Bits and Bobs

HELLLOOOOOOO! So I’ve been evil and stayed away for too long again lol. Sorry :P. As usual, things have been hectic so my time has been limited but I have some time today to kinda just talk about a few random things.

MAKEUP! Over the last two years, I’ve been getting more into makeup than I ever have been before. Two falls ago, I threw out all of my drugstore makeup because I found that it just didn’t work for me and I was tired of spending money on a bunch of items that didn’t last long or give me the look I wanted. I knew that I loved MAC so I started investing in basic MAC essentials like primers, foundation, blush, and concealer. Slowly over the years I’ve amassed a decent MAC lipstick and liner collection (UNFORTUNATELY I’VE RECENTLY LOST MY REDD AND BEET LIP LINERS! I’m so sad as they are $21 each and they fell out of my dress pockets two separate times and I didn’t notice) as well and now I’m starting to really get into liquid lipsticks (I’m loving my Jeffree Star ones). I went on a search for a great liquid liner and settled on Kat Von D’s Tattoo liner as my go to, though I may be switching to Styla or Marc Jacobs, as I’m finding the Kat Von D one dries up fast. I also went on a search for a great mascara and I have been using Lights, Camera, Flashes by Tarte but I’ve run out and I’m wondering if I should try Benefit’s They’re Real mascara because I’ve heard some good things. As for eyeshadow, I have a lot of great shadows from MAC, Smashbox, and Kat Von D but I’m finding that I’m lacking in more fun bright colours. I really want to create my own pallette with MAC because their shadows last the longest on my oily lids and they have some really sweet colours.

I’ve also been watching a load of makeup tutorials lately. I especially love tutorials by Shaaanxo. She does a lot of swatch videos and her “chit chat get ready with me” videos are a lot of fun. Watching more tutorials has really helped me try some new things. I’ve always struggled with my eye brows because I waxed them super thin in the 1990’s so now I have to colour them in. I hadn’t been happy with them for a long time but after getting a new MAC eye brow pencil and watching tutorials, I’m finding that I really like the thickness and shape I’ve been creating, though i’m still not 100% happy with them. Here’s a before and after to give you an idea. On the right was my wedding day in 2014…still very thin. And the left is today…much thicker.

I’ve also started using highlighter on my cheek bones and I’ve interested in learning how to contour to see if I can make my nose look thinner. I just have to find the right products for contouring that work for me.

PANTS/SEPARATES! Ok so everyone knows I love my dresses, but before I had my son, I wore a lot of nice pants and pencil skirts as well. Unfortunately, with my large weight gain due to pregnancy, my pants and pencil skirts no longer fit. This didn’t bother in the summer (except that the only shorts that fit me were my maternity shorts) but now with the fall coming, I really want to be able to change up my wardrobe with some warmer items. I really can’t spend money on new pants and pencil skirts and even though there’s a lot of nice skirts that I really would like, I really don’t want to have to buy anything in a larger size. For those of you kinda following my weight saga, I still haven’t been able to lose a single pound, even with working out 6 days a week and watching my calories. I still have an entire wardrobe of items that don’t fit but I don’t want to give up on losing the weight. I have too many nice clothes and don’t want to get rid of them. Hopefully my hormones get back to normal soon and I can start getting use out of my separates again in time for the colder weather.

EXERCISE: I’m really starting to get bored with my workout routine. Currently I’m finishing up a round of P90X3 and will start doing Insanity Max afterwards. I also try to do two Les Mills Body Pump classes twice a week. I’m feeling like maybe my body needs a change up. I’ve always wanted to try running but I have crappy knees and I know it will take a while to work up to an hour of running, so I’ll feel like wasting my time. I’ve also thought about other classes or maybe going back to doing the elliptical again because that’s always great for weight loss for me. I don’t know. I’ve never done Insanity Max before so maybe when I start that, I’ll feel invigorated in my workouts again.

Finally here’s just a quick little rundown of some of my recent outfits. One, two and four are Emily and Fin dresses. The third is Closet London. Not sure what the fifth one is.