Turning 22~

So, today, I'm 21. Tomorrow I will be 22.

That's right, tomorrow is my birthday. January 21st, 1994 at around 9:40p.m. in the middle of a winter storm was when I was born.

And over this past year a lot of things have certainly changed.

I've learned a lot of things about myself.

I can be mean, I can be horribly mean. To myself and to other people. Which is something I really feel like I need to work on. I need to be more sensitive to other people and be more trustworthy of people and the things they do.
I recently read a journal article by one of my professors. About people who have low agreeableness. People who have low agreeableness are less trustworthy and more suspicious. And feel like sometimes that might be me. And slowly, I feel with a different lifestyle I can be more kind, more trustworthy, and forgiving of those who hurt me in the past.

I have learned I can handle the hard stuff as well as the easy stuff. Over the past year I have acquired two different jobs -- did five classes and now I'm in a seminar. And though life can get messy, the messiness can be the good part.

I have learned I'm great at handling multiple things. But I'm able to do things I didn't think I could do. But that is best part about growing up. You learn about all the things you're capable of.

I've experienced new things.
Hiking
Camping (yes, I've only ever camped once in my life, and it was this past summer).
I'm actually going to try and ski soon. Or snow board, who knows!

I went travelling for the first time in my life. 

Hiking a shoreline in another province

 A sunset 

Hiking a trail at a National Park 

Experiencing new things can be fun, even it requires stepping outside of your comfort zone. 

I've also been challenging myself to be better at taking care of myself. Diabetes is a tricky disease. And I really think that learning how to manage it will help better my life. 

Turning 22 isn't a big deal, I'm still young. Things will continue to change.
And I'm starting to get ready for that. Who knows what 22 might bring? 

How to treat a girl on her birthday

Recently, it was my 21st birthday. So I comprised a list of things to do on a girls birthday.

Birthdays are many people’s favourite time of year. I mean, you get a whole day to celebrate your life up until this point. For me, and I am sure many others, it's hit and miss. There are things you want to happen and other things you just do not.

1. Do not remind the woman of her age

Yes, we know how old we are. We have been counting and stressing over crow's feet since we learned what they were. So please, don’t yell across the table at the party and say, “Oh my god, I can’t believe you're 21,” because frankly, neither can we.

2. We want cake 

Don’t assume because we have some food regiments we like to follow, does not mean we don’t have an appetite. We LOVE cake (and cupcakes and anything else that's sweet). Women are just as moved by cake as flowers (or at least I am). Cake is the way to my soul, especially on my birthday.

3. Bring presents, or don’t

We love to receive gifts, but what we appreciate more is your company. We love to be surrounded by friends and we love to hear a funny story about how crazy we are when we're drunk.

4. Please don’t use the “I was going to buy you a present but…” (directly related to 3)

We are college students. We're on budgets. We're poor. Don’t give excuses, because chances are I’ve either made them myself (not realizing how awful they are), or I understand your level of poor.  Seriously we get it, hug us and enjoy the party!

5. Stick together

On birthdays, it's common to go out drinking. Do not leave. You never realize how drunk you are until you're looking for your friends, the room is spinning and you have to pee. You should try to stick as close to your friends as possible. This is a general drinking rule. To make the most of everyone's night, the time you spend together will be the best. Then tomorrow you can make fun of each other as much as you want, because why not?

6. Don't make a big deal

This one follows the age rule. Yes, we want to have a good time on our birthday, but we also do not want you to make a spectacle. We are coping with some sort of change here. Make the birthday gal feel comfortable, and most of all make sure she's having fun. Whatever level of spectacle she might enjoy, it’s better to check first.

7. If you have never spoken to me in person, do not wish me happy birthday on Facebook. 

Chances are if you don’t recognize my name under your birthday notifications., then 1) You probably shouldn't have me on Facebook, and 2) Do not make a fake “Oh my God, happy birthday, wish we hung out more,” post.

8. Do not reveal huge secrets on birthdays (not bad ones anyway)

It should be a general rule not to reveal anything life-altering on a birthday. Some secrets are worse then others. but I assure you, most of the time aging is horrifying enough.

9. Don’t make silly birthday jokes

Singing “You look like a monkey, and you act like one too,” will probably earn you a, “Haha. Get out.” Don’t make silly jokes. We are all mature here. Or at least, some of us are. We are all up for some random humor, but birthday jokes are kind of annoying.

10. Most of all, enjoy your day!

Yes, you are a year older, but think about this way, you are much wiser. Or at least, believe you are. Birthdays are meant to be fun, so go ahead. Have fun, collegiettes!

June Haul!

In light of my May haul, I figured why not a June haul.

About a week ago, my mother and I made our way to one of the bigger cities in my tiny province. And, I'm all about discount shopping. So I took to the stores of a huge mall, twice the size of one I normally visit. So many lovely stores to visit and find deals.

I'm not sure how many people prefer tea over coffee. But I'm one of those people. I usually shop at Starbucks owned company Teavana. However, David's Tea is a small more affordable company. So off I went in search of a tea set.

And, boy did I certainly have find one -

So, now, a bargain you ask? I got the tea pot and cups for less then 30.00. The cups came free with the purchase of the pot. I considering purchasing an individual cup with infuser. But, the tea pot was the best deal.

And loose tea is probably the best quality tea you can buy.

We made a trip to Marshall's! Yes, Marshall's. Bulk quality stuff for cheaper prices. I searched the racks for a cute find, however, I found nothing I really wanted until I found the mugs.

Okay, so you could say I have a bit of an obsession with mugs/tea/and tea pots.  But for 3.99 for a 10.00 cup, I couldn't pass it up!

Keep calm and drink tea.

That was quite possibly the steal of the day!

My Mom and I spent some time looking at other stores around this large and quite fabulous city, until our stomachs rumbled and we decided to grab a bite to eat at an old favourite pasta/pizza joint of ours.

I ordered some spaghetti and meatballs, and she rice and rigatoni with sausage and chicken. With complimentary "all-you-can-eat" salad and bread.

They were delicious.

Last stop was as Mom desired, Old Navy, I've never shopped there much and I didn't figure I would really find anything there. But I went looking anyway. I need a pair of sandals. It was a great place as they were sandal sale and dress sale. And, I definitely love dresses.

So, I looked for stuff in my price range. Which isn't very big.

Got sandals for less then 5.00$ and the dress for 7.99$!

And the dress, was cute too...

All in all, I found some great deals, and even more then that I got quite a few things that I love. This is the contents of my June Haul.

I Recommend This Product

I'm no stranger to blemishes/pimples/hives. So finding makeup that completely covers all that business is kind of hard.

I've recently taken a lot of interest in makeup! Or rather even more. I've always love make up.

After exploring the different options I had for covering my blemish prone skin. I discovered the idea of a primer! A primer is applied before you put on foundation and concealer to create a a more smoother/even skin layer so that the foundation can lay on the skin easier.

A primer is a good start, but I wanted something more. Looking into it further I discovered a coloured BB Cream. Which helps keep your pores clean from the cloggy-ness.

I was amazed by the finish of this product.

Pretty decent application of makeup!

The product is L'Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier: BB Cream
Recommend that you get a tone above your foundation.

I recommend this product to anyone!

MAY HAUL!

So, I'm not much for making videos. But, I have a MAY HAUL!

I had a bunch of fun stuff come my way this month, and I'm excited to share it with you.

First, clothes.

Two pairs of shorts from H&M to start the summer! And not even uncomfortable. The shorts are made of an incredibly soft material. And what better to welcome the warm weather then two new pairs of fresh shorts.

I also bought a top for each pair. The shirts are interchangeable for each pair.

Excuse the fact that this shirt is backwards, I wore it, and spill some delicious Mother's Day dinner on it! (I like to wear my food) 

I entered into a contest for a free Elle Beauty Box. Something similar to Beauty Box 5! 

I won!

It was full of goodies. 

The best part of these beauty boxes are they you get to sample the products before you by them. Best way to be smart about your money on different products. 

I was really excited about these two products especially. I currently have braces but I expect those to be off soon, which means I will get to test out the white strips! And of course, you all know my love for make up so this CoverGirl Bombshell Volume mascara really made me happy! Can't wait to try this out!

Lastly, I got some great coupon, and a sample for some anti-aging cream. And, at twenty years old, I really need it. 

As I have said before I am not makeup artist, however, I've always wanted myself a professional brush set. Browsing Facebook, as I am, most days I came across a brush set website, that sells various types of Professional Brush Sets! And at a reasonable price!

I was excited on May 7th to receive my Jet Black Professional Brush Set!

It is amazing!

These is my MAY HAUL and I couldn't be happier!

Say no to animal testing!

I only recently started investing time in beauty/cosmetic oriented products. At first, where it came from didn't matter. How they made it didn't matter! Again, I only recently started investing time.

I know that some of the products I use have been spot-lighted for animal testing, but finding a non-animal testing company is sometimes hard to. Apparently, in some places of cosmetic manufacturing, pre-testing on animals is required by law. Why? Because if their is something wrong with the product they developed, it's saves them money and other complications that might result if their first guinea pig is a human (pun intended).

So I figured in an effort to share some animal friendly products, I figured I would show some products I use completely animal-testing free.

Sometimes we all get a little lazy with our hair. So we use dry shampoo! Keeps the hair fresh. Now, it's hard to find an effective dry shampoo. But I've found an effective and animal testing-free product.

Bed Head: Oh Bee Hive from TIGI

I've only been using my new Lush products for a few days. But it has done wonders. Two products I've been using are!

9 to 5 cleansing lotion & aromaco - solid deodorant. 

Lastly, a product I've been using for awhile. A really excellent herbal body lotion. I mostly use it on my hands and arms. But works every where. It is enriched with 100% pure neutral hemp seed oil. And you can be sure they don't test on animals!

Hempz: Pure Herbal Extracts - Body Moisturizer

 All excellent products. I know I have been making a lot of posts about stuff I like. But, I might have found my groove for this blog! Updates will come soon. And, hopefully, you will benefit from the products I share with you.

Say no to animal-testing!

A day in the life of

My days aren't too exciting. I work each day as a house-cleaner as a favour to family.

However, here was my most interesting day thus far! (not as great as it sounds)

10:00 a.m. Made/ate breakfast

I do recommend Natural Selection bacon! I was skeptical of it at first, but gluten free all natural bacon is pretty damn delicious. And less fatty!

1:09 p.m. Took my precious pup Champ for a walk 

It was a lovely plus fourteen degrees here at home. And Champ and I couldn't have enjoyed the walk more.

5:00 p.m. My package from Lush Cosmetics arrived! With a free sample. 

I was so excited to receive this today via UPS! I don't live near any Lush store. So I had to order my bottle. And, they gave my a sample of another product they sell, I will definitely be able to order from them again!

5:10 p.m. I had a marvelous supper! Chinese inspired, of course. 

I don't have too fancy of a life. But I do enjoy getting things in the mail, and especially stuff from my favorite cosmetics company!

Summer time!

The fall and winter are filled with endless hours of homework and work. Where you read books you don't necessarily like, usually textbooks. Writing huge 10 page essays that usually don't even make sense to author.

Now the summer, on the other hand...

Is filled with consuming huge amounts of food, experimenting with new food, and binge-ing on different tv shows. I've currently hit three! Grey's Anatomy, Game of Thrones, and Nashville.

Samosas from the Saturday Market in my town. These are medium lamb, I recommend trying medium lamb samosas from anywhere.

I recently baked homemade peanut butter cookies. Unfortunately I don't do enough baking. So this summer to occupy my time I will bake more.

Now binge-ing on television is just a whole other topic. Grey's Anatomy is coming to close. Christina Yang is leaving (nooooooo!), so, every episode I'm kind of on the edge.

Game of Thrones, well, once you see it, you can't unsee it.

Nashville gives me that soap opera drama-esk thing I'm looking for. Keeps me in the loop! Cheating, the music industry, fraud all the lovely stuff people are enthused to watch on a daily basis.

Lastly, the most important thing about the summer is being able on our free to spend time with my boyfriend Lenny! I spent this weekend with him and it was the best weekend I've had in a long time!