Let's Catch Up...

Hey guys!

Sorry I have been a little MIA lately... this month has just been so busy!
I thought I would do a little life catch up for now because a lot of stuff I wanted to post about is packed away (more on that soon).

So what have I been up to?


Wellll I've been working on redecorating my room, which I am SO excited to share with you guys. I recently painted it and even that has made the hugest difference. I'm just waiting for my new furniture to come in so I can finish it up. Once it's completed, I'll definitely make a post all about my bedroom glow up.

I turned 25 this month! It was a nice low key celebration like I wanted - just dinner with my BF and a small celebration with my family. It was perfect.

I also am starting a new job soon so I had to get some stuff done with that - signing papers, finger prints, etc. It's a government job - a different branch than I was in before. I'm excited to start working again because hello money. BUT it's been nice being off and I'm really nervous because it's a totally new environment and new people. I'm hoping I fit in and can pick up the work quickly. 

My anxiety and over all mental health was a bit all over the place. I'm definitely in a better head space now though. I was just feeling a bit anxious over everything and really just needed some me time. I've been trying to eat healthier and workout because I find that it makes such a big difference in mood. I get into a weird place sometimes where I dwell on negativity and negative situations and it can be hard to get out of that funk. I'm getting there though! It's okay to not to be okay sometimes. It  gets better. Taking time to breathe and enjoy beautiful views (like the photo above - a park in my city) helps a lot!

Tomorrow morning, I am driving to NYC with my BF and our parents. We're going on a cruise, which I am soooooooo excited to for! This will be my 4th cruise. I love being on the ocean and experiencing new places. It's so calming for me. I'll try to do a post about my trip if you guys would be interested in that. It's been a lot of organizing and getting stuff for the trip, but I'm finally all set to go. I'm looking forward to not being constantly plugged in to social media and to take a break.
I am a bit anxious because my brother is staying to watch the dogs and if you didn't know, my dog has epilepsy and I pray that everything goes well. She is my baby and if you're a dog mom like me, you'll get what I'm saying.

My BF's aunt has not been doing the best. She has cancer and things are going downhill, I guess. She's in pain and we're hoping that nothing happens while we're gone and that she'll still be here when we get back. I also found out that my aunt is sick - so please send positive vibes and prayers our way.

Amidst all this insanity, I did manage to treat myself to some new nails and finally changed my boring brown hair to a lighter colour for summer.

I'm sorry if this post isn't really your cup of tea, but sometimes these types of posts are necessary - it's almost therapeutic. Things will still be busy when I get back from my trip with the new job and that, but I do have a lot of great ideas for content. Make sure to stay tuned for that!

I hope you're all doing well!

Until next time,

 

Mint chip ice cream pie

Summer is finally in the air! We’re almost half way through May, and the sun is shining high in the sky. I don’t know about you, but the second it gets warm out, I immediately start wanting ice cream, in any form that I can get it in. That’s what led me to create the recipe for this delicious ice cream pie. It’s been a big hit every time I’ve served it, and I hope you enjoy it just as much, whether you make it for a family BBQ, or a simple Sunday dinner. I promise it’ll be a hit!

Mint chip fudge ice cream pie

Ingredients

Approximately 38 chocolate sandwich cookies
1 bottle of microwavable fudge sauce
1 carton of mint chip ice cream
8 tbsp. butter/margarine

Directions

Take approx. 30 fudge cookies; take out the middle, put them into a resalable freezer bag, get as much air out as possible, and crush with a rolling pin, until they’re fine crumbs.

Melt 8 tbsp. butter/margarine. Pour into a bowl with the cookie crumbs, and stir until combined. You want it to look kind of pasty, so it sticks nicely in the pie pan in the shape of a crust.

Pour into a 9 inch pie plate. Pack the crumb and butter into the sides and bottom into the shape of a crust.
Place in oven preheated to 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on the counter, then chill for half an hour in the freezer.

Take about 8 more cookies with the middle out. Mix with hot fudge sauce. Take blobs of the mixture and put in the bottom of the crust. After you’ve done that, put the crust in the freezer to chill for another half an hour.

While the crust is chilling, take out the carton of mint chip ice cream, and let it soften a bit on the counter.
Remove the crust from the freezer, and scoop almost the entire carton into the crust. It will stick up higher than the crust, but that’s what you want, a nice tall pie. If you find it’s too uneven, you can use a metal cake spatula to smooth it out.

To top it off, microwave some of the fudge sauce and drizzle it over the top. Put it back in the freezer for an hour or two for ice cream to get hard again.

Serve and enjoy!

You can also make other variations, including one with butterscotch ripple ice, vanilla cookie crust, caramel sauce and peanuts, or any other combo that your heart desires. Let me know in the comments below if you try it out, or if you have any other favourite summer recipes!

BATTLE OF THE BROWS: Boy Brow VS Gimme Brow

I've been a long time user of Benefit's Gimme Brow. It adds a nice finishing touch to the brows and adds a bit of colour and thickness. It's great to use on it's own or on top of other products.
It's a cult favourite. Many makeup lovers and beauty bloggers love it alike.
However, there's a new contender out there now: Glossier's Boy Brow. This has stolen the hearts that once belonged to Gimme Brow.

I decided to put them head to head and see who comes out on top?

Packaging

Both products have beautiful packaging. Glossier's is more modern, classy and simple. Benefit is more fun, colourful and almost youthful looking. Both tubes are very sturdy, but the look really depends on your personal aesthetic.

As for the brushes, they are quite similar.

It's clear to see that the brush on Gimme Brow is more tapered at the end and there is a little bit more space between the bristles. I don't think that necessarily makes a difference though.

Formula

As for the formula of the products, they do differ. Both products add shape, volume and colour to your brows. However, they do have a different feel. GB dries down to be more stiff, while BB stays more flexible.

As you can see, Gimme Brow (on the left) dried down to be quite matte. The fact that Glossier keeps a slight sheen due to the wax and oils, it mimics the light reflecting off your actual brow hairs.

I decided to do a little comparison on my brows. I have nothing on my brows except for these products.

Left is GB, right is BB. Honestly, except for the colour, they look almost the same. In person, BB looks more natural and maybe slightly better.

Overall, they are both great products though. I would love to know which one you think is better.
Let me know in the comments below!

A to Z health and beauty favourites

Health and beauty is something I’m super passionate about. I took esthetics in college, and it has remained one of the great loves of my life. Below are some of my health and beauty favourites for (almost) every letter of the alphabet!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow in Chocolate

Blush, especially Love Flush blush from Too Faced!

Coconut oil hair masks

Defuser - The defuser attachment on my hair dryer has changed my hair game

Enchanted - My favourite shade of Revlon Matte Balm

Fan brush - A lifesaver when it comes to getting rid of eyeshadow fallout

Go For Gold Sally Hansen Instadry nail polish

Hand cream - I have eczema, so hand cream is everything to me

Instigator by MAC, my favourite dark lipstick

John Freida - A big thank you to Frizzease from my frizzy hair

Kiss proof lipsticks

Liner brush - My must have for on point brows

Maybelline - I love the entire Fit Me collection, and I’m a HUGE fan of their lipsticks

Nude lipsticks - They instantly pull together any look

Old Spice Denali deodorant. My go to favourite again and again when buying deodorant for my fiancé

Ponds cold cream - I use this every night after removing my makeup

Queen, Size - Actually Size Queen mascara. This was a hard one so I had to cheat. I haven’t tried this product yet but it’s high on my list of products to try!

Revlon lipstick, in the shade Black Cherry. Absolute heaven

Sanctuary, my favourite shade of Kat Von D’s Everlasting liquid lipsticks

Too Faced. All of it. I want it all.

Ulta. I’ve never been, but I plan to soon. I love the idea of one store with so many different makeup and beauty products and price points.

Volumizing mascaras. All day. Every day.

Water. It helps hydrate your skin in a way nothing else can. Get your eight glasses!

X gets a big x. I honestly can’t think of anything. I’m not gonna say I love something just to fit the letter!

Yoga. I’ve slowly been testing the yoga waters. Not sure if I’ll stick with it, but I’m liking it so far!

Zilch. I’ve got zip for z. Same with x. I’m not going to lie to you!

Now that I've shared some of my beauty favourites, let me know your favourite for any or every letter in the comments below!

Glossier Phase 2

I did it. I decided to jump on the Glossier bandwagon. 

I really wanted to do a full face of Glossier makeup, but this girl ain't made of money. Sooo I decided to purchase the Phase 2 Makeup Set ($50 CAD), which comes with the concealer, lipstick and brow gel. Lately I've been loving simple and quick makeup, so I was super excited to try this out. 

Stretch Concealer

As a first impression, I'm not sure how I feel about this concealer. I have very mixed views on it. On one hand, it's light and it blends in seamlessly BUT on the other hand, the coverage is pretty light and it's slightly oily? If you're having a really great skin day and just need a little something, then by all means it's great. It's not the best for covering darkness or red spots. I also don't think it would last very long on someone who has oily skin. You'd definitely want to set it with some powder.
I put a different concealer on top of it for a bit more coverage on my spots. I think this would be ideal to bring on vacation when you want a little something, but not a full face of cakey makeup.

YAY or NAY? Meh. I might keep it and use it on vacation or pray for a perfect skin day so I can use it.

Boy Brow

This is the one that I was the most excited for and let me say, it did not disappoint! I can clearly understand the hype around this product. It adds a nice tint of colour and makes your brows look thicker and more full. It looks great on it's own and I'm sure it will layer nicely over my other brow products. It doesn't make your brows feel stiff - it has more of a waxy texture that doesn't feel heavy.

YAY or NAY? Yay all the way! 

Generation G

I ended up liking this lip product more than I thought. It still has a really nice pop of colour for being a more sheer lipstick. It's very comfortable to wear, however, it's not long lasting. As soon as you eat something, it'll all come off. That's what happened to me. On the plus side, it didn't end up all over my face like some other lipsticks do. It did leave a very slight tint behind which was nice. Again, this is a good item for vacation.

YAY or NAY? Yay. It's a nice lip product. 


Here's my finished look using these products. I did use another concealer along with the Glossier one. Other than that, I used Boy Brow, some mascara, a light eye shadow and Generation G on my lips.

All in all, the products were pretty good. I do like the whole simple, no makeup makeup look. I do wish the concealer had more pigment though - even on my natural looking days, I want my spots to be covered. I would love to try some more Glossier products in the future. Have you tired any? What were your thoughts and what would you recommend? Tell me in the comments below.

Until next time,

Moving in is hard to do

Since my fiancé and I became engaged in December, we’ve spent approximately 25-30 hours together. He works 45 hours a week and is taking a university class, and I work 65 hours a week between my two jobs, so that we can save for our wedding. Texting and phone calls help, but honestly, it’s time for us to move in together, for no other reason (although there are lots of other reasons including convenience and cost effectiveness), than at least to see each other more. As excited as I am, though, this doesn’t come without reservations on both ends. I’ve never lived with a significant other, and he’s never lived with someone who wasn’t his mom, so this is going to be a huge adjustment.

On top of general reservations about space and alone time, there’s also utilities and car insurance and payments, and a lot of other costs that I wasn’t paying before. It’s a huge undertaking, and honestly a lot to consider before you move in with someone. I’ve honestly had cold feet a couple times (never about living with him, just about the huge undertaking that moving in with someone is).

Another contributing factor to the nerves is that this means that I’m officially, really and truly, an adult. Even though I’m almost 28, I’ve lived the past few years suspended somewhere between adolescence and adulthood. I obviously pay bills and buy groceries and go to work every day, but living with many roommates, it’s always a bit of a good time, no matter the time of day. Moving in with my fiancé means that it’s going to be a quieter and more adult environment. Every Sunday isn’t going to be a dinner party, and there isn’t always going to be someone up at midnight, ready to talk and eat ice cream.

But obviously, the pros outweigh my reservations. First, and foremost, I get to live with the love of my life. I get to wake up every morning with him there, and no matter how crazy the day is, he’ll always be there at the end of it. We can make our favourite foods, watch our favourite movies, and be our silly selves together. No late, goofy laugh fest with a roommate can top that, no matter how much I love my roomies, which is a lot.

Also, I get to furnish a whole house. My dishes, my cups, my pots and pans, my paintings and posters, all purchased with my hard earned money. My fiancé doesn’t really care about decorating, so he pretty much oks whatever I want. I’ve even purchased a pink dish set and bathroom accessories, and he didn’t bat an eyelash. It all feels so exciting and new, and I can’t wait to experience it all by his side.

Is anyone going through a big change in their life? Are you scared? Excited? A little bit of both? Let us know in the comments below. Also let us know if you have any tips for making the change to living with a significant other! I'd love to hear about it!

First Impressions: NEW Himalayan Charcoal Facial Soap from the Body Shop

So I recently got my hands on the new Himalayan Charcoal Facial Soap from The Body Shop and I just could not wait to try it out. I've raved before about the Himalayan Charcoal face mask (note to self: must buy more), so I definitely had high hopes for this. Spoiler alert: I loved it!

Before I get into my thoughts on the product, I wanted to tell you guys a little bit more about it. I reached out to Body Shop Canada via Twitter and this is what they said: "The soap is infused with bamboo charcoal from the Himalayan foothills and Community Trade organic tea tree oil from Kenya. It effectively cleanses skin to remove impurities. When you buy our skin-tingling Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask or Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Facial Soap, you’re helping protect endangered red pandas in the Himalayas. From April 2018 we’ll donate 30p to Red Panda Network with every charcoal mask or soap you buy, for a period of two months."

So what are my first impressions on the product? Well firstly, I love the smell. It is a bit heavily scented, but I don't mind at all. The soap works into a nice lather - not too much that you're afraid to get it in your eyes, but enough that you really feel it cleaning your skin. It was easy to rinse off and left my skin feeling very clean, but most importantly, not dry. It felt like while it drew out the impurities from my skin, it injected some moisture. This is really important because a lot of other products that claim to be 'intensely purifying' also leaving your skin feeling parched and dying of thirst. You know what I mean, that tight feeling that is just dying to have some moisturizer.

I also feel like this is a great product for everyone because it's such a simple yet effective product. No fuss.

Will I continue to use this? Of course. I already love it after one use and I'm curious to see how my skin will look after continued use.

This facial soap will be released online and in stores on April 4th, with the price being $10 (CAD).

If you try this product, I would love to know your thoughts.


Come on guys, save your skin and the red pandas at the same time!

Until next time,

PS. This post is NOT sponsored. The product was sent to me for free as a thank you. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.