Friday 31 October 2014

save vs. splurge

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The internet can be such a great place for finding information. From how to style a lob, what to make for dinner when your fridge consists of wine, tomatoes and chicken; to if that mole is really fine, or if you're next for melanoma. It also has pictures of puppies to last you for life.

But what the internet is also really great for, is inconsistent advice and often clashing opinions about what are "must-haves". Take for example, the most blogged about topic (guilty), "The top 10 items to own".. Everyone's list is different! I can't get enough of my black or grey jeans, while some people hate jeans all together. My point is, while we may not all be able to settle on what particular items we should be spending our hard earned dollars on, one thing we can all decide on for the most part, is what to save on and what to splurge for. For me, a "splurge" item is generally something I've purchased the cheaper version of, and worn it out. Meaning, I know it is a "sure thing" when it comes to my wardrobe, and there isn't as much risk involved that I'm going to drop major dough on a piece that's going to collect dust once it comes home with me. I have purchased probably 3 pairs of cheapo black jeans, only to wear them out, fade the color away and lose their shape. So when I can afford it, that will be a splurge item for me, since I know that I will get a ton of wear out of them, and I also very much believe that expensive denim is worth the investment, especially from brands like rag & bone, citizens of humanity and seven for all mankind. They last, and they earn back every little penny spent. Also a splurge item? Looser white tees. I wear them all the time, and when they're made well, they don't pill as fast and tend to stay softer for longer. Ditto with black sweaters. Now, I'm a minimalist dresser, I stick to the neutral side of things; for me, splurging on a really crazy print top or pair of pants just wouldn't be justifiable to me, I wouldn't get enough wear out of them. But for you, it just may be. That's the beauty of personal style; my normal may be your boring, and you're normal may be way too far out of my comfort box. So that is my advice when you're having the internal "Oh this is a great top at Aritzia, but Target has one just like it" battle. For a quick reference, here are a few tips:

  1. Quick! While you're still in the store, make 3 outfits using this piece.

  2. How many different occasions can it be used for? Ie, casual, fancy, work, etc?

  3. If the item was double it's price, would you still buy it?

  4. Is it an overly trendy piece? Will it last a few good seasons?


Also, when it comes to accessories I have the same theory: I wear stud earrings everyday, therefore want to spend more on them to avoid ear discomfort from cheap metals. Dainty necklaces that have personal meaning (be it with initials, charms, etc.) should last longer than a few months without tarnishing. Watches are also a timeless piece that should last decades, so spending a bit more on a beautiful gold watch is more than worth it in my books. Big statement, cocktail pieces however? Save. As beautiful as they are, they're not for everyday and they're not worth the investment, as much.

Thursday 30 October 2014

Last Minute Costumes

Halloween is here! The time of year to eat 13 mini candy bars and feel little to no guilt for it (But they're mini! No way does eating multiple mini oh henry's add up to more than a regular sized one! CALORIES DON'T COUNT ON HALLOWEEEN), to watch scary movies and be scared of black cats, to carve pumpkins with either the artistic flair you've had your whole life, or like in my case, the reminder of why you're not allowed to be left to your own devices with sharp objects. aveseyebrows! and my cute as a button neice.
I can't say I've ever been into the "sexy" halloween costumes, not so much for the fact that I judge them - although some of them totally deserve it, sexy Olaf - my thing is I really detest being cold. Sadly, the lingerie & animal ears costumes never appealed to the fact I get mega bitchy when I'm cold. Who wants to party with a sexy mouse that's a tad bitchy too? No one. This year I am beyond excited for my Halloween costume, especially since Jake asked what he was going to be with me, without me asking him to. God he's a winner. Bambi & The Hunter. I saw the makeup tutorial and was so into it, I knew it was the one. Also, my costume probably can't be beat. I get to wear leggings, fur scarves, vests and boots. Fist Pump.  I'll be sure to post pictures of it up on instagram, apparently I thought I was being very unique this year until I saw 1001 tutorials on how to do fawn makeup.. But it's not often that I know what I'm being very far in advance, in fact last year my costume went to shit (Coachella Hippy) since it was freezing and none of my original costume fit me anymore, so I had to get creative fast, and on the cheap.. I present to you:

Regina George.

meangirlsA good mean girls tribute? Obviously needs to happen. I'm also a lover of puns, so here is my short & sweet list of easy, cheap and fast last minute costumes for when you get invited to a party last minute, or your well planned out costume shits the bed:

  1. Facebook: Write "Book", on your face. Thank you, Jim Halpert

  2. One night stand: Make a nightstand out of a cardboard box and wear it as a top, and wear a lamp shade on your head; bonus if you glue items to the top of it .

  3. Scarecrow: Plaid, jeans & Boots, hat with straw bits poking out and paint your face to look like stitches.

  4. Ceiling Fan : tape or write "Go Ceiling!" on your shirt and buy cheap pom-poms

  5. Risky Business: White button up, white tennis socks, ray-bans and boxers.

  6. Iron Chef: Hold an iron and buy a chef's hat.

  7. 50 shades of grey (boys): Wear a suit, go to a paint store and tape a bunch of gray swatches to you.

  8. Cereal Killer: box of cereal, knife stabbing the box.

  9. Blessing in Disguise: okay best for last because this made me laugh. Get a pair of those mustache glasses, and tape a sign to your shirt that says "Bless you!"


There you have it, my cheap, easy and silly list of what to be when you have a Halloween brain fart. And since we're loving the puns (Just me? Don't Care.), here is a joke to leave you:

Why did the cookie go to the hospital? ..... He was feelin' crumby.

Seriously, I can't get enough of these.

desperately seeking vitamix

To put it kindly, yesterday was not my day. It was a Murphy's Law type of day, running late, didn't get the proper breakfast, spilled almost everything I touched, you know the drill. To make up for it I figured I would make myself a nice big fresh smoothie for lunch to get back some nutrients and really boost my energy for the rest of work..
smoothSmoothies are my jam. They are beyond the easiest way to get multiple servings of fruits & veggies, while still getting the fiber that just juicing can take away. On an average day, I have atleast a smoothie, and on "optimal days" (read: too lazy to prepare food, not too lazy to throw them in a blender), I'll have two at least. My smoothies have a very tried and true algorithm, mainly because I have had some disastrous fuck-ups in the smoothie department, so I've learned an easy base recipe, that I mix up however I see fit.

Basic Smoothie Recipe

  • Some sort of dark leafy green; generally it is spinach, but I also like to do a spring mix, chard, beet greens, kale or a mix of all of them. Arugula, big fail.

  • Vanilla flavored protein. Either some sort of protein powder, or greek yogurt. Something with enough to keep me full until atleast a mid morning snack.

  • Fruit! Frozen is always the best I feel, generally I always have raspberries and bananas on hand, but also love cherries, strawberries, blueberries, apples, etc. I like to work with fruits that are in season, unless I'm going for frozen ones.

  • Water or Almond Milk, depending on how rich I want it to be (for everyday I generally go water or coconut water)

  • Add-ins: bee pollen, greens powder, peanut butter, ground flax, chia seeds or maca powder or oatmeal.


So that's my basic smoothie mix, and generally speaking it works very well.. until yesterday, when I made - in my opinion - my worst smoothie yet. Pomegranates are in season and fantaastic for you, right? Well, I was at my sister's over the weekend and she had frozen pom seeds that she threw into her blender, and the smoothie was delicious! So while grocery shopping yesterday, I grabbed a few of those bad boys to have with my yogurt, on their own or.. in my smoothie. Did I mention my sister has a Vitamix? Because this is what I failed to consider when diving into my master plan. My blender has some serious gutso to it, but I still liquify the greens and whatever "chunkier" fruit I have before the other ingredients go in to really set myself up for success.. I hate pulp, or anything chunky in my liquids. Bubble Tea? Sit down, you're disgusting. Anyhow, I blended up my greens mix & pomegranate seeds first, and since they are quite crunchy, I double blended, like mega liquified, or so I thought. After that I threw in half a banana, raspberries, blueberries, chia vanilla greek yogurt (HEAVEN), and raspberry lemongrass juice.. mistake #2. I thought it said "wheatgrass" when I bought it, mainly because lemongrass and I don't see eye to eye.. but since it was healthy, there was no way I was going to let it go to waste. And then I topped it all off with some hemp/pea/something vanilla protein powder. Vrrm Vrrm, it's done and I'm ready to enjoy.

 

smoothieChunk city. Chunkville. Chunkchestervillington. Like holy shit it was bad. Look at that color, not much good can come from that color. I drank (aka choked it down fast) it in serious disappointment, and all I could think about while gulping down the chewy mess that was my smoothie was:

Vitamix. Damn you Vitamix, you win again.

 

Wednesday 29 October 2014

big fat fatty lashes.

photooA couple years ago, I got eyelash extensions as a present for my birthday. I remember at the time thinking to myself "Holy shit! $150 for eyelashes!?" In my opinion, that money could've been used much more wisely, like a gift card to Sephora, for instance. What I'm saying is, I think eyelash extensions - while beautiful- are crazy expensive; too rich for my blood atleast . Especially when you factor in the fact you need to get a fill every 2-3 weeks at $50-75 a pop, that's really getting up there. But obviously, I still got them, and here was my spectrum feelings about them:

  1. For the first week solid, I ran errands for the sole fact that I wanted people to see how pretty I was. Like, feeling like a princess pretty.

  2. Beyonce must have made flawless when she had eyelash extensions, because you wake up feeling flawless.

  3. Good Morning World! Ahh feels so good to itch and rub my eyelids like it's my day job. Wait! Ahh fuck.

  4. This whole scraping my glasses every time I blink thing is fun.. Maybe I just won't blink.

  5. God damn I want to rub my eyes more than I want to breathe right now.

  6. Oh, they've fallen out and now where I once did have eyelashes, I have goose dander. Still feeling pretty? Not so much.

So long story short, I didn't get them again. I love big eyelashes though, they're my usual go-to for any kind of makeup look. The bigger, while still looking natural, the better. So when Holly reached out to me about trying the new product, Younique 3D lashes, I was intrigued. The look of falsies or extensions, without the hassle of glue and not being able to touch your eyes for weeks on end? Let me try this. I've seen a couple bloggers talk about it, but didn't know whether or not to believe the hype myself, until now. Ladies, this stuff works. It's a two part system, the first is a transferring gel and the second is little black fluff fibers (fellow contact wearers, I got freaked right out too, but the fibers dissolve when they get wet, so rest assured). Not to mention it is vegan, gluten free, cruelty free and doesn't have harsh chemicals. US-1017-00-alt4

  • Step 1, apply a thin layer of regular mascara and allow to dry. This acts as your base (I haven't tried it yet without, so I can't compare-yet).

  • Step 2, Apply the transfer gel as you would any second coat of mascara.

  • Step 3, Apply the fibers before the gel has a chance to dry.

  • Step 4, Apply one last coat of gel to seal it.

  • Ta-Da! Bambi Eyes! You can apply more, just always make sure to end with the gel. I tried 2 coats, and am saving 3 coats for Halloween, where my doe eyes will come in handy ;)

photo 1

photo 2

The photos are just one "coat" of this, where I would get these results with probably 4-5 coats of mascara. Needless to say, I am sold. While it definitely does require some getting used to and some clumps need to be combed out, I really loved the end results. For $35, it may be a little steep to some, but as an added bonus it lasts 2-4 months of regular use, so when you think about the fact that you (should be) replace mascara every 4-6 weeks, it doesn't feel so steep now does it? I will definitely be adding this to the daily routine, and can't wait to play with it more to really nail the technique. If you're interested in wear you can get your hands on this (and other really wicked products), click here: https://www.youniqueproducts.com/hollyjohnston



*this is not a sponsored post, I received this product to review but all opinions are 100% my own.

Wednesday 8 October 2014

Experiments & Obsessions

Since I have been doing the slow agonizing process of de-cluttering my home, I'm falling upon pieces or items that I love, but just don't know how to wear. Exhibit A, this necklace below. It was a birthday present from my brother last year and I love it, but I've always shy'd away from green, and therefore it never got put to good use. I wore it this last week and the love has been rekindled, that's for sure. It's a statement necklace that's easy to wear, doesn't itch and I forget I'm even wearing it after a few hours - huge costume jewellery bonus. unnamed (4)Now this nifty little top is actually my bodycon dress, but I decided that for the day it was going to be a long sleeve shirt. I also wore it for a wedding this weekend and am kicking myself because I didn't get a picture of the outfit, but if you follow me on instagram you would've seen a little snippet of how I wore it.. Since it was going to be chilly, instead of wearing it full length I ruched it up a bit to wear with leggings and black booties. Bodycon midi dresses; the wardrobe workhorse. unnamed (6)10484723_10152493793690787_3349942896168130455_n
Now to my obsession. NYX soft matte lip cream in Istanbul.  This color & pigmentation is amazing, and the coverage last for hours. It's like a nude/pink/peach concoction that is just so flattering. Since I bought it I haven't worn anything else. I do put lip chap on beforehand though, as matte lip colors always dry my lips right out. 
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Thursday 2 October 2014

Day 1 & 2, how do you do.

I felt like that title needed a rhyme, couldn't help myself and didn't want to; who doesn't love a good rhyme?!unnamed
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Both outfits got the stamp of approval from the man, though I can't say the same for my footwear.. "What are these little things? Are they for baby feet? YOU wear those!?".. So, clearly they're not one of his favorites. unnamed (2)