MY SINGLE LADIES

I’m new to this group. I was always perpetually in a relationship, and just recently moved out of my beautiful home with my “forever” love. Here I am, single…and genuinely enjoying it.

via Cosmopolitan

via Cosmopolitan

I have recognized so many women resenting their single status. It’s as if it’s a plague or a curse. Here I am, to shed some light on single life…and all the beautiful things it has to offer.

• The silence in your home to tackle all of the chores that you want to tackle
• The. Entire. Bed. To. Yourself. (So much sprawling = so much happiness)
• Having too many martini’s and shamelessly kissing that beautiful Scottish man at the bar
• Choosing your own series on Netflix
• Dating has taught me so much about myself. Really think when somebody asks you pertinent questions like: “What trait matters most to you?” and “Where do you want to be in five years?” You might surprise yourself with the answers you offer.

• You will never have filthy beard shavings scattered in your sink.
• You will never have to put up with the worlds most annoying argument over car music.
• No in-laws
• You can wear those comfortable period panties all month long.
• There are no arguments, there is no rollercoaster, there is no blowup of text messages over a meaningless fight.

• Lastly, and most importantly – the freedom to chose any life you want to live at every single moment of your life

via Cosmopolitan

via Cosmopolitan

The man will come ladies – the wonderful, prince charming-esque man who will fulfill your wildest dreams and will give you the most extraordinary love that life has to offer. Until then, enjoy the life in front of you…kiss the Scottish man and hog the bed and love your single status. It is not a curse, it is a privilege to have the opportunity to learn who you are and grow into the woman you were made to be.

What is the best part of your single life?

Sweet dreams, my loves,

THE LITTLE THINGS

Hey loves,

I have officially hit the January blues. All of the joyous Christmas festivities are over, and as a Canadian, I am looking towards another 3 months of dreaded, snowy, miserable winter. January blues is a reoccurring thing for me every year, missing the festive season and counting down the moments until I can put my short shorts on for the first time of the year.

Due to this awful feeling, I’ve decided to compose a list of all the little things in life that make me truly, genuinely happy. I figured it would be worth the share to lift any of your spirits who are experiencing the same down feeling as I am.

1. Which leads me to my first point – the first time of the season that I slip into those denim short shorts and suddenly feel FREE.
2. Waking up and realizing you have 3 more hours to sleep before the alarm goes off.
3. Sore muscles the day after a good workout. They are just telling me “you worked me good, you’re on the right path!”
4. The green hue from the distance that the trees get in the spring when the buds are just starting to pop up.
5. Getting a whiff of your favourite perfume throughout the day reminding you that you smell great
6. Opening a hot, fresh box of delivered cheese pizza after a 45 minute wait
7. A quiet Saturday night after a hot bath, with countless hours to look forward to of Netflix, silence and alone time
8. The highly anticipated first kiss that sends butterflies down to your very core
9. That “ah ha” moment when learning new information when everything just clicks
10. The birds chirping on a summer morning
11. The scent of freshly mowed lawn
12. When you get an unexpected flower delivery
13. Remembering a fond memory so vividly that it feels like a warm hug
14. Just happening to see strangers do something so beautiful that it makes you smile – maybe a mother kissing her newborn baby, or an elderly couple holding hands sitting on a park bench
15. First stepping into the hot bath
16. As women, we pick ourselves apart. We are our own worst enemies. However, those moments where I offer myself complete acceptance – I look in the mirror and can think “you look nice today, and I like your heart”. The moments where I can see myself offering love and friendship to myself, those are good days.
17. Running past your breaking point, and that feeling of accomplishment after.
18. Getting home from a salon appointment and appreciating your new ‘do.
19. Lighting a brilliant smelling candle for the first time.
20. Recognizing your yoga poses are improving.
21. Having your pup cuddle up on your lap and look at you with loving eyes.
22. That little noise a pop bottle makes when you crack the seal.
23. Getting into bed after a few drinks and feeling as though there is literally nothing that could ever beat the feeling of your head on the mattress.
24. Making a new friend.
25. Deep, genuinely happy, belly laughs.

What are some things that make you the happiest version of yourself?

 

2017 Resolutions

Hey lovelies,

With 2016 ending and the holiday festivities winding down, I’ve finally had some time to reflect on how I want to grow this year. I figured I would share my five resolutions for 2017.

1. Self-love
   • In 2017, I want to commit to loving myself. As a dieter, who trains similarly to those who compete in bodybuilding competitions, I often criticize myself for weight gained here and there. I want to love myself at any size.
   • Learn to leave relationships that no longer serve me. I deserve the respect I give other people. Love myself enough to demand love back.
2. Fitness
   • As previously stated, I’m already pretty fit. I’m comfortable in the gym, and have been for about 6-7 years now. However, I would like to add different workouts into my fitness routine (yoga, bootcamps, running, etc.) I want to constantly feel challenged instead of always being stagnant in my current routine.
3. Spirituality
   • I always actively try to be kind to others. This year, I want to try and abolish my opinions and make an active effort to always come from a place of understanding and love.
   • Continue to have an open mind to the universe and the world around me. Continue to read and fuel myself with information in an attempt to become awakened.
4. Career
   • Continue to excel in my schoolwork, but mostly write. I want to commit to this talent of mine and really give it my all.
5. Relationships
   • Forgive others. This is my most important resolution. After painfully leaving a trying relationship, I often find myself with aftershock anger. I want to forgive this broken bridge, as well as any other people that I am harbouring unnecessary anger towards.
   • Forgive myself. Forgive myself for outgrowing my relationship. Forgive myself for not allowing myself to stay in my relationship. Forgive myself for hurting when I needed to hurt.

Happy New Year, everyone! What are your 2017 resolutions?!

I am sending you all of my love and positive energy going into this new year.

2016 Favourites

Hi lovelies,

Can I be the first to say it? 2016 was a bitch. Regardless of that, there are some standout products that I have been loving throughout the year. Some have been released in 2016, whereas others I have just discovered this year – regardless, I would love to share!

Best Foundation

via sephora.com

Diorskin Forever Perfect Makeup Foundation Broad Spectrum 35 – pricey foundation, but leaves a beautiful natural, medium-coverage finish that lasts all day (added bonus, theres already SPF in it, which makes your morning routine that much easier)

Best Bronzer

via sephora.com

via physiciansformula.com

Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer Murumuru in Light – since I’ve purchased this, I cannot put it down. It’s the perfect satin matte bronzer, that leaves a subtle, natural glow (it also smells like pina colada, which brings me back to summer paradise every time I open it)

Honorable Mention: Too Faced Sweethearts Bronzer in Sweet Tea – whereas the Physician’s Formula was matte, this bronzer definitely does have a luminous finish, therefore, I reserve it for summer. When I’m sunkissed, this bronzer adds an extra kick to my complexion.

Best Blusher

via sephora.com

Clinique Cheek Pop in Nude Pop – The perfect natural flush of colour for my skin tone – especially in the summer.

Best Highlight

via anastasiabeverlyhills.com

Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in That Glow – absolutely gorgeous! I love the variety too. I especially love mixing bubbly and sunburst.

Best Fragrance

via sephora.com

via sephora.com

Winter perfume – Thierry Mugler Angel – this fragrance is definitely not for everyone. I love it though because it is so warm and cozy. Once it settles on the skin, it’s a truly exceptional scent, perfect for the colder months.

Summer perfume – Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb – I’m clearly behind on the bandwagon here but THIS SCENT IS OUTSTANDING. Sweet, floral, sexy.

Best Moisturizer

via amazon.com

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel – I have combination skin. Can be incredibly dry, yet gets oily throughout the day and I suffer from semi-frequent breakouts. This moisturizer is perfect. Hydrates my skin enough that I don’t suffer from dry patches, yet not too much that I will become extra-oily. It doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin or clog pores. I have tried many high-end moisturizers (First Aid Beauty, Origins, Murad, etc), yet nothing holds a candle to this. This is probably my standout product of the year – and it smells beautiful!

The Hometown

In just a couple short days, I am set to take a road trip to my hometown. I’m anticipating sitting on the lakeside benches, staring out at the quiet, frozen lake. In summer, my hometown is a tourist attraction. In winter, it is a sleepy little ghost town, with nothing but imagined echoes of splashing children, broken curfews of the town’s teens, and frisbee in the wading water.

But to me, year round, this tiny little town has always been, and will always be, home. On many occasions, I have found a broken C running back to her roots, looking for enlightenment. It was just recently that I realized how big of a paradox this is. It is my safe haven, a population that can fill me of bliss. This is something I have never understood, as it holds my deepest struggles, and my most profound pains.

Isn’t it funny how the most haunting of places can still be the most comforting? I can still see a younger version of me playing with my mom in our back yard, and a freshly adolescent me skipping class with my forever best friend. I can still picture barbecues on the back deck on a hot summer day, during the simpler times. Wherever I end up in this world, I will always return home.

Ironically though, this sleepy little town still houses a steady bang on the counter when my mother read my brother’s suicide note. This sleepy little town still holds a seven year old creeping out of her room to see chaos, and to hear the enclosing sound of ambulance sirens. This sleepy little town owns my innocence being ripped from me when I learned the definition of “suicide” as it was being followed by my brother’s name. This sleepy little town takes ownership for my increasing inability to fall in love, in fear of being betrayed and abandoned, just like I was so many years ago.

Yet, I will go back this weekend, and will peer out at the frozen lake, with the huts of ice fishers. I will once again go back and ask the water: What is my next move? Where do I go from here? And like so many times before, a seven year old C will appear beside me, and I will feel whole again. If only for a moment.

Sephora VIB Must-Haves

Hi lovely ladies,

It is FINALLY that time of year again, where I can rack up my Sephora shopping cart and spoil myself with all of the purchases that I refused to buy over the past six months. I thought I would share what I have ready to go so far:

• Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Perfume
  • I love this scent. It’s so feminine, floral and sweet.
• Sephora Favourites Beauty Unmasked 
  • This comes with a variety of masks including Origins and Glamglow.
• TOO FACED Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar
  • I love the warm colours in this palette, and I have yet to actually own a chocolate bar palette of any variety.
• GLAMGLOW DREAMDUO Overnight Transforming Treatment 
  • MannyMUA swears by this. I love a good overnight treatment, and I love a good plumping effect.
• Giorgio Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Foundation
  • Just because I couldn’t justify paying full price for this baby.
• Lancomė La Vie Est Belle Eau De Parfum
  • Another floral, sweet perfume that I have been dying to add to my collection.

What is in your shopping cart for this VIB Sale? I’m always looking to add more.

Happy Humpday,

All photos from Sephora.com

END OF SUMMER | FAVOURITES

Hi sweets!

Summer in Canada is coming to an end. Our hot, sunny days have been replaced with reddened leaves and rain. It’s been a nice change of pace, and I’m excited to get my scarves out for the season change.

Along with that, I have a few favourites to wrap up the summer:

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Fragrance Favourite

Dior Blooming Bouquet – Unfortunately, with summer coming to an end, this scent will likely be locked away until Spring. It is so light, and airy – such an easy, beautiful, girly scent. In the words of Charles Gross, it smells a lot like “raspberries that have been left out in the heat”.

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Beauty Favourites

It Cosmetics CC+ Illumination – When I first received this, I was on the fence about it. Usually I will mix it with a matte foundation to tone down the dewey-ness in it, but it leaves a lovely finish to my skin.

Too Faced Sweet Tea Bronzer – Another product best suited for summer, it gives such a beautiful, sunbeam glow.

MAC Melba – I’ve mentioned this in a favourites before. I just keep going back to it. It’s a perfect blush for any makeup look.

Sephora Radiant Luminizing Drops in Morning Light – These are gold. They create such a natural glow at the high points of my face.

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Random Favourites

Bath and Body Works Leaves Candle – I treated myself with my annual fall candle shop at Bath and Body Works. In previous years, I have never picked Leaves up. However, after hearing Zoella rave about it, I did. I have loved the scent!

Hunter Rain Boots – The mass amounts of rain we have gotten lately, has given me the excuse to pull my Hunters out again.

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Music Favourites

Way Down We Go – Kaleo

Rise Up – Andra Day

Carry Me – Kygo ft. Julia Michaels

Closer – The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey

Corner Booth – Luke Bryan

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Alright, I hope you all had a lovely month. What are your recent favourites? What are you doing to prep for the changing seasons?

Thanks for reading, xx

RIDE OR DIE | TAG (Jaclyn Hill)

Hi babes!

The lovely Jaclyn Hill has created another Youtube trend, called the Ride or Die tag. Below are my #1 products for every make up product category.

Primer

• Becca Backlight Priming Filter – for illuminosity and glow
• Benefit Porefessional – to smooth and blur

Foundation

• Maybelline Matte and Poreless

Concealer

• Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer

Face Powder

• Maybelline Better Skin Face Powder

Under Eye Setting Power

• Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Setting Powder

Blush

• Mac Melba

Bronzer

• Benefit Hoola

Highlight

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in That Glow

Mascara

• Benefit They’re Real

Lipstick

• Rimmel London Airy Fairy

Liquid Lip

• Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita

Eyeshadow Palette

• Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette

Setting Spray

• MAC Fix Plus

Perfume

• Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black – such a sexy scent
• Dior Hypnotic Poison – always my go-to on a date night, a little romantic mixed with a little sexy

Honestly, if anything, this tag really showed me what I needed to purchase during the Sephora VIB Sale!

What are your Ride or Die products?

Thanks for reading xx,

(Disclaimer: featured image of Jaclyn Hill taken from Jaclyn Hill’s Instagram page)

SEPHORA | HAUL

Hi everyone! I’ve missed you all. I hope your week is filled with so much love and light.

As I’m sure majority of you know, the Sephora VIB Sale just passed. I did a little damage there, and wanted to share my purchases with you guys. After that, I purchased a few drugstore makeup items, so I thought I would add that as a little bonus.

 

• Clinique Cheek Pop in Melon Pop ($28.o0 CAN)
• Beauty blender Nude ($28.00 CAN)
• Smash box Photo Finish Primer Water ($15.00 CAN for travel size)
• Too Faced Sweetheart Bronzer in Sweet Tea ($38.00 CAN)
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in That Glow ($52.00 CAN)
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brush #12 ($23.00 CAN)
• Sephora Collection Radiant Luminizing Drops in Morning Glow ($19.00 CAN)
  • Credit for these goes to the beautiful Nicky Brattina over at thisblissfulmoment
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Lipgloss in Melon ($23.00 CAN)

 

• L’Oreal True Match Lumi Light Infusing Foundation 
• L’Oreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer
• Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer

 

Did you shop at the Sephora VIB Sale? Let me know if there are any products you would like a review on!

Have a beautiful week,

P.S. let’s take our friendship to the next level on Instagram! (For an embarrassing amount of dog pictures)

MARCH | FAVOURITES

Happy April, you beautiful souls!

 

I wanted to do a roundup of a few of my favourite beauty products for the month of March, as well as a few lifestyle favourites…and a new addition to the family. I also included one of my new favourite perfumes. So…let’s get to the favourites!

• Benefit Hoola bronzer 

Finally we are seeing a little bit of sun here in Canada! So I’ve really been loving bronzed skin lately…and this product does just the trick! Not too ashy or warm, just a perfect neutral shade, perfect for bronzing or contour.

• Mac Fix +

Such a boring item for me to mention, but I’ve been loving it lately! With Spring finally arrived, I love a glowy complexion, and Mac Fix+ takes any trace of a powdery finish off of my skin.

• Rimmel London Lipstick in Airy Fairy 070

This is my perfect pink-nude. I’ve heard BeautyCrush (SamanthaMaria) talk about this shade before, and it truly is perfect. The formula is creamy and comfortable.

• The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer

I got a sample from my Ipsy bag. It’s beautiful. I never thought I’d say it, but I’m finding my Becca highlighters a little too much, so this has been a great replacement. I’m waiting to buy the full size.

• Lush Whip Stick

These little lip balm tins from Lush are INCREDIBLE. I ran out of my last one, and had to go pick up a replacement immediately. My EOS, Burts Bees and Soft Lips can’t compare now. (Not to mention, cruelty free and natural is such a good marketing strategy). This product actually soothes my lips, and doesn’t force me to reapply every 20 minutes.

• ColourPop highlighter in Wisp 

This is a beautiful shade. I’m especially looking forward to wearing it in the summer, as it’s a little dark (but it still looks nice on my fair skin). It’s described as a golden champagne colour on the ColourPop website.

• Maison Martin Margiela REPLICA Beach Walk 

I picked this up in March, and wrote a blogpost a couple days after that (blog post here). I have just fallen more in love with it – it is a perfect summer scent.

Lifestyle Favourites

• Topknots – the little twist kind because my hair is finally long enough, and it’s scruffy-chic.
• Boyfriend Jeans – once again, a little scruffy-chic…and oh-so-comfortable.My favourite are from Express.
• Our new family member – WYNN!!! She’s a sweet little ten week old puppy. She’s been a handful, but worth every minute. I’ll be posting an introduction post later this week for you guys.
• Calligraphy – it’s my new hobby. I’ve been practicing every night.
• SELF LOVE – my recent struggle with depression has given me a whole new appreciate for self love. I’ll follow this up with a post as well.

So please, stay tuned!

Let me know what your favourites for March were…and if you have any Spring/Summer fragrances that you suggest!

Thanks for reading xx,