My Sweet Valentine

This year my Valentine surprised me with the same thing I bought him! Gorgeous stemless wine glasses, which I love! They’re not as fragile and I’m less concerned with our pup accidentally knocking one over. He also claims they are less feminine, which I could care less about.

He signed us up to go make our own wine, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. He knows me well and I love doing things together. Now we just have to come up with a clever name and start saving our bottles!

This Valentine’s Day we spent time with family and friends to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday. Our family came for breakfast and all of our friends came in the late afternoon. We headed out to a restaurant called “The Naked Wing.” We’re still new to the area and had never been before, it was delicious. It was a really small space so I’m glad I called ahead to make a reservation as our party took up most of the restaurant. Sometimes the smallest places have the best recipes. The guys raved about how good the wings were. Our waitress was on the ball which is half the battle. I’m sure we will be heading back soon for another hockey, beer and wings night.

Valentine’s Day Look

Valentine’s Day, some of us love it, some despise it and some simply ignore it. Lucky for me, I get to celebrate Valentine’s Day and my sweetie’s birthday on the same day! We’re going out for dinner and drinks with 10 of our closest friends to celebrate his special day. Whether you’re going on a date, heading out on the town with friends, or attending an anti- Valentine’s Day party this is a fun look to highlight your natural beauty!

Here are my make up picks for this Valentine’s Day!

1. Motives Liquid Powder Mineral Foundation with SPF 15

Price: $24.95

This is a 3 in 1 foundation that provides great coverage and a natural finish. This foundation hides any discolourations your skin may have making your face look flawless! I wear the colour “linen” as I’m quite pale in the winter months.

To view the full benefits of Motives Liquid Powder Mineral Foundation and more colours click here!

2. Motives Luminous Translucent Loose Powder

Colour: Light (also comes in Medium)

Price: $21.00

This powder gives you the perfect matte finish for flawless looking skin!

To get your flawless finish click here!

2. Motives Ultra Matte Lipstick

Colour: Tempting

Price: $16.75

Click here to view more colours!

3. Motives for La La Mineral Volumizing & Lengthening Mascara

Colour: Black

Price: $17.50

Click here for long voluminous lashes!

4. Motives Luxe Precision Eye Line

Colour: Jet Black

Price: $14.00

Click here for a moisturizing, smudge and water proof liquid liner!

5. Motives Mineral Baked Eye Shadow Trio

Colour: Affluent

Price: $24.00

To view other colour combinations click here!

6. Motives Nail Lacquer

Colour: Fairy Tale

Price: $6.95

For a long lasting smooth polish click here!

To get your Valentine’s Day look visit www.motivescosmetics.com/karamma today!

Simple Things

I love the little things in life. The simple things in life. Emails from friends with a funny picture, the way Ellie looks at me when I get home (once she’s done bouncing off the walls), hot tea on a cold day, and the way you hug someone you love after you haven’t seen them for a long time.

I adore the way certain scents remind you of people, even people that may no longer be with us. A scent is linked to a memory and you can close your eyes and remember being somewhere, with someone and completely relive that moment in your mind. I love slow music at night, something I realized that I’ve missed lately. It’s like every note, every beat takes you once step closer to unwinding and letting the day go.

I love when you’re having a bad day and something good happens. The way an elderly person smiles when you hold the door open for them. When people are genuinely kind to one another. When someone does a selfless act, expecting nothing in return. I adore generosity, when the fortunate give back to those less fortunate. When kids get to be kids in what sometimes seems like this chaotic and misleading world.

I love sleeping in and how comfy my bed is in the morning. Movies you never get sick of watching, and shows you can watch all day. I love bonfires and what happens around them. When people just talk and laugh and forget about the worries of the world for a little while.

I love singing in the car with my friends and making complete fools of ourselves on the dance floor. Not caring about what other people think because I’m happy. I love feeling proud of the people in my life, whether it’s for something they accomplished or a goal they reached.

I love when I get to witness something beautiful, like the way my parents are still in love after 28 years, nature that’s untouched by man, and the way thunderstorms ignite the sky in the summer.

I love the little things in life, the simple things.

Time is Love

“Love fears only one thing: Time.” – Anonymous

I think one of the biggest indications of love is time. They are perfectly intertwined. When I think about it, the people that love me most in my life are people that would make time for me no matter what. Whether it’s 4am in the morning or they’re occupied with something else, they’re there for me no matter what.

If you really think about it there are a select few individuals in your life that would drop everything for you. Time is love. You have to spend the time, you have to be there, as a friend, as a parent, as a relative, and as a spouse. Whether it’s convenient for you or not. This is not an easy feat, but it’s an important one.

Now this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be there in the flesh. For some of us that isn’t possible, but invest the time in supporting the person, whether that’s on the phone, through email or text. Ask how they’re doing, especially when someone is going through a hard time. Remember that the smallest things in life can mean the most to those in your life.

You can’t touch time, you can’t buy time, but it’s the most valuable thing in the world. Spend yours wisely.

Wednesday’s Wonders

Tuesday Thoughts

Sweet 16

When I was 16 I thought I knew it all. I convinced myself I was mature beyond my years. I thought I had my entire life figured out, where I would live, what I would do, the whole 9 yards. It should be called naive 16.

Last night we were discussing our teenager selves. Our biggest stress in life was what we were going to wear to a party, an exam, or maybe whether or not our crush liked us too. We wanted nothing but to be cool and accepted. All that mattered were our social lives. We slept in every weekend, didn’t study enough, and were appalled when asked to help around the house.

I wasn’t the teenager from hell, but I was sassy, moody, and my parents telling me I needed an “attitude adjustment” sounded like a broken record. I was very confident and ambitious. I was figuring out who I was, what I wanted to do with my life, and how to get there. Don’t get me wrong, I was a happy teenager, just by no means perfect.

At the time 16 was sweet, I was blissfully unaware of what lied ahead, had no real stress, and no idea where life would take me. I’m so grateful that the path I chose led me to where I am today.

Out With the Bad, In With the Good

I often wonder why people keep toxic relationships in their life. Whether it’s a relative, friend, or their boss. Constant negative energy is poison and it’s bound to rub off on you when you’re constantly surrounded by it. You should not feel obligated to keep a negative person in your life no matter what your relationship is to them. If someone makes you more sad or upset then they do happy, this is not a healthy relationship. If they bring you down, out they go.

I’ve learned to keep my atmosphere and environment positive. I spend time with people who are outgoing, happy, and make the best of everything. When I’m with people who are smiley and genuinely love life, I find myself happier in their presence. Their energy and zest is contagious.

Make a healthy decision for yourself. Out with the bad apples, make room for all of the good people in your life.

Best Ship is Friendship

Over the weekend one of my good friends came to visit to help me pack. She drove almost 3 hours just to give me a hand, which is incredibly caring and considerate.

We went for a walk through of our new house and I showed her the small things we wanted to change. We drank wine, went shopping, and watched Full House (now on Netflix, how exciting). Needless to say it was a successful weekend.

I am very grateful to have friends like her in my life, who will literally drop everything that’s going on in order to lend a helping hand. We are fortunate to be within driving distance to our close friends and family.

We’ve also had an overwhelming amount of people ask if we need help moving. Moving during a Canadian winter is not the most fun thing one could do on their Christmas holiday! It’s cold, there will most likely be a blizzard, and it’s slippery. We also have a lot of stuff considering it’s just the two of us. Regardless, I feel incredibly lucky to have so much help as many hands make for light work. I am very grateful for all of the generosity and kindness that surrounds us this holiday season!

Our New Chapter – Home Sweet Home

We’re embarking on a new chapter in our lives as we just bought our first house! We couldn’t be happier and we will be moving in right before Christmas. Just in time to put up our tree and unpack the essentials. We look at pictures of the house everyday, planning where we are going to put furniture, what colour to paint the basement, and coming up with 50 DIY projects a daily.

Our first house will be the place where we experience many firsts in life together. Our excitement builds everyday as we are only weeks away. We will be weekend warriors on a regular basis as we make our house into the home of our dreams.

The house hunt was not smooth. We literally looked at every angle from new builds to resales and complete renovations. We began looking a few months ago and had our hearts broken a few times. The housing market in the GTA is competitive, a house would come on the market and be sold before the end of the week. We had to move fast and the pressure was on. This was stressful as we didn’t have time on our side when it came to discussing the pros and cons of each house. Basically, by the time we were ready to make an offer the house would be sold. We would go for a viewing at 7:00pm and the agent would tell us “you have until the morning to make an offer.” Or, even worse, “you have until 10:00pm tonight to place an offer.” This didn’t work for us as we’re  first time home buyers and prefer to sleep on it before making the biggest investment of our lives.

Reflecting on our house hunting experience we are thankful that we waited and genuinely believe the house we bought is a perfect fit for us. I will post pictures soon! 🙂