MONTHLY FAVOURITES // January 2015

Hello wonderful being of planet earth, I hope you had an amazing month!

Personally,  I feel like January went by very quickly for me as school took off right at the get-go. For some reason the winter semester of the school year always seem to work at a faster pace than fall semesters. Does anyone else agree? Midterm seasons has already begun and soon enough exams would be flooding in. I wish you best of luck for those midterms!! YOU CAN DO IT! (and by do it I mean achieve an A++ mhhm) AND so if you're on a study break right now or not, what were my favourite items for the month you may ask? 

Great question I'd say! THE TOP 5 items that I have been gravitating towards includes the following:

1. Anastasia Beverly Hills - DIPBROW Pomade (Medium Brown) 

As I mentioned before, I really thought that I had a pretty decent eyebrow routine down... and so I was really hesitant to try other methods (especially pomade). However, it was also the last technique that I haven't experiment with considering I have already tried powder, pencil and gel before. The whole idea of it seemed very unappealing to me for a makeup beginner. It seemed like it required more time than others, as well as more precision than others which means more effort. Nether the less, somehow I ended up buying it because I had a discount coupon and ended up loving it LOL. I have used it for more than a month now, and I even switched it up sometimes between using pomade + pencil, and the original choice of powder + pencil to see if there is a difference. After multiple use of the pomade + pencil it started to get easier and easier to apply + it lasts longer than the original option. Just simply use a light hand and a small angled brush, I didn't buy Anastasia's brush because in case I didn't like using the pomade I didn't want to waste another $23, so I opted in for the ELF one which works just fine. $4 at Target! I like to use the pomade to outline the whole brow, then fill it in with whatever is left on the brush. Using the pencil, I would like to fill in any bald spots and to draw in 'hairlike' lines near the front of the brow. I am really excited to see how this product will holdup in the summer. 

2. Clinique - Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel 

I needed a new moisturizer, instead of going for the typical lotion type, I decided to try out this gel version. I really like this product because it makes my face feel like a baby's bottom every damn morning -no lie! It is lightweight in terms of it doesn't feel like anything is on your face. I have tried another gel moisturizer before and it left a feeling of another layer on my skin which didn't feel nice. The only downside I would say about this product is that it doesn't have any SPF protection, so even though I really want to use it all year round, it is debatable for summer. 

3. Contigo - West Loop Stainless Steel Tea Infuser

My daily caffeine intake consist of tea in the morning and coffee in the evening.  I found this product on sale at Target earlier this month for $8, and I would like to think that it was the best $8 I have ever spent. I have seen a lot of people with the Contigo West Loop Mug (FOR THE CANADIANS: the best place to get it is at Costco where they offer 2 for the price of $20-25, that way you don't end up just buying 1 for $20-25 at any other store).  If you were looking for a mug, I really recommend this mug because it really keeps your drinks hot /warm for a long period of time! Now, if you are into drinking tea and you already have this mug, this tea infuser would be the cheapest way to have a travel mug and a tea infuser mug. so why waste another $20 or $30 on another one? 

4. Genmaicha "Green Tea with Roasted Brown Rice" 

Now the tea to go with that tea infuser.. earlier this month my roommate gave me a tea bag to try,  ever since then I have been drinking it every morning for January. I found out that this tea is actually also known as "popcorn tea" AND I LOVE POPCORN, I think there may be a tiny correlation? I think so. It has a sweet, toasted rice, nutty flavour that could possibly resemble that popcorn flavour. But, I think it is really called popcorn tea because of the toasted rice that can remind one of kernels. 

5. Rimmel London - Provocalips (Kiss Fetal)

It really is kiss proof, transfer proof, food proof and long wearing! That is all you need to know. If you can get a hold of any of them, go for it! Especially Make Your Move which I think is a great pink-brown mauve colour for anyone.

Thank you for reading yet another post :) 

Until next time, 

Becca

HOW TO // Wine and Cheese

At the age that I am now, wine and cheese is like the new oreos with milk. Instead of sharing oreos with your friends, why not try cheese and crackers? 

Recently, I tried putting together a platter for a night-in with my friends. For $24.70, I was able to get 3 types of cheese - smoked gouda, harvarti, and marble cheese, 2 types of crackers - baguette garden herb crackers and breton basil & rosemary oil crackers, 1 package of salami, and 1 package of blueberries. Then I threw in some nuts and grapes from home. I have never made a platter before, but I ate plenty of cheese and crackers from platters before. So taking those into account, I guess you really can't go wrong with having cheddar cheese or mozzarella .. or marble (for the best of both worlds) on the platter. In all honesty, I really don't know how to put together a super impressive one, but for the basics to munch on, I suppose that'll do. 

I tried to do some research prior to buying the ingredients, and I learned the following:

1. Basically just have variety! Consider different textures and flavours for the cheese you would like to put onto the platter and the accompaniments that would go with it. At first, I aimed for a aged (smoked gouda), soft (brie) and firm cheese (jalepeno monterey jack); however, rolling with what I was offered at Walmart that didn't happen. BUT meh I guess it was close enough. 

2. Take out the cheese 30 mins prior to serving to let it set to room temperature.   

3. THREE is a good number of cheese varieties i'd say (or any odd amount).

4. Don't forget about the salami in your fridge LOL.

5. Any fruits are nice to put onto the platter, so that you can refresh your palate. 

Now for the wine portion, these 2 are what I'm currently loving. I am no wine expert to recommend wines to actually pair with cheese, but if you're up for anything then keep reading :) 

(Left: Manischewitz Concord Grape Wine | Right: Arbor Mist Flavoured Wine)

Manischewitz Grape Wine:

I once tried a glass of wine that my boyfriend shoved in my face with the phrase of "try it! it's sweet so you'll probably like it." & he was right, I really did like it. Ever since then, it left a mark in my memory. So for this special occasion I HAD TO FIND THAT WINE. Thankfully with the basic knowledge of "it's a jewish wine in a rectangular shaped bottle", I was able to pick the right bottle at the store. So if you like sweet wines, then try this, it'll surprise you! Another huge plus is that it is less than $10. 

Arbor Mist Flavoured Wine:

My friend recommended this wine, and I'm really glad that I know about this product now. If you're into a fruity sort of wine, then definitely give this one a try. This was also under $10. 

However, if you're not of legal age then I swear just having grapes with the cheese&crackers is already a nice pairing! 

VIOLA! Thanks for reading! I think you're ready to go and plan that wine and cheese night now! It's fairly simple to do, and it goes well with any grape company (; 

Becca