Detox your life part I : Detoxing your heart

   As I sat there thinking which post I should start with for this series, it dawned on me that I really did not know where to start. What was the most important thing to start with when trying to get a fresh start? At first I thought psshhh it's detoxing your surroundings of course ( your house, workplace..etc.) that would totally make sense right? It would greatly affect your mood and help you work on your self development clutter free. But I felt I was missing the point. Then I thought, well, maybe it's detoxing our body. After all, you DO need to be healthy to preform well. No, that's not it either. Finally I came to the conclusion that you should start with your social circle, I mean, what's the use of doing any progress if you are surrounded by people who constantly bring negativity to your life and bring you down? So it was resolved, I would start the week by talking about how to detox your life by cutting out negativity....
 But something just didn't feel right. I felt all those things were important, but not the most important. The following week I had a mini- existential crisis. My life was not going as I wanted it to: my GPA was dropping faster than a comet, I was so busy that my social life was suffering, I was getting rejected from all the internships I was applying for, my love life non-existent, I was binging A LOT and breaking out like crazy and my blog was not as successful as I'd hoped. Every aspect of my life was spiraling out of control. I felt overwhelmed, depressed and inferior. How could things get so dark in a matter of 2 weeks? Then I realized, things didn't  get dark in a matter of 2 weeks. It was my perspective that had changed .... And although my problems didn't get magically solved I realized that if I stayed in the mindset of " waaaah I'm a failure...waaaah I will never get anything done... waaah I'm worthless". Guess what? I WILL be a failure. I WILL never get anything done and I WILL become worthless.

So I decided that the first step that anyone should take to detoxify their life was to detoxify their heart and mind.....
Sure, it's easy enough to get caught up in the menial day-to-day problems and get overwhelmed, or blow everything way out of proportion and dramatize everything, but here's what I want to tell you:
                                                        There is always a solution

Source: http://favim.com/image/119214/

If there is a constant in life, it's change. And if we were to approach life with this mindset, we would have a lot less to worry about because we know, as the old story goes, that "this too shall pass". No matter how dark or painful your situation is, just know that it will most definitely change. The right way to deal with life's set backs is not to sit there whining and feeling sorry for yourself, it's to accept it, feel it , then move on and start working on changing your situation. A good way to illustrate my meaning is this quote from one of my personal idols, Audrey Hepburn:



"How shall I sum up my life? I think I've been particularly lucky. Does that have something to do with faith also? I know my mother always used to say, 'Good things aren't supposed to just fall in your lap. God is very generous, but he expects you to do your part first.' So you have to make that effort. But at the end of a bad time or a huge effort, I've always had - how shall I say it? - the prize at the end. My whole life shows that. "
-- Audrey Hepburn

   The above was written a year ago, and back then I didn't know what else to say, so I saved my draft and forgot about it. Today, I was tempted to rewrite the entire article but then decided against it, because I think you will clearly see the difference between the beginning and end of this post. For the past year, I took my own advice and I am glad to say I have seen obvious and incredible results. My face cleared up, I graduated with high honors and am currently working on joining a graduate program, I finally know exactly what I want and my social skills have improved. 
All this does not mean that I have no problems anymore. It simply means that I deal with them differently, and more effectively. That is why I encourage you to try out my method and start dealing with life's problems differently. You may not be able to choose what life throws at you (it's not always lemons, btw) but you can control how you react to it. It's easy to get overwhelmed, and it will happen, but a truly strong person is someone who reminds themselves that this too shall pass, and that they have the power to change their situation. All they need is to work on it. I am not trying to be preachy here, I'm only sharing my experience.
I believe that when you finally detox your heart and mind, everything else will follow, and you will drastically improve your life and increase your happiness.

To be more clear....
here are some (tried and true) things you can do to detox your heart today :

1)  Stop worrying about what you can't control, and start focusing on what you can control.
2) Stop comparing yourself to others , only compare yourself to who you were yesterday.
3) When things get tough, accept it, feel it then move on.
4) Think about what you can give instead of what you can take.
5) Do one good deed a day.
6) Call one friend a day.
7) Baby steps will help you reach your goals.
8) Stop criticizing others and love unconditionally.
9) People make mistakes, and so do you, forgive and move on.
10) Contrary to popular belief: Life is fair, people are not.
11) Learn from the past, and move on. Plan for the future, but don't live in it. You'll get there eventually, but you'll never be here and now again.

And always remember... What's meant to happen will happen (whether by the hands of God, destiny, a series of random events, statistical probabilities or whatever makes you happy..)

This is definitely one of my longer articles. I hope this was helpful and enjoyable and you didn't get bored (if you did, I apologize, but I mean well). If you try these tips please let me know how it went, and if you have any other ideas or tips let me know. I'll talk to you soon.

Love,
Rue

Read more »

The accomplished lady

      

      In this day and age, I see many women striving to be thought of as "strong", "independent", "Smart" or even "hot", and all these adjectives are great and all, but a couple of centuries back women worked hard to be "accomplished"; a term which, I believe, if we distill its essence and apply to our modern lives would encompass all the above traits and add a certain quality to them. But before I get carried away let's first define an "accomplished woman" in the traditional sense of the word. I think the best description of this woman is given by Jane Austen in her novel Pride and Prejudice. Here's what Ms. Austen had to say about this type of woman:

“no one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with.  A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, all the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved.”

“All this she must possess,” added Darcy, “and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.”

Now, let's breakdown that quote, shall we? 

I can easily focus on the "thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing...etc." and rest assured these things are easily acquired, if one has the will. Instead, I will be focusing on that first sentence: " No one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with."

Take a moment to think about that....

The truth is, what Jane Austen wrote is a timeless recipe for women. It all boils down to having the basics, then adding to it something that is totally your own. That is how you become an "accomplished woman" whether in a traditional or modern sense.

  Traditionally, a woman must have what is called a classical education; a curriculum that is more based on liberal arts than technicality. She must have thorough knowledge of the arts and languages, as well as the art of deportment and poise. She must be able to carry and express herself elegantly, and have the ability to navigate different social settings with grace. Austen then adds that “All this she must possess,”[ ] “and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.”

A modernistic definition of a "successful woman" would be a woman who is highly educated, independent, with a range of social skills that get her far. She has her priorities straight and goes after what she wants. Does it sound familiar?

If you look closely, and keep in mind the differences in times, you will see that the "traditionally accomplished" lady is not that different from our modern "successful woman". They are both highly educated, well-read and have social grace and charm.

So how about we merge those two definitions to try to get the best of both worlds and emerge as modern day "accomplished women".

This is not about restricting ourselves to a set of dated rules , or relinquishing our power, it's about becoming more refined and elegant. It's about not being afraid to be our most feminine selves because we know that our femininity is a strength not a weakness.

So how do we become accomplished ? There are a few basics that an accomplished lady must have:

1) A quality education:

-If you have been fortunate enough to go to college or University, that's great! , if not then you may want to get some form of higher education, and if you cannot afford it and/or have responsibilities and cannot do that then self-teaching may be a good option.

 -Find a subject that you have always wanted to master, but never got around to and learn as much as you can about it and master it. You will feel proud of yourself for finally getting there, your knowledge will definitely benefit you one way or another and depending on the subject, you may have a great conversational topic in the future.

- It is preferred to have a liberal arts background ( even if self taught ) as it will help you refine your way of thinking, and become a more well-rounded person.


2) Being well-read:

As a book worm, this is one of my favorite requirements because it just gives me more room to read. I would recommend starting with the classics, then moving on to more modern literary works. But reading should not be restricted to fiction only, you should also try to make a point of reading non-fiction as well. A good place to start is biographies. Pick a historical figure/ celebrity/ politician/ super-villain that you like and read their biography. It will be a good way of gaining experience without actually going through the experience. Another way is to read articles in "The times" or "The New yorker" or anywhere else that strikes your fancy. The important thing is that you read and stay informed (p.s. Celebrity gossip does not count.)
Over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting reading lists and book recommendations that may be of use to you, so make sure you check back here.


3) Grace (physical and social)

Now, grace is a vast and detailed topic that I won't be going into in this post (that's a post for another day) , but an accomplished woman is known for her " certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions"

An accomplished woman is graceful, both physically and socially. She is a master of poise and deportment, and can carry herself with elegance through any situation. And this is one of her greatest assets, and an integral part of her charm.

If I were to compile a list of the traits of an accomplished woman, this post would be pages long. But fear not my lovelies, I will be posting in the future about how to become modern day accomplished ladies. This series will be one of self-improvement, and I will be sharing with you what I learn along the way.

I hope you enjoyed this post and I will be talking to you very soon.

Rue

 

Read more »

5 tips to be a better conversationalist

Lately I have found myself being put into a lot of social situations where I have to not only start a conversation, but also keep it going for some duration. Now, don't get me wrong, it's not like I have just crawled from under the rock I have been living under and suddenly discovered the wonder that is the art of  social interactions ( well, sort of, but not really. not my point ). The mere fact that I have freshly graduated from college means that I have been jet thrust out of my comfort zone ( my home and sanctuary for the last three years ) into a brand new world with more people of higher diversity, and a high demand for something to say.

To be honest, I started out kind of rusty, but with some time and a tiny bit of effort, I think I have become fairly able to navigate most situations I am put in and have good conversations with many types of people. This isn't a post about the importance of being a good conversationalist, or the benefits that come from having that talent. If I start harping on that I will never shut up, so I will defer that post for another day. Now let me share with you some pieces of wisdom that I have learned recently and have helped me tremendously. Something worth noting here is that I am not giving you quick and easy fixes that would have you snap your fingers into a great conversation. It isn't in my power to do so, but if you know someone who can let me know :) These are tips to make you inherently more engaging, and let you have something worthwhile to say in different situations. Therefore, naturally the results will show up with consistency and time. You were warned.

Now here are my tips *drum roll* :

1) Listen:

le gasp!! Here I am going on and on about how to be better at essentially "talking", and my first tip is to shut up and listen?!! Well, yes. The first important skill that most good conversationalists have is the ability to listen. And I am not talking about just staying silent as the other person talks while diabolically planning a clever response ( I so got you! ). I am talking about actually hearing out the person in front of you, thinking about what they are saying and, dare I say?, empathizing with them, or at the very least sympathizing. Nobody wants to talk to someone with a blank stare who is too busy thinking about what they are about to say. In short, active listening makes you present. And people love talking to someone who is present. It makes them feel valuable, and who doesn't like that? :)

2) Coversation is a two-way street. Respond!

So you have listened with all the attention and empathy in the world. That's great! Congratulations!, but aren't you forgetting something? 

The person talking to you will probably require a response to what they have been rambling about, right? And since people are not mind readers, they will not know that you have been listening, or what your opinions are unless you actually tell them what they are. Be active, have something to say and respond to people. If you have nothing to add, just move on to a different topic, or ask questions.

3) It's all about them:

I don't know if you have noticed, but people love to talk about themselves, and they love people who hear them talk about themselves. So ask questions, get to know people. Most people have a story to tell and there are many lessons to be learned from them. On top of all that, people will appreciate your interest and you will be perceived as pretty interesting yourself.

A small rule that I think we should implement in our lives:

  " The universe doesn't revolve around you. You revolve around the universe"

4) Get out of your head:

A common mistake by people trying to have a good conversation/become interesting is that they get too stuck in their own head and what they should/shouldn't be doing. Remember, great conversations_ like a lot of good things in life _ are usually spontaneous. They come naturally and effortlessly, without a rigid plan set in motion to get there. So let loose, live in the moment , and just enjoy being with the person(s) you are talking to. If you are stiff and rigid, things won't be fun for you or anyone else. Don't be a downer! And remember, nothing is worth doing that isn't fun in one way or another. 

5) Have a good knowledge of things (proceed with caution)

Whether it's the latest beauty tips or the workings of quantum mechanics, it's good to have a good supply of general knowledge about a variety of topics, with more depth in the things that truly interest you. This will let you adapt to various situations and gives you the ability to talk to all kinds of people with all kinds of interests and backgrounds. It also gives you interesting conversation starters and ice breakers, while generally assisting you in avoiding some embarrassing social blunders. But I must warn you, do not take this step too far or you may accidentally end up being the annoying "know-it-all". It is impossible for one person to know everything that is to know. Embrace that. And if giving a small fact is a good conversation starter, asking someone who knows more than you about something you don't know very much about, is just as great :)

And with that I will conclude my list of tips. I hope you have enjoyed my little snapshot of infinite wisdom, and if you have any comments on these tips or any of your own, please share your infinite wisdom with me :) And remember life is too short to be taken too seriously. Take care and have fun....

Rue

Read more »

Happiness is......

Happiness is...

-Lighting a scented candle and listening to music

-Making a cup of coffee and reading a book

-Playing and cuddling with your cat

-Spending a quiet evening with your family

-Going crazy with your friends

-Walking in the woods

-Watching the moon light up the night

     -Making a child happy


     -Laughing from your heart


     -Love's first kiss

 -Seeing the world


-Pampering yourself


-Having a lazy day

-Baking something that is actually edible

-Freedom

-Having a rose garden (or pot)

-Being thankful to be alive 

-Love

                    Happiness is Quiet........

Rue 

Read more »

Detoxify your life!

Hello my little birdies. I hope your day is going well. :)
This year I have made the decision to seriously start working on myself constantly in order to become a better me, not just make endless plans and resolutions then end up doing nothing. My goal this year is to stop planning and start DOING, and I have made some progress over the last 3 months, but I'm only getting started. So I thought what better way to keep myself motivated and pushing forward than to share with you guys?
This is why I am starting this 5 part series about how to Detoxify your life.

Source: http://goo.gl/EhfdM

We have all been there haven't we? At that point in our lives where we feel like we are just stuck where we are and long for a change. Where we are just sick and tired of all the stress and clutter in our heads and we feel like we are just drowning. Or maybe you are just trying to better yourself in general. A good way to do this is to get a fresh start.....

And that's exactly what I will be doing in this series. I will be posting tips about how to get a fresh start in different areas of your life:

- Socially

-Mentally and spiritually

-Health and body

-Beauty wise

-Your home

I will be posting about these areas over the next few weeks so stay tuned :) :) That's all or now and I will talk to you soon.

xoxoxo

Rue

Read more »

My first mini achievement of 2013: Pasta Alfredo

Hello everyone I hope you having a great day today.
So far 2013 has been good to me and as a New year's resolution I decided to try new things I haven't tried before. So where better place to start than cooking? Of course, I am notorious for burning anything and everything that I set off to cook, even soup! ( don't ask ). So it was quite the challenge for me to find something I can cook without burning it, or myself, or my cat. Anyways, like every average Joe out there I started my quest for easy recipes on none other than Google search, which ended with naught! All the so-called "easy" recipes were either too hard or the required ingredients were too hard to get for me. So I started getting discouraged, but then I remembered a Youtube channel a friend of mine recommended a couple of months earlier so I said to myself what do I have to lose? So I searched for this chef and watched a couple of her videos and her pasta Alfredo was delightfully easy AND the ingredients were easy to get a hold of! Jackpot!! So I went to my kitchen and I made and attempt to make pasta Alfredo. The results?
Drum roll please......

   

Tadaaa!!! My first ever non-crappy edible dish. I was so proud of myself when I made this I actually did a mini embarrassing victory dance. Of course, being a rebel I did not stick to the recipe and I made my own adjustments which I will mention after you see the actual recipe...

Ok so here are my adjustments:

• I didn't exactly use powdered garlic and onion, instead I used one garlic clove veery thinly cut and it was just as good. I did make it another time using the powders and it tastes great both ways.
• I didn't use heavy cream, instead I put one tbsp of flour and one mug (yes that's a measurement.. because I said so) of full cream milk. Hey, it gives the same result!
• I added other types of cheese next to the Parmesan cheese. Well, it wasn't cheesy enough for me so I had to improvise.

So I hope you guys try out this recipe and let me know how it turned out..

I will talk to you soon 

xoxo

Rue

Read more »

A vintage guide to glamour

Hello everyone I hope you are all having an amazing day today!
If you have been reading my blog you will discover that I have a bit of  a vintage fascination. I truly respect and adore our grandmothers and their lifestyles and I actually feel they knew a great deal more about happiness than us despite having less luxury and means. That's why I believe we should look at them and learn from their lives and try to incorporate their knowledge in our modern lives.
The ladies or yesteryear all seemed to be, well, ladies and they were glamorous as well. So why is it that those women seemed to have that extra quality that is sadly lacking in so many women today?
This brings me to the first vintage tip: Embrace being a woman

Marilyn Monroe was an expert on embracing her femininity
[source:thewideeyed.wordpress.com ]

 It's true! Despite our view on women of the past as being oppressed and miserable, these women knew what it meant to embrace their femininity and womanhood, and I'm not talking about frilly pastel dresses with bows and flowers, those are personal taste but I'm talking about the joie de vivre that was common amongst women. I once read a quote that said: " Women understand the value of life, they give it " and this quote seemed to sum up the essence of femininity. Women are nurturers and givers of life, and to embrace your femininity is to give and have an abundance of love that overflows into every aspect of your life.

[source: lt-arts.deviantart.com ]

Not only were women of the past more nurturing, they also knew how to Keep it simple.

Today we live in a world of excess. We have an excess in everything, and that leads us to over indulge in things we don't really need. The solution to this problem: Keep it simple! Do you really need a 10th pair of pumps? even if they are in a "trendy color". Do you really need yet another cream/lotion/lipgloss? Does your body really need that extra large double cheeseburger meal that you will probably throw half of in the trash? Ask yourself questions like these and answer them honestly (no cheating girls!) You will be surprised at how little you actually need. Now, don't get me wrong, I for one adore luxury and we are talking about being glamorous here so I'm not saying throw away all your stuff and live in a cottage in the woods ( ok, maybe that was a bit extreme but you get my point ). All I'm saying is to keep the luxuries in your life, well, luxuries. This means they should be in small portions that you can truly enjoy and appreciate. So bottom line, a little bit of luxury = good, excess and over indulgence = bad.
This concept also goes hand in hand with giving and nurturing, because when you stop living in excess, you start having more to give to people who actually need things.

Now I don't like posting very long boring posts so I will keep it simple now and leave you to think about the above to tips :)
And now for a little indulgence: If you are like me, then you love everything beauty, fashion,skincare..etc related. Here's a really nice educational video (Sorry if the quality isn't exactly HD) from the 40s talking about good grooming habits, skincare, fashion and other things. I personally found it adorable to watch and hey, you might even pick up a tip or two :)

Well that's all for today's post I hope you enjoyed it and that it was helpful and I will talk to you soon.
lots of love
xoxo
Rue

Read more »

Beauty favourites of 2012

Hello my chocolate frosted cupcakes!!
How is everything going? I hope you are all doing amazing. So today I will be talking about my favourite beauty and skincare products of 2012. These are products that I have been obsessed with throughout 2012, and honestly I'm still obsessed with them now.
I'll put them in 3 main categories: Skin care, Makeup and Hair care to make things easier. So let's get started!!

Skincare:
My first skincare favourite of 2012 ( and all time actually ) is the one and only ROSE WATER!!!

This is my all-purpose go to skincare product. It's a cleanser, toner, moisturizer, skin tonic and brightener all in one. You may think that I'm exaggerating but seriously I am not!! I have been using it for literally years now and it always delivers. I first started using it at 14 and I never looked back since, and no toner could ever touch it. To be honest I have nothing bad to say about it and if I let myself go I'm gonna end up doing a whole post raving about how awesome rose water is ( I think I already did that actually ) so moving on to my next favourite..
My second beauty favourite of 2012 is Ponds cold cream

Yet another product I have raved about before, but what can I say? I fell in love.
Now before I get run away with my obsession I'll tell you about my skin type. I have combination/oily skin and this product has been very good to me. At first I was skeptic and felt like I might get breakouts from it but I was proved wrong. If anything it actually helped control my oiliness to some extent ( not completely, I repeat NOT completely ) .It also leaves a nice moisturizing film after I use it but I usually wash my face with a cleanser afterwards due to having oily skin.
And although I absolutely adore this product and will definitely continue using and recommending it I do have a few words of caution for you about it. First of all, it contains mineral oil, so if you allergic to it or have sensitive skin this is not the product for you. Second of all, to my fellow oily skinned girls, I have combination skin which tends to go on the oilier side but I do have dry patches on my skin. So I don't know if this would work for someone with full-blown oily skin, so if you are considering trying  it out do your research first and be careful with it. And as for my dry-skinned girls I think this would be an awesome makeup remover for you guys and I highly recommend you check it out, it's highly effective and as a bonus it's very cheap ( last time I checked it was 5 $ )

My next skincare favourite is well.. 2 products from the same line: The body shop vitamin E line
I only tried the vitamin E face mist and the SPF 15 lip balm and I have to say. This is one satisfied customer over here. They both work great and they deliver what they promise.

First up, the face mist. I bought it just to try it out early last year and I was very happy with the results. It's very light textured ( watery ) and it absorbs quickly into my skin and gives it a quick boost of moisture, just like it says it would. When setting makeup with it, it gives you a very pretty dewy look but I usually skip that because I get shiny on my own.
I have nothing bad to say about it, maybe if you have dry skin you would need something a bit more heavy duty than this, but other than that, it's awesome. Seal of approval granted.

Next we have the lip balm. I absolutely love this lip balm and I always carry it around in my handbag. It is the ONLY lip balm that managed to fix my super stubborn dry flaky chapped lips. It beat Chapstick, Burt's bees lip balm and various others. It also managed to beat Vaseline! So obviously I highly approve this product and highly recommend it if you are like me and you have super dry, super stubborn lips which don't seem to respond to anything. Try it out and maybe it will help you like it helped me. And as a bonus it has SPF in it so you can wear it under your favourite lipstick when going out. Seal of approval granted.


Makeup:

Ok so my first makeup favourite is sort of rediscovering an old favourite. It's the Bourjois waterproof eye pencil. Mine is no. 41 black party. Black eyeliner is a staple in my day to day makeup, as it is for many girls, and a big struggle for me is to find an eye pencil that doesn't smudge, will stay on all day and at the same time is easily removed with makeup remover. Well, I have finally found it! I used to use this eyeliner all the time when I was around 16-17 then it started to become less available so I had to switch to other brands, but a couple of months ago I was makeup shopping with a friend and I saw it so I bought it and I fell in love with it all over again. My amazing smudge-less, stay put all day eyeliner.

My next makeup favourtie is the YSL Rouge Volupte lipstick. I have heard so many good reviews about this lipstick for the longest time and I was quite late to jump on the band wagon ( budget reasons ) but I have to say everything you hear about it is true!! It's a very richly pigmented, creamy lipstick that stays on for ages and doesn't dry your lips at all. They have a beautiful color selection as well. The color I got was no. 12 Forbidden Burgundy.
As the name suggests, it's a beautiful burgundy colour that can be lightened or darkened when wearing it depending on how light or heavy your hand is when applying it. I actually got a lot of compliments from strangers when I was trying it out in Sephora.

If you are on a budget like myself and would like to invest in one of these lipsticks ( I bought mine for 32$ ). I recommend a darker or richer colour because it can be used in so many different ways, it can be used as a stain or a lighter coloured lipstick , or a richer dark lipstick if you use a heavier hand in application. It can also be doubled up as a cream blush. I will be posting about how to make the most of your lipstick soon.



So these are my absolute favourite makeup products of 2012 but I have another product that I should give an honourable mention to which is Maybelline's Colossal mascara. This is another product that I heard raving reviews about from several people and after trying it I was in love. It gives so much volume and length I actually looked like I was wearing false lashes. But unfortunately I stopped using it because I noticed that after a couple of applications it started making my lashes fall off :( :(  So here's to a good product gone sour....

Hair care:
I don't really have absolute favourite products in this department but these are 2 products that have been good to my hair ( but not amazing ) and I believe they deserve honourable mentions. The first one is Organix coconut milk split ends mender. A good product that helps delay but not eliminate split ends.

The other product is CHI silk infusion, which always gives my hair a glossy finish after straightening, and makes my hair feel softer and reduces frizz. The only downside of this is that it can get a bit greasy if you put on too much.






So these are my beauty favourites of 2012. I hope you enjoyed this post and that it was helpful to you. I'll talk to you next Wednesday!!

Lots of love
xoxoxo
Rue

Read more »

My new year's beauty resolutions

Hello my lovelies, I hope you are all doing well today!

Before I start today's post I have an announcement to make, one of my general new year's resolutions was to blog more consistently so from now on I will be posting every Sunday and Wednesday.
Now for today's topic: My new year's beauty resolutions. These are bad habits I want to get rid of of new good ones I want to incorporate this year so I hope they could be helpful to you so let's get started!

Steve Hiett/Trunk Archive

1) Stop sleeping with make up on:

Okay this is a big one, and it's an especially huge problem for me because it is a very recently developed habit, mainly due to my overly busy schedule. I used to be very religious about removing my makeup but now owing to my crashing every night from exhaustion I don't, so that is something I have to start doing.



2) Be more consistent with my night routine:

studio 229

Another thing related to my overly busy schedule ( and maybe a bit of laziness ). On the days where, god forbid, I'm not so tired that I crash on my desk I actually do cleanse my makeup but that's as far as it goes... that's it. So I've decided to put an end to the laziness.



3) Get more sleep:

After the previous two resolutions I think this is self- explanatory....

4) Washing my makeup brushes more often:

spring jump

again... laziness

5) Pay attention to my lips:

I have the bad habit of biting my lips whenever I am nervous or stressed, so it would be obvious that my lips have taken a a bad beating during this last exams season, and usually I forget my lips in my skincare routine, so I have to start taking more care of them because now they are drier than ever. (and maybe stop biting them)

6) Start using eye cream:

beautiful with brains

This is a sad one for me because I have been getting a lot of comments about how my eyes always look tired/puffy :( :(  So now I think eye cream is becoming a necessity, but I don't where to start or what to use, so if you have any suggestions on any good eye creams please let me know.

7) Cut down on soda and caffinated drinks

They're bad for you, your skin included.. period

8) Apply sunblock on my hands: 

my favourite sunblock

A good habit of mine is that I am consistent with sunblock but it's only on my face. This made me end up with a regular colored face and tanned hands. So from now on I will start putting sunblock on ALL exposed areas of my body and not just my face.

9) Try new makeup colours:

I'm tired of the basic eyeliner and red lips and although they will always be my favourite makeup look of all time and I won't be stopping wearing that look anytime soon I thought I might change it up more and try different eye shadow colors and lipstick colors just to keep things fresh, and hey if I don't experiment with makeup now then when will I?? I'm not getting any younger.







10) Go natural more:

Birch Box

Okay this may seem contradictory with the previous resolution but I promise it's not. My point is it's nice to wear makeup and everything but it's bad to depend on it and make it into a mask to hide behind, so I have decided I will go makeup free when going out for a cup of coffee for example, shopping alone at the mall, or things of the like. My minimum is to go makeup-free at least one day a week. I have noticed that when I go makeup free for a while I get much less acne and blemishes and it feels awesome like my skin can breathe. Plus it is empowering being able to face the world without having to hide behind makeup.

So these are my new year's beauty resolutions.. I hope you enjoyed this post and found it useful.

I will talk to you next Sunday..

lots of love

xoxo 

Rue

Read more »

Vintage 40's week: Day 4: Skincare

We all have to admit the ladies of the 40s had amazing skin and it's probably due to the fact that they knew how to take care of their skin while at the same time not over doing it, so here's a simple authentic guide on 1940's skincare basics...

                         


So as you see, back then skincare was pretty simple and I'll tell you something else.. IT WORKED!
They did not have the need for 500 overpriced products and gadgets to have good skin, all they had was common sense and cold cream! Now I would like to take the liberty to gush about the awesomeness of cold cream... Did you know that Ponds cold cream still exists today? Actually it's what I use to take off my makeup and It. is. amazing.. It's very gentle and thoroughly cleansing and does NOT make me break out ( I have combination/oily skin btw ) although if you have the same skin type as me it's more beneficial in the winter time than summer, I usually switch to a lighter formula then.
So here's what it looks like:

So give it a try, you will not be disappointed..

So anyways back on topic [ I will be doing a full review on cold cream later on] as I was saying these girls kept things pretty simple, something that a LOT of girls nowadays need to take a hint from. And another thing that contributed to giving these women amazing skin was the fact that they did not tan, you see back then pale skin was very much "in" and so women were not obsessed with beaches, tanning beds, bronzers and the like, so they spent a lot of time away from the sun in order to maintain their pale complexions therefore less sun damage and less wrinkles, spots, oranginess, etc.

Bottom line: Keep it simple ladies! 

I hope this was somewhat useful and entertaining and next time we will be talking about 1940's makeup

( if you have any questions/special requests plz let me know)

Bye

Rue

 

Read more »

Vintage 40's week: Day 3: 40's Slang

Well hi-de-do everyone!!

What's buzzin cousin?!

So the 1940's were definitely interesting... and also had interesting slang
Some phrases are actually funny when you hear them today and some are actually still used so here are some phrases used in the 40's... Read them and have fun with them, you can either use them while talking to your grandmother OR (my personal favorite) you can dress up as someone from the forties , use the slang and convince a total stranger that you time-traveled through an undercover government project and you were supposed to go back in time and stop Hitler from ever getting to power and thus saving millions of lives but something went wrong and you ended up in the future instead.... That's bound to freak someone out [ or get you arrested :P :P ]
But I'm running wild with my ideas here... Here are the phrases:

Fuddy Duddy = Old fashioned person
In cahoots with = Conspiring with
Snap your cap = Get angry
Above my pay grade = Don't ask me
Killer-diller = Good stuff
Cook with gas = To do something right
Lettuce = Money
What's buzzin cousin? = How's it going?
Stompers = Shoes
Flip you wig = To lose control of yourself
Pennies from heaven = Easy money
Who's the Jane? = Who's that girl?
That's keen! = That's cool!
Washington = One dollar bill
Lincoln = Five dollar bill
Are you ready hezzie? = Ready to go?
Hubba hubba = well...you guys know what that means :D :D
Holy Moley! = Holy s*** !!
Shucks! 
Good grief!
Swell = Good, well, nice, ok
Neat!
Threads = Clothes
Ginned up = Dressed up
Togged to the bricks = Dressed in the best clothes
City slicker = City dandy
Hep cats = Swing dancers , music lovers (male)
Hep kittens = Swimg dancers, music lovers (female)


Well, Good grief! That's a lot of swell 40's phrases! [Do I sound cheesy? I thought so too] 
Any way.. I hope you guys enjoyed this post and tomorrow we will be getting to the real juice starting with 40's Skincare So stay tuned :D :D


Lots of love


Rue

Read more »