Back to Bloggin'

I've been conspicuously MIA the past few months as I have kind of lost interest in blogging, but lately have felt a renewed motivation to get back into it again. Not to worry dear readers....I is back.

So what has been going on with me? So glad you asked! Over the past summer, lots of exciting things have happened in my life. Firstly, I landed my first full-time teaching job, teaching Junior Kindergarten (hence the blog name change). Secondly, Boyfriend has been upgraded to Fia status.... so this fall has been consumed by wedding planning and
feeling my way through this teaching thing. It has been fun, but busy!

Anyway that is all for now. I just felt like writing a quick update to get the ball rollin' again, so to speak. I will be posting again soon.

Until next time. I iz out.

So I have a problem...

I think I may be addicted to blush. After assessing my makeup collection it appears that the majority of my recent makeup purchases have been blush related. Not that blush makes up the majority of my makeup collection by a long stretch (it is definitely outnumbered by lip products and/or eyeshadows) but I have amassed quite a bit of blush lately and I think I may need to take a break from the Mac counter/Sephora.

Here are my top picks for summer blushes:

1. MAC Dollymix - a pretty bright pink with shimmer
2. MAC Peaches - a subtle peach sheertone blush that gives you a natural flush
3. MAC Well Dressed - an always pretty soft pink with a hint of shimmer
4. Benefit Dallas - gives you a nice glow
5. Nars Orgasm - can't go wrong with this peachy-pink blush.

I also just picked up Bobbi Brown's pot rouge in Pale Pink, which is very nice because you can use it on your lips as well as your cheeks.

I have also developed a highlighter affinity as what better what to accent your shimmery pink cheeks, but by adding more shimmer?! (That's right, I said it).

Lately I have been loving Smashbox Shimmer and Benefit Highbeam. I also recently received Benefit's Girl Meets Pearl as part of a set from Sephora, but haven't tried it yet.

What are your favourite blushes & highlighters? Actually don't tell me... I may go buy them. Looks like I will be starting a project 10 pan soon, pretty much exclusively devoted to blush.

Until next time...

Rain, rain, go away...

It has been raining in Victoria non-stop for 5 days and I'm going stir-crazy. Living where I live (downtown), I am used to walking everywhere, which has been somewhat complicated by the constant downpour of "sky water." Luckily, fashion on the west coast includes cute, rain-chic outerwear, but I would still enjoy a bit of sun now and again....just sayin'.

Some cute rainwear I have my eye on:

Red Hunter boots. I seem to be fixated on these lately (they are just so darn cute!)

One day they will be mine...oh yes, they WILL be mine!

I'm also lovin' this black and white polkadot umby.

             Lastly, this Apres Yoga jacket from Lululemon. I received this jacket as a very generous early Christmas gift from Boyfriend, and have been wearing it everyday since. It is seriously a must-have, living on the west coast, as it is long and literally impenetrable to rain. The best part is the hood. It covers your face (not just your head) and eliminates the need for an umbrella. Not that I won't still buy a cute umbrella to go with it, but it has come in handy on the days I want my hands free.

My theory is that since it doesn't look like this rain is going to let up anytime soon, I might as well look cute participating in this weather.

In the meantime, I am going to enjoy my weather-imposed confinement indoors, and catch up on my reading and drink copious amounts of tea by the fire.

Until next time! xo

March Faves...

One of my favourite guilty pleasures (read: distractions) is watching the beauty videos on Youtube, especially the monthly 'favourites' videos. If you are looking for an excellent way to waste hours of your life and convince yourself to spend money on beauty products you don't really need, I highly recommend checking them out (some of my personal favourite beauty gurus/bitches responsible for my dwindling savings account are allthatglitters21, juicystar07, amarixe and missglamorazzi). Makeup is definitely a guilty pleasure for me (I love wandering through Sephora and MAC and checking out fun new products, and don't even get me started on the fun beauty buys at Target!) so I decided to devote a section of my blog to my own monthly faves, aka: the products I have being loving/using the most this month.

Clockwise from top left:

Benefit 10: this baby is a cheek highlight and bronzer in one. One swipe and your cheeks are contoured and pretty!

Kiehl's facial moisturizer with SPF 15: Lightweight moisture that protects against pesky skin cancer.

Revlon Photo Ready foundation: I really like this foundation; it has a subtle shimmer in it that gives your skin a lovely glow.

Nivea Milk & Honey lipbalm: I really love the taste of this honey balm and it makes my lips so soft!

LUSH It's Raining Men bodywash: This honey-scented bodywash smells amazing, and is the bodywash version of my favourite LUSH soap, "Honey I Washed the Kids."

MAC eyeshadows: I love all my MAC shadows, but lately I have really been loving Naked Lunch, a perfect neutral colour with pretty shimmer.

Maybelline One-By-One Mascara: This mascara lengthens and defines your lashes all in one.

Anyway, those are my faves for this month, what are yours?

Ruby Slippers...

Throughout cinematic history, there are few pairs of shoes that are as iconic as Dorothy's ruby slippers, in 'The Wizard of Oz' (save for maybe Carrie Bradshaw's fabulous Manolo closet, which was a really more of a collection, but I digress....) What many people don't know, however, that is that in the original novel, Dorothy's shoes were made of silver, and it was only in the movie adaptation that the shoes were changed to ruby to take advantage of the new "Technicolor" film process. I must admit that I am happy about this change as I much prefer rubies to silver and I love red shoes to give a pop of colour to a neutral outfit. 

I have a pair of red flats that I fondly refer to as my "Dorothy Shoes" and I often wear them with skinny jeans or black leggings. I love the contrast between the denim/black and the red shoes. Some other fun red shoes I'm currently loving are:

Red Hunter boots: Adds a touch of class to rainy days and perfect for splashing around on the west coast! (Also great for teaching, as I can wear them if I have to supervise children outside at recess... the lengths I'll go to, to justify a new shoe purchase!)

Nine West Audrey Shoe: So pretty and I love that they are named Audrey!

What do you think of the red shoe trend? What are your favourite shoes for spring?

High Tea...

As I sit here contemplating the topic of my second blog post, I am drinking my third cup of tea of the day. This is not unusual behaviour; I easily drink 4-6 cups of tea a day (a habit instilled in me by my mother). Thus, it is only fitting that I should write a post about my love of tea (I briefly considered calling it an addiction, but that would imply that I am somewhat ashamed of my habit, which I am NOT). In my opinion, there is nothing better than curling up with a mug of hot tea, a cozy blanket and a good book to read (or now, blog to write).

My favourite/mainstay tea is black/English Breakfast tea (with 2% milk and no sugar, in case you're wondering), but I like to mix it up and drink flavoured black teas, in addition to Earl Grey, green, white, chai and herbal teas. Living in Victoria has helped me drastically expand my ever-growing tea collection; there are tons of specialty tea stores that have contributed to my collection of over 20 types of tea in my designated tea cupboard (plus more randomly stashed in other cupboards and under the bed). I won't go into too much detail about the teas in my collection, but here are my favourite teas in case you are looking to branch out and buy some new teas of your own....

Black:  Silk Road: Jewel of India (English Breakfast), Tetley: Earl Grey Vanilla, Celestial Seasonings: Nutcracker Sweet (only available at Christmas, but it is soooo sooo good - I stocked up this Christmas and bought 5 boxes, so I still have some), Stash: Vanilla Nut Creme (Decaf).

Chai: Silk Road Chai, Tazo: Chai

Green: Fairmont: Jasmine Butterfly

White: Tazo: Berryblossom White

Herbal: Celestial Seasonings: Raspberry Zinger (like drinking a mug of fresh raspberries!)

Perfect timing, I finished this post, as I drained the last drop of tea from my cup.... better go make some more!

Welcome to My New Blog!

Huzzah! I started this blog for several reasons. First, as an outlet to unleash the innermost thoughts that frequently clutter my mind on the unsuspecting individuals that stumble upon it. Second, to compete with all the other blogs that have seemingly consumed the internet as of late, as blogging is currently the "in" 'pastime du jour.' Thirdly, because as a substitute teacher I have found myself with a lot of spare time on my hands, and thus need an "in" 'pastime du jour' to help me occupy this time. And fourth, as a space to share the things I love, can't stand and make me laugh. Since this is my first attempt at "blogging," I don't really know what I am doing, but I am sure it will be an enjoyable journey as this blog takes shape. I hope you enjoy!