Life Is A Great Big Canvas...

"Life is a great big canvas; throw all the paint you can at it!"- Danny Kaye

First of all...I am sorry everyone for the lag in my posts. Unfortunately night shifts, a busy hospital and my (sometimes) poor time management has gotten in the way. I will do better!

Secondly, I hope everyone is getting out and doing "things". Things to avoid winter blues, which lets be honest, are easy to slip into when it is dark on both your way to and your way home from work. When is is dark and cold all the time, sometimes it can be hard to get motivated.

Last week I was laying in bed, looking around my bedroom and allowing the winter blues to get the best of me. More than two night shifts in a row can lead you down that path you see... You sleep when the world is awake and you work while the world is asleep. That is when I decided my bedroom needed a face lift. A lot of my house could use a face lift, but my bedroom is a mash of stuff and it feels just a little half-assed. In my bedroom, I have these two old lamps that were my grandparents. They bought them after they first got married and they SCREAM the 1960's. These lamps have lived in every home I have had outside of the house I grew up in. Every single apartment- the lamps made an appearance. I love them even though they are dated and frumpy. I like having them in my house and at this point they have migrated their way to my bedroom, living among hand creams and earrings missing their backs on my bedside tables. My room is grey, they are brown....sigh.

When I was on the phone to my mother the other day I mentioned  that I was debating trying to resuscitate the lamps. She laughed and suggested I just go buy myself some new lamps that would suit the space. She was right, I could buy new lamps. That would be easy and probably would be more aesthetically pleasing, but that is not what I did...

To preform life saving measures on my old lamps I went to Home Depot and bought a can of spray paint in a colour called "ivory bisque" (off white but not a true ivory). I also bought a high gloss clear finishing spray because I wanted these lamps to shine and to look "modern" (modern is a very loose term here haha). I also went to the fabric store and looked at swatches to cover the shades in. Not finding what I was looking for, I checked out Home Sense and happened upon two lamp shades that were near perfect! Grey, polka-dotted and drum in shape. I layed a tarp on my dining room table and I went to it. After a few quick rounds of good CPR, my lamps ended up costing around $40.00 between paint and shades. Not too shabby and I am happy with the outcome. I got to keep my old lamps and was able to stream line my bedroom. Win -win! Happy reviving all!
-m

. Want to try spray painting a lamp? Here are some basic steps to follow..

• Gather equipment - what you are spraying, your paint, some newspaper or plastic and some painters tape.
• Unplug lamps (obvious?), remove bulbs, shades and knobs.
• With painters tape, cover any place you don't want to spray. Shove plastic or newspaper into the top where the bulb goes to protect it.
• Secure your space with tarps or paper- remember spray paint travels far! Windows are also a bonus for ventilation...that stuff stanks.
• Shake, shake, shake your cans and spray with nozzle a few inches away from lamp. Spray is short bursts to avoid nasty drips. A little sponge brush can be used to smooth those out if they do occur between coats.
• My lamps required three coats (drying between each).
• When you are happy with your coverage and the last coat is very dry to touch, spray with clear gloss spray- otherwise your lamps will have the finish of the spray paint you picked (matte, satin etc. your own preference, I just wanted it to be glossy like glass!).
• Allow to dry and dress up with the shade of your choice. Target and Home Sense usually have decent selections. You can also cover existing shades with fabric for an extremely custom project. 

I Hope That in This Year To Come....

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”
-Neil Gaiman


Now that those formalities are out of the way I thought I would compile a list of all of my new (and old) favourite products of 2013. Some of which I love sooooo much my fellow friends and colleagues must have them drilled into their cute little heads.


Beauty Products

I am a firm believer in decent moisturizer, washing off your makeup before sleep and a good hair cut. All of which have been ingrained in me since I was a little girl. As much as I am a bit of a product whore, I don't always believe you need to spend a lot of money to look good and many of my staple products can be found at drug stores.


#1 Benefit's "Fake-up"

Rounding the top of this list is Benefit's "Fake up". This is a super hydrating concealer that promises not to cake in fine lines and last all day. It totally lives up to both of those statements. It is light weight and goes on smooth with no pulling (which is very important especially to delicate skin around the eyes). I am a shift worker and have very disrupted sleep habits, often going on very little to none. This concealer brightens my eyes, hides dark shadows and is hard to discern to even the most enquiring of eyes. No cakey, flakey mess to be seen! My previous favourite concealer has taken the back burner even though it is still a product worth investing in, fake-up takes the make-up cake.

#2 Josie Maran Light Oil

I know what you are thinking...Oil? For what? Well Josie Maran makes 100% pure argan oil products that are quickly becoming cult favourites. The "light" oil is an ultra light-weight oil that absorbs quickly and leaves my face looking flawless and dewy. I was highly skeptical but after doing a little research and taking a sample home for a test drive, I am hooked. Although I have been using the same moisturizer since I was barely a teenager, my skin has never looked brighter or felt softer. It hydrates without leaving any oily residue, it doesn't clog pores (my number one concern when I heard about face oil) and it has actually shown to make oily skin less oily. If you have very dry skin, you may want to try the original but my "normal" skin loves the lightweight. If you are still skeptical, pop on over to Sephora and ask for a sample.

#3 Volcanic ash Exfoliator by MAC

I am a lover of MAC makeup but have not bought into their skin care line, ceature of habit I suppose. My dear friend Janna who is also a lover of products gave me a sample of a black volcanic ash exfoliator to try that she was positively smitten with. Turns out it was MAC and turns out I LOVE it. It's a sugar scrub so you must work a little fast ('cause sugar melts in water) and I do find that you have to be very careful to rinse well, especially under your chin (it is very black and very streaky if not rinsed well). My face is sooooo soft after I use it! It is a little expensive; I use it only once a week alternating with cheapy and awesome St.Ives green tea exfoliator.

#4 Benefit's Watt'sUp

This highlighter is the bomb. I had been a big fan of High Beam by Benefit until I received a birthday sample of Watt's Up- amazing under my brows, corners of my eyes and anywhere else that needs highlighting. It blends easily and has just a hit of shimmer making it one of my go to products.

#5 EOS Mint lip balm

Although Carmex will always be my jam when it comes to lip balm, EOS mint is a sure fire runner up. It is smooth, easy to toss in your purse and the peppermint tingle feels wonderful on chapped lips that are trying to survive the east coast winter. I do however HATE the fruity flavoured ones because they not only smell sweet, they also taste sweet. Gag.

#6 Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm

Every single time I wear this in public, someone asks me what I have on my lips. I have been asked if it is MAC, YSL and even Bobbi Brown. For six bucks, I proudly exclaim what I am wearing, tell them all about how it lasts for hours and that the color I wear is called "Flirtatious". I whole heartedly feel this colour would look great on any skin tone- its a deep pink without being red, it goes on smooth, lasts for hours and doesn't dry up. Not to mention has a slight amount of sheen without really being glossy. Win-win!

#7 Sephora Creme Stain

I have been wearing this products for a couple of years now and own it in two red tones. It applies like a lip gloss- wet and with a sponge tipped applicator. This makes riming the edge of lips simple and hassle free. It dries matte and stays put all day- seriously all damn day. It is great for a night on the town and is just as great for rolling out of bed and looking put together with no effort. Red lips can do that, they can trick people into thinking you showered. Prime example- before Christmas, I rolled out of bed after working a night shift- slapped on a little and ran into MAC and Sephora looking to replace a lipstick I had finally used up. Two employees at MAC asked me what I had on (one even wrote it down...) and then three employees stopped me in Sephora to ask the same. All of which were shocked when I told them what it was. "Strawberry" is my favourite.

#8 Garnier Skin Renew BB Cream

Yes...a BB cream, womp womp. I have used tinted moisturizers for years and years. MAC, Benefit, Smashbox...almost all of the big brands with big fans. Out of all of those, this BB cream is my fav. It's hydrating and super light weight, with just a bit of coverage. I don't wear foundation and for the most part, this evens out my skin without feeling heavy and cakey. I use it on the daily often with "fake-up" and just a little bit of powder dusted on top for a flawless finish.

#8 Marcelle Liquid Dip-Pen Liner

I have been using liquid and gel liners for over ten years now. I LOVE them. Gel or creme liners are good (MAC-Fast track is great) but don't always give the defined line I am looking for. MAC liquid liners are all great but I find them hard to wash off and expensive. I hate the liners that are like felt tip markers (they are never dark enough, and they never work right). I prefer a firm- felt tipped end that you dip into the liner... Enter Marcelle's Liquid dip liner. Same packaging as MAC...identical....but easier to wash off and almost half the price. It says it is water proof...I generally don't do water proof anything but it washes off easily and lasts all day.

Happy testing everyone!
-m