The Blah Times

Hey,
Hope everyone is doing well.
I've been busy but not?
My dude has been working night shift so we're not getting a lot of time to go on adventures.
I hang out with myself quite a bit, and honestly? I'm pretty boring.
I had a good thing going for a bit health and fitness wise and then I got sick and it all went to...you know.

My head is a bit of a mess today as I'm, once again, fed up with my work.  It's not the actual job itself, it's some of the politics.  I love the people I work with and the majority of the patients, but some of the other stuff? It makes me want to pull my hair out. 

So I'm taking a breather tonight and just zoning out watching 'garbage tv' as my man calls it.
I just wanted to check in and say hey and that I'm working on a post that I'm quite excited about, I just need my mister photographer for it is all.

Have a great week and let me know what you do to get through those blah times.

Health & Fitness Update (4)

Well, these updates are few and far between.
I feel quite possibly, the best I have felt in a long time.
I still have quite a ways to go fitness wise but I've been working out about 5 days a week for roughly 20 minutes, doing mostly weight training and just natural body resistance exercises.

I skipped the last two days but I am not feeling guilty about it as I was tired from a long work week and Friday night I just wanted to have fun.
I am eventually going to do a what I eat in a day post but for now I'll give you a quick look into my daily routine.

First, I have a notebook that I keep track of my food and workouts in, I find it helps me plan and be accountable.  Plus I like to see when I had a good day and it makes me just feel good.
I usually write in this at the end of the day but I always write my breakfast and lunch in for the next day as I usually have those meals already planned.

Breakfast- 3 eggs and smoothie (if we don't have smoothie stuff I will have oatmeal)
Snack- A big bottle of my homemade green juice (recipe coming soon) and maybe some fruit if I am still hungry
Lunch- usually a salad, Kind or Cliff bar, fruit (strawberries, pineapple, banana)
Dinner- Usually protein with a vegetable and rice
Snack- Sometimes I snack but lately I haven't been except for a couple pieces of dark chocolate

I usually work out around six thirty, after my dinner has digested and then after that just get chores done or relax.  It's a routine that is working out really well for me lately, just hopefully I can keep it up as it starts to get hotter here.

Have a great week!

Summer Essentials 2017

Time for my annual Summer essentials update!
I feel like this year is different than years previous.
Normally I have a BB cream or tinted moisturizer and so far this year I haven't put one on my face, I've been embracing my skin while it's behaving.


I have been loving freckled, bronzed skin and natural looking mascara.
Not much skincare is included in this post, but you can check out my current routine here.

 -Sunscreen has become a must for me as I am all about skincare.  This one from Aveeno is 30SPF, doesn't feel greasy, blends into the skin nicely and is the last step in my skincare routine.
-I am loving bronzer, I've never really been one for it until this year and this Hourglass one (Diffused light) is killing it for me.
-While I am not using a tinted moisturizer or foundation, I still feel the need to conceal and I like the Nars complete concealer (vanilla) for this.  It blends in nicely to my own skin tone and creasing is almost non-existent.
-I received this Charlottle TilburyXNorman Parkinson Color of Youth healthy, happy lip & cheek glow, in my lucky bag from Beautylish earlier this year, and I thought nothing of it at the time.  But the coral color and the fact that it's a multi use cream has been amazing for this warm weather!
-Hylamide HA Primer, provides a nice blurring effect and canvas for all this rose-y cheeked, bronzey-ness.

 -I'm all about mermaid colors for the eyes.  The new Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Highlighting Eyeshadow Palette volume 3 and NYX single eyeshadow in Mermaid, are perfect for this.  Some may not like the shimmers in the Tarte palette, but I am a fan.
-I just started using the Lancome juicy shakers about a month ago and I am in love.  I'm not much of a lipstick person so these are perfect for me.  I love this one in Freedom of Peach for Summer.
-For bright under eyes I've been using this Becca under eye corrector for quite awhile now and would highly recommend it.
-Lastly my favorite mascara this year, Buxom Lash Mascara.  I love the wand, love the separation, love the length it gives, and best of all I can work all day and not have a smudge under my eye.

-Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal, I can't believe I haven't used this sooner.  Such a pretty glow for Summer without looking 'shiny'.

-CoverFx click highlighter in bubbly, I love highlighting my top lip with this or using it under a powder highlight for an extra glow.

-Clarins lip perfector in 04Petal, is a great sheer Summertime gloss.

-Another product from the company Deciem (I know, I'm obsessed), this time from The Chemistry line, Heel Chemistry has saved my dry feet.  I just think it is amazing.  I apply it either before I go to work or right before bed, once a day and it's just been like magic.  I'm not embarrassed to wear sandals or go barefoot.

-Last but not least, the brand as a whole that's been a winner for me is Sol de Janeiro.  The smell of everything they produce is amazing and just is Summer to me.  I was ecstatic when they released the 

Brazilian Crush body spray and scooped it up instantly. I've never religiously used a body cream until now and this is my second tub of the Bum Bum cream.  The shower gel, Brazilian 4-Play, I could just sit and smell it all day.  It can be Summer all year long using this brand.

What are your Summer essentials? Please let me know in the comments!

The Ordinary's Hyped Foundation

I have another little haul from Deciem.

[From left to right: The Ordinary Advanced Retinoid 2% (I bought two), The Oridinary Colours Serum Foundation Fair Neutral 1.1, The Chemistry Brand Inhibitif Deodorant, The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation Light Neutral 1.2, Hylamide SubQ Eyes Advanced Serum]

 I am loving everything Deciem makes so far.
 I have yet to try the deodorant but it is supposed to 'fight the look of hair growth', which I was very interested in so I thought why not? I'll do an update on that at a later date.

This the is the Hylamide SubQ Eye Serum.  This can be applied in the am and pm, which I am a fan of, and it is supposed to improve fine lines, puffiness and dark circles.  Lately I've been noticing the fine lines under my eyes, definitely some dark circles happening as well and I only suffer from puffiness when I've had too much salt in my diet.  So far I've noticed that it does help hydrate my under eye area and while it's too soon to tell if it's helping my fine lines I find that it has almost a firming feeling a little while after applied.  While my under eyes are looking brighter, I still suffer from dark circles after a sleepless night but that's only a problem concealer can fix.
So far a thumbs up!

I love the idea of applying a retinoid on my skin, so of course I had to scoop up two of these.
I have never applied retinoids on my skin before but I have heard plenty of good things!
This is a 2% retinoid, it is supposed to help with signs of anti-aging (yes please!) and you only apply it in the evening.
I don't know why but I thought this would have some sort of smell to it, but nothing.  Actually I've never had any scent issues with any of their products so far.
I've been using this for a few days but I notice my skin is clearing up which I'm not sure if that's an effect of using this but I'll take it!

The Ordinary Colours Serum Foundation, the reason my order took so long to get here.
The wait list for this foundation was huge and the brand was sending out emails apologizing for the delay, which I think is awesome customer service.  I love getting a heads up when something won't be arriving when I thought it would and what the reasoning is.
I am not a foundation girl, which is why I ordered the serum instead of the coverage foundation.
I ordered the shades Fair Neutral 1.1 and Light Neutral 1.2.
I find the 1.1 Fair Neutral to be a great pale shade for me and when swatching the 1.2 Light Neutral I thought it would be way too orange on me, but it actually blended in quite nicely.
1.2 Light Neutral might be an okay shade for me while I'm tan but I still might need a darker shade....luckily the shade range is huge!!

[1.1 Fair Neutral/1.2 Light Neutral]

Feel free to let me know in the comments which products you've tried or which ones you're are curious about! 
There's still lots for me to try but so far I'm loving the routine I have going.

What I've Been Watching

There's a bug going around and I am currently getting over it.
So I've been drinking lots of homemade green juice (recipes coming soon!) and binge watching a lot of tv and movies.
Here is what I've been watching:

1. Girlboss (Netflix)- this was such an easy show to watch and I finished it in two days.  Sometimes I like to watch fluff and this was perfect for it, plus it helped me get my butt in gear to blog again.

2. Before I Wake (Netflix)- Starring Kate Bosworth and that awesome Canadian kid Jacob Tremblay, I think he is just fantastic.  This movie was weird, really different concept for a scary movie but I liked it!

3. How I Met Your Mother (Netflix)- I never stop watching this show, it's one of those shows I've watched so many times now and can just have it on in the background but not worry about missing anything because I know what happens.

4. Lights Out- This is one of my favorite scary movies ever because it touches on mental health and I just felt like I could relate in away.  Plus I love Teresa Palmer.

5. Drugs Inc (Netflix)- Do I need to really justify this? I love shows like this and Border Security.

6. 10 Cloverfield Lane (Netflix)- John Goodman as a creepy guy? I love it! Such an odd movie but I couldn't stop watching it! I was not expecting the ending to turn out the way it did.

7. Dark Skies- Another scary movie...sensing a theme? I haven't watched this in a while but I've been yearning to, I just love it.  If you haven't seen it I don't want to spoil it, but I think the topic was done really well.

8. The Duff- Another fluff movie :)

9. Nerve- This movie was weird but kind of cool and scary if that was actually something I was a part of.  Not sure if it's actually a recommendation, but it definitely kept my attention.

10. Gilmore Girls (Netflix)- Duh.

Hopefully everyone avoid this awful cold going around and enjoy the rest of your week!