Hellooo!
So, if you're anything like me, you love a good shop. There is just nothing like retail therapy. Also, if you are anything like me, shopping gives you temporary amnesia. You see a shiny new thing that you HAVE to buy and forget completely about all the other lovely things at home that you have only used once or twice.
With my wedding and all wedding related expenses coming up, I've been making somewhat of an effort to control my spending. This is not fun for me, nor is it easy, apparently! I've had the day off work today and have honestly been thinking all day about how nice it would be to pop around the corner and buy a new lip gloss/foundation/other random shiny new thing. So far I have resisted but it's gotten me thinking.
It seems that I generally buy things because they're new and buying them will give me instant gratification. I enjoy my shiny new whatever for a couple of days or weeks and then I am already craving something new. I understand that attraction to novelty is a perfectly natural thing for a human to experience, but I find it unfortunate (and so does my bank account) that I can't fully appreciate what I already have. The shiny new thing of today becomes the forgotten dusty thing of tomorrow.
So! In an effort to curb my spending and placate my bank account, I plan to have a weekly feature on the blog where I rediscover a lost treasure and share it with you all. Since it happens to be Tuesday and Lost Treasure Tuesday is a wonderfully awful name for the feature, it shall be so.
-Allanah
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
30 Day Snap #4: Winding down...
Hello!
If you're not sure what the 30 Day Snap challenge is, you can read about it HERE!
Sorry for the crappy phone picture, but I am so comfy and tired in bed and I don't want to get up and find my camera. Today was a long day and I worked really hard, so to wind down before bed I am chilling out with my water and some early missglamorazzi videos!
Now it is time for snoozeland. Night guys!
-Allanah
If you're not sure what the 30 Day Snap challenge is, you can read about it HERE!
Sorry for the crappy phone picture, but I am so comfy and tired in bed and I don't want to get up and find my camera. Today was a long day and I worked really hard, so to wind down before bed I am chilling out with my water and some early missglamorazzi videos!
Now it is time for snoozeland. Night guys!
-Allanah
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
30 Day Snap #4: Yummy cold drinks
Hello!
If you're not sure what the 30 Day Snap challenge is, you can read about it HERE!
If you're not sure what the 30 Day Snap challenge is, you can read about it HERE!
Today was my day off work. It was gorgeous and sunny! I had a coffee date with one of my friends, but it was hot enough that we ended up getting tasty iced cappuccinos at Tim Hortons! Mmmm I want one now!
-Allanah
Revlon Lash Potion review and thoughts!
Hey guys!
Hope you're having a lovely day! Recently I needed a new mascara and so I decided to pick up Revlon's new Lash Potion mascara and give it a go!
My first thought when I opened the tube was how massive the brush is!
Hope you're having a lovely day! Recently I needed a new mascara and so I decided to pick up Revlon's new Lash Potion mascara and give it a go!
My first thought when I opened the tube was how massive the brush is!
Crazy, no? The first picture is the brush all on its own and the second picture is the brush in comparison to a Maybelline Great Lash mascara - a staple! The brush size is a little intimidating and tricky to get the hang of at first. Let's just say I got a lot of mascara on my eyelids at first! Once you get used to it, though, this brush works wonders! Let me show you.
These are my natural eyelashes. As you can see, they are very blonde and don't exactly look... prominent. Also pictured are the bags under my eyes! Hooray!
These pictures are with one and two coats of Lash Potion, respectively. Kapow! My eyelashes look so full and long! I love the way that one coat gives a more natural, fluttery look, while two coats brings a little bit of drama but is still quite natural looking!
Revlon, I am a fan! This is a perfect mascara for me! My only issue is that the massive brush makes it difficult for me to get at the lashes in my inner corners without smearing mascara all over my face. I don't tend to put mascara there anyway, so it's not a huge problem for me, but I can see others needing a little practice!
I picked up my tube of Lash Potion from Shopper's Drug Mart for $11.99. Well worth it, I think!
-Allanah
Monday, June 3, 2013
30 Day Snap #3: Bah Humbug!
Hellooo!
Coming at you with my third installment of the 30 day snap! If you're not sure what this is, you can read about it HERE!
This is my mom holding my kitty Milo. He really loves his pats but he is definitely not a cuddle bug! He likes to push himself away from our body with one paw while looking forlorn. What a terrible thing to be so loved!
Have a lovely day!
-Allanah
Coming at you with my third installment of the 30 day snap! If you're not sure what this is, you can read about it HERE!
This is my mom holding my kitty Milo. He really loves his pats but he is definitely not a cuddle bug! He likes to push himself away from our body with one paw while looking forlorn. What a terrible thing to be so loved!
Have a lovely day!
-Allanah
Sunday, June 2, 2013
30 Day Snap #2: Pearls!
Helloooo everyone!
I'm here with my second 30 day snap picture! Lately I have found myself drawn to pearls when choosing my accessories. I think they are just so feminine and elegant! Here is some of my collection. :)
I'm here with my second 30 day snap picture! Lately I have found myself drawn to pearls when choosing my accessories. I think they are just so feminine and elegant! Here is some of my collection. :)
-Allanah
Saturday, June 1, 2013
30 Day Snap #1: My wedding planner
Hey guys!
So the gorgeous Louise has issued a challenge called the 30 Day Snap for all of June that you can learn about here!
My first snap has got to be my wedding planner. It brings out the best in me. Not only do I love making lists and being hyperorganized, every time I flip through it reminds me that I get to spend the rest of my life with the best fiancé a gal could ask for! What could be better than that? :)
-Allanah
So the gorgeous Louise has issued a challenge called the 30 Day Snap for all of June that you can learn about here!
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| Hello crappy spur of the moment phone picture! |
My first snap has got to be my wedding planner. It brings out the best in me. Not only do I love making lists and being hyperorganized, every time I flip through it reminds me that I get to spend the rest of my life with the best fiancé a gal could ask for! What could be better than that? :)
-Allanah
NOTD: Black matte nails with glossy french tip!
Hellooooo!
It's already June! This is ridiculous. Wasn't it JUST Christmas? Didn't I JUST get engaged? I can't believe how quickly time is going!
I don't really have anything deep to write today, I just wanted to show you what I'm rocking on my nails!
It's already June! This is ridiculous. Wasn't it JUST Christmas? Didn't I JUST get engaged? I can't believe how quickly time is going!
I don't really have anything deep to write today, I just wanted to show you what I'm rocking on my nails!
I am so in love with these! I've been wanting to do them for a while but I felt like I couldn't wear black nail polish since it's summer. Well, take that rules! I do what I want! These were super easy. I started with two coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Black Out. After it dried I added a generous coat of my butter London Matte Finish topcoat. Once THAT was dry I just striped a quick dry top coat on my tips and there you have it! I think it's such a sleek and cool twist on the original french manicure!
Unrelated, I jumped on the bandwagon today and picked up both Bruno Mars albums. One of my better choices.
Happy June everyone!
-Allanah
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Phases.
Hello everyone!
I don't know about all of you, but I am not a consistent person. There are times when I get alllll motivated and excited to start a new routine or venture. The first couple of days or weeks are awesome and go well and then I just.... regress back to my lazy normal routine. Let me give you a few examples:
1. Running: I hate running. Hate it. I find it boring and I can't run very far without feeling like I'm going to die and generally it is not my idea of a good time. I have heard so many times that everyone hates running at first and you just have to suck it up and get into a routine, and eventually the enjoyment will come. Well let me tell you, I have tried. My most recent foray lasted three weeks, where I ran three times a week for about 20 minutes at a time. I did notice some improvement in my endurance, but GOD I hated it. Maybe I just need a running partner for motivation but ugh. I hate running.
2. This blog: Ever since I was little I have kept a journal intermittently. I would get a shiny new one and couldn't wait to fill its pages, but then I would get overwhelmed because I would feel like I needed to write down literally everything that happened to me. So I would write for a couple of weeks and then eventually just forget about it again. Every once in a while I would get inspiration to start again but the cycle would always continue. I guess it has been the same with this blog. This is a cycle that I would very much like to break!
3. Guitar: I have had my guitar for a few years now. She's a beaut, I tell you. My lefty acoustic with gorgeous warm tones. Anyway. I took lessons for quite a few months and learned a lot, but had to stop when I went to live with the man in NC last year. Well.... it kind of fell by the wayside. Every now and again I pick it up but not as often as I should. All of my calluses are gone!
On the brighter side of my failures, there are some things that I have tried and actually stuck with. The biggest ones I can think of now are budgeting and drinking more water. The budgeting was really tough for me at first. I am an emotional and compulsive person (which is why I jump into things headfirst and then give them up!) so I would tend to buy a lot of things just because. I'm not saying I'm perfect now by any means, but I am much much better at saving my money and pinching my pennies when they need pinching. As for the water drinking, it all started a few blood donations ago. My blood was flowing so slowly, it was like molasses! Strangest thing. It was suggested to me that I may be a little dehydrated and that I should drink more water, so I vowed that I would try to drink at least a litre of water per day. While I haven't succeeded every day, I have definitely been consuming more and my last blood donation was smooth like butta. I even find myself craving water now! Crazy stuff.
Gosh, this has been a wall of text hasn't it? Here is a gross bruise picture from three days after my blood donation to break it up a bit.
I don't know about all of you, but I am not a consistent person. There are times when I get alllll motivated and excited to start a new routine or venture. The first couple of days or weeks are awesome and go well and then I just.... regress back to my lazy normal routine. Let me give you a few examples:
1. Running: I hate running. Hate it. I find it boring and I can't run very far without feeling like I'm going to die and generally it is not my idea of a good time. I have heard so many times that everyone hates running at first and you just have to suck it up and get into a routine, and eventually the enjoyment will come. Well let me tell you, I have tried. My most recent foray lasted three weeks, where I ran three times a week for about 20 minutes at a time. I did notice some improvement in my endurance, but GOD I hated it. Maybe I just need a running partner for motivation but ugh. I hate running.
2. This blog: Ever since I was little I have kept a journal intermittently. I would get a shiny new one and couldn't wait to fill its pages, but then I would get overwhelmed because I would feel like I needed to write down literally everything that happened to me. So I would write for a couple of weeks and then eventually just forget about it again. Every once in a while I would get inspiration to start again but the cycle would always continue. I guess it has been the same with this blog. This is a cycle that I would very much like to break!
3. Guitar: I have had my guitar for a few years now. She's a beaut, I tell you. My lefty acoustic with gorgeous warm tones. Anyway. I took lessons for quite a few months and learned a lot, but had to stop when I went to live with the man in NC last year. Well.... it kind of fell by the wayside. Every now and again I pick it up but not as often as I should. All of my calluses are gone!
On the brighter side of my failures, there are some things that I have tried and actually stuck with. The biggest ones I can think of now are budgeting and drinking more water. The budgeting was really tough for me at first. I am an emotional and compulsive person (which is why I jump into things headfirst and then give them up!) so I would tend to buy a lot of things just because. I'm not saying I'm perfect now by any means, but I am much much better at saving my money and pinching my pennies when they need pinching. As for the water drinking, it all started a few blood donations ago. My blood was flowing so slowly, it was like molasses! Strangest thing. It was suggested to me that I may be a little dehydrated and that I should drink more water, so I vowed that I would try to drink at least a litre of water per day. While I haven't succeeded every day, I have definitely been consuming more and my last blood donation was smooth like butta. I even find myself craving water now! Crazy stuff.
Gosh, this has been a wall of text hasn't it? Here is a gross bruise picture from three days after my blood donation to break it up a bit.
 |
| Mmmm bruisey goodness. Yep, that's my right elbow. Thanks nurse lady for blowing out my vein! |
So, having said all of this, I want to make a new goal for myself. My blood pressure has been scarily high for any 26 year old girl and this is because I do not work out and am in the most terrible shape. Pro tip: just because someone is thin does not mean they are in good condition! Anyway, my goal is to find SOME form of physical activity that I enjoy, because at this rate I will die when I am 40 due to heart attack from high blood pressure and my unfortunate but delicious salt addiction.
What are some things that you have tried and failed at in the past? Or tried and succeeded at with flying colours?
-Allanah
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Productive day off!
Helloooo!
Today I had the day off work, yay!
As much as I always feel I am going to be super productive on my days off, it rarely happens. I started off with grand ambitions to clean my entire room today (despite having a heavily bruised elbow... donate blood, folks! Other people need it more than you do!), but that just has not yet happened.
However!
The day has not been completely fruitless. I will write more on this later, but I am going through a huge cleanse of my belongings right now as I will be moving countries in the new year. Today I tackled some random boxes of stuff in our basement. I started with about five boxes and have gotten my "keeps" down to one box! Hooray! In addition, I have cleaned off an entire horizontal surface of my room! A right good start, if I don't say so myself. I may even accomplish one or two more by the end of the day if I'm lucky!
This may not seem like a big deal to some, but I have a rather small room with sloped ceilings and very very little storage (it even cuts into my already tiny closet, ugh). So, while I don't have that much stuff, it is very easy for the amount I do have to get all cluttered up.
Today I had the day off work, yay!
As much as I always feel I am going to be super productive on my days off, it rarely happens. I started off with grand ambitions to clean my entire room today (despite having a heavily bruised elbow... donate blood, folks! Other people need it more than you do!), but that just has not yet happened.
However!
The day has not been completely fruitless. I will write more on this later, but I am going through a huge cleanse of my belongings right now as I will be moving countries in the new year. Today I tackled some random boxes of stuff in our basement. I started with about five boxes and have gotten my "keeps" down to one box! Hooray! In addition, I have cleaned off an entire horizontal surface of my room! A right good start, if I don't say so myself. I may even accomplish one or two more by the end of the day if I'm lucky!
 |
| A crappy phone picture of my clean horizontal surface! |
Anyway. I used to have a night stand, but I got a bigger bed and it no longer fit. For a while I used a wobbly little table but even that barely fit and I got frustrated with it. Now I just use the end of the toy chest my great uncle built for me when I was a baby. I wanted my lamp jacked up a bit for optimum reading light so I piled up my bridal magazines and there you have it!
Speaking of bridal magazines, how do girls who are getting married not go out and buy literally all of them?? They are so addictive and fun to flick through and they leave me all starry eyed. I can't wait to get married, ahhh :)
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Hello!
Hi guys!
So, it's been like five months. I wholeheartedly apologize. I have still accumulated massive amounts of polish, but there are a few reasons I just haven't been feeling the blogosphere lately:
1. For my first engagement party in North Carolina, I got... acrylics. Gasp! One of my own nails had just broken right off and I wanted pretty nails for my engagement party. Everyone is looking at your hands, you know! Anyway, as a result my nails were completely de-stroyed. They've just now grown out all the way but they are still tiny little nubbins!
2. For a few months I was working two jobs, 60+ hours a week. When you have to wake up early to go to work, then get home from work and have to go to bed early so you can get up early and go to work again... well. Not only does time not permit blogging, but that doesn't exactly get the creative juices flowing, either.
3. I feel a little overwhelmed. While I try to keep somewhat current as to my collection, by the time I pick up a colour I feel like there are already a million other swatches of it out there with more beautiful photos than I could ever take. I really need to get over that. Even if it is an older colour, I could perhaps offer up an opinion that hasn't been considered before!
Also, I don't want this blog just to be about nail polish anymore. It was fun to start out that way, but it also became a chore. I want this to be a collection of all the small little facets of my life that amalgamate into one big shiny blog diamond. Of course I will still post nail polish related things, I have accumulated so many by now that I'm going to need a second Helmer!
But I'm also getting married and have a new job and there are lots of little things that catch my fancy and give me ideas and inspiration, and I want to share them with you. And with future me!
Anyway, I just wanted to say that my silence has come from feeling not good enough, but I've had just about enough of that feeling!
There is definitely more to come from me!
So, it's been like five months. I wholeheartedly apologize. I have still accumulated massive amounts of polish, but there are a few reasons I just haven't been feeling the blogosphere lately:
1. For my first engagement party in North Carolina, I got... acrylics. Gasp! One of my own nails had just broken right off and I wanted pretty nails for my engagement party. Everyone is looking at your hands, you know! Anyway, as a result my nails were completely de-stroyed. They've just now grown out all the way but they are still tiny little nubbins!
2. For a few months I was working two jobs, 60+ hours a week. When you have to wake up early to go to work, then get home from work and have to go to bed early so you can get up early and go to work again... well. Not only does time not permit blogging, but that doesn't exactly get the creative juices flowing, either.
3. I feel a little overwhelmed. While I try to keep somewhat current as to my collection, by the time I pick up a colour I feel like there are already a million other swatches of it out there with more beautiful photos than I could ever take. I really need to get over that. Even if it is an older colour, I could perhaps offer up an opinion that hasn't been considered before!
Also, I don't want this blog just to be about nail polish anymore. It was fun to start out that way, but it also became a chore. I want this to be a collection of all the small little facets of my life that amalgamate into one big shiny blog diamond. Of course I will still post nail polish related things, I have accumulated so many by now that I'm going to need a second Helmer!
But I'm also getting married and have a new job and there are lots of little things that catch my fancy and give me ideas and inspiration, and I want to share them with you. And with future me!
Anyway, I just wanted to say that my silence has come from feeling not good enough, but I've had just about enough of that feeling!
There is definitely more to come from me!
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Revlon Selects - Nail Art Expressionist in Vincent Van Gold swatches and review!
Hey guys! Before I get into my review I just wanted to say I'm sorry I've been absent for so long! It was a crazy month at work and then it was Christmas and my boyfriend was here... and, well, let's just say he's not my boyfriend anymore! ;)
Needless to say, it's been a crazy whirlwind and now it's January and all settled down.
First of all, can I just say how much I love purple and gold together? It's so royal and posh!
Okay, so we'll start with the polish end. It has a pink toned purple base which is jam packed with purple shimmer that has a blue flash to it. It's fairly pretty, but I'm not the biggest fan of the formula. While it is not too thick or thin and clean application was not an issue, it was very patchy and left bald spots. A thicker second coat left some bubbles upon drying (you can see these most on my ring finger). It is quite possible to make this work, but it takes a little more patience to get it right!
The gold nail art side was very nice. I tried out different nail art on each of my nails and I am pleasantly surprised at how pigmented and easily controllable this gold is! I am generally awful at nail art and I find that this makes it basic pretty simple and foolproof. As you can see, it's not the best for polka dots, but that's why we have dotting tools! My only gripe with this is that it has that sort of marbled metallic effect that some metallic polishes have. This is most evident on my ring finger where I attempted to do a half moon. Because of this I will probably stick to a french or stripe, something that doesn't require a lot of colouring in.
My overall opinion of this polish is good! I love the colour combination of the gold and purple. I love love love the gold nail art polish and how it is so pigmented and easy to use. The purple polish on the other end is so so pretty and, while it takes a little more patience to apply, it is worth it!
Would I buy this? Yes! Though the regular polish left something to be desired for me, I absolutely love the colour combo and the pigmentation of the gold. Please put out a line of solo nail art polishes, Revlon!
xo
This product was provided to me for review and I have given my 100% honest opinion! :)
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