What the heck is Glossier and why is everyone talking about it?
NOTE: This is not sponsored or affiliated Glossier at all. I’m just a fan! This post does, however, contain affiliate links.
I know that some of you have been Glossier supporters for years, and rightly so. Me? I was a huge snob, ignoring all the buzz about it and not bothering to understand what made it different than any other beauty brand. But, last month I was listening to the episode of How I Built This with Emily Weiss and learned her story. I was very intrigued by the concept of a cosmetics brand that was powered by the people, so on my first day in New York City, my gal pals and I beelined it for the Glossier flagship store.
You all know my love for a natural, no makeup makeup look and you guys, GLOSSIER WAS PRETTY MUCH MADE FOR ME WHAT WAS I THINKING?!
The store itself was incredible, the experience is a must if you’re ever in LA or NYC, or if they pop up in your city. Also, the price points were better than I’d imagined. It’s a miracle that I didn’t leave with one of everything, honestly.
What I love about the products that Glossier is creating, is that they’re very light, but most are super buildable. The following 4 products are ones that I’ve seamlessly added to my everyday makeup routine and have been using daily for a month now. They are:
Wondering what to watch next? Here’s a list of shows I recommend!
Or you could just watch Friends/The Office again 🤷🏻♀️
Sometimes I am just blown away by the fact that we can access so many shows on demand. It feels like yesterday (but also forever ago) that I used to have to set a VHS tape to record something I wanted to re-watch and that we’d have to wait AN ENTIRE WEEK in between episodes!!! And now look at us, we can stream things all damn day! With Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Crave, Adam and I are actually cancelling our cable package next month. We just don’t use it enough to justify the astronomical price, especially in conjunction with these streaming services. It’s going to feel so good to get rid of it, I’m sure we won’t even miss it!
Anyway, I have been freaking crushing shows lately, because what the heck else are you supposed to do during a snow storm? I thought I’d put them all in a comprehensive list in case you’re doing the mindless “What should I watch next?” scroll!
P.S. It should be noted that I’m Canadian so you might have to search for these shows on different streaming services wherever you call home.
1. The Bodyguard | Netflix
Ooooh this six-part series is so good, I bring it up with pretty much everyone. If you like a suspenseful crime show and/or British tv, then this BBC hit is for you! Brought to us Canadians via Netflix (many thanks), this drama hits you in the face with the plot and hooks you in with action within the first 5 minutes! And my oh my, Richard Madden is easy on the eyes. Adam and I burned through this like crazy on our trip in November and now we love to spontaneously lock eyes with each other and say “PS David Budd” very seriously but in lousy Scottish accents.
2. Atypical | Netflix
If you like witty and topical family dramas, then this show might be for you! This is one that Adam and I watch together and it makes us laugh out loud, occasionally tear up, and mostly warms our hearts. It’s based around a family of 4 and how they navigate a rough patch in a marriage, the dumpster fire that is being a teenage girl in high school, and life as/with a high functioning teenage boy on the autism spectrum.
3. Sex Education | Netflix
We gave this show a try a few weeks ago and were both pleasantly surprised. It’s definitely trying to be many things to appeal to a wider audience (a UK high school where the athletes wear letterman jackets? What is this, a sunny Riverdale?) but the concept is actually really interesting. Sex Education just got the green light on a second season as well, so there’s more to look forward to!
My recent partnership with TOPSHOP Canada was an absolute dream and you guys has such a great response to the looks on Instagram. I loved and appreciated the opportunity to try on and style up current pieces, and was especially fun experiencing TOPSHOP Canada’s free personal shopping service. I worked with Juliana at the Vancouver location and it was such a blast! She is the sweetest and really helped push me past my usual comforts, while still showing me pieces that would fit into and compliment my current wardrobe.
Check out all the looks below and let me know which outfit or piece is your favourite! I tried my best to link to what was still available or something similar and for reference, everything was pretty true to size, but leave a comment if you have any specific questions about fits/sizing.
A random collection of apps, sites, and plug-ins that have improved my workflow/skills. Great for students, creative entrepreneurs, freelancers, and anyone who works on a computer, so basically everyone.
It’s a one-woman show over here at my “home office” aka a new-ish IKEA Knotten standing desk that I’ve given a makeshift spot in the living room. It doesn’t particularly match with the decor, but I justified the purchase because I insisted that a standing desk was precisely what I needed to boost my motivation and improve my posture. Maybe it will, likely, it won’t, but so far I have used it a reasonable amount and the rest of the structure has become a perfect catchall desk area in our home. This actually isn’t supposed to be a post about a standing desk though, so I digress.
All that to say that my best friend started her own business recently (and she’s killing, it. Hi, Jess, love you!!!) and I found myself sending her a few free resources that have actually saved me on a number of occasions and thought, “Hey! I should share these.” Maybe it’s my old hoarding ways, but I am a wealth of information that I’ve selfishly been keeping to myself. It’s time, my friends, to pass on such wisdom to the masses.
You might already know and use these apps/plugins/resources. If so, high five and please let me know if there’s anything else that I should be using because help me? But, if you don’t know about these, prepare to make your work life a little bit easier! This is definitely not sponsored (HA! It’s January, the slowest month in terms of partnerships, so get ready for a few months of only the weirdness that spews from my mind) but let me know if you download/use any of these and what you think!
Grammarly
Let’s start with a bang! Grammarly is a free writing assistant app that edits as you type. I didn’t realize how much I needed this in my life and honestly, how terrible I really was at catching errors. Grammarly absolutely saves my ass from seeming like an unprofessional, possibly day drunk businesswoman when sending out and replying to emails. The amount of silly little typos that would have otherwise gone missed, ugh, I cringe just thinking about it. Grammarly is also hard at work as I type this blog post. It has simplified my blog editing process, catching those basic grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.
Canva
I used to waste so much time trying to make decent looking graphics in Photoshop and though those were valuable skills to learn, I knew there had to be a better way. Canva is basically like having a graphic designer on your team. I have never been so quick at creating social media graphics and boring old documents are now aesthetically pleasing. It’s really easy to use and there are so many amazing free templates to choose from!
Airtable
So far, I used Airtable purely for the colour coordinated, simple to navigate spreadsheets. If you do client work though, Airtable is definitely worth taking a look at, as it can also be a great way to keep your work organized for you and your team members. I only downloaded this one a few months ago, but I really like it so far.
Pinterest
This might seem ridiculous, but hear me out. If you’re just using Pinterest for recipe ideas, then you are seriously missing out. Pinterest is my favourite search engine tool. When I’m looking for anything business, travel, or blog related, the Pinterest search engine takes me to all sorts of blog posts and information I would have never found otherwise. I also hear it’s a killer way to drive traffic to your own website. Shameless plug, you should totally follow me on Pinterest if you haven’t already!
Yoast SEO
I know so little about SEO, it’s honestly a miracle that you’re reading this right now. How on earth did you even find me? This one is pretty blog specific, but if you also use WordPress, the Yoast SEO Plug-In is a must-have. It’s like SEO for dummies! I’ve already learned a ton about Search Engine Optimization and how I wasn’t really using it properly, or at all. So, if you’re using WordPress, it’s something you should definitely look into!
I used to hate New Year’s resolutions because they served as an overwhelming reminder that I was a wreck. How could I possibly narrow it down to a few realistic tweaks when I had EVERYTHING to work on? It’s like staring at the conquest of cleaning a messy house that no one has organized in 15 years. The daunting process seems impossible. You feel like a slob, the clutter haunts you and is a reminder that you are so far behind that you cannot even get started.
Finding somewhere to kick off is the only way to begin, and as that quote goes, “the time will pass anyway.” Over the last few years, almost all of the usual suspects on my resolution list have been conquered. These changes have been relatively small and happened slowly over time, but even the slightest mindset shift has created a ripple effect of positivity in other aspects of my life. The chaos within my mind and those self-sabotaging habits that I so desperately relied on are a thing of the past.
Things that have been remedied for the time being, include insomnia, chronically running late, stress levels, managing anxiety, extreme avoidance, perfectionist tendencies, and a healthier body image. Thanks to our bedroom makeover, we have also completely purged and organized our entire apartment. Quite literally, that messy home was tidied and cleaned over time. Room by room, drawer by drawer, the weight of the past has been lifted off my shoulders.
This was only possible because, for the first time in my adult life, I recognized that 1. I was not okay and had to finally be open to change, and that 2. I had to actually put in the effort to constantly overcome this from a supportive place.
Unfortunately, it seems that society’s love for diet culture has crept into the self-help industry and it’s heartbreaking. There is no quick fix for your emotional health. Your well being cannot transform overnight and nothing can “cure” you. These improvements I’ve made over the last 3+ years have been gruelling and the work will never end. No one is perfect, the human experience is about highs and lows. And really, you cannot fully appreciate the good unless you’ve endured the bad. Emotional health is about genuinely taking care of yourself and not “fixing” yourself. My resolutions used to stem from hate and failure. Now, there’s enough space in my mind and heart to realize that I deserve to feel good about myself and my life and resolutions are based on love and improvement.
There seems to be two themes within my 2019 resolutions: confidence and creativity. I spent my twenties making decisions based on fear and that ended up taking a toll on my confidence. I have been completely paralyzed by overthinking and hope to simplify my thought processes back to the basics of who I am. Finding my voice again, really. The other magical thing that happens when you clear your life of disorder and negativity, is that there is once again room to create. I hope to learn new things this year and rediscover the creativity that has been dormant for many years.
Write!
Once I began my mindset shift, I stumbled upon major emotional and mental blocks when it came to producing content and writing, which is most inconvenient since I’ve opted to write for a living. So other aspects of my life have been wonderful, but now it’s time to recognize that I am worthy of trying my hardest and trust that I will not “fail” or fall back into damaging habits. I have so much to say, it just seems daunting to get it all out there. Hopefully, with time the words will flow!
Master 12 Recipes
Last year, one of my resolutions was to read 12 books in 2018 and that goal was crushed in July! I love putting an overall number on it and not saying I’ll for sure do one a month because that allows me to take more on when I can and not worry about it when things are too busy. I hope to repeat those 12 books this year, but I’m definitely in the habit now so that won’t be hard.
Anyway, Adam and I have been cooking waaaay more the last few years and rarely go out for dinner thanks to a little effort and help from meal prep services. Which, has done great things for our comfort level in the kitchen, but, I want to really focus in on egg-free vegetarian cooking and gluten-free cooking/baking so that I can master at least 12 new recipes. My brother is celiac, so I would love to be able to have a few gf things I could whip up for him and I’m hoping to find a few healthier and fun recipes that we can add to our usual weeknight roster. I’m hoping this will inadvertently push me to be a better host and to just feel confident in my cooking and baking skills!
Continue Boundary Setting
This will be a lifelong practice for me as an extreme empath/people pleaser. Through therapy, I’ve worked really hard on setting boundaries for myself in terms of social invites, friendships, my marriage, emotions, and recently for my work. Understanding and setting boundaries has been one of the best things that have happened to me and if you feel like it’s something you need in your life too, let me know and I can go into more detail.
Organize My Photos + Memories + Digital Crap
As I mentioned, after two floods and being completely out of control of the clutter, we’ve edited the contents within our apartment to a manageable, minimal and organized amount. My lifestyle and mindset about organization, clutter and shopping have completely changed. The things I’d like to work on going forward is to do the same for my completely disorganized digital photos and documents. I’d also like to find a system for my photos and memories so that can catalogue them thoughtfully. It’s an overwhelming task, but I suppose just like the rest of the work, I might as well start somewhere! I always say that I’m going to print and frame photos too and NEVER get around to it, so I’d like that to be something I complete in 2019!
There’s always lots to work on, but focusing on these goals will be a great way to launch the new year. What are some of your resolutions for 2019?
Everything you need to know before visiting Thailand!
I was lucky enough to travel to Thailand with Contiki earlier this year on their Thai Island Hopper West tour, which included Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, and Krabi. This was my very first trip to Asia and I completely fell in love. Not only was it the beauty of my surroundings and the contrasted way of life, but it was also the kindness of the people. Being half Chinese and having never visited anywhere in Asia, I really felt an odd sense of familiarity that I don’t think I could describe to you. It was such a beautiful experience.
I have a few friends travelling to Thailand soon (shoutout to Anya and Sarah) and their questions pushed me to FINALLY publish this post. These are the things that I think are good to consider before your trip, including what to pack, important cultural differences, and a brief description of each place we visited.
If you have any other questions, please let me know in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer them. Hope you enjoy!
WHEN TO GO
Thailand is a place you could really visit all year round, but it’s good to note that the rainy season is approximately from May to October (and if we’ve learned anything from that harrowing Thai cave rescue, it’s that the rains come in fast and furiously). I was there in April and we did experience a few storms, usually at night, and they were incredible to witness. If you’re considering visiting in April, I highly suggest aiming to be there during Songkran. It’s their new year celebration and basically consists of a three-day water fight. I know, it sounds a bit crazy, and it totally is. Check out my video of the trip for footage from the Songkran festival in Krabi.
Slowly bringing colour mixing back into my wardrobe!
Thanks to a really fun partnership I have with TOPSHOP Canada on Instagram, I’ve been taking a few more fashion risks lately. Five years ago, things like colour and print mixing used to be an everyday occurrence for me, but then trends shifted to minimal neutrals and basics. Which, when you have a very limited clothing budget, is a movement that I easily jumped on board with. Lately, it’s felt like there has to be some sort of common ground between the two extremes and I’ve been missing things like printed boots or the odd bold piece to match with my timeless classics.
As part of the collab, the TOPSHOP team encouraged me to book a Personal Shopping Appointment at their Vancouver location. I had no idea they offered this styling service, free of charge. I will never be able to shop any other way! I sent in photos (well, my IG account) so that the stylist could see a general sense of my style and body shape. I also passed along my sizing and specifically what I was hoping to purchase. When I arrived, my stylist, Juliana, had a private fitting room filled with gorgeous options. She was very sweet and encouraging, keeping the outfits comfortable enough for me, but pushing me just a tad away from what I would normally gravitate towards. This look is a perfect example.
I never thought I’d wear corduroy trousers, but I actually love them? They are surprisingly flattering and were easily paired with a beige cropped sweater. Juliana had a vision of the look with these blue snakeskin boots and I was initially very hesitant, but she was right. It somehow just works! She has such a gifted eye for styling and putting outfits together, spending an hour with her completely re-inspired me. Working alone for so long, it was really lovely getting someone else’s sartorial perspective!
To book a TOPSHOP Personal Shopping Appointment here in Canada:
Downtown Vancouver: 604-689-2335
Toronto Yorkdale Mall: 416-789-8666
Toronto Queen St: 416-861-6612
As I’ve been editing down my wardrobe and trying to figure out my current style, it’s been super helpful keeping a list of pieces that are “missing” within my wardrobe. I was lucky enough to partner with H&M last month on Instagram (here and here) and went shopping with some specific pieces in mind. On the list? A versatile day-to-night blouse, a great pair of high waist jeans, and a slightly oversized but somehow still flattering blazer.
There’s so much to love in H&M stores right now, it’s no surprise that I left with everything on the wishlist and had to leave behind a few standouts. The things I did purchase, I’ve had for over a month and can confidently recommend them.
Okay, I didn’t actually leave with these first two pieces, but that’s only because I already own a leather jacket similar to this biker one and the jeans were just slightly too tight in the waistband. That being said, the jacket is true to size and a great deal. Seriously, if I didn’t already own something so similar, it would be mine. These denim culottes are very small fitting, which is what ultimately deterred me. I sized up and I could still struggled to do them up. If you are smaller in the waist, then the denim culottes would work well, though I see they only have the white colour left in stock. Still a great find if you think they’d fit your frame well!
Here are 2 Ways To Style The Geneva T-Shirt Dress from Universal Standard
On its own, Geneva is the perfect t-shirt dress. That angled asymmetrical hem. The soft and stretchy fabric that bounces back. Sure, it’s just a cotton t-shirt dress, but even on its own, I’ve had strangers come up to me and ask where it’s from. She’s a real stunner, that Geneva.
Have you heard of Universal Standard before? This badass clothing company makes a gorgeous collection of basics in sizes 6 up to 40! To make these wardrobe essentials available to women in such an array of sizes is absolutely refreshing. Some of the items on their site even show the piece on-body in each and every available size, how awesome is that?!
As mentioned, I’ve worn this t-shirt dress plenty of times on its own, but as we’re a few weeks into fall now, I wanted to continue getting some mileage out of this little black dress. I styled it up two different ways, let me know which one is your favourite!
