Snow Day II!

This is my second snow day in 3 weeks! Another relaxing day where I can stay in my pajamas all day, watch movies and eat. And most importantly, I don't have to worry about school today. Ahhh, the good life. The benefit of living in Canada.... and of course, free healthcare and all that.

Maybelline Does It Right

My eyes are the part of my face that is the hardest to apply makeup to, because I have a monolid (where the eye lid folds over on itself) which basically hides most of my eyeliner and eyeshadow. Another major problem is a my short, stick-straight eyelashes. I thought nothing on earth could make them visible. The cons of being Asian.... haha. In my long hunt for the perfect mascara(s) I've found two that really make a difference. And both are by Maybelline, so thank you scientists over at the Maybelline labs, I am forever in your debt. 

#1 Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes

I think the brush really does make a difference, the small tip can get into the corners of my eyes easily without getting mascara everywhere, and the fatter side can help with some volume. 

#2 Maybelline the Falsies Volum' Express Waterproof

Again, I love the brush on this one, I think it helps, curving like my eye, and I need all the help I can get.... 

In my regular lash routine, I layer these two. First by curling my eyelashes, next by applying Great Lash, which is a great for lengthening and then by swiping on a few coats of Falsies. It combs out some clumps, builds volume and seals in my mascara since its waterproof. I need all the waterproof, smudgeproof, bulletproof I can get. 

For all my fellow ladies with these problems as well, go for these two mascaras! They will not disappoint! I've tried all kinds of mascara, from Sephora to Walmart and these two are definitely the best and some of the cheapest! A win-win situation!  

Lazy Sunday

Today is just one of those lazy days. I woke up around 10:30 and went to brunch at my cousin's house until 3. When I got home I planted my butt on the couch for another hour doing nothing. An hour later I finally decided to get up and be somewhat productive. So here I am now, taking a break from my world history project to do a quick little blog. The past week, the only song I have listened to is Only Love by Ben Howard. Pure perfection that song is. I'm sure all you Brits have heard of him/this song a while ago, but as I am a Canadian, I just discovered his music through the internet.

For everyone else who hasn't heard his angelic voice yet, here it is: 

Hope you all have a good week! Enjoy! 

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Healthy Goodness

I've been trying to get back into my somewhat healthy eating habit after Christmas and as I was searching online for yummy but healthy dessert recipes, I stumbled upon this lovely recipe, Banana-Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies. They're really easy and simple to make, don't take a lot of time, healthy and tasty!

Here's what you'll need: 

1 cup oat flour

3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup plain soy milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 ripe banana, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or other favorite nut
1/3 cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips 

This was copy/pasted directly from the website, but personally, I didn't put any nuts in because I thought the chocolate, oats and banana was enough. Plus, I put a whole banana in because I love them and I don't really like nuts in baked goods. But that's just my personal preference, go with whatever your taste buds desire!

Simple steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine first 6 ingredients (through sugar) in a bowl. Whisk together oil, soy milk, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add wet mixture to dry ingredients; stir to combine. Fold in banana, walnuts, and chocolate chips.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough onto pan with a small ice-cream scoop. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown, turning baking sheet halfway through. Let cool on a wire rack.

Unfortunately, when I was making them my kitchen was a mess, the actual mix wasn't very pretty to photograph, my hands were all sticky from rolling the dough and it was late at night so I didn't take any pictures during the process, sorry!! Next time, I promise. But nonetheless it was worth it to make, especially with a nice tall glass of milk. 

For all you health nuts or fellow wanna-be-healthy-but-can't-but-down-the-dessert gals, the website I got the recipe from has all the nutritional information and other healthy, delicious recipes I am dying to try. If you're not a big fan of bananas or oatmeal or chocolate (how??) try the other ones and let me know how they go! 

Blake Griffin

Lately, I have become very fond of LA Clippers' power forward, Blake Griffin. For those of you who don't speak basketball, Blake Griffin is a really really tall guy who bounces a ball up and down and court and tries to throw the ball into a basket.

Blake Griffin is judging you.

He's definitely one of my favourite players now, not only is he a talented and phenomenal player, but he also seems like a pretty nice and funny guy.

Last night at the All-Star game in Houston. Don't pretend that wasn't pretty damn awesome. 

Here's a video of him dunking over a car. Yes, a car. 

If you live in the US I am sure you have seen his Kia commercials before, sadly I do not, so I have to stick with youtube to watch these. I love them, they just make me laugh. (Between you and me, I spent a good 30 minutes lying in bed watching them over and over again and laughing to myself last night, I swear this isn't a nightly routine.) 

Now enjoy some cool ass gifs and pictures of him.

I swear I didn't make this, it's his twitter icon.

My all time favourite video/gif 

And I bid you all adieu with this photo of him topless (let's pretend he's going in for a goodbye hug).

Vintage Louis, Sorry Tory

A few weeks ago my amazing mother brought be down to our basement into our 'cedar closet' which is where we store all our random junk. (We call it the cedar closet because the walls are lined with cedar planks, which means no moths!) She digged through a drawer through mountains of purses and pulled out this gem.

A vintage Louis Vuitton messenger bag. 

A huge smile just appeared on my face :)

It was my mom's first Louis Vuitton bag, my dad bought it for her about 20 years ago. And now, it's mine. I absolutely love it, the only downfall is that I can't fit a long wallet in it, but it's a sacrifice I gotta make. It's timeless and classic and just perfect. I've wanted a messenger bag for the longest time and have been looking at a Tory Burch one, but now I got something even better. Sorry Tory.  

One Line A Day

During this past Christmas' return/exchange haul (I know how bad that sounds, but if they gave me a gift receipt and it doesn't fit or I don't like the colour, why not?) I had this journal that I wanted to exchange. Originally I was just going to get a gift card for it instead since it was from Chapters, and I just loooove my books. But, plans changed as I was browsing through the store, I stumbled upon this little, but thick, blue and gold journal. Little did I know this would be one of my best finds of the year yet!

It's so pretty and has this classic look which I love, it can be laying about in my room and look like a decoration haha. 

So basically you would write a line, or a few, each day for 5 years! Each page has 5 sections for the 5 years and once you're done, you can look back and flip through the pages and see how much you've changed or how much have stayed the same in your life over the course of the past 5 years. 

As a person who has always wanted to keep a journal, but never had the patience or the memory to write in it, this journal is perfect because all I need to do is write the most important parts of my day and I'm done! No fuss, no pressure to write perfectly and cover everything well. Also, the fact that I could have the same journal for 5 years and would be able to easily compare my life day to day really appealed to me. Since I'm 16, the next 5 years will be huge for me. A lot is going to change and I'm really nervous and excited about it, and this journal is perfect for me to record it all in. 

The Bright Side of Valentine's Day for Singles (Like Me)

Being single on Valentine's Day can really suck sometimes. While all other singles are complaining and declaring "forever alone" status (I feel you guys, don't worry.) I've chosen to look on the brighter side of things, these are the reasons why I actually like Valentine's Day even though I'm a single pringle (maybe that's why I don't have a boyfriend?)

Valentine's Day Decorations/Themed Stuff

Any reason to decorate and bring some festivity and reason to celebrate, I'm all for it. I love seeing all the cut-out hearts and confetti everywhere! Especially Valentine's Day themed cakes, cupcakes and pies, they make them look extra delicious! It's so cute and just a reason to smile even if it is all commercialized and what-not. 

Roses

I love roses. I doubt I'll be getting one this year, but nonetheless I still love roses. They're one of my favourite flowers and they are beautiful and smell soooo good. Once February rolls around, they just pop up everywhere! Grocery stores, drug stores, florists are overflowing with them, even Costco has them! Think about roses as something that adds a little beauty to your day.   

Valentine's Day Cards

                                    

                                         

Remember in elementary school when everyone bought Scooby-Doo and Powerpuff Girls valentines? The teacher would have us decorate paper bags with our names on it and once everyone was done, we'd all rush up to drop in our cartoon valentines and hershey kisses. I remember carefully picking the perfect Valentine's Day card at the grocery store and then going home to spend hours writing them, folding them perfectly and putting stickers on them. Seeing these valentines are so nostalgic. I can't help but pick them up at the grocery store and smile like an idiot while someone behind me is trying to get by with their cart to the frozen food isle. 

Candy/Chocolate Sales 

 

                          

Pretty much yeah....

I think this may be one of my favourite things about Valentine's Day. Once the 14th comes and goes, the 15th rolls around and this is when all the special Valentine's Day candy and chocolate that the store overstocks every year, goes on sale. And not just a mere few cents off, but I'm talking about 50%-70% off. It is quite simply, awesome. Cinnamon hearts are one of my favourite candies (which is weird since I hate cinnamon) and I can only find them during February, so a few days after Valentine's Day, I stock up a year's worth of cinnamon hearts to last me to next year. Think about all those heart shaped gummies and chocolate for some loose change.... Who needs a boyfriend when you got chocolate? 

So all my fellow single guys and girls, don't be moping on Thursday, think about the positive things that come out of this! Our time will come, don't worry (at least that's what I'm telling myself...)! Happy Valentine's Day/Cheap Candy and Chocolate Day Eve!  

Snow Day!

I live in southern Ontario and yesterday there was a huge snowstorm! The biggest we've had in 5 years! It was insane, it was snowing for a full 24 hours and cars and even some snow plows were stuck on the snow on my street. I spent the day with my friend Janine who lives behind me (our backyards are literally back to back, how awesome?!) and we did what any other teenage girls would do on a day with no school and were confined into our homes, eat and watch movies in sweats. What a good day! A definitely needed break.

L'Occitane

This past Christmas I got a lot of stuff from L'Occitane and I absolutely love them!

What a pretty box! 

These little solid perfumes and hand cream fits perfectly in my purse so I can carry my favourite scent with me everywhere! 

L'Occitane's products are simply amazing. All their products work just as the description says they do, and they smell diviiiiine. As you can tell from the photo above, my favourite scent of theirs is Rose. It smells very sweet and floral (duh, it's a flower) and just altogether quite chic and feminin. 

(I also have L'Occitane soaps and body butters and creams but those are all half used and none too pretty to photograph. But I do highly recommend their shea butter products, works amazingly well!)

L'Occitane is on the pricy side but if you're looking for something that works just as good as it smells then an investment in their products will not go wrong! Check out all their lines, scents, products and more here.

Indie-ish(?) Movies

So lately I've been seriously into indie movies. Or what I think are indie movies.... To me, indie movies are movies that are not the typical movie where a guy and a girl meet and fall in love, only to have some twist (one has a life threatening illness, an evil villain is trying to take over the world, they turn out to be siblings, etc.) but in the end, all is well, and ends off happy. These are my top movies recently:

 Perks of Being a Wallflower

It's actually the perfect coming of age story, and I know how cheesy and cliche it sounds but it's really good. The movie is about Charlie (played by the adorable Logan Lerman) who is a shy, introverted wallflower trying to find his way through his first year of high school. 

Charlie meets two seniors, Sam (the gorgeous Emma Watson) and Patrick (super cool Ezra Miller) and they take him under their wing and guide him through freshman year. Perks gets a little dark near the end but I think that's kind of what makes the movie, it makes it mean that much more and all the puzzle pieces connect.

For those of you who read the book first (like me!) and are unsure about the movie version, you will be please to know it's stays pretty true to the novel because Stephen Chbosky, the author, is also the director of the movie! How awesome?

Silver Linings Playbook

If you haven't heard of this movie then I am quite shocked. Silver Linings Playbooks is nominated/won so many awards this season and for good reason! 

 

It's not your typical romance story, yes there is a man and a woman the movie centres around, and I assume you can make the connection with what happens between them. But, it's different because they're both 'crazy'. They have diagnosed disorders like anger management issues and bipolar. Silver Linings Playbook is genuinely funny and touching. I watched this in the theatre and I was laughing the whole time along with the rest of the theatre (which was packed) and was constantly saying to my friend beside me, "Oh my god this can't be happening." "No way." "No, No, No!" 

This is the cover of the book Silver Linings Playbook, and I know it looks like a floating logo but the background is white and so is mine!

Silver Linings Playbook is originally a book, unfortunately I did not know that before I saw the movie but I will definitely be picking it up sometime soon! 

LOL 

(I know, I know, this is probably the furthest thing from an indie movie, even my definition of one, but I recently discovered it and watched it way too many times to count, I love it, and Douglas Booth in it, I just had to throw it in here!!) 

To be honest, it is quite the chick flick and coming of age story. If your heart melts at the sound of a British accent and cute montages of couples being all couple-y then this movie is perfect for you! But this movie isn't for a 12 year old either, there's some drinking, drugs and sex in this movie too which makes it even more realistic I think, part of the reason why I love it! 

Douglas Booth being all cute and sexy and what not. 

And he is also part of the reason why I love this movie. If you haven't noticed by now, I have a major thing for British guys. No shame. (But I hope you all don't think I'm just another shallow teen who swoons for hot guys I promise there is so much more to me!!)

Hope you all enjoy my movie recommendations! 

xoxo 

The Fault In Our Stars

Okay, so this is hands-down one of the best books I've ever read. (I'm actually currently re-reading it.) The Fault In Our Stars is Time Magazine's #1 book of 2012 and is on my list of fantastic books that will never get old. (Which is much more exclusive.) You know when you read a book that just makes you think about life? After reading it you look at the world differently, even if it is just for a few moments, but everything just feels so... good? No? Just me? Okay. But honestly, it's an incredible novel, every person I recommend it to, love it, even those ones who don't live in their room for 24 hours when they find an awesome new read like me. 

"And in freedom, most people find sin."
The book is filled with quotes that make you think and put a smile on your face.

I'm horrible at summaries, I either don't put enough detail past the name of the main characters or simply give away the entire story, but I shall try my best, so please bear with me.

The Fault In Our Stars is about a girl named Hazel who has cancer.... and meets this guy named Augustus.

So that was it. I won't do the story justice whatsoever and will spoil it, but pick up the book and you'll find out what happens to Hazel and Augustus yourself! This isn't a typical 'cancer book' filled with grief and tears that makes you want to hug everyone you see. There is so much more to it. The way John Green writes makes you believe she is just a typical teenager (granted, she is pretty smart) trying to live her life the best she can with her cancer as a 'professional sick person' as Hazel puts it.  

It's so good that even Hollywood has picked it up for a movie! Read it before you see it, it's always better that way. If you ever find yourself wandering through a bookstore pick this book up, you won't regret it trust me.  

Lusting...

I have this list you see, and it is a big problem. There are too many things in this world that I want such as, a Céline bag, some red-sole stunners, an Oscar de la Renta gown that I have no business wearing, an imaginary passport/flying card thingy that will let me fly wherever I want whenever I want, and a beautiful boy with a beautiful (British) accent. I've realized that these things are pretty much impossible so I've narrowed it down to a few (more than a few) things that are a bit more attainable. These are things that I desperately, sort of, kind of, not necessarily, need, and make up my 'Lust List'. 

I keep it on my iPhone so once I see something new that I 'ohmygoditsbeautiful' at, I can quickly add it to my list.

Each of these lists could be entire posts in itself... expect some awesome  movies and even awesomer books. 

Here it is:

Number 1: Scout & Catalogue clutch

Even though the scarf isn't officially on my list, I added it in because it's just as pretty.

"Scout & Catalogue is heavily influenced by the bohemian beach culture of Mexico. We strive to make pieces that remind you of afternoons at secret beaches, sun kissed skin, and all day siestas." 

Love, love, love their whole beachy-meets-city vibe! Their stuff is hand-crafted so each scarf and bag is truly unique!  

Number 2: Nasty Gal Dahlia Red Tote Bag

I honestly just love this bag. I don't know why. It's so simple, but its red. (Recently, I've been having a mild obsession with the colour red.) I don't think I would like it as much if it was black or white, but because it's red, it's a whole other story. The bag is quite plain but the red just makes it pop, and the fold-over flap is just the cutest. It's quite big, so it's perfect for vacations where I need to store my wallet, phone, ipod, passport, camera, etc. I literally imagine myself walking through New York City with this bag. I'd own that city with this bag, it could be my Carrie Bradshaw bag. 

Number 3: Nasty Gal Day Tripper Crochet Knit 

It was love at first sight with this sweater, I am a bit of a sweater fanatic, so I was head-over-heels for this one. I was imagining me rocking this sweater with the red bag above walking through New York City (I wasn't joking about that fantasy), so casual but cool at the same time, ah, it's perfect! Sadly... it's out of stock. I know. I cried.

Number 4: Brandy Melville tops (Aylin, Marion Floral Kimono, Samantha Ballerina)

 

Aylin and Samantha are just nice, casual pieces that I could wear in so many ways. The Marion kimono would be a lovely addition to my collection of baggy cardigans.

Number 5: Chloé Perfume 

I've been lusting over this perfume for the longest time. And it has to be the eau de parfum none of that watered down, eau de toilette stuff, the real stuff. (If I'm paying this much already I might as well throw in a few extra bucks to get the one that will last me all day!) Originally I thought it'd be cool to have a perfume with my name on it but I actually really like the scent! I have this little sample from Sephora that I cherish, I only wear it for special occasions. 

Number 6: Motel Rocks Jet Plunge Playsuit 

This one deserved six photos, gotta see it from all angles!

I think this playsuit/romper could be the perfect versatile piece I could have in my closet. I could easily dress this up for dinner or down for a casual hang-out. Now, I just need to decide on the colour, black: goes with anything, can wear it pretty much anywhere; red: it's bright, it pops, it's red, it needs no explanation. 

Well, there you have it, my 'Lust List'! The list will probably get longer, but for now this is what I'm dreaming and lusting after, hopefully I can check some of them off the list... Valentine's Day is coming up... where's a boyfriend when I need him?