Being healthy rut

Hey all. 
Lately, I've been continuously mentally reminding myself that I need to get back into a healthy routine of working out and eating right. HOWEVER, thinking something doesn't always translate into actually doing it. I can think all day about what I will eat and how long I'll run or work out. When I get home from work however, all of my mental plans fall through and I'm far too quick to sit on the couch and catch up on some TV shows or watch videos. 

So, amid my healthy thinking, I started thinking of how you can actually start DOING all of these amazing plans. I'm not sure about any of you guys, but I'm super guilty of searching through Pinterest or workout blogs and liking just about every post that I see, and thinking to myself "Dang, I can do that". Ya, I CAN do that...but I DON'T do that. So, I decided to make up a little list of tips to actually get on track and be committed to your goals! 

1. Write things down. My hugest mistake while on sites like Pinterest is just "re-pinning" something I like and never going back to it or not actually reading it. What I find helps is to actually write down either websites that you found helpful, or recipes, or workout routines that you liked. This way you can actually physically see the idea and are more likely to put it into action.

2. Continuing with the writing it down, put it somewhere noticeably  (and if possible big). When you write it on a sheet of paper and tuck it away in a drawer, or through it into a bag, you are likely to lose it or forget about it. Writing it on a calendar or posting it on your fridge, etc. are great ways to remind yourself of the goals that you have set for yourself, and how you can attain them!

3. Pick out REALISTIC ideas and plans for yourself. If you know that you LOVE chips way too much to quit eating them, don't go pick a plan for yourself that has you completely exclude them. You will likely never reach your goals if you are constantly restricting yourself. Allow some freedom for the foods and activities that you know you love and won't likely give up in the long run!

4. Have fun. This, in my mind, is the most important part. If you decide to start running, and you absolutely hate the idea of running, and it bores you to no end, then why start in the first place? Doing something that is not interesting to you will only result in your lack of motivation, and likely, eventual quitting. However, if you pick an activity that you know you will enjoy, say hot yoga for example, you are more likely to stick with it, and potentially even develop a long-lasting hobby. 

5. Lastly, don't stress yourself out or over-do it. All too often we see people jump into diet or workout plans and completely overwhelm themselves with rules and restrictions that just end up stressing themselves out. If you work 9-5 and you know that yoga class you love is at 5:15 on the other end of town and you'll never make it because you have to stop and pick your friend up first, DON'T DO IT. Don't commit to things you know you can't hold true to, or that will end up in your eventual quitting. Make reasonable and stress-free goals for yourself that you know you can attain without overworking yourself, or burning out. 

Now, if only I can follow some of these tips, and take my thoughts and make them into plans.

See you guys soon!!

Feeling Blue Lately

I've been feeling blue lately...but not in a bad way! I've just been using a TON of "blue" products. The other day as I was going through my daily routine I started to notice that a lot of my products were blue (the remainder being mostly white...odd) and thought I'd make some posts about my "feeling blue" products! 

More posts to follow about  these awesome products, minus the Mattifying Day Cream that I already wrote about (read here: MDC). The products I've been "feeling blue" about lately are:

1. The Body Shop's Seaweed Pore Cleansing Facial Exfoliator

2. EOS Blueberry Acai Lip Balm

3. Clinique's Anti-Blemish Solutions Spot Treatment Gel

4. The Body Shop's Mattifying Day Cream (Seaweed)

See you guys soon for reviews of products 1, 2 and 3! 

The Body Shop "Vineyard Peach Body Lotion"

Hello there.  I have begun to develop a love-hate relationship with this product. After purchasing the Peach Body Wash, and immediately becoming obsessed with it, I figured "What would be better than washing myself with peach, then moisturizing myself with peach?!". Which, in theory, is a wonderful idea. 

Getting to the reason why I LOVE this product so much...the smell. Words cannot describe how incredible this body lotion smells, and if you're a peach fan, this is the bomb. I generally apply this after I get out of the shower (at night), or before I go to bed and the smell is overwhelming and delicious. I feel like I'm lying in a bed full of freshly sliced peaches...AMAZING. It also helps that it is quite moisturizing as well! 

However...with every amazing product comes a downfall. If you noticed that I said I only use this product in the evening, it's with good reason. After applying this product it becomes incredibly difficult to get the greasy/oily feeling off my skin. It's not so bad on my body, because I don't have to really touch things with my legs, arms, etc. Where it gets more annoying is the feeling on my hands, as I, of course, have to apply the lotion with my hands. 

All in all, the smell of this lotion is probably worth the annoying feeling on my hands. The true tell is that I will likely continue to apply this product for many weeks to come, without fail. If you're looking for an amazing smelling body lotion, this is your calling. 

Maybelline Colour Tattoo

Hey guys,
Just a side note...I have been horrible at blogging lately. I'm not going to make any promises, but I hope I get my act together!! 
Anyways, I thought that it was about time that I say something about the Maybelline Colour Tattoos...considering I use them every day. These eyeshadows are absolutely amazing! I use them as a cream base for any other shadows that I wear, but you can honestly wear these on their own! The pigmentation is seriously wonderful, and they are a great creamy texture! I have two shades from the colour range: Barely Branded (70) and Bad to the Bronze (25). 

 The shade on the left is Bad to the Bronze, and it is a gorgeous brown colour that you can pull off on its own. I have worn this as a stand alone shadow on numerous occasions. The one of the right is obviously Barely Branded, and is a gorgeous cream colour that always kinds of reminds me of fairies (weird...I know). 

I seriously cannot say enough good things about this product. The colour swatches are one swipe of product...I didn't have to force a good colour from them. All in all, definite recommend. 

Bye!!

Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream

Hey all,

Today I wanted to talk to you guys about a product that I've been using for a little over a year now, the Body Shop's Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream. Is mattifying even a word...my spell check is telling me it's not. But whatever this potentially made-up word is, I like it and I love the way it makes my skin look!

This is what it looks like, and it's essentially just a day cream, except that it's designed for people with combination to oily skin. The nice thing about this cream too, is that it also moisturizes your skin, instead of just drying out all the oils (which a lot of oily skin moisturizers tend to do!). I apply this product every morning and it helps keep oil and shine at bay almost all day long! I do find that near the end of the day, typically in the evening, that I do get a little bit of a shine, but it lasts almost 10 hours generally, and that's pretty good in my books. 

Another thing I love about this cream is the texture. Unlike many other creams that I've tried that are thick and heavy, the Seaweed cream is literally gel consistency, and applies so wonderfully onto the face. It also feels soothing on the face when applying, and is generally just a great product. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone with combo/oily skin, and even to those of you have dryer or normal skin! 

Bye :D

Billy Talent Concert ++ Birthday!!

Hey all!

So about a week and a half ago it was my birthday (yay) and my wonderful sister bought me tickets to go see Billy Talent (YAY!!) in concert! The neat part of it all was that the concert was actually ON my birthday, which was pretty wicked. 

The first band to come out was a punk rock band called Pup. When they first came out, I honestly didn't know who they were, because Hollerado was supposed to be the opening act. However, I was pleasantly surprised by their music and the band in general. They had great stage presence and their music was super catchy. I would absolutely recommend their music to anybody, and they're from Toronto too, so that's a bonus! One of my favourite tracks was probably 'Lionheart', which I'll leave a link for below: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlVHxLn7qiY

Second up was Hollerado. This would have been the second time I've seen them perform live, and they do NOT disappoint. Their music sounds so much like their tracks, and they really do an amazing job at getting the crowd excited for their music, especially when most of the audience was there to see Billy Talent. I should mention, that during their performance, a very small mosh pit did start...and as I am inexperienced in the punk rock concert department, I assumed that was the extent of it. 

Boy was I wrong. Next was Billy Talent, and I literally could not wait. I was so excited to see them come out, and we had gotten ourselves to 3rd row, so we were super close to the band! Well...as those of you who have been to a punk concert will know, what came next was pretty intense. That tiny little mosh pit I had mentioned previously was the least of my worries. Billy Talent came out and of course played Devil in a Midnight Mass....well that surely got the crowd fired up, and it went crazy from there. People punching people in the head, a girl fell on my head, just utter chaos. BUT, it was seriously an amazing concert, and Billy Talent is better live than on their tracks...seriously incredible. They had the crowd going nuts, and it was the best concert I've probably ever been to! I would recommend seeing them in concert if nothing else!! Billy Talent, and all the other bands I mentioned are a must-see live!!

Hope you guys are having a wicked week, talk to you soon :)

BYE!!!

TV Shows, Hockey, TOO much to watch!

Hello all,

So as I'm sure most of you know, it's fall. Although the weather lately doesn't necessarily reflect this new season, autumn is upon us. This means an absurd amount of TV shows are starting up again, new ones are coming out, and the beloved NHL season is back!

I'm not sure about how many of you guys watch hockey, but as a proud Canadian, I am a massive fan (GO SENS GO)! But, the major downfall to this, is how will I manage to watch hockey AND complete all of my homework? Or for those of you who don't watch hockey, how will you watch your favourite TV shows and still do your homework?!

Well, I think I have developed a master plan...or at least a half decent plan that I think might work.

I'm going to use hockey as my main example, but this is easily applicable to most TV shows. COMMERCIALS! As much as we all hate having our favourite TV shows interrupted with a darn commercial, they can be super helpful when trying to get homework done! Essentially, have your homework in front of you while watching your favourite show. Then, every time a commercial comes on, mute the TV, and work on your homework until that commercial break is over. Not only does this give you some time to work on your homework while watching hockey/TV, but it also gives you a little break. Working on homework non-stop can become really boring and tiring...but knowing that you get to watch the game in about 3 minutes again makes it a little more exciting. It's like you're racing against the clock!

The other nice thing about hockey, is intermission! When each period is over, there is an intermission, which gives you even more time to work on your homework! Don't get sucked into a pattern where you only watch TV and then forget about your homework...be proactive and do both!

Thanks guys :)

BYE!!