Thursday, May 31, 2012

How To: Prolong Your Spray Tan


I have been doing the spray tan thing for almost two years.  The biggest struggle is getting my tan to last longer.  Usually after three or four days, it starts to fade out and you're in that weird in-between phase where you're not ready to exfoliate it off already but would like a bit more colour.
The other day I remembered seeing something on tv saying how there is alcohol in shaving cream.  Alcohol of course is drying, and in turn doesn't help prevent your tan from fading.

We all know that shaving removes a thin thin thin layer of skin, aka the spray-tanned layer.  So, while in the shower the next time, I decided to try something out:

Replace my shaving cream with body lotion instead.

And guess what?

My tan lasted two to three days longer on my legs (the part that seems to fade the fastest, other than my face, of course) than before!  Success!

Now, before you start thinking I used some special lotion or fancy-smanchey razor, I didn't.  I used the Equate 'Total Moisture' lotion (above) that is sold at Walmart (found this one in Florida) and a regular Bic 'Pastels' two-blade razor.

Once in the shower, legs wet, I slathered the lotion on one leg (about a pump and a half), and shaved it and repeated with the other leg.  Bonus: extra soft and smooth skin!
 
Will you try out this tip?

* Don't forget, the best way to prolong your spray tan is to moisturize on a daily basis, especially after you get out of the shower, which zaps a lot of moisture from your skin.  Water-based moisturizers are best.

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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

What is Formspring?


Formspring is an online platform where you can ask me anything, anonymously.

Completely anonymously, and no, I cannot magically see who wrote what they did (but yes I will delete your question if it's rude or mean).

Formspring is a great social media tool that I have been using for a while to answer questions you lovely readers might have.  I know other bloggers who have it and I have used it to ask them questions myself.  

The hardest part about connecting through my blog with you is that I'm not sure if you'll come back and read a response comment with regards to your question, or sometimes certain people don't have blogs so when I check your profile, there is nowhere for me to 'respond'.  Twitter works but not everyone has twitter.  You don't need to have Formspring to ask questions, which is the beauty.

So, ask away
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F21 Haul


Pink  | Yellow  |  White  |  Green (no longer available)

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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Garage Sale Haul


So as I mentioned on Friday, I was going to a huge annual neighbour hood garage sale in a ritzy part of town last Saturday.  The 'event' starts at 8am but often times people put stuff out earlier.  I was up super early and out of my apartment by 7:30am.  I went to the bank to grab some cash (I told myself I would spend no more than $40), hit up Tim Hortons for a bagel BELT (bacon-egg-lettuce-tomato, holla!) and I was on my way.  I got there around 8am and it was jammed.  I found free parking about six blocks away from the action and was off.

It was a warm, sunny, beautiful day and it was busy.  Thousands upon thousands of people ev-ery-where. I spent about three hours shopping before deciding to call it a day. I was pretty disappointed that I only bought three items, but after battling the crowds for that long and barely turning up with anything (and sore feet), I felt like just heading home for a nap and some down time with my book.

I picked up three pieces of jewelery, as you can see in the above photo:  

The necklace is from Suzy Shier, a Canadian store that sells cheap clothes and accessories.  It was being sold by some women who had boxes and boxes of brand-new packaged costume jewelery (as if they purchased stuff from stores that never sold).  It was a dig-through-and-scrounge kind of system and I was happy to find this gem of a necklace as it was one of two they had.  I remember seeing this necklace last year at the store, wanting it, but not wanting to fork out the $9, so I passed.  I picked up this baby for $1.

The 'charm' bracelet was another item being sold by the 'ladies with a million boxes' and it was the only one I came across (mind you, when you're digging through hundreds of pieces of jewelery, you certainly don't see everything!).  It's so pretty and I love the toggle clasp and it was also $1.

The last item is this funky broach that I picked up from a woman selling stuff on her front lawn.  She said it was her mothers' and it was at least 10 years old. I was torn when she said $2 and I (ha!) negotiated her down to $1.

And that is everything.  Yes.  In three hours I spent $3 which was a little good and a little disappointing I didn't find more but considering the tickets I have now incurred, probably for the best!

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Monday, May 28, 2012

Weekend Recap: iPhone Snaps

 Friday night date night outfit  |  Dinner at the restaurant
Outfit deets:  F21 top, Old Navy cami, Urban Planet shorts, Suzy necklace, Auslini bangle & Urban Behaviour clutch

 Garage Sale cookies  |  Cheering on our favourite 5km runner

Post-race meal & bevies

'Race signage'  |  Chocolate covered almonds & my favourite book of the moment

 Crazy rain storm on Friday evening  |  'Porn Star' shooters on Saturday night

Saturday night outfit: girls night out
Outfit deets: Ashley B jacket, Old Navy top, Guess denim (new!), Diva Lounge wedges, Charlotte Russe earrings & vintage (thrifted) clutch

 Sunday's outfit  |  Breakfast courtesy of the bff


Tomato-cucumber-feta salad for dinner (with tourtiere)  |  Picking up my impounded car
Outfit deets: Smart Set denim jacket, Old Navy top, Max Studio maxi skirt (new!), Spring gladiator sandals, Rachel Roy pashmina & Charles Jourdan bag

I know I don't normally write on these posts but I have to share a story about what happened over the weekend, because it sucks!

So Saturday in the late afternoon, some girlfriends and I went downtown to cheer on our friend who was running her first 5km race.  I got a great parking spot, or so I thought, and we had a great time.  After she finished, five of us all went out for pizza and margaritas (and one of my girlfriends and I got McDonald's sundaes after that, just the two of us).  When I got back to my car around 8pm, I had a parking ticket for $50 on my windshield.  Ugh!  I was illegally parked and didn't realize it as there were cars ahead and behind me.  I left there and went home, annoyed but live and learn and I had a fun night ahead so decided to focus on that.

I got home around 8:30pm, parked my car on the street, as I always do (I don't have a parking spot at my apartment as it's $100/month -yikes!- and I'm able to park on the street for free).  I went inside and started getting ready for girls' night out.  My girlfriend came and picked me up and off we went.  We had a good night with our friends as as she was dropping me off at my place around 2:30am, I noticed someone's car was being towed.  'That sucks,' I thought to myself, then realizing my car was no where to be found.  I jumped out of the car and crossed the street to talk to the by-law officer and tow-truck guy.  They said my car had just left and was being towed to the other end of the city (aka butt-f-no-where, double ugh!).  On top of that, not only would I have a tow fee but a ticket as well.  

The by-law officer advised me that this was a special-signage no-parking zone for the night and temporary signs were put up.  Sure enough, there were signs, way up high on the lamp posts, but of course since I park there everyday, I wasn't looking for temporary signs.  On top of that, when I did park, there were many others parked there too!  Sweetly though, he said that if I went to pick up my car that night, I would likely avoid paying an extra fee for having it stay over night.  My girlfriend graciously offered to take me (even though it was almost 3am and we had just been to the other end of the city) so since I only had a simple clutch with me with minimal stuff it in, I ran up to my apartment, grabbed my car keys and off we went.

We arrived at the towing lot and they were open, of course.  The man took my drivers' license and asked for my insurance and registration...which I had left in my wallet...at my apartment!  Idiot!  I wasn't thinking I would need that, in fact it didn't even cross my mind because I had a key for the car and...well, I'm not really sure.  All that to say, he wouldn't give me my car and so we turned all the way around and went back.  What a waste of time, gas and mileage.  Ughhh.

The next morning, my other girlfriend offered to take me to get my car (so sweet) and I grabbed all my paperwork and keys and off we went.  We arrived mid-morning and the man working was a different one than the night before.  He took my drivers' license, had me pay for the tow ($135!) and sent me on my way...without checking my insurance and registration!  I was livid.  What a joke.

So we drive around back, find my car amongst many cars and sure enough there is another ticket on my windshield, the second one in 24 hours,for $90.  So upsetting and sucky.  It was an expensive Saturday to say the least and I didn't even get any new shoes.  Wah wah.



Thought I would share some captions below my weekend iPhone snaps as a long-time reader said she missed it (hi lbenoit!).  Do you prefer with or without captions?
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Friday, May 25, 2012

Yellow to Neon

 Outfit deets:
* Trixxi dress from Ross.  So I picked up this little number in Florida last year and it was a deep, bright sunny yellow.  I, at the time, was on a wash-my-new-clothes-before-wearing-them kick and tossed this in the wash when I got back home before I ever wore it.  Pulled it out 40 minutes later and I had a neon lime-ish coloured dress.  Wah wah.  I ended up letting it sit in my closet for the past year until (hoorah!) this year where neon is super in and I feel really excited (and 'ready') to wear it.  I tried to wear it last week only to discover the hemline felt too short for work so on Wednesday night I finally let the hem down (it was about two inches) and then finished the edge et voila!
* Aldo wedges which are somewhat of a go-to for me (hello, nude suede, they match all) and have been seen before with pink pants, twice, a leather mini skirt at night and also with nude fishnets.
* Accessories: Joe Fresh & Swarovski bangles (both birthday gifts from my sister from different years), Costa Blanca bangle & Emily Elizabeth 'Faith' necklace.

Happy Friday!  I'm so excited for the weekend and to sleep in!  Well, sort of.  Tomorrow there is a huge garage sale happening (it's an annual thing, which btw I missed last year, ugh) and it starts early; as in, I will be aiming to get there for 7:30am.  I know.  This is very unlike me, getting up early on the weekend, that is, but it's worth it for some of the bargains you can find.  I went two years ago and found some amazing crap, including a pair of real True Religion jeans for $5 (are you kidding me!?).

On top of that, last night my girlfriend and I started a new tradition (I hope!), it's called, 'Winners Hopping' and it's all about visiting various Winners locations in one night.  We grabbed some quick dinner from the grocery store in between the two stores we managed to tackle and had a very successful night.  We both came home with a couple bags of goodies which I will share with you soon.

Lastly, I will be celebrating a friend's birthday on Saturday night, which I'm really looking forward to (girls night!) and in case my 7am rise-and-shine time is too brutal, I've alloted myself a few free hours during the day on Saturday to nap so I'm in top shape that evening.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Neon & Neutrals

 Outfit 1:  Dress  |  Necklace  |  Shoes
Outfit 2:  Dress  |  Necklace  |  Shoes

My favourite trend at the moment is neon so I thought I'd share some fun online finds.  Stay tuned for a peek at my own neon acquisitions.

Psssst!  Neon nails.

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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Weekend Recap: iPhone Snaps

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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

A Modelling Gig

Pre-show outfit: Sirens top, Stitches skirt & Spring gladiator sandals.
 
On Saturday night I had a little modelling gig.  Now first let me start by saying I'm not a model (obviously) but the opportunity came up so I said, 'Why not'.

A friend of a friend is in the early stages of opening up a styling business.  With the help of a local boutique, a photographer and a shoe company, she was looking to put on a small fashion show; sort of a Fashion's Night Out, sort of thing.  She recruited five girls to model (one being from an agency) and we each had six looks.  We had a fitting a few days prior to the show for the boutique and her to select our looks.

The day off, we arrived around dinner time, rehearsed, had our hair done and sat around for a while (I got a few pages in on my new book).  We helped set up the food and before we knew it, it was time to walk.  

There were about 25-30 people in the small boutique.  With each outfit we wore, the boutique's employees hand selected the accessories to match our outfit before we went out.  Sometimes we carried a bag, sometimes we didn't.   The best part was afterwards seeing the women who had watched the show, purchasing the exact look we had modeled (fun!).

While I didn't capture every look I wore from the show (it was a mad dash changing in between looks and getting back out to strut our stuff), I did manage to capture a few snippets from the evening that I'd love to share with you. 

Gosh lipstick (bright pink).

This was my finale outfit's necklace.  Worth a whopping $389!

Models helping set up for the show.


Custom cupcakes.

One of my outfits (this photo is from the fitting.  I wore the grey strappy shoes for the show).

Artwork.
We were asked to bring our own shoes in case the contract with Aldo fell through, 
which it did.  These were mine (among a few that are missing).
 
The hair chair.


Models waiting to walk.

 
Clothing at the store where the show was held.


Models off duty (haha).

My wardrobe.


The jewelery side of the store (all hand-made).


My first and final outfits.

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Monday, May 21, 2012

Covet


I'm sort of in love with these flats from Aldo.  They remind me of the two-tone flats Zara came out with.  You know, the ones that the only store in my city never received.  I kid.  I kid.
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Friday, May 18, 2012

The Emotions of Selling Your Home

 Outfit deets:
* Sirens sweater which I purchased in the fall and didn't end up wearing it nearly as much as I thought I would over the winter.
* Stitches skirt - this is stretchy, double-thick cotton and I have it in several colours.  It's also the base I used to make my feather skirt.
* Aldo wedge booties which are one of my favourite pairs of boots I have, so much so I asked for them in black for Christmas (and got 'em!) and wore 'em with a leopard dress.  These ones have been worn with pink pants and with a skirt in the fall without tights.
* Accessories: F21 tights (which got a hole in them on my first wear, here, in the toes -cheap-), Guess bangle, PharmaPlus beaded bracelet, Pandora bracelet, Swarovski bangle & gifted square bangle.

I totally forgot about this pictures and they have come in real handy as I was kind of grasping at straws as to what to blog about today.  Always nice to have outfit shots that haven't been used... mind you, I'm long not wearing tights anymore and this outfit is from February. 

Here's a fun fact though, this is the outfit I was wearing when we sold our house/the night we signed the papers.  

It's hard to believe that house has been someone else's home now for over two months.  I thought I was going to have a super hard time letting it go, walking away from the first house I've ever owned, the first house I really made my own.  I went back and forth in my mind as to whether I should keep it (buy Mike out) or start fresh.  Every thought ran through my head: would I regret selling it?  Would I lose money if I sold it and then bought something else?  And if I kept it, could I handle the memories that house held?

Ultimately I decided I did not want to stay there (and neither did he) and we sold it.  The day before we closed officially I was there alone packing up the last few items that remained and it was certainly emotional.  As I filled up my car and locked the door for the last time I turned around to the house that used to be mine.  Ours.  With tears in my eyes I said my silent good bye and drove off forever.

And you know what?  To this day, I haven't experienced much sadness over it at all.  It's as if owning that house ran it's course and I think because we had it on the market for so long (eight months) it was just a relief to no longer pay a mortgage and rent.  The first month after we sold and I only had to pay rent was like, 'Wow! I have some spending money!' (and not like I'm rich or rolling in it or anything like that, but it sure is nice to not be tight every month anymore).  I think it also helps that we sold the house to this beautiful, sweet couple who were so happy and grateful.  That's just the icing on the cake.

Have you ever sold your house?  Did you find it hard to move?  Did you miss the house?

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