Thursday, January 19, 2012

Weekly Collage

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- It semi snowed this week! What a lovely (yet belated) surprise. I do enjoy light snow but when it gets really vicious, I get surly like everyone else.

- I've used up half of my favorite candles! They're both seasonal so it's my last Homemade Cookies by Slatkin & Co and Christmas Cookies by Yankee candle. Next year, I'm hoarding!

- Had lunch with Nick at William's last week. The Cobb salad really is excellent with sesame dressing.

- I've been making myself fruit platters at night. I am completely out of bananas though, so a trek to Metro is necessary this week.

- Nick and I went to Ikea for Saturday brunch. Fact: We bought three bags of Ikea meatballs.

- I had an interview really early this Monday so I stayed over with Geneva (who I frequently refer to as my wife) in Toronto. We were shopping at Eatons so I got Gyozas from Kenzo Ramen since they were down the street. They're absolutely delicious. Kenzo ramen looks a bit sketchy from the outside, which means the food must be stellar.

- Super fun slumber ~ party ~ night was spent watching Friends and the Golden Globes. I ate half of Geneva's oranges supply and lots of salami.

- Got a new Clarisonic brush head. Went for Sensitive skin this time, rather than Delicate. This is a much better choice. For anyone interested, it goes Delicate - > Sensitive - > Normal.

The normal is very harsh though, I wouldn't recommend it.

- Also included in Geneva's christmas package: Her Mario Badescu Drying lotion. I have rekindled my eternal love for it. It's a lot more gentle than my DDF clay. The PINK MONSTER RETURNS. I actually use them in combination now. I'm like extra scary at night now.

- Christmas candles at 50% off at Bath & Body works. I got two of the Marshmellow Peppermint. I don't like it as much as the cookie series but I'll live :p

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Weekly Favorites #1

I've determined that my Sunday Surveys are basically a summary of things that I liked for the week. So I've decided to simplify it and condense everything into a little collage.

Thus, ze Weekly Favorites series! :)


1) Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanica

I've read this many times before but I always revisit it because it never fails to cheer me up. It's a quick read about what it's like to work as a professional waiter. If you like a novel with quick wit and snarky one liners, I would suggest picking it up. It's hilarious.

2) Stiff by Mary Roach

I've read this very slowly because I can't spend hours reading about cadavers without feeling ~ meh ~ at the end of the day. However, the novel is informative and extremely interesting. It talks a lot about the preparation of cadavers in addition to the history of body snatching, how they're treated by medical students, where your organs go if you donate them, etc. Some of the description can be a bit graphic. I loved the book but I also get it's not for everyone :)

3) Tetley's Cleanse Tea in Lemon Balm and Honey

I love this! It's a very soothing flavor that I drink before bed time. My brain has been conditioned to feel sleepy every time I brew this. The smell is amazing but then again, I'm a sucker for anything that smells like honey.

4) Coffee Candy

One of my housemates gave me a couple of these because she knows I like nomming on candy. Oh. my. god. They're insanely good. I almost never drink coffee (I just don't like it) but this candy is excellent. There is a small mountain of shiny brown wrappers growing on my desk.

5) Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

This used to be my eye make-up remover but I've been using it on the rest of my face for a good few weeks now. I really like this cleanser. It's got a very strong eucalyptus scent and the texture is thick and buttery. I believe it's clay based so I've read reviews that it broke some people out at first. Personally, I think it's very gentle gentle cleanser. I wouldn't use it in the mornings but I find it highly enjoyable to wash my face at night.

That sounds weird :p

6) Clarisonic

Yes, I have a clarisonic. Please don't judge me. I procured it about 2 years ago in my fit of shopping insanity. However, this is a very good system. I actually gave up on it for a few months because the brush hurt my face. This was extremely pricey so as a last attempt to love it again, I went to Sephora to buy a different brush head. Turns out, this made a huge difference. The Sensitive brush head is a far better fit for my skin type. The Delicate brush head is technically softer but for some odd reason, it was just too abrasive. If anyone is thinking of investing in one of these, make sure you get the right brush head :)

7) Tarte Amazonian Clay powder

I have combo skin, dry on cheeks but oily on my T-zone. I never use powders because they give me a strange white cast over my face. Also, I can never figure out how much is the right amount. This is almost fool proof. It just disappears into your skin and gives you a nice smooth finish. I still look slightly shiny if I'm running around all day but it's so subtle that it just looks like a nice glow. Highly recommend if anyone is in the market for a Sephora-priced product.

8) Korres Pomegranate Lip Butter

This is just about my favorite lip product ever. The color is beautiful, it moisturizes your lips and it smells really nice. It looks extremely bright in the container but once you smooth it on your lips, it's a very natural flush of pink.

9) Pretty Little Liars

Guilty pleasure show that contains no substance. However, it's entertaining to boot and I'm completely addicted.

10) Friends

Classic. I watch it all the time on repeat

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Weekly Collage

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- I went out for dim sum with Simon this week! How I miss my precious light bulb-headed friend. We had fun nomming at a dim sum place in Downtown Hamilton. It wasn't too bad. They had this fairly yummy bamboo wrap that was surprisingly good. It came down to $20 so we paid $10 each. Quite a good deal since we got a lot of food (not shown here, clearly :p).

- Christmas PJs were 50% off at La Senza! My housemates keep telling me how warm and cozy I look this week. This set don't look too Christmasy until you read the words imprinted on there :p

- I've been taking Vitamin E pills every day because it's supposed to helps with dry skin and redness. These are my primary ailments so I thought "What the hell". Not quite sure if it's working but I figure Vitamin E can't kill me. I poured some into a little jelly bean jar I got from my Glymm Box a few months back.

- Someone said that Homemade Cookie from Slatkin & Co may be seasonal? No, don't let it be!

- Hadi came to Hamilton this week! I love it when friends come for a visit. We all had tea together at Williams but I was dying of hunger so I ate a Cobb salad. It's actually very good with the sesame dressing.

- Friday breakfasts with Nick has continued (yes, I've given up on screening names), except this time we had it at the Pancake house instead of Williams. I had the Western omelet with a hint of sugar in my tea. Nick drinks tea the british way (no sugar, just milk). I ended up giving him most my home fries because I can't eat oily food that early in the morning.

- Rice milk was on sale this week! $1.99, down from $3.60! I bought what was left over, the shelves were almost cleaned out.

- Favorite snack of the week: Corn pops and rice milk in a Christmas cup.

Sunday Survey - January 8th, 2012

01: What's your mood for the week?

Not too bad, really. Although school makes me facepalm on every level, I enjoy the amount of freedom I have on campus.

02: What have you been watching this week?


Does anyone watch Friends the way I do? Every school year, I start from Season 1 and watch it all the way to Season 10. Theeeen, I rewind and start again. It's just such a good time passer. I actually put it in the background when I'm cleaning my room or folding laundry.

It almost feels like I have a TV!

03 Best thing about this week: Actually, there's two. One is having the Boy around on a consistent basis and a close second would be finding rice milk for $1.99 at Fortinos.

It's a sad life.

04: What makeup are you wearing today?

Base: Benefit Concealer in 02
Cheeks: Mac Blushcreme in Ladyblush
Eyes: Physicians Formula Liquid eyeliner, Maybelline Falsies Mascara, Urban Decay eye shadows in Buck and Naked.
Lips: Dior lipbalm

04 What Skincare product did you use this week?


Day: Cetaphil Gentle skin cleanser, Neostrata Daytime Smoothing Lotion Level 1

Night:

Makeup remover:
Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish
Cleansers: Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, Bioderma on Chin.
Moisturizers: Origins Mega Mushroom moisturizer, Lush Full of Grace Serum on T-zone
Additionional: DDf sulfur mask on any places that I'm paranoid about

There wasn't enough space in the box so I've just listed the products I think are the most effective :p

05 What am you wearing today?

H&M polka dot shirt with poofy sleeves, gray Gap jeans, Keds and a beige H&M trench coat (great choice for the morning, a very poor decision for the afternoon)

06 What are you reading this week?

Steve Job's Biography. I bought the paper copy before the break and didn't bring it home because it was too heavy. A friend of mine recommended me a bunch of books over the winter break so I'm going to work through that this week!

07 Current wish list


1) Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed
2) Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette
3) Tarte Amazonian Clay powder
4) Origins Mega Mushroom Moisturizer

08 Current Obsessions: Food related candles. I'm currently working on my Yankee Candle in Christmas Cookies and my Slatkin & Co candle in Homemade Cookies.

09 Aim for this week: Finish final logo designs for Thesis