March 13, 2013

Hi ladies and gents! You may recall I made an excited post about Sephora's Princess Series - Jasmine a few weeks ago. Well, the Storybook Palette was released online while we were on vacation in the Caribbean and I just ordered it online then. I received it last week and only now got a few moments to blog about it...sigh, life with an active baby :D

Here's a super simple look I did with the palette:

Have you guys purchased this palette? What are some of your favourite makeup palettes?

March 8, 2013

I was organizing my closet and makeup stash yesterday to add some items I had recently purchased when it dawned on me: now that I'm in my 30's I seem to have a set style finally. I experimented a lot more when I was younger but I now seem to gravitate toward particular cuts and colours and only add new touches here and there.

Here's my style philosophy:

1. Be proud of your shape and flaunt what you got: I have a zillion shift and form fitting dresses, pencil skirts and fitted tops. I would describe myself as a "shapely" girl. Shift dresses look great on curvy figures without showing much and they are my staple. You'll never catch me in something loose fitting unless it's belted.

2. Know what colours work on you: most of my closet is neutrals in form of many well loved LBD's, white tops and beige/gray skirts. I rarely ever fully dress in neutrals though. My favourite colours to wear are shades of red (crimson, burgundy, berry), royal blue and purple/plum. These colours just make the most of my complexion. I stay away from green, yellow, copper and brown.


Wearing my favourite - form fitting dresses in shades of black and red

3. Not everyone has to be a denim and T kinda girl: I have a total of 4 jeans and barely any T's. I don't even own a lot of pants. I'm not planing on adding more to these except to replace to jeans/pants that are now too big (I dropped a couple of sizes recently). I know most people feel their best and most comfortable when wearing casual pieces, but I'm not one of them.


This is pretty much as casual as I would go...and not often

4. Minimal accessories: I love scarves and hats and wear them often. However when it comes to jewelry, I'm very minimalistic. You'll rarely ever catch me wearing earrings, necklace and bracelet let alone sport the "arm swag" trend. I would wear one statement piece and leave it to that. I'm a fan of dainty pieces when it comes to jewelry and less is more to me.


I love hats of all kind!

5. Hairstyle is key to making an outfit: instead of focusing on jewelry, I focus on hair. My signature is usually windblown and down. But I will do an updo, braids, high pony, straight hair...depending on what I'm wearing, the neckline of the top and the general mood I'm going for.

6. Wear heels: I don't care that I'm 5'7" tall; I still wear at least 3" of heels most of the time. I prefer my posture that way and most of my clothes look better with heels.

7. You don't need to follow trends: I'm well aware of trends, but not all will work for me. I was all about the burgundy shades and velvety textures this fall but you would never catch me dead in combat boots. Trends should fit into one's style instead of one's style fitting into trends.

8. Makeup world is your oyster: I have my tried and true combo of black cat liner and red lips but I'm a makeup lover and will always experiment with different looks.


A bright and colourful eye makeup or my beloved red lips

Do you have a set style or are you in the experimental phase? How would you describe your personal style?

March 6, 2013

Hi guys! Sorry for the two week absence but we just got back from a trip to Georgetown, Guyana to visit the inlaws. They had not yet met Sofia so this was long overdue. She turned 6 months old while we were there and so this is my first opportunity to update as we just got back on Sunday.

Baby Stats: Sofia is 6 months and 10 days old. She weighs 19lbs and her height is 69 cm. She's still in 75 to 90 percentile for her age and sex. She definitely got taller while we were away and I see it in how her pants fit.



Eat: Sofia is now on Stage 1 solids. She typically has 2 meals per day but I'm starting to increase it to 3 as she seems to want to eat more. She loves pears and papayas as well as her brown rice cereal mixed with banana. She actually says "nom nom" as she eats them looool! She is not a fan of avocados or sweet potatoes though. I need to find a veggie she likes. I think I'll give her green peas next.



Health: nothing major she's healthy and bubbly. She did get some mosquito bites while we were away but they're slightly fading now. My heart breaks everytime I see the bite marks :(



Sleep: her sleep got very messed up while we were away but she's getting better slowly. Last two nights she actually slept through till 6 am (from 6:30 pm) without waking up. I'm hoping that is a permanent change. Her naps are more all over the map though. Some days she takes long ones some days she's a cat napper.



Milestones:

- Rolls from front to back now as well as back to front. She does it very quickly too.
- Experiencing some separation anxiety. She does not like it when I'm not in her line of vision.
- Sits on her own now for a few minutes.
- Puts her toes in her mouth from lying position; this is of course her new favourite thing.
- Recognizes people quickly. The ones she knows get a smile right away others have to wait a few minutes before they see her grin.
- Started sleeping through the night.
- She hits her toys together, maybe soon she can clap?
- She loves loves loves to play; it's fairly easy to get her to giggle.




How I'm doing:

- Still exercising very regularly. Working more on the abs now and thinking of getting Tracy Anderson's DVD.
- Sleep is hit and miss for me. I'm trying to quit my sleep meds which is not easy but I'm getting there.
- I'm getting better at socializing with friends and leaving bebe with the hubs. She takes the bottle easily and loves her daddy almost as much as me ;)

Hope you guys have a great Wednesday :)

February 16, 2013

Hi guys! We had a balmy day of -6deg here in Ottawa (-6deg in February is balmy for us) on Thursday. So I decided to dress in my trustee nautical theme. I define my general style as girlie but more femme fatal generally but I do love me some stripes. They're my casual look.

Since I was dressed in red and blue, I went with predictable red lips a la Chanel Palpitante Rouge Allure. If you are a fan of red lips like you know I am and especially if you like yourself a girlie pink red, check out Palpitante. It's a lot like Chanel Cambon Rouge Coco but the texture is creamier:



I bought these red skinny jeans by DKNY at super clearance from the Bay. I'm not a fan of bright pants usually but these were pretty cheap in the end and the fit was good. The striped shirt is from Zara (last year I think) and the scarf was a gift from my aunt when she visited us last year from Iran. You don't see picture of my snow boots though, haha! I can't really wear my nice boots and shoes when there's so much snow on the ground:



And here's a closer look at my makeup; I forgot to take picture of the products I used though:



 I know I had Lancome Teint Miracle (shade Buff 4C) mixed with Nars Copacabana Illuminator. I set it all with Ben Nye lose powder and then applied Nars Seduction blush on the apple of my cheeks.

On the eyes I used MUFE #20 aqua pot to create the cat eyes and applied Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara.

Finally did the matchy matchy lips by lining them first with Annabelle Cherry lipliner and then Chanel Palpitante Rouge Allure with a lip brush:



Hope you all have a great Weekend!

February 14, 2013

Hubby and I don't really celebrate VDay. We've been together over 10 years and on Valentine's Day we usually do something very low key like ordering in and chilling by the fire place. Our deal is not to spend any money on gifts for each other on this day as we're not really into how commercialized this day has gotten.

All that said and done, every day is a celebration of love for us. And I feel so lucky to have my husband and now my daughter to celebrate with:


Hubby and I summer 2011

Baby Sofia and I were at Salsa Baby today where our instructor told us about the One Billion Rising movement. Please take a moment to check it out even if you have not been personally affected by rape:

One Billion Rising

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

February 1, 2013

Hi guys! I feel like it was a million years ago that I was pregnant. I was inspired by a post by lovely Farah and the fact that many bloggers I follow are pregnant to write my personal tips for preggo readers.

Hope you find these somewhat useful. Please keep in mind that I had a low risk pregnancy and delivery:

Early Pregnancy:
1. Chose a caretaker that shares your pregnancy/labour philosophy. I went with a midwife instead of the standard OBGYN and could not be happier with my choice.

2. Do not rush to buy a tone of pregnancy clothing especially if you will be spending your late pregnancy in the summer. I managed with only one pair of maternity shorts and all my tops, maxi dresses fit me till the end. Best to wait to see how big you'll actually get.

3. Do not compare your belly size to other women. We all carry differently and are different shapes. I spent so many precious hours worried about my tiny bump.


Me and my 8 months pregnant bump

4. Don't bother with too many pregnancy books; just read the basics. Instead focus on some good baby basics and sleep books. I like the Mother of All Baby Books, Breastfeeding Made Simple and Solve Your Child's Sleep Problem.

5. Continue your exercise routine as much as you can. It helped me feel like my old self and maintain energy level. I especially enjoyed pre-natal aqua fitness and swimming.

Late Pregnancy and Labour:

1. Do not count down to your due date or be scared giving birth - your baby will come sooner or later and the pain will be worse if you have a negative attitude towards it. I had a relaxed attitude toward delivery my entire pregnancy and it really helped me in the end.

2. If you can, take an extra 2 weeks off from work before labour - I'm so glad I did. I managed to hang out with many friends and catch up on sleep before baby arrived. I also got my hair coloured and nails done.

3. If you have a birth plan make it flexible . My personal wish was to go drug free but I also did my research on my options and knew I would take the epidural in case of long labour (over 12 hours), being induced or back to back labour. I was lucky to have a very quick labour though.

4. If you can, have alone time with your partner before and during labour - hubby and I watched a movie the night before I went into labour, went for breakfast and nice long walk in the morning. He sat with me during early labour, hooked on my TENS machine and rubbed my shoulders as I watched Sex and the City. At the hospital, the midwives mostly left us be alone in the jaccuzi as they said we were doing great together. 

Early Post Partum Days:

1. It will take a few days for your bump to be back to normal, be patient.

2. Buy some witch hazel and use it over pads to help with healing if you had a vaginal birth. Oh ya, you will be bleeding for some time, even if you had a C-section.

3. Accept all the help you can. My mom was over at our house for 2 weeks every single day and did not let me lift a finger. I just nursed and bonded with my new baby.

Me and my 4 weeks old bebe

4. Not everyone and their mothers have to see the baby the first week she/he is here. Hubby and I only accepted grandparents, aunts and VERY close friends the first week of Sofia's arrival. Having a new baby is already a lot of work you don't want to be hosting a crowd at the same time. Other folks can wait a week or two ;)

5. You have to wait a bit before you can have sex again but maintain intimacy with your spouse. I found that I was even more in love with my husband after I birthed my daughter and watching him taking care of her.

If you guys enjoyed this, let me know and I will make a similar for new mommy tips :)

February 12, 2013

MAC Betty Bright lipstick is unique to my collection! I noticed it again when I wore it yesterday to a mall outing. It's light but bright if that makes sense. All my other coral lipsticks seem to be darker. The only issue is that I was hoping it would be more peach on me but it's def more pink.

I paired it with gold/peach eyes to bring out the warm toned of the lipstick some more. What do you guys think?



Here's the complete list of product used:

How would you wear MAC's Betty Bright lipstick?