36. A little bit of awesome.

I was lying in bed last night, and I started thinking about my blog. I had been thinking about starting a blog for a while before I did it. I've been reading at least a few fashion/style/etc blogs for a couple of years. Mostly I didn't think I'd have much to say even though there are a million things going through my head at any one time. But then I started this and I got really into it. Maybe I like knowing that someone else is reading what I say. Either way, I think I'm bored with posting. I don't know what I should post, or how often, or what to do exactly. I want to grow my blog and know that people are reading it, but that shouldn't be my sole purpose. I want to put something out there that can at the very least be interesting to someone. I'm in my growth stage and it's hit a minor roadblock. 

In honour of this minor blip on my radar, here's a few things that I think are just awesome because sometimes you just need that. Sarah at Just Take a Bow did something similar on her last post, and I think I'm going to expand on it in my own way. Similar to the link lists I did last month, here's a few sites to check out if you need a little boost.

• 1000 Awesome Things: Without a doubt one of the best websites to go to when you need a little pick-me-up. Neil points out little things, sometimes insightful and sometimes just funny, that make you realize how awesome life can be. 
• Cute Overload:  If you haven't visited Cute Overload before, you sincerely need to. The abundance of cute from basically every type of animal is something that can cheer anyone up if you look at it long enough. Somewhat related, if you like cats, is I can has Cheezburger. Another ridiculously hilarious collection of photos.
• Love Gives Me Hope: If you don't mind a little cheese-tastic indulgence, this is another great site. I've posted a similar one before, but this is pretty good too. It's got all kinds of cute, gushy, mushy stories about people just being sweet. Something to make you go aww, in the best ways.
• Crazy Things Parents Text: This is not safe to read anywhere that you can't laugh out loud. I literally have laughed so hard I cried. Auto correct is good for phone blunders, but this is just hilarious. Click here for one of my all time favourites. 
• GoodMorning and GoodNight: I don't know why I don't follow this site regularly. I basically love everything I see on there, and yet I always forget about it. Weird. Another great mix of links. 

That's it for now. Off to get ready for class, then home to study some more. 8 chapters of Law, at least 4 of HRM, and endless problems of Mgmt Science to complete. Hopefully I won't be too screwed for next week when all the tests come to kill me!

Til next time!

Fashion-Beauty Friend Friday: Hair Care

This week I'm posting a little later than usual. That's alright, right? It's all about hair. I'm a bit funny about my hair. I've got a love-hate relationship with it, because it's got a mind of it's own. I love my hair short or long, red or blonde, and I like it curled more than straight. That last one, believe me, is quite a feat. Here's my answers to this week's questions!

Current hair. Not showing length, but previous posts do!

right: july 09, short with leftover bad dye job. left: dec 10, red with blonde highlights

1. How often do you get your hair cut?
This one depends on what color my hair is at the time. I'm in a long hair with blonde highlights stage, so every 2 months or so I'm getting touched up with a slight trim. At least every couple of years I do a big cut. I've become addicted to growing my hair long just for the sake of cutting it. Literally. I chopped it off after my high school grad, and grew it again. The next summer I chopped it to my chin. It's been two years since that, with few big cuts in between. That said, I get a few inches taken off most visits.

2. Do you go to the same stylist each time, try someone new, go to the cheap hair cutting chains or live it up in a salon?
I am religiously devoted to my hairdresser. She's a woman from my hometown, and she's so so wonderful. She knows my parents, she did my mom's hair for her wedding, and she is magical with my hair. Once she finally understood what it will and will not do, she made it obey in a way I still can't make it do. I'll do a salon when she decides to give it up, but for now I go only to her.

3. Do you color your hair? How often? What’s your natural color?
I currently have blonde highlights, not natural in the least. My natural color is interspersed throughout my hair. It's a darker blonde with slightly reddish gold undertones. I get my hair done every 6 weeks-2 months lately. Depending on what I have in my hair I can go months. I usually go for semi-permanents and about every 3 months I change it up.


4. The one thing you always do to keep your hair looking great is:
NEVER EVER DYE IT YOURSELF. I did that once and screwed my hair over so bad. I had to promise said hairdresser I would never do it again. That, and I don't overprocess my hair. It's not healthy to fry it with straighteners or curling irons. 


5. What hair trend do you love and wish you could rock?
I'd love to have really short hair, like a pixie cut. I don't think I could pull it off where my face is square/round-ish. Plus I like having at least some hair as a security blanket. It's nice to have.

I love playing with hair, especially since I've gotten better at doing my own. Yay me! I could have put so many more pictures, but I didn't want to do overkill. Plus I look stupid in a lot of them, so there's that.

Til next time!

Project 52: Week 19 & 20

Almost caught up! I only have this week's picture left to takeeee. Yayyyyy.

Week 19: Window Light. Car wash in my Dad's new antique. Sounds better than new old car. I love how the foam splatters on, did not love how the windows leak slightly though. I guess that's what happens when the car is a '77.

Week 20: Spring Fever. This is from a OOTD session a few weeks back, but this epitomizes spring/summer for me. My parents were in, and my mother did laundry and took advantage of the clothesline. This to me means that spring is here, and summer is on the way. Memories like this, of bedsheets hanging full length from my mother's line at home, are all throughout my childhood. Plus, I love her for doing my laundry!!!

All caught up now :) Tomorrow I'll be posting the coming week, Need for Speed! I wonder what I'll be capturing this week...

Til next time!

35. Don't you love it when time runs away?

So, this past weekend, I had a lot of fun. I posted about that on Sunday. Then, on Sunday I realized how much studying I had to do and died a little inside. The test was yesterday, the assignment was due today. Two courses I do not like at all. I contemplated posting on Tuesday, but I had two chapters left and a lot of questions to do. School unfortunately trumps my blog. Sad :(

shirt - urban planet, $6 / jeans - f21, $11.50

I've become less useless with my own hair. It's nice. This is straightener curls. I was so confused the first time I tried, and now I am a masterrrr.This was my pre-drinking outfit. I have lots of pictures from that night, but if I post them I may be killed. If it ever leaks that I've posted them.

Til next time!
Off to work on some cover letters! The job competition begins again...blech.

34. Lazy Sunday

I love 3-day weekends. Did I mention I have them all the time? I should probably do homework, or blog, or at least do something productive with that extra day. I decided to drink instead, and therefore used my extra day to recover! I think that counts as productivity. Maybe.

Here's an outfit from earlier this week. This is another new addition to my closet, bought by my Aunt for me. I'm loving the ultra-preppy look lately. I think it works on me for some reason. This one's from Tommy.

I love how my backyard looks summery, even if the sun refuses to shine sometimes. Cannot wait to wear shorts here. Jeans are bluenotes, missized hand-me-down from an Aunt. Flats are are Indigo by Clarks.

Maybe I do like this outfit posting thing. I'm not that great at putting together outfits, but maybe if I post them more I'll get better at it! Here's hoping...

Til next time!

Project 52: Week 17 & 18

So I'm only a couple of weekends behind. That's not bad, considering I was on vacation. I allow it, since I did take a couple of the pictures while I was on vacay. Scheduled posting when the pictures are supposed to be taken in a time limit isn't so easy. So, I'll shut up now, and here's weeks 17 and 18!

Week 17: Princess for a Day! This one's taken with my Blackberry, excuse the photo quality. This was pedi's my Aunts and I had while I was in Moncton. I think any pampering or spa treatments like this make you feel like a princess! My color is my favourite, it's OPI Cajun Shrimp. Now to find it...

Week 18: First thing in the Morning. Now, ideally I would have liked to get to Cape Spear to get the sunrise. That did not happen. This is definitely out of order but it's the closest to first thing as I get haha.

On the way to Bangor

That's it for now! Still trying to catch up! 

Til next time!

Fashion-Beauty Friend Friday: Pet Peeves

Biggest pet peeve of mine right now? My new laptop being possessed. It posts without me telling it to, Blogger hardly ever works, and I'm annoyed with there being no separate button for right clicking! It's driving me insane!!!!

if I didn't love it so much, I'd kill it.

However, this post is not about my personal pet peeves. It's my biggest pet peeves for other blogs I visit. There can be many different things for different people depending on your own personal taste. Here's a few of my top annoyances!

1. Music that plays when you enter the page. I think most people can agree with this one. It's super annoying to pop on to a blog and try to look around when suddenly you're blasted with their all time favourite hits! It's great to incorporate videos or other music on your blog, but it shouldn't be playing automatically. Not everyone has the same taste.

2. Weird, hard to read font. This one's just a personal thing. I don't like seeing strange or funky font. I find it distracting from the posts when I'm confused about what it says. This goes for small print, too light or too similar to the background as well. Your readers need to be able to read what you're saying!

3. The same pose 15 times in the same post. Having a few shots of your outfit is essential when you're posting an OOTD on your blog. But having the exact same pose with the exact same outfit, not changing anything like accessories by removing or adding, can get a little boring. I'm only now getting into posting outfits so while I am by no means an expert, I know what I like seeing on other blogs.

4. Photos that aren't clear. Assuming you're a style blogger, photos are a big thing. I hate having to try and decipher my way through a post, especially when you talk about one item specifically and don't show it clearly! None of the blogs that I follow do this, but a few on the Glamour Young&Posh are very guilty of it. Photos need to clearly show the outfit and be appropriately adjusted to show what it looks like. Editing can make a big difference to the color, as shown to me earlier this week when I was complimented on my red hair (haven't been red since last year). I now realize natural light is much better for photography. If only everyone could realize it!

5. General spelling mistakes or other problems with formatting. This is so huge for me. I hate grammar or spelling mistakes. They drive me insane. Possibly because of my OCD that I'm pretty sure I have. Things shouldn't be cluttered or mis-aligned or all over the place! The Blogger templates keep things pretty easy. And if you don't use Blogger, find someone who can help fix it!

There's my peeves. I have a few more that annoy me, but I think these are my top 5. Head on over to Modly Chic to see what everyone else in the FBFF community says! I'll hopefully have another OOTD post up soon, but tonight I planning on drinking away my problems ignoring life for a while. Happy-21st-Birthday-weekend number two to me!

Til next time!

33. Classes are draining.

All that thinking and learning I'm supposed to be doing? It's a lot of work! My brain isn't happy with me making it think. School is not fun and books are not cheap. I've got one left to get, and I've spent $300 so far. I hate how expensive textbooks are.

In better news, here's a review type post of my new favourite obsession; nail polish! I have so many favourite colors and I do keep it pretty simple most of the time, no fancy designs or anything. Here's a few of my favourites from the last couple of months :)

This one is a great neon orange, a Sally InstaDri called Snappy Sorbet. This is so bright and it's really hard to get a true picture! It's sometimes more coral/orange/pink depending on the light. This one is pretty close to daylight, taken on my Blackberry with flash. I found this pretty good, very summery. Only downfall was the staining that occured on my nails. It's still there a month later, which was uncool. The formula is good, I looove the wide brush.

These two polishes are from China Glaze. I know, my pictures suck. I like taking polish pictures on my Blackberry, with the bottle, and that isn't conducive to my lighting at home. To the left is "For Audrey" and right is "White on White". I love both of these. I love all CG posts really. They're really nice, and pretty colors, and good formula. I usually have to use three coats, just since I don't have doing my nails down yet. I get them at my local Sally Beauty store, and the price isn't bad either, only around 6-7 a bottle. Considering the size I think that's pretty good.

My last mani is not one I did myself. I had seen a lot about CND Shellac mani's and I thought they were just about the coolest thing ever. Polish that lasts three weeks? Yes please. I got it done at the Winterholme Spa, and I was not disappointed. I chose a light color, I would probably go darker or brighter if I did it again. I found there was no damage to my nails except a few dry spots. I peeled mine off instead of going back to the spa, and again it did no damage to my nails. That said, my nails are pretty strong anyways.

So that's it for today! If you're like me and want to look at all kinds of nail polish swatches, I'd suggest checking out Scrangie, Let them Have Polish! or Kayla at Beauty by Kayla Shevonne! Kayla is a great one to check out, and a fellow NL'er at that! Definitely check her out, she's got a huge giveaway full of all kinds of goodies!

Til next time!

32. Now I'm legal everywhere!

Oh the irony of my life. The past two birthdays that I've had of significance, as in meeting the legal drinking age to be exact, were celebrated in the country opposite where it mattered. I turned 19 in the states, where the drinking age is 21, and turned 21 yesterday in Newfoundland where I'm already legal. Kind of amusing, no? I think it calls for another trip to Florida to buy cheap alcohol and not having to remember my age when thinking about my drink order.

Thank you to those who wished me a Happy Birthday! I had quite an interesting day but relaxing and good nonetheless. My dad is now on his dialysis and gone home, which is really the best present I could have asked for at the moment.

In honour of my birthday, and to show off some new purchases, I've decided to up my frequency of OOTD posts. I love posting and having things to post, and I've also decided to stop cropping and blurring myself out. I like being able to see a blog owner's face and I think most people would agree it helps establish connections. I may not always look decent but that's okay too. I'm not going to make myself out to be anything other than what I am; lazy. :) 

outfit from my birthday supper.
Hi :)

scarf - street vendor in florence / shirt & jeans - f21 / cardi - tommy
you'll have to excuse my face. I'm not used to this.

first day o' school.
cardi - target / tank & shirt - f21 / jeans - bluenotes, really old.

such a pretty pattern!

As I tried to pick out pictures for this post, I realized I do not give good face most of the time. Last night's pictures are a disaster. I like natural light much more. I promise, I look better than this some of the time. And the no make-up face is something to get used to. I avoid make-up mainly all the time. And comments on pictures? More? Less? One outfit per post? No face? More faces? Let me know! Please!

I think that's it for today! I'm off to class again at 12:30, I didn't want to wait around campus during my break. So many things to do later, mainly cleaning. And organizing. And groceries. My fridge is pretty empty. And doing something else with my nails, I painted them white and they're very distracting on my keyboard. More of than later!

Til next time!

31. I need to catch up.

I've supposedly posted this three times without realizing what buttons I'm pressing. I am not used to the new laptop yet, apparently. Still! I've had it a month after all. Instead of writing out paragraphs of what's going on, I'm doing this is point form. I have a lot on the go. First the outfits though,one of my last work days then travel outfit on the way back from NB. New clothes posts need to start soon, once I start wearing them. My wardrobe has taken a significant downturn since I stopped work. I no longer need to look presentable.

sweater - aero / cords - gap / tank - bluenotes

jacket - under armour / lace tank - samuel & co / tank - urban planet / jeans - gap.

-  it's the second week of classes tomorrow. I still have no books.
- I'm only now really recovered from drinking on Thursday. hangovers are not fun for me. therefore no outfit photos from the past few days. 
- my parents were supposed to go home today. Mom did, took the puppy, and my Dad is still in. He's on dialysis now, peritoneal, and it's not working right. off to the hospital with him tomorrow.
- we moved out some old crappy furniture from my shed and living room.
- and then boyfriend and I cleaned. that was not fun.
- my dog sheds like something fierce. she's going to linger here forever once she's gone. I could not remove all her fur from the carpet.
- I keep forgetting to participate in Project 52.
- had family supper thing yesterday at my Aunt's. we planned for 20, and had 9.
- birthdays always feel like they should be important but my expectations always get let down.
- speaking of, mine is tomorrow. I turn 21. I'm now legal in all countries.
- actually it's more like in a half hour. benefits of being the furthest point in North America; we get things first.
- that does not include spring however. it's still cold.


Yeah that's enough. I could continue complaining but I don't feel like it anymore. Hoping to get things back on track soon!

Til next time!

Fashion-Beauty Friend Friday: Outside Influences

This week's FBFF is pretty cool. It's not only other blogs that provide inspiration for us in life, or friends or family. Sometimes it's just websites and tv shows and any other things you see in day to day life! I'm excited to see what other people say about this, as I love reading fashion mags and books. Here's my take on things!



1.      What magazines do you subscribe to? 
I have a subscription to Cosmopolitan, which I've had for a little over a year. It's actually my first subscription. I read monthly magazines all throughout highschool, as long as I can remember. I'm finding lately that Cosmo isn't doing it for me anymore. I'm probably going to switch to InStyle after that. I love Glamour too, but since most of their content is online too, I just read it there. I love their style blog.

2.      Do you watch any fashion TV shows? 

I found out that I really love Project Runway in the past year. I've watched past seasons, but I don't get them regularly. I love What Not To Wear too. I watch a lot of just overall style shows too, like interior decorating. I love seeing different takes of a trend.


3.      Beyond blogs, what websites do you frequent for fashion inspiration? 
Definitely Glamour, but technically that's a blog too. There aren't really any other websites I visit that aren't blogs, at least for fashion.

4.      Advertisements play a huge role in forming public opinion about a product or brand… what ads do you like and why? 

I like a lot of ads, too many I could really list. I did a couple of marketing courses a few years ago, and a Consumer Behaviour course in the fall, so I have a good idea of how consumers are targeted. It does change your perspective a little but I still enjoy a good ad, no matter what the subject. Since I don't have any energy to find pictures here's a great link with some really innovative ads. Really Interesting Ads. Also, if you haven't seen the Durex condom ads on youtube, please go look them up. Hilaaarrrioouusss. They're balloon animals and if you have a slightly perverted sense of humour like I normally do you'll be laughing so hard. Off-topic but so funny.

5.      Do you own any fashion books? 
I remember having a Bobbi Brown make-up book, but I loaned it to a friend and never saw it again. I like many of the fashion books but I've never bought one myself actually. 


So that's it for now! Hoping for an OOTD post sometime this weekend, but I'm going to be a little busy since it's almost my birthday! Yay! Family stuff tomorrow and lovely hangs with great people. I'm excited.

Til next time!

30. EBEW: Florals.

So another round of EBEW! I love florals even though there aren't enough of them in my wardrobe. Second day back to classes, on a nice day no less, deserved some bright colors. I'm pretty sure it's spring now. Almost certain. On a side note, I love the first picture. I'm terribly blonde now, and this shows it well in the sunlight. You likey?

old navy scarf / green cable sweater - ae / blue shirt under - f21 / jeans - bluenotes

I had a few fake flowers around the house, had to get them involved since it's not actually warm enough for real flowers yet. The laundry on the line makes me so happy. My mother uses clotheslines whenever possible. I am seeing lots of it lately and loving it!

Head on over to EBEW to see more floral inspiration! I love seeing how everyone interprets it. It perks my creativity and my shopping habit. Maybe the second one's not such a good thing...

Til next time!

29. First day of the semester.

Spring semester. I'm spending my summer in school, due to the compulsory schedule of my program. I dislike this very much. I have to constantly remind myself that I have less than 2 years left, and these are my last required courses. That helps...sometimes.

Since I've been away, I haven't done much outfit capturing. I didn't really tell anyone about the blog yet, still, but maybe soon. In honour of said vacation, here's a few snaps I got along the way. There are very few as I did lots of shopping but little picture taking.

driving to Bangor

buns & cinnamon sugar butter at Texas Roadhouse

Texas Roadhouse. loveee.

mini B&J <3

supper at Olive Garden. nommmm.

driving around backroads of Moncton area.

so pretty, so much farmland.

baking for Auntie. pumpkin (ginger) bread. also nommm.

my carry-ons. messenger bag / camera bag & jacket.

my attempt at a landing pic. so clear and I should have gotten video instead!

Hoping to update myself on Project 52 soon, and get back to outfit photos. I have new clothes that needs to be documented :)

Til next time!

Fashion-Beauty Friend Friday: Shoes!

Hello all! I'm back from vacation, rested somewhat, and with a full suitcase of new clothes that has yet to make it into my closet. I'm going on an organizing binge today and I am very afraid. I have a lot of stuff and apparently much less room in my closet than I realized. Unfortunately my only shoe purchase on vacay was a pair of super cute yellow H&M sandals. I didn't have nearly enough room to go shoe shopping. My suitcase was at 47.5 lbs on my return (limit is 50!) and very full. I'll be updating my shoe collection soon I hope! On to the questions for this week!


1.What is your go-to pair of shoes? 
My go-to's are definitely my Clarks Indigo flats. I took a long time to really get into wearing flats, because my feet have a tendency to blister when I wear anything. I've had them for two years almost, and I can still get blisters if I wear them too long. Apart from my stupid feet, they're a really great shoe. Appropriate for work or school and just a great neutral flat. Everyone needs to have a pair like this!

Terrible cropped picture because I'm too lazy to move and take a new one.

2. What goes into your shoe buying decisions?
Shoe buying for me is usually out of several purposes: I have to replace worn out shoes (usually sandals or flipflops) I need shoes for another purpose (work) or I'm lacking and want something new. Price and comfort are the biggest things for me. I need to get decent shoes at not too ridiculous of a price, and they need to be useful. I've got a couple pairs of heels I don't wear much, so heels aren't something I'd spend a lot of money on. Flats and boots are my favourites so they get priority.

3. The majority of the shoes in your closet are what color?
I'd have to say black, but I really don't have all that many shoes in the first place. Winter stuff is dark, black/navy/purple. Couple of white sneakers, and a few pretty flats, which I plan to show soon. 


4. When it comes to design shoes what are your favorite brands and why?
I may as well be an old woman. I love Clarks, I do. They're super comfortable and they wear really well. I tend to steer away from cheap shoes that are on trend but will fall apart after a few wears. Steve Madden's for me luckily have lasted pretty well though they're more trendy. My sneaker brands, not that I do much exercising, are Nike and New Balance. Good walking shoes for when I travel, or when I used to in high school. Sigh.

5. If price wasn’t an issue, you’d own which shoe?
Oh dear. I would have such a beautiful collection. I'd love to have more heels and tall boots but they're not feasible for my lifestyle. Jimmy Choos, or Louboutins are on top of my list. Love love loveeeee. Top photo are Choos, credit to their website. Bottom are Louboutins, image from Net-a-porter.

 Drool. I wish I had money to waste on shoes! Oh well, maybe in the future. Off to clean up!

Til next time!