A Few New Products...

I know I've been MIA lately, I'm in the stage where I am trying to balance everything and really figure out my routine and methods when it comes to blogging. While I've been trying to find my way I have been busy! Maybe I'll have a photo diary of what I have been up to coming, but today I thought I would share some of my recent purchases over the last couple of weeks.

Revlon ColourStay Moisture Stain 015 Barcelona Nights 

Revlon Parfumerie Ginger Melon

The Balm Meet Matt(e) 

Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express Waterproof Black

Q&A A Day 5 Year Journal 

NYX Tinted Moisturizer 01 Buff 

NYX Baked Blush Spanish Rose (it's very sheer so I couldn't get a good swatch picture :(,) 

NYX Chunky Dunk Hydrating Lippie 01 Watermelon Cooler 

Well, that's all I've purchased in the last couple of weeks, look for upcoming reviews coming soon on all of these products!

xo Mikayla

5 Ways to Survive the Summer Heat.

I'm originally from the province of Ontario Canada, which in the winter gets really cold and in the summer gets really hot. To put it into a little perspective the coldest day I remember last winter was -32 degrees celsius with the windchill, and when I left Ontario to come to British Columbia it was 32 degrees plus the humidex. Currently Vancouver British Columbia is experiencing a heat wave very similar to Ontario, which means my 5 best tricks to keep cool are really useful!

#1 Drink lots of cold water
I'm not usually a big water drinker, but in the summer I cannot put it down, it's really good to battle heatwaves and prevent heat stroke and it keeps you and your skin hydrated, which will keep you cooler.

#2 Take cold showers
I love me a hot shower in the winter, but in the summer ice cold showers are the fastest way for me to cool off, it is also a little gentler on your hair and skin which will benefit you a bit in the long run. I find that the top of my head gets really hot in the summer, so cold showers really hit the spot and cool my whole body down. (I couldn't really post a picture of a cold shower, but I hope you understand how truly fantastic they are when it's really humid!)

#3 Cooling Sprays
In my may ipsy bag  I was sent the Avene Thermal Water spray. I have found myself reaching for it almost every day at the peak of the heat to cool my face down.

#4 Sunscreen and After Sun cream
For my face this summer I am using the Hang Ten Sample I received in my May ipsy, I'm really enjoying it. For my body I am currently using the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen and the Hawaiian Tropic After Sun cream to hydrate after being in the sun for any amount of time.

#5  Lots of Rest and Relaxation
The heat is really harsh on your body, especially if you aren't used to it and are slightly ill prepared. Knowing and following rules to stay hydrated, avoiding direct exposure to the sun for extended periods of time can really help, but I find that the heat often makes me tired. So I try to avoid too much strenuous activity during strong waves of heat or in peak hours of the day (10-4 ish). But sitting in the shade and reading a book is a great way to relax and stay cool, or working on your blog.. like I am!

**Staying hydrated in the most important thing when it comes to heat waves, it is very easy to become dehydrated and risk heat stroke and potentially dangerous health risks. I hope everyone enjoys their summer and hopefully the weather is fantastic where you are so you can enjoy it! Leave me a comment below with your tips to survive a heat wave!

Family Adventure: July

As I've mentioned before, my family doesn't really sit still, whenever we have a day or two off together we usually find something to do, go exploring somewhere or experiencing something.

My whole family managed to have a saturday off together, which currently is a rare thing so my dad pulled out his backroads adventure book of maps for British Columbia and we picked 4 stops to experience.

We left at 9am and drove to Bridal Veil Falls in the Rosedale area. The falls were named by a romantic who envisioned the way the falls thinly fell as the veil of a bride. They were absolutely beautiful. My dad and I have a habit of ignoring the "Do not stand on rocks" "Do not pass this point" signs and going a little further, so we hiked up the rocks to get as close to the falls as we could (a lot of other people were doing this.. the signs were more of a guideline).

Our first view of Bridal Veil Falls

My dad and I hiked closer to the falls, to take selfies of course

My dad and the falls, the water falls so thinly..

Our next stop was to Sasquatch Provincial Park, to visit Deer Lake and Hicks Lake. The park is called Sasquatch Provincial Park because many recorded sightings of the Sasquatch are noted in the area every year. The lakes were beautiful, the picturesque mountains in the background make it look unreal.

The water was just too cold, so we only put our toes in

We took our jeep for our adventure and boy were we glad we did, our 3rd stop was to Cogburn Beach, which required taking a Forestry Road for 20 kilometres. Forestry Roads are the ones used by logging companies and are gravel poorly maintained roads. It was the closest to off roading my sister, mom or I have done so it was a bumpy, bouncy ride. On our way we spotted some portions of Rainbow Falls, which is a continuous flow of water that actually goes through many different falls. The beach was beautiful.

My mom is often behind the camera, but we make it a point to get one of her every trip

Our final stop was to Harrison Mills, which is a beach side town, and the resorts pools are fed by the Harrison Hot Springs. We walked along the beach, but sadly it was raining so we didn't go swimming or stay for very long. We bought a Potato Tornado, which is essential a coiled potato on a stick that has been deep fried (it was delicious). My mom and sister got Baskin Robbins, while my dad and I got Gelato.

Potato Tornado seasoned with Salt and Pepper

We took a picture with the Sasquatch

I got Vanilla-Strawberry Swirl and Double Chocolate Gelato

 We left at 9am and we returned home at 8pm. It was a very long day, but it was a good experience and a lot of fun for the family to do :)

What are some of the things your family likes to do together? Leave me ideas in the comments!

OOTD: Wednesday

Bonus Post! Again I really liked my outfit today! I went shopping last week with a friend of mine from university and waited patiently to wear some of the items until I had a day I felt I couldn't wait any longer.. Prolonging the newness. I really like the aqua-minty colour, and the cardigan with daisies is great! (They are my favourite flower!)

Face:

Maybelline Baby Skin Primer

L'Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier (Fair) 

Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer (Very Fair)

Rimmel London Stay Matte Powder (Transparent)

ELF HD Undereye Setting Powder 

Revlon Highlighting Palette (Rose Glow)

Milani Brow Fix Kit (Light)

Eyes:

Maybelline Colour Tattoo (Barely Branded)-Base

NYX Eyeshadow Single Matte (Blame it on Midnight)-Blending

Urban Decay (Buck)-Crease

Urban Decay (Sin)- Inner corner, inner corner lower lashline

Urban Decay (Toasted)- middle, middle lower lashline

Urban Decay (Hustle)- Outer Corner, outer corner lower lashline

Lips:

Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butter (Sugar Frosting)

Shorts: Stitches

Top: Stitches

Cardigan: Stitches

I also really like this nail colour- I'm probably going to wear it all summer!

OOTD: Tuesday

Bonus post for the day! When I was getting dressed today, I didn't think I would like my outfit NEARLY as much as I do. Since I like it so much, I have to share it. 

Face:

Maybelline Baby Skin

L'Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream (Fair)

Rimmel London Stay Matte Powder (Transparent)

Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer (Very Fair)

ELF HD Undereye Setting Powder

Milani Brow Fix Kit (Light)

Eyes:

Maybelline Colour Tattoo (Barely Branded)

NYX Eyeshadow (Blame it on Midnight)

Urban Decay (Naked)

Urban Decay (Buck)

Maybelline Eyestudio Quad (Coral Oasis)

L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Butterfly Mascara

Lips:

Lancome (Love It)

Outfit: 

Blazer: Stitches

Shirt: Forever 21

Shorts: Stitches

Ring: 

Ardenes 

I was never expecting to like how put together this looks, while also being a little casual and summery. I want to wear this everyday now.. I won't, but I want too. 

Spring Clothing Haul

My recent lack of busy-ness has left me with a lot of free time, free time I occasionally spend shopping. Spring has finally come to Canada, although it feels like it will only last a week or two before it is summer and too humid to breathe. The change in seasons has given me the opportunity to ditch the chunky sweaters of winter and embrace the pastels of spring. Spring (and fall) is truly the only time where I live that true fashion can shine. Summer is too hot for anything other than shorts, tank tops and top knots.. and winter, well winter requires a parka.

So shopping, yeah I've been doing that. Stitches is this great Canadian clothing store owned by a parent company who owns many other stores under their brand, they carry similar styles but never the same designs, the price remains as great and the quality amazes me. I went to an outlet store a couple days ago and picked up some spring/summer must-haves. The beauty of Canadian springs is they are typically warm enough to start wearing shorts. They were having a sale, on top of their awesome deals. I grabbed 2 tank tops (that I didn't get pictures of) for $9 total (6 for one and 3 for the other).

On top of that epic deal, I picked up 2 pairs of their shorts- a hunter green colour and a coral. Each pair were between $10-$12. Again, a steal. I think I am most excited for the coral ones, but the green are super cute too.

For some reason, they show up a lot more pink then they should- which bothers me. I LOVE the lace detailing on the bottom of the shorts, I think it adds just the right amount of detailing for a pair of shorts- and they came with the belt, which is beige and really just rounds out the shorts.

I'm really excited about these too- shorts are like required for summer, completely. I like that they aren't denim, so something different can be done with them, dressing them up is a definite option.

I love sheer tops, paired with a tank top it's dressy and casual all at the same time. I like that this one is a sleveless top, with a collar and button down makes it a little more dressy. It has navy blue and cream colouring which is still light enough for summer. This was $12, a great price I think.

Giant Tiger is another great Canadian company. It offers reasonably priced clothing as well as household needs and minor groceries- it's like a mini Walmart. I love this store- I've been shopping at it for as long as I can remember.

I got these awesome light coral-peachy coloured capris for $25! They came with a matching belt and I absolutely adore them. They are a perfect contrast compared to my love of mint and are the same tone as my mint pants. I think they are great for cooler summer nights or spring- like right now. :)

The last thing I got was this over the shoulder bag. It's has gold hardware and the chain is detachable, which is awesome for nights out if I want to make it a clutch not just an over the shoulder bag. You will not believe the price- $8. Such a deal, and considering it was originally $10, even if it wasn't on sale it would still be a steal.

That's all the shopping I've done- so far. What are some of your favourite spring/summer clothes?