May Outfits

 

On Print

This is a dress I purchased quite some time ago from Costa Blanca for only $20.00, amazing deal in my opinion! I find it to be a really flattering cut so I tend to wear this often, especially on those so-called "fat days" which seem to plague every once in a while.

 

 

 

OUTFIT DETAILS

Dress

This bag I purchased at Winners, and I am just so so so in love with it. The stud detail is just perfect, not too much and not too little, and it adds a bit of a risqué edge to this outfit which is double with the red-hot shoes!

Wednesdays Wanted: Let's Get Nautical

Dress / sunnies / Top / Dress / Heels / Red heels / Shorts

**I am now in Europe. I wrote this post previous to my departure, hope you all enjoy! **

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Where am I you ask? Click here! 

I am such a sucker for all things Nautical (I've even been a sailor before for halloween!) , I adore the look of navy & red together because I feel like it gives such a cute, flirty sailor look!

Fashionable Haul

**I am now in Europe. I wrote this post previous to my departure, hope you all enjoy! **

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Where am I you ask? Click here! 

So recently I popped into the Winners near at the mall, hoping to find a few gems to add to my closet without hurting my wallet too much. Of course immediately I found items that I hurriedly grabbed, tucked away so no one would try to snag them from me... here is what I found:

Scarves

Yes, I am aware that summer is well on it's way - but considering my office is air conditioned enough to make all us employees feel like we are Santa's workers in North Pole! Burr cold! So I feel like scarf-buying for me is kind of a year long necessity, plus these were just too cute to pass up! 

Sneak Peek!

Here's a little sneak peak of 
what you'll be seeing on my blog this week! 




1. Fashion Haul

photo credit

2. Outfit Post

3.  Nautical Themed Wish List 

4. Outfit Post

5. Hair Care Review

6. Necklace Revamp DIY

The Urban Umbrella

Follow me on: Bloglovin' / Twitter / Pinterest 

xoxo

Jose Eber Sneak Peek!

Recently Jose Eber offered to send me a few products to try out and share with you all. I wanted to share a sneak peek of the items I will be trying out in the next few weeks with you because I am just so excited to try them I have to share my excitement with you all!

Not Goodbye, Just See You Later

Hey there, Lovely Readers!

I just wanted to let you all know that I am heading off to Europe tomorrow evening and I will be gone for three weeks.

Where am I going you ask? 
I am off to eat some delicious pasta, pizza and tiramisu in Italy
& then where am I next? I will be lounging on the beautiful beaches of Croatia!

I am so excited to be venturing off to the "unknown", discovering a part of the world I've never seen and trying things I've never tried before! I am so thrilled that I finally planned out a trip like this, I've always wanted to but for some reason let me fears get in the way and now there is no turning back! I cannot wait to go Italy and sit out in the sun, drinking heavy red wines while viewing the unseen scenery of sun kissed landscapes, ancient ruins & cobble stone roads; and  then to be going to Croatia, I can barely believe I am going to Croatia, a place so unknown to me. Beaches, white washed walls and burnt orange roof tops fill my mind as I begin to think of all the beauty that awaits in Croatia! 

Wednesdays Wanted: Beach wish list

Print Dress / Heels /  Sunnies / Wallet / Necklace /  Beach Bag  / Bikini Top / Bikini Bottom / Hat

With my trip coming up so quickly I can't help but have a one tracked mind, and that one tracked mind has been completely focused on: Beaches. I cannot wait to be lounging on a beach and getting bronzed from the bright sun (okay, burnt from the bright sun).

Come & Gone: May Long

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all had a lovely long weekend! I had a pretty crazy one - both good and bad - but regardless of the actual weekend, it was a long weekend and I can never complain too much about a extra long weekend to really chill out.

The first day we drove up was absolutely gorgeous, the sun was shining so brightly and we all got our sun-kissed glows on by mid-afternoon. We all sat on the warm white sandy beach and enjoyed each other company along with some cold, cool, refreshing bevies. It was true bliss, it felt like all the hot summer days that I love to reminisce about and wished never ended. I felt the hot sand in between my toes on the beach and I felt so at peace, not a single stressful thought ran through my mind and I quickly forgot about the hectic week I had just left behind.

We were surrounded by blue skies, green mountains speckled with thick white snow, rushing jade green glacial water and heavy white waterfalls. It really was an incredible place to be able to stay at for the weekend, the scenery was so breathtaking that it was easy to get entranced in all of it's beauty.

My Daily Routine: Fresh Faced

Alright so today I am going to show you a look I do quite often because it is A. Simple B. Quick C. Easy & D. Work appropriate.

So here is the look I will be showing you all:

 The look is my take on the well known look called the "Fresh Faced" look!  So to start I think it makes most sense to get our faces nice and fresh! I personally use H2O's light weight exfoliant on my skin because it works incredibly well with my sensitive skin. I have super sensitive, super picky and super fickle skin - my skin does not like scents, heavy lotions or overly thick exfoliants and every time I've used an exfoliant with any of these factors I have broken out in hives or my face will go chaotically blotchy all over, this is why I stick to what works for me which just happens to be H2O's wonderful exfoliant. I rub the exfoliant into my T-zone areas, and I skip the rest, I do not want to dry out my skin where it isn't needed so I stick to the areas that are prone to oil.
 

I then spray on my hydrating Posay Roche H20 Spray on my face to make my skin all soft and dewy, and then lastly I apply my Posay Roche moisturizer. If any of you struggle with sensitive skin I would definitely recommend trying out Posay Roche, it is incredible for sensitive skin and has never given me any sort of adverse reaction. It is the only moisturizer that has left my skin feeling moisturized instead of sticky and it is scentless so for once your skin will not be left smelling like a pineapple, or a candy cane, or something else sweet that makes your skin break out!

So here I am... Sans Makeup - yikes! 

Then we move on to our make up!

 

Starting with our eyes:

1. I always use a eye brightener and primer on my eyes before applying shadow or liner because I've found it allows the colours to look truer and less faded. Plus a primer will really allow the look to last longer, it will resist smudging and fading so if you don't have a primer perhaps you should invest in one! I know I am happy I did!

My two primers that I use are: Revlon "Photo Ready" & LemonAid by Benefit, today I am going to use Revlon's Photo Ready though because it is a bit more natural looking to my skin tone. LemonAid is lovely as well, but it is a bit heavier and better used for a heavier makeup look than what I am going for today.

I tab a bit of the Photo Ready primer around my eye lid and then take my middle finger and gently rub it in.

 

Then I go over it with a nude coloured eyeshadow called Shroom from MAC cosmetics. This really doesn't add a lot of colour to the look, it simply just sets the primer/brigthener.

I didn't take an after photo cause really my lids look the same, the primer is just "set"

The second eyeshadow I use is a very light gold, also from MAC, called Nylon. I put this in the tear duct as well as on the eyebrow bone to make my eyes look wider. I will also put this on the lower lash liner to make my eyes look even bigger and brighter.

The last eyeshadow I use is a light sandy brown colour, and guess where it's from? Yep, Mac! This shadow is called Soba. I use this in my lid crease and lightly bring it towards my eyebrow bone to widen my eyes.

Then I take my Eye Bright liner by Benefit and will put it into my lower tearline. This will make eyes look more refreshed and bright. (Eye Bright is my secret weapon against the Monday Morning blues)

Unlike most "Fresh Faced" looks I add in a bit of black liquid eyeliner, just to make my eyes look a bit more defined. I add only a very thin line along the lash line with a very small flick-out at the end.

 

My very last step with my eyes? Mascara! And lots of it! I use Falsies lash mascara and I love how long and thick it makes my lashes look, plus it's super cheap which is always a bonus. 

What about the face?
For work I wouldn't wear anything on my face, I don't like to wear facial make-up all day long so I usually do not apply a single thing but if I am going out and want to dress the look up a bit more then I'll add in a bit of blush & illuminator. 

 I use my Benefit coralista blush to brighten up my cheeks.

 I use my Benefit Dandelion brightener and apply that all over my face lightly.

& Lips?
Lately to complete this look I have been using my Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart. I will apply it to my lips and then take my middle finger and run it along the lipstick to take off the excess, you want the colour to look natural - not as if you're wearing lipstick.

Then I lightly dab on a bit of lipgloss, just to keep lips looking moisturized!

That's it!

 

 If there are any other makeup styles you'd like to see just comment below and let me know! 

Thanks!

The Urban Umbrella 

Follow me on: Bloglovin' / Twitter / Pinterest 

xoxo

Oh So Pretty

Happy Friday Everyone!

 Finally the long weekend is about to begin and I couldn't be looking forward to it much more than I am! With this week being as hectic as it's been lately I can't wait to go trek out to the woods, pitch a tent and "be one with nature" for a few days. 

Whenever work is this crazy I always get the urge to go shopping, treat myself to something nice to make my week brighter, and this week is no exception. I've been going crazy trying to restrain myself from running to the mall, but as much as one can restrain themselves from physically going to the mall - there is always online shopping, my downfall! 

Here are a few of my online finds which are now on my most-wanted list! 

NARS Illuminator / Yves Saint Laurent Lip Stain / NARS Duo Blusher / Urban Decay Primer / 

Floral Arrangement

One more day til the weekend!!!

(after today...)

But thankfully, this weekend is a long weekend! Three whole, undisturbed, workless & blissful days off to do whatever I like - and that just happens to be camping! Yes, I am heading off to the woods to pitch a tent, light a fire and get rowdy with some dear friends, and I am oh so excited. I love camping, every time it gets to this time of year - when the sun is shining and the birds are singing - I instantly begin to crave the adventure of camping. May Long weekend is usually are first camp trip of the year to kick off our summer of camping so I am really excited to get going! I will show you guys some photos of our trip once I am home, but don't expect any glamour shots 'cause I certainly won't be dressing up like some beauty queen while I am amongst the wilderness!

Anyways, I'll stop rambling about how excited I am to camp and move on to what this post is really about: My new floral printed dress.

heatless curls turorial

Hey there Ladies & Gents! 

Today I am showing you how I got my hair from this

To this:

Without any heat applied to my hair!
 

SongBird

So yesterday I shared with you all a little sneak peak for a few of the posts I have planned out for this week and here is the first of them!

 

SNEAK PEAK!

Hey there!

I just wanted to give you guys a sneak peak of some things that will be coming up on my blog this week!

1. Hair Tutorial

Last week I tried out a new technique to achieve full, bouncy curls without any heat! I am so excited to share with you all just how I got my hair from fuzzy, frizzy and unruly to bouncy, full and lush ringlets without any heat touching my hair!

2. Make Up Tutorial

Recently I've received quite a few messages asking to show you all how I do my makeup in these photos/ everyday. I finally got around to breaking down what I do actually do each day and wrote it all up for you guys to read, I sure hope you like it! 

3. New Outfit Post

I am going to be sharing with you a new outfit post featuring a really lovely yellow dress that I ordered online from Missguided Fashion (UK). I am totally enamoured with this dress, it is so flowy and lovely, perfect for a warm summer day, it feels really romantic and springy and I am so so excited to show you all!!

I am so excited to finish all of these articles and show them all to you!

In other news, I finally purchased my laptop - my very first laptop! It's beautiful, sleek, shiny and I think I am in love, move aside Jeremy and welcome home, Mac! Macbook Pro that is. I am so happy that I decided to bite the bullet and purchase my Mac, even though it did make a significant dent in my bank account. Originally that was my biggest reason for hesitation, the cost was so high, but now that it's home and I am typing on it I feel zero regret over my purchase.

Oh my goodness, it is so beautiful! 

I feel like a proud parent - I can't help but smile when I look at it.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend and that you're all having a wonderful Monday!

The Urban Umbrella

Follow me on: Bloglovin' / Twitter / Pinterest 

xoxo

My Experience with Scoliosis

For any of you that do not know what scoliosis is here is a quick description:

Scoliosis  is the twisting/ or curving of the spine away from the middle, creating an S like shape.  Some patients have scoliosis due to a muscle weakness brought on by polio, cerebral palsy or spina bifida; Some are just born with scoliosis and it is due to a formation problem while the infant was developing ; But, most scoliosis patients will be diagnosed as "idiopathic" cases which means the cause is unknown.

If you'd like to read more on scoliosis: Body & Health Canada

*this is not my photo

My spinal condition was brought to my attention from a friend. We were in going into grade 7, our final year in elementary school and we were enjoying our final days of summer in my backyard. I had two friends over that day and we were all jumping on the trampoline when one of my friends said "hey, is your back okay?", I was completely baffled - what exactly was she talking about?

My step-dad overheard this and was immediately concerned as he has lived with a bad back for quite some time and knows the hardships of having to live with a spinal injury. He asked me to to get off the trampoline to inspect my back and after a moment he agreed that it did look a bit tilted. That afternoon we went to our local clinic where the doctor asked me to touch my toes and immediately agreed that my spine was crooked and we would be needing to get an x-ray that very day.

Honestly at this point I do not think I felt any fear  over any of this, I was completely confused by the notion that I had a medical condition.  I was completely unaware of the gravity of the information we were told. Some people will say how sad it is that I found this out so young, but honestly I believe it to be a bit of a blessing in disguise because after this doctors appointment I carried on without worry. I was able to forget the troubles and focus on having fun. I spend each day after like any other child would.

 

 

*this is not my photo

After the X-ray results came back we were told my spinal curve was at 48 degrees and I would be needing to see a orthopaedic specialist at BC Children's Hospital. We had been told many times that seeing a specialist could take months since there are so many severe cases, but within only a few weeks we were called in for an appointment. Being called in this quickly left my entire family feeling more than a little nervous, was my case more severe than we thought?

On September 17, 2002 I had my first appointment at Children's Hospital and it was here I met my doctor, Dr. Reilly. It was he who told me that I was incorrectly informed about my x-ray results and that my curve was actually 54 degrees.  He explained that all curvatures higher than 45 degrees were usually passed the point of being corrected by spinal braces and that my only viable option would be to have the spinal surgery. He went on to explain that the surgery meant placing two titanium rods along my spine to straighten it and then fuse the rods in place with screws. I would say this is the exact moment I remember fear setting in. Titannium rods along my spine? Screws? Fusing? Is this a joke?
This was the moment that daunting feeling that came over me - knowing that my entire high-school experience - scratch that, my entire life would have to be lived a bit differently than everyone else. I was completely unable to take in the fact that within just a few hours I went from being a normal 12 year old girl who was excited about graduating elementary school and entering high-school, to a girl who would be spending a majority of her grade 7 year in doctors offices and would be missing her first months grade 8 because she would be retraining her post-op body to normalcy. . 

 

Dr. Reilly was very calm and considerate, he answered all my families questions and tried to reassure me about all my worries. I feared I wouldn't be able to dance again and he promised that he would do his best to make sure I would be able to. I feared I wouldn't be able to run and play with my friends and he told me that only for a short while after the surgery would I not be able to run, but eventually I would be able to play any games they played. I feared that I wouldn't be able to have children and again he told me that I would be able to do anything any other person could do, I would just have to take very good care of myself physically.

 

*this is not my photo

Over the next year there were countless appointments, blood tests, x-rays and of course, there was an endless amount of teasing. My Grade 7 year was not at all what I had expected - I never had experienced teasing quite like this. 

Girls were especially mean. This was the year most girls began straightening their hair, playing with makeup and wearing clothes that no longer sported Mickey Mouse or Cinderella. They were all beginning to take more time to stand out and look feminine & pretty All while they were primping themselves I was taking more time to hide myself. I stuck to my oversized gap sweaters to hide this "imperfection"  but it seemed that everything I did to hide it just made it all the more noticeable. Certain names were thrown around quite a bit, "gimpy"  was one of them that seemed to stick well around my classmates. I know it doesn't sound like the worst name I could've been given but for a 12 year old it was enough to be completely crushing.

When we all finally graduated from Grade 7 all the girls were running around crying and hugging one another. I remember one of my good friends turned to me and was completely baffled that I wasn't upset. She was all bleary eyed and sniffly saying "aren't you sad at all? its all over?!" and I just shrugged - all I was thinking was "I cannot wait to get the hell out of here!".

Summer 2003 seemed to drag on. I was so uncomfortable in my own skin by this point that I spent a majority of the summer indoors, alone, rejecting any offer to go out with friends.  I could feel people's eyes on me every-time I went outside and so why would I willingly subject myself to that?  Go out to a swimming pool for the afternoon? Are you insane?

September 2003 finally rolled around and I attended my first day of high school, Orientation day. Orientation day was the only day of school that I would attend for another 2 months. In our first class, sewing, a girl sat next to me. We got to talking and then spent lunch together. I remember she said "want to meet here again tomorrow?" and I replied "actually no, I won't be here tomorrow. I am having surgery tomorrow". It was such an odd feeling having to tell someone "hey, I'll see ya in two months! Just got to go have some rods put in my back!".

September 8, 2003 was the date of my surgery. By this time my curve had progressed to 84 degrees and the curve was violently disfiguring my body. The night before I spent what felt like hours scrubbing myself down with a strong antibacterial soap that made my skin with a orangey/yellow colour in preparation for my surgery the next day. I really remember every moment of that night and the following morning. It was like an overly vivid dream, I remember everything & I can see it all but it all feels a bit dreamy and unreal. I remember my mum being very worried and I remember watching TV with my brother and my stepdad. I remember going to bed thinking I wouldn't be able to sleep from my fear but I slept fine. I woke up the next morning feeling completely calm. I remember my family asking me if I was worried and I kept saying I wasn't. I remember getting an IV put into the top of my hand into my vein and having a slight moment of panic when I saw the thick IV needle; And then I remember being wheeled into the surgery room and my mum asking me if there was anything I wanted, and oddly enough I said "Mario Party 3 for N64!!". 

Super odd kid, eh? 

 

As soon as I was wheeled in the room and I saw all the buckets of surgical tools the pure wild-panicked/fear began to set in and I started to bawl. Luckily it was at this point that the anaesthesia set in and I fell into a deep sleep that lasted through the next 13 hours.  I can only imagine how scary that image must have been for my mum though, seeing my panic setting evelope me as I was being brought into that room, seeing all those buckets of tools in that room.

My surgery was a total of 13 hours. I had two vertebra's removed, two titanium rods placed along my spine, and 12 screws fused to my spine. Parts of my ribs were taken out to surround the rods which would help them fuse and secure to my spine.  

I honestly couldn't tell you what time of day it was when I woke up in the ICU (intensive care unit). I was highly medicated on morphine and felt completely out of my mind - apparently I had a long ramble about how toque should be spelt "Took" - weird. My family tells me that I was very resistant to waking up, that they were literally having to yell in my face to try and wake me.
After surgery you are incredibly thirsty and they will not give you water - this infuriated me. I had a wonderful nurse though, named "Bryan" who stayed by me and gave me all the ice-chips I wanted, he definitely lifted my spirits; I think about him all the time, his kindness really made such a difference in this groggily painful experience.

**I really have found that this aspect of hospitals is under-valued, really great nurses. I had my share of awful nurses while I was in the hospital but there were two nurses in particular that were absolutely amazingly fantastic. Rivera and Bryan, they joked around with me and were always incredibly supportive. A bad nurse is perhaps the worst thing you can have in the hospital, they are the ones changing the sheets and helping you out of the bed - and if they do not take the time and care needed these procedures can be incredibly painful. I remember two awful nurses that very roughly changed the bedding, and I couldn't move so they are suppose to shuffle it gently from under me, but instead they were incredibly rough. They kept yammering on to each-other about what "terrible days" they were having and I just felt like saying "hey man, this is not my finest day either!"

After a day or so the doctors told me it was about time to get me on my feet and try to walk over to the wheel chair. I do not even know if I can explain to you the sheer pain of standing up the first time after surgery. I felt like my entire spine was going to fall out of my back. I could feel the whole exposed cut on my back tense up as I was lifted to be seated upright. Taking a few steps felt like an 8 hour workout, I was completely exhausted by the time I got to the chair. My whole body ached and I immediately asked to be moved back to the bed. Each day I was able to walk a bit further though, and slowly I was making my way through the halls. The main test at the hospital for whether they will let you go home or not is if you're able to walk up and down the stairs, for some reason I found stairs to be the easiest task and therefore I was allowed to go home a day early.

*this is not my photo

The next two months were the most difficult months of my life. I had to re-learn how to walk, get off the bed, get up from a chair or a couch, how to pick things up.  These tasks, taks I never thought of as difficult before, I now had to put so much focus on to relearn. Walking around our house would exhaust me to the point that I would sleep away the rest of the entire day & it was so tiring to eat that I would often pass the day away without eating. It took more than just those two months to re-train my habits and re-learn how to move, and it took a few years before things began to feel natural.
 

Another aspect of all of this that took some time to get used to was the very large scar that was left along my spine from the surgery. I originally hated it, again it was another thing for kids to tease me about. I went to a camp and kids called me "scar girl" - not even a very creative name! But it is something that I've grown to love. I am now really proud of it, it shows strength and now I wouldn't change it even if I could. When I was young I always worried that my "future boyfriend" would be disgusted by it but I realized over time that someone quality would love me even more for it, because it is something that saved my life - which is exactly the type of person I've found.

Now I am a active and happy person. I am thankful for the entire experience - the fear, the teasing and the pain because I truly feel it has made me a more empathetic, sympathetic and compassionate person. Experiences make us who we are and this experience has really shaped me. People often make judgements for ones appearance and this experience has taught me to never look at a person as if they are "different". 

I am also so thankful to my amazing doctor, Dr. Reilly. He really did save my life and I am forever grateful for what he did for me. He had so much patience, love and kindness towards me and my family. I honestly do not know if we all would've gotten through the stress and heartache of all of this without his immense support.

My experience with scoliosis: has taught me to try and live each day without fear & judgement & to live with love and kindness.

xx

 

The images were taken from www.weheartit.com

The Urban Umbrella
Follow me on: Bloglovin'/Twitter 
xoxo