings are my new go-to. 

Shop a few of my favourite leggings and shackets below. 

Jacket: H&M | Shacket: Aritzia | Leggings: Girlfriend Collective

Shoes: Reformation x New Balance

What it is: A face oil from Goop Beauty that features nine powerhouse natural oils including Bakuchiol, Amla and Cacay Oil. 

Beauty bonus: A little goes a long way! 

Beauty bummer: The scent, a mix of natural, earthy notes (IMO, at least), may be too much for some.

Overall: Face oils are a must-use in our beauty books. With several already in rotation, this one from Goop Beauty was a welcome addition. 

Three drops were all that was needed to fully cover the face. Using the Goop Beauty rose quartz facial roller, the application experience was elevated to more of a ... well, experience. 

It's lightweight and not overly oily, absorbing well into skin. With regular day-and-night use (as directed on the packaging), skin looked my hydrated and radiant. 

Would recommend? Yes. 

Price: $135 

Retailer: Sephora 

What it is: A new clean, curated beauty lineup created by Katherine Power (the mastermind behind Who What Wear, Versed skincare and Avaline wine) that promotes the idea of "Less is more."

Beauty bonus: We love that the products are clean, vegan and cruelty free.

Beauty bummer: If you're looking for full-on glam with lots of colour and glitter, this minimalist brand may not be for you.

Overall: This brand has created some big buzz surrounding its launch.

(Full disclosure: We were gifted these two products to try in advance of the release)

The idea of a beauty brand being about just the necessities is something we can totally get behind. Especially after a year like 2020, which saw many of us strip down our daily makeup bags to the bare minimum — if anything at all. 

We tried the Day Glow highlighter stick, an easy-to-use highlighter that provides a pretty, natural glow. We liked the lightweight formula, which was easy to smooth onto skin, blending in with either a fingertip or a synthetic bristle brush, as well as the subtle shimmer. 

The other product that we tried was the Brow 1980 brow pomade/gel. Brows are a big deal for me, so I was excited to try it. I liked the formula, which gave brows a groomed and subtly hued appearance. But, we found the brush a tad too big and the wand handle a bit too long. Perhaps we're just used to mini spoolie brushes and small handles of longtime brow favourites from the likes of Dior and Benefit. I also went back in with a pencil to fill in a few gaps after applying the pomade. 

Next time, I'd like to try The Minimalist foundation stick ... because when it comes to lightweight coverage, I'm here for it.

Would recommend? Yes. 

Where to get it: Meritbeauty.com

The jeans feature a 13.125-inch front rise (hello, high), with a wide leg opening that's advertised at 20 inches. The design is meant to be worn stacked at the hem. 

Fit bonus: If you love the Ribcage style, you're probably going to love these.

Fit bummer: At 5'8", I didn't find these jeans were stacked on me. Instead, they kind of had a weird length, not quite short but not quite long.

Overall: I've said it before and I'll say it again ... I'm a Levi's fanatic. Every new style that comes out I typically try (save for the skinny jeans). 

If you haven't already, be sure to check out my reviews of the Wedgie, Ribcage, Dad and Balloon Jeans. 

Not the biggest fan of wide-leg jeans (I prefer straight), I wasn't dying to try these ... but I knew I eventually would. And, ultimately, I'm glad that I did. 

These jeans are cute and mostly comfortable, albeit a bit difficult to style. I'm thinking that this flower-bedecked style from the Farm Rio x Levi's collab will be cute in the summer with a tank top and flat sandals. 

Truthfully, I found deciding on footwear a bit tricky. As for sizing, I found they fit pretty true to size. I took my usual 30 for a fitted ... well, fit. Much like the Ribcage, these fit super high, which can change the way they feel. I find I don't reach for these super high-rise jeans for everyday as I don't find them quite as comfortable as the Wedgie Straight (my true ride or die) and the Dad (please Levi's, bring these back). 

I see the brand has released a High Loose Tapered style, which I'm eager to try. 

Would recommend? Maybe. 

It was a year of some wonderful highs and a few terrible lows — and I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I wasn't exactly sorry to see it go. 

I'm cautiously optimistic for 2021, but I certainly won't be making any predictions or plans. The new year, more than any other that I can remember, seems too full of uncertainty for any of the usual forecasting. 

Not to mention festivities. 

So, as we near the kick off the brand new year, I hope everyone has a wonderful (and peaceful) start to 2021.

Happy New Year!