Personally I've always been a fan of the messy, I barely tried, I don't own a brush in a good way, hair. The messier and more voluminous the better. It feeds my soul. I'm always trying out new products and these are the ones that I currently use to help me obtain this look.
I always curl my hair, I can't remember the last time I spent my own time straightening it. From the ages of 10 to 16 I straightened my hair every single day and now I hate the way it looks. My hair is naturally wavy and I'm always using my straightener to add more curls.
I always curl my hair, I can't remember the last time I spent my own time straightening it. From the ages of 10 to 16 I straightened my hair every single day and now I hate the way it looks. My hair is naturally wavy and I'm always using my straightener to add more curls.
Dry shampoo really does help with volume. The only downside is that it will leave a white cast if you don't blend it in really well. I love the scent of this tropical option from Batiste.
This De-Constructed Beach Chic spray is newer to me, and it works well but doesn't hold as long as I'd like. A friend of mine bought it too and while I have thick, naturally wavy hair she has thin, naturally straight hair and it didn't do anything for her.
So once I'm done curling my hair I'll use the dry shampoo closer to my roots and blend it in. Then I spray a generous amount of the texturizing spray in my hair and spend a while just playing with it. I scrunch it, bend over and scrunch it some more, pull everything apart and kind of rub pieces until I like the way it looks. Finish with your favourite hairspray and you're good to go.
Lazy days are some of the best days. I always find myself falling into a routine with them because I just do what's most comfortable...laying in bed watching Netflix.
I always start with an easy and filling breakfast so I'll have more time between meals to literally just do nothing.
I always start with an easy and filling breakfast so I'll have more time between meals to literally just do nothing.
I spend a shameful amount of time watching Netflix. I'm really into Prison Break right now.
Then if I can bring myself away from my computer, I love reading. This is The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath on my mom's kindle.
Once I get hungry, I make a fuss free dinner. I bought a package of assorted vegetables and just threw a stir fry together. Then It's back to blissful relaxation and suddenly it's midnight.
A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
This touching memoir is written by Jaycee Lee Dugard who was abducted at 11 years old in 1991 and found 18 years later. This book is an emotional rollercoaster, and I had to put it down a few times because it was so hard to read. The things this child had to go through being at the hands of a convicted sex offender and his wife were atrocious, but reading the diary entries she wrote throughout the 18 years about how she didn't let it get the best of her and she always held out hope is truly inspiring.
Looking For Alaska by John Green
I don't mind admitting that I like John Green's books, but this one was a miss for me. I was just bored. The main character, Miles, goes away to boarding school where he meets a girl named Alaska. Almost immediately he puts her on this weird pedestal and becomes obsessed with a version of her that he made up in his own head. He made her seem like this mysterious, misunderstood, interesting person when in reality she was extremely damaged. But maybe that was the point.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Last October I went on my first all inclusive vacation to Cuba for a mother daughter trip. That was the first time I'd gone in the ocean since I was around three years old. It was a great trip, people always complain about the food when visiting Cuba but we thought it was good and it didn't make us sick. My mom is going back in a few months with my dad (who swore he'd never go back to Cuba but we convinced him because our resort was so great) and it's made me miss my trip.
An adorable pup we met on the beach who was digging for crabs
My mom walking off into the distance with a lot of washed up seaweed
Just like everyone else, I'm obsessed with my phone. Now there's apps that can make your life easier or apps like Candy Crush that you play in bed and before you know it it's an hour later and you hate yourself for skipping that extra hour of sleep you could have had. My favourite apps are the first kind.
phone is HTC One M7
1. Aqualert
Aqualert is an app for tracking your water intake. I read an article about the effect of drinking three litres of water a day had on a British woman and it convinced me I needed to drink more. Since I've been keeping track I've only ever hit my goal of 100 oz a few times (which is pretty sad) but I still drink more than I used to and I definitely notice a difference.
2. VSCO Cam
This is a very popular one and for good reason. I love love love this app! I love that I'm able to adjust the highlights and shadows on my photos and the filters are nice, and there's other filters you can buy but I've never done that. I really like how I can control how much of a filter is on the photo because I rarely ever use them to their full capacity. It's the only app I use to edit my photos and I always edit my photos! A lot of the time I just adjust the brightness, shadows and highlights, exposure, and sharpness.
3. Transit
This is a must if you take public transportation! I downloaded it initially because I always get lost whenever I go to Toronto and it has a trip planner option and has information for the subway, ttc, streetcars and the trains. They also have a 'nearby' option where it'll give you a list of all the buses coming near you so I always use it to check bus times when I'm going anywhere.
iTunes
Googleplay
iTunes
4. Zomato
This app is like Yelp but so much better. It uses your location to tell you what restaurants are near you and you can search for a specific type of cuisine or, for me, I use it a lot to look for vegetarian friendly places. You can refine your search by price, distance, popularity, gluten free, patio seating etc. Along with reviews, you can usually find photos of the menu so you know before even venturing out there if there's anything you're interested in right in the app.
Googleplay
iTunes
5. Spotify
First of all, it took Spotify for-freaking-ever to become available in Canada and for that I'm a little resentful but it has quickly become one of my favourite apps. It's so much easier to discover new music using this than what I used to do, which is just go off the suggested videos off of YouTube. On Spotify you can listen to full albums for free (a premium version is available) instead of looking it up on iTunes and getting a 30 second clip. One downside is that you can only listen while connected to the internet. So if you're not home, you'll have to use your data.
Googleplay
iTunes
Googleplay
iTunes
Recently I've become obsessed with shoes. I spend my time sifting through the shoe section on various websites but since I'm so picky I rarely purchase anything. These ones however, made the cut.
I absolutely love strappy shoes. I'm really into the lace up sandal trend lately but unfortunately I don't own a pair. I bought these brown crocodile print sandals last year and the strap on one of them actually broke while I was on vacation in October! I just got them repaired a few weeks ago and I've fallen right back in love with them.
I really love slides at the moment as well, which prompted me to purchase this pair a few weeks ago. I was holding out for the taupe to come back in stock in my size but I just decided to order the next best colour. It doesn't really come off well but they're actually a really pretty blush shade. Looking at them now they kind of look like my skin colour...
(I have huge feet okay, I've come to accept them)
Instagram is my all time favourite social media platform. I'm constantly checking it and looking for new people to follow because I look at it so often. I remember when Facebook was all the rage when I was around 14 and I would spend most of my time in the photo section looking at the pictures my friends were posting every day because I just love looking at them! I love them so much that there was a time in my life I wanted to go to school for photography. Though that never ended up happening, there's a big place in my heart for looking at, and wanting to take pretty images.
1. I think this is an obvious one for anyone like me who loves photography and nature and this account is @natgeo. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent watching tv stations like National Geographic and Animal Planet. Anyone who knows me will tell you I love animals, the earth, and nature documentaries. I think it all started when I watched Zoboomafoo religiously as a child.
2. This one is a recent find but isn't without beautiful images. @ ellamarais lives in Australia
and makes the most of it capturing images showcasing the gorgeous continent. This account again centres around nature but this time it's mostly aquatic animals and scenery! The ocean has always fascinated and terrified me and I admire those without that fear.
3. Moving onto the more girly and clothing obsessed part of me, I love @imjennim. I love her YouTube videos, and her style and aesthetic. I love that she'd not afraid to wear super bold pieces because my style is pretty minimalistic and she pulls of absolutely everything with grace and elegance, and I for one, aspire to be elegant.
4. Of course I had to include my favourite YouTuber, @essiebutton. She makes me envious with her food photos, she has an adorable greyhound named Reggie, and I just really enjoy her style. I find myself always purchasing the makeup products she recommends and I'm never disappointed.
5. Last but not least, my girl crush forever, @heyclaire. If you don't know who she is, you have a lot of catching up to do. She makes incredibly edited YouTube videos, has beautiful style, and has creativity pouring out of her fingertips. I love everything about her.
