Time For A Change

I just wanted to apologize to all my lovely readers for not having written a post in the past month or so. To be honest, my life has been quite hectic but also extremely boring at the same time. My summer was pretty uneventful and so I haven't had much to blog about. But I've also been struggling with some personal issues so I just took a bit of 'me' time to sort myself out. 

This time off has also allowed me to decide what direction I want this blog to head in. For the past year I've been really confused with all aspects of my life and I've kind of been jumping around from interest to interest but not really focusing on anything that makes me truly happy. I think it's good to try different things, that's the only way you'll know if you like something. That been said, I've found recently that after a lot of uncertainty, I've finally started getting back in touch with what is important to me in life. For me, that is experiences. 

Now, you might be asking what I mean by experiences?

Like many women, I like fashion. I like to express my personality through the way I dress. But unlike many women, I don't obsess over this. I'm not a fashionista, I don't follow what's in trend, I just dress appropriately for the occasion, wear what I feel comfortable in, and if there's a day that I really can't be bothered to get all done up, than I'm perfectly happy to just chill out in my sweats. Likewise, when it comes to make up, I love it and I hate it. I like to splurge on expensive make up every now and then, I like to get all dolled up from time-to-time. But again, unlike many women, I don't obsess over this and I am quite content to leave the house without any make up on. This past summer I've completely embraced my natural beauty. I've only worn make up a handful of times and it's actually surprised me how comfortable I've felt without it on. 

So, although this was originally established as a 'fashion, beauty, and lifestyle' blog, I have decided that I will be focusing mainly on the lifestyle aspect of it because that is what I am most interested in. I get more joy in life by spending my time outside, experiencing the world and doing as many activities and trying as many new things as possible, as opposed to spending all my time in front of the mirror. I like to travel, and bake, and explore; that's what's most important to me. So while this blog will of course still include fashion and beauty related posts, it will focus mainly on the happenings of my life; giving you many recipes to try, music reviews, and events and experiences that I enjoy that I think may be of interest to everyone else as well. 

Beauty | Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche Skinscent

So I've noticed that Estee Lauder's Bronze Goddess has been making its way around the blog-sphere lately and it's no wonder why. This perfume is literally summer in a bottle and has been my go-to scent this season. It's hard to describe what it smells like, but all I think when I take a sniff is being on holiday and relaxing on the beach with my favourite drink in my hand. It basically smells like a mix of citrus, vanilla, coconut and sunscreen. Seriously heaven in a bottle! I really feel like some exotic princess every time I spritz this on.

As for the packaging, the box is beautiful and really screams 'summer' to me, but the actual bottle leaves a lot to be desired in my eyes. The bottle is completely gold and reflective and although sometimes I find myself liking it, overall I just find it looks a little on the cheap side, especially for Estee Lauder. 

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche Skinscent retails at $72 for 100 ml. Unfortunately it's currently sold out online, but it might be worth checking out your local Estee Lauder counter to see if they have any in stock. I personally picked mine up in duty free at the Manchester airport on my return to Canada - shall we say a little departing gift for myself.

Have any of you tried Bronze Goddess? What do you think? Do you like the packaging? 

Beauty | Animal Hand Sanitizers from Bath & Body Works

So I seem to have been MIA recently. I no sooner got this blog up and running and then I decided to move back home to Canada (from England), so things were a bit hectic for a while. But now that I'm settled again, I'm ready to get this blog going!

When I moved home, my first priority was obviously to go on a shopping trip to stock up on all my essentials that I couldn't bring home with me (think: hairspray, shampoo - you get the idea). It just so happens that my shopping trip fell on the first day of the Bath & Body Works big semi-annual sale (that was not planned, I promise).

I had seen these cute little guys online, so when I came across them in the store I just had to get one of each. 

Anti-Bacterial 5 Pack 'Animal' Hand Sanitizers

I always have a least one hand sanitizer in each of my bags for those times when soap and water just aren't around, but I usually find myself grabbing those plain alcohol smelling ones from the drug store, so these zoo animals are certainly a welcomed addition to my purse! They smell great too. The Zebra smells like fruit punch, the leopard is apple, the giraffe is pineapple, the monkey is vanilla, and the hippo is berry. I find the vanilla still has a bit of that nasty alcohol smell to it, but the others all smell almost edible (please don't eat them though). 

I bought these guys in the sale for $1 each (reg. $1.75 each). Although the zebra cost me $2 which I found odd - but I still had to have him! Online you can buy a bundle of all 5 of these animal sanitizers for $5 in the sale (reg. $8.75).  

Have you guys tried any of these Bath & Body Works sanitizers? What other scents would you recommend I try next?

And The Story Begins ... An Introduction

"As we drive along this road called life, occasionally a gal will find herself a little lost. And when that happens, I guess she has to let go of the coulda, woulda, shoulda, buckle up, and just keep going." -- Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and the City).

Like so many before me, and probably those who come after me as well, my passion for writing and fashion stems from none other than the beautiful Carrie Bradshaw. Despite being only a character on our TV screens, Carrie was just the right balance between real life and fiction. 

No doubt there are just as many of you out there who don't approve of Sex and the City as there are devoted fans, but not to worry! This blog is not about Carrie and her friends, as that story has already been told. Having spent the last week watching every episode from season one straight through 'til the end merely gave me the inspiration to pick up my pen again and start writing. The idea seems so simple, but after years and years of writing nothing but essays and exams all revolving around the legal system, I forgot what pure joy I got from writing just for myself. 

So here it goes. A fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog, likely speckled with other tid bits that reflect me and my personality. I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy writing it.