WINTER SKIN CARE ROUTINE

I love the yearly skin care round up.  Hell, I love skin care in general.  I truly believe that happy, beautiful skin is worth investing in -- you only get one skin!  Fair warning, it's a rambly video as opposed to the short, stylistic vids I've been releasing as of late, but when it comes to skin care, I have a lot to talk about.

Also, for the first time EVER in my entire blogging history, I'm doing a guest post!  I share my relationship with my skin over on my friend Gummy's blog, so amble on over there to say hi and show her some love!  She has the most incredible taste in makeup that I've ever seen, so go drool over her beautiful photography and ultra-high def swatches.

Between the video above and the article on Gummy's blog, this is the most intimate take on my skin ever.

Skin care posts are some of the most popular on my blog, so here are the most useful!  I apologize in advance for the hideous quality of the photos.

- Clarisonic vs Neutrogena Wave
- Clarisonic vs Neutrogena Wave Update
- Acne Skin Saviours

I also mentioned this on Gummy's blog, but you'll notice that I haven't included an eye cream. Beauty blogger confession time -- I haven't used one in over year *hangs head in shame*.  Recommendations, please!

SURVIVING THE COLD

Despite having lived in Canada for most of my life, being Canadian and undergoing winter every. single. year I still forget exactly how brutal the weather here can be.  In a few short weeks, the temperatures have regularly dropped to below zero and I've had to pull out a few old tricks to protect my everything.

To give context to those of you who don't know firsthand a Canadian winter: Occasionally it gets cold enough that you'll have arrived safely home but the skin on your legs won't warm up for about twenty minutes.

Tip #1 -- MOISTURIZE!
The first sign of winter is the scaliness that happens on my shins -- sure, my skin gets a bit tighter, the area around my nose gets a tiny bit flaky from constant nose-blowing, but it's my shins that take the worst beating.

Tip #2 -- LAYER!
In my second year of high school, we were forced to winter camp and learn the rules of safe winter dressing.

Layer 1: Wear something that wicks moisture away so you don't freeze and die
Layer 2: Wear something that traps heat so you don't freeze and die
Layer 3: Wear something that blocks wind so you don't freeze and die

I live in a city with a five-minute commute so I'm usually okay with a camisole, a long-sleeved tee and a sweater under my coat.  Also, I had no idea that Lululemon leggings would make for such excellent long johns!

Tip #3 - ACCESSORIZE!
Having your hands, neck, head and feet properly covered and wind-protected makes a world of difference.  I'm often tempted to skip the hat on a wavy-hair day, but I always regret it.  I also spent the last two winters (read: Polar Vortex) without any gloves and while I live to tell the tale, I deeply regret that.  I got the pair in the video from Zara Man because my hands are man-sized.

Any tips for surviving the deep freeze?  Be a lamb and share in the comments!

VLOG: New Year's Eve in NYC

Tod and I had a blast in NYC last week -- we saw some old friends, rang in the new year, and wandered the streets between meals.  This was a five-day glutton's retreat, and we can't wait to do it all over again.  This was largely a food-based trip, but never fear, I have a mini haul coming for you on Thursday.  Check back!

I'm a firm believer in sharing coffee/ice cream/restaurant discoveries, so here are a few of the food spaces we checked out!

Everyman Espresso | Great coffee to go.

136 East 13th Street

New York, NY 10003

Jack's Wife Freda | I die.  Get everything.  Instead of whipped cream, it's Greek yogurt #drool

224 Lafayette Street

New York, NY 10012

Keen's Steakhouse | Chef Bill Rodgers my new favourite person.

72 West 36th Street

New York, NY 10018

Gregory's Coffee | First coffee this trip, conveniently located near Penn Station

874 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10001

Papaya Dog | I accidentally ordered 32 oz of papaya juice. I finished.

239 1st Avenue

New York, NY 10003

Roebling Tea Room | That pancake was to die for.  Not sure how I feel about grits. 

143 Roebling Street

Brooklyn, NY 11211

Ninth Street Espresso | So good.  

700 East 9th Street

New York, NY 10009

Yankee Deli | Egg + cheese + bacon on the roll is a friggin' revelation.

647 East 11th Street #2

New York, NY 10009

Copper and Oak | Literally wall to wall scotch.  The other wall is cognac / brandy / tequila.

157 Allen Street

New York, NY 10002

Mikey's Burger | Cheese fries with spicy mayo and an avocado shake.  Don't ask questions.

134 Ludlow Street

New York, NY 10002

Dough's | EVERYTHING.  Also a Claire Marshall (/heyclaire) recommendation

448 Lafayette Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11205

3 EASY DIY GIFT WRAP IDEAS

Let's talk about the very real struggle around this time -- not only do I occasionally forget about Christmas presents entirely, I often come across absolutely perfect presents around May, buy them, forget about them, then descend into a pre-Christmas panic about purchasing another present.  Such is the life of a non-Virgo.

While I would love to be one of those people who wraps incredible presents, complete with custom hangtags, spray painted pinecones and wire ribbon -- I'm just not.  I love the look of kraft paper with simple adornments (black ribbon obvs), but I'm presented with another progblem.  I lack the ability to wrap anything that's not a rectangular prism of sorts, so I've come up with a few ways to accommodate those gifts that  find equally as appealing as brown paper and ribbon.

Click on the video above to watch on YouTube -- I've found a delicious replacement for tissue paper, an alternative to wrapping paper, and a subtle upgrade to my usual kraft and ribbon song and dance.

OOTD: 25th Birthday

I almost wish I could do a dramatic reading of this, my voice is the absolute smexiest right now.

Seriously though, I've spent most of my 25th birthday week(end) a hoarse, coughing, infectious mess, so huge props to anyone who willingly entered into a closed space with me, and apologies to those who don't realize the ridiculous flu that's about to come upon them.

And for all of you who've wished me a happy birthday and have come back to this completely rando page on the internet and keep me consistent, I love you SO MUCH I can't even begin to describe.

A friend asked me what my goal for 25 was, and honestly, I want to make this space better.   I want to drop that stupid ".blogspot.com" off my address, I want to make the page more navigable, and I want to make my content so frickin beautiful, people will post it instead of those stupid Kinfolk magazines.

Kidding, I adore Kinfolk.

Seriously though, I feel I've been hovering around my blogging style for a while now, and hopefully I can fully carve out a distinct aesthetic before my 26th birthday.

Wish me luck!

And there's a little OOTD up there for you, watch on YouTube for where everything's from!

Tutorial: Holiday Party Look

We're just getting into the swing of holiday parties, and I can't tell you how much I love holidays, parties, and glitter.  We've got all three wrapped up in this makeup tutorial with my friend Laura -- can we take a second to talk about that hair?  If the ginger population ever needed someone to be their spokesperson, it should be her.

I've limited the glitter to the eyes only -- mainly because I want this tutorial to be applicable to people other than me (glitter ERR'WHERE).  I've paired it with photo-ready skin and a holiday classic -- the red lip. In the spirit of the holidays, I've chosen a limited edition MAC Holiday release from 2012, but your favourite red lip will do just fine.

Now that your makeup's covered, share your outfit in the comments!

makeup for pale skin, redhead, makeup for red hair, foundation for pale skin

A Cozy Night in for the Holidays

I don't typically get too into the Christmas -- from a scale of Grinch to Will Ferrell in Elf, I'm someone's single cousin seated at the kid's table during the holiday meal.

It's an awesome time to connect with family and friends I don't get to see all that often, but aside from a love of carols (only in July), chocolate and ensemble casts, I'm just too lazy for the holidays. This time tends to be filled with social obligations (which I love as long as I don't have to plan them), so it's nice to have a night off to hang in your fuzzy socks and not worry if anyone saw yuo do a fourth drive-by that chocolate fountain.  Ain't no judging in this house.

Amounts and instructions for my antisocial gluttony are below, and click the video above to watch me dance in a fur hat and watch Tod descend into a sugar coma -- also wearing the fur hat.

Best, Easiest Hot Chocolate Ever

24 g of milk chocolate
150 mL of 5% cream
Marshmallows (optional, or other garnish)

1. Heat the cream on medium heat until a few wisps of steam come off the surface.
2. Lower the heat to medium-low and carefully lower your chocolate. Stir constantly or you'll get a skin on your chocolate.
3. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and serve immediately.
4. Garnish with a few marshmallows for added sweetness.

Pan of S'Mores

Cast Iron Pan (6.5" used in this tutorial)
1 cup of chocolate chips
2 cups of marshmallows
Graham crackers for dipping

1. Start by spreading a layer of chocolate chips on the bottom of your pan.
2. Follow with your marshmallows, spreading them evenly over the chocolate chips
3. Turn your oven to broil and set the pan on the top rack.
4. Broil for 10 minutes; check your marshmallows around the 8-minute mark to make sure they don't burn.
5. Serve with graham crackers and dip to enjoy

5 THINGS YOU NEED FOR TRAVEL

Last travel post, I promise.

(For now).

I know you're all here for the beauty bits, but I just had to give a shout-out to a few things I actually wouldn't have survived without on my Eurotrip.  You mean you haven't seen the vlog?  Check it out here, and be prepared for that song to be stuck in your head for six to eight hours.

I try not to pack "just in case" items, but the items I talk about are definitely not just in case -- they're tried, true and essential.  There wasn't a single moment on my trip that I was worried about draining my battery, getting lost or over my luggage limit.

Have I missed any other travel essentials?  Leave it in the comments.

What's In My Bag | Proenza Schouler PS1 Review

I picked up this Proenza Schouler PS1 in Military about a year ago -- while I don't use it everyday, it's one of my favourite all-rounders: deceptively roomy, light to carry, and goes with everything.

This is the medium size, measuring 13" x 9" x 4", is just large enough for me to bring everything I need without giving me too much room to fit in the kitchen sink.  I used to be obsessed with the oversized bucket bags of the mid-to-late 00's, but I'm starting to embrace a more streamlined (ish) approach.

This bag can be carried in hand and worn cross-body, but fair warning: the strap is not quite long enough to be a traditionally slouchy messenger bag.  You'll see in the video that the 16" drop sits very high on me, especially with my freakishly long torso, but I almost prefer it because it reminds me of those one-strap backpacks in grade school.

I feel like I should have treated this bag with some sort of leather care, but I have no idea what products are safe to use on this leather.  Got advice? Leave it below!

The bag closure is a flip-lock closure, with two additional straps to keep the envelope flap down; for a more casual look (read: when I'm in a hurry and can't give a bleep), I'll keep the straps loose, but the straps do give the bag more detail.

Fall Makeup | Oxblood Lip + Copper Eye

I (and every other makeup wearer on the planet) adore a smoky eye.  In fact, I'm pretty sure I love smoky eyes more than a lot of other people simply because it's the only type of eye look that'll show up on my flat, hooded eyelids.

For anyone who has eyes lids like mine, you know that you can keep putting on the eye shadow only to have it disappear immediately as soon as you open your eyes.  It can be frustrating, but it also means I get to wear more makeup. Win?

On Tod, I'll be showing you one of my favourite fall looks -- a coppery, red-toned smoky eye.  I never knew how much I could love this type of colour on me; there's definitely a risk that this could end up looking like a bruise.  That said, with the right products and good shadow placement, anyone can wear this look.

HOODED EYE TIP: Keep your eyes open as you apply the eye shadow, so you can judge how far up your lid to place the colour.

OOTD: Fall Transition

Tell me I'm not the only person still hoping for one last warm spell before winter takes over?

I'm not quite ready to retire some of my favourite summer pieces just yet -- I've been incorporating them into more fall-appropriate outfits, but wearing anything from my summer wardrobe gives me the tiniest edge of hope that we'll get at least another weekend of beautiful, sunny weather.  That said, every now and then the wind picks up and reminds me that fall is obviously in place, and I have to adapt.

My favourite summer piece was this linen shirt from Everlane; I wore it nearly every day -- over cutoffs, as a bathing suit cover up, as a light evening jacket for warm summer nights -- it's worn in and washed beautifully, becoming one of the softest shirts I own.  Get it here -- I wear a men's medium.  In this video, I've paired it with a few fall favourites, neutral booties, a coloured jean and a raglan sweater.

Tod's summer uniform consisted of this cobalt blue Vero Moda circle skirt with an equally bright camisole.  The chunky, striped cardigan is a new purchase for the season, a classic trench coat helps pull the colours and patterns together.

Hair Chat

The best selfies are video screenshots, obvi.  #justsayin

I tend to take my hair for granted -- unlike skin care and makeup, I've been very fortunate that I don't have to try all that hard to get my hair to cooperate with me.  That said, because it's become such an easy part of my routine, I forget how much I rely on my hair to feel confident.

The ShineStrong tag is something I helped develop for Pantene-- a series of 12 questions inspired by these two videos for us beauty girls to share our stories of confidence, bravery, and hair journeys.  I can't get enough of all the encouragement and inspiration people have been sharing with the #ShineStrong hashtag; it's incredible to see how far we've come with empowering women.

If listening to me blabber on about me and my hair inspires you to answer the questions, it would be my pleasure to read/watch/consume -- however you prefer to do it.  If you do video though, be sure to share your best screenshots.  See above.

Until the next post, #ShineStrong, beautiful.

Lip Product Addict Tag

You knew it had to happen.  Not only do I adore Essie Button (who was apparently here in Toronto the other day!), I love me some lip. Product, that is.  This tag was legitimately made for me -- click through to watch the video on YouTube and find at my answers to the following questions...

The Lip Product Addict Tag

1. Favourite blam/treatment?

2. Best eye-catching red?

3. Best luxury and best drugstore?

4. Best MAC lipstick?

5. The most disappointing?

6. Liner, yes or no? Oops! Forgot to answer this one, but the short answer is nope!

7. Best gloss?

8. Something extra!

Some of these questions were a struggle; I have far too many favourites in each category!  I tag all of you to answer the questions, either on your blogs or in the comments!

The Edit: Spring Nail Polish Picks

I tend to trade in my usual vamp for something brighter in the summer -- not too crazy, mind you, I still need to retain my muted-tone badassery (#LOL #whatever #yeahright).

I'm not the greatest when it comes to painting my own nails, but in my quest to stop biting my nails and take better care of myself while the warm weather is still motivating me, I'm sharing my top picks for the next season.

Though you know me, I can be pretty unpredictable when it comes to routine.  It wouldn't be the first time a brand new polish came onto the market and made the world tilt.

Any suggestions?  Leave 'em below.

Hair Chat | Hair Donation

I have always put an incredible premium on my hair -- it's probably far too much of a part of my identity, but what can I say?  It has the capacity to instantly change the way I feel about myself, to pull me out of a funk, to practice and improve at something.  I love my hair, and I can't imagine going a day without it.  I detailed my hair journey once, from Grade 1 bowl cut to a horrifying senior year perm.  Check it out here.

That said, there are women every day who have lost their hair due to various forms of cancer treatment.  My decision to donate my hair came when I began working with Pantene Beautiful Lengths* and National Donate Your Hair Day -- so many people came out to support and contribute, it was hard not to start thinking about it.  There were so many stories of women who had received wigs; having hair helped them regain their confidence and sense of self.

Check out the video below -- I'll explain more about the donation process and the requirements; you can see exactly how long my hair is and how much I cut off, and the length it's at after I'm done.

#ponyitup!

*I work with Pantene to execute the Pantene Beautiful Lengths campaign; all opinions and experiences are my own!

Testing Elizabeth Arden

Ah, the infamous Elizabeth Arden Red Door.  Discreetly printed into these gorgeous gold compacts, I almost feel like I'm standing outside their 5th Avenue salon.  Almost.

I've been so looking forward to warmer weather that a summery day look was in order.  I love a lightly smoky eye in the summer!  Paired with bronzed skin and juicy lips, it's usually my go-to look for cocktails on a patio.  I kept the base light and simple, under-eye corrector with a little mineral powder on top just to give a nice, matte finish.  On the eyes I used the eye shadow duo in Beautiful Color Eye Shadow Duo in Heathered Plums 04* -- the buttery, lighter shade is perfect for an everyday wash of colour, and the darker shade makes for an amazing liner.

Can we talk about this Pure Finish Radiant Bronzer Powder in Warm* for a moment?  Have you seen anything so beautiful?  The powder is made of four different shades -- a rosy, dark brown, a golden brown, a light ballerina pink and an ivory shot through with gold shimmer.  This isn't one of those bronzers I'd necessarily use to contour; this is a traditional, shimmery, glowifying (that's a word) bronzer.  Use it to fool people into thinking you've had an extra week of holiday.  The Beautiful Colour Radiance Blush in Plum Perfection 03* has an insanely blendable texture (not unlike the eye shadow) and the most subtle, barely-there shimmer running through it.  If you regularly watch my videos, you'll know that I prefer to use the same brush for foundation, blush and bronzer to give it a more seamless finish.

Lips are finished off with a lipstick/lip gloss hybrid that is so pigmented, I can't even put it on full-strength.  Beautiful Colour Luminous Lip Gloss* is chock full of ultrafine pink and silver shimmer to give your lips dimension, and formulated with mango and shea butter to keep your pout hydrated.  The best part?  The built-in mirror.  No joke.

Deets:  These are available online on the Elizabeth Arden site, at most department stores and the occasional Shoppers Drug Mart.  That  beautifully embossed bronzer is limited edition and will run you $38/10g of product.  The blush is permanent and is $26/5.4g, and all eyeshadow duos are $28.50/3g.  That lip gloss goes for $18 --  the same as a MAC Lipglass but with a smidge more product at 5g.

Keep an eye out for a few more Elizabeth Arden -- maybe a few things from the Eight Hour line? We'll see!

*PR Sample

Urban Decay Vice Palette

This is the one that got away.  A beautiful combination of buttery, creamy shadows in a fantastic range of shadows with the most perfect bright/neutral ratio.  Yes, we are talking about the Urban Decay Vice Palette -- one of those instances where I debated far too long about getting it, and I'm feeling the regrets.

Fortunately enough, my beautiful friend Peruana who is a beauty fiend lite managed to get her hands on the palette. We've been talking about me playing with it for months, and I knew I had eyes for only one colour.  Chaos.  Come to us, precious.

This is one of those tutorials where I literally sit down and play with makeup -- there is no direction, no plan -- I play with all the colours and I hope it turns into something I like.  The process usually goes something like, "Ooh, pretty colour!  Are we going out after?  Is it night time?" and those are the factors that decide which products I use, how crazy I go with shapes and colour, and how much glitter I can use.  Super professional, no?

Hope you enjoy the tutorial and don't forget to watch on Youtube for a full line-up of products and links!

11 Questions Tag (twice)!

A couple lovely ladies tagged me to do this -- the idea is that they ask 11 questions, I answer them, then I ask you 11 of my own.  I tried so many times to film this, and it was just wasn't working out -- random fire alarms, filled SD cards, camera batteries dying, I gave up and filmed as much as I could.  I figured I'd answer one of the tags in the video, and the other here so those who visit my Youtube channel could enjoy one, and the readers could have the other!

I answer Annick's questions in the video -- she's the writer behind The Small Little Things in Life.  Here are her questions!

1. You are traveling to Morocco and can only bring 5 makeup items. What would those items be? 
2. What is your favorite eyeshadow of all times.
3. What's your 5 minute face? 
4. Do you pencil/draw in your brows? If so, with what products?
5. Tell me of an embarrassing makeup moment or story 
6. Heels or flats?
7. What is the most luxurious makeup item you own?
8. Do you have any pets? 
9. You've won a gift certificate at Sephora for $100. How would you spend it? 
10. What's your skin type? 
11. Do you like ice cream? What's your favorite kind?

Becca from The Beauty Sample tagged me to do this too!  Here are her questions, with my answers!

1. Do you have a go-to look when it comes to makeup? If so, describe it!

My go-to look is usually nothing!  If I'm putting in a tiny effort, the first thing I'll do is this look I recently showed you.

2. On average, how often do you buy new makeup? Do you buy makeup more in-store or online?

I really hope my mother isn't reading this.  I'm pretty sure I buy something every month, but it comes and goes in waves.  For example, around June, there's a few warehouse sales in Toronto and that ends up being...not a great month for me, budget-wise.  I've recently dabbled in online makeup purchasing, you can see my first purchase here!

3. Are there any brands that you have been dying to try but haven’t gotten a chance to yet?

SO MANY.  Tata Harper skincare is one of them, Costes fragrances, MAQPro, By Terry, Rouge Bunny Rouge, Tom Ford, REN skincare, Burberry makeup, T. LeClerc, Ellis Faas makeup, Barry M, Collection 2000...shall I go on?

4. Do you spend more money on makeup or skincare?

This is a tricky question.  I think my current makeup collection holds more dollar value, but I regularly use up and replace my skincare.  It's probably both?   I know for a long time I was spending way more money on nail polish than anything else!  You know what scares me?  My tolerance for outrageously priced cosmetics is getting higher and higher...

5. When it comes to skincare products, do you like to try new things a lot or do you stick to something loyally if you find it works for you?

Both!  One of my cardinal skincare rules is that you should establish a routine that always works for you, no matter what.  Then you can play with other products without worrying that you won't have something to go back to.

6. Most reached for blush as of late? What about eyeshadow? Eyeliner?

Blush is one of those things I can switch up every day.  I'm currently loving using my lip colour on my cheeks!  Eye shadow...anything neutral?  Currently it's Naked from Urban Decay.  I almost never wear eye liner these days, but I've been playing with the Stila Stay All Day liner (giving myself fun tattoos), and that's working really well!

7. Do you have any “HG” products? If so, share!

Not sure that I do...I have products that I adore, but none that I would necessarily call HG.  I think that kind of implies that you don't want to try anything else and my Product A.D.D. refuses to let that happen.

8. Is there that one perfect product that you keep searching for but have yet to find? If so, what is it? 

If one day...ONE DAY, I could find a foundation that is green enough to suit my extremely olive skin...I don't think I'd look any further.  It's not enough for foundation to be warm -- it has to have a little green in it. That is, if it makes you look ill, it's probably right for me. I'm open to any and all suggestions!  

9. If you had to choose just one beauty brand to shop from for the next 5 years, which brand would you choose?

What's supremely funny about this question is that I feel like my perfect brand is one of the ones I mentioned above.  Out of the ones I've tried so far...Institut Esthederm for skincare (they're the creators of Bioderma!) and Make Up For Ever for cosmetics!

10. Are you a sucker for packaging and/or pretty presentation (like the new trend of gorgeous, intricately embossed powders)?

Yes. Yes. And yes.  I (almost) never buy them.

11. You’re already running late but have on a completely bare face. Do you take an extra 5-10 (or even 15…:P) minutes to throw on just a little bit of makeup or do you go as is?

Not even a little.  If I'm late, I'm running out the door, stopping only to brush my teeth (because if I don't, my entire day is legitimately ruined).  The only other thing I might stop for is a face oil!

This was such a fun (yet oddly difficult) tag to do!  I'm going to recycle a few of the questions I loved answering.  I tag Christine B. from Little Red Bow, Evelyn from We Were Raised by Wolves, Esther from In a Nutshell, Alma from Honey Lushy and Jessica from Pixel Bunny!  No pressure though!  

1. Check your bag.  What lip products do you have in there?
2. Do you also hate CAPTCHA codes on comments?
3. Tell me an embarrassing makeup story!  What's one makeup habit that (in hindsight) was so, so wrong for you?
4. What's the one product/trick/technique that instantly boosts your confidence?
5. What do your favourite physical feature on yourself why?  How do you enhance it or show it off?
6. Share: your favourite blog? One that you think deserves more attention?
7. What was the most recent beauty item you repurchased?
8. What's worse:  Terrible drawn eyebrows or horribly chipped polish?
9. Most affordable beauty favourite?  Most expensive beauty favourite?
10. Any HG products?
11. Go-to nail colour?

Anyone reading this who feels like answering any of the questions, I'd love to hear them!

my hair

After I did my Batiste review, I got a couple of questions from Becca at The Beauty Sample about my hair.  I figured it'd be fun to do a hair history -- that way, if I review any hair products in the future, you'll always have this to come back to.

My hair history begins with a very typical, toddler bowl cut.  Unlike most parents who decide on this cut, my parents decided to bring me to a salon and have someone inflict it on me.  If I had any of the baby pictures, I would show you but...it's probably better that I don't.

I'm going to skip over the first decade and  half of my life where I remained under a regime of regular bowl cut oppression, and into a time after puberty when my hair grew out.  I didn't do much with my hair in high school -- I didn't even own a hair straightener!  I pulled my hair back in a pony tail every day and went about my nerdy way.

Then it happened -- I got a perm.  Before you ask, here's how it happened.  I was going to a wedding in Hong Kong, and my cousin suggested we get blowouts.  The hairstylist gave me a few waves with a curling iron and I thought...wouldn't it be great if I woke up and my hair looked like this?

You should know that nothing in life is that easy.  In fact, I'm sure most people know that, it just took me two perms to figure out.  Yes, two.  Back-to-back, no less.

The perm wasn't as bad as the word "perm" conjures -- here's a photo for your viewing pleasure.  The issue was that my hair came out completely fried and damaged, from root to tip.  That is, despite my efforts at deep conditioning, I had to wait until the entire length of my hair -- root to tip-- grew out before it would stop feeling like hay.  The first night I laid down after straightening my hair post-perm, it literally felt like I was sleeping on horsehair.

It was Halloween. Not that I didn't wear fairy wings all the time, under my clothes.

Now my hair is pretty routinely subjected to heat-styling -- I'd say I style twice a month, maybe more in the summer.  In the video you can see my hair colour, texture and length.  I've never dabbled in hair colour, and I hope I won't have to for a few more years (though I do have more than a few greys peeking out).  As for my cut, I've had the same hairstylist since I was five.  I've grown to stop resenting him for the Bowl Cut Era, because he does a fantastic job now. He is also responsible for all of Tod's crazy haircuts that I choose for her.  Check out her Arizona Muse-inspired cut here and her asymmetrical cut here.

Check out the video for all the products I use to keep my hair looking...like it does in the video.  The Youtube info box will also have a full list of products!

Everyday Makeup

Lately I've been in a bit of a makeup rut.  Not in a bad way, more in a I have my routine down-pat type of
 way.  It lies somewhere between lazy winter face and light spring face with its ultra-light, but perfect base, highlight, rosy cheeks and groomed eye.  In fact, if I'm in a massive rush, I'll even skip gloss and brows (and usually mascara, but that's just me).

Also, since some of you have yet to meet Tod in a timely capacity, she is the model for my video.  Tutorials have been few and far between since she moved away (weekends are now usually spent scouting for milkshakes and extra-thin crust pizzas instead of filming), so it was nice to try and get back into the groove.  Also, we went on a bit of a makeup hunt and came back with Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer samples, so we needed an excuse to play with them.

Since this is my first attempt at a voice-over tutorial (how much rambling/awkward pausing can I get into eight minutes if left to my own devices?  Find out.), she ends up talking through the entire video.  At one point (or five) she gets some pretty weird facial posing going.  It's worth a watch just for that.

Hope you enjoy the tutorial and don't forget to subscribe/sound off in the comments!