Cutting Off Mondays

Since the coming of spring and better weather, permitted that you are not going into tornado
weather, well, I've been thinking it's time to cut off the T.V. cable or most of it....I think it's time to get outdoors!

It has been snowing for a couple days here, but spring still has me thinking to tuck away the winter gear and come out with my lighter spring clothing.  I will simply have to haul my boots out every now and then if the snow never breaks up. It will be a long weekend for Easter Break so I love it.  I hear the weather should be quite lovely so those people that are with me for the love of spring, shed the woollies and scarfs, and sport some light and bright outfits!

It's time to put out the planter pots and set-up the scheme of your patio or deck...... or look for some new ideas to add to your yard.  I have an over sized balcony which this year I do plan on really focusing on the vegetables and flowers.  I plan to make this my best year ever as I am used to the surprises of the weather
and elements of this region of the city by now.  Some pre-planting indoors is essential to this zone, just to
give the plants a head-start.

I plan to service my mountain bike this upcoming weekend and make sure the tires and such are good to go.  I can certainly test it out on Sunday after eating.  I have some good food to cook up and will make the traditional whipped potatoes, rolls and salads.  It should be succulent!

Speaking of cooking, one may want to catch up on baking as well and store some of the Easter dinner as instant freezer meals.  This is a trick I do to save time during the week back to work after the holiday.
I am a big advocate of freezing my own hungry man meals for my lunches or if I am running late from work and don't have a lot of time to prepare something new for dinner when I arrive home, then just warm up one of your leftover meals.  If you are going to school and have exams it is really handy to have food already prepped and prepared so you can warm it up and keep up with studying.

Anyways, some crafting of Easter eggs is also something that I love for the Easter Weekend. My Grandma taught us how to make the Ukranian ones where you blow out the eggs from a pinhole.  They are certainly lovely afterwards when decorated and you can hang them as well. Take time to make something nice and on that note, I will not be blogging Easter Monday or well Sunday rather it is time to enjoy and take it easy.

So Monday tips will hault for awhile but have a fabulous long weekend Monday!

Fast Monday Make-Up

I don't know if you are like me, but I seem to always be running late or feeling rushed on Mondays.  I set out my clothes and things the night before, but I still feel rushed in the morning.  It leaves little time for putting makeup on, so I thought to share some fast make-up tips that look great and help me out.  It could help you get out the door on time! This may sound like numerous steps, but it's faster than it sounds.  It takes about 10 minutes.

First, I always do a beauty mask after I exfoliate my face, and the kaolin clay is my favorite.  Sunday night is a nice time to do this after a bath.  I still need to start earlier as this can put me past my bedtime.  Then I make sure I cool my eyes with a cooling gel mask (blue gel one I got from Shopper's Drug Mart) or a cooling bead mask I put in the refrigerator.  Sometimes,  if I have some spare cucumber slices, I will apply them onto my closed eyes and enjoy the spa feeling instead of using the cooling masks. I apply my night cream afterward, which I am using Vitamark Natique Night Essential Complex to repair, rejuvenate and and replenish the skin. I also like a few other under eye creams or products, but for the most part I actually had been using just vitamin E skin oil for years and years.

Facials seem to prepare my face for make-up for Monday, and for the rest of the week so makeup products can be applied smoothly and quickly, with less fussing.  I plan on using more natural products in the future and although the Natique set works and is better for the skin than most, the best is all natural and organic products or foods you already have in your pantry cupboard.  For example, you can wash your face with raw honey and it is amazing for the skin.  It will leave your skin soft and healing while you are sleeping.

Back to Monday morning's make-up routine.  I start my face by washing it or rinsing with warm water.  I often have flaky skin in the morning in the winter months, and it is just from it natural sluffing off, so I tend to wash it completely or use a exfoliating product to help if I need to. I also am using Vitamark Natique 4 Skin Care System, which has all the essentials of vitamins A, D, E and aloe vera, chamomile and natural oils, that work together to clean, condition, nourish and protect my skin.  It seems to leave skin soft and feeling moisturized, especially if I have some red areas and inflammation.

Step 3 of the line is the regular daily moisturizer, which I use a dime size amount and then after it dries, I layer on a small amount of Vichy Laboratoires Capital Soleil 60 Memory XL (Sunblock Cream SPF 60), which is a very high protectant with other sunscreen filters.  Then I like to let that dry and I use a very small amount of primer.  My primer of choice is Smashbox's photo finish, and apply it light on areas such as my eyelids and the t-zone of my face.  I have tried other primers and some leave my skin feeling greasy and looking worse!  So I do like the Smashbox primer the best so far, but have yet to try any high end or expensive primers.

Next, I lightly dab N.Y.C. 805 concealer stick or sometimes Physician's Formula color corrector under my eyes to conceal any darkness. I always have done this and even skip concealing my whole face.  I can get away with using a concealer to cover pimples or blemishes, and my favorite for breakouts is anything with salicylic acid.  I like to purchase the LIFE brand salicylic acid concealer from Shoppers Drug Mart for major break outs and it provides the perfect skin color match.  It can take a horrible breakout that looks hideous to looking a lot better.  So I recommend that and I am also using the N.Y.C. (New York Color) color wheel, and I apply the concealer lightly tapping over the blemish I want to cover, but not pulling as it's kind of thick.  Again, just a little goes a long way.

Sometimes, I use the yellow shade in the color wheel to cover under my eyes as it's better to cover blue, or using the green color concealer from the color wheel known to camouflage redness.  Any red inflamed pores can be easy to cover or at least manageable with this makeup invention.  You can look better on picture day if you have red inflamed areas. Then I cover the green with the skin color concealer again. Pat only around the red area or blemish and do not rub or you will defeat the purpose.  There will be no coverage left if you pull on it or rub it off.    Set that with a little loose light powder. 

I was using a Covergirl powder with light flecks in it or Physician Formula Mineral Wear Powder for highlighting.  If you would like to use a coverup of your liking before you set anything with powder then go ahead, blending softly and make sure you are ready to set it with powder.  I like to use Physicians Formula Cover Therapy Face Powder (my color is Translucent Light) and I just use the brush the compact came with.  It actually diminishes wrinkled with in 10 minutes, and I do feel I look better.

I then highlight under my cheek bones with a light bronze combo compact if time allows, also from Physicians Formula but if I am really rushing I skip this step and use Covergirl Naturally Luminous Loose Powder and buff out on the apples of my cheeks.  This color has a bit of glittering shades in it, but not overly, so it's nice but not dark.  Even though it's a loose powder, it works well as a day blush shade.  If it's winter time I might use a light pink Smashbox blush shade with the red brush that came with a gift set.  I look more alive when I apply it if I am looking tired.

I then take my eyelash curler and crimp each set of lashes on each eye, for approximately 7 seconds or more quickly at times, but I try not to do it so carelessly in order to not pull at any eyelashes.  Next I take my Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer in brown and I fill in the tops of my eyelashes by rubbing the pencil lightly on the top back and forth, and this darkens the roots of the eyelashes.  This is done fast, and I even skip this step if yesterdays makeup is left and has stained the eyelashes a bit at the roots. Just go onto the next step.

I then take the eyeliner and line the top corners of each of my eyelids, just on the corners and wing it up, and then take the sponge rubber end and smokey it up a bit blending lightly outwards or if you don't have this, use a Q-Tip to smudge it. Using some of the purple from the N.Y.C. color wheel and I highlight the edges of my lid, above the eyeliner that I drew on.  I use it like an eyeshadow.  I also take a tiny amount and highlight my inner corner of my eye with the same color, but you may also skip this if you don't want any highlighting color on your eyes.  Then I complete the look with some mascara.  Currently, I am using Maybelline Full 'n' Soft Waterproof Mascara in *Very Black, which I thought I had meant to grab brown but it was black.  It still looks good and I prefer no chips of mascara on my face by the end of the day and this mascara does not do that.

I purchased some Marcelle products such as the Lengthening & Curling Mascara, a blue mascara that I threw out and also the BB Cream Beauty Balm.  I only ended up liking the BB Cream and use it as an eye tint color which looks natural and great.  Ever Avon mascara I purchased did not work well, such as the Avon Supershock Max which does not lengthen and chipped off onto my face by the middle of the day.

 I also just bought some Physicians Formula Organic wear Jumbo Lash Mascara in Black Organics, of which also I wanted brown but for some reason have black.  I also purchased Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2 in 1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum in Black (7367C), but have yet to open and try them. If I find the products are amazing I will let you  know...... stay tuned.


The last step to pull the whole look together, is putting a light and shiny colored gloss or cherry chapstick on.  If time allows, I first line my lips using N.Y.C. in light burgundy (955A) on the bottom of my lips and bring it to the top lip. Then I take lip gloss and currently loving "e.l.f."  in "juiced berry" right now.  I fill  n the middle of my lips.  I also take a q-tip and refine everything.

I step up my make-up routine steps through-out the week if I am going out in the evening time.  I use my favorite Smashbox pallet, which is mainly smoky colors, golds, or browns. I blend correctly and make the look feel soft and flawless. I don't do much eye shadow on Mondays or if I am in a rush, as it takes too much time to blend and may even look like too much during the daytime.  I like to use a blue eyeliner at time  instead of brown and purchased brown, black and blue all from Physicians Formula. 

I would like to try the airbrush coverage or cover-up, and I believe that would be a fast way to apply make-up..... but I am not sure the prices yet.  I keep seeing the infomercials.

I hope this helps and let me know if you have any speedy tips for Monday morning, either make-up tips or other things to help with the time crunch.  P.S. I think the best way to look beautiful, is smile so hope that you do that lots and have a great week~!

The Making of a Monday Morning Zombie and Insomniac

Act 1............................................
A few late nights, a few missed hours of sleep, a drink or two on a Thursday night while already tired from the week.  Still to finish Friday at work? Unfortunately, I have not been getting to bed at a reasonable time lately and there is always something I have not finished.  I feel like running away and joining the circus sometimes, instead of going back to work on Monday after a weekend of catching up on sleep. 

Though I don't want to sleep away my weekend, it's no telling I will after all the work I accomplish during the week.  Not to mention some people call me later in the evening to talk on the phone, and despite avoiding calls when I am sleeping or busy, I feel it rude not to pick up.

My sleeping pattern is the worst I admit.  Later weekend nights spent trying to catch up on organizing, other chores, let alone some reading time and catching up on my favorite movies.  More recently I had been applying for job positions, preparing for interviews and trying to maintain an exercise routine.

Anyways, my inconsistent rest routine is definitely not a habit I want to form and it probably is not positive
to my health. In fact, I do recall watching a documentary on brain health, and lack of sleep was one of the bad habits that affects the brain health in a bad way.

Sunday nights I often have trouble falling asleep.......worrying about things will keep me up on a night that I have to be asleep and up early in the morning.  My internal clock was now telling me that I should not be sleeping.  I lay there and my brain would not shut down.  I did everything I could to try to sleep and it was not working at all.  I finally had to make a snack, consisting of 2 slices of raisin bread toast and a glass of milk.  For some reason, that was just what I needed to I fall asleep, and almost instantly.

The best thing for anyone is to maintain a regular sleep pattern and good bedtime habits.  If we do that, your body will communicate how much sleep you need.  It's not always 8 hours a night (at least they say) that everyone will need.  I find if I am in the country and there is plenty of fresh air, then I require less sleep and will be up earlier in the morning.  Also napping too late in the day can disturb your sleeping patterns, as you will be wired at the time you should be unwinding.

If that project you are working on is not done by bedtime you simply will have to get up early to start on it again tomorrow, if you want to maintain your sleep schedule.  If you fast from 8 pm until morning, you should be ready for breakfast or at least a smoothie packed with some protein and get up early to do a good morning workout.  You may notice that once you make this a routine, it will become second nature.

Some great methods to get to sleep and rely on, is making a nice cup of chamomile tea with no sugar or just honey.  Then you won't get hyper on sweetener and chamomile is a sleepy time tea on it's own.
Draw your self a luxurious bath and add lavender or your favorite bath oil or have a nice luke warm shower at around 8 p.m.  This will give you enough time for your body to start feeling relaxed and your mind to turn off. By 9pm you should be ready to turn everything off and go to bed.

The key is to make sure your muscles and body are relaxed before bed, so maybe your spouse or significant other can rub your back and turn the lights down low.  It will do wonders for your mood so that you can feel relaxed and call it a night.

If you like to shower in the mornings to wake up, perhaps fill a hot water bottle (with hot water) when going to bed and wrap it up in a thick towel and nestle that at the cradle of your back.  As you feel the warm cozy feeling, you can warm up and fall asleep just like a baby.

Last but not least, there's the biochemistry of sex.  It can tire you out~!
It can make a women tired at times but more often men, (after orgasm), men's brains release many chemicals but the most notable one being prolactin.  Prolactin levels are the highest naturally during sleep and in animals that have been tranquilized.  They immediately are tired.

Again, try not to stay up late, no matter the activity, especially if you don't want to pay the price on Monday morning.  Have a great week, and please subscribe to my blog~ if you would like to stay tuned!