10 Things I Wish I Learned in High School

     I've spent 3/4 of my life in some sort of formal education system. In that time, I've learned a bunch of things... just nothing that I could really use as an adult. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that I know Pythagoras theorem or that mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell - I could do so well at a trivia night with all the mostly useless information I've learned throughout the years. But there's so many things that I've been struggling with or seen a lot of my friends struggle with that I think should have been taught to us in high school. I totally understand that some people think that some of the things on this list should be taught by parents, but a lot of our parents didn't have time to teach us, or didn't even know how to do these things themselves.

1. Taxes

     Seriously I have no idea what I'm doing. Or why. Or when I'm supposed to do it. What happens if I don't? There needs to be a class on this because every person I know is struggling with the exact same questions.

2. How to buy/take out loans for cars or houses

     We rented houses the whole time I was growing up, so I have never had to know what a mortgage is. This year, my mom and I bought our first house together and it was so much harder than I expected. There's so many steps that go into it and I'm still not even sure if I could do it without my mom.

3. Voting

     We talked a little bit about voting in our civics class, but I don't think it was nearly enough. With technology as accessible as it is, it's really hard to sort through all the news and figure out what's real and what's #fakenews. Kids should be taught in school where to find the relevant, real information. They should also be taught where to go to register to vote, and where to vote when it's time to actually cast your ballet.

4. Home Economics

     I don't know if some schools still have classes where they teach you basic cooking, personal finance, sewing, and just general how to keep yourself alive information, but my high school definitely didn't. Thankfully my mom did teach me a lot about taking care of myself, but a lot of people I went to school with weren't as lucky, and as soon as they moved out really struggled with day to day living.

5.  Social Media Training

     Our whole lives are spent on our phones and computers, so I really wish someone would have taught me the things that I should or shouldn't post on social media, how to be professional or grow a following. How you portray yourself on social media is so important, and get potentially make or break your career depending on how you show yourself. 

6. Time Management Skills 

     I feel like you're just handed 10 billion things to do everyday and expected to just know how to manage your time wisely to make it all work, but I definitely could have used some help. I still struggle with managing my time throughout the week with all the things I have to juggle, so I think it would have been so good to have some sort of skills taught to me in school.

7. How To Say Sorry

     I literally am learning how (or when) to say sorry at 20 years old. I used to just go through life, never apologizing for any thing until I realized how hurtful that was to my friends and loved ones. I hate saying that I was wrong about anything, so when I started dating my boyfriend we would get into so many arguments just because I would refuse to admit that I was wrong about anything and I would never say sorry.

8. Your High School Friends Might Not Be Your Adult Friends and That's Okay

     I'm incredibly lucky because I met both of my best friends in grade 9 and we've still managed to be friends after we graduated. That's so rare and a lot harder than I ever expected. But when you move away from home for school or work, you meet so many new people and you're so busy that it becomes much harder to keep in touch with old friends. Sometimes you also realize that you're just not on the same path as someone and it's totally okay if you don't want to do the same things anymore.

9. Grades Don't Really Matter

     I was never a great student. Heck, I wasn't even a good one most of the time, and that bothered me a lot until I graduated. I failed more classes than I care to admit to (also I definitely lost track), but after you're done school, no one really cares if you're a A+ student or a C-. Obviously if you're planning on going to college or university you do have to take certain classes or maintain an average, but after you graduate, things as trivial as what grade you got on an assignment won't matter at all. Just do your best and try not to stress about it too much.

10.  You're Going To Make It Through

     I wish that there was someone that told me not to get so stressed about little things when I was in school. When you're in high school everything seems so big and important that it's so hard to deal with, so just take a deep breathe, trust in yourself and know that you're going to get through it and be better for it. <3

Winter Skincare Routine

     I swear every year I forget  what the cold weather does to my skin. so when November comes I panic and have to call my mom to ask her what to do. I have always had incredibly oily skin though, so when it suddenly gets so dry that it starts to peel, I get very scared that I'm going into organ failure or something. Luckily I've figured out my skincare routine which helps keep my skin moisturized and (mostly) blemish free.

Step 1 - Mary Kay Botanical Effects cleanse

The formula I have is for oily skin, but they have one for dry skin and combination skin as well. It's super gentle and doesn't have any added fragrance or synthetic dyes. I like this one a lot because it cleans my pores but doesn't completely strip my skin of its natural oils making me feel my skin feel clean and fresh, but not super dry.

Step 2 - Mary Kay Botanical Effects hydrate

This is a super hydrating cream made for sensitive skin and I am obsessed with it. It feels so light and isn't greasy at all, just makes my face feel extra hydrated and fresh.

Step 3 - Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion

This moisturizer is my holy grail. It's so gentle on my skin, soaks in super fast and dries pretty matte. I use steps 1-3 every morning and night, but I'll reapply this one whenever I'm feeling my skin get dry throughout the day.

Step 4 - Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask

Would this list be complete without a face mask? I use this Origins mask from Sephora on nights that I'm feeling extra dry or if I need a little bit of extra pampering. It's super cooling and always makes me feel refreshed in the AM.


Step 5 - The Face Shop Mild Papaya Peeling

I use this once every week or two, when I have a lot of peeling skin. It has natural papaya enzymes that remove the dead skin cells with hyaluronic acid that helps moisturize at the same time. 

I hope these products help you stay moisturized this winter! And if you're feeling the winter blues, remember that spring is just over a month away!!

Valentines Day Date Jar // DIY

     Y'all this is my very first Valentine's day that I'm actually in a relationship. I have no friggin' idea what I'm doing. I honestly have spent at least 5 hours scrolling on the internet trying to find some super awesome gift for my boyfriend but the only things that really stood out to me was a cute Pinterest craft and some punny word play gifts that would make him laugh.

Popsicle Stick Date Jar:

this is the inspo I found on Pinterest

you'll need: 

-popsicle sticks (I used 60 sticks, and they were 6 colours to correspond to the categories I chose but the number of popsicle sticks and categories are totally up to you!)
-a marker that shows up on all the popsicle sticks (or a couple different colours)
-a jar of some sort
-ribbons/glitter/paper to decorate your jar



     This is so cute and I loved how it turned out, but I admit that it was actually way more of a pain in the butt than I originally expected. Basically all you have to do is write down your date ideas on the popsicle sticks (all colour coded to fit into categories like stay in dates or expensive ones) and find a cute jar that they fit in nicely.

     Unfortunately for me, I couldn't find a cute jar, so I had to improvise. I cut a Pringles can in half, covered it with coloured paper, and then wrote some labels and glued them on. For the categories, I decided on stay home (cheap and 'lazy' dates, like watching movies with popcorn or indoor picnics), places to eat (milkshakes in a diner or a new cute cafe) , planning required (trips away or dates that require calling ahead and booking time like paint balling or escape rooms) , indoor exploring (different places in Toronto like the CN Tower or  Casa Loma), outdoor exploring - winter edition (building snowmen and going to see light festivals) and outdoor exploring - warm weather edition (like hiking or picnics). Each categories had 10 dates, so it was a total of 60 which I admit took a lot of effort, but it turned out so well that I definitely think it was worth it.

I got this inspo here!

     For some reason I kept finding ideas for a bunch of pretty inexpensive gifts with cheesy puns written on them. There's nothing I love more than a good pun so I had to try some of these out.

     When I was growing up, my parents were really big on scavenger hunts so it's something that I've always loved doing for other people. This year I've decided that I'm going to hide each of Brandon's presents in different spots with clues to the next until the last clue leads him to the date jar. I think this is such a cute idea and a super fun way of giving gifts (also way less awkward than sitting down and watching someone open their presents).

I hope you all have a super wonderful Valentines/Galentines day (what's the bro equivalent of galentine's day??) and you get told that you're so loved and have a super nice bum. <3

What I Read // January

    As some of you guys may know, last year I challenged myself to read 150 books of the course of 2017. Unfortunately I set my sights a littttttle too high, especially considering I started in march and I ended the year with a total of 60 books. This year I'm trying again, but I'm going to try to read 100 books in 2018.

    I keep track using the Goodreads app but I thought I'd also discuss the books I've read here, as well as do a little haul and show you the books I've bought every month. So without further ado, these are the books I read in January. 

Living Dead in Dallas + Club Dead - Charlaine Harris 

     At the end of 2017 I started reading the Sookie Stackhouse novels, which is what the show True Blood is based off of. It's about a telepathic waitress in a small Louisiana town who gets mixed up with some Vampires, who are trying to assimilate into human society. Honestly, it's like sexually charged Twilight without the teen angst and a little bit of mystery. This month I read the second and third book, which introduces more supernatural creatures (called supes) and while they do get eye rolling-ly cheesy, the books are actually really entertaining. 

A Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket

     A Series of Unfortunate Events was one of my favourite movies growing up, and I tried to read the series when I was young, but I couldn't get through it. But after the Netflix version came out last year, I promised myself that I would try to read the series again. Then I saw them in a used book store a couple weeks ago for $5 each and I couldn't say no. I read the first one in 2 days and I have to say, I love them so much. I do understand why I couldn't get through them when I was a kid because they writing is a little bit dry, but now I hear the narration being done by Patrick Warburton and it is e v e r y t h i n g. 

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott 

     I've read the condensed version of Little Women probably 5 times, the first being at aged 4 (your girls a nerd). I don't think I fully understood about half of it, but it was the first big chapter book I ever read so it's definitely been one of my favourites ever since. This time though I read the actual full version and it took me a lot longer than I expected, but I also loved it so much more. It's such a classic story and I definitely think everyone should read it at some point. 

She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb

    When I moved into my apartment, I had no friends and no job so I stayed home all day and started making my way through my sisters book collection. She's Come Undone was one that I started in September or October and literally took me until January to finish. This book is incredibly long, very boring, and so incredibly depressing that I genuinely could only read about half a chapter before I had to put it down and read something else. I'm really not even sure how to do a synopsis of this book so I'll just say it's about a girl named Delores who has almost every bad thing in the world happen to her. That's it. That's the whole book. 

Stuart Little - E.B White

     When I was a kid, my imaginary friends were mice. My best imaginary friend was of course, named Stuart. Obsessed doesn't even cover how much I loved the movie. I could probably still quote it. I didn't even know that it was a book until I was in a bookstore a couple months ago and saw it for $2, so obviously I had to grab it. It is sadly not as great as I expected it to be, since it isn't really the same story from the movie, but it is still good nonetheless and it has been super helpful when I'm babysitting so I really can't complain. 

What I've bought this month: 

A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket (Books 1-5)

      I mentioned that I saw these in a used book store, but the first three were $5 and four and five were $6, and the covers look so nice on the shelf, I'm very excited to get the rest of the series and read them. 

Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything In Between - Lauren Graham

      Okay so my boyfriend surprised me with this a couple weeks ago and I may have cried a little. Gilmore Girls is my all time favourite show which I'm currently making him watch and he was very sweet and saw the book and bought it for me. I've wanted to read it since it came out so I'm very excited to read it this month.

     What books are you guys reading? Do you have a goal for how many books you want to read this year? Let me know in the comments below. <3

Mama's Mac + Cheese // Recipes

    Moving away from my mom has been hard for so many reasons, but one of the biggest is that I miss her home cooked meals more than I can even put into words. My mom is a genius when it comes to food. Living with her cooking for almost 20 years was the greatest, but then having to cook for myself every night is the biggest pain in my butt. Thankfully my mom is wonderful and taught me how to cook from a very early age and she also shares all her recipes with me, and I thought I would share some of my favourites with you over the next little while. This week I made mac and cheese, which honestly tastes like actual heaven and it's also pretty cheap to make which I definitely appreciate now that I live on my own.



What you need:
5 strips of bacon
1 small onion
1 can of Campbell's condensed cheese soup
2 cans of mushroom soup
1/2 of whole tomatoes
1-2 tbsps of black pepper
2-3 drops of liquid smoke
1 bag of macaroni
2 cups of shredded cheese
750 ml of milk


   First of all, preheat your oven to 400F (does anyone else forget to preheat every. single. time?!) In a large pot, boil water for the macaroni. Then in a pan, fry your bacon, and while it's cooking, chop up your onions - the size depends on how you like them, I like onions so I chop them up pretty small, but my mom usually leaves them a bit bigger so that my sisters can pick them out. When the bacon is cooked, take it out and lay it on some paper towel and put your onion in the pan and fry it with the bacon grease.

     In a large bowl, mix together the cheese and mushroom soups, the tomatoes (you can cut them in half if the you think the whole tomatoes are too big!), and the liquid smoke - this can get super overpowering so make sure you use 3 drops max! When the water has boiled, add the macaroni and cook it, probably around 8 minutes. While that's cooking, you can cut up the bacon and add it and the onions into the bowl. After the mac has cooked, strain it and pour it into the bowl. Mix it all together while adding in the milk slowly. You want it to be a bit milky when it's done because it will soak up in the oven. Add in the pepper slowly and taste as you go so you don't add too much.

     After everything is mixed, transfer it all into a casserole dish and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake covered for 22-25 minutes. The cheese should be melted and golden brown. Let it sit covered for about 15 minutes and then it's ready to eat!

     If you try this out please send me photos and tell me how it went! This is probably in my top 5 favourite recipes so I really hope y'all enjoy it.

Reflecting + Resolutions

    Does anyone else still think 2008 was like 2 years ago? I don't know when time started to go by so fast but it freaks me out every time I think about it. Regardless, happy new year guys!! I spent my night at a raging party, aka with my lovely boyfriend eating Chinese food and watching Gilmore Girls. Very, very exciting stuff. 

      Anyways, since it is January, it's time to say all the things we liked about 2017, and all the things we want to do it 2018. I don't know about y'all, but for me last year was one of the most jam packed years I've ever had and I'm so so happy that it's over. 

The highlights include:

- dropping out of college

- Moving home

- Moving out on my own for the first time 

- Getting a new job, getting fired, and then getting two more jobs that I absolutely love 

- Trying to learn how to actually be an adult (it's actually really tough, who knew?)

     2017 was full of some of the darkest months of my life, I struggled a lot with anxiety and it is still something that I have to deal with on a regular basis, but I thankfully feel like I can manage it in a healthy way most of the time and as awful as it was to go through, it taught me a lot about who my friends are and how strong I can be. 

     This year I'm trying to stay as positive about things as I can, because I've realized how negative my mindset was for most of last year (and the years before that). I don't think it's healthy to always be looking for the bad things in life, especially when it's so easy to get overwhelmed by all of the bad in the world. I started to write down a couple things a day that made me happy in the notes on my phone, just so I can reflect at the end of the day. Even if I had a bad day, laying down before bed and thinking about all the positive things that happened definitely makes me feel a little less stressed. Even if I'm just writing "made a really good cup of tea", it's a silly little thing that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things but it just reminds me that there's always something good out there. 

      The other thing I'm trying to do this year is make a schedule and stick to it - I'm literally the worst for this. I swear every year I say the same thing and I last a couple weeks but then I stop following it. This year I am determined to do it for at least a month - progress, right? 

     Do you have resolutions? Let me know if you do because I'm so interested in other peoples! 

Moving Update + DIY

    I'M IN TORONTO, YAY! We moved late Sunday night, but I could only take things that would fit in a car so unfortunately, I have no furniture until halfway through September when we do the rest of my moving. But I've moved in and my cat Jayda and my sisters cat Zoe and slowly getting used to each other again. Not going to lie - I thought they Zoe was going to kill Jayda this morning, she got very territorial and wouldn't stop hissing. But they've separated themselves now and they seem like they maybe won't have cat WWIII.

     One of the things I brought with me this week was a little shelf and it was a very orangey-brown colour that I absolutely hated so I decided that I was going to paint it, and I also had a lamp with a wooden base and an old bread box, that I'm going to use to store my vhs tapes. They turned out really well and I thought I'd show you!

    So the paint colour I chose is called West Coast from the Benjamin Moore Designer Classics Collection, it's a really nice blue toned grey, and I just bought one of the tester cans for $7. I did two coats on the shelf and just one on the lamp and they look so good. The bread box I tried to ombre with a white paint and just sponged it on. I'm actually so pleased with them and I'm so excited to get the rest of my furniture and fix up my room.

   I tried to vlog this whole experience and it looks like a piece of poop so I'm going to keep learning before I actually upload anything, but I am definitely going to film a room tour when it's all done! Also I want to do something cool with the lampshade, but I can't really find anything online, so if you have an idea of what will go well with the colour please let me know in the comments below, or on instagram @delaneycassidyy!

Life Update // Where Have I Been?!

     Hey, remember when I was uploaded content regularly? Like 6 months ago? What the heck happened?! I wish I had a better answer, but to be completely honest, around the middle of January, my mental health was not the best and I sort of just stopped doing most of the things I liked. I dropped out of school, stopped taking photos, wasn't hanging out with any of my friends... I'm sure you get the picture.

     It wasn't until halfway through March that I started to get my anxiety back under control and live my life again, and since then I've been photographing as many shows as I can and trying to get out of the house as much as possible. I've been doing so much better and I feel like I'm finally ready to start creating content again. So I just figured I'd post a little update on what I've been doing for the last little while and what I'm planning on doing on here in the next few months.

Matlock Expressway

     If you don't know, I'm a concert photographer (you can check out some of the photos I've taken here!) so my weekends are mostly spent at different shows and festivals, taking photos and meeting incredibly cool people. I'm super lucky that most of the bands I've shot for are some of the nicest people I've ever met and are now some of my good friends. It's probably the coolest job I will ever have in my life and I'm absolutely loving it, even though it's extremely exhausting!

     I turned 20 in June which is actually still weird to me, I keep telling people that I'm a teenager and then have to remind myself that I'm not one anymore! I have been trying to be an adult lately though and let me tell ya, I'm not sure how my mom managed to keep me and my sisters alive for this long because I can barely feed myself on a regular basis. But I'm going to have to figure it out soon because I'm moving out! I've already started the moving process and will be living in Toronto starting Monday! I'm very lucky that my sister had a room available in her apartment so I'm not quite on my own (honestly thank goodness because I would probably die left to my own devices), but I am very excited to not rely so heavily on my parents anymore.

     Since I'm moving, I figured I would blog about the experience in the next few weeks (maybe even start vlogging it?!), do some diy pinterest-y things and since it's almost autumn (YAY), I have some cool Halloween and Fall inspired content that I'm just buzzing to do. I also think I want to start doing a monthly favourites because I always love reading and watching other people talk about theirs. If there's anything you want me to do or talk about, please let me know! You can comment down below or send me a dm on instagram (@delaneycassidyy).

Shoe Haul // Ardene & Shoedazzle

     For some reason my shoe collection has grown quite a bit in the last few weeks (much to my dad's dismay), but I figured I would show you all my newest finds! Since I live in Canada I really can't wear any of these yet because of the snow, but the boots are definitely getting a lot of use!

     So I bought 3 pairs of sneakers from Ardene, which is actually one of my favourite stores, they have super cute clothes for pretty good prices. I was actually just going to buy one pair of running shoes, but they had a deal on where you buy 1, get 1 half off and I am always a sucker for that so I somehow ended up with 3 pairs - one pair of running shoes, and two pairs of sneakers. These shoes never really last longer than a year before the soles run down, but they're such a good price that I honestly don't even mind.

    The running shoes are super comfy, but are super loud when you walk. It almost sounds as if you're wearing heels instead, because the rubber on the bottom is so hard. I mean not really a big deal, but it's a bit annoying. They were only $12.25 though so I really can't complain.

     These dark blue denim looking ones are the ones that I think are the cutest, but I need to get more ankle socks to where with them because all my other socks looks hilariously awful. They were only $7.25 which I think is amazing!

     I feel like heather grey is the new "it" colour? It just seems like every store in stocking their shelves with heather grey everything, so I figured I would jump on board and get these shoes. Also they were $11.25 and looked super cute. These ones are probably the comfiest, and they don't sound super loud so they are probably my favourites from Ardene.

     So next up, I found this website called ShoeDazzle, which is essentially set up like websites like Fabletics, where you join as a VIP and get discounts and free shipping (only if you're in the continental US), but you have to either buy shoes every month, or go to the website a say "skip a month" between the 1st and 5th of every month or they take money out of your bank account/credit card and you then have store credit. You can also cancel anytime you want! Which sounds terrible, but as someone who buys a lot of shoes, I really don't mind. ShoeDazzle was actually co-founded by Kim Kardashian which I didn't even know until researching for this.

     My first purchase was a pair of boots, which were the Tieana boots in bordeaux, which is really just a fancy word for maroon. I live in Canada, right? So boots are super friggin important as we currently have about 2 and a half feet of snow. I can not even tell you how much I love these. They come all the way up to my knees, which I thought would take a bit of getting used to, but it was fine about five minutes after walking in them. They are true to size, comfortable and so beautiful that I want to wear them literally all the time. They are also waterproof which I found out by accidentally walking in a puddle, but my feet stayed dry and I am over the moon about it. The only real issue is the tread doesn't hold its grip as well as I hoped that it would, but it's honestly super hard to find cute boots that also have grip so I don't even mind. They were only $12 plus shipping which was $14.95 (stupid Canada!) because your first boots/shoes are half off.

     So with the beginning of the year being so busy (also I was sick as heck), I totally forgot to hit the skip the month button on the website, so I ended up with a store credit of $39.95 and bought the cutest heels I have ever seen. They're called the Elizabeth heel, and I got them in floral. There's 4 or 5 different styles you can get them in, but these were honestly just so adorable I couldn't help myself. FINISH

    I'm definitely a huge fan of ShoeDazzle so far, and am super happy with the prices I got from Ardene. I really hope that you see something you like and go check them out! If there's any websites or stores you think I should look at leave a comment below or message me on Instagram @delightfullydeliriousdelaney.

*all opinions are my own and I purchased all of these products myself.* 

Healthy and Easy Breakfast Recipes

 
     January is almost over which means that almost every new years resolution has either broken down already or is on it's way out the door. I know for most of us, it's to eat better or exercise more and while I can't really help you exercise (unless you live near me and want a workout buddy because I will totally do it!) I can help show you some fast and easy recipes that actually taste good. For this post I'm going to focus on breakfast, as it's the most important meal of the day and if I tried to do all meals I would be here forever. So without any further ramblings, here's my top 5 favourite breakfast recipes!

     Breakfast Burritos 

Isn't everything better when it's in burrito form? I think so. There are so many different variations of breakfast burritos, but this one from Ellie Krieger is full of super delicious food, that most people have on hand or are easily available at any grocery store. The website says it takes just under 40 minutes, but I made it in about 25 minutes so I think it depends on how your chopping skills are.

     Overnight Oats

This has been all over the internet in the last couple of years for a reason, these are so, so simple to make and taste so good! Here is a basic recipe from Kath Eats that will definitely taste good, but don't be fraid to make it your own and add in anything you like!

     Waffles With Nut Butter and Honey

This recipe could be done with waffles or some whole wheat toast (how I usually eat it), but either way it is delicious. Check out this recipe from Real Simple for a five minute breakfast snack, but fair warning, you'll probably have to double the recipe because it's so good.

    Baked Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a classic breakfast food, but there is always ways to improve it, and Kath Eats has done it. Twice. Pumpkin and banana baked oatmeal is delicious, healthy and you can bake it while you get ready in the morning or the night before. You can also bake them in muffin containers for on the go snacking!

    Smoothies

Smoothies are the ultimate quick and nutritious breakfast treat because they are so quick and easy, and you can make so many different variations. Eating Well has a bunch of different versions to choose from so I definitely recommend checking it out!

     I really hope that these recipes help you keep your resolutions or just make you want to eat a yummy breakfast tomorrow! These are all so simple and delicious that I'm probably going to go make some oatmeal right now. Eating oatmeal at midnight is totally normal, right? 

     Let me know if you would like me to do another post for other meals by leaving a comment down below or on my instagram, @delightfullydeliriousdelaney!

BH Cosmetics // Haul & Review

     Happy New Year! I hope you all had a super fun and safe New Year and you're starting off 2017 strong. I started off the year with a massive cold so that was definitely unfortunate, but I am feeling better now with a little help from retail therapy.

     Honestly, thank goodness for boxing day sales. I would be so broke without them (but I mean let's be real, I'm still broke with them, I just get more stuff). BH Cosmetics, which is probably my favourite makeup company had a massive boxing day sale this year with 35% off everything site-wide, so I was a very, very happy girl. I'm going to do a little haul and review for you all, but I would like to stress that I did purchase this all myself and all opinions are my own.

     Alright, so first up - I got some false eyelashes, my first I've ever bought so that's a sign I'm an adult right? The ones I bought were the baby doll lashes (regular $5, sale $3) and although they weren't my first choice (the "foxy" lashes were sold out!), these lashes are a high quality synthetic hair and while they look super bold, they actually look very natural when they're on. I just need to learn how to actually put them on properly because I suck at it!

    Next up, I completed my Illuminate By Ashley Tisdale palette collection, with the night goddess palette. This palette has nine eye shadows, a blush and two bronzing shades which are all a little more dark and bold compared to the beach goddess palette (review here!). I think the beach goddess palette is still my favourite, but this one definitely gives it a run for it's money. Regular $14, sale $12.50.

     You know those videos on Facebook of girls doing glitter swatches on their arms? I think I've watched so many that subconsciously my brain decided that I needed glitter in my life, so I bought two. They are from Glitter Collection and I bought gold and black. I have absolutely no idea what I'll do with the black glitter, but they are both so beautiful I'm obsessed. The glitter itself is a but messy (duh, it's loose glitter) but once it's applied with glue it stays on so well and doesn't irritate my eyes at all. Regular - $6, sale -$4. 

     It wouldn't be my makeup haul without a lipstick, so I bought Missy Lynn Colour Lock long lasting matte lipstick in "Slay", regular - $9, sale - $5. I'm actually a bit obsessed with this lipstick as goes on so smooth and it stays on so well for hours. It's super pigmented and I'm honestly just disappointed that there isn't more colours because Slay is a little bit too dark for my liking. 

     Last but not least, I bought a makeup setting spray. The one I got was from Studio Pro (regular - $14, sale - $9.50). I don't really have anything to compare it to as this was my very first setting spray, but it does what is promised which is to keep my makeup in place all day. 

   I am so, so happy with all my products from BH, they've always delivered my packages without error or damage and the shipping isn't very expensive and doesn't take long at all. The products are honestly such good quality especially with the price considered. I definitely recommend looking into BH Cosmetics for your next makeup purchases! 

2016 Favourites + Resolutions

     Well, 2016, it's been a year. This year has been so massively huge for me, with starting college and moving away from home, trying to be a full time big sister (who knew that was so hard?) and getting to know a side of my family that I really had only seen on holidays. It's been so rewarding and challenging and I wouldn't change a second of it. I thought I would go over some of my favourite products and memories of 2016 and some of my resolutions (that you know I probably won't keep past February) for 2017.

Favourite book: Oh man, I think I've read more books this year than I have in my whole life. This is actually such a hard one to narrow down to one, but I think it absolutely has to go If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo. This is such a beautiful book about a male to female transition that I honestly hadn't given much thought to until this book. I recommend it so, so highly.

Favourite purchase: This has to be either Cards Against Humanity or my Canon Rebel T5. The camera is amazing, the quality of pictures is so great and I love taking it along on adventures, but Cards Against Humanity is the funniest game, and my family has been playing it nonstop for days (also I won the last time we played so that makes me happy too).

Favourite beauty product: Hands down, my favourite beauty product this year has been my Maybelline Lash Sensational Luscious mascara. I've been using Elizabeth Arden mascara for a few years which was amazing, but so friggin expensive, so I broke down and bought Lash Sensational instead and I will never look back. The volume is perfect, it fans out my lashes so well, and their is an oil in it which makes my lashes softer than other mascaras.

Favourite food: Homemade stew from my mama. I was so excited about this stew, I had dreams about it. I really wish I was lying but homemade food from your mom after months of not having it is like heaven in a bowl.

Favourite moment: I can't really pick one, but it has to be spending time with my nephew and niece. Hunter turned two this year and I got to spend almost half of my year watching and helping him grow and learn. His little laugh is my favourite sound and I'm so glad I get to hear it so often. Hayzle has just made her appearance in 2016 but she is the sweetest little baby in the world. She doesn't cry at all, only makes the cutest little squeaks and I love it.

     Now on to the resolutions! This year I really want to make schedules for myself and actually following them, because I am constantly trying to do everything at once and then getting so overwhelmed. I was given a very beautiful calendar for Christmas and I am very excited to actually start scheduling my life. My second resolution is to go outside more often. Now that I live in a city, I'm missing the different trails and rural areas where I grew up so I'm definitely going to find some good walking trails near me now.

     I hope you all have wonderful plans for new years (I will probably be spending it with the cutest kids ever imagined) and I hope that your new year will be filled with love and good things.

Wild & Free Project

     I've been following the beautiful Alexa Jean Brown for years, and have done two rounds of her Sore To The Core ab program (review here), and I mean basically I'm just obsessed with her and her brand. So earlier this year, she started the Wild and Free Project, which helps raise awareness and support families fighting pediatric cancer by selling super cute T-shirts and donating 25% of all proceeds to the Kylie Rowand Foundation.

     There are so many styles to chose from, and they come in women, men and kids sizes. Literally obsessed with so many of these shirts, they are very adorable designs and they are so comfy to wear. 

     So I bought two tanks, both were $22 US ($29.72 CAD) and they are really nice quality. I'm honestly living in the mermaid one lately, it's so cute and so comfortable! 

             

   
     I couldn't recommend The Wild and Free Project more, there is nothing better than getting some adorable clothes and helping support those affected by childhood cancer. You can browse and shop the styles here!

*all opinions are my own and I purchased all of these products myself.*