It's okay...

...to think that there are so many messed up people in the world. First, a man is eating another man's face in Miami, then a guy from Montreal, cuts up a body and mails out the body parts and then there is a guy in Seattle who shoots and kills five innocent people in a coffee shop before he turns the gun on himself. What is this world coming to? These incident are like horrific movie scenes, this should not be happening in real life.

...to pay full price to watch Think Like a Man. It was so worth it just to see the Kevin Hart parts. He is hilarious! Not familiar with Kevin Hart? Watch this.

...to still have One Direction (More than This) and The Wanted (Chasing the Sun and Gold Forever) songs on constant repeat. What can I say, I heart boy bands.

...to be in your mid-30s and have dip-dyed hair even though your husband hates it with a passion. I get dirty looks from him every time I am fixing my hair.

...to cancel several trip plans because you are broke. I am being a grown-up about things these days. I can't go spending money when I don't have it.

...to pronouce PINTEREST like Pin-interest, I get it now - Pin-terest. However you pronounce it, I love it and it's so addicting.

...to want to stop following some people on Instagram because there photos are just not that interesting. Is that mean to say?

...to washi tape everything in sight because you like how the masking tape looks on things.

...to be content with your life even though you may not have much of a social life. I really like spending time with my husband (although he seems annoyed by me most of the time).

...to tell you that I leave for Mexico in a week and I am super friggin excited!!!!



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Splat Hair Color

Tonight I attended a Splat Hair Color event at BlushPretty Studio with my coworker. We both went in knowing that we wanted to dip-dye our hair. We agreed that we couldn't back out. We met with Lorry Du from Farleyco Marketing and Stephanie from BlushPretty and together we talked about the two products - Splat Color Kit and Splat Washables. 

While Lorry talked about the products, Stephanie had to start off by bleaching our hair since my coworker and I both have dark hair. The Splat lightning bleach and Splat oxide is included in the kit, as well as gloves and the Splat color (I went with Lusty Lavender and my coworker went with Pink Fetish). The whole process didn't take long except for the bleaching part. With the added color, the longer you keep it on before washing, the longer the color will stay.

I was in a hurry so we didn't leave the color on for long. Instead of it being a true purple, it came out a purple-red. It would have been nice to see it a true purple but I will settle for this color. Besides, I can't wait for this to fade because I can then try out another color or just leave it blond from when we bleached it.

I want to thank both Stephanie and Lorry for this fun event.  I really like my hair and can't wait to try out some other colors. The kit is quite easy to use and if you are only dip-dyeing, I think it's manageable to do it on your own. If you check out the website or any of the links above, the site will give you some tips and instructions for using the semi-permanent or washable dye. Splat can be found at your local drugstore (like Shoppers and Rexall in Canada)

GIVEAWAY TIME

I have one of the cute giveaways Lorry gave us at the end of the night for one of my readers. It includes Totally Red Washable Splat Hair Color, a trial size of Montagne Jeunesse Peel-off Masque and a Spongeables Pedi-Scrub foot buffer. If you are not into hair color, I think it's still worth it for the foot buffer and face mask!

You know me, I hate making giveaways difficult so all I ask is that if you are on Twitter, please follow @farleycobeauty and @blushpretty and let me know in a comment if you have done so.

If you aren't on Twitter, please take the time to visit the following websites and then leave a comment with what color you would dip dye your hair:

Farleyco  |  BlushPretty  |  Splat hair Color

Make sure to leave an email I can reach you at in case you are the winner. I'll draw a name on next Monday evening and announce a winner Tuesday June 5. Good luck!

WINNER: Congratulations Joanne! You've won. I will be sending you an email to get your address.

DIY weekend

This weekend consisted of two small DIY projects. I am not the craftiest person but I do like to try. First up was putting washi tape on my iPhone to spruce up the case. I did this on Friday at work. It doesn't take a genius to put tape on but I am really liking how my iphone looks.

Then today, while I was tidying up, I found the bag where Mike and I put all the clothes we want to donate or pass along to his siblings. Inside were a ton of t-shirts and I just remembered a little DIY I found on Pinterest early this week - DIY racerback workout top. Below is my first attempt and then I proceeded to make two more. Mike was encouraging me to make more but I got tired. Hopefully I can make a couple more tonight. It's pretty easy and fun!

Now I didn't make the coaster below but my lovely mother went to a ceramic studio while her BFF was visiting her earlier this month and painted this. She also made me a tea bag holder (she knows that Mike and I are huge tea drinkers) but the dragonfly coaster is what won my heart over.

Have you done any DIY projects lately?

New Favorite Products

Back in the beginning of the year, one of my goals was to not buy any makeup and I lived up to it. But lately, I have been concentrating more on skincare products. Here are some of my favorites.

Marcelle BB Cream | Beauty bloggers everywhere were raving about this BB Cream. I thought to myself, "I don't need it" but then I was given a sample during a visit to a newly renovated Rexall concept store. And boy, was I missing out. Just after one use, my skin was glowing and looked mighty good. I was using Light to Medium. I would go out and buy it right now but what's stopping me is that in 3 weeks, I will be tanned golden and will probably need medium to dark. So until then, my skin will look horrid. If you can get your hands on a sample, try it out. I am sure you will love it and see the difference. See, this is why you should always listen to those beauty bloggers.

St. Ives Deep 24-Hour Moisture Body Lotion | I picked up this lotion because it was cheap, like $4.97 cheap at Walmart. I started using it mid-winter and during a time when my skin gets so dry, this lotion added so much moisture and made my skin look healthy. Using it continuously, I find that I have toapply less of it. With this amazing price, you can't go wrong. It does wonders that pricey body lotion can't even compare with.

Froosh Key Lime Dead Sea Body Polish | I bought this scrub at the Toronto One of a Kind show. My friend, Kat had positive comments from the first time she both some Froosh products, so she convinced me to buy something from the booth. Again, because it was the dead of winter, I wanted a scrub to exfloiate my skin. The smell is delicious and the sea salts left my body silky smooth. Now when you pair it up with the next product on my list, my skin looked radiant in the middle of winter.



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Froosh Coconut Lime Body Butter | This was the product my friend Kat raved about. She bought a three pack and that is what I would have liked but the owner, Monika didn't have any in stock, so I settled for a limited edition of coconut lime. The body butter is so smooth and yummy (the scent is to die for). It's not too greasy and you don't need a lot to slather onto your skin.

Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel | My coworker (god bless her) introduced me to this fabulous cleansing gel. She is eight years younger than me but is hardcore into taking care of her skin. She went on and on how this gel made her face so smooth. Like any other smart beauty junkie, I took my butt to Sephora and got a sample. After one use of the peach smelling formula, I was in love. The glycolic acid gently exfoliates and clarifies the skin while slowly diminishing fine wrinkles and lines. I bought the bottle and have not looked back since.

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads | When I was in California, I looked all over Sephora to find products that are not available in Canada. I came across First Aid Beauty, it did not look familiar but who knows, maybe I just never saw it in Canadian stores. I picked up Facial Radiance Pads and the Ultra Repair Cream. These pads will reduce pores and again diminish fine lines. With all these products I am using, I hope I don't see a wrinkle until I am 90.

What are some of your favorite products as of late?

randomness

It's been over a week since I last posted something. I have been lazy. I have been concentrating so hard on working out after work that by the time I get home, I just want to make dinner, watch some TV and head off to bed. I am hoping my lifestyle will change a bit now that summer is here. I hope to be sitting on a patio more after work and maybe wake up earlier in the mornings to work out. Here's just some random things I have been up to:

On Mother's Day, the Solon Massive went to Ten Restaurant in Port Credit. Mike and I have been going to this restaurant for years, we have spent numerous summers sitting on the patio and when we have friends who come out to hang out in Mississauga, we normally take them to Ten. But this time for Mother's Day brunch, I got to meet Chef Nic. There was a lot of tweeting back and forth throughout the week but it was very nice to finally meet him. Now that we know the chef, we can't wait to come back and try new things off of the menu. There's something so different about eating at a place when you know who is preparing your food. Follow the restaurant @tenrestaurant and Chef Nic @niccancook on Twitter to see what they have planned for the summer-they have a great patio, perfect in the afternoon with the sun. Sadly, I didn't take any photos of the delicious brunch we ate but I did snap a photo of the decadent plate of chocolate.

Sometimes when I am watching TV, I like to do some origami, like this paper bow below. This bow is great to add to wrapped presents. It's pretty easy and I used a page ripped out from In Style magazine. Next up will be an origami dress.

I have been eyeing Japanese masking tape for over a year now but didn't know what to do with it. I have been pinning some ideas and then finally decided to buy some. What really inspired me to buy the tape was that I was wanted to washi tape over my iPhone cover. I found a coupon code and order from etsy shop, Kawaii Goodies. I also ordered these little bags which turned out a lot smaller than I expected.

I will be leaving for Playa del Carmen, Mexico in 17 days. I have all my outfits put together, I have my sunscreen, books, magazines, etc. all on the dining room table. I just need to get my luggage from the storage locker and I am good to go. But wait...I need a beach bag. I saw a color block tote at Cole Haan so Mike and I went to the store on the weekend to get the Caribbean Blue one but left the store with the yellow one too. I surveyed all the sales associates on the floor as to which one I should buy and the results was split down the middle. So...I got both. The yellow one for Mexico and the blue one for Punta Cana in December.

This weekend was a long weekend for us Canadians and we had such gorgeous weather. Mike and I went downtown on Saturday to walk around and met up with Mike's friend and his fiance to talk about their upcoming plans for their destination wedding. Yesterday, we went to our friend's house for an impromptu BBQ (this girl makes such good and healthy food) and I brought sangria which now seems to be a hit whenever our crew gets together. Of course, I forgot to take photos (I am getting really bad at this). And today, my dad took Mike and I out for lunch. We sat on the patio and just enjoyed the sun.

I hope you had a good weekend, whether or not it was a long weekend for you. What did you do over the weekend?

Pastel for Spring

As much as I wanted to start off the spring season with some pastel denim, I wasn't able to find any during my trip to California. So, while I am still on the hunt (I know there are tons at Zara), I will kick off the season with some pastel DIY bracelets and nail polish.

I have decided to go on the cheap with seasonal trendy nail polish.  Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Lacey Lilac, Sally Hansen Smooth Perfect in Sorbet and Revlon polish in Minted. I painted the pastel purple on my toes last night and I think all of three of these shades will look great once I get come colour on my skin. I can't wait for my  Riviera Maya vacation in 30 days.

What I would do with $400

I normally wouldn't write about this but it was bothering me for a bit over the weekend and now...my hubby and I have an ongoing game of what we would do with $400. Why $400 you may ask?

Well, we booked our June vacation on April 21 with Air Canada Vacations and this past Saturday, I recevied an alert that the price dropped $400 each. Can you believe that?!?!?!? We have been doing all-inclusives for close to 10 years now and are well aware that prices can go up or down at any given moment.  But for the price to drop down that much?

With lots of research and price trending, you will know a good price when you see one. So on April 21, we thought we were getting a good deal for a five star, adults-only, only a la carte restaurants resort. And then we got duped, it dropped down $400. Is there anything we can do...probably not but we have a great travel agent who is trying her best. Mike and I just need to suck it up. In the meantime though, it's fun to text each other back and forth with what we can do with that $400. Here's what we have come up with:

1. Put the $400 together and buy a new couch. Our living room is starting to look awesome with our 55" flat screen TV and all we need is a new couch.
2. We could each use the $400 towards getting a new iPhone whenever it comes out. We are both still using a 3GS.
3. I could use the $400 towards my trip to AS 2012.
4. Mike and I could go to Vegas or NYC again if Air Canada gave us credit instead.
5. If Air Canada bumped us up to first class for our trip, that would be awesome.
6. Use the money to towards the Chef's Table at the resort - a 12 course meal made in front of you, yes please!

I know nothing will come out of it but there is no harm in trying. I am at least hoping for #4 or #5 if we can't get our money back. After all, there was no lowest price guaranteed when we booked. If Mike and I come up with other things we would do with an extra $400, I will keep adding to this list.