Fresh Air & Fashion

Before and After the Gym

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:38:00 +0000

So, I thought I'd do something a little different. I go to the gym at least five times a week, so fairly often. I don't wear makeup there usually or bother with it right after but that's because I'm usually just going home. I know some people have to go back to work, run errands (I do often do that but I do it beforehand) etc. So this is just to show you that you can do a quick and easy makeup job at the gym that'll still make a statement. I also included my gym outfit and what I changed into at the gym after.

So here I am, without makeup, after washing my face. I have decent skin, if I do say so myself (thank you skin care routine and healthy dairy free diet!) and I don't mind going out without makeup.

I figured I'd do eyeliner and brows at home. They would stay on through a sweaty workout and I wouldn't look "made up". I used elf brow kit and elf cream eyeliner dark brown.

So here I am with some eyeliner on, just applied right into the lash line on top and lightly on the bottom, and my brows lightly filled in. It just makes me look a bit more awake but you wouldn't know I have makeup on.

Here is what I brought to the gym: Urban Decay tinted moisturizer, Bliss mascara (it is very lengthening but not thickening so I find it more natural looking), Wet n Wild lipstick "552A" and some bronzer I don't know the brand of! Oh and a Mary Kay brush. But you could bring a foundation instead of the moisturizing/bronzer or an eyeshadow. The point is to keep it simple but choose something that makes an impact which in this case is the lipstick.

Gym clothes!

(tank Target, top Victoria's Secret, yoga capris Old Navy, shoes New Balance Minimus)

And here I am post-gym. I took this picture at home but I did do the makeup at the gym. If I were to re-do it I'd bring an under eye concealer instead of the bronzer/brush. I did put some of the bronzer on as eyeshadow which worked nicely.

What I changed into.

It was actually quite cold out so for pictures/walking my dog I added a jacket.

(jeans + top Target, jacket Walmart, belt Charlotte Russe, boots Sears)

The rain made my pictures blurry but you get the idea! Hope you liked the post. The point really is just that a little goes a long way. You don't need a complicated outfit or loads of makeup to make yourself look put together. Nor do you need a totally natural look in order for it to be quick and easy.

February 14th

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:37:00 +0000

Happy Valentine's Day! Personally, I'm a fan. I think having a day to remind us how important it is to show and tell others that we care about them is a wonderful thing! My husband and I don't generally "celebrate it". There is a lot of pressure to be romantic, give gifts etc but I think what really matters is just having people around that you love and I do! I did get him a card and am making these mug cakes tonight while we watch The Voice. :)

Sinful Colors are on sale for 99cents this week at Walgreens. I picked up two from the heartbreaker line including this one, "Glass Pink". It is a very sheet baby pink with a gorgeous golden shimmer made up of tiny glass flecks. I layered it over Sally Hansen Insta-Dri "Pink Blink" but should have done two coats of that to avoid streaks- oops! I did the heart and word 'love' using a Kiss Nails polish pen.

I know I just talked about makeup but you guys have got to check out Lisa Elridge! She is a professional makeup artist who has done many well known celebrities' makeup. Her videos have so much great information and she teaches you both basics and complete looks. Check it out!

Makeup I wore today minus the lipstick.

Face: Avon foundation, Minerologie concealer, elf under eye concealer/highlighter stick (LOVE this!!!)

Eyes: Madd Style Pop n Lock, elf palette, elf Mineral Eyeshadow "Sassy" and "Innocent", Sally Girl eyeshadow "Dusty Rose", Essence 2 in 1 kajal eyeliner, Sephora mascara

Cheeks: elf contouring blush and bronzer kit (wish this wasn't sparkly but otherwise love it)
Brows: elf brow kit
Lips: Wet n Wild Mega Last "Mauve Outta the Way"

Today I went for rose/plum colours and my new FAVOURITE lipstick, which is not in the below picture. I saw it on Killer Colours and then on Vampy Varnish and knew I had to have. It is Wet n Wild Mega Last lipstick in "Mauve Outta the Way" aka 907C. It goes on very very opaque, has a satin finish, is soft but not sticky, is not drying and stays put!! The only way I got these swatches off was with soap in the shower, after a full 24 hours haha I'm hoping to pick up some more colours soon! The second colour is "In the Flesh" aka 912C but I haven't worn it yet. My only complaint with these lipsticks is that the name is on the wrapper which you take off...so then all you have is the number. Annoying.

I planned this outfit around a scarf...and then forgot to wear the scarf. Seriously. hahaha It is this pretty pale pink scarf with little hearts! I had been waiting for today to wear it for the first time! *Smacks head* Oh well. I do like the soft colours of this outfit.

haha It was windy!

(top Charlotte Russe, skirt Victoria's Secret, shoes Target, cardigan Old Navy)

Makeup Obsessed

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:32:00 +0000

Simple outfit but I love this necklace peeking out from beneath the collar.

(sweater Old Navy mens, shirt Old Navy, boots gojane.com, jeans Target, necklace Glint & Gleam)

I've been trying out some new eyeshadow looks. Any tips for taking great detail shots? Mine look so washed out! I swear the colours look more pigmented in person. Still, isn't is great being a girl (or just someone who can wear makeup without ridicule, I suppose!)? Makeup is so much fun. I wasn't that into it as a teen so it is fun to play with it now. I just don't like to look TOO made up... I think we all draw the line at varying points for that but I like my brows and skin to at least look more natural.

Anyway, this eyeshadow look goes from gold/brown to light blue/teal to dark blue.

Products used:

Skin: Urban Decay Urban Defense Tinted Moisturizer "Halo", Wet n Wild Natural Blend Pressed Powder "Bare", Mineralogie Ultimate Cream Concealer "U3",

Eyes: elf Studio palette "Cool'", CoverGirl Eye Enhancers (blue palette; super old), Nars Soft Touch Shadow Pencil "Angle Noir", elf eyeshadow "Angelic", Sally Girl Eyeshadow "Aqua", Avon Dual Ended Eyeliner "Black/White", Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil "Zero", Benefit Stay Don't Stray primer, Madd Style Cosmetics Pop N Lock (whitebase), Urban Decay Vegan Palette and Buxom mascara

Brows: elf Eyebrow Kit "Light"

Cheeks: Sally Girl Blush "Rubor"

Lips: Say Yes to Carrots Color Balm "Rose Balm"

Here are some gorgeous looks I've saved!

Bows and Curtseys.

I find her looks a bit dramatic but it's still great inspiration; you can always downplay the intensity.

Temptalia.

Tons of reviews on this blog. She uses a lot of MAC and expensive brands but I do love her eyeshadow looks because they are unique but they don't look like costume makeup.

Psycho Sandra.

She has some great looks plus some super gross special effects looks, hehe.

Tina Marie Online

A more made up look than I personally wear but lovely use of colours as well as tips for contouring and such.

Killer Colours.

I am obsessed! I love how her looks are daring but not "over the top'. She does a great job of pairing lipstick with her eye looks. She's also vegan!

Pretty Bottles

Lots of pretty eyeshadow looks from soft to glam to punk.

Beautylish is a great site for finding makeup inspiration and new blogs to read! Just browse through the photos and you will find plenty. I found both Psycho Sandra and Killer Colours that way.

Youtube is great for tutorials. A lot of the time, a look has a lot more products/steps than you can see just by looking at the finished look. A few of my favourite tutorial artists are: Makeup Geek TV, MakeupByTiffanyD, PrimpedPreenNPeachy and MakeupByAlli.

Love

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:08:00 +0000

Apparently if you get me up at 5am, I will end up dressing in all black/gray. hehe Picked this sweater up at Target for just $9. Oh, Target clearance racks...I can never resist you... These pictures suck but it has dolmain sleeves which I often find unflattering on myself but I liked the ~~lazy~~ effortless look of this particular sweater. Plus I love 3/4 length sleeves since I always end up pushing up full length ones.

(pants Walmart, boots Shoe Ocean, sweater Target, earrings Forever 21)

How about some Valentine's Day appropriate nails? Here are two looks, one with nail art and one without.

Excuse the blurry pictures! I had to use my backup camera for these shots and it suuuucks. I wish I had waited and gotten better pictures because I thought this mani was very cute. The base colours are Sally Hansen "Cardinal", Sally Hansen Insta-Dri "Pink Blink" and Julep "Cameron". The sequin heart is from Kleancolours "Twinkly Love". The stamps are Bundle Monster. The glitter is a Sassy Girls pen.

Milani "Pink Out Loud" is a hot pink jelly with light pink shimmer...maybe glass flecks. I love it! It's such a fun pink. The accent finger is Zoya "Kissy". The first picture is day one and the rest are on day three; these polishes have GREAT wear time.

Stuffed Veggies, Oatmeal and Oreo Truffles!

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:13:00 +0000

This was a pretty strange week. I had two pretty crappy things occur including breaking a tooth but also had something good happen that took a load of weight off my shoulders plus I got a shit ton done around the home and am feeling very "on top of things". So, it was sort of a bad week but I don't feel bad about it...something like that. This weekend my husband and I need to run a bunch of errands, do homework, file taxes...but I think we'll fit in a trip to the movies at some point! I really want to see The Grey.

Anyway, it's Friday so let's talk about food.

One night for dinner, all I had was this giant stuffed portobello mushroom. It was SO good and filling! I just used leftover quinoa mix from making enchiladas and topped it with some Daiya. Easy!

Last night I wanted comfort food which basically reads as "cheese" hehe So I made macaroni and cheese with spinach and some fake chicken using this sauce but I also added some garlic, soy milk and cheddar Daiya. The zucchinis were baked, stuffed with a mixture of that leftover quinoa (less than 1/2 cup) and leftover spinach dip (spinach/vegan cream cheese/vegan mayo/spices). Not the healthiest dinner but I mean, not the unhealthiest either. haha It was sooo tasty! I will for sure make the macaroni and cheese like that again.

This was my "soft" dinner after I broke my tooth. Vegetarian chipotle chili (from a can, sorry!) and dill mashed potatoes.

I think a lot of Americans go about oatmeal in all the wrong way. Nevermind those packets you microwave that have all that added sugar and chunks of who knows what. This is one way I love to have oatmeal and it is honestly just as quick to make! It's much healthier and more filling.

1 cup water (bring to a boil)

1 cup quick cooking oats or you can do 1/2 muesli

3 tbsp or so goji berries or other dried fruit

1 tbsp ground flaxseed (omega 3!)

1 tbsp seeds like chia seeds or hemp seeds

1 or 2 tbsp sweetener like pure maple syrup, liquid stevia or agave nectar (I omit this if I use peanut butter)

1-22 tbsp optional flavor like a nut butter or unsweeted shredded coconut

I made a friend oreo truffles. Did I already post this? Well, either way. I got the recipe from Vegan Junk Food but it's just a basic oreo truffle aka you mash up (vegan) cream cheese with oreos, roll into balls, refrigerate and dip into chocolate.

Green Fingers

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:59:00 +0000

Note to self: Hunt down longer shirts.

(leggings Sears, shirt H&M, sweater Target, bracelet Glint & Gleam)

Monday mani theme over at Polish-aholics was "Glitter sandwich" which is where you do a layer of jelly polish, a layer of glitter polish and then another layer of jelly polish. :) I decided to do it with flakies! The green is a no name Blush polish and the flakies are Fingerpaints "Twisted".

Turquoise

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:47:00 +0000

I'm loving my Glint & Gleam purchases from Shop Lately except this ring is just too big for me to wear. It's gorgeous but the size throws me off. I'm selling it for $7 if anyone is interested!

I saw this combo on Tumblr but can't remember where! It was a gold crackle over top of a turquoise blue. Love! This is my favourite crackle look I've done in a while. I used SP crackle in "Cracked Gold" over China Glaze "For Audrey".

Simple outfit I wore out to a bar to watch UFC 143 with my husband and then to a friend's house to play Things (so funny!). I wore my new Target dress and belt. I love the simple cut of the dress. It's easy but flattering. Course, you can't see it well here, haha. The belt is bright green! This dress can definitely be worn all year round in a multitude of ways. Part of the reason I bought it (besides the fact that I loved the fit and that it came with a belt haha) is because I hope to use it as a guide to make a similar dress or even just some skirts with this cut.

(shoes Payless Shoe Source, belt + dress Target, tights Ebay, cardigan Old Navy)

I liked my hair! I pinned it up in sort of a lame way but whatever, it worked and it's better than my funny looking pony tail! I just did a pony and then used a large barette to clip it up against my head. I doubt that made sense... then I curled the front bits. My hair really hangs in my face because I have a small forehead but once and a while, it behaves and I can wear it down in front. That said, you can see I tucked a bit behind my ear here, haha. That was only because it was windy out!

Suprise Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:05:00 +0000

Last night my husband and I went to a restaurant with a bunch of people and surprised one of my best friend's for her birthday! It was pretty awesome. I also got to see some friends who flew out here from Colorado to surprise her! Downside to being a military wife is your friends tend to move a way a lot. :(

To get wavy hair like this, you have to wrap pieces around a skinny barrel... as in wrap them around the outside of the barrel (with it closed). They should twist as you wrap. :)

I can never get decent makeup pictures but I went with gold and purple eyeshadow!

Tired of my face yet?

Current manicure... Julep "Pippa" as a base and then neon tips using Sinful Colors "24/7" and "Neon Melon".

I bought this skirt from Victoria's Secret, on sale for only $9.99! This was my first time wearing it. I love it so much! It is very flattering with all its ruching and I love the tulip hem in the front. It also fits like a dream which you just never know when you order online. Oh and these are my newest boots. LOVE. They are really comfortable and 2" is such an ideal heel height for me. I literally wore them all day long.

(shoes gojane.com, skirt Victoria's Secret, blouse Burlington Coat Factory, necklace Premier Designs)

Guilt-free Vegan Enchiladas

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:46:00 +0000

These are low fat, high protein, delicious vegan enchiladas! Do I have your attention now? Seriously, these are so yummy, give them a try! I didn't even miss not having cheese (although I did indulge in a bit of vegan sour cream) and neither did my vegetarian husband.

Guilt-free Vegan Enchiladas

adapted from here

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 red onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 red or green bell pepper chopped
1/4 cup red salsa

2 cups of quinoa (uncooked)
2 large handfuls of spinach
1/2 4 oz can of green chiles

1/4 cup veggie broth

1 15oz can of refried beans (or black beans)

1/4 package taco seasoning

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 vegan flour tortillas
1/2 can (or more) red enchilada sauce

vegan sour cream (optional)

avocado (optional)

1/4 cube (or more) tofu (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F
Boil 1 cup of quinoa in 1/5 cups water until ready
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook all of your veggies + sliced tofu in taco seasoning with veggie broth
Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until spinach is wilted.
Add quinoa, salsa, green chiles and cook, stirring often.
Season with salt and pepper
Smear (nice word choice, I know) your refried beans into the center (in a line) of each tortilla shell.
Pour 1/2 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of your baking dish.
Add your veggie/quinoa mixture to each burrito and roll up, placing them seam side down in the baking dish.
Pour the rest of your enchilada sauce over the enchiladas.
Bake for 25 minutes until hot.
Serve with sliced avocado and vegan sour cream if you like! It goes nicely with the spicyness of the enchilada sauce.

Buttoned Up

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:06:00 +0000

This is what a wore today. *high five* On time again! I really like this outfit. I pretty much like any outfit with this skirt though. I think it must be the most worn item on my blog! I like the length, silhouette and the grey goes with so much. I think I'm going to DIY a few for Spring/Summer.

I'm excited for this weekend! I know, it's only Thursday...but it's close!

(belt Target, shirt Goodwill/thrifted, skirt Victoria's Secret, boots Shoe Ocean, necklace Burlington Coat Factory, nail polish Julep "Pippa")

Lovely Layers

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:32:00 +0000

I haven't been doing much nail art lately, just playing around with layering different polishes. This manicure is just that; layering. I layered one coat of NYC "Love Letters" over two coats of China Glaze "Skyscraper". I love it! "Skyscraper" is a great blue/silver glitter. The first coat is ugly but it evens out after two, just be careful not to drag the polish as it is a bit thick and likes to pile up at the tips of the nails. "Love Letters" looks boring in the bottle but on nails it gives a great pink sparkly duochrome effect! It's actually a favourite layering polish of mine.

January Outfits & Purchases

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:20:00 +0000

2012 is off to a great start! January was fantastic.
Highlights:

trip to WA to see family
VooDoo Dougnuts (yeah, they were that good!)
been vegan for 3 months now!
my family coming to visit from Canada!!!
my husband was pinned as a Sgt
found a great new grocery store
tried new restaurants
losing more weight
great gym workouts
completing a 7 day juice cleanse
new things

I have quite a few outfits from the month although the quality leaves something to be desired. Many were taken on vacation, some in much colder weather! I wore a lot of black bottoms...

I'm looking forward to February, I think it'll be a great month with friends, day trips and I hope to get a lot accomplished. My goal is not shop online at all and preferably not buy myself anything unless it is thrifted or part of a DIY project!

I'm updating this post because I had an idea. See, part of my 2012 new year resolution was to "consume less". A big part of this was to not only shop for myself less (beauty, clothes, accessories, shoes) but to avoid shopping online and try to thrift vs buy new. Well, I failed at that this month. I don't know what came over me! I bought quite a bit at the end of December so it feels like I bought more than I did but still, I ordered online more than usual! So the idea I had is that at the end of the month, I will take a picture of all my monthly purchases (just personal things not household items and such) and share it here. I think it will give me a better idea of how much I'm buying/spending. Not that I spend/shop a crazy amount or anything but I am still trying to cut back and make some changes. :) So that will be a feature at the end of each month for the entire year! Here is January...

Forever 21 dress (free with buy1get1), Forever 21 earring pack ($5.80), elf cream eyeliner ($3), Goodwill shirt ($5), Goodwill belt ($3), Target dress w/ belt ($17) Goodwill sweater ($10), Victoria's Secret skirt ($9.99), Victoria's Secret shorts ($19.99), Fingerpaints Twisted nail polish ($5.99), Desert Essence face wash ($7), Shoe Ocean boots ($26).

Not pictured: I got a free pair of Victoria's Secret panties with purchase/coupon. Also, a Scentsy My Wish brick ($20). They are discontinuing the brick size and it's my favourite scent so I stocked up.

Here are a few things that I did purchase in January but are still on their way to me.

Julep Maven February box $19.99. I should have cancelled but I couldn't resist these colours!

Rachel, Elizabeth and Oscar.

These Go Jane boots should arrive today! Impressive seeing as I ordered them late late Monday night! $26 including shipping.

I placed an order with Shop Lately. I bought a Plum District deal worth $20 for only $5. It got me $40 of stuff from Shop Lately. I spent $47 including shipping ($2.99) and tax. So I only paid $12 out of pockets for these items. And yes, you only get a little peak! They'll be in outfit pictures soon.

January spendings: $190.76 (more than I thought!)
Total number of items: 23
Items thrifted: 3
Items bought online: 15 (awful!)

See, I bought more and spent more than I thought! Can't be in denial with this new plan... And yes, I realize some people spend/buy wayy more than this (some people, less!) but this is just for me and my new years resolution. I am not judging anyone for the way they spend their money. :)

Black Ankle Boots

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:26:00 +0000

Hey. Guess what? This is what I actually wore today. Today! I'm normally so behind...

I love this sweater. So if you are tired of seeing it, too bad! haha

(sweater Old Navy, shorts H&M, tights Target, boots Shoe Ocean)

Stock photo of the boots for a closer look:

The boots are new. I ordered them here. Yeah, they are cheap but at least I'm not wearing an animal's skin on my feet... just saying. I had been lusting over black ankle boots with this sort of silhouette:

Nana in Wonderland

So I'm happy with what I got. They fit a bit small...well, small in the toes but loose in the heels. Weird. They are comfortable though. They're sort of like mini rainboots! I foresee them getting a lot of wear this year.

The other night I was browsing gojane.com and I came across some other black boots I like! I'm ordering them tonight:

I used to feel guilty if I owned too many similar shoes, as if it was "unnecessary". Well, that may have been good for my wallet but really, we wear shoes just about every day so why not have options? Black booties get sooo much wear. So I don't feel guilty that I bought two pairs of black booties! These have a 2" heel which is so awesome. I'm 5'10 and 2" is the heel height I prefer (husband is 6ft so maybe that is why?) but I find most shoes are either 1" or 2.5"-3" so most of my heels are a bit higher than I'd really like. Oh these are 15% off plus you can use the code PEOPLE10A for another 20% off. I paid $22.95 plus $6 shipping.

Blog Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 04:16:00 +0000

I am loving this blog tuula. Sure, most of her stuff is out of my price range but we all know style isn't about price so I can still be inspired! And boy, am I ever. My style is more laid back and edgier so maybe that is why I always admire those who have such a womanly, classy look (also like Cupcakes and Cashmere!). I am trying to fit more tailored, bold pieces into my wardrobe whether they are staples or trends.

Onto the inspiration that is Jessica Stein!

My wardrobe could use more pastels

those shorts!!!

gorgeous lines

pink + black + lace = amazing always

yellow + denim

sheer skirt

10 Ways to Eat Healthier

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:30:00 +0000

For this weeks Friday Foodie post I want to focus on changes you can make in your diet to be healthier. I am on a 10 day juice cleanse (today is day 5!) so I don't have many food pictures to show you. So here we go!

10 Ways to Eat Healthier

Eat vegetarian/vegan at least once a week. Seriously. People eat way too much dairy and meat; it's not good for you! The more you can cut back, the better, but if you can dedicate one whole day to it that is easier for some people. Give it a try!
Eat more fruits/veggies. Like, eat them at every meal. They are so freakin' good for us! It's like natural medicine.
Add superfoods to your diet. Things like wheatgrass, goji berries, acai and so on. Superfoods are generally foods that contain a ton of vitamins/minerals/nutrients without really having anything that is bad for you in them. Some are more "super" than others. Here is a long list of foods that qualify.
Eat raw more often. This is something I have been working on. Raw food is unprocessed, contains more nutrients than cooked foods and is generally very healthy. Some great raw blogs include Raw Clarity, Choosing Raw, Organic Kale Tumblr, Raw Living Foods Tumblr and Eat More Fruit Tumblr. Here is a great raw foods shopping list of essential items.
A lot of people get very caught up in calories and how many they are consuming. I used to. Now I don't worry about it because I know the majority of the foods I choose are naturally low in calories, as many unprocessed vegan foods are. Instead of worrying so much about how many calories you consume, focus on where those calories are coming from. In other words, it is better to eat more calories from a healthy source than fewer from unhealthy sources. All calories are not created equal!
Don't rely on supplements, not even multivitamins. That industry is making a ton of money off of people who would rather pop a pill in their mouth than eat healthy foods! You should always try to get as much of your vitamins and minerals from food sources first. Use supplements only on days where you don't reach your goal with one or more vitamins. I take a calcium or B12 supplement some days because I am often low on those things but I do not rely on them.
Drink your water! Every day! No, don't add sweeteners to eat or try to pass of your hot mug of tea as a serving of water. Drink plain ol' water, filtered if you prefer, every day. I am for 8 glasses.
Do not buy genetically modified foods. If you buy organic only, that is an easy way to avoid it. If your produce has a number 8 followed by 4 numbers, it is GMO. Read about that here.
Don't worry about thinking in terms of "breakfast, lunch dinner". It took me a while to get away from that but now I think of it as just times to eat! The problem with three meals is we tend to over eat! I prefer to eat every couple hours but smaller amounts.
Portion control. I think this is a big issue for a lot of people. It kind of goes hand in hand with what I said above. If you can learn to eat smaller amounts but eat often enough, you will do well. It's easier on the metabolism. If you need to get a few food groups in one meal, you can do that without having such large portions. I also find this easier to do as someone who doesn't eat meat.

And the few pictures I have from this week...

juiced 1 orange, 1/2 sweet potato, 1 grapefruit and 2 carrots

a salad I made for my husband on a bed of yellow rice. There's lettuce, cheddar cheese, black beans, olives, onion and spinach. The dressing is just a mixture of mayo, mustard, salt, pepper, garlic salt and water.

1 small lemon, 2 granny smith apples, 1/2 cucumber, 1 bunch kale, 4 stalks celery, 1 head broccoli

(boots + top Old Navy, jeans + sweater Target, scarf gift/Le Chateau)

more juice. I forget what's in these ones.

Last meal before my cleanse. Tofu nuggets, chickpea salad, slice of Greek pizza, hummus and pita bread!

homemade Greek pizza

Ombre for a Rainy Day

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:08:00 +0000

I finally did my first ombre mani recently and loved it! I will definitely do another. I used Julep "Gayle" and then just added white nail polish. Easy!

Then I added Milani "Gems" on top. Cute!

We had a very wet weekend! My outfit did absolutely nothing to brighten up the grey weather. It was short lived though, of course. Today is is almost 80F out!! We always seem to get a hot spell in January though.

our dog with a stick in the rain. he loves the rain.

(skirt Old Navy, top + socks Target, boots gojane.com, scarf Burlington Coat Factory)

Wishlist

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:05:00 +0000

Just some items I'm lusting over. I rarely order online and am trying to cut back more although I really was not good about that this month! I am trying to thrift more than buy new for clothes this year so it helps to narrow down what I like and sort of refuse to buy items on a whim.

Minus the boots on the bottom left; I bought them! They should arrive any day now. I ordered them from a different website for under $30 including shipping.

Layers

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:08:00 +0000

These are from Sunday, just wore it to run errands basically. I really liked the outfit, I just need to take in the shirt a bit.

Day 2 of my juice cleanse. I'm down 1.5lbs, not that I'm trying to lose weight but that does happen on a cleanse. One of my friends is down 4.5lbs in just a day!

(sweater + boots Old Navy, shirt thrifted/Goodwill, necklace gift/Forever 21, jeans Target)

This is Julep "Chloe". Similar to Wet n Wild "Night Prowl", yep. I'm actually putting it up for sale in my shop for just $5! Retails for $14 and I've only worn it this once. Sorry I didn't get better pictures. Take a look at these ones. It's a black base with tons of small purple glitter. Then I added Color Club "Covered in Diamonds" to a couple nails.

A Healthy Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:54:00 +0000

I had such a fun weekend! Not only that but I tried something new... a 5K obstacle race! It was the Diva Dash put on by Shape magazine, for women only down in Mission Bay. I signed up along with two friends. We volunteered Friday which was exhausting but fun. We spend two hours carrying bike racks that must of weighed over 30lbs...my shoulder is still sore and below you can see my bruised hip from it banging against it. :D That got us free entries into the race Saturday. We did the 10:30am wave. We agreed to stick together, not focus on finish time but just to have fun! One friend was having a tough time so my other friend and I would jog in place to wait for her or run backwards.... all in wet sand since this was on a beach! The obstacles weren't very difficult but were fun. Overall, a great time. We got a free tshirt (in picture), bag, Shape magazine, Asics socks and Origins sampler.

it was raining all day so we kept our sweaters on until race time!

my friends and I 10min into the race (I'm the tall one in the middle)

finish line!

feeling strong :D

my hip hehe

I loved it so much that I am signing up for the Warrior Dash on March 25th! It is just over 3miles, so similar distance, but the obstacles are tougher. My husband is going to race too! So are the friends who did the Diva Dash with me plus the one's husband (who took the pictures of us above). Fun!! This time, I am going to try to get a good time and really push myself. It's fun to stay as a group but I really want to challenge myself. I know my husband will kick ass at it, he's a very good runner and has done plenty of obstacle courses being in the Marine Corps!

On Sunday I grocery shopped for my 10 day juice cleanse which starts today! I made a Facebook group with info/recipes and such. You are welcome to join. Check it out here!

Also, yesterday, my husband said to me (out of the blue) that he thinks he may want to become vegetarian!! I remained calm but inside I was like OMGYESAWESOMEYESYES! hahah I believe that vegetarian/vegan is something people really have to come into on their own so I never wanted to push him in that direction. I think limiting your animal protein intake is very important so him becoming vegetarian would, in my opinion, be much healthier for him which is why I would love for him to do it! Since I'm vegan I already don't eat meat so it'd be nice to not have to cook it for him either. He will still eat some animal products like yogurt/cheese etc but he doesn't drink cows milk, eats way more veggies than he used to and some vegan meals including vegan substitutes... so it makes me so relieved to know he is lowering his risk of so many diseases. He is going to commit to it for a month to see. I did the same thing when I was considering a vegan life style.

Pink

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:17:00 +0000

Want to see something pretty? Wear a flakie polish over a holo one. hehe This is Fingerpaints "Twisted' (I'm obsessed) over OPI DS "Extravagance".

sun

shade

Last Wednesday, I stayed offline to protest SOPA and oh man, I got so much done! haha I did a lot of cleaning and here is what I wore...

(top H&M, scarf Wet Seal, jeggings Walmart, shoes Payless Shoe Source)

Lots of pink! I tried the black and white dual eyeliner look and really liked it.

Jumbo Friday Foodie

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:10:00 +0000

Friday Foodie post! Almost forgot. I had a long day volunteering down in San Diego for Shape magazine, setting up obstacles for the Diva Dash 5K (I swear it's longer...) obstacle course tomorrow! I'm running in it tomorrow too. My first race! Mind you, I'm not going into it to finish fast, just to have fun and challenge myself with two of my friends. It's going to be so much fun! More on that later.

When my husband picked up Sgt we celebrated with lunch at Sammy's Woodfired pizza followed by frozen yogurt (sorbet for me; it's dairy free) at Menchi's (a self serve place). YUM.

my two kinds of sorbet with mango, blueberries, coconut, carob chips and nuts.

my husband's hummus and chicken wrap which we got for free. If you sign up on their website, they give you a coupon for a free pizza but since my pizza cost more they gave us this for free. :)

My pizza! Tons of Daiya (vegan mozzarella) and veggies. it was delicious!

Yep, they had a separate vegan + gluten free menu! It's the green one above. That made ordering so easy. It was just one page but still. We'll be back! I love their commitment!

Some eats from this week.

Yummy hemp waffles (frozen variety) with peanut butter and banana.

Quinoa salad with carrot and cranberries. The dressing is a mixture of olive oil, apple cider vinegar and agave nectar.

Green juice! I've been juicing a lot this week. I feel so much better when I have at least one a day. Next week I'm starting a 10 Day juice cleanse!!!

Kashi GoLean Crisp berry cereal with almond milk, goji berries and chia seeds.

Greek food at home! My favourite.

I recently discovered the grocery store Earthgrown Market. It's so awesome. It's all natural, has TONS of vegan options, a lot of organic produce and really low prices. Here is what I got for $120 (keep in mind some things were pricey like $5 beers and $5 acai juice).

Finally buying from the bulk section! I just need to make some re-useable bags; boo plastic! The oats cost me like 75cents and I think the soy protein powder was $1.50 or so. The soy feta is yummy, not as strong as regular feta but still tasty.

amande yogurt (made from almonds) has a lumpy texture but tastes good. Almond Dream is currently my favourite vegan ice cream. Sooo good especially the praline one! My husband loves it too.

Some bars and goji berries. They were on sale for $11.99/lb...so that container was under $4! I should have bought two.

Fresh dolmas (also on sale so 6 was only $1.68!!) and fake chicken boullion cubes which I've yet to try.

beer and fruit. The fruit/veggies are all organic except the pineapple. The oranges were only $4 for the bag. The apples were on sale for 76 cents/lb. Sweet.

beans and veggies

milk, flour, honey (for husband), green tea, acai juice, waffles.

Quite a lot for $120!

Layers

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:18:00 +0000

Worlds most comfortable outfit? Very possible. I was very cold when I went outside though. Also, how did I ever wear these black flats so much? I find them so boring now. Black loafers are on my shopping list!

(dress Forever 21, flats & scarf Burlington Coat Factory, sweater Old Navy, hat Charlotte Russe)

Lots of nail pictures today. I started with Zoya Loredana which is a matte polish but for some reason it kept getting dented and such! Grr.

So then I added a coat of this purple no name Blush polish I have. It's tiny and the consistency is awful but application was surprisingly great! It's a dark purple with gold shimmer. I have a few similar ones for sale in my shop. The wear on this was great!

Then the Monday Mani challenge over at Polish-aholics Anonymous on Facebook was "crackle"" so I decided to do that. I did one coat of SP Crackle "Golden Cracked" and then did just the tips with OPI "Black Shatter". I really liked the tips and the gold is so pretty.

Flakies

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:37:00 +0000

I'm obsessed with flakie polishes right now. I think we'll see more brands coming up with their own versions of it this year. This one is Fingerpaints "Twisted". It has blue, green, orange, red and a bit of purple. I wore it over OPI DS "Extravagance".

Also, today my husband was promoted to Sgt in the Marine Corps. :) So very proud of him! He has worked hard for every one of his military accomplishments.

This isn't what I wore today but on Sunday.

(dress Superstore Canada, shoes Gilt/Jeffrey Campbell, leggings + belt Target, shirt H&M)

Mission Bay Vacation Outfits

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:33:00 +0000

Here is a mashup of outfits from my 5 days spent in Mission Bay, CA with my husband and family. It was SUCH a great time. I miss them already! I didn't take "proper" outfit pictures but think these are fun to look at...perhaps a bit more realistic than me standing in the park next to my apartment. hehe

No decent pictures of my first outfit, the day we all arrived in Mission Bay. I wore a sweater dress, Oxfords and for this walk I tossed on a warm scarf.

Our first full day we went to Sea World! I wore my new shorts for the first time. Love! Although they do give me a bubble butt after a while.

my sisters dress blowing up...the room was a big heater you could pay to stand in after going on a water ride

(shirt/shorts H&M, tights ebay, shoes Payless Shoe Source, bag Target)

For our day in LA, I realized I'd forgotten by black sheer blouse at home so I threw on my leather shorts again and a grey sweater. I started off with a jacket and scarf but eventually was too warm with that.

all of us! sister and her boyfriend, sister, mom, dad, me and my husband

(shorts H&M, sweater Target, scarf Burlington Coat Factory, boots gojane.com)

For the day we spent in Gaslamp down in San Diego, I wore this thrifted shirt and "jeggings". It was far too hot but I had packed thinking it would be cooler out :/ That's what happens when you go from 40F in WA State to 80F in Southern California, I guess.

(shirt Goodwill, jeggings Walmart, belt Goodwill, sweater Goodwill)

Last day, I just threw on this sweater I am in love with (and not allergic to!) with my favourite jeans and some knee high boots.

(boots Sears, jeans Target, sweater Goodwill, scarf Burlington Coat Factory)

One night, I threw on this sweater over my shorts and loved it! Future outfit, yessir.

Traveling Vegan Food

noreply@blogger.com (Sophie) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:39:00 +0000

Being away from home for the past week and a half was an interesting experience for me when it came to food because it was my first trip since becoming vegan. I brought some groceries, bought some and then ate out a bit. I only have pictures from our trip to WA not our trip to Mission Beach, CA but overall I feel like I ate fairly healthy while still eating a lot of delicious stuff and not feeling deprived. Since we were eating out more than normal, I felt a bit less in control of the ingredients I was consuming but I think I did a decent job. If I did accidentally consume any animal products, I at least know it was a minuscule amount! And that's really not the end of the world.

So for our trip to WA we had 22 hours of driving each way. My husband ate out a few times on the drive there but I only ate out once (veggie burger at Denny's). I had brought some food (pita, hummus, Larabars, apple etc) so I ate that stuff. Oh I also "ate out" breakfast at our hotel where it was included in the fee. I had oatmeal.

I brought a big jug of green juice (not fresh) from home and enjoyed that in my reusable cup

The chocolate coconut butter came in my Eco Emi box. I ate some with the apple and then used the rest in oatmeal (twice). It was so yummy!

Got veggie sushi from Fred Meyer's and enjoyed some more green juice when we arrived in WA at my inlaws' place

I had brought some leftover "nacho cheese" sauce (just water, flour, spices and nutritional yeast) from home so I enjoyed that with chips and salsa.

I'd been wanting to try this so when I saw it on sale at Fred Meyer's (I was VERY impressed by their natural foods selection; loved it). So yum!

I also made my husband and I smoothies with it. Another day we had PB banana smoothies.

OJ and oatmeal with fruit. I hate a lot of plain instant oatmeal with fruit in WA. In Mission Beach I had a lot of muesli with fruit. I brought a little baggie of chia seeds and ground flaxseed from home and always added that.

From Alberstons, I brought along a package of falafel where you just add water to it, let it sit for 10min, form into balls and cook. So easy...and delicious! I had a yummy pita sandwich with it and then ate the rest on our drive home (with pita and hummus)

Another typical breakfast. Oatmeal with chia, ground flaxseed, banana and chocolate coco butter.

On our last night, we stopped at the Rogue Brewery in Portland with my brother in law and his wife. Highly recommend! My husband and I shared a hummus plate (yes, I've been having hummus everyday lately) and then I had a hazelnut beer and a quinoa salad (gave the bread to my husband).

I've always wanted to go to VooDoo Doughnuts and we finally were able to! At 4am, of all times, haha. It was before our long drive home. Both my husband and I chose two vegan donuts each. I got the oreo pb one and a maple one. I think it had been years since I'd had a donut! They are generally a bit too sweet for me. The toppings on the oreo pb made eating the entire thing a bit much for me but overall... BEST DONUTS EVER. Sooo good. The inside was just perfection.

Random snack my husband and I had on our way home. I'm not sure I liked the beet chips haha

So, don't be afraid to stick with a plant based diet while traveling! It may be a bit inconvenient but it was very doable. When I was in Mission Beach with my family, we cooked a lot. Like, our first dinner was a spaghetti and while they had chicken I made vegan sausage (which my husband also had; proud of him!). When they all ate at a crepe place in a food court, I got a Jamba Juice smoothie. I think the key is to try and be included in the social aspect of it, like sticking with the group as much as you can but finding what you can eat.