Today I’m chatting about my latest beauty obsession — the new Ultra Matte Lips from Colourpop! Currently there are 33 shades available, and I decided to pick up 10 from the range to try out. Colourpop’s Ultra Matte Lips retail at $6.00 USD for 0.11 oz., just a fraction of the cost of their high-end counterparts. Lately, it seems like every brand is coming out with their version of a liquid lipstick, and I’m generally a fan of liquid lipstick formulas — they dry to a flat matte finish and are super long wearing. If you’re a lipstick lover (or want to learn more about liquid lipstick) this post is for you! I also have a review of 10 shades from the Ultra Satin Lip range.
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Today I’m showing you how I made these little Wildflower Bundles for a summer dinner party! I was inspired by these Wildflower Bundles from Free People, and thought they would make a cute idea for a summer tablescape, on top of the napkins at each place setting. It’s such a simple but special touch, and guests like to take them home and dry them. You can make these with whatever wildflowers and shrubs you have in your own yard, all you need is some scissors and twine.
Getting out of the city on the weekend, even just for the day, always refreshes and re-energizes me! This summer I’m learning that I don’t have to travel far to satisfy my wanderlust, and that there are so many amazing things to see and do right in my own province. On August long weekend we headed to Lake Louise for the day and hiked to the Lake Agnes Tea House — it’s a moderate hike with beautiful views that takes about 3 hours round-trip. At the top of the trail there’s a lovely tea house perched on Lake Agnes (and very friendly chipmunks!). Here’s a collection of my favourite images.
TOASTED TRAIL MIX
Last weekend we were getting ready to go for a hike at Lake Louise and I decided (last minute, of course!) to make some trail mix for the road. It turned out to be really delicious (even the chipmunks liked it!), so today I’m sharing the recipe with you. My Toasted Trail Mix is more like a mixture of trail mix and granola — it’s full of awesome, nourishing, all-natural ingredients, and brimming with antioxidants to help fuel your day. It gets nice and toasty in the oven, and the toasted flavour is complimented by a bit of maple syrup, cinnamon, and a dash of cayenne powder for that little bit extra! I also like to enjoy this trail mix on top fruit parfaits and smoothie bowls to kick my breakfast up a notch — it’s a versatile recipe that I love having in my kitchen.
BEST IN BEAUTY | JULY 2015
July was the month of lip products! I wore lots of different lip colours last month and generally kept things light on the eyes — one of my favourite summer looks is a bright lip with a simple eye and winger liner. Most of my favourite products last month were things that I’ve loved for a long time and rediscovered, or products I’ve rotated in for the summer because they contain SPF (try to get your SPF in wherever you can, ladies!).
I also stumbled on a couple of new products — one extremely beautiful highlighter, and a limited edition edition lipstick exclusively for Canadians that smells and tastes like Maple syrup! Cozy up with me on this stormy night in Calgary and let’s chat beauty!
Remember when I mentioned I’ve been obsessed with natural wood lately, and I was planning to make a bunch of wooden things this summer? This is my first DIY project involving wood! Today I’m showing you how I made this Driftwood Sculpture Centerpiece with foraged driftwood. This is a simple, inexpensive project that adds a lot of interesting, natural texture to your tablescape — all you need is driftwood, twine and some imagination! I’m also sharing some styling ideas for a summer dinner party.
July’s Soundtrack is a mellow, upbeat playlist full of summery vibes! I’ve mentioned before, but when I’m working I like to listen to instrumental stuff with minimal lyrics — you’ll find a lot of that here. The Indian Summer track from Jai Wolf has such a cool sound — like a mixture of Alt J and Odesza. The album cover photo was taken from the Upper Rundle room at the Banff Springs Hotel, where we enjoyed high tea earlier this month for Kelsey’s stagette.







