I fail as a blogger. I have been SO busy with school and work and moving and everything else in my life that I haven't posted in a month. So sorry!
anyway, I wanted to post about candy coated tips giveaway!
this blog is a great nailpolish resource (I am obsessed, so I should know, haha) so head on over and take a look, and maybe even enter her giveaway...here.
happy polishing!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
30 day blog challenge....oops!
I fail. I went home to Vancouver for a week without my computer, and of course there wasn't a single working computer in my family's house. SO then I came back to Calgary and spend the whole weekend working and moving and its all been quite stressful. SO I'm returning to the blog challenge, better late than never I suppose.
What is in your makeup bag?
Well I don't have a picture of it, and honestly I just dumped most of it because I finally moved (!!!) and actually have a bathroom for my makeup. HOwever, previous to this, my make up bag held in it:
1. Makeup Forever HD invisible cover foundation
What is in your makeup bag?
Well I don't have a picture of it, and honestly I just dumped most of it because I finally moved (!!!) and actually have a bathroom for my makeup. HOwever, previous to this, my make up bag held in it:
1. Makeup Forever HD invisible cover foundation
2. Makeup forever duomat powder foundation
3. Too Faced Caribbean in a Compact in Sun Bunny
4. Mac Powder blush in Sunbasque
5. Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara (I hate this)
I'll be honest, there is a ton of other crap in there too, but these are the products I use daily. I'm really too lazy to post any others.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
30 day blog challenge: day 10.
day 10 - a photo of your favourite place to eat.
The royal vancouver yacht club
I don't care whether its Jericho beach or Coal harbour, I love it. When I was a kid we went to the Coal Harbour all the time, and I loved the clam chowder, and the smell of the ocean. Since I've been older, we go more to the Jericho beach location, and even if you just sit in the clubhouse downstairs, the view is absolutely beautiful. Sitting upstairs is even more lovely, and you can watch the sailboats come in and out, and feel the most perfect sea breeze while you eat. YOU can't go wrong with the Halibut and Chips (a classic) But I also love the black and blue salad and the California Chicken wrap. I can't eat shellfish, but my mom says the shrimp sandwich is PERFECT.
Monday, August 23, 2010
30 day blog challenge: day 9
day 9: a photo of the last thing you purchased.
OK, this is going to have to wait until tomorrow. I feel like that is kind of cheating, but I have a good reason for it.
There was this shirt at Aritzia that I had been eyeing, and I tried it on one day during the presale, but I was already buying a TON of other stuff that was on sale, and this wasn't, so I left it. but I kept thinking about it. Then one day I was at the mall, and I saw a girl wearing it in a really cute, effortless kind of way. I decided I had to have it, and I went straight to Aritzia to get it at that very second. It was gone. I took this as a sign and moved on. But not really, because I checked every aritzia location in calgary for it. no such luck. In the last store, I tried on the top in a different colour, just to see if I liked it as much. When I stepped out of the dressing room, the SA commented on it looking nice, and I said "yeah, but I'd really rather have the cream and navy version." Well, the SA kindly found it (although I was annoyed to discover it was at the location where I usually shop in vancouver) and they had it brought in for me. I`m wasn't surprised, because I'd had this done before, but man was I happy that they were able to find it in my size somewhere! anyway, this was my last purchase, and it came in on friday but I've been working too much to pick it up. But I intend on goign to get it tomorrow, and then I will definitely take a picture of it!
OK, this is going to have to wait until tomorrow. I feel like that is kind of cheating, but I have a good reason for it.
There was this shirt at Aritzia that I had been eyeing, and I tried it on one day during the presale, but I was already buying a TON of other stuff that was on sale, and this wasn't, so I left it. but I kept thinking about it. Then one day I was at the mall, and I saw a girl wearing it in a really cute, effortless kind of way. I decided I had to have it, and I went straight to Aritzia to get it at that very second. It was gone. I took this as a sign and moved on. But not really, because I checked every aritzia location in calgary for it. no such luck. In the last store, I tried on the top in a different colour, just to see if I liked it as much. When I stepped out of the dressing room, the SA commented on it looking nice, and I said "yeah, but I'd really rather have the cream and navy version." Well, the SA kindly found it (although I was annoyed to discover it was at the location where I usually shop in vancouver) and they had it brought in for me. I`m wasn't surprised, because I'd had this done before, but man was I happy that they were able to find it in my size somewhere! anyway, this was my last purchase, and it came in on friday but I've been working too much to pick it up. But I intend on goign to get it tomorrow, and then I will definitely take a picture of it!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
30 day blog challenge: day 8
Day 8: a song to match your mood.
Seriously, I could come up with about a million songs for my mood today. So I'll try to narrow it down to two.
1) Smoke on the water - deep purple. It is SO smoky in calgary from the forest fires, and its making my eyes and throat sting! This morning when I drove over the Glenmore reservoir it looked all weird, and there was smoke hovering over the water, and it made me think of this!
2) Home - Michael Buble. why? because at this time on thursday thats where I will be...HOME! I'm so excited that I'll be back in Vancouver. Its been more than 2 months since the last time I was home, which is just about the longest I've ever gone without seeing my family! I've got lots of great things planned, including a spa day with my mom and grandma, seeing a friend who has been in the netherlands for the past year, and celebrating my best friend's graduation! I can't wait!
Seriously, I could come up with about a million songs for my mood today. So I'll try to narrow it down to two.
1) Smoke on the water - deep purple. It is SO smoky in calgary from the forest fires, and its making my eyes and throat sting! This morning when I drove over the Glenmore reservoir it looked all weird, and there was smoke hovering over the water, and it made me think of this!
2) Home - Michael Buble. why? because at this time on thursday thats where I will be...HOME! I'm so excited that I'll be back in Vancouver. Its been more than 2 months since the last time I was home, which is just about the longest I've ever gone without seeing my family! I've got lots of great things planned, including a spa day with my mom and grandma, seeing a friend who has been in the netherlands for the past year, and celebrating my best friend's graduation! I can't wait!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
I'm moving!!
YAHHHHHH!!!
I'm so excited that I'm moving! My current official living situation = 4 girls, 2 bathrooms, 1 split level house. Its dirty. These girls DO NOT know the definition of a clean kitchen. Or bathroom, for that matter. Not to mention there might be a crazy or two living there. I won't delve into that right now though. Anyway, my solution to this situation? Take up camp at the boyfriend's place. This has been O.K., but its really a boy's place, and I don't feel 100% comfortable there (ok, the bathroom floor/wall are rotting. its not just a boy's place, its a dark depth of ..... something gross.)
So my lease (finally!) came up on the first of september, and I chose not to renew it (clearly) nto to mention my landlord has been hinting at potentially selling come december, and moving at christmastime (when I'm graduating and would also like to go home to visit my family, not to mention Calgary's AWFUL winters) is not my idea of a good time. Plus all those other things I mentioned above. So I`m moving to a townhouse that is pretty out of the way, but SO much prettier than any of the other places I`ve lived thus far.
Highlights include: private ensuite, walk-in closet, digital pvr, and....a covered garage! seriously, not having to get up unsure if my car would start in the mornings and scrape all the snow and ice off is just about the greatest thing ever for me.
But here is my issue: I`ve never lived in a place that I`ve cared enough to decorate before (other than my parents', of course). The walls are a chamois yellow colour, and I'm trying to figure out how to decorate around it. Here are some pictures of inspiration I've found so far.
I'm so excited that I'm moving! My current official living situation = 4 girls, 2 bathrooms, 1 split level house. Its dirty. These girls DO NOT know the definition of a clean kitchen. Or bathroom, for that matter. Not to mention there might be a crazy or two living there. I won't delve into that right now though. Anyway, my solution to this situation? Take up camp at the boyfriend's place. This has been O.K., but its really a boy's place, and I don't feel 100% comfortable there (ok, the bathroom floor/wall are rotting. its not just a boy's place, its a dark depth of ..... something gross.)
So my lease (finally!) came up on the first of september, and I chose not to renew it (clearly) nto to mention my landlord has been hinting at potentially selling come december, and moving at christmastime (when I'm graduating and would also like to go home to visit my family, not to mention Calgary's AWFUL winters) is not my idea of a good time. Plus all those other things I mentioned above. So I`m moving to a townhouse that is pretty out of the way, but SO much prettier than any of the other places I`ve lived thus far.
Highlights include: private ensuite, walk-in closet, digital pvr, and....a covered garage! seriously, not having to get up unsure if my car would start in the mornings and scrape all the snow and ice off is just about the greatest thing ever for me.
But here is my issue: I`ve never lived in a place that I`ve cared enough to decorate before (other than my parents', of course). The walls are a chamois yellow colour, and I'm trying to figure out how to decorate around it. Here are some pictures of inspiration I've found so far.
I really want a little vanity table (or a big one, haha):
what a great alternative to a bedside table, for a small space!
Oops, I guess I'm getting a bit out of control with the pictures, I think I'll stop before things really get ridiculous!
xo
blog challenge: day 7
day 7: your dream wedding.
I am going to be perfectly honest here. I have NO idea what my ideal wedding would be. Not for lack of trying. I seriously only seem to watch say yes to the dress, which is conveniently always on right when my boyfriend walks in the door every day. Poor guy is probably scared shitless, haha. I don't even know what kind of dress I want. SO instead I'll leave you with some picturse from one of my favourite blogs, cup of jo. She posts some of the coolest wedding photos ever! I just love what this first bride wore...
I am going to be perfectly honest here. I have NO idea what my ideal wedding would be. Not for lack of trying. I seriously only seem to watch say yes to the dress, which is conveniently always on right when my boyfriend walks in the door every day. Poor guy is probably scared shitless, haha. I don't even know what kind of dress I want. SO instead I'll leave you with some picturse from one of my favourite blogs, cup of jo. She posts some of the coolest wedding photos ever! I just love what this first bride wore...
This couple got married in this tiny little chapel in Iceland. How cool!
I love this 1920s inspired look. How fantastic!!
This couple got married in the middle of the forest in Vermont. Their guests were invited to camp out in tents, and this was the "Ladies' Lounge" tent!
How beautiful is this? I love how her veil comes out of her hair like that. I totally want to do this!
Picture Credit: cup of jo
Friday, August 20, 2010
blog challenge day 6.
HOw embarrassing. I couldn't even make it a week without screwing it up a million times over. So here is day 6, even though I SHOULD be on day 7.
day 6: a photo of an animal you would like to keep as a pet.
I am going to do a video instead of a photo, just because I love this little guy so much:
Hopefully this works! this is a slow loris, and I want one!
day 6: a photo of an animal you would like to keep as a pet.
I am going to do a video instead of a photo, just because I love this little guy so much:
Hopefully this works! this is a slow loris, and I want one!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
blog challenge: day 4 (and 5)
Last night I had totally intended on doing day 4 of the blog challenge, but I completely forgot! I got distracted by my delicious nectarine brown butter buckle, from smitten kitchen. So I'm going to make up for lost time and do day 4 and 5 in one foul swoop.
Day 4: your favourite picture of your best friend.
Ok, my best friend ever is sophie my cute little westie pup. But I'm assuming I should probably go with my human best friend. To be honest, I don't have a ton of pictures of us together, or even just of her.
This picture makes me laugh so hard every time I look at it, and I feel like I should tell the story behind it. A and I (A being on the right, me on the left) used to work at a tourist attraction as our summer job. This job required us to wear a costume to work. This costume was pioneer themed, and included a full-length wool skirt. It soaked up water on rainy days and held in heat on hot ones. It was MISERABLE. one day we went to the museum of vancouver, and when we saw these pioneer costumes to try on, we couldn't resist. so this is our old school pioneer portrait (hence the frowny faces). YOu can even kind of see my favourite Minnetonka boots underneath that ridiculous dress!
We had so much fun that day, and I can't wait until I can go home and see her next week. She just graduated from university (on monday!) and we'll definitely be celebrating!
Its difficult to tell in this picture, but Ally is actually beautiful in real life. there are some professionally taken beach pictures of her to back this up haha.
Day 5: a photo of you from 2 years ago
Oh god. I was so ugly two years ago. I'm so scared to do this.
This picture is AWFUL. BUT look who it is? A is to my right, and on my left is a good friend of ours, L. This would have been taken nearly exactly 2 years ago! As you can probably tell, I was a) growing out my hair, b) not entirely sober, and c) had not coloured my hair in FAR too long. Ok so those are my excuses for how I look in that picture.
happy wednesday!
Day 4: your favourite picture of your best friend.
Ok, my best friend ever is sophie my cute little westie pup. But I'm assuming I should probably go with my human best friend. To be honest, I don't have a ton of pictures of us together, or even just of her.
We had so much fun that day, and I can't wait until I can go home and see her next week. She just graduated from university (on monday!) and we'll definitely be celebrating!
Its difficult to tell in this picture, but Ally is actually beautiful in real life. there are some professionally taken beach pictures of her to back this up haha.
Day 5: a photo of you from 2 years ago
Oh god. I was so ugly two years ago. I'm so scared to do this.
This picture is AWFUL. BUT look who it is? A is to my right, and on my left is a good friend of ours, L. This would have been taken nearly exactly 2 years ago! As you can probably tell, I was a) growing out my hair, b) not entirely sober, and c) had not coloured my hair in FAR too long. Ok so those are my excuses for how I look in that picture.
happy wednesday!
Monday, August 16, 2010
an education.
Earlier this summer (or was it last summer? oh my god I'm losing my mind) I went to see an education. It was an absolutely beautiful movie, and best of all it was an awesome cross between chick flick and indie/artsy. I walked out of it with this good feeling inside of me, like a combination between happiness and satisfaction and nostalgia.
The other thing I loved about this movie was the costuming! it was exquisite! The men and the women were both beautifully clothed, and the contrast between Carey Mulligan's role of Jenny and Rosamund Pike's character or Helen was so well done, and I loved the subtle interest of Peter Sarsgaard's David.
.jpg)
This is the perfect example of what I mean. They are dressed in the same colours/prints, but they each look so different from eachother.
Peter Sarsgaard is best described as handsome, and has this look about him that is perfect for the time period and yet perfect for today, too. His style is definitely understated, but it his suits are so perfectly tailored it hurts.
.jpg)
Helen is still my favourite, though.
I want to live in this movie and wear all the clothes, its just to die for.
xx
Blog challenge: Day 3
3. your idea of the perfect first date.
I have a confession. I have never really been on an actual first date. All of the boyfriends I have ever had have kind of been whirlwind romances, or friendships that have just kind of blossomed into relationships. Not to mention I haven't dated someone new since I was 19. Honestly, my idea of the perfect first date would be for a guy to take me to some really cool restaurant that I'd never been to before. Like vij's in Vancouver. This place isn't just a restaurant, its an experience. It is always packed, and half the fun is waiting for your table. They pass around great appetizers and drinks while you wait, and once your seated the food is incredible. Vij, the owner of the restaurant, wanders around the restaurant, greets you at the door, and comes by to see how your food is. Vij's serves Indian food with a modern take, but not the typical modern fusion you might expect. For example, a favourite appetizer is chickpeas and kale. what a weird combination! But I digress.
I guess I'm pretty easy to please that way, but I honestly have yet to take part in the typical dating scene that most people experience!
I have a confession. I have never really been on an actual first date. All of the boyfriends I have ever had have kind of been whirlwind romances, or friendships that have just kind of blossomed into relationships. Not to mention I haven't dated someone new since I was 19. Honestly, my idea of the perfect first date would be for a guy to take me to some really cool restaurant that I'd never been to before. Like vij's in Vancouver. This place isn't just a restaurant, its an experience. It is always packed, and half the fun is waiting for your table. They pass around great appetizers and drinks while you wait, and once your seated the food is incredible. Vij, the owner of the restaurant, wanders around the restaurant, greets you at the door, and comes by to see how your food is. Vij's serves Indian food with a modern take, but not the typical modern fusion you might expect. For example, a favourite appetizer is chickpeas and kale. what a weird combination! But I digress.
I guess I'm pretty easy to please that way, but I honestly have yet to take part in the typical dating scene that most people experience!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
outfit post.
Ok this week has been SUPER stressful, but I really wanted to get an outfit post in. This is what I wore the other day while I was running errands and at school. I had to get knew work pants, so I took this (on my cell, ugh) while I was trying some on.
Cardigan: Forever21, Tank: Wilfred, Jeans: Forever21, Shoes: Sperry
I just want to quickly say something about my jeans. They are from forever 21 and they were only $15! I bought them last summer while in California, and I loved them so much that I bought a second pair when I got back. In these pictures I have the cuffed, but IRL they are full length. I love having these in the winter because they are perfect for boots. The wash is nice and dark, and despite wearing them ALL the time and putting them in the dryer (shhh) they haven't faded too badly. Anyway, I love buying expensive jeans, so I never thought I would be okay with these, but they truly are fantastic!
blog challenge: day 2
Day 2 - a picture of something you ate
ugh. this is the worst possible day to have done this because I have so much going on that I am making a boring meal tonight, but I have already taken too many days off so I need to get back at it.
I'm making baked pasta with meat sauce, and this is the meat sauce I made:
If I remember I will add a picture of the finished product. obviously another crappy picture from my cell, I swear to God I will charge my camera and actually start using it ASAP. I spent the weekend at my boyfriend's parents house outside the city, playing with his little sister who is 2 and hilarious. It was really nice to just relax for a couple of days, but now I'm playing catch-up with all the homework I have to do for tomorrow. If I have time before dinner is done, I'll do a quick (but boring) outfit post from the other day!
ugh. this is the worst possible day to have done this because I have so much going on that I am making a boring meal tonight, but I have already taken too many days off so I need to get back at it.
I'm making baked pasta with meat sauce, and this is the meat sauce I made:
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Blog Challenge: Day 1
Its only day 1 and I already almost forgot about the blog challenge.
1. Post a picture of you and a description of how your day was.
Alright, so this is me. This picture was taken during stampede, hence the slightly strange outfit.
1. Post a picture of you and a description of how your day was.
Alright, so this is me. This picture was taken during stampede, hence the slightly strange outfit.
Today wasn't the greatest, to be honest. I did sign the lease for my new townhouse today, which I'm really excited about. But I had a paper due today so I only slept for 3 hours last night, and then I had to go clean up my room in my old house so my landlord could show it, which was about the last thing I wanted to do after writing my paper. I went to Ikea afterwards to look at some things for my new place, which made me feel a bit better, and then I came home (and when I say home I mean my boyfriend's place). I tried to take a nap, but just as I was about to fall asleep the bf came in from work started bugging me. So I went to the grocery store and came home and cooked dinner for the Bf and his cousin who was over. I made greek potatoes, greek marinated chicken, and cucumber salad. On my way home from the grocery store my dad called with some bad news and I've been feeling really worried ever since. Hopefully everything will be ok, though. Anyway I'm excusing myself now from tomorrows blog challenge in the event that things aren't going well. fingers crossed and lets hope for the best!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
30 day Blog Challenge
I can see already that I am not going to make it through the 30 days successfully, but I figured I'd give it a try anyway, seeing as other bloggers are doing it. So this is it:
Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.
Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today.
Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.
Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
Day 5 – A photo of yourself two years ago.
Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.
Day 7 – Your dream wedding.
Day 8 – A song to match your mood.
Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 10 – A photo of our favorite place to eat.
Day 11 – What’s in your makeup bag?
Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in.
Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?
Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to.
Day 15 – Something you don’t leave the house without.
Day 16 – Your celebrity crush.
Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.
Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.
Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.
Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.
Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day 23 – 15 facts about you.
Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 25 – What’s in your purse?
Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.
Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
Day 28 – Your favorite movie.
Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing
Day 30 – A photograph of youself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days
I think I'll start tomorrow (clearly I'm already failing) but only because I don't have a picture of me that I can post at work.
Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.
Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today.
Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.
Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
Day 5 – A photo of yourself two years ago.
Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.
Day 7 – Your dream wedding.
Day 8 – A song to match your mood.
Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 10 – A photo of our favorite place to eat.
Day 11 – What’s in your makeup bag?
Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in.
Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?
Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to.
Day 15 – Something you don’t leave the house without.
Day 16 – Your celebrity crush.
Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.
Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.
Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.
Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.
Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day 23 – 15 facts about you.
Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 25 – What’s in your purse?
Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.
Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
Day 28 – Your favorite movie.
Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing
Day 30 – A photograph of youself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days
I think I'll start tomorrow (clearly I'm already failing) but only because I don't have a picture of me that I can post at work.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Things I hate to love.
I have a problem. when I decide I hate something, I really hate it. I tell everyone how awful I think it is, and I really just....hate it. This is a problem because a lot of the time I'll start out absolutely hating something, and turn around and like it 5 minutes later. Case in point: ballet flats. mind you I was young when these came back in, but i remember looking through cosmo girl (or some equally as embarrassing magazine) and thinking gross. Well guess what I am wearing right at this very second? I know.
Ok so this brings me to what I'm about to talk about. CLOGS. when I first saw clogs on the chanel runway, I was all "seriously? Karl, what are you thinking?" followed by "no one is going to buy into this, they'll be in and out in a second", which was then followed by a little tiny "I bet you I'll want them in a couple of months once people start wearing them".
Ok so this brings me to what I'm about to talk about. CLOGS. when I first saw clogs on the chanel runway, I was all "seriously? Karl, what are you thinking?" followed by "no one is going to buy into this, they'll be in and out in a second", which was then followed by a little tiny "I bet you I'll want them in a couple of months once people start wearing them".
Well guess what? I am dedicating this post to my love of clogs.
As you can see, I'm particularly taken with Jeffrey Campbell and everything he does, but I also love these great green miss selfridge sandal clogs. I also really like the floral ones by Jeffrey Campbell because they are such a cool combo of soft and hard. I'm not totally into these Free People ones with the collared top, but I included them because I liked the idea of wearing those slouchy grey socks with them. I also think the Rachel Comey Clogs via La Garconne are too conservatively styled (if you are going to wear clogs, then wear them, or don't. I don't like these half way between compromise sort of things) but I love the idea of the black tights. Also clearly I like the contrast of wearing a flowy dress or girly print with clogs.
From top left. Jeffrey Campbell charlie natural clog, bondarag.com; ASOS Harness leather clog slingback, asos.com; ; Jeffrey Campbell charlie black clog, bondarag.com; Miss Selfridge green strappy clog, missselfridge.com
From middle left. Free People charli platform clog, freepeople.com; Marc by Marc Jacobs leather slingback clog, net-a-porter.com; Free People solvang clog, freepeople.com;
From bottom left. Jeffrey Campbell floral charlie clog, bonlorisshoes.com; Rachel Comey burns elastic clog, lagarconne.com; Prada studded clog, neimanmarcus.com
photos via polyvore.com
photos via polyvore.com
Saturday, August 7, 2010
buying EVERYTHING.
OK, I'm at work right now, and I just remembered about all the things I got yesterday. First, I got new nail polish...OPI's Here today Aragon tomorrow in suede. I love it but I think its gonna have to be put away until winter...too dark for the hot summer sun! I will write a real review of it another time. Also yesterday I got a package in the mail and it was....my sephora summer sun safety kit! So many samples, so many products! I'm so excited! I will take pictures of my swag and do a post about it later on! I have found so many new blogs to love today, I can't possibly write more of my own!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
I suck.
Ok so I went camping this weekend. REAL camping. My family still doesn't believe me. I even fished (I didn't really catch anything though). I'm becoming such a redneck! kill me. Anyway I thought I should blog something real quick since I obviously wasn't at a computer all weekend.
So I will be the first person to admit that I don't take care of my skin properly when I'm at my boyfriends. This usually isn't that big of a deal, but since I've essentially been living with him lately, its become a problem. my skin has become DISGUSTING. I don't think the camping helped much either. So anyway, mer in cashmere did a post a while back about this great st. ives product, so I thought I'd give it a try. I've used the st.ives apricot scrub for a long time, but it was just a little bit too gentle for my skin. If i'm going to exfoliate, I need it to really scrub, you know? So I figured that St. Ives Timeless Skin Daily Microdermabrasion is a relatively inexpensive option for me. I bought it and used it a few times, but then I was gone camping, so I've just started using it again.
My initial reaction was/is positive. I love the way my skin feels as I'm washing my face, I feel like it is actually scrubbing my skin, and afterwards my skin felt all soft and nice like I'd put on some really expensive moisturizer or something. and after the 3 or so days I'd used it, I really felt like it was making a difference in my skin. It was evening out my skin tone, and definitely helped with dry areas and those annoying little spots I tend to get on my chin and forehead. Anyway, so far I'd say that this is a GREAT product especially considering the price, but who knows what will happen long term!
So I will be the first person to admit that I don't take care of my skin properly when I'm at my boyfriends. This usually isn't that big of a deal, but since I've essentially been living with him lately, its become a problem. my skin has become DISGUSTING. I don't think the camping helped much either. So anyway, mer in cashmere did a post a while back about this great st. ives product, so I thought I'd give it a try. I've used the st.ives apricot scrub for a long time, but it was just a little bit too gentle for my skin. If i'm going to exfoliate, I need it to really scrub, you know? So I figured that St. Ives Timeless Skin Daily Microdermabrasion is a relatively inexpensive option for me. I bought it and used it a few times, but then I was gone camping, so I've just started using it again.
My initial reaction was/is positive. I love the way my skin feels as I'm washing my face, I feel like it is actually scrubbing my skin, and afterwards my skin felt all soft and nice like I'd put on some really expensive moisturizer or something. and after the 3 or so days I'd used it, I really felt like it was making a difference in my skin. It was evening out my skin tone, and definitely helped with dry areas and those annoying little spots I tend to get on my chin and forehead. Anyway, so far I'd say that this is a GREAT product especially considering the price, but who knows what will happen long term!
here is a link to the product website.
St. Ives Timeless Skin Daily Microdermabrasion, $6.37, drugstore.com
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
What I love - essie nail polish.
I love coral for summer. I am obsessed right now, I even bought a coral tee and a coral hoodie yesterday. So this is what brought me to coral nailpolish. I really wanted a nice coral last summer, and I thought I wanted something less pink (I'm not a huge pink person). So I got OPI on Collins ave, which is a very red, relatively dark coral, as you can see. I still really like this colour, but as coral became more prevalent this
summer, I decided that I wanted something a little bit more pink and a little bit lighter. This led me to Essie nailpolish. I love shopping for essie, because all the colours are so pretty. It reminds me of shopping for ballet slippers. SO the colour I picked was California coral. Sorry the pictures are a bit blurry. Ok, in terms of the nailpolish itself, I LOVED it. The brush is the perfect size, and not too round ( I hate that). with one coat you get a pretty nice just slightly sheer look. The colour also has no shimmer in it (I don't really like shimmery nailpolish). With two coats it was basically perfect. For me, the fewer coats the better, because I'm so impatient. I added an extra coat to a couple of nails, just because I have some ridges in them and the nailpolish settles in the grooves so it takes a bit more to get an even colour. Ok, now for the colour. I should say before I start that I do still like the colour. however I did have a bit of a problem, and that was that the colour looked lighter in the bottle than it did on my nails. It is still a beautiful colour (not sure if you
can tell, but I've already used it quite a few times). When I took this picture, it was really bright, so the colour is actually just slightly darker than this, and a little bit pinker that the picture lets on. I was a little disappointed with how dark it was, but as I got over my initial disappointment I fell in love with the colour. And in order to satisfy my need for something a little bit lighter, I have started investigating Essie's Tart Deco, which I will talk about another time. Anyway, I bought Essie at Shopper's Drug Mart for $9 CAD, but you can also get it on Amazon.com. I'm having trouble linking right now, but if you search "essie california coral" you'll find it!Monday, July 26, 2010
work clothes and void-filling.
Dear god what is wrong with me? Today I got up, got dressed, stopped for coffee, drove to school, paid 5 dollars for parking, and walked to my class before realizing that my class was in fact cancelled. seriously, I'm a tool. So I worked in the library for a bit. After that, I filled the time I normally would have used calling home (because clearly this is scheduled into my daily plan) to shop. see, I have realized now that I need to call everyday so that I don't do this. So my intention was to get some tops for work and some moisturizer. So I went into Jacob, and tried on just about everything in the store, and it all looked horrible. I don't know what was wrong with me today. So anyway I got all upset and discouraged so I went to Aritzia and bought a hoodie to get my fix. Seriously? I am so retarded. In all fairness, though, it was only $20 and is the most gorgeous shade of coral I have ever seen. So its not so bad, really. But I also got a boyfriend v-neck in a similar colour. ahhh what is wrong with me? BUT it was only $15, so again, not so bad.and I did get proper moisturizer, so hopefully that will help with the giant zit that is my face right now. The sunburn on my nose/cheeks/forehead made my skin all dry, and then it broke out, and now it is all dry and it is zitty and really just a mess.
So I did something really silly today. I went shopping in a dress. I hate it when I do this! its so hard to try clothes on like that! so I ended up asking the SA at aritzia to bring me a pair of jeans (specifically the acne darkwash highwaisted skinnies) so that I'd have something to try my stuff on with. this was a mistake, because there is no way that I can afford these jeans ($265) but every way that I can justify why I should have them (please go try them on. they are incredible.)
I'm pretty sure these are them. I love them, they felt like magic, and they are SO LONG which I love because then you can have a really long cuff ( I know this is weird, but I like it.)
But on the plus side, everywhere I went, people were commenting on what I was wearing. I took a picture of it before I left the house this morning, but its in my too small mirror with my cell-phone, so I will retake it later. but for the record I was wearing...
1) community dress- I don't know what its called but i'll describe it. Its cotton viscose lycra blend and its the palest blue-grey. It has a cute little skirt that starts at the natural waist and falls mid thigh, and the top has spaghetti straps (ew, I hate that term) and this sort of faux-boning structure to the body. it is AMAZING.
2) sperry topsiders - I bought them for $10 at the shoe company last summer. love them.
3) 1 inch caramel leather belt - this came out of my mom's closet abot 15 years ago, and is guess, i think. I wore it at the natural waist of the dress.
4) blue jacob cardigan - I would have rathered a jean jacket with this outfit, but I keep putting off buying one because I think I don't need it/can't find just the right one.
anyway, 2 SAs at aritzia and the girl at Sephora commented on it! particularly the dress, but really that dress is fantastic, so I'm not surprised. it is the perfect summer dress, because it is comfy and cool but still cute.
So I did something really silly today. I went shopping in a dress. I hate it when I do this! its so hard to try clothes on like that! so I ended up asking the SA at aritzia to bring me a pair of jeans (specifically the acne darkwash highwaisted skinnies) so that I'd have something to try my stuff on with. this was a mistake, because there is no way that I can afford these jeans ($265) but every way that I can justify why I should have them (please go try them on. they are incredible.)
But on the plus side, everywhere I went, people were commenting on what I was wearing. I took a picture of it before I left the house this morning, but its in my too small mirror with my cell-phone, so I will retake it later. but for the record I was wearing...
1) community dress- I don't know what its called but i'll describe it. Its cotton viscose lycra blend and its the palest blue-grey. It has a cute little skirt that starts at the natural waist and falls mid thigh, and the top has spaghetti straps (ew, I hate that term) and this sort of faux-boning structure to the body. it is AMAZING.
2) sperry topsiders - I bought them for $10 at the shoe company last summer. love them.
3) 1 inch caramel leather belt - this came out of my mom's closet abot 15 years ago, and is guess, i think. I wore it at the natural waist of the dress.
4) blue jacob cardigan - I would have rathered a jean jacket with this outfit, but I keep putting off buying one because I think I don't need it/can't find just the right one.
anyway, 2 SAs at aritzia and the girl at Sephora commented on it! particularly the dress, but really that dress is fantastic, so I'm not surprised. it is the perfect summer dress, because it is comfy and cool but still cute.
OK, onto the moisturizer. I bought:
Biotherm's aquasource biosensitive. I have super sensitive skin which gets all bumpy and gross and dry and just yucky really easily, so the girl recommended this. I'm gonna try it out and see how it goes. If I don't like it she told me to just return it, which I love! To be honest, I'm not huge on using moisturizer (so bad I know) and but my makeup hasn't been right lately because of my lack of moisturizer, and the one I was using is way too heavy for me, so I'll give this a shot, and I'll do a review of it once I've been using it for a while!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Talking more.
After reading other people's conversations, and thinking about my brother a bit more, I thought of something I wanted to share. My brother has an incredible sense of humour. He can be a little too sarcastic at times, and he often borders on rude or offensive, but it has never ceased to amaze me how funny he can be, even from an early age.
When I first started highschool, and E was 8, I came home one day to tell my mom something I had learned that day about a friend, while E was in the room.
K: Mom, did you know that Jane* has a short-term memory problem?
E: I'm surprised she remembered to tell you.
pretty good for 8, right?
Another anecdote I wanted to share with you all is not really mine to tell, but I do anyways. My mom's best friend L is the happiest, funniest, bubbliest person I know. Her first 2 children were models of perfection. However her third child, A, was the opposite of the first two. She was dark and serious and had no sense of humour. The following took place as L and her daughter A were driving up to their house when A was about 2.
L: Wow, this is a nice house! I wonder whose it is? They must be very lucky!
(you know the typical sort of game you would play with a 2 year old)
A: This is our house, you idiop.
I don't know why we all think this is so funny, but this story seems to get told time and time again. I should probably also mention that the same child also once yelled across the school playground at another little boy "You need a prostitute!" as her mother looked on in horror. Although we later discovered this to be a quote from a movie (although which film it is has slipped my mind).
I love children, they say such funny things sometimes.
*name was changed.
When I first started highschool, and E was 8, I came home one day to tell my mom something I had learned that day about a friend, while E was in the room.
K: Mom, did you know that Jane* has a short-term memory problem?
E: I'm surprised she remembered to tell you.
pretty good for 8, right?
Another anecdote I wanted to share with you all is not really mine to tell, but I do anyways. My mom's best friend L is the happiest, funniest, bubbliest person I know. Her first 2 children were models of perfection. However her third child, A, was the opposite of the first two. She was dark and serious and had no sense of humour. The following took place as L and her daughter A were driving up to their house when A was about 2.
L: Wow, this is a nice house! I wonder whose it is? They must be very lucky!
(you know the typical sort of game you would play with a 2 year old)
A: This is our house, you idiop.
I don't know why we all think this is so funny, but this story seems to get told time and time again. I should probably also mention that the same child also once yelled across the school playground at another little boy "You need a prostitute!" as her mother looked on in horror. Although we later discovered this to be a quote from a movie (although which film it is has slipped my mind).
I love children, they say such funny things sometimes.
*name was changed.
Talking.
Now I think I've made it quite clear that I'm particularly fond of fashion blogs. But the thing about that is, I tend to read the ones with more personal styles. I like ones that are a little less read, where the bloggers aren't constantly being sent clothes by important designers. Not to say that I don't read all kinds, but these are the ones I especially like. Now, having said that, there is the odd blog that I read and LOVE that has little to do with fashion, and is almost entirely about some one's life. One of my all-time favourites is Not Your Average Teen. She has such great perspective, in my opinion. She hosts something called Conversational Sunday, and now that I'm blogging, and now that there is a button for it, I figured I'd do it rather than just reading it!
This week has been...interesting. To say the least. I've had a lot of conversations about the future...where I'm going to live, where I'll work, what I'll do, and the future of my relationship, just to name a few. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little bit overwhelmed by all of this (cue me not getting out of bed for 3 days). So I figured i'd rather talk about a series of conversations that have a more light-hearted appeal.
My boyfriend has a 2 year old sister. I know this seems really weird, but I don`t feel like getting into the semantics of it right now, so we`ll just leave it at that. anyway, when we were at his parents house on friday night, the two of them were playing on the trampoline. my boyfriend (C) somehow managed to get a pine needle in his eye, and in true C form, panicked. As I tried to get it out, his sister (R) looked on in serious concern (hilarious, coming from a 2 year old).
C: Get a fork, its stuck just go get a fork!
I used my nail. it was out in less than 30 seconds. drama queen. the two of them go back to playing. R puts her hand down, and a pine needle pricks her finger. She looks at her hand with concern, and turns to her mom.
R: mum, I gotta needle. Get a fork mum, get a fork.
hahahahahahaha I couldn`t believe she heard that and then aped it. Silly girl. Early this week, we had gone down there to bring her a Cowboy hat we had bought for her at the stampede. We put that hat on her, and she looks around in concern.
R: I need a rope!
Later on, she puts the hat on, and finds the dog`s leash to use as her rope. then she looks at me.
R: I need a Cow!
That kid brightens my day. no matter how horrible things are, she seems to be able to cheer me up every time.
Here is a look at a series of conversations that took place between me and my brother (and mom, about my brother) this week. Its pretty long, but it was really cathartic for me to write it.
So I have a little brother. He is nearly 5 years younger than me, so our relationship has not always been typical. I am bossy and controlling, so you can imagine what that poor child was subjected to growing up. But the thing about my brother (E) is that if you don't know him, he seems all cool and laid back and generally gives of the feeling that he doesn't care about anything at all. but SECRETLY he is almost as neurotic as I am. Scary, i know, there being two of us in one household and all. that kid is born to lead, and damn does he want to. But not in the typically overt way you might expect, he was more the kid whispering in the other kids' ears to get them to do his dirty work. His greatest talent is pushing my buttons, and as my mother will tell you, I have a lot of them. most people say that kids farther apart in age get along better, but this was definitely not the case for me and E.
The best thing that ever happened to E and I was me leaving home. Since then we are not as close as we were when we were younger, per se, but we get along SO much better. E hates to talk about...well pretty much anything (my boyfriend does not understand him AT ALL), but in the past couple years I've actually had some really decent conversations with him (on the phone of all places!), and he has started to kind of trust that I'm not going to tell my mom every single thing he tells me in confidence. And really, who can blame him. My mom and I have given him so little personal space that we now realize we know almost nothing about his personal life. Ok, so this leads me to this week.
I call home every day. And lately, my mom hasn't been home as much, and E has been home more, so I've had more conversations with him this week than I probably did all year. They were light-hearted, mostly, and a lot of small talk about work and friends, but still, it was nice. I asked him about his plans for the week, and he told me he intended to drive across the border to go shopping (seriously? I am still in shock). Now, this is where things get weird, or funny, to me. Each time I talked to E after that intial conversation, the group of people he was going to the states with changed, including at one point to a kid that we all knew was having ACL surgery that day. My mom and I convened on this topic midway through the week and although we both were slightly confused, this wasn't out of character for E, so we pretty much ignored it.
So saturday rolls around, and E asks my mom if he can take her car to go to the states. My mom then insists on knowing who he is taking with him, out of safety's sake (he is still 17, after all). His answer: a Girl. what?!?! I am still in shock. My mom was relieved because the girl he took is very responsible, but I was just surprised. This particular girl was E's worst enemy through elementary school, so this contributed to my reaction. What was even more surprising? that was the ONLY person he went with. OH MY GOD. My mom (and I, until I moved) have been very...present in E's life, and my mom has an insider view on his social life (I won't say how, for fear of revealing too much personal information), so to the best of our knowledge E has never had a girlfriend, or even female friendships, really. Ok, this is where it gets completely over the top. My mom tells me that, not only did E go shopping with a girl, but my brother (the same one who sat on a bench and played on his phone for 2 hours while the rest of us shopped in California) allowed said girl to drag him into COACH. really? I'm actually kind of insulted, he usually throws a mini hissy fit when we try to take him in there.
So last night, when he was back from his little trip, I happened to catch him on the way out the door, when calling to look for my mom (yes, that was the 3rd call that day). I must say, that it took EVERYTHING inside of me not to mention it, or harrass him about it. But I realize that if I have any hope of keeping in touch with him and having a personal relationship with him once he goes to school in september, I have to bite my tongue. I've spent a long time trying to mend the past and improve our relationship for the future, I have to quit my gossipy tendencies and allow him some privacy so that he will tell me things he might not have otherwise, and so that he can feel like he can confide in me without my mom finding out.
Its nice that E and I are getting to a place in our friendship, or siblingship, where we can be friends, and I'm really looking forward to the future of that, because its been such a long time coming.
THATS my conversation sunday, sorry for the circumlocutiousness of it!
This week has been...interesting. To say the least. I've had a lot of conversations about the future...where I'm going to live, where I'll work, what I'll do, and the future of my relationship, just to name a few. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little bit overwhelmed by all of this (cue me not getting out of bed for 3 days). So I figured i'd rather talk about a series of conversations that have a more light-hearted appeal.
My boyfriend has a 2 year old sister. I know this seems really weird, but I don`t feel like getting into the semantics of it right now, so we`ll just leave it at that. anyway, when we were at his parents house on friday night, the two of them were playing on the trampoline. my boyfriend (C) somehow managed to get a pine needle in his eye, and in true C form, panicked. As I tried to get it out, his sister (R) looked on in serious concern (hilarious, coming from a 2 year old).
C: Get a fork, its stuck just go get a fork!
I used my nail. it was out in less than 30 seconds. drama queen. the two of them go back to playing. R puts her hand down, and a pine needle pricks her finger. She looks at her hand with concern, and turns to her mom.
R: mum, I gotta needle. Get a fork mum, get a fork.
hahahahahahaha I couldn`t believe she heard that and then aped it. Silly girl. Early this week, we had gone down there to bring her a Cowboy hat we had bought for her at the stampede. We put that hat on her, and she looks around in concern.
R: I need a rope!
Later on, she puts the hat on, and finds the dog`s leash to use as her rope. then she looks at me.
R: I need a Cow!
That kid brightens my day. no matter how horrible things are, she seems to be able to cheer me up every time.
Here is a look at a series of conversations that took place between me and my brother (and mom, about my brother) this week. Its pretty long, but it was really cathartic for me to write it.
So I have a little brother. He is nearly 5 years younger than me, so our relationship has not always been typical. I am bossy and controlling, so you can imagine what that poor child was subjected to growing up. But the thing about my brother (E) is that if you don't know him, he seems all cool and laid back and generally gives of the feeling that he doesn't care about anything at all. but SECRETLY he is almost as neurotic as I am. Scary, i know, there being two of us in one household and all. that kid is born to lead, and damn does he want to. But not in the typically overt way you might expect, he was more the kid whispering in the other kids' ears to get them to do his dirty work. His greatest talent is pushing my buttons, and as my mother will tell you, I have a lot of them. most people say that kids farther apart in age get along better, but this was definitely not the case for me and E.
The best thing that ever happened to E and I was me leaving home. Since then we are not as close as we were when we were younger, per se, but we get along SO much better. E hates to talk about...well pretty much anything (my boyfriend does not understand him AT ALL), but in the past couple years I've actually had some really decent conversations with him (on the phone of all places!), and he has started to kind of trust that I'm not going to tell my mom every single thing he tells me in confidence. And really, who can blame him. My mom and I have given him so little personal space that we now realize we know almost nothing about his personal life. Ok, so this leads me to this week.
I call home every day. And lately, my mom hasn't been home as much, and E has been home more, so I've had more conversations with him this week than I probably did all year. They were light-hearted, mostly, and a lot of small talk about work and friends, but still, it was nice. I asked him about his plans for the week, and he told me he intended to drive across the border to go shopping (seriously? I am still in shock). Now, this is where things get weird, or funny, to me. Each time I talked to E after that intial conversation, the group of people he was going to the states with changed, including at one point to a kid that we all knew was having ACL surgery that day. My mom and I convened on this topic midway through the week and although we both were slightly confused, this wasn't out of character for E, so we pretty much ignored it.
So saturday rolls around, and E asks my mom if he can take her car to go to the states. My mom then insists on knowing who he is taking with him, out of safety's sake (he is still 17, after all). His answer: a Girl. what?!?! I am still in shock. My mom was relieved because the girl he took is very responsible, but I was just surprised. This particular girl was E's worst enemy through elementary school, so this contributed to my reaction. What was even more surprising? that was the ONLY person he went with. OH MY GOD. My mom (and I, until I moved) have been very...present in E's life, and my mom has an insider view on his social life (I won't say how, for fear of revealing too much personal information), so to the best of our knowledge E has never had a girlfriend, or even female friendships, really. Ok, this is where it gets completely over the top. My mom tells me that, not only did E go shopping with a girl, but my brother (the same one who sat on a bench and played on his phone for 2 hours while the rest of us shopped in California) allowed said girl to drag him into COACH. really? I'm actually kind of insulted, he usually throws a mini hissy fit when we try to take him in there.
So last night, when he was back from his little trip, I happened to catch him on the way out the door, when calling to look for my mom (yes, that was the 3rd call that day). I must say, that it took EVERYTHING inside of me not to mention it, or harrass him about it. But I realize that if I have any hope of keeping in touch with him and having a personal relationship with him once he goes to school in september, I have to bite my tongue. I've spent a long time trying to mend the past and improve our relationship for the future, I have to quit my gossipy tendencies and allow him some privacy so that he will tell me things he might not have otherwise, and so that he can feel like he can confide in me without my mom finding out.
Its nice that E and I are getting to a place in our friendship, or siblingship, where we can be friends, and I'm really looking forward to the future of that, because its been such a long time coming.
THATS my conversation sunday, sorry for the circumlocutiousness of it!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
who doesn't love dogs?
Ok. I used to not love dogs. I was mostly just afraid of them because I didn't really understand them. Then when I was 18 my brother and I FINALLY persuaded my mom (my dad clearly had no say in the matter) to get one, and thats how we ended up with our lovely little westie, sophie (she is on the left). Then this summer, my brother made the decision to leave home for university, and thus he was replaced (HAHA) by this cute little rescue pup named mac. he used to be named milky (seriously?) but we changed it because...well because his name was milky. Sophie will be 5 in October, and we think Mac is 7, but we aren't entirely sure.
The dogs are sitting in my brothers go-kart. I know, don't ask,
The thing about westies is that if you have one, or have ever had one, you become obsessed. they are the COOLEST dogs. they are all cute and cuddly and fluffy like a little lap dog but they have this awesome personality thats like a big dog. they even have hilarious facial expressions! (the westie head tilt!) So the wife of the guy that does professional photography for my brother's racing loves westies so she "borrowed" (more like hijacked, from the sounds of it) her husbands camera for an hour a couple of weekends ago to take some pictures of the dogs. He objected, so the dogs were put into the cart so that she could claim it was "legit" (my mom bought a print, so clearly it was haha) anyway, this is the first decent picture I've seen of the two of them. We were really worried that sophie couldn't handle another dog in the house, but Sophie and Mac have become best friends! everytime I think of them I start humming "people let me tell you 'bout my best friend...", because thats what they are like. I think my dad is a little sad about it though, because that used to be the theme song for sophie and dad. Anyway, I know this is a little off-topic, but I am obsessed with my doggies, so here they are!
I'm hungry, so I shopped.
Oh my god. I'm at work and I'm SO hungry. I can't go for lunch yet, so I did something terrible. I went to sephora.com. Why does online shopping always feel like I'm spending pretend money? this is terrible. Anyway, I ordered the Sun Safety kit, which is on sale from $25 to $10. I will talk more about it and do a little review of the products once it comes. In the mean time, can we please talk about the ridiculous cost to ship almost ANYTHING in Canada? its ridiculous. Sephora's shipping charge was $10, and thats pretty mild in comparison to many sites. Ok, so here are some of the alternatives I've discovered over the years. I realize that there are many more out there, but these are the ones I have figured out, and I love finding out about more!
1) American P.O. Boxes. - This only works if you live close to the border. When I am in Calgary, this is essentially useless. BUT my mom is a shoeaholic, and loves to order from DSW, which only ships to the US. So, she bought a P.O. box just across the border, and we have things shipped there.
Positives - oh the possibilities! everyone ships to the U.S! You can order whatever your little heart desires! you dont' have to pay ludicrous Canadian shipping charges!
Negatives - Ok, maybe this isn't the best option. You obviously can't be running across the border every two days, or the government might start to think you are a drug smuggler, so you can only order evert so often. Also, because you have to pay for the P.O. box, you might not save all that much money in shipping. Also, you have to pay for gas to drive down there, and if you don't have a car, this adds even more problems.
2) Spending quotas. - Ok, this is a hard one for me, because I like to buy the odd little thing every once-in-a-while to cheer myself up, I don't do the whole big haul shopping spree thing. But, if you can try to save your orders until you want a whole bunch of things, then this is what you can do. Find websites that offer free shipping when you spend a certain amount. I know sephora and urban outfitters does this, among others.
Positives - You don't pay shipping costs, AND think about how much fun it is to open a HUGE package full of new clothes or beauty products! Its like a wardrobe rejuvenation!
Negatives - you have to spend a fair bit of money. You might end up with things you don't really want because you are trying to meet the free shipping amount. That can be wasteful.
3)Canadian websites. - Ok, again I struggle with this. BUT if you order something that is being shipped within Canada, the cost will be significantly less (likely). Canadian sites include ebay.ca amazon.ca, and strawberrynet.com, for a few. again, there are others, these are just a few.
Positives - You dont have to spend 3 times the amount of the item you are buying to ship it. And it usually comes a little faster because there are no issues dealing with customs and the such.
Negatives - Selection SUCKS. Thats all I have to say about that.
4) Suck it up. - this seems to be my go-to resolution (obviously). Just pay the money and order what it is you want.
Positives - You get what you want, you don't have to screw around trying to find it offered on a Canadian site or a site with free shipping.
Negatives - YOu have to wait for it to arrive (boo) and you have to spend more money than you want to.
Good luck with your online shopping!
1) American P.O. Boxes. - This only works if you live close to the border. When I am in Calgary, this is essentially useless. BUT my mom is a shoeaholic, and loves to order from DSW, which only ships to the US. So, she bought a P.O. box just across the border, and we have things shipped there.
Positives - oh the possibilities! everyone ships to the U.S! You can order whatever your little heart desires! you dont' have to pay ludicrous Canadian shipping charges!
Negatives - Ok, maybe this isn't the best option. You obviously can't be running across the border every two days, or the government might start to think you are a drug smuggler, so you can only order evert so often. Also, because you have to pay for the P.O. box, you might not save all that much money in shipping. Also, you have to pay for gas to drive down there, and if you don't have a car, this adds even more problems.
2) Spending quotas. - Ok, this is a hard one for me, because I like to buy the odd little thing every once-in-a-while to cheer myself up, I don't do the whole big haul shopping spree thing. But, if you can try to save your orders until you want a whole bunch of things, then this is what you can do. Find websites that offer free shipping when you spend a certain amount. I know sephora and urban outfitters does this, among others.
Positives - You don't pay shipping costs, AND think about how much fun it is to open a HUGE package full of new clothes or beauty products! Its like a wardrobe rejuvenation!
Negatives - you have to spend a fair bit of money. You might end up with things you don't really want because you are trying to meet the free shipping amount. That can be wasteful.
3)Canadian websites. - Ok, again I struggle with this. BUT if you order something that is being shipped within Canada, the cost will be significantly less (likely). Canadian sites include ebay.ca amazon.ca, and strawberrynet.com, for a few. again, there are others, these are just a few.
Positives - You dont have to spend 3 times the amount of the item you are buying to ship it. And it usually comes a little faster because there are no issues dealing with customs and the such.
Negatives - Selection SUCKS. Thats all I have to say about that.
4) Suck it up. - this seems to be my go-to resolution (obviously). Just pay the money and order what it is you want.
Positives - You get what you want, you don't have to screw around trying to find it offered on a Canadian site or a site with free shipping.
Negatives - YOu have to wait for it to arrive (boo) and you have to spend more money than you want to.
Good luck with your online shopping!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
My struggle with technology and my latest obsession.
I hate technology. I just switched from wordpress to blogger because I am an idiot when it comes to technology and i have a vague (VAGUE) understanding of blogger because I've used it for other blogs....and no understanding of wordpress. I literally just copy/paste'd some of my old posts over, so thats why they all seem to have come from the same day! I am so technologically inept it hurts.
Ok. I Am the kind of person who absolutely hates something when it first becomes stylish but then changes her mind when its basically too late to get into it. I usually do it anyway, I'm dumb like that.
SO anyway, I have these ridiculously freakishly small ankles, but I really want some fantastic gladiators that go up my ankles a bit. I am not a very big person, so i can't get away with really chunky/blingy/ridiculous ones. I kind of thought this whole gladiator thing was going to be pretty short lived, to tell you the truth, so I didn't buy into it at first. But now I've decided its something I'm willing to invest in. especially after the blister my havaianas left last week.
which brings me to this:
SAM EDELMAN.
how great are his shoes? ok, I like his s/s 2010 hamiltons a fair bit, but what I've decided I really want are LAST YEARS Greco's. But can I find them anywhere? not a hope. Not even ebay has the answer to my prayers. I would pat big bucks for these now, if only they would mysteriously appear.
Ok. I Am the kind of person who absolutely hates something when it first becomes stylish but then changes her mind when its basically too late to get into it. I usually do it anyway, I'm dumb like that.
SO anyway, I have these ridiculously freakishly small ankles, but I really want some fantastic gladiators that go up my ankles a bit. I am not a very big person, so i can't get away with really chunky/blingy/ridiculous ones. I kind of thought this whole gladiator thing was going to be pretty short lived, to tell you the truth, so I didn't buy into it at first. But now I've decided its something I'm willing to invest in. especially after the blister my havaianas left last week.
which brings me to this:
SAM EDELMAN.
how great are his shoes? ok, I like his s/s 2010 hamiltons a fair bit, but what I've decided I really want are LAST YEARS Greco's. But can I find them anywhere? not a hope. Not even ebay has the answer to my prayers. I would pat big bucks for these now, if only they would mysteriously appear.
Fml.
What I Wore Today (The don't judge me edition)
What I wore today. Ugh, the weather here is HORRIBLE. There was a massive hail storm here yesterday, with pieces of hail LITERALLY the size of golfballs. I know people say that all the time, but I’m not kidding. It was on the national news, so you can look it up if you don’t believe me. Anyway, its been pouring rain ever since. I was doing laundry at my house last night, and I stupidly left every coat/everything with a hood at the boyfriend’s. TERRIBLE IDEA. So this morning I had to somehow get dressed for the awful weather with what I had at my place. This was a struggle. What I came up with was the following:
periwinkle blue longsleeve crewneck talula sweater. the one with the slight batwing. i can’t remember what its called.
dark wash current/elliott jeggings. I bought them at the aritzia private pre-sale, so no, I didn’t pay $250 for them…I paid about half that. Althought I love expensive designer jeans, I can’t really reasonably justify spending that much on them.
turqoise aldo flats. bought them on sale yesterday, because my favourite black ones got ruined in the terrible weather
ok, this was kind of a strange combo, but those were the only shoes I had with me (other than the ruined black ones), but this is where it gets REALLY weird. I went to leave, and even my Vancouverite rain tolerance could not tolerate that weather without a hood/sweater. I had NOTHING in my closet to suffice, except an old original fit TNA zip-up hoodie. In purple. With that sweater. how embarrassing.
Now normally I would have sucked it up, but the walk from my car to class today is long. So I wore the hoodie. and I took it off the MINUTE I was in the door. but still.
Thats what I wore today. Don’t judge, I know its terrible.
periwinkle blue longsleeve crewneck talula sweater. the one with the slight batwing. i can’t remember what its called.
dark wash current/elliott jeggings. I bought them at the aritzia private pre-sale, so no, I didn’t pay $250 for them…I paid about half that. Althought I love expensive designer jeans, I can’t really reasonably justify spending that much on them.
turqoise aldo flats. bought them on sale yesterday, because my favourite black ones got ruined in the terrible weather
ok, this was kind of a strange combo, but those were the only shoes I had with me (other than the ruined black ones), but this is where it gets REALLY weird. I went to leave, and even my Vancouverite rain tolerance could not tolerate that weather without a hood/sweater. I had NOTHING in my closet to suffice, except an old original fit TNA zip-up hoodie. In purple. With that sweater. how embarrassing.
Now normally I would have sucked it up, but the walk from my car to class today is long. So I wore the hoodie. and I took it off the MINUTE I was in the door. but still.
Thats what I wore today. Don’t judge, I know its terrible.
What's in Your Bag?
THIS is what is in my bag! sorry about the crappy cell-phone picture.
In case its not clear…this is what all that junk is!
1) the bag itself. Its some weird brand i’ve never heard of before, but I love this bag, and here is why: first, the leather is BEAUTIFUL. It is the softest most lovely natural leather ever. lovelovelove. Ok, second, it has these gorgeous silver buckles on the straps, which also keep it from wearing out. Fantastic. third, there are one million pockets. i need pockets, or else my life becomes a mess. truth. The bag is a dark chocolate brown, because you can’t really tell in the picture. The label says CNKW canada, if you’re curious. I’ll post a better picture of the bag by itself later.
2) Coach wallet. You can kind of see in the picture that it is turquoise inside. I LOVE that. I’m not particularly big on monogrammed bags/wallets…you know like when coach or louis vuitton or gucci or whoever puts their logo all over the bag like a pattern? I don’t like to advertise this sort of information, because I’m worried people will judge me.
3)burt’s bees lemon butter cuticle creme. If you have chronically dry hands, or live in a dry climate this stuff is GREAT. saves my life. I am a chronic cuticle-picker, so this really helps with that, too.
4) Essie nailpolish in california coral. I’ll talk more about this another time, but I love essie nail polish. I’ve been carrying it around in my purse because I keep meaning to get my nails done for the summer and forgetting.
5) Pens and a note pad. I love to write, so this is important for that, but I am also a chronic list-maker, so that makes it even more important!
6) hair elastic, bobby pin, and claw clip. I am terrible about my hair. I am always fidgeting with it or adjusting it. and it gets out of style SO easily. So each of these items is employed at different times to aid in this issue.
7) Advil. because the minute I stop carrying it in my purse I will get the worst headache ever. Also, I am trying to quit drinking coffee….caffeine withdrawal = worst headaches ever. advil helps this.
8)Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Hand Therapy. Smells like an old lady, and I love that (I am an old lady…you’ll see what I mean) also, my gramma gave this to me for my birthday. Its awesome because it really moisturizes your hands without being greasy. also really like the tube because it is a metal-type one (make sense?)
9) M.A.C. petting pink tinted lip conditioner. Has sunscreen in it. big plus. not sticky. big plus. tinted such a cute pink, and I don’t need a mirror to put it on. BIG plus.
10) M.A.C. Viva Glam II lipstick. Still not sure how I feel about this colour, its really neutral though, which I do like. I used to be obsessed with neutral lipstick shades. now I want a cute corally pink. This was the perfect neutral lipstick for me though. Love mac lipstick.
11)Sephora mirror. ’nuff said.
12)Keys. Obviously. please note the cute K key chain. I love that…I’m so weird.
13) USB stick. for school. kill me.
ALSO, I usually have rosebud salve in there too, but I’ve momentarily misplaced it. but I love that stuff, and its ALWAYS in there, so I figured I should mention it.
Love.
In case its not clear…this is what all that junk is!
1) the bag itself. Its some weird brand i’ve never heard of before, but I love this bag, and here is why: first, the leather is BEAUTIFUL. It is the softest most lovely natural leather ever. lovelovelove. Ok, second, it has these gorgeous silver buckles on the straps, which also keep it from wearing out. Fantastic. third, there are one million pockets. i need pockets, or else my life becomes a mess. truth. The bag is a dark chocolate brown, because you can’t really tell in the picture. The label says CNKW canada, if you’re curious. I’ll post a better picture of the bag by itself later.
2) Coach wallet. You can kind of see in the picture that it is turquoise inside. I LOVE that. I’m not particularly big on monogrammed bags/wallets…you know like when coach or louis vuitton or gucci or whoever puts their logo all over the bag like a pattern? I don’t like to advertise this sort of information, because I’m worried people will judge me.
3)burt’s bees lemon butter cuticle creme. If you have chronically dry hands, or live in a dry climate this stuff is GREAT. saves my life. I am a chronic cuticle-picker, so this really helps with that, too.
4) Essie nailpolish in california coral. I’ll talk more about this another time, but I love essie nail polish. I’ve been carrying it around in my purse because I keep meaning to get my nails done for the summer and forgetting.
5) Pens and a note pad. I love to write, so this is important for that, but I am also a chronic list-maker, so that makes it even more important!
6) hair elastic, bobby pin, and claw clip. I am terrible about my hair. I am always fidgeting with it or adjusting it. and it gets out of style SO easily. So each of these items is employed at different times to aid in this issue.
7) Advil. because the minute I stop carrying it in my purse I will get the worst headache ever. Also, I am trying to quit drinking coffee….caffeine withdrawal = worst headaches ever. advil helps this.
8)Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Hand Therapy. Smells like an old lady, and I love that (I am an old lady…you’ll see what I mean) also, my gramma gave this to me for my birthday. Its awesome because it really moisturizes your hands without being greasy. also really like the tube because it is a metal-type one (make sense?)
9) M.A.C. petting pink tinted lip conditioner. Has sunscreen in it. big plus. not sticky. big plus. tinted such a cute pink, and I don’t need a mirror to put it on. BIG plus.
10) M.A.C. Viva Glam II lipstick. Still not sure how I feel about this colour, its really neutral though, which I do like. I used to be obsessed with neutral lipstick shades. now I want a cute corally pink. This was the perfect neutral lipstick for me though. Love mac lipstick.
11)Sephora mirror. ’nuff said.
12)Keys. Obviously. please note the cute K key chain. I love that…I’m so weird.
13) USB stick. for school. kill me.
ALSO, I usually have rosebud salve in there too, but I’ve momentarily misplaced it. but I love that stuff, and its ALWAYS in there, so I figured I should mention it.
Love.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
A Few Things About Me.
So I thought it might be a good idea to talk a little bit about who I am (in terms of my personal style).
I would call myself a tomboy, per se, but I definitely….Ok, I’m kind of a tomboy. But I’m trying to change! I guess what I’m really trying to say if that I don’t really like those inherently girlie things, like tons of ruffles and flowers and pink and butterflies, that sort of stuff. You’ll see.
I am by no means the most stylish person in the world. thats kind of the whole point of this. I’m really just trying to figure it all out as I go. Again, you’ll see.
I have a problem with Aritzia. That is, no matter how hard I try not to, I can’t help shopping there. I spend A LOT of money in that store. I’d love to be able to buy similar things from other stores for less money, but again, I have no time to find that sort of thing. I have often caught myself in outfits of entirely aritzia purchases, I hate it, but I can’t help it.
Ok, I said I was a tomboy, but here is the thing. I am obsessed with my hair, and have lately become very obsessed with make-up lately, too. I am blondorexic, and all I really want in life is to have long blonde hair. This is a problem, because I decided this while I had short red hair. This is VERY difficult transition, I have learned, and I am not a very patient person. It’s shoulder length and not as blonde as I would like right now, in case you were wondering. Also, with really bad dark roots. rally bad. its embarrassing, really.
My grandmother had an obsession with shoes. My mother has an obsession with shoes. I have an obsession with shoes. This is not uncommon for women, I know, but I feel I need to get this out in the open. shoeaholics anonymous style. You will see that pretty much the only thing I have that is “Vintage” Is a pair of black leather Amalfi boots from my dad’s mom. They are probably 15-20 years old (we think) but its hard to say. Anyway, my mom took them when my oma died, but we recently realized they are a bit small for her, so she gave them to me. I love them, and I’m sure they will pop up in many of my pictures on here, especially as the winter rolls around.
I struggle to find decent shopping in Calgary. Vancouver has main st. and west 4th and robson(ugh) and all sorts of other lovely little secrets. The market for clothing stores is competitive. Calgary has NONE of this. there is like half a block of decent, kind of different clothing stores, and then the big malls. Thats it. If anyone reads this and knows of something I’m not seeing in Calgary, please tell me! I need help.
As a result of the above ^^, I am become less fashion-conscious. I hate this. hatehatehate. I really need help to stay in touch.
alright, this post is getting WAY too long! I’ll quit now, before this gets ridiculous.
Love.
I would call myself a tomboy, per se, but I definitely….Ok, I’m kind of a tomboy. But I’m trying to change! I guess what I’m really trying to say if that I don’t really like those inherently girlie things, like tons of ruffles and flowers and pink and butterflies, that sort of stuff. You’ll see.
I am by no means the most stylish person in the world. thats kind of the whole point of this. I’m really just trying to figure it all out as I go. Again, you’ll see.
I have a problem with Aritzia. That is, no matter how hard I try not to, I can’t help shopping there. I spend A LOT of money in that store. I’d love to be able to buy similar things from other stores for less money, but again, I have no time to find that sort of thing. I have often caught myself in outfits of entirely aritzia purchases, I hate it, but I can’t help it.
Ok, I said I was a tomboy, but here is the thing. I am obsessed with my hair, and have lately become very obsessed with make-up lately, too. I am blondorexic, and all I really want in life is to have long blonde hair. This is a problem, because I decided this while I had short red hair. This is VERY difficult transition, I have learned, and I am not a very patient person. It’s shoulder length and not as blonde as I would like right now, in case you were wondering. Also, with really bad dark roots. rally bad. its embarrassing, really.
My grandmother had an obsession with shoes. My mother has an obsession with shoes. I have an obsession with shoes. This is not uncommon for women, I know, but I feel I need to get this out in the open. shoeaholics anonymous style. You will see that pretty much the only thing I have that is “Vintage” Is a pair of black leather Amalfi boots from my dad’s mom. They are probably 15-20 years old (we think) but its hard to say. Anyway, my mom took them when my oma died, but we recently realized they are a bit small for her, so she gave them to me. I love them, and I’m sure they will pop up in many of my pictures on here, especially as the winter rolls around.
I struggle to find decent shopping in Calgary. Vancouver has main st. and west 4th and robson(ugh) and all sorts of other lovely little secrets. The market for clothing stores is competitive. Calgary has NONE of this. there is like half a block of decent, kind of different clothing stores, and then the big malls. Thats it. If anyone reads this and knows of something I’m not seeing in Calgary, please tell me! I need help.
As a result of the above ^^, I am become less fashion-conscious. I hate this. hatehatehate. I really need help to stay in touch.
alright, this post is getting WAY too long! I’ll quit now, before this gets ridiculous.
Love.
The Inaugural Blog Post
HI!
SO. My blog. I’m hoping it will be more about fashion and less about my life, but I imagine the two will end up blending together a bit. ANYWAY, who I am, and what my blog is.
I’m a Vancouverite, born and raised. I think I will always have Vancouver in my heart. That being said, I live in Calgary now. For some reason when I graduated from high school I thought I needed to leave Vancouver to gain some perspective, and what I’ve gained is this: I love Vancouver, and I never shoudl have left. Anyway, right now I go to the University of Calgary.
My blog. I love fashion blogs. LOVE THEM. But I am the kind of person who gets jealous really easily, and all the blogs I tend to read are about girls who have tons of money to spend on their clothes, or at the very least seem to be taking all the glamourous trips all over the place to shop. And the ones that do seem to be more average also have all these great vintage things. So here are my problems:
1) I have no money to buy chanel or fly to new York/Paris/Hong Kong.
2) I go to school all day and I work all night. WHEN am I supposed to find the time to shop find cute little hole-in-the-wall consignment stores and shop for incredible vintage finds?
3) I’m pretty out-of-the-loop. I try really hard to stay up-to-date with fashion trends, but when you have no money and no time, this becomes a struggle.
Ok. so thats why I’ve started this blog. I feel like it fills a bit of a niche for those of us with no time and no money. And I’m hoping to get advice that I can pass on to others through this, as well as to be able to pass on little bits and pieces of my own!
I’ll also start posting pictures of my favourite outfits, talking about my favourite products, and maybe even a few pictures of random outfits I see, sartorialist-style, haha. <— (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you NEED to find out. this is AMAZING. It will fill a hole in your fashion-loving heart, I promise … www.thesartorialist.com )
Ok. Thats my blog! here’s hoping it works out!
Love!
SO. My blog. I’m hoping it will be more about fashion and less about my life, but I imagine the two will end up blending together a bit. ANYWAY, who I am, and what my blog is.
I’m a Vancouverite, born and raised. I think I will always have Vancouver in my heart. That being said, I live in Calgary now. For some reason when I graduated from high school I thought I needed to leave Vancouver to gain some perspective, and what I’ve gained is this: I love Vancouver, and I never shoudl have left. Anyway, right now I go to the University of Calgary.
My blog. I love fashion blogs. LOVE THEM. But I am the kind of person who gets jealous really easily, and all the blogs I tend to read are about girls who have tons of money to spend on their clothes, or at the very least seem to be taking all the glamourous trips all over the place to shop. And the ones that do seem to be more average also have all these great vintage things. So here are my problems:
1) I have no money to buy chanel or fly to new York/Paris/Hong Kong.
2) I go to school all day and I work all night. WHEN am I supposed to find the time to shop find cute little hole-in-the-wall consignment stores and shop for incredible vintage finds?
3) I’m pretty out-of-the-loop. I try really hard to stay up-to-date with fashion trends, but when you have no money and no time, this becomes a struggle.
Ok. so thats why I’ve started this blog. I feel like it fills a bit of a niche for those of us with no time and no money. And I’m hoping to get advice that I can pass on to others through this, as well as to be able to pass on little bits and pieces of my own!
I’ll also start posting pictures of my favourite outfits, talking about my favourite products, and maybe even a few pictures of random outfits I see, sartorialist-style, haha. <— (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you NEED to find out. this is AMAZING. It will fill a hole in your fashion-loving heart, I promise … www.thesartorialist.com )
Ok. Thats my blog! here’s hoping it works out!
Love!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)