Summer Beauty Favourites

Hey Everyone!

It's been over two months since my last post and I have missed writing and my little blog community. The warm weather has brought busier days and it has been harder to sit down and write when the sun is shining. Today, while drinking my morning coffee (er, afternoon, as I just sat down to enjoy my first cup) I thought I would write a blog about all the products I have been loving this summer. This list includes old favourites that I pull out only in the summer months, new items I have started using this season and some products that I have just purchased and have yet to use. Grab your shades and a beverage and sit back and enjoy!

Skin Care Products:

Secret Invisible Antiperspirant in Capri Island Retreat- When the weather gets hotter we all need a hard working deodorant. I have always liked Secret products but this scent is SO GOOD! I have never loved a deodorant scent so much, it's a yummy fruity and floral scent that will definitely remind you of a tropical vacation. I think this scent is limited edition so try to grab one (or a few) before it disappears. 

Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch Oil-Free Sunscreen- This sunscreen has been a favourite of mine for a few years now. I have had it in SPF 30 and 50 and I love the lightweight non-greasy feel. It feels no heavier than a moisturizer and it has an amazing tropical scent and botanicals to soothe and hydrate the skin. If I had to choose my favourite brand of sunscreen Hawaiian Tropic would be it.

Bioderma Moisturizing Make-up Removing Micelle Solution- This stuff is the BOMB. I went into Shoppers Drug Mart and asked the girl for her recommendation of a makeup remover for both face and eyes and this stuff is what she said her, and all the staff, use. It's a clear liquid solution that has no scent and is as gentle as water but as effective as the best makeup remover. It is formulated specifically for sensitive eyes and skin and comes in a few different formulas. The original one that I tried was for sensitive skin, the one I have now is also for sensitive skin but is moisturizing and there is also one for oily skin types. I put it on cotton pads and remove my foundation and eye makeup as part of a two step cleanse. If you do not wear much makeup this could be used on its own as a cleanser with no water needed. On days I wear waterproof or long wearing formulas I like to use this to remove the initial layer of makeup and then follow up with my cleanser afterwards to make sure my skin is totally clean. I do not know how I didn't know about this sooner, it is now my holy grail. I have tried other Micellaire solutions and have found they do not remove eye makeup well but this is so gentle and so effective. I use 3-4 cotton pads to remove makeup from my entire face without the use of water. You can let this dry on your face as it does not require rinsing. I would highly recommend everyone try this product and it is very affordable costing around $20-26 depending on the size of bottle you choose. 

Mary Kay Suncare Lip Protector Sunscreen SPF 15- This was actually given to me by a friend who attended a Mary Kay party. I apply this first thing in the morning before leaving for the day, it hydrates my lips and gives me the added bonus of sunscreen. It keeps my lips moist and protected and soft so my lipstick goes on smooth.

Makeup Application Products:

Morphe Brushes- Morphe is a company from California who make affordable makeup and brushes. I recently found out that us Canadian's in Vancouver can get our hands on these brushes at a store called Curlique. I was like a kid in a candy store walking into this place! Here's the two brushes that have started my collection. M439 is a dense, slightly domed, foundation brush made of synthetic hairs. It is so soft and applies foundation quickly, effortlessly and it looks airbrushed and natural. It doesn't absorb product so you tend to use less. I cannot even describe how much I love this foundation brush, it is truly amazing and for less than $20, you need this in your life! The only foundation that doesn't seem to work with this brush is MAC Prolong Wear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation. I don't know exactly why but this formula either works better when applied with a dual fibre brush (natural and synthetic hairs) or a looser fibre brush, as opposed to the dense tightly packed hairs of the Morphe one. M438 is a longer pointed powder brush that can be used to set powder in small areas like the chin and under the eyes or for sweeping highlighter across the cheekbone. The latter is what I got this brush for. The point helps keep control of the product you are applying so that it doesn't land allover the place but yet the bristles are soft and loose to allow some movement. It gives you the perfect highlighted effect and I can imagine it would also be really nice for setting your under eye concealer with powder because of the defined point. I have so much respect for a company that has designed a product that is both quality and affordable, if you are looking to build your brush collection or add a few specific brushes to your basic brushes, you need to check out Morphe.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge- I have tried beauty blending sponges before, and I don't think I had the best quality sponge because it bothered my skin. I picked up this sponge at the grocery store, of all places, and I am excited to give it another try. I have been reading a lot of reviews and have heard it is best to dampen your sponge before applying your product, so I'm going to give that a try. I am excited to try this particular sponge as I am familiar with Real Techniques brushes, from YouTube videos, and was surprised I found this at Save On Foods. I will let you know what I think of it once I try it.

Makeup:

Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup- I'm late to jump on this bandwagon! This is a highly coveted full coverage foundation that boasts that it stays put all day and covers acne, scars, redness and pores. I got this product off of a friend so I have not been shade matched and find the shade I have a bit too yellow. I have the colour Bone 1W1 which is the lightest in the warm shades, which is what I am in MAC foundations. However, Estée Lauder calls yellow toned shades "warm" and pink based shades "cool" which is reverse of MAC. I think if I purchase this foundation I will get help selecting my shade, but assume I am 1C1, the lightest of the pinky shades. I really like this foundation, it is considered a heavy full coverage foundation but I find it more medium and buildable. It does cover everything but I still find it comfortable to wear all day and it does stay put as it claims. I think I would reach for this more often as a daily foundation if the shade matched my skin tone better as I do really enjoy wearing it.

Rimmel Match Perfection Invisible Coverage Visibly Perfected Skin Foundation- This is my first drug store foundation, I jumped straight into high-end brands like MAC and Clinique when I started wearing makeup. I have always felt leery of the cheaper drug store brands, until recently. When I started watching YouTube videos and reading more and more beauty blogs, I realized drug store makeup lines have changed over the years and are really promoted by many. Rimmel is one of those brands whose products get mentioned very often. About a year ago I started purchasing Rimmel lipsticks and absolutely LOVE them. So, I thought I would try out this particular foundation when I saw it had finally arrived in Canada and was on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart for only $8.99!! You have to wonder why you spend $50-60 on foundation when drug store brands are 1/5 of the price. This product claims to match skin tone without hiding it, blurs pores and provides 24 hour hydration. I tried one pump on bare skin, using my Morphe foundation brush to apply allover in buffing motions. One pump was enough to cover my entire face with sheer coverage that could be built up to light in areas where I prefer more. It felt comfortable and slightly dewy but not sticky. I didn't set it with powder so it gave me a natural BB cream or tinted moisturizer appearance that allowed my natural skin and freckles to show through but hid my imperfections and redness. I wanted to see how it held up without being set with powder and it lasted all day, without going oily or settling into fine lines. It does have a perfume scent to it, which makes me nervous because of my sensitive skin, but so far it didn't cause me to breakout or get a rash. I'm hoping I continue loving this item for the days that I want an almost-no-makeup look or a lighter foundation. 

MAC Mineralize Blush in Just a Wisp- this blush is my answer to the highlighting obsession. It is a cool frosty baby pink that goes on really sheer on its own but it's perfect over a darker or matte blush or as a highlighter because of its shiny iridescent tone. Because my skin is fair and pink toned, I like using a pinky highlighter because it is more natural on me. This shade catches the light perfectly and gives cheekbones a little extra attention. I think these mineralized blushes have a beautiful baked, creamy texture, and go on smooth and satiny. I have owned this blush for a few years now but only recently discovered I love it as a highlighter rather than a blush.

MAC Dusky Rose Times Nine Eyeshadow Palette- Last but certainly not least, this is the eyeshadow palette I have been loving all spring and summer. The shades run from cool and pale to deep and rich blush hues that are not too pink. They are perfectly neutral and awesome for everyday use. I find only the lightest shades have slight pink undertones and the rest are more brown. There are both matte and frost colours, which I love having both, but tend to use the frosts more. I reach for this palette everyday out of the convenience of having all my favourite shades in one place. As you can see the top left colour is my most used and favourite, I have hit pan already, and is the perfect brow and inner eye highlighter and allover base shade. I like using the medium toned shades for my crease for soft definition. The shadow size is much smaller than the regular MAC shadows but you have the convenience of a light, compact, travel- sized palette.  

I hope you have enjoyed this list of all the products I have recently purchased or have pulled out of my collection and am loving for the summer. Let me know if you use any of these or have recommendations for other things I should try. Happy summer everyone!

Teal next time....xoxo,

Kathleen

Do it Yourself: Bridal Makeup

Happy Sunday Friends!

Thank you so much for all the love, support and comments I received on my last blog post about body image and self love. If you are new to this blog please check it out! It got over 220 views, the most popular blog post I have shared, and that's all thanks to you! 

With wedding season upon us I wanted to share with you the bridal makeup look that I created for myself. I love makeup, always have, and I love doing my own makeup. I am not professionally trained but I'm very comfortable doing my own makeup and knew that if I did my own I'd get the result I really wanted. 

To start, I created a Pinterest "Bridal Hair and Makeup" board so I could collect ideas of what I thought I may want for myself. About two months before the wedding I did a hair and makeup trial to see what my ideas looked like on me. I went to MAC and had them show me the best products for a hot and humid environment, that would be long lasting, and keep shine away. I asked a lot of questions and got a lot of useful tips and suggestions. The end result was beautiful and I had a whole list of the products and brushes that she used. MAC will do an appointment like this for free but at the end you have to purchase $50 worth of products. I did end up purchasing most of the suggested products, but also used some of my own. 

I am going to list every product I used, the order that I applied it, and how best to apply them. I have included the price in Canadian dollars, the product name and brand name. Here's a photo of most of the products I used except the foundation and primer are slightly different than the ones described below and I am all out of bronzer:

Primer-Prep & Prime Natural Radiance in Radiant Pink, MAC $49: 

The photo shows my current primer which is the original formula that is clear and untinted, for the wedding I used a pink tinted version, called radiant pink. Now, due to the price I did not purchase this product but instead asked for a sample. MAC is awesome about giving out generous sized samples of all their products and even put them in a small pot with a screw top lid. The Prep & Prime range of primers have always been a favourite of mine but I don't always use a primer for daily use. These primers are a gel-cream formula that glide on the skin and set up almost immediately. Silicone helps leave the skin feeling soft, even and mattified but with a pearly luminescence. I love this pearly finish but some people have said they find it too "sparkly" or "shimmery". So I would suggest getting a sample and trying it out prior to your wedding. To apply, take a pea-sized amount from the sample pot or one pump from the bottle, on your pointer finger. Take your finger and dab some product on both cheeks, chin, nose and forehead, and than use your fingertips on both hands to evenly cover your face like you would moisturizer. Some people with dry skin may need to moisturize before using primer, but the natural radiant primers do provide some hydration and in a humid environment my skin was so moisturized that this was all I needed. 

Setting Spray- Prep & Prime Fix+, MAC $26:

A setting spray traditionally is used after you've completed your entire look, but MAC created Fix+ to be both a primer and a setting spray. It was explained to me, that after every layer of makeup you apply,you can lightly mist with this spray. I used it after I applied my primer and at the very end of my finished look. Hold the bottle about 2 feet from your face and pump once or twice to distribute a light mist, but do not saturate your face so that it is wet. Another way to apply is to mist the air in front of you and walk into it. I find this spray hydrating, smells lovely and helps my makeup apply evenly. 

Foundation-Pro Longwear Foundation in NW13, MAC $40 applied with 130 Short Duo Fibre Brush, MAC $51:

In my Spring Favourites post I raved about Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation, which is a new re-invented formula that is slightly different and, in my opinion, superior to the original. Had this been available at the time of our wedding I'm sure this would have been recommended, but only the original was available in 2014. I put 1-2 pumps of foundation on my hand on the fleshy spot below my thumb and pointer finger. This gives you the ability to build the product up in coverage since it is on your hand and not going directly on your face. I dab my brush lightly in the product and than dot my face with the foundation in the same 5 places I put my primer. Then using the flat topped brush blend the foundation allover my face in a circular motion. I will add a little disclaimer about concealer here. The concealer recommended to me was in the same range as the foundation, Pro Longwear Concealer NW20, MAC $26. However, for whatever reason, I never used to wear concealer, I just used a little extra foundation under and around my eyes. I now own this concealer and wear it daily, and love the coverage it provides. Had I used a concealer I would use one pump of product on my hand and than blended under the eyes using the same brush. 

Powder-Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium, MAC $37 used with Large Powder Brush, Quo (part of brush set unknown individual price):

Using a large fluffy powder blush, lightly coat the brush in the mineralized powder and apply over your entire face, including eyelids, in a soft buffing motion. This will help set your foundation (and concealer), remove shine, and make it last longer.

Bronzer-Bronzing Powder in Laguna, NARS $52 (single) or Blush/Bronzer Duo $54:

I own the duo which has both a blush and bronzer. Laguna is the most perfectly universal bronzing shade that works for my very fair skin. It always looks natural and has a very fine mineralized shimmer that is so soft it doesn't appear as shiny or sparkly. Using the same large fluffy powder brush I applied just a touch of bronzer in the spots where I had naturally gotten sun: forehead/hairline, temples, under the cheekbones, along jawbone and down the length of and sides of my nose. Blend this all in so its soft and natural.

Blush-Pro Longwear Blush in Stay Pretty, MAC $32 applied with Blush Brush, Quo (part of set so price unknown):

This pink blush is described as light bright blue pink in a semi-matte formula. With a fluffy blush brush I swept this on the apples of my cheeks and and along my cheekbone up towards my hairline. I love blush, it is my favourite product, so I had to make sure I didn't go too blush happy and just created a soft flush. 

Highlighter- Mineralize Blush in Just a Wisp, MAC $32 applied with same blush brush:

The highlighter that the MAC artist used on me was Vanilla loose pigments swept along the very top of my cheekbones. I already owned this frosty silver pale pink blush so I decided to use it as a highlighter. I knew that anything too shimmery or sparkly could show up as shine in photos so I used this sparingly and just dusted the tops of my cheeks lightly with the mineralized blush.

Eyeshadow Primer- Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly, MAC $26:

This was another product I listed in my Spring Favourites that I purchased for our wedding but fell in love with more recently. This is a cream shadow that sets to powder. It creates a base for shadows to stick to and can intensify their pigmentation and help them last longer. I apply this with my pointer finger, swirl it in the pot and apply over the entire lid. 

Eyeshadow-MAC Trip: 4 Neutral Eye & Cheek, MAC (discontinued so price unknown) applied with 213, 275 and 224 MAC Eyeshadow Brushes (see website for current prices, mine were part of a set):

I used all three of the eyeshadows in this palette, a frosty champagne pink in Sunday Best allover the eyelid including the inner corner (tear duct) and under the eyebrows along the brow bone.The middle shadow, a matte rosy pink called Girlie I put allover the eyelid but keeping it mostly in the centre and bringing it no further than the crease (not bringing it up onto the brow bone or into the inner corner, leaving those spaces with just the lightest shade). The darkest shade is a deep plum with flecks of wine-toned sparkle called Agate. The first two shadows I used a rounded shadow brush to apply allover (213), the deepest shade I applied into my crease with an angled brush specifically for contour (275). I have hooded eyelids so I do bring my crease colour slightly up only my brow bones, otherwise you won't see it. Using an angle brush (266) I also put Agate along my lower lash line about halfway. I than used a fluffy clean brush (224) to blend the shades together so there are no distinct lines between the colours. 

Eyeliner-Kohl Shaper for Eyes in Black Coffee, Clinique $21:

I don't usually wear liner, it's not really part of my daily routine, but for my wedding day I wanted to step up the drama and apply a liner just along the top lash line. I used this dark espresso brown shade and followed my natural lash line. I am not good with a cat eye or a "flick" at the outer corner so I left it fairly simple and only traced my lashes and slightly lifted the outer corner. This added a bit of pop to my blue eyes.

Mascara-Extended Play Gigablack Lash in Intense Black, MAC $20:

This mascara is both waterproof and long wearing. It has a tiny brush that helps coat all lashes and creates a lot of length.  It lifts and defines and can appear similar to false lashes. I had wanted to wear false lashes but chickened out, I have worn them on many occasions, but worried that with nerves, heat and humidity I may have a meltdown while applying them or they wouldn't last all night. This mascara was a great alternative, I applied to both top and bottom lashes and it created the length that I wanted. 

Eyebrows- Eye Shadow in Espresso, MAC $19 applied with a 266 Small Angle Brush, MAC $24:

My eyebrows are fair so I always use shadow and an angled brush to fill them in. Take a bit of shadow on the brush and using upward strokes fill in the brows so that it appears natural like hairs. Follow along the natural shape of your brows enhancing them. 

Once this entire look was complete, and before applying my lip products, I did another mist of Fix + to set everything. 

Lips- Lipstick in Sunny Seoul and Cremesheen Glass Lipgloss in Paper Lantern, both MAC $21 & $24:

This was the final touch, lipstick and gloss. Sunny Seoul is a frosted warm pink that has a bit of coral in it. Paper Lantern is a soft pale pink that toned down the brightness of the lipstick. A beautiful combination. 

So here's my final look, forgive me, these photos are not the best quality and are selfies (😂) but show you close up how it all looked:

Here's how it looked on the professional camera, I've zoomed in so you can see my makeup better:

Lastly here is how it looked later that night (about 5 hours later):

My final tips for any brides who feel confident enough to do their own bridal makeup:

-Practice lots, know how to do your look from beginning to end, and practice it months beforehand.

-Trial all products you plan to use. Make sure you have no reactions or issues with anything you plan to use. Do not try anything new on your wedding day.

-Be confident in your skills, if you chose to do your own makeup then be confident that you will do a great job

-Relax

-Give yourself lots of time, do not rush this step. Our Wedding was around 5pm and I started to do my makeup around 2:30 or 3pm so that I had plenty of time.

-Don't stress the small mistakes, every little boo boo can be fixed!

I hope you have enjoyed this thorough tutorial on how I did my bridal makeup. If you have any friends or family members who may benefit from this information please share,

Teal next time...xoxo Kathleen

Self Love & Body Image

Happy Tuesday friends!

In January I shared my tips on getting motivated and setting goals and now that it is May and the days of skimpy clothes and swimsuits loom over us, I thought I would talk about self love and body image. I want to share my experiences and journey in hopes that it will help or inspire at least one person.

Let's start at the beginning, back in elementary school. I was a tall girl, taller then most other girls my age, and I was chubby too, much bigger boned and fuller than other little girls. My mom used to let out the waistband on my leggings and skirts. I wasn't athletic, sports weren't really my thing, I had a big aversion to doing team sports and being in the spot light. As I got older I began to hate gym class and really felt uncomfortable participating in physical activities. Maybe at some level I began to see my body was different, I didn't enjoy being in shorts or changing into my gym clothes in front of the other girls. At one point in gym class a boy asked me, in front of other kids, if I was pregnant, me, a child, not more than 10 years old, really? Why would a child ask another child that question? That is my first memory that I have of being made to feel utterly worthless and ashamed. One of my friends told her mother what happened because that evening I was sat down by my mom and we discussed it and I don't remember words, just tears. That moment in time started the snowball that became my self hate and insecurities.

Next let's jump to high school. I'm chubby, I have braces, red hair, pale skin (for real?! Look at this hand I was dealt!) and I was only twelve when I went into the 8th grade because I have a December Birthday. This year was hard, new school, new classes, new people and life wasn't so kind to me. I didn't make a lot of friends, I stuck with the few I knew from elementary and tried to befriend the other quiet nice girls, but it was still really hard. Now comes the second moment in time where I was humiliated and embarassed. A group of girls sitting near my locker started asking me about my clothes, something from Sears or a department store because I wore ladie's sizes and not girl's sizes anymore, and one of the girls told me to go get some style. I have blocked out the other words but I specifically remember those ones. They say sticks and stones break bones but these words broke me. And so the snowball grew even larger.

I cannot tell you that there were no friends, no fun moments, no enjoyable days in high school, but if I had to sum it up as a whole it was the worst period in my life. Towards the end of grade 11 things started too feel too hard, too overwhelming, I didn't want to be in this body that people shamed and made fun of. I began to control what I ate, I started out small but the more I cut back on eating, the more empowered I felt. Finally, I had control of my life, when previously I had felt helpless. Soon it was summer and I was hanging out with some new friends from the school year who introduced me to other friends, including boys from another school. I was losing weight, feeling better about myself, boys were noticing me now and sadly this all reinforced my desire to control. 

Back to school for my final year and people are noticing my weight loss, making comments, either positive or negative. But I felt good, and it fueled my illness. I have never felt comfortable placing a label on my dieting, at first it was an extreme limitation of food but eventually it was an eating disorder, it was anorexia. I went from a tall and curvy 160 pounds to 115 in about a sixth month period. I bleached my red hair so it was blonde and I tanned my pale skin so it wasn't white anymore. All the while, this disease made me feel powerful and desirable.

After high school I started to drink and go to parties and the alcohol and late night fast food binges made me gain weight. I put on maybe 15 or 20 pounds and I looked healthier and my desire to diet wasn't so extreme anymore. I cannot say the exact moment I changed from having an eating disorder to being healthy again, but it was some time between high school ending and college beginning. 

In college I maintained a healthier weight, tried to exercise at the gym, ate as balanced as possible for a busy student by day and club goer by night. I drank too much, flirted too much and still had no self worth beyond the attention I received from some young guys at the bar who never even asked my name. 

At twenty I started in University and I met my now husband at my nightclub job. Prior to meeting him I had only casual encounters with men and I didn't have any positive relationships to create a foundation. Finally, I was with a man who loved and respected me and my body. At first I was shy about eating around him, undressing or even removing my makeup. I only felt beautiful with makeup and clothes on, because that is the validation I received in society. I began to slowly develop self confidence and as new lovers do we dined out a lot and stayed in bed a lot and not much else mattered! 

You may be thinking, where is this going, so it started out rough but she found her happy ever after at twenty? Wrong! I gained a lot of weight in that first year of our relationship and than I lost a lot of weight, again, after doing an extreme paid diet program called Dr. Bernstein. Although I have kept off most of that weight for the last seven years I still continue to go up and down at least twenty pounds every year or two. I constantly battle my weight and struggle with control. It is a journey and I have succeeded and failed many times, but I have never developed another eating disorder and I can say that I love myself enough to not harm my body in that way ever again. 

So, here I stand before you, holding my melting snowball and feeling as vulnerable as ever, but I feel proud. Proud to say at 32 I'm ok with my body, I love the person that I am, I like my red hair. I have curves, I have lumps, I have rolls and dimples and stuff that jiggles, but I am strong, healthy, smart and I am beautiful. I know my value and my worth but I still have a lot of progress to make on my self esteem and my body image. I still feel that little girl inside me squirm in discomfort when someone looks at me the wrong way or says something inappropriate. I still look at my body in the mirror and have a hard time loving what I see, but I have gotten to a place of liking and I can strive for love. I want every little girl and woman to know that the key to love is to love yourself. Only time and experience has gotten me to where I am today. I wouldn't be the person that I am had I not been broken at one time or another. You have to look within yourself and find your purpose and your worth and pick up all the broken pieces and keep moving forward. I hope that every parent can teach their child that every shape is beautiful and that even when words break us we can be whole again. I wish for a world where all women of every shape and size knew self love and knew she was beautiful. No one ever deserves to be made to feel ashamed or worthless by another human, but if we can teach our children young we can give them the skills to be confident enough to not let words break them.

In my final thoughts, I want to say that I have forgiven those who have hurt me and who figuratively threw the snowball into my hands. I release them from the pain they caused. Let's work together as women and build one another up, support one another and be kind to one another. We need to create a society that doesn't place such strong value on the female body and how it looks. Practice what I am working on, look in the mirror and learn to accept what you see and eventually love what you see. Sending hugs and kisses to anyone who has had a similar journey, if you would like to share please leave a comment or send me an email. 

Teal next time....xoxo Kathleen

Spring Favourites

Hello Everyone!

So I took a little break from the blog, but I am back and I have a great blog filled with all the products and things I have been loving this March and April! I took Easter off to enjoy the long weekend and time with our families and than Spring came along and with that chores around the house and yard and the annual spring cleaning...long story short, Sunday's have become far too busy a day to get down to writing. So, if you see my blog posts pop up allover the week, do not be surprised! I would still like to produce a weekly blog but I may change my routine and put them out on a Saturday or during the week. I think you can all relate, there is too little time during the weekend's to get everything done. Let's get down to business, here's my current spring favourites:

MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation- Wow, that is a mouthful, but let me tell you, this foundation is my new-found love. I used the original Pro Longwear foundation formula for our wedding in Mexico and it was fantastic. Once I ran out of that (which lasted me over a year) I decided to try the newest nourishing formula which boasts that it is tear proof, lasts an insanely long time (24 hours, who needs to wear their makeup for that long anyways?!), can be worn as foundation or concealer and is medium to full coverage with a satin finish. I can attest to the fact that this baby does last me the entire work day with no touch-ups needed. I agree it is medium coverage that can be built up but without a heavy or cakey feel. I love the satin finish, it's not too matte and it's not too dewy, it is just the right amount of natural pigmentation that looks flawless. I would recommend this to anyone, even those who don't typically wear foundation. I "buff" it on with my 130 MAC circular foundation brush, in a circular buffing motion that blends it into the skin without streaks and goes on quickly and easily with very little fuss. I have worn it under the eyes as a concealer and although I think it does a good job, I still prefer my Pro Longwear concealer. The ONLY downside is that this product is a whopping $40 and you only get a 25ml tube, sadly most of the other foundations MAC offers are the same price but almost double in volume. I have been using this foundation almost daily for a month and a half now and I sure hope it lasts me a few more months at that price! I would highly recommend you go into a MAC store or counter to get matched with the correct shade, as I find this is the only foundation that runs a lot lighter than the others and I wore a different shade than usual.

Just Natural Bee Refreshed Calypso Coconut Invigorating Conditioner- This natural, phosphate, paraben and dye-free product smells amazing and for a 700 ml bottle I paid only around $7 from the grocery store. I love anything coconut scented and thought it would be a nice alternative to my more expensive hair products, but with more natural ingredients. As I have thick and tangly hair I find this conditioner leaves my hair feeling tangle-free and easy to brush. It moisturizes without feeling too heavy or leaving a residue behind. I like that the consistency is thick but not like a mask, just enough to coat my hair easily. Since I am not currently colour treating my hair and no longer need a colour-safe product, I would buy this again, as well as try the shampoo. 

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly- This is another product I purchased to wear for our Mexico wedding but only in the last two months have I been wearing it daily and loving it. Paint Pots are a cream eye shadow that set to powder. They are great to wear as a primer or base under powder shadows because they help them stick and intensify the colour. I started wearing this as a primer and I am addicted. I truly cannot understand where this has been all my life and why I didn't discover it earlier! This shade is the perfect pinky nude and actually looks very similar to a concealer on my skin tone. It helps create a lovely even base and cancels out all of the blue veins that naturally show through my transparent skin. Some other very popular shades are Bare Study and Soft Ochre, which may work well with other skin tones. I use my finger to apply this allover my eye lid, right into the inner corner, and than apply powder shadow overtop. This shade doesn't add much colour but really makes my light coloured shadows stand out far more than if they were going onto bare skin. It also helps my shadows last all day and prevents fallout or smudging. These pots are $26 and I beleive they would last you a few years. 

Batiste Dry Shampoo Clean & Classic Original Scent- This is an old favourite that I recently re-purchased in March from Costco. I have tried many different dry shampoo brands and this is by far the best. I have naturally thick and dry hair, moreso than oily, but my roots and crown area do get a bit oily after two or three days of not shampooing. When I was dyeing my hair a darker red the dye was susceptible to fade quickly, and as it was expensive to have done you want to make it last. I found that washing my hair only twice a week worked better for me, and in between I used this dry shampoo. I hold the bottle a foot or more away from my head and spray it, concentrating on my roots. The powder spray can appear white at first but if you brush it through or rub it in with your fingers it goes away. The bottles are around $10 each but I got a three pack from Costco, which contained two full sized bottles and a smaller travel size, for around $12.

Colgate Optic White Platinum Express White Toothpaste- We recently purchased this toothpaste and I'm really liking it. It says it whitens teeth in as little as three days, I have been using it for about two weeks and do not notice a significant change. However, I really like how clean my mouth feels after using. It has a foamy texture that seems to get in between teeth and gums and really makes your mouth feel sparkly clean. So even if my teeth don't get dramatically whiter and I just have a really clean mouth, I still think this is a great product.

Gillette Simply Venus 3 Blade Disposable Razors- I got these in a 4 pack for around $7 at Walmart. I think for a disposable razor these are awesome. The head pivots, they have three blades and a strip of moisturizer. The handle is ergonomic so it fits comfortably and has a shape that prevents slipping and nicks. I'm For the value I think these are a great product and each razor has lasted me several shaves. 

I hope you can try one of these products and will love them as much as I do. If you do go out and purchase something I have recommended I would love to hear your feedback. I have missed writing and today's blog has been a really fun one for me to write and I hope you all enjoy it. Enjoy the start of the warmer weather and the change of season into spring.

Teal next time....xoxo

Kathleen

Weekly Meal Planning

Happy first day of Spring! Today is a dreary and rainy Sunday (not much of a first day of spring!) and I spent a few hours meal planning and cooking for the upcoming week. We try to do a weekly grocery shop on the weekend for items we have run out of and need for the following week. To stay organized and within our budget I do try to envision a meal plan. Now, in a perfect world I would write down this plan, shop for those set meals, make them and stick to the plan but that rarely happens! I cannot sit here and tell you that we always have a home cooked healthy meal, we never have frozen or processed foods and we never have take-out, that's simply not true. However, I try my hardest to have several home cooked meals a week, whether a certain meal falls on the day we had planned to have it or not. I love to do a lot of cooking on Sunday's, it is the one day where I generally stay home all day and can focus my energy on cooking. I try to make large dish meals like soups, pastas and casseroles that go further and can be divided up for several lunches or dinners. If I feel really ambitious I will make a meal large enough that some of it can be frozen. I find it helpful to fall back on tried and true recipes we love but rotate these favourites so that we aren't getting tired of them. Also, it is fun to try new recipes to have variety (it is the spice of life after all). I love reading recipes and adapting it to something that works for our family. I rarely follow a recipe exactly but I find a lot of joy in collecting recipes from friends, family and all different types of cooks. Pinterest has become my greatest source of inspiration for food and cooking, I just love it as a resource when I'm searching something specific or if I just want to browse. I find grocery lists, meal plan charts and lists of what to buy for specific recipes helpful in staying organized. Meal planning helps us save time through the week when we are tired after work and don't really feel like cooking. It also helps save money, or at least stay within a budget, by buying only what we need. It can also prevent waste of food because you only buy items that you know you will use up. Today I went through our fridge and pulled out food that I needed to cook due to expiry dates, produce that was on the verge of spoiling and things I just felt like using up.

Clockwise from top Left : Ground Chicken, bacon, Apple, orange, vegetable cocktail, brown eggs, yellow flesh nugget potatoes, purple kale, smoked cheddar, green onions, cherry tomatoes, white mushrooms and farmer's sausage

From this assortment I came up with three meals to make. The first was a crustless quiche using the eggs, smoked cheddar, green onions, pork farmer's sausage and mushrooms.

Next I made a soup with the cherry tomatoes, potatoes, green onion, purple kale and vegetable cocktail.

Lastly, I used the ground chicken to prepare tonight's dinner of homemade chicken burgers. I combined some of the smoked cheddar and green onion with the ground chicken and some spices to make up the patty mix. These will be served on whole wheat buns and garnished with the bacon!

This goes to show you that with a bit of organization and time you can prepare healthy meals for your family. We now have a breakfast, lunch and dinner option to have this week. Be creative and get inspired and cooking can become very enjoyable!

Teal next time....xoxo

Kathleen

Do It Yourself: Wedding Welcome Bags

Happy Sunday everyone! 

Welcome back to my blog, today I thought I would share with you one of the creative DIY projects I took on for our wedding in Mexico. With a destination wedding you hand over a lot of control to the hotel wedding coordinator, I made sure that the things I could focus my attention on were really unique and special. I came up with a wedding theme or logo, a starfish, and made sure to bring that detail throughout the whole wedding. We chose decor items that were light and easy to transport and wouldn't be too breakable to pack in a suitcase. I will continue to share more about destination wedding planning on my blog but today's post is specifically all about creating a "Welcome Bag". 

I found this idea on Pinterest when searching "Destination Weddings". The concept is to provide your guests with a little goodie bag filled with items that set the tone of the wedding, are native to the area where the wedding is held or will be helpful in making them feel at home or comfortable. Instead of doing favours I thought it would be really fun to give every guest a bag filled with items that they may want to have in Mexico. I merged the idea of an emergency kit and a welcome bag together and gave guests helpful information, useful toiletries and little gifts.

Below is an image of some of the items I put in the bag for ladies, I did a separate one for the guys.

The first photo includes the bag itself. A lightweight cream canvas bag which I had printed with a starfish logo and our names, wedding location and wedding date in a teal font to match our wedding colours. I ordered the bags from a company called the Wedding Chicks, below is the link to our specific bag but there are tons of other awesome designs to choose from on their shop:

http://shop.weddingchicks.com/little-sea-star-wedding-tote-minimum-of-20/

The totes were an awesome idea, everyone loved them, they were sturdy and durable to hold all the goodies and our guests used them as beach bags to transport their towels, sunscreen and magazines to the beach!

The next item on the top left of both photos is a vintage Mexican postcard that I ordered from Tesoros Trading Company: https://secure14.inno-tech.com/tesoros/results_lg.php?productid=2544 

It has an image of the country and cute little graphics showing what each region is called. Originally these were ordered a few years prior to our wedding when I had the idea that a Save the Date on a real postcard would be fun. Later we ended up choosing paper packages for the invitations that included save the date cards that matched so we didn't use the postcards. I wanted to make use of and incorporate these unique postcards so I decided to write a little personalized welcome note to our guests thanking them for joining us in Mexico and signed it from myself and my husband. It was a little keepsake from the trip that everyone could keep with their photo albums or scrapbooks. We also included a map of the resort, our wedding coordinator provided us with a PDF version that I printed off, and a wedding week itinerary that I had created. The itinerary had a weeklong detailed schedule that had everything from when and where to meet for meals, what days we planned to go into town or do an offsite activity, the bachelorette/bachelor night at the disco and the wedding day timeline. Of course these plans slightly changed as the week went on, but it gave guests a good frame of reference for what we had in store. If you do take the time to create an itinerary, be aware that things will change and people will want to do things differently, so do not get stressed out by this. I was told by several guests that they did appreciate the itinerary, even if it was only followed loosely, because it kept everyone fairly organized.

Each bag had a little label that I hand stamped with a starfish and wrote the Spanish word for hello, hola, and on the other side was their name. I tied these tags onto the strap of the bag with jute rope to keep it nautical and beachy. I purchased the rope, teal Sharpie, teal ink pad and tags from Michael's. The starfish stamp was purchased from a stamp company on Etsy. 

The girls got Eos Lipbalm in mint, band aids, Emergen-C packet of vitamin C and Kleenex. The guys got a few different items in place of the Lipbalm: Tums, Advil and a mini shave cream and aftershave. I wish I had photographed the men's bag too but sadly I wasn't thinking that I would be writing this blog! I put the guys emergency kit items inside a plastic tumbler drinking cup and than wrapped them in tissue paper and rope so that these things didn't spill out everywhere. I picked up most of these items from Target (when Canada had these stores!) and the dollar store.

Everyone, guys and girls, got a pair of brightly coloured Ray Ban-style sunglasses. This was a fun way to incorporate colour and the glasses looked cute in photos. I picked these up from Ardene in a 5 for $10 deal. The ladies also got a pashmina, which you can see folded up behind the sunglasses. I picked up three different colours that went with the wedding colours: mint, aqua and teal (The first image is of the darker teal one and the second image is of the aqua). These were also purchased from Ardene as part of a bundle deal. 

I also included a little gift for all the ladies that attended. You will see a silver starfish pendant on a chain in the first photo and a small teal drawstring bag, which contains the chain, in the second. These sterling silver pendants and chains were purchased off EBay and the teal pouches came with each necklace. My mom, mother in law and grandma in law each got a personalized locket necklace in place of the starfish. The lockets were purchased from a company called South Hill Designs (not shown in the photos).

My girlfriends, that attended the wedding, each got a customized tank top in their bag. 

We did a combined bachelorette/bachelor night where we all went to the hotel disco and myself and my friends wore the custom tanks. 

I purchased the tank tops in an aqua colour from Old Navy for around $5 each.  I got the fabric glue and rhinestones from Miachael's and used a paper starfish template to trace the starfish on each tank. I rotated the starfish so that each tank was slightly unique and used different coloured rhinestones and patterns for each. I loved the result and I think my friends did too!

The wedding welcome bags were one of the most fun and creative projects I did for our wedding. It allowed me to be creative and thank our guests for flying down to Mexico, from Canada, for a week to celebrate with us. I tried to make each bag special, personalized and useful. I wanted a mix of practical and keepsake items. The map and itinerary were useful to all. The Tums and Advil were appreciated by many after nights of too many margaritas. The sunnies and starfish necklaces were keepsakes that were worn in many of our special photos. We had one child at our wedding so I included a few items just for him in his mom's bag: Spider-Man snorkel set, blow up beach toys and water bottle. I hope this is helpful for anyone planning a destination wedding or are having out of town guests come to their wedding and want to give them something special to thank them for travelling. Stay tuned for more wedding related blog posts and as always,

Teal next time....xoxo

Kathleen 

Review: Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask

Good evening and happy Sunday! I have to be honest, I just spent the last few hours prepping dinner and some meals for the work week and I was going to skip today's post, but felt I should at least get a short one up!

This evening, before my shower, I'm doing an Origins face mask called Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask to Clear Pores.

It's charcoal or black in colour, thick and creamy in consistency and sets up like a clay mask. 

My dog seems to be a bit frightened of my appearance, I have caught her staring at me with wide eyes! I picked up the 10ml trial size from Sephora for $5 and have been able to get 3 full masks out of it and I still have enough for a fourth or a few spot treatments. 

Below is the product information found on the Sephora website:

What it is: 
A mask with activated charcoal to draw out deep-dwelling pore-cloggers. 

What it is formulated to do: 
When environmental toxins, dirt, and debris get under your skin, its waste-filtering system gets jammed, pores get clogged, and skin looks cloudy. Nature's complexion clean-up crew gets to the bottom of skin's overcast condition and clears the way for it to act its best. 

What it is formulated WITHOUT: 
- Parabens 
- Sulfates 
- Phthalates 

What else you need to know: 
Activated charcoal acts like a magnet to draw out deep-dwelling pore-cloggers. White China clay absorbs environmental toxins, and lecithin dissolves impurities. Without all that stuff down there, skin breathes a sigh of relief. Best for all skin types.

So now to give you my opinion: I have sensitive eczema prone skin so I have to be very careful of what goes on my face. This is the reason I purchased the trial size first to test it out. I had heard great things about the brand Origins but this is the first product I have tried. The mask goes on thick like any clay mask but has a bit of a gel feel so it is easy to spread over your face. Once it starts to set the colour fades to grey, from charcoal, and gets really tight. I prefer to put it on before I shower, I give it 15-30 minutes to harden and work its magic and than I wash it off in the shower, just seems easier and less messy this way. I have had no issues with this product causing any rashes or reactions. It has left my skin feeling soft and clean and refreshed. I do have some problem areas on my chin and nose where my pores are larger and dark, I have yet to notice a dramatic improvement or change in their appearance. I have only used this mask once a week for the last three weeks, so it is possible it may take a few more treatments to really get all the gunk out (ew sorry, yuck)! I will definitely purchase this product again. I have been very impressed at how many masks I have gotten out of the tester size, the next size up is a 50ml tube for $21 and I can imagine it would last you a very long time. I have read reviews that people do not like the scent of the mask but it is not an issue for me at all, it's not something I even noticed and seems like a subtle herbal smell. I like the way my skin feels after using this mask and hope that I do notice an improvement in my pores after continued use. I hope this review has helped you discover a new product or encourages you to do a face mask,

Teal next time...xoxo

Kathleen