Chanel LeWeekend

If you're anything like me, you're always on the look-out for "quick-fix" skin care products. With the weekend approaching, I thought I would share with you my current favourite weekend solution for my blemish prone and sometimes dull-looking skin. Enjoy!

What it is

"Enhances renewal and replenishes hydration to give skin a much needed weekend break. Combined with relaxing Rose Water, a gentle Glycolic Acid Complex is gradually released for ideal exfoliation and lasting moisture. Skin is softer and more luminous for the week ahead"

This product is essential a treatment serum for the weekend. It can be worn under your daily or nightly moisturiser, or by itself. The glycolic acid does tingle on the skin when first applied to blemish prone areas, however that sensation is not long-lasting. This product is of a milky and silky texture. It can be purchased here.

What I love
I wear this product at night on the weekends and on week-nights when I feel that my skin needs some serious rescuing. The morning after I apply this product, I can definitely feel a difference in my skin. My skin is smoother and more even toned. The effects of this product last for several days, therefore I can attest that it lives up to its description. 

As mentioned, I wear this product at night on the weekends, but have also been using it on those nights where I anticipate that I will not be getting much sleep. For those in school pulling all-nighters or for those working long hours, this product serves as a great rescue for tired looking skin It really does leave your skin glowing!

I used to use all of the serums from this particular line ("le weekend" is one of the serums in a 3 product line), however found that this one was the most beneficial and the most worthwhile purchase considering the high price of each.

What I Don't Like
I have combination/oily skin. This product is meant to be worn all weekend long (also during the day), but due to my skin type and the thickness of this product, I can only wear it at night. I am therefore not experiencing the full benefit of this product. If you have dry skin, this product worn under a moisturiser would work wonders!

Do you have a go-to weekend skincare remedy?

*nails not done...sorry!

We are so lucky that we live in a time where ombré is in style. I remember a few years ago when growing out your roots pretty much implied that you were either too lazy or too cheap to maintain your hairstyle. Thankfully this is no longer the case since many of us aren't those two things and just plainly want to grow out our natural hair color!

Shortly after I stopped competing in pageants, I began growing out my natural hair color. I am a natural blonde but I used to have regular highlights to lighten up my color, done approximately every 1-3 months. After a while however, I began to feel as though the continuous dying of my hair was taking a toll on its texture. With the combined past of having extensions and continuously curling my hair, I felt as though it was time to switch back to a more natural color. I've successfully grown my hair out to a stage where it looks rather ombré.

Achieving this state was a rather awkward journey. The point between your roots showing a little and growing them out to full-fledge ombré, isn't the most appealing. For this reason, I'd like to share some of the tactics I used to mask my growing roots.

1. I wore my hair up...a lot!

This was especially convenient for my lifestyle, since I had a lot of laboratory work in my final year of University. If I was in a rush, this was also a great option. Pinterest was a godsend during this time, since I also learned how to put my hair up in elegant and/or cute updos, for those times when I was going-out.

These are my favourite hair elastics.

2. When I wore my hair down, I made sure a portion of it was pulled back

Braids along your crown blend your roots in with your highlighted color very well. In addition, wearing your hair half-up and half-down also creates for the same allusion. The benefit of this, is that it also looks like you went to great lengths to do your hair, even though creating these styles often takes only a few minutes!

*An example... not me

3. I used a lot of dry shampoo! 

Ask any blonde and they will tell you that dry shampoo is a staple in their beauty routine! Unfortunately, blonde hair tends to look dirtier quicker than brunette hair does due to the greater contrast in the accumulation of build-up. Spraying dry shampoo or sprinkling baby powder on your roots helps lighten them up and diminish this contrast. My favourite dry shampoo is the Dove brand. Unfortunately this one sells out quickly, so for now I am using the John Freida, which still works relatively well!

4. I wore headbands!

Now, this is tricky. Wearing headbands tend to remind us of our childhood, and so we steer clear of wearing them. Luckily, there are many stylish and cute headbands out there that do not make us look "immature". I personally love the way the Lacoste headbands look - they are very simple and come in many colors. Headbands are a great way to mask the separation between your grown out roots and your highlighted hair. 

some of my favorite colors

5. I did not let myself feel self-conscious about my un-styled hair.

This one is important. No matter how insecure you may feel about your hair or any other part of your body, you must remind yourself that the opinion of others does not matter. This may sound cheesy, but it is the truth: your beauty radiates from the way that you feel about yourself!

Have you ever transitioned back to your natural hair color? How was your experience?

I absolutely love reading these types of posts. I find it quite interesting to see the kinds of recipes that people come up with, and what kind of foods work best in their lifestyle. I thought I would share my own "what I ate Wednesday" post, which will be the first among many more to come. 

I would primarily like to say that I am not a perfect eater. I do not deprive myself and I tend to make meals based on what I feel like eating. I like to be "in tune" with my cravings (in a healthy way!), which tends to be "in sync" to the nutrients that my body actually needs. This is in no way a recommendation of the way in which I think others to eat. I do eat meat and I do consume dairy products, however I try to limit the quantity. I also do not drink milk on its own and I replace it with almond milk wherever possible. In addition, I try to eat organic whenever possible, but do not completely abide by this.

*Notice: this isn't the healthiest day of eating. HOWEVER, I wanted to stay true to the theme of day, so here it goes!

Nature's Path brown sugar maple oatmeal

1 organic banana

Manitoba Harvest hemp hearts

Prana whole black chia seeds

Tim Hortons medium coffee

*Unfortunately...I did not win "roll-up-the-rim"

Campbell's Everyday Gourmet roasted potato & spring leek soup

 Fiesta Mexican style black beans & white corn salsa

Late July organic lime multigrain tortilla chips

Tournedo

Garden salad

Pineapple slices 

chocolate covered strawberry from Edible Arrangements

For breakfast I am usually eating either organic oatmeal with a sliced banana, mixed with chia seeds and hemp hearts, or some sort of egg sandwich. I think that the Nature's Path brown sugar oatmeal is the tastiest, since there are added nuts and a better quality of brown sugar than the typical brands.

At some point in the day I am usually drinking a coffee. Most days I make my own or purchase one from Starbucks, but today I switched it up with a Tim Hortons coffee since I also picked one up for my mother who enjoys their dark roast. 

Today I was craving a soup for lunch due to the cold weather. I only ate a small portion considering that the Campbell's Gourmet soups, although tasty, aren't the healthiest.

For an afternoon snack, I opted for chips and salsa. This is definitely a favorite  I try to make this choice slightly healthy by opting for multigrain chips. I also don't let myself eat too many!

For dinner I made some delicious "tournedos". It looks burnt, but trust me it is not! In addition, I always ensure that I am eating some sort of green food on my plate, and today I opted for a garden salad with a homemade vinaigrette. The salad consists of mixed greens, grape tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado. 

After my meal I decided to finish the night off with a dessert. I opted for pineapple slices and a chocolate covered strawberries. 

What does your daily eating schedule look like?

Pants: 7 For All Mankind "slim illusion" high waist skinny jeans in black (here)

Sweater: old (splurge here save here)

Scarf: Burberry "checked scarf" wool/cashmere blend (here and here)

Shoes: Burberry ballet flats (very similar here and here)

Call me morbid, but I absolutely wearing black clothing (kind of reminds me of this article)! To prevent myself from getting carried away in the "all black" theme, I often opt for colourful or patterned accessories. Classic Burberry print accessories/clothing/shoes are definitely pieces that I find work with almost every season - I wouldn't necessarily wear this print in the summer months, however the brand is quite versatile and offers other seasonal options.

The photos above weren't exactly planned, but are some that I snapped before rushing off on a shopping trip. This would be a perfect example of a go-to outfit that you would find me wearing on a rather casual day - effortless, but relatively put together. Enjoy!

What do you think of the Burberry print and what are your go-to classic outfits?