A Cup Full of Sugar

I am grateful for....

2012-02-11T14:07:00.000-08:00

Hello!

I have recently starting doing something that may seem a little cray-cray (crazy crazy) to some, but I'm thinking that some peeps (people) might really enjoy doing it as well, so I figured I would take a leap of faith and share it with all you folks reading this :) I am also 100% sure I read about doing this somewhere else a while ago, but unfortunately I can't remember where right now so I can't give the originator credit where credit is due!

Alright, so now that you're on the edge of your seat, or toilet (I don't judge where you read this ;)), here we go! I bought a journal at Chapters about a month ago, and a couple times a week, I write down a list of things I am grateful for in it. Now, almost always, there are many repeats in my various "I am grateful for... lists"! But I don't care, because I feel like it's so important to reflect on what you're grateful for, over and over! Too often in life, we can go on living and always focus on the nasty things, like how much you hate waking up at 6 am for work or school, how you almost turned into a popsicle on your way to school or work due to our cold Canadian winters, or how rude that person sitting next to you on the subway (LRT) was who kept elbowing you as they were furiously text messaging on their phone, which caused you to have to attempt to shrivel yourself up into the smallest little ball possible so that you weren't uncomfortably linking arms with this stranger! Okay that last one actually happened to me and I was actually super annoyed at the time but then I quickly reminded myself of my "I am grateful for...lists", and instantly I was eating and pooping rainbows again! :)

Here is a picture of my journal:

Now here is an example of one of my "I am grateful for...lists":

My family
My boyfriend, Sam
The relationship I have with my boyfriend's family, and how amazing they are
My amazing friends
My health
My home, and how my parents so graciously allow me to live in it with them even though I am 30 (just kidding! I am not 30!)
Our family's dogs
Living in Canada
My job which I love so much
The opportunity to have an amazing education, and the opportunity to further it even more currently
The Humane Animal Rescue team and the wonderful board members and volunteers who so tirelessly devote so much of their time to rescuing and rehabilitating dogs, and all other animal rescue groups for that matter! :)
The amazing charities around the world that again, so tirelessly work to help people, animals, and causes that are so deserving
The people in the world that work so hard to make the word a better place to live in

Now, it might seem super cheesy, but I swear it will attract positive energy to you. You will feel instantly happy and light on your feet after you write your "I am grateful for....list!". You will also probably be able to jump super high because you will be so light on your feet and airy and you'll be able to reach things you never thought possible!

Thanks for reading!

VVEQF6FV5UKG

Neutral Coloured Sweaters

2012-02-05T10:17:00.000-08:00

Well it's Sunday morning and a beautiful one at that here in Edmonton! I just got back from a walk at the off-leash park with my Dad and our two dogs and it was so much fun. We saw Buttercup the skateboarding dog there, and it was so cool! Check her out here:

Isn't that awesome! And we saw her at the off-leash park just skating around on the deck (no wheels because of the snow). It was so neat, I could have watched for hours!

Now, see the colour of Buttercup's coat? That is my inspiration for my next post, which is on neutral coloured sweaters! I recently bought a nudish coloured Talula sweater from Artizia, and I have gotten so much wear out of it already. I attribute this to the fact that it is neutral coloured, and when I wear it I feel so classy and ladylike (I said this with a British accent in my head, not sure if you read it that way, but now you know!). I am sure Buttercup gets much wear out of her neutral coloured sweater also. :) Here is my new sweater:

Talulua Sweater/La Bottega Scarf (from Italy)/Talula Mittens/American Eagle Jeans

See how I'm wearing like 6 bazillion colours in this photo (black, blue....okay so maybe just two....) and they all go so well because of the neutral sweater! It just blends into one beautiful rainbow mix. A subtle rainbow mix though because of the neutral sweater!

I found that the black scarf added a little more oomph to the outfit, as it is just a plain, classic sweater. However, you could also add in a coloured scarf, with stripes or a solid bright colour to make it that much more exciting! And if you added in a coloured scarf you'd probably get asked to do a reality show for MTV or TLC because producers would see you as someone who "lives life on the edge".

I also find with more neutral coloured tops you can take them from casual to professional/dressy very easily! For instance, in this picture I am wearing the top with jeans, but I also wore this sweater to work this week, TWICE (woops!;)), once with a black skirt, and once with black dress pants!

Neutral colours are great, because if you're purchasing a more expensive item, not just a sweater but anything, you know that the neutral colour will be something you can bring out of your closet time and time again as you can pair it with so many things! You'll get your moneys worth out of it! That's the business woman in me coming out....;) And if you're like me, before you purchase something you probably try to figure out the "cost per wear", by dividing the price of the item by the number of times you'll wear it! I usually use 20,000 for the number of times that I'll wear the item so anything I buy usually works out to cost $0/per wear, and I never feel guilty about shopping ever! I encourage everyone to use this approach ;).

Thanks for reading!

Arbonne Unwind Aromassentials Sea Scrub

2012-02-04T09:12:00.000-08:00

Happy weekend to my lovely readers!

My blog post today is about a product from Arbonne, called the Unwind Aromassentials Sea Scrub.

Arbonne Aromassentials Unwind

Now my psychiatrist, Buster, prescribed this scrub to me after one of our therapy sessions, as it is a lavender scent and can help to calm the mind.
Below is a picture of my psychiatrist listening to my problems:

I can't even explain how soft my skin feels after using this. You know those white kittens in the toilet paper commercials that are so cute and so soft and probably just eat marshmallows and play with ribbons and are so innocent they have never even thought of doing anything wrong in their entire lives? Yeah my skin feels softer than those kittens. So I win. Sorry kittens! Better luck next time.

Wow, my therapist Buster would not be pleased with me being competitive with those kittens, so let's hope he doesn't read this! Buster also likes me to think of this scrub as not only removing nasty bits of old skin but also any troubles or stress I've had in the past few days. I thought about that when I used the scrub earlier today and I thought about the stress of competing with those fluffy, white, adorable kittens just washing away. Obviously it didn't work for too long!

I must emphasize, this scrub is for the body, NOT the face. If you use it on your face, it will likely feel like you have been out in the Arctic and the 100 km/hour wind was blowing dirt and tiny rocks into your face for an hour! So don't use it on the face :).

Thanks for reading :)!

Farmhouse Fresh Splendid Dirt Nutrient-Rich Mud Mask

2012-01-29T14:04:00.000-08:00

Hello beautiful people!

Now I don't know about you guys, but on weekends I like to call up my girl Snooki from Jersey Shore, and we chillz to the max.

Snooki: Image Credit: http://poponthepop.com

Now, I don't know if you're down with Jersey Shore lingo, if not, I encourage you to get on that, once again it's a skill multiple employers look for, but the majority of peeps from the show are very tan, especially Snooki. So before we meet up, I make sure I apply this mask, which is a pumpkin puree, and I ensure to leave it on for the entire time we hang out, so that I don't look like a ghost next to her:

Snooki's long lost twin right?

I look exactly like her when I have the mask on right? So that is what this wonderful mask looks like on. It is orange. I mean I could also just apply self-tanner for my hang out sessions with Snooki, but I mean that's the easy route. And in life, you should never take the easy route! You could also use it to transform into an Oompa Loompa, Pumpkin, or any other orange human/animal/thing!

The brand that makes this mask is called Farmhouse Fresh. This brand is so super awesome! I fell in love as soon as I saw the packaging and branding of their products. Yes, I am just that shallow. But in all fairness, the products are vegan, and don't contain nasty chemicals. And I strive to support companies that make wonderful products that have values aligning with mine! Their website is as follows: http://farmhousefreshgoods.com

Here are a couple pictures of the mask in the container:

After I use this mask, I often get mistaken for a Victoria Secret Model. Just kidding. I don't, but I mean inside for a few minutes I do feel like one. And my mom always said it's what's inside what counts! It makes my skin feel really soft, and removes all that nasty "gunk" (as per the packaging), that sits on the surface of your skin! I certainly notice a difference in the appearance of my skin after using it.

Now, this one bottle will likely last me another 5 months and I use it at least once a week. I paid about $20 for this bottle here in Edmonton, Alberta, and I think that is very justifiable!

Thanks so much for reading!

Belted Sweaters

2012-01-27T15:36:00.000-08:00

It's Friday, how lovely! You know how awesome chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers go together? Well, I feel the same way about sweaters and belts!

I think I first noticed the "belting" trend this fall around my campus at University. I would see girls wearing dresses and belts, sweaters and belts, and backpacks and belts (hehe I guess I saw that before this Fall!), and I would always think to myself, "Wow, that girl must live such an amazing, fairy-tale life! Look at her sweater/dress and belt combination! I want to be just like her".

It took me a while to be brave enough to take on this fantastical, fabulous trend. And once I did it, there was just no going back! I starting "BELTING" everything. Including my pajamas. I just couldn't stop!

Evidence of my addiction to belting

Now one of my favourite sweaters to belt is the one I'm wearing in the picture below:

Sweater: Le Temps des Cerises/Tank Top: T.Babaton/Belt: Gap/Necklace: Groove Stone/Hair: Home grown

From the side

I think that adding a belt to a sweater is like adding winning $10,000 into your day. Actually, you'll probably start being much more lucky if you start belting your sweaters, dresses, etc, because you will just look that good! You know how good George Clooney looks? Well I think all of my readers look that good already. But you will look like George Clooney version 2.0, which is him standing on a beach in Hawaii in front of a beautiful sunset, holding a tiny baby turtle and feeding it a bottle.

Happy Friday!

Glitter Nails

2012-01-25T16:25:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and you know what that means. Nail polish will be flying off the shelves, because please, we all know that a way to a future romantic partners heart is through your nails!

For this blog post, I will demonstrate quite possibly the greatest achievement of my life, which is my take on the glitter nail trend, and I call them my Valentine's Day Nails. Now, these nails can also be considered "Christmas Nails", "Holiday Nails", "New Years Eve Nails", "Hanukkah Nails", "Chinese New Years Nails", and multiple other joyous occasions which we celebrate with our friends and family throughout the year. In Oprah's words, they are "multi-tasking" nails!

Here is my finished product. I guess I may as well show you what the finished product looks like before giving you the instructions! :)

To start out with, I used my RGB Nail Polish Base, and then I used a light pink polish. For this go around I used Sephora by OPI in A True Romantic. Below is the color swatch of it:

Image Credit: www.Sephora.com

After the light pink color was fully dry I then applied the Sephora by OPI gold glitter top coat. Now, waiting for nail polish to dry is probably one of the hardest things to do. I would say it's right up there with going into Space and being an Olympic Athlete. Therefore, I would suggest if you can successfully wait for nail polish to dry without messing it up and touching things with your wet nails (I swear my wet nails are magnets to the wall, the floor, the sink, clothing, seriously!!), then you should list this as a skill on your resume. Employers definitely look for this.

Here is the top coat that I used. I usually use about 2-3 coats (it dries really quickly, so not as bad as waiting for the pink color to dry!)

Image Credit: www.sephora.com

The Big Bang Theory (Hair Related)

2012-01-24T16:23:00.000-08:00

Hi there!

On one's journey through life, there are many important decisions to be made. Such decisions often include things such as where to go to University, what career to pursue, who to marry, when to marry,whether or not to have children, and deciding whether or not to let your child get that boa constrictor they so desperately want! Now, also included in these essential life decisions is whether or not to get BANGS! Sorry, did the title of this post mislead you? I don't allow myself to discuss shallow topics such as The Big Bang Theory, I have restricted myself to writing about deeper topics such as hair ;)!

Now, I have had bangs for many, many years. Here is a picture of myself with my bangs down and all blown out. As you will notice, I am pointing to my bangs incase you can't find them:

As you can see, my bangs are legit. I have full on, ain't no goin' back BANGS. So I often get asked, "Lauren, should I get bangs?" Now, to save you all the usual "bang decision" fee I usually charge, I have decided to post my pro/con list here:

Pros of bangs:

Sometimes people will call you "stylish" and "fashion-forward" if you have them. Especially in a more rare style like if you get them cut a bit shorter than usual or get your hair stylist to cut a shape of say a dinosaur or something into them.
They can cover up any break outs or Harry Potter type scars on your forehead (I actually have one!)
I like mine because I think that they work with my face type a bit better than not having them. Here is a picture where I have pulled them to the side:

Cons of bangs (Here is where my expertise really comes into play):

Try going swimming and looking cute with bangs. Try it. I dare you. It's impossible I swear, because as soon as they get wet, they're gone. You cannot (I stress this) wear them well they are WET you have to make sure they stay on top of your head, and trust me they HATE staying on top of your head if they are wet. They love to slip down and pieces of them will be on your face but stuck to it because they are wet. Now I do have a strategy for swimming with bangs. Pin them up first! Usually water still messes with the bobby pin and such and moves it anyways, but at least you're partially prepared. If you get pushed into the pool at a party or something along those lines, I'm sorry but I can't help you. You're on your own.
Hats. Seriously, I live in Edmonton where toques/beanies are a necessity for 90% of the year and you can't wear a toque with my style of bangs unless once again you pin them up and out of the way. When you wear toques with them down, half them will be showing, and it will be one hot mess. Also, when I had my grad photos this year, I was prepared to tell the photographer I didn't want a cap picture because of my bangs, and I honestly thought I'd have to put up a fight about it. Guess what? The MALE photographer, told me at the end of the shoot, "I hope you don't mind we don't take any photos with the cap because they don't work with bangs!" I died laughing!
Oh yea, NEVER go to bed with wet bangs. This may be the best piece of advice I can give you. Just don't do it. If you go to bed with them wet, they will party all night without you. When you wake up, they are not happy. If I want to wear my bangs down, even immediately after blow drying I have to straighten them no matter what! Even if I've been so careful to make sure they're straight while I aim the blow dryer at them, one of two pieces will still stick straight out, because they are trying to show me who's boss. Now imagine what they look like after you sleep on them all night. Mine usually look crazy even if I sleep on them dry. So usually I wear them down the first day of my "washed hair', then pin them up the second day.

So these are my main pros/cons of getting bangs! Obviously I have had them for years, and for me the pros out weight the cons, therefore I don't think I'll grow them out anytime soon. If you have any more bang questions feel free to contact me or post a comment!

Dry Shampoo

2012-01-23T15:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday my lovely readers!

Now I know that most of you probably love Mondays, (it is the best day of the week according to many online polls) and when your alarm goes off you leap out of bed as if a grizzly bear just bit your bum. If you can't relate to grizzly bears, than maybe a shark, or a large angry penguin. Also, if you're reading your children this blog post (some people do...they're trying to cut back on buying books) then maybe substitute grizzly bear with Easter Bunny or something more children oriented.

Now, for those of you that don't like Mondays or really any day of the week for that matter, I have recently come across something that will drastically improve your week, heck even your entire life! Dry shampoo. Seriously where has this stuff been all my life? I'm sure it would have been really useful when I was a baby and a lot busier than I am now.

So why would one even use dry shampoo? Well, I have learned over the years that shampooing your hair everyday strips it of its natural oils, and thus it can be very drying to do it every day. Secondly, for those folks that colour their hair such as myself, not shampooing every day can prolong your colour and put some hard earned money back into your pocket or in the mall!

Image Credit: www.Sephora.com

I've tried a few different brands/styles. The first brand I tried was given to me as a gift by my best friend. She may have been trying to tell me something about my hair, but let's think positively here people! This was the Oscar Blandi powder brand of it. Now I used it for a long time, thinking that wow, I seriously never need to use water again to wash my hair! However, a couple months ago, I was washing my hands at school, looked in the mirror and screamed. There was white powder everywhere. All over my head. Somehow I hadn't noticed before I left my house. And guess what, there was nothing I could do. Rubbing it in and asking other girls in the bathroom to help me rub it in did absolutely nothing! So the rest of the day I looked like I had dropped a bag of flour on my head. Now I tried to continue using it, but I found that you could always see some form of powder at some spot on my head! I think that for people who are too lazy to rub it in and ensure there is none showing when you leave your house, this might not be the best option. It would probably work a bit better for non-lazy people that have eyes that work and who have lighter hair.

Image Credit: www.Sephora.com

Now the other two dry shampoos I have tried recently I love and will continue to use! The first one was by Ojon and is called Full Detox Rub Out Dry Cleansing Spray. Now, I must say, the spray versions of dry shampoo are a much better match for me! I have read some reviews of this spray that discussed the unappealing smell. Now, the smell honestly smells like bark, and I was definitely okay with this. However, if you don't like trees or nature I would suggest staying far away from this guy! Now, I was concerned that a spray might not last a long time like the powder would, and that I would have to buy it again right away. Boy, was I wrong! It lasted me at least two months and I would say I probably used it every second day, and probably sprayed too much on because I generally like to do that. There was also absolutely NO residue at all! I wasn't worried about inspecting my hair before I left like the powder verision.

Image Credit: www.Sephora.com

Lastly, I have recently started using the Volumizing Dry Shampoo Spray from Oscar Blandi. Now I was worried, because I liked the other spray so much that I wouldn't like this one as much! However, I like this one equally as much, and for people who don't like the smell of bark, I would certainly suggest this one. I do like the smell of bark though, so I think I may go back to the Ojon once this one has one out. Again, this spray leaves no residue at all!

Now I should mention, I only wash my hair every two days so usually I use dry shampoo on the second day! As well, I don't wash my hair after I've worked out if my work out falls on my second day of "washed hair" and using dry shampoo really helps and saves time! :)

Denim Shirts and Saturday Night Make-up

2012-01-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

Well, it's Sunday! Which means it's a perfect day to dissect and analyze all the goss (gossip) and dramz (drama) that took place over the weekend with your friends! Not that I do that. I usually mediate all day on Sundays and reflect how to make my life more rounded....just kidding!

Before I went out last night, I made sure to take a few pictures of my outfit. I knew I wanted to blog about it since it's one of my favourite trends right now!

Now. I can't currently find my camera chord, as I'm pretty sure the creature below stole it from me:

Buster

So my pictures of my outfit/make up were limited to a few on my Mac which were harder to take than I thought! I couldn't get a full body picture of myself, so I had to do it in pieces.

Necklace: Stella and dot

Shirt: Banana Republic

Make-up close up

I bought the denim button down about a year and a half ago from Banana Republic. Now at the time, I was like Lauren you are spending too much money on this shirt. But it was too late, I had already fallen in love with it! Honestly though, it is such a classic piece, and I've gotten so much wear out of it and know I will wear it in the future and likely pass it on to my children's grand children's nieces (hehe), so I feel like it was a price worth paying! I always pair the same black jeans with this shirt whenever I wear it. Unfortunately I couldn't take a picture of them but I can assure you that I was wearing pants!

The necklace is from Stella and Dot, and I have gotten so much wear out of it! I bought it for myself, because I think you should buy yourself heart shaped things to really express your love for yourself. It is a simple heart charm, but can be worn casually or more dressy. It adds a bit of that "special something" to any outfit!

Lastly, what you see here is my standard "going out" make-up. On my skin is bareMinerals Original SPF 15 Foundation in fair, Mark Bronze pro in Pro Glo, and Benefit Dandelion blush. I also used the bareMinerals Mineral Veil to seal it all in!

On my eyes, I used Mark Get in Line Hookup Waterproof liquid eyeliner. This is my favorite liquid eyeliner. It definitely lasts and doesn't smudge, but it also comes off when you take it off, which is delightful! I use this to draw a little cat eye to spice things up also! I used Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil on my lower rims of my eye. Now this is a great liner to use on the rims, because it is waterproof so I find it does last and I don't need to reapply on the rims as often as I normally do! Lastly, the Mascara I always use it Too Faced Lash Injection. It is super awesome, and I've used it for a couple of years now. Waterproof but not hard to get off at night.

My friends

Lastly, on my lips I used Mark Lipclick in Coral Fixation.

RGB Nail Polish Base

2012-01-21T14:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday everyone!

Recently I was introduced to this lovely nail polish base, by RGB. Now RGB is a great brand of nail polish because they don't contain Formaldehyde, Toulene, DBP. Now, those are all nasty chemicals that we want to avoid, and by doing so, we will be able to turn everything we touch to gold, sing and dance like Beyonce, and look like a Victoria Secret model! Hehe. Just kidding, but those chemicals are nasty, and in the future I am going to avoid buying nail polishes that contain them!

Image Credit: http://www.honeyhoney.com.au/shop/28/product/864/1404/

I was a bit sceptical about using a nail polish base I will admit. I was like who do these people think they are who paint a clear polish on before painting their nails? Okay... I will now admit those people are legit awesome! What I found was that this base made my nail polish look smoother and shinier after application, and generally made it look a heck of a lot better! As I am not at the point in my life of getting manicures frequently, I have hired myself as my own manicurist, and after using this base, I am certainly giving myself a promotion, because my nails are very pleased! :)

Soak Liquid Soap

2012-01-19T13:42:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I get nostalgic for the early 1800s when no one had a washing machine in their home and everyone washed their clothes by hand. And I mean 1800 was just a really sweet century.

So that's why I decided to go out and purchase a liquid soap called Soak, which as per www.soakwash.com, is "the leading liquid laundry soap for delicates." I have been using it for a few months now, to hand-wash my sweaters and shirts that are hand-wash only. All I do is fill the sink up with cold water with the garment in the sink, and add a bit of the soak wash into it! I am a rebel so I don't measure how much I use EVER, I just use my intuition (one of my many god given gifts ;)) and so far it hasn't failed me! For you more "by the book" folks out there, the bottle does have instructions for how much to use each time. I absolutely love this soap. One bottle has lasted me since September, and I probably wash 2 or 3 shirts every couple of weeks. I'm thinking I'll still get a couple months out of my first bottle too!

Now, I have only tried the Flora scent, and when I smell it, I think of a baby bunny with a dandelion in its mouth handing me $100,000,000. And yes, my sweaters usually smell like it after too for a while, until my natural unpleasant smell takes over!

Image Credit: http://www.soakwash.com/soak/soak-flora-54.html

I would certainly recommend this wash for prolonging the life of your most lovely, delicate clothing items.

Moroccan Oil

2012-01-18T22:04:00.000-08:00

If there's two things I love, it's things that are exotic, aka Moroccan, and oil. So when this new product called Moroccan Oil came out, I was like hey, this must be for me!

Now, after the first time I put this oil in my damp hair, my hair immediately had its union contact my people, and demanded that a Moroccan Oil clause was put in the contract between my hair and I. This Moroccan Oil clause essentially states if I miss a day of putting Moroccan Oil in my hair, it will go on strike. Indefinitely. And who wants their hair to go on strike?

Oh my goodness, let's start with how this product smells. Well, It smells amazing. If you could bottle the cutest puppy in the world, a rainbow, a baby unicorn, and a cloud that you can sit in and eat and it tastes like cotton candy, it would smell like MOROCCAN OIL. Seriously, if they came out with a perfume, I wouldn't be surprised.

Image from: http://moroccanoil.com/products/Moroccanoil-Treatment

Okay, now to the actual purpose of the oil. The health of my hair has improved so much since I started using Moroccan Oil. In addition to adding moisture, it also protects from heat and adds shine. Oh yeah, I'm also pretty sure it has increased my intelligence 100 points.

I've also read about people putting it in their hair and then putting it up in a bun and letting it air dry. I actually think it was my friend Fergie from the BEP (that stands for Black Eyed Peas for all you young folks out there!) I'll try it out and see if when I do this my hair starts singing or something it's so happy!

Stila One Step Correct

2012-01-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

Good morning!

It seems like in everything you do now a-days, you have to do something to "warm up" before you do it. For instance, before you work out, you should probably stretch for a couple hours and then do cardio for 10 minutes (that's how it works right?). Or before you start your workday you should go on the internet and zone out in front of Facebook for an hour to get your brain prepared for the day.

Image Credit: www.Sephora.com

Well, the same thing applies before you put on your makeup! You should warm your face up with a primer! Now I recently was introduced to this wonderful primer by Stila, called One Step Correct. Now, I am not one easily sold on the appearance of a product (hehe ;)), but just looking at this primer in the bottle makes me smile.

This primer contains three different colours of serum, and each of them corrects a unique unwanted characteristic in your skin tone. Now, I'm no scientist, but that alone seems to be pure genius! Way to go Stila!

Honestly, I used to think primer was just a myth before using this primer. I thought it was cosmetic companies stealing people's souls and robbing them of their money. But I was dreadfully wrong. When I put this primer on, I feel as though I really could win an Oscar, or that I probably will become best friends with Meryl Streep and she will cast me as her beautiful daughter in every single one of her next movies.

I even use this primer when I'm not wearing foundation! It certainly evens out skin tone, moisturizes (and I use it under moisturizer usually), and if you do wear it under foundation, lessens the possibility of the foundation or powder caking by the end of the day and looking like a hot mess. It also definitely controls oil. I find that my T-Zone can get a bit oily and look like it's a beaming light welcoming air planes and missiles to land on it, but when I wear this, it becomes a no landing zone for missiles and airplanes!

Let me know if you have tried this primer, and your thoughts!

Hair disaster

2012-01-17T21:14:00.000-08:00

Hi!

You know when you're little, and your parents tell you, you can be anything you want to be when you grow up? Unfortunately, the other night, I took this advice a little too seriously and well, I learned that hard way, that unfortunately, I can't be a hair dresser.
I bought the dye from Sephora, and honestly, as soon as I bought it, I kept hearing the Jaws theme song playing in the back of my head. I tried to push away the slow naaaa-naaaaa naaaaaa-naaaaa sound though and instead started singing that popular guy, Flo Rida's new hit "Hangover". It goes like this "I got a hangover yaaaaaaaaa". I know what you're thinking. It takes alot to be a popular singer these days.

Okay back on the hair dying track. I ignored the Jaws song playing in my head, and decided to commence putting the dye on my head. As soon as I put the first drop on my hair, I panicked. I actually almost stopped right there, but I said to myself Lauren you are an adult. You can dye your hair. I was actually wrong, I can't, but let's keep going. So I covered my whole head with dye. My dad actually came into the bathroom and was like "What are you doing?". I told him I was baking bread. He believed me. Kidding.

So then I rinsed the dye out and I noticed that the dye looked like purple grape juice going down the drain. At this point, I start to hear the popular song called "the death march" playing in my head. Good. Good. This appears to be going well. NOT. I calm myself down, and finally get to the blow drying process to see what my hair looks like. I blow dry my bangs first, and they appear okay! A definite reddy-brown color, but pretty! Then I start on the rest of my head. And I slowly begin to realize that the top of my head is bright red, and the bottom is a very dark brown.

I take a few deep breaths and say to myself, Lauren you are being shallow you can live with this. Stop it. For ten minutes, I convinced myself that this was fine, that I don't even care what my hair looks like, shave it all off for all I care!!

After this ten minutes of complete zen I immediately texted my hair dresser and very close friend, Jill. She is such a lovely and delightful person that she said, "Not to worry, I'll fix it!" and below is the finished result!

As you can see, Jill is an extremely talented hair dresser! If you are interested in utilizing her lovely hair dressing services, you can reach her at 780-901-3158.

Nudist Colony: Warning- Racy Post!

2012-01-16T20:09:00.000-08:00

This post is rated PG-13. My nails love to be nude. No, I'm not kidding they are actually part of a nudist colony called "Nudey Nails". Racy right?

In all seriousness, I absolutely love the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polish in the colour, Café Au Lait. I find that nude nails don't look as bad when they chip. I have been using this colour for about a year now, and even though sometimes I feel as though the grass is greener on the other side and paint them a sultry red (hehe) or a dark purple, I always go back to the nude colour eventually!

Image Credit: www.rockthatlook.ca

What do you think this is, a fashion show?

2012-01-16T13:39:00.000-08:00

When I woke up this morning and found out it is -37 degrees with the windchill, I was like I am going to put on as many layers of sweatpants and sweaters as I can and I don't care if anyone sees me.

Then I had to drive my sister to school, and I went outside in my fleece pajama bottoms (they are black and blue plaid in color..real cute...) and my neon green down parka. Initially as I exited out the door, I thought to myself...I know who I am inside and that's what counts. I don't care if anyone sees me. Then I realized I had to brush off my car..and I started thinking oh my gosh what if someone sees me like this. I quickly came up with a solution. If anyone drove by or walked by I would just put my hand over my face in the same way celebrities do when the paparazi is stalking them and they don't want their picture taken...This didn't work.

So as soon as I got home, I took 2 hours (just kidding, it was only an hour and a half), to pick out this outfit you see above. I am wearing a Smart Set beanie, a Wilfred (from Aritzia) sweatshirt concoction, and a Jacob belt. You can't see the leggings, but I am wearing black leggings from Lululemon.

Now, this outfit prompted my boyfriend to say to me when he came over, "What do you think this is? A fashion show?"Therefore, I think it's a good one ;).

The Sephora Collection

2012-01-16T13:04:00.000-08:00

Good afternoon!

It is pretty darn chilly here in good ole Edmonton. Luckily, I have a good skin care routine to make sure my skin doesn't freeze up and fall off during our Arctic like winters! Is it shallow that's the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of winter...? ;)

Anyway, I have been hooked on The Sephora Collection Moisturizers for a few months now. They are a great price point, aren't tested on animals, and don't contain those nasty things called parabans. Oh, and most importantly they actually moisturize and protect!

More specifically, I have been using the Instant Moisturizer. It is fantastic! It is moisturizing enough, but not so much that I look like I just jumped into a bath of grease. As well, after I put it on, my skin glows and I swear that I look like an angel for a few minutes. Hehehe :)

I don't know about you guys, but I like to think of a night cream as being an investment, as it prevents you from spending money on plastic surgery later in life or on pricy services such as botox and laser treatments. I have been using the Age Defy Moisture Night cream. I found that the cream I was using previously wasn't providing enough moisture, but this one does. I have also noticed a difference in the texture and overall appearance on my skin after using this! I won't be switching anytime soon.

Note: All images from www.sephora.com

Welcome!

2012-01-16T12:40:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone!

I started blogging a few years ago, and absolutely loved it. However, once life took over I stopped, and missed it terribly! Now, I am committed to blogging at least once a week. Usually I will likely blog about clothes, and beauty and hair products, but I'm sure once in a while an opinion or poem or song will sneak in there too ;).

Thanks for reading!

Lauren