Showing posts with label monthly favourites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label monthly favourites. Show all posts

Wednesday, 2 November 2016

Back to Beauty | October Beauty Favs!

Beneath the makeup and behind the smile I am just a girl who wishes for the World 
-Marilyn Monroe 

A one month hiatus from this blog was far too long, but much needed. I was (obviously) in a really bad place toward the end of September and I needed the time to myself to press pause and reset. 

During that time I got back into makeup, hair & all things beauty which is a joy of mine that I had forgotten. Making the time to do my hair and makeup in the morning has become my norm again. I find it calming, enjoyable, fun, and it helps me to feel a little more confident in my own skin stepping out in to the world. 

Since taking this hiatus from beauty, I have jumped in head first and have some lovely products to share with you all today! 

Starting with skin care, I've been really enjoying the Garnier Pure Active 3in1 face wash. I use it every morning and the scent really wakes me up. I tend to shy away from products containing salicylic acid despite my acne prone skin because I find it to be really drying. However, this face wash also includes eucalyptus oil and aloe vera which make it a really hydrating and effective cleanser. Not to mention it's super affordable!
I'm not sure if deodorant really fits into a beauty product but I'm going to include it anyways! The Lady Speed Stick Unstoppable deodorant in the scent Charismatic smells absolutely amazing to start! It also keeps my underarms sweat free all day keeping me from having wet patches under my arms. What I like most about this deodorant is that it has aloe vera in it which keeps my underarms from being irritated or dry. 
Please ignore the slight chip on the tip of my index finger. I've actually been wearing this Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polish on my nails for eight days in a row now and that's the only chip I have! I think that speaks for itself on why I've been loving this polish. The whole line is fantastic but this shade, Wine Stock, has been my go to recently. Make sure you buy the top coat and use it together with the colour coat or else the polish doesn't really work how it's supposed to! The top coat is what makes the real difference. 
Anytime I've worn foundation in the past two months it has been the Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless foundation. I've recently had to drop a shade from 120 to 112 as my tan slowly disappears (tear). I love this foundation! It's super affordable, covers well, lasts for ages, and doesn't break me out. It's a winner all around in my books! This is a great foundation and I'd recommend it to anyone who has normal, combination, or oily skin (may want to avoid if your skin is quite dry). There is a wide selection of shades for lighter skin tones, some with pink undertones, some with more yellow undertones, and some with neutral undertones. If you are a darker skinned person looking to use this foundation, however, you may find the shade selection to be seriously lacking.
I've been really enjoying using different lip colours to change up my everyday makeup look lately. My choice is the NYX mechanical lip liner; not just to line my lips but as an overall colour! I think they're so smooth and buttery and glide onto the lip like an absolute dream. They last all day and don't smudge or wear away while I'm eating or drinking. The five above have been my favourite shades coming into fall; 12 Dark Red, 06 Nude Pink, 02 Nectar, 08 Sand Beige, and 10 Nude. I'm sure now that November is here and continuing on into December, I will be reaching more toward the darker colours and berry tones. 
I've always stuck by my eyebrow pencils and tended to shy away from waxes as it seemed so daunting! However, I am obsessed with the e.l.f. Gel & Powder Eyebrow Kit. I got mine in the shade medium. I also picked up the dual ended brow brush. This has become my new favourite method of filling in my brows! I think it looks so natural and the colour match is perfect for my hair colour. I start by using the spoolie end of the brush to comb out my brows. I then used the angled end of the brush with the gel to shape and fill my brows, followed by the lighter powder to set the gel using the fluffy end of the brush the duo came with. This product has been a game changer!
I've been on the hunt for a good drugstore liquid eyeliner for ages. I've tried endless products by many brands and all were falling short of my expectations. In a liquid eyeliner I look for it to be a deep, opaque black, easy to use, not irritating to my eyes, waterproof, and precise. All of my boxes were finally ticked by the NYX Super Skinny Eye Marker in Carbon Black. I have fallen in love with this eyeliner pen!
Which brings me to my next favourite; winged liner! If you want a tutorial on this look do let me know as it's been my everyday makeup for about a month now!

Thanks as always for reading & thank you even MORE for being so patient with me and my lack of blog posts. Hopefully I will be able to stick with once per week. 

What beauty products have you been loving this month? Do let me know in a comment!

Tuesday, 31 May 2016

These Are a Few of My Favourite Things! | May Favourites

No joke guys... I legitimately typed March favourites whilst writing this. WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE???

Favourites
This month has been so busy between organizing my life being back home and getting into the swing of things work-wise.

Food
1. Barilla Gluten Free Pasta
Having been diagnosed with celiac disease, I have been trying to find gluten free options to try. I have found that a lot of gluten free pastas can be quite starchy and just not really the pasta eating experience I'm used to. I love that this gluten free pasta is a blend of rice and corn flours. I have found, when it comes to gluten free, flour blends make a better product than one chosen flour. Once I discovered Barilla's gluten free pasta, I stopped missing regular flour pastas- it's really no different!
2. Homemade Gluten Free Pizza
When the celiac disease diagnosis came about, the first thing I that crossed my mind was that I needed to find a good pizza recipe. I shared the recipe in a previous blog post so I won't go into detail about it again here. My favourite toppings for my pizza have been bacon, asparagus, broccoli, and sweet corn... yummy!! 

Beauty
3. e.l.f. Liquid Eyeliner
Again, I mentioned this product in a previous blog post so I'm not going to talk about it again. I really love this eyeliner so much! I've never found a liquid eyeliner that I really liked so when I bought this one on a whim my expectations were set quite low. However I absolutely love this product!

Technology/Entertainment
4. Ladies Who Lunch Podcast
I think these two ladies (and their occasional guests) have such amazing thoughts and I love listening to their opinions. They cover some really intense topics and have a beautiful way of discussing the hard parts of life.
5. Grey's Anatomy
There's nothing to say other than I started watching from Season 1... Again...
6. My YouTube Channel
I started daily vlogging and I LOVE it! It would mean the absolute world to me if you all would check it out.

Miscellaneous
7. My Brother's Birthday Cake
Back at the beginning of May, my little brother turned 16! He asked me if I would make him a birthday cake, which I excitedly agreed to. He then expressed to me that he wanted a Minion cake... oh boy haha. I hate to toot my own horn but, this is not a bad job by any means haha. Watching people cut into this cake and eat it broke my heart a little bit to be honest!
8. Lilacs
I'm not a huge fan of flowers, but there's something about lilacs that I absolutely love! They are so beautiful and fragrant. I love walking by lilac bushes and taking a deep breath. Lilacs are the ultimate proof to me that summer is on it's way!
9. This Shirt
Not much to say other than I got it at Urban Planet and I love it!
10. Colouring
I'm sure I mentioned adult colouring books in a favourites post before but I feel like I need to mention them again as May saw a fair few finished colouring pages.
11. Quotes Photos
I tend to find solace in quotes. I think they can change your mood if you let them so I always keep quite a bit of photo quotes saved on my phone. These are just a few of them!

Moments
12. Graduation Photoshoot
I was hired for my first paying, professional photography gig. It was such an amazing experience! The photos turned out amazing too. I'm so happy with how everything went!
13. Boardwalk Stroll
I was reunited with Paul and it felt so good! Paul is one of my best friends. Our life paths seem to be harmonious as he also moved to Ottawa and now back to the Sault. We took a lovely walk at sunset down the boardwalk for about an hour... there were no quiet moments! It's nice to have those friends where you can just pick up where you left off no matter how long it's been.
14. Motorcycle Rides
Dad bought a motorcycle and I'm sure I was just as excited as he was haha. There's something about a motorcycle ride that makes me so happy!! I can't wait for the next one.
15. Swimming at Sunset
This entire day- Papa's birthday party- is a favourite of mine for the month of May. It's so lovely to be home and be able to attend family parties in person- no more Skyping in for this girl! We ended the day by jumping into the freezing cold lake at sunset! What a way to welcome summer!

Goals
1. Strengthen My Faith: mindful meditation 15 min on Sundays
I began meditating this month and I really enjoy the way it makes me feel. I was having trouble controlling my mind and so I downloaded the guided mediation app called Calm. It has made a huge difference in the success of my mediation sessions. I highly recommend it.
2. Love My Body: start running again
Not only do I love running itself, but I also love being outside and finding new and beautiful places. I think running is making a huge difference in my day-to-do happiness and in my self love.
3. Explore New Mediums of Creativity: write something just for me
This was such a therapeutic experience. I actually wrote two things- a personal essay and a poem. 
4. Find More Joy: enjoy being home
I have enjoyed being home to no end! Spending time with the people I love in the place I love has been such an amazing blessing.
5. Have an Open Heart: reconnect
I've been able to spend time with all my favourite people- both friends and family. It's been amazing to reconnect with all the people that I've been away from for so long.

June
1. Strengthen my faith: find a comfortable way to pray
2. Love my body: start building muscle mass
3. Explore new creative mediums: build a photo frame
4. Find more joy: discover a new hobby
5. Have an open heart: recognize the needs of others
All in all, May was an amazing month and it is giving me nothing but positive vibes heading into June.

What have you loved this month? Do let me know!


Thanks for reading & check back again to see what KatieDidd, xo

Friday, 29 April 2016

Away with April | Goals & Favourites

What a crazy month! From finishing school to moving home it's just been one thing after another! I loved every second of it.

As the month draws to a close, it's time to reflect on what I've been loving throughout this month as well as the steps I've taken toward accomplishing my goals for 2016.

Favourites
1. Dangerous Woman Ariana Grande
I've always been a huge Ari fan, but something about this song makes it my favourite! The chorus sounds so strong and sexy. It's definitely a good vibe song.
2. 7 Years Lukas Graham
I think everyone has been obsessed with this song. It's so good!! The lyrics are absolutely genius and the message speaks to everyone. Lukas Graham sort of came out of nowhere and took the world by storm with this song.
3. Thich Nhat Hahn books
I've been on the path to becoming a more mindful person and Thich Nhat Hahn's books have been such a blessing for this journey. I've bought Peace is Every Breath and True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart. I highly recommend looking into his books!
4. Hazel ChewingSand YT
I've become a huge fan of miss Hazel Hayes! I discovered her through a video posted by Phil Lester and have been hooked ever since. She's so funny, has amazingly wise thoughts, and a beautiful voice for singing. Check her out!
5. Pregnancy Announcement
BOTH of my beautiful cousins have announced that they are expecting babies! Ashleigh and her husband are expecting their second and Ila and her husband are expecting baby number one! It's such an exciting time of life for everyone involved. I wish them safe and healthy pregnancies and I can't wait to meet their little ones.
6. Moving Home
I've been home for five days now and I couldn't be happier. I've seen quite a few of my family members as well as some of my best friends already. I took that photo just yesterday. My best friend and I decided to drive all the way around the island and we found this beautiful little spot!
7. Walt Before Mickey
This movie is perfect. I don't even have the words to express how much I enjoyed it! All I can say is watch it. It will change the way you see every Disney movie from here on out.
8. My Facebook Page
I made an official page on FaceBook to promote my photography work. You can check it out here; go on a give it a like!

Goals
1. Strengthen my faith: read a book on spirituality
I bought and read both of these books this month and I couldn't recommend them more. Even if you aren't on a spiritual journey I feel like these books would be beneficial for anyone who chooses to read them.
2. Love my body: appreciate my nude body in the mirror daily
At first doing this was uncomfortable. I had never taken the time to really look at my body like this. Now that I've done it every day for a whole month I feel like I really appreciate every mark and curve that I can see. I recommend doing this for a month and seeing how much more love you have for your body.
3. Explore new creative mediums: sketch something
I'm not good with a pencil so showing a sketch I did would be very embarrassing haha. However I've grown to love it. Whenever I have a photoshoot idea now I sketch it out so I don't forget what I want to create. I never leave home without a pencil and a notebook.
4. Find more joy: enjoy my last month in Ottawa as best I can
I definitely enjoyed my last month in Ottawa! I went to all my favourite places and spent good quality time with all my favourite people there. I left on the best possible note.
5. Have an open heart: be honest
This quote was what I had in mind when I set this goal for myself. I think a lot of people justify damaging comments as honesty. My goal was to be truthful in everything without ever being harmful to another person. There are definitely ways to be kind and loving whilst still being honest and I've learned that through this month. I feel closer to my friends and family and I feel like our mutual trust has grown.
What have you been loving this month?

What goals have you set for May?

Please do let me know in a comment!

Thanks for reading & check back again to see what KatieDidd, xo

Tuesday, 29 March 2016

March Madness! | Goals & Favourites

Favourites
1. Topless and Barefoot by Essie
This has been my favourite nude polish this month. It's just the right amount of brown and pink- love it so much!
2. Painting
I'm not good by any means however, I have found great love in painting. I think it's important to have creative outlets even if it isn't necessarily something you excel at.
3. Cosmetic Photography
I'm not a huge makeup lover so this new found love for cosmetic photography took me completely by surprise. I love the way the products look in photography!
4. Rubber Boots
This time of year it's so muddy and sloppy and rainy. Rubber boots have been my go-to footwear all month. Mine are by the brand Kamik; super durable and lined with amazingly soft material.
5. Teen Mom 2
GUYS THEY'RE BACK!! I have been a fan of Teen Mom 2 since they first aired with these girls five or six years ago. I'm so happy they are back!
6. I Think I'm In Love by Kat Dhalia
I'm late to the party on this one, but this song has been my go-to jam throughout the whole of March.
7. High Key Portraits
The light just makes anyone and everyone look utterly flawless! The vibes of high key portraiture are just stunning.
8. The Sims
This obsession is kind of embarrassing haha. I really enjoy this game though. I have it on my phone and I play it almost every day!
9. Vampire Diaries
I've made it to season three! This show is so gripping- every episode is a new problem for the cast and I can't get enough!
10. My Mom!
This lovely lady turned 50 just yesterday! She is such an amazing person (maybe I'm biased because she's my mom haha). She is always there for me and knows exactly what to say. I've been struggling a lot this month because of stress and anxiety and she is always there for a phone call no matter what time of day.

Goals
1. Strengthen my faith: explore spirituality
This has been such a beauty journey to take on this month. I have been able to place my faith in the universe and the greater plan.
2. Love my body: don't weigh myself all month
I failed. I weighed myself twice... However I didn't freak out or obsess over the numbers which is something I'm really proud of.
3. Explore new creative mediums: make a sculpture with clay
I did this.. I'm not sharing the picture of it because it is dismal haha. I didn't enjoy sculpting at all and it's not something I will do again.
4. Find more joy: wake up and immediately smile
This is something I think I will continue doing for the rest of my life. It has helped with my moods infinitely and it just sets the day off in the exact right way.
5. Have an open heart: write mom a thank you letter
I can't wait until I'm home to give her the letter I wrote her. It was such a cathartic experience to write all the things I was feeling and to get my thanks out on paper.

April Goals
1. Strengthen my faith: read a book on spirituality
2. Love my body: appreciate my nude body in the mirror daily
3. Explore new creative mediums: sketch something
4. Find more joy: enjoy my last month in Ottawa best I can
5. Have an open heart: be honest

I hope you enjoyed reading through my monthly favourites and goals! March has been such a hectic month and I'm very much looking forward to April. Hopefully it will be a little more clam. 

What have you been loving this month? Do let me know in a comment!

Thanks for reading & check back again to see what KatieDidd, xo