tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32646515999650027532024-03-14T06:07:56.493-04:00 christyceechristy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-11188945782669209932017-09-21T00:34:00.000-04:002017-09-21T18:01:32.396-04:00Tricks for going to the Gym!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJG9vzbxPl0xYpbjUxTtMcdSV_DZL9H9s2PR2gcW8lZDwhj2VX63rbT9HoARl6yda50kyeSBaRD-u4YvLRedyM-MP9Fvl0k3ljj0MBoVHQrN9nH6KepCKXzIuLMsNToXco8gxLA6qsOoI/s1600/goodlife_facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Goodlife membership and Les Mills Classes" border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJG9vzbxPl0xYpbjUxTtMcdSV_DZL9H9s2PR2gcW8lZDwhj2VX63rbT9HoARl6yda50kyeSBaRD-u4YvLRedyM-MP9Fvl0k3ljj0MBoVHQrN9nH6KepCKXzIuLMsNToXco8gxLA6qsOoI/s200/goodlife_facebook.jpg" title="Goodlife membership and Les Mills Classes" width="200" /></a>I don't know if you've ever tried to lose weight, but it isn't that easy (for most people at least!) Somehow, after all my travelling and eating tons of good food, I came back with a few unexpected 'lbs'! I don't regret all the wonderful opportunities to try new dishes and snacks; however, it is important for me to get back in shape.<br />
<br />
Anyways, so I signed up for a membership at Goodlife and although I'm not a fan since they basically have a monopoly, they <br />
have tons of locations and classes and I had no other choice, and so I've been going regularly for the last two weeks.<br />
<br />
Everyone says that it's good to switch it up - and this is so true.<br />
<br />
<u>Here are some Tips that will hopefully give you the push you need to actually go to the Gym: </u><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Try going to different locations.</b> I'm fortunate that within a 10-15 minute drive, there are <b>3 </b>Goodlife locations nearby my house.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Switch it up - Try different classes! </b>Because of the first point, I have three schedules that I can choose from and this helps to make sure I'm not doing BodyPump everyday. In the last week, I've been <i>really</i> been making an effort. I don't know if I've ever gone this frequently, but maybe it's because I have so much time on my hands at the moment! This is what I've been doing to ensure my days are different:</li>
<ul>
<li><u>BodyPump</u> - This ones a classic, you work with barbells and do a full body workout that emphasizes reps. There's upbeat music and an hour flies by quickly as the instructor shouts words of encouragement. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<ul><ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmd3PD-MEefXQSVUBXV0x-VSh9knmnf095lZBnwcZ1oSbAOX5fbAIVNm5n8o5PeieaauiccqtNBlc9cRWZMh3NVB5E3S872MiCOPRQh-7pitMYcGgXqFmr18i2xKbqsTXOdvLB0vjlTs/s1600/IMG_1109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Running shoes " border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmd3PD-MEefXQSVUBXV0x-VSh9knmnf095lZBnwcZ1oSbAOX5fbAIVNm5n8o5PeieaauiccqtNBlc9cRWZMh3NVB5E3S872MiCOPRQh-7pitMYcGgXqFmr18i2xKbqsTXOdvLB0vjlTs/s200/IMG_1109.JPG" title="Running shoes " width="200" /></a>
<li><u>BodyCombat</u> - This one can feel a bit silly with the music and the jumping and jabbing around but don't be fooled - it's gets your heart rate up and is great for cardio.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li><u>BodyAttack</u> - This one is a combination of basic exercises, squats and pushups, together with a ton of jumping around, running around and cardio. According to their website I think you burn something like 600 calories!</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li><u>Kayla's BBG Workout</u> - The 'bbg' work out is insta-famous due to the many transformations posted on Instagram. It's HIIT and within 28 minutes you're sore, and panting - honestly, even at halfway I think to myself that it's definitely been the longest 14 minutes I've ever experienced.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li><u>Machines </u>- Bicycle, Treadmill (with intervals), Treadmill (on incline), Stair Master, Weights - squat rack, deadlifts, cable-machines etc.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Make it easy to go to the gym. </b>This means making it harder to change your mind, when in contrast deciding not to go can be so easy. </li>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li><u>Schedule it!</u> If you say you'll go 'tomorrow' or one of these days it might not end up happening as you make plans. Pick a class, or write it down in your calendar. That way you <i>know</i> that at 6:30 you <i>are</i> going to the gym. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul>
<li><u>Change into your work out clothes</u>! Sometimes I'll tell myself that I'll go 'in an hour' - typically, after dinner or if I can't bring myself to go just yet. If I'm already in the clothes, chances are that it's already prepared me mentally to get out the door. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Read! </b>- I bumped into my friend and the gym and saw her reading a book on the bicycle and thought it was funny. But turns out this is a super effective way to get through that last exercise (machines). As a long-distance runner cardio usually isn't what I find most difficult, it's <i>boredom</i>. I've always been an outdoor runner, but recently I've been trying to do a bit more indoors but somehow even though I once upon a time finished a marathon, after 2 minutes on the treadmill I'm already telling myself it's too soon to get off. Every minute or so is a mental challenge of convincing myself to continue. But when I brought a book with me, it did such a great job at distracting me, by rotating through the machines I spent nearly an hour there while being enthralled in my book!</li>
</ul>
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<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLwBFwXh1APLUIOsXpqC8YEVGd7XG0lEP_s6UNr8d78S0_IXqH1aWjEB1TETOZrFYmuPKJGBzGLrgFNCrSfQNW9NBo_GI4wlDYzMmbwQ7fLXddPJ8j2h-pS6Fkdruf-SE2tFZFZaupvU/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1336" data-original-width="1600" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLwBFwXh1APLUIOsXpqC8YEVGd7XG0lEP_s6UNr8d78S0_IXqH1aWjEB1TETOZrFYmuPKJGBzGLrgFNCrSfQNW9NBo_GI4wlDYzMmbwQ7fLXddPJ8j2h-pS6Fkdruf-SE2tFZFZaupvU/s200/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="200" /></a>As you can see, each time I go to the gym I've been doing a different exercise, and going to a different location (that's 5^3 combinations) so I feel like I'm constantly doing something new. Or at the very least doing the same class at a maximum of once a week.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Full disclosure, can't say I've seen much progress just yet - but hopefully this will help me to get me on the right track!</div>
christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-84078448552891046232017-06-24T08:02:00.001-04:002017-06-24T08:02:06.799-04:00International Exchange in Singapore - Overview<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-T1ZoTmjoC3y2lIjkVT8qHowOy9xx1bp9edzemSfNT2O5xuq4dIY4xJAIbAD_26PyupgCnF9FqJDkXuurbkUzXkQP6QO4CZlRlmQ-mK9xzhtT6g5gyY96zUm0CUGXcbm44AWJ0V0Hwlw/s1600/IMG_1128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-T1ZoTmjoC3y2lIjkVT8qHowOy9xx1bp9edzemSfNT2O5xuq4dIY4xJAIbAD_26PyupgCnF9FqJDkXuurbkUzXkQP6QO4CZlRlmQ-mK9xzhtT6g5gyY96zUm0CUGXcbm44AWJ0V0Hwlw/s640/IMG_1128.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gardens by the Bay - an iconic photo for Singapore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Exchange is a phenomenal experience. Although it is a fairly expensive experience, you can really make it a worthwhile experience that's incredibly enriching and memorable.<br />
<br />
So going into exchange, I had taken an additional course the summer earlier to have a reduced course load during my time in Singapore. This meant that I had four courses during my semester, and with a lot of strategic scheduling I managed to fit everything into my Tuesday and Wednesday - meaning I could travel from Wednesday evening until Monday and practically had a 5 day weekend.<br />
<br />
<i>Small note - the "BOSS" bidding that SMU uses is quite annoying, make sure you plan accordingly when you make your bids or else you might still have an incomplete schedule even as school is about to start. Also, most courses are Pass or Fail for exchange students which explains the relaxed attitude and student demeanour throughout the semester. </i><br />
<br />
I didn't leave every single week (although some other exchange students did manage to get away with doing so with some questionable behaviour) due to the cost but it was also because I did need to have a few weeks to catch up with my workload at times or else failing was a real fear. <br />
<br />
Exchange is interesting - you go into it knowing that it will be a cultural learning experience, but I found that I actually learned more about other international cultures (European specifically), rather than Singapore's. The reason this happens is because people simply congregate and clump together based on common interests. Meaning, exchange students typically end up staying together with exchange students and don't actually associate as much with the local students - which can be unfortunate.<br />
<br />
However, since SMU has a heavy emphasis on group projects (I had one for every single class) it is the only way where are put in a situation where you do meet local students in your class and work closely together. Although most students are going on exchange and are thus quite sympathetic, exchange students do have a reputation for being deadweights so you should probably try to contribute as best you can. With that being said, a group of only exchange students can be quite dangerous and unfortunate for whichever student is left to do all the work while others are out of country (this happened to one of my friends)!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgisUSrtCadOqYwY_ZZ6LvWD-WEATFVnN0pd2z9rJ0hKjcMnaucq0Mkd3RYza35lFWkgMMOUxO14mIfcaV0WJA0YAR52P1L9_ElWonD3PXZm9y0RhfrlvZcLBwN14qYaBBqXEeKwv2XU-s/s1600/IMG_1101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Skyline of Singapore" border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgisUSrtCadOqYwY_ZZ6LvWD-WEATFVnN0pd2z9rJ0hKjcMnaucq0Mkd3RYza35lFWkgMMOUxO14mIfcaV0WJA0YAR52P1L9_ElWonD3PXZm9y0RhfrlvZcLBwN14qYaBBqXEeKwv2XU-s/s640/IMG_1101.JPG" title="Skyline of Singapore" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Although I lived with the Finnish and the French, we had neighbours in the apartment which were Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Austrian, Irish, and German as well. It's no wonder that I ended up learning so much about European culture! It was interesting to hear about small little nuances in sayings, or customs, but there would also be discussions about the educational system, travel, values and politics. Having exposure and the opportunity to learn about this just through some light chatter and banter was something I truly enjoyed.<br />
<br />
A lot of the Canadians would typically hang out with other Canadians and keep to themselves but it was pretty interesting because there was actually a slight difference that I noticed between the other Canadians and the Europeans. I was actually slightly older since my school does exchange in the last year and because I was completing my fifth year for my dual degree. In contrast the rest of the Canadian schools typically go during their third year, which meant that there was a bit of a gap. Interestingly enough, people were generally my age or older for various reasons, which included being in the army, taking a gap year to travel or to work.<br />
<br />
Anyways in terms of living situation, I lived in Farrer Park, which is only about two stops from my campus through the MRT (25 minutes by subway approximately) or simply one bus (15 minutes). With the subway it did require one transfer each time, but it wasn't too bad as: Farrer Park -> Purple line -> Dhoby Gaut -> Circle Line -> Bras Basah.<br />
<br />
Despite leaving the day before Christmas, I arrived in Singapore the day afterwards (effectively missing Christmas altogether). Since then I travelled from the first week of January onwards to the first week of June. I had my 'weekend trips' - which included one Recess week, as well as a six-week long backpacking trip after my exam was completed.<br />
<br />
My weekend trips included the following cities:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Malaysia: Kuala Lampur, Malacca</li>
<li>Thailand: Phuket, Ko Phi Phi, Chiang Mai</li>
<li>Hong Kong</li>
<li>Taiwan: Tai Pei,</li>
<li>Vietnam: Ho Chi Min, Mui Ne</li>
<li>Japan: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kurashiki, Okayama, Hijemi, Kobe</li>
</ul>
<div>
My six-week backpacking trip included the following cities: </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Philipines: Coron/Palawan</li>
<li>Vietnam: Sapa, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay</li>
<li>Thailand: Ko Phang An </li>
<li>Cambodia: Siem Reap, Phnom Penh</li>
<li>Myanmar: Yangon, Bagan, Inle Lake</li>
<li>Indonesia: Bali (Kuta, Seminyak, Ubud, Canggu), Gili Islands (Gili T, Gili Air), Nusa Ceningan</li>
</ul>
<div>
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</div>
<div>
Anyways that is my brief intro - and I will be back with more updates. Hoping to include itineraries, worthwhile attractions, hostels, and possibly food recommendations. </div>
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<br />christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com0Singapore1.352083 103.819836000000010.8441055 103.174389 1.8600605 104.46528300000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-2377844892701448322017-06-24T07:11:00.000-04:002017-06-24T08:07:47.274-04:00Venturing off in South East Asia - The Beginning
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://scontent-sit4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/15843973_10211639598656352_8880965830110115399_o.jpg?oh=0dc68792bea392c815d7c71e7fcb26a1&oe=59E15F31" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="singapore skyline" border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="800" height="421" src="https://scontent-sit4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/15843973_10211639598656352_8880965830110115399_o.jpg?oh=0dc68792bea392c815d7c71e7fcb26a1&oe=59E15F31" title="singapore" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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It's starting to sound old, but again here is another post that seemingly appears to be coming out of no where. It's been almost a year and a half since the last post right? Some how this doesn't sound any different to my last post, which also had me thinking 'Wow, this is the first time I'm posting in a year'.<br />
<br />
Regardless, a lot can change in one year. The last six months has been, what feels like a 'once in a life time experience' and will be something that I will not forget.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://scontent-sit4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/15874666_10211639598616351_1543831183694394762_o.jpg?oh=174b6bb331cf45d506036bf896fc3672&oe=59DFB7C2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="marina bay sands on the marina bay in singapore" border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="800" height="361" src="https://scontent-sit4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/15874666_10211639598616351_1543831183694394762_o.jpg?oh=174b6bb331cf45d506036bf896fc3672&oe=59DFB7C2" title="marina bay sands in singapore" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An unmistakable view in Singapore.</td></tr>
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I decided to do take part in the exchange program that was available in my program, and so for my last semester of undergrad I had the opportunity to complete it in Singapore! The fact that I've decided to give this blog an update at the very end after it has wrapped up is pretty unfortunate, but better late than never? </div>
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For now I'm just hoping to do a brief update, to be honest I really do it owe it to myself to put some more in depth entries about my trip but for now this will have to do. For a lot of the travels, I do have some of our rough trip itineraries so perhaps I'll simply post them along with some photos. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://scontent-sit4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15823277_10211639599416371_5998640613131210847_n.jpg?oh=7cc6c0c7844142b6d5837ed98bd5f8cf&oe=59E61643" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="789" height="400" src="https://scontent-sit4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15823277_10211639599416371_5998640613131210847_n.jpg?oh=7cc6c0c7844142b6d5837ed98bd5f8cf&oe=59E61643" width="393" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some our outfits all looked pretty coordinated but it was really just a coincidence. </td></tr>
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Throughout this exchange I lived in a flat as group of six SMU students, which comprised two French girls, two Finnish boys, an American and a Canadian (me)! To be honest it was quite risky going into this living situation. We had never met and simply found ourselves in one group rather randomly, as a result of a Facebook group that had been created for the incoming SMU exchange students. </div>
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<br />christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com0Singapore1.352083 103.819836000000010.8441055 103.174389 1.8600605 104.46528300000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-77719963039903708442016-02-18T13:40:00.000-05:002016-02-18T13:40:02.064-05:00KOR Nava Bottle ReviewWhy, hello, hello!<br />
<br />
It's been nearly an entire year since I last made a post. Which is frankly quite scary. How did I abandon it for so long? So much has happened since then!<br />
<br />
Fortunately, it's my reading week, and I have had a review that has been waiting to be written for the longest time.<br />
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It all started with my search for <u style="font-style: italic;">the perfect water bottle.</u> The thing about me, is that I could probably live on 1 cup of water a day. And what you probably know, is that most people survive on more - much more. It's actually quite unhealthy being so dehydrated all the time!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitk9TGVyAKsbjImegOu1ZbZfsUEIDB3loneI-Zo9Hn2U9izKFSZqyWjMvEl47SQhnd7aj3-CidOxsBWOhWzAIrsH4zNnLDgBhocCWOrK7ldSGRsepup_vrj1iARYsWHi4wE1-v0lA1fCE/s1600/IMG_5943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitk9TGVyAKsbjImegOu1ZbZfsUEIDB3loneI-Zo9Hn2U9izKFSZqyWjMvEl47SQhnd7aj3-CidOxsBWOhWzAIrsH4zNnLDgBhocCWOrK7ldSGRsepup_vrj1iARYsWHi4wE1-v0lA1fCE/s320/IMG_5943.JPG" width="240" /></a>So what I first realized, was that: <b>bottles with straws are much more effective</b>. I know it's actually not just me. A lot of people have agreed in saying that they are more likely to drink water when their bottle has a straw attached to it. So that being said, this was the first criteria my bottle needed to satisfy. But this list actually had a few components which is what made it so hard<br />
<br />
<u>Water Bottle Criteria:</u><br />
- Has a straw attached<br />
- Has a filter (being able to refill it anywhere, is frankly quite convenient - you could even fill it in the washroom using tap and it would still be fine!)<br />
- Aesthetically pleasing - it has to look nice!<br />
- Not too expensive<br />
<br />
That being said, it is amazing how hard it was to find a bottle that would satisfy these needs. Brita has quite a few bottles that are filtered, unfortunately, I find them to be quite ugly.<br />
<br />
Currently <b>S'well</b> bottles are all the rage - unfortunately they don't meet the rest of my requirements.<br />
<br />
Anyways, I came across the <b>KOR Nava Bottle</b>. And to be completely honest, I thought about this for a while. I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend the $20 or so on this bottle, despite the fact that most bottles including Camelbak do fall around this range. What I ended up doing was contacting KOR, and asking if I could have one for review, and I was luckily enough they obliged! So although, I wouldn't say this is a sponsored post, I do have to say that I was provided the bottle; however, if I didn't actually like it I would write exactly that! Instead, I am happy that I absolutely love it and bring it with me everywhere. I actually received in when I was on vacation in Miami which explains the pretty back drop.<br />
<br /><u>My thoughts on this water bottle:</u><br />
So first of all, it is <i>so</i> pretty! I love how it looks, and the fact that you can see through it with the clear panels. I feel like its look is incredibly unique. Of course it would look nicer, without the straw and filter in the middle of it - but that's something that I wanted. I believe that they do actually sell this without the filter.<br />
<br />
Secondly, I love how it just 'pops' open. You press on the purple button, and the lid flies right back. It also has a really great seal. I can almost guarantee you that it won't leak - the only time it has was purely my own fault (I had screwed on the lid wrong).<br />
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It's also super easy to hold onto due to the moulding of the lid. If you had a carabiner you could easily attach it onto your bag/backpack.<br />
<br />
I haven't used the Camelbak straw in quite a while, so I can't compare it directly, but I do really like this straw! It has a good texture, and I like the shape of the mouthpiece. The only problem, I find is that I think that sometimes the straw does require you to suck on it harder than with other bottles. I think, that this happens more so when there's only a little bit of water left in the water bottle.<br />
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The filter actually does work. Sometimes I'm feeling super lazy, and don't feel like going downstairs to the kitchen for water and will just head over to the upstairs washroom. The tap water is safe to drink in theory, but I swear that there is a bit of a smell. When I drink out of the water it tastes great, with no strange tastes or smells.<br />
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Overall, I would give this bottle a 9/10. I would give it a 10, if the straw was a little bit easier to drink through!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzeTYnfu4exQKjRAYtkuZC9IyGz1isGW87caKLipU1ld29htTEs83HsITMo8esbJVvRaJ9cqixJj4tWbWDH6xCaVfmNNpJrg2-nKuUVtknRls4YPUNvWaXMwrq0fo88SebGsMgiXP4zU/s1600/IMG_5955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="KOR Nava Water Bottle Filter" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzeTYnfu4exQKjRAYtkuZC9IyGz1isGW87caKLipU1ld29htTEs83HsITMo8esbJVvRaJ9cqixJj4tWbWDH6xCaVfmNNpJrg2-nKuUVtknRls4YPUNvWaXMwrq0fo88SebGsMgiXP4zU/s320/IMG_5955.JPG" title="KOR Nava Water Bottle Filter" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84bv-A5YqmqnZh6a9lsjV5sGT3zxugGaPYZIDCyPw7zn0ULxysw5VN50Y717R-YsBZ5glJTtFhR3JjROxM0bBFAEJwVVMFiVVFrKVGmkg17OPaowlTYspXTepTZYWYgO-FhU8zEd95G0/s1600/IMG_5956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="KOR Nava Water Bottle Filter" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84bv-A5YqmqnZh6a9lsjV5sGT3zxugGaPYZIDCyPw7zn0ULxysw5VN50Y717R-YsBZ5glJTtFhR3JjROxM0bBFAEJwVVMFiVVFrKVGmkg17OPaowlTYspXTepTZYWYgO-FhU8zEd95G0/s320/IMG_5956.JPG" title="KOR Nava Water Bottle Filter" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-8eIAzWhp_V890h8PxYYLEKpcAbx_N-g5JvfCezq8dEti1XgpM03lHiUXZfMm9YBy6DbNFKZP3MeLNTKz9d88RYrQE4mfrftCrFpqWWJD9gMAUJ7LFkykkR5DRy83CeMa45_TxCMciE/s1600/IMG_5959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="KOR Nava Water Bottle Filter" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-8eIAzWhp_V890h8PxYYLEKpcAbx_N-g5JvfCezq8dEti1XgpM03lHiUXZfMm9YBy6DbNFKZP3MeLNTKz9d88RYrQE4mfrftCrFpqWWJD9gMAUJ7LFkykkR5DRy83CeMa45_TxCMciE/s320/IMG_5959.JPG" title="KOR Nava Water Bottle Filter" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The filter just gets popped right in to the straw.</td></tr>
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<br />christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-23216033140808049342015-03-03T23:59:00.000-05:002015-03-04T00:30:36.681-05:00Current 'Go-To' Makeup Products! So I've seen plenty of bloggers post their February favourites (makeup) and that inspired me to do one myself! I always love to see what other products other people are using, or what they had in their makeup bag so I decided to show you which products I use the most frequently.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcZ8jr8oNpc4scP5maU4LvEkcHtyS2yoaNOG-CD0UTwGKnNAsW-kVqbl8TPryZ9JZoK-1T8cfp1FPBYGPk_hNJbz4Wh7-CwXa36oBZZMJA1sTDS8wzRzc2uSNCZUcT4rSzilb3ub1h7w/s1600/afterlight.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Favourite Makeup Urban Decay Nars Naked Palette Benefit Marc by Marc Jacobs" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcZ8jr8oNpc4scP5maU4LvEkcHtyS2yoaNOG-CD0UTwGKnNAsW-kVqbl8TPryZ9JZoK-1T8cfp1FPBYGPk_hNJbz4Wh7-CwXa36oBZZMJA1sTDS8wzRzc2uSNCZUcT4rSzilb3ub1h7w/s1600/afterlight.jpeg" height="408" title="Favourite Makeup Urban Decay Nars Naked Palette Benefit Marc by Marc Jacobs" width="640" /></a></div>
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For some things I actually switch between two products if I'm being indecisive or I simply haven't decided which I like better.<br />
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So for <b><u>mascara</u></b>, as I mentioned I really like using my <a href="http://christycee.blogspot.ca/2015/02/loreal-mascara-voluminous-review.html">Loreal Voluminous</a> and 'They're Real' by Benefit.<br />
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To <u><b>curl</b></u> my eye lashes I've been using this mini eyelash curler by Belvada that I actually got almost two years ago from a <a href="http://christycee.blogspot.ca/2013/06/topbox-june-2013.html">Topbox</a>. Talk about a good find! I've actually tried the Shiseido curler that is pretty popular among asian bloggers but actually found that this works better. It has a flatter edge and it seems to just work better on me!<br />
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My <b><u>skin</u></b> has actually cleared up quite a bit and so on most days I don't wear any foundation, I usually just moisturize my skin using my favourite <a href="http://christycee.blogspot.ca/2012/07/eczema-and-best-moisturizer-ever.html">Cerave</a> moisturizer. If I'm being good and actually remember to, I'll also wear the Ultra-Calming Daily moisurizer by Aveeno since it has SPF (which is really important to wear to protect your skin)! Unfortunately there are many days that I do forget to wear it which is probably why it wasn't featured here.<br />
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The only thing I'll do on some days is use the <u>Garnier</u> eye BB cream. I absolutely love this product. It is actually <i>perfect</i>, it does exactly what it's supposed to do and what you would want out of an undereye product ! You want to cover up your undereye circles right? I use the 'light medium' shade, and I feel like it instantly brightens up the area <u>but</u> at the same it keeps it looking natural! I know a lot of people just use a light foundation or cover up but up until now I don't think I've ever done it right - it just seemed to look like the area under my eyes was a lighter <i>colour</i> whereas with this product I feel like my face just instantly looks more awake!<br />
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For my <b><u>eyebrows</u></b>, you know so I can have some 'brow game strong', I alter between an Urban Decay brow kit (purple box on the upper right) and an eyebrow by essence. The brow kit is actually pretty great, it comes with brow wax, two brown powders - one is too light for me so I mainly use the other one- and a very mini set of mini tweezers and an angled brush. This was one of my favourite finds from Nordstrom rack - I got this for $12 whereas it normally retails for $29! I honestly don't know if I would pay for it at full price, but for the amount that I paid I love it.<br />
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For my <b><u>lips</u></b>, I actually use a variety of products. From lipbalms, to lip sticks and lip glosses but the one I use <u>the most</u> right now is a 'coral-ly' type colour by Benefit called '<u>ChachaBalm'</u>. I love love this product! It is <i>so</i> moisturizing, I find that I rarely use my lip balm these days. It makes my lips feel great, and it gives a great tint that just gives you a more put together look. It's subtle enough that I can wear it on a daily basis and wear it to school.<br />
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For my <b style="text-decoration: underline;">eyeliner</b> I can't say that these are actually my favourite products since I'm only really using them because they came in my <a href="http://christycee.blogspot.ca/2014/11/sephora-vib-sale-20-off-us-and-canada.html">Sephora</a> favourite boxes. I have so many eyeliners now I feel like I have to get through them (and haven't allowed myself to buy any others including any on sale). So the lighting made it pretty difficult to see but the short shiny eyeliner above the Naked palette is actually from Marc by Marc Jacobs. Pretty interesting! I have a few of their products (<a href="http://christycee.blogspot.ca/2011/05/holts.html">Classic Q Percy</a>, <a href="http://christycee.blogspot.ca/2012/07/mail-has-arrived.html">Accessories</a> ) but I've never tried a makeup product before. Since it came in the Sephora box set it is a sample/travel size but there's still more than enough. This eyeliner is pretty great, it's creamy and pencil- like (one of those twistables), which is one of my favourite method of application. The only problem is that because there is no sharpener or anything I find that it is too blunt to properly draw the 'tail'.<br />
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That's pretty much why I have the Kat Von D eyeliner above, for a while now I've been using liquid eyeliner to touch up and to help me in refining cat-eyes. As for the actual eye product itself, I actually don't really like it. Maybe it's just this miniature version, but I find that the liquid liner isn't liquid enough! It's actually quite dry, and I feel like I have to go over my previous work with it since it's not dark enough and not enough product comes out the first time.<br />
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I'm almost done.. I promise! This turned out way longer than I meant for it to be. Sorry!<br />
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So I also purchased the Nars <b><u>Bronzer</u></b> Blush Mini Duo during the <a href="http://christycee.blogspot.ca/2014/11/sephora-vib-sale-20-off-us-and-canada.html">Sephora VIB Sale</a> earlier in November along with the Sephora favourites. It's been perfect! I've been trying to contour my face recently, you know try to mislead people into thinking my face isn't as round as it really is, and I really like this colour.<br />
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I've been trying out different brushes and trying to get the hang of making it look natural. Some of the brushes I've tried it with is a Physician's Formula brush (it came with it, I really like how flat and narrow it is), Real Techniques, and now a Sonia Kashuk brush I got on sale at Target<br />
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Lastly, on days where I actually put in the effort to apply some eyeshadow the Naked basics is my go-to palette! The colours are neutral browns and matte, making them perfect for an every day look - especially since all I do is really go to school. Of course I don't really use this for nights where I'm going out, but for the day-time this palette is small, compact and great! For eyeshadow application I simply love the <u>Real Techniques</u> Deluxe Crease brush. I don't have much of a crease since my eyes are fairly monolid but this brush works really well placing the product just where it needs to go and blending it out nicely.<br />
<br />christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-51058922459424856532015-02-22T19:33:00.006-05:002015-02-25T21:13:01.294-05:00Tory Burch Shoes RevealThere have been some brands that have come and gone after unexpected surges in popularity, such as Coach as Michael Kors, but Tory Burch is a label that I have continued to admire.<br />
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Near Toronto (emphasis on 'near', as it is about 30 minutes away) a Premium Outlets opened up about a year or two ago, and although it has no where the amount of stores as some of the American outlets there are still some pretty great perks to it. It's quite a bit closer, and more importantly they have a Tory Burch outlet.<br />
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This weekend I came home with this beauty.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElgYIjPaTpIQrBGpE62VfKSMZCd6bVUZzgPeT6OZRjfbgwX1XzUB19vtlOuSwb1NI85BGShXW5KAXkJTGULiU2qMjA0LJyKqDVovFQuymls6uTog3gT4KDEa0dbnEJvnWL9iosK95PgE/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+15+11+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tory Burch Shopping Bag Design" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElgYIjPaTpIQrBGpE62VfKSMZCd6bVUZzgPeT6OZRjfbgwX1XzUB19vtlOuSwb1NI85BGShXW5KAXkJTGULiU2qMjA0LJyKqDVovFQuymls6uTog3gT4KDEa0dbnEJvnWL9iosK95PgE/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+15+11+AM.jpg" height="480" title="Tory Burch Shopping Bag Design" width="640" /></a></div>
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Inside the bag were these two beautiful boxes:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYs1MEJQVfJTojlhApEvPFlNbcyDBWvKTfmdKq4-MsDsuvHf4SAlQIckFzyF2jxBC2sNrZvKJiad3eTkPxHE5OmbpsZceEdZYZiRS9obbpQxdd4inz_uy5pRaedFOuTZo6e_zpAcEnac/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+16+24+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tory Burch Shoe Box " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYs1MEJQVfJTojlhApEvPFlNbcyDBWvKTfmdKq4-MsDsuvHf4SAlQIckFzyF2jxBC2sNrZvKJiad3eTkPxHE5OmbpsZceEdZYZiRS9obbpQxdd4inz_uy5pRaedFOuTZo6e_zpAcEnac/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+16+24+AM.jpg" height="480" title="Tory Burch Shoe Box " width="640" /></a></div>
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Inside the first box was this pair of sandals:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOMe_jwEO0hD7FPR4r0O4G2_jP-cWORhAe6UhxPKHoLSFtLpenqHbSqEg8Xr-d_iaezziLhaT2eEbqEkaGEmcnDOvUdWU6ZW9bqzlKgQq2WQ9sqegiiwpm8gk1BRmWA_MlxSP5GpqpjE/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+17+16+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tory Burch Emmy Demi Sandals" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOMe_jwEO0hD7FPR4r0O4G2_jP-cWORhAe6UhxPKHoLSFtLpenqHbSqEg8Xr-d_iaezziLhaT2eEbqEkaGEmcnDOvUdWU6ZW9bqzlKgQq2WQ9sqegiiwpm8gk1BRmWA_MlxSP5GpqpjE/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+17+16+AM.jpg" height="480" title="Tory Burch Emmy Demi Sandals" width="640" /></a></div>
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Guess how much this pair cost me? It was definitely a steal! I liked a lot of the other sandals but found that most of them were flats. This pair has a small wedge but I find that even an extra 1" in height can make such a difference in the way you walk and feel. I also really liked the subtle nature of the TB logo and felt like it gave it a really great 'classy feel'. Oh, and <u>this pair was $99.</u> Can you believe it? MK sandals are usually over $115! </div>
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<i>I just checked, and Shopbob has these priced at $328 CAD or $250 USD. Whee!</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaM0nhswPoL5C4iwgot-pLeiWzEm5RnhoMI5pEDLdHqah5hv8YuTa_yB6e8boAg61zUA79VVwUD1Voe559k17T8UML-MHC8sJHwAslZawlTidupNsm9O3M1fn2uWf4N0ixe_BjXuH3mrA/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+17+47+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tory Burch White Emmy Demi Sandals" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaM0nhswPoL5C4iwgot-pLeiWzEm5RnhoMI5pEDLdHqah5hv8YuTa_yB6e8boAg61zUA79VVwUD1Voe559k17T8UML-MHC8sJHwAslZawlTidupNsm9O3M1fn2uWf4N0ixe_BjXuH3mrA/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+17+47+AM.jpg" height="480" title="Tory Burch White Emmy Demi Sandals" width="640" /></a></div>
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Just wanted to show you how the wedge looks since you can't really see it in the other photo.<br />
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Okay, and now onto my second purchase: Reva flats!! I've seen these shoes on everybody and have always been envious on how great they look. I know they're supposedly a pair of shoes that need to be worn in and can be painful on the first few wears - but I swear they seemed pretty comfortable when I walked around in them!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kJKXfbRxyO3SuBB6SpozXbmdh6clduSHGly7Qlnh3wHi0Ao31wibkZ2ewaJRpjy8kxYPXLvfyCO__g4SsYeCBZMO8dM4y6nDOKBVChpGNpVzV3C62FHYKpo6QbQrpyFS43VA6HAmLv0/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+18+40+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tory Burch Black Reva Flats" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kJKXfbRxyO3SuBB6SpozXbmdh6clduSHGly7Qlnh3wHi0Ao31wibkZ2ewaJRpjy8kxYPXLvfyCO__g4SsYeCBZMO8dM4y6nDOKBVChpGNpVzV3C62FHYKpo6QbQrpyFS43VA6HAmLv0/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+18+40+AM.jpg" height="480" title="Tory Burch Black Reva Flats" width="640" /></a></div>
I can't wait to wear them, but to be honest I'm not sure which outfits to wear them with ! It's winter right now so I'll have to wait a few months but hope that I can get some use out of them for the rest of the year.<br />
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I have a slight worry that the logo might be a bit 'much' and a bit too flashy but I think that I'll still have ample opportunity to wear them. Though I am still on the fence about whether or not it would be appropriate to wear to school, but I'm pretty sure I've seen other girls wearing them around on campus.<br />
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These were about $199 Canadian with no further discounts in store; however, I believe that in retailers they are marked at $250 so there are still some savings. For Americans who are reading this right now, our Canadian loonie (dollar) has really weakened these last few months. If you convert it, it's around $160! For comparison, I just looked at the US Nordstrom store and there it retails for about $225. Even though we, Canadians, have been driving down south for the savings these past years it might actually be worth it for Americans to drive up North! I mean the exchange rate itself is giving you a 20% discount (for every 1 CAD you only have to pay 0.80 USD).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJ-_Ne3H1vQz57710Paqg3TSHKUR69qkCNlkAIs0eBAIhx9g5r8Wf1idGHlohqUsr5HqSwl8JGkS5H12c6rbSVus9clyOwZEoXbBeqYeoOQz0VPfoK5kA6IadbaA2K_3xMsq_Iob-xdc/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+19+07+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Tory Burch Black Reva Flats" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJ-_Ne3H1vQz57710Paqg3TSHKUR69qkCNlkAIs0eBAIhx9g5r8Wf1idGHlohqUsr5HqSwl8JGkS5H12c6rbSVus9clyOwZEoXbBeqYeoOQz0VPfoK5kA6IadbaA2K_3xMsq_Iob-xdc/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+19+07+AM.jpg" height="480" title="Tory Burch Black Reva Flats" width="640" /></a>Unfortunately, this hurts our cross-border shopping habits dramatically. I mean, it affects our online shopping too, it's pretty painful to realize that everything in the shopping cart costs 25% more! I miss those days when the dollars were at par.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8w2sFCV0vA0g5mTvMTvNnD3KOKkN43rbVpM_OwJa7T_z8orcdbunurdFrobeyVrWKQRHVRuY6SSiZ8vTUCCo7wE029v7IqL6LSWUKANqTWpjA_4ZyLwp1U22PMyRHUZOlBrdcmIEXdJ4/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+19+31+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Tory Burch Black Reva Flats and White Emmy Demi Sandals" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8w2sFCV0vA0g5mTvMTvNnD3KOKkN43rbVpM_OwJa7T_z8orcdbunurdFrobeyVrWKQRHVRuY6SSiZ8vTUCCo7wE029v7IqL6LSWUKANqTWpjA_4ZyLwp1U22PMyRHUZOlBrdcmIEXdJ4/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+19+31+AM.jpg" height="640" title="Tory Burch Black Reva Flats and White Emmy Demi Sandals" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixY8YzzihT-j9gzvaMRSWqz-Mn5CQHIx1Nz2BxKpiBLntUksHTbvkkqQS_WiyDrCGOvF3JwDNVNzGDwp2aGmZpLcSxs_PAbyAEkbe69QeGVbFR4Pr8JIKUa8qeCLUL6kyU4bsyrJFpEUk/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+19+41+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tory Burch Black Reva Flats and White Emmy Demi Sandals" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixY8YzzihT-j9gzvaMRSWqz-Mn5CQHIx1Nz2BxKpiBLntUksHTbvkkqQS_WiyDrCGOvF3JwDNVNzGDwp2aGmZpLcSxs_PAbyAEkbe69QeGVbFR4Pr8JIKUa8qeCLUL6kyU4bsyrJFpEUk/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+19+41+AM.jpg" height="640" title="Tory Burch Black Reva Flats and White Emmy Demi Sandals" width="480" /></a></div>
It was a successful shopping trip to say the least! It's too bad that it's Winter right now, just looking at this photo makes me want to put them on and to go out with them! I promise I'm not a shoe addict.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnVn_3bfl-YXwKab1O_R4KWMufJwKQCJvMdpfvMFwyP6z9YGKSwp5_8QBC3OGKgNpWAPPJwJeq0EPuo_ck4mXfh0yMyy9rq255KdErcmcUHfKPqDaS8Tvan4nv4WypZvCAqPKKtIgaU-I/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+20+08+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tory Burch Black Reva Flats" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnVn_3bfl-YXwKab1O_R4KWMufJwKQCJvMdpfvMFwyP6z9YGKSwp5_8QBC3OGKgNpWAPPJwJeq0EPuo_ck4mXfh0yMyy9rq255KdErcmcUHfKPqDaS8Tvan4nv4WypZvCAqPKKtIgaU-I/s1600/Photo+2015-02-22,+3+20+08+AM.jpg" height="480" title="Tory Burch Black Reva Flats " width="640" /></a></div>
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Thanks for stopping by and reading! Who's your current favourite designer? Do you own any TB pieces, and if so what do you like the most about it?</div>
<br />christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-44061806608334224722015-02-18T15:27:00.001-05:002015-04-30T18:44:33.030-04:00Manitobah Mukluks Review<div>
In the last week, we had an extreme weather warning due to temperatures ranging from -20 to -30 degrees. It was <i>cold</i>. Fortunately for me, there was something that kept me extremely warm: my Manitobah Mukluks. </div>
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If you live somewhere with really harsh Winters I <b>highly</b> recommend these boots! I had seen these around for a number of years but for some reason I never really took interest in it, until this year. This year, I was obsessed and made it my mission to buy a pair for myself. The challenge was to find it at the lowest price that I could - at full price these boots range from 200-300 before tax!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcocpjyZfueCdyg6G_tWgcKofgk_ExETcrmhMjko55z8fOIy1O9qFlCDcaEAjmWm3qAOlkNft17rfc24QErXji5ysvWQLgzyHpNQgdauh3VQJZIk_dBGi3Ej3GC5ejDX3PVSWePdbUUo/s1600/Photo+2015-02-16,+11+20+21+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Manitobah Mukluks, specifically "Snowy Owl" in Charcoal" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcocpjyZfueCdyg6G_tWgcKofgk_ExETcrmhMjko55z8fOIy1O9qFlCDcaEAjmWm3qAOlkNft17rfc24QErXji5ysvWQLgzyHpNQgdauh3VQJZIk_dBGi3Ej3GC5ejDX3PVSWePdbUUo/s1600/Photo+2015-02-16,+11+20+21+PM.jpg" height="320" title="Manitobah Mukluks, specifically "Snowy Owl" in Charcoal" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are the "Snowy Owl"Mukluks in Charcoal.</td></tr>
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So I was originally planning to purchase them from <b>Browns</b> shoes at $170 <i>pre-tax</i> and had actually placed an order. I honestly scoured through so many sites and looked for any possible price matching (I like to find the best possible deal). For your information, <b>Sport Chek</b> has a pretty shitty price matching policy. They won't even price match their <u>own online store,</u> since it doesn't apply to anything online. I was really disappointed to say the least. </div>
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The next day, after ordering, I must have stumbled onto <a href="https://www.beckershoes.com/shop/">Becker Shoes</a> accidentally, but I am so lucky that I did. I realized that they were selling it for $20 less <b>and</b> that it included taxes! Hallelujah, that means that if there was a tax I would have been paying a base price of ~'$130' ! Thankfully the Browns order had not shipped and I was able to cancel it in time. It was $150 <i>including tax</i>. </div>
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That being said, I highly recommend Becker Shoes. They had such a great promotion going on (and I believe it is still going on/ I'm also not affiliated with them in any shape or form I'm just really happy about my purchase) and are a local Canadian store which I believe is located in Collingwood. It also <u>included</u> free shipping, which arrived within a couple of days - it was pretty quick.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0lv_FZmjeKHAcWX-UTP5JVLtOp22_deenFn1kkSBb-RANqtHtnxjINNqverwVj7PcjuHCEwLjVPBmIiiRMwVHlV46sQ5sNOc43PGZAyXxDC702mwJrgCWuuWieWNLmcfI8U_CMrFyX8/s1600/Photo+2015-02-16,+11+23+04+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Manitobah Mukluks, specifically "Snowy Owl" in Charcoal" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0lv_FZmjeKHAcWX-UTP5JVLtOp22_deenFn1kkSBb-RANqtHtnxjINNqverwVj7PcjuHCEwLjVPBmIiiRMwVHlV46sQ5sNOc43PGZAyXxDC702mwJrgCWuuWieWNLmcfI8U_CMrFyX8/s1600/Photo+2015-02-16,+11+23+04+PM.jpg" height="320" title="Manitobah Mukluks, specifically "Snowy Owl" in Charcoal" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how they look worn on. <br />
I like to wear them with jeans or leggings </td></tr>
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So what I really wanted to note was that <u>these are the warmest boots I have ever had</u>. Granted, I have never had knee high (well <i>almost </i>at the knee<i>)</i> boots that were lined with fur but somehow, whenever I wear them the thoughts going through my mind are literally "wow, I cannot believe how warm my feet and legs are right now". </div>
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Normally I wear a short pair of Sorels (which are also really great), they're the ones that are really light weight and only go slightly past your ankles. They're small enough that I don't feel like I'm wearing these huge bulky snowboarding boots (like the rest of their winter boots) and are pretty convenient to put on and take off. And although I don't normally notice my feet being really cold, unlike a lot of my friends, I never notice them being really warm either.</div>
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These mukluks are <b>so comfortable</b> and so warm! I love the pompoms, they're so cute and fun! Albeit it might be a bit 'kiddy' but I've seen a lot of grown women walking around in them, so no judgement. People frequently comment on them as well telling me how nice they think they look!</div>
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I was a little worried that they would be too snug around the calves, since my Hunters don't have much room in that area, but after trying them on in store I relieved to know that they would be fine. For reference I think mine are around 14.5"-15". Also, the company advises you to by a <u>size down</u> from what you normally buy. But to be honest, I was pretty torn and wished that they had half sizes as the 7 was a bit too big and this one is a bit closer to the snug side.</div>
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And a little note about the company Manitobah Mukluks, they're actually Aboriginal owned! This is a Canadian company which produces many of their boots in Winnipeg and works to support the Aboriginal communities. It's a great company story if you ask me!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUH8yjXQO6uRkTeB3FB5sfYHPTVO_T7eC2CBaqNQk-Vnv2WSbwy6jQqwV_Y2tSfxwr-3Q5kzrUwZ2G9oG6YrfC9IagxCgfw91NuBa-yTbKKpyGy9lzVtDzMSrRm-lLd_VtM0LOSHpzjT8/s1600/Photo+2015-02-16,+11+20+48+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Manitobah Mukluks, specifically "Snowy Owl" in Charcoal" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUH8yjXQO6uRkTeB3FB5sfYHPTVO_T7eC2CBaqNQk-Vnv2WSbwy6jQqwV_Y2tSfxwr-3Q5kzrUwZ2G9oG6YrfC9IagxCgfw91NuBa-yTbKKpyGy9lzVtDzMSrRm-lLd_VtM0LOSHpzjT8/s1600/Photo+2015-02-16,+11+20+48+PM.jpg" height="320" title="Manitobah Mukluks, specifically "Snowy Owl" in Charcoal" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pompoms actually hang a bit lower, but I didn't want them to reach the floor and get dirty. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0f5O8CpYem-HDexQTJVXdvMHiV56p_XiCwc94o6W8Xo49bh77lT7H-bp0YUjhSwDL3agyx3GAfFVwH5blk1Qh9etEJhOmKK4xj78GW3OoyeDj5l3-of-F3aWEQqdQJY88lsWe3XIIvO4/s1600/Photo+2015-02-16,+11+21+17+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Manitobah Mukluks, specifically "Snowy Owl" in Charcoal" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0f5O8CpYem-HDexQTJVXdvMHiV56p_XiCwc94o6W8Xo49bh77lT7H-bp0YUjhSwDL3agyx3GAfFVwH5blk1Qh9etEJhOmKK4xj78GW3OoyeDj5l3-of-F3aWEQqdQJY88lsWe3XIIvO4/s1600/Photo+2015-02-16,+11+21+17+PM.jpg" height="320" title="Manitobah Mukluks, specifically "Snowy Owl" in Charcoal" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-rl6RZCLpi5ETEdhr2gzazXAZ9qkKfPEnIaq5xpj63HptbgwjCxq50iErzDKlsBJds122brPrMZUeT-E5_kEaDU0QW3mLs6dN_4nAVqGpdcjmxp-aKkBrj1-1S77uLGB8X5dS6oQM9W4/s1600/Photo+2015-02-16,+11+23+13+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Manitobah Mukluks, specifically "Snowy Owl" in Charcoal" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-rl6RZCLpi5ETEdhr2gzazXAZ9qkKfPEnIaq5xpj63HptbgwjCxq50iErzDKlsBJds122brPrMZUeT-E5_kEaDU0QW3mLs6dN_4nAVqGpdcjmxp-aKkBrj1-1S77uLGB8X5dS6oQM9W4/s1600/Photo+2015-02-16,+11+23+13+PM.jpg" height="320" title="Manitobah Mukluks, specifically "Snowy Owl" in Charcoal" width="240" /></a></div>
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What are your winter go- to boots? And if you don't have winter boots, what are your "winters" like if there is no snow!</div>
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christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-16067748225154976432015-02-17T00:30:00.002-05:002015-02-17T00:30:41.832-05:00The Hub - Bouldering ReviewOver my reading week I decided to check out this place called "<u style="font-style: italic;">The Hub</u>" with my friend. It's newly opened (say approximately 7 months) and what it is, is a bouldering, 'rock climbing facility'.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8-gP3HMGO6MAykaVMkKJx7O0jEctrBe5Fu7JGKpxN156Wno1H172adzAm4hyphenhyphennaBBaBGxzJ7kIFSEqsf1jLEnqznS9Z4XZtrsuTfKw5M0Tth2q0a4_APWuOrwjeac_-hlYuvqr8XFPLc/s1600/Photo+2015-02-16,+2+05+04+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Rock Climbing or Bouldering at The Hub in Markham Ontario " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8-gP3HMGO6MAykaVMkKJx7O0jEctrBe5Fu7JGKpxN156Wno1H172adzAm4hyphenhyphennaBBaBGxzJ7kIFSEqsf1jLEnqznS9Z4XZtrsuTfKw5M0Tth2q0a4_APWuOrwjeac_-hlYuvqr8XFPLc/s1600/Photo+2015-02-16,+2+05+04+AM.jpg" height="640" title="Rock Climbing or Bouldering at The Hub in Markham Ontario " width="360" /></a>So as a kid, I had gone rock climbing before. I thought it just sounded like an awesome activity and begged my father to bring me somewhere (we had to actually drive pretty far out of the way), and I got to experience rock climbing with a belay and everything.<br />
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Now probably over a decade later, I found out that at this gym there is no harness! Apparently 'bouldering' is <i>the new craze </i>and it is getting a lot of attention.<br />
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<i>Bewarned, this is a pretty lengthy post.</i><br />
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The second I walked into the facility I knew that it would be a pretty cool experience and that I would want to return -I immediately asked about the cost of a membership or multi-pass. But silly me, I didn't realize that I would want to do a write-up on it right away and took no 'real pictures'. Being the social media addict that I am though, I <i>did</i> take a photo to add to my Snapchat story, so that's the only picture I have to add to this blog. I know, it's pretty lackluster but it's still worth a thousand words, I think? In all fairness, I feel like it captures the most important aspects (namely, the 'Dragon' - which is the wall featured in the picture and more importantly that really tall wall).<br />
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<b>The Basics</b><br />
So totally, this cost me $22.45. Although this is a bit on the steep side and could be a slightly expensive hobby, it's not too bad for a one time experience. If I wanted to be a regular at this there are membership options (the 10 Pass seemed to be approximately $15 each). At that price point it would be almost comparable to what other fitness classes such as yoga require.<br />
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What's included? Well they provide you a rental pair of rock climbing shoes, I'm pretty sure that this is required as I didn't see anyone walking around in regular running shoes. These are pretty specialized and are also rubberized along the front allowing for some better grip on the wall. When you give them your size, although they may give you a size up, it may feel that the shoes are a half size too small - and this is normal from what I have heard.<br />
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There also seems to be no time limit. They never specifically told me one and I hear that this is opened pretty late, but no one really wants to spend an entire day here cause it would simply be too tiring. I feel like staying here for 1-3h would be just the right amount.<br />
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<b>Bouldering</b></div>
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So as you can see, although there is no harnessing or belaying, the entire place is surrounded by mats. The walls aren't too tall, so falling from that height is still fairly safe. I believe the height is approximately 16 feet but I'm not actually sure. One part of the wall, the only part in the gym, is actually surrounded by a deep foam pit. You can see it to the left of the picture, as the climb gets pretty steep, thankfully the fall seems really fun and not dangerous at all. </div>
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<b>Safety</b></div>
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The thing with bouldering is, although you can fall back down, they encourage you to climb your way back down. This is written on a sign. So of course, the facility doesn't want to be held liable for any injuries and places an emphasis on safety, so in addition to a waiver that they require you sign upon arrival, they also give you a short orientation that's 5-10 minutes long (it depends how many people in the group already have experience bouldering). </div>
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What they do, is they teach you how to fall! Given two scenarios, falling from below 5 feet and falling from above 5 feet, they instruct you on the 'safe' way of falling. That is, to land in a squat like position and depending on the scenario, to rock back and to take the rest of your fall on your back as you slap your arms down against the mat.</div>
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<b>Routes</b></div>
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After that you're pretty much free to go off wherever you wish. Along the walls there are actually quite a lot of rocks/ steps; the hard part comes from following only one set of 'colors'. This means that there are various pathways of varying difficulty depending on which set of colors you have chosen. Colour does not mean difficulty however. This just means, stick with only the red rocks, or only stick with the green rocks, but don't use a combination of red and green rocks because they're not both supposed to be at your disposal (or else it would be too easy).</div>
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<b>Difficulty</b></div>
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How they really encode for difficulty is through a simple numbering system. It increases in difficulty chronologically, so there are some paths that are designated '0' (intended for beginners) and increasing difficulty from there on out. Even some of the 0s can be somewhat difficult, I personally found one that gave me trouble. A regular mentioned that after 2 the difficulty is already quite demanding, although it does go up to 7 or something. </div>
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And not only are there different difficulties set out simply due to the step arrangements, but there are difficulties associated with the steepness of the climb as well. There are certain walls with a negative slope, meaning that your body isn't vertical and that you are ever so slightly hanging upside down. For these walls a recommended tip is to <u>keep your feet attached to the wall</u>. It's really easy for them to fall off, and for you to be left hanging simply through your two hands. </div>
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<b>Getting Down</b></div>
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So once you're at the top of the wall there are <u>three main methods of getting back</u> down depending on the wall that you climbed You can <u>climb</u> back down (and jump once you're closer to the bottom) regardless of where you are. One wall leads you to a wall where a <u>ladder</u> has been created to allow you to climb back down. Another wall, has something that's really fun - <u>a slide.</u> Bet you haven't gone down a big slide since you were a kid! It's pretty fun, and to be honest I wish that this was an option for each of the climbs. </div>
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<b>Overall</b></div>
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This was <u>tiring and frustrating</u>. There was one wall that I couldn't climb, and because I stubbornly tried to get up it so many times I wore myself out and by the end I didn't have nearly enough strength to pry myself up! Soon after, and more importantly the next day, my entire body was exhausted. Other people comment that they had muscles, that they didn't even know existed, which were tired. I would say the majority of it is hand, arm, biceps and upper body strength. To be honest, the day I found that I felt too weak to even move the 'gearshift' in the car, to open drawers, to put on my jacket and many other menial tasks I had never given a second thought to!</div>
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The best part about being this sore, is knowing that I got such a <u>great workout while doing something that was fun. I</u> find that with working out, there are a lot of activities which can be really boring where you feel like you're really working out just for the sake of ..working out. Repeating 'sets' and 'reps' is something I don't get too excited, but if I can get exhaust my body similarly without realizing the time is passing, then I am down! </div>
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This place seems to be doing quite well despite having been open for less than a year. I got there around 2:30 and noticed that the place had filled up quite a bit. There were lots of kids (I think there was even one birthday party happening), families and groups of friends.<u> This is definitely something that can be done as a social for groups of people looking for something to do.</u></div>
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It's also quite ingenious of a business idea as well, unlike yoga there are no scheduled classes which makes it feel even more 'drop in'. You can literally start whenever you want to and the place welcomes so many people at one time. Although max capacity could be an issue if there were too many people on the walls at one time; however, it didn't seem like it would be a problem at all. </div>
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So I realized that on their website they have a video featuring Scotiabank (they must have helped finance a loan or something), it's pretty cool cause you can see a lot of the interior of the building if you want to get a better sight of it besides my lame-o snapchat picture. </div>
christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-34964624077535316532015-02-12T12:04:00.001-05:002015-02-12T12:04:19.352-05:00Loreal Mascara Voluminous ReviewSales work!<br />
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Well that's probably obvious, since the majority of people would leap at the chance to buy something at a discounted price, I mean who doesn't like to save money?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VFLStjDskrNzJseVM4okcIAf3DGBFl_R3JZBmS4d1O6KcOU72y8sGH_CCv1pEIaQmImSaAWIATOgZL5HoVVzJvIWO9nUV93OJoWoSlNYjF11B6a1lmir8an5dHnRfz01klFmO_mUH1g/s1600/Photo+2015-02-12,+11+35+32+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Loreal Voluminous Mascara Original Review " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VFLStjDskrNzJseVM4okcIAf3DGBFl_R3JZBmS4d1O6KcOU72y8sGH_CCv1pEIaQmImSaAWIATOgZL5HoVVzJvIWO9nUV93OJoWoSlNYjF11B6a1lmir8an5dHnRfz01klFmO_mUH1g/s1600/Photo+2015-02-12,+11+35+32+AM.jpg" height="240" title="Loreal Voluminous Mascara Original Review " width="320" /></a></div>
Honestly, the only reason I bought the Loreal Voluminous Mascara was because I saw that it was on sale at Walmart for ~$5. Most of the time I like to review things online (read up on MakeupAlley, check out blog reviews and etc) to see if it's good quality and worth the money. But with this, I hadn't even heard the slightest (surprisingly) and hoped that it would be worth at least the $5 I paid for it.<br />
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So I must have used it once or twice without really thinking much of it, because I know I didn't love to the same extent as I do now until recently, and put it off to the side. Up until now I had been using two other mascaras that I really like: Maybelline Falsies and Benefit They're Real (I know, they're on the two ends of the spectrum). They're both amazing for their similar yet also different qualities: Falsies has a really great curved brush, They're Real lengthens pretty well, and they both have pretty good layering qualities.<br />
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But for some reason, I decided to give Loreal a try one day (to switch it up or something) and I was <b>so</b> impressed by it! It's a low budget product with what feels like a low marketing budget (I swear I don't see many ad placements for it), but it really is a hidden gem. The brush doesn't seem like anything special, but boy can it length and layer.<br />
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I have really short non-existent asian lashes, so when I can find a product that makes it look like I have a visible full set of lashes I'm usually impressed. To further put this into perspective, I recently purchased a 'Sephora Favourites' mascara boxset - in addition to my Falsies and They'reReal, nevertheless I can't stop using Loreal's Voluminous. <b>It's become my new go to mascara.</b><br />
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This mascara is great for an everyday look; however, I have worn it going out on a few occasions as well. My only complaint is that sometimes after too many layers (3+) it does get a little bit clumpy, but I guess that's kind of warranted after applying so much product.<br />
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The funny thing is that, for a product that no one really raves about, somehow 3/5 girls in my house ended up using it! Two of us merely purchased it by chance while the third one bought it since she saw that we had it and liked it. So the first two (includes me) had it <u>really</u> liked it, whereas the third girl said it didn't seem as great as we had hyped it up to be. But she <u>did</u> say, that what<b> she really liked about this mascara was how black it was</b>! I have black eyelashes, so for me I guess the darkness/pigmentation of the mascara isn't something I really take into consideration; however, it can be an important factor for others like my friend on the who is brunette!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQJdAJ0t4G2gnrsDNqx3mFmr8R7oIYBma-EcVuLR1T1zxywAg2cNDSR0x4ZUr6rzT3ILQWeuBm3ri1KvakcU5pzRon1DaJslPW2WkuaZ_SOevRAzR8Jl9CLvRBCNbavTH_KZS4cgYy88/s1600/Photo+2015-02-12,+11+35+27+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Loreal Voluminous Mascara Original Review " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQJdAJ0t4G2gnrsDNqx3mFmr8R7oIYBma-EcVuLR1T1zxywAg2cNDSR0x4ZUr6rzT3ILQWeuBm3ri1KvakcU5pzRon1DaJslPW2WkuaZ_SOevRAzR8Jl9CLvRBCNbavTH_KZS4cgYy88/s1600/Photo+2015-02-12,+11+35+27+AM.jpg" height="320" title="Loreal Voluminous Mascara Original Review " width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love it!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKRVymmpVxm2OlKTQQeTUzdAQlyPaKp7m5mhlNpuO3MpOQcJ3gnpoJPVlUJ7gPNAR1TPi9qnTRJK02kStQtTljCNGfUHpyolxqQYOiAQs7tr1EGvShmMm2ozf_ODEvonMwpYuZTqhXmxM/s1600/Photo+2015-02-12,+11+35+58+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Loreal Voluminous Mascara Brush " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKRVymmpVxm2OlKTQQeTUzdAQlyPaKp7m5mhlNpuO3MpOQcJ3gnpoJPVlUJ7gPNAR1TPi9qnTRJK02kStQtTljCNGfUHpyolxqQYOiAQs7tr1EGvShmMm2ozf_ODEvonMwpYuZTqhXmxM/s1600/Photo+2015-02-12,+11+35+58+AM.jpg" height="320" title="Loreal Voluminous Mascara Brush Original Review " width="154" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the brush, you can see that it looks pretty regular and unexciting but I assure you it is great!</td></tr>
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So my question for you is, do you do online research before you make your beauty purchases? Let me know in the comments :)!</div>
christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-66387173320663980142015-02-02T12:33:00.001-05:002015-02-02T12:33:24.741-05:00Bloggers! Do you ever..Just think of something that makes you go: "I <b>have</b> to write a post about this - <u>like, right now?! "</u><div>
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/419YH0y1abL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/419YH0y1abL.jpg" height="320" width="262" /></a>A lot of times throughout my day, I'll think about something (usually a product or something) that I really just want to post about it - just because I love it that much. With school and other priorities, it's not always sensible to drop everything on the spot and to do just that. So instead, I'll post a draft with my idea as a header so I remember to write about it later.</div>
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But right now, in the midst of watching a lecture online, and eating, I really wanted to share this with you - I wanted to tell you about my lunch.After finishing both my snack and my lunch, I realized that everything I had was from costco!</div>
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As a university student it can be troubling to bring healthy lunches to school. Sometimes it's just more inconvenient, but at the same time eating out too much will definitely put a dent in your pocket.</div>
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So the problem with nut mixes, is that although they are full of great fats, they have quite a load of calories. I measured out the 'serving size' of 1/3 cup and packed it into a little container. Honestly, I don't even think I like the nuts that much - what gets me are the yogurt chips and dried cranberries, it actually just tastes like candy! Normally I eat way less than 1/3 cup (because I didn't know how much it was) I would eat small handfuls as I past the kitchen. Were you aware that just 1/3 of a cup has 200 calories??</div>
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Next, I had the most delicious salad. It's so simply but tasty at the same time. I bought a kale and arugula pack at Costco for around $4 - I feel like this is pretty normal price, but the size of the container was huge! They packed so much into it that you are definitely getting your moneys worth.</div>
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Inside the salad I put the most delicious chicken. Costco sells an entire rotisserie chicken for $8, and I swear it is one of <u>the best</u> chickens out there. I made my roommates each try some and they all agreed that Costco had magically locked in so much moisture and flavour. I've definitely been eating this every day; shredding it up for my salad was definitely a great idea. Did you know Costco Rotisserie chicken is so beloved that it has its own Facebook page? </div>
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On top of this, I purchased these 'Love Beets' from Costco. They are amazing!! They come pre-cooked ( yes, there is no hassle involved) and pre packaged, making them extremely convenient. All I did was pop open a pack, and diced up a beet before dropping it into a salad. These beets last pretty long in the fridge, usually the expiration date is about 2-3 months from my date of purchase meaning that I'm not rushed to finish the entire case (since it is from Costco, it does come with a lot).</div>
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Finally, I top it with a raspberry balsamic vinegar. Yes there is a little bit more sugar than the regular one, but in all honesty I think it's fine because it makes a big enough of a difference in my level of enjoyment and it's not filled with as much cream and fat as other alternate salad dressings. I realized this was the one product that I used which was <i>not</i> from Costco. </div>
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Anyways this salad really only has two things, chicken and beets. But the chicken has so much flavor, and the dressing just taste so good, that together it is still an extremely satisfying lunch. It's pretty healthy too, the bulk of the calories come from the chicken alone and because you are tear them into strips you don't even need to put in too much.</div>
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What are your favourite go to 'healthy' meals? Do you have a 'must buy' Costco item? :) Tell me in the comments!</div>
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christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-65844314850844447732015-01-28T12:56:00.001-05:002015-01-28T12:56:50.201-05:00Vaseline Spray & Go Aloe Fresh ReviewHave you ever heard a phrase that says something like 'The most expensive/valuable camera you can have is the one you actually have with you'? People usually say this to reference the convenience that cell phones have given us by allowing us to always have a camera on hand, since let's face it - people are rarely without their phones, which is more valuable than a high quality, bulky, expensive DSLR that stays at home.<br />
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Well.. this has nothing to do with cameras - but it does have a lot to do with convenience. I've been meaning to write this short post for a while, but haven't gotten around to doing it due to a lack of time.<br />
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The thing with moisturizers is that there are a <b>ton</b> of them. There's such a large variety of them, all with various benefits and distinguishing features among them. There are shelves dedicated to creams both at the drug store, and even at higher end shops such as Sephora.<br />
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People are always raving about Shea butter, or the <u>most moisturizing</u> cream - and so I tend to fall for it. I buy them, but after that they collect dust on the shelf. <b>My biggest problem is that I never moisturize.</b> It's one of those things that I know I should do, but I just forget to or don't feel inclined to do.<br />
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But this, spray has been a game changer. For some reason, when my eyes glance past it, they actually stop - and somehow I think '<u>wow, I should just pick up the spray, I should actually use it'.</u> Normally I look right past my moisturizers but the sheer convenience of the spray is enough for me to change my habits. This is why I absolutely love it. Who knows, maybe if I start to develop the habit further I'll actually remember to moisturize with other creams that aren't spray on.<br />
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Anyways, I find this spray pretty moisturizing in addition to convenient. If you are someone who is trying to moisturize more, which is probably most people who is also experiencing this dry Winter weather, I highly recommend it!<br />
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It is <i>kind </i>of expensive, I mean it's listed around $7 on the Walmart website and in comparison to the pump that it usually comes in you are getting a lot less product. But even if it was cheaper and you get more product, it won't mean much if you're not using it right? Also just to let you know, after you spray it in you do need to rub it in a little bit (like spray on sun screen) but nevertheless it is still pretty fantastic. I also like the aloe scent, it is definitely not too strong - for anyone who does not like scented products.<br />
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Have you tried this or any of Vaseline's other products? What are your thoughts? Let me know!christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-29885624440218762682015-01-02T02:00:00.004-05:002015-01-23T00:45:40.341-05:00Sephora 2015 Birthday Gift!I swear this is becoming an annual tradition. I mean it's only fair since I'm really one of the bloggers with such an early birthday I suppose. I realize that I'm probably alright really late on posting this since Sephora stores will actually give you the gift early ( I think it just has to be your birthday month/ or maybe it's a '30 day window'. They also give these out early to December babies when they run out of stock, I guess this is only a good thing if you had the same thing happen the year before or else you end up missing out.<br />
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Although they do post pictures on their website and on social media I figure people like to see product reviews and etc regardless because it's always more personal seeing someone else's photographs of the actual products right?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have the cutest labrador retriever in the world. Don't mind the dog hair haha. I don't know if I mentioned it anywhere but I got a new phone about two months ago, so hopefully the photo quality has gone up! I've also been loaned a DSLR, it just isn't as convenient but maybe I'll play around with it and try to take some quality photos.</td></tr>
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I swear the Sephora birthday gifts are just getting better! Years ago it was just a Vanilla scented body wash by Sephora, since then there's been Philosophy, fresh Sugar, and <b><a href="http://christycee.blogspot.com/2014/01/sephora-birthday-2014.html">Benefit</a>! </b>As you can see here the latest addition is NARS which is pretty highly coveted at Sephora. This is a great gift, as the Red Lip has taken on popularity in the recent years. It's a great look when you have less going on with the eyes and need a pop of colour, but it is still a pretty daring look. It's bold and if you're going to rock it it better look good! Since it's a look that many may be nervous about trying, receiving <u>free</u> product is one of the best circumstances for giving it a go! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1J3si4t-W-QHL-pLjjWXxhpgvSUgEKZU0vK5zmwtc-1OZRZW4FbXQMBlzqbmPgxmze5nnm6rEFRZhMUthJDewyqsvres61gw4RhnnS9AxxAm_VdWg57rBs9NCLPzEWteO5NY8I6fFZ4/s1600/Photo+2015-01-01,+5+48+08+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sephora 2015 Birthday Gift NARS Lip Pencils" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1J3si4t-W-QHL-pLjjWXxhpgvSUgEKZU0vK5zmwtc-1OZRZW4FbXQMBlzqbmPgxmze5nnm6rEFRZhMUthJDewyqsvres61gw4RhnnS9AxxAm_VdWg57rBs9NCLPzEWteO5NY8I6fFZ4/s1600/Photo+2015-01-01,+5+48+08+PM.jpg" height="300" title="Sephora 2015 Birthday Gift NARS Lip Pencils" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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As you can see, the birthday gift comes with two lip crayons. One is a matte red, while the other is more pinkish and has shimmer.<br />
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I don't know why, but my phone's camera was absolutely refusing to focus on the crayon tip!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excuse my horrendous nails. To be fair they were painted completely just the night before, it's ridiculous how quickly my nails chip and are ruined.</td></tr>
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You can see how different the two crayons are here and can really see the glimmer that in the lighter shade. Two crayons with two very different effects! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHgOljjuSHV79gXWjFSq8f39F9moXfV9YVOboI3ckLtHviim2N1MUGCGvCs6JS7-J4Ul1OUeKCwMPptMxhsnVHgos-F8ut7KQuPSvOlToGmijJHyg8dwgwHSBacDS5-BRJqTaYcycqNY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-01-23+at+12.43.05+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="nars sephora birthday red lip crayon" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHgOljjuSHV79gXWjFSq8f39F9moXfV9YVOboI3ckLtHviim2N1MUGCGvCs6JS7-J4Ul1OUeKCwMPptMxhsnVHgos-F8ut7KQuPSvOlToGmijJHyg8dwgwHSBacDS5-BRJqTaYcycqNY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-01-23+at+12.43.05+AM.png" height="130" title="nars sephora birthday red lip crayon" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken from a filtered photo, but as you can see it's definitely a <b>bold </b>look!</td></tr>
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I tried on the red, and thought it looked pretty awesome! The only caveat is that you should probably line your lips in order to have a cleaner lip. Also if you don't want to go for a 'real' read look, if you just dab on the product across the middle of your lips and rub it out you can rock a slightly less daring red. </div>
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I totally meant to post this on the very first (to go with my Birthday), but it got late earlier than I expected and officially it is the next day. Oh well. I know that a lot of people have already posted about their new gifts but I hope this help!</div>
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Also: I learned a '<b>secret tip</b>' from a store associate the other day. I was telling her about how my friend forgets to get her birthday gift every single year - but apparently you can really claim it at any time of the year (they just don't want you getting more than once)!</div>
<br />christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-2060923290974397462014-12-26T14:00:00.000-05:002014-12-26T14:00:03.757-05:00Dollarama Steal! Nail Polish (A sought after brand!)Alright, I spoiled the surprise. I wanted to lead you on a little, pique your curiosity and try to make you guess what I found at Dollarama. But I realized then that no one would be able to stumble onto this post. It's alright, I realized I could leave out the brand.<br />
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Dun dun dun. Which Nail Polish did I find at Dollarama? I'm pretty sure you have all seen some Loreal and Nicole by OPI lingering around, so what did I see today?<br />
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Well as usual I think I might go onto a little bit of a tangent first before coming back to my original point. But really, how many of you <b>loove</b> Dollarama? I know in the US "Dollar Tree" is highly regarded but to be honest the one (alright, maybe one location should not be used to generalize the rest of the chain) I visited really wasn't that great. I just think that Dollaramas are maintained really well, they're incredibly clean and always extremely organized. Their success is definitely a reflection of that, as the chain has boomed in popularity across Canada.<br />
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Why are dollar stores great? Because we can usually find handy household, office or a plethora of handy items for dirt cheap. The same items are usually significantly more at other retail locations, and all in all you save a lot of money. Before, I noticed that most of the stock carried at these dollar stores were no-name brands but recently I've seen more big names at Dollarama.<br />
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I know the food is probably fine to consume, but something about dollar store food just leads me to assume that it is of subpar quality. I know I shouldn't really judge brands (but really, that's why they are paying all those big bucks for sponsorship and marketing) based on familiarity but it is something that happens subconsciously. But recently I've noticed General Mills Cereal, Duncan Hines Cake Mix, Post It Notes, Sharpies and more!<br />
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But back to what I was saying earlier, what I saw the other day was <b>Essie!!</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3f4he3XENjwiLagrLpf2xMjWFAWjfdRg759UcBkBubfM6XYvN-JIF-69VQ4jTiFazMycoQsGOg-vyUeQM_BAoYyJn4rL6K-FAe7vczZKaLN3BU8CWq62w4sCshdOFg5XKDUc1uoHQxU/s1600/Photo+2014-12-26,+12+25+22+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photo of Essie Nail Polish 'sssssexy'" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3f4he3XENjwiLagrLpf2xMjWFAWjfdRg759UcBkBubfM6XYvN-JIF-69VQ4jTiFazMycoQsGOg-vyUeQM_BAoYyJn4rL6K-FAe7vczZKaLN3BU8CWq62w4sCshdOFg5XKDUc1uoHQxU/s1600/Photo+2014-12-26,+12+25+22+AM.jpg" height="392" title="Photo of Essie Nail Polish 'sssssexy'" width="640" /></a></div>
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Can you believe it was only $3?! I swear that at Shoppers Drug Mart they can sell for over $9. Sometimes when I go cross border shopping there is a great store at Walden Galleria that sells a lot of them for ~5-7 but they're <i>rarely</i> this cheap. They actually had some OPI but I didn't really like any of the colours.<br />
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Honestly, I do own a lot of Essie nail polishes - but I've refrained from purchasing more over the past year. Today I applied the nail polish in a rush, read as in 5 minutes before running out the door, which is why it's quite messy but you get the idea and can still see how it looks like. Oh, and this is Essie in 'sssssexy'! It really is a great shade.<br />
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What I really liked about it was that it only required one coat to look like this! It also took no time to dry, the top layer was pretty much dry in under 5 minutes - of course I made sure to be cautious with it since it was probably not <i>completely</i> dry.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcO45v_Vfauo9YdIZyyckjECZgZeE_BhP0QAnEEShkLnmT6Szv6GEQWZU5RWZQnPffZSwu03kv3uZOSo8TCiVv7HXvdxc6EKszXmGesz4ZfFDGpHtx7wsJktymiZ0W1QC4yH462Gdd_-8/s1600/Photo+2014-12-26,+12+37+36+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photo of Essie Nail Polish 'sssssexy'" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcO45v_Vfauo9YdIZyyckjECZgZeE_BhP0QAnEEShkLnmT6Szv6GEQWZU5RWZQnPffZSwu03kv3uZOSo8TCiVv7HXvdxc6EKszXmGesz4ZfFDGpHtx7wsJktymiZ0W1QC4yH462Gdd_-8/s1600/Photo+2014-12-26,+12+37+36+AM.jpg" height="400" title="Photo of Essie Nail Polish 'sssssexy'" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsUW1q78aBrS-P0xKL9Owar3rmL0VhG35Md_zq25jGJBf1b6CtSayoUJ1dVGZC9k-JroMTbV8NSGKuuAWTgcLuMZt5KJgNJ5Uqmtphj73O1CayjD8UFu9JNShAkkN49WjLRoy_kYsRY0/s1600/Photo+2014-12-26,+12+24+36+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photo of Essie Nail Polish 'sssssexy'" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsUW1q78aBrS-P0xKL9Owar3rmL0VhG35Md_zq25jGJBf1b6CtSayoUJ1dVGZC9k-JroMTbV8NSGKuuAWTgcLuMZt5KJgNJ5Uqmtphj73O1CayjD8UFu9JNShAkkN49WjLRoy_kYsRY0/s1600/Photo+2014-12-26,+12+24+36+AM.jpg" height="400" title="Photo of Essie Nail Polish 'sssssexy'" width="316" /></a></div>
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What has been your best find at Dollarama to date? Let me know (it can be at any Dollar store)!</div>
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<b><span id="goog_1824737946"></span><span id="goog_1824737947"></span><br /></b>christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-81720368957014710292014-12-19T22:09:00.000-05:002014-12-20T01:49:41.699-05:00Moksha Yoga vs Bikram YogaYou may or may not know this, but I've been doing Hot Yoga on and off for the past 5 years. Last summer I was part of the <a href="http://christycee.blogspot.com/2013/08/moksha-yoga-energy-exchange-program.html">Moksha Yoga Energy Exchange Program</a>, by volunteering there I was allowed to practice unlimitedly (they actually encourage you to do so in order to get more out of the pgoram).<br />
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<a href="http://www.omspathornhill.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/moksha.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.omspathornhill.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/moksha.png" height="211" width="320" /></a>Recently I realized that last year summer was probably a time when I felt the most fit and toned and realized that I wanted to get back into it. I'm extremely excited to buy a YogaShack (London, ON) membership when I am back in the new year, they have this phenomenal student deal - $99 for 3<br />
months! But while or my winter break I wanted to stay in shape and to do yoga as much as I could.<br />
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Unfortunately I realized how expensive it would be to go frequently if I was paying $16 per class, or to buy a 10 class pass. So what I did was look to Groupon, they always seemed to have good deals! I saw a groupon for Moksha Yoga but one location<u>first-timers only - u</u>nfortunately I didn't fall into that group.<br />
was too far while the local studio stated it was for <br />
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<a href="http://96bda424cfcc34d9dd1a-0a7f10f87519dba22d2dbc6233a731e5.r41.cf2.rackcdn.com/bikramyoganorthyork/logo/byTNT/byTNT_120x142.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://96bda424cfcc34d9dd1a-0a7f10f87519dba22d2dbc6233a731e5.r41.cf2.rackcdn.com/bikramyoganorthyork/logo/byTNT/byTNT_120x142.png" height="320" width="269" /></a>At the end I saw a $25 Groupon for a month of <b>Bikram Yoga </b>- I had heard about it, and thought that this would be a great opportunity to try it since I heard it was very different from Moksha. So I went for the first time and boy... it is <u>very</u> different.<br />
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I'm a fairly regular yogi and am definitely not knew to it; but Bikram was completely different from what I was used to. I honestly felt like I was going to pass out for the majority of it.<br />
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<u>It is heated at 110 F (40C) with 40% humidity. </u><br />
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I'm pretty sure Moksha keeps theirs at 95-103, but the atmosphere and the sheer heat studio completely overwhelmed me. It was fine when I first entered but a few moves in I was breathing extremely hard and for the rest of it I can honestly say I was scared of passing out. The moves themself were similar in nature, and I don't think they were harder but the environment made it much more exhausting.<br />
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Like other articles had mentioned, Bikram is a series of 26 movies and follows more direction. I was completely unused to it but the instructor was practically shouting out the instructions.<br />
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<u>They're much less beginner-friendly.</u><br />
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If someone with absolutely no experience had gone in, they might have walked out hating it. The instructor said very early on that she would not be demonstrating the moves and that it was all verbal. She also makes no mention of what to do in cases (like mine) where you can not keep up. At Moksha, they give very friendly tips and tell you that it is okay to take Shavasana or to simply lie down if it is too hot for you, take a sip of water or leave the room. To be completely honest, I had thoughts of leaving but didn't know if that was acceptable practice as the instructor had mentioned nothing of it. It was a small class and I also felt quite uncomfortable stopping midway and taking my own pose.<br />
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<u>Moksha has a nicer, rounded image. </u><br />
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What I mean by this, is that they're very thorough about how they present themselves as a company. Their interior decor is really nice, everything is really clean and environmentally friendly and their website is really smooth and user friendly. Bikram, I believe their studio is older - they are doing renovations explains why their interior was no where as nice. However, I noticed that their website was extremely dated and did not look anywhere as professional.<br />
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<i>The Class Itself</i><br />
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Like I mentioned earlier, the class is carried out much differently. Not only is it much more hot on the inside, but it is 30 minutes longer. Every class is typically 90 min whereas Moksha's are usually around 1h (60 min).<br />
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I was also extremely surprised when all the lights were turned on at the start of class, it was <i>very</i> bright. I had been accustomed to Moksha's dimly lit studios.<br />
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They start of with a breathing exercise which I didn't find very pleasant. You start with your knuckles at your chin and bring your elbows up 'as high as you can' before breathing out and bending your head back. I generally don't really like a lot of head bending exercises or exercises which require you to tense/support with your neck.<br />
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After the breathing exercise they repeat every pose <b>twice.</b> So for moves that focus on one side of the body, they are done a total of 4 times: Left, Right, Left, Right. I actually didn't really enjoy this part either.<br />
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There are no chaturangas! I actually really like these flows, I feel as though it helps in building strength and really missed this component. I found that the poses seem to focus a lot more on stretching and balance; Moksha classes leave me feeling stronger.<br />
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Overall, when I leave Moksha classes I usually feel a sense of calm, relief and peace. It leaves me mentally rested while feeling as though I have gone through a good work out. With Bikram Yoga I felt pretty overwhelmed as I left the studio. For 75% of the class I was uncomfortable and could only focus on the fact that my skin felt as though it was on fire. I felt more stretched and flexible, but besides feeling the nice cool air on my skin afterwards, I didn't feel as though my body had exercised and did not feel any stronger. Since there are only 26 moves the focus is a lot more limited, there is a lot less core work.<br />
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<b>Bikram Yoga is a lot more intense. The moves may not be necessarily harder but the environment itself makes it much more difficult to focus on the practice. </b><br />
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Although I did not enjoy it very much, I might have to go back to make use of the Groupon. Hopefully my body adjusts to it better! I'll be checking out a new location, and seeing what a bigger class feels like.<br />
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Have you done yoga before? Did you do the regular form or did you do Hot Yoga (if yes, which type do you prefer or practice??)<br />
<br />christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-66455806410491735572014-12-03T20:00:00.000-05:002014-12-03T20:00:02.323-05:00Awesome Affordable Phone Cases I like to buy my phone cases online - why? Because it's phenomenal. You can get the case <u>shipped</u> to your house, including the case itself, for just $1. It's crazy, and it also works!<br />
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So today I decided to scour Amazon for some snazzy new cases. In particular, I was looking for something that was partially transparent, I had spent a good amount of time combing through ads when I had initially bought my iPhone and had insisted on purchasing one that was Gold. So I figure now that I shouldn't have done that, or I might as well show it off now.<br />
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So here are some cases I thought were pretty interesting that were around $5 including shopping and revealed the back of the phone (there may be one or two outliers).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvxaVQ49WQv4oPW7DXSh4N7LdHy9EZPQzpEEBOTa5DVNs1pzCwxjLQ0TjvznKooxn0hgU7tB2dwpziHlYBBmVsNQOQxNqKxTa7lxCI4OellSvEeUwWCsWsjAevfJhEVcK3qXOb2ozD50/s1600/cases.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvxaVQ49WQv4oPW7DXSh4N7LdHy9EZPQzpEEBOTa5DVNs1pzCwxjLQ0TjvznKooxn0hgU7tB2dwpziHlYBBmVsNQOQxNqKxTa7lxCI4OellSvEeUwWCsWsjAevfJhEVcK3qXOb2ozD50/s1600/cases.jpg" height="640" width="418" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Exact-Design-iPhone-T-Mobile-Verizon/dp/B009BEWBTE/ref=sr_1_38?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1417327127&sr=1-38&keywords=iphone+5s+case+transparent+design">1. </a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/JAMMYLIZARD-stripes-iPhone-protector-included/dp/B00KX99EFU/ref=sr_1_224?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1417327205&sr=1-224&keywords=iphone+5s+case+transparent+design">2.</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PKYS4KE/ref=twister_B00PKYS1OS?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1">3. </a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Generic-Giraffe-Print-Silicone-iPhone/dp/B00NCU4HPO/ref=sr_1_805?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1417327474&sr=1-805&keywords=iphone+5s+case+transparent+design">4. </a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Iphone-Anastasia-Flower-Abstract/dp/B00OPYIYGY/ref=pd_sim_cps_50?ie=UTF8&refRID=16VVVZ8K5Z0J7NSFXWFX">5.</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/DHSHOP-Transparent-Crystal-Flower-IPhone/dp/B00NL5KJYI/ref=sr_1_667?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1417327415&sr=1-667&keywords=iphone+5s+case+transparent+design">6. </a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Acefast-INC-Plastic-Paisley-Mandala/dp/B00N5EU616/ref=pd_sim_cps_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0MC7F360DN9BHN2EE5NF">7.</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/iPhone-Lovely-Cartoon-Grabbing-Stitch05/dp/B00LA2RUAA/ref=pd_sim_cps_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0MC7F360DN9BHN2EE5NF">8. </a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Iphone-Floral-Elephant-Ganesh/dp/B00OPYGCK4/ref=pd_sim_cps_20?ie=UTF8&refRID=16VVVZ8K5Z0J7NSFXWFX">9.</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Snowman-Holding-Apple-Transparent-iPhone/dp/B00NH9HHPC/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_cp_11_4JDP?ie=UTF8&refRID=0DPEZPHK9A3E4HSR1CNX">10. </a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Suppion-Transparent-Hard-Cover-IPhone/dp/B00LCNAYY6/ref=sr_1_569?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1417327359&sr=1-569&keywords=iphone+5s+case+transparent+design">11. </a></div>
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Where do you buy your cases from? Do you have a favourite amongst any of these selected cases? Let me know!</div>
<br />christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-49421420870458365092014-11-29T14:53:00.000-05:002014-12-02T21:52:12.311-05:00Black Friday featuring NYX Butter Gloss If you live in the US you probably would have noticed all the hype that goes into Black Friday -and for good reason too, have you seen all the deals that come out? A couple of years ago, the only acknowledgement of this 'holiday' by Canadians were those that actually crossed the border to go cross-border shopping. However in the last few years Canadian retailers have been trying to keep us from leaving and have been trying to keep our spending/dollars within our own country. Now there are Black Friday sales in a large portion of stores here as well; however, it never feels exactly the same - the deals really don't seem to hold up to the Americans'. <i>If you did not know, Black Friday -and the following weekend- is the same weekend as American thanksgiving and is renowned for its large sales.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudRaxFVkQJ0w5JBMAZVAPAUScbENdYsAXNBZGvnwpSOl79DRU1Tvv2G0ReMhaOpPFsoonENB9K17hf4khDGZF55B6292UwWM16OfVSNjfMT6piWWuTpSf3w5sy_AdgT5CIhUp8dL9V-g/s1600/Photo+2014-11-28,+12+39+24+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Black Friday Victoria Secret Bombshell Perfume" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudRaxFVkQJ0w5JBMAZVAPAUScbENdYsAXNBZGvnwpSOl79DRU1Tvv2G0ReMhaOpPFsoonENB9K17hf4khDGZF55B6292UwWM16OfVSNjfMT6piWWuTpSf3w5sy_AdgT5CIhUp8dL9V-g/s1600/Photo+2014-11-28,+12+39+24+PM.jpg" height="240" title="Black Friday Victoria Secret Bombshell Perfume" width="320" /></a></div>
Anyways nonetheless, my roommates and I decided to head over to the mall at 7:30am to see what we could find. A quick search on google, or other blogs already post a list of all the ongoing deals, flyers and etc so I won't be doing that. Instead I thought it would be fun to see what deals everyone actually jumped onto, what are you finds and steals??<br />
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So at La Senza they had a 40% store-wide special, which was perfect because I had actually been searching for a new beige bra. Check. Aerie also had 40% storewide except for PJ pants which had a buy one get one deal (or was it half off..).<br />
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Garage had 40% off a bunch of items in addition to some other promotional deals. I don't really shop at Garage, I mean some of their styles are not too bad - they copy whatever is selling well and the popular fads at the moment but it is targetted at a younger age group.<br />
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At Aritzia, even though they like to advertise 40-60% off discounts, reality is that the majority of store items only qualify for the 10% off - only a select few are more severely marked down. To be honest there probably are some that are marked off more significantly; however, their on sale price will still be quite high and over $100.<br />
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Urban Outfitters had its usual sale of 50% off sale items. I was actually pretty disappointed, I had gone in two days ago for a 20% off (everything) special that they had going on and noticed that they hadn't really added anything to the sale section since. I will say that I do like the majority of clothing items that Urban sells, unfortunately my student budget really doesn't allow me to splurge on everything. Although their red-sticker sale items are fairly priced as well, what I truly adore Urban for is this '50% off sale' that they have several times a year. I mean I will fairly often be able to pick out cute tops for $5-10 - I mean where else can you do that really? I got a cardigan that was originally $100, marked down to $50 for $25. Along with a few other cardigans, those were the only interesting sale items my roommates and I noticed.<br />
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Finally, in reference to the photo at the top there: <b>Victoria Secret</b>. I will honestly say that it was probably my best buy. I bought "Bombshell" after hearing so many people rave about it and noticing that it seemed to a favourite amongst Victoria Secret's many scents. If you can tell in the photo, I bought the bigger size which is 3.4 oz - normally it's original price is ~$75! In store, they were selling every size (therefore go for the bigger one) for only $28. This was honestly one of the biggest reductions I saw all day and therefore one of my favourites.<br />
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Attached to the mall is a Target - so I ended up going just to see if there would be anything great. There wasn't anything too exciting, when I went over to the beauty department I realized that they carried NYX (a drugstore brand that is only carried at select stores, and can<i>not</i> be found at Shoppers Drug Mart) - at this point a light bulb went off and I remembered reading all the online ravings about the 'Butter Gloss'. It's a drugstore lipgloss notorious for its superb quality and a great dupe, so I knew I had to check it out. The one I got is called "Angel Cake" - and the quality was just as good as I expected and it was about $9 after Tax(I don't know how much it is priced regularly)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR5eRhs_Mm4AJxRMMINkdeksDpFbZTO0DTgbVWg5eVNeJ7O77cV4IcoeXC-g2gWTuk7xFC2-G-y_iSkWAIxZOePkOKXCklIYVxEMcv7S5qzpr0WrTpZXM1Otx_1bRfPA9Ea952fdqMQeE/s1600/Photo+2014-11-29,+2+37+19+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="NYX Angel Cake Butter Gloss" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR5eRhs_Mm4AJxRMMINkdeksDpFbZTO0DTgbVWg5eVNeJ7O77cV4IcoeXC-g2gWTuk7xFC2-G-y_iSkWAIxZOePkOKXCklIYVxEMcv7S5qzpr0WrTpZXM1Otx_1bRfPA9Ea952fdqMQeE/s1600/Photo+2014-11-29,+2+37+19+PM.jpg" height="640" title="NYX Angel Cake Butter Gloss" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7A_iq3QyC7YH19EEjJp8fWFro867ziHUo4pdbr_1hgMoQqdGj5vv9lBiPlwmFPyKD5f-52vQhsjDSx1xdd9HrhGKceMqTXdCWsKsqqnSefQenuMRIcPP4xV-C2RDqgt_DUiLKfjT_vT8/s1600/Photo+2014-11-29,+2+38+21+PM+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="NYX Angel Cake Butter Gloss" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7A_iq3QyC7YH19EEjJp8fWFro867ziHUo4pdbr_1hgMoQqdGj5vv9lBiPlwmFPyKD5f-52vQhsjDSx1xdd9HrhGKceMqTXdCWsKsqqnSefQenuMRIcPP4xV-C2RDqgt_DUiLKfjT_vT8/s1600/Photo+2014-11-29,+2+38+21+PM+copy.jpg" height="640" title="NYX Angel Cake Butter Gloss" width="449" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_RoAdYKO6eHcowaJHrHBOF0EcdmfaSnzd8m3vmH-GKNBx1q60rAH3o_UUXJp2_Pzdf3A3TntuQv3D2ERcjAe0c25hyod5NWWfbl2lCz7eqgvnNxMjqrdJ32TX7foPU4GOiXPDSLfm2M/s1600/NYX.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="NYX Angel Cake Butter Gloss" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_RoAdYKO6eHcowaJHrHBOF0EcdmfaSnzd8m3vmH-GKNBx1q60rAH3o_UUXJp2_Pzdf3A3TntuQv3D2ERcjAe0c25hyod5NWWfbl2lCz7eqgvnNxMjqrdJ32TX7foPU4GOiXPDSLfm2M/s1600/NYX.jpg" height="320" title="NYX Angel Cake Butter Gloss" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm wearing Angel Cake here, it's a really great neutral color and isn't overly pink either! </td></tr>
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What was your best Black Friday buy? Have you ever tried the NYX products, or more specifically this Butter Gloss? I'd love to hear from you :) leave a comment below!</div>
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<br />christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-6884282420920479162014-11-24T15:15:00.000-05:002014-11-24T15:15:14.277-05:00Birchbox is Available in Canada!So, it's finally here. Birchbox is a beauty/make up subscription service that has been available in the US for the past few years. In Canada, since we often get the short end of the stick and don't have the full access to products and services available to Americans, we have other alternative products or have to wait awhile before something arrives here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHpfk2ZWKTlDhO0Qq7QszYd5VNpGl5-iqCI3v-PCh9XOzbp3DMkSBlh2S1yr90wWB-SjpoOlw-5G3CLjIeLdmjOSMatUUUKVvf24RYBIiUdtHGpHTc69_D9y1-WrXfzjChWpu8I2NEFo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-24+at+3.04.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHpfk2ZWKTlDhO0Qq7QszYd5VNpGl5-iqCI3v-PCh9XOzbp3DMkSBlh2S1yr90wWB-SjpoOlw-5G3CLjIeLdmjOSMatUUUKVvf24RYBIiUdtHGpHTc69_D9y1-WrXfzjChWpu8I2NEFo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-24+at+3.04.34+PM.png" height="262" width="640" /></a></div>
So originally when I first heard about Birchbox, we only had TopBox and Luxebox by Loosebutton. If you look up Birchbox Canada on google you'll notice sometimes the prior mentioned services will actually show up as the "Canadian Birchbox". So I guess we are finally getting the real deal! They actually only announced it this month (November) so the first round of boxes will be available in December. I already saw a youtube video which showed an unboxing (I believe they received a box from a conference), I'm not sure if you actually want to do this as it might take out some of the surprise! Although these boxes tend to vary for people, so you might not even get the same thing.<br />
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Similarly to other services: there is an element of customization. I believe you take a short quiz just to determine some personal characteristics such as hair type, and skin type.<br />
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I've never actually received a Birchbox before, because it was only available in the US, and so if I do end up purchasing one it really will be new to me. I will however, be expecting it to be nicely packaged! I haven't had a subscription box in a while so it will definitely be nice to get something new in the mail (along with my credit statement).<br />
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Birchbox is $10 + 4.95 for shipping and taxes which puts it at a slightly higher price point - TopBox is $12 a month.<br />
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What I noticed on their website that did seem interesting was one of their incentives for posting reviews:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvuXxU1fL0-M1WI-75s0I_d3PEDWJQwoOcqJW8YZwOPU6eiCfzYKkXZM9QW0t5f7c6-6rqwX3QZTDbnGMzJZF3xTh_lCPeSZyIISJdnxK6CZwcXerJ67f2hru6g_5uAM2lAbkfsWsFDg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-24+at+3.11.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvuXxU1fL0-M1WI-75s0I_d3PEDWJQwoOcqJW8YZwOPU6eiCfzYKkXZM9QW0t5f7c6-6rqwX3QZTDbnGMzJZF3xTh_lCPeSZyIISJdnxK6CZwcXerJ67f2hru6g_5uAM2lAbkfsWsFDg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-24+at+3.11.30+PM.png" height="268" width="640" /></a></div>
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So although it does seem a little more expensive, you supposedly do receive a few dollars back in credit to spend on future purchases. I'm interested in learning more about this <i>(they probably have a similar promotion going on in the states).</i></div>
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Will you be subscribing to BirchBox? Let me know, along with any other boxes you are currently subscribed to1<br />
<br />christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-35046980558459482422014-11-22T20:12:00.001-05:002014-11-22T20:14:30.115-05:00Canada's Finest Coffee - Keurig Store Review (London)At home with my roommates we all share a Keurig. We were lucky enough to have someone bring theirs in, and with that we all just buy our own K cups.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQy6bRmt8VOef6xDQRJLm6g1BgOJuG5vrAJum_HiEdqAMTCZ2UoFF8_xzHkYGOrmX6N3nMod0lO5We22fuO-aD_f34rR11dycFOvhvySRp7HxGXhBIPDzrw-MpwDDqYLbWN-MOtJLa5c/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+1+55+59+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Mix and Match policy for K Cup Store Canada's Finest Coffee" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQy6bRmt8VOef6xDQRJLm6g1BgOJuG5vrAJum_HiEdqAMTCZ2UoFF8_xzHkYGOrmX6N3nMod0lO5We22fuO-aD_f34rR11dycFOvhvySRp7HxGXhBIPDzrw-MpwDDqYLbWN-MOtJLa5c/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+1+55+59+PM.jpg" height="400" title="Mix and Match policy for K Cup Store Canada's Finest Coffee" width="300" /></a> Keurigs have started to become a household staple - what it brought into our homes is something people truly value, convenience. I mean with the pop of a K cup you can quickly have a cup of coffee without the hassles of brewing an entire pot! And although it is less cost efficient than buying a pack of ground coffee, if it saves you from buying a cup of Starbucks or Tim Hortons then at the end of the day you really are still saving money.<br />
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So what I have always found really annoying is that for the most part Keurig packs come in boxes of uniform flavours and there are very few variety packs available. I would also be scared to try a new brand or flavour in case I didn't want an entire box of it. What I soon noticed was that all my roommates were coming back with other flavours and etc that I had never seen before! They had cool flavours such as 'Cinnabon' or different White Chocolates or Mocha Java cups. Apparently in their home towns they have these 'Keurig Variety' K cup stores dedicated solely to picking out K cups as if they were at a bulk barn!<br />
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From what I've heard is that these stores where you can pick out individual flavours exist in Whitby, Kingston, Waterloo and London as well! I'm so upset that none of these really exist in Markham or Toronto. You would think that a city that populated would have something like this or would be the first to have one, but I haven't been able to find one on google (let me know if you know of one)! It's a good thing I don't actually have a Keurig machine when I'm home so I guess I don't <i>actually</i> need a store when I'm there.<br />
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Anyways so today I went to my first K Cup store at Canada's Finest Coffee in London. It's kind of located in a little area outside of downtown. I couldn't find it at first but eventually we found the building. I think It's located at 'Unit 2' 775 Industrial Road - this is right off of Oxford, so if you are going east on Oxford make a left onto Industrial road.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFniRTittKKXz8uqMpXt7cCXDXCTpMaZ0N1v4ckunKRSKKbhRhGLmo2s3eK8aSe3EfTW_Bx1oKVqHarMIOT-muETqjGCgs0Tt_3AQ5O_eZk-u2pjqPV7Q4VzqjcT0L6MSQUaurMmf1kPA/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+1+46+56+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mix and Match policy for K Cup Store Canada's Finest Coffee" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFniRTittKKXz8uqMpXt7cCXDXCTpMaZ0N1v4ckunKRSKKbhRhGLmo2s3eK8aSe3EfTW_Bx1oKVqHarMIOT-muETqjGCgs0Tt_3AQ5O_eZk-u2pjqPV7Q4VzqjcT0L6MSQUaurMmf1kPA/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+1+46+56+PM.jpg" height="400" title="Mix and Match policy for K Cup Store Canada's Finest Coffee Plastic Tray" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You cans ee the little trays here. </td></tr>
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I think the prices vary with these stores. Apparently the one in Whitby only charges 60c per K Cup, while it is a little more expensive over here. At this store it is either 6 for $5 (83c each) or 30 for $22 (73c each).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz68MIq_Ilmb_G61SDpltmOupQWtrUL7fp4XAVUfv8IMI8o-QI3quqBjlRy_qgB3NLEduW5KDxXcfN01v4u4XUj2csGnDBZMBphdRPblVpU4QcXIqrSfVH7K1bGk0hHMZTPX-6uzOE0j0/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+1+47+02+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mix and Match policy for K Cup Store Canada's Finest Coffee" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz68MIq_Ilmb_G61SDpltmOupQWtrUL7fp4XAVUfv8IMI8o-QI3quqBjlRy_qgB3NLEduW5KDxXcfN01v4u4XUj2csGnDBZMBphdRPblVpU4QcXIqrSfVH7K1bGk0hHMZTPX-6uzOE0j0/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+1+47+02+PM.jpg" height="400" title="Mix and Match policy for K Cup Store Canada's Finest Coffee" width="300" /></a></div>
You can see the many bins of different flavours available here. They have regular coffee, flavoured coffees, hot chocolate as well as tea.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtTCVf5pj6TJGPPBq2xwEP9LcYEmKPQpHaF8t7tq2ZsMIZIwK0oIe_IcN7idRI_r3J1GC1FlPI217NKZTJ9DAlG8Ep0H6k_EHlYAhSEsIOiEMHVw4LDax40Y7azfJX3bgRLIxY49eQrs/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+1+48+48+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bins of K Cups at Canada's Finest Coffee" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtTCVf5pj6TJGPPBq2xwEP9LcYEmKPQpHaF8t7tq2ZsMIZIwK0oIe_IcN7idRI_r3J1GC1FlPI217NKZTJ9DAlG8Ep0H6k_EHlYAhSEsIOiEMHVw4LDax40Y7azfJX3bgRLIxY49eQrs/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+1+48+48+PM.jpg" height="400" title="Bins of K Cups at Canada's Finest Coffee" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzaYVr5VFBaxcnJlorfDsdHqSJ80axSTaIiqjjf_85PPeVVJe1q2lPVLsd0ZYXHrA4MEi2UWVMcmhK-zi8bpTqXqVck2A1Xwf_tB5oORQ4_FniB9FK_gqJMJo8Tht9J-nIulKXS3vO-0/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+1+50+13+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bins of K Cups at Canada's Finest Coffee" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzaYVr5VFBaxcnJlorfDsdHqSJ80axSTaIiqjjf_85PPeVVJe1q2lPVLsd0ZYXHrA4MEi2UWVMcmhK-zi8bpTqXqVck2A1Xwf_tB5oORQ4_FniB9FK_gqJMJo8Tht9J-nIulKXS3vO-0/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+1+50+13+PM.jpg" height="400" title="Bins of K Cups at Canada's Finest Coffee" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQy6bRmt8VOef6xDQRJLm6g1BgOJuG5vrAJum_HiEdqAMTCZ2UoFF8_xzHkYGOrmX6N3nMod0lO5We22fuO-aD_f34rR11dycFOvhvySRp7HxGXhBIPDzrw-MpwDDqYLbWN-MOtJLa5c/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+1+55+59+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDTE27vCHZhbi9BAENBuLcwKlvuiystQ7xxFr3neoGqfIZ0S_Sx7QaP9T2VQ_RlgW-ET9n6DG1ot6ffddqnHQeLHdkQUqNlIp8x3hyLzfHa54EgJEHShRPW4JUnDxa75cgsKOUlzJGGo/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+1+50+17+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bins of K Cups at Canada's Finest Coffee" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDTE27vCHZhbi9BAENBuLcwKlvuiystQ7xxFr3neoGqfIZ0S_Sx7QaP9T2VQ_RlgW-ET9n6DG1ot6ffddqnHQeLHdkQUqNlIp8x3hyLzfHa54EgJEHShRPW4JUnDxa75cgsKOUlzJGGo/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+1+50+17+PM.jpg" height="400" title="Bins of K Cups at Canada's Finest Coffee" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5TJ1TR1bHX3ze-QRmKju6-bI_ZtgxF9XATA1m6HryDu-u5u2jXNccoqgUx_Otood1XqhygdMfMndxvEbHP3agBfibbJLcToMpVEk1cqEKcE5akSbdjE-OEfxZE59_lnyVX1vAmyrShE/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+2+03+07+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A variety of K cups selected at Canada's Finest Coffee " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5TJ1TR1bHX3ze-QRmKju6-bI_ZtgxF9XATA1m6HryDu-u5u2jXNccoqgUx_Otood1XqhygdMfMndxvEbHP3agBfibbJLcToMpVEk1cqEKcE5akSbdjE-OEfxZE59_lnyVX1vAmyrShE/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+2+03+07+PM.jpg" height="640" title="A variety of K cups selected at Canada's Finest Coffee " width="480" /></a></div>
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This is what my friend ended up getting. I only ended up getting 6 cups, so I thought I would take a picture of this so you could see what a large variety they offer. This is so much more fun, in terms of trying out new drinks, than buying a regular box at the grocery store!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-XH95FIv4zt2MuY6HEBmaitTtSk83QUJyTlz_1xsqciW5aurxeSCbnvKeYUDfSNFY2JmMtnkJRjUtOsPRZaiR0Mm6-7Y45SLVUsSyCYWCcIYWDKtpCkRpV9zUiupZW1zyMWG6gny4aAo/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+2+10+35+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hot Chocolate from Canada's Finest Coffee" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-XH95FIv4zt2MuY6HEBmaitTtSk83QUJyTlz_1xsqciW5aurxeSCbnvKeYUDfSNFY2JmMtnkJRjUtOsPRZaiR0Mm6-7Y45SLVUsSyCYWCcIYWDKtpCkRpV9zUiupZW1zyMWG6gny4aAo/s1600/Photo+2014-11-22,+2+10+35+PM.jpg" height="400" title="Hot Chocolate from Canada's Finest Coffee" width="300" /></a></div>
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The store is actually quite friend, and also have this great policy where they allow anyone in the store to try out a K cup of their choice. You get a drink for free! I decided to get a Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate - it was really sweet, just the way I like it.</div>
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If you are in London, check this out!</div>
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What city are you from? Have you heard of such a store, and do you have one that you visit ? Let me know in the comments!</div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3264651599965002753" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3264651599965002753" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-46068855572544450882014-11-18T14:11:00.000-05:002014-11-18T14:11:38.720-05:00Starbucks Lovers! Don't miss out on a Groupon (Canada). $5 for $10 Gift CardHey Guys,<br />
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So if you don't know what Groupon is, it's a site which provides you with lots of cool discounts and coupons, and it is able to do this by basing it off of large 'Group Buys'. So currently there is a deal that is limited time only.<br />
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You can think of it almost as if you were getting a 'free drink' - this would be true if you purchased their frappuchinos or seasonal drinks, they come out to be around $5 anyways.<br />
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Or you can also just thinking about how the drinks you buy (maybe they're just regular coffees) are half off, or similarly, for the same amount of money you can get two times the amount!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kzQViVDrrQ_q_8j7gcldOn2YQWypnQ-JfbVl3wR6VMO9HECQFKEwMCkePArRh5yBL5-M-uKJUwE00-vdxe_3MbcLtJhp4DvWzLR3agkiGzZ2u05AgnP7Y6sXWWJ6pJc5-vVjVzuDd18/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-18+at+1.53.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Groupon deal for Starbucks Holiday " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kzQViVDrrQ_q_8j7gcldOn2YQWypnQ-JfbVl3wR6VMO9HECQFKEwMCkePArRh5yBL5-M-uKJUwE00-vdxe_3MbcLtJhp4DvWzLR3agkiGzZ2u05AgnP7Y6sXWWJ6pJc5-vVjVzuDd18/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-18+at+1.53.20+PM.png" height="466" title="Groupon deal for Starbucks Holiday $5 for $10 Gift Card" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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Anyways this might not be worth it for someone who never drinks Starbucks, but for anyone who does somewhat occasionally then I would say it is worth it! Or why not save some money if you were looking to get some small gift cards to give away as Secret Santa, or Holiday gifts?<br />
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If you already have a group on account the url is <a href="http://www.groupon.com/deals/starbucks-2-2011">here</a>. And if you don't have an account, you can just go to the Groupon website - or you could sign up using this <a href="https://www.groupon.com/visitor_referral/h/2f7cf09c-6e66-4937-8816-3ac0054413ed">'referral URL'</a>. I don't want to trick you or anything, by referring people to the site there is a $10 incentive bonus for me, so if you'd rather just sign up normally without the referral there is no offence taken! Just simply go to their website, it really is an easy sign up anyways.<br />
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PS: Another idea or way to put it towards good use is to buy a Tumbler or a Mug with it! A lot of them are around $15-$20 so it's an instant $5 off.<br />
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<b><u>What is your favourite drink at Starbucks? Reply in the comments!</u></b><br />
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Personally I only go there for their frilly $5 drinks anyways meaning Frappuccinos, PSL, and White Chocolate Peppermint Lattes. I don't really drink their 'real coffees' because I actually tend to stick with Tims and their standardized milk and sugars ratios ( I can't seem to make my own coffee as well).<br />
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3264651599965002753%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D4606885557254445088%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dpostname&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com%2Fgadgets%2Fproxy%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252F3.bp.blogspot.com%252F-moUFam5nXRk%252FVGuXAMLAf2I%252FAAAAAAAAAow%252FBdgI70XqzFY%252Fs1600%252FScreen%25252BShot%25252B2014-11-18%25252Bat%25252B1.53.20%25252BPM.png%26container%3Dblogger%26gadget%3Da%26rewriteMime%3Dimage%252F*&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=Groupon%20deal%20for%20Starbucks%20Holiday%20%245%20for%20%2410%20Gift%20Card" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 33px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 240px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D3264651599965002753%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D4606885557254445088%3BonPublishedMenu%3Dposts%3BonClosedMenu%3Dposts%3BpostNum%3D0%3Bsrc%3Dpostname&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com%2Fgadgets%2Fproxy%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252F3.bp.blogspot.com%252F-moUFam5nXRk%252FVGuXAMLAf2I%252FAAAAAAAAAow%252FBdgI70XqzFY%252Fs1600%252FScreen%25252BShot%25252B2014-11-18%25252Bat%25252B1.53.20%25252BPM.png%26container%3Dblogger%26gadget%3Da%26rewriteMime%3Dimage%252F*&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=Groupon%20deal%20for%20Starbucks%20Holiday%20%245%20for%20%2410%20Gift%20Card" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 33px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 240px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-84323040485862457702014-11-10T22:39:00.000-05:002014-11-10T22:39:02.413-05:00October Nature Box 2014 Review (Canada)It's kind of funny, sometimes you have those days where you're just so easily swayed and so impulsive..<br />
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That is exactly the type of day I had when I ordered my Nature Box. I ordered it the afternoon after having heard of it for the <i>first </i>time. I mean I've had a subscription service before with <a href="http://christycee.blogspot.ca/2013/06/topbox-june-2013.html">Topbox</a> (here's another Topbox <a href="http://christycee.blogspot.ca/2014/01/january-2015-benefit-topbox.html">review</a> and one for <a href="http://christycee.blogspot.ca/2013/01/loose-button-winter-2012.html">Loose Button</a>) and have always loved them, since I love to receive things in my mail - that are not credit statements.<br />
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NatureBox sends monthly packages of snacks to your door, and what makes these snacks so great (other than the fact that it arrives right at your door) is that they are healthy snacks and they are extremely creative. I have never heard of the snacks that I received and actually really liked them.<br />
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<i>Taken from their site: <span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.4545459747314px;">NatureBox</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.4545459747314px;"> Discovery Snack </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.4545459747314px;">Boxes</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.4545459747314px;">. Each month, your </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.4545459747314px;">box</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.4545459747314px;"> will include five different </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.4545459747314px;">NatureBox</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.4545459747314px;"> snacks made from wholesome ingredients. In fact, our nutritionist-approved foods are minimally processed, if at all. To get a better idea of what you can expect in your subscription, here are some of our past NatureBoxes</span></span></i></div>
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I found out it was American, well there's a surprise, but they were extending a 'beta' version to Canadians as well. The difference is that we don't get to choose our snacks and can only receive a 'fixed' box of the month.<br />
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So this is what I received for October! I know that it is November, which means that it is extremely late - but I mean, I'm sure people like to see what Nature Box has sent out previously and just to see everyone else's reactions right?<br />
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Here are the photos taken from their website, I forgot to take a photo when I still had the packaging and am smacking myself for that. I think it's so much more fun to see everything from start to end which is why all the unpacking videos on youtube are also so popular. I've placed them in order from my favourite to least favourite.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNr4MU3WfDCPaMnjQOC4xHznX48PPnIEw-1IA8muHVzh8-g1WLHI-nH5UVYr1X0ScPbzZZLT4GH55PtoaOGsuyY9lXEU6M6W3Rw3W7VLTQPxl_f9N4ow2z-SAysaiS2sEGTfrwIFQz_8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-10+at+9.55.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNr4MU3WfDCPaMnjQOC4xHznX48PPnIEw-1IA8muHVzh8-g1WLHI-nH5UVYr1X0ScPbzZZLT4GH55PtoaOGsuyY9lXEU6M6W3Rw3W7VLTQPxl_f9N4ow2z-SAysaiS2sEGTfrwIFQz_8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-10+at+9.55.34+PM.png" /></a></div>
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This snack was absolutely delicious. It was the first one I had (well because it seemed chocolate-y) and it was the first one to go, since I liked it so much! It's kind of funny because I looked at one other article just to see how other people liked it, and it seemed like some people didn't like it at all. I thought these were great, they hit the spot and felt like a snack that I was indulging in only to find out that it was still pretty nutritious and good for you! I wish that I could purchase these stand-alone.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10EI0ALCy-f6tmbwFba4DczFvWCnlikQJG6yA6KPrNAfRwjPT29-bRG_igx2VPvfkVX9XS_f8yMv4vx4b5DevEtjzZT0LfZTbxV9kVKTlgoa311TfB2el4e031U8A4DzNCAV_cKh8fvU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-10+at+9.56.05+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10EI0ALCy-f6tmbwFba4DczFvWCnlikQJG6yA6KPrNAfRwjPT29-bRG_igx2VPvfkVX9XS_f8yMv4vx4b5DevEtjzZT0LfZTbxV9kVKTlgoa311TfB2el4e031U8A4DzNCAV_cKh8fvU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-10+at+9.56.05+PM.png" /></a></div>
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Alrighty so these are kind of mustardy. I thought it actually had 'mustard' printed on the packaging, but maybe I just assumed so based off of the name. Anyhow, I can't say that I love mustard - sometimes I'll put some on a hamburger just because I feel like it's the thing to do and it gets paired up with ketchup. But, it didn't really seem that appealing to me. I was surprised with the flavour but generally took a liking to it for the most part. It's probably because it <i>is</i> honey flavoured so there is a little bit of sweetness. The pretzels themselves were actually great and bite sized!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFscnXNAONPip0l5iNrr5W_fRBbOPRZj6KsEueH2hxnVnRBhyohFHtCAXVZcV9dLOZ9IBV03ICjfzHYcZs-MTRaQiOHyn5n5kAz_jvVI_p5w3EgkYYAWXcGaEDl7mXaYG-TzhA7gpH0g/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-10+at+9.57.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFscnXNAONPip0l5iNrr5W_fRBbOPRZj6KsEueH2hxnVnRBhyohFHtCAXVZcV9dLOZ9IBV03ICjfzHYcZs-MTRaQiOHyn5n5kAz_jvVI_p5w3EgkYYAWXcGaEDl7mXaYG-TzhA7gpH0g/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-10+at+9.57.50+PM.png" /></a></div>
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Alright so this was also something that I found to be really unusual. I mean, lentil loops? I've never even had lentils (to my knowledge). These were so good!! I felt like I was eating a type of chips, I think it might have had some potato flour or something, but it had the perfect crunch and texture. The only thing I didn't like about these were the flavour, but that's just me - I don't even season my food with peppers. If these came in another flavour I would have ranked this even higher.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsH8m9YWTzLBYwLxPbBp6TwMr8tkgCEkMTYq_Q0m9lVdX8YPFoxHN7n-4WQfQTYVTqyo3qxrps5mMfaiPC4-e5EHo-nxaZhAjZzIey5vjIIPnfSfEEUR3GGpRUujo7lupzAb8P-qgseVo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-10+at+9.54.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsH8m9YWTzLBYwLxPbBp6TwMr8tkgCEkMTYq_Q0m9lVdX8YPFoxHN7n-4WQfQTYVTqyo3qxrps5mMfaiPC4-e5EHo-nxaZhAjZzIey5vjIIPnfSfEEUR3GGpRUujo7lupzAb8P-qgseVo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-10+at+9.54.46+PM.png" /></a></div>
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These were alright. I mean they didn't taste like anything special to me, and relative to the first few snacks they also were a lot less creative. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDd6NH7hFyWhY-GXrpfMLLslhCW_RbJNw7hPgQKeX2MVJ1FACjPOD3qdGsMJnGGB6PmX21mRFObTGIGiqdN3Iq9e7o8jiiRze1SPqccNU2SiG023KawTsn3y_P18AJMK1n3BF8VBj-pHw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-10+at+9.56.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDd6NH7hFyWhY-GXrpfMLLslhCW_RbJNw7hPgQKeX2MVJ1FACjPOD3qdGsMJnGGB6PmX21mRFObTGIGiqdN3Iq9e7o8jiiRze1SPqccNU2SiG023KawTsn3y_P18AJMK1n3BF8VBj-pHw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-10+at+9.56.30+PM.png" /></a></div>
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I didn't really like these that much, but that's just because it's not really the type of snack that I prefer. I don't really like raisins too much, but I mean there are times where I do like dried cranberries. These were pretty sweet and would have been better if they had come with some granola or something.</div>
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Overall, I did like these snacks. They were really neat and came in fairly generous portions. The only downfall is that this service is fairly expensive and are normally around $20. I mean some of you might find that that's a perfectly acceptable amount to invest in healthy snacks but that's you. If you dig around online I believe there's always a ton of coupons. Personally I got mine using a $10 off so after shipping and tax and etc I feel like I paid around $14 for 5 snack packs. </div>
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The only problem I found was that there was a glitch on their website which wouldn't show me where the button was to unsubscribe to the website. The first response I got was immediate but useless, they simply tried to get me to go to that same page which was not working. I had to email them a second time with a bit more of an edge telling them that I did <u>not</u> want to pay for a second month, this was when I finally received confirmation from them that they had cancelled it for me. </div>
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I do wish that we had the same site functionality as the American site, perhaps when it finally gets here I will give it another try. I just went to their website to take a look at their snacks (this in itself was extremely difficult because the website kept redirecting me to the Canadian version), and there were <b>soo </b>many snacks that actually looked really good!</div>
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Have you ordered Nature Box before? Do you know of another subscription service that is really good? Leave me a comment I would love to hear from you! </div>
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<span id="goog_479911033"></span><span id="goog_479911034"></span><br />christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-35118781893846358582014-11-04T16:12:00.002-05:002014-11-18T14:13:07.781-05:00Sephora VIB Sale 20% Off! US and CanadaHey Everyone,<br />
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If you didn't know, there was just a Friends and Family sale that ended just around the corner (October 30th). I say this because- <i>I actually didn't know</i>. You would think that following a bunch of beauty and lifestyle blogs this would have jumped out somewhere and caught my attention but I had no idea!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-IhUaHFU3MEK_iVsioKFsc6L882AdNNa5tawN9F0eIXjQP5qInZpgkTwIbWB49A_ZiBjr03bMJaMo2MSbLP-TD7SelW6dpXILAwjrRDJL2vjvedTPtRfjIkz50Y4YInzkIUY1CIeLoU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-04+at+4.09.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sephora's personalized holiday email" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-IhUaHFU3MEK_iVsioKFsc6L882AdNNa5tawN9F0eIXjQP5qInZpgkTwIbWB49A_ZiBjr03bMJaMo2MSbLP-TD7SelW6dpXILAwjrRDJL2vjvedTPtRfjIkz50Y4YInzkIUY1CIeLoU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-04+at+4.09.18+PM.png" height="295" title="Sephora's personalized holiday email" width="400" /></a></div>
No Fear - There is another sale following suit! It starts on November 6th, and it's to reward all of its VIB and VIB Rouge members. That's not to say I actually have a VIB account.<br />
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Again - don't worry, because apparently these members will all have a Friends code! Although VIB members will have a general 'VIBgift' code, that appears to work for multiple purchases within this window, they do get one time code they can share with those around them.<br />
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So if you know someone who has one, maybe they will be kind enough to share one with you. What worked for me last year was heading over to Sephora's Facebook page. People were kind enough to post on the wall that they had extra code's they were willing to message, <b>yes, kind and generous people do exist</b>.<br />
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What are you planning to buy with your 20% off? Oh and did you love their new customized emails or what!? I'm looking at a NARS blush and bronzer along with an eyeliner set; I'm also torn over whether to take the splurge for a YSL lipstick or not - I mean how pretty is it..<br />
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<a href="http://resources.shopstyle.com/sim/f4/1a/f41a9269cbba1f74e8802608b395422b/nars-blush-bronzer-duo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://resources.shopstyle.com/sim/f4/1a/f41a9269cbba1f74e8802608b395422b/nars-blush-bronzer-duo.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Edit</u></b>: I feel like no one is really doing it this year on the FB, although there was a Reddit page there is a huge imbalance in the ratio of Beauty Insiders: VIB. <b>If anyone is willing to share an extra code leave a comment - perhaps we could get some discussion going on here. Anyone who isn't using theirs reply, hopefully we can pair up some unused codes and get some use out of em!</b><br />
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<u>Edit 2:</u> Apparently there are so many loyal sephora customers, or makeup addicts (self-proclaimed) that Sephora's website has been crashing all night for people. It is still crashing as of 2pm Thursday.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXt90VAKI9uUfjxeBTGRUHi_kyEVl8cjmGvXHz9-J9NXpX1KFE4xPuXqFmL7SR_CB5kM7k9on6E7NhcaNU4hyphenhyphenhf880yZkJbhI-J_Z7oXSiHRWwtv42Lu2VI6ndI9EDkdLnN1hLutHzJDw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-06+at+2.32.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sephora's Notice when the Site Crashed during VIB Beauty Sale" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXt90VAKI9uUfjxeBTGRUHi_kyEVl8cjmGvXHz9-J9NXpX1KFE4xPuXqFmL7SR_CB5kM7k9on6E7NhcaNU4hyphenhyphenhf880yZkJbhI-J_Z7oXSiHRWwtv42Lu2VI6ndI9EDkdLnN1hLutHzJDw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-06+at+2.32.14+PM.png" height="245" title="Sephora's Notice when the Site Crashed during VIB Beauty Sale" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u>Edit 3</u>: Got a code! But it actually is pretty confusing; a kind soul tried to forward me her email but I and could not find the code anywhere on the email. People said that they would simply message 'the code' but it was only later, in a comment buried down in the thread, that I found out that you (the VIB) have to go to <a href="http://www.sephoralove.com/vib/">this URL</a> to enter your First Name, Last Name and email along with the email of the person you are donating it to.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqasWbJ0EN6XYLWJrE-bKWGKGBrr41aYtWPFfv8FSfe5gZ_0NlT1gbBmRFJU7E9iqsU9hPqUxzNwxIwtNx2St5rkzsNa3BdVTgoqOPSXyltlOFQeC-OAAki64yKx7LWNUjMUuGnJbsLw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-06+at+2.37.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqasWbJ0EN6XYLWJrE-bKWGKGBrr41aYtWPFfv8FSfe5gZ_0NlT1gbBmRFJU7E9iqsU9hPqUxzNwxIwtNx2St5rkzsNa3BdVTgoqOPSXyltlOFQeC-OAAki64yKx7LWNUjMUuGnJbsLw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-06+at+2.37.03+PM.png" height="249" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSsMhEPQry8JTUNkZw9-o1AZK3ZL__StVnDFqovvW-JUDpt4N-Ycfx4a3YDTiix18V3kcaXzVCcl6i0sQQ9Jyu6-f5S_mv3ukGUOZ6R_UMlkDevyb094sYcO8De1uzkqEtwskHUTYakE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-06+at+2.43.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sephora's Email with Friend Coupon for VIB Members" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSsMhEPQry8JTUNkZw9-o1AZK3ZL__StVnDFqovvW-JUDpt4N-Ycfx4a3YDTiix18V3kcaXzVCcl6i0sQQ9Jyu6-f5S_mv3ukGUOZ6R_UMlkDevyb094sYcO8De1uzkqEtwskHUTYakE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-06+at+2.43.44+PM.png" height="320" title="Sephora's Email with Friend Coupon for VIB Members" width="293" /></a></div>
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<br />christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-77095789223677322022014-10-24T17:18:00.003-04:002014-10-24T17:18:44.143-04:00T.G.I.F - Coffee Shop Edition<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEqfsg3-a92Gbt_I46hESsRmtI9-624Nhyphenhyphen-xQytw8-Q054bY8759IVC9wQWVG15PLbTpu4K1iqOCAblZffwSn4WLsxzf8fdiOs3LXT6ygbOHnjNdeYuESCrchwTZ2tt2v8XEZreqWBk4/s1600/Photo+2014-10-24,+4+28+46+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Williams Fresh Cafe Coffee Shop" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEqfsg3-a92Gbt_I46hESsRmtI9-624Nhyphenhyphen-xQytw8-Q054bY8759IVC9wQWVG15PLbTpu4K1iqOCAblZffwSn4WLsxzf8fdiOs3LXT6ygbOHnjNdeYuESCrchwTZ2tt2v8XEZreqWBk4/s1600/Photo+2014-10-24,+4+28+46+PM.jpg" height="320" title="Williams Fresh Cafe" width="240" /></a>Have you guys ever had one of those days , where you're just kinda feeling glum? Don't get me wrong, most of the time my friends will laugh at the fact that I'm just constantly smiling. Like always, even when I'm doing nothing (or so they tell me), but today I was at the library and I was trying to study for a midterm and I just wasn't feeling it..<br />
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It's a huge concrete library, and sitting on the 'silent' floor just felt so isolating. I realized I had to get a change of environment. The leaves outside are beautiful here during the Fall. I hope you guys are lucky enough to witness the changing colors of the leaves (I know that not all countries experience these seasonal transitions), but still I guess I was just having one of those days where you feel kind of down. And I couldn't even place my finger on something specifically.<br />
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So I realized I had to move and go somewhere else. I decided to go to Williams, a franchise coffee-store just down the street from where I live. And that make <b>the</b> biggest difference. It's just such a nice coffee sit down area where you can meet up with friends or just sit down and do work. I'm not sure what kind of person you are, but I actually love to work with background noise. I can work with conversation nearby (as long as I don't key-in on one conversation specifically) and some light chatter. They <i>do </i> have wifi, and actually have pretty good food and coffee too. They have this one panini that I love, I think it's a chicken pesto (it's been a while).<br />
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Anyways I wanted to know where you guys like to go when you need to get work done (but need to get out of the house). Do you have a favourite spot? Let me know!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0A2EggJm3kHNQne4oAkU0d0G_OxF9Pdtmzug4vcVb3icNOxWqPZzaz5vIhpX9dASO3E1VxDMPiv9xG4geXc9ghbGKv9WAsVBPO9cUWFhxFy-gpRc3gThKcNUlPbdemSwdAVeT5C0tWM/s1600/Photo+2014-10-24,+4+28+33+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Williams Fresh Cafe" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0A2EggJm3kHNQne4oAkU0d0G_OxF9Pdtmzug4vcVb3icNOxWqPZzaz5vIhpX9dASO3E1VxDMPiv9xG4geXc9ghbGKv9WAsVBPO9cUWFhxFy-gpRc3gThKcNUlPbdemSwdAVeT5C0tWM/s1600/Photo+2014-10-24,+4+28+33+PM.jpg" height="320" title="Williams Fresh Cafe" width="240" /></a></div>
christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-63154493107521837052014-10-12T00:13:00.001-04:002014-10-12T00:13:08.684-04:00LPT (Life Pro Tip) for iPhone usersAlright so I'm pretty sure most people know that in their settings there is such a feature called "Keyboard Shortcuts". And when I say most, that's probably over stretching it a little bit.<br />
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I know I've always thought 'Wow, that would be useful, but like what would I actually use it for?' I always figured there wasn't one saying, or one line that I consistently said all the time and required a shortcut for.<br />
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It was definitely online somewhere, that I found this tip: <b>enter your email address and make '@@' a shortcut</b>. Or just do something similarly along those lines. Writing out your email each time for registrations or sign ins is definitely a drag (especially if it's long) in addition to the @domain.com - we want to save time right?<br />
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I honestly had this set up a while ago, and it wasn't until I switched phones and had my settings reset that I realized how much of a convenience it had been.<br />
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Do you actually have any other shortcuts set up besides this? Share them below!<br />
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<br />christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-78993686676793695812014-10-11T03:23:00.002-04:002014-10-11T03:23:40.921-04:00Aritzia Thanksgiving Sale: LIVE!I checked my email and was excited to see that Aritzia would be launching a sale at 12* midnight. Seeing this at 1am, made me pretty excited - but I soon realized that it was during PST hours. That's alright, I figured I had some studying to do anyways. At 3:03am I clicked refreshed, checked the redirect link from my email, and didn't see anything either. I was confused, and slightly disappointed. Maybe I just couldn't find the right link? A few minutes later I realized it was up and there had just been a slight delay. I bet they thought no one would notice, I mean who else is really crazy enough to check in the middle of the night..<br />
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Enjoy!! It's too bad they still require a $150 minimum for free shipping.</div>
<br />christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264651599965002753.post-51891525809209840132014-10-05T01:52:00.000-04:002014-10-05T01:52:14.987-04:00New to Blogging? How do you get more connected to the Community?! This is a <i>question exclamation post</i>. What does that mean? Well, it's kind of my way to trying to learn more about you guys (the readers) while giving a little bit of my own input at the same time.<br />
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So if you're reading this, you can probably tell that this is a <i>baby</i> blog. I mean it's just starting up, and I don't have a large following. But at the same time, who really cares right? I honestly am that person who just <u>has to rave</u> about a product to every single person I know when I find something that is <b>good.</b> I love to share. The 'share article' feature has got to be one of the best features out there for someone like me. When I learn something that's pretty cool (<b>Did you know Classico Spaghetti Sauce Jars are Mason jars? They don't just look like them- 'Mason' is actually embossed/engraved into the jar, it's legit!)</b> I just feel the need to tell the world and where is there a better place than here (and that is the long-story short version of why this blog exists).<br />
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Of course it's a little bit disheartening knowing that very few people actually read what I say. I mean it is partially my fault as I haven't made this public on my Facebook or anything, and I don't share this to the people I actually know. But anyways, like every other blogger out there, I am trying wedge myself into the community and trying to discover new blogs on a daily basis.<br />
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<u>So what I found has worked really well</u> to discover other small up and coming blogs, is clicking on the 'click-through' links found on blog comments! Most people will leave a comment with their blog in their signature, and it's even nicer when the link itself is a URL that automatically brings you to the page. It helps when you already have a handful of blogs that you read, but honestly it's like the '6 degrees of separation effects' every blog has comments leading to another blog. It's great!<br />
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Lets be real small blogs are more personal, when there are thousands of readers sometimes it is easy for your comment to be overlooked. Bloggers will probably value your input even more if you're one of the few comments on there. Incorporating some of my beginner Economics.. It's the effect of Marginal Benefit - the first few comments (maybe first few hundred) all bring us great joy, but as it reaches a couple thousand every additional comment may make less of an impact.<br />
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Anyways another thing I realized today is that <b>Pinterest</b> is probably another phenomenal way of meeting new bloggers! Pinterest and blogging share such a great overlap, they are essentially the 'connector' or the pathway the brings together people with similar interests. Or even better, it's a selective 'Google'! I would say half the images will redirect you to a blog, and from here you can continue diving into more comments or 'guest posts'. The possibilities honestly seem endless. I've always been a fan of Pinterest for my own self interest (I mean, it makes organizing links and bookmarking soo much easier) but now I'm realizing how much of a tool it is as well.<br />
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<u>Sorry for the run on post, it's your turn now! What do you do to discover new blogs and to get involved in the blogosphere? </u><br />
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<br />christy.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10114156371244567640noreply@blogger.com7