Thursday 28 November 2013

Black Friday @ Place D'Orleans!

For my Ottawa and surrounding area readers, I have a treat for you. Our local mall Place D'Orleans, who I partnered with back in October for #MYVIP Night, is having a HUGE Black Friday Sale

This is a great way to put a dent in your Christmas Shopping and you don't have to travel all the way to the US to take advantage of some INCREDIBLE deals.

To add to the excitement, Place D'Orleans is opening their doors early and they will have promotions going on ALL DAY! Read more below:


I suggest we all take the day off work tomorrow and go shopping to take advantage of this event! See you there!







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TBT: Florida 2010

Since everyone seems to be taking a trip somewhere warm lately (yes, I'm jealous) I thought I would post a Throw Back Thursday from my trip to Florida from 2010. It was around this time 3 years ago that I was in sunny Orlando, going Black Friday shopping (deals like no other), going to Blizzard Beach and Seaworld (AHHH-MAZING), buying my first pair of Cowboy boots (out of my comfort zone), trying indoor Skydiving (how many people can say you have tried that?) and my first visit to Clearwater Beach (so beautiful).

It was a vacation to remember because we did SO MUCH and had SUCH FUN going on all of these adventures. This trip was bitter-sweet because upon returning - and spending a TON of $$ - I found out that I was laid off from my job of 10 years, two weeks before Christmas no less. Ugh, was a punch to the stomach that was. It all worked out for the best and took my life in a new direction. Things have a way of working out when they seem hopeless at first. That is a lesson I learned well and this trip reminds me of that :-)

Here are some snaps from that trip, I wish I was there right now since we have 20cm of snow here in Ottawa.










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Tuesday 26 November 2013

What's in my Purse????

I love when Bloggers post a "what's in my purse" because it's a great way to get ideas on everyday essentials that you may be missing from your purse repertoire. I am posting what is in my purse today but I must warn you, after looking at the pictures, it's kinda boring. Boring to me anyways, maybe not to you! I have recently done a purse purge to keep clutter out of my life -which I hate - so that is why the pickin's a slim when it comes to my purse essentials.

With that said, let's dive in!

 From Left to Right:
My ESPRIT eye glasses: Need those from driving at night (yep, I'm old)
Guess Wallet: It's black leather and I have had it for years. The coin purse is broken though so I need to carry...
Coin purse - Catseye London: I received this as a gift and didn't think I would use it! I actually am kinda digging the coin purse separate from my regular wallet thing. It may seem like a pain but it makes things easier for carrying cash and heavy coins around.
My Emergency bottle: Ha ha, I am not a pill popper per se but I like to have Advil, Gravol and some prescription back pills on me at all times in case of a bad headache, tummy ache/sleep inducer or my back goes out on me (for those who don't know I had a disc removed from my spine a few years ago)
My beauty bag from Bath and Body Works: More on this in a jiff
A memory stick: Comes in handy!
Tide pen: A necessity for a clumsy person
C.O. Bigelow - My Favorite Night Balm x2: This IS my fav lip balm that I use all the time, not just at night. It is super moisturizing, leaves a little sheen and goopy enough to stick to your pucker with out being too goopy.
My iPhone (not shown as it was taking the picture) and a charger: Who doesn't have their smartphone with them at all times? I also need my charger with me as a safety net of sorts, what if the battery dies at a crucial moment?

So what is in the mysterious beauty bag?
 From Left to Right:
Black hair elastics: needed for those unruly hair days
Dental floss: for when you have spinach at lunch, LOL
Pink Sugar Roll On perfume: I am not a huge perfume person. I hate walking into a room and being punched in the face by someone wearing Angel or Hugo Boss. But I do really like to have a roll on perfume on hand as a subtle touch up fragrance. These are also much more inexpensive to buy than a full sized bottle  and they last a long time.
Clinique moisture surge extended thirst relief: This is a great moisturizer to carry with you as a touch up during the day. It is light and non-greasy but really moisturizes and doesn't disturb your make up. I use it under my eyes in the afternoon to keep them looking fresh.
Clinique  Different Lipstick and mascara combo: Great for touch ups!
CG TRUBlend Pressed Powder Compact: for my sometimes shiny T-Zone
Nail file, clippers and tweezers: I can't handle snagged nails, hang nails or fly away eyebrow hairs!
Eye Drops: when you work a desk job, your eyes take a beating. I keep this with me when my eyes are feeling dry at the office.
Aveda Hand Relief: Ahhh just the smell of this stuff puts me in a better mood. Great for our Canadian Winters
Jelly Lips: I have a lip balm/gloss obsession!
L'Oreal Magic Lumi Concealer: Not my fav concealer but I keep it with me for touch ups as I have really dark circles. This product does brighten, but conceal? Not so much.
Revlon Lip Butter: In Sugar Frosting #005 and Fig Jam #030 for when I want some color.
Maybelline Baby Lips: I had heard amazing things about Baby Lips, but the moisture doesn't really last for me. I still keep it because the Pink Shock color is cute.

So there you have it! I hope you found something useful in my bag of tricks!



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Thursday 21 November 2013

Holiday Give Away

Hi Everyone! 

I hope you all have a handle on your Christmas shopping, I know I don't but there's still time! If you are procrastinating like me, one of my fav bloggers, Spiffy Kerms, is here to help you. Spiffy aka, Nancy, is holding an awesome giveaway for Philosophy products -- everyone loves Philosophy, am I right? 

Check out the products here:


Go to the spiffykerms.com blog to see how to enter and she's giving you several different ways to enter to increase your chances of winning!

This giveaway is open to Canadians residents only (excluding Quebec).

I think this prize would make a great gift for the girly girly on your Christmas list or you can keep it for yourself.....which I might do!


Best of luck to all who enter!


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Sunday 17 November 2013

Product Review: Balea Pore Strips

I am sure many of you have used pore strips before. I used to use the Biore brand religiously a few years ago. But I let that part of my "beauty regime" fall away for many years. No reason why, just didn't keep up with it. While browsing through Shopper's Drug Mart I came across their store brand of pore strips, Balea Charcoal Nose Strips and decided that I needed to give them a try. For those that haven't used pore strips before I recommend them. They adhere to your skin to take out built up gunk and blackheads; don't worry they don't rip the skin off. They are cheap, these were $5.99 and really easy to use.

So here's what you'll do:

Here's what the box looks like, surprisingly they don't 'appear on the Shopper's website -- weird?


1) Take the strip package out of the box and open it. You will find your strip, these are charcoal so they are black in color.


2) Wet your nose with some warm water. If you want a better result, hold your face over a bowl of HOT water with a towel over your  head for a couple of minutes. This will open up the pores nice and wide and make more goop come out. Peel the strip away from the plastic cover.


3) Apply the strip with the side that was on the plastic to your nose (the shiny side) and smooth it over so that the strip covers your skin completely.


My helper, he takes up most of the floor space in my bathroom. But he's cute so he gets away with it :-)


4) Wait for 10 - 15 mins for the strip to dry. It should be hard, like plaster of paris.


5) After the strip is dried, grab the edges and peel it off. Not too fast, that might hurt if you are sensitive on the schnauze. 


6) And there you have it, a strip full of gunk. It was hard to focus in on the strip but trust me, this pulled up tons of goop. Yucky but we all have it!


The Result -- My pores are clean and smooth and they just feel better than before. I liked these strips, they are definitely on par with a brand name like Biore. The charcoal makes them stick well to your skin so they are super effective. If you see them in Shopper's; try them out and let me know what you think!


Wednesday 6 November 2013

Which Necklace to Wear with Which Top?

I came across this handy little guide on Facebook and wanted to share it with you. I have never really had any strategy to choosing my necklace; I think I kind of just go with the colors of the outfit or what I feel like wearing that day. Maybe subconsciously I take the neck shape of my shirt into consideration but I doubt it!. Sometimes I think no necklace looks best -- to keep it simple

This guide for choosing necklaces takes the guess work out of which one would compliment your top the best. I broke the collar shirt rule today by wearing a longer necklace rather than a short pendant as this guide suggests and I still think it looks okay. But if you have no idea where to start with choosing an accessory, these pictures should help :-)

Source: Polyvore Blog

Rule breaker!

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