Note Cosmetics is a global makeup line that can be found in 72 countries and now available at Rexall drug stores. I love the simple packaging with cosmetics. Note cosmetics is sleek and black. A very sophisticated look. The brand is also cruelty-free, paraben free, fragrance-free and vegan. You can find this brand in Toronto.
NOTE Cosmetics at Rexall is here in Canada
Here’s a sneak peek of some of the NOTE cosmetics products they have and why they’re different from other brands you may be using.
This blusher has argan oil in it and is free from parabens! Super soft to the touch and helps to boost moisture levels in the skin. This product has also been infused with botanicals.
NOTE Mattemoist Lipstick – Miss Kiss – $14.50
This matte lipstick isn’t as dry as some of the other brands I wear. This formula actually goes on creamy and it sets matte. The macadamia oil and vitamin E in the lipstick, protect and soothe lips.
NOTE Real Look Mascara – $17.95
I love mascaras that have thick and bushy wands! I always get the best look with those. This mascara curls, thickens and gives you voluminous lashes. It also has vitamin E which means it nourishes your lashes from the root to the tips of your lashes. Fragrance, Paraben, and cruelty-free!
During my early years as a blogger, I wondered what it would be like to sit among other like-minded individuals in the blogging world. So here I am, this year, with lots of breakfast, lunch/brunch and dinners with other bloggers and I gotta say, what an awesome experience! Some bloggers are very different in person from what I actually thought they’d be like according to their posts and online voice. And others, like the below crew, are exactly the same offline as they present themselves online. When they’re exactly the same, I have to admit I get such a feel-good feeling. It’s wonderful to see that realness and authenticity come to life. So here’s what happens during brunch with bloggers:
Last month I met up with some amazing bloggers for brunch, in downtown Toronto. You might recognize them(see above). First, there are the quick intros and then the “omg that’s you!” chit-chat. And then lots of talk about blogging. Everything from how to editing, favourites applications, google analytics and SEO – (I’m drooling!) brands and events. I love talking tech! Plugins and what works for us and what doesn’t. If there is one takeaway you should get from this post, it would be “together we are stronger”. As similar as we may seem for content creation and voices; we all still have our own style, community, and our own niche experiences/opinions.
I love how bloggers bounce ideas off each other and the best part is when the food comes out, it comes out altogether so we can take flat lays, single shots and just pictures galore without anyone getting upset. Because we all get it! It’s a no judge zone and at that moment while taking pictures we are all pulling in the same energy and are alike. That is the very moment everyone really comes together. When we’re in our natural blogging element. Brunch with bloggers is not only about food, but getting to know the beautiful individuals I love to follow online and getting to know them at a much more realistic level.
Leather crop top – ZaraBomber Jacket – Dynamite/Garage Clothing Outlet at Dixie Mall
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Here’s what I wore to the brunch. I have been looking for a pleated winter skirt for so long! Now that I’ve found it, I want to wear it as much as possible! I found this skirt online at Aritizia and it was on sale for $80. Linked it and some others:
This summer I had lots of fun catering to my sweet tooth in Toronto. So many new ice-cream shops popped up in the last few years. With so many to choose from, I’ve narrowed them down to this summers favourites. Here are my 5 Toronto Ice-Cream shops you won’t regret trying. Call me crazy, but I’ll be going back to these places this Fall/Winter:
1. BANG BANG Ice-Cream
Location: 93A Ossington Ave
I remember the first time I came here with our dear friends, it was a cold Saturday afternoon some time in the Winter/Fall. There was a line up out the store, down the street. That should say a lot on its own of how good this place is.
It’s not big inside, very minimal space to sit or stand. It didn’t matter, we ate ours just outside the shop.
cookies to choose from
We went with the ice-cream sandwiches. You choose the cookie and ice-cream combo and
I was on a mission to try their cookie monster ice-cream! One of the things I remembered about the cookie monster ice-cream was that it wasn’t overly sweet and the cone was my absolute favourite part!
Inside the shop you’ll find about 5 – 10 seats and a huge chalkboard menu/graffiti. Feel free to write your name on the wall or whatever.
The wackiest ice-cream shop I ever saw. With Aladdin on his magic carpet, vintage decor and overall known to be a children’s fantasy land. You pick your ice-cream flavour, pick a cone and then pick your toppings.
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There was a long line-up for this place and very little space inside the shop, but there’s a bench right outside if you have someone to wait for. I love that this place has so many creative flavours that actually taste good! Plus, when’s the last time you saw a lit candle on an ice-cream cone?
There’s not enough time in the day for me to do everything I want to do. However, for some reason when I have a check list, it can all get done. Ever since I was a teenager I had a habit of making lists in my planners. A list of goals, a list of daily things to do and a favourites list (music, books) to download and to borrow from the library.
Now those lists have evolved and the amount of lists I have to make is overwhelming. So overwhelming that I haven’t done it in almost a year. I actually think I was a lot more successful in getting things done because I had a daily planner or book to write everything down in. Now with my baby brain syndrome (it’s real), I forget everything! I’ve been looking for the right planner to get me organized again for a long time. And now finally I have the Bloom Daily Planner to help me get back into a more organized life.
The Bloom Daily Planners come in many forms. You can get it in hard cover or soft, monthly planning or daily, You can even get specific ones: Teacher planner, student planner and a wedding planner. They have a lot to choose from, check it out here.
When I saw these stickers it instantly reminded me of my old agenda from high school. I’d decorate every week with fun stickers and looking back at it now, it’s almost like looking into a diary/scrapbook. Looking at a list, or a page full of words of appointments, to do or birthdays is boring. So why not make it more fun by adding cute stickers. Especially for things you want to bring attention to when going through the pages.
The monthly plannerI have is a soft cover planner. When you open the soft cover, the inside of it has an area where you can slide your receipts or loose paper in.
For each day of the month I set goals. Mom goals, work goals, blogger goals, fitness goals or whatever. Set one for each day and whenever you accomplish that goal for that day, check it off. It may sound silly to you, but in hindsight when you go back to your planner in a week and see that you didn’t meet any of your goals, it might spark some new found motivation. For myself, I treat it like a challenge. Meeting my daily goals and checking it off at the end of the day is enough motivation for me. Looking back at a month of checks, is like a big “YES, girl! YES!’
Spring flowers are blooming, people are gardening and the spring trends have started to roll into all of our favourite stores! Over the years, I’ve collected so many clothes, to a borderline hoarder point. I have an excessive amount of clothes that I haven’t worn in years. This made me realise it was time for a Spring cleaning wardrobe refresh.
Spring Cleaning For a Wardrobe Refresh…
My goal for a wardrobe refresh was to add more neutrals to my closet and get rid of all the clothes that were colours, prints or designs I couldn’t see myself wearing again. Out with old, in with new!
Dixie Outlet Mall has some great options for a Spring wardrobe refresh! Keeping in mind the colours I was looking for and the looks I wanted to create, it made my shopping experience so much easier. We often go shopping with little or no thought into what we’re exactly looking for. We end up shopping for hours with no direction. Having a game plan helps you leave the mall content with your choices.
One of my favourite looks for spring is boat chic. Blue and white, comfy sneakers, white or neutral/light t-shirts.
The Tommy Hilfiger outlet at the Dixie Outlet Mall is the best place for trousers and chino’s in different fits (straight, slim etc.) Trousers at Tommy Hilfiger generally cost anywhere between $70-120, at Dixie’s Tommy Hilfiger outlet store I purchased my chino slim fit pants for $41.99!
In the back of the store close to the cash register, you’ll find their sale/clearance racks, aka the best in #DixieDeals. They have great choices in comfortable t-shirts and blouses.They have a promotion going on where the sale rack t-shirts are $12.89. These deals remind me of cross-border shopping, but found conveniently in our city! I’ve been wanting a nice pair of white sneakers for awhile now, specifically; converse sneakers. There were a few stores at Dixie Outlet Mall that have converse sneakers and the prices for white chuck taylors range from $60-65. However, I got lucky and found a pair for $54.99 at the Journeys Outlet store.
I found this beautiful, flowy coat from Urban Planet for $29.99. I picture pairing this with a lot of clothes I already own and it’s great for making any outfit, dressier.
Another great Spring trend you can find at the Urban Planet store in Dixie Outlet Mall are culotte pants. I scored these pants for $24.99 and these strappy heels, from the ALDO outlet. You may have seen them in my Spring Shoes Haul post.
All in all, I did really well at the Dixie Outlet Mall, but as I found, that’s no surprise!
What are your favourite Spring trends and are you due for a spring cleaning wardrobe refresh?
Disclaimer: I’m a Dixie Outlet Mall ambassador and this post has been sponsored by Dixie Outlet Mall. However, all views and opinions expressed in this post are of my own regarding the products and services.
From the day your little one is born, it’s almost like your entire life gets erased behind you and you’re starting new again. You’re a mom. The moment I held baby D I thought, “I’m here for you, forever and always. I will protect you. I will guide you and I will teach you all the best things you need to know to move across this world…” That was just a snippet of my thoughts but you know what I mean. All that mushy stuff that makes our heart melt and love life.
I traveled. I was, and am an entrepreneur and I feel before being a mom I had lived some of my most ambitious days of my life. I can’t say I thought those days were over now, I just knew deep down that a different chapter of those days had begun and doing those things I did would look a lot different now. My mind was a lot more sharp before I got pregnant and at least a few months after having baby D. But after some time I was back to 100% me. Baby brain days. Honestly, it’s real. We may not all get it…but those of you, who do feel like you’re suffering from it. It’s okay. It’s real.
Mat leave can very quickly swallow you up and become a daily routine of feeding your little one, eating, napping, feeding your little one, TV, sleep etc. It’s hard coming out of that routine and remembering “oh yeah, I need to make some time for me.” I remember one mom telling me she felt like she was being selfish for thinking of making time for herself. And when she did go out with her girls she couldn’t stop thinking about her baby.
If going out and leaving your newborn seems like a far stretched idea then try some of these ideas to start with:
Take time to do your nails.
Read a book. Even if it’s one page a day. Stick to whatever you decide.
Have a hobby that you spend at least 1 hour a day on. Plan during your babies nap time.
(I started painting something for baby D’s nursery on canvas.)
Exercise.
Do a weekly mask.
Even now when I need to find time to update my blog or work on different projects I try my best to schedule doing those things either when baby D is napping or I have someone watch him while I do my work for a few hours.
How do you manage making time for yourself? It’s always nice getting tips from other mommies. Walking through security on our way to Japan when I was 5 months pregnant, the security lady looked at my pregnant belly and said “Welcome to the club honey!”. So true. We’re in this together ladies!
I’ve been using Benefit cosmetics for years and they have lots of cool products that are so easy and a lot of fun to use! If you’re a make-up junkie as much as I am, than I’m sure you own more than one benefit product and if you don’t then by the end of this post I’ll have you inspired to definitely try something from their super cute line of cosmetics.
Benefit Favourites
High Beam
When have I not used this?! High Beam comes in a perfect size bottle that has a nail polish brush attached to the lid. I usually take the brush and do one quick swoop where ever I need it. Cheeks, down the bridge of my nose or a little touch on the forehead to add dimension depending on how much make-up I’m wearing. As a make-up artist I would just dab with the brush a perfect amount on my mixing slate or the back of my hand. Baby pink in colour, it’s the perfect amount of glow. You can totally build this product by adding more on top if you want a very noticeable highlight. For pictures and video it looks very natural and doesn’t stand out as much as a powder highlight does. In my opinion, liquid highlighters have a softer and more dewy look compared to powder highlighters.
POREfessional
This is benefits primer. If you haven’t used a primer before and don’t know whether it is for you, then know this; whether you’re going for a heavy look or simple, it will be the perfect base for your foundation or tinted moisturizer. This primer helps to diminish the look of shine and minimizes the look of large pores. A little goes a long way with this primer. I just wish I could remember to use it all the time.
Balm
From the first day bene-tint hit boutiques I was obsessed. It was a red liquid, with a scent of rose petals and just a drop would stain your lips to look naturally red. From this product they created the best bene-balm ever! Super hydrating due to the mango butter… mmm! and sodium hyaluronate, the tint is perfect. It has a nice glossy finish but like most balms wears off easily. If you’re not into red, then try posie balm, which is the baby pink version.
High Brow
This is probably the quickest way to get perfectly arched and tamed eyebrows. You know those in between threading/waxing days when you have a little bit of growth? Well this highlighting pencil comes in really handy for that. Apply it under your eyebrow arch and you have an instant illusion of perfect eyebrows. I love that it’s a cream/powder like texture and blends really well.
Roller Lash
I’ve always been hesitant to use comb-like or toothy mascara wands. I have fine but long hair lashes, so building volume is hard to do with the Roller Lash wand. But I found a really good way to use it! So first I build volume with a thicker mascara wand, and then I create length with the Roller Lash and comb out any mascara clumps. Match made in heaven and results are as if I have falsies on.
Every baby is different. Transitioning for your baby might be easier or worse than my experience. I hope to shed some perspective and light on this topic for those mama’s who might be going through this or are thinking about going back to work.
Transitioning Day 1
We were both up really late last night and although my husband gently woke me up this morning, we hit the snooze and slept in just a little bit more. Transitioning days at baby D’s daycare are 930 – 1130am for three days. We arrived for day 1 around 10:05 ish. During the visit I hadn’t seen any cool toys or books laying around so I was a bit hesitant on choosing the place but as soon as we entered the infant room, we could see lots and lots of cute stuff. As usual, baby D was a little shy at first. Scoping out the room and looking at his new playmates. I had fun talking to the caregivers and also sat there and observed baby D to see whether he was enjoying himself, scared or did he have an idea of what was to come on day 4. He played shy for a bit but every time someone acknowledged him or when other babies would come to talk, touch or play with him he’d turn to me and smile. After 30 minutes he was slowly and cautiously walking towards other babies and different toys. He would then come walking back and give me a big hug (maybe in case I was feeling scared) and quietly babble stuff to me. He’s so loving. Come 11 am I noticed they started to have their lunch so we left early and planned that tomorrow we’d come for 9 am – 11 am. So I think even though it was just an hour, I feel like he’ll enjoy his time there. He loves other babies and he’ll love making new friends. *fingers crossed*
TIPS: I held him at first and then every few minutes tried to move away and let him explore. Also, when I was playing and talking to the other babies I think it made him feel more comfortable with them and curious.
Transitioning Day 2
Today baby D warmed up to the new environment in 5 minutes! Which is pretty awesome considering he was woken up from his nap. He walked around the room and played with the other babies and all was great! Everything was great until I found a staple on the ground and that really concerned me. Considering how baby D is going through a stage where he puts everything in his mouth, this was scary. I gave the staple to one of the caregivers in the room. I scanned the room to see where it came from and noticed that they use staples to put up “group work” on a board right above where the babies play. I thought about this when I went home and I really don’t like “complaining” because I’m afraid it comes off rude or bitchy. I asked my mommy friends what they would do and they had a good point when they said bring it up as a suggestion rather than a complaint. So, tomorrow I’m definitely letting them know.
Transitioning Day 3
Baby D and I woke up late today so we only went for 30 minutes. Plus tomorrow is his birthday and I have some last minute things to do. It took him just a few minutes to warm up to everyone again and once he was cool with everyone he was playing, walking, talking.. doing his thing. I think he’s going to be okay! On my way out I let the manager of the daycare know about the staple board. I suggested maybe they could use tape to put things up instead and how baby D puts everything in his mouth so I was just concerned about him getting a hold of a stray staple. She was very appreciative of my suggestion and told me she was glad I told her. Phewf. His full day of daycare without me starts after the weekend and I don’t think I’m ready to part with him for that long but it must be done. I’m really nervous.
Full Day One
I was feeling brave as I left him at daycare. He looked like he was having fun too. I went downtown to see my mom and I logged on to the live streaming video of him and first think I see is him crying. My heart broke in a million pieces. Bittersweet having this extra service to be able to watch him whenever I want. It was a busy day for me so I didn’t get many chances to watch him. There was a snow storm so I was running late to pick him up, so D (husband) picked him up. When he brought him home baby D just ignored me. He was definitely upset with me and kept giving D hugs and lots of attention. I tried to redeem myself with games of peekaboo and cookies. Finally he forgave me and I got those hugs I longed for all day.
Full Day Two
I’m depressed. I ran some errands at wal-mart and some other stores and saw so many babies and I started missing him really badly. His smell, his cute smiles and everything about him. I just keep thinking this isn’t right. I can’t do this. I just want to break down and cry but I’m holding back. Because I know if I do, I’m going to be even more miserable for the rest of the day. Logging in to watch him on the live stream and he’s being rocked. I can tell he’s sad. Probably thinking he can’t believe I did it again. I don’t think I can do the full day, so I’m going to pick him up in a few hours from now. In total I think after I pick him up he would be there for five hours. That’s enough for today, because I really need his hugs right now.
Full Day Three
He was so good today! I watched him explore the room, eat lots of food and give hugs to the caregivers. I think he’s starting to build trust with the environment and the caregivers.
Day One (back from the weekend)
It’s like starting all over again. He cried so much when I left him and he’s been crying since. It’s now lunch time and I’m watching him on the live stream and he’s eating a little bit but crying. But there’s hope. After lunch he took his nap, hopefully a good long one to recuperate from all the crying.
The best thing to do before you decide if daycare is the right approach so you can go back to work is list out other options and the pros and cons of each one. That’s what I did and I found daycare would be best for baby D. Some of my pros were his early interactions with other babies, having a fixed schedule and the location being very close to home. Also, if you’re starting your baby in daycare a little bit before you go back to work (highly recommend) you can have some time to adjust, get yourself together and get all those things you’ve wanted to do around the house, done. If your daycare doesn’t offer live streaming maybe you can suggest it to them for an opportunity to make more money and just keep yourself busy and ask lots of questions when you go to pick your child up. I saw some moms even stay by the door so they can peek and know what’s going on. Whatever you have to do to get comfortable with everything.
What do you find the most challenging about this change? Let me know below!
It’s been an incredible week of appointments, photo shoots and filming! I’m happy to say I’ll be uploading one of my YouTube videos this weekend. Okay, don’t expect something totally amazing. My videos are just me, being me. Hope you’ll enjoy them and subscribe! Hehe. Have a great long weekend everyone!
So here are my friday faves from this week to take you through the weekend:
Fave Quote
As soon as I saw this I thought of my hubby. In my eyes he is perfection. He is my rock on days when I’m ornery and my partner in laugher when I’m silly. Also it helps to shed light on things that parents, brothers, significant others do for us that show they love and care. Often overlooked or taken for granted.
Fave Video
This is incredible!
Fave Tweet
The courage that went into this selfie!
If you love this post, you should check out the beauty section.
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