Last month I was a guest on My Lip Addiction’s podcast. I always wondered if I should get into that realm of reaching people all around the world with my voice. Especially since I’m a shy person. Yes, for those of you who don’t know me on a personal level. I’m a shy person. I have my days where I get…brave and venture out of my shell, figuratively speaking of course. Then I have other days where I’m flamboyant AF and the only way to bring me down is to call me out on my crazy loud behavior. Sorry not sorry.
The Podcast Life & Getting Over My Shyness
Just like everything else that’s digital in our world today, creating and managing podcasts is not easy. There’s a lot of technical, brainstorming and creativity that goes into it. Just like blogging. Anyone could write a post and call it out on Instagram. But what about everything else in between and behind the scenes of it all. I tip my hat toCat Forsleywho can do it all!
Cat Forsley is a beauty blogger at My Lip Addiction and has a strong background in music and arts. She also writes about fashion, wellness and of course is the host of an awesome podcast. I had the pleasure of being a guest on her podcast and it was a great experience! I normally shy away from doing YouTube videos (I’ve done some awkward videos)or anything that has to do with people seeing or hearing me but I’ve been getting over that lately. A part of it is just self realization and then another part is the company you keep. Talk to those who lift your spirit. Someone whose in the same industry as you are.
My hair has literally gone from thick to thin and thick again in the last 4 years. I am loving my hair right now! It’s been through so much but its finally at a place where I love it. Pregnancy and post pregnancy can really take a toll on the health of your hair. This month I was invited to Medulla & Co, a hair salon in Yorkville, to discuss KerMax hair products.
KerMax Hair Event
I had a chance to sit with Dr. Michael Carozza, a naturopathic doctor and the beautiful Grego Minot. She’s a Canadian TV personality, and many of you will recognize her from the show The Real Housewives of Toronto. She is even more sweeter and beautiful in person. For those of you who missed my instagram story for that day, she spoke about her hair experience after pregnancy. She also talked about how KerMax hair products are working for her. Giving her healthy and fuller hair. Especially after losing so much after having her baby.
After our talk about the product I was treated to an amazing blow out with the KerMax products. I love how light my hair felt with the product in it. Most of the time when I use hair products to do blow outs or to style my hair, I’m left with either sticky or heavy feeling hair. Happy to say, not with KerMax products.
One of the questions I asked Dr. Michael was about the sodium laureth sulfate in some of the products. Over the years I’ve been doing research on best practices to keep hair healthy and what kind of ingredients to stay away from. Some articles and research say that sulfates is something to avoid in your hair and parabens. However, some also say that it’s just a lathering agent and it has no harsh effects on the health of your hair. Dr. Michael made a good point that if I were to use this product and it had no lathering agent, would I have thought it was still cleaning my hair or would I be skeptical of it? So true! I definitely need my shampoo and conditioner to lather up.
I love that the KerMax products have no parabens and they have products you can use while styling your hair. The Volumizing Shampoo ($24.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart)has a combination of peptide amino acids and concentrated organic pea sprouts to help fine, thinning hair appear fuller and thicker. The Volumizing Conditioner won’t clog scalp or weigh hair down. It also improves detangling to prevent hair thinning caused by brushing.
The Styling Mousse ($24.99) adds body and strengthens damaged hair, while giving your hair an ultimate volume boost.
There are two treatment products in the KerMax hair line. The Essential Day Foam and the Thickening Hair Serum ($49.99 each). These products are formulated with KerGro 3X-a™. A biocomplex of fruit stem cells, peptide amino acids and botanical extracts. I’m going to start using these products and will report back on the results. Follow along on Instagram for updates!
There are so many beautiful moments that can be cherished in so many ways. I love keeping journals, photographs and I’m a big story teller. Or so my mom says. One of the things that has been on my to do list for as long as I can remember is to create scrapbooks, photo albums and video compilations of our wedding events, vacations and babies memories. My best friend actually is the best at reminding me to do it.
My schedule and lack of time, according to my priorities list doesn’t allow me to do so. But when I came across Luhvee books I was intrigued. Luhvee is a fill in the blank book that is easily customized to the way you desire. There are so many options to choose from. You can change the story altogether or you can let the app build the story and you just fill in the blank. I chose to write everything on my own. Also because I chose the book to be from my husband and I to both of our kids. The message throughout the book is to show the love they have for each other and the hope that it stays that way forever.
Create your own keepsake book by Luhvee
Here are some things you’ll want to get in order before you start your very own Luhvee fill in the blank book:
VOICE: Do you want it to be singular or plural? Who is the book coming from and to who? The book I created was from my husband and I to our two children.
MESSAGE: What’s the message you’re trying to get across? Is it to celebrate a big milestone or is it to tell a specific story. The message I chose was to show and remind my son and daughter how much they love each other, our love for them and the special memories we have of them so far.
PHOTOS: Organize all the pictures you’d like to share in the book, into a folder on your desktop for easy access. I did a mix of professional photos I took of them and everyday cellphone captures.
Once you have all of that in order, creating the book is the fun part! On the Luhvee website (https://www.luhvee.ca/) you can get started by clicking on “Make Your Book”.
The book looks and feels like a really good hardcover book with perfect pages and the image quality is amazing! There were some photos I thought would definitely turn out grainy because I took them from my phone. And to my surprise, those photos were not grainy at all.
Overall, from creating the book on the website, to receiving it. It was a great experience and I would definitely make another one as they grow older.
It’s been a long time since I last wrote something in my marketing/social media series. As some of you know my educational background is in Marketing/Web/Social Media. I’m putting it out there into the universe that my goal is to start these series back up again. I hope these series will help my fellow bloggers, small business owners and those who are just curious with some of my tried, tested and true tips on how to best utilize social media marketing on different platforms.
5 Things All Bloggers Should Do On Twitter [SOCIAL MEDIA]
TWEET YOUR CONTENT This should be an obvious one. Tweet your content and do it on the regular. Twitter is a fast moving platform. So posting repeat tweets (spread them out) is okay to do. Especially since only a percentage of your Twitter followers will see your tweets since it goes down in peoples feeds so quickly.
TWEET YOUR VIDEOS Tweet your videos from snapchat, instagram stories or whatever. Videos get lots of attention and if you can start a conversation over one of your videos than you’re golden. For an example, I shared a short video of my plant that was growing in a not so normal way on Instagram Stories. I used that same video for a tweet to ask my followers what they thought was going on. What happened next was the natural conversation I was looking for. Also an answer because I genuinely wanted to know.
If you have more than one image then go ahead and use it in your tweet. You can add up to 4 images in your tweet and save those characters to tell your story instead of mentions (@humarakausar – is mentioning someone). You can tag the person/brand on the image instead.
I love using Twitter lists to organize groups of people. For an example, making a bloggers list of people on Twitter and then visiting that list to see only blogger tweets can be a lot more easier to engage and keep up with tweets that matter to you. Especially because they go by so quickly.
5. USE TWITTER CARDS
So I just recently learned about this one. You can create tweets with images that look great across different techs, i.e ios, android and desktop. Benefit, no more hours, days or months of no engagement on Twitter. You have no excuse if you have Twitter cards already set up. You can find this under Twitter Ads/Creatives/Cards.
Ever since we moved into our new house my husband and I have had our own washrooms. This has been the best thing ever! Maybe every couples dream come true. We have our own washroom space, I get lots of counter space and don’t need to worry about finding all those tiny little shaved hairs in my our sink. One thing we happily did share, was a blow dryer. Although his blow dryer sucks, I worked with it and never did any styling with it. Now I have my very own blow dryer and it’s amazing! It’s the new Panasonic Nanoe Hair Dryer.
This blow dryer uses nanoe technology to dry your hair without actually drying it out. For as long as I can remember whenever I’d blow dry my hair, the end result would be dry, frizzy hair. Then, if I put like a smoothing product in my hair to fight back the frizz, I’d lose the volume and my hair would fall flat.
The new Panansonic nanoe hair dryer takes moisture from the air (so cool) and creates tiny, moisture-rich particles that are small enough to penetrate your hair with moisture. The results with this nanoe technology are incredible. So I put it to the ultimate test. I dared to wash my hair and not use conditioner. Dried my hair with the new Panasonic nanoe hair dryer and success! My hair had zero frizz, was super shiny and actually had a healthy bounce to it. This is my first time using a non-ion based hair dryer. Switching to nanoe has been the best thing to happen to my hair in a very long time!
I take this with me to all of my sleep overs, at the in-laws or to my moms house. And I’m definitely taking it on all of our trips moving forward. It’s travel friendly with the folding feature it has, and it’s super light. I also love how when in use, it’s not loud compared to my old hair dryers. I take a lot of late night showers, after my children have fallen asleep. So the noise factor is really important to me. In the past I would actually avoid styling my hair, just so they wouldn’t wake up from the sound of me using the blow dryer.
There are 3 settings. High, low and cool. Some of my own tips: The high setting is great to be used on thicker, coarser hair for maximum drying power. Low is better to be used on thinner, fragile hair. The cool setting, which I know for a fact many people don’t use is actually best to use to seal the hair cuticle. Once your hair is approx. 80% dry, switch to the cool setting. At this point in the drying process you just need the cool setting to complete drying and it’ll protect your hair from being over dried.
[Tweet “Your hair should be 65 percent dry before you start to blowdry w/ a brush. @PanasonicCanada #beautytips”]
It’s less damaging to your hair if you towel dry your hair first and then blow dry it. I also use my fingers to dry the roots before I use a brush. Also if you’re looking for a smoother finish then don’t forget to use the attachment nozzle this blow dryer comes with. It ensures you get targeted heat.
This is my first time trying Hard Candy make-up. Hard Candy products are sold exclusively at Wal-Mart and Walmart.ca. I shop at Wal-Mart at least once a week, if not more. Whenever I’m out of any of my make-up I first check Wal-Mart to see what they have that can replace my product. All of these products are reasonably priced. Last I checked at Wal-Mart all of these products seem to be priced at under $10.
Keep an eye out next time you’re at Wal-Mart for the below Hard Candy Summer 2017 collection:
Hard Candy Sheer Envy Color Correct Perfecting Powder This powder helps those with redness, dull skin and any other colour correcting concerns. I don’t have any redness concerns ever since my acne cleared up years ago. It’s a natural brightener due to the orange/yellow tones in this powder. I’ve used it after foundation all over my face to set my make-up and then later in the day I touched up my make-up by applying this to my cheekbones as a highlighter. You can also use it to mattify your make-up throughout the day if you have oily skin. Swirl your powder or kubuki brush all over the colours and apply to the face. I love how smooth the finish is and no unnecessary shimmers or sparkles. Especially if you’re going for a more natural look. Another product for skin redness concerns that will help camouflage the redness is the green color corrector that comes with a sponge applicator top.
One of the first make-up products I usually run out of is my liquid or pencil eye liner. I love this Hard Candy marker eye liner because of the control you have to create a thin or thick line. The other side of the same pencil holds a khol eyeliner. Great for creating a smokey look as well.
Hard Candy Stroke of Gorgeous Kajal Supreme Eyeliner Duo
Pencil on the left, Liquid on the right
The Hard Candy Lip Artiste Lip Contouring Wand is a dual ended product, made to contour and highlight your lips. The highlight (seen above) is perfect to achieve the illusion of bigger lips by applying it to the center of the lips.
This highlighter, Hard Candy Sheer Envy Prismatic Highlighter , has a pearl finish and when I set it, it looked a lot nicer with a more natural highlight look. They also have a new banana powder for baking. I went out and bought that one to see how it compares to a Sephora brand I have. Stay tuned for the comparison most likely up on my Insta Stories.
Have you tried Hard Candy beauty products before? Which one(s)?
Disclaimer: The products are PR samples for review purposes. Opinions are my own.
Today is Global Hug Your Kid Day and I’m excited to share some ‘first Hug’ stories with you.
When I first got pregnant, the very first emotion I felt was being scared. Being a mom is a big responsibility. The first thing I did though was hug my belly. Hug and rub. That first hug was to give my baby loving vibes and to remind myself that everything was going to be okay.
As soon as Baby D (my first child) was born, the first thing my midwife did was place him on my chest for skin-to-skin contact. Before they cut the cord, I hugged and cradled him. It was the most amazing feeling in the world and all I could do was just cry the biggest happy tears of my life. I kept thinking, “Oh my god, he’s here. This is it. I want to hold you forever.” They put him in his first Huggies Little Snugglers newborn diaper and gave him back to me.
The first HUG. [Huggies – No baby unhugged.]
Everyday at least once he’ll ask for a ‘baby hug’ (A hug from his baby sister)
Baby D at birth
I didn’t clothe him right away. In his first pictures he was only in a diaper and a blanket. I wanted him to get all the skin-to-skin hugs
he could get.
Baby D is now 2 and a half years old and I still practice skin-to-skin with him. During bath time I’ll make sure I’m wearing a tank top and as soon as he’s out, in a towel, I hold him and hug him. We continue our hug all the way to our room where I have his clothes ready. Perhaps those hugs are why he’s super friendly and hugs everyone, including strangers. Many times we’ve gone grocery shopping and as soon as he’s out of his stroller or the grocery cart he’ll go up to someone and hug their leg. There was one lady and her reaction that I’ll never forget. When Baby D hugged her and I walked over to get him (he wouldn’t let go), I apologized to the lady as he came to me and she smiled with tears in her eyes and said, “Usually children don’t like me or come to me, so that hug was really special and sweet.” I didn’t even think that the power of his hug could move someone like that.
We always keep a Huggies wipes box + a diaper at the end of the bed for late night quick changes.
The power of hugs is real. It’s comforting when you’re down and can lift you even higher in spirit when you’re happy. When you greet people you love, always be aware of your hug. You can immediately make someone feel how much you missed them or love them by the way you hug. A strong and long hug is always a lasting one.
My first hug with Baby Z (my second child) was very similar to how Baby D got his first hug. The only difference was that the first hug was cut a little short because she was born at home, and I was on the floor, totally un-planned. That’s a story for another day. What I thought was really special though was when Baby D got his first hug with his little sister. I didn’t tell him, he just knew that the first thing he wanted to do when he saw her was to embrace her in a long hug and a kiss. He walked into the room, saw her and said “Aweee… baby!”.
Their first hug
That first hug is a very powerful and emotional one. My best friend just had her baby and when they first placed her sweet angel on her chest we did a video call and we both cried happy tears for that beautiful moment. I felt that hug. I knew how she felt. It was just such a beautiful moment and I was honoured to share it with her, along with her family by her side.
My hugging plan with Baby Z is right after her diaper change to give her hugs and skin-to-skin. Did you know a child could have up to 5,000 diaper changes in his or her life? That’s 5,000 opportunities for hugs! There will be days when you’re super busy and you might forget – I’m guilty of that – I now keep some sweet reminders around her changing table to remind me to give her skin-to-skin time. When I’m changing her diaper and read the Huggies label, it’s a reminder of its own.
I also try to use products that nourish and protect her skin, like Huggies Natural Care wipes and Consonant Baby Lotion. They both contain Aloe and Vitamin E. I’m also obsessed with this whipped shea butter bum cream byCharlotteCosmetics.So natural, that you can eat it!
Do you remember a hug that had a lasting impression on you? How about a ‘first hug’?
Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by Huggies. However, all views and opinions expressed in this post are of my own regarding the products and experiences.
Cafe Cancan is a fairly new cafe that opened up on Harbord Street in Toronto. Harbord street is a nostalgic area for me because I went to high school near there. The night before going to Cafe Cancan I did some research about the place and went on to their website to do some light reading about the cafe, the owners and anything I needed to know before I went there.
Patio lights
I love the fact that this cafe is actually designed by Tiffany Pratt. I love her happy go lucky style and everything she touches with her sense of design is incredible!
If you decide to visit this place, keep in mind that parking is a little bit hard to find in this area. We were fortunate enough to find a spot in the residential area, a block from the cafe. I was so excited to check this place out I didn’t mind the walk, although it was really hot. So I got Baby Z cozy in her stroller and we were on our way! So anyways, we get to the cafe and the front view of this place is just so pretty! If you know me, I have this thing with coloured doors. And a pink one! I died. It’s so cute! Immediately I thought, photo opp!
There are a few steps to enter into the cafe, but that’s no problem with the jogger stroller I have.
As soon as we entered Cafe Cancan we were welcomed by a lady and I asked for a booth for two by the door so I can tuck my stroller away. She looked at me and said “Okay, just a second.” and walked away. A few minutes later..
another lady came over. She leaned forward and said “Sorry, there are no strollers allowed here.” You can imagine I was taken aback and baffled. I had never been to a place, no where in Toronto and even in all of our travels with our stroller (Italy, Mexico, Niagara Falls *lol*) did anyone ever say to me, no strollers allowed. I guess I was at a loss of words so I was just staring blank at her and my brother who was with me also didn’t know what to say either. Then, and I don’t know why I said this… “I guess I could just leave my stroller outside and try to watch it from this booth?” And she replied, “sure.” I walked outside, and then of course after baby brain stopped kicking in, I realized, no way. I’m not leaving my $1000 stroller outside!
I started to think, forget it. I’m not staying here. Let’s just go home and eat whatever we can grab. But as we started walking back I thought, I shouldn’t change my plans because of one road block. I should find a way around it and do what I wanted to do. Why have this ruin my excitement to go there and enjoy the food and ambiance? So we walked back to the car, dropped off the stroller, I put a hat on Baby Z and we walked back in the heat. It makes me sad to think that what if I was a new mom and this was my very first day coming out of my house and treating myself to a nice lunch with my little one and then to have them say to me “no strollers allowed.” I know for sure I’d go back to my car, go home and cry. Thinking perhaps moms shouldn’t go to cute places. Or maybe, baby and I don’t belong in a restaurant. But truth is, that’s ridiculous. And if a restaurant doesn’t allow strollers, then they should do their due diligence to write that on their website or by the door. Because I did mine by going on and checking to make sure it was a big enough facility. There was lots of space there for me to fold my stroller and tuck away. It wasn’t even busy the entire time I was there, there was a total of 3 tables being served and 2 people came in to get coffee to go. There’s also a decent long hallway to the patio in the back of the cafe.
We ordered burgers. I got the veggie burger and it came with a side of fries. I was really happy with the amount of avocado they used in this burger. I love avocado. It was nice. If I were to go back I would try something different as I wasn’t in love with it. It’s a messy burger so I cut mine in half. The soda was really good, but it’s $6. I’d love to go back for lattes and dessert. The owners of the cafe were there and they were super nice. I didn’t mention what had happened. Would I recommend this place to others? Sure. Would I go again? Maybe. Only because the owners are nice, food was good and the place is so damn pretty!
P.S Later that same day we went to Lavelle and they were super accommodating. I folded up the stroller and put it against a wall that was pretty out of sight. Lavelle is a restaurant/lounge on a roof top on King St.
Have you ever gone somewhere and you felt not welcomed or discriminated?
Amazon Prime Day sale is starting tonight and it’ll be on for 30 hours. You’re wondering, well what do I need or what can I get during this sale? Here are my TOP 10 must haves on Amazon Prime Day:
Ring Sling – This is super handy when you’re travelling or don’t want to carry around a heavy car seat or stroller. This one is a lot cooler than the one I have, especially because it has a removable pocket.
2. Magnetic Tiles – A few days ago we were at my friends house and her toddler was playing with these magnetic tiles and when I asked her where she got them from she said the best place to buy them would be amazon. These tiles are great for building creativity and strong motor skills in problem solving.
4. NEST Learning Thermosat – Very rarely will you find this for a good sale price. This is the cheapest I’ve seen it for.
5. Phone stand – Perfect for multi-tasking and hands free insta stories.
Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Have you ever tried Life Brand products? You can find them at Shoppers Drug Mart in the beauty section of the store. Some of you may already know, but I first job at 16, was at Shoppers Drug Mart in cosmetics. I applied for a cashier role and my luck they were looking for someone in cosmetics and were ready to train me. Over the years I attended seminars, classes, did tests and learnt so much about the cosmetics industry. I am forever grateful to this day for that first job opportunity that got me where I am today. Thank you Frances.
Quick Spa Treatment at Home with Life Brand Skincare
I’ve seen Life Brand grow for over a decade in terms of the products they’ve come out with and the quality of it has always been amazing. It just gets better and better over the years. When you enter a Shoppers Drug Mart, look for the Life Brand masks section. It is usually at the end of an aisle and has all the sheet/no sheet masks. Rows of it! One for every skin type and need. I’ve used so many of them before, so the ones in the images I gave to my best friend to try. She just had a baby so I thought, I’ve brought stuff for the baby, but mama needs some loving too.
Multi-masking is a great way to cater to different problem areas. Dry cheeks, oily forehead and dull skin. Buy a packet for each of those areas, apply it and anything extra left over I usually put it a ziplock bag to use in a few days. These single use masks are affordable and a great opportunity to try different ones without breaking the bank. These masks vary in prices between $1.99-$4.99. (And this is why I’ve tried almost all of them!)
Whenever I go to my mom’s house, as soon as I get there I like to freshen up by washing my face and changing my clothes. Especially if I’ve come over from a long day of walking outdoors. She always keeps the Life Brand charcoal cleanser($6.99) in her guest washroom. I absolutely love it! Every time I use it I always tell myself I need to buy it for me to use at home and I always forget. Actually, I remembered one time and checked at a Shoppers Drug Mart and it was sold out.
Putting it on my to do list because it’s so awesome! Leaves your skin glowing, feeling clean and over time you’ll see less blackheads/whiteheads. I had never trip the nose and face strips before, because I can count how many blackheads I have. Like one or two. I tried this one and so much better than other brands I’ve tried before from magazine samplings etc. This one leaves that area brighter and you can actually see the stuff stripped out! A box of only nose strips is $8.99 and one with face strips as well is $13.99.
Spa Pedicure treatment at home:
This foot mask is incredible! Inside this packet there’s another packet that holds the magic liquid that will transform your feet into baby soft skin and two plastic bag like socks. You pour the liquid into each sock and you keep it on for 20 minutes. After washing my feet, I didn’t notice anything really. Then I read the packet and it said wait to see results between 3-7 days and to repeat after 2-3 weeks. So I waited. And OMG. On the 3rd day I had dead skin coming off my feet from places I never even knew that it was dead skin waiting to be shed. It transformed my feet into butter soft feet, better than any pedicure I’ve ever gotten. I actually went out and bought more packets. For my mom, mother in law, husband and more for myself. This is a MUST TRY! It’s only $4.99.
For years I struggled with acne and had the worse kind. I tried so many different products and formulations. The one ingredient that worked the best was benzoyl peroxide and Life Brand’s new Clear Action Active Anti-Acne Treatment Kit has it! It’s only $19.99 and has everything you need to get started on your new anti-acne routine.
Here’s your chance to WIN a treatment kit + a Life Brand charcoal pack on Twitter:
One of the first make-up products I usually run out of is my liquid or pencil eye liner. I love this Hard Candy marker eye liner because of the control you have to create a thin or thick line. The other side of the same pencil holds a khol eyeliner. Great for creating a smokey look as well.
These masks vary in prices between $1.99-$4.99. (And this is why I’ve tried almost all of them!)
Here’s your chance to WIN a treatment kit + a Life Brand charcoal pack on Twitter: