Happy Hallogiving!

I have a bad case of writers block today. I do. It happens. I mean, I keep a little list of random topics to blog about stored in my precious BlackBerry (yes I still have a BlackBerry and yes I love it) But I find that even with those topics, if you're having a case of writer's block it doesn't even matter because you can't focus, you're at a loss for descriptive words, and basically just whatever you end up writing or typing out , you're gonna hate anyways. So I figure I'll just write today as it is, and for what it is ; a bad day to write. Yes I shall chalk it up to just that.

In my defense though, I think it's mostly just because today there's a bit going on. Today our family is actually celebrating Thanksgiving. Not for any other reason other than we postponed it because my youngest bro Robert just came back from working eight hours away, for twenty-four straight days, and he only gets five days off. Soooo needless to say my time is pretty much occupied by his brotherly presence ; cracking jokes, catching up, going for pho-y goodness, and drinking some rum........and him farting around me. Gross. Yeah that's brothers for ya! Anyhow, so aside from having our Thanksgiving dinner tonight, it is also Calgary's first snowfall of the season, and man is it an ugly one! Ten freakin centimeters of the heavy wet crap! I didn't even get to swap out my summer car mats yet to my winter ones, yeesh! So needless to say, this cold snowy weather kind of puts a bit of a damper on the day, in the sense where you just want to go into hibernation mode and stay there! Well what better way to combat that than with a houseful of Rampersauds eating, drinking, and laughing over an awesome and delicious turkey dinner cooked by my mama? (I know everyone always talks about how their Moms make 'the best' turkey, but seriously, I have never tried any turkey dinner that's even comparable to my mamas! Hers are just so darn good!). As a matter of fact....here's a funny fact about Robert....when he was having his fourth birthday party my Mom asked him what he wanted to have to eat for his party. He said "turkey stuffing!!!" Ha ha ha!!! Not pizza. Not hot dogs. Just turkey stuffing. Silly kid. Anyhow it should be a pretty good night with everyone, plus our awesome and hilarious Newfie neighbor Charlie is joining us, and with him around us, when we're all together, ya just never know how wild the party can get! That's the thing, it's not a party at all, but when you mix Guyanese with Newfies, plus a bottle of rum and food....it equals good times. Charlie even ate a live earthworm this past summer while we were all having some drinks and barbecue! It was absolutely disgusting, but incredibly entertaining! So all in all it will be a great Sunday night. I already made my pumpkin pies, so those are ready and good to go and Mom made an apple pie using the apples from our tree.

Then after dinner Robert and I have The Walking Dead to look forward to. Never cared much for Sundays as they're always the last day of the weekend, and the day before the start of the work week. Blah. But now that The Walking Dead is back on, it's something to really look forward to because man that show is just so damn good! In addition to our Oct 27th Thanksgiving, the bitter cold and heavy wet snow,  I'm also sleepy from my late Saturday night and am all snug in my comfy sweats. Sleepy but no hangover thank God ( now that Im old balls thirty, I have learned over my years of drinking experience when to stop thus avoiding all hangovers) My girl Natalie and I went out last night to a

Halloween party. We were a pretty little duo dressed as the glamorous movie stars Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. It was awesome, and we rocked it. Although I know Miss Natalie probably disagrees as she was wearing an itchy Marilyn wig that she absolutely despised. I feel bad because had I know the wig would have made her feel that 'un-sexy' or uncomfortable I would have said lets just choose something else. Nonetheless she was a trooper that night and everyone loved our costumes. It was a fun night filled with soca music, and lots of cool costumes.....it was the very first time we ever went out for Halloween together (I hope she doesnt hate me too much in choosing the Marilyn and Audrey idea and totally boycott me in future years for Halloween) Ha ha ha!!

Anyways, it was a pretty great weekend, soon to be followed by a pretty great Sunday evening with the famz and some Walking Dead. Doesn't get much better than that I think! Well I think my time is up here, and I have to break away from this computer to go hang with everyone and get some awesome dinner. 

Happy Hallogiving! (my Halloween/Thanksgiving hybrid)

Beauty Bomb : Fall 2013 Trends

Aside from being a full-time RMT, a part-time Betty Crocker, and a part-time random blogger, I am also a Make-up Artist. Now although I enjoy my full-time job, nothing compares to the love I have for doing make-up. Seriously. It's just awesome. Every aspect of it. Not only do I love the creativity and artistry of it all, and the fact that trends are always changing, but I especially love the end result, the part where I let them look in the mirror and they're completely blown away with how beautiful they are! They feel happy, they smile, and they leave feeling beautiful. The fact that I played a part in that, in turn makes me smile and feel good. So as I mentioned, with trends always changing, we've began of our fall season of course. With the start of a new season comes new fashion and make-up trends. So I put together a little collaboration of 5 definite make-up trends that are huge for fall 2013, and that were seen all over the runways from New York Fashion Week 2013. Enjoy!

1. Wine Stained / Red Lips

Think very 'femme fatale' on this one. It's all about the matte, and vampy tones like raisin, plum, crimson, oxblood, all reds. The 90s are back with the dark lips, however, they key to keeping it modern looking is by ensuring that the rest of your face is muted and nude. So no dramatic eyes paired with this one. If you're trying this trend, keep the rest of your face very minimal. Tip: to give the color good staying power, line your lips with a close matched lip liner and then fill the lips in with the liner. Next, apply your lipstick over top. Blot. Apply one more time. Blot. And if you like, lightly dust it with a translucent powder to finish it off. If you do want a bit of sheen to it, just dab a bit of gloss in the center of your lips and press together.

2. Strong Eyeliner

Liquid eyeliners are being seen everywhere now, more specifically with the bold feline flick or winged liner on the upper lid. It's all about statement lines, even doubling up on two different eyeliner colors together on the top lid so that you have the two color line effect. Don't be afraid to try using liquid liner. The trick is to find one that is very easy to use (kind of like the comfort you'd have with using a felt marker). It shouldn't feel awkward in your hand or awkward to draw a line (Stila has, hands-down THE BEST liquid eyeliner I have ever used. Its called Stay All Day waterproof liner, and it comes in several shades). Tip? Try making tiny dots with the liner, along your eye line, and then connect the dots! It may take a few tries but practice makes perfect! Worst case, if you find it's a little crooked or you don't like how harsh the line looks, just take an angled brush, dip it in some matching eyeshadow and run it along lightly over the line you just drew to soften the look. The beauty of this look is you can amp it up as much as you want to, or make it more on the subtle side. The choice is yours, and it will still look amazing!

3. Bold Brows


Think Audrey Hepburn, Cindy Crawford, Brooke Shields, and Miranda Kerr. This doesn't mean grow out your eyebrows all bushy and wild and crazy. No. It means to yes grow them out, but groom them well, get them shaped, brush them and use brown gel (or TIP: clear mascara) to groom them and keep the hairs in place. Gone are the days of having eyebrows tweezed within an inch of their lives. Right now it's all about well-shaped, eye-flattering, well-groomed, natural brows.

 4. Blue, Purple, Copper or Crimson Lids.

When I say blue, I don't mean the 80's style blue eyeshadow days. I mean sweeping a nice midnight blue, royal or navy blue over your lid, and even softly blending it around just under neath your eye, softly lining it. You can do this with purples, coppers and crimsons too. With the coppers try blending it over your lid and slightly up into your eyelid crease, then take an angled brush and line your lower lash line with it as well. Try smoke it out with the color. You can use liner afterwards as well or you can wear it alone just like that with a couple coats of mascara.

5. Pink and Peach Blush Shades

Now that summer is gone, and the cold, dry season is upon us, keeping a rosy, warm glow throughout the next few months is key. Not only does it warm up your complexion, but it helps give a more youthful and natural appearance. The fall runways were flush with soft, pink cheeks. Unsure of which blush color to choose? Remember this : For porcelain skin, you want an apricot or light peach tone. Fair skin - pink shades. Stay away from anything with too much orange or bronzer in it though. Olive - coral pinks,  soft orange shades, and peachy pinks, and anything bronze. Deep or dark skin tones - try shades of plums and roses rather. Keep in mind for all skin tones that your blush color in the end should be harmonious with your lip color. It should flatter your face and make everything appear warmer and brighter. It should not be harsh, and the placement of your blush, according to what face shape you have, is imperative.

 

 

I Am Thankful. Today. And Tomorrow

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadian peeps! Thanksgiving, although contrary to some people's beliefs, isn't only about stuffing your stretch-pants adorned belly with large amounts of turkey dinner and pumpkin pie. Although I'm sure we all do that, and slide into our turkey comas there after, we should never neglect to take a minutes out of our day to stop and think about all the things in life that we are thankful for. Whether big or small. Relevant or seemingly irrelevant. Take the time to chill the hell out for a minute today and hone in on all the good things in life. I don't care who you are or how much bad is going on in your life, there is always something good. It's just that sometimes in can be really hard to see the good when you're blinded by all the bad. Practice what we preach, right?

So today, for me, in no specific order, I'm going to just randomly list off all the things that I am thankful for.

I'm thankful for my family and my friends. For my wonderful cousins, aunties, and uncles across the way.For my Lemon who always uses his whole heart in everything he does. For my incredible circle of friendships and all the girl time we spend together. For the newfound closer relationships I've developed with some of my family members. For having a career in which I worked very hard to get and maintain. For having my own passions. For being as healthy and strong as I am. For having a mind of my own, and all the morals and value that embrace it. For being a Canadian, and living in such a safe and free country. For all the culture and diversity that surrounds us. For good books, museums, and unending knowledge and information at our fingertips. For music. For clean, drinkable running water. For star filled skies. For having talents I can share with the world. For my roots and where I came from. For beautiful autumn days. For cookies. For having a roof over my head. For mistakes I've made and learned from. For time. For Thanksgiving dinners. For love. For my  vision in that as time goes by, things become more clearer. For all the little things and moments in between, and for the joy and feeling of knowing that I made it through the day, no matter how amazing or how shitty it was. That in itself is an accomplishment.

When I really stop and think about all these things, it really puts into perspective just how much I think we as people get to be ungrateful. I find that it's always easier to hone in on the negative things that are occurring in our lives, rather than some of the positive things. Life gets busy. It gets hectic, and it gets superficial when we're only looking at it one-dimensionally. All the crappy things that go in my life always seem so prominent and so at times they can almost cast shadows on the good things. Why do we let that happen? It's just like the well known word of mouth fact where if a customer goes into a business and receives horrible service, they will tell everyone and their dogs. However if they receive good service, nine times out of ten they don't end up telling anyone about that experience.

Not every day can we all be these super happy super positive hippies who are all peace, love, and unity, and more times than not we'll probably be leaning more on the focus of the negative side, when things are going bad (I'm guilty of this one at times for sure. I'm human for gosh sakes), but once the storm cloud passes, I think if we could just be able to take a second and clue in to what is good, then that will make us just that much happier and hopefully bring us back to reality a little bit. And the reality is that everyone has certain things that they are thankful for. You just have to take the time to stop and actually think about it.