Best of 2012 Tag

I was watching youtube as always and saw this new tag, Best of 2012, created by Bethany of Macbarbie07 on youtube. Even though I don't make videos, I wanted to give this one a go, so I'm going to fill out the categories here.

 My Favorite....

BEAUTY:
1. Face product
2. Cheek product
3. Eye product
4. Lip Product
5. Skincare Product
6. Nail Polish
7. Hair product
8. Body product/Perfume

FASHION
9. Clothing piece
10. Accessory
11. Pair of shoes

RANDOM
12. Favorite TV Show/Movie
13. Favorite book
14. Food
15. Beverage
16. Favorite song

Okay, so I'm going to start with Beauty.

My favourite face product would probably be my foundation, I guess. I recently got a new stippling brush for Christmas and I'm enjoying applying my foundation with that. It's amazing how different the finish of one foundation can appear when applied with hands, a sponge, or a brush. 

Favourite cheek product...now I don't usually use blush, highlighter, etc. So I guess I'll put Nyx's stay matte but not flat powder in this category. Yeah, it's a powder foundation, but I don't care, it's awesome. It's a recent discovery; I've only been using it for a few months, and it's not really a NEW thing, but I love it.

Favourite eye product would have to be the Maybelline Limited Edition 24 hour Color Tattoo in Barely Beige. I use this pretty much every day. It's a gorgeous color, goes on opaque, and makes any shadow you put on top of it stay all day. I can get away with wearing it alone too if I just want a light wash of color. All the color tattoos are awesome - I have about ten of them, and my second fave is one from their permanent line called Bad To The Bronze. It's another gorgeous color. I don't know that they last 24 hours, but I don't wear them that long anyway. Occasionally if I forget to wash my face before going to bed, I'll wake up in the morning and I'll still be able to see the cream shadow I had applied probably 24 hours before. So it really does last.

Now for lips. I don't really do a whole lot with my lips, since they're so small and don't really wear lipstick well...I'm not sure what it is but lipstick never seems to last on me. Anyway, my favourite product would have to be a three way tie. Sorry guys, but I really couldn't choose just one. The first is Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain. My favourite color is Honey, which is probably the most popular and wearable of the whole line. These really do last; I've worn a brighter color before and had it last all day. Second would be Revlon's super lustrous lipstick in Primrose. It's a cool tone pink - how awesome is that? Usually pinks look weird on me and make the redness in my face even more prominent. But this one doesn't have that effect. Love it! Okay, the third product would be Nyx's lipglosses. Again, not something new and exciting, but I've recently been playing around with them (past couple months or so) and am loving Sugarpie and Beige (which is actually a deeper pink color). They're opaque, not sticky, and smell great.

Skincare is something that I have some trouble with. I have sensitive skin, prone to zits on my chin, and lots of redness in my cheeks. It's hard to find a product that either absorbs into my skin right, doesn't break it out, doesn't burn, doesn't smell so strongly that I get a headache. Again, we have a tie. I've been using the Clean N Clear Morning Burst cleanser to wash my face, and it's been amazing. I was using another cleanser previously and it really broke me out. This one cleared up that issue and makes my skin feel so soft! For moisturizer, I picked up Simple moisturizer, since it said it was all natural etc. So far it's done really well. And makeup remover - Neutrogena Deep Cleansing Makeup Removing Wipes. I got pack of several wipe packets from Costco for about $20 and using one every night to remove my makeup has been awesome. And, they're cheap. I think once I'm done with these ones though I'm going to try the Simple ones, because I like the moisturizer so much.

Nail polish! Something that I've been really into lately. One of my favourite colors for this year was Revlon's Minted. I was obsessed with mint green for the summertime. I also like Essie's Bikini So Teeny or Muchi Muchi for lighter colors. 

Okay, I've been growing my hair out, and I dye it now and again to pretend I'm a ginger. I've got to keep the dream alive, guys. So for a while I was using Dove shampoo but like any typical girl I like to switch it up. I'm getting more into organic, cruelty free beauty products, so I picked up some Coconut Milk shampoo and conditioner, with an anti-breakage serum for split ends to boot. So far this system has been doing well for me; my hair's shiny and while it's too early to tell if my split ends are "mending", I definitely like the feel of the products. Also, they smell amazing. Just like coconut cream pie!

Favourite body product or perfume. This is going to sound weird, but I have one for both. The body product is my Burts Bees coconut foot cream. Yes, it's foot cream. But honestly, I have super dry feet, and applying just a pea sized amount and rubbing it into my feet after a shower, then putting socks on to lock in the moisture, really helps. And again, it smells amazing! For perfume, I haven't really dabbled too much in that, but I have a body spray by The Body Shop which smells really good - it has a mango on the package, but I can't remember the name.

On to fashion!

Favourite clothing piece...hmm, let me think. I think I'd have to say leggings. In the spring-summer and summer-fall, I started wearing leggings under long shirts and short dresses. I just have simple ones right now, black and grey, but I have plans to get some lacy or otherwise patterned ones for under distressed jeans or maybe something burgandy ish for under a black dress or something. I'm not sure yet, but they're hella comfy, and that's what's important, right?

Accessories! I'm always game for earrings. They're a good way to show your personality without being too crazy. Especially for someone like myself, who works in a medical office. I don't have a particular pair that I like over another really. Just a good general favourite.

Pair of shoes...I'd have to go with my boots. They're functional and stylish, I guess? Lol.

Random! Possibly the best category and the one that will take the most thought.

Favourite TV show/movie is a tricky one. I discovered a few favourite tv shows by watching Netflix like it's going out of style. Usually I'd watch a show while sewing, or cleaning, or doing anything else. Once I start a show, I pretty much keep watching it until I run out of seasons or Netflix doesn't have any more episodes. First choice is Six Feet Under. Seriously. Look it up. This show is amazing. For movie, there were a lot of good movies this year. If I had seen Les Miserables yet, I'd probably choose that, but I haven't as it's not playing in my town yet! Argh. Usually the way to tell if a movie's good is if you make a point of going out and buying it when it's released on blu ray, or if you see it multiple times in theatres. I have two choices for the "movie" category. The first one is Rock Of Ages. I saw this in theatres, and then as soon as it was released on blu ray I bought it. I've since watched it another four times. It's just so good. Oh, and I bought the soundtrack on iTunes after I saw the movie. Second choice is Life of Pi. That movie was visually stunning, the story is awesome, and it really draws you in. It's one of those movies you go to and the theatre is packed but everyone is silent because they're just taking it all in. I fully intend to buy it when it's released. 

Favourite book. Okay, so I didn't read that much this year. I purchased a couple new books that I flew through, but other than that I didn't really read. I started Birth House, but never finished it. I read the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy, mostly because of all the hype about it. I wanted to actually read the books before I joined the conversation about the series. 

Food. Oh, jeez. This has to be mochas from Tim Hortons. We go every morning before work, and while I don't actually drink real coffee, and usually get a steeped tea, the mochas are just so good.

Beverage. Please refer to the previous question. Lol

Favourite song.This is probably going to be the hardest question, and I had a hard time narrowing down my favourite songs from this year. I have so many favourites, but I had to stick to stuff that was released within the year...because if I didn't, this would take way too long. First favourite is Kimbra's album Vows. Yes, the album. I can't choose just one song. I was obsessed with Settle Down, then Cameo Lover, then Good Intent, then Warrior. It's safer just to choose the whole album. Second is Big Freeze by Muse on their new album 2nd Law. This song. This song, the feels, oh my god. Third is Titanium by David Guetta and Sia. It's so good. I usually don't care for pop, but this is just too good. And last but not least, Out Of The Game by an old favourite, Rufus Wainwright. 

So there you have it! All my favourites for 2012, all rolled into one. Have a beautiful new year and I will see you in 2013. <3 

Madness

I can't stop listening to Muse's new album "The 2nd Law". Among my favourites are "Madness", "Panic Station", "Survival", "Follow Me", and "Big Freeze". If you haven't heard any of this yet, be sure to check it out. I've been a Muse fan for years. They just keep getting better and better!

Another note on the "madness" title besides being the title of Muse song - I have, once again, attempted a large change. This one I hope to stick with - we all know how the "vegetarian" phase ended, and the "exercise" phase. This time I'm going vegan. Yes.

It seems crazy right? I love cheese, I love milk, I love all the delicious things. But honestly, the way these animals are treated is just so awful. I'm trying to avoid justifying my guilt for eating this overprocessed, overdone bullshit we modern people call food. Of course, I wouldn't be me if I wasn't lazy, so I'm probably going to be the world's worst vegan ever. For instance, just today, I've already failed. I had a lindt chocolate with my lunch (which was granola with almond milk, btw). But I insisted my latte be made with soy milk and no whip, and honestly it didn't taste much different than the regular one with cow's milk. I think it's just a matter of substitution, and utilizing foods I already love. Like organic peanut butter, granola, and hummus. Also, I'll be eating a lot more veggies and fruit, and probably less processed sugars. I can see this becoming an obsession - and I hope it does. If I start obsessing over it, maybe I'll keep it up.

If you have netflix, watch "Vegucation" - a documentary about some people who sign up for an experiment - go vegan for 6 weeks, see the difference it makes, see what factory farmed animals go through, see what our food is made of. See if you'll remain a vegan after 6 weeks. 

You see, giving up the meat won't be the hard part. It'll be the dairy and eggs, I think. But I can survive without animal products! I will endeavour to do so.

Just a Little Bit's Enough

We....have a foster kitten.

Yes. He is incredibly cute. We have named him Karma. I'm not sure why...we entertained several names for him for almost two hours and settled on this. I think it fits since he's come from a bad situation and ended up in a good one. Well, it was a misunderstood situation. We'll call it that. It wasn't bad per se. It just wasn't ideal.

Now, I work at a vet hospital, and of course the first thing I'm going to do is bring this little 3 month old in for his first vaccines, dewormer, and flea treatment. Upon examination, the dr told me that he's not even close to being three months old. He's actually only 6 weeks. Poor little baby! So we gave him his dewormer and isolated him from the other pets in hospital, as they are all vaccinated, and he isn't. He wasn't even old enough for his first "shots"! So he has to go back in two weeks to get those and his flea treatment, as he isn't old enough for that either! And then, one of my technician coworkers mentioned to me that he sneezed up a bunch of snot and stuff from his nose. Oh, shit.

Suddenly he's a viral kitten. LOCKDOWN!

I'm kidding. It really isn't that big of a deal. I spoke to his dr about it when there was a quiet moment and he suggested giving him some anti-viral jelly to keep him from sneezing and keep that nasty kitty herpes from developing into something more serious. He's going to be sneezy for the rest of his life, but it's stress induced, so as long as he doesn't suffer a lot of stress, he shouldn't show any symptoms. As far as contagious goes, he's really not. His dr suggested isolation, but did tell me that if he does have this viral herpes thing that most kittens are born with, the only way it can infect my two cats is if he sneezes a bunch of crap into their nose or mouth. It was to be direct - the virus can't survive for long outside the body. So that's good news. Of course, he's been playing with my cats all weekend, and I've been taking blurry photos of them together with my little point and shoot because it's just so darn cute. Here's a sample!