I have finally found an amazing inexpensive facial cleanser. I have looked many years for a product that does an amazing cleansing job without costing a lot. Let me introduce the Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser. This magical bottle is sold at any local drugstore for around ten dollars, yes you read right $10! The packaging looks similar to the other Biore products but when you look inside the bottle you will notice the cleanser appears to be a charcoal colour.
The facial cleanser itself is a thick gel like substance that tingles almost immediately when it touches the skin. This tingling feeling always makes me think I am getting a great facial cleanse.
A little cleanser goes a long way with this product, so you only need a dime to a quarter sized amount of product.
I found that by leaving it on longer, my skin was getting a deeper clean. I am someone who has large pores, and generally oily skin, and when I washed the product off, my skin feels tighter, and refreshed.
Run down to your local drugstore today to pick this great product up! My husband loves this cleanser as well, so this is a great gift idea for the special men in your life.
How was your holidays? I hope you got everything you wanted including much happiness and joy. I had a great Christmas with my family, my son was spoiled with so many fun things to play with, and my stomach has never been so full.
Last week I did some shooting at the venue where I got married, almost all of the shots were done outside and this is just a sneak peek of the first outfit I wore. This gorgeous silk/satin dress would make a lovely outfit for New Year's Eve, and paired with these blue bow shoes the look is very timeless. You will see the full post on the blog in the next few weeks.
Let me know how your Christmas/holidays was, leave a comment.
Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays. I hope you are all having a wonderful time of the year. For this lovely Christmas Day I am going to share a recipe for one of my favourite treats, the Hello Dolly Square. A friend I work with recently brought some of these delicious goodies in to school, and I immediately asked her for the recipe. Hello Dolly's are very easy to make, and the prep time is minimal. So let's get started!
This is what you will need to create Hello Dolly's,
1 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/2 Cup of Butter
1 Can of Condensed Milk
1 Cup of Walnuts
1 Cup of Chocolate Chips
1 Cup of Coconut
Place the butter in microwave safe bowl and melt butter in the microwave.
Measure one cup of graham cracker crumbs and pour into a mixing bowl. When the butter is melted pour it on top of the graham cracker crumbs.
Mix together.
In a small square cake pan, put the graham cracker mixture on the bottom and spread out so there is an even layer of crust.
Spread chocolate chips on top of the crust layer.
Add walnuts.
Sprinkle coconut over the chocolate chips and walnuts.
Pour one can of condensed milk over the top.
Bake at 350 F for thirty minutes.
Remove from oven, my pan looked very bubbly along the sides.
Wait until the pan is fully cooled down and cut squares.
I found the squares were difficult to cut out of the pan without loosing the bottom crust. I did grease the pan prior to baking, but the mixture bakes very sticky. The Hello Dolly's turned out fantastic, and I would highly recommend trying these as a quick and easy to prepare dessert.
Today I thought I would share the top ten songs that I couldn't stop listening to this year. If you remember, back in the summer I did my top five summer songs, now I am going to share my yearly top ten. Some of the songs of the summer are on this list, but all these songs kept me moving, singing along, and car dancing to.
10. Saint Pepsi- Fiona Coyne.
This was my song of the summer, I love to dance and sing along with this song. The disco inspired sound is sure to keep a smile on your face.
9. Caribou -Can't Do Without You
Caribou is essentially Dan Snaith, and another interesting fact, he is Canadian. Caribou continues to make consistent electo-pop music and this song delivers a catchy melody and a great steady beat to jog along to.
8. Ariana Grande, Jessie J, Nicki Minaj- Bang Bang
This was on my summer list and it makes a repeat on this year end list. This is just a great pop song that smacks you in the face with a great melody. It has a tinge of a motown throwback and let's be honest the singing is impeccable.
7. Run The Jewels (featuring Zack De La Rocha)- Close Your Eyes
I will be honest, the rap genre is not really up my personal music alley of taste. I don't discredit the genre because there is no way I could ever rap, I just find I am drawn to different music genres. This Run the Jewels song is stellar, with Zack De La Rocha of Rage Against the Machine, it has all the necessary makings of a huge hit. If you are a regular reader of Pitchfork, then you will know that Run The Jewels was number one on the Pitchfork best album list of 2014. Take a listen and let me know what you think. Please be advised this song contains some strong language.
6. The Decemberists- The Wrong Year
I have had a love affair with The Decemberists for almost a decade. The songwriting from frontman Colin Meloy is truly marvellous. Colin has an innate ability to write lyrics that will expand your vocabulary while keeping a strong melody in tact. If you ever get the chance to see The Decemberists live you must go, I am really hoping my amazing friend Amanda and I can see them in Toronto at the end of March.
5. George Ezra- Budapest
Everything I love about music is in this song, an acoustic guitar, a great story, and slow moving beat. I had no idea who George Ezra was until this summer, and I have listened to this song almost every day since.
4. Taylor Swift- Style
As great as the 1989 album is, I really do think this is the best track from the record. Taylor is just hands down a great songwriter who lets the listener into her own personal life events. This song is no different, and the ," You got that James Dean day dream look in your eyes, and I got that red lip classic thing that you like", lyric sums up this track.
3. The War On Drugs- Red Eyes
It was great to see the return of War on Drugs this year. This band has been through different members coming and going over the last few years but the current band created an album this year that was highly praised by music critics. Red Eyes is just a great rock song, and my absolute favourite from the record.
2. Belle and Sebastian- The Party Line
HOORAY! Belle and Sebastian have released their best single in years. The Party Line kept me dancing in my car over the last few months
1. Future Islands- Seasons (Bad Bad Not Good Mix)
If you have not heard Future Islands, Seasons yet, well then you must take a listen now. This was one of the most played songs this year and for good reason. I love the BAD BAD NOT GOOD mix of this song, this reinterpretation makes the song sound new and it's very refreshing to listen to.
Only three more sleeps until Christmas and I can barely contain my excitement. To see my son's face seeing all the goodies left by Santa will be priceless. To continue my holiday look series, I dressed up a simple black and white look with a sequin hat, a red bag, and deep red shoes. The bow belt adds extra interest to this outfit.
I admit I was looking forward to snow this Christmas but I don't think that will happen where I live. How are you spending Christmas? Leave me a comment.
Since you know I love Christmas I thought I would give you a special tour of my house. When I had Charlie almost three years ago, I decided to re-vamp my Christmas collection. I wanted my Christmas decorations to be fun ( so you knew a child lived in this house), and keep the classic vintage look I love so much. I am proud to say that I pulled this off! Take a look inside my house and let me know what you think.
My lovely Aunt Geri made me these wreaths on our front doors. The red and white sets the tone for what you will see inside.
This fun train has a third piece which did not make it into the picture. It reminds me of something you would see in a Dr. Seuss book. It is also metal which means Charlie can play with it anytime.
The main dining room table, I chose to do in more untraditional Christmas colours. The purple, teal and gold arrangement has been used for the last few years. I just love how it sparkles under the light.
Who else does not have chimney? This fun Santa key is on our staircase letting guests know that Santa will still be coming chimney or not.
This table always seems to have flowers on it, but for Christmas these silver trees in a cluster look fabulous. On the other end, I have my favourite salt and pepper shaker Santa and Mrs. Claus. These were a gift from a student over ten years ago and the family knew I had a bit of a salt and pepper collection.
A mantle is a centrepiece in any home. Stockings are hung with care in my house waiting to be filled with goodies. You can get a sneak peek of the tree in these pictures.
My Christmas tree is trimmed in red and white. These colours are so classic, and every year I seem to get another small ornament to add. I think the large ornaments are so fabulous and fun. You can see that there are ornaments Charlie has made, and I believe it is so important for these to be shown. Charlie loves to see his own creations on the tree.
My small dinette table in the kitchen also has red and white as it's centrepiece. I bought these styrofoam decorations from Target, these were a great find.
I hope you loved getting a peek into my house for the holidays. What are your favourite decorations? Leave me a comment and let me know.
My holiday season started earlier than expected this year when Influenster sent me a Vox Box. This box was the Keurig 2.0. Those of you that know me, you know I love to stop for a Tim Horton's mocha in the morning. This Keurig is going to change those morning stops. The 2.0 version is fantastic because it not only brews the single K-cups, it will also brew the larger 4 cup K-Cups. The appliance looks great on my counter and you can see in the pictures the water container is on the side. The front of the Keurig 2.0 has a handle to open the front to allow the K-cups to go in and a touch screen that operates the machine easily.
When you turn the Keurig 2.0 on you will see the preheating symbol. It takes less than two minutes to heat up which is amazing!
The K-cup holder is underneath the front of the machine. The handle lifts up easily so you can place the K-cup inside. When the K-cup is inside the circle holder the handle can be pushed back down.
When you are ready to brew push the button in the middle of the front panel and VOILA! the machine magically begins to brew you a perfect cup.
My favourite function on the machine is that is has the ability to dispense extra hot water in case you want a fuller cup. You can choose how much water you would like, and the machine does all the work.
Here is my finished product, a Laura Secord Hot Chocolate. The Keurig 2.0 is so easy to use, trust me if I can figure it out it has to be easy.
This Keurig would make a great gift for anyone on your list who enjoys a special blend of coffee. I was totally taken back by the amount of K-cups available, including hot chocolates and teas. I am so thankful that Influenster sent me this product.
With the holidays right around the corner I know a lot of you are out visiting friends and family. This is what I tend to do the most of, I love going to cozy houses, bringing treats and catching up with loved ones. All of my previous holiday looks have been evening party looks, but when I head out to visit I do like to dress more casually. This blanket scarf has served me well this season and of course the colours scream holiday season. I showed this White House Black Market coat earlier in the season and since it has not been terribly cold the weight makes it really easy to wear. These black jeans are perfect for going out, they are so comfortable, and easy to sit or stand in for long periods of time.
Of course when I go visiting I always like to bring a gift for the hostess and sometimes extra gifts for kids. I may have to do a post on how much I love wrapping paper at some point in the near future but for now let me know what you like to wear visiting.
