Chris's New Year's Resolutions

2019 is my year. I can feel it. I’m getting married in September, and that’s already a huge change, so I might as well tackle everything else as well. I’m done with saying that every year, then panicking in July because I’ve actually gained 15 pounds instead of losing 20. No more excuses and procrastination, I’m taking 2019 by the horns.

First off is getting my finances in order. I was in college through my early to mid 20s, and I lived like a college student, spending my money on drinks and fun, without ever thinking of the consequences. Now that I work full time, I’m ready to get things sorted out. My goal is to set an appointment with a financial advisor by the end of January, and start getting things in order. I want to start putting a bit of money aside for a house, and start paying off my credit card and student loan debt.

Second is finally getting my life and home organized. My plan is to write down everything I need to do each day the night before, so I can keep it all in order and get it all done. I have huge memory issues, so I’m hoping this will help me out. I also want to get my house organized. We moved into our house in April, and I unpacked the important boxes, and then every single other thing got stuffed into our spare bedroom, still in boxes. Every couple of months, I go in there and unpack approximately two things, and then I get fed up with the space and leave. No more. I’m over this waste of space. A smaller goal of mine is to finally buy a desktop computer, and I want to clear out the room and turn it into an office with a computer and makeup desk as the centerpiece.

Not my photo. From Paper Magazine.

One goal that may seem crazy, but is totally doable, is walking 3 million steps this year. That may seem like a lot, but it’s actually only 8000 or so steps a day. I can do this. I’m going to keep track of how many steps I walk a day in a spreadsheet, and then add it up at the end of the year. I’ll let you know how this goes at the end of 2019.

My last goal ties into the one before. This is to finally shed 40 pounds. I rejoined Weight Watchers, and I’ve lost 10 pounds this past month. I want to lose another 40 by December 31^st of next year. Along with Weight Watchers, I also belong to a gym, and I’m going to make a concerted effort to actually use the membership. I was up until December, but then work got crazy, and I dropped off the planet. Planey Fitness, that is! Hahahaha I’m hilarious. I also want to get to a place where I can say I’m mentally healthy. I struggle with depression and anxiety, but this year I want to try to calm the firestorm in my head. I’m not really sure what the plan is for that yet, but I’ll get there.

So this is the plan for 2019. I can do this. I will do this! Let me know what your New Year’s resolutions for 2019 are in the comments below!

Last Minute Gift Guide

Hey guys!

It's almost Christmas and as always, some people haven't finished shopping yet. It's manic.
I put together a little gift guide for you guys to get the gift idea juices flowing. 
Happy shopping!

 So this first "category" is giving me very cozy/homy vibes.

The second "category" is beauty related. Any of these items are the ultimate pamper yourself type of gift. Everyone deserves to be pampered!

The third "category" is for that person who really loves drinking, baking and food.




The reason I did not put links is because I chose these specific items for their looks. It's more meant to just give you a quick idea on things to get. Also, it's so close to Christmas that you wouldn't be able to order online. I did find a lot of this stuff on the Chapters/Indigo website.



I hope that this helped if you're scrambling for some last minute gifts this weekend!

I wish you guys the happiest of holidays, a merry Christmas and a very happy new year!

Recipe: Rocky Road Bars

Christmas baking season is upon us, so I thought I would share a staple recipe in our family baking tradition. Every year without fail, we make these rocky road bars. Honestly, they're delicious and my favourite square by far!

This recipe will make approximately 36 bars.

You will need:

1 1/2 cups of graham wafer crumbs
1/2 cup of melted margarine or butter
1 1/2 cups of flaked coconut
1 package of chocolate chips (semi sweet)
1 1/2 cups of mini marshmallows 
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup of melted chocolate (you can use more or less - up to you)

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 350 F
Combine the graham crumbs with the butter and press it firmly in a 13x9 pan.
Sprinkle the coconut over the crust - create an even layer.
Add a layer of chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.
Optional - add a layer of nuts
Using a spoon, drizzle the condensed milk over all of the layers. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Once out of the oven, drizzle some of the melted chocolate over.
Let cool and cut into squares.

It's a very simple recipe, but super delicious!


Enjoy!

 

Review: Ole Henriksen Facial Sauna Scrub & Cold Plunge Mask

I love trying out new skincare, especially masks. Or anything to help my skin. I tend to have combination to oily skin and I like trying new things to control my skin.

At Sephora I saw the Ole Henriksen Pore Balance Facial Sauna Scrub and the Cold Plunge Pore Mask. They're both from the Balance range and I picked them up as a set.
To be honest, I already owned the scrub but (spoiler alert) I loved it so much that I bought another.

The facial scrub has volcanic sand, green fusion complex, neem seed oil and AHAs. What's nice about this scrub is that once you start rubbing it into your skin, it starts to heat up. Hence the name "sauna scrub". They recommend using it 2-3 times a week, which I agree with. The scrub isn't too abrasive on the skin, but you don't want to over do it anyways. 

The cold plunge mask was really something new to me. Firstly, I LOVE the colour. Am I the only one who partially judges a mask by how it looks? Yes. Okay, let's move on...
The mask has clay and snow lotus extract. It's quite cooling on the skin, which is slightly alarming at first, but then it feels a bit more soothing. When the mask dries down, it doesn't feel overly tight which I like. To take the mask off, you rinse it off with cool water. I don't know about you, but that goes against everything I've heard before. Usually, you would take the mask off with warm water. 

Both of these products recommend using a toner and moisturizer afterwards. They don't necessarily say to use these products together, but since they were sold as a set, I decided to try that out.

It works well. The scrub heats your skin, which opens your pores, enabling you to really purify your pores and get rid of dead skin. The mask afterwards feels refreshing and the coolness would help to close your pores after extracting impurities. To me, they just make sense together. Definitely use a light moisturizer afterwards to make sure your skin is balanced and quenched.

I've used this quite a few times now and I really like it. Even my boyfriend likes it, which means something! Dare I say, it might be one of my favourite masks? I love the different temperatures and sensations on my skin. It leaves my face feeling clean and my skin stimulated (if that's the right word?). I have combo/oily skin, but even with dry skin I don't see you having a problem with this. 

I would highly recommend using these two products. It definitely makes me want to try more skincare from Ole Henriksen! Honestly, everything I've tried from them so far, I have ended up loving. They are seriously killing it with their skincare. I applaud them.

Have you tried these products? Let me know in the comments below!

The scrub retails for $34 (Sephora) and the mask retails for $44 (Also Sephora).

Until next time,