Like shooting fish in a barrel

There's a really funny headline from The Onion that I read once where it talks about intelligent women being fooled by mascara companies. And that even though intelligent women should know that all mascara is the same, we always seem to loose our shiz over the newest, non-clumping, extendo-lash, doll-face, waterproof mascara that comes out.

This is how I feel every day of my life. And every day, despite knowing that cosmetics probably come from a Simpsons-esque factory where all the goop comes from the same vats, I am always craving, the newest and "best" products.

Duff, Duff Lite and Duff Dry; this is probably what the Proctor and Gamble factory looks like.

My most recent embarrassing experience comes at the hands of Philosophy, at first I thought they were just a bubble bath manufacturer, (don't even get me started on those) but a while ago I got a Philosophy sample package with my Beauty Insider points at Sephora. (If you aren't signed up for that yet, you probably should! It's free and even if you don't shop there often, you get a really nice gift on your birthday!)

I digress. I got this sample package that included a teensy sampling of their facial moisturizer, Hope in a Jar. When I started using it, despite feeling the same feelings as I felt while using my old and regular Clinique face cream, I was convinced that God Himself delivered this Hope in a Jar to my face and that if I didn't continue using it forever, I would be doomed to have bad skin.

I obsessed over buying this stuff, and once my sample began to run low, I marched into Sephora with the express interest of buying this goop. (Those of you familiar with Philosophy products will probably have an idea where this story is going.)

I was completely FLABBERGASTED to discover that not only is Hope in a Jar the most precious gem of face cream that I have ever had the pleasure to experience, but it almost costs as much as a precious gem would too.

SEVENTY-EIGHT...78...7....8....$78. For 120mL of product. Too much for my budget and too much for me to even think of spending on face goop. So I hopelessly went home, (har, har, see what I did there?) sans face cream and decided I would just have to make due with what I have.

I wish I could say that was the end of my story, but it's not.

As soon as my sample was completely empty -- I had squeezed the last squeeze of moisturizer on to my face -- I went back to Sephora, resolute.

I compromised and bought the smaller amount for a lesser amount of money. It was probably a better deal to buy the bigger one for $78, but I couldn't bear to tell myself that as an intelligent girl, I spent 80 bucks on face goop.

Cobalt

I'll start off by telling you that I have the winter blues. Yes, the blues. The lack of sunshine and inspiration has been really taking a toll on me. I'm feeling less inspired than I have been in a really long time.

At the same time I feel like this should be a time when I feel the MOST inspired. I have more free time than I did before Christmas and things are looking up. I'm back in school and looking forward to a great internship in the Spring.

That being said, I'm still down in the dumps.

On the bright side, the spring collections are slowly starting to roll into stores and I have already started curating my ideal spring wardrobe!

You guys don't need me to tell you that cobalt blue is going to be huge this season, wear it in a way that's structured and modern, I want to say the cobalts that we're going to see are going to look very futuristic.

The cobalt will also go great with another huge trend: stripes. I wore this striped shirt to school today, at the same time my Dad sent me a link to a "spring trend" article he saw and the biggest one was black and white stripes. It feels good to do something right!

Another thing I'm obsessed with lately is waxed denim. I feel like the leather legging trend is becoming a bit overplayed, and waxed denim is a great replacement for a dressy yet understated pant.

Another thing I'm started to embrace is the statement necklace. I don't feel it every day, but this crystal stunner from Club Monaco is a great way to get into the trend.

What are some of your top picks for Spring? I've only just begun getting pumped for that snow to melt!

Balmain in 2013

If I had an extra several thousand dollars, I would want to wear Balmain Spring 2013 exclusively. Just sayin'.

Pinterest Fails

I'll be the first one to admit that I love Pinterest. I love pinning home decor, tattoos, fashion and art, but one thing I think may be getting a tad out of hand is the absolute DIY nature of Pinterest. In my opinion, a good DIY is something that not only costs less than the store bought thing but also works better or looks better.  Lately, I've been finding on Pinterest some absolutely RIDICULOUS "DIY" things, that either serve absolutely no purpose, or are just plain stupid. After half an hour on the "DIY and Crafts" section of Pinterest, I compiled the following list of some of the worst DIY ideas...(in my opinion)

DIY....glitter....tipped....goose/seagull feathers? I don't think the avian flu you will no doubt catch from the looks of these feathers will be worth bragging, "yeah, see these feathers...I dipped them in glitter myself."

"I'm just gonna cut off the spines of these books and glue them to a box so I can put stuff in it and put it on my shelf so that it looks like I have books on the shelf but really, it's actually old yoga DVD's that I don't use anymore." This Pinterest DIY is literally the dumbest thing I've ever seen.

(I stand corrected...) Spray paint coffee beans gold for decoration! Yeah, I'll get right on that, right after I finish polishing the salt granules in my salt shaker and making glitter out of my spice rack...

The caption on this photo said "Cut up your credit card to make a cute name necklace!" I don't know about you guys but I don't think there's anything particularly cute about a necklace in RBC Blue that says, "Baguss, Jennifer L".

Have you seen any ridiculously stupid/hard DIYs on Pinterest lately??

B-Day Probs

As much as I love fashion and getting dressed up, the idea of dressing for specific occasions completely terrifies me. It's my birthday on Friday and Saturday I'm going out with some friends and I have literally NO IDEA what to wear. I have so many clothes that are appropriate for things like, "work" and "going out during the day"; the "nightclub" section of my closet is seriously lacking. Not to mention the fact that unlike many girls, the idea of dressing to go to the club doesn't really appeal to me. I am NOT the type of girl to throw on a dress and a tiara and demand drinks be bought for me because 24 years ago I was being birthed. No, I much prefer a more low-key look. I think I'm feeling maybe some waxed jeans with a cool t-shirt and some statement jewelry. Thoughts?

Sequined leggings could be interesting too!

Happy New Year!

Having been completely absent from my blog for upwards of two weeks now, I guess I just wanted to write a quick post to wish everyone a happy new year! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday, no matter what you were celebrating!

I'm in for a nice low-key new years eve, in preparation for my birthday next weekend.

See you next year! :)

Supporting Local

For a project in school this semester I had to do a "soundslide" on a topic of my choice. Wanting to do something that was both visually appealing and catering to my interests, I found out that November was Support Local Month. So I got inspired and decided to do my slide show on a full day of supporting local. I went to some local stores and eateries and really had a good time. I was really inspired by what I heard from talking to the various owners and managers about how if we just support more local businesses, we all win. If you haven't checked out any of these places yet, I really suggest you do!

Wabi Sabi in Westboro has an amazing selection of yarn! Plus all of the ladies there are complete dolls!

Obviously if we're talking about supporting local, Victoire comes to mind almost immediately.

Next to Victoire on Dalhousie is Workshop, where you can literally find a gift for anyone on your list, even yourself.

Union 613 has probably the tastiest menu for the best value in the city. Definitely a new favourite for us.