Sunday, November 29, 2015

Photo Diary | Upstate NY Road Trip

Preston & I had an exciting Thanksgiving. Let me start from the beginning. Last minute, Preston's dad and brother got flights up Wednesday evening which resulted in David's Tea shopping, dinner at Talde, and a night of board games in our apartment in Brooklyn. Of course, we started the next morning with Bagel Pub- a favourite we introduce to all our guests-and headed off to New Jersey. Thanksgiving day was full of family and food. Before the quintessential meal, we went on a walk to White Rock. I love how welcoming Preston's family has been to me, ever since we were just two crazy teenagers in love.

Friday morning started our road trip through upstate New York. Preston and I have been living in New York City for almost five years and wanted to see a different side of the state of New York. The extra days of Thanksgiving weekend made it a perfect opportunity to see the sights. Our ultimate destination was Niagara Falls. We went through Scranton, PA humming the office theme song along the way, rode around Ithaca and Cornell, and edged our way up the wine country of the Finger Lakes, passing small farm town after small farm town. What we can only imagine as a complete one-eighty from the life we live in Brooklyn.

Our first major stop was Watkins Glen park. A beautiful hike of a million waterfalls. I think it might be the coolest natural location I have ever been to. I'll confess, the park is closed for the season, so we had to jump the fence. The rule-follower in me freaked out a bit a lot, and I only let go my breath when I saw others had done the same. It was an uncharacteristically warm day, so it wasn't dangerous. With ice it definitely would be though, so I would suggest coming in season.


We had a lovely dinner at an Italian restaurant in town, enjoying some of that local wine. At 4pm. We were exhausted from the long day of travel and the gorgeous hike, so it felt way later than that! For 'lodging' we decided to set up camp in the Finger Lakes National Forest. It was so fun to light a fire and play some cards in the tent. We went to bed early, and woke up the same and traveled the final leg to Niagara.


It was a weekend of waterfalls. It was amazing to see the roaring rapids of Niagara Falls. I'll admit,  I imagined them a bit taller, but I hadn't conceptualized how powerful the waves were! Now, I really can't understand the whole going over in a barrel thing. We brought the drone and managed to get an amazing video of the falls. We were nervous with the risk of losing it, but all is well. We stayed on the U.S. side-so we didn't get the panoramas- but we loved the feeling of standing right above the falls. For a souvenir, we stopped at Starbucks to get the You Are Here Niagara Falls mug to increase my collection. I am excited to drink holiday teas from it.

Another 7 hours later and we were back to Preston's grandma's house in New Jersey. We ended our Thanksgiving weekend by helping decorate her house for Christmas. It was the perfect ending to our Thanksgiving weekend. I am so thankful for having my travel buddy. I mean it has to be love when you enjoy spending 14 hours in a car together, right? I love that we can share adventures together and family time too.

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Wet n Wild | Vinyl Collection

Who doesn't love Wet n Wild eyeshadows? Great colours at great prices. My friend scooped this perfect little neutral palette up for me. It's Vinyl Collection and was limited edition to the Silver Lake collection that was released quite a while ago. I wanted to share the shades as they are great everyday shades and perfect for fall, but in case you didn't have the palette, showcase some other similar Wet n Wild shadows from their permanent collection.

I compared Vinyl Collection to a couple of my favourite singles, Brulee and Nutty, and the cult-favourite Comfort Zone palette.

Hope that was helpful for if you have forgotten about Vinyl Collection in your make-up stash or had been wanting some similar affordable shades!
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Friday, November 27, 2015

Holiday Card 2015

I love the idea of sharing with friends and family a yearly photo update. What started as a tacky (on purpose!) photo shared on Facebook, went to a photo printing evening-plus some rubber cement. This year I decided to go all out with some professional printing. I decided to go with Tiny Prints. I received their catalog in the mail and fell in love with the variety of designs. I went with a classic Christmas theme. Of course, adding a touch of gold foil! I added on the tree envelope liners and buffalo plaid return address labels. I can't wait to write a personal message on the back and mail these pretties off!

Ones that didn't quite make the cut!
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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Holiday 2015 Video

Happy Thanksgiving! I thought I would make a video with some recent holiday purchases and other 2015 updates. Stay tuned for reviews on the items mentioned in the video!


Too Faced French Kisses Melted Lipsticks Set
Bite Beauty Rewind Set (See last year's version here)
Bite Beauty Lip Duo
Freeman's Face Masks
Sonia Kashuk Brush Set
West Elm Faux Fur Key Chain
Holiday Cards from TinyPrints

Have a happy holiday season!
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Monday, November 23, 2015

Fall Nails | Zoya Hunter & Aggie

Just wanted to share a simple fall mani. I have been loving pairing Zoya Hunter, a deep forest green, and Zoya Aggie, a bronze-oil slick duochrome. I have done the accent nail thang and loved it, so I decided to pair it again but as a gradient. A touch of glitter is perfect for this time a year- just a bit more festive. If it's a metallic polish using a make-up sponge for the gradient is the way to go. If it's a chunky glitter in a clear base, you can go straight from the bottle.

What's been your favourite fall polish combo?
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Wednesday, November 18, 2015

ABM Happy Mail | October & November 2015

I had a huge shipping issue last month, so my poor Happy Mail envelope never made it to me. ABM customer service was fantastic and shipped me a new one. So I figured I would share it as well as the most recent month, November, of Happy Mail.

October came with some bold, yet simple designs for an array of occasions. I didn't notice too much of a theme-just colour-wise lots of pink and orange. My favourites of October were lipstick 'Thank You' card (I know just the person to send this to) and the sequinned 'Heck Yes'. I love that there was finally some washi tape included!

November is giving me strong 90s vibes. The plaids are so Cher from Clueless! Lots of different messages this month from the usual thank you's and birthdays to more specific anniversaries and babies. My favourites are the washi stickers in various plaid patterns, the celebrate with silver foil cocktails, the fun enveloped 'thank you', and the nail polish 'you're so fancy' (though I wish the text was foiled!)

This is still one of my favourite subscriptions. I love having the perfect card on hand and for such a value. I do have to say these past two months haven't been my favourite compared to earlier ones. That, of course, might just be a taste thing and comes with the surprise subscription territory!

What were your favourites from October & November?
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Monday, November 16, 2015

Sugar Paper x Target 2015

Woo-hoo! The 2015 Sugar Paper for Target collection is here (It hit my store Nov. 5th). I love a fresh calendar and planner for the new year and always stock up on extras to give to friends and family over the holidays. This year I went with the leatherette style planners in blush and gold in the large and medium sizes and the kraft and blush large calendars. I was hoping to find some of the wrapping products but didn't have any luck at my local Target. I'm excited to wrap these pretties up.

Did you pick up anything from the collection?

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Saturday, November 14, 2015

Birchbox | November 2015

This month's Birchbox is quite gorgeous with a teal floral-palm motif and burgundy tissue. I love the copper Birchbox marking as well. It's holiday luxe without being too obvious. I am also quite excited about the products inside.

Box Breakdown
Make Face Gloss
LOC One & Done Shadow Stick in Impress Me
Liz Earle Superskin Moisturizer with Natural Neroli
Temple Spa La La Lagoon Aromatic Bath & Shower Gel
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo

The sample selection of the month were the LOC make-up sticks. There were lipstick and shadow stick options in gorgeous shades. I went with the Shadow Stick in Impress Me. I love rose gold, especially shadows, so it was a no brainer. I have only swatched it on my hand, but I have to say the shade is perfect, creamy consistency while smudge free. I'm excited to test it out. I love Liz Earle products and have used a whole pot of their Skin Repair Moisturizer, so I know I will love the Superskin Mositurizer. Plus, I love neroli scents. I feel like I have been getting pretty lucky with the dry shampoos! Like I said before, I can't get enough. I've tried several things from Living Proof, so I have no doubt I'll like the dry shampoo. It smells so fresh and has quiet a powerful spray. Matte gray and white packaging seems to be a thing with Temple Spa having a similar packaging vibe. Usually bath gels aren't the most exciting product, but they definitely get used. This scent is quite invigorating with mint and basil-it's spicy and unisex- perfect for if your boyfriend steals your soap. Finally, I received a little tube of Make Face Gloss. I am not too sure about this product. I don't know if I want my face to be glossy? I tested it out on my hand, and it really does look like a gloss-it's not as sticky, but has some tack to it. I will have to try it out as intended to see how the consistency works with make-up. 
What did you get in this month's Birchbox?
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Monday, November 9, 2015

David's Tea 24 Days of Tea 2015

It's back! And the official countdown to Christmas is almost here. This is the third year (see 2014 & 2013) that Preston & I picked up the 24 Days of Tea calendar. We love seeing what the mystery tea of the day is and spending a few quiet moments together, a break from the hectic pre-holiday rush. This year the calendar is a bit different. With one side of the box featuring all 24 teas in a pull-out drawer format. The tea tins are also gold-a fun festive touch. The price is a bit more expensive than previous years at $40 ($5 more). The boxes are still disarranged making for a friendly competition on who will find today's date first.  Overall, it's a more classic holiday design.

Do you have an advent calendar tradition?
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Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Hello November!

Did October go by in the blink of an eye or was it just me? I'm planning on doing an October Instagram Round-Up to show my #31thingstodoinOctober pics, but today I want to focus on the upcoming month. With October, the change is bright and obvious, from greens to orange. Hot days mixed with sweater weather. However, the change from October to November was very equally as apparent with the clock change. The days are so much shorter now. Before I am out of work, it looks as though it was midnight. October brings about outdoor activities, while I feel November is about those cozy nights in and appreciating the little things.

Soon these orange and red leaves will crumple up brown. But there is a lot to look forward to as the holiday season swiftly approaches. I know I already am trying to finalize Thanksgiving and Christmas plans. Browsing through stores, thoughts of gift giving are coming to the surface.There is so much to do. And then don't even get me started on how soon it will be 2016. Where does the time go..

While October was jam packed with events, I am hoping to take it slower this November. Prep for the holidays, so it doesn't catch me off-guard. Maybe, cook at home a little more often. Make a few DIY gifts. Relax for the inevitable craziness of the Thanksgiving to New Years rush. Will three weeks be enough time? Probably not. Though this quarter of the year is my favourite, it has to be the one to pass by the most quickly. Hopefully, I get a couple of more weekends of colourful leaves.

What are your hopes for November?
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